By Keith Mahne

The Magic Kingdom at night is always a special time. It's like the Park transforms into a whole new world. What would it be like to walk the park under the stars in the early days? Well let's find out in the next edition of our Musical Souvenir of Walt Disney World experience...

By Keith Mahne

Welcome back friends to A Musical Souvenir of Walt Disney World! Today, we'll take a ride on the beloved and long gone If You Had Wings attraction. It's going to be a great time, so if your all set and ready to roll, let's get right to it...

By Keith Mahne

Welcome travels to our trip through Walt Disney World's past. Today, we'll continue our walk through vintage Tomorrowland with some Michael Iceberg songs, a ride on the 1975 version of the General Electric Carousel of Progress, and more. Let's not waste another second, here now is part 2 of our vintage Tomorrowland tour as we continue on our Musical Souvenir of Walt Disney World...

By Keith Mahne

As we continue our musical journey through Walt Disney World's past, we enter Tomorrowland of yesteryear. For many Disney World patrons, this particular time in Tomorrowland history was a favorite. Today, we'll revisit this moment in time with A Musical Souvenir of Walt Disney World as our vehicle to the past. Grab those headphones, sit back and relax as we enter Walt Disney World's Tomorrowland of old...

By Keith Mahne

We continue our Musical Souvenir of Walt Disney World with a lovely walk through of vintage Fantasyland. We'll hear the sounds of the Mickey Mouse Revue, the music that used to play around Cinderella Castle, take a ride on the Skyway and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and so much more! If you're ready to travel back to old Fantasyland, here we go...

By Keith Mahne

Welcome back to our Musical Souvenir of Walt Disney World adventure! Today we'll continue our tour of Disney World's past with a walk through 1970s Frontierland. I particularly enjoy this track and think you will as well. We have a lot more music to cover so let's not waste any more time. Enjoy your journey through Frontierland of yesteryear...

By Keith Mahne

Are you ready to take a seat on the Gullywhumper, the legendary keel boat of Mike Fink, King of the River? If you’re partial to Davy Crockett, you might prefer a seat on the Bertha Mae, the legendary keel boat of the King of the Wild Frontier. Either way, the Mike Fink Keel Boats are just a distant memory of WDW's past. Thanks to our Musical Souvenir of Walt Disney World tour, we'll get to revisit the keel boats for one last ride! What do you say, ready to go? Remember, don't stand up or this keel boat might keel over and we'll all be keeled...

By Keith Mahne

This week's Motion Monday article takes us back to Oct. 25, 1971,  the official grand opening and dedication of Walt Disney World, where we'll watch as Roy O. Disney reads the dedication plaque to a full capacity crowd. It was certainly a special day and a special way to open the park in memory of his brother, Walt Disney. Let's have a look after the page break...

By Keith Mahne

It's time to continue our Musical Souvenir of Walt Disney World journey and take a visit to Liberty Square circa 1973. On this part of our tour back in time, we'll hear vintage sounds of the Haunted Mansion, the Columbia Harbour House track, a ceremony at the Liberty Tree, and so much more. Let's not waste another minute...step aboard the time machine and let's take a walk around 1970s Liberty Square...

By Keith Mahne

Welcome back to our Musical Souvenir of Walt Disney World experience through Disney World's good ol' days! Today, we'll experience Caribbean Plaza and the sounds of pirates, the tropics, the original Pirates of the Caribbean attraction boarding area, and so much more! If you're all set and ready to roll, keep your hands and feet in this WDW time machine and let's get the show on the road...

By Keith Mahne

Our musical tour of vintage Walt Disney World returns today as we explorer the amazing sounds of The Jungle Cruise! We'll hear the attraction's wonderful ambient sound of the 1970s. It's going to be a fantastic trip down memory lane. Grab those headphones, get comfy and cozy, and enjoy as we continue our A Musical Souvenir of Walt Disney World  experience...

By Daisy Sparks

It’s getting pretty exciting here in Southern California with most people taking about whether they are going to Disneyland for this long weekend. The local papers and news channels can’t get enough of it. As you read this post, there are tons of media outlets broadcasting live from Disneyland as tomorrow is the official day of the start of the Disneyland Diamond Celebration. For this week's Walk in the Park article we'll have a look at some Disneyland Park happenings in anticipation of the big 60th party.... 

By Keith Mahne

Welcome back to the A Musical Souvenir of Walt Disney World experience! Today, we'll travel back and explore Adventureland of yesteryear. It's going to be a great time. So if you're all set and ready to travel back in time to Walt Disney World's Adventureland continue after the page break...

