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Hello everyone,
Yesterday I shared with you my trip report for our trip to Disneyland at the start of this month (April). I also now want to share with you a very special day we had while we were in California. We were very fortunate to be invited to visit the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank.
The Walt Disney Studios opened in stages between late 1939 and mid-1940, following on the from the success and profits of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Over the years, like anything - like the parks - the studio has grown and developed, adding to its rich history and success.
It was an amazing opportunity to walk around the studio lot and through some of the buildings that Walt Disney himself worked in during the early days of the company.
I won't say too much more about the studios, but will just share my photos from the day. I didn't have my DSLR with me as it's a working studio and corporate HQ, and I felt it a little inappropriate, so image resolution may not be at our usual standard. DSLR aside, I took a lot of photos though, so I am going to share as many as I feel reasonable, but just note that we saw much more - there is so much history there.
After you've scrolled through the studios photos, I shall share with you something special in Disney history in Griffith Park, and finally some photos of some Disney connections in Hollywood - both of which we also visited this trip.
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Hello everyone,
At the start of April Jon and I spent nine full days in the Happiest Place on Earth, Disneyland Resort in California.
I'm going to break this report down into themed areas of the parks, as we did so much in nine days, it's actually easier to group things together to ensure I don't forget, or even repeat anything.
You should be warned that this report is very photo-heavy, so if you have a slow connection you may want to save it for later.
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 | Happy 23rd Anniversary Disneyland Paris! | |
| DisneyDan
Sunday, April 12, 2015 8:49:54 AM |
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Hello everyone,
Today is the 23rd anniversary of the grand opening of Disneyland Paris' main theme park!
Often described as the most beautiful of all the Magic Kingdom style parks, it features the gorgeous Sleeping Beauty Castle, and incredible detail in every land, attraction, boutique and restaurant. Parc Disneyland at Disneyland Paris is simply stunning.
So, in our usual tribute style, I'm going to post some of Character Central's pictures below, for your enjoyment!
Happy 23rd Birthday Disneyland Paris!
Of course, let's not forget that Disneyland Paris features its second park, the Walt Disney Studios, plus seven themed hotels, Golf Disneyland, Lake Disney and Disney Village!
Happy 23rd Birthday Disneyland Paris!
Dan. |
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 | Happy 63rd Anniversary Clarice! | |
| DisneyDan
Saturday, March 21, 2015 12:10:19 PM |
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On this day in 1952, 'Two Chips and a Miss' debuted, introducing the world to the glamorous and sassy Clarice. Working at the Acorn Club, she is the love interest of Chip and Dale. Sixty-three years later she is still as gorgeous as ever!
Clarice's appearances at the Disney Parks can often be sporadic, with her typically starring in more shows and parades in Tokyo than the other parks. With that said, we've been fortunate to see her on numerous occasions, and so in our usual style, let us celebrate her anniversary with a cavalcade of photos from our adventures with Clarice!
Happy 63rd Anniversary, Clarice!
Dan. |
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Hello everyone,
Here at Character Central we always strive to have good, reliable and up-to-date information, which is why I don't tend to use the blog to make these kinds of posts usually. Character locations and information are usually updated via the individual location and character profile pages on this site, as it is easier to control. However, recently we have received a lot more requests for information about how to find characters at the Walt Disney World theme parks. The reason I don't like to make blog posts about this is because things can change frequently, and I don't want to mislead anyone, especially when our location and character pages are updated often.
With that said, and I realise that was quite a detailed reasoning, I thought that it wouldn't hurt to answer some of the questions we get asked. Please remember that these are the most frequently asked questions that we get for Walt Disney World only.
Where can I find Mickey Mouse?
Mickey Mouse appears at set locations at all four of the Walt Disney World theme parks. His appearances are daily, and usually hold long hours (often, though not guaranteed, from around opening to just before closing. Check on the day of your visit). At the Magic Kingdom, you can meet magician Mickey near the park entrance, where talks and interacts with guests at Town Square Theater (on Main Street USA). At Epcot, he wears his classic outfit at the Epcot Character Spot in Future World. At Disney's Hollywood Studios, Mickey dons his Sorcerer's Apprentice robes to greet budding sorcerers. At Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Mickey wears his safari outfit at the Adventurer's Outpost on Discovery Island. The Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Animal Kingdom locations all offer Disney's Fastpass+ service, which allow you to make your greeting reservation in advance of your visit.
Who else appears besides Mickey Mouse? Can I meet the Disney Princesses, for example?
