With Disneyland's 60th Anniversary quickly approaching and the kick off to the summer celebration happening yesterday, I thought I'd take a look and see what articles on this blog had the most reads. I expected the results to be all Disney- and some were- but many were not. So here are the Top Ten Insights read on this blog - just ten among the almost 2,000 posts since I began writing over seven years ago:
Frozen may be the reigning film among Disney fans of late, but back when Tangled was released, many viewers loved the film, especially the lantern scene. Here's my look at a great Disney animated film, one which opened the door for more to come.
I've been blessed to travel a bit around the world, and in the course of business and pleasure travel, I've gotten to experience Disneyland Paris in three different decades and in three different seasons. When I thought about my travels to many Disney parks, I started out writing a Top Ten Disney Park list of my own. The most popular is this post on the French Magic Kingdom. It's a park that is truly the "Theme Park as a Work of Art". Worth the read to see one of Imagineering's greatest pieces.
This one surprised me. So many people love reading about the journey of David Smith (the virgin) and his rescuer / friend / celebrity Chris Powell. The initial television show was riveting. The transformation of David into someone new and back again is a compelling story worth thinking about. Two parts.
Part One
Part Two
Thirty Years Without Karen Carpenter
It's somewhat ironic that the next popular article is about a beloved singer than suffered and died from anorexia, Karen Carpenter. Long my favorite songstress, I wrote this piece when she had been gone for way too long. Her legacy lives on- and it lives on in this blog as well. Over the years, I've reviewed each of her albums as part of Carpenters and also her solo disc, and I'm in process of adding new images, advertising pieces, and taking a fresh look at each disc. There's also plenty of one off posts with rarely seen photographs and more. Very befitting the 20th Century's most gifted female vocalist.
Disneyland Attraction Posters
It's taken me years to gather this collection! I've listed each individual post so the reader can search by each separate Disney land. Make sure to click on each image for a very large version. The combination of history and pieces of art make for a fascinating read.
Adventureland
New Orleans Square
Critter Country
Frontierland
Fantasyland
Tomorrowland
I hate corporate politics and big government where folks in charge think they have the right to pull a fast one over investors, citizens, and people they deem "smaller" than themselves. Here's a link to an article that has been pulled from the media. Robert Iger, head of the Walt Disney Company, was challenged by the writer regarding the Company's handling of their first theme park in Mainland China, Shanghai Disneyland. I'm proud to repost the piece as a protest to this kind of manipulation. Enjoy- and pass it on.
Let me say it upfront: This may be considered a controversial article. Jesus is the one person who most changed the history of man, so it may be considered blasphemous to depict him this way. If this article seem unbalanced to you, search the blog for other pieces under his name. Discover who he is for yourself.
For all the hits on this piece, I'm ashamed to say that right now, it is the only piece in the series. These small Fantasyland rides have a huge fan base (and I'm one of them). I'll get to finishing my post on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride one day, but for now, here's an in-depth look at Peter Pan's Flight- pre 60th anniversary upgrade.
Three complete articles but also several other random pieces of concept art to be found throughout the blog. Just do a quick search.
This should have and could have been Anaheim's second Disney theme park in California. That is before the suits got scared and gave guests the cheap California Adventure. The Westcot park would have taken the best of Epcot, added the necessary fixes for better show and flow and brought new elements all its own. A grand and beautiful but missed opportunity. Thanks, Michael Eisner. You did some fantastic things in your first decade but clearly lost it in the second half.
Original Plan
Asia
Europe
The eye-catching photo aside, this was another post that surprise me by its ongoing popularity. Dubai Disneyland could have been a reality (and yes, I pulled the concept art I had, but it's still out there on the web), but the rest of the country like all others, has a steamy backside that is rarely told.
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These articles are just by the numbers, but runners up in the Disney category include my look at Space Mountains all over the world, a similar look at Indiana Jones attractions, an anniversary tribute to Pirates of the Caribbean, the 25 year history of the Disney Hollywood Studios theme park, the compelling story of the creation and evolution of Disney's Animal Kingdom, and the concept art behind California Adventure 1.0 and its ongoing transformation into a Disney quality theme park. Each has tons of concept art by the brilliant but often hands tied Disney Imagineers.
Beyond Disney, there's album reviews and histories of popular music, trip reports of visits to Europe, California and more, and various odds and ends. It's been a pleasure. Thank you for reading!
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