Moms Panel: If I Had Two Hours at Walt Disney World to Make a Lifelong Memory I Would…
posted on August 23rd, 2011 by Laura Spencer, Social Media Manager, Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Moms Panelist Disney Dad Jonas Lehmann Karp still remembers his love of Monorails from his single digit days! His grown up dream is even better!
“I’ll never forget the wonder I felt as a five-year-old at Walt Disney World Resort watching the Monorail pass right through the Disney’s Contemporary Resort. This wonder never went away. So two hours at Walt Disney World Resort would give me enough time to ride all three lines and 15 miles of the Monorail system. I’d hop off for quick stops at Disney’s Contemporary Resort to marvel at the lobby’s 90-foot mural created by Disney Legend Mary Blair, jump off again at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa to window shop, and lastly I would visit Disney’s Polynesian Resort for a cup of joe. The last stop on my Monorail ride would be at Epcot. I’d treat my family to kaki gori ices outside the Japan Pavilion in World Showcase (strawberry for me!).”
What is your most magical and favorite mode of transportation at Disney Parks? Let me know in my comments section below!
See more about one of the Monorail’s stops, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, in the posts below:
- Vintage Walt Disney World: The Meaning of ‘Contemporary’
- Specialty Rooms Will Give Guests The Royal Treatment
- New Breakfast Buffet at The Wave…of American Flavors
Jamie Deen Back for This Year’s Epcot International Food & Wine Festival
posted on August 23rd, 2011 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer
We caught up with Jamie Deen at The Lady & Sons in beautiful Savannah, Ga., the restaurant named after his famous mama Paula and brother Bobby. And of course we stayed for fried chicken and Paula’s famous chicken pot pie.
Look for Jamie’s culinary demo at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22, in the Festival Welcome Center. Cost is $13 and all we know is that he’s planning to cook up something wonderful with chicken. You’ll pick up some great tips and get a taste of his dish during the 45-minute session.
See you there! For more information on this year’s festival and to book a session, go to Disneyworld.com/foodandwine. Epcot theme park admission is required. You also can call 407-WDW-FEST.
John of the Jungle at Disneyland Park
posted on August 22nd, 2011 by Erin Glover, Manager, Social Media and Print
Yesterday at the D23 Expo, John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation, announced a pretty unusual contest – John of the Jungle.
Lasseter is known for bringing some of this generation’s most loved characters to life – Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Lightning McQueen, Mater – but few people know that he started out as a Jungle Cruise skipper right here at Disneyland park. He left this role with a love of Disney, storytelling and jungle lore – but without any photos of himself at the helm.
Now he’s out to fix that with John of the Jungle, a search for photos of him from his Jungle Cruise skipper days in 1977. Think you might have a shot of John in an old family vacation album? If you do, you could win a trip to the grand opening of Cars Land and a private Jungle Cruise with John Lasseter!
Find out more at JohnoftheJungle.com – and best of luck on the hunt!
Sights and Sounds of Disney Parks: Mouseketeer Sherry Answers Your Questions
posted on August 22nd, 2011 by Greg Ehrbar, Writer/Author, Disney's Yellow Shoes Creative Group
Thanks for all the nice responses — and “likes” — for our Disney Parks Blog post about charming Mouseketeer/pop culture princess Sherry Alberoni Van Meter. She was thrilled and impressed with your questions. Here are some of her answers:
Q: “Georgina,” “David” and “Barb” asked about being part of the Mickey Mouse Club and meeting Walt Disney.
A: “The first time I met Walt Disney, he saw me on the studio lot and said, ‘Why hello, Sherry!’,” she recalled. “I was so excited, I told my mother, “MOM! WALT DISNEY KNEW ME BY NAME!!’ Then we both realized that I had been wearing my Mouseketeer shirt – the one with my name right on it! It was amazing to be in Walt Disney’s presence. He was involved with so many projects, but he stopped by our set to see how we were doing, too. It was a thrill to be in the same room with him.”
Q: “Brooke,” asked advice Sherry would give someone who wants to become as immersed in all things Disney as possible.
