Shaking Up the Celebration

WDWNT on December 9, 2008

Even though we are just about three weeks away from the beginning of the “What Will You Celebrate?” campaign at the Walt Disney World Resort, we have already had a major change in plans. Now don’t panic just yet, it’s actually quite a positive one. Instead of taking the same exact concept that Disneyland park is going to use for what they are calling “Celebrate! A Street Party” on Main Street U.S.A. like was originally planned, the Magic Kingdom will be receiving a larger and more extensive version of this mini-parade/show beginning Spring 2009. Here is a release on the new offering:

At the Walt Disney World® Resort, the “Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party” will come to life in early spring 2009 at the Magic Kingdom® Park. It will feature multiple floats (in this case, “party boxes”) each hosted by a Disney Character with fantastic upbeat music that will have you dancing and celebrating in front of Cinderella Castle. Hosts include Genie (from Aladdin), Lumiere (from Beauty and the Beast), Timon (The Lion King), Sebastian (The Little Mermaid) and the Mad Hatter (Alice in Wonderland ).

The concept sounds much stronger than the Disneyland version, as you can see here:

Beginning in spring 2009, the heart of Disneyland® Park will rock to the beat of some of the best party tunes of all time during “Celebrate! A Street Party.” Balloons and streamers fill the air on Main Street, U.S.A.®, while crazy conga lines, swing dancers and Disney Characters take to the street to celebrate with you!

It should be interesting to see how this “Main Street Family Fun Day Parade” replacement does when it debuts next year at the Magic Kingdom. Stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information on this new entertainment offering becomes available.

Department 56 Closing

WDWNT on December 9, 2008

Along with the upcoming closure of Club Libby Lu, Department 56 in Downtown Disney will be closing after the holiday season. The closing is due to the filing for bankruptcy of the store’s parent company, Lenox Group. This comes after the store recently cut itself in half, now creating space for 2 new tenants. Due to the closing, & the holiday rush, merchandise is currently 20-50% off.

Stay tuned to Disneyland News Today as we get in more info on when these 2 stores will indeed close.

“Sounds” Seasonal

WDWNT on December 8, 2008

Not only did the “Sounds Dangerous starring Drew Carey” show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios close for an unannounced refurbishment yesterday that will span through the 13th of December, it now seems the attraction will only be operating seasonally at the park. The most recent closure of the attraction is to allow some finishing touches on the American Idol Experience attraction that will be giving tours of its studio to Annual Passholders in just a few days.

The Sounds Dangerous show has garnered horrible reviews and low attendance since it opened back in 1999, making it very surprising that it has lasted until now. However, it is expected that the attraction will not remain seasonal for long and will most likely be replaced with a Disney Channel themed sound-show within the next year or two. The attraction will close again in January and will remain closed until crowd levels allow it to re-open. Stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information on this story becomes available.

Matt Paul’s 12/5-12/6/08 WDW Photo Update

WDWNT on December 8, 2008

Our very own Matt Paul attended this weekend’s Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade tapings, and reports back to us with these photos:

This Friday and Saturday were days for Walt Disney World Christmas Day parade taping

Dream Along With Mickey performed on a slightly modified stage for the later performances

These red curtains were put in just for the parade taping.

Read More about Matt Paul’s 12/5-12/6/08 WDW Photo Update

WDWNT Podcast Episode 71 Now Available for Download

WDWNT on December 7, 2008

Join me, Tom Corless, and a cast including Jason Diffendal, Justin Heyman, Denise Hafto, Brian Martsolf, Chris Lastrapes, Adam Roth and Luke Manning for a show that Bridges the Gaps Between You and the Walt Disney World Resort. I hope you enjoy all of the Walt Disney World information and fun we have to offer on this “Share a Dream Come True” edition of the WDW News Today Podcast.

To kick off episode 71, we have all the recent happenings from the last week to discuss in our Walt Disney World Resort News and Rumor Report. This time around, we’ll be talking about rumored changes to the Studio Backlot Tour at Disney’s Hollywood Studios during an upcoming refurbishment, a huge deal on Disney merchandise coming up for Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club Members at the World of Disney store, and some great discounts for those planning on traveling to the Walt Disney World Resort in early 2009.

After that, Adam Roth joins us for the first time in nearly 6 months for Expedition Everoth, an inside look at Orlando’s various vacation destinations. On this edition, Adam and I talk about the IAAPA Attractions Expo recently held in the central Florida area. Adam also gives us a countdown of his ten best-in-show of things you may soon be seeing at a theme park near you.

Following that, we have another great Walt Disney World based discussion that you voted for. In this week’s opinionated round-table, we’ll be discussing some more recent additions to Walt Disney World and trying to decide whether or not Walt Disney would have approved of them. It’s a meaningful discussion for us, and we hope you’ll enjoy it.

