Hallmark Brings you Disney Magic for the Holidays

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November 10, 2013

Disney fans and shoppers of all ages are invited to the Hallmark Gold Crown Holiday Open House, Nov. 8-11. This annual event gets the holiday shopping season underway with great deals in stores. This year, Disney characters are starring in dozens of products in Hallmark Gold Crown stores, and families can join in the fun at Holiday Open House.

Featured Disney products include:

Disney Wireless Band currently featuring Minnie, Donald and Goofy. (Daisy and Mickey join the band later in November.) Each character holds an instrument and plays two songs – and joins in on the other characters’ songs. The band plays 10 songs together as a group. $15.95 each with any purchase.

Disney Nutcracker Sweets featuring Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy. Candy details adorn each button-activated plush character. Each one plays a segment of one of the songs from “The Nutcracker.” Specially priced at $14.95 each during Holiday Open House only.

Winnie the Pooh Interactive Story Buddy. A plush Winnie the Pooh listens and responds as an adult reads Pooh’s stories to a child. Each bundle comes with the plush Pooh, a storybook and an audio CD that Pooh also responds to for $34.95. A second Pooh storybook also is available. Selected interactive Story Buddy books and accessories are 25 percent off during Holiday Open House.

itty bittys featuring several Disney Princess characters, Tinker Bell, Minnie, Mickey, Pooh, Tigger, Bambi, Thumper, Mike and Sulley from Monsters Inc., plus a special limited-edition Mickey Claus and Minnie Claus. These pint-sized plush characters are fun to play with and collect – and make perfect stocking stuffers. $6.95 each.

Totally Ticklish Goofy. This tickle and push-button activated plush Goofy sings a parody of “Up on the Housetop.” If you tickle him at any point during the song, he’ll erupt into laughter. $15.95 with each purchase of three Hallmark cards.

Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments make decking your tree with Disney magic a breeze. More than 25 Keepsake Ornaments feature characters from some of your favorite Disney and Disney Pixar movies and cartoons. Prices start at $12.95.

Recordable Storybooks. Two Disney titles: “You Can Count on Me” featuring Disney Pixar Toy Story characters and “You’re My Favorite Guest” featuring Beauty and the Beast characters are available, as well as a host of other holiday and everyday titles. Record an adult or child’s voice reading the book, and the voice plays back with every turn of the page. Receive $5 off any Recordable Storybook title during Holiday Open House only.

Be a Part of the Story Interactive Storybooks. Mickey stars in “Mickey’s Treasure Hunt,” and Minnie appears in “Minnie’s Surprise Bow-Nanza.” When an adult reads Mickey or Minnie’s story aloud, the characters chime in with a special question or choice for the child to make. The child’s answer triggers a magical response from Mickey or Minnie. $24.95 each.

Disney characters also are featured on a variety of snow globes; gift items such as mugs, figurines and plaques; gift books; gift wrap; and holiday greeting cards. In addition, shoppers will find special prices on many other products throughout the store during Holiday Open House, Nov. 8-11.

Wishing you Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

Sunshine

Disney World Wine & Dine Half Marathon sets record setting wins!

By

Chip

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November 10, 2013

Justin Scheid, 27, of Sparta, NJ helped himself to an unprecedented victory at the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon on Saturday night at Walt Disney World Resort. His time of 1:11:47 set a race record in the fourth annual event.

Second place finisher Valdir Camargo, 34, of Sao Paulo, Brazil clocked in with a time of 1:13:09, with Donald Hanigosky, 27, of North Royalton, Ohio right behind at 1:13:51.

Just before the halfway point, Scheid broke away from the lead pack and maintained a comfortable lead the rest of the way. His record time over the 13.1-mile course beat the previous mark by approximately 90 seconds.

“Around 5 or 6 miles, one of the (on-course officials) said I had about a 30 second (lead) and I tried to keep it the same through miles 7, 8 and 9 and I was afraid to ask somebody (down the stretch) how much of a lead I had because I was afraid they were going to say ’10 seconds.’”