A:“Brooke sounds like me!” she laughed. “I go to Disney Parks all the time with my family. And if Brooke feels the same way, then I’d have to sing: ‘Step right up, time is near! You’re an honorary Mouseketeer!’”
Q: Lots of fans wanted to see the original Mouseketeers get together for another TV reunion, or at least to see the earlier reunions on Blu-ray and DVD.
A:To “Patrick, “Anthony” and others: there aren’t any current plans to do so, but with the ever-changing world of home entertainment, you never know!
Q: “Thomas” asked after the well-being of Annette Funicello and her husband Glen Holt.
A:“All of us are family,” said Sherry. “So Annette is always in our prayers. She and Glen are taking things one day at time. Annette has great courage. I love her so much. And you know, she’s established the Annette Funicello Fund For Neurological Disorders so that others might overcome their battles with Multiple Sclerosis.”
There isn’t room for all the responses, but Sherry wanted to make sure to thank folks who wrote so many lovely comments, including “Denise,” “Edward,” “Jennifer,” “Gary,” “Joyce” and “Miranda,” plus all the many readers who clicked through to enjoy her story. (Hope we got everybody!)
“It’s gratifying to know you’re a happy part of people’s lives,” Sherry said. “That’s a true gift and I never take it for granted, not for one day.”
This Day in Disney History: Carefree Corner Opens at Disneyland Park
posted on August 22nd, 2011 by Erin Glover, Manager, Social Media and Print
Have you ever been to a welcome center, small country store or roadside attraction that had a book where you could sign in? Sort of a registry which showed where guests had traveled from to reach that destination? Traveling on many road trips with my family as a kid, I loved finding these books and seeing all the exotic places other people had come from – Australia! England! Tallahassee!
Did you know that for years there was a place at Disneyland park which housed registry books from each state in which guests could sign their names? Carefree Corner opened on August 22, 1956, and in addition to hosting the guest sign-in books, it was the official information center on Main Street, U.S. A.
Guests could sign their names in books from their home state, Canada or other countries, as well as get travel and reservation assistance and directions to park attractions. And when the first free guides to the park were available in 1965, guests picked them up at Carefree Corner.
I recently had the opportunity to chat with Nancy Roeder, a current Disneyland Resort cast member who was once a Carefree Corner hostess. “People were amazed by the books,” she said, but what she enjoyed most about her role at Carefree Corner was the contact she had with guests.
“I got to know a lot of people,” she said. Nancy recalled one couple specifically, with whom she stayed in contact for many years. Sadly, the husband has passed away, but Nancy still makes time to bring lunch to his wife – “to bring a little Disney into her life.”
Now the home of Main Street Photo Supply, the address at 222 Main Street has housed many tenants through the years:
- Plaza Hotel (1955)
- Plaza Apts – a guest registry location (1955 – 1956)
- Carefree Corner – a complete tourist information and registration center (1956 – 1985)
- The Card Corner, Gibson Greetings – also served as Official Disneyland Information and Registration Center (1985 – 1988)
- Carefree Corner – merchandise location and Official Disneyland Information and Registration Center (1989 – 1994)
- Main Street Photo Supply Company (1994 – present)
Did you ever sign the registry at Carefree Corner?
Disney Gives Students Back-to-School Support
posted on August 22nd, 2011 by Kathleen Prihoda, Manager of Media Relations, Walt Disney World Resort
Busy in back-to-school mode? I certainly have been and so have Walt Disney World Resort cast members. They’ve collected a record 2.1 million school supplies during their annual back-to-school supply drive. The items, ranging from pencils to notebook paper, are classroom essentials that will help thousands of Central Florida students start the school year off right.
Last week, Disney VoluntEARS distributed nearly 14,000 backpacks filled with 1,810,000 million school supplies to 19 schools and community centers throughout Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Polk and Lake counties.
As part of these efforts, VoluntEARS teamed up with S.T.A.R.S. (Supplies to Assist Our Students) of West Orange to welcome families at Meet-the-Teacher events at several local public elementary schools and give out backpacks filled with school supplies. View highlights below.
