WDWNT – Page 836 – WDWNT Archive

D23 Annonces Summer Line-Up of Member-Only Special Events

WDWNT on May 14, 2009

Whether you’re in Orlando, Anaheim, Burbank, Las Vegas, New York, or Chicago, D23 members have some very special events coming their way this summer. Here is a press release about the events, as well as an upcoming D23 contest:

DISNEY’S D23 FAN COMMUNITY ANNOUNCES
SUMMER 2009 SPECIAL EVENTS CALENDAR

Unique Experiences Created Exclusively for Charter Members of
“The Official Community for Disney Fans”

BURBANK, CALIF – May 14, 2009 – Disney’s D23: The Official Community for Disney Fans today announced its Summer 2009 Special Events Calendar. From very special screenings and stepping behind-the-scenes with Mary Poppins to visiting the legendary Walt Disney Studios and Archives to being among the first to experience the new Walt Disney Family Museum, D23’s inaugural slate of Members-only events promises outstanding, unforgettable opportunities that are exclusive to the fan community’s Charter Membership.

“D23 Members are Disney’s biggest fans, and they’re always looking for distinctive, memorable ways to celebrate the things they love most about Disney,” said Steven Clark, Head of D23. “For our inaugural season of events and contests, we’ve created an experientially and geographically diverse calendar that we know our Members will enjoy and remember fondly for years.”

SUMMER 2009 CHARTER MEMBER-ONLY SPECIAL EVENTS:

May 28 D23 “Up All Night” at Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre (FREE)
(Los Angeles, CA) — Theatergoers across the country will soon meet the unlikely duo of 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen and 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer Russell in Disney•Pixar’s latest adventure, Up. D23 Members will be among the first to see the film at this free event at the historic El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on May 28, 2009. The fun begins with a special pin trading event, followed by an all new Disney stage show and a screening of the new Disney-Pixar short Partly Cloudy and the highly anticipated and critically acclaimed Up! And it wouldn’t be a D23 event without a few other special surprises and guests!

May 31          D23’s Flowers & Fireworks Celebration at Epcot (FREE with park admission)
(Orlando, FL) – Join D23 at Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort to celebrate its members in all 50 states and more than 25 countries worldwide! Start the evening at the American Gardens Theatre with reserved seating for the Flower Power Concert Series Finale, starring the legendary Tony Orlando, to close the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. Next, head to a VIP location to mix and mingle with your fellow D23 members over desserts and coffee, and then enjoy the spectacular nighttime extravaganza IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth from a private viewing area.

June 24         D23’s Supercalifragilistic Night on Broadway
(New York, NY) — Disney’s award-winning musical Mary Poppins recently celebrated its 1,000th performance on Broadway and on June 24, 2009, D23 Members are being offered the opportunity to meet one another and share in the magic with premium seats, merchandise discounts and an opportunity to stay after the show for a special “behind-the-scenes” experience at the historic New Amsterdam Theatre in New York City. D23 Members also will receive the recently released 2-Disc Mary Poppins 45th Anniversary Special Edition DVD, courtesy of our friends at Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.

June 24         D23 and Poppins Breeze into The Windy City
(Chicago, IL) — Mary Poppins blew into the Windy City on March 25, 2009 and original Broadway stars Ashley Brown and Gavin Lee have been delighting audiences at the Cadillac Palace Theatre ever since. On June 24, 2009, D23 Members will have the chance to experience the “practically perfect” Mary Poppins like never before, with premium seats, merchandise discounts, complimentary souvenir program and a once-in-a-lifetime “behind-the-scenes” experience. D23 Members also will receive the recently released 2-Disc Mary Poppins 45th Anniversary Special Edition DVD, courtesy of our friends at Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.

June 27         D23 and The Lion King Roar in Vegas
(Las Vegas, NV) — After entertaining more than 45 million guests in theatres around the world, Simba and Nala have roared their way onto the world famous Las Vegas Strip. On June 27, 2009, D23 will host a special night at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, with premium seating for The Lion King, a “behind-the-scenes” experience and more, available exclusively to D23 Members.

