D23 News Round-up

WDWNT on March 18, 2009

D23’s website has so far proven to be a great source for news and information for the Disneyland Resort, posting some tidbits we haven’t even heard mentioned elsewhere. Here’s a round-up news from the last 2 days:

  • 03.18.09 — Golden Farewell
    Golden Dreams, one of the original attractions at Disney’s California Adventure, is closing to make way for a brand-new attraction themed after The Little Mermaid. The final showing will take place at a special event for Cast Members on March 22.
  • 03.18.09 — It’s a Round-up!
    Celebration Round-up & BBQ is set to open April 2! Guests can book priority seating now.
  • 03.17.09 — Easter Bunny Arrives Early At Fantasyland!
    In addition to happy passengers, the Storybook Land Canal Boats are carrying Easter/Spring flowers and, if you look closely, you can see baskets of pastel eggs in front of some of the homes along the canal.
  • 03.17.09 — Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique Accepting Reservations
    Beginning yesterday, Guests can book reservations for Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Disneyland. The boutique, which transforms little girls into princesses and boys into knights, will be nestled inside Fantasyland next to Sleeping Beauty Castle and is set to open April 17.

Following the “Tren-Ds”

WDWNT on March 17, 2009

Dewayne Bevil of the Orlando Sentinel’s Theme Park Rangers blog was able to get an exclusive look inside the soon-to-open Tren-D store in the Downtown Disney Marketplace area. His report and pictures can be seen at this link.

As shown in the concept art we provided a few days ago, the store has a very contemporary/hip flare featuring recognizeable Disney character accents. The store opens to the public on March 19th, 2009. Stay tuned to WDW News Today as we get more information on the latest Downtown Disney shopping experience.

The Cat’s Out of the Bag (and Spoodles Out of the Boardwalk)

WDWNT on March 17, 2009

Famous chef Cat Cora (who some of you may know from the few mini-shows she has been a part of for the Disney Travel On-Demand Network) is bringing a new restaurant to Walt Disney World and the popular “Spoodles” restaurant at the Boardwalk will be leaving to make room for it:

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (March 17, 2009) — Chef Cat Cora and Disney are joining together to open an exciting new family dining restaurant at Disney’s BoardWalk Resort. Kouzzina by Cat Cora will feature a menu of Mediterranean-style cuisine that pays tribute to the chef’s Greek roots.

The restaurant, to be owned and operated by Disney, is scheduled to open by fall 2009 in the space currently occupied by Spoodles.

“I am pleased to welcome Cat Cora and her engaging new concept for Kouzzina to the Walt Disney World Resort,” said Jay Rasulo, chairman, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “This collaboration between Cat and Disney represents a significant step in our ongoing commitment to offer unique culinary experiences and choices for our guests.”

As a Mississippi native born to a family of Greek restaurateurs, Cora grew up immersed in two different and flavorful cultures , and has taken from that unique background the kitchen “know-how” handed down through generations. The cuisine at Kouzzina (Greek for “kitchen” and pronounced “koo-zee-nah”) will showcase Mediterranean cuisine and Chef Cora’s philosophy to create simple yet sensational meals.

Cora said that the new restaurant will feature “time-honored recipes passed down from my ancestors, as well as my favorite Greek and Mediterranean dishes that my family loves.”

She began working with Disney in 2008 by creating a Disney Video on Demand series to showcase ways to help families develop more healthy eating habits. “I’m extremely excited about this latest extension of my relationship with Disney,” she said. “Together, we’re going to develop a truly amazing contemporary Mediterranean restaurant.”

The first and only female Iron Chef on Food Network’s hit show “Iron Chef America,” Cora is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York. She also is Executive Chef for Bon Appétit magazine. In addition to hosting the instructional cooking demonstrations for Disney Video on Demand, Cora has been a featured chef at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival and at Disney’s California Food & Wine Festival at Disneyland Resort.

“Re-Imagineering” Disney’s California Adventure

WDWNT on March 17, 2009

The latest sign of expansion and “re-Imagineering” in Disney’s California Adventure park is the new illuminated “Paradise Pier” sign on the “California Screamin'” roller coaster. Installed overnight between Thursday and Friday, March 12 and 13, the sign reflects the “vintage Disney” themeing that is part of the Disney’s California Adventure expansion. It was designed in the style of beachfront amusement park signs from the 1920s and ’30s, the era when Walt Disney first arrived in Hollywood and begin producing animated cartoons. As the “re-Imagineering” continues at Disney’s California Adventure this spring, the ferris wheel attraction will reopen as “Mickey’s Fun Wheel” and the Games of the Boardwalk will reopen in completely new versions featuring Disney characters.

