Xmas time of year:

 With Christmas upon us, I would like to wish everyone who reads this a very Merry Christmas and Safe and Happy New Year 

  Happy Holidays...Dr Lee

Please Do Not Feed the Animals:

 Don't feed the animals, treat our visiting ducks, cats, squirrels and other animal guests with the same world-class service as our human Guests. To keep them healthy and happy, please avoid giving them food, picking them up or approaching them. Designated feeding stations have been set up with healthy food for certain animals, which also receive veterinarian checkups, vaccinations and spay/neuter procedures. By not feeding animals additional food, you can do your part to protect our furry and feathered friends.


The Running of the Goats:

 To the goats at Big Thunder Ranch, dusk means only one thing-DINNER. For Guests, it means they're about to witness "The Running of the Goats," a special moment when all 16 goats are released from their pen,and,harnessed in pairs, trot backstage to eat,bells jingling. This parade of goats lasts only a few minutes, but it leaves Guests smiling long after it's over.


other news....

"Star Wars" joins the Disney family:

 Bob Iger, chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, announced Oct.30 that The Walt Disney Company is acquiring Lucasfilm Ltd., the global entertainment company founded by George Lucas and home of the legendary "Star Wars" franchise.

 In addition to getting the rights to one of the greatest family franchises and epic stories of all time, Disney is also acquiring all of Lucasfilm's operating businesses, including Industrial Light and Magic and Skywalker Sound.

 The "Star Wars"  universe now has more than 17,000 characters inhabiting several thousand planets spanning 20,000 years, providing Disney with infinite inspiration and opportunities to continue the epic"Star Wars" saga. Fans can expect a new feature film, "Star Wars Episode 7," in theaters in 2015. George Lucas will serve as creative consultant on the film and Kathleen Kennedy, the filmmaker  he handpicked to lead "Star Wars," "Indians Jones'' and the rest of Lucasfilm into the future, will be the executive producer and join Disney as president of Lucasfilm. With this many characters to develop and stories to tell, Disney plans to release a new "Star Wars" feature film every two or three years for the foreseeable future.


Happy Holidays to you and your family...Dr Lee

The Pope House-home to animal lovers since 1954;

 Just behind Big Thunder Ranch sits the Pope House, the only house that remains on Disneyland property since before the park was built.

 Owen and Dolly Pope showed horses at fairs across California before Walt Disney hired them in 1951 to help him train horses for the Western part of the park he was building. First, they moved into a trailer at the Walt Disney Studio in Burbank to be close to the animals they were training before relocating to a house being moved to make way for the park. The house was then moved to what would become the 10-acre ranch and pony farm on property at Disneyland. The farm continued to grow to over 200 animals before the Popes moved to Flordia to established the Tri-Circle-D Ranch at the Walt Disney World Resort. The pony farm was renamed Circle D Corral in 1980.

 The Popes have the distinction of being the only individuals to ever have lived at Disneyland. The Pope House is now home to the Circle D team, which continues the Pope's care, training and love for our animal Cast Members.

Cool stuff...Dr Lee

Some more cool stuff...

Animals of the Disneyland Resort:


A...16 goats

B...16 horses

C...3 turkeys

D...2 sheep

E...2 donkeys

F...2 cockatoos

G...1 cow


 cooler stuff...

 Birds aren't just in the Tiki Room:

 If you look closely while entering the queue to the Jungle Cruise, you'll spot two white cockatoos nestled in a cage themed to the attraction's decor, greeting Guests. Poppy and Zoyie reside at Circle D, but they visit the Jungle Cruise when the temperature hits 75 degrees. Poppy loves to laugh, and Zoyie likes to say hello to Guests. The birds have been greeting Guests at the Jungle Cruisae for 10 years.

Weathering the storm-75 years ago:

Nov.5,1937

 Just weeks before the December 1937 release of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" made motion-picture history, Walt Disney gave audiences a taste of the latest in animation techniques with the Nov.5 release of the groundbreaking short "The Old Mill."

