The Journal of a Disneyland Annual Passholder

Back in August 2015 during the D23 Expo, Bob Iger announced that Star Wars themed lands were coming to Disneyland and Walt Disney World in its Hollywood Studios Theme Park. At Disneyland, the land is being built north of Frontierland, mainly in backstage areas that have long been relocated. The real casualty for the guests is the loss of Big Thunder Ranch and the Festival Arena. Disney also announced that the Rivers of America, the Railroad and Fantasmic would close for 2016 and reopen this year. The Railroad will have a new route and the Mark Twain and Columbia and the canoes would travel a shorter route but would travel along a brand new rear end of the river. The River which represents several known US Rivers will include a new section dedicated to the real life Columbia Gorge. But what many fans were anticipating is the return of a retooled and enhanced Fantasmic!. Over the course of several years, the show has seen technological upgrades but the original story kept intact. T...

Recently it was announced that the 50th Anniversary fireworks show "Remember Dreams Come True" which originally ended back in 2014 would be making a return. Meanwhile, the 60th anniversary show "Disneyland Forever" ended with the conclusion of the Diamond Celebration and as of now appears to be permanently retired (although with the current trend of bringing things back, Forevers return in a limited capacity wouldn't be a surprise). I don't usually compare shows since I find it to taint ones experience but I felt this had to be done in order to help what I'm talking about here. To fully appreciate a show, one must be able to understand the shows message and both firework shows actually did a good job in conveying those messages. Lets take a look at Remember Dreams Come True first. This show is pretty straightforward and easier to know what it was about right off the bat. The show tells the history of Disneyland by going through all the lands in t...

A year ago, Disneyland launched the Diamond Celebration which celebrated Disneyland's 60th Anniversary. Like the 50th anniversary before it, it was given a theme and several new offerings. The major ones were 3 new shows. To celebrate the launch, the Disneyland Resort had both theme parks open for 24 hours on May 22nd operating from 6am-6am the following day. While I had a lot of fun, i can't say the same for the thousands that came late only to find out that Disneyland Park was closed due to being full. Mouseplanet detailed the event from beginning to end and it all started around lunchtime. Below is a timeline of what happened outside Disneyland's gates, mixed with my experiences. Before May 22nd: The Resort says they're ready for a busy day and have everything prepared to deal with overcrowding. However, the statement would prove to be wrong. Morning of May 22nd: Cast Members at the gates inform Annual Passholders that they don't need handstamps and th...

Next week, a brand new show will open at the Hyperion Theater in Disney California Adventure marking the first time since 2003 that a new show has opened at the Hyperion. Frozen-Live at the Hyperion will be the first "Frozen" show in any theme park that is a true broadway type production created to retell the story of the movie. Previous shows have been small, temporary shows but have the same purpose of reliving the movie. The new show will incorporate the latest in video projecting technology that Disney has used recently in shows like World of Color and Disneyland Forever. Orgins: Back when Frozen opened in theaters and its popularity was clear, many have speculated that Frozen could be next to be made on Broadway. At the time, Disney stated that a broadway production was being looked into. Others have said that the Hyperion Theater could get Frozen to replace the long running Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular. By the time Disney confirmed that their Broadway Division...

Dear Kobe Bryant, When I was in elementary school, my father introduced me to the NBA. We watched Lakers games together and my earliest memory was watching you and Shaq play alongside each other while being coached by Phil Jackson. With those 2, you got 3 rings. But during that span, you had your first black spots in your career. From feuds with Shaq to the rape case, you had to overcome them to be better in the sport you love. After you lost to Detroit in 2004, my focus shifted to my studies in High School but I kept tabs on you and the Lakers until I was able to watch again. By that time, I was 2 years away from graduating High School, Phil Jackson came back to coach the Lakers and you found new teammates, but importantly, you stayed a Laker. I remembered watching you lose again in the NBA Finals in 2008 to the rival Celtics. On hand, I was mad. Mad that the rival in the East blew you out. But on the other, I was optimistic that it would be motivation for you to win another rin...

Concept Art from Disney The moment that Star Wars fans have been waiting for is here! Star Wars will get its own land in both Walt Disney World (FL) and the Disneyland Resort (CA). This is expected to be huge as Disney is investing a lot into the new expansions as the new Star Wars films get underway starting with "Force Awakens" this Christmas.  For Disneyland, its reportedly the biggest expansion in its history. And to keep fans occupied till then, the resorts will host some Star Wars events (includes overlays and updates to existing Star Wars attractions and shows). The biggest question in every Disneyland Fans minds were: Where would it go? Disneyland suffers from being "land-locked" as a result of being surrounded by hotels and businesses. This forces the park to replace backstage areas or existing attractions to make room  for expansion. Heres a map of the area where Star Wars land is set to be located in. Various fan sites have r...