Pop Secret Becomes Official Popcorn of Disney Parks, Sponsor of Fantasmic! at WDW

WDWNT on September 3, 2015

Pop Secret Popcorn

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 15, 2015 — Diamond Foods, Inc. (Nasdaq: DMND) (“Diamond”) announced today that it has entered into a long-term strategic alliance agreement with Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort tied to its Pop Secret brand premium popcorn. Pop Secret popcorn is now the official popcorn of Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California.

Diamond Foods also plans to advertise on Disney-owned channels like ABC Family and the Disney Channel. Retail promotions, on-pack sweepstakes and digital content creation are all ways in which Pop Secret popcorn expects to work with Disney.

“We have been looking for an alliance that is in-line with our core brand values and we couldn’t be more delighted to announce this relationship with Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort,” said Burke Raine, Vice President of Marketing, Snacks, at Diamond. “Pop Secret popcorn and Disney both have deep associations with movies and encourage lasting memories shaped by fun family activities.”

As part of the relationship, Disney will begin selling freshly popped Pop Secret popcorn at popcorn carts throughout Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort. The Pop Secret brand will also become the title sponsor of the nightly Fantasmic! Show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort and plans to sponsor movie nights held at many of Disney’s resort hotels.

About Pop Secret® Popcorn
Since 1984, the Pop Secret® brand has been offering popcorn fans a quality product. Once popped, our premium popcorn kernels are ready to customize and capture all your favorite toppings. Pop Secret® is committed to providing popcorn lovers with a convenient and delicious snack for wherever and whenever they want it – whether settling down on the couch to watch a movie at home or enjoying a snack together! For more information about Pop Secret, please visit http://www.popsecret.com/.

About Diamond Foods
Diamond Foods is an innovative packaged food company focused on building and energizing brands including Kettle Brand® chips, Emerald® snack nuts, Pop Secret® popcorn, and Diamond of California® nuts. Diamond’s products are distributed in a wide range of stores where snacks and culinary nuts are sold. For more information, visit the Company’s corporate web site:http://www.diamondfoods.com.

About Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
More than 50 years ago, Walt Disney created a new kind of entertainment families could experience together, immersed in detailed atmospheres and vibrant storytelling. His vision now includes a collection of five of the world’s leading family vacation destinations – Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, Calif.; Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.; Tokyo Disney Resort, Urayasu, Chiba, Japan; Disneyland Paris, Marne-la-Vallée, France; and Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, located on Lantau Island. A sixth resort, Shanghai Disney Resort, is currently under construction in Pudong New District, Shanghai. In addition, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts includes the world-class Disney Cruise Line; Disney Vacation Club; Adventures by Disney, a guided group vacation experience to some of the world’s most popular destinations; and Walt Disney Imagineering, which creates and designs all Disney parks, resorts, cruise ships, entertainment and attractions.

VIDEO: First Teaser Trailer For Disney’s “The Jungle Book”

WDWNT on September 3, 2015

Walt Disney Pictures has just released the first teaser trailer for their upcoming live action movie, “The Jungle Book”.

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Directed by Jon Favreau (“Chef,” “Iron Man,” “Elf”), based on Rudyard Kipling’s timeless stories and inspired by Disney’s classic animated film, “The Jungle Book” is an all-new live-action epic adventure about Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi), a man-cub who’s been raised by a family of wolves. But Mowgli finds he is no longer welcome in the jungle when fearsome tiger Shere Khan (voice of Idris Elba), who bears the scars of Man, promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat. Urged to abandon the only home he’s ever known, Mowgli embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery, guided by panther-turned-stern mentor Bagheera (voice of Ben Kingsley), and the free-spirited bear Baloo (voice of Bill Murray). Along the way, Mowgli encounters jungle creatures who don’t exactly have his best interests at heart, including Kaa (voice of Scarlett Johannsson), a python whose seductive voice and gaze hypnotizes the man-cub, and the smooth-talking King Louie (voice of Christopher Walken), who tries to coerce Mowgli into giving up the secret to the elusive and deadly red flower: fire. The all-star cast also includes Lupita Nyong’o as the voice of the fiercely protective mother wolf Raksha, and Giancarlo Esposito as the voice of wolf pack’s alpha male Akela. “The Jungle Book” seamlessly blends live-action with photorealistic CGI animals and environments, using up-to-the-minute technology and storytelling techniques to immerse audiences in an enchanting and lush world.

Disney’s The Jungle Book opens on April 15, 2016.

