I have banished the old codfish and working with Chip and his Company to get the site back to normal.
We hope everyone enjoyed our April Fool Prank today.
Magician Mickey Mouse Now Greeting Guests at New Magic Kingdom Location
Mickey Mouse now reigns at a new location in Magic Kingdom to meet and greet his friends at Walt Disney World Resort. Guests can now go backstage at Town Square Theater for photos and autographs with Mickey — without waiting in a standby queue!
Mickey’s new location in the park also heralds the first-ever use of Disney’s FASTPASS Service for a character meet-and-greet experience. FASTPASS allows guests to reduce waiting by designating a window of time when they can return for a theme park experience.
The fun takes place at the Town Square Theater presented by Kodak, located just inside the Magic Kingdom entrance. Previously known as Town Square Exposition Hall, the venue has been re-imagined as a turn-of-the-Twentieth-Century theater where posters proclaim Mickey Mouse as the star of a magic show.
A glistening marquee with gold-leaf trim and sparkling lights beckons guests to enter a lobby that serves as a hub for character meet-and-greet queues, the Box Office Gifts merchandise shop and Tony’s Town Square Restaurant. Lush curtains with gold rope tie-backs, polished-brass chandeliers and a huge tile floor mosaic of the Town Square Theater logo adorn the space.
Just beyond the lobby, guests pass through an ornate arch and enter a queue to meet Magician Mickey Mouse — or a queue to meet the Disney princesses, for whom Town Square Theater will be a meet-and-greet location during New Fantasyland construction.
The meet-and-greet experience begins when magical posters featuring Mickey’s various magic acts come to life, enhancing guests’ journey through queues into the backstage corridors of the theater. Mickey greets guests in a rehearsal-room environment amid posters, steamer trunks and stage props. It’s a classic backstage area with a wood floor and ceiling. One wall is brick, the others are papered in red and black — Mickey colors.
During the Princesses’ limited engagement at Town Square Theater, they will greet guests in an area fit for royalty — replete with plush carpeting, lush velvety-blue drapes with gold tiebacks, and a large mural backdrop of a chateau amid green, tree-covered hills and fields.
Exiting the meet-and-greet areas, guests pass through Curtain Call Collectibles, a shop with design elements suggesting a backstage area used for theater shipping and receiving — with large, barn-like doors through which props and set pieces could pass.
Guests wanting to meet Mickey or the Princesses can either obtain a Disney’s FASTPASS ticket or get in standby queues. FASTPASS tickets, which are available near Town Square Theater, designate an hour window of time during which the guest can return to the theater and have their “magic moment” with Mickey or the Princesses without joining the standby queues.
Related articles
- Magician Mickey to Greet Guests at Town Square Theater at Magic Kingdom Park (chipandco.com)
- Backstage Magic with Mickey Mouse at Town Square Theater – New Meet & Greet at the Magic Kingdom – Photos & Video (jefflangedvd.com)
Jelly Belly Easter Giveaway – Starts Monday
Starting this Monday we will be giving away one of these AWESOME Jelly Belly Dual Ice Shavers and all the fixins! Jelly Belly was nice enough to hook us up with one of these delicious snow cone makers just in time for summer.
Don’t forget when Creating the perfect Disney Easter Basket to load them up with yummy Jelly Belly – Jelly Beans!
Stay tuned on Monday April 4th for details on how to enter!
Related articles
- Creating the perfect Disney Easter Basket with Jelly Belly (chipandco.com)
Disney Monorail crash lawsuit settled
A crash of two Disney monorails back in July 2009, which killed a 21-year old monorail pilot Austin Wuennenberg, has been settled.
The mother of the driver, Christine Wuennenberg, filed a suit last year and has dismissed the suit with no eligibility to re-file, but the rest of this case has been sealed.
She claimed Disney was negligent and that the supervisor wasn’t doing his duty since he was allowed to be away while on command using a radio taking a dinner break.
A new position has been created since the incident that monitors all monorail movements.
Disney was also fined $35,000 by Occupational Safety and Health Administration for safety violations. The National Transportation Safety Board also did an investigation but hasn’t released it’s report.
WINNIE THE POOH – Zooey Deschanel Hits the Hundred Acre Wood!
He’s a bear of very little brain. She’s half of the acclaimed band She & Him. This year, they come together on the big screen in “Winnie the Pooh,” which hits theaters in select international markets in Spring 2011, and in the U.S. on July 15, 2011. Actress/Musician/Singer/Songwriter Zooey Deschanel (“Almost Famous,” “(500) Days of Summer”) joins Winnie the Pooh and all of his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood, performing three songs for the film, including her own take on the classic “Winnie the Pooh” theme song, “A Very Important Thing to Do” and the original end-credit song “So Long,” which was written by Deschanel and performed with She & Him bandmate M. Ward.
