90s Disney

AJ, Mike, and Chris talk about their favorite ways to get from A to B at our favorite theme parks. Hop on board!

Early Monorail History

Monorails, meaning single track railways, date back to 1820 with Ivan Elmanov's prototype in Russia. Henry Robinson Palmer, an English civil engineer, patented the first monorail in 1821, featuring a single rail supported above ground. General Roy Stone designed the first steam-driven monorail, showcased at the 1876 Centennial International Exhibition.

ALWEG Monorail

The ALWEG Monorail, designed by Dr. Axel Lennart Wenner-Gren, emerged in 1952, with improvements in 1957 that set the standard for modern monorails.

Disney Monorails

Walt Disney aimed for a futuristic transport system at Disneyland, leading to the creation of the Viewliner Train in 1957, which was later replaced by the ALWEG Monorail after Walt's visit to Germany. The Disneyland Monorail opened on June 14, 1959, featuring innovative designs and was the first to run adjacent to a major highway.

Disneyland Mark I to III

The Disneyland monorails evolved from Mark I in 1959 to Mark III in 1969, improving in size, capacity, and design.

Walt Disney World Monorail

The WDW monorail was a significant part of Walt's vision for showcasing the future. The Mark IV monorails, inspired by Learjet designs, were introduced in 1971, featuring unique support structures and smooth rides due to precise manufacturing.

Mark IV to VI

Mark IV monorails had bench seats, limited standing room, and basic AC. They were replaced by Mark VI in 1989, which featured better air conditioning, automatic doors, increased capacity, and higher speeds.

EPCOT Expansion and Disneyland Mark V

The WDW monorail system expanded to EPCOT in the late 1970s, with on-site precasting for new track beams. Disneyland introduced Mark V monorails in 1987, designed by Walt Disney Imagineering and manufactured in West Germany.

Send questions and comments to [email protected].

Links

AJ, Mike, and Chris rank every Disneyland ride. Where does your favorite land? What did we get wrong? Do you agree with our top (and bottom) picks?

AJ, Mike, and Chris Invite you to explore the history of mini golf at Walt Disney World. Whether you’re looking to casually putt the greens of Fantasia Gardens or enjoy a vacation to Winter Summerland, just pick your golf ball color and join us for 18 holes of fun!

History of Mini Golf

Golf originated in 15th century Scotland. Early 20th-century mini golf courses included Thistle Dhu (1916) and Tom Thumb (1927). The game became widely accessible thanks to Thomas McCullough Fairbairn's artificial greens in 1922.

Fantasia Gardens

Fantasia Gardens opened near the Swan and Dolphin resorts, featuring scenes from Fantasia. It was designed to keep guests on property and collaborated between WDI and Disney Development Company.

Winter Summerland

Winter Summerland, opened in 1999, features two themed courses (Summer and Winter) based on Santa's elves' vacation. It is located next to Blizzard Beach.

Send questions and comments to [email protected].

Links

AJ, Mike, and Chris invite you to come along for some retail therapy as we talk about our favorite shops, stores, and caramel counters across Walt Disney World.

AJ, Mike, and Chris travel back to 1994 when Professor Wayne Szalinski had to admit to his wife, "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience!" Join us as we explore the birth of the Imagination Institute and Eric Idle's portrait of Dr. Nigel Channing. We explore insights into the complex effects of this 4D film from its director, Radal Kleiser, and describe how each of the ground breaking in-theater effects were achieved. So grab your safety googles, pick your feet up off the ground, and watch out for Gigabyte!

Early History
"Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" released in 1989 to great success, followed by a moderately successful sequel, "Honey, I Blew Up the Kid" in 1992. "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: Movie Set Adventure" opened in 1990 at the then new MGM Studios park. A new attraction themed around "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" was announced in November 1993, originally named "Honey, I Shrunk the Theater" and later changed to "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience." Kodak sponsored the attraction.

Production
The film was directed by Randal Kleiser, known for "Grease" and "Flight of the Navigator," and written by Bill Prady and Steve Spiegel. Cinematography was handled by Dean Cundey, with effects by Kleiser-Walczak Construction Company. The score was composed by Bruce Boughton. The set was designed by Les Dilley, and the cast included Rick Moranis, Marcia Strassman, Robert Oliveri, Eric Idle, and others.

Preshow
The preshow included a presentation by Kodak and a segment featuring Dr. Nigel Channing on WNN-TV. In 2003, the preshow was changed to include a short film replacing "True Colors" and altered dialogues.

Technical Details and Run of the Show
The film was presented as the stage of a live award show, with technical details ensuring the appearance of a live event. Ten significant 3D moments were incorporated into the show, each carefully choreographed to enhance audience immersion.

Other Parks Changes
The attraction underwent changes in various Disney parks, including Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris.

Closure and Legacy
After Michael Jackson's death, there was a resurgence of interest in "Captain EO." As a result, "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience" was temporarily closed in several parks for the "Captain EO Tribute" but never reopened. The attraction left a lasting legacy, with elements incorporated into other Disney experiences.

Our Memories
Personal reflections on the attraction.

Outro
Send questions and comments to [email protected]

Links

AJ, Mike, and Chris create the definitive ranking of (almost) every attraction at Universal Studios Orland and Universal Islands of Adventure. We even brought back some of the attractions that aren't there anymore. Where did your favorite attraction land? What's our favorite? And more importantly, which attraction is the worst?

AJ, Mike, Chris, and special guest Dad invite you to join us to recap our recent trip to Universal Orland. We crammed a lot into a fun-filled weekend of rides, food, and some pretty fun experiences. We talk about the over the top Mardi Gras celebration at the Studios park, AJ finally gets to experience Hagrid's and Velocicoaster, and we of course had to make a small visit to Disney as well.

Want to reach out? Email us at ⁠[email protected]⁠!

AJ, Mike, and Chris take a journey on some of our favorite dark rides. From mild to (Mr. Toad’s) wild, we explore some

of our favorite experiences across Disney, Universal, and beyond!