In Disney News...

...Disney Legend Wally Boag has passed away at the age of 90.

D23 has an excellent remembrance of the man Steve Martin remembers as "My hero, the first comedian I ever saw live, my influence."

Boag starred in Disneyland's Golden Horseshoe Revue for nearly 27 years. He also provided the voice for Jose, a parrot in the park's Enchanted Tiki Room.

In 2009 Boag published a memoir, cowritten with Gene Sands, Wally Boag: The Clown Prince of Disneyland.

Update: News is breaking via Twitter that Boag's longtime costar, Disney Legend Betty Taylor, has passed away.

Taylor played Slue-Foot Sue in the Golden Horseshoe for over 31 years. It's rather amazing that Boag and Taylor have died within a day of each other.

I also knew Taylor from recordings of Sons of the Pioneers radio shows my family listened to when I was growing up. I hope to post links to obituaries in the near future.

Update: D23 remembers Betty Taylor.

Sunday Update: Here's a brief remembrance posted at the Orange County Register's "Around Disney" page. Jim Hill Media has an excellent article on Boag and Taylor, including mention of some of their most famous fans. Daveland also has a very nice photo-filled tribute.

...For those who may have missed the news earlier this week, special effects wizard Harry Redmond Jr. has passed away at the age of 101.

Redmond, who worked on many classic films, was the husband of Disney Imagineer Dorothea Holt Redmond, who died in 2009, aged 98.

...This summer's D23 Expo has a website, complete with countdown clock. The schedule still hasn't been announced, but some of the exhibits have been listed, including Treasures of the Archives, which will have twice as much space as the exhibit at the 2009 Expo.

I've got my Expo ticket and look forward to reporting on it this summer.

...Some surprising news over the past week was the closure of the Mission Tortilla Factory in Disney's California Adventure. Over the years the tortilla factory gained appreciation from annual passholders as the source of a free quick snack. :)

The news isn't all bad, though...rumor has it a Ghirardelli Factory is coming to DCA, complete with soda fountain and chocolate shop. Ghirardelli would definitely fit in with the Bay Area theming in that part of the park.

...The new Soundsational Parade has had its debut in Disneyland, and the Little Mermaid and Star Tours rides had their grand opening ceremonies last week. Goofy's Sky School due to open around Independence Day.

The lines were crazy on Opening Day yesterday -- at one point the Star Tours line was so long that someone joked would be faster to fly to Orlando and ride it there! -- so I'm very glad we got to ride them for the first time during the preview period last week.

...Star Wars and Disney fans, be sure not to miss the Disney-produced video "Darth Vader Goes to Disneyland."

I also enjoyed a video of Jodi Benson and Pat Carroll, the voices of Ariel and Ursula, going on the new Little Mermaid ride together.