Details Released For “Family Fun Weekends”

WDWNT on January 12, 2011

From the Disney Parks Blog:

Do you like fiestas, hoedowns, Mardi Gras, Lunar New Year and Disney Characters? Then you won’t want to miss the next eight weekends at Disneyland park. We’re calling them “Family Fun Weekends” and they run Jan. 14 through March 6.

Families know they can find magic and excitement whenever they visit Disneyland Resort, and the next eight weekends will offer a special reason to play at Disneyland park.

“Family Fun Weekends” are themed events that invite guests to enjoy music, dancing, and special food and merchandise, along with a chance to meet and take photos with some Disney characters in specially themed attire. This weekend, for example, Fiesta Mickey and Minnie Mouse will greet you at Festival Arena in colorful, folklorico attire.

Family Fun Weekends at the Disneyland Resort

These events take place weekend days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The first five weekends will be held at Festival Arena (at the back of Frontierland), and the final three weekends will move to New Orleans Square.

Here’s a brief description of the fun, and we’ll tell you more in the coming weeks.

Fiesta Disneyland – Jan. 14-16: The first weekend celebrates the Hispanic culture and experience in a colorful, lively event, featuring performance groups such as award-winning Mariachi Divas.

The Mariachi Divas

Disney’s Kickin’ Country Weekend – Jan. 21-23: This weekend will feature live music – including band Forth Worth West – and a Disney hoedown with Cowboy Mickey and Cowgirl Minnie Mouse.

Cowboy Mickey

Character Fan Days – Jan. 28-30: This is your chance to meet and take photos with some rarely seen characters. Think of this as the ultimate Disney character reunion – featuring the characters that you told us you would most like to meet. (We’ll announce the results of our Character Facebook poll later this week on the Disney Parks Blog.)

Lunar New Year Festival – Feb. 4-6 and Feb. 11-13: Two weekends will be devoted to Lunar New Year, when time-honored traditions and family celebrations are observed within the Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese cultures as the sun and moon begin their journeys for another year.

Mardi Gras – Feb. 18-20, Feb. 25-27 and March 4-6: Three weekends will be devoted to a lively, New Orleans-style Mardi Gras event, with vibrant excitement, jazzy music and sensational food of New Orleans. Where else? At New Orleans Square. Princess Tiana, along with a cavalcade of some Disney characters in their Mardi Gras finery, will appear at a photo location in the Court of Angels, staffed by Disney PhotoPass photographers.

Check back on the Disney Parks Blog each week, for more details on the weekend events.

Which of the “Family Fun Weekends” are you looking forward to most?

New Nautical Themed Exhibit Coming to The Disney Gallery

WDWNT on January 11, 2011

From the Disney Parks Blog:

Preparations continue for the arrival of the Disney Wonder to its new home in the Port of Los Angeles, as well as the inaugural voyage of the newest ship in Disney’s fleet, the Disney Dream in Port Canaveral, Florida. In the coming weeks, The Disney Gallery will pay tribute to all the ships on land and at sea, including some of those near and dear to our hearts at our very own Disney Parks.

Explore Castaway Cay Aboard the Disney Dream

This new exhibit, titled “Magic on the Water – The Art of The Happiest Fleet on Earth” will highlight nearly 60 years of nautical designs by Walt Disney Imagineers, from the smallest Storybook Land canal boat to the newest modern classic for the Disney Cruise Line, the Disney Dream.

From submarines and sailing ships to jungle launches and pirate bateau, water and watercraft have always played a key role in the design of Disney Parks. Through the years, the Disney maritime fleet has taken guests through uncharted jungles, under the polar ice caps, across lagoons to the Magic Kingdom and a World Showcase at Epcot, to a storybook land of enchanted fairytales and around the world on the happiest cruise to ever sail the seven seas.

“This particular exhibit is different from any other because it displays concept art from all our theme parks around the world. Tokyo DisneySea, Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Paris, all join Disneyland Resort art to form a display of various types of interesting watercraft, Disney style” says Walt Disney Imagineering Director, Concept and Show Design, Kim Irvine.

'Ariel,' by Larry Nikolai

'Pirates Dream,' by G. Scribner

Also in store for you as we launch this new exhibit will be Disney Cruise Line-inspired original art, giclees and deluxe prints by notable Walt Disney Imagineers, Disney Design Group and Disney-inspired artists including Jeremy Fulton, Greg McCullough, Larry Nikolai, Noah, Randy Noble, George Scribner, Mark Seppala, SHAG, and Darren Wilson.

Special Tip: On Saturday, Jan. 29, Jody Daily, Jeremy Fulton, Kevin Kidney, Larry Nikolai, Noah and George Scribner will be on hand for a special appearance and signing from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at The Disney Gallery. For details visit www.ArtofDisneyParks.com.

