Signs of the Times
posted on May 21st, 2010 by George Savvas, Public Relations Director, Disneyland Resort
For more than 40 years, the large marquee outside Disneyland was often your first clue that you had arrived somewhere different — you had finally arrived at Disneyland! Here’s a look back at the Southern California icon.
Above is the original 1958 marquee as it appeared in 1976.
A new electronic marquee arrived in 1989, briefly sharing the spotlight with its predecessor during installation.
The electronic marquee greeted millions of visitors in multiple languages for nearly 10 years.
Today, whether arriving by car, hotel shuttle or by foot, the tradition of greeting our guests in style continues.
UPDATE: Princess Half Marathon Weekend Date Change
posted on May 21st, 2010 by Darrell Fry, Sports Media Director, Walt Disney World
We have a quick update to share today. Due to a scheduling conflict at the Walt Disney World Resort, the 2011 Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend presented by Lady Footlocker will now be held February 25-27. Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend brings women of all ages together to participate in an event designed just for them. Let us know if you’re planning to participate. Registration opens July 6, 2010 at disneyprincesshalfmarathon.com.
Autopia? Disney’s FastPass? What’s Your Favorite Park Addition or Memory Between 1996 and 2000?
posted on May 21st, 2010 by Heather Hust Rivera, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, The Walt Disney Company
This is the third installment in a series of posts counting down the weeks to the 55th anniversary on July 17. As you probably know, we’re counting backwards and have already covered two half decades (2006-2010 and 2001-2005). This week we’re looking at highlights from 1996 to 2000.
This week I’m featuring Autopia as the most memorable attraction to open in this five-year period. I have several pictures of myself “driving” in Disneyland park over the years, and while I wasn’t at the Park in 2000 for this re-opening, this attraction certainly evokes some strong memories for me.
Counting backwards, here’s a look at what happened from 2000 to 1996 to help you pick your favorite:
2000 – A brand new parade – 45 Years of Magic Parade – and a dazzling new fireworks spectacular – Believe…There’s Magic in the Stars – debuted this year. The only original Tomorrowland attraction left from park opening, Autopia, is reimagined. Combining the old Fantasyland and Tomorrowland attractions, young drivers now cruised along a modern highway through scenic forests and past shimmering waters.
1999 – Disney’s FastPass service makes its official debut with “it’s a small world” holiday in November. The Plaza Gardens undergoes a revitalization effort with a new canopy and stage. New faces can be seen throughout the park, such as Radio Disney DJs Just Plain Mark and Zippy, who begin broadcasting live from underneath the Observatron. Tarzan moves into a tree house in Adventureland.
1998 – Three new attractions transformed Tomorrowland this year, including the Astro Orbitor, “Honey I Shrunk the Audience” and Rocket Rods. Over in Fantasyland, Fantasyland Theatre received an entirely new look with a new roof and a whole new show – Anamazement – starring some of Disney’s famous animated characters.
1997 – The Hercules Victory Parade traveled through the park for the first time, celebrating Disney’s newest hero. Light Magic opened, and Main Street, U.S.A., got a lot more tasty with new locations for the Carnation Café, Blue Ribbon Bakery and Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor. On Refreshment Corner, a window was dedicated to honor Bob Penfield, the last original cast member to retire. Bob was a part of “Club 55,” which was the term for those who were on the job the day Disneyland park opened.
1996 – A record number of guests turned out for Main Street Electrical Parade before the show dimmed the lights. The new stars from Disney•Pixar’s hit “Toy Story” opened up the Toy Story Funhouse over in Tomorrowland. In Frontierland another guest experience premiered at Big Thunder Ranch. The Hunchback of Notre Dame Festival of Fools completely immersed the audience in an exciting song, dance and fun-filled extravaganza.
So, what’s your favorite event or memory? Is there anything that happened in these years that you forgot about or is news to you?
TARZAN® Owned by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. and Used by Permission, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. and Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Summer Pass Brightens Summer Nights at the Disneyland Resort
posted on May 21st, 2010 by Heather Hust Rivera, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, The Walt Disney Company
We just announced a new Summer Pass for all of you who live in Southern California and Northern Baja. It’s great news. Here are the details:
The Summer Pass is good for three park visits to either Disneyland park or Disney’s California Adventure park (one park per day) within a 45-day period, for residents residing in zip codes 90000 through 93599, and 21000- 22999. For $108, or $36 per visit, guests will enjoy three fun-filled summer days and nights at the Disneyland Resort. For an additional $21, local residents can upgrade their Summer Pass to a Summer Pass Plus, a 3-day Park Hopper ticket that allows guests to visit both parks on the same day. This offer is available for use June 11 to August 29 and is blocked out from July 2 – July 4, 2010 and August 22 – August 23, 2010.
Where can you get it? The Summer Pass can be purchased at www.disneyland.com, the Disneyland Resort box office, Disney Stores, Disneyland Resort Hotels, and a variety of southern California supermarkets and retail chains, including Vons, Albertsons, Ralphs, Stater Bros., Food 4 Less, Gelson’s and Deardens. Resident ID is required.
More information about the Summer Pass, the Summer Pass Plus and Summer Nightastic! can be found at www.disneyland.com/summer.
With a deal like that, I assume I’ll see you in the parks this summer.
Dates, Tickets for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
posted on May 21st, 2010 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks
In recent weeks, I’ve noticed an uptick in requests for dates and ticket information for some of my favorite upcoming events – Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom Park. Well today, we’re sharing details. Tickets for both Walt Disney World Resort events are now on sale. Here’s the breakdown:
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party
Dates
- September 14, 18, 21, 23, 25, 28, 30
- October 1, 3, 7, 8*, 11, 12, 14, 17, 19, 21, 22*, 24, 26, 28*, 29, and 31
- November 1
Times
7:00 pm – 12:00 am
Pricing
| Age | Advance Sales | Same-Day Sales* | October 29 and October 31, 2010 |
| 10 & Up | $53.95 + tax | $59.95 + tax | $64.95 + tax |
| 3-9 | $47.95 + tax | $53.95 + tax | $58.95 + tax |
*Advance Purchase Price not available on 10/8, 10/22, 10/28, 10/29, 10/31. All other select nights, when purchased prior to the day of the event: $53.95 + tax (Ages 10+) $47.95 + tax (Ages 3 – 9); Day-Of Event Prices: $59.95 + tax (Ages 10+) $53.95 + tax (Ages 3 – 9); Premium Pricing (10/29, 10/31 ): $64.95 + tax (Ages 10+) $58.95 + tax (Ages 3 – 9)
Standard Magic Kingdom theme park admission tickets will not allow Guests to attend Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
Dates
- November 8, 11, 12, 16, 18, 19, 28, and 30
- December 2, 3, 5, 7*, 9, 10*, 12*, 14, 16, 17*, and 19*
Times
7:00 pm – 12:00 am
Pricing
| Age | Advance Sales | Same-Day Sales* |
| 10 & Up | $53.95 + tax | $59.95 + tax |
| 3-9 | $47.95 + tax | $53.95 + tax |
*Advance Purchase Price not available on 12/7, 12/10, 12/12, 12/17, 12/19. All other select nights, when purchased prior to the day of the event: $53.95 + tax (Ages 10+) $47.95 + tax (Ages 3 – 9); Day-Of Event Prices: $59.95 + tax (Ages 10+) $53.95 + tax (Ages 3 – 9)
Standard Magic Kingdom theme park admission tickets will not allow Guests to attend Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
There are several ways to buy tickets for the events but the best place to start online is www.disneyworld.com. Anyone planning to go to both this year?
Disney Vacation Club: Grocery Delivery
posted on May 21st, 2010 by Michelle Baumann, Walt Disney World Public Relations
Hi everyone, there’s a cool service for Disney Vacation Club members that saves time and money. Did you know that you can go to a special web site and preorder groceries? Dairy, fruit, cereal, laundry detergent, frozen items and more, are all available at reasonable prices. The items are magically delivered to the DVC villa for only $5, plus the price of the items selected. This is a great way for guests to cut costs and utilize the DVC kitchen facilities at mealtimes.
Star Wars Weekends Firsts
posted on May 20th, 2010 by Dara Trujillo, Manager, Merchandise Synergy, Events, and Communication
The countdown to Star Wars Weekends is on and Disney Theme Park Merchandise couldn’t be more excited to help kick off the festivities! Steven and I had the opportunity to tell you about some of the great merchandise that we will be offering this year, but there are a few more extra special pieces that I just couldn’t keep to myself.
For the very first time, the Disney Hollywood Studios Sketch Artists and Ink & Paint Teams have created limited edition, hand inked & painted cels especially for Star Wars Weekends. The two new animation cels feature Anakin Mickey & Darth Maul Donald. Each are a numbered limited edition of 100.
Created by Disney Sketch Artist Jason Zucker, this amazing full-color sketch features Donald as bounty hunter Boba Fett and was created to celebrate the 30th anniversary of “Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back” and to pay homage to the notorious character and bounty hunter Boba Fett. It’s the first time a full-color sketch has been done completely by hand for Star Wars Weekends. This complex and intriguing art is a limited edition of 30.
Another unique piece that’s a first-of-its-kind at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a sketch featuring Donald as Darth Maul. The limited-edition art created by Disney Sketch Artist Derek Lesinski, is a progression sketch in which 4 separate images are done by hand, progressing from a rough sketch to a final full-color sketch. This is the first time during Star Wars Weekends that we have offered a full-color progression style sketch with a panoramic view. This complex and intriguing art is a limited edition of 30.
Created just in “time” for Star Wars Weekends, comes this hand sketched, limited edition watch. To create the watch, we once again utilized the skilled hand of Derek Lesinski to create the original art. Once the art is perfected, it’s reduced down to fit the size of the watch face. Each artisan watch comes complete with a reproduction of the full-sized art. This is a limited edition of 50.
Another first for Star Wars Weekends is the Passholder Exclusive T-Shirt. Last year marked the first year that Disney Theme Park Merchandise offered a Passholder Exclusive, Star Wars Weekends Pin. The response was so overwhelming we decided to give our Passholders something more to celebrate this year with a special shirt created just for them! Remember, you need to show your Passholder ID to purchase the shirt.
Look for these items at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in the Animation Gallery at Boba’s Bounty.
The Disney Gallery Presents…
posted on May 20th, 2010 by Michelle Harker, Merchandise Marketing & Communications Project Manager, Disneyland Resort
For those of you saw my post on Maggie Parr, I briefly mentioned a new exhibit that is set to open in The Disney Gallery on May 22. We are just days away from the unveiling of the new artwork. Kim Irvine, Walt Disney Imagineer & Director, Concept Show Design, has been hard at work transforming the location before our very eyes. The new exhibit titled DAY ONE DISNEYLAND “Original Inspirations for ‘The Happiest Place on Earth’ will surely capture your imagination while taking you on a visual journey back in time. I can tell you, I’ve seen some of the artwork, and for all of you true Disney enthusiasts, this will be a dream come true for you to see.
Also in store are 55th-Anniversary inspired original art, giclees and deluxe prints by such notable Walt Disney Imagineers and Disney inspired artists as Steve Adams, Bruce Boyer, Charles Boyer, Jim Crouch, Jeremy Fulton, Larry Nikolai, Noah, Maggie Parr, Jimmy Pickering, Mark Seppala, George Scribner, and Yakovetic.
If you have time, join us for a special appearance and signing by some of our artists on Saturday, May 22 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in The Disney Gallery. Artists scheduled to appear include Steve Adams, Bruce Boyer, Charles Boyer, Jeremy Fulton, Larry Nikolai, Maggie Parr, Noah, Jimmy Pickering and Yakovetic. For details on this event visit www.ArtofDisneyParks.com.
See you there!
Building a Disney Star Wars Weekends Ad
posted on May 20th, 2010 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks
Each year, our Yellow Shoes Creative Group creates a series of unique Star Wars Weekends ads featuring characters in settings like they’ve never been seen before – and this year is no exception. One of my favorites puts General Grievous on Sunset Boulevard. But look closely…sharp-eyed Disney Parks Blog readers will be able to spot some details in the image that do not exist at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. That’s the genius of Yellow Shoes Production Director Ed Brown. Ed took the original image from Disney photographer (blog author) Garth Vaughn and created an amazing atmosphere. Here’s how it happened:
So, can you spot some of the details added to Sunset Boulevard for the ad? Also, here are the other finished Star Wars Weekends ads.
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First Look: New ‘World of Color’ Images
posted on May 20th, 2010 by Heather Hust Rivera, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, The Walt Disney Company
For the first time, we can show you what one of the world’s largest projected water screens looks like when, together with other incredible effects, they create a larger-than-life Disney spectacle.
These memorable moments from “WALL-E” and “The Lion King” seem even cooler when they’re recreated in “World of Color,” don’t they? Keep in mind…what you’re seeing is a wall of water 380 feet wide by 50 feet high for a projection surface of 19,000 square feet.
