This shady character graces the perimeter of the Magic Carpets of Aladdin attration in Adventureland, Magic Kingdom. As his head goes back and forth, one must be wary because they might be getting a little moist from camel spit (...water) as he likes to spray unsuspecting guests as they walk by. Actually, it's quite refreshing because Adventureland seems like it is one of the hotter areas in the Magic Kingdom.

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Scroll down to the Star Tours photo from a few days ago and read the narrative that I wrote for that shot and check out the contest at the bottom. Good luck, Star Wars fans.

UPDATE: Contest is closed...see the comments on the AT AT Walker shot for the winner.

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What better way to say good-night to the Magic Kingdom than a good-night from Mickey himself. This was taken last August and for me it was the 1st time I had seen this and thought it was really cool. Mickey stayed up there for quite a while, playing and posing while a soundtrack played behind him. A nice little extra touch of magic after a hard day's play.

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The four balloons circling the Earth inside The Land at Epcot represent the changing of the four seasons. This mobile, hanging high in the atrium inside the pavilion, is one of the first things you see as you enter. We were there right before it closed last January (2005) for the MAJOR renevation and when the ribbons and mobile were not there, it was a major loss for the asthetics of the area.

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ATTN: LOU MONGELLO....you are to reply to this post or the Empire will be forced to demonstrate the firepower of this Imperial AT-AT walker. Well, if it's THIS Walker, you might get cool-misted to death. (Lou is a fellow self-proclaimed Stat Wars fan....)
This is the entrance to Star Tours in the Disney-MGM Studios. It seems just a little nicer than the one at Disneyland, no? Star Tours, for the 3 of you out there who don't know, is a motion simulator ride through the Star Wars universe aboard a Starspeeder 3000. Star Tours is the charter trip provider. The pilot, Rex, (voiced by Paul Reubens....yes THAT Paul Reubens) is a newbie pilot on his first flight. He screws up, as to be expected, and all kinds of commotion and hilarity ensue....

I LOVE Star Tours but....PLEASE UPDATE THE VIDEO! (none of those wonderful prequels either, although a Podrace might be cool)....

PS. CONTEST!! Can anyone find a VERY SLIGHT homage to Star Wars in this post? There is definitely one here....but you need to be a Star Wars expert to find it. First person to comment with the correct answer (what it is and why it is significant to Star Wars) will receive a 4x6 postcard print of this photo. You need to think really small....

I have received a few guesses that are not quite what I am thinking for the correct answer. It has nothing to do with the photo or any specific quotations from the movie, but rather a "style or convention" that they used in all six movies, right at the very beginning....

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This was the view from our room at the Boardwalk Villas last summer. Our room was above the Wyland Gallery and the view was spectacular. Shown here is one of the Friendship water taxis, a system of boat transportation used to get folks to and from Epcot and MGM and to the Swan/Dolphin, Boardwalk, and Yacht/Beach Clubs. I love these things...they are very slow and relaxing, plus staying at any of those resorts I named above is a treat in and of itself.

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The Zip a Dee Lady is the riverboat where the folks of Splash Mountain celebrate Brer Rabbit's return from the Brian Patch. After taking the plunge down Chickapin Hill into the Briar Patch, it's a Zip a Dee Doo Dah good time back through the mountain and into the end of the ride. A little bit of trivia: some of the characters on this boat formerly were located in the old America Sings attraction in Disneyland.

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Journey into Imagination with Figment is the latest iteration of the classic ride in Epcot. Long gone is the Dreamfinder and now Figment's companion is Dr. Nigel Channing of the Imagination Institute (played by Monty Python's Eric Idle). In this scene, Dr. Channing is attempting to explain the attraction to the guests, and is ...assisted... by Figment. I really like this ride and don't remember much about Dreamfinder, but I have heard the audio a few times recently.

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After all these years, the settler's cabin is still burning and burning. This cabin, viewable from the decks of the Liberty Belle and the exit of Big Thunder Mountain, has been burning for as long as I can remember. The Liberty Belle has been closed for the better part of a year and I can't wait for it to reopen as I really like the ride, simple as it may be.

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The American Adventure, I think I've said before, is one of my favorite shows in all of WDW. It presents a (..sanitized..) history of America, narrated by Mark Twain and Ben Franklin. I think the reason I love the show so much is that, from a technical standpoint, it is simply incredible. From the huge rear projection screen which generates backgrounds to the Audio Animatronic sets that pop in and out of the scenes, the special effects are simply unbelievable.

