Disney Photoblography

Sisters in Winter

2026-08-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

We've been making a slow tour through the various segments of Paint the Night this year. Disney's spectacular modern version of the Main Street Electrical Parade has been brought back to celebrate Disneyland's 70th birthday, and now that Disneyland is into year 71, it will be glowing away again in just a short time. The second to last float features Frozen, with Anna and Elsa standing on a towering ice palace, fronted by frosty dancers, and showcasing the wintry world of Scandinavia. This float is easily the tallest of the parade, and it was so tall that during the parade's brief run in Disney California Adventure in 2018, the float had to be replaced with an Incredibles float because the ice tower would have run into the Red Car Trolley's overhead cable lines. Fortunately, that's not a problem anywhere at Disneyland!

Superheroes at Rest

2026-07-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

After an initial rush of excitement and fun, immersive entertainment and special, rotating character encounters, Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure seems to have settled into a rut of just existing--at least until its expansion and two additional attractions are completed in a year or two. The entertainment has been scaled back a lot, and the special guest Marvel superheroes don't seem to be as frequent--probably because Marvel television programming has also reduced. Perhaps this year's upcoming Marvel movie releases--Spider-Man: Brand New Day coming out today and Avengers: Doomsday coming out at the end of the year--will jazz things up. But if not, the land will just be kind of hanging out until the next milestone!

An evening around Avengers HQ--at least a version at Disney California Adventure!

A Fiery Fête

2026-07-30T00:51:44.765-07:00

Normally, being in a village on fire isn't cause for celebration. But when you're a plundering pirate, and you're likely drunk on rum, a conflagration is a perfect reason to burst into song and freely stumble around and act without a care in the world. When you're a pirate and do what you want, and you sack and you pillage and you plunder, it's all just good fun! At least that's how Disney would have you think the buccaneer life is like in Pirates of the Caribbean!

The Volcano in the Valley

2026-07-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

The central volcano in the middle of the Waikolohe Valley at the Aulani Resort and Spa is called Pu'u Kilo, which means "hill for watching." It's an observation point, because it's actually the top of some water slides, but it's also a focal point to center guests walking through this central courtyard area of the hotel grounds. The center of a beautiful, blue sky and a lush, green landscape, this now-extinct volcano is just one of many meaningful elements on the property that celebrates Hawaiian story and culture. Framed the right way, it could even look like a natural feature out in the island wilderness! Such is the magic of Disney theming!

Portside in San Fransokyo

2026-07-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

The Port of San Fransokyo is the small body of water right outside the Torii Gate Bridge and Rancho Cucamonga dining area, adjacent to the main walkway onto Pixar Pier and facing the Parade Corridor. It's a scenic setting, accommodating al fresco and waterside dining. Plus, it's got those nifty light-up neon letters that look great during the day but really enhance the ambiance at night, when they evoke the atmosphere of a Japanese metropolis night scene. These photos are daytime, not night, but they still showcase what a great environment this part of Disney California Adventure presents!

Gold Cast Upon the Castle

2026-07-26T00:28:01.672-07:00

It's a classic view: the Disneyland Castle, looking elegant, photogenic, and stellar on a beautiful, blue sky day. The front view is the classic frame, but unless it's first thing in the morning, that view is almost always crowded with guests looking to capture their own photo memories with the park icon. As a result, shooting the castle from the sides, where only a railing and the castle's moat are in the foreground, is a great alternative to capture an image that focuses on the castle. The castle faces south, so it looks great in almost all time of day. This was intentional, as Walt Disney knew that this would become a photography focal point. Most of Disney's castles around the world are oriented this way, but not all. But the original, classic iteration still provides the most magically nostalgic presentation, especially on a golden afternoon!

The 70th Anniversary Sleeping Beauty Castle on a lovely spring afternoon.

The Evening Watering Holes

2026-07-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

Most of the time, relaxing by the pool is associated with daytime activities, when the sun it out, the temperatures are warm, and the ambiance is bright and welcoming. But in Hawaii, the tropical environment makes pooltime appropriate all day and all year. Thus, the pools at the Aulani Resort are open well into the evening hours, allowing guests to enjoy a relaxing, warm soak in the waters of the Waikolohe Pool or the Ka Maka Grotto. It's a lovely atmosphere and wonderful tropical bliss--perfect for this summer holiday season!

