Brady MacDonald
Brady MacDonald is a freelance writer based in California. He wrote the Funland theme park blog for the Los Angeles Times for a decade. His work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, New York Newsday, Philadelphia Inquirer, Seattle Times, Orlando Sentinel and Orange County Register.
Southern California theme parks have targeted reopening dates as the state moves closer to allowing Disney, Universal and other major parks to finally welcome back visitors following more than three months of closures.
Most California theme parks have proposed reopening...
A new theme park reopening plan developed in partnership with Universal Studios, SeaWorld, Six Flags and Cedar Fair lays out nearly 300 guidelines for theme parks preparing to resume operations during the global pandemic.
The 36-page COVID-19 Reopening Guidance plan...
The layout of Cars Land in Disney California Adventure combines a challenging blend of artistry and practicality to recreate a fully functioning theme park version of the animated town of Radiator Springs seen in Pixar’s “Cars” films.
“The layout of...
Opening Disneyland sooner than expected after the coronavirus outbreak will likely require the Anaheim theme parks to scan temperatures, employ virtual queues, bring back E-tickets, limit capacity, direct foot traffic, shorten visits, reduce riders, alter parades and a whole...
A drumbeat of social media posts suggests the Shanghai Disneyland theme park is preparing to reopen after a three month closure due to the world health crisis.
Social media posts from China show snaking queues, social distancing signs and simulated...
Disney and Universal Studios fans hoped one silver lining of the current theme park closures in California and Florida would be that work crews would have unfettered access to tackle a variety of construction and maintenance projects.
Disney theme parks...
The enormous scale of the global health crisis has Disney accountants rounding to the nearest million to calculate the economic impact of the catastrophe. Survival of the company may rely upon a similar method millions of Americans are turning...
Walt Disney Imagineering concocted the sea breeze smell in the Soarin’ attraction at Disney California Adventure and Epcot by dropping cotton socks in the Pacific Ocean, stuffing the soaking wet footwear in a plastic bag and sending the sample...
Reopening Disneyland before the fall became “unlikely” as California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that mass gatherings with thousands of people are “not in the cards” through the end of the summer.
Disney’s two Anaheim theme parks, three hotels and outdoor...
The Haunted Mansion is the most magical of Disneyland rides in the most literal way: The 50-year-old attraction is an optical illusion that constantly changes depending on your point of view.
How do I love the Haunted Mansion? Let me...
The massive and complex Rise of the Resistance ride that lies largely hidden behind man-made cliffs and freshly-planted trees at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is designed to slowly reveal itself in one of the longest attraction experiences ever created...
Star Wars fans will be able to spend hours upon hours hunting for Easter Eggs hidden throughout the new Galaxy’s Edge themed lands coming to Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
“I think that's going to be a part of the...
Superland Bowl Theme Park Championship
Welcome to the Fantasyland League and the inaugural Superland Bowl pitting the reigning Universal Orlando Conference champion Wizarding World of Harry Potter against newcomer Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge from the Disneyland Conference.
The first-ever Superland Bowl...
The new Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run flight simulator ride coming to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland will put a new generation of pilots, gunners and flight engineers at the controls of the fastest hunk of junk in the...
The strange group of tourists snapping photos of wobbly door knobs, jumbled knots of electrical wires and rust stains on the weathered walls of the bustling ancient marketplace made an unusual request of the already confused tour guide.
“Take us...
The otherworldly petrified tree spires and intergalactic outpost marketplaces in the new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge themed lands coming Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios were inspired by a host of far-flung real-world locations on planet Earth.
Walt Disney Imagineering and...