Michael J. Fox's First Film

Michael J. Fox's first theatrical film was the 1980 Disney cult classic Midnight Madness

Tomorrowland!

"A vista into a world of wondrous ideas, signifying man's achievements...a step into the future, with predictions of constructive things to come.

Tomorrow offers new frontiers in science, adventure and ideals: the Atomic Age- the challenges of outer space and the hope for a peaceful and unified world."

-Walt Disney's Dedication of Tomorrowland

Disney Legend #3: Marc Davis

Marc Davis was the third person inducted as a Disney Legend. One of Walt's "Nine Old Men", Marc had the distinction of not only working on many Classic Disney animated films, but also being a legendary imagineer. The attractions he worked on are still enjoyed by millions and included the greatest theme park attraction ever built- DISNEYLAND's Pirates of the Caribbean.

Disney World's Space Mountain

What ride at DISNEYLAND is most like Disney World's Space Mountain? An easy answer, right? It must be Space Mountain. But that would be incorrect- the real answer is the Matterhorn!

After the Matterhorn was a huge success at DISNEYLAND, Walt Disney decided that the park needed a second roller coaster. His new coaster would blast guests into near total darkness and take place in a fanciful, futuristic structure, with multiple "rockets" embarking on multiple trips to space and back at the same time.

To do all this would require a sophisticated ride system. Walt Disney asked his best imagineers to come up with a workable system that would allow him to fully realize his ideas. Unfortunately it was not possible with 1960's technology, so someone suggested merely replicating the Matterhorn setup indoors. This was not good enough for Walt, so he put the idea on hold until technology caught up with his dreams.

Years later, the idea of building the Matterhorn indoors was revived when Walt Disney World's "Magic Kingdom" needed a major attraction. Since Disney officials doubted that an outdoor roller coaster would work in the humid Florida weather, building the Matterhorn indoors was seen as a viable option. So instead of building the Space Mountain of Walt's dreams, Florida's "Magic Kingdom" got the Matterhorn copy Walt had originally rejected.

However, advances in technology eventually made it possible to fully realize Walt Disney's vision. So when Space Mountain opened at DISNEYLAND, it was exactly as Walt had imagined.

The Matterhorn's Movie Inspiration

The Matterhorn is a DISNEYLAND attraction not based on a film, right? Not exactly. The Matterhorn was actually inspired by the 1959 Disney film Third Man on the Mountain. While the film itself has become a lesser known production, the Matterhorn stands as a classic, legendary DISNEYLAND attraction.

Disney Quote Weekends

"Make it blue."

-Merryweather

Disney Quote Weekends

"Don’t worry about it, just make it beautiful and you’ll appeal to the best side of people. They all have it; all you have to do is bring it out."

-Walt Disney

Disney Legend #2: Les Clark

The second person inducted as a Disney Legend was one of Walt's "Nine Old Men"- Les Clark. Les Clark was hired by Walt Disney on a "temporary" basis to assist on the very first Mickey Mouse cartoon- Steamboat Willie.  He ended up spending 50 years at The Walt Disney Studios, working on classics like Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo and Saludos Amigos. His contributions to the world of animation are still enjoyed by billions the world over.

Walt Disney's First Silly Symphony

The first Silly Symphony produced by Walt Disney Studios was The Skeleton Dance, made in 1929.

Happy New Year!

"There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow just a dream away."