Get A First Look At New Characters From Disney’s “Planes: Fire & Rescue”

Fans of Disney’s Planes who are anxiously awaiting the release of Disney’s Planes: Fire & Rescue, today received a first look at the characters that will star in the animated film releasing on July 18, 2014.

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Planes: Fire & Rescue continues a look into the world above the world of Cars that began with Disney’s Planes. When world-famous air racer Dusty Crophopper (voice of Dane Cook) returns home to Propwash Junction after another victorious racing season, the former crop duster revels in his new career success until a fateful training run changes his course with a career-ending injury.  Forced to shift gears, Dusty decides to train with the Aerial Fire Fighters at Piston Peak Air Attack Base as a Single Engine Air Tanker (SEAT). The heroic, often life-threatening efforts involved are admirable—but seemingly impossible to master—particularly if you’re a crop duster-turned-racer with an injury that can’t be ignored.

Let’s take a look at the colorful characters that make up the residents of Piston Peak Air Attack Base:

Blade Ranger (voice of Ed Harris), a veteran fire-and-rescue helicopter, heads up the Piston Peak Air Attack team. Haunted by a storied past, he’s a tough and demanding air boss with a wry sense of humor, and he’s not exactly enthusiastic about his new trainee Dusty. But Blade is a pro and does everything he can to bring the new SEAT up to speed.

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Outgoing and spirited super scooper Dipper (voice of Julie Bowen) is skilled at skimming lakes, scooping up more than 1600 gallons of water and dousing angry fires. A former cargo hauler from Alaska, Dipper is an avid air racing fan with a major crush on headline racer Dusty, so she’s head-over-wheels with excitement when the new SEAT shows up at Piston Peak.

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Windlifter (voice of Wes Studi) is a heavy-lift helicopter who can hoist dozens of trees or a huge tank of fire retardant. The American Indian’s wisdom is vast—he’s chock full of fire folklore, and his connection to nature allows him to sense fires before they’re even spotted. The former lumberjack became a firefighter to help others, and no mission is too big for Windlifter.

A jolly old ex-military transport plane, Cabbie (voice of Dale Dye) used to drop airborne utility vehicles behind enemy lines in Korea. Now he drops smokejumpers at Piston Peak—it’s a lot like combat, but nobody’s shootin’ at him. With a payload of 10,000 pounds and a maximum takeoff weight of 74,000 pounds—Cabbie can carry the smokejumpers up to 2,000 miles away.

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The Smokejumpers are a fearless team of grounded firefighters, led by the strong and sassy Dynamite (voice of Regina King)—so named because you don’t wanna set her off. Pinecone (voice of Corri English), equipped with a rake tool to clear brush and debris, is an easygoing southern soul. Avalanche (voice of Bryan Callen) earned his name after triggering a massive slide, but the bulldozer—who coincidently lacks an “inside voice”—claims he was nowhere near that snow bank. Tough and over-eager Blackout (voice of Danny Pardo) once accidentally sawed down an electrical line, cutting power to the lodge for weeks and sending shockwaves through his short-term memory—at least he thinks so. Drip (voice of Matt Jones), an outgoing dude who’s always leaking oil, uses a skid-steer claw to clear fallen trees and brush.

The Secretary of the Interior (voice of Fred Willard) has many responsibilities, but none is more important than overseeing the National Parks. This rugged outdoorsman loves being in nature; he spends most of his time away from his office in Washington, visiting the National Forests and Parks and helping to spread his message of conservation.

Harvey (voice of Jerry Stiller) & Winnie (voice of Anne Meara) met many moons ago when Harvey was the manager of an RV tire store and Winnie was his showroom model. The loving couple travel to Piston Peak Park, where they celebrated their honeymoon 50 years ago.

By 1978, Nick “Loop’n” Lopez (voice of Erik Estrada) was America’s favorite helicopter cop, featured on TV’s CHoPs, a show about two California Helicopter Patrol choppers. Nick, the troublemaking macho young officer, got the nickname “Loop’n” from his signature inside loop, which no other helicopter could perform.

WDWNT will bring you more Planes: Fire & Rescue news as it come out, so keep checking back!

PHOTOS & VIDEO: Mickey & Minnie Move Into Adventurers Outpost at Animal Kingdom

With the closure of Camp Minnie-Mickey eminent, we were promised a new home for Mickey and Minnie somewhere in Animal Kingdom a few months ago. The location turned out to be the former Beastly Bazaar shop that reopened today after some delay as Adventurers Outpost, supposedly Mickey and Minnie’s exploration headquarters. Take a look:

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The entrance

A temporary sign in place until the entire experience is complete

The interior queue

There are many pictures of Mickey and Minnie out on adventurers through the queue

This is one fo the two holding rooms. There are two rooms where guests can meet Mickey and Minnie, however the second room was not ready for guests today

The actual meet and greet has Mickey and Minnie in front of a large map with some assorted travel gear and knick-knacks strewn across the room

The map is a really nice backdrop

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We were the very first guests to ever meet Mickey and Minnie here, so I thought I would break tradition and include a personal picture

Here is a very short video walkthrough of the queue and meet and greet we took as the first guests to enter Adventurers Outpost. Sorry if it seems a bit rushed, but we were the first to enter and there was no line to force us to stop along the way in the queue:

So, what do you think of Mickey and Minnie’s new home at Animal Kingdom?

VIDEO: A Look Back at “Limited Time Magic” True Love Week at the Magic Kingdom

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From February 11th-17th, the Magic Kingdom hosted Limited Time Magic’s “True Love Week” in honor of Valentine’s Day. The event consisted of several photo-ops, meet and greets with Princes and Princesses, and even a surprise musical medley from the Main Street Philharmonic. We have a short video to share with you that highlights all of the festivities. Enjoy:

Belle Joins the “New-Look” Disney Princesses at Disney Parks

Following in the footsteps of Cinderella a few months back, Belle will also soon have a new look when you visit her in the Disney Parks:

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Madame Wardrobe has pulled out an all-new formal ball gown for Belle, made with luxurious fabrics and detailing.

After much anticipation and hard work on behalf of the Creative Costuming team, Belle will begin making appearances in her new look this Sunday, Feb. 3, at the Disneyland Resort. She is sure to dazzle our Guests with a complete makeover from head to toe, wearing her elegant attire at Ariel’s Grotto Princess Celebration in Disney California Adventure park. Belle will also wear her new gown when participating in shows and character greetings at Fantasy Faire, opening in Disneyland Park March 12.

Walt Disney World Resort Guests will experience the grandeur of the new ball gown starting Feb. 10, when Belle visits Princess Storybook Dining at Epcot and participates in Enchanted Tales with Belle in New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom Park.

What do you think of Belle’s new look?

“The Princess and The Frontierland” by Chuck Mirarchi

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This winter, The Walt Disney Company is going back to their animation roots with the debut of “The Princess and the Frog”, opening at the Ziegfield Theater in New York and the Walt Disney Studios in Los Angeles on November 25 and in theaters nationwide on December 11. Those familiar with Frontierland at Walt Disney World and Disneyland will see something familiar in the film… something looking vaguely familiar… the riverboat.

This holiday season at the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland Park, on the Liberty Belle beginning October 26 and on the Mark Twain beginning November 6 respectively, guests will be treated to a special experience, Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee.

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