Chuck [00:00:00]: Hey. Howdy. Hey. Welcome to Project 55, your gateway to the past, present and future of the Disneyland Resort. I'm Chuck Rendon and I'm joined by the lovely Amy Naluai. Amy, how are you? Amy [00:00:14]: I'm doing great. I am pretty excited to be here today for our first episode of Project 55. Chuck [00:00:21]: Yeah, as am I. You know, the road to get to this first episode has been long and winding. Amy [00:00:26]: Yes, it has. Chuck [00:00:27]: But we're here now and I'm excited to begin this exciting journey. And speaking of beginnings, since this is the first time we're meeting together and our inception just happens to coincide with Disneyland's anniversary, Amy and I thought it would be appropriate to begin everything at the park itself. So we are at Disneyland as we record this. We are specifically at Jolly Holiday, and we'll see how long I can hold out before I have to go grab some treat because it's smelling pretty good. I got to be honest. Amy [00:01:00]: The cookies are calling. Chuck [00:01:02]: You mentioned cookies. That's the perfect way to start things off. Our first segment. I think it's going to quickly turn into our favorite segment. And if you're into food like we. Amy [00:01:13]: Are, I'm quite knowledgeable on yeah, it'll. Chuck [00:01:15]: It'll probably end up being your favorite segment as well. So let's say we get started with some eats and treats. And specifically for this anniversary episode, I thought it'd be fun to talk about the Plaza Inn since that was actually one of the original restaurants that was opened when Disneyland first came onto the scene in 1955. Although it wasn't always Plaza Inn, and I wouldn't be me if I didn't give a little history before we got into the food. Amy [00:01:43]: You are the Disney fact nerd. You have all the Disney factoids for sure. Chuck [00:01:48]: Yeah. You know, Plaza Inn certainly has, as I mentioned, a long history. It was here in 1955, although it wasn't known as Plaza Inn then, it was actually the Red Wagon Inn when it initially opened. In fact, when Disneyland opened, it was interesting because a lot of the restaurants and shops in Disneyland were actually owned by private businesses outside of Disney. During the construction of Disneyland, since Walt and Roy Disney were low on funds, they decided to institute a lessee lesslor program so they could finish Disneyland in time for the television broadcast on ABC. So one of those early lessees just happened to be Swiss Premium Foods who owned the Red Wagon Inn. And in fact, the reason it was called Red Wagon Inn, funny enough, was because Swiss Premium Foods logo just happened to be, you guessed it, a Red Wagon. Amy [00:02:45]: It makes sense. Chuck [00:02:46]: Yes. But another interesting fact about Red Wagon Inn is initially it was the only restaurant in Disneyland where you could get a full course dinner meal. Ultimately that changed, but yeah, Red Wagon Inn was certainly popular among patrons early on, so much so that when Swift Premium Foods exited and Disney actually took over the building themselves, they actually changed it over to the Plaza Inn, which it has been all this time until today. So it was originally imagined by John Hench. He was tasked by Walt Disney to change it over to Plaza Inn, and the rest, as they say, is history. We've been enjoying delicious food ever since. Amy [00:03:30]: That is the restaurant that I know and love. Yeah. Chuck [00:03:34]: Yes, it is. And it's funny because inside, it's actually really ornate. They have some really great, like, stained glass windows, and it looks rather posh. And according to Walt Disney himself, when he turned it over to Plaza Inn, his credo for it was that it would be this palatial, nice looking place, but it would have cafeteria prices, so it would be uber affordable. Now, you could argue whether that's still the case today, but it still serves some delicious, delicious food, that's for sure. Amy [00:04:08]: Indeed. Chuck [00:04:09]: Speaking of the food so the heart of eats and treats, here is our food recommendations. So, Amy, when you go to Plaza Inn, what's something that you would recommend? What's the go to for you? Amy [00:04:19]: Well, they're known for their lunch and dinner menu. I would say most people go for either the fried chicken or the pot roast, which those are two of the three main options. But when I go, it's difficult to choose. So typically, whoever I'm with, I make sure I'm with someone who wants one, and I'll order the other and then go have halfsies. Chuck [00:04:49]: I like that strategy. Amy [00:04:51]: A little bit of pot roast, a little bit of fried chicken, you get everything. And that's my favorite way to experience. And I would have to say, because I am torn, the fried chicken is pretty tasty. The pot roast is like comfort food. It's delicious, it's filling. It's hard for me to decide between the two, so I'm grateful when I can find someone to get the other plate. So we