A wall spanning the length of the walkway between the Wedding Pavilion and the main building has been erected at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, for the rumored Disney Vacation Club Villas.
Visit http://www.JeffLangeDVD.com or http://www.MouseSteps.com for more information.
Final Installment in Exclusive “Behind the Bricks” Disney Living Video Series with LEGO Master Model Builder Goes Live on YouTube
WHAT: Take a behind-the-scenes look at a day in the life of a LEGO master model builder as Disney Living, the official YouTube channel of Disney Consumer Products, takes you behind-the-scenes with Erik Varszegi — the brilliant mind behind some of LEGO’s most impressive, Disney-inspired creations.
This final installment of the three-part video series features an inside look at the construction of Toy Story’s dynamic duo made completely out of LEGO bricks. From concept design to the 25,000 and 18,000 bricks, respectively, needed to make toys come to life, see what it takes to create detailed Buzz Lightyear (5 feet 3 inches) and Woody (6 feet 6 inches) models.
WHO: Erik Varszegi, master model builder at LEGO and model designer of life-size LEGO Jack Sparrow, Lightning McQueen and Toy Story characters.
WHERE: You can find these videos at www.YouTube.com/DisneyLiving.
According to the NY Times Walt Disney Studios and 20th Century Fox advertised “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” (Disney) and “X-Men: First Class” during children’s programming.
Here is more..
A watchdog group on Tuesday asked the Motion Picture Association of America to investigate whether Walt Disney Studios and 20th Century Fox broke industry guidelines governing the advertising of two PG-13 films during television programming aimed at young children.
The Children’s Advertising Review Unit, a division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus that works as a type of self-regulator for the advertising business, said ads for “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” (Disney) and “X-Men: First Class” (Fox) appeared inappropriately in recent months on channels like Nickelodeon.
A spokesman for Fox said the ads in question were pre-approved by the Motion Picture Association for the time slot. Disney also said it believed it was in compliance with industry guidelines.
As you can see, everyone’s favorites Kermit, Miss Piggy and Fozzie are joined by newcomer Muppet Walter in the powder blue suit at the bottom of the poster, and behind him is what looks like an angry Miss Piggy — but it’s not! Could it be a new Muppet villain in the movie?! Let us know what you think of the new poster art in the comments section below, and click through for full details on the latest movie, co-starring Jason Segel, Amy Adams and Chris Cooper and featuring lots of fun cameos including Zach Galifianakis, Billy Crystal and Jack Black.
The Muppets, returning to theaters everywhere on Nov. 23rd.
Exotic cocktails will pair like a tropical daydream with fresh new tastes from more than one island paradise at the 16th Epcot International Food & Wine Festival Sept. 30-Nov. 13, 2011, at Walt Disney World Resort. The one-of-a-kind 45-day festival serves up international cuisine, culture and entertainment from six continents, with more than 25 international marketplaces featuring tapas-sized portions paired with beer, wine and inventive new cocktails.
Marketplace tasting menus offer variety and adventure for guests on a mission to tantalize their taste buds during a scenic stroll around the 40-acre World Showcase Lagoon. The adventure can take them to the festival’s first Hawaii marketplace, which will cook up Kalua pork sliders and tuna poke with seaweed salad and lotus root chips to team with a refreshing Seven Tiki Mai Tai or a Kona Longboard or Pipeline beer. A new Caribbean Islands marketplace will serve ropa vieja with rice and jerk-spiced chicken with mango salsa. A beverage menu featuring a frozen Dragon Berry Colada and frozen Rock Coconut Mojito is sure to conjure steel-drum fantasies.
With a swing across the Atlantic, guests will be transported to the new Portugal marketplace, where the Portugal Wine Bar will offer best sips to pair with calamari salad with olives and smoked paprika. The Scandinavia marketplace will return after a hiatus with a fresh new Xante Sunshine cocktail made from Xante pear and cognac liquer. And the Canada marketplace will introduce a sweet treat: apple ice wine.
Disney and celebrity chefs will team with winemakers and brew masters from around the world to get the party started Sept. 30. During the six-week festival, guests will discover:
New Sips, Fresh Bites
Festival guests can make a day of circumnavigating the World Showcase Promenade, grazing and sipping as they go. Tapas-sized portions of regional specialties run $3 to $8 each, and recommended wines, cocktails and beers make perfect pairings at each marketplace. For quicker marketplace visits, guests can purchase a festival-themed mini-Disney Gift Card that can be worn on a wristband and loaded and reloaded at several park locations.