In this scene, re-creating the Great Depression era, Sam the shopkeeper is pondering his fate with his buddies on the porch of his gas station store. He simply can't imagine how the Sunday drivers would be paying "18 cents a gallon!!"

As an aside, I found this photo on Rainywonderings1.blogspot.com that appears to be a direct inspiration of this scene from the show. It's an old photo by Dorothea Lange that I am sure the Imagineers found when creating this show.

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The final scene in the Great Movie Ride is a trip through Munchkinland which ends with an encounter with the Wicked Witch of the West. The Witch blames the tour guide for the demise of her sister and vows to exact revenge on the guide. After the Witch departs, it's "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" to see the Wizard.

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The "Fontana de Nettuno" is inspired by Bernini's Neptune fountain and is located all the way in the back of the Italy Pavilion in Epcot. Italy is themed like St. Mark's Square and has no attractions, but has a great restaurant and some really neat shops, not to mention some incredible theming.

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A stay at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort comes complete with this view of Downtown Disney's West Side and the House of Blues and Cirque du Soliel. There is a fantastic river-walk along the back of Saratoga where you can see Downtown Disney and Pleasure Island all lit up at night and it is awesome.

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This blog has been getting tons of hits the last few weeks and I would like to formally thank two other sites for their gracious referrals...




Thanks to Lou and Nathan for giving a shout out to this site on last week's Mouse | Tunes Podcast. Lou and Nathan had a lot of nice things to say about this site and I cannot thank them enough for the kind words and nice compliments. Visit Lou's Disney World Trivia.com and Nathan's Magical Mountain.com sites to learn more about these guys. And....listen to the MT Podcast, Pod People! To hear what Lou and Nathan had to say about this site, click the link below:

• Mouse | Tunes 5/14/2006
  

Another round of thanks to Ricky Brigante of Inside the Magic for mentioning this site on his podcast last week. Unless I am missing something, that makes 3 times he has mentioned this blog on his show and I really appreciate it. Keep up the good work. To hear clips from Ricky's Podcast, click the following links:

• April 30, 2006
  
• May 7, 2006
  
• May 14, 2006
  

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This topiary scene from the Sorcerer's Apprentice is just outside the entrance to the Animation Courtyard at the Disney MGM Studios. You can see it while walking down Hollywood Blvd. toward the Chinese Theater and the Sorcerer Mickey hat. Disney MGM Studios has a lot of nice little touches like this, if you take the time to look for them.

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Statler and Waldorf are the name of the two old hecklers on the Muppet Show and what good would a Muppets 3D attraction be without those two old coots? I love this attraction and I think that these two absolutely make the attraction with their witty banter and snappy insults.

By the way, this was a major day in Disney Theme Park and Muppets history:

• 1928:
  Walt Disney applies for a trademark for "Mickey Mouse,"
  for use in motion pictures.
  
  
• 1990:
  Muppet creator, filmmaker, and television producer Jim Henson dies of pneumonia less than 24 hours after being rushed to a New York hospital. The fifty-three-year-old has been misdiagnosed earlier in the week and had he been put on antibiotics only 8 hours earlier, it is believed Henson would have survived. A memorial service for Henson will air on PBS and draw millions of viewers and dozens of celebrities in reverence for his life and work. (He was completing negotiations with the Disney company to include his Muppets at their theme parks at the time of his death.)
  
  
• 1991:
  Jim Henson's Muppet-Vision 3-D opens at the Disney-MGM Studios theme park at Disney World. The attraction is housed in a 1000 seat multi-media 3-D theater located in a further expansion of the backlot annex area.
  
  

  Information from This Day in Disney History

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I think the title says it all. To all of you who are regular viewers of this page, thank you so much. To all of my new readers, welcome and thank you as well. Special thanks to Lou Mongello (Disney World Trivia.com), Ricky Brigante (Inside the Magic), Gary Green (Gary Green Lives), Tony (This Day in Disney History), and all of the others who have referred my page or thrown me a link on their page. I really do appreciate it and hope you will continue to be fans of the site for a long time to come...

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The Festival of the Lion King in Camp Minnie-Mickey at Disney's Animal Kingdom is the best show at Walt Disney World, hands-down...and there are a LOT of good shows. Lou Mongello of Disney World Trivia.com and Mouse | Tunes Podcast agrees. The FOTLK show features all of the memorable songs from the movie, along with Simba, Timon, and Pumba and a cast of singers, dancers, and tumble-monkeys...er, acrobats. This show is not to be missed under any circumstances. Here, one of the singers is performing under the watchful eye of Simba, who just can't wait to be king.