get to have both. Chuck [00:05:17]: That's the way to do it. Amy [00:05:18]: Yeah. Chuck [00:05:18]: I think you just unlocked a secret level there, man. Amy [00:05:22]: It's winning, for sure. Chuck [00:05:25]: Yeah. I echo your sentiments. Usually the fried chicken is my go to. I've had the pot roast occasionally, and it is delicious, but it's so hard. Like, I just so equate that place with fried chicken that it's just hard for me to get anything other than that. And fried chicken, it's just there's something just so comforting about it. I mean, it's the ultimate comfort food, and I feel like the ultimate comfort food and my ultimate comfort place here on Main Street USA... Plaza Inn. They could just go very well together, and my tummy is usually pretty happy afterwards. Amy [00:06:02]: Can't go wrong with that. Chuck [00:06:03]: Can't go wrong. So if you love fried chicken and you've yet to visit the Plaza Inn I highly recommend it, it's not going to steer you wrong. All right. Well leaving the food, and now we're talking about something, I think that Disneyland themselves is known for the nighttime spectaculars. I don't think it gets any better than the fireworks show, which is always a staple to any Disneyland anniversary celebration. So, specifically, in this new segment, I wanted to go with our Fab Five, which is our countdown of the five things in Disneyland, any topic, that we enjoy. This, of course, being fireworks shows, past and present. So our top five. So, Amy, what do you have for us to kick it off? What's our number five? Amy [00:06:56]: Number five is Fantasy in the sky fireworks. Chuck [00:06:58]: The granddaddy of them all. Amy [00:07:00]: Yeah, it's been around for a long time. It's kind of become Disneyland's go to fireworks show when they just need to plug something in. Chuck [00:07:11]: It serves the bill. Amy [00:07:12]: Yeah, it's quick and easy. It's, I think, one of the shortest fireworks shows that Disneyland does, but it gets the job done. Chuck [00:07:20]: It does. There's something to be said. When I first saw it, it begins with Tinkerbell flying, which has become such a staple with the flying character through all of the fireworks shows. And you got to give the nod to Fantasy in the sky because it pretty much started it at all. And it ran for a long time because it ran with the early days of the park, and I think it ran all the way up until the mid 90s, if I'm not mistaken. So quite a long time run around, rightfully so. And it was around so long, and it's been gone for a while now to where now it's vintage, so people crave it when they bring it back. They actually like it or get excited for it. Amy [00:08:03]: Yeah. Chuck [00:08:04]: There you go. Amy [00:08:05]: The retro fireworks show. Chuck [00:08:06]: There you go. So, number four in our countdown, and this one is one of my favorites. So, of course, it deals with one of my favorite seasons. But our number four favorite fireworks show is Halloween Screams, which is relatively new. And they, of course, show it during the Halloween season. But if you have not caught this one yet, I highly urge you to make arrangements to try to be here when it's running during the Halloween season, because it is pretty cool. Amy [00:08:41]: It's fun. Chuck [00:08:41]: It's hosted by Jack Skellington. They have some fun effects. And yeah, when I first saw it, I was in awe. It was just so fun. And I really felt like, okay, this is Halloween come to life. I love it. So that's number four for us. Amy, what do we have for number three? Amy [00:08:58]: Number three is believe in holiday magic. The other holiday. Exactly. And that one for me. It's just all of the different Christmas songs and holiday time things all crammed into one show. And there's I don't even know, I call it the Grandmother Willow voice. It's like this mashup between Julie Andrews and Angela Lang's. Very attractive. Chuck [00:09:32]: That's a great way to describe it. Amy [00:09:35]: Does your heart hold the magic of the holidays? Yes, Grandma. But it's just the music makes me happy. The projections for that fireworks show are so fun. I think that's the one show that I actually prefer to watch from it's a Small World, just because the projections look so cool on the ride facade. And it makes me happy. That show is it's not Christmas until I have danced around to the believe in holiday magic. Chuck [00:10:11]: That's a good one, man. It will immediately put you in the holiday spirit. Such a good one. All right, well, moving on to our number two favorite fireworks show. This is the current running show, Wondrous Journeys. And you, Amy, have seen this way more than I have. Amy [00:10:29]: I have. Again, it wins me over because of the music. Chuck [00:10:35]: It is pretty good. Amy [00:10:36]: The music is just like there's some disney mashup magic in this particular show. Chuck [00:10:41]: The songs they pick, they mash them up so well that you would have just thought that