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This week on the Disney Parks Blog, our readers were treated to a bevvy of “it’s a small world” content in honor of the upcoming 50th anniversary of the attraction. Many Disney Parks Blog authors shared stories, historic images and videos created especially for this celebration - be sure to check out Erin’s post for some fun trivia and history that surrounds this attraction. View the full article

This week, our celebration of the upcoming 50th anniversary of the “it’s a small world” attraction kicked into high gear with multiple posts talking about the history and the significance of this attraction. View the full article

The Force is strong this year at Disney's Hollywood Studios! As Gary Buchanan has been sharing with everyone here on Disney Parks Blog, there's a galaxy full of fun and excitement planned for this year's Star Wars Weekends. View the full article

Some of you may have seen my fellow Disney Parks Blog author Thomas Smith’s recent post sharing the exciting news about the first-of-its-kind, online global sing-along that will take place on April 10 tp celebrate the 50th anniversary of “it’s a small world.” Today, I have more exciting news to share with you. Our merchandise team has been hard at work creating some very special merchandise as part of this 50th anniversary celebration. View the full article

Many Disney California Adventure park guests are fans of the Mariachi Divas, who appear regularly in Pacific Wharf, and if you’re a fan, you probably know that in January they won their second Grammy Award, this one for their album “A Mi Manera.” View the full article

After news reports surfaced last week that Sofia Coppola is in talks to direct a live-action adaptation of "The Little Mermaid," media outlets and fans quickly began speculating that Emma Watson, who worked with Coppola on "The Bling Ring," would be an ideal candidate for the title role. View the full article

What started as a bucket-list goal turned into Kimberly Markey’s run for life. This wife and mother of two from Connecticut started running in 2008, setting her sites on completing the 2009 Walt Disney WorldMarathon presented by Cigna. Her one-and-done adventure turned into a love and passion for running. Little did she know running would help her through one of the most difficult fights of her life. View the full article

Today’s performance of “it’s a small world (after all)” comes to us from musician Michael Antoine. Michael was born in Trinidad, where his father taught him how to play the instrument, and now resides in Florida. View the full article

The 1964-65 New York World’s Fair theme was “Peace Through Understanding,” and no exhibition better embodied this idea than “it’s a small world.” View the full article

In a company built on animation, it’s always fun to try different ways of showcasing our famous animated characters. A technique of animation involves persistence of vision, a phenomenon where you retain a visual for a small amount of time, even after the visual is removed from view. (An example would be the flipbooks we played with when we were kids.) View the full article

There’s a lot happening at the Walt Disney World Resort, here’s a glimpse of what’s headed your way from the world of Disney Theme Park Merchandise events. Before we jump into April, here’s a quick peek at two events that you won’t want to miss! View the full article

What's the farthest you've ever traveled for a night out with your significant other? Here's one date night destination you may have never considered: out on the open ocean! View the full article

Maker Studios , which is being acquired by The Walt Disney Co. in a deal worth up to $950 million, has cut a content-licensing deal with cable music-video service Music Choice for more than 500 hours of the YouTube multichannel network's clips. View the full article

Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon has definitely not been one of the sights we’ve featured in this series before. Our water parks close before sundown, which is what makes this photograph so intriguing to me. It’s of Miss Tilly, the shipwrecked boat that serves as the icon at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park. Doesn’t it look amazing as the sunsets? View the full article

Around the world, Disney Parks are celebrating the 50th anniversary of “it’s a small world,” which debuted at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. You can join the celebration at SmallWorld50.com by creating your own “it’s a small world” doll and lending your voice to our global sing-along! Today, let’s dive into some little-known details about this iconic attraction. View the full article

Our celebration of the 50th anniversary of “it’s a small world” continues today with a video performance from the children’s choir, Xin Yin, which is based in Shanghai. View the full article

It’s a homecoming of sorts for Chef Marcel St. Pierre at Steakhouse 55 at the Disneyland Hotel at Disneyland Resort. When he started his Disney career in 2000, he was a young chef at Granville’s Steakhouse, now Steakhouse 55. “It’s full circle, but this time I’m leading the entire team at the Disneyland Hotel,” he says with a smile. View the full article

The world’s second “it’s a small world” attraction debuted at Magic Kingdom Park at the Walt Disney World Resort on the park’s opening day Oct. 1, 1971. View the full article

Walking through New Fantasyland and watching the evolution of Seven Dwarfs Mine Train has been fascinating, seeing such a large attraction rise up from scaffolding and into a beautiful mountain covered with lush trees and colorful wildflowers. Let’s take a quick photo walk around it today with these shots. View the full article

A while ago, I compiled a group of theme-park quotations and made a quiz out of them. I'm a sucker for accidental catch phrases, some of which were not designed to be humorous. View the full article

Disney World annual passholders are finding MagicBands in their mailboxes, ushering in a new phase of the long-term testing of the company's billion-dollar reservation system. Inside the packaging are instructions on how to wear them ("Mickey facing up") and other details. Here are some facts from the box and from a recent media briefing. View the full article

WHAT: DIY Network's Matt Muenster makes his debut at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. Muenster, who appears on "Bath Crashers" and "Blog Cabin," will talk about high-end interior design this weekend at the Festival Center. View the full article

Remember If You Had Wings? Did you love Adventure Thru Inner Space? Recall your first time taking the dive on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea? So does at D23: The Official Disney Fan Club! View the full article

For children and families around the globe, Walt Disney World Resort is a magical place where dreams come true every day. At Disney, we take great pride in calling Central Florida home for the past 42 years and we're always looking for ways to share our magic with our community. Today, we hit a high note with our ongoing efforts by announcing $3.8 million in Disney grants to 87 deserving local nonprofits. These donations will make a positive impact in the lives of more than 85,000 Central Florida children this year. View the full article

Yesterday, we were pleased to welcome Caryl Stern, CEO of UNICEF, to Disneyland park. In addition to recalling the long relationship between her organization and Disney, Caryl took a moment to look back her own experience as a child, riding “it’s a small world” at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. View the full article