“To all who come to this happy place, welcome,” Walt Disney announced on July 17, 1955, Disneyland’s opening day. Perhaps if The Walt Disney Family Museum, celebrating its fourth year in San Francisco’s Presidio, should have an associated quote, it should be, “to all who come to this happy place, (you’re) welcome.” This place is truly dedicated to Walt’s admirers. The museum that honors the man responsible for Mickey Mouse and countless other creations embodies a “must-see” attraction for any true Disney enthusiast.

Recently I had the privilege of visiting The Walt Disney Family Museum, though even an entire day did not warrant enough time to explore each fascinating facet.

Check out 12 reasons to visit The Walt Disney Family Museum in this video I developed after my visit.

Roger Rabbit of 1988’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit hasn’t been seen up close at Disneyland for over a decade, but for Easter, the character made a rare appearance at the California theme park this week to lead guests in the annual Bunny Hop dance.

Check out the video here below, captured by the folks over at Behind The Magic, of Roger Rabbit mingling with the park guests on Main Street USA, doing the holiday dance with them.

The Walt Disney Company claimed a number of momentous milestones and achievements in 2012, such as boasting the highest-grossing film of the year (Marvel’s The Avengers). But as Disney reached some considerable points, they also faced and developed a handful of issues. This special edition of Disney In Depth looks back at the world of Disney in 2012, with my top 10 best in this edition, and “bottom” 10 worst (with some suggestions on how to remedy those problems) in next week’s edition.

Continue reading for the best of list.

“˜Tis the season to be surprised with Disney cheer. The gift of the Mouse, or at least the gift from individuals who care about people who love the Mouse, is one that keeps on giving each year. Thanks to the Internet, and specifically YouTube, everyone can enjoy these special holiday moments. Often parents bring their children yuletide joy through bestowing them a Disney present, sometimes as cool as a vacation to one of the magical destinations.

Here below watch some of the funniest and most heartwarming reactions.

We were all shocked to discover when Darth Vader revealed himself to be Luke Skywalker’s father. But we experienced perhaps even more shock when news broke this week that The Walt Disney Company was acquiring Lucasfilm, George Lucas‘ 41-years-strong company. Now, Mickey Mouse will be both Vader’s and Luke’s parent, though not by blood — what an awkward “modern family” that deserves some critical examination.

Puns and jokes aside, this $4 billion purchase follows what has been a whirlwind of new ventures for Disney in just the past seven years since Bob Iger attained the role of CEO of The Walt Disney Company. 2006 marked Disney’s purchase of Pixar. 2009 signified Disney’s purchase of Marvel. And now 2012 represents news of Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm. One can only imagine what the Mouse House will obtain in 2015 if this ironically-consistent pattern of buying a big entity every three years continues. These heavily-expensive, but ingenious acquisitions reflect Disney’s focus of branding and leveraging well-known and well-received properties.