And the Winner is…
posted on November 17th, 2009 by Heather Hust Rivera, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, The Walt Disney Company
You may have enjoyed different attractions and restaurants at the Disneyland Resort, but did you know that they’re also award winning?
Just today, Walt Disney Imagineering was honored with the top award within the themed entertainment industry. TEA (Themed Entertainment Association) announced that Toy Story Mania! at Disney’s California Adventure Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios received the Award for Outstanding Achievement for an Attraction. In case you haven’t had a chance to experience the attraction, it’s a high-energy, immersive, ride-through adventure that lets you test your skills at a variety of carnival midway games hosted by the characters from the Disney·Pixar “Toy Story” films. TEA praised the attraction as “a suite of many technical and creative innovations.”
Including this latest award, Walt Disney Imagineering has received a total of 34 awards throughout the Thea Awards’ 16-year history, including nine previous wins in the attraction category. Some of Disney’s past recipients of Awards for Outstanding Achievement for an Attraction include Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Soarin’ Over California at Disney’s California Adventure Park, Indiana Jones® Adventure at Disneyland Park, Space Mountain, From the Earth to the Moon at Disneyland Paris and CineMagique at Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris.
The Resort also got top honors this week from culinary experts and Zagat, a guidebook that polls consumers for their opinions. Recently Zagat announced the Napa Rose, a world-class restaurant at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, as the “Most Popular in OC.” The Napa Rose earned high marks in food, décor and service.
Just yesterday, Napa Rose Executive Chef Andrew Sutton, a 27-year culinary veteran, was honored as one of four recipients of the Antonin Carême Medal presented by the Chefs Association of the Pacific Coast, Inc. Sutton is the 148th person to receive the medal throughout the program’s 40-year history, and the famous chef, Julia Child, is the 28th person to receive this honor. He accepted the medal for his lifetime of achievements, including his involvement in creating an award-winning menu for Napa Rose that features hand-selected ingredients from throughout California’s diverse regions.
Indiana Jones is a trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd.
200,000 Lights Transform Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World
posted on November 17th, 2009 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks
“Dipped in sugar” is how Cinderella Castle appears to Walt Disney World Entertainment’s senior show director Alan Bruun. And if you’ve seen the castle’s 200,000 holiday lights, it’s hard to disagree with the description — it’s a must see.
But how the Castle transforms for the season is just as remarkable. It takes about six weeks and involves hundreds of hours of manpower. Cranes are brought in overnight to place the LED lights around the castle and reach the highest spires. Here’s video showing some of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into lighting the Castle each year:
The Castle lights are also attached to more than 40,000 square feet of fisherman’s net dyed to specifically match the colors of the castle. There is blue net for the roof tops and gray for the walls. After the lights are hooked up on the nets, they’re programmed and tested and then written into lighting cues for the shows, according to Bruun.
To bring the lights together, 18 miles of electrical cable is used. And it’s all run on the amount of power that it takes to run three clothes dryers — it’s extremely energy efficient.
Is this something you look forward to? Let us know in the comments.
Blog Exclusive: First Video of the Most Sophisticated Audio-Animatronics Technology Yet
posted on November 17th, 2009 by Heather Hust Rivera, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, The Walt Disney Company
Taking you the behind the scenes and giving you a sneak peek at new attractions is one of our goals on the Disney Parks Blog.
Today’s video gives a first glimpse of the new Abraham Lincoln figure that will be the main attraction in the returning “The Disneyland Story presenting Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” show. The new, advanced figure features Disney’s most sophisticated Audio-Animatronics technology, with incredibly lifelike facial features and expressions.
The new, fully-electric head allowed Imagineers to add new technology and functionality to a figure that has entertained Disneyland guests since 1965. The previous Lincoln head and face had seven functions, and the new and improved head and face has a total of 20 functions. Lincoln can now purse his lips, smile, grimace and form an “O” with his lips. Don’t take my word for it. Check it out for yourself.
The classic attraction is scheduled to re-open at Disneyland Park in December. The fascinating figure – along with new and classic show elements – continue the Disney tradition of merging great storytelling with breathtaking technical innovation. The rich and moving show provides a patriotic tribute to our nation’s 16th president.
