Posted on Saturday, 3rd July 2010 by Dave Parfitt

Tony Baxter, the Senior Vice President of Creative Development for Walt Disney Imagineering and the Creative Executive for Disneyland, recently gave the keynote address at the Creative Problem Solving Institute titled “Designing for Disney: Patterns that Embolden Successful Innovation.”  A fitting subject for someone who received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Themed Entertainment Association in [...]

Tags: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Claude Coats, Creative Problem Solving Institute, Disneyland Resort Paris, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, John Lasseter, pixar, Sleeping Beauty Castle, Tony Baxter, Walt Disney Imagineering
Posted in Disney World, Disneyland | Comments (6)

Posted on Monday, 28th June 2010 by Nancy Johnson

Imagination.  That’s been the driving force behind the Walt Disney Company since its inception.  Now, The Disney Store has called upon that force to create its next generation of shopping experiences.
Okay, hold on.  Did I really say that?  Shopping experiences?  That’s what Disney is calling it.  The official press states that they want this to be the most [...]

Tags: CARS, disney, Disney Collectibles, Disney Couture, Disney Merchandise, Disney Princess, disney shopping, Disneyland, Imagination, Magic Key, Merchandise, Montebello, Montebello CA, Phineas and Ferb, pixar, Pook-a-loos, RIDEMAKERZ, sequins, Shops at Montebello, Squirrels in My Pants, The Disney Store, Toy Story, Toy Story 3, Vinylmation, Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney World Resort
Posted in Disney World, Disneyland, News | Comments (7)

Posted on Friday, 4th December 2009 by Dave Parfitt

It was recently announced that Disney’s Toy Story Mania! received the amusement park industry’s top international award for an attraction.  Toy Story Mania! won the THEA Award for Outstanding Achievement – an international award given to a new amusement park ride.  Toy Story Mania! is a favorite attraction for our DIS Unplugged listeners for a [...]

Tags: Disney's California Adventure, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney's Toy Story Mania, Don Rickles, Imagineer, Kevin Rafferty, pixar, Roger Gould, Sue Bryan, Thea Award
Posted in Disney World, Disneyland | Comments (6)

Posted on Saturday, 20th June 2009 by Kathy Werling

I had the chance the other day to meet the characters from the latest Disney-Pixar movie Up. If you haven’t seen the movie yet I highly recommend it.
The characters have a meet and greet area at the end of the Magic of Animation show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida.  If you have ever wondered how they [...]

Tags: disney, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Magic of Animation, pixar, Up
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Posted on Saturday, 10th May 2008 by John Magi

Today was the first day of the Annual Passholder Preview for Toy Story Midway Mania at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We arrived at the park at about 2:30PM and it was Africa Hot!!! We made our way through the crowds towards the new Pixar Studios area of the park. We were greeted by polite, smiling cast [...]

Tags: Disney Hollywood Studios, New Ride, pixar, Toy Story, Toy Story Midway Mania
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Posted on Tuesday, 6th May 2008 by John Magi

Whenever Disney develops a new ride, show or attraction there is always a lot of testing and reworking to make sure it is perfect for when guests arrive. One of the final phases of testing is called Cast Member Previews and, as the name suggests, Cast Members (aka Disney employees) will experience the attraction to [...]

Tags: Buzz Lightyear, Cast Member Preview, Disney Hollywood Studios, pixar, Toy Story Mania, Woody
Posted in Disney World | Comments (20)

Posted on Thursday, 17th April 2008 by John Magi

As many of you know Pete Werner is in California this week on a working vacation.  Interspersed among meetings he is getting some time to enjoy Disneyland California as well as socialize with random strangers (an aspect of the human condition that has eluded me personally).
I guess being sociable can pay off as Pete spent [...]

Tags: Disney Hollywood Studios, Imagineering, John Lasseter, Monsters Inc., New Ride, pixar
Posted in Disney World | Comments (12)