Back to Christmas
For those of you who were wondering what the back of Prancer looked like, here it is.
And if you wanted some hidden Mickeys check out the holly berries on his collar!
Merry Christmas!
Vinylmation fans can pick up an early Christmas present at the Disney Store Online. The Holiday 2 Series 9″ Snowglobe Figure with 3″ Snowman was released today.
Interesting to note is the price point of this 9″, 3″ combo is only $44.95! That comes as a surprise when previous Vinylmation 9″, 3″ combos were priced at $74.95. Is Disney giving us an early Christmas present after raising the prices on Park and Urban 5? Also note the FREE SHIPPING offer if you spend $75 or more. Promo code is SHIPTODAY.
Here are screenshots from the Disney Store Online website with a first look at the back of this impressing David Mitchell designed figure set.
This limited edition (1000) figure will only be available online. The figure is limited to 2 per customer.
Update: This set is already sold out! (in less than 12 hours!)
There Snow one like Family…
The Disney blog announced that the online store will begin selling the 9″ and 3″ Snowman set on November 17th. That’s TOMORROW folks! This set was designed by David Mitchell who also designed the Prancer 9″ which will be released this Friday at D-Streets on both coasts. (There are only 1000 Prancers being made)
Original info at: http://eventservices.disney.go.com/static/vinylmation/blog.html
Let It Snow, man
Its hard to build one of these in Orlando or Anaheim, but we can buy the Vinylmation…. soon hopefully. Holiday #2 Reindeer comes out November 19th, lets hope Disney releases Mr. and Mrs. Snowman soon.
New 9″ Park 5 Figure Pics!
M.C. played detective and turned the Dreamfinder/Figment box around to snap these for us:
Here is an up close of the new Fantasia 9″
Let’s head over to Toon Town for a ride on Goofy’s Barnstomer.
Post your comments on what you think this 9″ Park 5 Vinylmation depicts.
Hey Taxi 9″ Up Close and Personal
Now for the photos of the real 9″ Hey, Taxi NYC Disney Store exclusive! (The previous pics were from the statue inside the store) It’s slightly different from the statue but somethings are much more clear. Here’s the back…
I think the 9″ head clearly shows the World Trade Center towers better then the statue’s head. I wonder what Jim Valeri’s reasoning was for placing them in the skyline. Whatever the reason you have to agree that it screams New York City.
A closer shot of the image on the back. Mickey pointing at Lady Liberty and the license plate reading Mickey. (It’s pretty crazy that Mickey ended up in a taxi with his name on the back! That’s like getting a ride in the Cash Cab! What are the chances!)
And the front…
I love the details of the lights on the taxi sign. In fact they painted them from all four perspectives.
Photos by DV NYC Reporter LoriTell us what you think!
Graffiti Back! and Front
More updates from our NYC reporter Lori.
Another exclusive here at Destination Vinylmation. The back of the the Graffiti Limited edition NYC Disney Store exclusive.
Check it out! On the top is the night sky with a skyline of NYC. Then the rest of the body is a red brick wall with graffiti (hense the name) The word Mickey is spray painted across the wall in black and there are blue and yellow paint splatters. 
The most interesting part is the void (thank you CSI) in the big yellow splatter pattern in the shape of Mickey Mouse. Is it possible the cute mouse has been committing a crime? Maybe this is Duffy’s house and Mickey wants to remind him who’s the big cheese?
This vinylmation was designed by artist Gerald Mendez. It is a limited edition of 1540, and each one is numbered! (1540 is the address of the new Disney Store in Times Sqaure)
And for the fans, the front of the Graffiti 9″ vinylmation also!
The New York Skyline, at night with a big moon shining on the front. As with the Hey, Taxi vinylmation, the skylines differ from front to back.
Photos by DV NYC Reporter LoriLet us know what you think about these new vinylmations!
First Look at the NYC Hey, Taxi Vinylmation
It looks like our NYC Reporter Lori and her family are inside the new store and we will be posting all the photos as they come.
Destination Vinylmation Exclusive
A first look at what appears to be the BACK of a large display model of the 9″ Hey, Taxi NYC Disney Store exclusive. (confirmed!) While the front was an empty window reflecting skyscrapers, the back has Mickey pointing to the Statue of Liberty which is reflected in the glass! Also there are taillights and the license plate says, “Mickey”. So with that we know of the front, the body of the vinylmation if the actual taxi with the head having the Taxi sign with lights, along with the blue sky and the skyline of New York City. The front has head lights and a grill, and the back has tail lights and a handle to open the trunk. Also of note: the skyline on the front with the Empire State Building is different from the skyline on the back (more on that after the photo)!