 The 68th release in the Silly Synphonies series marked the first use of Disney's multiplane camera, which gave animators the ability to create new depth and dimension in animation. In less than nine minutes, "The Old Mill" tells the story of an approaching storm and how birds, mice and other creatures seek shelter in an abandoned mill. The cartoon incorporates realistic depictions of animal behavior, rain and wind, ripples and reflections, and three-dimensional rotation of detailed objects.

 Directed by Wilfred Jackson, scored by Leigh Harline and produced by Walt Disney, "The Old Mill" won Academy Awards for Best Short and in the scientific and technical category.


Park tribues:

 Guests on the Storybook Land Canal Boats might notice three miniature mills on their journey, while "World of Color" also pays tribute to the short. And at Disneyland Paris, hungry Guests saunter up to The Old Mill snack stand, which is an actual windmill.


My oldest daughter Kimberly was an attraction hostess on the Storybook Land Canal Boats...Dr Lee

Lace up your skates:

 Guests can skate into the world of Tinker Bell at a new ice skating rink now open at the Downtown Disney District.

 Located between AMC 12 Theatres and the ESPN Zone, the rink invites Guests of all ages to glide along to special music and lighting effects to celebrate the release of Disney's "Secret of the Wings."

 Beginning Nov.12,2012, a special holiday village will surround the rink, with themed chalets where Guests can purchase seasonal foods and merchandise. The fee is $15 for one hour of skating, and skate rentals are free for Cast Members who present a valid company ID.  Helmets will also be provided and required for skaters safety.


Just "LOVE" the holidays at the Disneyland Resort...Dr Lee

Earl of Sandwich officially opens Nov.2,2012:

 The Downtown Disney District will officially welcome Guests to Earl of Sandwich with a ribbon cutting and grand opening event on Friday, Nov.2, 2012 at 2 p.m. The new resturant is located next to the AMC 12 Theatres. Earl of Sandwich features hot sandwiches with freshly baked bread, flavorful wraps, hand-tossed salads and more. An ordering window for Cast Members is located in the back of the resturant, where Cast can order meals in person or pick up phone orders, both in and out of costume.


All ready hungry...Dr Lee

Get ready for `Limited Time Magic`:

 Imagine a Valentine's Day celebration that lasts all week. Or hearing the Dapper Dans rocking out with boy band hits in barbershop style.

 Surprises like this are in store for Guests and Cast alike each  week in 2013 as Disney celebrates life's treasured-yet fleeting-moments with "Limited Time Magic" at the Disneyland and Walt Disney World resorts.

 Here are a few of the unique experiences that will begin in January:

1...True Love: Instead of just one day, romance will be celebrated throughout Valentine's Week with special moments and entertainment geared to lovebirds.

2...Pirate Week...Talk like a pirate all week long as the adventures of Jack Sparrow come to life during a bicoastal bash.

3...Unleashed the Villains: Disneyland Park will stay open until the 13th hour (1 a.m.) on Friday the 13th in September for a Disney Villains dance party and other nighttime mischief.

4...Golden Horseshoe Revue: The fabled Frontierland show returns to Disneyland Park for one month only, bringing back the corney jokes and enduring songs that were enjoyed by Walt Disney himself.


Maybe Disneyland should bring Dr Lee back for a week to Club 33????......just a thought,humm!

Dr Lee retired and having to much fun...

Disneyland Resort to enter float based on Cars Land in Rose Parade:

 Smoke-puffing tractors and bouncing tires will adorn a float with a Cars Land theme in January's Rose Parade.

 The Disneyland Resort is putting a float, this time promoting the 12-acre Cars Land that opened in June 2012 in Disney California Adventure Park,in the Pasadena procession for the first time in seven years.

