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Hello everyone,
First off, I would like to apologise for the lack of updates lately - especially since there has been so much character news! I really feel like we've failed the last couple of weeks in bringing you the latest news and rumours.
But, sadly, "real life" gets in the way, and we have indeed been very busy with some rather life changing adjustments.
Anyway, with that said and done, let's take a look at what we've missed, and also some actual news, too!
Over in Disneyland, the vote for the next Long Lost Friends concluded, as announced by the Disney Parks Blog, and yesterday (being Monday and the start of a new Limited Time Magic week) those beloved Disney pals returned to the Big Thunder Ranch at Disneyland Park.
The full line up is as follows:
- Merlin
- Hercules, Megara and Hades
- Pinocchio, Gepetto, Foulfellow, Gideon and Jiminy Cricket
- Meeko, Pocahontas, John Smith and Governor Radcliffe
- Snow White and Dopey
- Robin Hood, Prince John, Friar Tuck and the Sheriff of Nottingham
- Lilo and Stitch
- Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Mr Smee and Wendy
- Tarzan, Jane and Terk
- Brer Bear, Brer Fox and Brer Rabbit.
A lot of those made appearances last time, and some, as always, aren't rare at all, but overall it's a good mix. Definitely very cool to see Hades and Merlin greeting guests! They do not get out at all these days! All characters are on a rotational system, and subject to change or cancellation at any time.
Staying with California, but rewinding back to D23 which saw some really awesome character opportunities.
Debuting for the first time (as official Disney Characters at least, and not at Universal or elsewhere) were Iron Man, Spider-Man and Captain America.
Doc McStuffins also made her grand debut in her Disney Parks make-over look (Doc could already be seen, and still can in fact, in the Disney Junior Live! show, where she looks a little different...)
Other characters that were at the event included some Mickey and Friends, Phineas and Ferb, and I believe Agent P, but I don't have confirmation of him. Characters from ABC's Once Upon a Time also greeted fans, although this was not the first time they've been seen - they were also at the San Diego Comic-Con recently, too. I believe there were five characters - Emma, David, Regina, Mary-Margaret and Hook.
Of course, the highlight for the fans attending though was when Dreamfinder made a surprise limited appearance! This is the second time in recent history Dreamfinder has shown up (the other being at Destination D: Walt Disney World in 2011), and gives fans a glimmer of hope that someday he might return full time, perhaps once WDI figure out what to do with the current Journey Into Imagination at EPCOT.
Dreamfinder links us in nicely to Walt Disney World, where it has been confirmed that Jack and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas will debut at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party this year (held at the Magic Kingdom). This will be their first ever regular appearance at the Florida Resort.
Other MNSSHP changes include Phineas and Ferb joining the dance crew on Main Street before the Boo To You Parade, and the Tomorrowland dance party being re-themed to Monsters University.
Friday the 13th of September will also be a spooktacular Halloween occasion, as Disney's Hollywood Studios will hold a special Limited Time Magic event for all regular park guest that day, 'Unleash the Villains'.
Originally perceived to be a dance party featuring the Disney Villains, there have been rumours that cool creeps such as Hades and Maleficent could show up for meet 'n' greets too! (Though, again, there is no actual confirmation of this, as far as I know)
They will also hold a special fireworks spectacular that night, 'Villainy in the Sky', as well as feature special merchandise just for the evening. The event will be held from 8pm to 1am. It's best to check the Limited Time Magic website nearer the time for more details.
Finally for WDW, and WDWMagic posted that they think the epically long running Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade will finally end right before Christmas. The parade is definitely being retired due to the fact that earlier this year Disney announced the Magic Kingdom would finally be getting the brand new Festival of Fantasy Parade.
Over in Disneyland Paris, the Dreams of Romance '2' float was taken out of the parade earlier this month, for a 2 month long re-imagining, ready for its (rumoured) October 1st debut featuring the brand new Frozen characters, Anna and Elsa! We'll be in DLP for a few days mid-October, so we really look forward to seeing them for the first time!
If you had been following our Facebook page and Twitter last week, you'd have seen that we launched the second in our Trip Planner series, this time for Hong Kong Disneyland! Covering practically every aspect of trip planning for the park, from flights, tickets, hotels, dining, shopping, FastPasses, local area information and much more, it really is an invaluable resource.
For those interested, our first one was for Tokyo Disney Resort, and covers similar information, but of course for Tokyo.
Ok, I think that's all for now. Have a great week everyone!
Dan. |
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Just a few minutes ago the Disney Parks Blog announced its list for the vote for the next Long Lost Friends Week at Walt Disney World.
The list consists of:
- Clarabelle Cow and Horace Horse Collar
- Robin Hood, Friar Tuck, Sheriff of Nottingham and Prince John
- Fifer Pig, Fiddler Pig, Practical Pig and Big Bad Wolf
- Clarice, Chip and Dale
- Wendell, Liver Lips, Shaker and Big Al
- Chicken Little and Abby Mallard
- Brer Bear, Brer Fox and Brer Rabbit
- Flik and Princess Atta
- June and Leo from Little Einsteins
- Tweedle Dum, Tweedle Dee and Queen of Hearts
- Louis the Alligator and Dr. Facilier (Face)
- Penguins from Mary Poppins
- Suzy and Perla
I have to say, overall, the list is somewhat disappointing. The first three sets were out last time!Chip and Dale are regulars, and although Clarice is "rare" for WDW, she can be met all the time in Paris, Tokyo, and sometimes in California.
