A Sea Witch's Voice

The original voice of Ursula the Sea Witch in The Little Mermaid was Elaine Stritch. When Ms. Stritch proved to be too difficult to deal with, she was replaced by Pat Carroll who seemed born to play the role.

Disney Legend #1: Fred MacMurray

The first person inducted as a Disney Legend was Fred MacMurray, who starred in seven Disney films- The Absent-Minded Professor, Son of Flubber, The Shaggy Dog, Follow Me, Boys, Bon Voyage, The Happiest Millionaire and Charlie and the Angel. The Happiest Millionaire holds the distinction of being the last film whose production was personally supervised by Walt Disney.

Disney Quote Weekends

"When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are, anything your heart desires will come to you."

-Jiminy Cricket

Disney Quote Weekends

"Why worry? If you've done your very best, worrying won't make it any better."

-Walt Disney

Who Is Andy Anaheim?

Before DISNEYLAND opened, the sleepy agricultural city of Anaheim knew that things were going to change. Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom was going to bring millions of people from around the world to town and they wanted to put their best foot forward to show the world that Anaheim meant business. Mr. Disney was more than willing to help and he enlisted his artists to create a new character for the city- Andy Anaheim! The rascally booster could be seen on letterhead, recreation T-Shirts and anywhere the city was being promoted.

The little guy was phased out during the 1980's as being too outdated, but he's making a comeback! Andy has appeared online, on T-Shirts, and around town. So the next time you're in Anaheim, keep an eye out; you never know where he might show up next....

Walt's First Character- Oswald!

Many people assume that Walt Disney's first successful character was Mickey Mouse, but while Mickey is definitely his most famous character, he wasn't the first huge success that Walt Disney had. That honor goes to a little rabbit named Oswald.

Oswald was a plucky little rabbit who became an overnight success years before Mickey Mouse. Walt thought highly of the little guy and had high hopes for his success. Unfortunately, Universal Studios had other plans. They wanted Oswald all to themselves and since Walt had agreed to sign away the copyright to Oswald in exchange for Universal's distribution deal, there was nothing he could do. Never one to give up, Walt created the one and only Mickey Mouse who became a worldwide phenomenon while his older brother Oswald became a footnote in animation history.

Fast forward to just a few years ago. Disney CEO Bob Iger studied up on company history before taking the reins and promised Diane Disney Miller that he would get Oswald back. And he came through on his promise! NBC, now a part of Universal Studios, wanted the contract of an ABC Sports anchor and Bob Iger saw the opportunity to get Walt's first creation back in the family fold. The agreement was signed and Oswald returned to stand beside his younger brother in the Disney family, right where he belongs!

Merry Christmas!

Walt's Inspiration

Walt Disney's father was not supportive of his artistic endeavors. He saw the arts as a waste of time and never encouraged Walt to draw. There were too many chores waiting for Walt on the farm for him to waste time with such a useless activity. So who did encourage Walt? His beloved Aunt Margaret. "Aunt Maggie" would always visit with notepads, crayons and anything a young child would need to express himself artistically. Sometimes she even had to sneak them into the house.

Maybe Walt would have still pursued an artistic career even if he didn't have anyone to encourage it, but we can certainly thank Walt's Aunt Maggie for sparking an interest that would lead to Oswald, Mickey, Snow White, DISNEYLAND and Mary Poppins. We have so much to thank her for.

Sadly, Aunt Margaret didn't live long enough to see the success her nephew would have, but it's fairly certain that she would have been proud of him. It is hard to imagine a world without the happiness created by Walt Disney, and his very special aunt deserves some of the credit for helping him discover his talents and eventually share them with the world. Thank you, Aunt Maggie!

The Origins of Katella Avenue

Legend has it that Anaheim's Katella Avenue, which lies south of the DISNEYLAND Resort, had its name chosen by Walt Disney himself. Walt, according to the legend, named the street after his daughters- Kate and Ella.

A nice anecdote, but Walt's two daughters were named Diane and Sharon. Plus, the street providing the current southernmost boundary of the DISNEYLAND Resort got its name long before Walt Disney even knew about a city named Anaheim. In fact, the name even predates his birth.

The street is actually named after two sisters- Kate and Ella Rea. Kate and Ella's parents owned much of the land that would eventually be turned into DISNEYLAND. In fact, their father most likely planted the walnut trees that still separate the Jungle Cruise from Main Street. The road south of the family farm was probably given its name by their father. When the City of Anaheim started growing, they naturally kept the name, since most people were already using it.

While Kate and Ella were still alive to see Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom spring up on their family's farm, their family had long since sold the land off and they were not the ones who sold it to Walt Disney. Many people urged Walt to get the street renamed "DISNEYLAND Road", but he refused. He liked the name 'Katella' and felt that such a historically named street should not be renamed. (Besides, as many people may remember, the main parking entrance was on Harbor Blvd. The Katella gate was only used during peak times.) So whenever you drive down Katella Avenue, think about Kate and Ella Rea.

Disney Quote Weekends

"Gone off his crumpet, that's what he's done! Dotty as you please!"

Ellen from Mary Poppins