they were made for one another. Such a great job. Amy [00:10:50]: Yes. And the entire fireworks show really does take you on a journey from beginning to end. And I still remember the first time that I saw it. It actually did. There were parts that moved me to tears. Like, it was a journey, for sure. Music was great. Projections are so fun. The character flyovers are awesome. Chuck [00:11:12]: They are. Amy [00:11:14]: Yeah. It was an unexpected joy for me. I don't know. I wasn't expecting to like this show. I don't know why I came into it. Chuck [00:11:23]: You're never quite sure what to expect, especially because some of these fireworks shows, they run for a long enough period of time. They become beloved, and so whenever they change over, you're like, well, you took. Amy [00:11:32]: Away my favorite show. Chuck [00:11:35]: Exactly. But in the case of Wonders Journey yeah. They improved upon everything. And, like the character flyovers, like you mentioned, I love how they have sort of modern and then also classic in there as well. Amy [00:11:46]: Yes, everything well, and it's all linked with the Disney 100 Celebration and 100 years of Disney animation. And so the way that they highlight all the different animated shorts, even the cartoons, Winnie the Pooh's in there. I mean, everybody is in there. Chuck [00:12:03]: Every character makes an appearance, which is awesome. It's one of those shows that if you haven't seen it, I feel like you have to see it on Main Street first. And then, of course, Small World also does the projections, but first view, I think you got to do it on Main Street because there's so much to see. They project, like, literally all of Main Street becomes part of the show, which is pretty cool. All right, so the big number one, Amy, what do we have? Amy [00:12:28]: Number one is Drum Roll please... remember dreams come true. Chuck [00:12:35]: Oh, my gosh. Yes. Now, this debuted during Disneyland's 50th anniversary, and it's a fireworks show all about the Disneyland attractions. Imagine that. But when I first saw this, my gosh, you felt like you were on these attractions. Yeah, I'm completely obsessed with the Haunted Mansion, as I'm sure you'll find out the longer you listen to the show. But when the Haunted Mansion part plays, they shoot that up and it really feels like... it felt like you were in the stretching room. It was an amazing effect, so simple to yet so amazing. And then of course the stereoscopic voice around you and yeah, it was so encompassing and my jaw dropped. Amy [00:13:27]: There really were so many different parts of that show that were so great and really did make you feel like you were on those rides. Even I think of the part with the Disneyland railroad and how I was like, oh, let's go on a train. Chuck [00:13:46]: And it's perfect because it opens with that and your grand circle around Disneyland. Grand Circle around Disneyland through fireworks. It's amazing. Just as amazing as it sounds. So there's a reason this was our number one. And yeah, I probably saw this show so many times like I couldn't get enough. Amy [00:14:04]: I didn't get tired of that show at all. Chuck [00:14:06]: Never did, never once. Yeah, it was so amazing. If they brought it back today, I would eat it all up. Amy [00:14:13]: No, there would be so many ecstatic people who would pack Main Street to see that. Chuck [00:14:18]: I would be one of them for sure. All right, so there you have it, our five favorite fireworks shows of the past. There's been quite a few of them, but those for us have been the five most memorable, of course, that we were able to watch. But let's say we head into the heart of our show today with our deep dive conversation. Of course, this is all about Disneyland's anniversary. And of course, taking it back for a minute to the very first Disneyland dedication speech. Walt Disney 1955 was quite the day. It's been well documented. Not everything went according to plan that day. But the one thing that has carried on and has been heard probably by every Disney fan like thousands of times over is that opening speech by Walt Disney. So of course, let's take a minute to hear it once more in all its glory. Because I know I for one never tire of it. "To all who come to this happy place, welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past. And here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams and the hard facts that have created America with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world." Amy [00:15:51]: There are a few things that are that inspiring and that bring that much joy. And I think the last piece of that speech, that Disneyland would be a source of joy and inspiration. When I think about that, yeah, I feel like it has been a source of joy for us. Chuck [00:16:12]: Absolutely. Amy [00:16:13]: And I think it's even inspired us in certain ways through the pandemic. We used bits of Disneyland to inspire us and help us through that