World of Red, White, and Blue
Disney California Adventure debuted the “4th of Color” pre-show for World of Color last night to celebrate the holiday weekend. We were on scene and got video of the pre-show for all to enjoy.
World of Red, White, and Blue
While not Disney World related, Disney California Adventure debuted the “4th of Color” pre-show for World of Color last night to celebrate the holiday weekend. We figured you might enjoy a look at the latest addition to the show, courtesy of Disneyland News Today & the WDWNTube:
Full Schedule: Walt Disney World Celebrates July 4th, 2011!
In case you were wondering what Walt Disney World will be doing to celebrate the 4th of July…
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Walt Disney World Resort will pixie dust the night skies July 4 with special pyrotechnic shows, including a patriotic display at Magic Kingdom, a rock’n’roll spectacular at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and a classic sky show at Epcot infused with an Independence Day finale. Here’s what’s in store:
- Magic Kingdom will present “Disney’s Celebrate America! A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky.” This patriotic fireworks spectacular, paying homage to the hopes and dreams of America’s forefathers, will light the skies at 9 p.m. July 4 – and for guests who would like to begin the Independence Day celebration early, the show also will be presented July 3 at 9 p.m.
- At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, traditional Fourth of July fireworks take on a different spin when Mulch, Sweat, and Shears perform for the all-new “Rockin’ 4th of July Celebration“! These resident landscapers – with serious rock and roll ambitions – take Disney guests on a musical road trip across America that will highlight each region’s contribution to rock and roll. Fireworks, lighting and special effects – backed by the driving live rock and roll of Mulch, Sweat, and Shears – combine to bring a new twist to celebrating Independence Day. Showtime July 4 is 9:45 p.m. Before or after the show, Disney’s Hollywood Studios guests can thrill to Disney’s Fantasmic!, performing July 4 at 9 and 10:30 p.m.
- At Epcot, sky-watchers can check out ”IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth” bursting high above World Showcase Lagoon. IllumiNations is a 14-minute spectacular during which pyrotechnics, lasers, water and music are all used to tell a story about the past, present and future of our planet. On the Fourth of July, the show will be enhanced with “The Heartbeat of Freedom,” an overture of traditional Americana themes displayed in a pyrotechnic and laser light event. The show is at 10 p.m.
In addition, Epcot guests may lend their ears to “Voices of Liberty 4th of July Concert” and participate in meet-and-greets with Benjamin Franklin, Betsy Ross and Disney characters adorned in patriotic dress at American Adventure.
Theme park hours on July 4 (subject to change without notice): Magic Kingdom, 9 a.m.-11 p.m.; Epcot, 9 a.m.-10 p.m.; Disney’s Hollywood Studios, 9 a.m.-10 p.m.; and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
Some additional information:
-The Magic Kingdom will be open from 8:00AM to 1:00AM (The park will only be closed for 5 hours prior to opening on the 4th with EMH running until 3AM). Main Street Electrical Parade will perform at 10PM & 12AM and “The Magic, The Memories, and You!” will perform at 10:45 & 11:30PM. You can also catch the Celebrate A Dream Come True parade at 12 & 3PM.
-Disney’s Hollywood Studios is open from 9AM-10PM, with Extra Magic Hours from 10PM-1AM. This combination may make this small park even more unbearable, so beware.
-Animal Kingdom is running Extra Magic Hours in the morning from 8AM-9AM. They close at 8PM that evening.
Matterhorn Movie in the Works???
From Borys Kit on The Hollywood Reporter:
Disney is developing an adventure movie project inspired by the Matterhorn ride and has set Jason Dean Hall to pen the script. Justin Springer (Tron Legacy, Prom) is producing the project, which has a working title of The Hill.
The Matterhorn, also known as the Matterhorn Bobsleds, is part of Disneyland’s Fantasyland section. Opened June 1959, the elaborate ride was inspired by Walt Disney‘s desire for a toboggan-themed roller coaster as well as thoughts he had after an extended trip to Switzerland, the site of the famed mountain. The ride, a centerpiece of the park, was refurbished in 1978, with one of the upgrades being the addition of three automatronic Abominable Snowmen (aka Yetis) who growl at riders.
The idea behind The Hill is to do a thrilling, fast-paced movie centering on five young adventure seekers who, for mysterious reasons, are called to the top of the mountain and encounter a Yetis on the journey down.
You can read the rest of the article Here.
Flynn Rides Out of Tangled Play and Greet
As of July 2nd, Flynn Rider will no longer be available at the Tangled “play and greet” experience in Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom. Well, I should rephrase that, because the “play” in “play and greet” was removed some time ago. That’s right, the interactive portion of the experience was removed to speed up the line, but apparently it was just not enough. Disney issued the following statement to Magic Kingdom cast members about the change:
At the Walt Disney World Resort, we are continually focused on providing the best possible entertainment experiences for our guests. As part of that effort, the Tangled play & greet will now focus on Rapunzel, who has become a guest favorite. We will also be adding more opportunities each day for guests to meet her in Fairytale Garden.
