Featured Attractions

Friday, February 28, 2020

Talent Round Up: Annette the Horsemistress



After learning to ride horses during the production of The Horsemasters, Annette Funicello became a lifelong horse aficionado, continuing her hobby until she was no longer able to ride due to her Multiple Sclerosis. Her hobby even led her to meet and marry her second husband- Glen Holt- who remained a loyal husband until she passed away.






Thursday, February 27, 2020

Circus Day: A Magical Dream


When Walt Disney first began planning out his greatest dream, he originally wanted to place it across the street from The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. “Mickey Mouse Park”, would be a small attraction that was more of a “visitor’s center” for the studio than a theme park.


The “Magic Courtyard” would have been located where the Disneyland logo appears above.

The more Walt thought about his “magical little Park”, the bigger it got, quickly outgrowing the small acreage available in Burbank. Mr. Disney wanted more than just a small place to entertain guests waiting for a studio tour; he wanted to build a park that would be a destination itself. He would build that magical place 35 miles south- in Anaheim.

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Guest Star Day: Virginia Davis


Disney’s first live action star actually predates Mickey Mouse by five years. Virginia Davis began working for Walt Disney when he was still located in Kansas City at the age of five years old. Starring as “Alice” in the Alice Comedies, she only appeared in one installment that was filmed before Walt’s Kansas City studio declared bankruptcy.


After moving out west to California, Walt Disney joined up with his brother Roy and revived the series, moving Virginia and her family out west. Virginia cherished her ties to The Walt Disney Company and was eventually named a Disney Legend.






Monday, February 24, 2020

Fun With Music: Donald Novis



You might not recognize his name, but you’ve definitely heard his voice. Donald Novis was born in 1906 in the United Kingdom, emigrating to Canada with his family at a very young age. The siren call of California led the Novis family west, where they settled in Los Angeles. After winning a singing competition, Donald entered show business, regularly performing on the radio and starring in several motion pictures. It would be a singing only role in an animated film that would shape his future.


Mr. Novis was handpicked by Walt Disney to sing the title song in the animated classic Bambi- Love is a Song. The song would be nominated for an Academy Award and propel Mr. Novis to stardom. The project would also give him a chance to finally settle down ten years later when he was offered a job at DISNEYLAND. Walt Disney wanted his Magic Kingdom to have top notch entertainment, so he hired several actors and singers who were already successful and famous to perform in the park.


Mr. Novis was tired of the itinerant life of a performer and sought a stable position where he wouldn’t have to worry about finding his next gig but could take any that might interest him. A job at DISNEYLAND’s Golden Horseshoe Saloon fit the bill. Along with Wally Boag, Donald Novis wrote the script for the Golden Horseshoe Revue and performed in it until his retirement in 1964.










Friday, February 21, 2020

Talent Round Up- Walt’s Secret Hobby


We all know that Walt Disney had a gift that allowed him to envision what others could not and see the hidden skills that his team members didn’t know they had, but what did he do in his spare time to get his mind off the business of making motion pictures? Mr. Disney was quite skilled at making miniatures.

One of Walt’s Amazing Miniatures

While most everyone has heard about the miniature backyard train Walt built on his estate, the train wasn’t the only thing he built in his red barn. He also fabricated numerous miniature dioramas. One such diorama was based on one of his earliest live action films- So Dear To My Heart.

Walt Disney shows off his diorama to actress Beulah Bondi

Walt considered taking his miniature dioramas on a train tour of the United States. He wanted the train to stop in various cities where guests could pay to enter the box cars and look at the dioramas. He scrapped this idea when it was determined that it would not be economically feasible.




Thursday, February 20, 2020

Circus Day: Casey Junior’s Wild Ride




One of the oldest attractions at DISNEYLAND is actually much older than the park itself. King Arthur Carrousel was built 98 years ago for an amusement park in Canada. By the 1950’s, the park had closed and its carrousel was being sold off. Since Walt Disney wanted an authentic carrousel, he purchased and refurbished the attraction. There was an issue with the existing attraction however; Mr. Disney wanted a carrousel that contained only leaping horses and no stationary seats. Since the carrousel he purchased had several stationary seats, the Imagineers needed to either find an alternate use for the seats or toss them out. 


The solution was quite simple, actually. The stationary seats were turned into cars on the Casey Jr. Circus Train where they continue to be used just steps away from the carrousel.


Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Anything Can Happen: PL Travers Sings!



It has never been a secret that P.L. Travers, author of the Mary Poppins books, didn’t like the classic film and made things miserable during pre-production. Travers had rejected Walt Disney’s countless offers for nearly two decades and only agreed because she needed the money. While some people have criticized the film Saving Mr. Banks for its depiction of Ms. Travers, those who were around at the time have said that the picture made Ms. Travers appear to be nicer than she was in real life. One such observer was Richard Sherman who, along with his brother, wrote the unforgettable music for the picture. He had carried a grudge against Ms. Travers for turning what should have been an amazing experience into somewhat of a headache.


It would take him decades to soften his opinion of Ms. Travers, which he had once considered to be an impossibility. While participating in the remastering process, Mr. Sherman was listening to a demo tape they had made of the triumphant song Let’s Go Fly A Kite. As the engineers fiddled with the sound levels, Mr. Sherman heard some faint singing in the background- it turned out to be P.L. Travers, who obviously enjoyed the music much more than she let everyone believe. It was a multi-decade mystery solved through the wonders of technology!




Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Guest Star Day: Ruthie Tompson


You may not know her name, but you have definitely seen her work. Disney Legend Ruthie Tompson is one of the rare persons still alive who knew Walt Disney before he built  his empire. Ruthie grew up in Burbank, CA just down the street from Walt Disney’s Uncle Robert. When Walt first moved to California, he originally setup shop in his Uncle’s garage. When Walt went looking for child actors to star in his pre-Mickey cartoon series the Alice Comedies, Ruthie gratefully accepted a role. When she expressed interest in animation, Walt encouraged her to take art classes and promised to hire her when she was old enough. It was a promise he kept.



Ms. Tompson joined the ink and paint department, eventually supervising the inkers and painters. She would stay at Walt Disney Productions for almost forty years, working on classic films like Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo and Sleeping Beauty. In 2000, she was declared a Disney Legend and in 2017 she was honored by the Motion Picture Academy for her contributions to motion picture animation. Ms. Tompson currently resides in the Hollywood Retirement Home and will be celebrating her 110th Birthday this year.




Monday, February 17, 2020

Fun With Music: Where’s My Parade Music?



Think back to your favorite DISNEYLAND parades. The first thing that probably comes to mind is the catchy music. It would seem like making that music available for purchase would be an easy decision to make. So why has Disney not released much of its parade music catalog? The answer is a bit complicated.


Like most other entertainment companies, The Walt Disney Company has signed agreements with the various entertainment guilds. These agreements dictate how much the session musicians get paid for their work depending on what their music will be used for. Higher profile usage gets a higher pay rate. Playing on a song that will be widely used and sold earns higher pay than a song that will be exclusively played in a fixed location like a theme park.



As an example, if a musician played on a Mariah Carey song, he or she would receive a higher paycheck than someone playing on a song that would theoretically only be used in a specific location like DISNEYLAND. If Disney wanted to use the song elsewhere, like on television or on a commercially released CD, they would have to pay the musicians more money for their work.



Since the costs of producing a parade are paid out of DISNEYLAND’s entertainment budget, but the revenue generated from a CD would go to DISNEYLAND’s merchandising department, there isn’t much of an incentive for DISNEYLAND Entertainment to pay the musicians more than it has to. If DISNEYLAND decided to sell the music after the fact, it would have to go back to each musician and pay them additional royalties. This extra cost has discouraged Disney from releasing most of its parade music catalog. Though it isn’t impossible for Disney to eventually release this music, it is improbable.




Friday, February 14, 2020

Talent Round Up Fridays!




On Fridays we honor the legendary people who contributed their many talents to making Disney Magic!


Saddle your pony, here we go down to the talent rodeo. 

Gather up Susie, Jack and Joe, join the talent round-up. 

Round 'em up, bring 'em in, everybody's sure to win. 

Step right up, here we go. Oh, what a rodeo! 


Bring along Dinah, Bob and Bill, ask everybody on the hill. 

We're gonna have a great big thrill, join the talent round-up. 

Round 'em up, bring 'em in, everybody's sure to win. 

Step right up, here we go. Oh, what a rodeo! 


Bring along Mary, Jim and Moe, ask everybody you may know. 

We're gonna have a great big show, join the talent round-up. 

Step right up, step right up, here we go, here we go, 

Join the round-up rodeo! 

Happy Valentine’s Day!



Thursday, February 13, 2020

Circus Day Thursdays!




In 1955, Disney went from being something you could see to someplace you could go! On Thursdays, we’ll be Covering the parts of Disney that you can actually visit!


Here comes the circus. Everyone loves the circus.

And that includes the Merry Mouseketeers.


Clowns in the circus. Keep the frowns from the circus.

As the old calliope rings in your ears (boop, boop, boop, boop).


There'll be lions, tigers, elephants, and lots of things inside


And there's a man who's nine feet tall and a lady five feet wide.


And so, hooray for the circus! Now, away for the circus,

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Anything Can Happen Wednesdays!




A mouse can take over a fox. Elephants can fly. Anything is possible in DISNEYLAND, and anything can happen on anything can happen day!


Today is a day that is filled with surprises, Nobody knows what's gonna happen. 


Why, you might find yourself on an elephant on the moon Or riding in an auto underneath a blue lagoon.


 Yes, we Mouseketeers think you're gonna have some thrills, And you know it's true that a laugh can cure your ills. 


And so, if you're pleasure bent, we are glad to present The Mouseketeers' "Anything Can Happen Day." 

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Guest Star Tuesdays!



On Guest Star Days, we’ll take a look at the legendary people who helped Walt Disney make his dreams come true; and those who continue to keep his dreams alive!


Today is Tuesday, you know what that means?
We're gonna have a special guest
So get out the broom, sweep the place clean
And dust off the mat so the "Welcome" can be seen

Roll out the carpet, strike up the band
And give out with a "Hip-hooray" (Hip-hooray!)
Wiggle your ears like good Mouseketeers
We're gonna present our guest today
'Cause Tuesday is Guest Star Day

Brush off your new dress, straighten your tie
And give out with a "Hip-hooray" (Hip-hooray!)
Wiggle your ears like good Mouseketeers
We're gonna present our guest today
'Cause Tuesday is Guest Star Day


Monday, February 10, 2020

Fun With Music Mondays!




Mondays here at Just One Dream will now be filled with Disney music!

It's... time... for...
Fun with music
Fun with music
Making music is fun

Whether it's a song of old
Or some foreign land
Music is the language
We all understand

We're all for one with music
Fun with music
And before we are done

Just wait and see
You'll all agree
Fun with music is fun
Fun for everyone!

Saturday, February 8, 2020

Midnight Madness!





California Feels Alright!



On February 8, 2001, DISNEYLAND became a full fledged Resort with the opening of Disney California Adventure, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Downtown Disney. It was the largest expansion of Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom since it first opened in 1955.


Walt Disney’s most favorite place in the world was DISNEYLAND. In 2001 his dream grew bigger and stronger. 65 years after Walt created his own world, his dream still lives on!