More Information on Summer Nightastic!

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.

A Summer Beyond Your Wildest Imagination!

As expected, today’s press event at the Disneyland Resort announced their summer 2009 marketing program focusing in nighttime entertainment:

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“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).

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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.

DLR Photo Report :: 4/21/09

My parents visited the Disneyland Resort today while I was unfortunately in school. The reason for this visit was my father’s birthday, and he of course got his Birthday Fun Card. Here’s some photos they were able to get for us:

Monorail Orange pulling into the Downtown Disney Monorail Station

Food and Wine Festival banners in Downtown Disney

A tent has been set up in the middle of Sunshine Plaza for the Festival Welcome Center

Read More about DLR Photo Report :: 4/21/09

Go Green! Celebrate Earth Day in Style!

This Earth Day, celebrate in style, Disney style that is. The Disneyland® and Walt Disney World® Resort are pleased to offer an array of environmentally friendly merchandise offerings including tee’s, accessories, bags, plush, stationary and more.

One of our most popular items includes the Every Tree Has Character – Reusable Bag. Choose to Re-Use! Be sure to stop in and pick up one of our Every Tree Has Character Reusable Bags for only $2.95, plus tax. The bags will be available at select locations throughout the Disneyland® Resort and Walt Disney World® Resorts as well as World of Disney® Store New York. Regardless of your purchase of the “Every Tree Has Character” bag, Disney has made a contribution to the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund helping wildlife and wild places around the globe.

About the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund:
The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund* (DWCF) helps to protect and study some of the world’s most endangered plants, animals and habitats. To date the DWCF has contributed more than $12 million to non-profit conservation and animal welfare organizations supporting projects in 110 countries. To learn more about this effort for wildlife, wild places and the people link to their survival, please visit www.disneyconservation.com. *The DWCF is a Disney initiative to support conservation and animal welfare and is not a US 501(C)(3) public charity.

Find all of these items and more at locations throughout Disney Parks & Resorts:

Disneyland® Resort locations include Emporium, Greetings from California, Disney Vault 28 and World of Disney® Store, among others.

Walt Disney World® Resort locations include Emporium, Mickey’s of Hollywood, Island Mercantile, Tren-D, and World of Disney® Store in Downtown Disney® as well as New York

In honor of Earth Day our teams have worked hard to use recycled and re-usable items to enhance the displays in our locations. Below are a few images of some of the newest displays and fun facts regarding the recycled items.

Downtown Disney® District – World of Disney® Store:

  • The trunk and branches of the tree are made mostly using copper tubing, reclaimed from various places around the Resort. The leaves are created by using 51 Disneylandˊ maps and 51 Annual Passport brochures with 40′ of detonation wire from the nightly presentation of “Remember… Dreams Come True” Fireworks Spectacular. Hidden in the limbs of the tree include a piece of electrical channel from one of the attractions in Fantasyland, one brass heat lamp from a New Orleans Square restaurant, one .25″ slice of the track from the Disneylandˊ steam trains track, one horseshoe from Circle D, 6″ of twisted brass tubing from one of the carousel horses at King Arthur Carrousel, one gas pump nozzle from Transportation Services, three water valves, 18″ of brass chain from various queue lines, two circular saw blades from the Mill Shop, two decorative finial caps from fencing found in New Orleans Square, six iron rosettes from fencing found at “it’s a small world”, two roller coaster gears from California Screamin’, a brass coffee machine filter from a New Orleans Square restaurant and fifteen various pipes and elbow joints from Resort plumbing and irrigation.
  • The globe is a re-purposed clear acrylic dome, that was once used as a small scale sample of the large castle snow globes which are currently displayed in the World of Disney® Store & Emporium. Acrylic paint was sponged on the inside, 1.5 lbs of sawdust was utilized from our Disneyland® Resort Mill Shop and 3.5 lbs of shredded Disney Photopass cards were used to create the continents.
  • The back pads were made of the following: 54 square feet of recycled packaging paper, six square feet of giami paper, 2 Mickey head-shaped logos painted in watercolor on 4′ of recycled cardboard and “Love the Land” letters which were cut out of recycled cardboard and painted with acrylic paint.
  • The Disneynature Earth posters were printed with uv cured ink.