So set sail with us on a retrospective voyage of memories – and prepare for an ocean of new ones.

Recording Today’s Podcast

WDWNT on January 10, 2011

Here is a rare peak behind the scenes at Destination Vinylmation. M.C. and I are in the studio this afternoon recording this week’s podcast.

Coming up in this episode:
  1. The latest Vinylmation News
  2. Animation 1 Explained
  3. Star Wars Preview
Look for Destination Vinylmation Episode 6 to be released Sunday night.

Now, Fully Armed and Operational

WDWNT on January 8, 2011

As I was looking at the Disney Vault page for an unrelated topic, I noticed that things had shifted since last time I was there. Thinking the release of Animation 1 this morning had shuffled things when added to the site I investigated and found that they had not updated the page with Animation 1 info, but with Star Wars info. So now we have all the turn-arounds for all 11 known characters.

There wasn’t really that much new we learned from the backs and sides; just a lot of capes (wouldn’t they have looked cool in fabric like the Animation 1 9″ Hippo’s tutu?). It’s interesting to note that they don’t show the lightsaber accessories we saw earlier today at D-Street. In the Animated 1 turn-arounds the Fairy Godmother shows offer her wand. I hope that doesn’t mean that they won’t come with lighsabers, and that those in the display were only for the display. (Something I doubt, but worry about)

What do you think of the figures are we’ve seen so far?

Choose What Characters You Get To Meet During “Character Fan Days”

WDWNT on January 7, 2011

From the Disney Parks Blog:

Do you have a favorite Disney character you have never met?

For the first time ever, we’re giving you a chance to decide which rarely seen Disney characters you want to see in Disneyland park. Starting today, you can cast your vote in polls that can be found only on the Disneyland Facebook page, and those votes will determine which characters appear during our new Character Fan Days Jan. 28 through 30. The Characters Fan Days weekend is one of five, family-fun events coming to Disneyland park Jan. 14 through March 6 as part of “Family Fun Weekends.”

To vote, look for three polls on Facebook spanning three days, Jan. 7 through Jan. 9. Each poll will appear at 2 p.m. PT and will feature different characters – some you see often and some you don’t. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the characters included in the poll: the Seven Dwarfs, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, Clarabelle Cow and the Country Bears.

The top two vote-getters from each day’s poll will appear in the Festival Arena in Disneyland park Jan. 28 through 30 during the all-new Character Fan Days (sorry – no write-ins accepted).

On a personal note, there’s a “character” you won’t be seeing around the Disneyland Resort as often – me. Today marks my last day leading social media at the Disneyland Resort and my last post as the primary Disneyland author on the Disney Parks Blog. On Monday, I begin a new role. I’m not going too far, and I’ll still be in touch with you. I’ll be joining the social media team at the main offices of The Walt Disney Company, in Burbank, Ca., and I hope to share all kinds of interesting stories with you from there!

I’ve really enjoyed the five years I’ve spent on the Disneyland Resort Public Relations team, and I’ve had a lot of fun with all of you since we launched the Blog in September, 2009. I know I’ve said this at just about every Disneyland meet-up we’ve held, but my favorite part of the job is reading your comments and meeting you in person. Thank you for your comments, questions, interest and enthusiasm. I even appreciate the corrections when they’re warranted. :)

On Jan. 14, Michele Himmelberg will join the Disney Parks Blog to write about Disneyland Resort. She will share the poll results and details about how to see the winning characters during Character Fan Days.

What are you waiting for? Go cast your vote in our Disney character poll on the Disneyland Facebook page.

Bulldozers Turning the Island into the Wharf

WDWNT on January 7, 2011

Demolition work has now begun on the former Pleasure Island at Downtown Disney as Hyperion Wharf is slated for completion in 2013. WDWNT Reporter Adam Roth was visiting what was left of the Island during the holidays and took the following photos, so keep in mind these were taken a few weeks ago:

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Most of the Motion building is gone already, but it was starting to come down in this photo

Read More about Bulldozers Turning the Island into the Wharf

Lightsabers!

WDWNT on January 7, 2011

Take a close look at these pictures M.C. and I took at D-Street this morning while waiting for Animation 1.

Notice Luke and Darth holding anything?
Close up of Luke
Lightsaber close up
There is Darth with his red Lightsaber!

This was our first up close look at the upcoming Star Wars Vinylmation set since Trade City in August. The Lightsabers were NOT there at the time. Nor are the Lightsabers present in any of the art work that Disney has released. Was this a late addition? Maybe the reason for the hold back of the release date for so long. Whatever the case, they look fantastic. The details on each figure as a whole are very impressive and we can not wait for the Midnight release on Thursday, January 13th.