 | Happy 113th Birthday Walt Disney! |
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| DisneyDan
Friday, December 5, 2014 8:14:02 AM |
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Today is 5th December, which would have been Walt Disney's 113th birthday.
Born in Chicago on 5th December 1901 to Canadian father Elias and American mother Flora, Walt found himself growing up in a rapidly changing world. The automobile, electricity and telephones were amongst the new technologies that were gradually altering the way people went about their everyday lives.
Soon came World War I, and Walt found himself too young to enlist - but he did anyway!
While away he discovered his talent for drawing, and became known for decorating the helmets his comrades had found, with illustrations.
From there Walt developed his talents further, and found himself creating characters and shorts such as the Alice comedies and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
Sadly Oswald wasn't too lucky for Walt, but it did spur him onwards to develop a new character in 1928 - Mickey Mouse.
Mickey was Walt, and Walt was Mickey.
Walt Disney was a creative genius, who was far ahead of his time. Bringing a whole new definition to the world of film and television, Walt pioneered many new concepts and technologies.
Walt won more Oscars during his lifetime than any other person, a record that he still holds.
With his studio now one of the best in the world, Walt turned to other things. Bigger things.
Walt's ultimate dream was of course Disneyland; a place where anyone can come and have fun, away from reality.
In July 1955 Disneyland opened and has since become probably the most famous theme park in the world. Capturing Walt's very essence, and offering a true escape from the outside world, Disneyland was, and continues to be, the Happiest Place on Earth.
Of course, Walt's dream grew and grew, and so did Disneyland, to the point where Walt dreamt even bigger!
Florida was to be the home of Walt's final dream, one which sadly he did not get to see through to completion (having passed away in 1966).
Walt dreamt of a huge community where people not only lived and worked, but where they played an vacationed; known as EPCOT. A complete city built from the mind of this brilliant man.
Walt Disney World opened in October 1971 by his surviving brother and business partner, Roy, and was dedicated to Walt having changed the name from simply Disney World to Walt Disney World.
Although Walt's vision of EPCOT never came to fruition as he saw it, it certainly has come true. Walt Disney World has given Central Florida a different identity to what it had 50 years ago. From swamps to a metropolis filled with hotels, malls, other theme parks and indeed entire communities of people who live and work there. Walt Disney World itself has thousands of Cast Members who live and work at the resort, who come from all over the world, ensuring that Walt's final vision is forever captured in an amazing and colourful reality.
Over a century after his birth, we are on the brink of the 12th Disney Park opening (Shanghai, 2015/16), have a world filled with hundreds more movies, TV shows and even stores, a cruise line and much, much more.
All the parks have their own little nod to Walt and his dreams, remembering the man who started it all.
Walt Disney lived to entertain, and entertained for a living. He gave the world a slice of imagination and inspiration that is unrivalled, and that will continue for many more decades.
Happy 113th Birthday, Walt Disney. We thank you for your dedication to your dreams.
Dan. |
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 | Advent Calendar - 4th December 2014 | |
| DisneyDan
Wednesday, December 3, 2014 10:32:59 PM |
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Hello everyone,
It's the 4th December, which means it's time to open the fourth door of our very special Character Central Advent Calendar!
Here we go!...
[ Read More... ] |
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 | Advent Calendar - 3rd December 2014 | |
| DisneyDan
Wednesday, December 3, 2014 1:02:18 AM |
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Hello everyone,
It's the 3rd December, which means it's time to open the third door of our very special Character Central Advent Calendar!
Here we go!...
[ Read More... ] |
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 | Advent Calendar - 2nd December 2014 | |
| DisneyDan
Tuesday, December 2, 2014 12:44:57 AM |
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Hello everyone,
It's the 2nd December, which means it's time to open the second door of our very special Character Central Advent Calendar!
Here we go!...
[ Read More... ] |
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Hello everyone,
This past weekend Jon and I visited National Harbor in Maryland to experience their Christmas season, which has become something of an annual tradition for us. The Gaylord National Resort there holds its very festive 'Christmas on the Potomac' which includes the very popular ICE! event, and of course, characters!
We started the day with breakfast at the "Madagascar Crack-A-Lackin' Cook-In Breakfast". The restaurant is on the lower level, with the entrance right in the main square area near the fountain. The restaurant is a buffet restaurant and offers everything from waffles, French toast, fruit, cereal, yoghurt, pastries, hot food (eggs, bacon, etc), custom omelets and more. The restaurant is divided into two areas, one for those who do not want to meet characters, and those who do. The character dining part is out the back in a separate dining space. The character dining was available from 8am until 11am, and we called ahead to make reservations because we didn't know how busy it would be. You do not need to be staying at the hotel in order to make a dining reservation.
Now to the important part, the characters! Being a Madagascar themed breakfast, I was expecting at least the core characters from the movie such as Alex and King Julien, and I wasn't disappointed! We got five characters at our meal in total. In attendance were Alex, King Julien, Skipper, Private and Mort. I would have liked to have seen Gloria there, as I know that she exists as a character at other resorts around the world, but I wasn't really complaining. Five characters is fairly standard for most Disney character dining experiences, so this really wasn't any different.
When we arrived it was very early, and the restaurant was empty! Alex and Skipper were pretty much having a party of their own when we arrived! We took a lot of photos, and they were very willing to pose for the cameras!
In the second rotation were Private, Mort and King Julien. Throughout the morning the characters would hold dance off competitions and dance parties around the dining room. It was very lively, in good spirits and definitely a lot of fun. All the staff really got into it and were dancing fiercely around the dining room too! It was hilarious!
Overall we had an excellent experience at the breakfast. We paid $70 total for the two of us, which by all accounts for a character buffet breakfast, especially compared to Disney prices, was very reasonable.
Next up, we wanted to meet Gingy the Gingerbread Man (from DreamWorks' Shrek) who holds his own gingerbread decorating experience upstairs from the restaurant.
Hanging around on the lower level and the mid-level we also found some other characters! Princess Fiona and Puss in Boots from DreamWorks' Shrek and the penguins from Madagascar were all greeting fans. We were told that Shrek also appears, but he wasn't out when we were there.
After the character greeting fun, it was finally time to head into the ICE! exhibit, which this year featured Frosty the Snowman. We always enjoy coming to this. It's a very unique experience. However, not to be too critical, I will say that it seems to have becomes shorter and shorter each year while the price increases. Anyway, you enter the ICE! exhibit, hand over your ticket, pick up your none too flattering Parka jacket (to protect from the cold), and prepare to enter the Arctic... Well, not really, but it is extremely cold inside!
Every year they have an ice slide inside the exhibit, which you can ride as many times as you like. I always have to do it! It's really great fun, and surprisingly fast!
As you come to the end of the Frosty the Snowman part, you enter a room where you can see a real ice carver at work.
There was a random ice carving of Turbo, too.
In the final room is a traditional Nativity scene all carved from ice.
To finish, a shot of the Christmas Tree at the Gaylord National, and one of the Christmas Tree outside in the "downtown" area of National Harbor.
Overall, we had a great day, and I look forward to seeing what ICE! feature they have next year, and which characters will appear.
Dan. |
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Hello everyone,
Last week Jon and I visited HersheyPark and Hershey's Chocolate World, in Hershey, Pennsylvania. I wanted to share with you some character experiences we had there.
Let's start with the characters we met at Hershey's Chocolate World (which is a separate entity to HersheyPark, and is free to enter). We met Hershey, Reese, Jolly Rancher and Kisses (the girl version). What was nice was that they were wearing cute Christmas gloves and hats!
Over at HersheyPark, we once again found Reese, Kisses and Hershey roaming around. In the park they had slightly different Christmas wear from Chocolate World, for example, Hershey had a scarf and Kisses had gloves instead of a hat. In addition we also found Peppermint Pattie sporting her Christmas wear.