Live daily entertainment showcases many cultures with music, acrobatics and improv performances along the promenade. Evening Eat to the Beat! concerts at America Gardens Theatre feature acts from many musical genres. Appearing for the first time on the Eat to the Beat! stage are The Pointer Sisters, The Orchestra starring former members of ELO and Gin Blossoms. Fan favorite Taylor Dayne kicks off the festival Sept. 30-Oct. 2, and crowd pleaser Big Bad Voodoo Daddy wraps the event Nov. 11-13.
The festival attracts a diverse audience — from wine connoisseurs and epicures to novices wishing to boost their culinary IQs. Special culinary programs showcase a lineup of renowned winemakers, guest chefs and speakers participating in elegant dinners, luncheons, seminars and wine schools.
Festival highlights include:
Festival guests can enjoy fresh Epcot experiences including the latest Future World high-tech fun at Innoventions and the celebrated return of “Captain EO,” the classic musical 3-D production starring Michael Jackson in a rare big-screen performance. In World Showcase, new and recently updated restaurants welcome guests at the Italy, Japan, Mexico and China pavilions.
What’s Included with Epcot Admission:
Authentic Taste seminars and Authors Without Borders programs with special book signings at the Festival Center, Eat to the Beat! concerts, cultural adventures, Marketplace Discovery Passport and all attractions and park entertainment are included with regular Epcot admission.
Special Programming by Reservation:
The Party for the Senses grand tasting events and other special culinary and beverage programs require reservations and separate event admission. Beginning August 16 at 7 a.m. guests can call 407/WDW-FEST (939-3378) for information and to make reservations for special events and programs. Festival event updates and details will be posted at www.disneyworld.com/foodandwine.
What it’s called: Smoky Portobello Mushroom Soup
Where to find it –Artist Point at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
What is it? – Umm…heaven in a bowl? It’s a creamy, rich soup based around the earthy taste of portobello mushrooms and topped with chive oil and roasted bits of portobello that somehow, miraculously, taste just like bacon. No, really.
Why you want it – It’s one of the richest, creamiest soups you’ll ever taste. And no, it doesn’t matter if you’re not a mushroom fan (I’m not either). The rich taste of the soup will leave you scraping the bottom of the bowl and dreaming of it on cool, wintry evenings. It’s worth every calorie, trust me.
Norwegian architects and historians worked closely with Walt Disney Imagineers to intertwine the natural environment into the design of Epcot’s Norway Pavilion. Aged stone, stucco and wood surfaces enhance the rustic, earthy facades and create an authentic Guest experience. The plaza’s cobbled walkways and grass-covered roofs, like those of Alesund, Bergen, Oslo and the Setesdal Valley, center around a Stave church—or Stavkirke—a pagan building of worship once found in almost every Norwegian town and village. The twenty-eight still standing today are some of the oldest wooden structures in the world. Epcot’s version is a faithful reproduction of Hallingdal’s Gol Stave Church, right down to the use of dovetail joints and lack of iron nails that would rust in maritime air.
And of course, there’s the regal Akershus, modeled after the medieval castle by the same name located in Oslo. Built in 1299, the original castle was renovated in the mid-17th century, acquiring its present appearance. Epcot’s Akershus houses a Character dining experience, serving fine Norwegian fare to the Park’s young Princes and Princesses and their parents.
The nation’s seafaring heritage resonates throughout the Norway Pavilion. Guarding the north entry stands wreckage of a dragon-headed Norse ship (formerly a children’s play area) tucked into foliage. The vessel itself mimics the ones Guests board to ride the Maelstrom, one of only two rides on World Showcase. (Mexico hosts the other.) The Maelstrom boat ride through Norway’s folklore and culture is almost as exciting as the name suggests, boasting a backward drop over a waterfall, which was a unique feature at its debut, and a three-headed troll who protects the forest.
Trolls, very common in Scandinavian myths and tales, are hidden throughout the Pavilion. Do you like to find hidden Mickeys? Well, try finding the hidden trolls in Norway! According to Norwegian tradition, trolls vary in size and form. Some can have up to 9 heads! They are generally unpleasing to the eye, often big, hairy and slow. Any courageous and quick-witted human, they say, could easily outwit a troll. Trolls often live in mountains, under bridges or at the bottom of lakes. At one time, the Norway Pavilion was said to be inhabited by more than 20 trolls who hid well and often changed locales. Not to worry, though! All of Epcot’s trolls are friendly, and those that might be feisty turn to stone when exposed to sunlight.
