Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Model Installed at Disneyland Hotel
posted on May 24th, 2011 by Erin Glover, Manager, Social Media and Print
As part of the ongoing updates at the Disneyland Hotel, Walt Disney Imagineering brought a special piece of Disney history to the lobby of the newly refurbished Frontier tower. A replica of the original model used in the design of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad has been installed in the lobby to be viewed and enjoyed by guests.
Of the nine plaster copies that were made of the original model, one of the few remaining copies was used by Imagineers to create the model seen in the Disneyland Hotel – so this one-quarter scale model is an exact copy of the original.
As the plaque accompanying the model reads, “This is a recreation of the original ‘Concept Model’ for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland, created by the talented artists of Walt Disney Imagineering. Imagineers use scale models such as this as a tool as they define and refine designs for projects.”
Guests can now view the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad model in the lobby of the Frontier tower of the Disneyland Hotel.
Take a look at more updates at the Disneyland Hotel:
- Tangaroa Terrace, Trader Sam’s to Join Disneyland Hotel This Spring
- What’s on the Menu at New Disneyland Hotel Restaurants, Opening May 25
- Fairy Tale Suite at the Disneyland Hotel
Disney STEP Classic 2012 Dates Announced
posted on May 24th, 2011 by Tim Hill, Director of Disney Youth Programs
A high-energy and highly memorable experience awaits your step team at the 2012 Disney STEP Classic, hosted by Disney Youth Programs! I am excited to announce that next year’s competition dates are February 18-19, 2012. I am also thrilled to announce that we have decided to add a new age group to the competition: 14 & Under. There will still be the traditional 18 & Up and 19 & Under age groups.
Participating teams will have the magical opportunity to perform on stage in the Premier Theater at Disney’s Hollywood Studios as well as attend Master STEP Workshops provided by the National Step Show Alliance (N.S.S.A.). These workshops will help improve technical proficiency and teach the fundamentals of stepping. Participants will also, of course, have the chance to enjoy the magic of all four Walt Disney World Resort parks! Here is a look at the event:
To stay up-to-date with Disney STEP Classic, please visit our Facebook page.
If you have ever participated in Disney STEP Classic, please tell us your story in the comments below.
Slices of Life at Walt Disney World
posted on May 24th, 2011 by Gene Duncan, Photographer, Walt Disney World Resort
Photographers usually think differently than most other people. Whether it is a foggy sunrise, an old barn, a rural cemetery or a flock of birds, these are the things that drive us to do what we do – capture, interpret, enjoy. To quote a great photographer and friend, Burk Uzzle: “The ordinary is particularly special.”
In this Disney Parks Blog post, I cannot explain exactly what motivated me to stop my car and leap out with camera in hand but I think at first glance, it was the graphic design – black on white. Then it became the chaos and noise of dozens of crows interacting with one another. Finally, the group behavior itself was mesmerizing – the constant need for each bird to flit from one branch to another, one tree to the other trees.
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I began with an artsy approach, employing my trusty Lensbaby to create those dreamy slices of life. Then I switched to a conventional lens to allow me to be more of a documentarian. During the 8 ½ minutes I spent shooting, I made nearly 200 images. Now the really interesting tidbit for me is just how much time was actually captured. When I added the exposures up, the grand total was .1943 seconds. That, my friends, is a very thin slice of life.
Getting in the Photo at Disneyland Resort
posted on May 23rd, 2011 by Paul Hiffmeyer, Chief Photographer for Public Relations, Disneyland Resort
Was this a “duckspiracy?” I think so…
Was this duck waddling into my photo a coincidence, or a distant relative of our very own Donald Duck trying to upstage Mickey Mouse?
Your thoughts?
Check Out These LEGO Creations at Downtown Disney Marketplace
posted on May 23rd, 2011 by Jennifer Fickley-Baker, Social Media Manager
I loved playing with LEGO bricks when I was a child. So I was very excited to see the latest editions to the Lego Imagination Center shop at the Downtown Disney Marketplace over the weekend.
Several new LEGO sculptures have been added to the exterior of the building that depict just how creative you can get with LEGO bricks. Each sculpture highlights an important moment from popular Disney and Disney•Pixar films, such as this one from “Sleeping Beauty.” Here, Prince Philip battles a towering Maleficent in the final battle scene from the film.