Get Ready to Break the Bank at Innoventions

WDWNT on March 16, 2009

In addition to the math exhibit coming this fall, Innoventions at Epcot will be adding another new exhibit this Spring sponsored by T. Rowe Price:

BALTIMORE, March 16 — T. Rowe Price, the global investment management organization, today announced that it has signed a sponsorship agreement to create an innovative financial education and entertainment experience at Epcot(R). Designed in collaboration with Walt Disney Imagineering, The Great Piggy Bank Adventure(SM) is scheduled to open this spring at INNOVENTIONS at Epcot(R) at the Walt Disney World(R) Resort in Florida. This interactive exhibit will bring basic saving and investing concepts to life in a fun and captivating way. The experience will entertain and empower families, while encouraging them to engage in regular dialogue about the importance of saving and how to manage money responsibly.

The first-of-its-kind exhibit, in conjunction with a companion online game and associated web site, broadens T. Rowe Price’s longstanding investor education initiatives. The Great Piggy Bank Adventure(SM) will offer lessons on four key financial themes: setting goals, saving and spending smartly, staying ahead of inflation, and diversifying your investments. Discussions began over three years ago with Epcot(R) Business Development and Walt Disney Imagineering to bring this experience to guests visiting INNOVENTIONS.

“Empowering parents to initiate discussion of the topics of saving and investing with their children is more important than ever before,” said Edward C. Bernard, vice chairman of T. Rowe Price Group. “Financial awareness and decision-making is heavily influenced by one’s early experiences, making vibrant family discussion a powerful and lifelong educational influence that can help children develop sound financial values and habits. In watching families during play-testing of the exhibit, it has been rewarding to see how The Great Piggy Bank Adventure(SM) engages families in a unique way and really does get the conversation started.

“T. Rowe Price has a long history of educating investors and helping people reach their financial goals,” Mr. Bernard added. “We can’t think of a better way to expand those efforts than by collaborating with an organization that is a true innovator in turning the ordinary into the extraordinary and whose name is synonymous with world-class family education, entertainment, and service excellence.”

Dan Cockerell, Vice President of Epcot(R), shared his excitement about working with T. Rowe Price to create this unique experience. “At INNOVENTIONS, our focus is on encouraging guests to imagine, invent, inquire and inspire while exploring amazing innovations that make our lives better. The Great Piggy Bank Adventure(SM) will give our visitors a better insight into what it means to save and invest in an innovative and engaging manner.”

Founded in 1937, Baltimore-based T. Rowe Price (Nasdaq: TROW) is a global investment management organization with $276.3 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2008. The organization provides a broad array of mutual funds, subadvisory services, and separate account management for individual and institutional investors, retirement plans, and financial intermediaries. The company also offers a variety of sophisticated investment planning and guidance tools. T. Rowe Price’s disciplined, risk-aware investment approach focuses on diversification, style consistency, and fundamental research. More information is available at www.troweprice.com.

Robert Ashburn’s 3/13/09 Magic Kingdom Photo Report

WDWNT on March 16, 2009

Our good friend Robert Ashburn of Figmentsmedia.net visited the Magic Kingdom on a less-than supernatural Friday the 13th and has a number of newsworthy photos to share with us:

Posters for Disney-Pixar’s “Up” and Disney Channel’s “Sonny with a Chance” at the Transportation and Ticket Center

Some exterior work on the Exposition Hall on Main Street U.S.A.

Read More about Robert Ashburn’s 3/13/09 Magic Kingdom Photo Report

Disneyland: The First 54 Magical Years

WDWNT on March 16, 2009

Today is the last day of operation for Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years. It will be closed through fall 2009 and will then re-open as The Disneyland Story, Featuring Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln (more details on that in this press release). In honor of the closing of the attraction, here is a complete video tour of the attraction from last Sunday, including the entrance, lobby, full show, and exit gallery:

Celebrate a Festival

WDWNT on March 15, 2009

Disney recently released a video previewing this year’s California Food and Wine Festival, which runs from April 24 to June 7, 2009. This six-week festival showcases California’s rich fusion of flavors. Enjoy cooking demonstrations, seminars and recipes that reflect the Golden State’s regional and culinary diversity at the Fourth Annual Disney’s California Food & Wine Festival. Presented by Vanity Fair® Premium Napkins and Plates. Learn more at www.disneyland.com/foodandwine.