HGTV Design Star Winner Antonio Ballatore Stops by the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival This Weekend
posted on May 4th, 2012 by Jennifer Fickley-Baker, Social Media Manager
Antonio Ballatore, Season 4 winner of HGTV Design Star and host of The Antonio Treatment on HGTV, makes a first-time appearance at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival this weekend, May 4- 6 at 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. each day. He’ll share with guests some secrets to designing outside the box and offer inspiration for personalizing and customizing a space.
Antonio is part of the line-up of HGTV and DIY Network stars offering design tips every Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the festival presented by HGTV, now through May 20, 2012.
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Imagineers Share How ‘Beauty & The Beast’ Inspired Elements of the Be Our Guest Restaurant at Magic Kingdom
posted on May 3rd, 2012 by Jennifer Fickley-Baker, Social Media Manager
In our last blog post on the Be Our Guest Restaurant, many of you asked if the ballroom-themed dining room will feature the immense chandeliers that added so much romance to the dancing scene in the film.
We took the question to Walt Disney Imagineering, and their answer was a resounding – of course! In fact, they sent this sneak peek to share with you.
Here, Imagineers Chris Kelly and Tim Warzecha discuss the three chandeliers they recently installed. The largest measures more than 12 feet tall by 11 ½ feet wide, features 84 candles and more than 100 large crystals.
By the way, the ballroom is just one of the wings the Be Our Guest Restaurant will feature. We can’t give all the info away yet, but another wing of the restaurant will be themed after the darkened West Wing of Beast’s Castle.
Which dining room would you choose?
Tickets On Sale for Not-So-Scary, Very Merry Events at Walt Disney World Resort
posted on May 2nd, 2012 by Jennifer Fickley-Baker, Social Media Manager
I’m such a planner – especially when it comes to vacations. In the time leading up to any big trip, I’m making reservations, planning out our days, and picking out extra activities just in case it rains.
Those of you who are already busy planning fall vacations will be happy to hear that tickets are now on sale for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Parties and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Parties.
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is a Halloween-themed special event held on select evenings at Magic Kingdom Park. Purchase of an additional admission ticket is required to attend, and plenty of fun is in store, including trick-or-treating, performances of Mickey’s Boo-to-You Parade and Happy HalloWishes Fireworks, Disney characters in costume, themed décor and much more.
Parties will take place:
- September 11, 14, 18, 21, 25, 28 and 30
- October 4, 5, 8, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 21, 23, 25, 26, 28, 30 and 31
- November 2
Book Now: Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is a special event that takes place on select nights at Magic Kingdom Park throughout the holiday season. Don’t miss Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade, a very special holiday fireworks display, live entertainment with your favorite characters, snow on Main Street, U.S.A., free hot cocoa and cookies, and so much more! Purchase of an additional event admission ticket is required to attend.
Parties will take place:
- November 9, 12, 15, 16, 25, 27, 29 and 30
- December 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 21
Book Now: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
TIP: Purchasing tickets ahead of event dates may get you a discount of $10 per ticket!
The Legend Of Captain Jack Sparrow To Open At Disney’s Hollywood Studios This Fall
posted on May 2nd, 2012 by Jennifer Fickley-Baker, Social Media Manager
Earlier this week, you may have heard about a new pirate-themed offering coming to Walt Disney World Resort. Well, we can now officially confirm that The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow will open this fall at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Details are still emerging, but the attraction will give guests a chance to become immersed in the world of the four “Pirates of the Caribbean” films, and an opening date will be announced later this year.
According to Jason Roberts, show producer for Walt Disney Imagineering, “This is going to be an immersive experience. We’ll really delve into the story of Captain Jack Sparrow and put our guests in the middle of it all in new and exciting ways. Story is always the most important thing for us at Walt Disney Imagineering, but we’re always looking at new ways to tell the story that our guests have never seen before. In this attraction, we’ll let you walk in the footsteps of Jack Sparrow. It’s not ‘the making of,’ not ‘behind the scenes’ … it is really a first-person experience. We worked with the archives as well as the filmmakers while they were shooting the last movie. And as a fan, I just loved sitting through those films again and again, going through all the details and leveraging them for this new experience. It’s really been a blast.”
Keep checking the Disney Parks Blog for updates on this and other new projects.
Tokyo Disney Resort Announces 30th Anniversary Plans for 2013
posted on May 1st, 2012 by Jennifer Fickley-Baker, Social Media Manager
You all know I love talking about our international theme parks and today, I have an exciting update on Tokyo Disney Resort.
