Disney Junior Celebrates One Year Anniversary

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April 14, 2013

It’s hard to believe that it’s been just over a year since the launch of Disney Junior, a 24-hour stand-alone channel—a labor of love for so many at Disney.

From partnering with educational advisors and consultants to leveraging the rich heritage of Disney storytelling, the team behind Disney Junior had a strong vision and high hopes for what they knew to be an extraordinary step in changing the television landscape for preschoolers.

“As with any endeavor of such a magnitude, we all looked eagerly ahead, anxiously anticipating the outcome of our hard-won efforts,” Nancy Kanter, senior vice president, Original Programming and General Manager, Disney Junior Worldwide, says. “Here we are one year later, celebrating phenomenal growth and new series successes; groundbreaking content that has captured the hearts and imagination of kids and adults in millions of homes across the world; and a series of ‘firsts’ for the Disney Junior brand.”

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Disneyland’s Matterhorn, Space Mountain, Soarin’ Closed Indefinitely Due to OSHA Citation

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Jeff

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April 14, 2013

Some big news out of Disneyland today. It is being reported that three big name attractions at the Disneyland Resort have been suddenly closed this weekend. The Matterhorn, Space Mountain and Soarin’ Over California are now closed indefinitely, after state DOSH investigators on Friday disciplined Disneyland for the accident last November where an outside contractor roof slipped and was slightly injured while cleaning Space Mountain.

The closed attractions all have at least one backstage area that don’t meet the state requirement of harnessed fall protection for any employee walkway with more than a 30 inch drop opposite a hand rail.

Right now Disney is rushing to find quick fixes for these backstage areas to satisfy DOSH.

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Hardest Restaurants to Get Advanced Dining Reservations at Walt Disney World

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Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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April 13, 2013

Most of the table-service restaurants at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida accept advanced dining reservations. Advanced dining reservations become available 180 days in advance. There are numerous restaurants that are so popular that you do need to plan six months in advance to make sure you can eat there!

The absolute most difficult restaurant to make an advanced dining reservation at is the new Be Our Guest Restaurant. Be Our Guest is the French restaurant found in New Fantasyland inside the Beast’s castle which was inspired by the classic film Beauty and the Beast. Be Our Guest is only a table-service location for dinner, making reservations extremely limited. However, the attention and popularity of this restaurant is well-deserved! It is gorgeous and the food is fabulous!

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‘Limited Time Magic’ Continues with Disney Fairies Week

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Chip

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April 13, 2013

Disney’s next “Limited Time Magic” surprise is especially for fans of Disney Fairies. For a limited time, Tinker Bell will be joined by even more of her Disney Fairies friends when they appear at Pixie Hollow in Disneyland park or Tinker Bell’s Magical Nook at Magic Kingdom Park.

Flying in for the occasion could be Fawn, Iridessa, Rosetta, Silvermist, Vidia or even Terence, the Pixie Dust-keeper himself. It’s all part of “Limited Time Magic” running from April 15-21.

Here are times you can see Disney Fairies at both parks:

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Staying Safe at Walt Disney World

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Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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April 13, 2013

Too many times families travel to Walt Disney World and they aren’t as safe as they are back home. Being in such a magical place often times causes people to let their guard down. Here are a few simple reminders for staying safe at Walt Disney World in your hotel and in the parks.

At the hotel:

Always lock the doors of your room and car. Even when you are in your room, you need to keep the door locked. Too many times people use the lock to prop open their hotel door and things get swiped. Don’t let this happen to you. When your car is in the parking lot, remember to lock the doors.
Use the safe located in each room. These are there for a reason! If you have valuables that are too big for the safe, ask the front desk if they can hold it for you. Don’t leave valuables in your suitcase or in the hotel dresser. These are the first places people will look for “stuff” if they get in your room.

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New Pictures & Video from Disney Infinity Toy Box mode

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Chip

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April 13, 2013

Disney Interactive released the first video focused entirely on the Disney Infinity Toy Box mode, a groundbreaking play feature that allows every player to combine Disney and Pixar’s most popular characters and worlds to create one-of-a-kind Disney experiences.

In the Toy Box mode, players can build their own adventures and worlds featuring hundreds of characters, vehicles, items and environments, including Scrooge McDuck’s money pit, a Tron Recognizer, the Dumbo flying elephant ride and Stitch’s Surfboard. Players can also use the logic editor to create any kind of game or experience, such as action adventures, obstacle courses, capture-the-flag, tower defense, car races – even re-create some of their favorite classic arcade games.

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Activities Available at Disney Aulani Resort and Spa

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Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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April 12, 2013

Disney Aulani Resort and Spa created this view just for you. Can you imagine sitting back in a pool lounge chair watching this sunset? If you visit Disney Aulani Resort and Spa you can.

Sure Sunsets are nice, but you can have those at home too right? Maybe not nearly as beautiful as that, or maybe yours are? You might want to know some of the other activities you could do beyond enjoying a leisurely day by the ocean or pool.

Here’s a highlight of the activities available at Disney’s Aulani Resort and Spa:

Let’s start with the most obvious one since we’re on an island. The Beach. It was absolutely perfect, white sand beaches, and perfect ocean water. As the beach is located on an inlet, the man made breakers keep the big waves from entering the area. This allows you to enjoy some paddle surfing, canoeing, snorkeling and swimming for all ages.

