Very Cool! Pirate Goofy is now doing a meet and greet in Advertureland at World Disney World. Video is from one of our favorite Disney Videographers Jeff Lang DVD
Aflac Celebrates Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 3 with Aflac Duck’s 50th TV Commercial
Aflac is collaborating with Disney*Pixar to create the Aflac Duck’s 50th television ad and to celebrate the Duck’s 10th birthday by reminding people that Aflac is there to help out when you need it most. The commercial is part of Aflac’s integrated marketing campaign with Disney*Pixar to promote Aflac together with the highly-anticipated release of Toy Story 3, a 3D comical adventure opening June 18, 2010.
The new TV commercial will feature the Aflac Duck with celebrated characters Woody, Buzz Lightyear and other familiar faces from the Toy Story franchise. The campaign will also include print ads in a popular magazine, online advertising, in cinema ads, social media, a consumer sweepstakes and a Toy Story 3 themed paint scheme for the No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion for the NASCAR race on June 20th in Sonoma, California.
Aflac is also sponsoring People en Espanol’s screening of Toy Story 3 in five key Hispanic markets and hosting a special screening of Toy Story 3 for the children at the Aflac Cancer Center in Atlanta, Ga.
Toy Story 3 welcomes Woody, Buzz and the whole gang back to the big screen as Andy prepares to depart for college and his loyal toys find themselves in… daycare. These untamed tots with their sticky little fingers do not play nice, so it’s all for one and one for all as plans for the great escape get underway. The new ad places the Aflac Duck in the daycare center with a narrator talking about how life can be rough from time to time and how Aflac is there to protect you.
“The Aflac Duck deserves a blockbuster for its 50th television ad that explains how Aflac is a vital part of any financial plan — and this summer nothing will be bigger than Toy Story 3,‘” Aflac Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Jeff Charney said. “Just like the toys at the daycare center discover, life can be unpredictable and we want people to know that when you are thrown for a loop Aflac’s policies can help keep you protected.”
The television commercial will begin airing nationally on May 17 on network and cable television. A print ad will appear in the July issue of Parents Magazine featuring the Aflac Duck with Toy Story 3 characters Woody and Buzz Lightyear with the message saying “Even the toughest of us can use a little extra protection.” Aflac will also place online banner ads on various websites and run in-cinema ads in theatres across the country.
Stitch Kingdom has the video up at Youtube already!!!
Check it out below:
Disney Prince of Persia Interactive Droid/iPhone Poster
This article comes to us from Ads of the World. It is really a cool idea, I would be interested to see if they could pull it off here in the states.
To announce the premiere of the latest box office hit ‘Prince of Persia, The sands of time’, Walt Disney launches the worlds first augmented reality outdoor campaign. Lucky users of Android- and iPhones who are standing near one of the outdoor film posters can play the movie trailer and play an augmented reality game just by using their Layar browser. They can collect 50 Movie Minute value points as a reward for playing the game.
The posters of the brand new Walt Disney movie ‘Prince of Persia’ are marked with special logo that explains that you can play a unique augmented reality game with the Layar browser that is available for Anroid- and iPhone. As soon as a person who is near one of the ‘Prince of Persia’ posters starts up the Layar browser on his smartphone a gps connection is made to locate his position and the augmented reality game for ‘Prince of Persia’ automatically appears in his screen.
The beautiful Tamina from the movie speaks to the player and explains to him that he should watch the trailer and immediately enter the augmented reality game to answer 3 questions. If the player can answer all questions correctly he has earned 50 Movie Minutes value points that can be used on movieminutes.com. (A dvd can already be purchased with 90 Movie Minutes.) The Layar also gives the player access to an augmented cinema locator to find the nearest cinema and the option to share the game with his social networks.
The campaign will be served widely on all major outdoor media networks of JCDecaux, CBS Outdoor, Hillenaar (Clearchannel), Brouwer & Partners in the Netherlands and on the locations of 100 cinemas across the country.