 The intricate design includes characters from the "Cars" movies, including Lightning McQueen, Salley and Luigi. Scenes from Cars Land will also go on the float, such as Ornament Valley, the Cozy Cone Motel and Radiator Springs Racers.

Moving parts atop the float will include a bubbling spring, waterfalls and a spinning plane.

Disney has a long history with the Tournament of Roses Parade, which dates back to 1890.

 Disneyland first appearance was a 1938 float to publicize "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." In 1966, Walt Disney himself rode as the parade's grand marshall.

 Around the resorts 50th anniversary, Disneyland Resort had a float three years in a row, including the tallest float ever at the time, a 100-foot-high depiction of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attraction, in 2004.

The last Disneyland Resort sponsored float was in 2006 with the theme of "The Most Magical Celebration on Earth."

 Volunteers likely will be needed to decorate the float, however, no details yet?

Disneyland float details:

1...125 feet long and 35 feet tall.

2...Plant materials expected to be used: red and orange carnations,orange marigolds, orange lentils, crushed walnuts, saffron, gold flawseed, lavender mums, buckwheat seeds, gold clover seeds, rolled oats and yellow strawflower.

Disney History:

This weeks look back at Disney history....

Oct.30,2002: Disneyland hosts a viewing of Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas," along with a costume party.

Oct. 31,1966: The Pirates of the Caribbean river is filled for the first time in advance of the attraction's March 18, 1967, opening.

Nov.3,1961: The Twilight Zone episode, "It's a Good Life," first airs on television. Rod Serling's Intorduction of the Tower of Terror in this episode inspired the creation of the attraction later built at Disney California Adventure Park.

Disney Quiz:

Has Mickey Mouse ever been the grand marshall of the Rose Parade?


Yes, in 2005.


I want to volunteer to help decorate this Cars Land float?????         Dr Lee

`a bug's land` celebrates 10 years:

 Since it opened Oct.7,2002, in Disney California Adventure Park, Guests have swarmed "a bug"s land" to experience the world from a bug's point of view.

 Flik, the independent-thinking ant from the 1998 Disney/Pixar movie "A Bug's Life," is determined to remind humans of the incredible value that bugs have in the world. That vision, inspired by the multi-legged, slithering and winged characters from the film, gave life to five themed attractions at the park: Flik's Flyers,Tuck &Roll's Drive `Em Buggies, Heimlich's Chew Chew Train, Francis` Ladybug Boogie and Princess Dot Puddle Park. They joined the existing 3-D "off-bugway" show, "I't's Tough to Be a Bug!"

 The land also features giant garden hoses that spray water, discarded Chinese food boxes that become flying vehicles, an umbrella that serves as a circus tent and fireflies whose bottoms become lamplights.

I enjoy this attractions oftened...Dr Lee

Rootin`,Tootin` Fun...When the Wild West comes to Disneyland!

 Sept.23,1962, The Golden Horseshoe Revue` hits milestone!

 Fifty years ago, "The Golden Horseshoe Revue" aired it 10,000th performance on the NBC series "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color." The Sept.23, 1962, episodew aired in color and featured show regulars Betty Taylor and Wally Boag, as well aas special guest stars Annette Funicello, Gene Sheldon and Ed Wynn. With saloon skirts swinging and banjos strumming, the stars celebrated this special milestone with-as Walt Disney himself put it-a "a real rootin`,tootin`,shootin`show."

 "The Golden Horseshoe Revue" ran at the Golden Horseshoe Cafe` in Disneyland Park for over 30 years, making it the resort's longest-running show. From its first performance in July 1955 to its final performance in Oct. 1986, performers sang, danced and joked their way into audience guests hearts. The stage show now hosts "the Laughing Stock Co.," another Western comedy show, which performs daily.

History and Heritage...Dr Lee

Dancing as fast as she can:

 Disneyland opening day choreographer Miriam Nelson, 91, is still tap dancing years after all these years.

