Stomp The Main Street?

WDWNT on August 7, 2008

Seems Walt Disney World is about to hold a rather unusual special event later this month:

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla – On August 29, the Walt Disney World Resort will quake as the first annual Disney Step Classic kicks off at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex. High School and College Step teams will compete for top honors at this inaugural event.

The event is presented in conjunction with the MEAC/SWAC Challenge will include a pre-event celebration at a Disney Park and two tiers of competitions. The two tiers include college and high school troupes. The event is sponsored by the National Education Association (NEA) and will be open to the public with tickets available for purchase in advance. 

Stepping, step-dancing or stomping is a form of percussive dance in which the participant’s body is used as an instrument to produce complex rhythms and sounds through a mixture of footsteps, spoken word, and hand claps. Stepping draws from elements of African and Caribbean dance. Today, fraternity, sorority, and high school troupes perform step as a means of sending a positive message to the audience. 

For more information on the event visit www.disneystepclassic.com or call toll free 1-800-603-0552. For tickets go to www.TicketMaster.com, or purchase them at the box office at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex.

I had heard rumors that Disney is going to try and reach out to communities that don’t usually visit their various resort areas, but this seems way out of character for anything to be held at Walt Disney World.

New & Old Friends Are Here!

WDWNT on July 28, 2008

Today’s been a great day for additions to the site & podcast. Not only has the Image Gallery finally returned, but we’re also introducing Enhanced podcasts to the Disneyland News Today podcast!

An enhanced podcast is a podcast with added features that standard podcasts do not have. Enhanced podcasts include many features like Chapter listings, that lets you skip through chapters or see what is in store for this weeks show. Enhanced podcasts also have images to let you differ the chapters by. Enhanced podcasts have one negative feature, you can not play them on most mp3 players. The file format for Enhanced shows is .m4a which can play on an Apple iPod or a Microsoft Zune.

Episode 23 is the first episode to feature the Enhanced option. We do have everything ready, but as this is a new feature, problems are to be expected. We’ll hopefully have all of the kinks worked out for you tomorrow, so you’ll be able to download the Enhanced show. In the meantime, you can download the normal mp3 version of the show at this link.

Also be sure to check out the newly “re-opened” Image Gallery, with the newly added full size versions of my pictures from my July 13th trip to the Disneyland Resort. Check it out here!

“Infringement is What Tiggers Do Best”

WDWNT on July 11, 2008

From Local6.com:

CLERMONT, Fla. — Disney has filed a million-dollar copyright infringement lawsuit against a Clermont couple over costumes resembling Tigger and Eeyore.

David and Marisol Perez-Chaveco about two years ago created their own company, Kool Klowns, which offers face painting, inflatable houses and costumed characters at parties.

“I don’t want to be on welfare all my life. I wanted to be something, make something of ourselves and get on our feet,” Marisol Perez-Chaveco said.

The couple paid more than $500 for costumes on eBay from a company in Peru and advertised the characters online.

“We bought two characters that to me is an orange tiger and a blue donkey,” Marisol Perez-Chaveco said.

About a week later, Disney wrote the couple a letter, claiming the costumes were unauthorized reproductions of Tigger and Eeyore. In the letter, Disney made seven demands, and the couple complied, Local 6 News reported.

“We removed the listing from Craigslist, removed the listing from MySpace (and) every advertisement on our Web site,” Marisol Perez-Chaveco said.

But instead of sending the costumes to Disney for destruction, the couple returned them to Peru for a refund.

Disney officials said they had no comment on the lawsuit.

Special thank you to reader Ryan Manger for sending in the story!!!

A Question For Everyone

WDWNT on July 8, 2008

I just want to ask for everyones opinion on the way our Image Gallery is set up. At the moment it’s not viewable, & we’re of course working on getting it back up. But what I want to know, is when it returns, do you want it to be arranged the way it always has been (by park) or split up into my various trips to the Disneyland Resort. There is a poll on the sidebar to the right & I’d like to ask everyone to voice their opinion.

Thanks everyone!

PS) Happy 1 Year Anniversary to our sister site, WDW News Today, with-out whom we would not be wherever we are today (hope you got where that quote came from)!