Kristen Tenaglia, 29, of Seminole, Fla. dished out an impressive win, crossing the finish line with a time of 1:23:37, a record in the women’s division. Tenaglia, a New Balance tech rep, posted a winning time that was nearly three minutes quicker than the previous mark. Abigail Parker, 30, of Reno, Nev. ran second (1:26:10) and Kristan Dietz, 29, of Madison, NJ made it to the table third with a time of 1:26:14.

Participants began the race at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and then ran 13.1 miles through Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios before ending their night at Epcot. Following the race, runners celebrated at a post-race party that is part of the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival.

Other weekend events included the Disney Jingle Jungle 5K at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, runDisney Kids’ Races and the Health and Fitness Expo, both at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. The expo featured the latest running and fitness merchandise, equipment and apparel as well as seminars on training topics from experts such as runDisney training consultant Jeff Galloway and runDisney nutritionist Tara Gidus.

The Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend was the final event of the year in the seven-race runDisney series. More than 163,000 runners participated in runDisney events in 2013. The 2014 runDisney series kicks off with the 21^st Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend presented by Cigna, a four-day, sold-out event that will include the new Walt Disney World 10K and the Dopey Challenge, which involves running the 5K, 10K, Half Marathon and Marathon.

Top 10 Ways to Pay it Forward at Disney

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Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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November 10, 2013

A great discussion began a short while ago on the You Might Be a Disney Addict Facebook group (YMBADA for short). It revolved around ways to ‘pay it forward’ or spread some pixie dust while at Disney. These are all great things that both adults and kids can partake in. We love to see the smile on someone’s face at Disney when you do something positive that they weren’t expecting, so here are my Top 10 Ways to Pay It Forward at Disney – consisting of a lot of the ideas that you came up with.

Glow Necklaces/Bracelets – Lois’ story is what prompted the discussion after someone left money with a cashier to help pay for her groceries. Lois then decided to purchase glow necklaces and bracelets to hand out to kids who didn’t have any at night in the parks. Way to pay-it-forward Lois!
Stickers or Temporary Disney Tattoos – Keli noted that her daughter likes to get extra stickers from the gift shops and then hands them out to kids waiting in ride lines. Penny’s kids do something similar and wear temporary tattoos in the parks and then bring extras to hand to other kids as well. It’s their little way of spreading the Disney Magic.
Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom Cards – If you’re like us and don’t play the game very much, you can still stop at the Main Street Fire House and get your pack of cards from a cast member. They not only make a great souvenir, they are also great to pass on if you happen to have a double of a card. Have no intentions of playing the game or taking the cards home? Then pass the cards on to a kid you meet while waiting in line for a ride.
Balloons – If you travel by plane to Disney instead of driving, then you are often met with the dilemma of what to do with those expensive balloons you purchased in the parks since you can’t take them on a plane. A great idea given by a visitor to our website is that you can give them to another family before you leave so that they can also enjoy having a balloon. They will last for a couple weeks, so why not give them away instead of seeing them thrown away? I personally love this idea!
Trading Pins – As noted before, we’re big pin traders and we love to spread our love of pin trading with other guests. We always bring extra pins to give away. It never fails that we spot a kid who wants to trade a pin with a cast member, but the kid does not have any pins to trade. So, we swoop in and give the child a few pins to trade. We did this for a Make-a-Wish family a couple years ago and it made my day since we were able to help spread some Disney magic to a family that needed it the most. This is really how we got started with pin trading – a cast member gave my stepson a pin to trade on his first trip and the rest is history.
Homemade Pin Lanyards – Mary-Lynne posted a great idea on the YMBADA page and even gave everyone instructions on how to make homemade pin lanyards using Disney themed ribbon. She likes to give these to kids she meets throughout the parks that may not have a lanyard yet. What an awesome, yet simple, family craft project that you can work on before your trip. If you want instructions, be sure to visit the YMBADA page and look under files for the how-to instructions.
Send a Dessert to Someone Celebrating – There are always people celebrating anniversaries and birthday’s, among other things, at Disney, so if you see someone celebrating, send a dessert to their table to help them celebrate their special life event.
Pressed Pennies – This is also a popular souvenir at the parks since it is relatively inexpensive (unless you’re trying to collect them all). Bring some extra quarters and pennies with you when you visit the parks and give them to the child that you see standing in front of one the machines that maybe doesn’t have any coins to get a pressed penny that catches their eye.
Gift Cards or Disney Dollars – Laura suggested that you purchase Disney gift cards in small denominations and give them to an unsuspecting family. If you’re able to purchase Disney Dollars, you can also hand those out, as they make great souvenirs or they can be spent at Disney instead.
Postcards “signed” by the character – You can find postcards in all the stores at Disney World and they’re relatively inexpensive. Purchase some of those postcards, find the character greeting line for the character featured on the postcard and have the character autograph the postcard. You can then hand those out to those special princesses and princes you meet along the way.

