Disney Insights

Disney is always looking for new ways to share stories. And increasingly those stories are trying to be more interactive, more immersive and more personalized. And at the same time, high tech companies are trying to be more interactive, more immersive and more personalized. One of those is Meta, or Facebook as many have come to know it. And as Mark Zuckerberg recently announced a new version of th...

There's lots of noise out there in the social media world about how poorly Disney is doing, as if it were in dire straits. This podcast today seeks to answer a couple of key questions: First, Is attendance really down and out in Walt Disney World? Second, why are there no big new attractions coming in the short term? Third, Why is it so expensive to come to Disney? Fourth, when will big new attrac...

Part of the heart and soul of what originated at Disney-MGM Studios in 1989 was The Magic of Disney Animation. For over a little more than 16 years, it was a place where guests could go to understand and for a time, even watch animation being created. To know the Florida animation studios and The Magic of Disney Animation attraction is to know the story of the last three decades of Disney animatio...

This week we celebrate the 54th Anniversary of Walt Disney World. While the "hoopla" for non-milestone anniversaries is minor at best, There has been a great deal of efforts to recognize the heritage of Walt Disney World while still stepping forward into the future. Yes, there are lots of new projects and with that the farewell of many things that we hold dearly There are many facets of Walt Disne...

I've been asked many times how you plan a trip to Disneyland. This time, it came from my wife's brother and his wife, along with their son. So this one's for you! But it's for anyone who really wants to know how to best manage a stay at Disneyland. And I give great consideration to how folks used to visiting Walt Disney World might take this on. So this is also for you. And then we have our regula...

With Disney having over 100 years as a company, there have been good times and a few tough times. But relatively speaking, the company has fared well over the long haul. It certainly has grown--enormously from its original roots as a small animation studio to one of the biggest media organizations across the globe. It is envied for its growth, but that growth isn't sustainable unless you're growin...

Walt loved New Orleans and from day one he sought to incorporate the essence of the French Quarter into Disneyland Park. While New Orleans Square wasn't opened until 1966, there has always been since day one a New Orleans Street. It stretched from the Golden Horseshoe down along the Rivers of America. It was a contrast to the Nature's Wonderland with its mine train, pack mules and stage coaches. I...

We had a chance to visit the Beak and Barrel and we wanted to share that total experience with you. We'll check out the food and beverage, the logistics, but most of all we'll talk about the incredible attention to detail that creates for the entire experience. And we'll talk about its implications for not only all of Caribbean Bazaar at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World, but what it might sugges...

Several weeks ago D23 put out their agenda for their upcoming event being held the last weekend of August. Surprising to so many was the fact that there was no parks panel. In the interim, Walt Disney World came forward with a press event a few days ago giving insight and updates on a large number of attractions and offerings coming the "Most Magical Place on Earth". We'll dissect all of these ann...

Mary Poppins would say, "Just a Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Medicine go Down". Well, I've seen that happen as it's been my.privilege to work with organizations big and small, public, private and non-profit. Many of them come to me because they want their organization to be something more like Disney. They want a place where people enjoy working and even have fun at it. In truth, few organizations...

As I prepared for this podcast all of the joy and happy moments of our stay during Disneyland's 70th anniversary just flooded over me. This is my opportunity to Celebrate Happy with you. Indeed I would say it was one of the most wonderful and memorable trips our family had--even though it was at time intense given all that we wanted to see, do and perhaps eat. While Disneyland's 70th anniversary w...

Sorry as I was gone this last week. I visited Disneyland's 70th anniversary a couple of weeks ago. There is so much to talk about when it comes to this celebration of "The Happiest Place on Earth". But the primary reason I felt drawn to come at this time was the new show at the Opera House on Main Street. I feel there is not one but two stories about the new attraction: Walt Disney: A Magical Life...

This weekend Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away kicked off its inaugural run with two nights of dress rehearsals and an opening on Sunday. This new parade, long awaited and hoped for by Walt Disney World fans is simply magical. It's not perfect, but it's simply beautiful and is what has been needed for so long since its ancestors, The Main Street Electrical Parade and SpectroMagic had long par...

