As we are all thinking of New Years resolutions, a new survey shows almost 60% of Americans plan to give back by volunteering in 2010. In order to inspire one million people to lend a hand in 2010, Disney Parks is partnering with HandsOn Network in an unprecedented effort to inspire volunteerism with the Give A Day, Get A Disney Day program. Learn how you can volunteer at http://www.DisneyParks.com
I love classic disney articles and photos. This one takes me back when I was in middle school in PA. I remember hearing about this because Niagara was only a few hours away.
In 1988 the Company celebrated Mickey’s 60th birthday with a brand new hot air balloon that made appearances and flights throughout the country. One of the highlights of that celebration was the balloon flight over Niagara Falls, an event I will never forget.
Birthday Mickey was launched early that morning from a schoolyard on the Canadian side, and I was in a helicopter that had been granted special permission to fly low, documenting the flight of the balloon. The wind was brisk, and there was tremendous excitement surrounding what was to be a remarkable adventure.
As balloon pilots David Justice and Bob Carlton flew over Horseshoe Falls and dipped low into the river gorge, they were hanging off the gondola, waving their arms and celebrating every second! They landed safely a few miles downstream on a golf course, creating quite a stir among the warmly dressed golfers who could barely believe their eyes.
The photo of Mickey going over the falls was widely published around the world.
We’ve talked about some of the new, exciting attractions and experiences coming to Disney’s California Adventure park here on the Disney Parks Blog. There are so many fun changes ahead – how can you keep track? Here’s a 4-minute video to get you started and to help give you an overview. As you’ll see, these changes are bringing more Disney into the park and will give you even more to do. We’ll be posting many videos in the coming months to keep you in the loop, and you can always check www.DisneysCaliforniaAdventure.com if you’re looking for more information about a specific attraction you see in the video below.
Picture from travelerfolio.com
Here is a behind the scenes look at the movie. Be sure to check out the trailer in the related post section below.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YqNItfBFL4[/youtube]
PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME hits theaters on May 28th, 2010.
Every year around the first of the year Disney shares with us a tradition, a rate increase on tickets. So far no news as of yet if there will be a rate increase. If you remember Disney raised its ticket prices on both coasts back in August:
Disneyland Resort: Single Day/Single Park tickets will increase by $3 to $72 per Adult and $62 per Child; Premium Annual passes are up $40 to $429; Deluxe Annual Pass is up $20 to $298; Southern California Annual pass is up $20 to $194; and Southern California Select Annual pass is up $10 to $144.
Walt Disney World: 1 Day Base Ticket will increase $4 to $79 per Adult and $5 to $68 per Child; Magic Your Way tickets with 4 days or more will see the smallest percentage in increase; Both the Park Hopping and the Water Parks Fun & More options will increase to a flat rate of $52 (up $2)
Actually after posting an article I found earlier about Disney scaling back it’s theme park discounts they went ahead and released the Gift Card promotion just a few months later. DOH! I am not sure what is going on down at Walt Disney Co, I think all businesses even Disney is struggling in this lousy economy.
On a more encouraging note the Give a Day, Get a Day is off to a tremendous start! The website was so flooded with people wanting to sign up they crashed the server. Be sure to take advantage of that and give back to the people in your community.
Be sure to keep checking back with us as new Deals and Offers become available I will have them posted! As always we will continue to monitor the Disney News, cause we are your Disney Detectives.
Lori MacPherson has been upped to EVP, GM of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.
MacPherson reports directly to Bob Chapek, president of distribution at The Walt Disney Studios, who made the announcement. Chapek said the veteran studio executive will be responsible for the worldwide strategic product management, sales and distribution of Disney packaged media and digital sellthrough content, including animated and live-action motion pictures, Touchstone and Disney Channel movies, as well as Preschool, Baby Einstein and ABC television home entertainment products.
The 18-year Disney executive earned kudos for helping Disney’s home entertainment unit set record sales performances for popular live-action franchises “Pirates of the Caribbean†and “National Treasure,†the direct-to-video “Tinker Bell†and “Buddies†series, top family titles such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Wall-E and Bolt, and popular TV DVD titles such as “Lost,†“High School Musical†and “Grey’s Anatomy.â€
MacPherson was named in Home Media Magazine’s “Women of Home Entertainment†issue for four consecutive years.
“Lori MacPherson’s formidable talents and abilities have been key in guiding our business in North America,†Chapek said. “Her tremendous leadership and strategic contributions will be critical to our continued success and advancements in the global marketplace.â€
Source
Picture WDW Daily News
If you’d like to invite your friends or family to your home for a Big Game bash, but you just don’t have the equipment to see the game at its best, Disney could help if you enter their Big Game Bash Sweepstakes.
The grand prize includes a Sanyo 46″ Full HD LCD, a year’s supply of UTZ snacks, and an ESPN Zone prize package, giving you everything you need for a great game party. The prize is worth about $1,300.
Entry into the Big Game Bash Sweepstakes is open to US residents aged 18 and above. Enter daily through January 15, 2010.