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This is the "back side" of the famous backwards waterfall fountain that decorates the outside of the Imagination Institute in Epcot, home of Imagination and Honey I Shrunk the Audience. You will also notice the top of Spaceship Earth looming in the upper right hand corner. In this area are the leapfrogging fountains which would be just to the left of this image. This is a really neat area to sit and relax and just enjoy the kinetics of the area.

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The Sci-Fi Cafe is a restaurant in the Disney MGM Studios that is themed to resemble an old dri-in movie theater. The tables are themed like covertable cars and a video screen runs loops of old cheesy sci-fi movie clips and trailers. The burgers are great and the service was top notch. It's a shame it's so popular though, 'cause it's really hard to get a table sometimes. Definitely recommended.

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So, what do you think of the new look? Personally, I love it. I am asking that everyone who reads this post, please leave a comment as to whether you like the new look or hate it. It took quite a while to get right...

This is still a work in progress...it will take some more time to implement all of the things I had in the old one, so please be patient. A new photo is coming later this afternoon.

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ZURG! The evil emperor Zurg is waiting to snatch you from your omnimover ride vehicle in Buzz Lightyear's Space Range Spin. This ride thru video game features laser blasters on the front of your ride vehicles which you use to shoot the Z targets for points. You control what you shoot at, you control what direction you are looking in. My wife always wins, though...

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It's a Small World has always been a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. No 29 year old male would want to admit it, but the song and thoughts of IASM bring a smile to my face and they often make me think of a world where, just maybe, everyone COULD get along and be happy. This shot, taken of the laughing hyenas (just after the smiling hippo) is one of my favorites from the ride.

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Ricky once again mentioned Tim Devine's Disney Photo Blog at the end of his Inside the Magic Podcast, show #57 as a response to an email from Cody, who mentioned that he was winner of the contest from a few weeks ago. Ricky, thanks once again for the referral, keep up the good work and nice job on the ImagiNations contest entry. To see Ricky's entry into the contest, CLICK HERE.

Cody, thanks once again for the kind words and support. That means a lot to me and keep me wanting to bring you guys the content that you only find here. Thanks!

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Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe is a counter service restaraunt located just inside Tomorrowland and just feet away from the Mad Tea Party in Fantasyland. This burger/chicken/salad restaraunt is home to Sonny Eclipse and the Amazing AstroOrgan. Sonny, an audio-animatronic aliene, entertains diners with his witty banter, singing, and overall cheesy lounge singer schtick. Sonny's show alone makes it worth it to go to Cosmic Ray's...'cause it sure isn't the food....

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As requested by Cody...
This is the Haunted Mansion in WDW at night, during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. Although the Mansion is not usually lit up like this, I think they should do this all the time, because it looked AWESOME. This shot was taken across the Rivers of America from Frontierland.

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just to prove that i AM paying attention to your suggestions, i have made the following changes to the TDDPB...

• new masthead
  
• minor tweak to mickey background to improve readability
  
• added larger frame around images
  
• trying to get the text to move out a bit from the left side of the screen...it works in preview but when publishing it doesn't work...weird
  

if anyone knows how to move the text away from the edge, please let me know. also, if anyone knows how to make one of those upper corner ribbons "aka imbush peach, et. al.)" please let me know. i want to make one but can't find the coding to do it.

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My blog was mentioned the other day on The Disney Blog on May 3, 2006, and within the past few weeks, it has been mentioned on Inside the Magic, Podcast #55, and All Ears Net in her Wandering the World section. Also, Gary Green did a really nice review of this site on his blog, Gary Green Lives, specifically you can see the review here. Thank you to all of you guys and gals for your kind words.

Additionally, Lou Mongello from Disney World Trivia.com and Mouse | Tunes left a comment in the C-Box on the right side of the screen and we hope to be able to hook up with each other this month to develop some new stuff based on his work and my work. Let's hope for the best.

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How many of you visit my blog daily and never comment? Are you a fan of this blog, but have never said anything? Or do you hate this blog, but visit it often without comment?

Let me know. For this entry only, please do me a favor. Everyone reading this please post a comment; let me know who you are and what you think of this blog, and how often you read it. I love reading your comments and feedback and take that feedback into consideration when developing new content for this blog. Please drop me a note and tell me how I am doing.