Disney is all about making dreams come true and spreading Disney magic. You don’t have to work at Disney World to make that happen, so next time you visit the parks, bring something with you to help spread the magic. What are some other ways that people can pay-it-forward at Disney World?

House of Blues to Expand in Downtown Disney

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Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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November 9, 2013

New developments are in the works for House of Blues at Downtown Disney West Side, located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. On November 14th, 2013 workers will begin expanding it’s patio, and building a new stage. There will also be a brand new barbecue smokehouse. I can just imagine that wonderful smell now, can’t you?

The refurbishment will occur in phases. Work will be done during the day; however, they will attempt to keep the noise at a minimum to avoid disruption to Guests.

There will be no live entertainment on the Front Porch stage during this time, but no worries ladies! The Mix 105.1 All I Want For Christmas Show Starring: The Backstreet Boys is still scheduled for Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 7:00 PM! However, the House of Blues ticket sales window has currently moved inside the House of Blues retail shop.

While no exact date has been announced, the House of Blues expansion is expected to be complete in mid-January 2014.

New Burton and Marvel Children’s Outerwear Collection

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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November 9, 2013

Burton Snowboards is excited to announce the launch of a new high-tech, youth outerwear jacket and pant collaboration with Marvel Entertainment. Now available in select stores and online worldwide, the limited edition boys Marvel Jacket and Pant features an exclusive one-of-a-kind print of Marvel’s Avengers Assemble featuring bold, iconic illustrations of Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Black Widow and Hawkeye.

The perfect choice for Avengers fans, Burton’s new Marvel Jacket and Pant doesn’t just look superhuman – it plays the part with performance that’s upgraded in every respect. Loaded with more tech than Iron Man’s armor, the new Marvel Jacket boasts many of Burton’s high-end outerwear technologies, including DRYRIDE weatherproofing and strategically placed Thermacore insulation for super-powered warmth and waterproofing. Aspiring Avengers will also love the jacket’s hidden face mask, removable waist gaiter and extra waterproof welded seams.

The Marvel Snowboard Pant completes the Super Hero look and is made from the same Marvel’s Avenger Assemble print as the Jacket. Featuring storm-deflecting dryride weatherproofing and a mapped lining for targeted warmth and breathability, the new boys’ Burton Marvel Pant will keep kids charged on the most demanding missions. Kitted out with adult-grade features like welded seams for all-day-strong waterproofing and leg vents for regulating heat in a hurry, the Marvel snowboard pant will make any day on the hill extraordinary.

In addition to all this, both the Marvel Jacket and Pant feature Burton’s Room-To-Grow system. So, when those kid growth spurts occur, simply pull a thread to increase the length in the arms and legs by two inches and get back out there.

To get your super hero ready for winter with the new Burton x Marvel Boys Youth Jacket and Pant, head to www.burton.com/default/collabs-marvel or select Burton authorized retailers and flagship stores near you.

