About My Resources
These are my tried-and-true sources. The best history, the best industry news, and the most entertaining. I’ll be updating this page periodically because I’m likely omitting something very important.
Disney Parks
Widen Your World – Mike is not a self proclaimed “historian”, but by far the best resource for Walt Disney World history. Over several decades, he went to great lengths to gather various photo, video, audio, and… other, let’s say, one-of-a-kind historical resources from the parks.
Over the last few years his brand has bounced between a few different places. He no longer runs his website, though a Wayback Machine archive of a later iteration still exists here.
His content is now “random access”, on Facebook. This can make the experience of finding what you’re looking for a surmountable challenge though not impossible, which I think he actually gets a kick out of. I’ll rebelliously list him as my favorite resource, half out of spite and half because his research is just that good. If you can find it.
Passsport2Dreams Old and New – Another great resource for when you want to deep dive into the minutia of WDW history. Foxxy is also the author of Boundless Realm, which is a great resource of intermediate/advanced theme park fans interested in the Haunted Mansion.
RetroWDW – They do great work with home movie film restoration of the parks. But I particularly love their podcast because they get into the depths of WDW history while still being accessible and engaging.
Doombuggies.com – By far the most well-rounded of any resource for Haunted Mansion history and fandom. Beginners and experts can all get something out of this website and it’s my go-to resource when I need to recall a quick fact about the attraction. Jeff also has a podcast that is quite good, and his book is another good read.
Long Forgotten Haunted Mansion – Okay if you do NOT want to recall a quick fact about the Haunted Mansion, this is for the deep dive researchers and insomniacs alike. In the best way possible, I challenge you to stay awake after reading pages and pages on the locations of seemingly random tombstones and various queue configurations of the Disneyland mansion. I often read his blog with a particular question in mind and instead go down a multi-hour rabbit hole that leaves me with more questions than answers.
MartinsVidsDotNet – Great for long, in-depth historical videos of Disney attractions. Most of his videos don’t use narration but rely on text to convey the narrative. Unique to his videos are digital diagrams that map out different attraction elements. He also documents attraction changes well. I usually watch the content via his Youtube channel.
Disney History Institute Podcast – I’ve only listened to the podcast but I’m sure the website is similar if you prefer to read it.
The 3028 – This is my “nothing” podcast. Their content is very much “beginner” and surface-level topics. But you know, sometimes I don’t want to get too in-depth and cerebral with my Disney history fandom. Sometimes I just want to have fun. And that’s exactly what this podcast is.
HeyBrickey! – His videos are meant to be short and simple, revolving around one simple concept. But he’s covered material that I actually haven’t seen anywhere else. I do think his videos could be even shorter and he drags things out a bit too much to build suspense in a narrative that otherwise would be cut-and-dry.
Honorable Mentions – These Youtube channels tend to compile research done by others into quick, easy-to-digest videos:
News
Screamscape – The best resource for an aggregate of theme park news, hands down. The only con is his website is very dated and almost completely incompatible with mobile browsing.
Mickey Views – He’s a great resource, specifically for Disney-related news. His sources for rumors/ unannounced activity seem credible, and he has a good track record. I usually watch his content on Youtube.
WDW News Today – Can I say something? I don’t quite get the negative buzz with WDWNT. I mean… I kind of do. I don’t read their news articles – they are the pinnacle of click-bait. I’ve never interacted with Tom personally, but his track record for rumors is generally pretty solid. Not pristine, but solid. His takes on the news are grounded. And he is a strong advocate for cast members.
Their daily news show is the only content of theirs I regularly consume and recommend.
Other Topics
Great Adventure History – I’m originally from New Jersey, and Six Flags Great Adventure was my home park. The research done by the site primary owner Harry was top-tier, and unfortunately he recently passed away. I don’t think anyone will pick up the baton and match the true dedication that Harry had for documenting the park. Thankfully, the site’s co-owner still maintains the incredible collection of information they had compiled together over the decades and remains engaged with the community.
Dark in the Park – Originally charming little 2000’s era website that documented retro haunted attractions along the Jersey shore, they’ve recently reinvigorated their internet presence through a series of YouTube documentaries that explore the history of these infamous local haunted attractions.
Laff in the Dark – A great resource for Dark Ride lovers. If Roller Coaster Database and Dark in the Park had a kid, this would be it.
Bright Sun Films – His “Abandoned” series famously explores locations like Discovery Island and River Country at Walt Disney World, but he has expanded his channel to cover material beyond and adjacent to the themed entertainment world that would probably be of interest to you, dear reader.
Jake is also the creator of the “Closed For Storm” documentary, which is an excellent watch.
Defunctland – Kevin puts an incredible amount of research into long, thoughtful videos with topics that blend history and commentary and the current state of the industry. If I had to recommend just one video, I’d start with “Disney’s Fastpass: A Complicated History”, an analysis of the Fastpass system at Walt Disney World.
ElToroRyan – Ryan takes topics that used to be enjoyed exclusively by coaster enthusiast and theme park employees and breaks them down into videos that are accessible and engaging for any casual theme park fan. I’ve actually used his videos to study up before getting trained at an attraction he covered in the series. I’m addicted to his “Problematic Rollercoasters” series.
Marcel Vos – I don’t play Rollercoaster Tycoon nearly as much as I should, but Marcel covers a wide array of information on the games, and there’s surprisingly a lot to learn.
Travel
DisneyTouristBlog is my go-to when traveling to a new Disney park or when I need to brush up on the latest monthly change to the Fastpass/ Park reservation system. Not a sponsor.
Mousesavers and Undercover Tourist are great resources for buying discount tickets/ hotel rates. Not sponsors.
David’s DVC – If you’re looking for discounted Disney hotel rooms, David’s DVC allows you to rent unused DVC points to stay in a DVC villa reservation. You’ll have to do the math as you may or may not be saving money, however if you want to stay in a DVC resort specifically, they tend to have more options available than Disney’s booking website.
One other thing to watch out for is the cancellation policy, which is not as forgiving as a standard hotel room. There are many businesses like David’s, but I have had a positive experience with them.
Still not a sponsor.