My two favorite rides at Disneyland have always been Pirates of the Caribbean & the Haunted Mansion. When I was just a little kiddo I was afraid of those grim, grinning ghosts but once I realized they came out to socialize I felt much better. Have you been on the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland?

Let’s watch Walt Disney and his Imagineering Department tell us about it.

Thanks to doombuggies.com I found out Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion ride celebrated their birthday on August 9th. I was born in 1970 and the Haunted Mansion ride opened in 1969.

Let’s  honor the hauntingly happy ride with some Haunted Mansion music.

If you’re a foolish mortal like me then you need to visit doombuggies.com for all things Haunted Mansion.

For the best quality experience be sure to click all hyperlinks.

While on my internet travels this weekend I stumbled across the trailer to a documentary in theaters now. I find documentaries fascinating and this one appeals to me because it’s about Walt Disney. The film, Walt & El Grupo, tells a story about Walt that I know little about. 

I’ve always had an interest in Walt Disney. From early childhood to my teenage years, and up to my early adulthood I was thrilled each time I found a bit of Disney trivia. It toned down when my JDOCD (Johnny Depp Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) flared up but I realize I’ll always have an interest in the man that built a pop culture empire out of imagination.

Walt Disney & El Grupo explores the 10 week period in 1941 when 39 year old Walt, along with his wife, and sixteen colleagues from his studio visited nations in Latina America to collect ideas for South American themed films.  This was not only a trip to gather stories for films like Saludos Amigos  but also a diplomatic mission for inter-American friendship.

Told with the help of Latin music, 16mm home movie clips and personal accounts, this interesting story will transport us back to the “Golden Age” of Hollywood in Latin American style. 

Click here to see the trailer.

For more information and to find out where you can see this film visit http://www.waltandelgrupo.com/

Some days I begin humming a tune around the house. Usually it’s a random tune for no good reason whatsoever. Last night it was “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”.

Just reading that word, the biggest word you’ve ever heard, makes me want to jump up and sing with my best British accent. Once I start singing songs from Mary Poppins, I can’t stop at “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”. I catch my breath and start back up with “Chim Chim Cheree”.

Since I was doing so much Mary Poppins singing, I put up a url to the song “Feed the Birds” on Facebook and twitter. It’s a beautiful song that can bring listeners to tears in a good way with its ethereal feel and compassionate message. I remembered reading that “Feed the Birds”  was Walt Disney’s favorite song but I couldn’t remember all the information surrounding the story.

Thanks to my social media friends, I quickly found out that the Sherman Brothers were responsible for Mary Poppins music and they’d often play the song “Feed the Birds” for Disney. His favorite song was performed at the dedication of a Disneyland plaque on what would have been Walt’s 100th birthday.

Another favorite of mine is “Spoonful of Sugar”. I like to sing this while I’m cleaning the house. It’s true that a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down, even if that medicine is a big pile of dirty pots and pans in the sink.

The story of origin for “Spoonful of Sugar” is that Bob Sherman’s son came home from school after a day of getting vaccinated, also known as getting shots. When Mr. Sherman asked his son if it hurt, the boy replied that they put a sugar cube on a spoon and fed it to each student after they got their shot. The next day Bob Sherman told his brother the now very famous lyric.

A movie is out in theaters now called “The Boys – The Sherman Brothers Story”. The brothers are responsible for more than Mary Poppins music. Music for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Jungle Book, Parent Trap, and The Aristocats came from the Sherman brothers. Find more information about the movie here.

I’m excited about this film because like the trailer says they are responsible for many of the songs that children have grown up with. What Sherman Brothers tune will you sing today?

Thanks to Scott Brody, Lisa Butterworth and Richard Molden on Facebook/twitter, for their Mary Poppins and Sherman Brothers information.

“I only hope that we don’t lose sight of one thing-that it was all started by a mouse.”—Walt Disney

Mickey Mouse is 80 today. Ahh to be 80 and still look the same, or even better than you did the day you were born. The only other character who has experienced that in life might be Jack LaLanne.

Check out this retro clip of Michael Landon and friends telling the story of The Birth of Mickey Mouse:

Click me!
 
Happy Birthday Mickey!