Ten Things You May Not Know About Buzz Lightyear
1. When it was decided that the character of Buzz Lightyear would be an astronaut, his original name was Lunar Larry—not the most heroic name. But it could have been worse. Before the astronaut idea came about, he was initially going to be Tinny, the title character...
A Taste of the Holidays (Part 2)
Listen to enough holiday music and you’re bound to get hungry. Whether it’s the collard greens from Run DMC’s “Christmas in Hollis”, roasted chestnuts from “The Christmas Song”, or latkes from “Oh Hanukkah”, food is an essential part of the experience. Last week, we...
Ten Things You May Not Know About BB-8
1. After his appearances in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi,BB-8 has quickly become one of the most popular characters in the Star Wars universe, following in the footsteps of his droid forerunners R2-D2 and C-3P0. 2. The original design of BB-8 came from director...
A Taste of the Holidays (Part 1)
One of my favorite scenes in the classic film A Christmas Carol, whether it be the 1951 Alastair Sim version, the 1983 Disney classic Mickey’s Christmas Carol, or 1992’s A Muppet Christmas Carol, is when Scrooge is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Present. As Charles...
Ten Things You May Not Know About Madame Leota
1. The sinister face of Madame Leota is actually that of Disney Legend and Imagineer Leota (Toombs) Thomas. The image of her face reciting the infamous incantation was projected onto a featureless head model. Before Toombs was chosen to be the face of Leota, Imagineer...
Epcot’s Holiday Cookie Stroll
No less an authority than George Strait has informed me that Christmas cookies are a special treat, and the more that get baked, the more I’ll eat (and hopefully that song is stuck in your head now). Whether they’re sugar cookies cut into holiday shapes, gingerbread...
5 Ways to Feel the Magic of Disney at Home
Whether you’ve just returned from a Walt Disney World vacation, or you’re in the midst of planning your first, experiencing the magic of Disney at home can help pass the time and get you ready for your #HappyPlace. It doesn’t matter if you’re a week away from your...
Celebrating the Holidays At Walt Disney World (Part 2)
1. The Gingerbread Castle and Christmas Tree at the Contemporary Resort A Mary Blair inspired gingerbread castle sits in the Contemporary Resort as part of its annual Christmas display. The castle features rosy cheeked representations of the Fairy Godmother,...
Ten Things You May Not Know About Mulan
Mulan was inspired by the character Hua Mulan from the Chinese poem “The Ballad of Hua Mulan.” Since so little historical details survive from the time the poem was written, it’s unknown whether Hua Mulan was a real person. In the original poem, Mulan’s surname was...
Celebrating the Holidays At Walt Disney World (Part 3)
There’s not much more magical than celebrating the holidays at Walt Disney World. There are plenty of large scale celebrations, like the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, but there are a lot of smaller events too....