WDWNT’s own Jose Castillo is back from the Walt Disney World Resort and has plenty of photos to share with us, so let’s take a look:
Jose arrived at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Wednesday evening to enjoy Fantasmic!
Park hours were expanded and a Fantasmic! was added at 10:00 PM
Yesterday, May 1st, was of course the 20th anniversary of the Disney-MGM Studios, now known as Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Our own Tom Corless, as well as other members of the staff were (and still are) at Walt Disney World for the festivities. As soon as they return from the Resort they’ll be providing great high quality photos with us, but for the time being, thanks to our very own WDWNT Twitter, we have a few photos of the official Disney events, festivities, and merchandise for Disney’s Hollywood Studio’s 20th anniversary:
These banners were hung up at the turnstiles
The 20th anniversary times guide, featurings times and the location for the special “A Look Back at the Creation of Our Park” presentation with Tom Fitzgerald, Eric Jacobson, and Bob Weiss from Walt Disney Imagineering
A special rope drop was held for the anniversary with vice president of the park, Rilous Carter, welcoming guests to the park on this special ocassion
The 20 Years of Magic T-shirt
Inside the Premiere Theatre for the “A Look Back at the Creation of Our Park” presentation
The 20th anniversary cupcakes for sale just on May 1st at Starring Roles
The 20th anniversary cell for sale featuring a 20th birthday cake over the original map of the Disney-MGM Studios
For many more photos from his trip to WDW, please visit Tom Corless’ Twitter, the official Twitter for WDW News Today. And as I said, stay tuned for when our staff members return in the week for many photo reports!
The backstage promotional images for this year’s Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios have been released, and they’re quite whimsical:
Star Wars Weekends run Fridays through Sundays from May 22nd to June 14th at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
I’d like to welcome John B. to the staff as our newest photographer. He along with Myrna, Chuck, Shawn, and I will be able to make Disneyland News Today the premiere and most often updated site for photo reports. With-out further ado, let’s get to John’s first photo report here at DLNT:
The fountains at Cosmic Waves have been removed, however the rotating ball in the middle will remain
A peak over the Pixie Hollow construction walls
Over at DCA… A look at some of the Food and Wine merchandise at the Festival Gift Shop
Today, a lot of D23 members received their Summer 2009 edition of the Disney Twenty-Three magazine. The magazine, just like the first one, looks simply amazing this time featuring Donald Duck as he celebrates his 75th anniversary of Mischief, Mayhem, & Mirth! This edition of the D23 magazine includes a tour of the new Tokyo Disneyland attraction, Monster’s Inc Ride & Go Seek!, beautiful art from Disneyland’s Disney Gallery, a Q&A with the director for the all new movie Rapunzel, a documentary with the famous Sherman Brothers, an in-depth look at the future of Disney’s California Adventure Park, 75 of Donald Duck, and lots more!
Front Cover of the Summer 2009 D23 Magazine
Read More about Beat the Heat with the Summer ’09 Disney Twenty-Three
A lot of news has popped up over the last couple of days, so I thought I’d post some of these smaller pieces into one big news update:
On April 29, for the first time in history, two people will receive a window on Main Street, U.S.A. on the same day. The windows will honor Disney Legends and former Walt Disney Imagineers Rolly Crump and the late Don Edgren. Look for Rolly and Don’s names over the porch of the old bra shop and above the Silhouette Studio.
-According to the OC Register’s Around Disney blog:
Plans have been unveiled for a new shop coming to Downtown Disney; this one will replace the recently closed Club Libby Lu.
Titled Studio Disney 365, it will be another salon and merchandise location. It sounds similar to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, which opened last week in Fantasyland, but this one has a Hollywood theme and is geared more towards the “High School Musical” crowd.
Studio Disney 365 will open this summer. Check Around Disney for more details over the next week or so.