A History Lesson

WDWNT on July 4, 2008

Here is a short time line explaining the history and many developments in audio-animatronics technology over the years:

Early 1950s
Walt Disney purchases a mechanical bird while vacationing in Europe. The souvenir becomes the inspiration for Audio-Animatronics technology.
1951
Work begins on “Project Little Man.”  Roger Broggie and Wathel Rogers, pioneers in Audio-Animatronicstechnology, create a miniature figure that is programmed with cams, cables and tubes to mimic tap-dancing routines performed by the late Buddy Ebsen.
1963
Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room opens at Disneyland.  It’s the first show to feature Audio-Animatronics technology.
1964
The world’s first fully animated human figure, Abraham Lincoln, debuts at the New York World’s Fair in Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.  The figure causes a sensation, not just with the audience, but with Disney Imagineers, who were able to complete the figure in half the time they anticipated.
Audio-Animatronics figures are also in three other World’s Fair shows designed and produced by Disney: Carousel of Progress (featuring figures animated using a programming harness, a precursor of today’s motion capture systems), Magic Skyway and it’s a small world.
1964
Two Audio-Animatronics birds, Robin and Umbrella, appear in “Mary Poppins.”  Walt Disney reinvests profits from the film to create MAPO, an organization within Walt Disney Imagineering dedicated to creating and innovating Audio-Animatronics figures.
1965
Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln – featuring the Audio-Animatronics figure of Abraham Lincoln (actually, a duplicate since the original was still performing at the World’s Fair) – opens at Disneyland.
1970
Audio-Animatronics technology enters the computer age with the use of DACS (Digital Animation Control System), a computer-controlled playback system for Disney shows and attractions.  Imagineers also begin using the Anicon-Animation Console – for animating and programming figures.
1989
The first A-100 Audio-Animatronics figure, the Wicked Witch of the West, debuts as part of The Great Movie Ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (then known as Disney-MGM Studios) in Walt Disney World Resort.  A-100 figures incorporate compliance technology that gives the characters more fluid and realistic movements.
1992
Pirates of the Caribbean opens at Disneyland Paris.  Attraction features sword-fighting pirates figures.
1998
Hopper, the grasshopper from the Disney•Pixar film “A Bug’s Life,” is the most sophisticated Audio-Animatronics figure produced to date.  Featuring 74 functions, the character appears in “It’s Tough to be a Bug!”
2002
The first portable, all-electric Audio-Animatronics figure, Meeko, the raccoon from the Disney animated film “Pocahontas,” appears.  He’s in a basket carried by Pocahontas.
2003
The first totally autonomous Audio-Animatronics figure, Lucky the Dinosaur, makes his debut, at Disney’s California Adventure.
2006
The yeti, a major element of Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, is the largest and most powerful Audio-Animatronics figure ever created by Walt Disney Imagineering. Standing more than 18 feet tall, the thrust of the yeti’s arm has the equivalent amount of force as a 747 jumbo jet.
2007
The Muppet Mobile Lab, featuring Muppets Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his assistant Beaker, marks the first time that free-roaming Audio-Animatronics characters can interact and converse with each other, as well as with guests they encounter along their way.
2008
Mr. Potato Head in Toy Story Mania! at both Disney’s California Adventure and Disney’s Hollywood Studios marks the first time that anAudio-Animatronics figure features lips with such a wide range of lifelike movements, can remove and re-attach a body part (his ear) and has digitally animated eyes that can look directly at the particular guest with whom he is conversing. Also, since Mr. Potato Head has more lines of dialogue than any Audio-Animatronics figure ever created by Walt Disney Imagineering, it has required more programming hours than any other figure.

Problems, Problems, Problems!

WDWNT on July 3, 2008

We’ve been experiencing a few problems with the site today (what’s new?), meaning that the site had to be re-installed in some aspects. We’ve managed to get the site back to a functioning order, & should hopefully have it completely back to normal tomorrow!

Sorry for any inconvenience this may of caused you, & keep reading!

WDW-Tube??? Sounds Familiar….

WDWNT on July 2, 2008

The Disney Parks have now launched their own Youtube channel, and are already running a contest to promote the new venture:

Who: Walt Disney Parks & Resorts just launched The Disney Parks Channel on YouTube.

