Walt Disney was a great businessman; there’s no denying that. When he undertook the concept of Disneyland, he needed partnerships. He needed businesses that could help fund the construction, supply goods, and get the message out. This was the beginning of synergy. One of these little partnership nuggets was a Little Golden Book, Walt Disney’s…
Author: Natalie Aked
Natalie is a lifelong storyteller and story collector. She is enchanted by all things Disney and is a self-confessed Disney romantic. She has many hobbies including reading, travel, and writing children’s fiction. Her favourite pastime is helping friends plan their Disney holidays. Currently, Natalie lives in Australia with her husband, daughter, three schipperkes, and her horse.
Disneyland’s Side Attractions – Adventureland
The exotic calls of colorful birds, dense vegetation, treacherous passages, and life-threatening animals marked your voyage on the Jungle Cruise. Now you are safely back in Adventureland, but you fear you may have contracted a deadly jungle fever. What’s an intrepid traveler to do? Visit Shrunken Ned, Jungle Witch Doctor, in today’s Disneyland’s Side Attractions…
Disneyland’s Side Attractions – Frontierland
Disneyland is always shifting and one land that has seen a lot of change is Frontierland. This land used to encompass all the passable land around the Rivers of America. As we visited one of the claim jumpers last time, I thought we should double back to the Old West. Let’s have a look at…
Disneyland’s Side Attractions – Fortune Red
This is the third in a series of blogs on the amusements of Disneyland. Last time we visited the Penny Arcade on Main Street, USA. Today, I thought that we could wander over to New Orleans Square. Here we can visit some of the side alleys and fascinating folks there including Fortune Red, the…
Disneyland’s Side Attractions – The Penny Arcade
This is the second in a series of blogs on the amusements of Disneyland. Last time I introduced you to Esmerelda, Fortune Teller. For today’s inexpensive amusements, I thought that we might stay around the Penny Arcade on Main Street USA. There is something that draws people in to sideshow amusements. It must be the…
Disneyland’s Side Attractions – Esmerelda, the Fortune Teller
There are so many things to do and see in Disneyland that often some of the fun is overlooked. Some of the little things (like the penny presses and the shooting arcade) are well advertised but others, such as the fortune tellers, are less well known. Over my next few blogs, I thought that I…
Star Wars: The Last Jedi Review
It’s nearly the end of the year and children around the western world are looking forward to a break from school. Fortunately for parents, Disney has come to help stave the boredom of the long school break. Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the latest installment of the Star Wars franchise. Most Star Wars fans…
Coming Soon – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2
(Editor’s Note: Don’t worry! There aren’t any spoilers here!) When the teaser trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 came out, I was excited. I loved the first movie and needed to see the next chapter. The teaser trailer worked to get me even more enthusiastic and then there was Baby Groot –…
A Review of Beauty and the Beast
It may be a tale as old as time, but Disney’s new live-action Beauty and the Beast is far from dowdy. The box office numbers from both the US box office sales and international ticket sales have been outstanding; but the reviews have come in on both sides of the ‘go see it’ or ‘don’t’…
Tune as Old as Song – Finding Beauty and the Beast at Disneyland
If your family is anything like mine, you will have at least one Beauty and the Beast fan in there somewhere. There is something about the 1991 Disney animated feature that draws them in. Perhaps it’s the message that it takes courage to see people as they truly are. Maybe it’s that Belle saves her…
A Tale as Old as Time: Finding Beauty and the Beast at Walt Disney World
It may be a tale as old as time, but the story of a girl and her adventures to rid her small, provincial village of not one, but two, savage beasts is beloved by many. In 1991, when Disney first introduced Belle to an audience primed for such a story (encouraging little girls…
Disney’s Happiest Haunts Tour – A Review
During Halloween Time, Disneyland offers the themed Disney’s Happiest Haunts Tour. For years this tour has proven extremely popular but in 2016 the tour’s entire scope was changed. No longer is the tour the immersive, storytelling, villain stopping play. Now this tour has grown into a full, history driven expedition into one of the most…