Disneyland.com also has information on Studio Disney 365:
Lights, Camera, Action! Studio Disney 365 – Coming Summer 2009
Ever wish you could rock out like some of your favorite Disney Channel stars or become a huge superstar and have paparazzi waiting to snap your picture… Now you can! With your star quality you can ride the wave of success to Hollywood, and have your 15 minutes of fame. First, determine your level of star quality from fabulous & famous to secret star with a transformation that will not only make you look but also feel like your favorite celebrities.
Next meet your fans and have your picture snapped by our waiting paparazzi and give them a glimpse of what a true superstar looks like. Finally get in touch with your inner “fashionista” by choosing from a wide array of fashion apparel and accessories that will complete the look. And that’s a wrap!
-In Disney’s California Adventure re-do news, Dinosaur Jack’s Sunglass Shack is scheduled to close permanently on May 26th, 2009, however we’re not sure if this means it will be completely removed or just re-themed. The structure itself doesn’t really lend itself all that well to being re-themed, so time will have to tell on this one. We also have a new name for the Souvenir 66 stand. It will become Seaside Souvenirs. Finally in DCA news, the Golden Zephyr unexpectedly closed for a refurbishment yesterday. We currently have no idea when it will re-open, but stay tuned to our Refurbishments page for the latest.
Hat tip to the DCA Project Tracker for some of this information.
–According to the Disneyland.com calendar, there will be an Up Pre-Parade running in front of the Pixar Play Parade at Disney’s California Adventure beginning Friday May 8th, 2009. Pre-Parades usually run about 10 minutes before the main parade, so be sure to plan your time accordingly.
-Finally, the Disneyland Resort released a few press videos on YouTube yesterday looking at some of the latest additions to the Resort:
Join the fun at Disneyland with Celebrate! A Street Party, an exhilarating spectacle of music, dance and guest participation along Main Street USA. This daily street show features an energetic cast of dancers (including stilt-dancers) and Disney characters who invite guests to join them in the kind of dazzling celebration that can be found only at Disneyland Resort. Its part of the exciting, new entertainment that invites guests to Celebrate Today!
The ideal venue for a Disneyland celebration can be found in Frontierland, at Celebration Roundup & Barbecue. Guests will enjoy a hearty, ranch-style barbecue meal with a surprise dessert. The non-stop entertainment includes traditional western music and appearances by Sheriff Woody, Jessie the Yodelin Cowgirl and Bullseye the Fastest Horse in the West, from Toy Story. Open for lunch and dinner, this family-favorite location seats groups up to 24 people.
Guests will enjoy a new lineup of Disney-themed games at the Paradise Pier Midway, inside Disneys California Adventure park. After riding through the interactive attraction Toy Story Mania!, guests can stroll on down the boardwalk to play these games: Goofy About Fishin, where everyone is a winner; Casey at the Bat, a ball pitch; Bullseye Stallion Stampede, a rolling ball race; and Dumbo Bucket Brigade, a water-spray contest with clowns and ladders.
Disney’s California Food and Wine Festival will celebrate the international cultures, people, food and traditions that have made California one of the most diverse culinary destinations in the world. With a theme of World Celebration, the Festival runs from April 24 through June 7, featuring daily complimentary demonstrations and premier ticketed events at Disneys California Adventure park and throughout the Resort. Details and tickets for the premier events are available at www.disneyland.com/foodandwine.
Spring has sprung and it’s time to celebrate at the Disneyland Resort. There’s a new parade in town, “Celebrate! A Street Party.” Jump into the action with nearly 100 performers dancing from ‘it’s a small world” down Main Street U.S.A. In Frontierland, catch up with Woody, Jessie and Bullseye while eatin’ some chicken, ribs and beans at the all-new Celebration Roundup and Barbeque at Big Thunder Ranch. And in Fantasyland, girls and boys are being transformed into royalty at the new Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. For some hands-on fun, head over to Disney’s California Adventure and give “Games of the Boardwalk” your best shot. And don’t miss the 4th Annual Disney’s California Food & Wine Festival – the cork pops April 24.