The resort just announced plans on how it will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2013. Beginning April 15, the resort will kick off The Happiness Year celebration, which will include a new parade, a renewed attraction, special seasonal events and more.
The “Happiness is Here” parade will feature Disney characters, cheerful music, and themed parade floats (still in development).
The Star Tours attraction at Tokyo Disneyland is currently undergoing a transformation into Star Tours: The Adventures Continue and will reopen in Spring 2013.
Keep watching the Disney Parks Blog for more on this park milestone!
Photo Gallery: New Fantasyland, Disney California Adventure Park Models in Detail
posted on April 27th, 2012 by Jennifer Fickley-Baker, Social Media Manager
Earlier today, models of New Fantasyland, Cars Land and Buena Vista Street were shared with the media here at Walt Disney World Resort. Photographer Kent Phillips stopped by and snapped these fun shots of the models up close. Enjoy!
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Pixar Animator Tours New ‘Finding Nemo’ Wing at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
posted on April 27th, 2012 by Jennifer Fickley-Baker, Social Media Manager
The first wing of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort in Walt Disney World Resort doesn’t open to guests until May 31, but Thursday, Pixar supervising animator Shawn Krause got an early tour led by the resort’s general manager, Rick Allen. Shawn knows a little something about the art of animation, having worked on Disney•Pixar classics including “Toy Story,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “The Incredibles,” “Cars,” “Up” and “Cars 2”.
Shawn has a special connection to this first wing at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, as it’s themed to Disney•Pixar’s “Finding Nemo.” Nemo, Marlin, Dory, and Crush are just some of the characters that Shawn animated for various scenes in the Academy-Award winning classic. Shawn also led the animation team for “The Seas with Nemo and Friends” attraction at Epcot.
As a child, Shawn got hooked on animation after creating flipbooks on notepads his parents left lying around the house. Other wings at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort will open through the rest of the year: “Cars” on June 18, “The Lion King” on August 10, and “The Little Mermaid” on September 15. Sources tell us Shawn was also spotted touring some of those areas. So far, Shawn isn’t talking. Maybe we can get his reaction a little closer to some of those opening dates.
Check out these posts for more of the latest news about Disney’s Art of Animation Resort:
New Renderings Depict a Reimagined Test Track at Epcot
posted on April 27th, 2012 by Jennifer Fickley-Baker, Social Media Manager
Many of you have asked for an update on what’s going on at Test Track at Epcot, and we’re happy to announce that new renderings were just released by Walt Disney Imagineering this morning!
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When complete, the reimagining of this attraction will allow guests to design their own custom concept vehicle, and then put it through its paces on the exhilarating hills and switchbacks of the Test Track circuit. In the post-show, guests can make a TV commercial featuring their concept car or truck, race their car or truck on our virtual track and take a picture with their custom concept vehicle.
The attraction is currently scheduled to reopen late fall.
What do you think?
Opening Dates Announced for Beast’s Castle, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train & More
posted on April 27th, 2012 by Jennifer Fickley-Baker, Social Media Manager
Many of you have asked us – here on the Disney Parks Blog and on our @WaltDisneyWorld Twitter account – about opening dates for the attractions and restaurants planned for New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom Park. I’m thrilled that we finally have some news to share today!
The next phase of Storybook Circus, which includes the second half of the Dumbo the Flying Elephant attraction and the Casey Jr. Splash ‘n’ Soak Station, will open in July 2012.
And, it looks like we’ll have plenty to celebrate this holiday season, including the openings of Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid, Enchanted Tales with Belle, Be Our Guest Restaurant, Gaston’s Tavern, and Ariel’s Grotto.
Additionally, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train will debut in 2014.
Now, who’s planning a visit?
For more New Fantasyland updates, see the posts below:
Time-Lapse Video: Will You ‘Find Nemo’ At Disney’s Art of Animation Resort?
posted on April 26th, 2012 by Jennifer Fickley-Baker, Social Media Manager
We’re nearly one month away from the opening of Phase I of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, which will include the “Finding Nemo” wing, Landscape of Flavors food court, Ink & Paint Shop merchandise location and other common guest areas.
The “Finding Nemo” wing will feature large character installations of Crush, Marlin, Nemo, and Mr. Ray, among others, as well as the largest pool ever built at a Disney resort.
Here’s an exclusive time-lapse video from our friends at Walt Disney Imagineering that shows all the progress that has been made so far.
The resort’s remaining wings will open later this year, with “Cars” opening June 18, “The Lion King” on Aug. 10 and “The Little Mermaid” on Sept. 15.
Now, who is ready to book?
For more updates regarding Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, see the posts below:
