Walt Disney Treasures / Disneyland: Secrets, Stories & Magic : 5 of 5

I've finally watched the first of this year's Walt Disney Treasures DVD sets, and I have to say that Disneyland: Secrets, Stories & Magic may be the best set they've ever released, especially for a Disneyland nut like me! There's so much packed onto these two discs that I can barely mention it all here, but I'll give it a try. First, there's a new huge documentary shot just for this set, filled with wall-to-wall Imagineer interviews (most with the legendary Tony Baxter) and several other celebrities (including George Lucas!), as well as tons of rare footage I had never seen before, such as the Mickey Mouse Circus once held in Holidayland, and a quick look at the Submarine Voyage live mermaid try-outs. There's also a nice John Lasseter anecdote about his days as a Jungle Cruise skipper, including his favorite "headhunter" joke! Next up is the newly restored People and Places feature Disneyland USA, which is phenomenal not only for the incredible helicopter footage of the new park, but also for Winston Hibler's great narration that makes a trip to Disneyland seem like a True Life Adventure. There's also a fantastic trivia game, which I played 15 times in a row, and the questions were actually difficult! The second DVD contains three Wonderful World of Color episodes, including an entire performance of the Golden Horseshoe Revue, which is cool to see knowing that I've sat in those seats so many times. Operation Disneyland shows the crazy work ABC had to do to broadcast the opening of the park live - they couldn't even rehearse their camera moves with all the construction going on! Finally, there's some amazing bonus time-lapse footage taken from tall towers as the park was constructed, so you can watch it appear from the ground up. This DVD set is probably the most essential item a Disneyland lover could own, and I plan on watching it often before each trip!