Disney Photoblography

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!

The Treehouse at Magic Hour

2026-06-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

The Adventureland Treehouse has been a nice evolution of the classic attraction in Adventureland that started life as the Swiss Family Treehouse back in 1962. After a run from 1999-2021 as Tarzan's Treehouse, it was closed and refurbished over a couple of years before opening in its current iteration three years ago. Generally, from afar, it doesn't look much different from before--bar the noticeable missing separate tree trunk stair that previously split the Adventureland pathway and was removed to improve traffic flow as part of the refurbishment. The scenes inside, however, harken back to more of a the Swiss Family vibe of a resourceful clan interested in nature and science and cleverly able to create some cozy spaces that reflect their varied interests. It's nice to see that even six decades later, this classic walkthrough attraction can still offer lovely views and fun scenes to those who make the trek up and down this arboreal abode!

A Treasure Seeker Forever Changed

2026-06-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

On Friday, Pirates of the Caribbean reopened after a notable refurbishment, and one of the ride's classic scenes now has a new face. Literally. The longtime static skeleton sitting on a mound of gold has been replaced by an audio-animatronic that uses facial projection technology to transform this still scene into a dynamic storytelling of a greedy pirate picking up cursed treasure and being struck by the gold's curse--turning him into an undead skeleton. It's a beat from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, though it doesn't quite make sense from a storytelling perspective on this ride, because it's firmly established a little later on at the scene where a pirate skeleton transitions into a live pirate before the pirate ship battle with the fort that the entirety of the the cavern scenes are an epilogue that show the aftermath of that pirate's life. I haven't witnessed the new scene in person or photographed it yet, but it's an odd tweak to the otherwise straightforward narrative of the ride.

Disneyland will never be complete, but this change scratches my head.

A Small World Vista

2026-06-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

I've photographed this scene of It's a Small World many times before--usually during the winter holiday season and at night. But my lens selection prevents me from fully capturing the full turnaround at the end of the ride in one shot. I don't have a lens that's white wide enough to get the shot without getting the railing in the way. Never fear--I can take multiple shots and stitch together to get a "panorama" of sorts! Unfortunately, this comes with its own issues, such as distortion of the facade elements and the smoothness of the curve around the flume. It's not quite even, and those who know how the scene looks like can tell that this isn't all one shot. It's not AI, mind you, just limitations of capturing the photo in segments vs at once.

A stitched panoramic view of It's a Small World on its photogenic turn out at the end of the ride.

The Maka'Ala Framed or Unframed

2026-06-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

Which photo do you prefer below? The subject is the same--the Aulani hotel lobby, also called the Maka'Ala in the lore of the resort. One is framed by a lampost and umbrella. The other is zoomed just past it. Two ways of looking at the same thing, and each with its own unique features. That's the fun thing about photography. Do you like the view framed or unframed?

Mysterious Monochrome

2026-06-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

The most majestic of Tokyo Disney Sea's themed ports of call has to be Mysterious Island. Themed to the writings of Jules Verne, featuring a steampunk-inspired melding of nature and structural engineering, this watery caldera is like something out of a fantastical video game. With a volcano towering over the caldera rim, sleek steel and glass intermingling around the perimeter, and all sorts of kinetic theming to behold, it's a wonder of an area and arguably the most unique creation Walt Disney Imagineering has ever done. Mysterious Island is full of scenic drama everywhere one works, and this is in true whether it's in color or in black and white!

Dramatic vistas of Mysterious Island are all too commonplace at Tokyo Disney Sea.

From Ornament Valley to Radiator Springs

2026-06-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

The geography of Cars Land is wide-ranging and vivid. From the open west expanses of Ornament Valley to the mid-century charm of Radiator Springs, there is beauty everywhere throughout this Cars-themed area. When it opened 14 years ago at Disney California Adventure, it ushered a whole new era of immersion and detail, giving Disneyland's humble sister park a bit of the grandeur that the other new Disney park of 2001--Tokyo Disney Sea--had. The rockwork, landscape, and architecture of Cars Land is exquisite and enriching, and walking through this area always brings a gleam and a sense of wonder to my photographic eye!

An Escape from the Crowds

2026-06-21T02:15:50.774-07:00

Disneyland is full of moments big and small, and the busiest parts of the park can also exist next to less frequented nooks just off the beaten trails. Snow White's Grotto is an example of an area that is in plain site, yet is often less crowded than the main pathway through the drawbridge of Sleeping Beauty's Castle. Here, guests can have a moment of serenity, take in the Snow White and Seven Dwarfs sculpltures, throw a coin in Snow White's Wishing Well, and enjoy the general tranquil ambiance. It's a lovely little moment of escape from the hustle and bustle of the park--even more so at night!

Snow White's Wishing Well next to Snow White and her sevent dwarfs.

