Summer Nightastic Heating Up

WDWNT on March 29, 2010

Disney has updated the press release for Summer Nightastic to include the “Rock N’ Glow Dance Party” and the rather generic name for the new fireworks show that will run at the Magic Kingdom:

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Disney’s “Main Street Electrical Parade” will light up the streets of Magic Kingdom, headlining a season of after-dark excitement coming to Walt Disney World Resort in summer 2010.

Beginning June 6 and continuing through Aug. 14, “Summer Nightastic!” will light up the night with shimmering, shining Disney magic in Walt Disney World theme parks. Here’s a look at what’s in store:

  • Showcasing floats and characters appearing at Walt Disney World Resort for the first time, Disney’s “Main Street Electrical Parade” returns with its joyous sights and sounds. Direct from Disneyland Resort and marking its first engagement in Florida since 2001, the cherished parade will be led by Tinker Bell waving from the basket of a magical balloon aboard a new float. Pinocchio and Snow White join the parade this summer aboard bright new floats. Disney’s “Main Street Electrical Parade” is set for its summer-long nighttime premiere June 6 at Magic Kingdom.
  • The Twilight Zone™ Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios welcomes “drop-ins” this summer with even more pulse-racing surprises. New lighting effects created especially for “Summer Nightastic!” will bring unexpected frights to guests who step into that infamous service elevator … if they dare.
  • “Summer Nightastic!” also means music! In the courtyard of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, “Rock N’ Glow Dance Party” will have guests wanting to “trip the light fantastic” to sizzling summer sounds being spun by DJs. And at Epcot, the Sounds Like Summer Concert Series returns (June 12-July 31) with bands playing musical tributes to artists who filled summers gone by with musical magic.
  • What could be more summery than fireworks on a star-studded night? Magic Kingdom will treat guests to “Summer Nightastic Fireworks Spectacular,” filling the night sky with vivid colors and brilliant visual effects while whimsical music fills the air.

D Street Annual Passholder Preview on April 3rd

WDWNT on March 25, 2010

From the Disney Parks Blog:

On Saturday, April 3, 2010, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., Passholders will have an opportunity to be among the first guests to experience the opening of D Street, the newest merchandise location where urban inspired product “intersects” with a Disney creative edge. Passholders will also be among the first to catch a glimpse of the new Create Your Own Vinylmation table, have the opportunity to participate in Vinylmation trading activities (trade your own Vinylmation or ones you purchase) and see the Disney Channel Star Celebrity Signed Vinylmation on display at D Street!

In addition to catching a sneak peek of D Street, Passholders will also have the opportunity to purchase new and Oh Mickey, Sports, and Vinylmation Jr. Series releases (and yes, your Passholder Merchandise Discount will apply!). There will also be a purchase with purchase opportunity featuring a Vinylmation Tote Bag for $1.95 when you spend $30 or more at D Street. Plus, the first 500 Passholders at the D Street location on Saturday, April 3, 2010 will receive a complimentary Vinylmation button.

D Street located in the Downtown Disney West Side, will showcase a mix of products for both men and women. Items will include Vinylmation figures and collectibles, cutting-edge apparel, pop culture novelties and more. The store will have a raw, unfinished industrial look and provide a great venue to showcase Disney art created by local artists.

There are a few details you should know about. A valid Passholder ID AND government issued photo ID must be presented to enter D Street for the D Street Sneak Peek opportunity and must be presented at time of purchase to receive offers. Qualifying purchase based on pre-tax, post discount single transaction. Purchase with purchase offer not valid on previous purchases. Merchandise and offers valid while supplies last. Not valid with any other offer or discounts. Other restrictions may apply. Information and offers are subject to change without notice.

As always, to stay connected to the world of Vinylmation, be sure to check out The Vinylmation Station website and podcast.

Extra Dining Hours at Epcot

WDWNT on March 23, 2010

From the Disney Parks Blog:

Do you like the idea of an extra hour for dining in the evening at Epcot? Give it a try from March 28 through April 10, and let us know what you think — you can book your “extra hour” table at Coral Reef Restaurant, Garden Grill, or Le Cellier Steakhouse. Then get ready to relax and sip a post-prandial cocktail or linger over dessert while the Epcot crowds dwindle.

Share with us what you think about the idea. And we’ll share with you that we recommend the decadent Chocolate Wave (with a little sparkling rosé) if you’re at Coral Reef Restaurant; an extra scoop of all-you-care-to-eat strawberry-rhubarb crisp with cream at Garden Grill or the Chocolate-on-Chocolate Whiskey Cake at Le Cellier. You’ll walk it off on the way to the car.

New Pool About to Spring Up in Saratoga

WDWNT on March 22, 2010

From the Disney Parks Blog:

Pool at Saratoga Springs to Get Makeover

Hi everyone…a cool new zero-entry feature pool will be ready for summer fun at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa — in 2011. It’ll take the place of one of the resort’s “quiet pools” at the Walt Disney World resort and will be nearly three times as big. I think it will be a real crowd pleaser for folks not staying near the popular High Rock Springs feature pool. When complete, the new themed area will include a 146-foot water slide, expanded deck, 1,200-square-foot kids’ play area, plus a quick-service poolside eatery.

A look at World Of Color Paper Animation

WDWNT on March 19, 2010

From the Disney Parks Blog:

Paper and water don’t seem like an ideal match, but throw in animation and it works in a very cool way. One type of art form being considered for “World of Color” is paper animation. Local Glendale, California artist Megan Brain has created 3-dimentional paper sculptures of Disney characters that are turned into models or puppets with computer animation. The result is very fun and very unique when it is projected onto a giant water screen. Heather Hust Rivera will give a more in depth update on “World of Color” next week, but in the mean time, take a look at this video and see for yourself.

Toy Story Parking Open!

WDWNT on March 19, 2010

The new Toy Story Parking Lot located on Harbor Blvd. has opened.

From the OC Register:

The parking lot was built on land Disney bought 12 years ago with the intention of constructing a future theme park. For now, Disney has an agreement with the city to run a parking lot there for up to 10 years. Read a full story about the Disney parking lot.

The lot, called Toy Story, sits east of the Anaheim Convention Center on Harbor Boulevard south of Katella Avenue. The lot will have 2,678 new spaces, said Suzi Brown, a Disneyland Resort spokeswoman. Another 1,000 spots were already there.

(A previous version of this story stated that the lot would have 2,750 new spaces. That was the number originally approved by the city.)

Regular-car parking will cost $14, the same as at other Disney lots, Brown said. Visitors can take free shuttle buses to the parks. The lot is expected to be open every day.

Disney also leased OCTA Busses to act as shuttles to and from the resort

Disney is leasing the vehicles and hiring the drivers through Anaheim Resort Transit – the public organization that runs the red trolleys and other vehicles in the Disney area.

Resort Transit gave hiring preference to the former public bus drivers, because they are familiar with OCTA vehicles, said Diana Kotler, executive director of Anaheim Resort Transit.

For those who don’t know where the new lot is, here is a map…

Disney Legend Fess Parker Passes Away

WDWNT on March 19, 2010

From E! Online:

The King of the Wild Frontier is gone.

Fess Parker, the strapping star who played Davy Crockett in the hugely popular Disney television show of the 1950s, died today of natural causes at age 85, his family announced.

The actor, whose classic roles also included the son-consoling dad in Old Yeller and another ‘coonskin-cap-favoring frontiersman in NBC’s Daniel Boone, had retired from showbiz in the 1970s and founded a hugely successful winery and resort in Santa Barbara.

He was 85.

Fess Parker recieved a rare Frontierland window dedication at Disneyland in late 2004, as seen above. He was also one of the earliest Disney Legends honored back in 1991. From the Disney Legends website:

In the mid-1950s, when Fess Parker first donned a coonskin cap to play the American historical character Davy Crockett for a three-part Walt Disney television show, little did he know he was about to become a hero to Baby Boomers across the nation.

More than forty years later, in 1997, Fess described the profound influence his popular character had on young viewers. “Folks tell me over and over how much that character shaped their lives,” he said. “I have to believe that the impact of those programs was due as much to the values inculcated in them as to their entertainment quality.”

Fess was catapulted to fame almost overnight after “Davy Crockett Indian Fighter,” “Davy Crockett Goes to Congress,” and “Davy Crockett at the Alamo” debuted on the “Disneyland” television series, beginning in 1954. Even the ditty he recorded for Disney and RCA records, “The Ballad of Davy Crockett” was on the lips of every young boy (and girl) in America at that time, winning the actor a gold record. And when Disneyland opened in 1955, his personal appearance on horseback, as Davy Crockett, proved to be a huge crowd-pleaser.

Born in Fort Worth, Texas, on August 18, 1924, Fess grew up on a farm in San Angelo, Texas. Named after his father (“Fess” means “proud” in Old English), he graduated from the University of Texas in 1950, where he studied law and business administration. He then moved to Los Angeles, to pursue an acting career and studied drama at the University of Southern California. Shortly thereafter, he made his film debut in “Untamed Frontier,” starring Shelley Winters.

In 1954, Walt Disney spotted the actor in a film called “Them!” and quickly signed Fess to a Studio contract. He went on to star in such Disney films as “Westward Ho The Wagons!” “The Great Locomotive Chase,” “Old Yeller” and “The Light in the Forest.” He also starred in two additional Davy Crockett television shows: “Davy Crockett’s Keelboat Race” and “Davy Crockett and the River Pirates.” Much later, in 1978, Fess appeared in “NBC Salutes the 25th Anniversary of the Wonderful World of Disney.”

After leaving Disney, Fess donned his coonskin cap once again to play Daniel Boone. For six years, beginning in 1964, he starred in the popular television series by the same name and directed five of its most popular episodes.

Today, a successful businessman and real estate developer, Fess owns a winery in Los Olivos, California (near Santa Barbara) where he can often be found signing his autograph for wine and Disney lovers, alike.