My Blog's 4th Anniversary — The Disney Classics

In 2019 I began writing for The Disney Classics as a way to improve my writing and storytelling abilities, as well as connect with a new community. My first trip to Disneyland was 2003, and some of my core memories include the Sun Wheel, the Orange Stinger, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and visiting Minnie in ToonTown. At the time, I thought it was a magical place that would later become a distant memory of happiness. Now, as a 24 year old, I feel grateful to have met so many incredible people through Disney platforms who felt the same as I did. Though my life has changed a lot in the last 4 years, I have always tried to make time to flex my writing muscle and learn something new, and this blog has allowed me to do both. I have uploaded almost every week since May 2019 and my audience has grown significantly. Let’s take a look at some highlights from the last year.

What were your most successful posts from this year?

Last year, my top post was “The History of the Evolving Animation Styles of Disney”, and this year it remains the same. I’ve even had a few lovely people reach out to me to ask to cite it for their research papers on animation! This one is an incredible encapsulation of Disney’s progression as a whole, artistic styles, influential people, and more.

Flowers and Trees (1932). Image from: https://letterboxd.com/film/flowers-and-trees/

Another one that has slowly risen to the top is “The Real Life “Up” House”, which tells the story of 2 unique homes in the US, one that was inspired by Carl and Ellie’s house, and another that has the same story as Carl. Both are fascinating tourist attractions and pay homage to a heart wrenching tale.

The “Up” themed house in Utah. Image from: https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g1598496-d8134770-Reviews-The_Real_UP_House-Herriman_Utah.html

I show great interest in what the original fairytales were that Disney decided to adapt and how they changed them to better fit their models and values. A post I wrote in 2020, “Snow White, As Told by the Brothers Grimm”, has garnered significant attention. In that post, I also detail who the rumored real Snow White is that they may have based the title character on.

Finally, a post I wrote in July 2022 titled “The Real Toys of Toy Story (1995)” has joined the top roster, which I’m really proud of. I spent weeks researching the old toys that were featured in the film and their origins, their inventors, and how they ended up in Pixar’s first film. Learning about Mr. Potato Head, Slinky Dog and Etch-A-Sketch was incredibly interesting.

what were your favourite posts to write this year?

Since I’ve now been writing about Disney facts for 4 years, I’ve had to get creative about what people might want to learn about. Since my last anniversary post, I’ve written 43 posts. I started with asking the question about how much it takes to really build a successful Disneyland attraction, with “The Most Expensive Disneyland Mountain”. In the realm of Disneyland, I also dove into the topic of audio-animatronics, featuring posts about “The Oldest Audio-Animatronics in Disneyland” and “The Most Iconic Disneyland Audio-Animatronics of All Time”. I learned so much about what Disneyland looked like over so many decades with my restaurant series, “Disneyland’s Main Street USA Restaurants in 1955” and “Tomorrowland and Frontierland Disneyland Restaurants in 1955”.

The Plaza Pavilion. Image from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/miehana/6398922119

I took advantage of Elvis being back on everyone’s hearts and minds during summer 2022 and wrote “Lilo, Stitch and Elvis: Graceland’s Ties to Disney”.

I got to have a connection with Virginia Davis’s granddaughter over social media after writing “Disney Legends - Virginia Davis”.

My posts this year have also really surrounded The Little Mermaid, anticipating the release this month. I started off with “How Ariel and Belle are Connected - Sherri Stoner”, then “Disney Legends - Pat Carroll” around Halloween time. “Disney Legends - Howard Ashman” details how Howard was influential to Disney’s success and how his lyrics spoke to generations of young people. Then, more recently, I wrote all about The Little Mermaid back to back - “A Disney Character Study: The Significance of Sebastian from The Little Mermaid”, “The Original Story of The Little Mermaid”, and “Ariel’s Fashion Eras: The Little Mermaid’s Many Dresses”.

Ariel and Prince Eric in “Kiss the Girl”. Image from: https://www.geeksandgamers.com/a-decade-of-disney-the-little-mermaid-1989/

Finally, I’m also proud of the attention I paid to the original Disney princesses this year. I wrote about how Cinderella’s design transformed over time with “The Evolution of Cinderella’s Appearance”. Then, I focused on the leaps Sleeping Beauty took in animation with “The Innovations and Artistry of Sleeping Beauty”. Finally, I celebrated Snow White’s milestone anniversary with “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Legacy and Achievements - 85th Anniversary”.

Prince Phillip and Briar Rose meet, Sleeping Beauty. Image from: https://letterboxd.com/film/sleeping-beauty/

who’s reading?

I’m so thankful to everyone who has taken time out of their day to read just a little bit from this blog. I value the importance of continual learning, as your mind will never stop developing, and there is always an advantage to having new knowledge. My audience is primarily based in the United States, with 55,000 visits from the country. The United Kingdom is the runner up, with 5,500 visits. My country, Canada, is in third, with 3,700 visits. My audience spans across the globe, with readers from Brazil, India, France, Italy, Russia, Indonesia, Japan, South Africa, Belgium, and so many more.

Last year, my visits have increased by a whopping 630%, reaching 82,000 visits from May 20, 2022 to May 20, 2023. For context, my numbers from May 20, 2021 to May 20, 2022 were 11,000. My total over my last 4 years have reached 95,000 visits, and that doesn’t include my original Wordpress site from May 2019 to January 2020.

Thank you to everyone who has stopped by, clicked around, read something and have left a comment. It truly means the world.

Onto year 5!

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