Gangster Rap

There are certain things I should know by now. Hollywood Studios is, what, 22 years old now? You’d think I have a good understanding of how some of these things work. But sometimes stuff slips by me. Simple stuff. Last Friday, I just noticed something for the first time, and if it weren’t for the […]

The Costume Store Revisited

Just a quick update to settle the debate about what The Costume Shop actually was. I got a note the other day from Ryan, who runs the fantastic Main Street Gazette site. Here’s some scans he provided of the MGM guidebook for this time period: As you can see, the Costume Shop was essentially Villains […]

Another MGM Building

Sorry we’ve been kind of quiet lately. As the dedicated parkeologists that we are, we have been jetting all over the world to bring you hard-hitting articles about Paris, Disneyland, and Hawaii. In other words, we have been vacationing, and trying to figure out if there’s any way we can claim a tax deduction on […]

Stage One Company Store

There’s an old argument among parkeologists about what passes for theming. You can have a themed birthday party, in which kids wear cowboy hats and eat boot-shaped cake and try to lasso the cat. That fits the definition of “theme.” What Disney does is something else, something more story-based (though Imagineering heroes like Marc Davis […]

The Simple Reason Why Endor Vendors Beats Tatooine Traders

Star Tours 1.0 has been retired for nearly a year now. Star Tours 2 is not only better than the first, it also may be better than the three prequels, the Star Wars Christmas Special, and that silly CGI Max Rebo Band from Return of the Jedi Special Edition. But for all its posh new […]

Scariest Park Creature Ever

Disney parks are mostly full of pleasant images.  Cotton candy, singing bears, that hot belly dancer in Morocco.  But every now and then, they sneak in something unsettling.  Today, I’d like to introduce you to a creature that haunts my nightmares. You might wonder where you can find such a beast.  Is it the Haunted […]

Lion King House of Horrors

Who doesn’t love the Lion King?  It is non-stop cuddly creatures from the opening number until the very end of the movie.  Snuggly lions, huggable warthogs, squeezy giraffes.  Just sitting in the movie theater makes you want to save all the animals in the world, to spread a message of peace, love, and harmony.  We […]