Grim Grinning Ghosts

By Nick

Disney is releasing several great books about The Haunted Mansion over the next few months, and I have ordered them all from Amazon.

This illustrated book featuring the beloved song Grim Grinning Ghosts (GGG) arrived just a few days ago.

The cover features the Hitchhiking Ghosts in front of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion.

The book is beautifully illustrated and has the lyrics to GGG.

 

It even comes with a CD so you can sing along!

I just yesterday received another HM book, and will share that in a future post.
Hurry baaaack. Hurry baaaack.

Walt's Time: The Sherman Brothers

By Nick

On March 5th, 2012, the world lost a musical genius and Disney Legend, Robert B. Sherman.
If you are looking at this blog, you are very likely familiar with the works of Robert and his brother, Richard M. Sherman.

To go into detail as to the Sherman Brother’s contribution to Disney, indeed, music in general, would take many, many pages.

There is actually a book that does just that.

A couple of years ago, my wife bought me this book for my birthday. I’m not sure what she payed, but it is out of print, and fairly collectible.
“Walt’s Time: from before to beyond” is from 1998, 252 pages long, and is packed with many wonderful stories of their time with Walt and beyond.



The inside lists just a few of the many songs that have been part of my life from birth.



The book begins with the Sherman Brother’s very first meeting with Walt, their associations at the studio, and many sketches from animators and illustrators at the Walt Disney Studios.








From live action movies, animated films, and the Disney Parks, the Sherman Brother’s have contributed some of the most beloved songs ever written.

.









A lovely tribute to Walt Disney, who, along with their father, the brothers considered their biggest influence.



In 1990, the brothers were named Disney Legends.



This book is a wonderful look at 2 musical giants.

.

R.I.P. Robert B. Sherman, December 19, 1925 – March 5, 2012.

Walt Disney World Pop Up Book from Hallmark

A Fun Filled Visit to Walt Disney World with Mickey Mouse: A Hallmark Pop-Up Book.

..

By Nick

Like much of my collection, I cannot recall when and where I got this book. It’s copyright is 1972.

It isn’t in the best condition, with stains and tape marks, but the pop-ups all work pretty well.



Our first pop-up is the Ferry Boat to the Magic Kingdom. But that isn’t how we are getting to the park.



We’re taking the Monorail with Mickey. Lift the door tab, and Mickey gets on board.

Interestingly, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea has been reduced to just “Submarine Voyage” here. There is a rotating wheel that rotates and shows wreckage, treasure and sea life.





Next, the Country Bear Jamboree pop-up.



It’s a Small World. Pull the tab on the right, and the drummer drums while the camel nods in unison.

The Mad Tea Party. pull the tab to see Mickey “Spin”. On one side he’s smiling, on the other, he looks as if he may be ill, which is the same reaction I have as this ride goes on.



A Jungle Cruise pop-up.



The Mickey Mouse Revue, which was housed in the space that is now home to Mickey’s PhilharMagic. Pull the tabs and the whole gang rocks out while Mickey orchestrates.



The Swiss Family Tree House. Lift the flap and see the Jungle Cruise Ruins in the distance.
Not very exciting.

Maybe the creator of this book was lulling you into a false sense of security, and then, wham!
Pull the tab on the Haunted Mansion page, and a ghost pops up! Thrilling.



And to cap off a fun filled day at the park with Mickey, fireworks over Cinderella’s Castle.




I hope you enjoyed your time with Mickey Mouse.

Discovering German with Walt Disney

By Nick 

My wife spotted this at "The World's Largest Garage Sale" at the Allentown Fairgrounds in Allentown, Pennsylvania recently for $3. It was published in 1992 by Harrap.

It takes classic Disney comic illustrations, and identifies specific images in German and English.

As a bonus, it includes the actual strip the highlighted image is taken from, and presents it in German and English as well.

Auf Wiedersehen!

Do You Remember When Dinosaur was Countdown to Extinction?

By Nick

One of my favorite rides at Walt Disney World is Dinosaur, located at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Dinosaur is a dark ride that takes us back to the Cretaceous Period, aboard a Time Rover, to bring back a live dinosaur, dangerously close to when a large asteroid is going to hit the earth. Along the way we encounter many species of dinos, and come very close to getting hit by meteorites.

Did you know, however, that the ride was initially called Countdown to Extinction? It was changed to Dinosaur to promote the film of the same name, released in 2000. At that time, there were several changes made to the ride, including toning down some of the more frightening effect elements, and making the ride itself less intense.

I was not fortunate enough to ride the original, but do have a few items from that period, including this button.
The button is lenticular, starting with the Carnotaurus in the distance…

…and, suddenly, he is upon Mickey!

I also have a book, “Countdown to Extinction, A Hologram Adventure to the Age of the Dinosaurs”,
from Disney Press, by A. J. Wood, illustrated by Chris Forsey.

.

From the back cover:

Catch the mistakes in the Dino Institutes Files on a holographic adventure through the prehistoric past.

The Dino Institutes Files have been corrupted by a computer error and there’s only one way to find the mistakes. Climb aboard the Time Rover and explore the age of the dinosaurs, but be careful: the past is filled with a hungry Carnotaurus, meteor showers, and erupting volcanoes. With vivid illustrations and holograms on every page, this exciting book ties into the knew Countdown to Extinction attraction at DinoLand U.S.A., part of Disney’s Animal Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort, and brings the dinosaurs back to life.

Throughout the book, we are asked to find the mistakes in the Time Rover Files.

For instance, we are asked to look at the picture and find 2 mistakes. The files state that these tiny chicken sized dinosaurs, Compsognathus, were 98 feet big. That would be a big chicken! So, error number 1. The file states that the Compsognathus has five fingered hands. Clearly the picture shows they have three, so we have mistake number 2! I feel so smart!

Can you tell which is the T-Rex and which is the Triceratops?

YOU are smart too!

We are getting the Time Rover files all straightened out!

Speaking of Time Rover, I’ll be featuring MY very own Time Rover in a future post, so please stop back.

Mary Poppins Record and Movie Book

By: Nick

Today, Disney releases the film, Saving Mr. Banks, and to say I am excited to see this is an understatement.
Both Barbie and I have grown up with Mary Poppins.

The film centers on the life of P. L. Travers, creator of Mary Poppins, shifting between her childhood, and the negotiations with Walt Disney in the making of the motion picture, Mary Poppins, in 1961 

If you haven't seen the trailer, it looks absolutely amazing. I just re-watched it, and have goosebumps, and, okay, a tear in my eye.

As much as we both love Mary Poppins, we actually only have 2 items from Mary Poppins, if you don't include a VHS, DVD, and the just released Blu-ray copy of the film!

One is this record album Barbie has had since childhood.

It includes a very brief synopsis of the movie, and even a brief telling of how Disney came to discover Mary Poppins and produce this masterpiece.

And what more can I say about the music by the Sherman Brothers other than it is absolutely brilliant?

This 1964 Mary Poppins movie book from Golden Press was bought just a few months ago at our local flea market.

Originally priced at $.69, I paid $2.

Not in the best of shape, but, having just seen the trailer for the first time the day before, I felt it was fate that I came upon it, and had to buy it!

It tells a bit about the production, and the 2 primary stars, Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, on the inside cover, before going on to tell the story of the motion picture, with photos from the film.

We'll be seeing Saving Mr. Banks this weekend, so please stop back for a review.

Interview With Disney Historian Jim Korkis - Part One

In January, while at Walt Disney World, my wife and I took a brand new tour being offered at the Boardwalk Resort. I saw a man taking notes, and thought he looked familiar. A quick Internet check confirmed that this was indeed Disney Historian Jim Korkis. In fact, Jim created the term "Disney Historian"!

I struck up a conversation with Jim, and he was very gracious when I told him I too was a writer for a blog, and asked if I might interview him. We wound up talking for over 2 hours, with about 30 minutes recorded on video.

Part One of the interview is about his newest books, "Who's Afraid of the Song of the South? And Other Forbidden Disney Stories" and the "The Revised Vault of Walt."

I can't tell you how great it was to spend time speaking with Jim, we discussed many different topics, which I will be sharing in the future.