Conner gives us a look at the fall holiday decorations at the Disneyland Resort, plus an in depth look at the Frankenweenie exhibit in the Art of Animation building over in DCA, a quick glimpse at Cars Land.
A glimpse at the holiday decorations down Main Street.
The vegetation by Tomorrowland has fall colors too.
Construction @ Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port
Partner’s Statue has a new texture & color on the base. The stands for the pumpkins are a good indicator of how it used to appear.
Tarps up around the Fantasy Faire Meet & Greet buildings
A look at the Rivers of America
Haunted Mansion Holiday
Special 4D Preview of Frankenweenie playing at the Muppet’s Theatre
Frankenweenie exhibit over at the Art of Animation building
The classroom set
The attic scene
Racers Fast Pass Distribution area has been converted into stroller parking
Larry went out to the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party this past week & gave us some picture details of the decorations, guest costumes & atmosphere of the evening. Overall the Halloween Party seems to be a hit for children & adults alike!
Zocalo Park in Frontierland has an abundance of “Day of the Dead” decorations!
Come Enjoy the Halloween Carnival, back behind Thunder Mountain on your way to Fantasyland!
Even the goats are decked out in Halloween scarfs!
The artists who carve the Disney themed pumpkins are always fun & entertaining to watch!
Be sure to catch a performance from Billy Hill & the Hillbillies!
Here you can “Summon A Villain” and have a more intimate meet & greet!
Aside from the villains there are also some old familiar faces dressed up to greet guests.
Now lets take a moment to look at some of the costumes around the park!
Santa even comes out on Halloween!
No shortage of pirates!
Some Star Wars fans!
A princess or two
Cast members being briefed before staffing the treat stations! Yum!
Jack & Sally came out for the evening too
The impressively tall 2012 ‘Haunted Mansion Holiday’ ginger-dread house.
Club Buzz!
The fog affect across the Rivers of America add a perfect bit of spooky atmosphere
Even the castle gets a dose of the creepy
Thanks for reading! If you’ve been during Halloween, tell us about your trip in the comments!
Throughout the year, the Disneyland Resort hosts musical performances from every branch of the military. This Thursday, Oct. 18, the United States Air Force Concert Band and Singing Sergeants from Washington, D.C., will be joining us with three different entertainment offerings throughout the day.
At 11 a.m., the entire symphonic wind ensemble will perform a concert in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle, along with the official chorus of the United States Air Force. The two groups will perform a range of selections, including choral classics, opera, Broadway, folk songs, jazz, as well as popular and patriotic favorites, and have traveled the world together for more than 70 years.
You also can catch the Singing Sergeants and their Honor Guard in Town Square for the Disneyland park flag retreat ceremony at 4:45 p.m. If you’re visiting Disney California Adventure park, you can see the United States Air Force breakout group, the Celtic Aires, perform classic Irish folk music at the Hollywood Backlot Stage at 1:30 p.m.
The holidays are my favorite time of year at Disney Parks. The festive décor, special shows – and of course the seasonal snacks – all combine to create the most magical time of year, especially here at the Disneyland Resort. Whether it’s your first holiday time visit or your one hundredth, there’s always something new to see. A great way to experience all that the holidays are bringing to Disneyland park is with the Holiday Time at Disneyland Park Guided Tour. You’ll hear not only tales of the holidays from around the world, but you’ll also hear stories of the holidays from Disneyland history – plus you get a peek into the new holiday magic at Disney California Adventure park.
The tour also includes two popular holiday themed attractions*, reserved seating for “A Christmas Fantasy” Parade*, plus a delicious treat and warm beverage, a collectible pin and tour button.
Here are some things you should know about the Holiday Time at Disneyland Park Guided Tour:
Tour is offered November 12 through January 6.
The tour is approximately three hours long.
Theme park admission for Disneyland park is required to attend the tour.
Attractions and entertainment are subject to availability and may change without notice.
For pricing and booking information (and to find out about a special discount for Disney Rewards Visa and AAA card holders, Disney Vacation Club members and Disneyland Resort Annual Passport holders) call 714-781-TOUR (8687). Also, be sure to check out the other Disneyland Resort Guided Tours at Disneyland.com/Tours.
*Attractions and entertainment are subject to availability and may change without notice.
Disney has announced a new campaign that will supposedly make every week of next year very special:
Regular Blog readers already know that next year is a momentous year – with New Fantasyland, the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom Park history at Walt Disney World Resort and the first full year of a re-imagined Disney California Adventure park. And now, we’re adding “Limited Time Magic,” featuring unexpected experiences with an extra sprinkle of Pixie Dust at Disneyland Resort and the Walt Disney World Resort that’ll appear, and then disappear when the next debuts.