Taken from Martian Anthropologist

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Of course, there's always MY way...

This shot of Master Gracey, aka the Ghost Host, was taken in the stretching room at the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland. It is one of those 1 in 1,000,000 shots that just happened to be shot when the lightning was lighting up poor old Master Gracey and I could get an image. Lucky... yes, awesome shot... you're darn right.

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I have submitted my blog to Bloggy Award for consideration...wish me luck.

If anyone knows of some other blog award sites, leave them in the comments section for this post, please. Thanks!

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Fantasmic is the nightly 25 minute spectacular in the Disney MGM Studios that required the construction of an entire amphitheater in the area behind the Tower of Terror.

This fire breathing dragon comes into existence courtesy of the Evil Queen from "Snow White" as she brews a magical spell to defeat Mickey Mouse. She calls on villains including Ursula, Cruella, Scar, Frollo, Jafar, Maleficent and Hades to harness the positive energy Mickey possesses and make it evil. Mickey is terrified when Maleficent unexpectedly transforms into a ferocious 40-foot-tall dragon whose breath ignites the waterway with a sea of flames that overtakes the island.

From DisneyMagic.com

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• 1987:
  Disneyland introduces Disney Dollars, its exclusive line of currency featuring Mickey Mouse on the $1 bill and Goofy on the $5 bill.
  
• 2004:
  The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror has its official grand opening at Disney's California Adventure.
  
• 2005:
  In an historic first, all 10 of the Disney theme parks around the world collectively kick off the festivities for the "Happiest Celebration on Earth" to mark the 50th anniversary of Disneyland. (The opening of Hong Kong Disneyland in September will add #11 to the global celebration.)
  

Information taken fromThis Day in Disney History

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"PARTNERS"
-I think most of all what I want Disneyland to be
is a happy place...where parents and children
can have fun, together."
Walt Disney

This statue was installed in front of Sleeping Beauty's castle in November of 1993 and was scultped by legendady Disney Imagineer Blaine Gibson, who came out of retirement to create this mangificient work of art. An identical "Partners" statue was installed several years later in the same place at the Magic Kingdom, in WDW.

On a side note, today makes the 1 year anniversary of the Happiest Celebration on Earth kicking off at Disney Parks around the world. I thought that this would be an appropriate time to post a photo from Disneyland, the place where Disney Theme Park magic was born.

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This shot was taken from the Yacht and Beach club, looking toward Disney's Boardwalk. In the back right of the shot you see the WDW Swan Hotel. The lighthouse is the central landmark of this area and is the place where guests board the Friendship launches to get to and from Epcot and MGM.

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The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland features several things not seen in the Walt Disney World version, including this effect of Madame Leota magically floating around the room in her crystal ball. That effect was simply amazing and I do hope that the WDW version incorporates the effect very soon. Way cool is not the word to describe how it looks in person.

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This sign, featuring Jessica Rabbit, hung high above the water over the West End Stage at Disney's Pleasure Island. Sadly, the sign was removed due to the ongoing renovation and refurbishment of Pleasure Island. This sign was talked about by Lou and Nathan on Mouse | Tunes two shows ago. They mentioned having a photo of the sign, but I figured I would post this one on my site as well. Enjoy, because you will never see this one again at P.I.

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Thanks to all of you who visited my blog...
I just checked and I have had approx. 1000 hits in the last week alone. Thanks again to all of you who take the time to send me emails and leave me comments. I read every one and respond to most so please send me a line to let me know how much you like/dislike my blog and photos. Have a great nite and see you tomorrow.
Tim

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Congrats to Cody who was the winner, selected at random from a whopping six entries. I was hoping for more entries but it was the 1st ever contest and there WILL be more. Please stay tuned for more and make sure you get your entry in when the next contest is announced. The next one will be a little harder so make sure you have your thinking caps on!

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The Timekeeper was a CircleVision 360 degree movie in which the scene unfolds all around you on 9 projection screens. The Timekeeper, voiced by Robin Williams, took you on a journey back into the days of Jules Verne for a whimsical romp through a history that never was. The Timekeeper's sidekick, depicted above, was called NineEye, voiced by Rhea Pearlman. The attraction closed in January of this year, and the area it took up (Metropolis Science Center) is being re-themed for some mystery attraction that Disney is being very tight lipped about...

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