WDWNT.com Celebrates 50 Years of Pirates of the Caribbean with a Week of Special Events & More!

WDWNT on March 6, 2017

This month, perhaps the most-beloved and historically important theme park attraction of all-time is celebrating a “kraken-sized” anniversary, so WDWNT.com will be going “overboard” with a celebration to be treasured (that may or may not end with us burning down a town while drinking)…

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WDWNT.com is “Celebrating 50 Years of Sacking the Spanish Main” aboard The Pirates off the Caribbean ride at Disney Parks with an entire week of special content, merchandise, and more!

Back to the Future LIVE!: The History of Pirates of the Caribbean – Monday, March 13th at 9PM

Streaming live on YouTube, catch the next edition of WDWNT’s beloved history show Back to the Future, as we delve into over 5 decades of rascals, scoundrels, villains, and knaves across 5 Disney Parks (and several films). This multimedia experience will include rare imagery, thoughtful insights, and more on perhaps the greatest theme park adventure of all time!

 

LIVE from Disneyland – A Celebration of Pirates of the Caribbean’s 50th Anniversary – Saturday, March 18th

Join Tom Corless and Jason Diffendal LIVE from Disneyland Park as they celebrate the ride’s anniversary from the park where it all started. Live streams of the ride and more will take place on all WDWNT social media accounts, and we invite you to come out and join us if you will be visiting the Disneyland Resort that day.

 

Limited Release T-Shirt on TeePublic.com

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WDWNT.com is proud to present the work of artist Rob Yeo for our next limited release t-shirt to mark this very special occasion. The shirt is available now through March 26th, 2017 at TeePublic.com and then it will return to Davy Jones’ Locker. Various colors and styles (and even a print you can hang up) are for sale now with proceeds supporting WDWNT.com and the artist behind this great design! Find it here!

Special Features

A number of special feature articles will appear on WDWNT.com to celebrate the legacy and your memories of the Pirates of the Caribbean!

PHOTOS: Beauty and the Beast “Red Rose Tavern” Opening February 24th at Disneyland

WDWNT on February 23, 2017

We recently told you about the new ‘Beauty and the Beast’ inspired offerings coming to Disneyland. One of those was the remodeling of the Pinocchio Village Haus Restaurant (for a limited time engagement) into a French Tavern-themed quick service restaurant, aptly named ‘Red Rose Tavern’. The restaurant will be opening on February 24th, 2017 and Disney has shared a first look at the menu:

Beast’s Burger – A 1/3 pound Angus beef patty, slow-cooked beef, Gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato and horseradish aioli on a toasted roll.

Classic Angus Cheeseburger – A 1/3 pound Angus beef patty with cheese, lettuce, tomato and signature sauce on a toasted roll.

Enchanted Cauliflower Sandwich – A grilled cauliflower steak, spicy lime aioli, tempura-battered green beans, lettuce and tomato on a toasted roll.

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Slow-Cooked Beef Poutine – Slow-cooked beef and gravy over seasoned waffle-cut fries, pickled onions and cheese curds.

Chicken Sandwich à la Lumière – Grilled chicken breast, apple slaw, onion-bacon jam and fried cherry peppers on a toasted roll.

Chef’s Chopped Salad – Cabbage, Romaine and iceberg lettuce, smoked bacon, apple, hard-cooked eggs, blue cheese crumbles, garlic croutons and apple vinaigrette.

Poutine Flatbread – Topped with slow-cooked beef, pomme frites, roasted garlic aioli, cheese curds, gravy and herb oil.

Garden Mozzarella Flatbread – Topped with marinated tomatoes, fresh Mozzarella, basil and tomato sauce.

Pulled Pork Flatbread – Topped with pulled pork, roasted corn, sweet and spicy barbecue sauce, pickled onions and cilantro.

Grey Stuff Gateau – A white chocolate mousse and red velvet cake with a sweet raspberry center.

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Lemon Rose Cake – A lemon mousse cake with strawberry-rose filling.

Gaston’s Famous Brew – Apple-mango punch topped with passion fruit foam.

Red Rose Taverne is a limited-time offering, so be sure to be their guest soon!

VIDEO: Imagineering Shares Behind the Scenes Look at Enhancing Peter Pan’s Flight

WDWNT on February 16, 2017

Peter Pan’s Flight is a beloved classic Disney attraction, as evidenced by the wait times that exceed many other favorite rides. Versions of the ride can be found at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Disneyland in California, Tokyo Disneyland, and even Shanghai Disneyland. The ride takes you on a journey, retelling the story of Peter Pan in scenes that include flying over the streets of London, visiting Mermaid Lagoon, and even encountering Captain Hook. In 2015, Disneyland’s version of the ride was refurbished to add many new special effects. In the video below from the Disney Parks Blog, take a look behind the scenes as Imagineers are busy making the magic behind the ‘new’ updated ride.

