Julie Benson

Heavenly. Unreal. Jesus Christ Superstar at the Bowl.

We leave the house for Sir Andrew. @shawnabenson.bsky.social and I are loving Jesus Christ Superstar at the Hollywood Bowl. Although I think I could have seen it better from my house.

My mind is blown. Jesus Christ Superstar at the Bowl. 🤩

THE BEST!

a silhouette of a man in a cape is standing in front of a window ALT: a silhouette of a man in a cape is standing in front of a window

With the soundtrack to Masterpiece Theater behind it. :(

Fanart of the human torch and Shalla-Bal set Infront of the earth from space, based from a scene in the 2025 film 'Fantastic Four: First Steps'

"It's a blessing. It means 'Die with yours'" #fantastic4

Larry and Julie

Sunset

Sunset

Happy Birthday to the old man, 74 today! Jake’s in Del Mar was beautiful.

Versigh.

“FREE!”

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Sent this fancy trash can link to my Dad with the note, “You need this!”

His response…? ⬇️

Japan says powerful quake has hit near Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, issues a tsunami advisory Japan’s meteorological agency says that a powerful earthquake has hit near Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula and issued a tsunami advisory for Japan.

BREAKING: A magnitude 8.7 earthquake triggers tsunami alert for Japan and tsunami warnings for portions of the U.S. West Coast, Alaska and Hawaii.

This makes me miss Arclight Theaters even more.

I was today years old when I learned one of my favorite actresses was not only married to George C. Scott but they were Campbell Scott’s parents. The mix of shame and exhilaration are sending me back to bed.

Try again, time traveler trying to correct the bad timeline because of the past few years. Try again.

Thanks, buddy!

Maybe but we’re still trying for TV for now.

Thanks buddy. Let’s hope Disney reads it and agrees.

Same.

Thank you. Seriously.

Thank you and RIGHT?! So would we. :)

10/ Btw Harriet, Renie, Fred, Wathel, Herb, and Harper (in Adventureland) all have windows on Main Street. But Ruth Shellhorn STILL DOES NOT. And we know Dick Irvine asked her about her interest in one because she wrote about it… in her diary! Just wanted to get all that off our chests. Onwards.

Julie Benson and Shawna Benson with Minnie Mouse in the 80s.

9/ We don’t have a lot in common with Walt other than his passion and never taking no for an answer. These stories deserve to be known and we want to tell them. We know if you read this thread you’re a fan and would probably LOVE a show like this too. We’d just like Disney to read it. Maybe year 75?

Julie Benson at UCLA Research Library with Ruth Shellhorn's blueprints, diaries, and ephemera.

8/ So, we went down the Disney rabbit hole, honing in on factoids & people involved in making Disneyland a reality. We read over 80 books, watched hours of footage, & went to the UCLA Research Library to transcribe Ruth Shellhorn’s diaries & study her landscape designs & blueprints. We were all in.

Minnie Mouse and Shawna Benson - college program.

7/ @shawnabenson.bsky.social & I poured our hearts into THIS HAPPY PLACE. We were privileged to vacay at Disney parks, Shawna worked 13 years for Disney & even gave the Backstage Studio Tour during the college program. We were supposed to go back to WDW on March 28th, 2020… but the pandemic hit.

Rolly Crump and Walt Disney.

6/ Add on the 64 World’s Fair, the Florida Project, the Succession-esque 80s/90s, and the international parks… that’s 5 seasons or more right there. We believe the generations that have been to the parks could enjoy this show together. Imagine going to the park and seeing something with fresh eyes.

Renie Conley's costume design for Slew Foot Sue.

Walt Disney and Fred Joerger.

5/ Fred Joerger (fellow central IL kid) built tiny models while hiding a big secret. Harper Goff eyeballed Jungle Cruise track with a stick. Herb Ryman flipped the top of the castle model seconds before Walt approved it. Renie Conley alone designed 100s of cast costumes. They deserve recognition.

Ruth Shellhorn

Walt Disney and Harriet Burns.

4/ Walt asked Landscape architect Ruth Shellhorn to make his park cohesive in 4 MONTHS but butted heads with Evans Bros. daily. (We got the dirt from her diaries we transcribed.) Harriet Burns almost didn’t become the first female Imagineer cause the union didn’t allow women.

Ice Capades Mickey and Minnie costumes (scary).

3/ Opening Day was a success AND a disaster - it was called Black Sunday for a reason! Counterfeit tickets, gas leaks, kids’ broken teeth, electrical union unplugging Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, heels sinking in asphalt… TV GOLD.

Disney Imagineers.

2/ Disney+ greenlights shows about other people's IP while sitting on their own. They have the MOST INCREDIBLE untold story in their backyard & they're just... not interested in telling it?? Make it make sense.

This Happy Place script cover page.

1/ The Imagineers & Disney YouTubers (we slipped it to) plus the production companies (our agents officially sent it to) all LOVE it but... we're told Disney+ (who hasn't heard the pitch or read the pilot yet) wouldn't be interested in a show like that right now. Whaa??