The Country Bears are out regularly in California, Tokyo, and actually at the Christmas Parties in the Magic Kingdom, too!
I give them credit where it is due for Chicken Little and Abby Mallard - they are definitely rare these days.
The Brers, well, all three can be met in Tokyo, and Brer Fox and Brer Bear are out in California often.
Flik used to be out daily in WDW, and still is at DCA in California. Atta is definitely more unusual, but was at the dance party for the Party for the Planet LTM recently at Animal Kingdom. Why not also have Francis and Gypsy, or some other bug friends?
June can be met everyday at the Play 'n' Dine at DHS, if you eat there. Leo is definitely more rare, but was out regularly until just about two years ago. But why not have Quincy and Annie too?
The Tweedles and the Queen of Hearts are out daily in California, Paris and Tokyo, and the Queen of Hearts can be found at the Halloween Parties in the Magic Kingdom too.
Louis is definitely a rare one. Dr Facilier can be met during Halloween in Paris and California, and at the Halloween Parties in the Magic Kingdom.
The Penguins from Mary Poppins are OUT in WDW sometimes - we saw them when we were there last month! Ok, they aren't regular, but they DO appear! There is also a good chance of finding them in the afternoon pop-up surprise sets on the Streets of America at DHS! Definitely not a good option.
Suzy and Perla are out fairly often in California and Paris, though not all the time. For WDW they are definitely uncommon.
I realise my comparisons are between the other parks, but as you can see, these characters are not truly "Long Lost" - and some of them CAN be found at WDW! It just depends on the time of year (Christmas, Halloween etc).
Overall I think they really needed to up their game with this one, especially after Disneyland held such an AWESOME one that totally blew everyone away! For those who don't recall, DL had REAL rare characters such as the Three Good Fairies, John Smith and Ping (Mulan's alter ego).
Let us know what you think by hitting the 'Discuss' button below, and commenting on the Forum!
Dan. |
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Hello everyone,
Sadly as much as we would have LOVED to have been at Long Lost Friends Week this week at Disneyland, we can't be everywhere at once, especially since they didn't announce the dates until just last week.
Although we are very sad we aren't there, fortunately the only character who has appeared so far that we haven't met is Ludwig (yes, he was in WDW, but for the same reason, we didn't see him! So annoying!)
Anyway, for those of you like us who can't get out to DL this week, I've put together my own collection of pictures from my adventures meeting all the same characters at the Disney Parks around the world! (Except Ludwig, of course...)
Not to criticise their efforts this week (it really looks amazing), but this post also proves that actually, with some effort - and luck - you could actually meet nearly all these characters at all the other parks, which brings me to this: who truly is "long lost?"
Who would you put out this week? Who is the "rarest of them all?"
I'll post my suggestions later in this post!
Meanwhile, back to this weeks offerings...
So, here it is! Character Central's very own "Stay at Home Long Lost Friends Week!"
[ Read More... ] |
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Hello everyone,
Today sees the start of Disneyland's much anticipated Limited Time Magic event, Long Lost Friends Week.
As you may recall the Disney Parks Blog had previously held a vote, and these are the characters that officially won:
- Esmeralda, Frollo and Clopin from The Hunchback of Notre Dame
- Pocahontas, John Smith, Meeko and Governor Ratcliffe from Pocahontas
- Robin Hood, Friar Tuck, Prince John and Sheriff of Nottingham from Robin Hood
- and Scrooge McDuck and Ludwig von Drake
User ssaamm on our Character Central Forum also informs us that they have also seen Lilo and Stitch, the Three Little pigs, the Big Bad Wolf, Peter and Wendy, and Tarzan and Jane appear so far at the Ranch! None of these won the vote.
It's definitely very cool that Disneyland have stepped up their game on this one. I am just immensely sad that we are not there for it!
If anyone else appears this week, I'll be sure to let you all know.
On Facebook, the Unofficial Disney Character Hunting Guide posted pictures of Princess Aurora sporting her new look at WDW, which debuted just the other day. Of the three Princesses that have been redesigned so far, I personally think that Aurora is the best one.
Also at WDW, although this is now old news, just as a reminder, Countdown to Fun and Disney Channel Rocks at Hollywood Studios ended permanently this past weekend. This now leaves the Studios without a parade until further notice.
Tokyo Disneyland have had a "soft opening" of their brand new parade for the 30th anniversary. Happiness is Here features some of our favourite characters, including some that are being let out in the parks for the very first time!
The Ugly Duckling, a Heffalump, and the King of Hearts are all welcomed additions! The King of Hearts was technically a character a very long time ago, but hasn't been seen in decades. |
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