Storytellers in the Afternoon

2026-07-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

I post a lot of photos of the Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse "Partners" statue at Disneyland. After all, it's an iconic feature located at the heart of the park, with another park icon in Sleeping Beauty's Castle behind it. I post far less photos of the Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse "Storytellers" statue in Disney California Adventure, probably because this one is located to the side of the park's "The Hub" equivalent--Carthay Circle--rather than the center, and doesn't really have a great backdrop other than some nice foliage. Still, this statue duo is a common photo op for guests, and during the golden afternoon hours, it's a great subject to photograph!

Space Mountain's Magic Hour Bliss

2026-07-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

As it turns out, today's photo-taken just last Friday, is a near-identical photo to one that I shared four years ago--to the day--of Space Mountain's iconic ride building rooftop spires. This version is warmer, though, showcasing the beautiful, afternoon glow of the sun casting on the classic E-Ticket. But what a coincidence that I would have framed the shot exactly the same day and time this post to occur on the anniversary of the previous post? I didn't do it intentionally--I was wondering if I had shared a post like this before (I thought I had shared something similar), and I had long forgotten which specific day that was. But hey, I guess this injects meaning and fate into otherwise coincidence, right?

The iconic spires of Space Mountain in dreamy, afternoon sunlight.

The Chapel by the Hotel

2026-07-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

The Ko Olina Chapel Place of Joy is not actually a part of the Disney Aulani Resort and Spa property. But it's integrated so well into the shorefront landscape, sharing such similar forms as the iconic Disney hotel architecture, that it's easy to think that this small wedding chapel is one and the same with Disney holdings. The first time I visited Aulani, I thought that this chapel was just part of the resort's offerings--a lovely little house of worship for those who sought one while on vacation. It turns out that the chapel is owned by Watabe Wedding Corporation. But it's a great neighbor, and it's part of the magnificent Aulani atmosphere!

Soarin' Over Never Never Land

2026-07-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

Cameras have come a long way, even in the almost two decades that I've been photographing with fancy photo gear. Back when I first started dabbling in more serious photography, taking a DSLR on a Disney dark ride presented an almost impossible challenge of capturing dimly light ride scenes from a moving vehicle and exposing them well enough to capture some semblance of a detailed scene. Of course, I had a crop frame DSLR back then, and I hadn't gotten into prime lenses yet. But still, the difficulties were real!

Fast forward to now, and I have a mirrorless camera, with a pretty fast prime lens, and dark ride photography... is still not easy, but it's certainly more feasible to capture sharp photos of dark scenes than it used to be. And capturing timeless ride segments like this glide over Never Never Land in Peter Pan's Flight is an example of the types of photos that woud have been near impossible for me to get as crisply as I can now. Who knows how camera technology will continue to improve in another two decades?

Soarin' Across America

2026-07-18T01:14:40.375-07:00

A few weeks ago, on 4th of July weekend, Disney California Adventure unveiled its latest iteration of its popular Soarin' attraction series. Commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States, Soarin' Across America takes guests across this majestic land, hitting some of this country's most iconic landmarks. Outside, the ambiance outside the giant hangar has been outfitted with red, white, and blue bunting and drapery, giving a festive sense of Americana. Hitting sights like the Kennedy Space Center, Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, the Grand Canyon, and more, this attraction is a small slice of our national beauty.

Disney hasn't stated how long this attraction will run, but it would make sense to run at least through the end of this year, and really, through at least summer of next year, as Disney anniversary celebrations typically last over a year. So go check it out! And if you have already, what do you think of the new ride?

The all-new, extra patriotic Soarin' Across America.

Inside the show building and indoor queue.

Queued Up for the Happy Haunts

2026-07-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

Today's post is rather overdue, because it's a photo tour of the new Haunted Mansion queue that debuted at the beginning of last year, after a nearly year-long refurbishment that saw the attraction itself down for six months before reopening the August prior at Haunted Mansion Holiday and the line into the attraction redone to provide greater accessibility to disabled guests and undergo a narrative reconfiguration. The new queue features a variety of scenes referencing the attraction within, including a Spanish Fountain, the One-Eyed Cat's Garden, Master Gracey's Garden, Madame Leota's Garden, the Mansion Greenhouse, and the Sea Captain's Crypt. Stylistically, a lot of the scenes are a departure from the Southern Plantation aesthetic of the building itself, blending more into Art Nouveau and Georgian Revival, so there's arguably an inconsistency here that doesn't make much storytelling sense. But maybe because the attraction is about the supernatural, and it can be argued that the stylistic transitions create a foreboding eeriness, I don't find the eclectic queue scenes to be very bothersome. Maybe it's because they are largely very photogenic, and classic elements like the punny tombstones have been retained. But I think the "new" Haunted Mansion queue is largely pretty pleasant!

What do you think?

