In Disney News...

Here's some of the interesting Disney-related news of the past few days...

...Disneyland has closed its Alice in Wonderland ride to add safety rails along the exterior track at the end of the ride.

Accounts vary as to whether the state forced Disney to close the 52-year-old ride or Disney chose to close it. Either way, it strikes me as absurd to shut down the ride for weeks to install rails on a ride which has operated safely for over half a century.

The photos of the closed Alice ride and Main Street flowers (below right) are courtesy of my daughters, who were in the park on Sunday. Click to enlarge.

...Despite previous reports, looks like there's a lot of confusion about whether or not this year's Halloween Time fireworks at Disneyland will be restricted to guests who pay extra to attend Mickey's Halloween Party. (Update: The official word from Disneyland is that guests who do not pay extra for party tickets will be unable to see the Halloween Time fireworks this year...the same fireworks which were part of the park's regular entertainment in 2009. A bad guest relations decision.)

...Today is the last day for Disneyland's Star Tours, which will reopen with an all-new flight in 2011.

...The next issue of Disney Twenty-Three magazine will be out on August 3rd. The cover features TANGLED, which I'd just as soon refer to by its original name, RAPUNZEL.

...This weekend the Disney Blog had interesting video of the Bastille Day fireworks at Disneyland Paris.

...At MiceAge Kevin Yee reviewed several recent Disney books, including the new DISNEYLAND THROUGH THE DECADES.

...A reminder that the long-delayed IMAGINEERING FIELD GUIDE TO DISNEY'S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS is due to be released tomorrow, July 27th.

...Jim Hill has interesting speculation on the plans for Florida's Fantasyland expansion.

...Also at Jim Hill Media, a report on the celebration of Disneyland's 55th anniversary at the Walt Disney Family Museum.

...Disney has several DVDs due out this fall: a 25th Anniversary Edition of THE BLACK CAULDRON will be released September 14th (I'll pass on that one, thanks)... DisneyNature's OCEANS comes to DVD on October 19...and a Diamond Edition of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST will be released on November 23rd.

If other Diamond Editions are anything to go by, collectors who own the Platinum Edition of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST won't find much reason to upgrade, especially if Disney follows its recent practice of putting most of the new extras only on Blu-Ray. (One of these days the studios are going to figure out that a huge number of consumers have no interest in repurchasing all their DVDs on Blu-Ray...)

...Last week the official Disney Parks blog posted video showing the recent changes to Disneyland's Rivers of America.

...This summer a friend of the family is playing the French horn in Disneyland's All-American College Band. Check out the linked video on the band's 40th anniversary. Saxophone player Sal Lozano, a former band member interviewed in the video, performed an arrangement of David Raksin's "Laura" at our wedding.