posted on December 25th, 2012 by Erin Glover, Manager, Social Media and Print, Disneyland Resort
It’s Christmas Day, so I wanted to share a bit of Disneyland Resort magic with you as you celebrate with your friends and family. This lovely rendition of “Carol of the Bells” comes from the Buena Vista Street Community Bell Ringers, performing this holiday season at Disney California Adventure park.
Merry Christmas from your friends at the Disneyland Resort!
posted on December 25th, 2012 by Gary Buchanan, Social Media Managing Editor
For a holly jolly dose of cheer, tune in this morning, December 25, for the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade TV special on the ABC Television Network.
The 29th annual telecast takes guests on a coast-to-coast holiday celebration at the Disneyland Resort in California and the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
Some of today’s top stars join the party, with dozens of sparkling floats and a sleigh-full of Disney and Disney•Pixar characters bringing good tidings to you and your family.
Tune-in times are as follows, on the ABC Television Network (check local listings):
The show also will air in Canada on CBC Network, and across the globe on the American Forces Network.
Viewers can visit disney.go.com/christmasparade to view some online video features about the show, and join the social media conversation before and during the telecast using the hashtag #DisneyParade.
Also, take a look at these recent Disney Parks Blog posts with celebrity photos, videos and more information about this year’s holiday TV special:
posted on December 25th, 2012 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks
Let us be the first to wish you a Merry Christmas. All of us at the Disney Parks Blog hope your day is filled with happiness and joy. And this year, we have a special treat to share. Enjoy “Joy to the World” performed by the Voices of Liberty.
We’ll have more holiday stories to share later today, including something special from the Disneyland Resort. Merry Christmas!
posted on December 24th, 2012 by Donna Fisk, Broadcast Publicist, Disneyland Resort
One of the great holiday traditions here at the Disneyland Resort is the Candlelight Ceremony and Processional. Featuring a cast member choir, as well as a full orchestra and other choirs from around Southern California, the ceremony in Town Square at Disneyland park is majestic. I had the privilege to sing in this ceremony in 2003, and this year I had the great privilege to interview some of the celebrity narrators for this year’s performances. Please take a look at some highlights from this year as well as some very special comments from our narrators.
posted on December 24th, 2012 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks
A few years ago, we featured our first ever Disney Parks Yule Log here on the Disney Parks Blog. Well, this year, we’re bringing it back. And now, you can enjoy it in high definition. As with our first version, be sure and watch for a surprise character spreading joy.
posted on December 24th, 2012 by Erin Glover, Manager, Social Media and Print, Disneyland Resort
We’ve been sharing updates on the upcoming Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade taking place at the Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts, and tomorrow everyone will get to enjoy the magic when the parade airs Christmas morning on ABC. While the parade is a spectacle on its own, I recently found something that I think will up the fun factor even more.
Our friends at Spoonful.com have created a Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade Bingo game, in which your family can compete in a classic round of Bingo while enjoying the parade. You could even create special prizes using other treat and craft ideas in the Christmas section of Spoonful.com.
Keep an eye on the Disney Parks Blog for more updates on the 2012 Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade, tune in to the parade tomorrow on ABC, and join the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #DisneyParade.
posted on December 24th, 2012 by Michelle Stepney, PR Content Director
The stars of the 29th annual Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade will be decked out in festive and fashionable attire – and we don’t just mean Mickey and Minnie. We caught up with hosts Nick Cannon and Maria Menounos earlier this month during the annual TV taping at Magic Kingdom Park to see what they were wearing. Maria shimmered in a sequin and chiffon dress by Alice and Olivia. She accessorized her princess-inspired look with Prada pumps and her own belt. Nick sported a red velvet blazer by Balmain atop a Dolce & Gabbana suit. He finished the look with a candy cane striped tie and dazzling dapper red loafers by Arfango of Italy.
Be sure to tune in on December 25 for all the fun on the ABC Television Network (check your local listings). You can join the social media conversation before and during the telecast using the hashtag, #DisneyParade.
For more on the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade, see the posts below:
posted on December 23rd, 2012 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks
A trip to The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a family tradition for many Disney Parks Blog readers. And this year’s show is better than ever.