Evening at the Maka'ala

2026-07-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

While Hawaii's tropical paradise is commonly associated with beautiful daytime scenes under blue skies, golden sun, and verdant palms, the beauty doesn't stop after sunset. Blue hour is a wondrous twilight time that evokes its own sense of enchantment. This is no different at the Aulani Resort and Spa, and with Disney's added Imagineering touch, the "Disney After Dark" vibe is as lovely and magical as fans would expect. In particular, the balanced blend of architecture and landscape around the Waikolohe Valley offers a tranquil commune at the edge of nature. The hotel lobby forms--inspired by traditional building shapes--transitions to tropical foliage, bubbly cascades, and trickling ponds. It's a blissful environment, if I may say so myself!

Scenes from Venice

2026-07-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

The Venice section of Tokyo Disney Sea's Mediterranean Harbor is almost a little secret. Off the beaten path of the main walkway, this little inset is where guests can board Venetian Gondolas and enjoy a lovely trip around the waters of Mediterranean Harbor itself. The architecture of this neighborhood echoes the famous city, and parts of it double as the facade for the Hotel Mira Costa. Those rooms into the park must have some stunning views, but the scenes from within the park aren't too shabby either, transporting guests to one of the most iconic Italian cities in the world!

Scenes Along Paradise Bay

2026-07-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

I've been on a "summer scene" kick recently--probably because it's summer. But I've been posting photos from Aulani and Disney California Adventure that remind me of the notion of summer--vacations, summer-y destinations, and sunny bliss and enjoyment. Today continues that trend, with several snapshots of views along Disney California Adventure's Pixar Pier and Paradise Park, which imbibe a sense of summertime along the beach or waterfront. Blue skies, sunny days, and classic seaside amusement park scenes and attractions recall a sense of nostalgia and youth, and they make for pretty views to enjoy as the weather has heated up to match the season!

Gauging a New Treasure Seeker

2026-07-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I referenced a then-upcoming change on Pirates of the Caribbean regarding a classic scene being infused with new technology. In the treasure-filled caverns at the start of the attraction, a skeletal pirate long portrayed in static, unmoving form was being replaced with an animatronic utilizing projection-mapping face technology to tell a new story--or as Walt Disey Imagineers claimed, a story that was always there but never had the opportunity to truly showcase.

The announcement was met with a lot of objection and criticism in the Disney community, with many feeling that the projections were not very realistic and didn't match the tactile charm of the old figure. There was also plenty of unhappiness from the park of Disney park fandom that objections to anything new. But was it really that bad?

Last weekend, I had the chance to ride and witness the new scene in person, and, of course take photos. The verdict? Well, I'm more on the side of detractors. Although the scene photographs very well, and the projection can be edited to look more realistic, I felt like in person, the new audio animatronic's face looked very much like a projection, lacking the convincing three dimensional facial features of its predecessor. The grunting and confused groaning of the pirate picking up a cursed coin, being impacted by its magic, and then turning into a skeleton felt silly and didn't match the serious vibe of the scene's ambiance. It didn't seem as realistic as the latest, fully physically moving animatronics that Disney can produce now.

But my main issue with the change stems from something I think is more objection: it just doesn't make sense for the ride's storytelling. As Disney fans know very well, the second scene of Pirates of the Caribbean--after the pair of waterfalls that propel riders into the story following the initial bayou scene--functions as an epilogue to the buccaneering tale, showing what happened to those pirates after their plundering and treasure seeking. The frozen skeletons serve as an eerie reminder of the consequences of this pirate's life, and the end of the scene even saw an addition a few years ago of a transitional moment where a skeleton lugging a net full of treasure turns into a living pirate with skin and muscle and eyes. This part marks the flashback to the pirates' living days and transitions the narration to their marauding days.

To insert a pirate that is alive and then turns into a skeleton via the curse of the inauspicious gold goes against the whole point of the scenes shown in the grottos. Perhaps this is now a different pirate who has stumbled upon the grisly scene and is ignoring the macabre suggestions of all the dead pirates, but this is inconsistent with the ride's six decades of storytelling and retcons this moment in the tale. It feels like shoehorning a story change for the sake of incorporating a new technology, rather than have new technology organically support an established story.

I try not to be too negative with Disney changes, as Walt Disney himself famously said that Disneyland shall never be complete. But I think in this case, the attempt of a creative idea turned out to be a swing and a miss.

Aulani from the Beach

2026-07-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

Today's trio of Aulani photos comes from the perspective of walking along the path next to the beach lagoon behind the resort property. This angle looks back onto the hotel from the ocean side, capturing the lovely architecture, verdant landscape, and majestic Hawaiian skies that make this an epitome of paradise. The ambiance is full of beauty and relaxation, and a stroll by Aulani feels like part of a perfectly idyllic day in paradise. Don't you agree?