Another highlights an adventurous moment from the original “Toy Story” movie, when Buzz Lightyear and Woody use the RC Racer (and a firecracker) to catch up with Andy’s moving van.
Two other sculptures are taken from “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” including one of the Dwarfs and their diamond mine and another of Snow White kissing Dopey.
Two of the shop’s original LEGO brick sculptures – the family of tourists and Brickley The Sea Serpent – are still there, as well.
Favorite Disneyland Resort Lunch Spots
posted on May 23rd, 2011 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer
Lunch is the perfect break in a theme park day – an important part of the whole experience, and a chance to relax and refuel for afternoon and evening.
Here are some of our go-to picks. Share your favorites!
The splurge in Disneyland park still is the indulgent, crispy Monte Cristo sandwich at Blue Bayou. (You can behave with roasted chicken, then go for the pecan pie or crème brûlèe.)
For casual, hearty fare, it’s the Big Thunder Ranch Barbecue in Frontierland with all-you-care-to-eat barbecued ribs, chicken, cole slaw, baked beans and cornbread (for vegetarian options, just ask!). Share the giant chocolate chip cookie, baked in a skillet and served warm topped with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of hot fudge.
A favorite sit-down sandwich is the croissant chicken club at Carnation Café on Main Street, U.S.A. – chicken, bacon, cheddar, lettuce and tomato with a side salad. Perfect on a hot afternoon.
Quicker ideas with counter services are the French Market in New Orleans Square with old-fashioned roast beef and citrus chicken, and the clam chowder and green salad duet. Or the hot pastas, pizzas and salads at Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port in Tomorrowland.
At Disney California Adventure park on a sunny Southern California day, book a table for dining al fresco at Wine Country Trattoria, where big salads are a favorite way to go, like the Tuscan Salad with grilled ship or chicken – lettuces, tomatoes, green beans, cannellini beans and roasted pepper with a creamy Italian dressing. (Really live it up with a glass of Chardonnay.)
Soft tacos, burritos and the fajitas salad fill you up at Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill and on those days when a bowl of soup seems like the right thing to do, head straight to Pacific Wharf Café for a sourdough bowl filled with clam chowder, broccoli and cheese soup, corn chowder or veggie chili – the bowl is baked right there in the Boudin Bakery.
Or slip over to Storyteller’s Café in Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, just steps from the park. A cheese flatbread, half-pound burger (you can ask for veggie) or a chicken quesadilla with guacamole are top lunch picks.
What is your favorite lunch spot?
Are You Smarter Than a Turtle? Find Out at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
posted on May 23rd, 2011 by Jackie Ogden, Ph.D., Vice President, Animals, Science and Environment, Disney Parks
You can find out how smart turtles are – and have a lot of other fun, too – when Disney’s Animal Kingdom celebrates World Turtle Day, Wednesday, May 25, from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. at Rafiki’s Planet Watch.
World Turtle Day encourages us to take action to help turtles and tortoises survive and thrive. At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, guests can celebrate by getting an up-close look at some of the turtles and tortoises that make their home at the park, and hear how they can support turtle conservation efforts.
This year, families also can learn about the exciting research that we’re conducting on the intelligence of turtles – and meet our test subjects!
This exciting study has been led by Research Manager Katie Leighty, Ph.D., Research Fellow Alison Grand, Ph.D., and our Education and Science team in partnership with our Animal Operations team. The study centers on Flippy and Mario, two eastern box turtles, with the purpose of finding out how turtles view their world. The question at hand: Can turtles tell the difference between two different colored paddles when a food treat is used as an incentive? Not only could these smart turtles always pick the correct paddle, but they also could pick the correct paddle when they were different shades of the same color!
Katie tells us that the coolest finding in the study is that Flippy and Mario learned to make these hard choices without any training. They just took what they knew about the black and white paddles and applied that knowledge to different shades of gray – and even to shades of blue. This ability to look at the relationship between two objects and make a choice is a skill that doesn’t develop in human children until they are in elementary school, and even then is something they can struggle with.
You can watch our brilliant turtles in the window of the reptile room in Conservation Station at Rafiki’s Planet Watch during the World Turtle Day celebration at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., or regularly on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 2:30 p.m. (subject to change based on the turtles and the researchers’ calendars).