season. But yeah, I love that it inspired this podcast. It did. And it is a happy place. I know it can be a crazy place, it can be a crowded place sometimes. It can feel stressful and crazy. But at its core, at the root of what it is, it is a happy place. It's a place of joy and it is a place where we can come and be kids. It doesn't matter how old you are. I talked today to a lady who was here and she's in her seventys and she was talking about the things that she likes to do for fun here and how it makes her feel young. So there's something to strive for, right? To keep some youthfulness in our lives as the days go on. Chuck [00:17:19]: Yeah, I agree. The part that really resonates with me is the part where here age relives fond memories of the past and of course youth savor the challenge and promise of the future. Which just speaks to me because I've been coming to Disneyland so long and the moment I step foot on Main Street I'm just flooded with all of these memories of my childhood, of friends, of family, just all these special moments. There's not a place I can go in Disneyland where I don't have a memory or two attached to it. And so I think Walt was almost prophetic in that way that Disneyland really is full of memories. Especially the more you come here. I feel like there's just so much of me tied up into this place. The challenge and promise of the future. I see that every time when I come with somebody new or I bring like my nephew or something like that. And you see the park through their eyes and it just fills you with hope for the future. Right? So that line always kind of pulls at my heartstrings because it just resonates so personally with me. Really good stuff. But moving on from the opening day so you and I, not to give away our ages here, but we've experienced a handful of Disneyland important anniversaries throughout our lifetime. Amy [00:18:37]: Yeah, we have. Chuck [00:18:38]: So I thought this would be a fun time to kind of reminisce about some of our favorite anniversary moments. I know for me it really begins back during the 30th anniversary, which was the year of 1985. And this was the year where they were doing the Gift Giver extraordinaire program. So when you would enter Disneyland, there was this giant machine that would give out tickets and they essentially looked like Disneyland scratch off tickets. I mean, you would scratch off to see if you were a winner. Basically every 30th guest that year would get a free Disneyland ticket. So it was a pretty exciting promotion. In fact, I know recently a few years ago, someone actually had one of those free tickets from that year that they never used, and Disneyland honored it still when they returned with it. So if you have one of those free tickets lying around, you might still get into the park. Chuck [00:19:35]: Yeah, they will honor it, apparently. So there you go. Amy [00:19:38]: Wow. Chuck [00:19:39]: The 30th anniversary is also of note because that's the year that videoopolis also began, that summer of 1985. And I don't know about you, Amy, but I certainly have fond memories of videoopolis that was a staple of my youth for a while. How about you? Did you frequent videoopolis? Amy [00:19:56]: I didn't really go to it until later. I'm younger than you, remember. That that much but... Chuck [00:20:03]: Thanks for bringing that up, I am the grandpa of the show here. Yeah. Amy [00:20:11]: At that point, 1985, I had maybe been to Disneyland a couple of times. I don't remember too much about those trips. I think I was definitely too young for videoopolis at that point. Chuck [00:20:25]: But, yeah, it was fun. Obviously, I was relatively young during the 1985 opening, but 80s music, it just felt like it was a fun vibe, even though I didn't really understand the club mentality yet or anything like that. But it was fun. And of course they had the yum food snack there, so you get a treat, hear some music. So for me, it was different. It was a different type of experience to Disneyland. It was the counter programming to the swing dancing, if you will. But it was definitely fun times. How about you? What's an anniversary memory that you have? Amy [00:21:07]: Well, I guess the first big one that I have is the 40th. Okay. The 40 years of adventure. That was a big year. That was the year that Indiana Jones opened, and they sort of led up to its opening day with these giveaways, these collector card giveaways that basically highlighted different attractions here at Disneyland. Think like Disneyland baseball cards. Chuck [00:21:34]: that's exactly what they were. And I thought they were so cool, by the way. Now, the real trick, though, was trying to complete a set, which sadly, I did not. Amy [00:21:43]: We did. Chuck [00:21:45]: You had more patience than I because you pretty much had to come every day. Amy [00:21:49]: You had to come every day. Yeah, I think we have at least I know for sure we have at least one full set. We might have two and