Disney Parks Blog Weekly Recap Feb. 24, 2013

This week, we shared a “first look” inside the new interactive queue being added to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom Park. In the video, Project Manager Wyatt Winter and Creative Designer Pete Carsillo show how the new queue builds on the attraction’s backstory of Barnabas T. Bullion, founder and president of Big Thunder Mining Company.

The storyline of the new area builds the attraction into something that takes guests deeper into the mining days of the Wild West. The queue will debut in a few weeks.

And did you see the amazing Etch A Sketch drawings of Sleeping Beauty Castle and Cinderella Castle. Jane Labowitch, who is known as “Princess Etch A Sketch,” did all of the work by hand. Go to Gary’s original post and check out our gallery of Jane’s intricate art.

Here are some of the other stories we worked on this week.

‘TRYit’ Tastes for Kids at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival – Think you can get your kids to try watermelon salad with pickled red onions? Or a Moroccan sweet pancake? Take a look at some fun dishes to be offered at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival as part of Disney’s TRYit campaign.

Rare Photos Found of Historic Orange Bird at Downtown Disney – Fellow Orange Bird friends, go ahead and geek out with these rare photos taken at Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village (now Downtown Disney) in the mid-1970s.

Behind the Wall: Fantasy Faire at Disneyland Park – Enjoy a peek behind the scenes at the all-new Fantasy Faire, opening March 12 at the Disneyland Resort.

Off to See the Wizard: ‘Journey to Oz Balloon Tour’ Visits the Disneyland Resort – Celebrating the upcoming release of “Oz The Great and Powerful,” watch as the “Journey to Oz Balloon Tour” makes a stop at the Disneyland Resort in this exclusive video.

Meet Mickey and Minnie at the New Adventurers Outpost in Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Get ready for an adventure when Mickey and Minnie invite you into their very own exploration headquarters at Disney’s Animal Kingdom this spring.

Disney Parks After Dark: Mickey’s Toontown at Disneyland Park – Disneyland Resort photographer Paul Hiffmeyer shares an after-dark look at the magic of Mickey’s Toontown at Disneyland park.

Rod Stewart Celebrates His Son’s Birthday with Family at the Disneyland Resort – Legendary singer-songwriter Rod Stewart brought his family to Disneyland Resort last week to celebrate his son Aiden’s second birthday. Take a look!