“This has been one of the most fun experiences I’ve ever had,” says Deschanel. “And I’ve just been thanking my lucky stars that I was able to work on this movie, because it’s delightful.”
Filmmakers were drawn to Deschanel’s signature style. “She was the perfect choice to do the ‘Winnie the Pooh’ song—a classic theme from the Sherman Brothers,” says director Don Hall. “Her music actually embodies the underlying spirit of the movie. We’re taking something that has vintage roots in the sixties, but spinning it in our own way and updating it. If you listen to Zooey’s music with She & Him—that’s their sound to a tee.”
See the video below!
Adds director Stephen Anderson, “It’s a perfect way to start the movie, letting the audience know right off the bat that this is Winnie the Pooh like you know him, but it’s something for today. We wanted to keep the same charm as the original, but give it a fresh spin, a contemporary feel, and she opens the movie with so much freshness, so much energy.”
“It’s always fun to have a contemporary artist rediscover a classic and that’s exactly what Zooey did,” says producer Peter Del Vecho. “She brought her own personality to the song—when she sings about introducing the individual characters, it’s as though she’s known them her whole life—and she has.”
“I’m a big fan of Winnie the Pooh and all his friends,” says Deschanel, who also plays the ukulele in the song. “It’s really hard to pick a favorite: Winnie the Pooh is so special, he loves honey and he’s just cool. Eeyore is amazing, I love Eeyore. And Piglet is so small. It’s really a four-way tie between Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet and Tigger.”
Among the songs Deschanel performed for the film is “A Very Important Thing to Do”—a song that helps illustrate the contest the friends from the Hundred Acre Wood take on to find Eeyore a new tail. She also lent her voice to “Everything is Honey” and “Pooh’s Finale,” joining Jim Cummings (the voice of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger), Tony Award®-winning songwriter Robert Lopez (“Avenue Q”) and other cast members.
For the end-credit song, Deschanel teamed up with Ward to perform “So Long,” a song Deschanel wrote. “When I was writing ‘So Long,’ I just held the images for the end credits in my mind,” she says. “I spent a number of days tinkering with ideas, melodies and chord progressions that I thought would fit the images, the new music being written and the original Sherman Brothers stuff– but still be my own thing. The song definitely has its own feel, but also pays respect to the original.”
Deschanel plays piano for “So Long” and turned to the instrument when it came time to write the song. “I usually write on piano because that’s the first instrument that I learned when I was a little kid,” she says. “All of my musical theory knowledge is in linear piano form.”
Her heart, however, is in the vocals. “I’m always thinking in terms of vocals, and arranging a fabric of vocals is the most exciting part. I love to sing backup parts—I always try to squeeze in as many as possible,” she says. “It’s fun; it’s my style.”
Deschanel’s songs, plus the Sherman Brothers classic and a host of original songs by Robert Lopez and wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez (“The Wonder Pets”), as well as original score from composer Henry Jackman (“The Da Vinci Code,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”), will be included on the “Winnie the Pooh” soundtrack (available Spring 2011 in select international markets, and in the U.S. on July 12, 2011) from Walt Disney Records.
Breaking News: Disney in talks to expand to Texas Location
I have received word from a very reliable source that Disney is in talks with Frank McCrady, CEO of the East Montgomery County Improvement District to purchase land in New Caney Texas just outside Houston for an all new theme park!!! Yes you read that right.. Disneyland Texas!
According to my source the land outside Houston was being developed for an Amusement Park already but developers ran out of funding when the economy took a downward turn. The original park would have been called Earthquest.
A new Texas theme park would help alleviate the fanny pack and croc wearing crowds at both Disneyland in California and Walt Disney World in Florida. The crowds at the Walt Disney World resort get so bad that Disney has to look at means to offer fans Fastpasses for Fastpasses.
Stay tuned to Chip and Co for more details on this exciting NEWS!
What do you think about Disneyland Texas? Do you think it will help with the overcrowding at Disney World & Disneyland? Can the Texas economy support such a tremendous endeavor? Let us know in the comment box below.
April Fools!
Chip and Company b’ under new Management
Chip and Company is under new Management
This website is now property of Captain Hook. All ye Disney Park News, Planning Tips, Giveaways and more are mine! Argh!
You scallywags can’t do a single thing about it either! Nobody not even your precious Peter Pan can save you now!
On with the Disney News & Views from Hook n ‘Company!
THE SITE IS UNDER ATTACK!
Not sure what is going on with the site this am! But we are being attacked.
I am doing everything I can to keep the site up!