Guide to Planning Affordable Disney Vacations Step by Step
Nancy one of our talented writers and owner of Affordable Mouse has written a Free 50 Page guide to Planning Affordable Disney Vacations Step by Step.
If you, or someone you know is trying to plan a Disney vacation and save money…and doesn’t know where to start…this guide will be a great help! Over 50 pages…and the best part…it’s FREE! 🙂
Disney Picture of the Day – 70 Disney Villians
You might remember my last Picture of the Day by Juan Pablo Bravo who made the Pixar 100. If not check it out! His most recent accomplishment is a timeline of all the Disney Villians. He goes through the entire Disney history showing all the Villians and Henchman in a very cool poster.
I wish I could host the picture here because it is so cool but Flickr does alot better job.
Check out the Full Image here.
Disney’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is Resurfacing
Captain Nemo and his Nautilus are surfacing again.
Months after deep-sixing a McG-helmed version of “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” Disney is in negotiations with David Fincher to direct, and hot “Bourne Ultimatum” scribe Scott Z. Burns to write, a new take on the classic Jules Verne story.
The project came together after Fincher approached Disney’s new production head Sean Bailey a few weeks into his job this winter. The Oscar-nominated helmer wanted to tackle a four-quadrant tentpole movie, somewhat of a departure from the dark, R-rated dramas such as “Fight Club” and “Zodiac” (or even “Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) that he’s done in the past.
The project was being developed under the radar as Bailey settled into his position under new studio topper Rich Ross, then gained steam in the past few days with Fincher and Burns entering talks for deals.
Ask a Disney Question: Is Le Cellier really that popular?
This question comes from Robert, who writes:
“I have been trying to get a reservation at Le Cellier for over a month now for any evening over a four-day period, but to no avail. The reservation would be for late August. Is the restaurant that popular? I had no problems with first seating choice for California Grill and other very good locations?
Robert, this is probably my favorite question of all time because I feel your frustration! It’s true: Le Cellier is just that popular. I made my reservations for my October trip 180-days out and could not get a reservation for Le Cellier at 7:38 that morning. I know the exact time because I caught myself looking at the clock and thinking “Really? This early?”
There are three restaurants on Disney property that you should always book the morning your 180-day window opens up: Chef Mickey’s, Cinderella’s Royal Table, and Le Cellier. Only one of those restaurants, Le Cellier, has exemplary food. The other two are popular character dining experiences where the food, while acceptable, is a secondary consideration. Unfortunately, if you don’t plan your trips out that far in advance, you’re unlikely to get those reservations. Many guests encounter just this problem. It’s particularly frustrating if people are booking restaurants at the 180-day mark in anticipation of free dining being announced during their travel dates. The 180-day window really benefits repeat visitors who know the tricks and know to plan as far out as possible. While this generally works for a Disney-obsessed fan like me, I feel for those guests who aren’t aware of how the reservation system works.
Le Cellier is one of the hardest reservations to get at Walt Disney World for several reasons. For one, the food is pretty good, but it’s also a good bargain for your dining plan buck, requiring only one table service credit. Another reason is that it’s a small dining room, so they’re simply unable to seat enough people to meet the demand. Right now Disney is adding more seats to the Mexican pavilion, a pavilion, I might add, which is frequently disparaged for its food. Those of us who’ve tried in vain to get a reservation at Le Cellier just scratched our heads and wondered why those seats weren’t added to the Canadian Pavilion instead. Finally, you can’t discount word of mouth on Disney message boards where Disney foodies sing its praises. People who read Disney message boards are also the same people who are the most likely to make their ADRs at the 180-mark, so what gets said on those boards is very important. Is it overhyped or is it really that good? Only you can judge.
Late August is usually a slower time, so you may be able to get a walk-up reservation. The only problem is that it’s also free dining during that time, so most restaurants will be full. The good news is that you have a reservation at the California Grill, hands down one of the best restaurants in Central Florida, with inventive food and a gorgeous view.