June 27 & Aug. 15          D23 Day at The Walt Disney Studios and Archives (FREE)
(Burbank, CA) — A rare opportunity for D23 Members to enjoy a 2-hour tour of The Walt Disney Studios and Walt Disney Archives, hosted by D23 and Disney Archives staff. Only two dates are available for the Summer 2009 Calendar and space is limited.

July 17           D23 presents Disneyland, U.S.A. (FREE)
(Anaheim, CA) — Celebrate Disneyland’s 54th Anniversary with a special screening of Walt Disney’s recently restored 1956 “People and Places” featurette Disneyland, U.S.A., as well as a panel discussion including Imagineer Tony Baxter, Disney Legend and Chief Archivist Dave Smith, and Disney Studios Film Archivist Ed Hobelman. The event will take place at Disneyland’s Team Disney Anaheim Theater and will be followed by a D23 Member reception.

Sept TBD      The Walt Disney Family Museum Preview (FREE)
(San Francisco, CA) – Prior to its October 2009 Grand Opening, D23 members will have the opportunity to experience The Walt Disney Family Museum, celebrating the life and achievements of the man who raised animation to an art, transformed the film industry, tirelessly pursued innovation, and created a global and distinctly American legacy. This special preview will be hosted by the Museum’s Executive Director Richard Benefield. Dates and details will be available soon.

To find out more about D23’s Summer 2009 Special Events Calendar, including admissions and how to register for events, visit www.disney.com/D23 and click on the “Expo & Events” tab. All D23 Special Events are subject to change without notice, have varying admission fees and registration processes, and may require advance reservations due to space limitations.

SUMMER 2009 CHARTER MEMBER-ONLY CONTEST:

In addition to D23’s inaugural slate of special events, the fan community is also pleased to announce its first Member-only contest. This summer, one lucky D23 Member and a guest will have the chance to win an incredible getaway package to join the pack at Pride Rock and see The Lion King in Las Vegas including 2-nights accommodation at the Mandalay Bay Resort and much more. To enter, D23 Members are being asked to tell us what they love most about The Lion King in 300 words or less. To enter, D23 Members are being asked to tell us what they love most about The Lion King in 300 words or less. A complete list of rules/ regulations and more information will be available www.disney.com/D23 in early June.

D23’s Flowers and Fireworks

WDWNT on May 14, 2009

D23 members visiting Walt Disney World at the end of the month will be happy to hear about a FREE special event at Epcot that’s just for them:

05.14.09 – Join D23 at Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort to celebrate its Members in all 50 states and more than 25 countries worldwide! Start the evening at the American Gardens Theatre with reserved seating for the Flower Power Concert Series Finale, starring the legendary Tony Orlando, to close the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. Next, head to a VIP location to mix and mingle with your fellow D23 Members over desserts and coffee, and then enjoy the spectacular nighttime extravaganza IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth from the pavilion’s private viewing area.

Date: Sunday, May 31, 2009

Location: Epcot, Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida

Time: 7:15 p.m.

Tickets Available: May, TBD

Cost: FREE! (Theme park admission separate and required.)

Ticket reservation information will be available soon. Please check back here for updates.

* Available only to D23 Members in good standing. Members may reserve a ticket for themselves and one (1) guest. There are a limited number of tickets available. D23 Members will be required to give their membership number when reserving tickets. Tickets may be picked up only with a valid photo ID and their D23 membership card. D23 Members who do not bring their membership card, may not be admitted to the event. All D23 Special Events are subject to change without notice.

D23 also announced a plethora of member only events taking place through-out the summer at the Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort, and in New York City, Chicago, Las Vegas, and Burbank. You can see a complete list of upcoming D23 events by going HERE.

“Up” and Running Tomorrow

WDWNT on May 14, 2009

As no surprise to anyone, the characters from Disney-Pixar’s Up (in theaters May 29th) are going to be doing character meet-and-greets at Walt Disney World:

Beginning May 15th at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you can meet Carl, Russell, and Dug from the new Disney-Pixar animated feature Up.These live characters will be located in the Animation Building through October.

