What is Cinderella's last name?

Q: My parents were visiting Walt Disney World and their bus driver would asked them trivia questions. They couldn't answer this one: "What is Cinderella's last name?" Would it be Charming?

Melinda, Chubbuck, Idaho

A [Dave Smith]: Her stepmother is Lady Tremaine, so Tremaine would likely be Cinderella's last name.

[Marcio Disney]

During my researchs, I found 3 VERY OLD books telling Cinderella story. The first one below was printed in London and it is a children's book with a lot o painting and just a few words. The second one is the classical tale and the third one is a 1893's book with 345 variants of the Cinderella Story!

[Price Sixpense] Adventures of Cinderella

[George Routledge] Cinderella

[1893] Cinderella - 345 Variants by Marian Roalfe Cox

Donald's One Stop Service

Q: I have an 8mm cartoon movie made by Mickey Mouse Cine Art Films. I am trying to find its value and rarity. It's #944-Z, titled Donald's One Stop Service. It is in the box. I would like to know the age of this film also.
Dolores, Norwood, Ohio 

A [Dave smith]: Donald's One Stop Service is actually a shortened version of the 1935 cartoon Mickey's Service Station. It was released in this version for home use. These 8mm films have little or no value, because most people don't have projectors anymore, the films themselves are often brittle and they have all been released on DVD. I have seen some of the original boxes offered at prices around $10 to $35.

[More to See - Marcio Disney]

Before the Nemo ride in The Living Seas at Epcot

Q: Before the Nemo ride in The Living Seas at Epcot I remember another ride but cannot remember its name. I remember that it stated with a movie and then a ride. Do you know the name?
Carrie, Poland, New York

A [Dave Smith]: When The Living Seas first opened, guests would see a film, The Seas, then "descend" into the depths of the sea in Hydrolators. They would board two-passenger Seacabs for a three-minute ride through a 400-foot long tunnel, offering views through large windows of the coral reefs teeming with fish and other sea creatures, before arriving at Sea Base Alpha. The short ride in the Seacabs did not have a name; it was closed around 2001.

[Marcio Disney]

Mickey, Goofy and Donald's Siblings

Q: I know that Mickey has two nephews: Morty and Ferdie, Donald has three nephews: Huey, Dewey and Louie, and Goofy has a son, Max, yet I don't ever recall hearing about Mickey or Donald's siblings or Max's mother. Can you tell me more about this younger generation of Disney characters and how they came to be?

Rachael, Littleton, Colorado 

A [Dave Smith]: Disney artists only created characters when they were needed for a story; in the theatrical cartoons no sibling was ever created for Mickey Mouse, and only in some early cartoons did Goofy have a wife. We are told in Donald's Nephews that Donald's sister was named Dumbella, but she was never used in a cartoon. A multitude of relatives for the characters were created for comic books and comic strips. 

Disney on Parade presented in USA Sports Arenas [1969 - 1973]

Q: Before "Disney On Ice" there was "Disney On Parade," which ran from 1969 to the mid-1970s. There were many segments through the years and some Disney Legends like Ward Kimball and Bill Justice worked on it. Can you please shed a little history and some facts about "Disney On Parade"?
Richard, New York, New York

A [Dave Smith]: "Disney on Parade" was affectionately known around the company as "Disney on Wood," to differentiate it from the later "Disney on Ice." I recall attending a preview performance in Long Beach, California, shortly before I turned in my proposal for the Walt Disney Archives. The show, with lavish production numbers reminiscent of an ice show, was presented in sports arenas all around the country, beginning in Chicago on December 19, 1969. There were four versions of the show, with the last in 1973.

[Marcio Disney]

Michelle Randell and Ron Cisneros taken in 1974 in Australia. Michelle was trained by the original show's Snow White, Yvonne Green, who would later go on to take the role of Mary Poppins in the fourth and final installment of the show.

Major production numbers, like this Pinocchio number in the Snow Unit, emphasized the importance of dancers and skilled gymnasts/artisans.

Sets and props like this used in Alice in Wonderland were often painful to haul from city to city.

Photo by Dave Singha

http://www.superbeetles.com/herbie/herbie.htm

"In 1969, Walt Disney Productions produced a traveling show called, "Disney on Parade". This was an arena show that showcased the Disney characters in various production numbers and  Herbie was in it! This was the Disney Studios way of promoting their new star. Herbie was the Disney Studios first live Disney character. Meaning, Herbie wasn't an animated character drawn with ink/paint. He's a real object that Disney's amazing special effects artists created. I believe that is one of the many reasons Herbie is so popular. You don't have to go see Herbie just in a theater, you can see him in real life. I've seen children and adults get so excited when they see Herbie in person. Their faces light up with delight. The adults become kids again because they are reliving what they experienced when they first saw a Herbie movie. It's a wonderful thing to see that excitement in people. Even if you see a VW that isn't detailed like Herbie, we still refer to it as a Herbie. I mean, come on. Volkswagen is known as "The People's Car". And that's what Herbie is too."

 - By Hugh Chitwood

 Disney News Magazine - Winter Edition 1969/70 - Disney on Parade Cover