So, what can you expect with “Limited Time Magic” at Disney Parks when it begins in January? Here’s an idea:
True Love: Celebrate romance and enchantment throughout Valentine’s Week with special moments and entertainment geared to lovebirds. Disney Princes join their Princesses to meet park guests in special settings, prix fixe menus turn up at select restaurants and Valentine’s collectibles will be offered for the week.
Independence Week: It’s red, white and blue as Disney Parks salutes America with a 4th of July Fireworks Party — for an entire week, with patriotic lighting bathing the Disney castles on both coasts. Mickey Mouse appears in his patriotic finest and guests will find special USA shirts, Ear Hats and other limited-edition souvenirs.
Long Lost Friends Week: Lesser-known Disney characters will move from the shadows to the spotlight meet-and-greets on both coasts. Photo opps with characters that could include Flik, Clarabelle Cow, Remy, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum will surprise and delight guests. And Disney guests even have the chance to vote online for which characters they want to see.
Pirate Week: Why talk like a pirate one day when you could celebrate these scalawags all week long? The adventures of Jack Sparrow come to life like never before during a bicoastal buccaneer bash in which Disneyland and Walt Disney World become pirate-palooza: pirate bands, pirate meet-and-greets and more.
Dapper Dans Sing Boy Bands: The Dapper Dans, the iconic quartet from Main Street, U.S.A., will add a special finale to their show, claiming the title of the “Original Boy Band” and delivering a medley of hits from One Direction, *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys.
Unleash the Villains: Friday the 13th in September 2013 is a special day, so Disneyland park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios are staying open until the 13th hour (1 a.m.). Maleficent, Captain Hook, Jafar and other Disney Villains host a dance party, complete with limited-edition collectibles and other nighttime mischief.
Golden Horseshoe Revue: The fabled Frontierland show returns to Disneyland park for one month only, bringing back the corny jokes and enduring songs that were often enjoyed by Walt Disney himself.
We’ll be rolling out new experiences to begin the new year, so be sure and check the Disney Parks Blog in upcoming months to learn what’s happening. Also, you can learn more and follow along on Twitter by following @DisneyParks and using the hashtag #LimitedTimeMagic.
Max gives us a look at the past weekend in Disneyland. Halloween decorations are out in full. Work progresses on the Princess Meet & Greet Fantasy Faire. Plus some looks at Haunted Mansion’s Nightmare Before Christmas overlay.
Main Street decorated in orange & red
A look at some of the progress on the Princess Fantasy Faire
Tarps are covering up a lot of the initial work
The effort to camouflage some of the construction is much appreciated on the West side of the castle
View from the Matterhorn towards Small World
Colorful signage leading to the Halloween Carnival at Big Thunder Mountain Ranch
Quick look at the holiday overlay at the Haunted Mansion
Meet Ralph, the “bad guy” who really wants to be a “good guy” in Disney’s newest animated adventure comedy “Wreck-It Ralph.” In the movie, Ralph goes game jumping across the arcade to prove he’s got what it takes to be a hero.
Now, Ralph’s set to do some park hopping, too! Ralph will be taking the train from Game Central Station to the TomorrowlandStarcade at Disneyland park, where you’ll be able to meet him starting this Friday, October 26.
Beginning October 28, Ralph will also be stopping in at The Magic of Disney Animation attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where part of the candy-coated cart racing game “Sugar Rush” is being recreated right now. So race on over to Disney Parks this fall to say “Hi!” to Ralph and his pal, Vanellope, and be sure to catch “Wreck-It Ralph” in theaters in 3D November 2.
We’re bringing the excitement of the newly expanded Disney California Adventure park to Pasadena, Calif., with a Cars Land-inspired float in the 124th Rose Parade on January 1, 2013! This year’s parade theme is “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” – which is perfect for a story like “Cars,” in which the journey is as much a part of the experience as the destination.
My favorite thing about Tournament of Roses Parade floats are all the moving pieces, and this float will have plenty! Our Cars Land float will come to life with a bouncing tire from Luigi’s Flying Tires, a bubbling “Original Radiator Spring,” real waterfalls and smoke-puffing baby tractors – you have to tune in to the parade to see all the amazing features for yourself!
The first Rose Parade was held on January 1, 1890, as a way for the city of Pasadena to show off its abundance of fresh flowers; parade entrants would decorate their carriages with hundreds of blooms. Today, the Rose Parade floats feature high-tech animation and natural materials from around the world.