Across all four Walt Disney World theme parks, you can nearly always meet Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, Chip, Dale and Pluto. All six of those have regular locations at all four parks, but times and availability may change depending on the day of your visit. The Disney Princesses appear at the Magic Kingdom at various locations, such as Princess Fairytale Hall, Ariel's Grotto, around the Fantasyland walls, the Fairytale Garden and, schedule depending, in the garden next to City Hall on Main Street USA. Princess Fairytale Hall is the current home of Cinderella, Rapunzel, Anna and Elsa, although of course Disney could change this at any time. Princess Fairytale Hall accepts Disney's FastPass+ reservations. You can either reserve Cinderella and Rapunzel OR Anna and Elsa. If you want to meet all four, you need to make separate reservations. Other characters, such as Peter Pan, Mary Poppins, Winnie the Pooh, and many more, all appear throughout the theme parks. You should check the schedules for the day of your visit (see further below for more information).
Do the Disney characters appear randomly at the Disney Parks?
Most of the character appearances at the Disney theme parks are on the published schedule, which can be picked up upon entering the theme parks. There are some that are not always listed though, depending on whether there are other events happening, and how much space is dedicated to the characters on that schedule. If a character does appear that is not on that day's schedule, chances are they nearly always out in the parks anyway. Infrequently, characters may appear at other locations around the parks, and these are not scheduled. For example, when we were a recent trip, Peter Pan, Merida and Ariel all appeared at the International Gateway at Epcot's World Showcase. These greetings are not scheduled, and are not repeated regularly.
Do the Disney characters walk freely around the Disney Parks?
The short answer to this, really, is no. The Disney characters at the Walt Disney World theme parks nearly always have set locations that have a queue line in order to meet them, even the randomly appearing ones that I described above. Sometimes, however, you may be walking around and suddenly a character will appear, and they may not form a line. This is fairly unusual, but it can happen. Experiences like this can actually be fun, as sometimes the characters will take the opportunity to roam and explore the park. Like I said though, for Walt Disney World, this is pretty unusual.
Do the Disney characters visit the Disney Resort Hotels?
The Disney characters do not regularly make appearances at the Disney Hotels. In the past, Easter Sunday has seen the Easter Bunnies and some other characters appear at the deluxe resorts (such as Mr Easter Bunny and Chip 'n' Dale at the Contemporary). Around the week of Halloween and the week of Christmas you may also find characters in themed outfits at any number of the resort hotels, deluxe or otherwise. None of these appearances are ever guaranteed and you should not expect to find them during your stay.
Do rare characters appear at the Disney theme parks?
This one is a tricky one to answer, but overall the answer is, "no, not nearly as often as we'd like!" Of course, the definition of "rare" can change considerably from one year to the next, but generally speaking, if a character has not appeared in over a year, and show no signs of returning, then they are pretty "rare". Characters at the Christmas and Halloween parties, although not appearing daily, aren't so much rare as they are seasonal or event specific. We would not consider Scrooge McDuck to be rare, since he appears almost nightly for two months at the Christmas parties, but he definitely is not a regular. Mr Walrus from Alice in Wonderland however, who hasn't appeared in around seven years, is considered rare.
Do you have any tips for a better experience when meeting the characters? Do the characters sign autographs, for example?
This one is pretty open ended, but I would say that if you're going to meet a character, be sure to know who they are! Before your trip, if you think there is a chance you may meet one particular character, watch their movie before you visit. When you visit them, you can ask them about their adventures, their friends and families, etc. For example, if you are going to meet Aladdin, ask him how Abu is and if he has gotten into any more trouble lately. You could ask Mickey - when he's feeling talkative at the Magic Kingdom's Town Square Theater - to perhaps send a special message to your friends back home; be sure to have your camera recording, because you never know what he might say! Characters also love seeing themselves on clothing and accessories, bags, pins and lanyards, etc. Be sure to have your cameras ready to capture any cute moments, and buy an autograph book and a pen that works, so they characters can sign their names. Something which we have taken to doing recently, which both us and the characters really enjoy, is taking along our Disney Tsum Tsums to meet the characters. If we know we are going to meet a specific character on any given day, we try to take with us the Tsum Tsum of them, or someone related to them. They’ll often (though not always) pose with the Tsum Tsums, making for super-cute photos!
Do the characters appear in shows and parades?