By Keith Mahne

It's time for Part 2 of our A Musical Souvenir of Walt Disney World  journey! I hope you're excited because you are about to experience something truly magical...Walt Disney World's Main Street, USA of the 70's and 80's. It's going to be another magical experience and I can't wait for you to hear it. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the sounds of Main Street, USA from Walt Disney World's early days...

By Keith Mahne

If you've been a regular reader of this blog, you probably realize how important music is to the overall experience I try to provide you here on Disney Avenue. With that in mind, starting today and over the course of the next 2 weeks, we are going to embark on an incredible Walt Disney World musical experience like none other and it's all thanks to a fellow blogger. Our journey will include 14 audio files of more than 6 hours total of vintage Walt Disney World atmosphere tracks. We'll also see a lavishly illustrated 23 page booklet that will guide us through the tracks, plus additional notes and annotations for those who want to know how it all came together. So grab your earphones and be prepared to be transported to the early days of Walt Disney World as we begin part 1 of this magical experience...

By Lindsey Allmon

It’s been going around recently that Disney “borrowed” animation sequences from older movies and reused them instead of completely reimagining the new scenes. I’ve read a lot of these articles, and I sense a lot of hatred towards Disney for being “lazy” and essentially making the same film over and over. I’ve known about the copied frames for years and yet my opinion of Disney has never diminished. Continue after the page break for five very good reasons why everyone needs to cut Disney some slack...

By Keith Mahne

In this week's Motion Monday article, we'll jump aboard the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad in 1956! We’ll pass by the Rivers of America, head deep into Frontierland and the Living Desert, and even see a few Native American dances. From People and Places: Disneyland USA. Hope aboard after the page break...

By Keith Mahne

The Orange Bird is a character created by Disney for the Florida Citrus Commission as a mascot and has been a prominently featured character in Magic Kingdom's Adventureland at the Sunshine Tree Terrace located near Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room. Let's take a look back at this cute and cuddly little piece of vintage Walt Disney World history...

By Keith Mahne

Those looking for sweeping change in the White House were hilariously heartened as Disneyland celebrated the Winnie the Pooh for President campaign in election years 1968, 1972, 1976 and 1980. Running under the slogans "Pooh in '72" in 1972 and "Winnie's a Honey of a Candidate" in 1976, Pooh was treated to a ticker-tape parade on Main Street, U.S.A. and appeared in a special stage show with campaign manager Eeyore and press secretary Tigger. His campaign promises may not have included a heffalump in every garage and hunny in every pot, but, if elected, President Pooh would certainly have put a smile on every face. Let's take a look back at the Disneyland Pooh for President campaigns and even have a listen to his very own campaign song in today's new article...

By Keith Mahne

In 1925, Walt Disney was in the process of making the Alice Comedies out of a store front and decided it was time for a stand-alone studio. Before Walt married his life-long love Lillian Bounds, he and his faithful brother Roy placed a $400 down payment on a plot of land between Griffith Park Boulevard and Monon Street on Hyperion Avenue. This plot of land became the Walt Disney Studios and the rest is history. Now, let's take a tour of the old studio and even watch a video of what it was like back then. Continue after the page break and have a look...

By Krista Joy

This week let’s take a stroll around Epcot! I hear the incredible sounds of Jon Secada and the Garden Rocks Concert Series, we should probably go investigate that. Have you heard about the amazing frozen drinks you can find near the Morocco Pavilion? Let’s go try some of those! Finally we can wrap it up by visiting a brand new exhibit at the Flower and Garden Festival this year. We'll see all this in more in this edition of A Walk in the Park: WDW...

By Keith Mahne

We have a real special Walt Disney interview for you today! Walt did this eight minute interview with well respected movie historian Tony Thomas in 1959 for Thomas' radio show "Voices of Hollywood Past" where he talked with celebrities and discussed Hollywood history. Continue after the page break and have a listen...

By Keith Mahne

Among the millions of visitors who vacation at the Walt Disney World Resort every year, how many people realize that the resort had its own private airport, situated just adjacent to the east side of the main parking lot? Yep, it's true! Disney World's airfield was reportedly built in 1970 or 1971 during the construction of the Disney World resort. Let's learn more about the "happiest airport on earth" in today's new article...

By Daisy Sparks

The Disneyland 60th Celebration officially begins on May 22nd. With only a few weeks left, there are more signs that the big party is almost here. Looks like there is still work to be done while festive décor starts to appear at Disneyland. Let's take a look at all the Disneyland Diamond Celebration preparations and refurbishments in the week's Walk in the Park article...

By Keith Mahne

This week's Motion Monday article features Walt Disney introducing the plans for Disneyland! It's a special moment in the Park's history and the perfect feature for a Motion Monday article. Have a look after the page break...