probably like two others not completed, but yeah, you had to come every day. You had to come to the turnstile, get your card. There were days where that's all we came for, literally walked in, got our card and turned around and walked back out and went home. I love it. I don't know. Now, looking back at them, it's a cool keepsake. Chuck [00:22:16]: It's a cool keepsake. Yeah. I'm sure you could get sets, like on ebay and stuff like that, but I would imagine it was rather difficult for people to complete that set back then because you had to be pretty dedicated. Amy [00:22:29]: You definitely did. You had to plan accordingly. You were here. Yeah. I love that each card highlighted a different attraction here. And some of them I thought, this is a cool one. I wonder what tomorrow is going to be. So it was pretty cool. And then I was lucky enough to get to be here on opening day for Indiana Jones Chuck [00:22:57]: I was here on opening day as well. Got to wait in like the five hour line. Amy [00:23:02]: I think it was closer to seven. It was all the way down to the train station. Chuck [00:23:08]: Literally the longest line I've ever waited. That's why when people complain about, like, Rise of the Resistance, it's like, oh, no, if you weren't here for the opening of Indiana Jones, I'm sorry, you don't know long lines because I was the sucker who waited. Amy [00:23:22]: But once you got to the queue, that was when they still gave you that. They gave you the little decoder cards so that you could go through and decode all of the things on the wall. Chuck [00:23:32]: It was an adventure. Amy [00:23:33]: Yeah, for sure. You were definitely entertained. Chuck [00:23:36]: And honestly, that Indiana Jones queue was next level when it first opened. There was so much to do and see in there. Yeah, it was exciting. So, yeah, the 40th was certainly a fun time. And then of course, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention the 50th anniversary. We already touched on it briefly with the Remember Dreams Come True fireworks show. But the 50th I think that was the first anniversary that we really experienced as adults, young adults, if I can say. But this one was fun. I know you probably have a little bit different story than I did because you actually camped out for it. Yeah, I did not experience that level of fun, but yeah. So how was it camping out? Amy [00:24:26]: It was definitely an experience. So we ended up getting a neighborhood hotel. And got settled. And then about probably 11:00 the night before, parked in what was the Pumba parking lot, and walked over to what is now the Toy Story parking lot turnaround where the Toy Story buses come into and do drop off and pick up. That was all our queue. So we got in line with thousands of our other friends who were also there camping out. You weren't allowed to have camping gear or anything. We basically just had some blankets that were small enough that we could pulled into our backpack. And that was it. Because we didn't want to have to walk back to the car to drop anything off too, because it's not like it was super close by. Got mine. It was probably about 130 in the morning when they started. Maybe a little bit before that, they started moving us through security and then had us queue up inside of California Adventure all the way from the main entrance, through Hollywood land, across the entrance plaza. This was all back before Buena Vista Street. Mind you. Chuck [00:25:42]: Right. Amy [00:25:44]: So, yeah, went all through Hollywood land, across the entrance plaza, all the way back to Mickey's Fun Wheel, I think was where the end of the queue ended. And it was maybe six in the morning when they started letting us into Disneyland and we were all queued up for the 50th anniversary merchandise. So they had back behind Big Thunder Ranch, they had a big tent kind of set up in the what were they calling it then? It was still the festival arena back. Chuck [00:26:20]: I believe so, yeah. Amy [00:26:21]: They had a big old tent set up with a bunch of registers. And you were basically, I think you were limited to, I think, maybe one of certain things. But there were pins, there were shirts, there were typical merchandise. Chuck [00:26:35]: I remember there was a ton of merchandise for the 50th. Amy [00:26:39]: There was. Chuck [00:26:40]: And I geeked out on quite a bit of it. I dropped pretty good amount of money. Amy [00:26:45]: I think by the time we made our purchases and we were leaving, it was just before they were doing the ceremony, the big ceremony that morning. Chuck [00:26:57]: Right. Amy [00:26:58]: Actually got to see Arnold Schwarzenegger was there and he walked in front of us on his way to... Chuck [00:27:06]: Did he tell you to put the cookie down? Amy [00:27:07]: No, we were pretty tired by that point in time. And then we made our way to actually tomorrowland to get breakfast at the Tomorrowland Terrace there. There was a cupcake, a Disneyland