Saturday, April 16, 2011

Disneyland Passport circa 1980


This is a Disneyland Passport (which is what they used to call the unlimited use tickets back in the days when Disneyland still sold ticket books). This was the best ticket that you could get at the time, because you could ride all the rides without tearing tickets out of your ticket book. This Passport is not to be confused with an Annual Pass, which became popular later on. This Passport was available for purchase by members of Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom Club (which was a benefit that some employers offered to their employees).

I love the look of the old Disneyland tickets- they were works of art, all by themselves.

Walt Disney's It's A Small World CD


This is a Compact Disc of Walt Disney's "It's A Small World". This CD is from Disneyland Records, and was originally released as an LP Record back in 1964. This soundtrack features music directly from the attraction, which made its debut at the New York World's Fair in 1964 before being moved to Disneyland permanently in 1966.

On this CD, the narrator tells you what you are seeing as you sail along. Then you hear a sampling of the music of the area that you are passing on this imaginary boat ride.

I bought this CD at Disneyland, when they had a machine that allowed you to choose which CD you wanted, and then they would custom-burn your CD while you waited. They really should bring that back!

The Evil Queen at Disneyland


This is a photo of The Evil Queen (from Snow White) in Fantasyland at Disneyland. I took this picture about 2 years ago, and I just ran across it and I think it's a great photo. Here the Evil Queen is really in character (aren't the characters at Disneyland great?), and nobody does evil better than this woman!

Netflix Now Has 3 Great Disney Documentaries

If you like documentaries about the Walt Disney Company, I have 3 great ones to suggest that you watch with Netflix. The first one is "Waking Sleeping Beauty", which shows how a management change at Disney which brought in Michael Eisner, Frank Wells and Jeffrey Katzenberg brought about a financial and creative turnaround at the Company. This movie is available on DVD only.

The next two movies- "Walt and El Grupo" and "The Boys-The Sherman Brothers' Story", are available to watch instantly on your computer (or on your TV, connected to your Playstation 3 or your Wii).

"Walt and El Grupo" is a documentary about what happened when Walt Disney went to South America, along with several artists, on a goodwill tour for America. This movie is in my Instant Queue on Netflix, but I haven't watched it yet (but I will soon!).

"The Boys- The Sherman Brothers Story" is a documentary about the highly-successful Sherman Brothers, whose pop hits have rocked America (and Disney) for decades now. This documentary is fascinating, and I truly enjoyed it.

If you don't have Netflix yet, it's the best thing you could get if you like movies. It's inexpensive, and you can plan your moviewatching! There's a banner for Netflix on this page, and you can sign up for a 2-week free trial by clicking that banner.

Friday, April 15, 2011

The Walrus and the Carpenter Pewter Sculptures from Disney's Alice in Wonderland


This is a pewter miniature sculpture of "The Walrus and the Carpenter" from Disney's "Alice in Wonderland". This very small piece is so detailed- you can even see one of the little oysters! This piece was designed (along with 4 other pieces that came in the set) by Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily, who make some of the best Disney merchandise around!

Disney Hollywood Studios Glass from McDonald's (gift from Michael Jackson)



This Disney Hollywood Studios Glass from McDonald's was a personal gift to me from pop star Michael Jackson, back in 2002. Michael knew that I loved Disney like he did, and in that way we were "alike". Michael and I almost shared a trip to Walt Disney World back in June of 2001, but he became sick (and hospitalized) about a week before we were scheduled to meet down there. I went anyway, but he lamented that he was unable to go. Anyway, this is one of several small gifts that he gave me during the time that he was in communication with a certain member of my family.

Limited Edition Marc Davis Tinker Bell Watch



This is a limited edition Marc Davis series Tinker Bell watch, which I bought at The Disney Store in Baldwin Hills, CA a few years ago. Marc Davis designed Tinker Bell based on model and actress Margaret Kerry (who happens to be a friend of mine!) This watch, which was one of 5,000 made, depicts Tinker Bell beautifully, and has a nice, shiny dark blue face surrounding her. This watch is truly "stunning" to behold.