What: The “My Favorite Disney Parks Memory Contest” kicks-off the channel’s launch, giving families a chance to win a once in a lifetime Disney dream vacation, including a night in the exclusive Disneyland Dream Suite. To enter the contest, guests simply submit a creative video that captures their all-time favorite memory of visiting Disney Parks.

Ten finalists will be chosen by Disney, and then YouTube visitors will vote on the Grand Prize Winner of the Disney dream vacation. The remaining nine finalists will receive an annual pass to the Disney Park of their choice.


When: The Disney Parks Channel on YouTube launches on June 25, 2008, with official Disney videos and the “My Favorite Disney Parks Memory Contest.”

Mark your calendar with these key contest dates:

  • Contest Submissions: June 25, 2008 – August 5, 2008

  • Disney Judging: August 6, 2008 – August 12, 2008

  • YouTube Voting: August 13, 2008 – September 9, 2008

  • Grand Prize Winner Announced on or around September 20, 2008

Where: The Disney Parks Channel and contest rules are available on YouTube at www.youtube.com/disneyparks

Why: Disney is always looking for ways to spread the magic of Disney and to connect fans. Now passionate guests have a chance to share their most cherished Disney Parks memory with other fans around the world and to win a dream vacation for the entire family.

“How To” Help Guests

WDWNT on July 1, 2008

In case the WDW News Today Podcast hasn’t helped you prepare for your Walt Disney World vacation over the last year it has existed (doubtful), Disney might be able to help you now:

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Families planning a vacation to Walt Disney World Resort now have access to a new online resource at disneyworldmoms.com: Moms Panel “How-To” videos.

The Walt Disney World Moms Panelists share quick, step-by-step visual tips about everything from planning a girlfriends getaway without the kids to figuring out how Disney’s Magical Express really works.

 
“How-To” Videos Preview:

  • “Packing for the Park” – Heather Roberts-Nault, Louisville, Ky., with a little help from her daughter, shares tips and personal favorites on what to pack when headed to a Disney theme park for the day, especially with little ones in tow.
     
  • “Fast Pass” – Bret Caldwell, Evanston, Ill., takes the guest inside Walt Disney World Resort to uncover the magic of FASTPASS, including where to find FASTPASS, how to get one and the best ways to use it.
  • “Make Flying Fun” – Beth Choisez, Floral Park, N.Y., shares her ‘secret to sanity’ when traveling by plane – Beth provides tactics for dealing with the luggage, strollers, diaper bags, and the kids, so that everyone stays calm and happy.
  • “Disney for All Ages” – Laura Spencer, Boston, Mass., and her girlfriends, Julie, Dot and Carolyn, provide some ideas for enjoying Disney without the kids – suggestions include a visit to the Art of Disney in Epcot concluded by a champagne toast in France.
  • “Make the Switch” – Michelle May, Lebanon, N.J., and her husband take on an attraction using the Rider Switch Pass – specifically, how families with young children can experience the rides without having to stand in line twice.

The Walt Disney World Moms Panel experts conceived the “How-To” videos as a fun way to provide original and innovative content designed to help alleviate the pressure of planning a memorable Disney vacation – so families can focus more on making memories of a lifetime. 

To view the Walt Disney World Moms Panel “How-To” videos or find additional vacation planning tips from experts, visit disneyworldmoms.com.

Create Your Own Mania

WDWNT on June 30, 2008

If you head on over to the official Toy Story Mania website, you’ll now find four games you can play that are very similar to the games in the real Toy Story Midway Mania. While the four games (themed to Rex, Weezy, Slinky Dog, and Jesse) feature slightly different themes from the games in the attractions, they feature secret targets and ammunition multipliers, giving hints to the existence of similar targets in the ride-through version. You can also create your own wacky midway game by using the game creator on the site. Now what are you waiting for, go play Toy Story Mania online!!!

We Did It!!!

WDWNT on June 23, 2008

Thanks to all who voted for us in the Disney Links Web Awards, leading to our gold award!!! I think it fits our site well, so lets enjoy our spoils:

Gold Award

Did we ever tell you how much we like you???