Kids can take the magic home and create a troll pencil topper like this one using sculpting clay, beads and feathers. Simply insert a pencil eraser into a ball of softened sculpting clay and shape troll to your liking. Make him as cute or as ugly as you want by adding beads, feathers or other decorations. Remove from the pencil and set out to dry completely (follow directions on sculpting clay package). When the clay is set, replace on pencil to keep classmates from peeking at your homework!
*Author’s note: Our thoughts are with the people of Norway after the tragedies that have occurred there this week.*
Osceola County deputy sheriffs arrested 10 vendors Thursday and Friday on charges of re-selling tickets to Orlando-area theme parks.
The Sheriff’s Office conducts several joint undercover operations each year with investigators from Walt Disney World, Sea World and Universal Studios to stop vendors from selling cut-rate passes to tourists, records show.
Re-selling multi-day theme park passes has been illegal since 1988, when Disney asked Orlando-area legislators to make it a misdemeanor crime.
Ticket vendors along West U.S. Highway 192 in Osceola County openly advertise that they will buy unused portions of multi-day theme park passes from tourists heading home. Paying a few cents per dollar value on the passes, vendors then sell them at a profit to tourists willing to violate the law by buying the cut-rate tickets and try to fool theme parks’ fingerprint scanners.
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As I mentioned in last week’s Wednesday with Walt, Walt really enjoyed the quiet life in Palm Springs at Smoke Tree Ranch. He loved that easy, cowboy kind of life and since it was only a 20-minute plane ride from Los Angeles, he and his family visited their Palm Springs home often.
Even before they purchased their first home there, Walt visited the area many times. He loved being outdoors and he loved horseback riding. According to Frank Bogert, the former mayor of Palm Springs, it was Walt the horseman that drew him to the area in the first place. In an article in Palm Springs Life (Dec ‘97), Mr. Bogert said that “in 1936, he and Walt rode with the Rancheros, a riding group embarking on an annual mounted journey.” For 3 years, he and Walt were in the same camp during the horseback odyssey. He said, “when you camp with a guy, you really get to know him. Walt was the best.”
When Walt and Lily decided to buy a home there in 1948 some of the neighbors worried about what the arrival of the Beverly Hills famous would do to the landscape of their peaceful desert community, where nature was at its best and small animals scurried around in the rocks and cactus. They were surprised at how “normal” Walt was for being such a famous celebrity, and they really liked his friendly and unassuming manner.
Walt enjoyed a certain anonymity in Palm Springs. Everyone knew the name Walt Disney, but it wasn’t until he started appearing on television that people would begin to recognize his face. He was happy to live that way. From all I have ever read about Walt, he did not carry his celebrity status around with him like he was different from anyone else, he was just a regular guy.
Horseback riding wasn’t Walt’s only favorite past-time in Palm Springs. He also loved lawn bowling, a sport started in 1938. In fact, Walt was influential in getting the Smoke Tree Ranch bowling green started. Walt was hooked on playing and even entered local tournaments. According to his Palm Spring friend, Marjorie Merwin, he was as proud of those local trophies as he was of the army of Oscars he had won.
Even though he so enjoyed his Smoke Tree home, Walt would soon sell it to invest in Disneyland. In 1957, two years after Disneyland opened, Walt and Lily purchased their second Smoke Tree Ranch home. Walt had a sign-up sheet placed on the bulletin board at the Disney Studios, where employees could sign-up to use the Smoke Tree Ranch home whenever the Disney family wasn’t using it. He was happy to share this beautiful place with them.
Walt was so fond of his property at the Smoke Tree Ranch that he had the ranch’s brand embroidered on all of his neckties. When you are at Disneyland or Walt Disney World next time, get an up close and personal view of his neck tie on “The Partners” (the bronze sculpture of Walt standing next to Mickey Mouse which I have shown here) and you will clearly see the brand on Walt’s tie.
As fond as he was of Smoke Tree Ranch, the colonists were equally fond of him. In fact, Disney Hall still stands at Smoke Tree Ranch right next to the pool, facing the mountains and not far from the bowling green Walt helped to establish.
Last fall, guests at the Walt Disney World Resort chose Mickey’s “Spooktacular” In-Room Celebration as one of their favorite offerings from Disney Floral & Gifts. This experience begins when guests return to their resort room to find that Mickey Mouse has surprised them by placing a sash with Halloween accents and cobwebs on their room’s door. Once inside, they find a not-so-scary personalized Halloween celebration waiting for them.