birthday cupcake distribution near us. So we went, we got our free birthday cupcake, and they also had these big screens, kind of like jumbotron type screen set up. And there was a screen in Tomorrowland that we could sit and eat our breakfast and watch the ceremony on the screen. So we did that. And then once everything sort of dispersed, probably by 1130 that morning, we were making our way back to the hotel. We slept outside of off the page in the Hollywood backlog area, just outside the door, there's this little thing on the concrete that looks like a sketch page of dumbo. That slab of concrete is literally what I slept on that night. And by sleep, I may be lucky if I got 15 minutes of sleep that entire night. It was hard, both literally and figuratively. You said that was one of the first times experiencing an anniversary as like, a grown adult. A grown adult sitting on the concrete is not a pretty thing, but definitely made some memories. So, yeah, that was a good one. I feel like that anniversary was it really was a big celebration, they had so much. Chuck [00:28:43]: it was, they they did it up and there was so much going on. You know, they had the instead of the hidden Mickeys, they brought in the hidden 50th anniversary logos to find throughout the park. So that was certainly fun and exciting. Amy [00:28:57]: And for me and my friends who love to take the silly pictures, we loved all of the 50th ride vehicles that they had. Chuck [00:29:04]: The golden golden ride vehicles, right? Amy [00:29:06]: Yeah. Seeing how many people you could cram into a golden teacup, that's magical. Chuck [00:29:12]: Yeah, that would have been pretty magical. Yeah. They also had the Disneyland 1st 50 magical years, which initially I was kind of upset about because I love great moments with Mr. Lincoln. And this shuddered that for a while. But I have to say, it was a great film. And I loved how they brought in all of the history of Disneyland. So they kind of turned in the lobby of the Opera House there into sort of the past of Disneyland. So it was really cool seeing some of those objects in person and kind of reading some of the history. The video was fun. Steve Martin donald Duck, of course, is my favorite. And you can still catch it. It plays in the lobby of great moments with Mr. Lincoln today. So if you weren't able to catch during that time, it's a fun video. And it certainly does it's a humorous look at the Park's past. Yeah, it was a good time. So what about the 60th, though? That was the last big one they've had. They had back in 2015. Do you remember much of that? Amy [00:30:19]: Oh, the 60th? Well, I remember they kind of kicked off the beginning of the 60th year, so not on the actual Disneyland anniversary date, but they kicked off that season. I want to say it was that summer in May. They had a big event where they basically launched Paint the Night. Yes, they did a whole thing on Main Street, and they gave out the special Diamond Celebration ears. And I remember they got Main Street at the butt crack. Dawn. What am I doing here this early? And then we were planning on staying for Paint the Night that evening. So it was just like, oh, my goodness, what did we get ourselves into? But Paint the Night ended up being one of my absolute favorite things to watch come down Main Street. It was a beautiful parade. Chuck [00:31:15]: It looked beautiful. Amy [00:31:16]: Yeah. And then they also did for the Diamond Celebration, a 24 hours celebration. Dopey was kind of a mascot for that event, holding up the infamous scene where he holds up the diamonds to his eyes for the Diamond Celebration, that event. We spoke about the Plaza Inn earlier. That event was probably one of my favorites because the Plaza Inn brought back chicken and waffles that night, which is a treat. Mickey shaped food always tastes better. Chuck [00:31:54]: For some reason it does. Yeah. Mickey Mouse always makes things better. Amy [00:31:58]: And Mickey Mouse waffles are definitely not the exception. Yeah, Mickey waffles and chicken. There you go. Doesn't get any better than that. Chuck [00:32:06]: Well, I remember attending the 24. Hours event, and it was fun, but, man, it was nuts too. It was so crowded. Amy [00:32:17]: Oh, yeah. Chuck [00:32:17]: So, so crowded. But it it was so exciting. Like, if you were someone who was going to Disneyland, you know, the chance to be at Disneyland at, you know, four or five in the morning, just kind of roaming. Those opportunities don't come too often, you know, unless you happen to be a cast member. So just that alone, I'm like, well, just for history's sake, I need to be there just to experience this. And ultimately, I'm glad I did, because it was certainly a different experience. But as you mentioned, a lot of fun ones, a lot of fun memories were created that day. Amy [00:32:51]: And if I recall, the diamond celebration sort of brought a lot of new characters. That was when they redid the abominable