Shelly Valladolid
Shelly Valladolid, aka Fab, has been writing about Disney and theme parks for about two decades. She has written for various fan and pop culture sites, Disney Magazine and OCRegister.com and participated in several books, including Passporter's Disneyland and Southern California and Disney World Dreams. She was co-founder and president of the Orlando, Florida chapter of the NFFC (now Disneyana Fan Club). She taught a class on theme park history at a Southern California University. She is creator and co-owner of Jim Hill Media, one of the creators of MousePlanet and was a consultant on MSNBC, The Motley Fool and others about Disney and various media matters. She was a Heel wrestling manager on TV and a voice artist on the radio in Honolulu, HI, where she grew up. She has a blog and a podcast with her daughter, Mission:Breakout Obsessive Alice Hill. She and her husband, MiceChat columnist Noe Valladolid, live in Southern California with Alice.
What if... those of you who have read my articles over the years know that the wonderful world of Disney is filled with things that almost (but didn't) happen. One of those things helps explain why the Carousel building...
When I was four, it terrified me. When I was a teenager, I laughed at it. Now, I'm an old woman and I remember it fondly: Disneyland's Adventure Thru Inner Space. It was Disney's first Omnimover ride and last...
Walt Disney loved miniatures. You could see it in his park at Storybook Land and in his home collection, which featured among other things Granny's Cabin, based on the 1949 film So Dear to My Heart (my favorite Disney...
The S.E.A., or Society of Explorers and Adventurers, evolved rather organically from Pleasure Island to Disney Parks all over the world - and even on the Seven Seas! What started as a tribute to the members of the dearly...
Another legendary Imagineering talent is departing from Disney. When Kevin Rafferty started with Disney 42 year ago, there were just two theme parks in the whole company. After countless projects to create and enhance the Disney experience as we...
As most of you know, longtime Imagineer Joe Rohde is hanging up his ears and looking for new adventures, retiring after 40 years at Walt Disney Imagineering! Joe leaves behind a deep, multilayered storytelling style and a legacy of...
Once upon a time, there lived a boy named Ron. He and his family lived in and worked on a beautiful 10-acre orange grove. One day, a man named Walt Disney looked over the farm and liked it for...
Hey there, Hi there, Ho there! If you collect Disneyana or love Disney history, you're going to be very interested in this auction at Potter auctions. I see a few early Walt Disney World things that are catching my...
I'm so glad to back with you again after a long absence! Today, I've got some never-before-seen photos of construction happening at Universal Studios Hollywood. Could it be the rumored Super Nintendo World? Well, read on to find out!...
Two weeks from today, I'll be heading East with my friend, co-host and daughter, Alice Hill. We're getting there a day or two early for the MiceChat Invasion of Walt Disney World. We're going to Sip and Nibble our...
Hello, boys and ghouls! Are you in the mood for Halloween yet? My daughter Alice and I will be taking a trip to a lil resort called Disney World, but we'll be back just in time for tricks and...
Happy Halloween Season, everybody! I hope you're enjoying the Pumpkin Spice edible of your choice and getting ready for sweater weather - which can't come soon enough for us here at Chez Fab. It looks like all of the...
Hello to all. I accidentally missed last week because I bricked my laptop by knocking a glass of water on it. I'm really sorry. Let's hope today's rumors make up for it a little. A big hi to reader...
Bob Chapek announced last Sunday at the D23 Expo's Parks, Experiences and Products presentation (among many other things) that a Mary Poppins attraction would be making its debut at the UK Pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase.
From Disney Parks, Experiences...
It's a Fab fun day folks! With the D23 Expo just a few days away, there's one thing that I just can't wait to find out more about . . . Disney's Secret Project mystery - just WHAT is it?...
Jim Hill and I have a running joke on our podcast, "It's all about the food", even when we're talking about an entirely unrelated subject. Ask most Disney Parks fans what they love about their favorite park, and they'll...
In the happy blur between now and the D23 Expo, I'd like to discuss a rumor that has been percolating for nearly a quarter of a century . . . but it's so central to the whole reason that...
Hey, Micechat-eers! I've got a hot rumor from the other guys in Orlando, a quick look at what's coming up in Disney+ and suggested reasons why your favorite won't be available on Day One.
Something "Epic" is Coming from Universal...
She was as bubbly and cheerful as Minnie Mouse herself, so it was only fitting that Russi Taylor took the mantle of Minnie Mouse's voice in 1986. She brought Minnie to life during the Totally Minnie era and beyond,...
Welcome to Fab's Five, where we'll discuss five fabulous subjects. Nothing more, nothing less: that's the rule. Today, we'll take a trip to Neverland to look at five attractions that never saw the light of day. They had been...