By Randy Crane

If you were to ask a Disney Parks fan what it is that makes the Disney Parks unique and special, you may get several answers. World-class service. Fun for the whole family. Great storytelling. But one phrase that you’ll hear more than almost any other is, “Their attention to detail is amazing.” How does remembering that the Imagineers care about the design details of the Disney Parks help us to also remember that God cares about the everyday details in our lives? Author Randy Crane returns in today's new article to explain...

By Randy Crane

Thousands of guests every day visit Mickey Mouse at his house, kids play in Donald Duck’s boat, and also stop at Goofy’s house to play around. It happens all day long inside Toontown at Disneyland. But have you ever taken the time to look at how they’ve each decorated their homes? In today's new article by Disney Avenue contributing writer Randy Crane, we'll take a walk through of each one and consider how they can encourage and challenge us in our own lives...

By Randy Crane

If you have ever seen Song of the South (and if you haven’t, good luck!) or ridden Splash Mountain, you know how successful Br’er Fox and Br’er Bear are at capturing or killing Br’er Rabbit (or whatever it was they were trying to do). If you haven’t, the short version is: not at all. Let's find out how we can apply the lessons of Splash Mountain to our own lives in today's new article...

By Randy Crane

Splash Mountain is beloved by Disney fans from all around the world. It's fun music, entertaining Audio Animatronics, and that huge drop into the briar patch keep us coming back for more. And just like Br’er Rabbit, everybody’s searching for a Laughing Place, something that brings us joy, peace and happiness. Today, let's take a different perceptive on Splash Mountain and finding our one, true Laughing Place in life...

By Randy Crane

Space Mountain, a thrilling, imaginary journey though outer space, is not for the skittish. After the second lift you are in almost complete darkness for the rest of the ride until coming back into the station. Especially for those who don’t ride often, this is an almost completely unpredictable ride. How can we apply Space Mountain to our own lives? Continue after the page break and I'll tell you all about it...

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 Randy Crane

Kids love petting sheep and goats. Who am I kidding? A lot of adults do too, and this is a great location to do exactly that. Sheep seem cute and cuddly, but have you ever really looked at one? We’ll do just that, especially since we're called “sheep” sometimes, as well. It might be helpful to know what being a sheep means, wouldn't you say? Let's take a closer look at Disneyland's Big Thunder Ranch Petting Zoo and relate it to our lives in today's new article...

By Randy Crane

Pirates of the Caribbean is one of the truly great Disney attractions, but did you know it’s also a time-travel attraction? As Guests go back in time to experience the plundering pirates, we ride through an object lesson on the dangers of unrestrained indulgence. After the break, dead men will tell tales…

By Randy Crane

The Main Street Cinema is a quaint little attraction on Main Street U.S.A., and a nice place to get out of the sun (or rain) for a while. It’s also a great reminder of the power of focus—and how important that is. What little detail have you possibly missed that teaches this? Continue after the page break for more...

By Randy Crane

Editor's Note: Disney Avenue is thrilled to welcome a new contributing writer to the site, the amazing Randy Crane! Many of you in the Disney community may already know Randy from his books and his wonderful podcast Stories of the Magic. Randy has some amazing new articles lined up for us that fuse together life, scripture and, of course, our love of Walt's park and attractions. So please join me in welcoming Randy Crane to the Disney Avenue family!

-Keith Mahne


Disneyland is all about story. Every land in the park tells a story. Every attraction tells a story. Some of the stories are obvious. Some are hidden, but still there. Walt Disney was among the best at making movies that tell stories, and Disneyland is the ultimate, immersive, interactive “movie.” The park is one huge narrative. These articles are going to unpack those stories in new ways because like all good narratives, there are lessons, examples, reminders, and warnings throughout. So, starting with the Indiana Jones Adventure we're going to dig into these tales and see what we can learn from them to take with us outside the park and into our daily lives. Some will be about character. Some will be about faith and spirituality. All will be a new way to look at a familiar place. So let’s start the journey...