Wishing you Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

Sunshine

Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year Coming to Blu-ray

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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November 9, 2013

Get ready to ring in the season with a full-length adventure straight from the heart of the Hundred Acre Wood! Join Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Roo and the whole gang in Winnie The Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year, now on Blu-ray and Digital Copy for the very first time. Newly re-mastered in digital high definition, this sparkling holiday classic is an inspiring celebration of friendship.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but Rabbit will only discover the true spirit of the season after his pals make misguided New Year’s resolutions to change, with hilarious and heartfelt results! Featuring beloved characters, delightful songs and fun-filled bonus goodies, this special “Gift of Friendship Edition” is sure to become a shared family tradition for generations to come!

Check out the trailer:

Cast: Jim, Cummings (Winnie the Pooh, Mini Adventures of Winnie the Pooh), Peter Cullen (My Friends Tigger & Pooh, Pooh’s Heffalump Movie, Winnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo), John Fiedler (Pooh’s Heffalump Movie, Winnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo), Michael Gough (Winnie the Pooh Un-Valentine’s Day, Winnie the Pooh & Christmas Too), William Green (Winnie the pooh and Christmas Too)

Directors: Ed Wexler (Donald Duck: 60th Anniversary Celebration, Winnie the Pooh: 123s), Gary Katona (Donald Duck: 60th Anniversary Celebration, Winnie the Pooh: 123s) & Jamie Mitchell (Disney Princess Stories Volume Two: Tales of Friendship)
Writers: A.A. Milne (Original Winnie the Pooh Books), Brian Hohlfeld (Piglet’s Big Movie, Pooh’s Heffalump Movie), Karl Geurs (Winnie the Pooh: Wonderful Word Adventure, Winnie the Pooh: 123s), Mark Zaslove (The Book of Pooh, Winnie the Pooh & Christmas Too) & Ted Henning (Winnie the Pooh: 123s)

Exec. Producers: Antran Manoogian (Sonic the Hedgehog, Donald Duck: 60th Anniversary Celebration) & Donna Smith (The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh & Christmas Too)

I love Eeyore!! Who is your favorite Pooh Character?

Wishing you Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust

Sunshine

Thor: The Dark World 3D Movie Premiere

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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November 9, 2013

Marvel’s movie media premiere of Thor: The Dark World in 3D was held at the Arc Light Theatre in Hollywood this week. Marvel comics and Thor fans have been waiting for this highly anticipated movie which continues the adventures of Thor, The Mighty Avenger. The Dark World starts off in London where Jane Foster is working and still waiting for Thor to return. Back in Asgard, Thor (starring Chris Hemsworth) continues his battle to end a war across the cosmos and restore peace and order to Earth and the Nine Realms .

After two long years, it appears, he has almost achieved his goal, unaware that Malekith (played by Christopher Eccleston) leader of the ancient race, known as the dark elves has awoken from his hibernation to create a vengeful path of destruction. What results is a battle to end all battles that will take all of Thor’s powers and resources to stop the evil Malekith. Against Thor’s better judgement but desperate to stop Malekith, Thor helps the equally evil and treacherous, Loki (portrayed by Tom Hiddleston) escape from prison, and forms an uneasy alliance that culminates in a surprise ending that left me speechless.

Thor: The Dark World immediately placed the audience into the epic adventures and struggles the main character, Thor is going through. His personal inner battles between the loyalty and love for his family and his world and his love and future with Jane, are as difficult to fight as the enemy threatening the Nine Realms . There were several edge of my seat moments during the movie where I wanted to reach out and pull Thor out of danger as well as some hilarious ones including a scene involving a cell phone incident that had the audience laughing out loud. The scene where Thor and Jane (the role reprised by Natalie Portman) reunite was the perfect reaction after a two year separation. I also enjoyed Kat Dennings’ character, who once again returns as Darcy Lewis, Jane’s assistant, this time with her own assistant to boss around. Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) provided his fair share of comedic moments, in between all the destruction and mayhem.

