The Backlot Theater at the Disney MGM Studios, formerly home to the Hunchback of Notre Dame show, is now being demolished in preparation for a future attraction. The announcement of this new attraction and some others could come as early as January 7, 2008, where it is believed a press event will be held to mark the shift in the park’s name to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
You can now download episode 23 of the WDW News Today Podcast for live (well, sort of) coverage of the first annual Christmas Podcast Parade from the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. The parade features appearances by Judi Dench, Amy Adams, Roz, Tom Corless, Steve Swanson, John Corigliano, Brian Sommer, Luke Manning, Nick McLamb, Larry Mongello, Jason Diffendal, Adam Roth, Rascal, The Muppets, Mickey, Minnie, and many more!!! So tune in for Magic, Music, and Mayhem on this most festive of occaisions.
To hear WDWNT’s audio coverage of this special event, subsribe to the WDW News Today Podcast on Itunes, click this link or, if you do not have Itunes, go HERE to download the show after its release.
Reported by WDWmagic:
This years Magic Kingdom new Year’s Eve show is set to be one of the biggest and loudest ever at the Magic Kingdom. It features all new firework design by Walt Disney World’s Brad Cicotti, who has designed Magic, Music, and Mayhem, the Peace on Earth tag to Reflections of Earth, Epcot’s 25th birthday tag, and the 4th and New Year’s Eve shows at Epcot. This years show will feature a full 360 degree perimeter firework display, including fireworks launched from the island in the Seven seas lagoon. Each perimeter location around the park will be firing 50 shells – the largest ever for a Magic Kingdom show! Enjoy the show!
The walls surrounding Spaceship Earth at Epcot have finally come down and the attraction is officially open to the public, despite multiple signs noting the official opening still as February 2008.
The earful tower at the Disney MGM Studios has had it’s signage removed this week. The new Disney’s Hollywood Studios logo should be placed on the structure sometime in early 2008, as the park changes to the new name on January 7.
The following information was given out to cast members this week regarding additional dining choices during the busy holiday season at the Magic Kingdom:
Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe will serve breakfast from 8:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. daily, December 23- 31.
The Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station will be open for lunch and dinner as follows:
December 22 -28: 11:00 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
December 29-31: 11:00 a.m.-12:00 a.m.
January 1-5: 11:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
The Diamond Horseshoe will be serving quick service lunch December 23 – January 3 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. In addition, a full service traditional turkey dinner will be offered from December 24 – 31. Dinner will be served between 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. on those dates.
El Pirata y el Perico Restaurante will open daily for lunch December 22 – January 2 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. December 28 – 31, El Pirata will offer extended operating hours until 8:00 p.m.
Sleepy Hollow will open for waffles daily at 7:00 a.m., offering another great breakfast option for Guests!
Plaza Ice Cream Parlor will open at 7:00 a.m. daily for “Coffee Express,” offering coffee, hot cocoa and pastries.
New carts and kiosks will be open in several locations:
A Tomorrowland Kiosk will serve burgers, sandwiches and a salad.
Another cart in Tomorrowland will serve hot wings and chili.
In Fantasyland, a cart will serve a turkey wrap and Caesar salad.
The Center Street Hog Dog cart will return on December 25.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Epcot’s iconic white sphere, Spaceship Earth, closed for nearly six months, will reopen to the public Friday with a new story line and digital enhancements. The show’s producer Bob Zalk says the new story is about innovations and how they inspire the next generation. The ride features new show scenes, lighting effects and costumes with a new musical score narrated by Judy Dench. The ride’s vehicles remain the same, but include new touch screens. There will also be an interactive component. Disney officials expect to make minor changes before the ride’s formal reopening in February.
The dates for the 2008 Pirate and Princess Party at the Magic Kingdom are as follows:
January: 21, 26, 29
February: 2, 5, 9, 14, 22, 26
March: 1, 6, 11, 14
April: 1, 4, 6, 11, 16, 23, 29
May: 2, 6, 9, 13, 16, 21, 26, 31
June: 4
It’s hard to believe, but there will be almost 6 months of these parties this year. It looks like there will be some kind of after hours hard ticket event at the Magic Kingdom through almost all of 2008.
Back from an extended hiatus is columnist Sparky LD. Good thing too, because our resident Walt Disney World Cast Member is here just in time to talk about the magical holiday season at WDW. So grab some cookies and cocoa, and enjoy another Behind The Secens look from Sparky.
Hey there everyone, back again with another Behind the Scenes look into the Walt Disney World Resort. Since Christmas is only a few days away, let’s use that as our topic for discussion.
Christmas at the Parks is an amazing site. Not only is it beautiful, but how much of it there is and the amount of time it takes in preparation and installation is a modern marvel. A crew of 25 or so work year round in the Holiday Services Warehouse to put together all the trees, garlands, wreaths, and other decor. The Holiday Services Department is responsible for the 4 theme parks, 20 some resort hotels and Downtown Disney. Once Christmas is over, they begin on next year’s displays right away. The Warehouse has racks and racks of ornaments, garlands, tinsels, toppers, etc. These “elves” are also responsible for store window displays around the entire WDW property.
The week before the Christmas season starts, small decor begins to go up. The larger stuff goes up mainly overnight, which doesn’t happen often anymore. Usually the larger stuff will go up over two nights. Crews of 75 or so install the decor after hours. The Christmas season gobbles up about 3,000ft of garland, 4 million strands of lights, over 2,000 wreaths, more than 1,000 Christmas trees varying in height from 2ft to 80ft, over 1,000 yards of fake snow sheeting will be used, and over 200,000 ornaments will be used for decorating. Not to mention that new castle lighting this year, takes up another 200,000 strands of LED lights, a little over 4000ft of control cable, 300 strobes, and over 10,000 yards of fishing net.
During the Christmas season, certain Cast Members are decked in holiday costumes as well as shows and parades with holiday costumes. There are over 2,500 pieces of holiday costuming used throughout the season. Not to mention the new talking character heads that are used in 3 different shows. You now have Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Chip, Dale and Pluto talking, winking, and more in “Cinderella’s Holiday Wish”, “Celebrate the Season”, and “Mickey’s Twas the Night”.
You can’t forget the holiday fireworks, “Holiday Wishes: Celebrate the Spirit of the Season” and “Holiday Illuminations”. Holiday Wishes uses the same bunkers as regular Wishes, but they add an extra touch. On certain nights they fire the show with a 180 degree pyro on both sides of the castle. Pyro fires from not only behind the castle, but the left and right sides. This is accomplished by flat bed trucks with pyro bunkers on them that are driven out on the road surrounding the park. They used to do a full 360, which still happens on the rarest of occasions. For that a site on an island in the Seven Seas Lagoon is used as well as other various flat bed bunker trucks. Holiday Illuminations uses all the launch sites for the normal show, plus 1 extra barge and 55 extra launch tubes.
Christmas at the Walt Disney World Resort is the most magical time of year where anything can happen. From all of us here at the Walt Disney World Resort, and from everyone in the the Parade and Technical Services Department we wish you and your family a Very Merry Christmas.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!
The Orlando Sentinel has the complete story, as well as a recording of the 911 call pertaining to yesterday’s death on Animal Kingdom’s Expedition Everest attraction. The full story and audio can be found at this link.