This Vinylmation was designed by artist Jim Valeri, who up til now had never done a Vinylmation but has two coming out at the store today. This one, Hey, Taxi, and the New York, New York black 9″. Before working for the Disney Store Jim Valeri worked for Disney Consumer Products as well as Cartoon Network.
Photo by DV NYC Reporter Lori
This is the back that the Disney Blog referred to by saying, “just wait until you see the back”. Does it live up to your wildest dreams?
Photo by DV NYC Reporter Lori
Also, is it just us, or are those the World Trade Center Twin Towers in the skyline on the back? We’ve put some thought into it, and they look like the right kind of shadows, and geographically, if you were headed to the Empire State Building from the Statue of Liberty, you would go near them. What are your thoughts? Tell us what you think in the Comments!
Photo by DV NYC Reporter LoriFor anyone who wanted to see the front half. Also notice the Blue boxed New York vinylmations below the statue. Those are the 9″ New York, New York vinylmations. That means the statue is huge!!
HP “Gets in the Game” at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
Walt Disney World Resort today announced an expansion to its long-term business relationship with HP, which now includes naming rights for the 165,000-square-foot fieldhouse at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
Beginning today, the fieldhouse will be renamed with the HP brand and will feature several new high-tech elements designed to enhance the sports experience for the nearly 1.5 million athletes, coaches and fans who visit the complex each year. HP also becomes the official imaging, printing and PC partner for ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, the leading multi-sports venue in the nation.
The centerpiece of the soon to be renamed fieldhouse will be the HP creation zone where athletes, coaches and fans can download, design and enhance commemorative photos and images of their events, then immediately produce and print them onsite. The HP creation zone will also include a retail area featuring a variety of imaging-related products and options for youth athletes and consumers, such as creating life-size posters of action photos, custom wallpaper coverings for the home and other photo keepsakes/memorabilia.
“HP’s innovative technologies further differentiate the athlete experience at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in ways that no other youth sports venue can match,” said Ken Potrock, senior vice president of Disney Sports Enterprises. “The HP technological enhancements in the complex are just the latest in a growing number of technology-driven projects that are at the core of our growth strategy, which centers around continually elevating the sports experience for our athletes, coaches and fans.”
There will also be an HP internet “café” capability inside the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex Grill featuring HP TouchSmart PCs. Individual stations will offer online access to a variety of sites, including ESPN.com, ESPNRISE.com, ESPNWWOS.com, Disney.com, Disneyworld.com and others.
The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex Welcome Center, an onsite concierge facility, will offer kiosks that also feature HP TouchSmart PCs. The kiosks, which will also be located at additional locations throughout the complex, will enable athletes and fans to access and print a wide range of sports event information, including field assignments and schedule updates, as well as general Disney information and resources, such as dining reservations and vacation planning tools for theme parks, resorts and water parks.
“The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex continues HP’s decades-long collaboration with Disney to captivate audiences through technology innovation and digital entertainment,” said Michael Mendenhall, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at HP. “The HP fieldhouse will deliver the ultimate sports environment, combining state-of-the-art athletic facilities with a rich, interactive technology experience to extend the spirit and passion of sports beyond the field of play.”
The fieldhouse accommodates virtually any indoor sport, including basketball, wrestling, gymnastics, volleyball, martial arts, team handball, roller hockey, cheerleading and dance, trampoline and tumbling, indoor tennis, etc., in addition to concerts and conventions. Opened in 1997, the venue has a seating capacity of 5,500 and room for six full-size collegiate basketball courts.
HP’s presence at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex extends the company’s long-standing relationship with Disney, which began in 1940 when HP worked with Walt Disney to enhance the acoustics in movie theaters before the release of Disney’s “Fantasia” movie. Currently, HP sponsors the MISSION: Space attraction at Epcot and is one of the sponsors of the Disneyland Dream Home at Disneyland Park. Disney is one of HP’s largest customers and utilizes thousands of HP business PCs, servers and printers, in addition to technology services, business intelligence software and storage.
The expansion of the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex’s relationship with HP comes on the heels of the complex’s most comprehensive redesign since it opened in 1997. In February 2010, the complex, which was already the leading multi-sport venue in the world, was re-imagined with the ESPN brand, bringing the signature elements of ESPN to the complex to create a one-of-a-kind sports experience that lets athletes, coaches and fans feel as if they’ve reached the big time with ESPN.
Preview of the 2010 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival
Like a fine wine that improves with age, the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival celebrates 15 years Oct. 1-Nov. 14 with an unrivaled global tasting experience.