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“Lots To Do In Line Walt Disney World” Book Review

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Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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April 12, 2013

There are many Disney World guidebooks out there and I think at one time or another, I have tried them all. Some are great, and if we are honest, some aren’t quite as helpful. When I recently chose to review, Lots To Do In Line Walt Disney World, I was very curious to see if this book would make the list of favorites in my house. Well, I can easily say that it was even better than I anticipated! It now holds a permanent spot on our packing list!

This book is organized into groups of questions for each of the four parks and then into a smaller section for each of the areas in the park. There are several ways to use the book, both with and without scoring options. It also has wonderful ways to pass the time while you are waiting in line at restaurants, waiting for that special hug from Mickey Mouse, or a delicious Mickey Bar. The questions are presented mostly in multiple choice style with lots of yes/no questions also. I really liked that the answers for each each section instead of flipping all the way to the end of the book every time. It will be much more convenient this way.

Some of my favorite highlights included:

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Disney Gift Shop Truck Spotted in Orlando

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Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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April 12, 2013

A new Disney truck has been spotted in downtown Orlando this week, the Disney Truck Shop. Although featuring the style of a food truck, this spin-off of the popular (and growing!) food truck idea was actually a Disney gift shop truck! The Disney Truck Shop made it’s way out for Fiesta in the Park in downtown Orlando, Florida this past weekend, according to the Daily City. This was the first time this Disney Truck Shop has been seen off of Disney property. The Disney gift shop trucks have previously been found at Downtown Disney, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and ESPN’s Wide World of Sports since December 2012.

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Exclusive Sneak Peek Episode of Disney Junior’s New Series “Henry Hugglemonster”

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Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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April 12, 2013

Do you have a Disney Junior fan at home? Have you heard about Disney Junior’s new series “Henry Hugglemonster?” The new series will be premiering on Disney Junior the Channel on Monday, April 15, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. EST. However, you can have an exclusive sneak peek at the upcoming series and as Chip and Co. readers, you are one of the first to know!

You can preview a full twenty two minute episode of “Henry Hugglemonster”, Disney Junior’s all new series, before it premieres on the 24-hour Disney Junior channel here.

“Henry Hugglemonster” is based on the book series I’m a Happy Hugglewug by award-winning children’s book author and illustrator Niamh Sharkey. “Henry Hugglemonster” will follow the adventures of five-year-old Henry Hugglemonster, the middle child in a happy, close-knit monster family. Henry will share everyday life lessons with your children. Some of these lessons will include learning to work as a team, helping others, persisting in tasks, and much more.

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‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ Begins Production

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Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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April 11, 2013

We’re just a little under a year away from Marvel Studios’ ninth entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the third brick in their Phase 2, ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’. The film sees the return of Chris Evans, for the third time, in the role of Steve Rogers, but known to many as Captain America, and will pick up with him following the events of ‘The Avengers’, where he’s now an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., and dealing with being a man out of time. Also returning for this outing are Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, and Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, while introducing new cast members Robert Redford, as Senior S.H.I.E.L.D. member Alexander Pierce, Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson, also known as the Falcon, and Frank Grillo as Crossbones.

‘The Winter Soldier’ storyline in the Captain America comics is one of my all time favorite arcs, so I’m very, very excited to see this brought to life by Marvel Studios. So far, Marvel has delivered what I consider an incredibly solid list of films, one unmatched by most studios when it comes to comic properties. ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ was one of my favorite films of Phase 1 of the MCU, right under ‘The Avengers’ and ‘Iron Man’, and I loved how Chris Evans disappeared into the role of Steve Rogers, turning out one of his strongest performances to date. I really can’t wait to see what directors Anthony and Joe Russo have in store for us, and April 4, 2013, can’t get here soon enough. To announce the beginning of production, Marvel Studios has released the first image from the set of the film, above, as well as a full press release that you can read below.

Hit the jump to read the full press release, check out the trailer for the first film, as well as some concept art from the new film. Although, for those trying to remain spoiler free of the film, I’d be cautious of reading the press release, which reveals just who the Winter Soldier is, and who is he is to Steve Rogers, which is a huge reveal for those who don’t read the comics.

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Meeting Merida at Disney World

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Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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April 11, 2013

Have you been looking forward to meeting Merida at Disney World ever since you first saw “Brave”? This courageous star’s play and greet area is full of fun for young and old alike. It is definitely worth a visit during your trip to Disney.

Meeting Merida at Disney World is a fabulous character meet and greet, but it can be tricky to find! Merida meets princes and princesses in Fairytale Gardens. Despite looking at the park maps we still had a hard time finding it! Here’s the gist of finding your way to meet Merida. While standing in the hub, facing the castle, take the path to the right of the Castle that leads to Fantasyland toward the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. Just past the castle on the left, nestled among the Scottish Highlands is our brave princess, Merida.

Be sure to arrive early to meet Merida! By the time we discovered her the line was just around 40 minutes towards the end of the day. My advice is to head towards Fantasyland, meet Merida, then hit up the Mad Tea Party, grab a FastPass for Peter Pan’s Flight and enjoy Fantasyland.

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