RUMOR: Is The “Star Wars” Unaltered Original Trilogy Finally Being Released? np

WDWNT on September 3, 2015

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The one thing that the many fans of the “Star Wars” Original Trilogy have been hoping to see is the unaltered versions of the “Star Wars” Original Trilogy released on home video. We have heard rumors in the past that either Fox or Disney would be releasing the unaltered versions for years but nothing has come about those rumors.

This week we received some good news from Empire Magazine concerning the unaltered versions of the Original Trilogy. While being interviewed by Empire magazine, director John Landis (“Animal House”) informed them that Disney will be re-releasing the unaltered versions of the Original Trilogy.

dsaxcdscfscsEven better news is that according to Landis, his Source is George Lucas:

dadedadBack in 1997, George Lucas released the Special Editions of the “Star Wars” Original Trilogy in theaters and ever since then Lucas has been altering the Original Trilogy with each home video release.

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There were definite enhancements made to films but there were also scenes that were altered that many fans were not happy with such as Greedo shooting first, Hayden Christensen replacing Sebastian Shaw as Anakin’s force ghost and the infamous Darth Vader “Nooooooo!”. You can still view the unaltered versions of the Original Trilogy but as the years pass it is getting harder to find them since they are only on VHS tape, Laser Discs and even a DVD version was released that was an inferior nonanomorphic version of the Laser Discs.

That this is coming from a respected director and friend of George Lucas is definitely a good sign. But until we hear word from Disney, Lucasfilm and Fox, it’s not official.

Source: Empire, Furious Fanboys

Tom Corless’s 9/21/15 WDW Photo Report (Disney Springs, Food & Wine, Star Wars, Hub, Etc.)

WDWNT on September 3, 2015

I managed to visit the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios over the last week and I have some great newsworthy photos to share with you from my trip, so let’s take a look at what’s new and exciting around the Vacation Kingdom of the World:

Disney Springs is now on all of the I-4 road signage

The new exit ramp heading West hasn’t opened yet though

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Over at Epcot, there is a lot of work happening in front of the park

A ton of new big figs have arrived at the Art of Disney

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New Princess lithographs

A ton of merchandise is left over from the recent GenEARation D pin event

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The 2nd Star Wars countdown pin was released this week

New Pirates of the Caribbean MagicBand

New updated Jack Skellington MagicBand

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France has an entirely new booth for Food and Wine this year

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Looks great!

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Work continues on the FROZEN expansion in Norway

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The facade should appear here in no time

The Spirited Beasts exhibit in Japan is gone and a new exhibit is coming

Moving to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, I got a peek backstage where construction will eventually be taking place for Toy Story Land

Not much happening yet, but crews working on the Toy Story Mania expansion were all over the place

Work continues on the Star Wars Launch Bay

New Star Wars shirts released recently

Force Awakens merchandise has made it into Tatooine Traders

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New gluten, nut, and dairy free snacks are available in the parks

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Moving over to the Magic Kingdom

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Dream Along with Mickey is back, but the stage area is still a disaster

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The building expansion for the Skipper Canteen is coming along nicely

New Peg Leg Pete bandanna for sale at Pirates

Merchant of Venus in Tomorrowland has become a Star Wars shop

They even have Force Awakens balloons at the Magic Kingdom

New Jingles big fig featuring mickey on sale

Rumor: Hayden Christensen *May* Be In “Star Wars: Episode VIII” np

WDWNT on September 3, 2015

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“I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.“ – Obi Wan Kenobi – “Star Wars: A New Hope”

The good news is that right now the following is just a rumor. The bad news is that it even is a rumor.

According to MakingStarWars.com:

“A team in the U.K. are soon heading to the U.S. to begin training Hayden Christensen for a Star Wars: Episode VIII appearance of some sort.”

How possible is this? There is some degree of it being true if you have heard the recent rumors/spoilers and in a way it would make sense to bring back the “Force Ghost Of Anakin Skywalker” or even possibly “Darth Vader” for a few scenes in “Star Wars: Episode VIII”……”if” these rumors are true.

I am going to discuss the recent rumor/possible spoiler that has been going around in the SPOILER section below.

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Back in 2012, Disney purchased the “Star Wars” franchise from George Lucas for $4 billion dollars and without a doubt the cover boy for the Star Wars franchise is Darth Vader. Disney always had plans for Vader, either it be through spin off movies taking place after “Revenge Of The Sith”, possible flashback scenes in the New Trilogy, “Star Wars Rebels”, novels, comic books, video games and of course merchandise. Just because Vader died in “Jedi” doesn’t mean he will never be used again.

On to the recent rumors/spoilers! WARNING: Spoilers ahead! The following “could” contain some major spoilers for the “New Star Wars Trilogy”.

SPOILERS:

“I got a bad feeling about this.“ – Han Solo – “Star Wars: A New Hope”

Darth Vader is one of “movies” greatest villains of all times. He is an icon. My personal feeling is that in Hayden Christensen we got a watered down version of Darth Vader in The Prequels that came nowhere close to the great performances by David Prowse and James Earl Jones in The Original Trilogy. Having Hayden Christensen coming back in any form, either Anakin Skywalker or Darth Vader, just doesn’t sound right to me. Let’s get to the rumors.

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The newest rumor is that Kylo Ren, the new villain in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, is obsessed with Darth Vader and is collecting anything that he can that once belonged to Vader. Why is he doing this? He could be doing it because he is not a Sith and is hoping that any of Vader’s relics will lead him to The Dark Side but it possibly could be that he is looking to clone Darth Vader or maybe even resurrect Vader from the dead.

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So far we have seen one amazing trailer for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and one prominent image that we see early on is someone holding the previously charred helmet last seen at the end of “Return Of The Jedi”. More than likely the helmet is being held by Kylo Ren. Also through previous rumors, concept art and even the most recent Force Friday toys, it seems that the light saber given to Luke by Obi Wan in “A New Hope” plays a major role in the story. This light saber was last seen in “Empire” after Vader cut Luke’s hand off in Bespin and hasn’t been seen since. Keep in mind that particular light saber was Anakin/Darth Vader’s original light saber.

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One thing that we have learned throughout the Star Wars Saga is that anything is possible. A Clone Army can be cloned from the DNA of Boba Fett’s father; Jedi can appear in the form of Force Ghosts after they have died, and some Sith can cheat death. If Disney really does want Darth Vader back, cloning or even resurrection is probably their best option. Is Kylo Ren collecting Vader’s helmet and light saber in order to bring Vader back for good? Kind of reminds me a bit of Holcruxes from “Harry Potter”. With this evidence, it’s definitely not out of question to bring Darth Vader back.

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The other possibility is that maybe Hayden Christensen is coming back as a “Force Ghost” to help the new Jedi in the New Trilogy. He did appear as a Force Ghost in The Special Edition of “Return Of The Jedi”. (Not my favorite Force Ghost of Anakin). Many people (including me) were not crazy about Hayden Christensen’s wooden performance as Anakin Skywalker in The Prequels but I think a lot had to do with the direction, the screenplay and something they both have in common, George Lucas. Maybe with a better story and director, Christensen can redeem himself. I would love to see a flashback scene where we get to see Anakin in the Clone Wars just being completely badass and maybe getting a glimpse of his Dark Side that the Jedi never saw.

Right now these are just rumors and speculation. With all rumors, some are true and some are completely made up. “The Force Awakens” comes out in a few months and maybe we will see some clues as to whether this lean towards the truth, or not.

Source: Making Star Wars

VIDEO: The Indiana Joned Themed Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar Opens at Disney Springs np

WDWNT on September 3, 2015

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Today was the big day at Jock Lindsay’s Hangar Bar in Disney Springs as the long awaited Indiana Jones-themed offering opened to guests:

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Jock Lindsay’s Hangar Bar opens at 11:30am daily. They close at 12AM Sunday through Thursday and at 1AM on Friday and Saturday. Surprisingly, there is not a ‘no one under 21’ rule like at Trader Sam’s after 8PM. 4 souvenir mugs will be available at Jock Lindsey’s at a later date, but not available right now.

We have hundreds of photos of Jock Lindsay’s Hangar Bar to share with you later, so stay tuned!

Downtown Disney Officially Becomes Disney Springs September 29th, 2015

WDWNT on September 3, 2015

Since we first told the world of Disney Springs replacing and overlaying Downtown Disney back in March 2013, everyone has been wondering when the name change would finally take place. Next Tuesday, September 29th, the Downtown Disney name will be no more 20 years after it replaced the Disney Village.

Disney Springs Concept Art

The name change comes 1 day before the opening of Morimoto Asia Restaurant on September 30th and just a few days after the opening of Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar in The Landing. The final restaurants, second parking structure, and the new Town Center area will open in 2016 to complete the project.

Disneyland Diamond Celebration Finally Receives An End Date

WDWNT on September 3, 2015

When the Disneyland Diamond Celebration was announced, we were never given an end date for all of the fun and festivities centered around the 60th brithday of the Happiest Place on Earth. Disney finally announced this week that the Celebration will not conclude until September 6th, 2016, so you still have plenty of time to “be dazzled” in Southern California.