Video Of The Day: Disneyland, A Whirlwind Tour

by Jake Thiewes on

If someone says “Disneyland” or “Disney World,” the words “quick trip” rarely come to mind as a follow-up. Yet two filmmakers have managed to provide a desktop Disneyland experience, showcasing Disneyland, Disney California Adventure and Downtown Disney in about a minute and a half. So now, sit back, relax and enjoy a quick journey to Anaheim.

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Video: Disneyland 1957

by Elizabeth Seward on

This footage of Disneyland 1957 was previously unreleased until recently. The film was cleaned up, edited, and paired with music, but all of the images are original. In 1957, the Disneyland park in Anaheim, California wasn’t even yet two years old. The park opened in July of 1955. The best part about this footage is that it is actually good! The editing and overall cleanup job helps, of course, but the original filmmaker did a respectable job at capturing various aspects of the park and the young Disneyland experience.

Disneyland’s Splash Mountain to be closed this spring

by Leigh Caldwell on

If you plan to visit Southern Cailfornia this spring, a ride on Splash Mountain won’t be in the cards. Disneyland’s famous water ride is closed for refurbishment until just before Memorial Day.

The 4-month closure is part of a regular refurbishment program at Disneyland. Big rides get spruced up every 5 to 10 years, and it was Splash Mountain’s turn, reports the Orange County Register.

Splash Mountain opened at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, in 1989. It is a 9-minute long log flume ride that winds through scenes from Song of the South, the classic Disney film that tells the stories of Brer Rabbit. At the end, Splash Mountain riders find Brer Rabbit’s laughing place – at the bottom of a five-story drop.

The ride has become one of Disney’s iconic attractions, and versions of Splash Mountain have spread to two other Disney theme parks, Tokyo Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

No major changes to Disneyland’s Splash Mountain are expected during the refurbishment period.

[Image credit: Flickr user lrargerich]

Disney photo privacy questions raised by new ‘Let the Memories Begin’ campaign

by Leigh Caldwell on

Walt Disney World and Disneyland are inviting guests to share their Disney Parks memories in the form of photos, video and stories submitted to a Disney Web site as part of a 2011 marketing campaign called “Let the Memories Begin.” Videos shot by Disney visitors are being used in TV commercials for the theme parks.

And a key component of the new marketing campaign starts early this year, when Disney will begin projecting images of guests in the park that day on Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World and on It’s A Small World at Disneyland.

So, how will those images be chosen, and what if you don’t want your larger-than-life likeness shown?

Disney says the up to 500 photos used daily will be provided by Disney PhotoPass Photographers, those guys and gals who stop you and ask to take your picture at various scenic locations throughout Disney’s theme parks.

You will be able to opt out and keep your photo out of the nightly show, Disney tells the Orlando Sentinel. That’s a smart move for a company using the images in what is essentially another piece of a marketing campaign.

However, on an individual basis, you should know that photos taken of you inside U.S. theme parks are pretty much fair game. If your image winds up on someone else’s Twitter stream or Flickr account, there’s really nothing you can do.

Some theme parks print a generic “use of likeness” release on the physical ticket you are given; others include it in the terms and conditions you agree to when purchasing tickets online.

But lawyers say that even without some sort of printed photo release, you don’t have much recourse if you want a photo removed from, say, someone else’s Facebook. With thousands of people taking thousands of photos every day, there’s no real expectation of privacy if your face is captured in the crowd.

No parades at Disney’s California Adventure for most of 2011

by Leigh Caldwell on

One classic part of the Disney theme park experience – the afternoon parade – will be missing from Disney’s California Adventure for most of next year.

The Pixar Play Parade can be seen at the park through Jan. 3, but then it’s not expected back until November. The hiatus is a result of a major overhaul of Disney’s second California theme park.

The Orange County Register reports that Disney will have roaming street shows, called Pixar Pop-Ups, in the parade’s place. The mini-shows will feature characters from popular Pixar movies such as The Incredibles and Monsters, Inc.

The overhaul at Disney’s California Adventure is expected to be complete in 2012. Disney is spending $1 billion on the project to makeover the theme park. For most of next year, the major projects will be worked on.

What does that mean for visitors? Lots of construction walls, and temporary closings of corridors, eateries, shops and other venues at the park. While Disney regularly closes rides and venues for refurbishment, these kinds of major interruptions are always a risky business, because many potential visitors may decide to delay a trip to Anaheim until they can see the finished project.

[Image credit: Flickr user HarshLight]