Lost and Abandoned Disney Details

Finding Disney Magic (No, Not the Cruise Ship)

I’d love to be able to take credit for this next post, but it’s actually by a good friend of mine.  (“Yes!” you say.  “Finally, someone good to read.”)   We will call him Teevtee, in order to enhance his mysteriosity.  Plus, I sometimes still call him that, because that’s how I first knew him. […]

Proud History of Sea Serpents

Walt Disney World seems to have a great fondness for sea serpents.  There are several that have appeared in various locations throughout the property. The most fanciful serpent prowls the waters of the castle moat in Magic Kingdom.  At one time, he had a great fondness for Swan Boats, but now he just suns himself […]

Elephants Are The Future

I had forgotten all about this strange little episode in Walt Disney World history until a friend of mine reminded me about the Epcot space elephants.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Elephants invaded Epcot for a circus spectacular sometime in the mid 80s, and it is indeed everything you could hope for. The circus was […]

Beware of Sea Serpents on Your Cruise

Even casual Disney fans know about the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Submarine Voyage that used to exist in Fantasyland’s north corner.  And if you don’t, you should think twice before roaming around that Pooh Playground.  It’s holy ground. The subs were a great example of the type of incredible, fantastic adventure that Disney was […]

These Fifes Sure are Tasty

Hidden away in a secluded area behind Liberty Square is the ruin of a small venue known as the Fife and Drum Snack Bar.  It closed shop right around the time the Constitution was ratified, and once sold refreshing beverages to parched Liberty Square guests who didn’t know that the Hall of Presidents had air […]

Before Disneyland Had Yellow Submarines

I’m wanting to do some kind of 2009 wrap-up here, but I couldn’t let a golden opportunity pass by, to pay tribute to a bit of history.  Well, actually I guess I could let it pass by, since I’m now 4 days after the anniversary.  But at any rate, you may not know that the […]

Who Needs American Idol?

The original Disney MGM Studios had a location to showcase guests’ musical performance skills long before Ryan Seacrest showed up, and I’m not talking about SuperStar Television.  It was a shop of sorts, very similar to those photo booths where they will green screen your head onto a movie poster.  Only in this case, you […]

Adventureland Veranda Uncovered

Crowds have been extremely high this holiday season, and one of the byproducts of the crushing masses is that Disney will occasionally get desperate enough to open up areas that were previously off-limits.  By sheer chance, I had the opportunity to set foot in one of the Magic Kingdom’s oldest and most dormant spaces yesterday. […]

Does the Original Star Tours Break the Star Wars Canon Timeline?

Star Tours is one of those rare Disney attractions based on a property owned by someone else.  George Lucas officially sanctioned the ride — and with this level of detail, there’s no doubt Lucasfilm opened the archives to the Imagineers for reference.  They scrutinized costumes, painstakingly recreated props, and hired original actors like Anthony Daniels […]