snowman in the matterhorn. Right, right. Chuck [00:33:02]: Yeah. Amy [00:33:03]: And then wasn't that when the hat box came back? Chuck [00:33:05]: Box the hat box goes materialized as well, too? Which, if you were a haunted mansion fan, the hat box ghost. There's a lot of mystique around that character. A good percentage of people just didn't think he ever existed. Amy [00:33:17]: Yeah. Chuck [00:33:17]: So it was cool they were able to finally get him to work like how he was originally intended, and yeah, it's one of my favorite Audio-Animatronics in the park. Yeah, that was definitely a monumental moment for the 60th. So we're coming up on the 70th. So any kind of guesses what you think they might do for the 70th? Or something you would like to see? Maybe something you'd like to see brought back? Amy [00:33:44]: I don't know. What's the 70th gem? You know how the anniversaries have a gem? Does the 70th have a good one? Chuck [00:33:50]: I don't know. It's like paper. Amy [00:33:55]: That's the first anniversary. Oh, man. I think for the 70th, I'm sure they'll outdo themselves. They always do. Chuck [00:34:12]: Platinum. Platinum. Amy [00:34:13]: Platinum. Okay. I don't know. Somehow I feel like the diamonds are more exciting than platinum, but whatever. Chuck [00:34:21]: I'm just curious what the color palette is going to be for platinum. Amy [00:34:25]: I mean, it'll be a shiny. Chuck [00:34:29]: Because we're currently in the midst of the Disney 100, which is the 100 years of the company itself. Amy [00:34:35]: All the, like, the silver medallion. Chuck [00:34:37]: kind of iridescent silver and purple. Amy [00:34:39]: Purple thrown in. Chuck [00:34:40]: Right. Amy [00:34:40]: I don't know. It'll be interesting. I feel like the 60th gave us so many cool things. We got paint the night. We got world of color that year. Chuck [00:34:49]: Right. Amy [00:34:50]: There were entertainment wise. Look, I said great things going on. I liked the little photo ops that they had, like the one where it looked like you were climbing the matterhorn. Chuck [00:35:00]: Those were fun. Amy [00:35:01]: Yeah, there were some fun little things like that. Disney does such a great job of getting clever and creative for these anniversaries. Chuck [00:35:11]: They do. And well the 70th is a pretty big one too. I feel like all of these decade celebrations, they take pretty serious. Amy [00:35:19]: Those are the big ones. Chuck [00:35:20]: I'm excited to see... if I could have my grandest wish as I stay here right now. And this might just be inspired by this conversation, maybe, but I would love for them to have a remember dreams come true return for a bit, maybe with a little bit of update for some newer attractions. I have maybe some rise of the resistance in there. Amy [00:35:40]: Or something like that. Chuck [00:35:42]: Mainly what I'm saying is I would like a fireworks show about Disneyland again because I think that would be as much as I love Wondrous journeys and it is really great and I think it's the perfect fireworks show to celebrate the company's animation history. I want like, Disneyland again, you know, like that to me, for the 70th would be great. So a return to that or even if it's a brand new show that just kind of incorporates some of the attractions and things like that would be fun. And of course, I'm sure we'll have some amazing food options. Amy [00:36:15]: They do excel at the food. Chuck [00:36:16]: They do. They are experts at the foodie presentation now, so that's going to be exciting, honestly. The platinum, it's one of those on paper, it just sounds like it should be fancy schmancy, right? I guess it's right up there with a diamond, right? Amy [00:36:33]: Yeah. Chuck [00:36:34]: Both of those you just think of like fancy and so it'll be interesting to see what they do, how they're going to adorn Sleeping Beauty's castle, if there's going to be any different paint jobs around the park, or if anything else is going to receive some TLC or if we're going to get a brand new attraction. You just never know. I mean, the sky is the limit. Yeah. So I'm excited. Two years and counting. All right, well, it looks like the park is going to be closing shop here pretty soon. Now is probably a good time to say goodbye, but on behalf of Amy and myself, we hope you've enjoyed your experience with us today. And to continue the adventure, make sure you subscribe and follow the show. You can find out how to do that at Helloproject55.com. Amy [00:37:29]: And until our next episode, we would love to connect with you on our Instagram. You can find us at hello. Project 55. We'd love to see your adventures at Disneyland. Some of your favorite things, your favorite attractions, your food recommendations. Feel free to tag us, say hello, can't wait to connect with you there. Chuck [00:37:51]: Meanwhile, we'll be back next week with more exciting Disneyland experiences. Until then, take care and we'll see you real soon. Bye.