"Third time's the charm" is a saying that suggests perhaps the third attempt will be more successful than the two prior failures. By no means has the past two versions of Test Track been failures. But it seems like this is a huge opportunity to learn from the previous experiences and truly come up with something that could be loved for years to come. We chart out not only all three, but also talk...

While last week's post shared lament over the closing of Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America, we return to Disneyland's 70th Anniversary to celebrate the heritage of Frontierland. While you might think Frontierland is a thing of the past, knowing the past of this land will give you appreciation for the remarkable role it has played in four of Disney's theme parks around the world. We'll st...

It's been nearly a year since the wake of D23 where we learned that the Rivers of America, the Liberty Belle, and Tom Sawyer Island would be changed out into a new off road Cars experience. The way we learned that news was troublesome--hiding it from the official D23 presentation. But even if they had been more transparent about it, it would still be hard to lose. I've come to terms as I've shared...

In recent weeks there have been a large number of details released not just for Walt Disney World but for Disneyland as well. While previous podcasts have been reminiscing all things Muppets the end of MuppetVision 3D and taking a look at Adventureland at Disneyland, there have been considerable announcements, hints and insights that have occurred. And we want to cover them all! From Disneyland we...

Welcome to our ongoing celebration of Disneyland's 70th anniversary. In many ways, Adventureland is truly the most immersive of all the lands of Disneyland. And yet, from a pedestrian space, it's perhaps one of the smallest. If you're just walking through it you can go from entrance to exit in about a minute. Unless of course Fantasmic! is going on in New Orleans Square and Fireworks are getting r...

Something happened over the weekend that I probably never quite envisioned. And neither did thousands of guests who always found time to spend a few moments with Jim Henson's Muppet-Vision 3D. We celebrate this film, and its creator, sharing some insights of how all this came to be. We'll take a look at the Muppets over the years as they've come to be a part of The Walt Disney World Resort. We'll...

News this week and last has broken out about happenings at the Magic Kingdom, and they include some very important dates. Last week was an announcement of Disney Starlight Parade's opening date. Plus they showcased the finale as well as the order of the parade floats. We'll talk about that and the implications of this date to its nightly schedule and what it means to thousands of pass holders who...

This summer has not only brought a completely new theme park to the Orlando tourist scape, but within it, two impressive theatrical shows within its park's gates. At the same time, Disney's Hollywood Studios has opened two theatrical shows within its studio gates. In a showdown, we'll look at Le Cirque Arcanus in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter--Ministry of Magic as well as The Untrainable Dra...

There is so much to love about Universal’s new Epic Universe. And if they get it to work, it will be even better. Many have already done podcasts early on and shared what they loved or didn’t love about the park. Reviews of favorite attractions, food, souvenirs and so forth are out there. My wife and I, two of my daughters and my son-in-law have all attended, and for the most part, we had not only...

We are on the monorail heading to the Magic Kingdom to canvas many updates from the Emporium to Big Thunder, from the Astro Orbiter to the new DVC lounge, McKim's Mile House. In the process we'll check on all sorts of construction activity, visit a number of shops throughout the park, and take in Gaston's Tavern, where we try out some new tasty treats. Join us on the Magic Kingdom Update here at D...

Yes! We predicted yesterday that Disney was going to announce a new park in Abu Dhabi, and that announcement has come to pass! "A whole new world" is coming to this corner of the world. With over four billion guests having visited some six Disney theme park destinations around the world, let's look at this newest Disney resort in Abu Dhabi, which will be the seventh in the world. This was part of...

Breaking news this morning as rumors about that Disney could be announcing a brand new theme park slated for United Arab Emirates. The possibility is that an announcement could be made Wednesday morning, May 7th, but some sources suggest this may be happening and in time with the 2nd Quarter 2025 announcements from Disney happening at the same time. Check it out! __________________________________...