Disney Parks Merchandise Comes to the Disney Store Online

WDWNT on May 13, 2009

As of today, Disneystore.com (formerly Disneyshopping.com before a quick name change took place just a few days ago) is now offering a large assortment of merchandise from the U.S. Disney Parks:

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Mickey and the gang welcome you to “Bring the Magic Home with You” through the Disney Store website

Among the Walt Disney World and Disneyland merchandise available are Mickey Mouse ear hats, character autograph books, photo albums, toys (including the monorail playset and some of its accessories), apparel, snowglobes, big figures, small statues, home decor, and much more. You can start shopping right now at this link.

Toy Story Mania! Debuts in Wii Form This Fall

WDWNT on May 12, 2009

The OC Register’s Around Disney blog has more information on the new Wii version of Toy Story Mania! being released this fall:

Disney Interactive Studios has announced plans to release “Toy Story Mania!” this fall for the Nintendo Wii console.

Although many aspects of the game are still in the works, a demo version of the Wii game was premiered recently and will be showcased in June’s E3 Expo, an annual gathering for computer and video gamers.

“From the success of the ride, Disney felt that the Wii was a good fit to bring the ride home,” Senior Show Producer Richard Robledo said.

The game was produced by the Irvine-based company Papaya Studios. Because of the company’s close proximity to the theme park, game designers got to spend time understanding the game.

The toss in space game is show producer Robledo’s favorite. “Especially when you’re playing with a friend, it’s a good competitive one. You can kind of steal each others points,” he admits.

“We’ve been working a lot with the WDI group, learning what they went through and how they built their story. In this game, we’re hoping to expand that story so you get a little more insight into Andy’s room and the toys and how they’re setting up the different games,” Senior Show Producer Linda Jo said.

Toy Story Mania! for Wii is very similar to the Toy Story Mania attraction, which opened last summer in Disney’s California Adventure and at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida.

The game version includes the five carnival galleries found in the ride, such as balloon pops, plate tosses and darts. In addition, game developers came up with new and original galleries along with a series of mini games, for a total of 30 different games.

“Half of this game is pretty much shooting galleries, which is similar to the ride,” Jo said. ”We don’t exactly copy it, because we want to make sure that the toys are constantly changing things, and then we expand on that – that’s where we get, like, the block hit, a hammer game, and all sorts of games that you’d find at a carnival.”

Other new elements of the Wii version include a fishing game and a butterfly-catching game hosted by Bo Peep.

“We just kind of imagined when Andy’s away, what type of games would the toys build that would be fun to play,” Jo explained. “The audience is the toy now.”

Because the characters from the movie are a focal point of the game, the original voice actors from the movie are used in the game as well (Although the voice of Woody, originally played by Tom Hanks, is instead played by Hanks’ brother James).

In developing the game, designers wanted to make use of the variety of functions that the Wiimote can perform.
“It’s not always pointing and shooting. We want to expand off of that. You’re skeeball-ing, you’re throwing, you’re fishing,” Robledo said.

Robledo challenges some experienced gamers to a game of Toy Story Mania.

While working with Imagineers, Papaya game designers noticed the emphasis on the attraction’s use of layered targets.

“It’s great, because sometimes when you’re playing by yourself you might not see all the good things that are in one level,” Roledo said. ”When you’re playing together — even though you’re trying to outscore each other – you’re going to see new things that you couldn’t score with by yourself. They helped us understand the teamwork.”

The only aspect of the attraction noticeably missing in the Wii version of the game is one of those pesky spring-action shooters, notable for their ability to build the riders’ arm muscles — or to just make them really tired.

While some games use the Toy Story Mania attractions concept of point and shoot, other games make use of the Wiimote features, such as this skeeball game.

Tips

Jo: “Just keep testing out the different targets in there. The targets aren’t just, well, the targets. There’s a progression to them; you keep finding things to unlock and find out what leads to another surprise or bonus.”
Robledo: “On block hit, you’ll notice in the background the parachutes. At one point, a crate is going to be falling. If you hit that crate, you get more balls, which in turn will give you more points, because you have more blocks to hit.”