The Disney characters appear in many shows and parades across the Walt Disney World theme parks. Currently, and always subject to change, the most popular ones include: Disney Fantasy of Festival Parade, the Main Street Electrical Parade, and Dream Along with Mickey at the Magic Kingdom, Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo - The Musical at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park, and Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage, Voyage of the Little Mermaid and For the First Time in Forever - A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
Can I dine with the Disney characters?
Yes! You most certainly can! Character dining is a fun way to meet the Disney characters while enjoying a great meal at one of Disney's fabulous themed restaurants. Currently, and again, always subject to change, the most popular ones include: Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary (Mickey and friends), Ohana at the Polynesian Village (Stitch, Mickey and friends), 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian (time of day depending, Cinderella and friends or Pooh, Alice and friends), Cape May Cafe at the Beach Club Resort (Minnie and friends), Cinderella's Royal Table at the Magic Kingdom (princesses), Garden Grill (Mickey and friends) and Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (princesses) at Epcot, Hollywood and Vine at Disney's Hollywood Studios (Disney Jr) and Donald’s Dining Safari at Breakfast and Lunch (Donald and friends) at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park. What's fun about these meals is that at many of them, the characters wear special themed outfits for the occasion, for example Hawaiian shirts at Ohana, chef outfits at Chef Mickey's and safari gear at the Tusker House. Reservations are essential, and should be made well in advance of your visit (nearly all Walt Disney World Resort dining locations open their availability 180 days in advance).
Where can I find more information?
Here are some of my suggestions for finding out more about how and where to meet the Disney characters. Words highlighted in blue take you to that specific link.
- The official Walt Disney World Resort website has some limited character greeting information, however, I personally have found this to sometimes not have all the information I want.
- Here at Character Central we have a vast guidebook for all the Disney parks, locations and characters. A good start for a good general overview would be what we call our "cheat sheet" for finding characters at the parks. On this cheat sheet we list the characters we have seen at Walt Disney World, rate the chances of you finding them, and the general location you might spot them.
- I cannot endorse the accuracy of this next one, but it has not failed me yet, but take note I have no control over it. WDWEnt is a good source for all current Walt Disney World theme park schedules, and at the time of writing the person who runs it seems to update it frequently.
Those last two links are of course only my recommendations, and should be used as a guide for planning only. Anything can change at any time, without notice from Disney.
If you have any further questions, you can join our friendly forum, and us or our members will happily help you out!
Have a great day everyone,
Dan. |
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Today is the 13th anniversary of the grand opening of the Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris. In the past the park has often been criticised for lacking any good, solid attractions and shows, however, time has been good to the park, and with the addition of the Ratatouille attraction last year, the park has now really started to come into its own. With 18 full attractions and permanent long-term shows - six of which are completely unique to the park! - it actually currently has more attractions and permanent shows than Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Epcot or Disney's Hollywood Studios. While you can argue that those parks have a lot more non-fixed entertainment and good dining options, it is undeniable that the Walt Disney Studios is, finally, stepping up its game. The new Ratatouille attraction has become one of my favourites in the whole Disney Parks world, and I hope that it is a sign of the many good things to come over the next 13 years.
In our usual style, I'm going to share a cavalcade of photos from our many adventures at the park.
Happy 13th anniversary Walt Disney Studios Park!
Dan. |
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Hello everyone,
Yesterday the Disney Parks Blog made two announcements regarding upcoming events at the Walt Disney World Resort and the Disneyland Resort.
At Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, summer is being dubbed the "Coolest Summer Ever", and will feature events based upon the wildly popular movie, Frozen. Kicking off the "Coolest Summer Ever" is the now-traditional 24 hour event over Memorial Day weekend in late May. Although few details have been given about it, the Parks Blog did say the event would launch the summer summer season, and given the name, and the fact they claim Olaf is the "host" of the summer events, it wouldn't be too surprising if the 24 hour event ended up being Frozen themed, at least to a degree. As with previous 24 hour events, you can expect characters, entertainment, food and merchandise offerings. After that event ends, you then have to wait until June 17th for the start of the next summer happening, "Frozen Summer Fun LIVE", which will run until September 7th. Anna, Elsa and Kristoff are returning to the parade route at Disney's Hollywood Studios, and this year will be joined by Olaf (as per the description on this new page on the WDW website). Nighttime at Hollywood Studios will be topped off with the special Frozen fireworks.
In addition to all these "cool" offerings, Hollywood Studios' awesome Star Wars Weekends are of course retuning from May 15th through June 14th.
At the Disneyland Resort in California, the Diamond Anniversary celebrations, which were previously announced to begin on May 22nd, will also begin with a 24 hour event. As with Walt Disney World, very few details have been released, except we can expect to see special characters and entertainment.
