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Today is the 21st anniversary of the premier of Disney's masterpiece, Beauty and the Beast.
Beauty and the Beast is one of Disney's most successful and best loved films. It stars some of the most cherished characters and features classic songs that are truly timeless.
Happy 21st Birthday Belle, Prince Adam (Beast), Cogsworth, Lumiere, Mrs Potts, Chip, Babette and Gaston!
Today is also the 72nd anniversary of the release of Walt Disney's masterpiece, Fantasia. I find it hard to believe that it was 72 years ago that Mickey Mouse was immortalised as the Sorcerer's Apprentice and we were first introduced to Hyacinth Hippo, the Mushrooms, the Elephants, the Brooms and Mme Upanova for the first time! (yes, they have all been characters at the parks!)
Happy Birthday Hyacinth, the Mushrooms, the Elephants, the Brooms and Mme Upanova!
Finally, yesterday was the 13th anniversary anniversary of Toy Story 2, which saw the birth of two characters - Jessie and the especially cute and innocent Bullseye.
Happy Birthday Bullseye and Jessie!
As always, we have a special photo cavalcade, and seeing as today is a triple celebration there are a lot of pictures, so enjoy!
Dan. |
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 | The most important date in history? | |
| DisneyDan
Monday, November 12, 2012 7:28:08 AM |
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I nearly always talk about Disney Characters here at Character Central, but we are not specifically just about Disney. Some of you may have ventured into our other sections from time to time and found that we have an array of other characters, from other properties too.
One of those is Doc Brown from the Back to the Future film series.
It's interesting to note that on this day in 1955, "that that point in time inherently contains some sort of cosmic significance, almost as if it were the temporal junction point of the entire space-time continuum" - Doc Brown.
Anyone experience any unusual cosmic happenings today?...
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Today is the 66th anniversary of the premier of Walt Disney's Song of the South.
A live action and animated film combined, it features Uncle Remus telling the story of the critters from the Briar Patch.
The Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Bear and Br'er Fox are increasingly difficult to find at the Disney Parks these days, but have decided to make a special appearance here today on the Character Central Blog in honour of their special day!
Happy 66th Birthday to Br'er Rabbit and all the animals of the Briar Patch! May you forever inspire us to find our own Laughing Places to fill our lives with fun and laughter!
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 | Happy 20th Anniversary Aladdin! | |
| DisneyDan
Sunday, November 11, 2012 12:23:13 PM |
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Twenty years ago today, the Disney masterpiece Aladdin had it's world premiere in LA and New York!
Featuring what are now some of the best loved Disney songs, and characters that won the hearts of millions, Aladdin has been a firm fan favourite since it's release.
From street rat to prince, with the help of genie, a magic carpet and his pet monkey, Aladdin defeats the evil Jafar and restores order to the kingdom, winning the heart of the Sultan's daughter.
Aladdin and all the gang are here to celebrate in our picture cavalcade tribute!
Happy 20th Anniversary Aladdin and friends (and his enemy Jafar!).
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Today is the 39th anniversary of the release of the Disney classic, Robin Hood.
Robin Hood has been a much loved character from the beginning, and fans worldwide love to meet him at the Parks. Sadly though, he doesn't get out much any more except in Tokyo.
Nonetheless, Robin and the gang are here today on the Character Central Blog to celebrate their big day in a photo cavalcade!
Happy 39th Birthday Robin Hood and his merry men... and of course those dastardly villains Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham, too!
Dan. |
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Hi all!
We are back form our crazy round the world Halloween trip, and I have a few small updates for you this evening!
Over the coming weeks I plan to write a full trip report for both Tokyo and Hong Kong, and of course in due course the pages on this site will be updated with all the most recent pictures and character, show and parade information. But that might take a while!
I don't want to go into too much detail right now, as I don't really have the time, but here's a recap of some fo the things that happened while we were away that I didn't get to blog about...
- For Halloween at WDW, some very special characters appeared at the Hotel Resorts, including Panchito and Jose, and Louis the Aligator!
- Ralph and Venellope from Wreck-It-Ralph started meet and greets at Disneyland CA and Hollywood Studios at WDW.
- WDW announced that Santa Goofy will meet guests at a special location on the Streets of America during Christmas Season, while the Osborne Lights are there.
- Scrooge will return for meets at the Magic Kingdom for the Parties.
- There was also some BIG news for the Magic Kingdom... They will FINALLY be getting a new day parade! Hooray!
At Disneyland Paris, their Christmas Season will be kicking off this Friday, and although the schedule has not been released yet, a good friend of ours has provided the information for us! It looks set to be an amazing season, filled with true Holiday magic!
Here's the schedule as it stands right now. Please note ANYTHING can change at ANY time.
