Matt Paul’s 12/27 Mini-Report
Matt Paul was at Epcot yesterday for a very special reason and captured a few shots to share with us all along the way:
The large sign outside the Epcot 25th exhibit is now gone, but the timeline remains
The Other Parade From Yesterday
It seems that the WDWNT Christmas Podcast Parade was not the only parade taking place yesterday :), there was of course the 25th annual Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade on ABC. Disey has put a number of clips from the parade and the holiday season on Youtube, so I thought I would share them with you:
You can also download this version of “Celebrate You” HERE
Robert Ashburn’s 12/21 Magic Kingdom Update
Robert Ashburn of Figment’s Media.Net and FTN has provided us with some his trip to the Magic Kingdom on Sunday. Let’s take a look at some newsworthy items using this new gallery option:
Space in Tomorrowland being prepared for Stitch’s Supersonic Dance Celebration that will debut in the Spring
The old Skyway building is also getting some much needed TLC during this time
Haven’t seen these signs in a while, I guess this still is 1994 Tomorrowland
Sign directing guests to the restrooms around the walls during this refurbishment
The entire building is not under tarps
A closer look
Resort-wide sales continue through the holiday season
The refurbishment of the second half of Tinker Bell’s Treasures reveals a new shop, Castle Couture
Some great new decor can be found in the new shop
Aurora’s dress changes colors as Fauna and Merryweather fight over red and blue
This seems to be an extension of the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, selling the princess outfits that parents can purchase
There is a section for each princess
The work on the upper level of Pinnochio’s Village Haus is complete and it looks great
Work on the lower section continues
The exterior of the Hall of Presidents is now being refurbished in preparation for the July 2009 re-opening
The self-service kiosks at Pecos Bill’s have been moved to the center, surprising when the entire restaurant closes for refurbishment in January
It seems people are still afraid to use them
We’ll end this report with a nighttime picture of the new food vendor replacing the Frontierland Fry Wagon
Brian Martsolf’s December 2008 WDW Update
Our good friend Brian Martsolf (of Big Brian’s Disney Page) has provided us with some photos taken during Mousefest 2008, so lets take a look:
The Viking play ship outside the Norway pavilion at Epcot is now completely gone
This is about the only remnant
Chris Lastrapes 12/19/08 WDW Update
Chris Lastrapes from Disneyland News Today is now visiting the Walt Disney World Resort and has provided us with some photos from his trip, so let’s take a look:
Tickets were available for the Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party on that evening, but are sold out for tonight’s final party.
The Magic Kingdom in it’s Holiday finest
The Magic Kingdom tree, which has actually only been in place for a few days now
The mystery food vendor that is replacing the old Frontierland Fry Cart continues to rise over the walls
25 Years of Parades on the 25th
Walt Disney World is celebrating 25 years of the Christmas Day Parade this year and has released a small article about the milestone and this year’s edition:
In a way, you could say that it really all started back in 1950, when Walt Disney was welcomed into homes around the country on Christmas Day, appearing in his first-ever TV show. Or you could say it started in 1971, when Walt Disney World Resort opened its doors–and began a tradition of holiday season revelry. One way or another, Disney has been making the yuletide bright for a very long time!
But this year marks a special anniversary, as the Walt Disney World Christmas Parade celebrates 25 years of telecasts. For a quarter-century, watching the Parade on Christmas Day has brought a slice of Disney magic – and Florida sunshine! – to millions of families. We thought it would be fun to look back at some Parade highlights over the years, and see what special events we can look forward to this year as ABC-TV brings us all the festivities on Christmas morning.
Although the earliest telecasts were focused on events at Walt Disney World, today audiences get a peek at events at Disneyland Resort and beyond. We’ll also see a special segment courtesy of Adventures by Disney that gives us a look at Christmas in Italy, hosted by Joey Fatone.
The first official Walt Disney World Christmas Parade took place at the Magic Kingdom Park and included floats celebrating “Jungle Book” Characters, “Herbie the Love Bug,” “Dumbo,” “Pinocchio,” “101 Dalmatians,” and “Alice in Wonderland.” The Toy Soldiers that delight Guests each year have also been a part of the Parade from the very beginning – the tradition started at a Disneyland holiday parade way back in 1955, and they’ve been part of the Christmas Parade every year.
Through the years, Guests and viewers have been treated to some spectacular moments – in 1994, Olympian Nancy Kerrigan ice-skated during the event; a number of Presidents of the United States have offered holiday greetings on the telecast; and stars from Mariah Carey to Andrea Bocelli to Julie Andrews have performed. 2008 might just be the most star-studded year ever, with performers including Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, Sarah Brightman, Jose Feliciano, American Idol’s David Cook, and Vanessa Williams. This year, Corbin Bleu will be debuting a brand-new song on the telecast. And, of course, Santa is one Parade performer we can always count on making an appearance – after that snowy trip around the world on Christmas Eve, we’re sure he welcomes a dose of Florida sunshine!
Regis Philbin will be cohosting with Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest once again in 2008. Regis is practically a Parade tradition, having been involved for 18 years, starting as a “man on the street” commentator. Other hosts over the decades have included, Joan Lunden, Alan Thicke, Suzanne Somers, Tom Bergeron, and Jerry Van Dyke.
The Parade has grown and changed through the years, and it’s a bigger, brighter, more spectacular show than ever. The floats change, new performers make their debuts, and Guests and television viewers alike can be sure of new surprises every year. But some things about the Walt Disney World Christmas Parade, we hope, will never change – the magic, the joy, and the warm holiday spirit that makes Christmas morning extra-special for millions.
Back to the Future with Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
Even though I typically save the “Back to the Future” name for our segment on the WDW News Today Podcast, I thought it was a fitting title for a post relating to an interesting item I found yesterday. While cleaning through some papers, I found some pamphlets from the 1993 edition of the Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom I thought I should share with everyone:
The front of the 1993 ticket pamphlet
The inside fold of the pamphlet
Inside of the pamphlet advertising tickets for the four (yes, only four) parties that year
There was then this map for the event which is almost like a very large postcard. Here is the front.
Here is the map on the reverse side, featuring locations for free pictures, hot chocolate, and cookies
Matt Paul’s 12/14 Magic Kingdom Report
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
WDWNT Weekend Update
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.
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Matt Paul’s 12/5-12/6/08 WDW Photo Update
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.