Matt Paul spent a wonderful Earth Day 2009 at the Walt Disney World Resort and has plenty of pictures to share with us:
“Celebrate Parking!”
Some new flags outside of Animal Kingdom
D23 has even more information on Disneyland’s new Summer Nightastic promotion:
Disneyland Resort will glow like never before this summer as it debuts an all-new fireworks show, Magical, along with beloved characters and sensational new effects that will brighten the Summer Nightastic!
Guests can see Disneyland Resort in a whole new light as Summer Nightastic! brings nighttime shows and parades to life — bigger, better and brighter. A huge new dragon and other special effects enhance the magestic Fantasmic!. Explosive surprises will illuminate the night sky in the all-new fireworks spectacular, Magical. Guests can rock the night away at a new dance club in Tomorrowland. And sparkling new magic comes to Disney’s Electrical Parade, as well as to Pixie Hollow, the enchanting home Tinker Bell inhabits with her fairy friends.
“When the sun goes down, things are going to light up!” says Jill Estorino, senior vice president, Domestic Parks Marketing. “This summer, we’re piling up the magic even more.”
A BOLDER FANTASMIC!: New thrills galore will arrive at the popular Fantasmic! on the Rivers of America in Frontierland. The evil Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty transforms into a brand new, 40-foot tall, fully animated, fire-breathing dragon —. She’ll have flapping wings, a moving head and mouth and at 10,000 pounds she had to be helicoptered in to the Park! Ursula the Sea Witch from The Little Mermaid will introduce her pet eels, Flotsam and Jetsam, who slither into the show with new power. “They come right up to the sea wall and look you right in the eye!” says Show Director Carla Carlile. And with the help of HD technology — high definition, not Huge Dragon! — the Fantasmic! video projections practically leap off the giant mist screens. During the Captain Hook pirate ship scene, look for a newly animated crocodile, who now even snaps at Captain Hook!
AN EXPLODING CELEBRATION IN THE SKY: Magical is a new Disney fireworks spectacular created especially to celebrate Summer Nightastic! at Disneyland. Tinker Bell is once again your host, waving her wand to ignite the brilliant color, stunning special effects and charming music. But she won’t be alone in the sky this summer. Dumbo will make his surprise airborne debut in the new show. Tink’s sparkling touch awakens a fantastic array of Disney’s most magical characters, from Pinocchio to Mary Poppins to Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother, and the Three Good Fairies from Sleeping Beauty (wait ’til you see Flora and Merryweather engaged in colorful overhead battle between their signature colors pink and blue!). Powerhouse vocalist Eden Espinosa, a longtime signer at Disneyland who starred in the Broadway production of BKLYN and also played Elphaba in Wicked, sings Magical’s theme song as well as classic Disney tunes like “Baby Mine.” Other songs included in this extravaganza include “Second Star to the Right” from Peter Pan, “Hi-diddle-dee (An Actor’s Life for Me)” from , “Jolly Holiday” from Mary Poppins and “So This is Love” from Cinderella. Longtime Disneyland composer Greg Smith supplies the score.
NEW FLOATS BRING FRESH MAGIC TO DISNEY’S ELECTRICAL PARADE: Everything about Disney’s Electrical Parade will have a new glow as Tinker Bell leads the way, waving from the basket of a magical balloon aboard a new opening parade float. “A fairy’s magic lights the way,” reveals Denny Newell, senior show director. The parade’s beloved music and floats will feature electrifying audio and lighting technologies, with sparkling pixie dust added to all the parade floats. Returning to the parade this summer as well, after several years’ absence, are Snow White’s Diamond Mine float and two Pleasure Island floats from Pinocchio. “Because of LED technology,” explains Denny, “we can do a lot more fun programming.” In fact, thanks to LEDs, the Cheshire cat will disappear just like in the movie. Though the Blue Fairy float that used to open the parade has gone on hiatus, Guests with a keen eye will notice that the center mast of Captain Hook’s pirate ship is now a foot-and-a-half taller.