 Miriam already had an impressive career as a Hollywood choreographer, working with the likes of Judy Garland, Fred Astaire and Betty Davis, when she was hired to choreograph the performances for Disneyland's televised grand opening on July 17, 1955. A then-record-breaking television audience of 90 million watched the live broadcast.

 Miriam, who visited Disneyland Park last month (August), recalled seeing Walt Disney during rehearsals, which were moved to Disneyland just before opening day.

 "When I was rehearsing out here it was so hot, so my gals were just wearing little shorts and halter tops to stay cool, and Walt wandered by to see what we were up to,"she said. The next day,she received a note from Walt. "It said, 'Would you please ask your girl dancers to cover up a little more? The workman are all stopping by to watch and we are never going to get this park open!'"

When it came to go live, the production was not without some hitches. For the Fantasyland shot, Disney characters were staged and instructed to help a few childern onto attractions. But as soon as the Fantasyland drawbridge dropped, Miriam said that hundreds of childern descended upon the unsuspecting characters.

"It scared the characters to death," Miriam recalled. "They turned and ran into the castle!"

 Miriam also choreographed the opening day parade and frontierland appearance by "Davy Crockett" stars Fess Parker  and Buddy Ebsen. Years later, she worked on "Fantasy on Parade," "On Stage U.S.A.," "Disney on Parade" and even a special performance of "The Golden Horseshoe Show" for the Foreign Correspondence Dinner with President Richard Nixon in 1969.

 Miriam continues to travel the world teaching others how to dance and is an actice member of the nonprofit organization SHARE, which raises funds for disable and adused childern, which she helped found in 1953. In 2009, she published her autobiography, "My Life Dancing with the Stars."

On opening day,I was 3 years, 3 weeks,and 2 days old, born June 20, 1952...Dr Lee

Halloween Time At the Disneyland Resort:

 Getting Goosebumps? Halloween Time haunts the Disneyland Resort starting Sept. 14,2012.

 The most frightfully fun time of the year at the Disneyland Resort is creeping up fast!!

 From Sept.14 through Oct. 31,2012, The Happiest Place on Earth gets downright spooky as Halloween Time brings seasonal attractions, entertainment and chillingly cool offerings for ghouls and goblins of all ages.

 The superbly supernatural Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy and Haunted Mansion Holiday will be back at Disneyland Park, along with the Main Street Pumpkin Festival and the Dia de los Muertos celebration in Frontierland. Watch out for your favorite Disney Villains, plus Mickey Mouse and friends in their Halloween costumes. And keep a weather eye open, because the Pirates League has landed for a limited time to give Guests swashbuckling makeovers in New Orleans Square.

 At Disney California Adventure Park, the Art of Frankenweenie Exhibition features a behind-the-scenes look at the new film from director Tim Burton, coming to theaters Oct.5,2012, along with an extended "Frankenweenie" 3-D sneak peek at the Muppet*Vision theater.

 But we're just getting started: Look for seasonal food and beverage offerings plus specialty merchandise throughout the Disneyland Resort. And get your costume ready, because Guests can trick or treat in the ultimate Disney neighborhood, Disneyland Park, during Mickey's Halloween Party on select nights from Sept.28 to Oct. 31,2012.

Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort, Nice...Dr Lee

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit makes his debut:

 Before Mickey Mouse became a global sensation, there was Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

In 1927, distributor Charles Mintz, commissioned Walt Disney and animator Ub Iwerks to create a cartoon character for Universal Studio's first cartoon series. The pair created Oswald, a mischievous rabbit who debuted in the short "Trolley Troubles" Sept. 5 1927. The Oswald cartoon series became a hit with audiences.

 A year later, in a pay dispute with Mintz, Walt lost the rights to Oswald and also discvovered that Mintz had secretly hired some of his animators. On the train ride back to California after meeting with Mintz in New York, Walt dreamed up the idea for a new character- and Mickey Mouse was born.

