Matt Paul visited the Magic Kingdom on July 3rd to witness the new citizen naturalization ceremony, as well as to see the “Celebrate America” fireworks and he has some photos to share:
The castle forecourt stage was decked out
Those of you who follow this site regularly know I have little love for the High School Musical film series, but it looks like Starz has given me a reason to perhaps watch High School Musical 3:
For more details on the contest and Starz, visit this link
Disney has released a press video featuring the friendly wager between the Walt Disney World and Disneyland presidents over the NBA Finals between the Lakers and the Magic:
Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom was illuminated June 4, 2009 in Orlando Magic team colors to support the local NBA franchise’s appearance in the 2009 NBA Finals. In California, Disneyland park illuminated Sleeping Beauty Castle in Los Angeles Lakers colors to show support for its local team. (Preston Mack, photographer)
Finally, here is our very last Walt Disney world photo report (we promise) from last week. This report is from WDWNT Owner Tom Corless and is quite lengthy, so let’s get started:
Starting at the Magic Kingdom on April 27th…
WDWNT Podcast staff member Chris Lastrapes just returned from a short two day trip to the Walt Disney World and has some interesting photos and video clips to share with us:
At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, preparations have begun for ESPN the Weekend
I’m sure that’s a news title you never expected to read on this website, but it’s true. In this case, it’s the wand in a form that’s even uglier than the real thing was. However, it was in use for a pretty good reason :
An 80-foot-tall hot air balloon, shaped like Epcot’s Spaceship Earth icon, floated Jan. 28, 2009 above Magic Kingdom in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., carrying the Birkett family, of Scottsdale, Ariz. The special flight was one of the dreams awarded as part of Disney Parks’ 2008 “Disney Dreams Giveaway.” On Sept. 17, 2008, Christian Birkett was chosen at random as the dream recipient while experiencing The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh attraction at Disneyland Park in California. In addition to the tethered balloon flight, Birkett’s dream included a VIP vacation to Walt Disney World. The Disney Dreams Giveaway, part of Disney’s Year of a Million Dreams which officially ended Dec. 31, 2008, awarded a million-plus dreams throughout 2008 at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. After today’s balloon flight, Birkett commented, “When you’re up there, it feels like you’re on top of the world. It’s definitely a dream come true.” (David Roark, photographer)
Matt Paul was at the Magic Kingdom on Sunday to attend the Very Merry Christmas Party, and shares with us some very interesting photos:
A huge vending location of some kind is rising up behind the construction walls in the location of the former fry wagon
You can see fixtures for signage and an awning in this picture
construction materials behind the building on the hill
A few interesting developments from the last few days to note in this mixed-bag report:
-Matt Paul is reporting that the Mickey Mouse float in the Disney Dreams Come True Parade at the Magic Kingdom has been removed from the parade to be converted to the opening float for the latest version of the parade that will debut around January. The rumored name of the new parade will be the Celebrate Disney Dreams Come True Parade and it will most likely welcome in a slightly altered soundtrack for the parade using the “Celebrate You” theme song of the “What Will You Celebrate?” campaign. In the meantime, Mickey is appearing in a familiar spot on the castle finale float, where he once stood in his sorcerer’s apprentice costume during the Remember the Magic Parade. Matt will provide us with some pictures of this change once he returns home. Stay tuned for more information on this change as it becomes available.
-Disney has put up a number of new YouTube videos for the holiday season that you can view below:
-WDWNT Podcast Episode 72 is now available for download. Here’s a short synopsis:
Join me, Tom Corless, and a cast including Jason Diffendal, Justin Heyman, Matt Paul , Jose Castillo, Adam Roth, and Luke Manning for a show that Bridges the Gaps Between You and the Walt Disney World Resort. I hope you enjoy all of the Walt Disney World information and fun we have to offer on this “missing mountain” edition of the WDW News Today Podcast.
To kick off episode 72, we have all the recent happenings from the last week to discuss in our Walt Disney World Resort News and Rumor Report. This time around, we’ll be talking about some early changes to the “What Will You Celebrate?” entertainment line-up for 2009, a major Magic Kingdom E-Ticket attraction that may go missing next year, and just what attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios may not be operating next time you visit the park.
Following that, we’ll have the third edition of “What were they thinking?”, where we will try to examine why certain decisions are made by Walt Disney World management. This time around, we’ll be discussing the presence of famous celebrities in Disney attractions and if it is a good or bad thing for the parks.
Finally, Town Square Talk is back this week, highlighting the hottest topics around our WDWNT Network of websites. First up, Matt Paul is here to highlight some new Disney Park videos you can download from the WDWNTube (wdwntube.com). I’m also making some Town Square Talk this week, with news on some upcoming segments for the podcast that you can vote for as part of WDWNT Interactive. Jason Diffendal also drops in and informs us about the next WDWCelebrations event coming up in May 2009 that has a lot to do with the segment that follows this one.
Finally, to end this weeks program, we kick start our countdown of the 20 Biggest Moments in Disney’s Hollywood Studios History as voted by you with a look at what took the #20 spot. We’ll also be examining just how important this moment is in the 20 year history of the park. We hope to see this segment improve as it continues with a larger group of participants, we were a little short on staff this week because the holidays are quickly approaching.
To subscribe to the WDW News Today podcast on Itunes, go to this link. If you do not have Itunes, visit our Podcast Download Directory to download or listen to all of our shows
This episode is also available in an enhanced version. An enhanced podcast is a podcast with added features that standard podcasts don’t have. Enhanced podcasts include many features like Chapter listings, this 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 this is a .m4a which can play on Apple’s iPod and Microsoft’s Zune. You will also need iTunes or Windows Media Player to be able to skip through chapters. If you need or would like the standard edition, download the normal edition listed below this file both on Itunes and in our podcast directory.
Our very own Matt Paul attended this weekend’s Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade tapings, and reports back to us with these photos:
This Friday and Saturday were days for Walt Disney World Christmas Day parade taping
Dream Along With Mickey performed on a slightly modified stage for the later performances
These red curtains were put in just for the parade taping.
A new Grand Marshal vehicle has debuted in the Magic Kingdom theme park, carrying guests of honor down the daily parade route in grand style. To fit the theme of Main Street, USA, the vehicle was designed after a 1912 touring car. The new vehicle’s design also allows guests in wheelchairs to board easily and ride in the main seating area. Also an added touch of the new vehicle — Mickey Mouse tread designs on all four tires and the spare tire attached to the rear. (Garth Vaughan, photographer)
