Special Events at Walt Disney World.
Walt Disney World – What Will You Celebrate in 2009?
What will you celebrate in 2009?
Disney’s California Adventure – California Screamin Ride along
A front view of california screamin at night in HD.
A front view of california screamin at daytime in HD.
Disney unveils Castaway Cay additions
Disney Cruise Line is preparing for a population surge on its private island.
The upcoming doubling of its fleet entails bigger ships and thus more passengers waiting to play for a day on the shores of its 1,000-acre resort.
The expansion plan calls for more than just setting out hundreds of additional lounge chairs and extending the dock.
“We’re out here undertaking the improvements for the new ships,” says Mark Cole of Walt Disney Imagineering. “There’s no reason we shouldn’t step back and say ‘What opportunity do we have to make this one of the most magical experiences at sea?'”
Among the amenities on tap for Castaway Cay: an expanded family beach, more water-based recreation, more convenient eating options and 20 private cabanas — from which guests literally can flag down a bartender.
Rob Zombie wants to direct Pirates 4…?
Walt Disney Pictures is moving forward with a fourth “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie that will focus on Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) searching for the fountain of youth.
Gore Verbinski will not return to direct the new film, so Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer had to search for his replacement. Last we heard, Rob Marshall (Chicago, Nine) was in negotiations.
Now, director Rob Zombie (Halloween) has revealed to MTV News that he would be interested in directing the new “Pirates of the Caribbean” installment. “I would love to make a pirate movie,” he said. “I actually tried pitching a pirate movie way before ‘Pirates of the Caribbean,’ and everyone was like, ‘Pirate movies don’t work.’”
Since Marshall has not been officially hired yet, should Disney consider Zombie for the job?
Disney Pixar’s Newt Movie Pushed Back to 2012
Summer 2011: Newt marks the directing debut of multiple Academy Award winning sound designer Gary Rydstrom, who made his Pixar debut with the short film Lifted, which premiered in front of Ratatouille.
What happens when the last remaining male and female blue-footed newts on the planet are forced together by science to save the species, and they can’t stand each other?
Newt and Brooke embark on a perilous, unpredictable adventure and discover that finding a mate never goes as planned, even when you only have one choice. Love, it turns out, is not a science. Will be released in Disney Digital 3-D
Robin Williams in Disney’s ‘Wedding Banned’
Robin Williams is plotting to run down the aisle for Disney, signing on to star in “Wedding Banned” for Touchstone Pictures.
In the comedy, Williams will play one-half of a long-divorced couple who kidnap their daughter on her wedding day in order to keep her from making a mistake. The divorced parents rekindle their relationship as they elude cops and the angry groom.
Deal quickly pairs up Williams again with Disney after making the comedy “Old Dogs,” which bows Nov. 25 and also stars John Travolta.
The Mouse House picked up the “Wedding” script from Jack Amiel and Michael Begler last summer for Mandeville’s David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman to produce.
Nicole Rocklin and Blye Faust, who developed the script with its scribes, also serve as producers on the pic. Amiel and Begler also penned the comedies “Raising Helen” and “The Shaggy Dog” for Mandeville.
Mandeville most recently produced pic “The Proposal” and the upcoming “Surrogates” for Touchstone, and “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” for Disney before that. It’s currently in production on Paramount’s boxing drama “The Fighter.”
The Bear and the Bow – Disney Pixar Movie
The Bear and the Bow is an upcoming film and will be Pixar Animation Studios‘ 13th animated feature film. The film will be directed by Brenda Chapman, produced by Katherine Sarafian and features the voices of Reese Witherspoon, Billy Connolly and Emma Thompson. The film will be released during the Christmas season of 2011.
As described in the Disney press release:
A rugged and mythic Scotland is the setting for Pixar’s action-adventure “The Bear and the Bow.” The impetuous, tangle-haired Merida, though a daughter of royalty, would prefer to make her mark as a great archer. A clash of wills with her mother compels Merida to make a reckless choice, which unleashes unintended peril on her father’s kingdom and her mother’s life. Merida struggles with the unpredictable forces of nature, magic and a dark, ancient curse to set things right. Director Brenda Chapman (“The Prince of Egypt,” “The Lion King“) and the storytelling wizards of Pixar conjure humor, fantasy and excitement in this rich Highland tale.
Philly Mom In Disney World – Kidnap Hoax Gets 9 to 23 Months
Bonnie Sweeten Sentenced to Prison Time for Faking Abduction That Sparked National Search
Suburban Philadelphia mom Bonnie Sweeten was sentenced to nine to 23 months in prison for filing a false kidnapping report and then fleeing to Disney World with her daughter to avoid arrest.
Sweeten, 38, called 911 and told operators that she had been carjacked by two black men. Her call led to a national search that involved everyone from the FBI to Disney World security and led to a public outcry when it was revealed to be a hoax.
The PTA mom and paralegal was being investigated for financial misdeeds, including the possible theft of $280,000 from her ex-husband’s grandfather. She and her second husband, Larry Sweeten, had spent a small fortune on fertility treatments.
Luxo Jr included in Pixar “Up” Special Edition
Remember Luxo Jr, the Pixar short which managed to make an anglepoise lamp into an unbelievably cute cartoon character? Now you can own one.
The Up – Limited Edition Luxo Jr. Lamp Pack is in fact an attempt to convince you to buy a Blu-ray copy of Pixar and Disney’s Up, which comes in the box along with a DVD copy and a digital version. But we know what the main attraction is here, and it’s the little limited-edition lamp. This should really be sold seperately, but as it is you’ll have to pay $200, or $140 if you grab it from Amazon.
Product page [Amazon via Uncrate]
Disney Cruise Line Expansion Underway
Disney Dream is underway. Disney Cruise Line celebrated the keel laying of the ship, the first of two newly-designed vessels which will expand the Dinsey fleet to four ships, at the Meyer Werft shipyard.
“Our fleet expansion will allow us to satisfy demand on both the East and West coasts of the United States while also giving us the flexibility to explore additional global destinations for our guests,” said Disney Cruise Line President Karl Holz.
Disney Dream is scheduled to join the fleet in 2011 and be followed by Disney Fantasy in 2012. The two new ocean liners will more than double the capacity of Disney Cruise Line, each having 1,250 staterooms.
Both new ocean liners will homeport at Port Canaveral, where expansion efforts are underway to accommodate the larger ships and additional guests.
Disney Cruise Line also recently announced that the Disney Wonder will operate from the Port of Los Angeles starting in 2011.
In addition to the new ships, Disney Magic will once again sail the Mediterranean region during the summer of 2010. In addition to Spain, Italy and France, the ship will visit Tunis, in Northern Africa.
Inside Walt Disney Imagineering Video
Walt Disney Imagineering is the master planning, creative development, design, engineering, production, project management, and research and development arm of The Walt Disney Company and its affiliates. Representing more than 140 disciplines, its talented corps of Imagineers is responsible for the creation of Disney resorts, theme parks and attractions, hotels, water parks, regional entertainment venues, cruise ships and new media technology projects.