>>Chip
Spy-Themed Video Game Based on Upcoming Disney Pixar Cars 2 Film To Feature Start-to-Finish Line 3D Gameplay
Disney Interactive Studios today announced that Disney•Pixar’s Cars 2: The Video Game will feature full 3D support exclusively for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. From the start, players will be immersed in a 3D experience as Cars 2: The Video Game detects a connection to a 3D TV and automatically adjusts settings. Cars 2 fans will then experience 3D in every aspect of gameplay, including action-packed combat racing and all menu interfaces. In addition, the multiplayer functionality of the game will allow for four players to compete against each other in full 3D, utilizing a 4-way split screen.
“The advancement of 3D technology will allow us to immerse the player into the Cars 2 game environment in a whole new way,” said John Blackburn, vice president and general manager of Avalanche Software, developer of Cars 2. “The 3D effects will ratchet up gameplay in ways that will have fans’ hearts pounding when they embark on dangerous spy missions, while our innovative multiplayer with four simultaneous 3D ports will bring a whole new dimension to PS3™ gaming.”
Cars 2: The Video Game is inspired by the upcoming Disney•Pixar animated film. The game allows players to dive into the Cars 2 universe alongside some of their favorite Cars personalities in exotic locations spanning the globe. Cars 2: The Video Game expands beyond the movie’s storyline as players take on the role of one of more than 20 different Cars characters and train to become top notch spies at the international spy training center, C.H.R.O.M.E. (Command Headquarters for Recon Operations and Motorized Espionage). Over the course of their training, players take on dangerous missions, compete to become the fastest race car in the world and use their spy skills in non-stop action packed combat racing and battle arenas.
Cars 2: The Video Game launches on June 21, 2011 on all major gaming platforms. The game is currently rated “RP” (Rating Pending) by the ESRB.
Please visit http://Disney.com/CarsVideogame and www.facebook.com/carsgames for more information. Art assets for Cars 2: The Video Game are available at www.disneyconsumerproducts.com/press/us/cars.
Related articles
- Coming Soon Cars 2 the Video Game (chipandco.com)
- Disney Pixar’s Cars 2: The Video Game Revving Up For Release Summer 2011 (chipandco.com)
Walt Disney Pavilion at Florida Hospital for Children Begins a New Chapter in Children’s Health Care
Featuring the latest in pediatric clinical technology and soothing, kid-friendly environments, today’s opening of the Walt Disney Pavilion at Florida Hospital for Children ushers in a new era of children’s health care. The state-of-the-art facility offers patients a unique experience where kids are the main characters.
To mark the momentous occasion, hundreds of community leaders and medical professionals gathered for a moving ceremony on the front lawn of Florida Hospital for Children. Several pediatric patients shared their inspirational stories of hope and perseverance before being joined on stage by Mickey Mouse. A performance of an inspirational song punctuated by a colorful burst of confetti, served as a reminder that all patients are unique and receive a personalized experience at the Walt Disney Pavilion.
“A hospital can be an overwhelming place, and we have worked very closely to learn how to make each experience special,” said Marla Silliman, administrator of Florida Hospital for Children. “Our mission is to provide the best care possible for our patients. I believe that we have achieved our goal by creating a hospital that brings world-class physicians, top-of-the-line technology and a truly patient-centered experience for children all under one roof.”
Disney executives, including Bob Iger, president and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, and Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, toured the new hospital along with Florida Hospital executives and were greeted by children in the hospital who thanked them for their commitment to children’s health care.
“As a company with more than 62,000 cast members in Central Florida, we care deeply about the families in this community and are proud of our collaboration with Florida Hospital,” said Bob Iger, president and CEO of The Walt Disney Company. “Disney Imagineers worked closely with the hospital to create a truly unique environment for pediatric patients and their families that we hope will inspire courage and comfort to those who seek care here.”
The Walt Disney Pavilion at Florida Hospital for Children is a seven-story facility that creates a relaxing environment and brings some of Disney’s special magic into the hospital. When patients walk in the front door, they are greeted by several popular Disney characters in a one-of-a-kind interactive lobby created by Disney’s Imagineers. Inspired by the soothing environment of nature, the lobby features beloved and nurturing Disney characters such as Timon and Pumbaa from “The Lion King,” Flounder and Sebastian from “The Little Mermaid,” Rutt and Tuke from “Brother Bear” and Baloo from “The Jungle Book.” Walt Disney Imagineers designed the space to complement the hospital’s healing environment where young patients are supported by caring medical professionals, along with family and friends.
The Walt Disney Pavilion is comprised of 200 pediatric beds, a dedicated pediatric Emergency Department, an advanced 81-bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and pediatric surgical suites. The nature themes that are featured in the lobby, which include the ocean, savannah, jungle and mountains, are carried throughout the hospital and incorporated into the artwork, design, family waiting areas and more. Each floor has its own theme to help transition patients and families to a relaxing environment beyond the walls of the hospital. There are even custom scents on each floor to match each of the themes.