AN EXCITING NEW DANCE CLUB ‘IGNITES THE NIGHT’ IN TOMORROWLAND: Tweens, teens and families will be drawn to the TLT Dance Club at Tomorrowland Terrace in Disneyland. Dazzling décor will include an illuminated DJ console where the TLT Dance Club DJ will spin the hottest dance tunes, guaranteed to keep Tomorrowland rockin’ all night. Live bands and the hottest Southern California radio stations will appear on select nights throughout the summer.
PIXIE HOLLOW ENCHANTMENT: Tinker Bell and her friends have been welcoming guests into their Pixie Hollow home, tucked into the glen near the entrance to Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland, since fall of 2008. This summer, for the first time, nighttime visitors will find magical surprises as Pixie Hollow and the nearby pond come to life in iridescent light shows. Pixie dust cascades across the landscape and radiates down into the pond. Even the water becomes enchanted as playful fountains spring to life, water jets perform with whimsical precision, and sparkling strobes shine throughout Pixie Hollow. For those who haven’t visited the Hollow before, as guests enter Tink’s domain, they will notice the flora around them growing bigger and bigger — as they shrink to the size of a fairy. “We call the effect, ‘the Monsanto tunnel,’ laughs Denny, referencing the now-defunct Disneyland Journey Thru Innerspace attraction.
From the What’s HapPINing blog on Disneypins.com:
In other news, we mentioned we would be discussing Mickey Monsters this week. Guests who attended Disney Pin Trading Night last Friday at Walt Disney World® Resort had a first look at these new plush. We recently spoke with Denise Edelmaier, Product Developer for Dolls and Plush, and Wei Liu from the Development Team about these new creatures.
“The basic story is that the Mickey Monsters are visiting the Disney Parks,” said Denise. “They try to blend in by disguising themselves as Mickey and a host of other characters that they encounter on their visit.”
Series 1 will have six different Mickey Monsters, each with their own name, personality and story (which will be told on each hang tag). Each plush will retail for $12.95.
Wei shared with us some awesome photos of these new monsters.
Cheeky Bubbles loves to ride rides. The faster the better! Most of all he likes to ride with his best friend Ralf, because everything is always better with your best friend.
Ralf doesn’t talk very much. He leaves all the talking to his best friend Cheeky Bubbles. That gives Ralf more time to eat. If you like to eat, Ralf will be your best friend too.
Murff likes hot chocolate. If you give Murff hot chocolate he will be your best friend – at least until the mug is empty. Then he will throw a fit. Don’t forget to add marshmallows. Murff loves them.
Eeku loves ninja movies. He also loves to have his picture taken. When he sees a fun family having their photo taken, he uses his stealth to find his way into the picture.
Ogg likes to visit the parks. He loves to go on rides. Ogg also likes to eat hot dogs and ice cream – together! But after he goes on the rides – not before.”
Keeti likes to dress up. She is always trying to fit in. Sometimes it works – sometimes not. If you play dress up with Keeti she will love you forever. Her sash says, “I’m beautiful.”The Mickey Monsters were designed by Disney Design Group Artists. We spoke with Monty Maldovan from Disney Design Group about them.
“We wanted to created something that everyone, especially kids, could enjoy,” said Monty. “These Mickey Monsters are fun and allow us to showcase our storytelling abilities. After all, Disney is known for fun and great storytelling.”
Monty designed Cheeky Bubbles and Ralf while Tyler Dumas designed Keeti and Murf.
These plush will be coming to select locations at the Disneyland® Resort in July 2009. The plush will arrive at Walt Disney World® in August 2009.
By this point you may be wondering why new plush are appearing on DisneyPins.com. Anyone care to guess if you’ll see these new characters as Disney pins? We asked Julie Young, Product Developer for Open Edition pins and Accessories.