My experience with Marvel Heroes movies did not prepare me for the spectacular special effects Thor: The Dark World had to offer. The fight scenes and there were plenty, were fierce and realistic to the point of making me cringe during some of the violent attacks. Every scene where Thor flung his hammer had me ducking in my chair. To quote Visual Effects Supervisor, Jake Morrison, referring to a cement rig suspended in mid air “the cement rig is a wonderful example of special effects at it’s best”.
Background into the making of Thor: The Dark World:

In 1962 Stan Lee and Jack Kirby introduced The Mighty Thor, the hammer wielding Norse god to Marvel Comics readers. The cinematic success of Thor inspired the film makers to dig deeper into not only comic history but also Norse mythology. Unlike the Greek and Roman gods, in Norse mythology the gods have their powers, but also have a more human aspect. This allowed the target audience to relate easier to Marvel heroes.

In creating Thor: The Dark World the Marvel Team worked very hard to respect the fans and origins of the film while still trying to entice new Marvel fans. Producer Kevin Feige, executive producer Craig Kyle, screenwriters and the rest of the team at Marvel took a long look at where Thor ended in “Marvel’s The Avengers,” and gave us an older, more mature character, whose journey to be king is filled with personal sacrifice and conflict. The introduction of Malekith was an early decision and was the number 1 choice, not only because he had the look the visual development wanted in a character to transfer from comic book to screen. But also because he was the most famous and popular evil character in the Thor saga, since his initial appearance in Walter Simonson and the Surtur Saga.

The Warriors Three and The Lady Sif as the peacekeepers of the Nine Realms and work closely alongside Thor to fight the wars and regain peace. The nine realms are also deeply explored giving more depth to the Thor’s background and heritage.

Director Alan Taylor was not a comic book fan but with Marvel’s help quickly became familiar with the world of Thor. Taylor had the uncanny ability to bring humanity and realism into a film of epic proportions,while still maintaining the hallmark humor of Marvel films. Marvel’s decision to have Taylor come in and direct played a key role in what is sure to be the movie’s box office success.

Thor: The Dark World includes the talents of Chris Hemsworth( Thor), Academy Award® winner Natalie Portman (Jane) and Tom Hiddleston ( Loki). It also stars Stellan Skarsgård (Dr.Erik Selvig), Idris Elba (Heimdall), Christopher Eccleston (Malekith), Adewale Akinnuoye (Algrim,) Kat Dennings (Darcy), Rene Russo (Frigga) and Academy Award® winner Anthony Hopkins (Odin).

Don’t miss next week’s article – The Making of Thor: The Dark World.

Thor: The Dark World in theatres now!

Disney and Feeding America to Help Families in Need for the Holidays

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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November 9, 2013

Disney and ABC are set to donate $1 million dollars to Feeding America which will help make the holidays a little brighter and give nutritious meals to hungry Americans.

Feeding America is the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity. They aim to provide fruit and vegetables for food pantries, after school programs and soup kitchen in communities across the country. Their goal is to give 40 million pounds of produce to those in need.

For every donation made to Feeding America in November, Disney will match it dollar for dollar, up to $250,000.

We all know healthy meals are an essential component to the overall wellbeing of kids and families. So if you are able to donate visit feedingamerica.com.

Wishing you Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

Sunshine

New Disneyland Resort Hotel Discount

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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November 8, 2013

I’m sharing some great news with all my Disneyland Peeps. Disney has released a new promotion for Disneyland Resort Hotel Discounts. So who’s ready to go? Okay, okay most of us are always ready to go aren’t we?