To-date, Disney’s animal care teams have nursed more than 300 endangered sea turtles back to health and released them back to the wild. The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund has directed more than $800,000 to sea turtle conservation efforts through more than 60 programs worldwide.
Watch the Disney Parks Blog for information on other upcoming conservation events at Disney’s Animal Kingdom:
July 27 – International Year of the Forest Celebration
August – Cotton-top Tamarin Month Celebration
September 1 – International Vulture Awareness Day
October 26 – Year of the Bat Celebration
Where at Disney Parks Can You Find…
posted on May 23rd, 2011 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks
We’re kicking things off this week with a tough puzzler – possibly our most difficult yet. The giraffe with a crooked neck is easy to miss in Disney Parks even if you’re looking in the right direction. Got any guesses on where to find it? Please put your answers in the comments and we’ll update the post with the answer later today.
Disney Fantasy Atrium Lobby Will Dazzle Guests with Art Nouveau Style and Sophistication
posted on May 23rd, 2011 by Jason Lasecki, Public Relations Director, Disney Cruise Line
Last week, we announced some of the incredible new details you’ll find aboard the Disney Fantasy when she sets sail in late March 2012.
One element we haven’t told you about yet is the atrium lobby. If you’ve sailed with us before, you’re familiar with that fantastic feeling of excitement you get when you board the ship and enter into the lobby.
Differing from the Art Deco style of the Disney Dream, the Disney Fantasy lobby is inspired by Art Nouveau patterns – showcasing hues of vibrant blue, green, pink and gold that lend to the overall sophistication of this splendid space. A cascading chandelier made of stained glass and crystal beads illuminates the area from above.
Each of our ships feature a statue of a Disney character cast in bronze. On the Disney Fantasy, the atrium statue is none other than Mademoiselle Minnie Mouse! Inspired by travel of the 1920s and 1930s, Minnie is dressed in vintage fashion with a parasol and steamer luggage at her side. Here’s a shot of Mademoiselle Minnie Mouse while still in development. Check it out…
You’ll be able to enter the newly designed Royal Court restaurant from the atrium lobby. The elegance continues once inside this beautiful dining room that draws inspiration from the classic Disney films “Cinderella,” “Snow White,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Sleeping Beauty.”
I know I can’t wait to step foot onboard, how about you? Keep your eye out for even more Disney Fantasy updates soon.
Disney Parks Blog Weekly Recap
posted on May 22nd, 2011 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks
This week, the Force was indeed strong at Disney Parks. At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, thousands of people joined us in the park and online during a live webcast for the grand opening of “Star Tours – The Adventures Continue.”
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During the celebration, two mysterious Jedi Knights revealed themselves as Walt Disney Company President and CEO Bob Iger and Star Wars creator George Lucas. See it for yourself in our original post.
And at Disneyland park, 1,200 randomly selected Disney Parks Blog readers also had the opportunity to bring a guest for the special event to celebrate the upcoming Star Tours relaunch. Hundreds of fans lined up before dawn to be among the first guests to experience the new 3-D attraction and we shared photos from the event in Erin’s post. The attraction officially opens at Disneyland park on June 3.
Here are a few other stories from this week you should check out, including new video from Walt Disney Imagineering you can find in the links below:
New Figment Merchandise Coming to Disney Parks – From figurines to ear hats, Steven Miller gives readers a look at the newest Figment merchandise coming to Disney Parks.
Mermaids Sighted at The Pirates League at Magic Kingdom Park – Make a splash this spring with the Mermaid Transformation Package at The Pirates League at Magic Kingdom Park.
Disneyland Resort Has a Sound All its Own – Can you identify some of these distinctive sounds from around the Disneyland Resort?
Resort Honors Disney’s Horse History – Horace Horsecollar, Samson, Bullseye…we’ve named just a few of the horses you can find around the Walt Disney World Resort. Have you spotted any others around the parks?
Take an Imagineer-Guided Tour of One Man’s Dream at Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Walt Disney Imagineers Wyatt Winter and Brian Marschall give you an inside look at One Man’s Dream, chronicling the story of Walt Disney’s life and career.
Fantastic Experiences Await Guests on the Disney Fantasy: New Details Revealed Today – Can’t wait until March 2012 to experience the Disney Fantasy? We share a sneak peek at some of what you can expect to see aboard Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship.