As well as the Hershey product characters, for Christmas season they also had Frosty the Snowman, Mrs Frosty and Jingles the Moose. We were told that they also had a gingerbread man named Gingy, but he wasn't out the day we visited.
HersheyPark also had a very festive Christmas show titled 'A Music Box Christmas: Up on the Rooftop', which featured elves and Santa Claus.
On a different note, we found this store, which we thought was hilarious...
I'll leave you with some photos of their Christmas light displays, which we thought were really neat, and some cute reindeer.
Dan.
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 | Happy 86th Birthday Mickey and Minnie Mouse! | |
| DisneyDan
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 10:52:21 AM |
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Hello everyone,
Today is the 86th birthday of the two most famous mice in the world, Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
On 18th November 1928, Walt Disney's Steamboat Willie debuted to the public, and stars were born.
Without Mickey and Minnie, we wouldn't have the Disney company that we have today. For that we are eternally grateful to Walt Disney, and of course Mickey and Minnie, and look forward to many more decades of fun and laughter with them.
Happy 86th Birthday Mickey and Minnie!
In our usual style, here's a photo cavalcade of some of the magical adventures we've had with Mickey and Minnie at the Disney Parks and Resorts over the years.
Happy Birthday Mickey and Minnie!
Dan. |
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 | Character Couture - Chip 'n' Dale | |
| DisneyDan
Wednesday, November 12, 2014 9:03:36 AM |
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Hello everyone,
In this fourth installment of this series we are going to take a look inside the wardrobe of that mischievous duo, Chip and Dale!
Let's start at Disneyland, California, where you can meet Chip 'n' Dale daily on Buena Vista Street at Disney California Adventure, dressed in their super cute period clothing!
Over at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Chip 'n' Dale have found a new home amongst even bigger, better trees, this time with their furry friends, the Ewoks from Star Wars! (During Star Wars Weekends, May/June, annually)
Blast off into outer space with Chip 'n' Dale at Disneyland Paris' Discoveryland, where they don their space suits for some extraterrestrial adventures!
When they're not riding a comet in Discoveryland, you can catch them at Tokyo DisneySea's Port Discovery causing havoc as mad scientists!
The Gold Rush of the 1850s attracted many folk from all over, including prospectors Chip 'n' Dale! See them dressed ready to pan for gold at Hong Kong Disneyland's Grizzly Gulch.
Aboard Disney Cruise Line, Chip 'n' Dale take on a little more responsibility and join the crew for some extra magical fun across the Seven Seas!
Missed one of my previous Character Couture articles? You can read Goofy's Character Couture entry here, Minnie Mouse's entry here, and Daisy Duck's entry here.
Dan. |
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Hello everyone,
Christmas season is nearly upon us which means that the Disney Parks are gearing up for another spectacular season of holiday magic and wonder!
I thought we could take a look at what the Disneyland Resort in California has to offer this holiday season. Holiday Time at the Disneyland Resort will run from 13th November 2014 until 6th January 2015 inclusive this season.
We shall start with Disneyland Park.
At Disneyland Park you immediately find yourself in a winter wonderland as you step onto Main Street USA and discover their huge Christmas Tree and all the garlands, leading to the beautifully snow topped Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Walt's apartment gets a Christmas Tree in its window for the holidays, too.
Whilst on Main Street, you should stand and listen to the Dickens Yuletide Band play some classic Christmas tunes.
You should also stop by Town Square to give a warm hug to all your favourite Disney pals as they celebrate the season in their cute festive clothes!
As you head off of Central Plaza and into Adventureland you should take a cruise on the rivers of the world, aboard the Jingle Cruise! (Note that this is not yet confirmed on the Disneyland Resort website for this year).
Heading out of Adventureland and into New Orleans Square, visit Jack Skellington and all his creepy friends from Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas at the Haunted Mansion Holiday. This epic holiday overlay features exclusive scenes and awesome effects. This attraction is extremely popular though, so be sure to get a FastPass or be there early (FastPasses aren’t normally available for Haunted Mansion, but during the holidays they are due to the popularity of this overlay).