Exclusive New Year’s Eve Parties Offered at Magic Kingdom Park
posted on November 17th, 2009 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks
We shared our first special New Year’s Eve experience last month — now we have two new exclusive parties being offered at the Magic Kingdom Park.
You’re invited to celebrate the New Year at Walt Disney World with an all-you-care-to-enjoy dinner, dessert and exclusive viewing of the Wishes fireworks show. It’s a two-hour dining experience at the Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station that’s offered one time only — on December 31 between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
The Dinner and Dessert Party includes artisan breads, fruit, cheeses, sushi, salads, seared tuna, beef short-ribs and carved pork. There will also be a child-friendly section available during the party. You’ll then be able to choose from a wide-range of desserts and toast the New Year with a non-alcoholic sparkling beverage before the amazing fireworks display.
Check in for this Party begins at 6:15 p.m. and it’s $139.99 for Guests ages 10 and older and $69.99 for children ages 3 through 9.
There’s also a Fantasy in the Sky Dessert Party at Magic Kingdom that begins at 9:50 p.m. The Party includes a self-service buffet featuring sweets and beverages and non-alcoholic sparkling drinks to toast the New Year. It’ll cost $35.99 for Guests ages 10 and over AND $19.99 for children ages 3 through 9.
You should know that Park tickets are required for the parties and it’s probably best to arrive as early as possible. The Disney Dining Plan is not currently being accepted and pre-payment will be required when reserving seats for the night.
Have you ever celebrated the New Year at Disney Parks? How about this year?
Giant Gingerbread House Opens At Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
posted on November 16th, 2009 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks
It’s opening day for our amazing Victorian gingerbread house at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. And if you’re like me, the thought of building your own 16-foot jaw-dropper of a gingerbread house has at least crossed your mind.
Well, to build it you’d need 800 pounds of flour, 600 pounds of sugar and 1,050 pounds of honey. So we’re offering the next best thing — a taste of the experience. The Grand Floridian Bake Shop uses a classic gingerbread recipe from Austria to make their gingerbread houses, ornaments and cookies. Here’s a holiday recipe that’ll bring the Disney Parks holiday experience into your home:
Gingerbread Cookies
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Makes 36 cookiesIngredients
2 sticks softened butter
2 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
2 eggs
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 2/3 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 1/4 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground star anise
1 teaspoon ground fennel
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground clove
1/4 teaspoon ground maceIngredients for decorations optional
1/4 cup milk
1 cup colored sugar granulesDirections
1. Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until smooth using an electric mixer. Add the eggs and mix until combined.2. Sift all the remaining dry ingredients in a separate large mixing bowl and mix well. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture until a dough forms
3. Remove dough from the bowl and wrap in plastic wrap; place in refrigerator until firm, two to four hours.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease cookie sheets.
5. Remove dough from refrigerator and allow dough to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes, until pliable. Divide dough in half and place on floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out until about 1/8 inch thick. While rolling, flour the work surface and rolling pin as needed.
6. Cut out desired cookie shapes with cookie cutters. Transfer cookies to a greased cookie sheet, placing them 1 inch apart.
7. Lightly brush cookies with milk and sprinkle with sugar granules as desired.
8. Bake until firm and edges begin to darken, 10-14 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for a minute, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Cook’s notes:
You can find star anise in the ethnic aisle in your local grocery store. To get the best flavor from this spice, you will need to grind the whole star anise pod. For the neatest edges, dip your cookie cutters in flour before cutting out each cookie.
The Grand Floridian gingerbread house offers homemade items like shingles, stollen bread, chocolate chip cookies and chocolate-peppermint bark. You’ll also find gingerbread ornaments and miniature gingerbread houses. Tell us about your favorites in the comments below after checking out some Disney Parks tips for creating your own gingerbread house.
Wildlife Interaction Inspires Conservation Action at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
posted on November 16th, 2009 by Jackie Ogden, Ph.D., Vice President, Animals, Science and Environment, Disney Parks
When people see wildlife, they feel a strong connection and are motivated to take action to protect wildlife, according to research. Studies also show that despite HD TV, 3-D movies and the like, there’s no substitute for a face-to-face experience. Places like Disney’s Animal Kingdom are unmatched in enabling families to connect with wildlife, learn about nature, and become involved in protecting wildlife habitats for the future, especially with births.
We’re very proud to say that as many as 150 species have reproduced at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. In fact, our very first birth, a kudu, which is a large African antelope, was born in October 1997 before the park even opened. Disney’s Animal Kingdom also has played a significant role in the AZA Species Survival Program for African elephants. Four African elephants have been born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, adding to one of the largest herd in North America. African elephants are very difficult to breed, and having a successful birth is a significant event.
We were recently thrilled to welcome to Disney’s Animal Kingdom two new family members—two baby giraffes, both males, born October 5 and October 12. Our two new giraffe babies, Bruehler, who weighed 166 pounds at birth, and Bolo, whose birth weight was 153 pounds—along with their moms Aibuni and Big Girl, have a really important job to do—serve as ambassadors for their fellow giraffes in the wild.
Bruehler and Bolo represent the 13th and 14th giraffes born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom since the park opened in 1998. Giraffes at Walt Disney World Resort are bred through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Population Management Plan, which is a consortium of zoos and wildlife parks working together to conserve and breed animals.
And this summer, we celebrated the birth of the first white rhino born in Uganda in 27 years. Why celebrate a rhino birth in Uganda? Well, a rhino birth is always cause for celebration, but this one was even more special because the baby’s mother, Nande, was born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Nande is one of two white rhinos transferred in 2006 as part of the first-ever reintroduction of white rhinos from the United States to Africa. She was accompanied by Hasani, who also was born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, to help re-establish a white rhino population that has been extinct in Uganda since 1982, a casualty of civil unrest in the region.
Other significant births at Disney’s Animal Kingdom include two western lowland gorillas, two black rhinos, 28 micronesian kingfisher birds and 30 Key Largo woodrats.
So baby animals really are cute, but, even more important, by inspiring people to take conservation action they mean a bright future for wildlife and wild places. For more information on Disney conservation efforts, visit www.wdwpublicaffairs.com.
Sleigh Rides Offered for First Time at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
posted on November 16th, 2009 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks
If you say “sleigh ride” — thoughts of Florida rarely follow. But this holiday season, there’s a new experience that may just change that. For the first time, Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground is offering horse-drawn sleigh rides through the woods at Walt Disney World Resort.
Beginning on November 29, a fire-engine red sleigh with garland and holiday lights will take you through parts of the 700-acre backwoods resort. The magic-makers at the resort’s Tri-Circle-D Ranch have equipped sleighs with tires for rides around property. Four adults or two adults and three children should be able to ride on each sleigh.
You’ll depart from the Blacksmith’s Shop near the Settlement area inside Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground and travel into the forest on each 25-minute ride. It’ll cost $60 for one group to ride and children ages 17 and under must be accompanied by an adult.
Sound fun? Let us know in the comments. You can also book the experience by calling 407-WDW-PLAY.
Disney Parks Blog Weekly Recap
posted on November 14th, 2009 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks
This week, we announced that the Space Mountain attraction will be reopening with a few surprises, including an extended storyline and special lighting and “darkening” effects. Also, we gave a first look at how Magic Kingdom Park was transformed for this year’s Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. If you missed it, here’s the time-lapse video:
We also offered more details on Mobile Magic, our first Disney Parks mobile application now available for download and a first look at Phineas and Ferb as they made their Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade debut during a taping at Disneyland Park. Here’s the list:
- Mobile Magic – First Disney Parks Mobile App Now Available — We posted a list of phones that the app is currently available on.
- First Look – Phineas and Ferb — Phineas and Ferb made their Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade debut during a taping at Disneyland Park.
- A Room with a View — We offered a look inside the staterooms of the Disney Dream.
- Holidays at the Disneyland Resort Starts November 13 — Heather shared her top 10 holiday experiences in the Parks.
- Familiar Disney Faces at Children’s Miracle Network Classic — PGA Tour stars at The Children’s Miracle Network Classic at Walt Disney World were not the only ones grabbing attention.
- Celebrating Veterans at Magic Kingdom Park — We showed video of our flag retreat ceremony at Walt Disney World.
- Reflection of China — Walt Disney World photographer Gene Duncan shares another unique image from the parks.
Designing Vinylmation
posted on November 13th, 2009 by Steven Miller, Merchandise Communications Manager
November is a special month for Vinylmation – we celebrated our first birthday on November 7, 2009. We first introduced blank Create-Your-Own Vinylmation at the annual Festival of the Masters 2008 at Downtown Disney. To celebrate this first year milestone, we are launching the Park 3 series at Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts in mid-November. Interestingly, Park 3 has been in the works for about a year.
For the Park series, our Disney Artists are inspired by the various attractions, shows, icons, characters or experiences found at Disney Parks around the world. The Park 3 series contains some classic characters such as Sam the Eagle from the former Disneyland Park attraction America Sings and Big Al from the Country Bear Jamboree. I still have the 33 1/2, long-playing record from “America Sings” featuring the voice of Burl Ives. But that is a different kind of vinyl than what I’m talking about today.
When it comes to designing Vinylmation, the thought processes are slightly different compared to the designing of a Disney pin (the other part of my world). The Vinylmation form is a three-dimensional blank canvas, so our Disney artists have to think about their artwork from all sides. I spoke with Thomas Scott, lead designer for the Vinylmation art team at Disney Design Group, about the art development process.
“The art team is continuing to learn the best ways to create art on a flat surface that is eventually wrapped around a three-dimensional form,” said Thomas. “For example, when we designed the 3″ Herbie the Love Bug inspired Vinylmation for Park 3, we had to consider the front, back, side and even the top of the form. The flat artwork looks much different than the final form due to that dimensionality. Also, the manufacturer used 3 different art application processes on that piece to execute our design.”
Thomas also explained that the complexity of the artwork varies from design to design. This means that some Vinylmation make take longer to design than others.
“With each new series, we are pushing the boundaries of creativity, design and manufacturing,” continued Thomas. “I like the Park 3 series as the designs come right from the Disney Parks. Yet, I’m also very excited about the future designs I’m working on now. We’ve learned so much since introducing Vinylmation to the world and the designs are only getting better with each new release.”
One new thing for Park 3 is a variant (or slight difference) to the Test Track inspired limited edition 9″ plus 3″ Vinylmation set. For this release, the limited edition 9″ Vinylmation designed like a test dummy will be sold with one 3″ Vinylmation. There is something special about the 3″ Vinylmation in the set that will be unique to the west coast and the east coast. Let’s just say it involves some familiar roads where I seem to spend a lot of time sitting in traffic. Any guesses?
For more information about Vinylmation, please visit http://www.Vinylmation.com.
Space Mountain Attraction Update
posted on November 13th, 2009 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks
We have more details to share about the Space Mountain attraction at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom Park as renovation work wraps up.
As you know, the classic Space Mountain experience still exists — it’s just being updated with new technology and 21st century gadgetry. Inside the attraction, there’s new lighting as well as special “darkening” effects. And you’ll see updated color schemes for rocket capsules, line and load areas. Imagineers worked with Walt Disney World Facilities Asset Management for even more enhancements, including new paint, carpet, seat fabric and other décor elements.
But what caught my attention during a recent walkthrough were details about track upgrades. It’s the same track layout and overall look and feel but workers integrated new technology into the track while not changing the classic Space Mountain ride experience. “As technology evolves, it helps us enhance those elements without losing any essence of the attraction,” Walt Disney Imagineering Senior Show Designer Alex Wright says.
You should also know that a ride photo system will capture guests during their space flights on Space Mountain. It’ll utilize Disney’s Photopass, a ride photo system allowing you to access, share and purchase photos during and after a visit. (Update: we’ve recently learned that Disney’s Photopass is not being used.)
Alex says he thinks you’ll be “pleasantly surprised” with the enhancements. The attraction is scheduled to reopen on November 22. Let us know what you think in the comments.