Disney Vault 28

  • The Men’s shirt is made of 132 Donald Duck and Minnie Mouse main entrance passports and is held together by 798 aluminum chain links. The sandals are of 14 main entrance passports, 8 layers of corrugated cardboard and 14″ of computer ribbon.
  • Our ladies dress has been created from 122 main entrance passports and is held together with 3′ of detonation wire from the Disneyland® Resort fireworks show. The purse was created from 24 main entrance passports and the unique flower attached on the purse was created from 10 picnic Disney Photopass cards. The sandals were made from 12 main entrance passports, 8 layers of corrugated cardboard and 14″ of computer ribbon.
  • The Disney Nature Earth posters were printed with soy based ink.
  • Display Glass Risers were created from pounds of recycled crushed glass from the bottom of the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage attraction.

Disney’s California Adventure® park – Greetings From California

  • The back pads were made of the following: 44 square feet of recycled packaging paper, 4 square feet of giami paper, 1 Mickey Mouse head-shaped logo painted in watercolor on 2′ of recycled cardboard and “Love the Land” letters which were cut out of recycled cardboard and painted with acrylic paint.
  • Several recycled items were also used to make the geometric shaped risers including 12 linear feet of cardboard tubing, 18 square feet of scrap plywood and masonite, 8 Disneyland® Resort Annual Passport brochures, 42 Disneyland® Resort Main Entrance tickets, 27 square feet of linoleum tiles from backstage areas, 6 reclaimed drywall screws.
  • In addition, the Disneynature Earth posters were printed with uv cured ink.

Disneyland® park – Adventureland Bazaar

  • Adventureland Bazaar also has received a tree made up of materials similar in nature to that of World of Disney, with the following exceptions, 50′ of copper tubing from Disneyland Resort kitchen facilities, 3 impellers from water pumps around the Disneyland Resort, Prop horn from Disneyland New Orleans Christmas decor, Fire system heads from Disneyland Resort backstage areas, 1 iron flower from the Tinker Bell arbor at the World of Disney, two iron leaves, from area railing, found in New Orleans Square, bullet casings from the Jungle Cruise, a propeller from the Jungle Cruise attraction and a pressure gauge from the weld shop. The leaves on the tree are made from 750 Pirates of the Caribbean bookmarks held together by 40′ of detonation wire from the Disneyland Resort fireworks show.

Disney’s California Food & Wine Festival Fun Facts

Tantalizing taste buds with authentic, international flavors, Disneyland Resort celebrates its fourth annual Disney’s California Food & Wine Festival, with a six-week “World Celebration” featuring celebrity chefs, signature and complimentary experiences and winemaker dinners with themes from around the globe.

Southern California Restaurant Writers recently awarded Disneyland Resort 15 new awards for its restaurants and chefs – just in time as it prepares to launch the 2009 Disney’s California Food & Wine Festival.

NEW in 2009

Where can you find “Bad Boy” of the Food Network, Guy Fieri, along with celebrity chefs and nearly 100 Disneyland Resort chefs?

  • Whipping up cooking demonstrations for guests to discover new twists on timeless classics, daily at Disney’s California Adventure.

Passport handy?

  • Embark on a Festival Wine Walk and get the flavor of France, Italy, Spain and Germany, or experience the California wine country featuring 89 American Viticulture Areas – without ever leaving the Food & Wine Festival!

Celebrities on your mind?

  • Go Behind the Scenes with…stars of the Food Network!  Trade kitchen secrets, ask culinary questions and capture a photo. Curious about becoming a winemaker? Meet baseball legend, Tommy Lasorda (Lasorda Wines) and get “direction” from the guru of Pixar films John Lasseter, along with his wife Nancy (Lasseter Family Winery).

Who’s the SWEETEST of them all?

