Imagineers contribute to more than just the parks – and sometimes, they’re best known for their work outside of Disneyland. Meet Marc Davis, the designer behind some of Disney’s most instantly recognizable animated characters. Â Source: 50 Most Influential Disney Animators Marc didn’t start out in Hollywood. Born in 1913, his dad’s oil field development job […] Read more…
Summer 1993 – present LOCATION Main Street USA – Carriage Place Clothing Co. connects directly with the Disneyland Emporium, at the corner of Main Street facing the town plaza. If you’d like to visit through the shop’s “main” entrance, head to the fire station. You’ll see Carriage Place on your right, usually with the doors […] Read more…
Every devoted Marvel fan knows about gamma radiation. Not only is this powerful electromagnetic force emitted by the Infinity Stones, it is also the source of Bruce Banner’s hulk. So you might be surprised as you walk through Avengers Campus to see a pipe leaking gamma radiation into a garden. Most of the mini trees […] Read more…
 Source: Yesterland Summer 1967 – September 1986 LOCATION Tomorrowland – The Character Shop faced Tomorrowland’s central courtyard, on the southern side of the walkway. To find the shop, visitors would keep to the right, spotting the shop right as the building rounded a corner. Today, this space belongs to the Star Trader. EXPERIENCE Details: Merchandise […] Read more…
Welcome to Ask The Duchess – Vol. 65, a monthly Q&A post covering a variety of resort-related topics. Ask The Duchess answers questions submitted by readers. If you have a question you’d like answered, send me a message here. 1. Is Roger Rabbit going to survive the Toontown re-design? (submitted by Nina) Yes! Disney has confirmed that […] Read more…
Springtime is in full swing at the Disneyland Resort, but it feels a lot more like winter with the amount of construction projects going on. Normally, this time of year signals walls coming down and crowds swelling up. But this time, the crowds keep coming…and the walls are growing too. Let’s take a quick look […] Read more…
I’ve talked about my love of so called “hidden gems” from the onset of this blog. For me, the best part of Disneyland is the attention to detail. The tinier the hidden gem, the better. It shows the care and thought Imagineers put into each piece of the park. Today, I’m sharing one of my […] Read more…
 Source: Dining at Disney June 1962 – January 1989 LOCATION Adventureland – Sunkist, I Presume faced the central walkway of Adventureland. When visitors came from New Orleans Square, the dining spot was on the left, just beyond the River Belle Terrace. And when visitors walked through Adventureland’s main entrance, they’d see the restaurant on the […] Read more…
As you walk around Galaxy’s Edge, you might notice some strange writing on different signs and buildings. This is Aurebesh, the most common written language in a galaxy far, far away. (You’ll even see it in Return of the Jedi!) That’s cool, you’re probably thinking, but I have no idea what it means. Turns out, there’s an […] Read more…
June 2021 – present LOCATION Avengers Campus – The Ancient Sanctum is tucked into the only somewhat quiet corner in the campus. If you’re visiting from the land’s main entrance, you’ll see it on the right, just after WEB Suppliers. And if you’re visiting from the Cars Land or Hollywood Land entrances, head toward the […] Read more…
I know I am extremely late to the party, but I just realized I never talked about a very special Disney+ series on this blog, released in 2019. Â Source: Disney+ The Imagineering Story is an incredibly well done series, covering attractions and park projects from all 6 resorts around the world. Narrated by Angela Bassett, […] Read more…
I seldom trust the opinions of people who are 100% positive or 100% negative on a subject. Most topics, and most people, land somewhere in the middle – and of course, opinions shift. In that spirit, I felt like I should share how I’ve been feeling lately about the state of the Disneyland resort…and it’s […] Read more…
 Source: Four Kingdoms March 1972 – April 2003 LOCATION Bear Country – Teddi Barra’s Swingin’ Arcade faced the lower courtyard in Bear Country, near the exit to Splash Mountain. Today, the arcade space is part of Pooh Corner. BACKGROUND In the 70s, arcades started popping up across Disneyland. Frontierland, Main Street, Adventureland, and Tomorrowland all […] Read more…
Welcome to Ask The Duchess – Vol. 64, a monthly Q&A post covering a variety of resort-related topics. Ask The Duchess answers questions submitted by readers. If you have a question you’d like answered, send me a message here. 1. What was Walt’s involvement in developing California Adventure? (submitted by Noreen) None. Walt died in 1966, and […] Read more…