This over-the-top celebration was so popular last year that it sold out before Halloween. Many guests said they enjoyed it because there was something in the experience that appealed to family members of all ages. They also felt like Mickey and Minnie had come to their room for a personalized “spooktacular” surprise just for them.
If you’re coming to Walt Disney World this fall, now’s the time to book this exclusive experience. It costs $375 and can be set up in any Walt Disney World resort room. You can book your Mickey’s Spooktacular Celebration here or call a Dream Maker at 407-WDW-GIFT.
Source Disney Parks Blog
The Walt Disney Studios is proud to announce the North American release of three films from India, Do Dooni Chaar, Once Upon A Warrior and Zokkomon, releasing on July 26. The movies will be released simultaneously on DVD, video-on-demand, and digital download and will be featured on iTunes – all on the same day.
Designed to expand the entertainment options of diverse cultural groups in North America, the movies feature some of the most recognizable local talent from each country of origin. The films are produced in local languages and will be subtitled in English.
DO DOONI CHAAR
DO DOONI CHAAR is a heart-warming comedy about the dreams and challenges of a middle-class family who take a chaotic journey to fulfill their dream of owning a car and discover the true meaning of family along the way. The film was written and directed by Habib Faisal (co-writer of “Salaam Namaste”) and features Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor, Aditi Vasudev, Archit Krishna, Akhilendra Mishra, Natasha Rastogi, Supriya Shukla, Mohit Chaddha and Avtar Sahni.
Format: DVD, Movie Download & On-Demand
Suggested Retail Price: 1-Disc DVD = $29.99 U.S./$35.99 Canada
HD Movie Download = $39.99 U.S/$44.99
SD Movie Download = $29.99 U.S./$35.99 Canada
On-Demand = please check with a local digital retailer
Run Time: 111 minutes
Languages: Hindi (subtitled in English)
ONCE UPON A WARRIOR
As the first ever Disney Telugu fantasy adventure, ONCE UPON A WARRIOR is about a swashbuckling warrior on an epic quest to save a mystical young girl from a wicked Queen in the ultimate battle between good and evil. In the tradition of “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Prince of Persia,” the film features an all-star cast including Siddharth, Shruti Haasan and Lakshmi Manchu. The background score is from Salim-Sulaiman and the Music Directors are Koti, Mickey J. Mayer, Salim-Sulaiman and M.M. Keeravani. The film is produced by Prasad Devinini, Prakash Kovelamudi and Written & Directed by Prakash Kovelamudi. K. Raghavendra Rao who has over 100 Telugu films among his credits, is also a producer.
Format: DVD, Movie Download & On-Demand
Suggested Retail Price: 1-Disc DVD = $29.99 U.S./$35.99 Canada
HD Movie Download = $39.99 U.S/$44.99
SD Movie Download = $29.99 U.S./$35.99 Canada
On-Demand = please check with a local digital retailer
Run Time: 133 minutes
Languages: Telugu (subtitled in English)
ZOKKOMON
Zokkomon is a thrilling Hindi action adventure film about an ordinary boy who overcomesextraordinary challenges to become a magical hero. The film had its World Premiere at the Indian Film Festival in Los Angeles and a limited theatrical release. Featuring well-known Indian stars Darsheel Safary and Anupam Kher (“Bend it Like Beckham”) the film features music by India’s most popular trio, Shankar Ehsaan Loy.
Format: DVD, Movie Download & On-Demand
Suggested Retail Price: 1-Disc DVD = $29.99 U.S./$35.99 Canada
HD Movie Download = $39.99 U.S/$44.99
SD Movie Download = $29.99 U.S./$35.99 Canada
On-Demand = please check with a local digital retailer
Run Time: 108 minutes
Languages: Hindi (subtitled in English)
Release Date: July 26, 2011
Where is it? All over Walt Disney World Resort. Most places that have an all you can eat breakfast has Mickey Mouse Waffles!
What is it? Waffle in the shape of our beloved Mickey Mouse!
Why you want it? Light and Fluffy Waffle sometimes dusted with Powdered Sugar or Coated with Maple Syrup.
Photo Credit: dolcedanielle via flickr
If you have a Disney Food Confession email [email protected]. Submit your photo with a ‘Where’, ‘What’, and ‘Why’
