Disney Store Blog Talks to Vinylmation Artist Enrique Pita

WDWNT on July 27, 2011

Last week, we featured Disney Store Artist Enrique Pita in our “Spotlight On” series. Today, the Disney Parks Blog released a great interview with Enrique. They also released this look at Enrique’s Robots concept art. Look closely at the NOT released Robots. We already heard hints that a Series 2 will be on the way.

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When asked about the creation of the Robots series, Enrique said “For the Robots series, I came up with the original concept and then we decided as a team that we wanted to do the wind-up robots. But, from there, we created our own robots and named them on our own.” Read the full interview with Enrique here.

More 2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Info

WDWNT on July 27, 2011

Disney has released a ton of information on this year’s Epcot International Flower, including the booth menus:

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Walt Disney World guests can sip great wines, savor new tastes and enjoy live entertainment all day long as the 16th Epcot International Food & Wine Festival offers a “Passport to a World of Flavors” Sept. 30-Nov. 13.

The 45-day outdoor festival at Disney’s Epcot theme park serves up authentic cuisine; wine, beer and inventive new cocktails; entertainment; and cultural exhibits of more than 25 international regions.  Exotic marketplaces from Hawaii to Portugal offer exciting taste treats.  The festival is believed to be the largest food and wine event of its kind in the world, beginning at the Festival Welcome Center in Future World and fanning around the promenade encircling World Showcase Lagoon.

Here are some facts about the 16th annual event:

  • More than 300 national and international wines
  • 45 fabulous days long
  • More than 76 kinds of international foods, each appetizer-sized portion priced $3-$8
  • 160 of America’s most celebrated chefs and Walt Disney World chefs
  • Over 300 wine and beer seminars
  • More than 1,200 fireworks rockets exploding each night over World Showcase Lagoon in   “IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth”         grand finale to the festival
  • 135 Eat to the Beat! concerts performed
  • 33,000 bottles of wine and champagne
  • 289,000 servings of beer
  • 900,000 sumptuous samplings
  • 338,000 wine glasses
  • 100,000 desserts including freshly baked waffles with berry compote and whipped cream (Belgium marketplace), white chocolate macadamia mousse with dark chocolate pearls (Desserts & Champagne marketplace) and chocolate cannoli (Italy marketplace).
  • 4,000 pounds of lobster for Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine Lobster Rolls and Linda Bean’s Lobster Claw Cuddlers at the Hops & Barley marketplace plus Lobster and Scallop Fisherman’s Pie at the Ireland marketplace.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Seven popular HGTV celebrities will offer the inside scoop on home entertaining at weekend seminars during the 45-day Epcot International Food & Wine Festival running Sept. 30-Nov. 13.  Each Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the festival a top HGTV personality will appear at The Festival Center in Future World to share his or her own secrets to throwing a perfect party.

“Design stars from the network will talk about home entertaining,” said Michael Jenner, festival manager. “Think about the way interior decorators design a room … and imagine that same creative process brought to the dinner table. It’ll be a great way to get ready for all the holidays coming up.”

Here’s the lineup (subject to change):

  • Sept. 30-Oct. 2 – Vern Yip, “HGTV Design Star” and “HGTV Urban Oasis”
  • Oct. 7-9 – Monica Pedersen, “Designed to Sell”
  • Oct. 14-16 – Erin Loechner, “Design Happens”
  • Oct. 21-23 – Taniya Nayak, “Designed to Sell”
  • Oct. 28-30 – Kim Stoegbauer, “On-line Party Inspiration”
  • Nov. 4-6 – Lisa LaPorta, “Designed to Sell”
  • Nov. 11-13 – Emily Henderson, “Secrets From a Stylist” and “HGTV Design Star,” winner Season 5 “Design Star”

The appearances are included with Epcot admission.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Exotic cocktails will pair like a tropical daydream with fresh new tastes from more than one island paradise at the 16th Epcot International Food & Wine Festival Sept. 30-Nov. 13, 2011, at Walt Disney World Resort. The one-of-a-kind 45-day festival serves up international cuisine, culture and entertainment from six continents, with more than 25 international marketplaces featuring tapas-sized portions paired with beer, wine and inventive new cocktails.

