Details on Summer Nightastic! “Tower of Terror” Enhancements & Fireworks

WDWNT on May 11, 2010

We finally have details on what guests can expect when the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios debuts a special ride experience for Summer Nightastic!, from the Mickey Monitor passholder publication:

As part of Summer Nightastic!, Walt Disney Imagineers came up with even more unexpected thrills in the Hollywood Tower Hotel! If you listen closely, you can hear the distant rumble of thunder, not to mention the giggles from the disembodied voice of a child. New lighting and sound effects will add to the new experience, bringing Guests into the eerie halls of the Hollywood Tower Hotel. Throughout the summer, you’ll find the eerie blue lights and lightning crashing around The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. It’s your chance to take your summer fun to a whole new dimension!

Details have also emerged on the “Summer Nightastic! Fireworks Spectacular”, also from the latest Mickey Monitor newsletter:

“Summer nights are so special there’s no better word for them than ‘Nightastic!,’” said Chris Oyen, Show Director, Walt Disney Entertainment.
“Nighttime adds mystery, romance and magic. That’s what we hear Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother tell us when the Summer Nightastic! fireworks
spectacular begins.”

Drawn to the magic

“When they hear this, Aurora’s Godmothers— Flora, Fauna and Merryweather—are drawn to the magic,” Chris said. “They help the Magic Kingdom® skies burst with fireworks in perfect synch with great Disney songs.”

It all reaches the height of excitement when Captain Hook and his pirate crew try to capture Cinderella Castle and it may look as if they’ve blown off parts of the magical structure! Will Tinker Bell arrive in time to save the day, or should we say, the night?

Only for a limited time this summer!

“We’ve re-imagined new magic from something that only a select few were able to experience before,” said Chris, referring to the much-loved “Magic, Music and Mayhem.” From those sparkling roots, Chris is delighted that he and the Walt Disney Entertainment team are now able to bring Summer Nightastic! fireworks spectacular to a new level and to a larger audience, including Passholders like you.

“Night after night, there will be more opportunities to see our ‘perimeter fireworks,’ the ones that surround the Park. Those are usually limited to holidays and specially ticketed events. But they’ll all be there to see, hear and feel—especially for these special summer nights. Because like we said, they’re ‘Nightastic!’”

WDWNT: The Wallpapers #2

WDWNT on May 1, 2010

Thanks to the amazing talent and generosity of photographer Tim Goodchild of timgoodchild.com, we are able to provide these downloadable wallpapers for your computer monitor.  Simply click the link corresponding to your monitor’s resolution, then save the resulting image file to your computer.  We will have select wallpapers available for dual-monitor and triple-monitor setups as well.

We will try to present a new wallpaper image once a week. This week, we present the Hollywood Tower Hotel on Sunset Blvd. at Disney’s Hollywood Studios:

1024×768
1280×800
1280×1024
1440×900
1680×1050
1920×1080
1920×1200
Dual Monitor 1024×768 = 2048×768
Dual Monitor 1280×1024 = 2560×1024
Dual Monitor 1680×1050 = 3360×1050
Triple Monitor 1024×768 = 3072×768
Triple Monitor 1280×1024 = 3840×1024

Summer Nightastic Heating Up

WDWNT on March 29, 2010

Disney has updated the press release for Summer Nightastic to include the “Rock N’ Glow Dance Party” and the rather generic name for the new fireworks show that will run at the Magic Kingdom:

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Disney’s “Main Street Electrical Parade” will light up the streets of Magic Kingdom, headlining a season of after-dark excitement coming to Walt Disney World Resort in summer 2010.

Beginning June 6 and continuing through Aug. 14, “Summer Nightastic!” will light up the night with shimmering, shining Disney magic in Walt Disney World theme parks. Here’s a look at what’s in store:

  • Showcasing floats and characters appearing at Walt Disney World Resort for the first time, Disney’s “Main Street Electrical Parade” returns with its joyous sights and sounds. Direct from Disneyland Resort and marking its first engagement in Florida since 2001, the cherished parade will be led by Tinker Bell waving from the basket of a magical balloon aboard a new float. Pinocchio and Snow White join the parade this summer aboard bright new floats. Disney’s “Main Street Electrical Parade” is set for its summer-long nighttime premiere June 6 at Magic Kingdom.
  • The Twilight Zone™ Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios welcomes “drop-ins” this summer with even more pulse-racing surprises. New lighting effects created especially for “Summer Nightastic!” will bring unexpected frights to guests who step into that infamous service elevator … if they dare.
  • “Summer Nightastic!” also means music! In the courtyard of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, “Rock N’ Glow Dance Party” will have guests wanting to “trip the light fantastic” to sizzling summer sounds being spun by DJs. And at Epcot, the Sounds Like Summer Concert Series returns (June 12-July 31) with bands playing musical tributes to artists who filled summers gone by with musical magic.
  • What could be more summery than fireworks on a star-studded night? Magic Kingdom will treat guests to “Summer Nightastic Fireworks Spectacular,” filling the night sky with vivid colors and brilliant visual effects while whimsical music fills the air.

Matt Paul’s 2/10-2/11/10 Media Event Video Coverage

WDWNT on February 16, 2010

“What’s New, What’s Next” – Walt Disney World Resort

“What’s New, What’s Next” – Interviews

“Celebrate Volunteers” Media Event

Epcot “Can Do” Cavalcade

“Disney’s Friends for Change” – Private Concert featuring Demi Lovato & Joe Jonas