Additionally, VoluntEARS gave approximately 377,815 school supplies to A Gift For Teaching’s free store so that local teachers can put them to use in their classrooms.
While these new school supplies may seem like a small gesture, they make a world of difference to the students who are receiving them in a time of record need in Central Florida.
Adding Character to Disney Ear Hats
posted on August 22nd, 2011 by Steven Miller, Merchandise Communications Manager
Do you remember your first Disney Ear Hat? My first ear hat was royal blue with my name embroidered in yellow on the back. I got it during my first trip to Florida in the early 1980s. The classic Mickey Mouse ear hat has evolved over the years since it was seen on “The Mickey Mouse Club” television show in the 1950s. I’m excited to share that Disney Ear Hats is soon to receive a whole helping of awesomeness with the introduction of hats inspired by classic characters. This will be one of the largest introductions of new ear hat styles at one time. I shared a first look at the one of these hats – Figment – this past May. Most of the remaining character hats will arrive in mid- to late early-September at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort; they will be sold via the Disney Parks Online Store in October. I visited Mark Seppala, Disney Design Group artist and recent Walt Disney Legacy Award recipient for Disney Theme Park Merchandise, to learn about the evolution of these new hats.
“We started with a simple question,” explained Mark. “We wondered what a character would look like if it was reduced to its DNA. Each character has a unique color pallet and shape which later became the basis for design. If you were 10 or 20 feet away from the hat, you would immediately recognize a certain character.”
The first generation of this hat was introduced several years ago and featured Mickey Mouse’s red pants, yellow buttons and mouse tail. Megan Kachur, Product Developer for Ear Hats, said this hat was part of the “Best of Mickey” program.
“The ‘Best of Mickey’ hat became the model for the other classic character hats,” said Megan. “Each of the Fab Five hats, such as Minnie Mouse or Goofy, contains common features like bold colors, character icons, elegant fabric and a velour trim. I think Pluto is adorable, yet I also think the Donald Duck hat is fun because of his tail feathers.”
I think my favorite hat is Dumbo. I had some fun photographing these hats at Magic Kingdom Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios during one summer afternoon. I asked Megan why some hats had faces.
“Mark drew two different versions of the hats, one with eyes and one without,” continued Megan. “Eyes were kept for Dumbo, Tinker Bell and Cheshire Cat as they looked better with the face. We specifically kept Dumbo’s eyes as they are essential to his character design. We felt Woody was far more interesting with colors and shapes.”
Megan said that additional hats will arrive later this fall including Cinderella (complete with “glass” slipper) and an update to the Jack Skellington hat. Megan also told me she worked closely with the operations team at The Chapeau in Magic Kingdom Park to ensure the hats could have embroidery added.
“Getting a personalized ear hat is like a rite of passage at Disney,” laughed Megan. “It was critical to make these new hats embroidery friendly. I can’t wait to see them on guests this coming fall!”
Can’t get enough of Disney Parks’ Ear Hats? See more in the posts below:
New Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse Statue for Disney California Adventure Park Unveiled at D23 Expo
posted on August 20th, 2011 by Erin Glover, Manager, Social Media and Print
UPDATE: We’ve confirmed with Walt Disney Imagineering that the name for the new Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse statue at Disney California Adventure park will be “Storytellers.”
In a presentation at the D23 Expo today detailing the upcoming Buena Vista Street at Disney California Adventure park, Imagineers Ray Spencer, Lisa Girolami and Coulter Winn unveiled a very special piece of this new area.
A new statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse will be featured on Buena Vista Street when it opens in 2012. Walt Disney Imagineering unveiled a maquette similar to the one pictured above, showing what the statue will look like. In this Q&A with the Disney Parks Blog, Ray Spencer, creative director for Buena Vista Street, explains the story behind the remarkable statue.
How does this statue help tell the story of Buena Vista Street?
