Hello, and welcome to the latest edition of the weekly feature known as "The Disney Look... to the Past!"
Enjoy reading all of the following interesting facts about the Walt Disney Parks, Resorts, Movies, and more:
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This Week in Disney History: May 17-23

May 20, 1973 - Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Belle debut at Magic Kingdom Park

Who’s ready for adventure? Board a log raft and head for the island in the middle of the Rivers of America, where the young rapscallion from Mark Twain’s novels inspired a fun-filled Frontierland hideaway. Dirt trails and rustic bridges lead to landmarks like the stalagmite-filled caverns of Injun Joe’s Cave, the giant waterwheel of Harper’s Mill, and Fort Langhorn, an early frontier settlement. The original Tom Sawyer Island opened at Disneyland Park in 1955, and has the distinction of being the only Disney Parks attraction personally designed by Walt Disney. Circumnavigating the island is the Liberty Square Riverboat, an authentic recreation of a 19th century sternwheeler like the ones that paddled down the Mississippi River. Originally named for Richard F. Irvine, a Disney designer and executive, the ship stands 47 feet tall and has 4 decks for Guests to explore, plus take in picture-perfect views of Tom Sawyer Island, Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain. It opened as Magic Kingdom Park’s second riverboat after the “Admiral” Joe Fowler debuted in 1971, and the two ships sailed the Rivers of America simultaneously until 1980. After an extensive 1996 refurbishment, the Richard F. Irvine was renamed the Liberty Belle.

The official Disney Parks Blog recently shared some important information regarding this year's special 24-hour event that will take place at the Magic Kingdom Park on May 24, 2013 as part of the Monstrous Summer:

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24 Hours of Fun and Entertainment in Three Disney Parks

We’re just one week away from our next Limited Time Magic event, the huge Disney Parks Monstrous Summer All-Nighter on May 24! Pam Brandon and Steven Miller will be along later to share details about some of the great food and merchandise you can expect to find, but first I’d like to tell you more about the special entertainment we have in store.

Everything kicks-off with special opening moments in front of the parks, leading up to 6 a.m., and then you’re off and running for 24 hours of fun!* Many of your usual favorite characters and shows will be happening throughout the day, but we also have some extra things planned just for this event.

At Magic Kingdom Park, Mike and Sulley from this summer’s new Disney•Pixar film “Monsters University” will pop in to “scare up” some excitement at the “Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It!” Street Party, and serve as Grand Marshals during a special pre-parade, complete with a cheer squad, flag corps and a marching band playing the MU Fight Song! You can catch this procession just ahead of each of that day’s two performances of the “Celebrate a Dream Come True” Parade. In Tomorrowland, the Rockettower Plaza Stage plays host to a “Monster Mania” DJ Dance Party from 4 – 9 p.m. and “Monsters University Movie Night” from 11 p.m. – 5 a.m., featuring back-to-back showings of the original “Monsters, Inc.” and an opportunity to meet Mike and Sulley! Finally, you can dance the night away at Disney’s Up All Night Dance Party at Cinderella Castle, keeping things lively from 2 – 5:45 a.m.

At Disneyland Resort, the fun spreads out across two Disney Parks! Disney California Adventure park is having a Hollywood Viewing Party, screening “Monsters, Inc.” inside Muppets Theater and hosting Mad T Party outside in Hollywood Land. Both start at 9 p.m. and continue through the night. Elsewhere, the “Monsters University” gang will be out and about with the new MU float from the Pixar Play Parade, happy to pose for pictures with you.

Disneyland park celebrates with a Disney Character Pajama Party, starting after midnight in Mickey’s Toontown with classic Disney cartoons, a Mickey Mouse Party Zone with DJ and activities for kids, plus goodies available for purchase, like hot chocolate, milk and cookies and other treats. Over in Tomorrowland, there will be Star Wars characters to meet and the TLT “Monstrous” Dance Club at Tomorrowland Terrace, where you can keep the party going from midnight to 5:30 a.m. During the All-Nighter, the Royal Theatre at Fantasy Faire hosts a Royal Swing Ball, with a live band from 10 p.m. – 1:40 a.m., and beginning June 15 the “Jump, Jive, Boogie Swing Party” will return to the Royal Theatre for select nights during the summer. Keep an eye on the calendar page on Disneyland.com for dates and information.

So whether you’re heading to Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World Resort for the Disney Parks Monstrous Summer All-Nighter, you’re in for a monster-sized good time!

*Hours of operation 6:00 a.m. on 5/24/13 to 6:00 a.m. on 5/25/13; subject to capacity restrictions. Only select attractions, entertainment and services will be available. Valid theme park admission required. Subject to restrictions and change without notice.

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If you will attend the event, we recommend you rest the day before to be able to stay in the park the whole day!

This morning we are going to give you a quite extensive update regarding the most recent permits that were filed in the last two weeks by the Walt Disney World Resort. We will start with some work scheduled to be done on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roundhouse (where the trains are stored) at the Magic Kingdom Park:

Great news! Magic Kingdom's new interactive game, A Pirate’s Adventure: Treasures of the Seven Seas, will now be testing on a daily basis. Interested Guests can sign up to play-test this new addition by signing up at the enlistment quarters in Caribbean Plaza, just past Pirate’s Bazaar, where they will get a treasure map and start their adventure. The map will lead them on a quest through the land with Captain Jack Sparrow.

Operating Times:

• May 17 and 18: 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. 
• May 19-30: 9 a.m. - park close

Of course, note that testing may be suspended or canceled at any time during this testing period.

On May 16, 2013, Busch Gardens Tampa invited the media (including us) and some students from nearby schools to attend the very first performance of the park's newest show, "Madagascar Live! Operation: Vacation", housed in the newly-enclosed Stanleyville theater. That showing was not open to the general public.

The show is incredibly lively, and it is obvious that it was designed with a young audience in mind (the songs used can be definitely likened to the modern music appreciated by the younger generation). Its strengths are, no doubt, the presence of a live band and of many of the beloved characters that made the Madagascar series a very successful one, including Alex the lion, Gloria the hippopotamus, King Julien XIII, Mort, and the penguins. The only minor issues we found were the lack of props (the stage itself looked very bare and simplistic), and the fact that the show can get very loud; too loud in certain circumstances (but that could have been magnified during the first performance by the fact that we were surrounded by hundreds of kids!). That being said, there's no doubt that this show will be a hit at Busch Gardens Tampa.

Now, let's take a look around the theater to see how different it looks at the moment, after having been enclosed: