Editor's Report
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"It's kind of fun to do the impossible"

Happy Birthday Day, Walt
Yesterday, December 5th, would've been Walt Disney's 98th birthday. As the century draws to a close, many magazines and television shows are putting together their lists of the most important or influential people of the 20th century. Happily, Walt Disney's name appears all over the place. Some of us recent Disney fans may forget the important part Walt Disney played in American entertainment history, but his accomplishments are many. A few of his innovations include the first cartoon with synchronized sound (Steamboat Willie), the first feature-length animation (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), the first true theme park (Disneyland) and Pirates of the Caribbean, still considered by many to be the greatest attraction of all time more than 30 years after it opened. And the list goes on.

But Walt Disney went beyond entertainment. He wanted the world to be a better place to live in. He conceived of the idealic Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, brought the first Monorail to North America in hopes of revolutionizing transportation, made education fun with True Life Adventures, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, Adventure Thru Inner Space and many of the Wonderful World of Color shows and showed us the future with the Monsanto House of the Future and even the Crane Bathroom of Tomorrow.

And don't forget the marketing genius that was Walt Disney. He created a television show a full year before Disneyland opened that allowed him to introduce the country to this new type of family entertainment. He opened Sleeping Beauty Castle three and a half years before releasing the film. He re-released his classic films for every new generation. And attractions like Alice in Wonderland and the Swiss Family Treehouse tied together the films and theme parks.

There's a site that had the wonderful idea of creating a virtual birthday card for Walt Disney's 100th birthday in 2001. They hope to get 2001 signatures and present the card to the Disney Company and the Disney family. They are already well on there way. If you'd like to support this effort, click here and add your name.

There are many websites that focus on Walt Disney. Some of the best are:

• The Walt Disney Family Museum - An official site from Disney.com featuring photos, video, interviews and much more.
• JustDisney.com - Dedicated to Walt Disney and Disneyland
• Waltopia - All about Walt Disney's original concept for EPCOT.

There are also a few recent books that talk a lot about Walt Disney that may interest you:

• Walt's Time: From Before to Beyond- By the Richard and Robert Sherman. The Sherman Brothers wrote such classics as Chim Chim Cher--ee and "it's a small world" and worked closely with Walt.
• Remembering Walt: Favorite Memories of Walt Disney - by Howard and Amy Boothe Green. Click here for LaughingPlace.com's book review.
• Rollercoasters, Flumes and Flying Saucers by Robert Reynolds. Though this book is about ride creator Arrow Development, it includes many stories of Walt Disney since he worked closely with them in the early days of Disneyland.

Walt Disney liked to say it all started with a mouse, but I hope we also remember it never would've happened without Uncle Walt.

News of the week
It wasn't very busy last week, but here are some of the news highlights:

• Our favorite online source for Disney rumors is ScreamScape.com. Once or twice a week they update their site with the latest inside word on all the Disney parks as well as the theme park industry in general. You'll often see us reference them in our frontpage headlines. This week spot information Tokyo Disney Seas, Dinoland improvements at Animal Kingdom and the impressive budget for the Pooh ride in Tokyo. Check their Disney rumors page often for the latest.
• The biggest news continues to be the success of Toy Story 2. Visit our Toy Story 2 page for the latest box office results and links to stories from around the Net.
• Want to save some money on Disney merchandise? The December 1st Orange County Register had an article on the discount Disney outlet stores in the Disneyland area.

This Week
Our favorite newly married columnist Rick West has returned from his whirlwind honeymoon at Walt Disney World. I'm sure we'll hear a few words about that in this week's West Side of the Kingdom. Also look for an article on Disneyland atmosphere entertainment later this week. The rides and parades may get the headlines, but the atmosphere entertainment is what really completes the themeing of the Disney parks. This week's trivia contest is about Disney characters and this week's Online Poll asks the question "How many of the Christmas presents you receive will be Disney related?"

-- Doobie Moseley (December 6, 1999)