Marketplace tasting menus offer variety and adventure for guests on a mission to tantalize their taste buds during a scenic stroll around the 40-acre World Showcase Lagoon. The adventure can take them to the festival’s firstHawaii marketplace, which will cook up Kalua pork sliders and tuna poke with seaweed salad and lotus root chips to team with a refreshing Seven Tiki Mai Tai or a Kona Longboard or Pipeline beer. A new Caribbean Islands marketplace will serve ropa vieja with rice and jerk-spiced chicken with mango salsa. A beverage menu featuring a frozen Dragon Berry Colada and frozen Rock Coconut Mojito is sure to conjure steel-drum fantasies.

With a swing across the Atlantic, guests will be transported to the newPortugal marketplace, where the Portugal Wine Bar will offer best sips to pair with calamari salad with olives and smoked paprika. The Scandinaviamarketplace will return after a hiatus with a fresh new Xante Sunshine cocktail made from Xante pear and cognac liquer. And the Canadamarketplace will introduce a sweet treat: apple ice wine.

Disney and celebrity chefs will team with winemakers and brew masters from around the world to get the party started Sept. 30. During the six-week festival, guests will discover:

  • Three new tasting marketplaces — Hawaii, Caribbean Islands and Portugal — plus new menu offerings at popular returning marketplaces
  • Celebrity chef appearances starring top culinarians like Jeff Henderson, Cat Cora, Alan Wong, Gale Gand, Suvir Saran, Jamie Deen, Rock Harper, Celina Tio, Robert Irvine, Andrew Zimmern, Buddy Valastro, Warren Brown, Art Smith, Keegan Gerhard and more.
  • First-ever HGTV home entertaining seminars each Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
  • The Cranberry Bog display by Craisins telling the story behind the venerable cranberry’s rich agricultural heritage.
  • Daily wine seminars, bottle signings, author events and culinary demonstrations at the Festival Welcome Center.
  • Eat to the Beat! concerts three times nightly at America Gardens Theatre.

New Sips, Fresh Bites

Festival guests can make a day of circumnavigating the World Showcase Promenade, grazing and sipping as they go. Tapas-sized portions of regional specialties run $3 to $8 each, and recommended wines, cocktails and beers make perfect pairings at each marketplace. For quicker marketplace visits, guests can purchase a festival-themed mini-Disney Gift Card that can be worn on a wristband and loaded and reloaded at several park locations.

Live daily entertainment showcases many cultures with music, acrobatics and improv performances along the promenade. Evening Eat to the Beat! concerts at America Gardens Theatre feature acts from many musical genres. Appearing for the first time on the Eat to the Beat! stage are The Pointer Sisters, The Orchestra starring former members of ELO and Gin Blossoms. Fan favorite Taylor Dayne kicks off the festival Sept. 30-Oct. 2, and crowd pleaser Big Bad Voodoo Daddy wraps the event Nov. 11-13.

The festival attracts a diverse audience — from wine connoisseurs and epicures to novices wishing to boost their culinary IQs. Special culinary programs showcase a lineup of renowned winemakers, guest chefs and speakers participating in elegant dinners, luncheons, seminars and wine schools.

Festival highlights include:

  • The Festival Welcome Center, with a Wine Bar, Authentic Taste Seminars, Authors Without Borders weekend conversations and more.
  • More than 270 chefs including Disney chefs and culinary stars from across the country conducting culinary demonstrations and hosting dinners and tasting events.
  • A complimentary Marketplace Discovery Passport to be stamped at each international marketplace visited for the perfect scrapbook souvenir.
  • Popular returning events that include First Bites Opening Reception on Sept. 29; Kitchen Memories (formerly Celebrating Family and Friends in the Kitchen); Mixology Seminar; and “3D” Disney Dessert Discovery.
  • The weekly Party for the Senses grand tasting event beginning Oct. 8 and with a new Saturday evening time of 7:30-10 p.m. featuring tempting bites from eminent chefs, more than 50 wines and beers and live entertainment presented by Cirque du Soleil.

Festival guests can enjoy fresh Epcot experiences including the latest Future World high-tech fun at Innoventions and the celebrated return of “Captain EO,” the classic musical 3-D production starring Michael Jackson in a rare big-screen performance. In World Showcase, new and recently updated restaurants welcome guests at the Italy, Japan, Mexico and China pavilions.

The 2011 event guide, including the offerings at each booth, can be found here. Bon appetite!