It’s hard to complain about this change if it is shortening lines and giving guests more time to spend on other Magic Kingdom attractions, especially when this line was reaching extreme wait times of anywhere between 30 minutes and 1 hour. You can relive the experience one last time through a video we published back when the “play and greet” first opened:
Take A Virtual Walk Through Cars Land
From Erin Glover on the Disney Parks Blog:
Can’t wait to take a stroll through Radiator Springs? If the opening of Cars Land at Disney California Adventure park next year has you ready to cruise past Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree and Luigi’s Flying Tires, then you don’t want to miss this video. It takes you on a virtual drive-through of Cars Land, giving you an idea of what it will look like when it opens in 2012.
Get Ready for an In-Room Pirate Adventure!
From Jean Volante on the Disney Parks Blog:
What if Disney could bring the magic of the parks and big screen into your very own Walt Disney World resortroom? Well, our creative team at Disney Floral & Gifts found a way to do just that with a new guest experience called “A Pirate’s Adventure” and it’s going to be available for sale soon.
You may be familiar with our “In-Room Celebrations,” which feel like Mickey and the gang have come to your Walt Disney World Resort room to create a personalized celebration just for you. Well this new offering is actually an “adventure” prepared by Captain Jack Sparrow. The story is that Jack was chased by a band of pirates and ducked into your room to hide his treasure. The pirate code states the treasure shall be yours if you can solve the riddles he left behind and find the key to unlock his treasure chest. Then the treasure chest will be yours to do with what you will.
Ken Malquist, show director for Disney Floral & Gifts, says it’s a great experience for the entire family. “You know, when we watch kids play, some of their greatest adventures takes place in their bedrooms, building forts and playing dress-up. So we took this concept and came up with a storyline to place the guest in an imaginative, yet authentic adventure,” Ken said.
There’s much more to share about this experience, but for now, know that “A Pirate’s Adventure” will be available for sale late Summer 2011 with delivery to the Walt Disney World Resort Fall 2011.
Conner Purzycki’s 6/24/11 DLR Photo Report
I was the Disneyland Resort yesterday to and was able to capture quite a few newsworthy photos. Pictures include Cars Land, Paradise Gardens, Buena Vista Street, and much more…
In Tomorrowland, The Orbitron is finally spinning again
Carl Fredricksen spotted by Spaceship Earth
Nick was able to snap this quick pic of Carl Fredricksen and his famous house flying by the EPCOT Spaceship Earth earlier this morning.
Some Sweet Additions to Walt Disney World
From Steven Miller on the Disney Parks Blog:
I started my Disney career as a merchandise host on the Walt Disney World College Program in the summer of 1997. I worked in several locations at Downtown Disney Pleasure Island including D-Zerts, a former merchandise store that once contained a “show kitchen.” That is a term we use to describe merchandise locations that offer both pre-packaged consumable items (think boxed candy) and freshly made sweet treats like cookies, coffee or other desserts (basically my ideal meal each day). You may have visited other show kitchen locations likeMarceline’s Confectionary at Downtown Disney District in California or Candy Cauldron at Downtown Disney Westside in Florida. Patrice Guy, product developer for consumables at Disney Theme Park Merchandise, recently shared with me some details about the new yummy treats appearing in the show kitchens this summer. Patrice only had to say three words to grab my attention – “Mickey Cake Pops!”
“Cake pops are hot items in the consumables marketplace,” explained Patrice. “I wanted a Mickey-shaped cake pop but faced the challenge of how to execute the design. I contacted the Candy Cauldron team in Florida and, for the past two months, we worked to create the new pixie-dusted pop. It’s delicious!”
Yes – it is delicious! I had the rough assignment of testing treats for this article. The pops come in a variety of colors and are currently being offered at Candy Cauldron and Goofy’s Candy Company at Downtown Disney in Florida. They will be introduced at additional park locations soon and eventually at the Disneyland Resort.
Patrice also shared with me some new cookies that are coming to locations in July. I love the “chocolate ear hat” decorations on them (and of course, that is what I ate first – just like a chocolate Easter bunny).
I love chocolate, particularly dark chocolate (which is supposedly good for my health but only in moderation), and it appears I’m not alone. Patrice introduced a new line of concession candies this past spring that featured a variety of boxes that had me laughing. My favorite box is “Please Stand Clear of My Chocolate,” but the most popular one has been the “Mood Chocolate.” Patrice mentioned a second wave of concession candy boxes featuring different artwork is currently in the design phase.
Meanwhile, I now have another place to get my candy fix. The World Showcase team recently set a “nostalgia candy” display in the Heritage Manor Gifts location at The American Adventure. Wow! There were all sorts of candy that I recall enjoying as a child at my grandparent’s house.
After writing this article, I think I should contact Pam Brandon to see if she has any new meals to try. I’m sure there is a delicious one waiting for me when Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, Ko Olina, Hawai‘i, opens in August. I probably should eat something besides all these yummy treats (or not).