It is a young Walt Disney as you would have seen him when he just stepped off the train from Kansas City in 1923, arriving in California to pursue his dreams. The street is set in the time period between 1923-1937, the time when Walt arrived and subsequently innovated, risked and created the studio that is the origin of all that The Walt Disney Company has become. He is located on the ground, not on a pedestal or planter, so that he is accessable to guests – “one of us.” Early Los Angeles (Buena Vista Street) is Walt’s land of opportunity and dreams at this time, and metaphorically it is for our guests as well!
Tell us what is going on in the scene depicted in the statue.
Walt has just arrived in California from Kansas City, and as he looks around in wonder and optimism, the world is his oyster to realize his dreams.
The statue is also an amalgam of young Walt and early Mickey Mouse. Mickey Mouse – although not created until after Walt’s arrival in Los Angeles – was, according to story, created on a train and was part of Walt’s travels and his muse, and is a fitting travel partner.
How does this statue compliment the iconic Partners statue at Disneyland park?
It could be considered a “bookend” in that in Disneyland park, the Partners statue is a mature Walt and Mickey, already wildly successful and the guests are the benefactors of their effort. Walt has realized his dreams and is sharing with us. Also, the Partners statue is more of a “monument” at Disneyland park.
In Disney California Adventure park, the statue is of young Walt as he arrived in Los Angeles, and at this point in time nobody knew who he was. He is one of us, and his optimism and enthusiasm are yet to be proven. In a way at this point in his life he is “everyman” but you can see it on his face, and in Mickey’s, that through this remarkable individual’s dreams and efforts, something great is going to happen.
How did you decide on the placement of the statue?
We wanted it in the new Hub, facing the center and on the street corner, so that he is one of our guests. We also wanted him near the Carthay Circle Theatre so that he could be part of that scene as well.
The statue maquette is on display this weekend at the Parks & Resorts Pavilion at the D23 Expo and will later be seen in the Blue Sky Cellar at Disney California Adventure park.
The Wonderful World of Disney Parks and Resorts with Tom Staggs
posted on August 20th, 2011 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks
Tom Staggs, Chairman, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, just finished his presentation to Disney fans at D23 Expo in Anaheim, Calif. He took us on a tour through the wonderful world of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, including a behind-the-scenes peek at the Magic Kingdom Fantasyland expansion at Walt Disney World Resort, new renderings of the Enchanted Storybook Castle at Shanghai Disneyland and the 1920s transformation of Buena Vista Street at Disney California Adventure.
We also got a special look at Aulani that included a group of keiki dancers singing and dancing in authentic costumes, an update from Kathy Mangum, Executive Producer, Walt Disney Imagineering, on the progress of the Cars Land construction at Disney California Adventure park and the addition of Fantasy Faire at Disneyland park, which is a re-imagination of the Carnation Plaza Gardens area.
Walt promised guests Disneyland would never be complete and today Tom showed us that Disney Imagineers have followed in Walt’s footsteps as they continue to evolve our parks with new characters, stories, attractions, entertainment and other immersive experiences.
Follow @D23Expo on Twitter for more live updates from all areas of The Walt Disney Company at the expo all weekend.
Take 5: Disney’s D23 Expo
posted on August 20th, 2011 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks
This year’s D23 Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center promises to be bigger and better than ever with tons of new merchandise debuting at the event and plenty of chances to meet with your favorite Disney artists. By now we’re half way through the event and I think all will agree it’s delivering on its promise! Check out the posts below that we’ve featured on the Disney Parks Blog to see all that’s in store!
Take 5: Disney’s D23 Expo
- It’s About ‘Time’ for the D23 Expo – We gave readers a peek at some timepieces that will debut at D23.
- D23 Expo Artist Signings and Merchandise Debuts – Love new Disney merchandise and artist signings? Get the inside scoop on what to expect at D23!
- Disney Parks Toys and Games to Debut at D23 Expo – Tron fanatics won’t want to miss this post about specality items set to debut at the Expo!
- It’s a ‘Carousel of Projects’ from Disney Parks at the D23 Expo – Last month we shared an update as we were busy putting the finishing touches on all of the incredible guest experiences at the D23 Expo 2011.
- A Look Inside the D23 Expo Dream Store – Check out some of the D23-themed merchandise and other specialty items expected to release during the event!
