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| Hello everyone,
This week has actually been quite a news filled week for a change!
Disneyland Resort in California has been at the forefront of most of the news, so let's start there. On the 12th March, the brand new Fantasy Faire area officially opened to all guests. We have all talked about this a lot recently, but now it's officially open, and it seems to be really popular. Disneyland did an excellent job of it, and we can't wait to see it it in May!
The Disney Parks Blog also announced that the new Mickey and the Magical Map show at the Fantasyland Theatre will debut on May 25th. We will miss this by a few days, sadly, but plan to be back in DL in the summer, so we cannot wait to see it! Much to my happiness, it sounds like it will have Stitch in it too!
Apparently it will feature entertainment at both parks at the Resort, including one in DL that will feature Hercules! Hercules is a very rare character indeed, and it will be the first time outside of Tokyo DisneySea that he has met guests in a very long time.
Over in WDW, not strictly character related, but worth a mention; the design for this year's Star Wars Weekends logo has been released, which features Chip and Dale as Ewoks - my favourite Star Wars characters! We hope to be able to attend SWW this year, and so we look forward to seeing which characters will be out... Maybe even Ewok Chip and Dale? Of course that's my own speculation, but that would be very cool indeed!
There will also be a new "nighttime" parade, although details were sketchy, we can hope that it'll be an electrical parade? Again, that'll bring more characters to the park, even if it is just for a parade. Whilst I mention Mystic Point, HKDL are pretty good with their themed characters, and having characters in special outfits in the different lands, which makes me wonder who might appear once Mystic Point opens in May? I guess we'll find out soon enough!
At Disneyland Paris, we have heard from various contacts that for the 20th Anniversary Extension (which runs past the end of April, through to the end of September this year), will include some minor day parade changes. Tiana and Naveen are likely to be replaced with Belle and Prince Adam, and Pluto will finally return to the day parade, having been absent since last year. He will now walk in front of the Mickey and Friends finale float, with Goofy who is being demoted down from the float to the ground. I have also heard that the music will be altered slightly, but from September (not April), but I have yet to get proper confirmation of this. I'll let you all know when I hear for sure.
Finally, here at Character Central we launched the first of our brand new Trip Planners. Covering pretty much anything you could possibly imagine about planning a trip, and tips and advice for while you're on your trip (complete with tons of useful links), the new Planners are an EXCELLENT resource, and we are proud to say that they are the first of their kind anywhere! The first one is for Tokyo Disney Resort, and we will gradually be adding the other Disney Parks, with Hong Kong being the next one, hopefully in the next week to ten days. So check it out and let us know what you think!
Ok, I think that's everything for now,
Dan. |
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| Hello everyone,
It is with great pride that I now present to you for the first time, our BRAND NEW excellent in-depth Tokyo Disney Resort Trip Planner! It is the first in a series of brand new pages that will cover all five Disney Resorts around the world. Everything from booking flights, hotels, dining recommendations and even where to get free wifi is covered! A MUST for anyone planning a trip to Tokyo Disney Resort!
The page includes MANY links which can be accessed under each section, as well as a wealth of information relating to pretty much anything you could imagine!
We really have out everything we had into this new chapter of the website, and I hope that you really find it very useful.
We are in the process of creating the next Trip Planner, which will be for Hong Kong Disneyland, and hope to have that up in the next 2 weeks.
If you have any comments, suggestions or questions, you can hit the blue title bar above, then click the 'Discuss' button that will appear under this article.
Dan. |
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 | Time to spring forward! | |
| PeterPanFan
Saturday, March 9, 2013 7:50:13 PM |
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| Hello everyone!
The White Rabbit is here to remind our US and Canadian friends that clocks spring forward tonight. So make sure you change your clocks so you aren't late for any important dates!
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 | Happy World Book Day! | |
| DisneyDan
Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:59:07 AM |
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Hello everyone,
Today is World Book Day, which celebrates the magic of reading, stories, authors and of course books themselves.
Stories have been told and passed down through millennia, from the time of the cavemen who drew pictures on the walls, right to the modern day gadgets such as Kindles that can store thousands of books.
Without these stories, our imaginations would never be stimulated, and we would never dream of far off lands, castles with magical inhabitants, heroes and villains battling across space and time, and fairytales that offer escapism and fantasy.
Virtually every Disney story finds its inspiration in an old tale or ancient fable. The Disney Parks are built upon the stories told by Walt Disney and his successors, through film, television, theatre and other art forms, which are translated into the fantastical realms we can discover at the Disney Parks.
Remember on this World Book Day to pick up and read. Feed your imagination, and never lose the curiosity of what a real book might hold within its covers. You never know what you may discover!
Here to celebrate are some of Character Central's favourite storybook characters!
Pinocchio and friends, as brought to life by Carlo Collodi
The Jungle Book gang, as brought to life by Rudyard Kipling
Ariel and Eric, as brought to life by Hans Christian Andersen
Alice and the Wonderland friends, as brought to life by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym "Lewis Carroll"
Peter Pan, Wendy and John, as brought to life by Sir James Barrie
Dan. |
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 | Happy 30th Birthday Dreamfinder and Figment!! | |
| PeterPanFan
Tuesday, March 5, 2013 7:40:33 PM |
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| 30 Years ago today Journey Into Imagination opened at EPCOT Center introducing two great characters: Dreamfinder and Figment! Sadly their amazing original attraction was later replaced and they no longer meet in the park; however, Figment still lives on in the current "Journey Into Imagination with Figment" attraction. Many Disney fans, myself included, hold out hope that someday Dreamfinder will return too (and that they both will meet their many fans in the parks). Unfortunately the only pictures of Dreamfinder and the original attraction I have are on film and haven't been scanned in but we do have more recent pictures so here is a Character Central picture tribute to both Figment and Dreamfinder!