Characters Meet and Greet:
- Mickey and friends 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Location: Town Square
- Duffy the Disney Bear 9:30 - 4:00 PM
Location: Town Square
- Santa Goofy 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Location: Gazebo, Town Square
- Stitch and Angel 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Location: Christmas Tree, Town Square
- Winnie the Pooh 10:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Location: Casey's Corner, Main Street USA
- Belle 11:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Location: Old Mill, Fantasyland
- Jack and Sally 10:30 AM - 4:45 PM
Location: Phantom Manor, Frontierland
- Santa Clause 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Location: Cottonwood Creek Ranch, Frontierland
Shows and Parades:
- Disney Magic on Parade 4:30 PM
- Christmas Cavalcade 11:15 AM, 12:15 PM, 1:15 PM
- Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony 6:15 PM
- Castle Lighting Ceremony 6:45 PM
- Disney Dreams 8:15 PM
I think that's everything for now!
Dan. |
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Hi all,
This is a very brief news update, as we are on our way to Hong Kong Disneyland later today!
I saw a couple of character related things around the internet this week that were worth mentioning.
First off, and maybe the biggest news was that the US Parks and Resorts, next year (2013), will be dubbed "Limited Time Magic", and will feature a year full of new and interesting events on both coasts.
Of course there are some oddball ones, such as the Dapper Dans singing pop songs (!), but there are also some for us character fans, including "Long Lost Friends Week", which is due to feature, to quote, "lesser known" Disney characters.
There will also be themed weeks, such as the week of 4th July, that will feature Mickey and Friends in their patriotic clothes, and Pirate Week, which, as you can imagine, features them in their pirate gear.
We look forward to hearing more about these events, and the full line-up for the year. We only hope that they release dates for each specific week in advance enough so that everyone can plan the week they want to attend.
You can check out our member's forum post about it here, which also has a link to the Parks Blog post.
In WDW, EPCOT is due to close the Character spot for a lengthy - and long overdue - overhaul.
The new version is due to reopen in February. In the meantime Mickey and Friends are being moved around the park. Though nothing official has been announced yet regarding the future of it, it is expected that they are going to take a leaf out of their own books, and their recent efforts at the brand new Silly Sideshow at the Magic Kingdom. Hopefully EPCOT will finally get an appropriately themed character location, with Mickey and Friends wearing some neat new Future World outfits.
Again, you can check out our forum post about it here.
Over in DL, although this is not official, Miceage king Al Lutz has reported that the West Coast park is due to cut their Christmas offering s from 2013, and instead host ticketed Christmas Parties, like the Magic Kingdom. I won't get into the whole thing here, as I am on limited time (our flight to HKDL awaits! LOL!), but you can read his article here. I for one would be sad if DL went down this route. DL's seasonal offerings are one of the many great things that often sets them apart from WDW, and is another anil in the coffin towards the US Parks becoming standardised, much to the fans disappointment.
With the announcement in NY earlier this week regarding the Limited Time Magic, it was also made apparent that the Disney Princesses would be getting a makeover. Cinderella was there, and if you check that Parks Blog post I mentioned above, you'll see a picture of her in her new dress and hairstyle. I have also heard that the other core Princesses will also be receiving makeovers. As yet, as far as I know, there is no date for their official relaunch. If anyone knows otherwise, just let me know!
Ok, I think that's all for now then.
Like I said, we're off to Hong Kong Disneyland tonight, and later next week Tokyo Disney Resort!
We'll try to update our Facebook page regularly, as well as our Twitter account, with pictures from our adventures at the parks, so be sure to follow us there!
Dan. |
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 | Happy 45th Anniversary to The Jungle Book! | |
| DisneyDan
Thursday, October 18, 2012 10:00:44 AM |
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Today is the 45th anniversary of the release of Walt Disney's classic, The Jungle Book.
Based on the novel by Rudyard Kipling, it tells the story of a boy who is brought up by wild animals deep in the jungles of India.
Sadly, it was the last animated feature to be personally overseen by Walt Disney himself.
Let's celebrate with Mowgli and the gang with some pictures of their Disney Parks adventures, and wish them a very happy 45th birthday!
Happy 45th Birthday Mowgli, Baloo, King Louie and all the jungle animals!
Dan. |
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 | Happy 2nd Anniversary Duffy! | |
| DisneyDan
Sunday, October 14, 2012 12:49:38 PM |
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Today (October 14th) marks the second anniversary of the launch of Duffy the Disney Bear on a permanent basis at the US Parks (WDW and DLR).
Duffy is one of Mickey Mouse's best friends, and was created by Minnie for Mickey when he went on a long sea voyage, to keep Mickey company.
Duffy is soft, fluffy and always very happy to give you a hug. With open arms and gentle paws, Duffy is not just a teddy bear, he is THE most loveable, huggable Disney bear.
Happy 2nd Anniversary Duffy!
The pictures below are just from the US Parks, as it is ONLY his anniversary in the US today.
Dan. |
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