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Disney Pic of the Day – Hilary Swank
Hilary Swank & Goofy
Hilary Swank takes her boyfriend (and longtime agent) John Campisi to meet Goofy outside Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle at Disneyland on Saturday (November 21) in Anaheim, Calif.
Read more: http://justjared.buzznet.com/2009/11/21/hilary-swank-john-campisi-goofy-group/#ixzz0XdXL86R4
Aeroplan Canada – Enter to win 1 of 3 Celebration Vacations for 4 to the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida
ENTER HERE once for your chance to win 1 of 3 Celebration Vacations for 4 to Walt Disney World Resort in sunny Florida! Must be a Aeroplan member to enter. Contest closes on November 25,2009
Hidden Mickeys Take to the High Seas
First Field Guide for the Disney Cruise Line
While Mickey Mouse has grown to be one of the twentieth century’s most recognizable icons, it is often forgotten that the first appearance of the character was at the helm of a riverboat in Steamboat Willie. Not surprising, then, that Mickey has stowed away on the Disney Cruise Line – in over a hundred places.
Steve Barrett, the author of the popular Hidden Mickeys series of books, has taken his quest for the mischievous mouse out to sea: Yes, it appears that Disney’s ships are nearly as packed with images of Mickey as Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts. Barrett’s newest book, Hidden Mickeys Go to Sea: A Field Guide to the Disney Cruise Line’s Best Kept Secrets (The Intrepid Traveler, $6.95), leads cruise passengers to their hiding places.
Another corner of the Disney universe has yielded its secrets to Barrett, aka Mr. Hidden Mickey in some fan circles. But where did these images come from? The expert explains:
“I believe that most of the Hidden Mickeys on the Disney cruise ships were present from the initial ship construction. Some of these images are probably accidental, especially some of the classic, three-circle images, but others (such as the large classic Mickey on the bow of each ship) are purposeful. Disney often adds new images when ship areas are refurbished.â€
Barrett has visited the parks regularly for over twenty years – and he’s no stranger to the more recent cruise ships, either, having even hosted a cruise with fellow überfan Deb Wills, founder of the website AllEars.net. According to Barrett, there has been no shortage of interest in the addictive hunt on the cruise ships, something he witnessed first hand while leading groups of devotees on the chase.
“Other guests on the Disney Magic would at times show curiosity and interest, and our groups were able to educate them about the Hidden Mickey phenomenon. Hidden Mickey mania is definitely contagious, on the ships as well as on land.â€
Hidden Mickeys Go to Sea is Barrett’s third field guide to the phenomenon. The first, Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World’s Best Kept Secrets, came out in 2003 and was an instant hit with Disney World Hidden Mickey fans, who, prior to its publication, depended on word of mouth and loose sheaves of printed lists from other Hidden Mickey fans to spot their quarry. Barrett followed it with Disneyland’s Hidden Mickeys in 2007 and both guides have just come out in new editions.
The cruise ships are a different sort of experience from the theme parks, and this difference also applies to the experience of looking for Hidden Mickeys. Barrett notes, “One difference that’s helpful to the Hidden Mickey hunter is that the scavenger hunts on the ships and Castaway Cay can be accomplished leisurely. The cruise ship Hidden Mickeys can be located at the guest’s personal pace. Take as much time as you want on the ships and the island; there’s no rush to find Mickey! You’re not in line or on a ride.â€
The maritime installment in the series preserves many of the features that have made the other guides such a fun-filled success. It’s set up as a series of scavenger hunts, with “Clues†to get you going and “Hints†in case you get stuck. There is a hunt for the Disney Magic, a hunt for the Disney Wonder, and one for Castaway Cay. With over one hundred Mickeys in hiding, fans should find plenty in their leisure hours on the ships, and families will have a great activity to share. Mom, Dad, and the Kids can even compete with one another for points.
While Barrett may be the best known expert on Hidden Mickeys, he doesn’t do his work alone. The book, like the others in the series, acknowledges everyone who contributed their shipboard findings to his website, www.HiddenMickeysGuide.com.
Hidden Mickeys Go to Sea: A Field Guide to the Disney Cruise Line’s Best Kept Secrets is available in bookstores nationwide, from online bookstores, or by visiting: www.IntrepidTraveler.com/store/disney-books.html
High Lead Levels Found in Barbie & Disney Toys
Shades of 2007, as lead-contaminated toys have been discovered by a California advocacy group. To make matters worse, the lead was found in two children’s favorites: Barbie and Disney toys.
The Center for Environmental Health tested about 250 children’s products purchased at major retailers and found lead levels that exceeded federal limits in seven of them. You may recall the 2007 toy recalls, several of which involved Chinese-manufactured toys with lead paint.
The retailers involved include high-profile and high-volume retailers Target and Wal-Mart. They weren’t alone, though; other retailers were included in letters sent by California Attorney General Jerry Brown warning that children’s goods on their store shelves were found to contain illegal levels of lead and should be pulled immediately.
Among those toys found to have high lead levels: a Barbie Bike Flair Accessory Kit and a Disney Tinkerbell Water Lily necklace. The group said it also found excessive lead in a Dora the Explorer Activity Tote, a boys belt, two pairs of children’s shoes, and a kids’ poncho.
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The Shaw/Tuftex Fall Sweepstakes 2009
Enter Shaw’s Tuftex Fall 2009 Sweepstakes for your chance to win $10,000 or hundreds of other prizes like Disney gift certificates worth up to $500, movie passes, and Disney toys. Canadians are eligible to enter, but they have a separate link; select the Canadian flag on the sweepstakes’ banner to enter through the Canadian link.
Entry Frequency: 1 x daily per person
End Date: December 11, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. CT
Eligibility: USA and Canada (-PQ), 18+
Click the picture above to enter
Captain Nemo: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea goes down the drain
In one of his first major creative moves as Walt Disney Studios’ new movie chief, Rich Ross has made the costly decision to pull the plug on the planned $150-million production of “Captain Nemo: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” — the last project approved by his predecessor, Dick Cook.
The movie — which was a high-priority project for Disney and envisioned as a potential franchise along the lines of the “Pirates of The Caribbean” series — was scheduled to begin shooting in February in Mexico. Disney had already spent millions of dollars hiring crews and building elaborate sets in Rosarito Beach, which will now have to be struck and workers laid off. The studio will also be shutting down the film’s production offices on the Burbank lot, where dozens of people were doing prep work for the movie.
Just a few weeks ago, Disney spent generously to hire writer Michael Chabon to quickly rewrite the script. The studio had recruited Chabon, author of “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay,” to rework “Nemo” after he had recently written a draft of its forthcoming production “John Carter of Mars,” the first live-action film to be directed by Pixar Animation Studios director Andrew Stanton.
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