Official Closing Dates Announced For Engine-Ear Toys and Greetings From California

WDWNT on July 26, 2011

From Michelle Harker on the Disney Parks Blog:

I’m sure most of you know by now either from reading the Disney Parks Blog or visiting the Disneyland Resort, that the new entrance to Disney California Adventure park debuted just a few weeks ago. And I have to say it looks spectacular! A new entrance also means new stores… so I want to make sure that you have the latest and greatest information as we prepare for changes in the world of Disney Theme Park Merchandise.

Engine-Ears Toys at Disney California Adventure Park

Hop on board at Engine-Ears Toys before July 31. That’s right, in a little less than a week this “Engine-Ear” will leave its station and hit the tracks as we pave the way for an entire new set of stores set to debut in Summer 2012. So for those of you who love to create your own Mr. Potato Head, you better keep an “eye” out and a “nose” to the ground so you don’t miss out. But I’ll be around to lend you a “hand” and tell you where you can find them.

That’s not all… on August 28, we will also bid a fond farewell to our friendly store location, Greetings From California. While we are sad to see it go, I assure you that the stores taking its place, set to debut next year, will be the hit of the street and the talk of the town. But you’ll have to wait a few more months to find out more.

While I know it seems like there are a lot of changes underway, I promise you that we have many great things “in store” in the coming year. I look forward to sharing these great offerings with all of you in the coming months.

 

Episode 031 Toon Hole

WDWNT on July 26, 2011

Ep. 031 Toon Hole
This week Nick and MC review the newly released Urban 7 set. We also discuss the amazing PR campaign that surrounded the Robots series.And, of course, we also talk about the latest news, release dates and answer you questions in the Mystery Mail Bag.
Listen Now:
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Urban 7 Love Connection

WDWNT on July 26, 2011

We showed you the photos from Urban 7’s trip to DHS and told you about the love that blossomed out of it. We got our hands on these pictures of Dizturb and Zombie School Girl getting close and comfortable with each other.

First they checked out a flick on Hollywood Blvd.
Then they went to an Aerosmith concert
In a trip to the Pizza Planet arcade, Dizturb tried to win a claw machine prize
While there, they saw the photo booth, and had to get some memories of this day…

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea Hits Shore August 19

WDWNT on July 25, 2011

Update: 8/11/11 Disney just announced that the release date of 20000 will be postponed a week to August 19th.

The 9″ + 3″ Park 6 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea figure will be a Disney Store Online exclusive on August 12 19th. It is LE 1000.

Copyright Disney
Today, on the Disney Parks Blog, Caley Hicks, who designed the 9″ figure, talked about this classic attraction:
“When I was younger, I visited the Magic Kingdom each month with my dad,” explained Caley. “I loved the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction, particularly the mermaids. I was eager to design something for Vinylmation to pay tribute to the attraction.”

Take a look at the concept art.

Copyright Disney

Casey also talked about what went into this design:

“I learned that getting the squid to wrap around the Mickey Mouse shaped form was more difficult than I first thought,” continued Caley. “I used countless sheets of tracing paper to get the image correct. The finished figure looks wonderful, so it was worth the effort.”

Disney Artist Jason Zucker designed the 3″ Diver figure. This is one of my most anticipated Vinylmation. What about you?

Room For 1 More?

WDWNT on July 25, 2011

We brought you the news that there will in fact be a special Vinylmation for purchase at the Room For 1 More event celebrating the Haunted Mansion at 40 on September 30. Registration for the $285 event was up on July 20. So if you don’t have a ticket by now, you are probably going to have to look for the Vinylmation in the secondary market. But here is what the 3″ figure looks like:

 A little underwhelming for my taste. Come on, we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Haunted Mansion here. But the design is neat with the ghoul peaking out of a doom buggy. Then on the back, you can see the event logo and a question that haunts each and every guest to the classic attraction. This 3″ figure comes packaged with an Ear Hat and Pin. It’s LE 500 and designed by Monty Maldovan.

The Ear Hat is a different story. I love the look of this one pulling the colors of the wallpaper for the hat. The hitchhiking ghosts on the front. And the portraits on the ears.

Fourth Urban 7 Variant- Clear Paint Splatter

WDWNT on July 24, 2011


Still yet another variant in Urban 7 series. Several people let us know that ebay had this Clear Paint Splatter. If you want this one, groebuck is trying to sell it now for $175. Thanks to everyone who pointed us to this!