If taking a ride through the worlds of Christmas and Halloween collided wasn’t enough, you can also meet Jack Skellington and Sally Stitches near the Haunted Mansion.
From New Orleans Square, wander down to Critter Country where you can meet Winnie the Pooh and friends in their festive clothes.
In Frontierland you should definitely visit the Jingle Jangle Jamboree where you can meet Santa Claus himself (Santa only meets until Christmas Eve)! Some of your other favourite Disney pals might just show up too!
Fantasyland’s classic attraction “it’s a small world” becomes “it’s a small world” Holiday for the festive season, and is decked out with an incredible display of colour changing lights, which look awesome at night! Inside, the attraction celebrates holidays from around the world with festive costumes and scenes.
The must-see event at Disneyland Park is of course 'A Christmas Fantasy Parade'. Filled with all the most magical sights and sounds of Christmas, as well as the Disney characters, this parade is truly fantastic.
As night falls watch in awe as Sleeping Beauty Castle Becomes Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle, a wondrous snow capped ice palace.
To top it all, the skies high above Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle become an array of colour in the “Believe… In Holiday Magic” fireworks spectacular.
As well as all these exciting happenings, don’t forget to check out the beautiful decorations around the park, and of course watch snow fall on Main Street USA!
Of course, no day at Disneyland during Christmas would be complete without some treats!
Be sure to try some of the world famous Disneyland candy canes, too! These are very popular, and tickets are usually distributed first thing in the morning. (Note that the candy canes may also be made at Trolley Treats in Disney California Adventure - check on the day of your visit.)
Now let us take a look into Disney California Adventure’s holiday offerings.
Buena Vista Street celebrates a classic Christmas of days gone by, with period decoration and their splendid Christmas Tree.
While on Buena Vista Street why not stop and listen to the Community Bell Ringers as they celebrate the holidays with some seasonal sounds?
The Elias and Co. department store is the home to Santa Claus up until Christmas Eve.
Also, you can catch Mickey and friends, and the Citizens of Buena Vista Street, in their period costumes which have been given a Christmas twist.
At Paradise Pier, in previous years you were able to meet Duffy and Donald in cute Christmas outfits. It is not known yet if they will return this year, but I’ll share some of our photos nonetheless. It could be that other characters take their place.
Cars Land resident Tow Mater also joins the festivities, wearing a giant Santa hat!
As night falls on Buena Vista Street, the Community Bell Ringers, the Citizens of Buena Vista Street and the Disney characters all come together for the Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony.
Over in Paradise Bay, the magical World of Color becomes “World of Color - Winter Dreams”, a seasonal holiday version of this now classic nighttime spectacular.
Just like at Disneyland Park, don’t forget to check out all the decorations throughout the park.
You should also try some delicious treats, available from Trolley Treats Candy.
In previous years Disney California Adventure has also featured a special screening of Prep and Landing at the Muppet’s theatre, and a holiday version of the Phineas and Ferb show. There is currently no confirmation of either of these though, and they are not listed on the Disneyland website. However, I’ll share some photo below for reference.
Disney California Adventure also celebrates Navidad, however we have no photos of this currently, sadly (we shall soon though!).
At the Disney hotels you can also meet Santa Claus at select times, up until Christmas Eve.
In previous years on Christmas Eve, Mickey and friends have appeared on Main Street in their cute PJs ready for bed as they anticipate the arrival of Santa Claus. They usually appear for very limited set times in the evening of Christmas Eve only, so be sure to look out for them!
For New Year’s Eve the parks put on special entertainment offerings, including mind blowing fireworks at the turn of the year. We were at Disney California Adventure for New Year two years ago, so I will share some of our photos and video from that, however, be aware this year’s offerings may differ.
Will you be visiting the Disneyland Resort this holiday season? What are you looking forward to the most?
Happy Holidays everyone!
Dan.
All information in this article is subject to change or cancellation at any time, without prior notice by Disney. We offer this information purely as a guide to some of the things that may be experienced during Holiday Time at the Disneyland Resort.
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