Let’s jump into the details here:

Save Up to 25% off on rooms at a Disneyland Resort Hotel Discount
Available Most Sunday Through Thursday Nights
Promotion Runs January 5th to April 10th (Most Weeknights)
Contact Your Travel Agent to Book Your Room between November 5th, 2013 and January 28th, 2014
Subject To Availability
Travel Must Be Completed By April 11th, 2014
Not Valid In Combination With Any Other Offer
Park Tickets May Be Added To Package, Unfortunately They Aren’t Discounted

So now that you know the deal, what are you waiting for? Hit that quote request link on the right side of the page and let’s get you booked for a Fantastic Disneyland Vacation. Feel free to reach out to me by email or phone as well. Email me at [email protected] or by phone at 425-420-8988.

When Daniel isn’t sharing Planning Tips about Disneyland, Aulani, and other Destinations, he can be found either wishing he was at Disneyland or planning his and other’s Disney Vacations. Contact him or Request a Quote on the right side of the ChipandCo Page.

New Fantasyland Decorated for Christmas at The Magic Kingdom

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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November 8, 2013

This year, the New Fantasyland area of Magic Kingdom Park is getting dressed up for the holidays for the very first time, and we just received some amazing photos of the area’s first decorations to share with you.

Christmas at Fantasyland

Christmas at Fantasyland 1

Christmas at Fantasyland 2

Christmas at Fantasyland 3

Christmas at Fantasyland 4

Christmas at Fantasyland 5

Christmas at Fantasyland 6

As you can see, each wreath, holiday tree and strand of garland that has been designed for the area keeps with the theming of the attraction, shop or restaurant it highlights. For example, the tree within Be Our Guest Restaurant sports ornaments inspired by the castle’s enchanted staff and exquisite chandeliers.

I can’t wait to see this! How beautiful!

Wishing you Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

Sunshine

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2013 Entertainment Schedule & Maps

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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November 8, 2013

You won’t miss any of the fun with this Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2013 Entertainment Schedule!

Entertainment Schedule:

Castle Dream Lights 6:15
Main Street Pre-Parade: The Kringle Crew is back to entertain guests on Main Street USA before the parade arrives; pre-parade is at 8:15pm & 10:30pm
Castle Forecourt Stage: Celebrate the Season show times are 7:45pm, 10:05pm, and 11:20pm
Rockettower Plaza Stage: A Totally Tomorrowland Christmas Show times are 7:45pm, 8:45pm, 9:55pm, 10:50pm, and 11:45pm
Fireworks: Holiday Wishes-Celebrate the Spirit of the Season is at 9:30pm
Celebrate the Magic: Celebrate the Magic with holiday tag and Frozen insert is at 9:15pm

Dance Parties:

Club Tinsel: Cosmic Ray’s Dance Party 7:00-12:00
Woody’s Happy Harvest Roundup Dance Party In Frontierland at Diamond Horseshoe 7:00-12:00

Disney reserves the right to make changes to this information at any time.

Special thank you to Disney Dining for sharing these maps with us!

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is a separately ticketed event and is not included in regular park admission. Ticket prices can be found HERE. Dates for the party in 2013 can be found HERE. NEW this year Mary Poppins, Bert, and Penguins will be doing meet and greets in Fantasyland! There’s also new merchandise, a new photo op and more news on this year’s party HERE. Stay tuned to Chip & Co to find out where to meet your favorite MVMCP characters, what dining options available and more.

Glow With the Show Debuts Tonight at Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights in Disney’s Hollywood Studios

By

Chip

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November 8, 2013

Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights debuted at Hollywood Studios in 1995, and has since grown to feature more than 5 million lights, animated holiday displays, music and so much more! Glow With The Show ears, which debuted at the park’s nightly performances of “Fantasmic!” earlier this fall, will enhance this holiday offering beginning tonight. Ear hats can be purchased at merchandise locations throughout the park, or you can bring ear hats previously purchased at other Disney Parks to wear – they operate on the same technology and will work.

Will you head out to Disney’s Hollywood Studios to experience this for yourself this holiday season? Tell us in the “Comments” section below!

Thanks to Disney Parks Blog & Gene Duncan for the photos and info!