The Butte-iful Perspective

2026-07-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

I've taken a lot of photos from the Adventureland Treehouse (formerly Tarzan's Treehouse, formerly Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse), and I enjoy the elevated views this walkthrough attraction offers. The vistas of other Disneyland icons and the Orange County landscape beyond mark a difference from the usual ground-based Disney park photos that occupy most of my photo library. It's the closest thing I can come to capturing aerial perspectives of the park, which, of course, I'm not likely to ever be able to achieve. So as a consolation, I have photos like this angle of Big Thunder Mountain below!

Gazing off to Big Thunder Mountain and the Southern California mountains beyond.

Cooling Down at Grizzly Falls II

2026-07-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

The dog days of summer call for relief, and for many, that comes in the form of water rides at theme parks. The splashy attractions help cool down many a rider with their action-packed aquatic elements. Disney California Adventure's Grizzly River Run is a popular example. The rapids ride frequently has a lengthy wait on warm days, and even the general area is an attraction for guests wanting to just be near the cooling effect of water. The waterfalls around the rear walkway of the area are particularly refreshing--thunderous cascades that showcase the power of the California nature. And they're a beautiful sight too!

Palms and Poolside

2026-07-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

If it didn't feel like summer in June, it's definitely summer now, after the 4th of July, with much of the country under a heatwave that has really cranked out the burners. What better way to cool down than to hit up a pool and soak in the comforting waters? Blue skies, palm trees, and beautiful scenery form the epitome of the summer experience. But at Aulani, they just call that everyday!

A late afternoon hangout by the pool at Aulani.

Disney Celebrates the Semiquincentennial

2026-07-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

This year's 4th of July is a special one: it's the 250th birthday of America--the United States' semiquincentennial! Centennial is 100 years. Quin- means five. Semi- means half. Half of five hundred years! In recognition, the Disneyland Resort has been decorated with patriotic flags and bunting for the first time in several years. Buena Vista Street has this, but it's most classical over on Main Street, U.S.A., where the turn-of-the-century nostalgic vibe enhance the red, white, and blue decorations. A monumental milestone like this is once in a lifetime, and it's nice to see the parks dressed up again for the occasion!

Beachside by the Bay

2026-07-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

The fun of being able to visit the Disneyland Resort on a regular basis to photograph is finding different angles and compositions of the same scenes and subjects that I've visted many times before. Sometimes, that means finding new photo corridors, or looking from a different perspective than typicalk walking head height, or playing with framing typically non-interesting subjects in a unique manner to make them interesting. The photo below is an example of this... a relatively non-descript sandy stretch of coastline along Paradise Bay that is just part of the scenery next to Jumping Jellyfish and the Golden Zephyr. But if I stick my camera low, frame the succulents in the foreground and focus on the fencing and attractions in the distance, the scene now looks more compelling than it might to a typical passerby!

This little sandy stretch of Paradise Park might be easily missed, but it's the one part of Paradise Bay that has an actual beachscape.

Greetings from Aulani!

2026-07-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of photos of the Aulani Resort that are similar but slightly differently framed, or from a nearby location to offer a slightly different angle. It's hard to keep clicking the camera shutter, because practially every inch of this beautiful Hawaiian resort is so photogenic and majestic. But today's composition is one of my favorites, because it captures both hotel wings, the Ko Olina Chapel Place of Joy, the sandy beach, turquoise lagoon waters, a conveniently placed catamaran, and even nice green hedge that creates a juxtaposing leading line to go with the one created by the shoreline. I really like how all of the scene's elements fall into place here, and it's a postcard-level frame of one of Disney's best hotel masterpieces!

The marquee view of the Aulani Resort & Spa from the beach of Lagoon #1 in Ko Olina.

A Radiant Jamboree

2026-06-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

The Toy Story section of the Paint the Night Parade is one of the most varied segments of this nighttime spectacular, containing a whole suite of characters and visuals that dazzle with the energy from Pixar's classic and beloved series. Starting out with Jessie and a cadre of luminous, ball-twirling dancers, this part of the parade transitions to a giant Slink rolling over an equally massive Lite Brite classic toy. Woody and Buzz Lightyear sit on the float, greeting guests on both sides of the parade route. They're followed by a trio of Little Green Men piloting a UFO or perhaps URO... Unidentified Rolling Object... spinning and waving all along the way. It's fantastic and photogenic part of the best Disneyland parade, and a pleasure to behold!