So, we’ve decided to share the beauty of the 5-million-light display in a way we’ve never done before – a 360-degree panorama. The image is best viewed on a desktop computer.
Click Here to See the Larger Version
The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights runs through January 6 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
posted on December 23rd, 2012 by Greg Ehrbar, Writer/Author, Disney's Yellow Shoes Creative Group
The Toyland soldiers in either Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort holiday parades are a “must-see.” Watching them on our annual Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade is very cool, but experiencing them in person is even more amazing.
They’re exactly like the toy soldiers in Walt Disney’s “Babes in Toyland” (which looks dazzling in its new Blu-ray release). In the big battle sequence, Tom Piper (Tommy Sands) leads the soldiers to defeat nasty Barnaby (Ray Bolger) and prevent him from marrying Mary Contrary (our beloved Annette Funicello).
The “March of the Toys” was directed by Disney Legends Bill Justice and X Atencio. They also directed the “Spoonful of Sugar” special effects in “Mary Poppins” — so look for the soldiers there, too, leaping into a toy box.
The legacy of “Babes in Toyland” began with its first stage production in 1903. The producers were looking for another show to be as big a hit as their other musical extravaganza, which was based on L. Frank Baum’s book, “The Wizard of Oz.”
Ironically, Babes in Toyland was the enduring hit, and its Victor Herbert/Glen McDonough songs became standards. In 1934, producer Hal Roach cast Laurel and Hardy in his movie version of “Babes in Toyland” — which, with Walt Disney’s approval, included a “Mickey” character and the Three Little Pigs in the cast.
Just a few years later, Walt Disney’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” was a worldwide sensation. Its success inspired MGM to produce a live-action answer of sorts to Snow White, right down to Walt’s innovative use of songs to advance the story. That was 1939’s “The Wizard of Oz,” starring Judy Garland.
On live stages almost everywhere, “Babes in Toyland” evolved from one century to the next, as the characters, storylines and songs got mixed, matched, added and subtracted depending on the productions. In 1954 and 1955, TV viewers watched live TV broadcasts of “Babes in Toyland,” co-written by Neil Simon. Shirley Temple starred in the first color TV version in 1960.
There was even a disco version at New York’s Madison Square Garden in 1979! Nevertheless, dedicated groups of artists keep the original Victor Herbert operetta available to new generations — like the Comic Opera Guild of Michigan, which produced four different cast albums of Toyland between 1976 and 2004.
“Before Walt Disney chose ‘Babes in Toyland’ as his first musical, he dreamed of making an Oz movie,” says Disney historian Jim Korkis. “Walt wanted to combine live action with animation for an Oz feature in the 1930s. When the Mickey Mouse Club Mouseketeers became stars in the late ‘50s, Walt cast many of them in The Rainbow Road to Oz. If you watch the Disney Treasures DVD entitled ‘Your Host, Walt Disney,’ you’ll get an idea of what it might have been like.”
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Ultimately, Walt didn’t make either Oz film, but during the 1961 holiday season, his “Babes in Toyland” premiered in theaters. And the first “official” Disneyland Christmas parades also appeared, featuring floats based on the toys from the movie — including the toy soldiers, designed by Bill Justice himself.
Today, Walt Disney’s distinctive, iconic Disney “Babes in Toyland” soldiers remain a fixture in Disney Parks all over the world. No Disney movie has quite the influence on Disney Parks holiday tradition as “Babes in Toyland.”
Next year will bring the premiere of Walt Disney Pictures’ “Oz, the Great and Powerful” in theaters — and the appearance of the Oz garden during the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. It’s been over 100 years and these magical, unpredictable worlds just keep on crisscrossing!
Look below for more “Sight & Sounds at Disney Parks” posts:
posted on December 22nd, 2012 by Jean Volante, Manager of Dream Making, Disney Floral & Gifts/DEG
Are you looking for a way to let someone special know you care this holiday? Will you be miles apart from friends or family serving in the military? Interested in an opportunity to create a random act of kindness for someone? Then, here’s an idea for you from Disney Floral & Gifts. Post a comment, a note of encouragement or warm holiday sentiments for a special someone then forward the post to them. Send as many as you wish. You just might be surprised what a little magic will do for them, and for you!
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