Ashley Eckstein & friends Hosting Panel at Disney Springs for Womenโs History Month
Ashley Eckstein is hosting a panel at Disney Springs to celebrate Womenโs History Month! Sheโs also celebrating the launch of the new Star Wars Women of the Galaxy Collection.
โCelebrate HER Story with Ashley Eckstein & friends at Disney Springs! Join us for a panel discussion, hosted by Ashley, in honor of Womenโs History Month and the launch of the new Star Wars Women of the Galaxy Collection. Come hear from Ashley and the panelists about the power of female friendships and the importance of supporting and lifting one another up โ and check out this stellar new collection! This event will take place on March 16 at Waterview Park (located next to Jock Lindseyโs Hangar Bar) from 10-11 a.m. Weather permitting. Seating is on a first come, first served basis.โ
If youโll be in the area the morning of March 16, be sure to check out the panel! Seating is first some, first served so get there early!
Want to plan your next Disney World vacation? Contact me today to start planning! I am a travel agent with Destinations to Travel, my services are free, and Iโd love to help you plan a magical vacation!
The Force Is Strong With These Princess Leia Minnie Ears!
A new Princess Leia Minnie Ears design has been released as part of the Star Wars Women of the Galaxy Collection celebrating strong women from a galaxy far far away! We found them at Magic Kingdom for $54.99, and they are also available at shopDisney.com.
They feature black quilted black velvet ears with Princess Leia icon beads and a pearl bow. A very simple but powerful design to showcase the power in you!
More Details Revealed for Disneyland Avatar Experience
Last month Bob Iger shared that there will be a Disneyland Avatar experience coming! While we donโt have much information about the experience, the cast & crew of Avatar: The Way of Water shared their reaction to the news.
โLetโs gooooo!โ Jack Champion, who portrays Spider, the human adopted son of Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaรฑa), told D23. โIโm so excited forย Avatarย fans to experience the world of Pandoraโjust like we didโhere at Disneyland [Resort]!โ
Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, who plays Jake and Neytiriโs youngest child, Tuk said, โOh my gosh!ย Avatarย is coming to Disneyland [Resort]!โ she told D23. โThe โValley of Moaraโ is my favorite place to visit whenever I have the chance to go to [Walt] Disney World. Iโve always told my friends how amazing it is to be there and how one day they have to experience it themselves! Now withย Avatarย coming to Disneyland, I can take all my friends and we can experience the world ofย Avatarย together! Woohooo!โ
Bailey Bass, who plays Metkayina clan member Tsireya in the film, told D23: โI am over the moon about the Avatar expansion to Disneyland [Resort]! As a huge Disney fan and fan of theย Avatarย rides in [Walt] Disney World, I am so excited forย Avatarย fans to be able to experience the world of Pandora at Disneyland. I cannot wait to see what theย Avatarย and Disney team creates. I already know itโs gonna be awe-inspiring, jaw dropping, and magical.โ
While we still donโt have exact details and information remains under wraps, the new Avatar experience promises to be just as amazing as those at Disney World.
Are you excited to see an Avatar experience come to the Disneyland Resort?
If youโd like to visit Disneyland, contact me today to start planning your trip! Iโm a travel agent with Destinations to Travel and my services are free. Iโd love to help you plan a magical vacation!
Bruce Vaughn Returning as Chief Creative Officerย to Walt Disney Imagineering
Bruce Vaughn will be returning to co-leadย Walt Disneyย Imagineering, the division responsible for designing and building the companyโs theme parks and attractions.
Vaughn spent 22 years at Walt Disney Imagineering before leaving for the VR experience company Dreamscape and then Airbnb.ย
Vaughn will return as a chief creative officer and head the division alongside Barbara Bouza, president of Walt Disney Imagineering. The two will report to Josh DโAmaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products.
Josh DโAmaro sent an internal note to Imagineers today as well:
โAs Bob Iger often says, creativity is the heart and soul of who we are and what we do at Disney. In fact, as we look at our companyโs 100-year history of bringing captivating and memorable storytelling to life, the consistent thread that binds us together as a company across all segments is our ability to drive innovation through creative projects.
In Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products, we continue to invest in new endeavors that deliver the most compelling experiences, immersing our guests around the world in the stories they love most. With this in mind, Iโm pleased to share that effective March 20, Bruce Vaughn is returning to Walt Disney Imagineering as the Chief Creative Officer. Bruce will co-lead the organization with WDI President Barbara Bouza, with both leaders reporting directly to me.
Together, Bruce and Barbara will partner closely to connect visionary creative thinking with project opportunities and flawless execution and delivery. With significant developments underway and more on the horizon, this dedicated focus on creativity and innovation will help us deliver next-level experiences well into the future. To best accomplish this, they will be working together to swiftly identify the most effective way to structure Imagineering.
Many of you have had the opportunity to work with Bruce previously. He has a deep history with Imagineering, serving for more than two decades in leadership roles including with WDI R&D, as well as co-leading the entire WDI organization as Chief Creative Executive for nine years. Bruce left Disney in 2016 to become CEO and CCO of Dreamscape Immersive where he worked with teams to advance virtual reality technologies for mainstream location-based entertainment, and most recently was with Airbnb where he developed and led the Experiential Creative Product team.
Please join me in welcoming Bruce back to Disney.โ
Jeremy Renner ‘Rennervations’ Coming to Disney+ on April 12th
Avengers Superstar and real-life superhero Jeremy Renner will be coming to Disney+ soon, with Disney revealing a brand new trailer and release date for the reality show “Rennervations.”
Jeremy Renner is ready to make someย Renner-vations! The two-time Academy Awardยฎย nominee and Marvel superhero joins forces again with Disney+ for the highly anticipated debut of his four-part Original series โRennervations,โ from Disney Branded Television.
Renner and his team of expert builders use their skills to reimagine decommissioned vehicles and rebuild them into mind-blowing creations that serve communities around the world. Every build has a purpose. All episodes of โRennervationsโ premiere on Wednesday, April 12 exclusively on Disney+.
โIโve been on this journey for many years, and I started in my community by building vehicles for people in need. But a few years ago, I thought, how can I plus this up and create a bigger impact on a whole community โ and thatโs what this show does.โ said Renner. โThis is one of my biggest passions and itโs a driving force in my recovery, and I canโt wait for the world to see it.โ
Behind the big screen, Renner is a construction veteran with a passion for purchasing and re-imagining huge vehicles with the help of his connections in the worldwide fabricator culture. With his best friend and business partner, Rory Millikin, and an all-star build crew, Renner travels the globe to reimagine decommissioned vehicles and rebuild them to serve a new purpose, such as turning a tour bus into a mobile music studio, a delivery truck into a mobile water treatment facility, a shuttle bus into a mobile recreation center, and a city bus into a mobile dance studio.
Along the way, Renner teams up with actor and producer Anthony Mackie (Marvel Studiosโ โThe Falcon and the Winter Soldierโโ), actress and entrepreneur Vanessa Hudgens (โTick, Tickโฆ Boom!โ), actor and producer Anil Kapoor (โMission Impossible,โ โSlumdog Millionaireโ) and singer and songwriter Sebastiรกn Yatra (โEncantoโ), who all share Rennerโs enthusiasm and join him to deliver the finished vehicles to each organization.
The series takes Jeremy around the world from his hometown of Reno, Nevada to Chicago, Illinois, to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and Rajasthan, India. In each location, Jeremy connects with leading organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters, The BASE Chicago, Uva Jagriti Sansthan, and Casa Hogar of Cabo San Lucas to learn about the needs of the local communities.
Jeremy and Rory meet with organization leaders to better understand the communityโs most urgent needs, then they use what they learned to build something incredible that will have a big impact.
Jeremyโsย Rennervationย team includes Rory Millikin, Jeremyโs friend and business partner, Corey Wardleigh, lead mechanic, Rob โBenderโ Park, lead fabricator, along with the build crew Roxy Bonilla, Justin Self and Merri Oswald, Akamu โAKโ Whatley, Skiland โSkiโ Judd, Ryan Gunter, and Nick Socha.
The projects, celebrities and organizations featured include:
Chicago: Building a Mobile Music Bus (ft. Vanessa Hudgens)
Jeremy Renner and his best friend Rory rebuild a tour bus into a mobile music studio for The BASE Chicago, an organization that offers various after-school programs to help keep urban youths off the streets in the West Garfield Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Jeremy wants to provide The BASE Chicago kids with a new musical outlet to encourage them to dream big, express themselves and discover their inner voice.
He and his elite team of fabricators and mechanics breathe new life into a tour bus by reimagining, repurposing, and renovating it into a mobile music studio for the kids to record their own music, play instruments and let their creativity sing. Then they deliver the mobile music studio with the help of actress and singer Vanessa Hudgens.