Toy Story Mania! will be released in stores this fall and will retail for $49.99.

D23 also has some information on the Toy Story Mania! Wii game at this link.

Napa Rose Gains a New Record

WDWNT on May 12, 2009

ANAHEIM, Calif. – May 7, 2009 – Napa Rose restaurant Manager Joy Cushing, of Huntington Beach, California, has passed the grueling, weeklong Advanced Level Examination of the International Court of Master Sommeliers, bringing the total number of Advanced Level sommeliers working at Napa Rose to five, the most of any restaurant in the world.

Cushing’s achievement puts her one level away from the elite title of Master Sommelier. It is also a tribute to the mentoring of Napa Rose General Manager and Master Sommelier Michael Jordan who, since 2001, has coached more than 300 Disneyland Resort cast members to the status of certified sommelier.

“When we created the Disneyland Resort Sommelier Education Program in 2001, there weren’t any Advanced Level Sommeliers anywhere in Southern California.” Jordan said. “It’s a very big deal, and we raise our glass to salute Joy.”

The Advanced Level Examination was administered April 27 through May 1 at the Disneyland Resort Hotels to 60 candidates who traveled to Disneyland Resort from such fine restaurants and hotels as The French Laundry in Napa Valley; The Inn at Little Washington, Virginia; Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago and Wolfgang Puck’s Cut steak house, Beverly Hills. Examination participants were also able to attend festivities at Disney’s California Food & Wine Festival, where tastings and advanced wine education classes conducted by Michael Jordan are among the special events. The Festival continues through June 7 at Disneyland Resort, with daily, complimentary demonstrations.

Jordan, general manager of the award-winning Napa Rose restaurant at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, designed and initiated his sommelier training program drawing on extensive research and his own vast expertise. In November 2007, Jordan earned the elite title of Master Sommelier following a rigorous examination by the Court of Master Sommeliers.

The International Court of Master Sommeliers recognizes four stages, from introductory to certified and advanced before culminating with a Master Sommelier diploma exam.

“Celebrate a Stitch Come True”

WDWNT on May 12, 2009

Courtesy of the fantastic new WDWNTube video site, we have two Magic Kingdom entertainment videos to share. The first video is of the updated Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade that debuted on May 3rd:

The second video comes to us by Robert Ashburn of Figmentsmedia.net and is of the new Stitch’s Supersonic Celebration show in Tomorrowland:

Myrna Litt’s 5/11/09 Photo Report

WDWNT on May 12, 2009

Our second photo report from Mothers Day comes to us from the lovely Myrna Litt:

A nice Oswald shirt

A long line for the swinging gondolas of Mickey’s Fun Wheel

Some shots from up in the air on the Fun Wheel

Work on the Grand Californian Disney Vacation Club addition is coming along nicely

Spikes on the Mickey face to keep the birds off

Shine On!

WDWNT on May 12, 2009

shine-on

ORLANDO, Fla., May 11, 2009 – Walt Disney World Resort made a clear connection between itself and the recent “shine on” sightings in Central Florida by arriving at the Coalition for the Homeless this morning on a “prize patrol” bus with Mickey Mouse and a check for $60,000 in tow.

“Today is a fabulous day,” says Eugene Campbell, vice president of Community Relations and Minority Business Development for Walt Disney World Resort, with a smile. “We are sharing some of our magic by shining a spotlight on some very deserving non-profits and students who help make dreams come true in our community.”

For the next two weeks, Disney will disperse prize patrols across Central Florida to surprise, reward and recognize award recipients for two of its signature community outreach programs. Disney’s Helping Kids Shine Grants financially support non-profits that are actively involved in improving children’s lives. Disney Dreamers and Doers recognizes outstanding students who help better their communities through volunteer service.

By May 22, a total of 34 Disney’s Helping Kids Shine Grants and 15 top Dreamers and Doers Shining Stars will be awarded. Prize patrol reports and pictures will be posted on www.shineontoday.com so you can follow along on the journey across Central Florida and track the total giving.