Throughout the design process, Florida Hospital also enlisted the help of its Family Advisory Council, which is an advisory group of past patients, parents and staff that offers feedback on the hospital. The Council contributed ideas on the layout of patient rooms, helped design the unique “family zone” waiting areas and even tested out various chairs and pull-out sofas that were incorporated throughout the hospital.
“It was extremely important that our patients and their families have a voice in the design of this new facility,” said Tim Burrill, assistant administrator at Florida Hospital for Children. “Their feedback and input has helped us better understand their needs and led to some great new ideas such as our ‘family zones.’ Instead of traditional waiting rooms, we created themed areas for families to gather, grab a snack and recharge without leaving the patient unit.”
The more than 90 highly trained pediatric sub-specialists at Florida Hospital for Children cover over 30 pediatric sub-specialties, including Central Florida’s only Pediatric Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplant Program. But it is not just the high level of care these physicians provide that makes this hospital unique; it is the child-centered experience that adds a special touch.
Related articles
- Bob Iger Interview Kicks Off New ‘Destination Disney’ Series (chipandco.com)
- Wednesday with Walt: Poor Henpecked Father (chipandco.com)
ESPN Wide World of Sports Ink Innovative Partnership – Full Sail University
Recognizing the expanding role of sports within the entertainment industry, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and Full Sail University have finalized a unique partnership that enables the school to promote Full Sail’s sports curriculum to a global audience of sports enthusiasts, while offering youth athletes more possibilities to envision their sports dreams.
As part of this collaboration, Full Sail will be represented throughout ESPN Wide World of Sports including the complex’s Welcome Center, digital signs and promotional video packages. In addition, guests who are interested in learning more will be able to arrange a tour of Full Sail’s Winter Park campus from the sport complex.
“The sports industry is evolving incredibly rapidly, and it requires professionals who understand the dynamics of the new media landscape for all applications in business, both now and in the future,” said Josh Mora, program director of Sports Marketing and Media for Full Sail. “One area in which we can attract prospective students who will serve the industry is by focusing our efforts on those who have an inherent enthusiasm for sports. In that way, we can fuel their passion by exposing them to possible careers within the sports realm that they might not even know exists.”
This agreement follows the university’s recent launch of its new Sports Marketing and Media Bachelor of Science Degree Program. The 32-month curriculum, offered both on-campus and online, is designed to help students develop a balanced skill set of technical expertise and content creation. Students will also learn core business and marketing concepts as they apply to sports media, business models, sports marketing and research, public relations, sports law and contracts, and licensing and intellectual property.
“Sports dreams now come in all shapes and sizes,” said Faron Kelley, director of marketing and communication for Disney Sports Enterprises. “We hope that by exposing young athletes to Full Sail’s innovative curriculum, they will be able to realize their aspirations whether they’re on the ball field, in the classroom or behind a TV camera.”
Full Sail has recently collaborated with ESPN in launching a sportsbroadcast research lab at the university, complementing the current ESPN Innovation Lab located at ESPN Wide World of Sports at Walt Disney World. That lab has been critical in the development of ESPN 3D, Ball Track, NBA Player Card and Ultimate Uplink.
Related articles
- Atlanta Braves get ready to ‘Play Ball!’ at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex (chipandco.com)
- HP Creates Hands-on Experience for Youth Athletes at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex (chipandco.com)
Last Day to Enter! – Disney Family Fun Magazine Giveaway
Disney was nice enough to hook us up with 3 additional copies of their new ‘Easy Crafts for Kids’ Disney Family Fun Magazine. This thing is loaded with TONS of fun things you can do with your kids.
I gave my copy to my daughters teacher and she said there enough projects here to last an entire school year!
You have over 6 ways to enter:
#1 – Comment on this article – Tell us what your favorite Disney Park ride or attraction is.
#2 – Comment on any other article on the site – I will be tracking all comment between when this post goes live and the contest end. So enter as many times as you like the more you comment the more chances you have to win!
#3 – Share this Page on Twitter – Use the Retweet button in the top right. Just click and share.
#4 – Share this Page on Facebook – Look below the Retweet Button in the top right. (Make sure you Like Us on Facebook if you haven’t already!) You can also use the @chipandco on Facebook with a link to this page to share it with your friends.
#5 – Post this contest on your blog – If you have your own blog feel free to post this article on it. Just post a link below in the comment box to the article on your site. I love other Disney sites and who knows you might get a few new fans.
#6 – Subscribe to our Newsletter – Have Disney News & Views delivered to your inbox. I will track all new subscribers between now and next Thursday.
This Contest is running between now and Thursday March 31st at 11:59pm. I will pick THREE lucky people who then has 24 hours to contact me back confirming their entry. If they don’t respond I will pick another and so on and so on.