India: Building a Mobile Water Treatment Center (ft. Anil Kapoor)
Jeremy Renner and his best friend Rory make their first-ever trip ever to India, where they rebuild a delivery truck into a mobile water treatment facility for Uva Jagriti Sansthan, a nonprofit organization trying to deliver clean, drinkable water to communities across India. Jeremy wants to provide mobile water filtration to multiple communities and schools so they can drink groundwater that is currently non-potable.
He and an elite team of local fabricators repurpose a delivery truck into a mobile water treatment facility that can travel to local communities and filter and clean existing groundwater rather than the communities trucking in clean water. Then, they deliver the mobile water treatment facility with the help of his โMission: Impossibleโ co-star, Indian movie superstar Anil Kapoor.
Mexico: Building a Mobile Dance Studio (ft. Sebastiรกn Yatra)
Jeremy Renner and his best friend Rory travel to Los Cabos, Mexico, where they rebuild a city bus into a mobile dance studio for Casa Hogar of Cabo San Lucas, a nonprofit organization offering full-time care and parenting to vulnerable kids unable to live with their families. After learning the kids at Casa Hogar lost their dance studio, Jeremy wants to create a new space for them to take dance classes and have recitals again.
He and his elite team of fabricators repurpose a former city bus and rebuild it into a mobile dance studio to use as a classroom at the school and as a mobile event space around town. Then they deliver the mobile dance studio with help from two-time Latin GRAMMY Awardยฎ-recipient Sebastiรกn Yatra.
Reno: Building a Mobile Recreation Center (ft. Anthony Mackie)
Jeremy Renner and his best friend Rory rebuild a shuttle bus into a mobile recreation center for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern Nevada, a charity based in Reno that creates and supports one-to-one mentoring relationships between adult volunteers and local kids.
Jeremy and his elite team of fabricators breathe new life into a shuttle bus by renovating it into a mobile recreation center that includes a basketball hoop, soccer goal and computer lab that can drive to underserved rural communities. Then, they deliver the new mobile recreation center with help from Jeremyโs โAvengersโ and โHurt Lockerโ co-star Anthony Mackie.
To access this fantastic new show, you will need a subscription to Disney+. All the episodes will release on April 12th. We are so happy to see Jeremy Renner back on the screen and cannot wait for this exciting new show. Will you be tuning in for “Rennervations” in April? Let us know your thoughts in a comment.
Halle Bailey in Tears For Her Own Little Mermaid Ariel Doll
Halle Bailey, star of the upcoming Little Mermaid live-action remake, has been turned into a doll. Bailey shared her excitement in a video on Instagram, brandishing the newly inspired toy bearing her likeness. She goes on to say in the video before holding up the doll, “I have something really exciting to reveal to you all. I am gonna cry.”
In the video, Bailey goes on to say, “I am literally choking up because this means so much to me. And to have one that looks like me and that’s my favorite Disney character is very surreal. And look! She even has my mole โ see!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CpdEwLSJTZO/
“I’m just stunned,” Bailey said. “I don’t quite know what to do with it, but I’m gonna steal this and take it home and hide it forever.” Bailey was overcome with emotion and excitement, seeing herself as a toy. The new Little Mermaid doll is from Mattel and will hit the shelves this spring in anticipation of the upcoming film, which will hit theaters on May 26, 2023.
The Little Mermaid is directed by Rob Marshall. Bailey stars as Ariel, with Javier Bardem as King Triton, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Awkwafina as Scuttle, and Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric.
All throughout the lobby of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort guests will find Easter Egg Displays created by the talented Chefs at Disney! The lobby smells wonderful when walking in too!
From Alice in Wonderland, Pooh, and even Kevin from Up the Disney Chefs really go all out on these amazing Easter Egg Displays! The light-up Main Street Electrical Parade is probably one of my favorites!
Here is a look at all of the Easter Egg Displays for 2023!
There is no charge to visit the Easter Egg Displays at the Grand Floridian Resort. They usually stay out till just after Easter. Be sure to grab something at the Grand Cottage while you are there too!
The Grand Cottage returns to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort offering Easter Treats
The Grand Cottage is back for its second year at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa! This fan-favorite shop serves up Easter Treats from cupcakes, macaroons, and even Hot Crossed Buns!
Hours of Operation for the Grand Cottage are from 11 am to 6 pm daily beginning today.
Easter Menu items include the yummy hot cross buns, Lemon Blueberry Mickey Whoopie Pie, Orange-Scented Cookie Sandwich, Spring Artisanal Macarons, and the Grand Egg filled with Jelly Beans.
Prices for the Easter Treats range from $4.50 all the way to $50 for the Cottage Box!
So if you are at Walt Disney World drop by the Grand Floridian Resort and check out the Grand Cottage. While you are there be sure to check out the Easter Egg Displays too!
The Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, notes the opening of Tron is just the beginning of exciting things to come at Walt Disney World resort.
Cast Members and Annual Passholders have been busy riding Tron via special previews ahead of its planned April 4th opening. Walt Disney Co. Parks, experience, and Products Chairman, Josh D’Amaro, got in on the preview action on March 6th by climbing aboard a light cycle and entering the grid for himself.
In a recent interview with Richard Bilbao, Digital Producer/Senior Staff Writer, Orlando Business Journal, the chairman cited the addition of the 60 mph roller-coaster as just the beginning of things to come for Disney parks. “Tron is spectacular, and adding something of this size and scope to the most visited theme park in the world is pretty ambitious and incredible” D’Amora noted, adding “Tron is the tip of the iceberg of what’s coming.”
Additional projects at Magic Kingdom include the re-theming of Splash Mountain to Tianaโs Bayou Adventure. Over at EPCOT, a complete reimagining of Future World is currently underway that has already brought Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind to the park, with Moana: Journey of Water under active construction. Hollywood Studios is not being left out, with the new restaurant Roundup Rodeo BBQ slated to open later this month in Toy Story Land.
Ready to plan a trip to Walt Disney World and enter the grid for yourself? Contact me so we can begin planning today! As an agent with Destinations To Travel, my services are provided at no additional charge when you book your Disney vacation package through me.
Avatar The Way of Water is coming to Disney Digital this March!
The third highest-grossing movie of all time, James Cameronโsย Avatar: The Way of Water, arrivesย exclusively to digital on March 28th.
Nominated for four Academy Awards, the epic adventure will be available on all major digital retailers, including Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu, and Movies Anywhere, and will includeย over three hours of never-before-seen bonus contentย featuring the filmmakers, cast, and crew.
James Cameronโs Avatar: The Way of Water will be available from all major digital retailers including Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu and Movies Anywhere on March 28. The magnificent return to the world of Pandora has already proved to be both a commercial and critical smash hit, becoming the third highest-grossing film of all-time earning over $2.2 billion worldwide and receiving four Academy Awardยฎ nominations, including Best Picture.
Critics have proclaimed โJames Cameron returns triumphantly to Pandora with an unparalleled epicโ[1], calling Avatar: The Way of Water โbreathtaking and magicalโ[2], โemotionally chargedโ[3] and โas astonishing and enveloping as anything weโve ever seenโ[4].
Fans can add the film to their digital movie collection from March 28 in spectacular 4K Ultra HDโข quality and immersive Dolby Atmos audio. Plus, they can enjoy over three hours of never-before-seen bonus content featuring the filmmakers, cast and crew.
Bonus Features* Inside Pandora’s Box (A series of featurettes on the challenges facing cast and crew as filmmakers devise new technologies to push the limits of cinema)
Building the World of Pandora โ James Cameron and a team of talented artists combine years of research with their design skills to build the world of Pandora with new characters, creatures, indigenous clans, underwater environments and the take-no-prisoners hard-tech world of the RDA.
Capturing Pandora โ James Cameronโs approach to performance capture has the cast performing in a volume rigged with infrared cameras to capture their movement, and head rig cameras to capture emotion on their faces with only the boundaries of imagination to limit them.
The Undersea World of Pandora โ Co-production designer Dylan Cole and his team conceive of the marine creatures required for Avatar: The Way of Water while James Cameron and his stunt team devise extraordinary means to bring those creatures to life in a performance capture tank.
The Challenges of Pandora’s Waters โ James Cameron tackles the โnon-trivial challengeโ of performance capture above and below the waterโs surface, utilizing a wave machine and current generator to reproduce ocean conditions, and underwater vehicles to replicate creature movement.
Pandoraโs Returning Characters โ James Cameron reunites with his returning cast โ Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaรฑa, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang. Together they discuss the amazing evolution of their characters in Avatar: The Way of Water.
Pandoraโs Next Generation โ Meet the talented young newcomers who have been cast as the next generation of Naโvi and follow them through the adventure of making Avatar: The Way of Water.
Spider’s Web โ James Cameron introduced the human character of Spider into the fabric of Pandora โ thus creating a host of technological challenges on setโฆand an incredible journey for the young actor, Jack Champion.
Becoming Naโvi โ The Avatar cast is immersed in the culture of the indigenous Naโvi, living off the land in the Hawaiian rainforest and training in a multitude of disciplines in preparation for their roles.
The Reef People of Pandora โ In true James Cameron-style, the Metkayina reef clan has been developed with great attention to detail, bearing unique evolutionary traits and a culture โ with new dwellings, new clothes and different way of life โ all a result of living off the ocean.
Bringing Pandora to Life โ Once James Cameron completes his virtual production process, every sequence is turned over to Wฤtฤ FX to bring Pandora to life โ with unprecedented advancements in facial performance, environments and making CG water look real.
The RDA Returns to Pandora โ Co-production designer Ben Procter and his team present an armada of new vehicles and human technologies that the RDA brings to Pandora โ in concept design and with practical builds.
The New Characters of Pandora โ Meet the important new characters of the Avatar saga played by Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell and Jemaine Clement.
The Sounds of Pandora โ Hear how James Cameron worked with composer Simon Franglen to create the distinctive music of The Way of Water while building on James Hornerโs brilliant score for Avatar, and learn how Chris Boyes created the immersive sounds of Pandora.
New Zealand โ Pandoraโs Home โ The production of the Avatar sequels is so thoroughly ensconced in New Zealand that James Cameron considers The Way of Water a โNew Zealand film.โ Hear reflections from the cast and crew, including the remarkable New Zealand crew, on making the film.
More from Pandora’s Box (Additional featurettes that highlight special teams within the production)
Casting โ Discover the screen tests that won the talented young cast their roles in Avatar: The Way of Water.
Stunts โ The Avatar stunt team isnโt just creating breathtaking action, theyโre driving the story. From racing underwater on ilus, flying the skies on ikrans, to maneuvering RDA speed boats, the stunt team leaves you breathless and wanting more.
The Lab โ Explore the Lightstorm Lab, the backbone of virtual production for the Avatar films. Comprised of specialized teams, the Lab builds & supports every aspect of the production โ environments, motion edit, Kabuki, sequence, post-viz and software development.
The Troupe โ Avatarโs Troupe is the Swiss Army Knife of acting, while playing dozens of roles on set, in the performance capture volume and on live-action sets, they bring life to Naโvi clans and RDA Recoms. They also play Naโvi-scale puppets on the live-action sets.
If you look at the schedule you will see that during October, November, and December Disney will be dropping the number of sailings from 3 per week down to 2.
Disney Shared the following update:
On March 7th,ย Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiserย voyages will go on sale for dates from October through December 2023. The voyage calendar will be updated with the new availability through December 2023.
When the voyage calendar is live, you may notice the schedule has been modified to provide two voyages per week, except for holiday weeks where we may have three voyages. Weโve been learning a lot during our first year of operation and have adjusted voyage dates to meet the needs of our guests.
Right now, Disney is offering guests who book aย Galactic Starcruiserย voyage a discount on hotel stays before or after their cruise. If you want to book a Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser voyage and add on a Disney World stay, youโll want to take advantage of this offer!
Disney News Highlights: Tron Lightcycle Team Green, Homecomin’ Raising Prices at Disney Springs, New Disneyland Hotel Villas Opening Announced, Figment Loungefly at Flower and Garden Festival, and more.
Pathways for Moanaโs Journey of Water are Almost Complete Pathways for Moanaโs Journey of Water are Almost Complete. Why write an article about pathways being almost complete? The simple answer is people who may needย mobility scootersย or wheelchairs to get around their daily lives know the difficulty of having to wheel across bumpy and uneven surfaces, uneven surfaces make walking with a cane,ย scooter, or wheelchair muchย more difficult.
The Mandalorian Season 3 Premiere Reveals What Happens to Cara Dune Season 3 of The Mandalorian arrived on Disney+ and quickly addressed Gina Caranoโs character of Cara Dune within minutes of Mandoโs arrival on Navarro. You might recall that after appearing in seasons 1 and 2 of The Mandalorian, Gina Carano was essentially fired from the show due to her controversial behaviors on social media. Caranoโs release from the show left a gaping hole in the continued narrative of her character Cara Dune, who played a prominent in the Star Wars universe.