BREAKING: Opening Date for Star Wars Land Announced

WDWNT on February 16, 2017

Disney today announced that the Star Wars themed lands at both Disneyland Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios will officially open in 2019.

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This marks the first date that Disney has given for the completion of the project on either coast.

Beauty and The Beast Fantasyland Layover Coming to Disneyland

WDWNT on February 16, 2017

width= Coming soon to Fantasyland at Disneyland, there will be unique ‘Beauty and the Beast’  experiences for a limited time engagement. These offerings will be there to coincide with the release of the new live action film.

Red Rose Tavern– The Village Haus Restaurant will turn into the Red Rose Tavern. This restaurant will be themed to a French tavern and offer delicious quick service meals. Inside will be beautifully, hand-painted murals that depict some of the various scenes from the animated version of Beauty and the Beast. Each room will will tell the ‘tale as old as time’ chapter by chapter. The menu will be redesigned as well, having some original classics from the Village Haus as well as some new fare inspired by French Taverns. There will also be some new specialty beverages. You can even try the grey stuff!

Royal Reception– This new gift shop will be adjacent to Red Rose Tavern and will offer merchandise inspired by the new live-action Beauty and the Beast film.

That Gaston– Gaston himself will be wandering throughout Fantasyland, offering a meet and greet with guests.

Maurice’s Treats– In Fantasy Faire, each tasty treat at this existing location will have a unique ‘twist’ from Maurice himself. Also there will be delicious dipping sauces available, such as marinara, strawberry, and even Grey Stuff dipping sauce.

The Royal Theater Presents, ‘Beauty and the Beast’- Stop by the Royal Theater in Fantasy Faire and Mr. Smythe and Mr. Jones will present their own take on the classic ‘Beauty and the Beast’ story in the daily show.

At this time we have no further information on these events and when these will be occurring at Disneyland, so stay tuned for future updates.

New Medals for Disneyland’s Tinkerbell Half Marathon Weekend

WDWNT on February 16, 2017

Tinker Bell Half Marathon Medal

On your marks, get set, run! This year’s sponsor for the Tinkerbell half marathon is PANDORA Jewlery. David Brotherton, who is the Art Director at Disney Yellow Shoes, was the mastermind creator behind this new medal in collaboration with PANDORA jewelry. David has been designing runDisney medals for last 6 years, but he says making this Tinkerbell half marathon was indeed his most favorite. Graphic designers from PANDORA have said that Daivd truly is a genius when it comes to design and that his expertise and knowledge was immeasurable and sparked this amazing creative partnership.

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For the marathon weekend, they have medals for the runDisney kids races which feature Disney Captain Jake and the Neverland Pirates, as well as the adults race medals for the Neverland 5k and Tinkerbell 10k which feature some beloved characters from ‘Peter Pan’. They even have a medal for those brave enough to conquer the Pixie Dust Challenge, which combines the 13.1 mile Tinkerbell Half marathon PLUS the 6.2 mile Tinker Bell 10k.

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Pixie Dust Challenge Medal

Registration is still open for these races including the Pixie Dust Challenge. For registration and more info on these runs, please visit the official site for the Tinker Bell Marathon Weekend, here.

*All of these run events listed are all at the Disneyland Resort.

Off To Neverland! – California Attractions That Never Happened

WDWNT on February 6, 2017

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Neverland is a fictional place in Disney’s “Peter Pan,” where pirates rule the seas, mermaids lurk the waters, fairies are real, and you never grow up. It’s a place of “never.” For a moment, let’s pretend that it is the year 2078. In this time period, Disney has just announced plans for their 6th theme park which would be 500 acres – their biggest park yet. This park would be called Neverland. This park is filled with shows, rides, concepts, ideas and many other things that Disney had plans for, but never fully put into effect. Let me be your VIP tour guide and show you what would be in this fictional Disney park of things that have “never” happened.

We begin our tour in the first land called Failed California. This land has rides and ideas proposed for Disneyland in California but never came to be.

Failed California (Disneyland, California)

  • LILLIPUTIAN LAND- This land was actually proposed by Roy O. Disney. This land was supposed to be based on the book Gulliver’s Travels and in it would be a miniature Americana village populated by 9-inch-tall singing and dancing mechanical people. The main attraction for this land would be a 17-inch-tall locomotive.
  • EDISON SQUARE- This land was supposed to be a side land of Main Street USA and its theme would be 1920 suburbs. The centerpiece in the land would be a statue of Thomas Edison. The main attraction would have been called Harnessing the Lightning, which would consist of retelling the history of electricity and the effect it had on the American society. This idea was scrapped, but some themes were used for Walt’s Carousel of Progress at the 1964 New York World’s Fair.
  • MYTHICA- This land would have a Greek/Roman theme and all the rides, shows and attractions would be based on Greek and Roman mythology. This was an idea by Disney Imagineers but never came into development.
  • ATLANTIS EXPEDITION- In this ride, you would be traveling in a submarine, similar to those in The 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea as well as The Finding Nemo Voyage. Riders would have been able to use a mechanical arm that was attached to the submarine, and grab gems and doubloons. The “area” or underwater part would have been based on Disney’s Atlantis film, but with the horrible box office ratings it had received, the idea was changed and thus The Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage was created.
  • TOMORROWLAND 2055- Tomorrowland 2055 would have been an extraterrestrial-themed Tomorrowland, but the plans were abandoned because of budget cuts.
  • BIG CITY USA- A land that was supposed to be New York themed, featuring a giant Broadway theater that would hold live performances each day. This land was scrapped, however, the ideas for this land was inspiration for Tokyo Disney Sea’s American Waterfront.
  • HOLLYWOOD LAND- The theme for this land would have been the 1930’s/1940’s. Rides would have featured ideas and characters from “Dick Tracy” and “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”.
  • DISCOVERY BAY-  The land would have had elements and been a tribute to Jules Verne and H.G Wells. The idea never came into development, but elements from the plans were later used in Disneyland Paris and Disney Tokyo Sea.
  • LIBERTY STREET- This land was an idea that just never came to be. It was going to resemble Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1776, and even have its own small harbor.

We we will end our tour here for today. In the time to come, I will guide you on more deep into Neverland‘s secrets. Next time,we will be traveling to The Land of Forgotten Countries…

PHOTOS: Exclusive Merchandise for Return of the Main Street Electrical Parade

WDWNT on January 29, 2017

Celebrate the return of the beloved Main Street Electrical Parade to Disneyland park with an assortment of commemorative products. This encore performance of the parade will run nightly until June 18 – that’s 45 years after it first lit up Main Street, U.S.A., in 1972. Here’s a look at what products guests will find during this special, limited-time celebration.

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Adults and kids can relive favorite moments with graphic apparel that includes iconic images from the parade.

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Disney will also introduce an animated glow headband with images of Mickey Mouse in the light-up ears.

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There will be two pins celebrating the parade – a limited release logo pin, and a limited edition pin created especially for Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders. The latter pin will have an edition size of 2,000 (a valid Disneyland Resort Annual Passport must be presented purchase).

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Finally, guests should look for a hand-painted Ink & Paint cel titled, “Mickey’s Dragon.” This new piece is limited to an edition size of 350 and will be available in a variety of formats including unframed, framed, framed with pin, and framed with postcard and pin. The specially designed limited edition pin (edition size 300) is only available with framed formats, while supplies last. You can see artwork for the pin in the upper left corner of the image shown above.

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Select items will be released in Emporium and Disney Showcase on Main Street, U.S.A., inside Disneyland park on Jan. 19 during the special, after-hours premiere ticketed event.

The Ink & Paint cel will be released at Disneyana shop also on Jan. 19. If you are unable to visit Disneyland Resort, a limited number of cels are available for purchase online here, while supplies last. Applicable tax and shipping fees apply; discounts are available on the framing only.

On Jan. 20, additional locations, such as World of Disney in Downtown Disney District, will carry select Main Street Electrical Parade products.

LIVE STREAM: Main Street Electrical Parade Returns to Disneyland for the First Time in Over 20 Years

WDWNT on January 29, 2017

Watch live as the Main Street Electrical Parade returns to Disneyland Park tonight during a special hard-ticket event. Be sure to join us at 9pm PT to see the epic return as it happens!

Due to tech issues with our live stream, we instead streamed the parade using Periscope. You can watch it at the link below:

https://www.periscope.tv/w/1ZkKzqARmYXxv

We will have an HD video of the parade’s return up as soon as possible, so stay tuned!

RUMOR: Paint the Night Electrical Parade Still A Possibility for The Magic Kingdom

WDWNT on January 29, 2017

I know Disney said there were no plans “at the time” for the highly acclaimed Paint the Night Parade to move to Florida, but a lot has changed since the Fall of 2016.

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Drooping attendance at Walt Disney World since last summer has had many an executive at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts examining the idea of moving the Diamond Celebration blockbuster out east to help bolster what they hope to be an explosive Summer 2017 in Orlando.

While Disney’s Animal Kingdom will debut Pandora: The World of AVATAR (and possibly, hopefully, Rivers of Light), the other 3 parks just don’t have a whole lot going on as far as new offerings for this year. Just in case AVATAR isn’t enough to convince someone to go to Orlando in 2017, Disney may want to bring Paint the Night to Walt Disney World. Rumors also persist that a new nighttime show for the Magic Kingdom is in development for a debut later this year.

Now, management at the Disneyland Resort is putting up quite the fight, but the decision will be made above them one way or the other in the next few weeks. I would assume that attendance for the returning Main Street Electrical Parade at Disneyland Park will play a role, but the possibility of the “limited” run for that event until June being extended indefinitely (or glowing away for a Star Wars fireworks show in California) and sending Paint the Night away to the Magic Kingdom seems to be fairly likely.