Disneyland Paris today officially sent out their press release for information regarding their summer events, and unsurprisingly, they are also Frozen over. They actually provided quite a lot of detail, so I will copy the information below.
"Let it go" this summer with Frozen at Disneyland® Paris
It's official: Disneyland® Paris will celebrate the 5th highest-grossing film ever this summer. Frozen, which has racked up more than 5 million ticket sales in France, will take centre stage from 1 June to 13 September 2015. The famous sisters, Anna and Elsa, will appear on stage with Olaf, their adorable snowman, in a spectacular event that will give guests chills!
New show: "Frozen Sing-along"
After catching a sneak peak of them in the famous Disneyland® Park Parade and meeting them to pose for pictures last Christmas, Disneyland Paris guests will be able to sing along with the stars of Frozen this summer! Enjoy this unique live experience with the heroes of the greatest Disney hit of all time.
Starting June 1st, the world of Frozen will appear in Frontierland in Disneyland Park, with a brand new show. An ice-themed musical production combining singing and dancing with guest participation. The famous sisters, Anna and Elsa, along with their faithful companions, Kristoff and Olaf the funny snowman, will take to the stage to bring the show to life and expand the unique experience of Frozen live. They'll be surrounded by dancers straight out of the Kingdom of Arendelle.
As the show begins, the villagers are preparing to celebrate the Arendelle winter festival. The intrepid Princess Anna appears and welcomes guests to the snowy universe of the Kingdom of Arendelle. She invites them to help her create a surprise for her sister, Elsa, asking them to join together as a choir. The show is a wonderful occasion to experience, relive and participate in the most beautiful musical moments of the greatest Disney success story of all time.
Olaf, renowned as the only snowman in the world capable of dreaming of heat and sunshine, will also join the party live on stage. To celebrate his longed-for summer, guests are encouraged to sing along, while he dreams innocently of sun tans and beaches!
Among the highlights is an emotionally charged performance of the unforgettable song "Let it go" by Elsa. [The French version of "Let it go" ("Libérée, Délivrée", sung by Anaïs Delva) has over 45 million hits on YouTube].
Playlist:
- Do you wanna build a snowman?
- In Summer
- Love is an open door
- Let it go
The show will take place several times a day, with live performances in French and English, with French and English subtitles on screen.
Venue: Chaparral Theater, Frontierland, Disneyland Park.
June and September: 7 days a week (6 shows a day from Monday until Friday – 12 shows a day at weekends)
July and August: 7 days a week - 12 shows a day
Limited number of seats
A Market Place decked in the colours of Frozen
At Cottonwood Creek Ranch, guests are invited to visit the Market Place, inspired by the universe of the kingdom of Arendelle, and enjoy all the delights that recall one of the greatest Disney hits of all time.
Venue: Cottonwood Creek Ranch, Frontierland, Disneyland Park
Two other magical appearances showcasing Frozen at Disneyland Park
The two heroines of Frozen will appear at Disneyland Park every day, for two special events. On their frosty float, Princess Anna and Queen Elsa will star in "Disney Magic on Parade!" with Olaf. They will also cross the Park several times a day for a special carriage ride, "Frozen: A Royal Welcome", waving to the crowd from their royal carriage.
"Disney Magic on Parade!" Once a day, 7 days a week, Disneyland Park
Frozen: A Royal Welcome, 3 times a day, 7 days a week, Disneyland Park
A special Frozen feature in Disney Dreams®!
Frozen is now part of the traditional version of Disney Dreams®!. A breath-taking night-time show with fountains and pyrotechnics, where famous Characters from the world of Disney come to life through projections onto Sleeping Beauty Castle.
"Disney Dreams®!" tells a magical and moving story. Guided by Peter Pan, guests discover, or re-discover, the greatest Disney stories, from Beauty and the Beast to Aladdin, not forgetting Rapunzel and many others.
Frozen is now part of this amazing night-time show, taking its place among Disney classics such as The Lion King and Peter Pan, as well as the unforgettable Parisian hits Ratatouille and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This feature is vibrant and full of emotion, thanks to a specially re-orchestrated version of Let it go and the special effects expertise of Disneyland Paris.
Venue: Sleeping Beauty Castle, 7 days a week, Disneyland Park
Come to Disneyland Paris between 1 June and 13 September 2015 and celebrate a superbly snowy summer with Frozen at Disneyland Paris.