More than 200,000 Safety 1st Disney Care Center Play Yards and Eddie Bauer Complete Care Play Yards have been recalled due to defects which could cause an uneven sleeping surface in the bassinet, posing a risk of suffocation for infants.
The play yard recall was announced on December 30 by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Dorel Juvenile Group, Inc., the manufacturer. This is the second Dorel play yard recall in less than a year.
The CPSC indicates that a metal bar supporting the floorboard can come out of a fabric sleeve, causing the sleeping surface of the play yard to become uneven. Although no injuries have been reported in connection with the defective play yards, this could lead to suffocation or asphyxiation for infants sleeping in the bassinet attachment sold with the play yard.
The Dorel play yards, which are also commonly referred to as play pens or pack and plays, were sold under the Safety 1st Disney Care Center and Eddie Bauer Complete Care labels. They are sold with the bassinet attachment and a built-in changing table. The recall includes the following model numbers: 05025, 05026, 05037, 05088 and 05350. The model number can be found on a sticker on the support legs underneath the play yard.
The play yards were sold at Babies R’ Us, Target, and Wal-Mart between January 2007 and October 2009 for between $100 and $130.
In May 2009, the CPSC recalled another 76,600 Dorel play yards, also for suffocation risk. The play yards were sold as Eddie Bauer Sooth and Sway Play Yards. In that recall, the bassinet, which rocked, was determined to be a suffocation hazard after at least 10 reports of infants rolling to one side of the sleeping surface when it became tilted, which could have caused them to suffocate. In one case, a child was reportedly purple and out of breath when rescued.
The CPSC recommends that anyone who owns one of the recalled play yards should immediately stop using the bassinet and contact Dorel for a free repair kit and installation instructions.
Disney’s newest Disney Channel Original Movie Starstruck stars Sterling Knight from the Disney Channel Original Series Sonny With A Chance.
Great article from the Orlando Sentinel about the over 4 million people who signed up for the Free Birthday promotion Disney ran last year:
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts says approximately 4 million people registered online for free theme-park tickets in 2009 as part of the company’s “Free on Your Birthday” marketing campaign.
It’s unclear exactly how many of those people actually picked up and used their tickets. But Disney said in September that the redemption rate was running around 30 percent.
That implies that Walt Disney World and Disneyland ultimately gave away about 1.2 million free tickets for the year.
The birthday promotion ended Dec. 31. Disney has replaced it this year with its “Give a Day, Get a Day” campaign, in which people who volunteer for a day of community service can get a free theme park ticket.
The “Give a Day” promotion will continue until Dec. 15 or until 1 million free tickets have been distributed.
Picture above: At Disney World, Seattle resident Andrew DaCosta was the first person in the nation to receive free admission to a Disney theme park on a birthday. (PRESTON MACK, WALT DISNEY WORLD / January 1, 2009)
Could you imagine hanging out in your front yard and watching these fireworks? I know while it seems cool I would not want to live next to Disneyworld..
The Magic Kingdom presented the Fantasy in the Sky fireworks to ring in the new year of 2010. The finale features fireworks exploding all around the park. But you can see them all from one view behind the Magic Kingdom.
Join friends, family and neighbors of a housing subdivision located behind the Disney theme park as they enjoy the show from their street.
A sad article from the Orlando Sentinel, I wish I could have been able to see this. It looks like it would have been great! Maybe someone will make a petition and Disney will bring it back:
Stopped by the Magic Kingdom today for the final day of “Tiana’s Showboat Jublilee†peformances, and caught the next-to-last jubilee.
The show has clearly struck a chord with guests; many were obviously return visitors as they had their viewing route planned ahead of time, were singing along with the songs, etc.
Of course, there were plenty of cast members in attendance, as they usually turn out to support their colleagues on opening and closing days. But these cast members seemed to be there more the fun than any sense of obligation. Three working cast members were performing an impromptu jazz-square routine to “Gonna Take You There†as the boat pulled out. (As High School Musical’s Ryan would say: “Everyone loves a good jazz square.â€)
The “Jubilee†cast were also workin’ it — but I never saw a performance in which they weren’t giving their all.
I’ve stayed out of the which-is-better debate on the Disneyland (live singing) vs. Disney World (prerecorded music) versions of the show, because I like them both. But I will say that one advantage to employing character performers, as opposed to singers, is that they can MOVE. Sunday afternoon, Tiana and Prince Naveen were gettin’ down — and looked like they were having a ball.
So was the crowd. Walt Disney World survey takers have told me the show gets uniform positive reaction, so who knows? Maybe it will be brought back at some point — DVD release?
In the meantime, a cast member told me this weekend she had heard that the show was going to Disneyland Paris, and Disney World’s costumes would be sent over.
But another cast member told me she had heard that most of the current cast were young adults on Disney’s College Program who were returning to school, and rumor had it when they trained new performers, the show would be brought back.
Regardless, here’s a mighty shout-out to the talented folks who brought us “Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee.†See y’all down the bayou.
Photo/TheDailyDisney