“I love Mickey Monsters,” exclaimed Julie! “They are going to make phenomenal pins. Look for them in November 2009. Each Mickey Monster pin will be on a custom backer card that carries forth the story found on the plush.”
We can’t wait, too!
As expected, today’s press event at the Disneyland Resort announced their summer 2009 marketing program focusing in nighttime entertainment:
“Disneyland Resort Celebrates Summer Nightastic! Lighting Up The Night With New Shows And A New Glow!”
ANAHEIM, Calif., April 24 – Disneyland Resort will glow like never before this summer as it debuts an all-new fireworks show, Magical, along with sensational new characters and effects that will brighten the Summer Nightastic! lineup of after-dark entertainment.
WHAT: Guests can see Disneyland Resort in a whole new light as Summer Nightastic! brings nighttime shows and parades to life – bigger, better and brighter. A huge new dragon and other special effects will highlight Fantasmic! Explosive surprises will illuminate the night sky in the all-new fireworks spectacular, Magical. Guests can rock the night away at a new dance club in Tomorrowland. Sparkling new magic comes to “Disney’s Electrical Parade,” as well as to Pixie Hollow, the enchanting home Tinker Bell inhabits with her fairy friends.
WHEN: Nightly, beginning Friday, June 12, and continuing through Sunday, August 23, at Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure parks. All shows and immersive experiences are free with park admission.
A BOLDER FANTASMIC!: Guests will find new thrills at the popular Fantasmic! on the Rivers of America in Frontierland. The evil Maleficent from “Sleeping Beauty” transforms into a 40-foot tall, fire-breathing dragon. Ursula the Sea Witch from “The Little Mermaid” introduces her pet eels, Flotsam and Jetsam, who slither into the show with new power. In addition, the Fantasmic! video projections practically leap off the giant mist screens, thanks to HD (high-definition) technology … (in this case, HD takes on a new meaning – Huge Dragon).
AN EXPLODING CELEBRATION IN THE SKY: Magical is a new Disney fireworks spectacular created especially to celebrate Summer Nightastic! at Disneyland. Tinker Bell is once again your host, waving her wand to ignite the brilliant color, stunning special effects and charming music. But she won’t be alone in the sky this summer. Dumbo will make his surprise airborne debut in the new show. Tink’s sparkling touch awakens a fantastic array of Disney’s most magical characters, from Pinocchio to Mary Poppins to Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother, and the Three Good Fairies from “Sleeping Beauty.”
NEW FLOATS BRING NEW MAGIC TO ‘DISNEY’S ELECTRICAL PARADE’: Everything about “Disney’s Electrical Parade” will have a new glow as Tinker Bell leads the way, waving from the basket of a magical balloon aboard a new opening parade float. The parade’s beloved music and floats will feature electrifying audio and lighting technologies, with sparkling pixie dust added to all the parade floats. Snow White and Pinocchio return to the parade this summer as well, after several years’ absence, riding bright new versions of their classic floats.
AN EXCITING NEW DANCE CLUB ‘IGNITES THE NIGHT’ IN TOMORROWLAND: Tweens, teens and families will be drawn to the TLT Dance Club at Tomorrowland Terrace in Disneyland. Dazzling décor will include an illuminated DJ console where the TLT Dance Club DJ will spin the hottest dance tunes, guaranteed to keep Tomorrowland rockin’ all night. Live bands and the hottest Southern California radio stations will appear on select nights throughout the summer.
PIXIE HOLLOW ENCHANTMENT: Tinker Bell and her friends have been welcoming guests into their Pixie Hollow home, tucked into the glen near the entrance to Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland, since fall of 2008. This summer, for the first time, nighttime visitors will find magical surprises as Pixie Hollow and the nearby pond come to life in iridescent light shows. Pixie dust cascades across the landscape and radiates down into the pond. Even the water becomes enchanted as playful fountains spring to life, pop jets perform with whimsical precision, and sparkling strobes shine throughout Pixie Hollow.
More information about Summer Nightastic! can be found at www.disneyland.com/summer.