Be sure to watch the 124th Rose Parade – either in person on January 1, 2013, in Pasadena or live on ABC-TV.
Immerse yourself in the magic of Fantasyland with new artwork from Disney Parks created by Walt Disney Imagineers, Brian Crosby, Jim Crouch and Jeremy Fulton, along with Disney inspired artists, Steve Adams, Jody Daily, Jeff Granito, Katie Kelly, Maggie Parr, Jimmy Pickering, George Scribner, Darren Wilson and Yakovetic. Artwork will be available in a various formats, including original art, limited edition giclee and deluxe print. Prices vary.
On November 10th from 9:00 am to 11:00 am at The Disney Gallery on Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland park, meet the following Walt Disney Imagineers, Brian Crosby, Jim Crouch and Jeremy Fulton and Disney inspired artists, Steve Adams, Jody Daily, Jeff Granito and George Scribner.
We reported last month that Disney would be real releasing an album consisting of some songs from the Carthay Circle Theater’s background music loop. Here it is…
In the wake of the extremely popular “Music from Cars Land” album, another new CD comes out November 6 that has already become a favorite among Disney cast members. “The Circle Sessions: The Music of Carthay Circle” offers, for the first time, sparkling jazz versions of great Disney songs, selected from the soundtrack of the Carthay Circle Restaurant and Lounge at Disney California Adventure park!
“We really wanted to capture music across all generations and breathe new life into treasured and familiar songs,” said John Dennis, Director, Music Production, Walt Disney Imagineering, who is music supervisor and producer of the new album. “Everyone involved wanted to allow the variations to weave a different tapestry for our guests.”
Even though several of the songs were created after the themed 1937 setting of the restaurant, the smooth, evocative jazz approach is right at home in the period. But choosing from the voluminous catalog of Disney songs was a daunting task. In cooperation with Chris Montan, President of Walt Disney Music, these are the eclectic, wide-ranging gems they mined for a fresh, yet classic, jazz approach:
*Best Original Song Academy Award nominee
**Best Original Song Academy Award winner
***Best Original Score Academy Award Winner
Not only does the CD feature some of the most beloved Disney songs with an upbeat, sophisticated twist, but this timeless collection also creates an ambiance that allows the listener to feel like they are in another time and place.
“Did you know that the selection of music actually changes from the downstairs to the upstairs?” fellow Disney Parks Blog writer Michelle Harker asked me—and I did not know that! “Guests on the first level will often hear these pieces represented by an ensemble trio, while those dining in the restaurant upstairs, will enjoy the same music but in a variety of light jazz piano tones.”
John is quick to point out the musical virtuosity behind this music. On piano is the album’s arranger, Bill Cantos, who has worked with a “who’s who” of the music industry, including Herb Alpert, Lani Hall, Elton John, Phil Collins, Bob Dylan and Burt Bacharach. And while we’re name-dropping, the album was produced by 11-time Grammy nominee Bill Schnee—who has helped such stars as Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, Natalie Cole and Whitney Houston to Gold Record awards—and Todd Homme, a longtime music supervisor/producer of music for Disney feature films as well as award winning films such as “Almost Famous,” “Catch Me if You Can” and “Saving Private Ryan.”
Both Bills, as well as every musician you’ll hear, are among the most sought-after music names in Hollywood, heard on countless movie and TV soundtracks, as well as best-selling recordings. You can catch a glimpse of them making this music in Valarie Sukovaty’s“Cue the Dining Music at Carthay Circle Restaurant” post.
Here at Disney, we’re no strangers to hyperbole, as you probably have noticed. But in the case of “The Circle Sessions: The Music of Carthay Circle,” everyone involved has become especially attached to the quality and magic of these performances. “I’ve already been told things like, ‘I play this over and over and never tire of hearing it,’” says John. “Best of all, this CD is the perfect way for parents to introduce their children to jazz music. I feel so privileged to have been part of this project—and that’s probably one of the best reasons.”
Look for “The Circle Sessions: The Music of Carthay Circle” beginning Tuesday, November 6 at Carthay Circle Restaurant and Lounge, and at nearby locations such as Elias & Co. and Off the Page in Disney California Adventure park. (And if you like this album, allow me to also recommend the landmark “Dave Digs Disney” by the iconic Dave Brubeck Trio, one of several albums that paved the way.)
For information on purchasing select Disney merchandise items, call Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Merchandise Guest Services at 1-877-560-6477 or send an email to merchandiseguestservices@disney.go.com.
