Here Come the Pirates!

WDWNT on April 12, 2011

Disney today announced some details of the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean series. It will be a blind box set based on the theme park attraction and will have 11 characters with 1 mystery chaser. Although this series is not based on the movie, a Jack Sparrow chaser is a real possibility… as he was added to the ride a few years back. Disney should release pictures of more figures as the time comes. We expect the series to be released on May 21st (if the Art of Disney blog is right). Yesterday we saw the Dirty Foot Pirate by Casey Jones. The figure below is also a Casey creation. This series should also give us a good idea of how they will do “attraction” series like the Haunted Mansion set expected in September.
Also notice that this series will be using the new vinylmation mold design.

Disney Cast Member Passes Away Monday From Thursday Fall

WDWNT on August 11, 2009

Some unfortunate news coming from the Orlando Sentinel:

A performer at Walt Disney World died Monday, days after he was injured during a show at the Magic Kingdom.

Mark Priest was performing Thursday in a “Pirate Tutorial,” an interactive show in which actors lead guests through a series of “pirate skills” tests. Priest fell and broke his neck, according to colleagues, and he had been hospitalized since the accident.

Disney said it was not given any indication that the injuries Priest suffered in the initial accident were life-threatening. But the resort said it contacted both the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office after learning of his death.

“Today, we are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our fellow cast member,” Disney spokeswoman Kim Prunty said. “Our hearts go out to his family and fellow cast members, and we are offering our support to them during this difficult time.”

A deputy sheriff is being sent to Disney this evening to take an initial report on the incident, spokeswoman Cpl. Susan Soto said.

Our prayers go out to the family and friends of the cast member.

WDWNT Podcast Episode 94 Now Available for Download

WDWNT on May 17, 2009

Join me, Tom Corless, and a cast including Scott Smith, Chris Lastrapes, Kyle Duffield, John Rick, and Lee Arenberg for a variety show that celebrates the Walt Disney World Resort and its many fans. So what are you waiting for? Let’s celebrate another week of Walt Disney World information and fun on the WDW News Today Podcast!!!

To kick off episode 94, we have your Walt Disney World Resort News and Rumor Report. In this latest report, we will be discussing an exclusive D23 member event coming to the Walt Disney World Resort later this month, what’s “Up” at the Magic of Disney Animation in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and how you can now get your share of Disney theme park merchandise at the click of your mouse.

Following that, we have a huge interview conducted by myself and my fellow Disney Pincast co-host John Rick, with a huge star from the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, Lee Arenberg. The interview is a bit lengthy, but I have a feeling you’ll enjoy the insights into just what it’s like to be an actor in a major film series, as well as being a part of a Disney theme park attraction.

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 all 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.

WDWNT Network Exclusive Interview with Pirates of the Caribbean’s Lee Arenberg

WDWNT on May 15, 2009

pincast-lee

We here at the WDWNT Network are proud to announce that we were able to obtain an interview with actor Lee Arenberg, who played the part of Pintel in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. The interview was conducted by John Rick and Tom Corless for the Disney Pincast, but will also air on some of the other podcasts of the WDWNT Network this weekend. In the interview, Arenberg tells us about working on the epic Pirates of the Caribbean film trilogy, being a part of a Disney attraction, the importance of the movie premieres inside Disneyland, and some of his other work notable works, including Seinfeld, Star Trek, and a host of other shows. You can hear the interview now by listening to episode #60 of the Disney Pincast (download on Itunes or listen through the site), or you can wait until Sunday when the interview will air on the WDW News Today Podcast and the Disneyland News Today Podcast.