What is interesting is that their sing-along sounds completely different from either of the US versions. Although Florida and California both have slight variations from one another, the Parisian one sounds like a whole new concept, with villagers, dancers and even Olaf live on stage! We will be there in August, and look forward to seeing it.
Anna and Elsa featuring in Disney Dreams! is a new addition, and the cavalcade through the park I anticipate will be very similar to what they had at Christmas (perhaps with the addition of Kristoff and Olaf since they will be in the sing-along?). Anna and Elsa featuring in the main day parade however, is not new (just like how the Disney Parks Blog uses existing attractions such as Splash Mountain to advertise the "Coolest Summer Ever").
That's all for new items for today, but I just wanted to point you all towards some other highlights from the past couple of weeks that you may have missed, that are definitely worth reading.
Disney recently announced the dates for their popular Halloween and Christmas parties at the Magic Kingdom. Click here to find out the dates. Tickets will be available April.
The next part of my in-depth Grand Circle Tour of the World's Magic Kingdom's was posted, and covers Fantasyland. You can catch that here.
This past weekend we were in Walt Disney World for Flower and Garden, and of course other Disney fun. I wrote a trip report yesterday, which can be found here.
Ok, that's everything for today. Have a great day everyone,
Dan. |
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Hello everyone,
This past weekend Jon and I were in Walt Disney World for a brief trip to see Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival and a few other things.
I thought I would share with you all some of the things we saw whilst there, including a full round-up of all the Flower and Garden topiaries, gardens and exhibits. This report is photo heavy, so be warned in case you have a slow connection.
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 | Enter our brand new Frozen giveaway! (US only) | |
| DisneyDan
Thursday, February 26, 2015 6:08:20 PM |
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Character Central is pleased to announce the launch of our brand new giveaway. The prize is a Frozen pin set from Disneyland Paris, featuring Anna, Elsa, Sven and Olaf!
The competition will open at midnight between Thursday 26th and Friday 27th February 2015 (00:00 Friday), and will end at at midnight between Sunday 8th and Monday 9th March 2015 (00:00 Monday).
The terms are as follows:
- This giveaway is based on entries into an online raffle system, via Facebook.
- You must reside within the 50 United States or Washington, D.C.
- You must meet the Facebook membership requirement of being at least 13 years of age.
- In order to be entered into the raffle, you must visit the Facebook pages for our three websites, Character Central, Tsum Tsum Central and Two Lost Boys Travel.
- To ensure your visits to those pages counts, you should go via the giveaway app tab on our Character Central Facebook page. This will show you your progress through the entry criteria.
- Points will be awarded each time you complete one of the criteria set out above. The more points you earn, the more entries you get into the raffle!
- There are three additional, optional entry values which you may chose to do in order to earn more points, which leads to more entries.
- The prize of one (1) Frozen pin set will be awarded randomly to two (2) separate people after the close of business on Monday 9th March 2015 (I.e. we have two sets to giveaway). The winners will be contacted by Character Central via Facebook.
- If the prizes remain uncollected for six (6) weeks, then the winners will no longer be eligible.
UPDATE 27 February:
There has been a little confusion as to how you should enter the giveaway. Follow these four simple steps to ensure your entries register:
- Click the "giveaway" tab on our page.
- Click to sign in using Facebook.
- Under each option, chose "Visit us"
- Once you have visited the page, the greyed out "I visited!" button will change colour - click it! You entries will be submitted (you must click "I visited" after completing each visit to a page).
Good luck everyone!
Dan.
Important information:
Character Central, Tsum Tsum Central or Two Lost Boys Travel, their owners, friends and associates are not affiliated with Disney in any way. This giveaway is not a Disney giveaway, and has been privately funded, generously by Character Central. Character Central, Tsum Tsum Central or Two Lost Boys Travel, their owners, friends and associates are not responsible or liable for uncollected prizes, persons who win but do not meet the entry requirements set out in the terms above, nor for the accidental loss or damage of the prize once it is sent from our office. The prize holds no cash value, and cannot be exchanged for cash, gift cards, currency or any other goods or services.
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Hello everyone,
Disney just announced the dates for this year's annual Halloween and Christmas parties at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. Tickets will go on sale in April.
They are as follows:
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party:
Sept. 15, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27
Oct. 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 20, 22, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31
Nov. 1
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party:
Nov. 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, 29
Dec.1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 18
If you would like to quote a Walt Disney World Resort vacation for Halloween, Christmas, or any other time, you can contact our partner at Two Lost boys Travel by visiting their website, here.
Dan. |
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