For me, Disney magic simply is… Disney!

Welcome to the first stop aboard Magical Blogorail Red. Enjoy the ride as we share with you what Disney Magic means to us.



From the moment I walk into a Disney Park, the world around me is transformed to a different place and a different time. [Please note with grateful appreciation for allowing public viewing, the photos in today's post are from Express Monorail.] 

Of course, the most profound change occurs as you enter the Magic Kingdom; you travel from today, whatever day it is, moving through a tunnel-like entrance and opening into the sunshine one-hundred years earlier. There is music in the air, dancers in the street, the aroma of fresh popcorn, and turn-of-the-century storefronts reminding you that you really are in another century and somewhere other than the sunshine state.

The same feeling of being in another place and time happens to me when I enter every Park. Epcot, for example, brings me back to the New York World's Fair, where I visited many times as a young teenager. The icon of Spaceship Earth reminds me of the globe in Flushing Meadows that represented that exposition; and Walt Disney permeated all aspects of the Fair… just like today in Walt Disney World.

Similarly from your fist step through the gates of Disney Hollywood Studios you enter the Hollywood of yesterday; and Animal Kingdom moves you across the earth to other continents. All in all, Disney magic is simply… being Disney.

Being Disney can also mean different things to different people. But in fact, in a Disney video made just after Walt Disney World opened in 1971, the magic was summarized and illustrated in a promotional short-subject movie called, "The Magic of Walt Disney World". I found this posted by Widen Your World on You Tube.



So much of what made WDW special at its opening is still special (and magical) today. I recently watched this video, and even 40 years later, some of the statements included fully represent the magic I still feel today.

• "Even a hotel is an adventure."
• "Getting around here is another fun experience."
• "There is something for everyone in this Magic Kingdom."
• "Another land and another time."
• "A feeling of participation and personal pride in our American heritage"
• "In the Magic Kingdom, anything is possible"
• "From the hub, its very center, all roads lead to fun and new experiences."
• "The appeal of the Magic Kingdom will always be to the imagination of every guest."
• "Darkness descending on Walt Disney World is perhaps the most beautiful time of all; and the appearance of everything begins to change."

In closing, if there is one icon of the resort which best represents the magic of Walt Disney World... it is Cinderella's Castle – a place of constant change and transformation. The Castle is central to the life of the entire Kingdom: in the evening it is a movie screen; every hour of the day it is a destination; walk through and view the Castle corridor, it is a portal to another land; little girls enter this portal as innocents and leave a princess; plus, it is a stage for live entertainment; a sparking Christmas gift; as well as the backdrop for a seasonal selection of fireworks like no where else on spaceship earth.

NOTE: The photos in today's post are from Express Monorail, whose superb collection of Walt Disney World images on Flickr constantly feed my personal imagination with every new addition to his website. The Express Monorail site photographer Joe Penniston is simply one of the best, who has magic in his lens.

Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is GROWING UP DISNEY.

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:

• 1st Stop ~ A World View
• 2nd Stop ~ Growing Up Disney
• 3rd Stop ~ Disney Donna Kay
• 4th Stop ~ Disney on Wheels
• Final Stop ~ My Dreams of Disney

For me, Disney magic simply is… Disney!