Videos

Restored home video: Polynesian and Contemporary Resort – November 1987

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Featured on our last live movie night, this is our video restoration of a home movie from November 1987. We start off with a great pan around the waterfall that used to be featured in the lobby of the Polynesian. Next up are some great shots from the Polynesian beach with a view of the Grand Floridian under construction. Over at the Contemporary, a beautiful sunrise shot shot from the rooftop observation deck is followed by...Read More...

Brian's Corner, Slides

Slide Carousel: Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in November 1984

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One of the missions of the Lake Buena Vista Historical Society is to preserve the history of not just the Walt Disney World resort but some of the ancillary developments surrounding the resort.  When a set of photographic slides taken in November 1984 of the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress recently became available to us we jumped at the chance.  The gallery appears at the bottom of this post. When it opened in February 1984 the Grand...Read More...

Videos

Restored Video: Living with the Land with live narrator

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Welcome to a voyage of discovery and awareness of the richness, the diversity, and the often surprising nature of living with the land When the opening day Listen to the Land attraction was updated to Living with the Land in the early 1990’s, the ride featured both prerecorded narration as well as a live cast member tour guide on the boat. When entering the greenhouse portions of the attraction, the cast member would point out plants...Read More...

Restored Films

4k HD 35mm Film Helicopter Tour of Walt Disney World, EPCOT, D-MGM Studios Construction – 1988

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Featured on our last live movie night, this found footage is an awesome helicopter tour of Walt Disney World in 1988. Shot on 35mm film, we’ve restored and remastered it into a beautiful 4K resolution and we’ve added an additional interpolated 60 frames per second video! The film starts with the helicopter taking off from the STOLport and follows the monorail followed by a flyover of the main parking lot and Bay Lake. There are great...Read More...

Podcast

Podcast Episode 64: Crescent Lake

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Welcome to Episode 64 of the RetroWDW Podcast: “Crescent Lake” – We appreciate your support and hope you have been enjoying each and every episode. Be sure to check out some of our previous shows from over the years. We have visited multiple parks, resorts, and just about everything else in between. We hope you stick with us through 2021 as we bring you some great content that will bring you back to WDW each month. ...Read More...

Videos

Video: Michael Eisner on Larry King (1993)

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Legendary talk show host Larry King passed away earlier today at age 87. Among the huge collection of his interviews is this 1993 interview with then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner. We are pleased to present this restored video as a tribute to Mr. King. Larry and Michael discuss the upcoming American Teacher Awards airing on the Disney channel and the importance of education. They go onto discuss the financial trouble at EuroDisney, and the company’s upcoming plans...Read More...

Videos

Restored film: Circus World and Sea World (July 1978)

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This short silent film features footage from Central Florida parks, Circus World and SeaWorld. Circus World was a park themed by Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus and operated from 1974 until 1986. The film contains shots of the performers (both human and animal) as well as a number of other attractions. Additionally, some shots of the wildlife at SeaWorld are included at the end of this quick trip!Read More...

Videos

Remastered video: Walt Disney World Information Channel – 1991

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We are pleased to present another restored video in our series of Walt Disney World Information Channel recordings. This is from 1991, during the 20th anniversary festivities. Guests staying in one of The Walt Disney World resort hotels would see this loop on their in-room TV to see previews of attractions, shows and other activities throughout the property. Some of the long-gone highlights include the live Muppets, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Dinosaurs shows at the...Read More...