Animal Kingdom 20th Anniversary Countdown to Extinction

On the occasion of Disney’s Animal Kingdom 20th Anniversary, we reflect on its celebration of all animals — living, imaginary, and extinct. And since we’re Parkeology, we’re going to focus on that last part with a Top 20 Countdown to Extinction. It’s fast! It’s a blast! It’s in the past! 20. Poached Elephants Kilimanjaro Safari […]

The Purple Whales of King Triton’s Carousel Are Finally Free

The purple whales of King Triton’s Carousel of the Sea departed the shores of Paradise Pier yesterday, never to return. We waved a tearful goodbye to those cuddly, humpy beasts as they slapped their happy flukes in the waves and bellowed an off-key song. Then they were gone. And with them goes a great Parkeology […]

These Original Fantasyland Dark Rides Have Desperately Unhappy Endings

“Fantasyland is dedicated to the young and the young-at-heart, for they are most susceptible to nightmares. All that lurks here is graphic death, horror, and eternal damnation. Abandon all hope, ye who enter.” — Fantasyland Dedication Plaque, July 17, 1955 You want happily ever after? Go to Universal or something. We’re peddling unhappy endings here. […]

How to Survive the Parkeology WDW47 Challenge Parknado!

If you follow us on Facebook or Twitter, you know that a major storm is brewing for tomorrow. On December 6, 2017, a class-5 Parknado will be unleashed on the Walt Disney World Resort in the form of 15 separate teams — all vying to complete the Parkeology WDW47 Challenge to ride every ride at […]

5 Times Imagineer Joe Rohde Snuck Himself Into Your Favorite Attractions

Of all the modern Imagineers, Joe Rohde is the most famous. This is partly because he is the creative force behind Animal Kingdom, Aulani, and Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout. But mostly it is because of the Joe Rohde earrings. With his outlandishly stretched earlobe, crusty handlebar mustache, and a forehead as high as […]

Han Solo Spin-Off Movie Inspires Our Absolute Worst Park Ideas

In 2016, Disney replaced a classic Epcot attraction about the history and culture of Norway with a princess boat ride through the fictional kingdom of Arendelle. Fans accused the company of watering down Maelstrom’s message with hit cartoons — then turned Frozen Ever After into the most popular ride on property. Can the situation in […]

They Killed a Seemingly Trivial Disneyland Tradition (And It’s Heartbreaking)

Over the summer, Disneyland quietly eliminated one of its long-standing traditions. It was done in the name of progress. Disney World got rid of it years ago. It was just an operational thing anyway. Nobody cared about the Disneyland re-entry hand stamp. In our age of biometrics and photo recognition, the Disneyland re-entry hand stamp […]