 Oswald wound up starring in 194 shorts, 26 of them under Walt's direction. The Walt Disney Company negotiated the return of the rights to Oswald from NBC Universal, and Oswald went on to win a starring role in the video game Epic Mickey (2010), as well as his very own merchandise location,Oswald's, in Disney California Adventure Park. Oswald will reunite with Mickey Mouse on Nov.18 in "Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two."



Fun Fact:

 A candy bar, stencil and pin-backed button featuring the lovable Oswald were the first merchandise items featuring a Disney character.


Just some History and Heritage...Dr Lee

Disneyland Park launches old-style newspaper:

 Disneyland creators are turning to an old-fashion method of giving out information to guests: a newspaper!

 The Buena Vista Bugle debuted this summer at Disney California Adventure Park as part of the park's makeover to explain new features. Disney is producing the information in a very 1920s and 1930s way, matching the architecture and style of the Buena Vista Street entrance corridor.

 Disney California Adventure Park Cast Members borrowed the concept from its neighbor- Disneyland Park, which produced The Disneyland News beginning in 1955. At California Adventure Park, Buena Vista Street is the equivalent of Disneyland's Main Street,U.S.A., where The Disneyland News used to be distributed.

 Disney California Adventure Park wanted to find something besides the map and guide to tell stories of the park to Guests. The Red Car News Boys street show had entertained with a newspaper as a prop, so Cast Members decided to add a real four-page newspaper for the first month of Disney California Adventure Park's expansion, which debuted in June.

 But the Bugle gained popularity: between 12 percent and 15 percent of surveyed Guests reported that they got information from the newspaper. And it's common to see guests relaxing on a park bench or sipping a Starbucks coffee at an outside table, flipping the pages.

The fonts, writing style and features, and even the gritty black-and-white print are all like those of the newspapers of that era.

The copy comes from an in-house writer but in  the voice of the characters of Buena Vista Street. A snarky, fictional food critic, Inglebert Irving, gives recommendations on drinks and appetizers. A celebrity-sighting column shows where characters can be spotted. The back page is designed in the style of a want-ad section, but has listings of shows, entertainment and stores.

The bottom corner has a high-tech addition: a QR Code to download the park's official Twitter account.

 Cast Members are now handing out the free newspaper's third edition, which is also available on metal racks and counters. Disney is already planning a Halloween and holiday editions.

Its called imagination...Dr Lee

Disneyland Park making it's tallest gingerbread house:

 At 9 feet tall with a ghost train around it, the upcoming gingerbread house will stand the tallest and feature the most complex special effects in the Haunted Mansion Holiday's 12-year history.

 Disneyland Park will debut it's new, spooky gingerbread house when the seasonal version of the Haunted Mamsion attraction opens Sept. 14,2012. Disneyland Park transforms the haunted Mansion into the theme of Tim Burton's "The nightmare Before Christmas" during the Halloween and Christmas holiday periods.

 Each year, a massive gingerbread with a new theme stands as the centerpiece of the ballroom's table. This year, Jack's Gingerbread House will look like movie character Jack Skellington's home on top of a spindly peak.

Cast Member Bakers and decorators cover the entire structure- a wooden house and hard-foam base- with gingerbread and fondant, an icing-like substance used in pastry sculptures. The house itself is about 3 feet tall and the base is about 6 feet tall. Zero, the ghost dog, will fly around the tower.

 Around the house for the first time, Guests can watch a see-through ghost train that will appear to travel around the base of the house. For the train, Disneyland Park is using the same reflective special effects used for the see-through ghosts in the ballroom scene.

 The gingerbread house likely will weigh 400 to 500 pounds.

 About 20 Cast Members work to complete the house. Decorators will start covering the structure after Labor Day and spend a final two days on details after it is moved inside the Haunted Mansion.

Sept.14th, hey, that's next week,COOL!!!...Dr Lee