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Hello everyone,
Last Friday night (25th September) Jon and I attended the first of this year's Mickey's Halloween Party at Disneyland.
We had previously attended Mickey's Halloween Party at Disneyland four years ago, and due to lots of other travelling commitments, have only just now managed to make it back again for the party!
I was anxious because it was the first one of the season, and obviously things can change from year to year. So although I had some idea from looking at details from last year, I didn't really know what to expect this night.
Around 4pm on Friday [ Read More... ] |
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Hello everyone,
Today I have a round up of the latest character news out of the Disney Parks around the world, including Tokyo Disney Resort where is there is a huge amount of information about the coming 18 months at the resort.
Let's start with Walt Disney World in Florida, where this week saw the first of the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Parties. This year there is a new stage show, titled "Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular", featuring the Sanderson Sisters, and other Disney Villains, including [ Read More... ] |
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Hello everyone,
It has been a while since I have had chance to make a full news post here on the blog, but today I thought it would be nice to finally share some of the things we have learned recently.
Let's start with Disneyland Resort in California, [ Read More... ] |
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 | Throwback Thursday - Celebrate! A Street Party | |
| DisneyDan
Thursday, August 13, 2015 8:58:07 AM |
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Hello everyone,
Today's Throwback Thursday is to Disneyland's "Celebrate! A Street Party".
Celebrate! A Street Party replaced the much loved Parade of Dreams, opening on 27th March 2009, during the "What Will You Celebrate?" campaign at the US Disney Parks. Unfortunately, Celebrate! A Street Party was no comparable replacement for the Parade of Dreams, and was widely unpopular with regular Disneyland guests.
Celebrate! A Street Party featured twenty-three characters, ranging from Mickey and friends, Winnie the Pooh, Mary Poppins, Peter Pan and Woody, as well as many talented performers. The performance was not so much a parade, but more what the name suggests, a street party. In general, there was nothing wrong with this concept, but when you take into account the fact that this replaced a much loved day parade, which featured beautiful floats and great music, this was not going to cut it. It would be like the Magic Kingdom ending its day parade and advertising Move It! Shake It! as the main parade for the day - and we all know how awful that is.
To its credit, the street party did include new costumes for Mickey, Minnie and Clarabelle Cow. Chip 'n' Dale's sweet heart, Clarice, was also featured in the party; fans will know that, sadly, Clarice doesn't get out much in the US parks, so it was good to see her.
Celebrate! A Street Party featured the (actually not-so-bad) Disney created campaign song "Celebrate You", along with a remix of King Louie's "I Wanna Be Like You", and even Ricky Martin's "Ole Ole Ole". Overall, the idea of having a street party with popular characters is not a bad one, but when you look at the characters they included, and then listen to the soundtrack, you can see why it didn't work! Mary Poppins, Bert, Geppetto and Winnie the Pooh, all dancing along to "Ole Ole Ole" is not really within those characters' genre. Combined with the fact that this was the replacement for a wildly popular parade, it simply didn't work.
Celebrate! A Street Party ran for a year and a half, and ended at the start of the 2010 Christmas season. It did not return in spring 2011, and was replaced with the much more appropriate, and much better received, Mickey's Soundsational Parade, which still runs today.
Let's take a look back at some photos from both August 2009 and August 2010, when we watched Celebrate! A Street Party.
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 | Happy 60th Anniversary Disneyland! | |
| DisneyDan
Friday, July 17, 2015 9:31:13 AM |
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Today is the 60th anniversary of the grand opening of Disneyland in Anaheim, California.
We have had many character filled adventures at Disneyland over the years, and so I am going to share with you some of our favourite moments.
For my non-character related tribute post, head over to our new Two Lost boys blog.
Happy 60th anniversary Disneyland!
Dan. |
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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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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,
Fourteen years ago today, the then-named Disney's California Adventure Park opened its doors for the first time. Since then, the park has undergone huge changes, eliminating entire lands and building new ones from scratch. It has probably undergone the largest transformation in the past 5 years alone than most parks have in their entire lifespans. Disney California Adventure, as it is today, is a tribute to the unending dream of Walt Disney, to keep moving forward and to continue to bring joy to people all around the world.
Let's take a look back at some of our favourite moments from the park over the years.
Happy 14th anniversary Disney California Adventure!
Dan. |
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Hello everyone,
Last night, at a special media event, the Disneyland Resort announced what to expect for the Disneyland Diamond Anniversary, which will all begin on May 22nd this year. The Disney Parks Blog provided all of the following information.
Sparkling Decor
As part of the celebration, the iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland park and Carthay Circle Theatre in Disney California Adventure park will glisten and gleam, each with its own diamond medallion featuring the letter 'D.' The entire resort will sparkle with Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration décor and festive banners in shades of Disneyland blue. Also bearing the diamond anniversary theme, creative merchandise and food items will be designed to complement the celebration. We’ll have more to share on those special items soon.
"Disneyland Forever" Fireworks
"Disneyland Forever" shows just how magical the Magic Kingdom can be, in a sky-high celebration featuring sparkling pyrotechnics, immersive projections, and other effects that transform Disneyland park right before your eyes!
"Disneyland Forever" envelops you in an enthralling, breathtaking journey like never before, leveraging the largest installation of projection mapping technology in a Disney park and surprising special effects. Main Street, U.S.A., and several other Disneyland park locations become a magical canvas taking us into a world of dreams, from flying above the London skyline from Peter Pan to a dance with King Louie in The Jungle Book.
"Disneyland Forever" also features two original songs, the theme "Live the Magic" and the inspiring closing song "Kiss Goodnight," written by Disney Legend Richard Sherman.
Walt Disney once said, 'Disneyland will never be completed, as long as there is imagination left in the world." As "Disneyland Forever" caps off each evening of this once-in-a-lifetime celebration, we discover Walt’s inspiring words still hold true today. Disneyland will continue to be home to all our dreams and adventures… forever!
"Paint the Night" Parade
The "Paint the Night" parade brings some of the most innovative floats, vibrant costumes, dazzling special effects, unforgettable music and energetic performances ever presented at Disneyland Resort. This new, state-of-the-art nighttime parade floods Main Street, U.S.A., with stunning color, fun surprises and more than 1.5 million brilliant LED lights.
Mickey Mouse uses his vivid imagination to harness the power of Tinker Bell’s pixie dust and “Paint the Night” in Disney dreams, bringing to light beloved characters and stories from Monsters, Inc., Cars, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Toy Story, Frozen and more.
"World of Color – Celebrate! The Wonderful World of Walt Disney"
"World of Color – Celebrate! The Wonderful World of Walt Disney" illuminates the night in a contemporary and moving celebration of Walt and his dream of Disneyland, showing that anything is possible if we never give up on our dreams.
Mickey Mouse will take guests on a fun-filled and inspirational journey through the unparalleled imagination of Walt Disney, exploring his decades-long legacy of memorable animated moments and the dream of Disneyland park.
Both epic and intimate in scope, "World of Color – Celebrate! The Wonderful World of Walt Disney" brings to life the remarkable story of Walt and the Happiest Place on Earth in a first-of-its-kind spectacular, presented on the magic canvas of World of Color with compelling animated imagery, live-action footage, fountains, lasers, special effects and a stirring musical score.
As more news becomes available, we'll post it here, as always!
Have a great day everyone,
Dan. |
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Hello everyone,
Last weekend we were in Disneyland to see the end of their holiday offerings and the start of Frozen Fun.
This post is photo heavy so be warned if you have a slow connection speed!
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