If you’d like to see up-to-date Disney menus, check out All Ears and WDWInfo. For reviews and great food discussions, we go to The Disney Food Blog, one of our favorite sources for all things Disney food.
Good luck and thanks for reading Chip and Co. Keep us posted. I’d love to hear if you get your reservation and if so, if you thought Le Cellier lived up to its reputation.
Have a Disney question? We’ve got answers! Write us at Chip and Co. We answer every question.
Photo from Darren Wittko’s photostream, Flickr.
Epcot’s Le Cellier Steakhouse restaurant rumored to upgrade to Signature Dining
According to an interesting article from Debra Peterson a writer for the Examiner it seems that Disney might be changing over the way we dine at Le Cellier Steakhouse at the Walt Disney World Resort:
Epcot’s Le Cellier Steakhouse, one of Walt Disney World’s most popular table-service restaurants may be undergoing significant changes in its operation, transitioning to a Signature Dining sometime in fall 2010 or early 2011.
According to a rumor circulating on the discussion forums of The DIS, one of the largest and longest-running of the Disney fan websites, Le Cellier staff has been informed that the restaurant will be upgraded to Signature Restaurant status as early as September 2010. This information and its source were treated as credible enough for The DIS to send a Twitter link to the discussion on May 14, 2010.
If Le Cellier does indeed shift to a Disney Signature Dining experience, the restaurant will likely undergo several changes that may affect Disney guests’ dining plans. The most obvious change would be increased prices. Signature Dining restaurants are, on average, more expensive than other table-service restaurants, a change which would affect both guests paying “out of pocket” (for each meal individually) and those participating in the pre-paid Disney Dining Plan (DDP); Signature Dining experiences on the DDP require two table-service credits rather than one.
If Le Cellier Steakhouse did upgrade to a Signature Dining experience, there would likely be other changes to align it with other restaurants with the same designation. A menu redesign would take place, with new dishes reflecting the price increases mentioned above. Also, Le Cellier might shift to accommodate fewer tables; Disney’s Signature Dining restaurants tend to offer guests an intimate, exclusive dining experience – though Le Cellier is already a relatively small restaurant.
Click here to keep reading this great article from Debra at the Examiner.
Stay tuned for more information as well as the Official Word from Disney.
Disney Channel Dish: Sterling Knight.
Many of you have been asking about who Sterling Knight is. Sterling, who was born on March 5, 1989, costars alongside Demi Lovato on Sonny with a Chance as Chad Dylan Cooper, a dramatic teen actor with a massive ego whose show Mackenzie Falls is in a TV war against the comedic So Random as the best TV show among teens and tweens.
Chad develops a love/hate relationship with Sonny, as they always try to pursuade one another that they can’t stand each other, but on occasion they share some special moments.
Sonny sets up a prom for the entire TV studio and when things don’t turn out as planned, Chad comes in as Sonny’s unexpected Prince Charming and they share a dance complete with iPod earphones.
Sterling is also the lead character in the Disney Channel movie Starstruck, as a very famous teen rock star who has multiple, unexpected run-ins with an obsessed fan and by hanging out with her, finds he has more fun living a “normal” life style than the rock star life with his pictures plastered around the country.
Just like Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato, Sterling was born and raised in Texas. Sterling has a younger brother and sister, Scarlet and Spencer. No word on whether or not Sterling has a girlfriend, but rumor has it he had a major crush on Star Struck co-star Danielle Campbell (who played Jessica). He’ll play Ty Parker in an upcoming movie entitled Elle: A Modern Cinderella Tale.
Want to know more about Sterling? Check out these websites:
Sterlingknight.net (not an official site, but a really good fansite).
Official Disney/Sonny with a Chance website.
If you want to follow Sterling on Twitter, you can do so here; there are several people on Twitter who claim to be Sterling, but this is apparently the real thing.
Fantasyland Construction Progress in Walt Disney World
Fantasyland Construction Progress in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom by Lou Mongello from WDW Radio – Your Walt Disney World Information Station.
