posted on May 31st, 2010 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks
Today, newly crowned “American Idol” Lee DeWyze visited the Walt Disney World Resort for a special parade through Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We caught up with Lee during his celebratory ride down Hollywood Boulevard with Mickey Mouse. He also posed with Minnie Mouse, signed autographs for fans and even made a surprise appearance on-stage at “The American Idol Experience,” the theme park’s attraction based on the hit TV show.
Were you there?
posted on May 31st, 2010 by Darrell Fry, Sports Media Director, Walt Disney World
One of the cool things about running marathons and half marathons at Disney are the unique medals that you get. They all have a style all their own and are like badges of honor for those courageous enough to run all those miles.
Check out this medal from the very first Walt Disney World Marathon, as well as several from past endurance events at Disney. Which one is your favorite?
We know how special medals are to the many runners who’ve competed in Disney events and that’s why we’re cooking up something new this year as a special treat to runners. Oh, I can’t give away it now, but stay tuned to this blog and we’ll have a special announcement about it sooner than you think.
posted on May 31st, 2010 by Steven Miller, Merchandise Communications Manager
Commemorative pins have been a part of Disney Pin Trading history for years. We have created a variety of pins celebrating everything from Halloween to Groundhog Day to even Arbor Day (yes, Arbor Day – we’ve since stopped celebrating that holiday with a pin). There are, however, one set of pins, that hold special meaning to me – the Memorial Day pins. I dug deep in the Disney Pin Vault to give you a brief retrospective at some of the pins we’ve created recognizing this patriotic holiday.
While the holiday was officially established in the late 1960s, we didn’t release the first Memorial Day pin until 2001. The pin featured Donald Duck and had an awesome dog tag dangle. It was followed up by two pins in 2002, including the aviator Mickey pin (center above) that was designed by long time Disney Design Group Artist Randy Noble.
The holiday itself is a time to remember those women and men who served (and paid the ultimate price) while in service of the military. It is typically held on the last Monday in May (though the date has shifted around throughout the years). Some of the Memorial Day pins we’ve released have featured characters saluting; while other pins are red, white and blue all over (I think Walt Disney said something similar to that once).
The White Rabbit pin was released in 2003 at Disneyland Resort and featured a symbolic poppy flower (a traditional flower displayed on Memorial Day). The poppy flower would not return to a pin until 2010. The other two pins pictured above – the ribbon dangle pins – would later inspire a whole collection of open edition pins. The ribbon dangle element is still one of my favorite embellishments for a Disney pin.
So why do the Memorial Day pins have special meaning to me? My father, father-in-law, grandfather and my wife’s grandfather all served in the military. One of my best friends from grade school still serves in the military today. I often think about what they have done in service and for those friends they lost along the way. So this Memorial Day, I hope you will join me in stopping to say “thank you” to anyone who has ever served. I’ll start by saying, “Thanks, Dad.”
posted on May 31st, 2010 by Gene Duncan, Photographer, Walt Disney World Resort
Miss Beatrice Starr, left, is better known as “Bea” (pronounced Be-uh), and is the Chairman of The Main Street Thespian Society. Teamed up with Mrs. Frances Fermata, the resident Matchmaker of Main Street, U.S.A., she creates a Tour de Force of elegance and side-splitting humor. This hysterical duo makes smiles by the mile for all who pass by. And those hats!
posted on May 29th, 2010 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks
Some of my favorite Disney Parks Blog posts are “first looks” and Walt Disney Imagineer Steven Davison wowed us this week with a peek at what’s to come. Steven and team showed how we’re getting the fountains to dance during “World of Color.” Since the show doesn’t have live performers, the fountains are the dancers and actors.
And now, here’s our weekly list of most popular posts:
First Meet-Up at Disneyland Resort — Toy Story Mania! and Walt Disney Imagineering fans got an insider’s look at the new changes in Toy Story Mania! Walt Disney Imagineer, Kevin Rafferty, answered fans’ questions about the making-of the attraction and what it’s like to work on this project.
Disneyland Hotel Makeover — The pool area is getting a whole new look, including a complete redesign of the Never Land Pool.
‘World of Color’ – Behind the H2O – Making the Fountains Dance — Joshua Horner, a choreographer from Australia, took the show’s musical score to create a style and choreographic point of view for each number.
New, Improved Online Dining Reservation System for Walt Disney World Restaurants — Disney “foodies” can now search and retrieve online reservations for Walt Disney World restaurants.
Wonderful and Scary — Walt Disney World photographer, Garth Vaughan, a spooky, exciting and thrilling view of Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
posted on May 28th, 2010 by Heather Hust Rivera, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, The Walt Disney Company
Everyone seems to be interested in “World of Color,” and Mickey Mouse is no exception. In this never-before-seen TV spot, you can see Mickey mischievously handling a magical baton and trying to conduct this water spectacular all by himself! It won’t appear on television until Monday, May 31, but we’re treating you to a rare first glimpse of the “World of Color” spot.
Did you notice the fun, new logo for Disney California Adventure park in the spot? It’s so new that if you touch the screen, you just might get paint on your fingers.
What do you think of the TV spot and new logo?
posted on May 28th, 2010 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks
UPDATE: Here are photos from Lee DeWyze’s visit to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
A quick announcement to share…the newest “American Idol” Lee DeWyze is coming to Walt Disney World next week to be part of a special parade at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. You’ll be able to see Lee and Mickey Mouse on Hollywood Boulevard on Monday, May 31. The parade is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m at the entrance of the theme park and will then head toward Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat.
Just yesterday, Lee celebrated “The American Idol Experience” attraction at Walt Disney World Resort by shouting the famous words “I’m Going to Disney World!” after his name was announced in front of millions of TV viewers. You can see (and hear!) Lee in the iconic Disney commercial on the Nokia Theatre stage in Los Angeles. Let us know if you’ll be visiting on Monday.
posted on May 28th, 2010 by Heather Hust Rivera, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, The Walt Disney Company
It’s no trick! We’ve got a treat for you today.
Mickey’s Halloween Party moves to Disneyland park this Halloween season. The private, costumed trick-or-treat party that guests enjoyed at Disney’s California Adventure park and was formerly known as Mickey’s Trick-or-Treat Party has moved to Disneyland park. The new event has some new, really cool benefits:
Mickey’s Halloween Party will be offered on Halloween night and every Tuesday and Friday in October. Annual Passholders can purchase tickets starting June 4 – for more information, click here. General sales will begin July 16 – for more information, click here.
posted on May 28th, 2010 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks
It’s almost parade time. Disney’s Main Street Electrical Parade officially begins its limited engagement for Summer Nightastic! at Walt Disney World in less than two weeks – on June 6. But first things first … before the floats can roll through Magic Kingdom Park, we needed to move them from California to Florida. How do you move a parade? Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at some of the work.
Parade floats like the “Honor America” finale display – featuring the American flag and giant American eagle – will be returning, along with costumed characters like Alice in Wonderland, Mickey Mouse and Goofy. Let us know in the comments what you’re looking forward to seeing.
Also, if you missed our first video from 1999 showing Main Street Electrical Parade vehicles on their way to the park, it’s worth checking out.
posted on May 28th, 2010 by Darrell Fry, Sports Media Director, Walt Disney World
Think back to what you were doing when you were 12 years old. If you’re like most people, you probably weren’t catching transcontinental flights to South Africa, but that’s exactly what a lucky team of talented Under-12 soccer players will be doing after their trip to Walt Disney World this weekend.
The winning team from the Danimals Nations Cup qualifier – which is part of Disney’s Memorial Day Soccer Shootout presented by Danimals at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex – will earn the chance to compete in the Danone Nations Cup World Finals in South Africa in late September.
The team will represent the U.S. at the World Finals, where they will be among 1,100 youth soccer players from 40 countries. Talk about an experience of a lifetime.
Follow results of the qualifying event at espnwwos.com or on Twitter @DisneySports to find out which Under-12 team is going to make their South Africa dreams come true at Disney.
A collection of Disney news and links from around the web. Note: All links are to external sites and open in a new window.
Thanks for visiting the Disney Parks Blog. We welcome your comments. Please understand that this is a moderated blog. Blog comments will be reviewed prior to posting. As a result, there will be a delay in the posting of comments. Not all comments will be posted. Comments may also be removed after they are posted.
Please see our Terms of Use
for more information.