Throughout the program, You’ll notice a number of audio clips I’ve recently collected about Walt and his life. Also be sure to stick around until the end for our annual audio finale playing of “We Share a dream Come True” during this tribute to Walt Disney.

To subscribe to the WDW News Today podcast on Itunes, go to this link. If you do not have Itunes, visit our Podcast Download Directory to download or listen to all of our shows

This episode is also available in an enhanced version. An enhanced podcast is a podcast with added features that standard podcasts don’t have. Enhanced podcasts include many features like Chapter listings, this lets you skip through chapters or see what is in store for this weeks show. Enhanced podcasts also have images to let you differ the chapters by. Enhanced podcasts have one negative feature, you can not play them on most MP3 players. The file format for this is a .m4a which can play on Apple’s iPod and Microsoft’s Zune. You will also need iTunes or Windows Media Player to be able to skip through chapters. If you need or would like the standard edition, download the normal edition listed below this file both on Itunes and in our podcast directory.

Happy Birthday Walt

WDWNT on December 5, 2008

As I’m sure many of you are aware, today is Walt Disney’s 107th birthday. December 5th always feels a little special, there’s just something about knowing that the greatest visionary the entertainment world will ever know was born on this day 107 years ago. Walt and his company have invented and re-invented the industry again and again over the last century, insuring that Walt’s legacy continues to grow as time marches on. If you’re visiting this site, chances are you have had some aspect of the Walt Disney Company touch your life is a positive way and you have a love for the work Walt and the many cast members that followed have done. As a great song once said, “We Share a Dream Come True” and are connected by our love for the product of the visionary. Happy birthday Walt, and thank you for everything.

waltdisney

Disney.com has redecorated itself for the day in honor of Walt and I think it’s worth checking out. In addition, I’m looking forward to our annual Walt Disney Tribute show on the WDW News Today Podcast this weekend and hope you will join us for a very meaningful program.

Make a Difference: Vote and Donate

WDWNT on December 4, 2008

Since there was no news today, I wanted to bring up two items. First, something cool, and then something far more meaningful:

-Voting for the 20 Biggest Moments in Disney’s Hollywood Studios is going to close this Friday at Midnight and I just wanted to make sure you have all been able to vote. If you had problems voting before, you will want to try again, we have fixed the problems and everyone should now be able to choose what they think are the 20 biggest moments in the park’s history. After voting closes, we will tally the votes and air your choices on the WDW News Today Podcast in special segments as we count down to the 20th anniversary of the Studios on  May 1, 2009. You can vote HERE, make sure you select 20 options!!!

-We have begun our annual fundraising efforts for “Toys for Tots”, who of course provides Toys during the holiday season to children of families who can not afford them. I’ve personally been giving to this charity all of my life and hope you will join me in supporting this cause. Of course, Toys for Tots was one of Walt Disney’s favorite causes and it was Disney artists who created the first “toy train” logo for the organization. That being said, I know it’s a tough time for many financially, but I hope that you will donate what you can to this great charity by going HERE or by using the widget in our right sidebar.

Disney’s Pro Candy Cane Rollers Create Confection Perfection

WDWNT on December 4, 2008

From the OC Register’s Around Disney blog:

No job is all fun, even when you work at a place called the “Candy Palace.”

When you’re in the business of making candy canes at Disneyland, you’d better be prepared for 100-degree heat, exacting craftsmanship and the scrutiny of crowds.

“I’ve been making candy canes at Christmas here for 19 years,” said Chris Thompson, a veteran candy maker for Disneyland. “I didn’t really feel comfortable with it until 10 or 15 years in.”

It’s all worth all the hard work though. It feels like Christmas when the kids press their noses against the glass to watch confectioners knead hot sugar and the biting smell of peppermint fills the air.

Thompson and his colleagues make the candy canes only four times every Christmas season. The five-ounce confections — about as long as a man’s forearm – retail for $9.95, but they sell out almost immediately. This year, the Candy Palace on Disneyland’s Main Street is issuing tickets so park guests can reserve candy canes ahead of time, avoiding the massive lines that mark candy cane day at the Palace every Christmas.

The crowds watching the candy makers through the store’s front window are always five or six deep.

Maybe people are fascinated by the sheer force of will and precision that is organized to create something so superfluous as a piece of candy.

The three-man candy-making operation starts by heating the small kitchen in the Candy Palace to 100 degrees inside — the hot sugar sets fast, so candy makers need the heat to keep it from hardening too soon.

Because the candy is cooked at such a high temperature, it has to be kept soft,” Thompson said.

Gas jets keep a big copper kettle of sugar and corn syrup hot as Thompson, candymaker Brian O’Dell and “hooker” Chris Henderson prepare to handle the sugar.

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