  • Learn the magic of creating a pastry masterpiece from the highly-skilled chefs of Sweet Cheeks Baking Co., San Diego, and Cake Monkey Bakery, Los Angeles, during Sweet Sundays.

Dream of becoming a MASTER Wine Connoisseur?

  • Master Sommelier Michael Jordan, of the award winning Napa Rose restaurant hosts a six-hour Advanced Wine Course featuring an in-depth look at international wine regions, various growing and harvesting techniques, wine laws and governance – a perfect recipe for wine expertise. Or, try his introductory course for another immersive experience.

It’s a Whole New World…

  • Experience an exciting menu every week during World Celebrations Dinners – featuring the aromas and flavors of Italy, Spain, France, Korea and Japan as well as the wines of Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite).

For additional information, please visit www.disneyland.com/foodandwine.

Food and Wine In The Sun For Everyone!

Disney has released the daily schedule for the whole of this year’s California Food and Wine Weekends. The schedules are available to view in separate pdf files at this link. There is also a new Festival map this year which shows off a few changes to the event, including the moving of the Festival Welcome Center and Festival Gift Shop, a new seminar stage in Sunshine Plaza, and the brief return of the popular Vineyard Room restaurant:

For a bigger version of this map, just click on the image.

Mickey Gets a Facelift

According to D23:

Opening early May, Mickey’s Fun Wheel (previously known as the Sun Wheel) is the 150-foot-diameter Ferris wheel inspired by Coney Island’s famous “Wonder Wheel.” Located on the Paradise Pier boardwalk, Mickey’s Fun Wheel sits high above the water’s edge and is dominated by the smiling face of its namesake, Mickey Mouse. Though the attraction itself has not changed (Guests can still choose between boarding a standard or swinging gondola), the gondolas present colorful images of the Fab Five: Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald and Pluto. At the entrance to the queue, Guests are now greeted by a smaller version of the image on the wheel.

Myrna Litt’s 4/15/09 Photo Report

It is once again time for a photo report from our very own Myrna Litt, as she takes a look at the latest progress over at Disney’s California Adventure (with a brief stop at Disneyland):

Monorail Orange making the rounds.

The Mickey Mouse face is now up on Mickey’s Fun Wheel, and it looks just swell!

Look at that, Walt and Mickey.

The sunburst awaits its new lighting effects.

A close-up of the Mickey face.

Read More about Myrna Litt’s 4/15/09 Photo Report

“Roar Into Spring”

Reported by our big brother site, WDW News Today:

Since news is slow this week, I thought it would be a good time to highlight another special Walt Disney Classics Collection piece that is coming out only in the Disney Parks:

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“Simba: Little King, Big Roar”, Available: 4/17/09, Retail: $99 plus tax, Dimensions: 4 1/2″H

WDCC Simba Spring Premiere Event

Date(s): April 17, 2009

Locations: Art & Collectible locations at Disney Parks & Resorts

Mischievous Simba is well aware that as the son of Mufasa, he’s next in line to rule over all the other critters as king. In a wild-and-wooly celebration of his fantastic future, Simba even imagines what he’ll look like with a grown-up mane by popping his head through a wreath of fire-red blossoms. Plussed with a pewter tail, the lovable cub gains the lion’s share of praise as our Spring Premiere Event’s “mane” attraction. So roar on by and let this cute cub make you feel like royalty.

Sculpted by Bruce Lau, Simba: Little King, Big Roar is a numbered limited edition of 1,500 and is available for $99, plus tax. Sculpture comes compete with a 15th Anniversary backstamp. Dimensions: 4 1/2″H

Disneyland® Resort locations include:

Disneyana Shop, Disneyland® park

World of Disney® Store, Downtown Disney® District

Off the Page, Disney’s California Adventure® park

Walt Disney World® Resort locations include:

List will be available shortly

Merchandise available while supplies last. Information subject to change without notice. Separate admission is required to enter Disneyland® Resort and Walt Disney World® Resort theme parks.