Disneyland is about to turn 70, and it's pulling out all stops
It was estimated in 2021 that 750 million or so visitors had walked through the gates of the beloved Southern California park since it opened in 1955. Add in a stream of up to 17 million a year, only interrupted by the pandemic, and the billionth visit doesn't seem too far away.
Disneyland is not only the blueprint for the international family of Disney parks – 12 in total – Disneyland inspired the modern theme park concept as we know it.
Walt Disney, founder of The Walt Disney Company, showed prescience with his famous inauguration dedication: 'To all who come to this happy place, welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past… and here youth may savour the challenge and promise of the future.'
It was a hit from that get-go, but it's that sense of wonder for all ages that has ensured its endurance. Also, Disneyland never rests on its laurels. Originally a three-dimensional testimony to the imagination and sentimentality of the genius animator Walt Disney, Disneyland has changed with the times and tastes. Another great mark of its enduring knowledge of what people want is its love of a good party. For the 70th anniversary, the park is pulling out all stops.
Now called Disneyland Resort as it comprises two parks (sister attraction Disney California Adventure Park is next to it) and three hotels, the celebrations, which will run well into 2026, include the 'Paint the Night' parade featuring floats illuminated by more than a million LED lights.
Also for nocturnal visitors, 'Wondrous Journeys' is an after-dark projection effects show set to music that honours the Walt Disney Animation Studios films. It's accompanied by fireworks on some nights.
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ABC News
3 hours ago
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Freakier Friday review: A fine, fun addition to Disney's catalogue of reboots
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The Advertiser
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My Oxford Year starring Netflix golden girl is a study in British charm
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My Oxford Year had an interesting start to its own life. It was originally a screenplay by Allison Burnett, who asked Julia Whelan to work on it with her, which then became a book by Whelan (published in 2018), and was readapted into a screenplay by Burnett and Melissa Osborne after the success of the novel. The story follows Carson's Anna de la Vega, a driven financial analyst-to-be who wants to tick off a big bucket list item before she starts her safe, stable career: studying Victorian poetry at Oxford University in England. An Anglophile, American Anna has always longed to spend time in the ancient establishment, and is particularly looking forward to learning under a professor she admires. But this last part of her dream is not to be, when that professor hands over teaching duties to her understudy, the young and charming Jamie Davenport (Corey Mylchreest, best known for his role as King George in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story). Anna and Jamie get off to a rocky start, with the Brit accidentally drenching the grad student after speeding his car through a monster puddle - a classic meet-cute. But they soon find themselves undeniably attracted to each other, and Jamie helps Anna start crossing items off the list of things she wants to achieve during her Oxford year. If nothing else, My Oxford Year makes the university's sprawling campus look beautiful and inviting. Its storied buildings and libraries look utterly entrancing. Much of the film seems to be playing out like any standard rom-com, but things end up taking a decidedly more serious turn. Mylchreest is excellent as Jamie. He brings back all the dreaminess he displayed in the Bridgerton spin-off, but layers it with a carefree charm that belies a greater vulnerability underneath. Carson is a capable lead, her Americanness a stark contrast to the Brits around her. Harry Trevaldwyn (recently seen in the live action How to Train Your Dragon) is a scene-stealer as Anna's judgy pal Charlie, providing a lot of the levity in the second half of the film. Much of the film boils down to Anna and Jamie's different definitions of the concept of living deliberately, per writer Henry David Thoreau. There's not a great deal of subtlety to be found here, and nothing quite original enough to make the film stand out, but My Oxford Year is still an enjoyable watch with cosy style. Mylchreest and the Oxford setting are the film's biggest successes, and if his two big Netflix projects are anything to go by, then the actor is in for a solid career as a romantic lead. My Oxford Year is directed by Iain Morris, probably best known behind the camera for directing The Inbetweeners and The Inbetweeners 2, and also stars Dougray Scott (Mission Impossible II) and Catherine McCormack (Lockerbie: A Search for Truth). My Oxford Year (M, 112 minutes, Netflix) 3 stars It seems Sofia Carson is fast becoming a Netflix golden girl. The actress first broke out on the Disney scene, appearing in Descendants and also making a splash with her music. But in the past year she's been firmly cementing herself in the buzzy Netflix sphere, starring in excellent Christmas action film Carry-On alongside Taron