Where on the planet can foodies sample the cuisine, culture and entertainment of more than two dozen countries during a 1.3-mile stroll around a picturesque 40-acre lagoon? Only at Walt Disney World Resort, where more than 25 international marketplaces around the World Showcase promenade at Epcot invite guests to taste tapas-sized portions and sip wines, beers and spirits from six continents.
This year, Disney and celebrity chefs are teaming with winemakers and brew masters from around the world to commemorate 15 years of Delicious Discoveries. During the six-week festival, guests will discover:
- Two new tasting marketplaces – Belgium and South Korea –plus new menu offerings at popular returning marketplaces including Singapore, Argentina, Chile, Poland, South Africa, Australia, U.S.A., Spain and others.
- Celebrity chef appearances starring top culinarians like Warren Brown, Cat Cora, Todd English, Gale Gand, Robert Irvine, Art Smith, Andrew Zimmern and more.
- A complimentary Marketplace Discovery Passport to be stamped at each international marketplace visited for the perfect scrapbook souvenir.
- Daily wine seminars, bottle signings, author events and culinary demonstrations at the Festival Welcome Center.
- Eat to the Beat! concerts three times nightly at America Gardens Theatre.
- Two Epcot restaurants grand opening just in time for the festival: Via Napoli at the Italy pavilion and La Hacienda de San Angel at the Mexico pavilion.
New Sips, Fresh Bites
Whether sampling steamed mussels with roasted garlic cream at the new Belgium marketplace or sipping the trendiest wines from South Africa and Chile, festival guests can make a day of grazing their way around the World Showcase promenade. Tapas-sized portions of regional specialties run
$3-to-$8 each, and recommended wines and beers make perfect pairings at each marketplace. To make grazing simpler and more fun, guests can purchase a festival-themed mini-Disney Gift Card that can be loaded and reloaded at several park locations. The card comes attached to a band that can be worn conveniently on the wrist and used for purchases at park marketplaces, restaurants and shops.
Live regional entertainment includes music, acrobatics and improv performances along the promenade. Evening Eat to the Beat! concerts at America Gardens Theatre feature acts from many musical genres. Appearing for the first time on the Eat to the Beat! stage are: Sugar Ray, Air Supply, Howard Jones, 38 Special, Roger Hodgson (formerly of Supertramp,) Hanson and Rick Springfield. Kicking off the festival Oct. 1-3 is fan-favorite Taylor Dayne, and wrapping the event Nov. 12-14 is crowd-pleaser Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.
Each fall, the festival attracts a diverse audience of more than 1 million guests ranging from wine connoisseurs and epicures to novices wishing to boost their culinary IQs. Special culinary programs showcase a lineup of renowned winemakers, guest chefs and speakers participating in elegant dinners, luncheons, seminars and wine schools.
Festival highlights include:
- The Festival Welcome Center, with a Wine Bar, Authentic Taste Seminars, Authors Without Borders weekend conversations and more.
- Some 250 chefs including Disney chefs and guest chefs from across the country conducting culinary demonstrations and hosting dinners and tasting events. Guest chefs on tap include Debbie Gold, Rock Harper, Jeff Henderson, Robin Miller, Jamie Deen and many other culinary stars.
- New events that include 3-D Disney’s Dessert Discovery and a festival preview night, First Bites Opening Reception, on Sept. 30.
- Popular returning events that include Celebrating Family and Friends in the Kitchen, Epcot Wine Schools, Mexico Tequila Tastings and Food and Wine Pairings.
- The weekly Party for the Senses grand tasting event with tempting bites from eminent chefs, more than 50 wines and beers and live entertainment.
Festival guests can enjoy fresh Epcot experiences including the latest Future World high-tech fun at Innoventions. They also can go “under the sea” at The Seas with Nemo & Friends, “up in the air” at Soarin’ in The Land pavilion or “out of this world” at Mission: SPACE. In World Showcase, new and updated restaurants welcome guests at the Italy, Japan, Mexico and China pavilions.
Included with Epcot Admission
Authentic Taste seminars and Authors Without Borders programs with special book signings at the Festival Center, Eat to the Beat! concerts, cultural adventures, Marketplace Discovery Passport and all attractions and park entertainment are included with regular Epcot admission.
Special Programming by Reservation
The Party for the Senses grand tasting events and other special wine and culinary programs require reservations and separate event admission. Guests can call 407/WDW-FEST (939-3378) for information and to make reservations for special events and programs. Festival details should be available at www.disneyworld.com/foodandwine by mid-July.