Dusk on the Tropical Waters

2026-06-20T19:47:29.813-07:00

Summer break is upon us, and that means vacation time many across the country. With school out, children's schedules are more flexible, and that means being able to travel. For many families, that means a trip to the tropical paradise of Hawaii. And for Disney fans, that might mean stopping by the beautiful Aulani Resort, where the beauty and ambiance is heightened with that lovely Disney magic. The architecture, landscape, and interiors are full of storytelling and spirit, and it's always a wondrous time at this island escape among escapes!

Dusk at Aulani still means pooltime because of the tropical environment!

The Medley of San Fransokyo

2026-06-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

The eclectic ambiance of San Fransokyo Square is a lovely setting for the diversity of cuisines found in this dining-centric themed land in Disney California Adventure. With restaurants featuring Asian, Mexican, and American flavors, this area is a visual and culinary hybrid of styles and inspirations. Aesthetically, the world of Big Hero 6 ties everything together, but this area really is a celebration of the variety of tastes found here. And the still relatively recent transformation from Pacific Wharf to San Fransokyo Square offers some beautiful and vibrant scenes from many angles! Here are a few taken from a familiar vantage point.

Succulents by the Zocalo

2026-06-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

Frontierland is not necessarily thought of for its greenery, since it represents the arid Old West and the rocky buttes of the American landscape. But the desert setting does have its own verdant beauty, and that's represented lushly at the Rancho del Zocalo, where succulents and cacti and other desert flowering provide a beautiful greenery that contrasts vibrantly against the Southwest architecture of this nook of the land. The succulent planter in the foreground of the entry lane of the restaurant is especially picturesque, and in the afternoon golden hour light, the scene looks especially dashing!

Thar She Blows!

2026-06-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

When Grizzly River Run first opened as part of Disney California Adventure's original line-up, it included an extra soaking surprise after its climactic spinning drop. If the splashdown didn't get riders wet, an unexpected geyser around the riverbend could! This geyser didn't always go out, and many a river raft rider might float by unscathed. But when the jet of water did erupt--right under the river course itself--it typically spouted a deluge right onto adventurers. As the ride aged, the geyser effect seemed to go away, at least in my memory. But fortunately, after a refurbishment last year, the geyser returned, and it is still offering a splash-tacular surprise to guests who squeal in dread and glee as they see the impending shower. It's nice to have that feature a part of the ride again, especially with the hot summer months upon us!

Disney's Golden Goodness

2026-06-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

My Memorial Day Disneyland photo run was a fruitful trip of a few hours that offered some excellent lighting to capture nostalgic feeling shots of the park in that lovely, late afternoon glow that bathes the magical atmosphere in cozy, nostalgic light before Walt Disney's original Magic Kingdom transforms into the magic of Disneyland after dark. I love this ambiance, just soaking in the end of another beautiful Southern California day. And especially on the west side of the park, where the setting sun casts its golden light, the already beautiful environ of the park becomes even more marvelous!

Magic hour upon the Adventureland Tree House and the Pirates of the Caribbean queue building (and 21 Royal Street).

Jumpin' Some Colorful Jellies

2026-06-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

When I was doing a Disney photo run last month during a comfy spring afternoon, I realized that I had not photographed the colorful hues of the Jumping Jellyfish in quite some time. With their saturation and contrast, they offer fantastic angles against the golden sun and the azure sky. In the afternoon light, with the sun behind them, they almost glow with vivid luminescence. The glossy fiberglass shades make them look like artful glass sculptures, and they offer a lovely touch of classic Disney California Adventure!

The Thunderbird

2026-06-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

Disney Imagineers have long used the practice of forced perspective to make theming and architecture look bigger and grander than in physical dimensions. By building upper floors at increasingly smaller scales or shaping features that are supposed to appear farther in smaller segments, this enhances the illusion that things are larger and more epic. Except when real life nature decides to interfere, like the bird on the spire of the Big Thunder Mountain rockwork on the left in the photo below. At that point, the illusion is compromised, because there's something to compare for scale! Ah well, you can't control everything!

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland Paris... and a force perspective-ruining bird on top of one of its spires.

Docked and Loading

2026-06-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

The Rivers of America have been an indelible part of Disneyland since the very beginning, and cruising along these waterways are the Mark Twain and S.S. Columbia, which take thousands of passengers just around the riverbend and beyond every day. But when the evening starts winding in, they retire to start their transformation for the nighttime spectacular, FANTASMIC! The Columbia switches up its docking place, from Frontier Landing to a small platform just off Tom Sawyer Island. It's a nice photo op to catch the vessel in the afternoon golden hour light, in preparation for the magic that it will help showcase after dark!

The S.S. Columbia prepares to load FANTASMIC! preparations in the late afternoon sun over the Rivers of America.