Jun 04 2022
You’re guaranteed to get at least this from seeing a movie starring Rosalind Russell: the sheer pleasure of watching a sparkling, sharp-witted, and warm character. Russell is well known for her lovable characters, especially her high energy socialite role in Auntie Mame (1958), her sharp repartee in His Girl Friday (1940), and her stern yet …
May 28 2022
Happy birthday, Small World! 🎈 The colorful “It’s a Small World” attraction first opened in Disneyland on this day, May 28, 1966, following its successful showing at the New York’s ’64-’65 World’s Fair UNICEF salute at the Pepsi-Cola pavilion. In the opening ceremony, children from around the world in traditional costumes joined Walt Disney. Water that …
May 19 2022
On May 19, 1960 this cheery Disney film was released to the public. It is the story of an orphaned girl raised by missionaries who arrives in a town fraught with feuds, and transforms the community with her positive attitude. Pollyanna’s shining quality is that she can always find the good in something. Yes, it …
Apr 18 2022
Actress Hayley Mills was born on this day, April 18, 1946, in London, England. Her child acting career began with her debut performance in the 1959 crime drama Tiger Bay, for which she won the “BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer.” A year later she starred in the Disney classic Pollyanna (1960), and quickly became one of …
Mar 30 2022
Known as one of Disney’s “Nine Old Men” of core animators, artist and Imagineer Marc Davis was born on this day March 30, 1913 in Bakersfield, CA. With vivacious character illustrations, Davis inserted his humor in several Disney park attractions and designed many of Disney’s most beloved characters, including Snow White, Bambi, Thumper, Flower, Mr. Toad, …
Feb 27 2022
Disney imagineer and animator Rolly Crump was born on February 27, 1930 in Alhambra, California. Inspired at the young age of three by the Disney Silly Symphony short, Three Little Pigs, Crump began drawing in 1933. He started working with Disney in 1952, doing “inbetweening” or “tweening” to provide the illusion of smooth movements between film frames. …
Oct 21 2021
Today is the birthday of Disney artist and designer Mary Blair, born on this day October 21, 1911 in McAlester, Oklahoma. Blair was an integral part of Disney, designing incredibly beautiful, unique concept art for a variety of Disney attractions and animated films, including her most well known work on the “It’s a Small World” …
Jun 23 2021
“Buenos dÃas, señorita. My siestas are getting shorter and shorter.” -José Tiki On June 23rd, 1963, Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room was opened to the public at Disney parks. It was an amazing event that featured the first Audio-Animatronic show. The new technology was brought about by Walt Disney’s love of animation, and his desire to …
May 25 2021
Disneyland fans take heart, the Disneyland Resort is opening in phases and the Disneyland Hotel will soon be reopened with fantastic renovations, including corridor flooring featuring new patterns inspired by the art of Mary Blair, who was the Small World artist and concept artist for several Disney animations including Peter Pan and Cinderella. During the …
May 04 2021
Meet tiki designer and freelance artist Jeff Granito. Jeff Granito designs colorful art prints and a wide variety of tiki products true to the style of the Enchanted Tiki Room, and Granito is no stranger to the paradisal world of Disney. He works from his home studio in Southern California and has created a number …