Disney 2010 Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend Party
FINISH LINE PARTY – EXCLUSIVE AFTER HOURS EPCOT INTERNATIONAL – FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL
Saturday, October 2, 10:30 p.m. – Sunday, October 3, 2010, 3:00 a.m.
A ticket to the party is included in half marathon and half marathon relay entry fees. Tickets for friends and family are now available for purchase by calling 407-WDW-IRUN! Make your reservations today!
The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is an autumn special event that transforms Epcot® theme park into a food and wine lover’s paradise with specialty food items, culinary events, wine seminars and live musical entertainment.
More than 25 international marketplace kiosks are serving up tapas-sized portions of regional specialties. Explore countries on 6 continents through their most mouthwatering foods and beverages!
Runners participating in Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon will have exclusive access to an after-hours Epcot International Food & Wine Festival included with their race entry.
Spectators will be able to purchase a specially priced event ticket that will allow them access into the exclusive after-hours party to celebrate with their runner at the festival. Spectators can enter Epcot® at 10:30 p.m.
Your Finish Line Party Ticket includes:
- Entrance into the Exclusive After-Hours Epcot International Food & Wine Festival
- One (1) Complimentary “Taste” and One (1) Complimentary “Sip” at the Finish Line Party
ALL spectators are required to purchase a Finish Line Party Ticket in order to to attend the Exclusive After-Hours Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. This is a specially ticketed event and requires a separate ticket. Annual Passes and Cast Member entrance are not valid for this special event.
*Limited country pavilions, entertainment and attractions will be available due to Epcot® closing at 9 p.m. for day guests.
All event information is subject to change.
Disney Week in Review – May 9th – May 16th
Welcome to the Disney Week in Review. I hope you have a great week. Thanks so much for making Chip and Co part of your week.
Here is some very interesting Disney News, Food and Views from around the interwebs:
AJ at the Disney Food Blog shares with us a very cool invention from Coca-Cola. The Coolest Coke Machine You’ve Ever Seen is one article and video you will want to check out.
Jerry at Disney 4 Dad’s shows us A Must have Item For Your Next Camping Trip To Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, along with how to make a Low Country Boil which is similar to a Clam Bake.
Kristin at Couponing for Disney shares with us so many ways to save for that Disney Trip. One of my favorites this week is the Free ice cream from Haagan – Dazs on May 18th!
One of our local friends Jamie at Only WDWorld shares this week a great review of Sanaa at Disney Animal Kingdom.
Finally one of our writers Nancy was blogging on her main site The Affordable Mouse this week and she shared about a great topic Affordable Disney Vacation Souvenirs: Discover Pin Collecting!
I am so blessed to have such great writers and friends here on Chip and Company! Here is a review of a few articles you may have missed from Chip and Co this past week:
News
Now Showing – Camp Rock 2 “It’s On” Music Video
Disney Souvenir Shopping with Kids
Disney’s Escape to a New You Sweepstakes
Disneyland & Disneyworld Star Tours set to close early
Rayovac Powers Your Disney Vacation – Magic Wand Sweepstakes
Disney says Go Go Power Rangers…No Seriously Go..
Food
Top Eats: Counter Service Dining by Chris
Good Eats – Chef Mickey’s, Walt Disney World
Disney Food Confession – Dole Whip Float
Disney’s California Grill Celebrates 15th Anniversary
Disney Recipes – Make your own Mickey Mouse Waffles
Top Eats – Disneyworld Character Dining Restaurants by Chip
Views
“Disney Parks” DVD Collection Giveaway
Ask a Disney Question: Does Disney do anything special for Honeymooners?
Why Fort Wilderness is better than the other resorts for the Disney Dad.
Disney Channel Dish – Demi Lovato
Buyer Beware: Discount Disney Tickets 411
Ask a Disney Question: Where can you eat and watch fireworks?
Thanks for checking us out and have a great week!
>>Chip