By Keith Mahne

Walt Disney World Resort opened its doors to guests on Oct. 1, 1971, however the official grand opening and dedication took place on Oct. 25, 1971. The dedication plaque was read aloud by Roy O. Disney with Mickey Mouse at his side. Roy O. Disney said “May Walt Disney World bring joy and inspiration and new knowledge to all who come to this happy place … a Magic Kingdom where the young at heart of all ages can laugh and play and learn together.” The official dedication parade, called Walt Disney World on Parade, traveled through Magic Kingdom Park that day. It included 5,000 performers lead by Mickey Mouse playing the world’s largest bass drum at the time.






The pinnacle of the parade was a performance by a 1,076 piece ceremonial marching band. Although I wasn't alive in 1971, this is one of those days in Disney history I would have loved to been in attendance as I'm sure most, if not all, of us would. No worries though, today we are going to travel back and have a look at this wonderful moment in Walt Disney World history. Continue after the page break for more...

By Keith Mahne

By Keith Mahne

Recently, I purchased this beautiful Disneyland postcard booklet and had to share it with all of you! Although it doesn't have a copyright date on it, I believe it was sold in the early 1960's judging from the monorail photo. It also features retired attractions such as the Skyway and the Mine Train through Nature’s Wonderland which opened in 1956 and ran to 1977 when it was replaced by Thunder Mountain railroad in 1979. I really enjoy how they added a message from Walt Disney on the inside cover as well. These postcards are a wonderful look back at early Disneyland and I think you're going to love them. Have a look for yourself after the page break...

By Randy Crane

J. Thaddeus Toad (Esq.) is “merrily on his way to nowhere in particular,” but in the process he gets himself in trouble. We can often relate. Let’s take a look at what makes this attraction unique, what gets Toad in trouble, and how it relates to our own lives in today's new article...

By Keith Mahne

By EPCOT Explorer

When considering how a Magic Kingdom creates her environments, there are countless schemas of how the park goes about placing a guest, or a viewer, into a setting that is believable, compelling, and usually otherworldly. No matter the way an attraction positions itself and its thematics, the end result is the same: a believable place or scenario is created, implied, and enjoyed.  This is the crux of a Magic Kingdom: belief is suspended, and we, as willing participants in a fantasy, are taken to a destination usually rooted in the expected cultural conscious. This doesn’t mean the environments are conventional or expected, but they are built upon genres and a cultural wellspring. How else would we willingly accept the sudden changes of time of day, context, or environment, when stepping into a ride vehicle? An experience in the Magic Kingdom is meant to be trasnsportive and preclude some basic logic. Continue after the page break for more...

By Keith Mahne

I'm at it again friends!! I just added another magical addition to the Disney Avenue Music Player and, as always, had to let you know immediately! Join me after the page break and let's take a listen as Walt takes us on a "musical tour of Disneyland"...

By Keith Mahne

In 1957, Monsanto demonstrated its vision for future housing, emphasizing the use of plastics. Its House of the Future was displayed at Disneyland from 1957 through 1967, and it envisioned a future home from the then-distant future of 1986. The house featured lavish conveniences including a microwave oven, ultrasonic dishwasher, cold areas in place of refrigerators and freezers, and dimmable ceiling lights -- and that was just the kitchen. Join us today as we travel back to Disneyland at the dawn of the 1960s and take a tour of the nostalgia-packed Monsanto House of the Future...

By Josh Drury

**Editor's Note**: Friends I'd like to welcome Josh Drury as Disney Avenue's newest contributing writer! Please join me in welcoming Josh to the Disney Avenue family.

- Keith Mahne

By Keith Mahne

Time for another Motion Monday article where we look at short GIFs that bring us back to special moments in Disney history! This week we'll focus on the lovely mermaids from the Submarine Voyage attraction. Today's GIFs are from the special broadcast, Kodak Presents Disneyland ‘59. This may just be the perfect antidote to those Monday blues...see what you think after the page break...

By Keith Mahne

There are literally thousands of articles, write-ups, biographies, and books about Walt Disney that it seems as if everything there is to know about Walt is out there to learn through these sources. But what about learning a few more things about this creative genius through his hands. Really....his hands!! You're about to see what I mean in today's new article. Continue after the page break as we learn more about Uncle Walt in a whole new way...

By Keith Mahne

In mid-January of 1970, the Walt Disney World Preview Center became the first building on WDW property to be opened to the public. The preview center contained many artist renderings along with updated aerial pictures of the construction. The main attraction in the building was a theater which housed a film and a 625 square foot model of the Florida property that would be illuminated as the film discussed certain areas. Let's return to the old Walt Disney World Preview Center in today's new article...

By Keith Mahne