Egerton, followed by dramedy The Life List opposite Kyle Allen, and now in romantic drama My Oxford Year. She's also an executive producer on the new film. My Oxford Year had an interesting start to its own life. It was originally a screenplay by Allison Burnett, who asked Julia Whelan to work on it with her, which then became a book by Whelan (published in 2018), and was readapted into a screenplay by Burnett and Melissa Osborne after the success of the novel. The story follows Carson's Anna de la Vega, a driven financial analyst-to-be who wants to tick off a big bucket list item before she starts her safe, stable career: studying Victorian poetry at Oxford University in England. An Anglophile, American Anna has always longed to spend time in the ancient establishment, and is particularly looking forward to learning under a professor she admires. But this last part of her dream is not to be, when that professor hands over teaching duties to her understudy, the young and charming Jamie Davenport (Corey Mylchreest, best known for his role as King George in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story). Anna and Jamie get off to a rocky start, with the Brit accidentally drenching the grad student after speeding his car through a monster puddle - a classic meet-cute. But they soon find themselves undeniably attracted to each other, and Jamie helps Anna start crossing items off the list of things she wants to achieve during her Oxford year. If nothing else, My Oxford Year makes the university's sprawling campus look beautiful and inviting. Its storied buildings and libraries look utterly entrancing. Much of the film seems to be playing out like any standard rom-com, but things end up taking a decidedly more serious turn. Mylchreest is excellent as Jamie. He brings back all the dreaminess he displayed in the Bridgerton spin-off, but layers it with a carefree charm that belies a greater vulnerability underneath. Carson is a capable lead, her Americanness a stark contrast to the Brits around her. Harry Trevaldwyn (recently seen in the live action How to Train Your Dragon) is a scene-stealer as Anna's judgy pal Charlie, providing a lot of the levity in the second half of the film. Much of the film boils down to Anna and Jamie's different definitions of the concept of living deliberately, per writer Henry David Thoreau. There's not a great deal of subtlety to be found here, and nothing quite original enough to make the film stand out, but My Oxford Year is still an enjoyable watch with cosy style. Mylchreest and the Oxford setting are the film's biggest successes, and if his two big Netflix projects are anything to go by, then the actor is in for a solid career as a romantic lead. My Oxford Year is directed by Iain Morris, probably best known behind the camera for directing The Inbetweeners and The Inbetweeners 2, and also stars Dougray Scott (Mission Impossible II) and Catherine McCormack (Lockerbie: A Search for Truth).
Perth Now
10 hours ago
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Armie Hammer 'loved marijuana roofie-ing people'
Armie Hammer "loved marijuana roofie-ing people" at the height of his acting career. The Call Me by Your Name actor enjoyed taking the drug in company, particularly if it meant other people - including Hollywood star Johnny Depp - were left "so stoned" that they could not find their "feet". Armie, 38, joked on the latest episode of his The Armie HammerTime Podcast: "I loved poisoning people. "I loved smoking marijuana with people to the point where they were like, 'I'm so stoned, I can't find my feet.' ... "I loved marijuana roofie-ing people. "I think at that point in my life, I was smoking upwards of like 15 to 20 joints a day." Armie was then reminded that he got his The Lone Ranger co-star Johnny Depp "super stoned" before a promotional appearance for the 2013 movie, prompting them to be banned from "hanging out" during the press tour. His podcast co-host Ashton Ramsey said: "And where you actually got in trouble, the most trouble that you ever got into was when you basically got Johnny super-stoned before a press junket." Armie confirmed: "And they never let me hang out with Johnny on the press tour after that. "They would always keep us apart. "They never let us do press together. They were like, 'You two cannot hang out anymore.' " Armie - who was accompanied by ex-assistant Ashton on The Lone Ranger global press tour - recalled that Disney gave him his own private jet but his 62-year-old co-star had a bigger and better plane. He recalled: "They got him the craziest jet I've ever seen. [It] had a movie theatre in it. The guy who owned the jet was a serious smoker, and Johnny smokes cigarettes constantly... "He lights one off of the other one he just finished, kind of thing, all day. And they needed to get a plane for Johnny that he was allowed to smoke in ... "I remember walking up the stairs, and as I got four feet from the door of the plane ... cigarette smoke just hit me in the face. I walked onto the plane, and it was like yellow air from everyone just sitting in there smoking." In 2021, Armie's marriage to Elizabeth Chambers, 42, and his career went into freefall after he was accused of physical and sexual abuse, including alleged cannibalistic fantasies. He subsequently checked into rehab for help with his drug, alcohol and sex addiction issues.