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 | Tokyo Disney Resort Trip Planning - Part Three | |
| DisneyDan
Saturday, March 2, 2013 11:35:24 AM |
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Hello everyone,
Earlier this week I published my two part trip planning guide to Tokyo Disney Resort.
Since then, I have had some questions, and thought of some additional things I think might be useful for you to know.
So, here we have a part three, albeit much smaller than the previous two parts.
[ Read More... ] |
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 | Happy St David's Day! | |
| DisneyDan
Friday, March 1, 2013 1:51:59 PM |
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Today is St. David's Day in the United Kingdom constituent country of Wales.
There aren't really any Welsh Disney Characters, but there is one who is thought to be originally from Wales, and that is Merlin.
So, let's celebrate with Merlin now, and take a look at some of his adventures at the Disney Parks!
Happy St. David's Day everyone!
Dan. |
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| Hello everyone,
I have some character related updates for you this afternoon.
In Tokyo, our friend attended a Disneyana convention, and made a report on our forums about what he saw, which includes Mickey and Friends in their brand new 30th Anniversary outfits! I believe this is the first time they have been out for any public event, so he was very lucky to see them! I have to say, they do look better in person than what the previous artwork releases had made them appear. We'll be in Tokyo Disney Resort in May, shortly after the 30th launch, so we can't wait to see all the cool new stuff, including their brand new parade! For those interested, also in that thread are pictures of the brand new 30th merchandise, including pins.
The Disney Parks Blog has officially confirmed that the new Fantasy Faire in Disneyland will open on March 12th (less than 2 weeks away!). The Disneyland website has been updated accordingly, and now includes lots of info of what we can expect to find there! It details the new stage which will bring to life two beloved Disney stories. One will be Beauty and the Beast, and will star Belle; the other will be about Tangled, and star Flynn Rider. The website specifically says "Disney heroes and heroines". I think they are deliberately going for a Flynn oriented story for Tangled, to appeal to the boys, which will be cool. It also mentions the new Princess met 'n' greet, which sounds like it will be really detailed, and much better than the Princess meet 'n' greet in either Magic Kingdom or Paris. We'll be there in May, and can't wait to see it all!
Over in Animal Kingdom, the new Mickey and Minnie meet 'n' greet will open in "the spring", which could mean anytime soon basically! Taking over the former Beastly Bazaar store (because DAK really needs less retail...), it will literally just feature Mickey and Minnie. Donald and Daisy are apparently moving to Discovery Island where the Pooh friends currently are, and Goofy is already seen in Dinoland practically all day. Camp Minnie-Mickey is remaining as-is, less the Greeting Trails, for the time being, and you can continue to meet some critter friends and other random Disney pals, as well as watch the Lion King show. The Pooh friends are suspected to move into C M-M, maybe to Greeting Trails, but no official confirmation of that, as yet.
Limited Time Magic continues to be a bit of a flop, with the Golden Horseshoe Revue (DL) and Long Lost Friends Week (WDW) still being the best ones so far. Disneyland is yet to hold its own Long Lost Friends Week, and I have heard rumours that they want to out-do Florida, and so we might be treated to some really cool characters! Other upcoming events include Pirate Week (Jack Sparrow rumoured to appear. No date yet), Independence Week (Patriotic characters) and Friday 13th Villains Dance Party (Villains of course! September 13th).
Remember also that this new version of the site has some wonderful new features, including the ability to create your own profile and check off all the characters you have met! They'll appear on your profile in a big list! Find out how, here!
Ok, that's all for today,
Dan. |
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 | Tokyo Disney Resort Trip Planning - Part Two | |
| DisneyDan
Wednesday, February 27, 2013 10:59:48 AM |
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Hello everyone,
Welcome to part two of my Tokyo Disney Resort trip planning article.
In the first part we discussed the challenges of booking flights, hotels, park tickets, arriving at the resort, transport and Ikspiari.
Tokyo Disneyland is often described as being the most popular or successful theme park of all time (a fact I personally can't prove, but honestly don't doubt!). On all our ventures into the park, from open 'til close we have always experienced complete and utter mayhem.
In this part, I'll talk extensively about how to get the most out of your day at the TDR parks, covering attractions, shows, parades, shopping and dining. [ Read More... ] |
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 | Tokyo Disney Resort Trip Planning - Part One | |
| DisneyDan
Friday, February 22, 2013 9:53:07 AM |
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So you want to go to Tokyo Disney Resort?…
Planning a trip to Disney can be exciting, rewarding and indeed frustrating - and that's just to the US Parks! Now consider this, you find yourself wanting to visit Tokyo Disney Resort. Sounds exotic, right? Land of the Rising Sun, the Far East. Fortunately for you, Jon and I will be going for the third time this spring, and we are quite familiar now with the bizarre and even infuriating systems and hoops you have to jump through to get a trip organised. Hotels, tickets and dining reservations are not as easy as the US and DLP to arrange, and take some concentration and forward thinking.
Let us begin where all trips would begin, and that's with booking flights and hotels. [ Read More... ] |
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