WDW Newsletter

Big-hearted “Bolt” in best Disney tradition

admin — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:16:00 +0000

Disney animation takes a tentative step out of the shadows of Pixar with “Bolt,” a winning 3D-animated action-comedy that marries the best Disney traditions with Pixar polish. Though this road comedy of a lost TV star dog doesn’t rival the classics from Disney’s computer-animation pioneer partners, it’s the first in-house Disney animation — after the middling “Chicken Little,” “The Wild” and “Meet the Robinsons” — to bear comparison to the Pixar gold standard.

The 3D animation here is less gimmicky than is usual for movies that you have to watch through the funny glasses. It just makes the images sharper. It’s a cartoon that goes to great pains to mimic and mock real dog behavior, much of which Mittens has to teach Bolt, who’s never had to beg with those puppy-dog eyes. It’s about a girl who loves her dog and the dog who loves her back. And that heart makes “Bolt” the best Disney cartoon to not have the Pixar name on it since “Lilo & Stitch.”

Full Story

Florida Gators QB Tim Tebow given Disney Spirit Award

admin — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:13:00 +0000

UF junior QB Tim Tebow has been chosen as this year’s recipient of The Disney Spirit Award, given annually to college football’s most inspirational figure. “I’ve always been very passionate about football, but it is not going to be my life’s work forever, and I’d like to think I am not defined by it,” Tebow said in a statement. “To be recognized by Disney Sports for the way I try to use my platform to spread my message about faith and to join the list of recipients of this award is a blessing and it is very, very humbling.” Tebow will be presented the award during the ESPNU College Football Awards at the Atlantic Dance Hall at Walt Disney World on Dec. 11, five days after the Gators and Alabama play for the SEC title.

Full Story

Disney & Dillards offer Limited Edition Train Set

admin — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:06:50 +0000

The cross-promotion offers customers a five-car collectible train with each car depicting a Christmas event in each of the four parks. Each train car is $15, but you must spend $50 in the store in order to purchase it. The engine was released this week and a new train car will be available each week leading up to Christmas. Also, the train sets are only available at certain Dillard’s stores.

Click Here for Photos

Cheetah Girls Dropped From Thanksgiving Day Parade

admin — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 03:30:11 +0000

This Thanksgiving, America will have to do without a side of cheetah to go with their turkey. The Cheetah Girls have been dropped from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade schedule, following racy photos of member Adrienne Bailon leaking online, reports the New York Daily News. Although Macy’s officials blame “scheduling issues” on the Cheetah Girls’ ejection from the lineup, thus far the group’s schedule for the holiday remains clear. The trio is booked, however, for the day before and day after Turkey Day.

Full Story

HK Disneyland talks of ‘land’ grab

admin — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 03:28:13 +0000

Talks are underway to significantly expand the struggling Hong Kong Disneyland theme park. But a timetable and financing are unclear. According to the South China Morning Post the Hong Kong government and Disney are now discussing addition of three new themed ‘lands’ at a cost of some HK$5 billion ($645 million). A spokesman for Hong Kong Disney Resorts, holding company for Hong Kong Disneyland, declined to comment, saying that these were “negotiations between two private shareholders.”

The park, which opened in September 2005, has been repeatedly criticized as too small and lacking in some of the staple attractions of Disney theme parks elsewhere, notably ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ and ‘Haunted House.’ Park’s main segments currently consist of ‘Fantasyland,’ ‘Tomorrowland,’ ‘Adventureland’ and ‘Main Street USA.’

Full Story

Disney’s Hawai’i Project Begins With Ground Blessing

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:36:19 +0000

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts broke ground for its first family destination resort in Hawai’i today with a traditional Hawaiian blessing ceremony on its 21-acre oceanfront property, located at the Ko Olina Resort & Marina development on the western side of O’ahu. Scheduled to open in 2011, the new family friendly destination will overlook breathtaking crystal blue lagoons and white sand beaches and is planned to include 350 hotel rooms and 480 Disney Vacation Club timeshare villas.

Full Story

Disney Feature Animation ‘Bolt’ Enters Theaters

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:33:08 +0000

Walt Disney Animation Studios is hoping to take Holiday moviegoers by storm this year with the release of their latest computer animated movie: Bolt. A journey-comedy that finds an intrepid dog and his strange assortment of companies trekking across the country in search of home, Disney’s Bolt is the animation studio’s next step in CG produced, celebrity-voiced, action-comedy animated movies. The feature presentation hopes to continue Disney’s knack for playfully blurring the realms of family fun and superstar heroism.

Bolt is a dog. As such, he’s wide-eyed, excitable, and always itching to jump into action. But the type of action that Bolt seeks isn’t exactly what a typical dog yearns for. A Hollywood star in his own right, Bolt is the lead actor for a hit television series that focuses on the dog as a super-powered pooch, fighting for justice and saving his trusted family from the clutches of evil. Unfortunately for Bolt, this is only his TV personality. And unfortunately for the producers of the television series in which he stars, Bolt has absolutely no idea that he is in fact, just a TV star.

Full Story

Oriental Land Aims to Attract Chinese Disney Fans

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:31:12 +0000

Oriental Land Co., the operator of Tokyo’s Disney theme parks, is targeting wealthy Chinese and other overseas tourists to maintain growth as Japan’s declining birthrate cuts its domestic market. Overseas visitors to the company’s Disneyland and DisneySea theme parks may rise 22 percent to 1.3 million within three years, Executive Vice President Akio Nagaoka said in a Bloomberg Television interview. “With rapidly rising incomes in China and elsewhere in Asia, there’s a very big market for us to tap.”

Full Story

French GP hopes hit by Euro Disney pull-out

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:29:12 +0000

The future of F1 in France now appears more doubtful than ever after Euro Disney announced it has withdrawn its bid to host the French Grand Prix. The future of the French Grand Prix has been plunged into chaos after it has been revealed that Euro Disney - the leading alternative to host the race following Magny-Cours’ disappearance - has withdrawn its bid. With no French Grand Prix on the F1 calendar in 2009 - for the first time since 1955 - and the sport’s commercial rights-holder Bernie Ecclestone vowing ‘never’ to return to the unpopular Nevers circuit again, France had been looking for a new venue to stage the event. Euro Disney had been seen as the most favourable option - until now.

Full Story

Expensive rush: Indy comes to Disney Speedway

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:27:10 +0000

The latest tourist attraction at Walt Disney World weighs about 1,500 pounds and to ride it, you have to sign nine pages of legal waivers and provide contact information for your next of kin. It costs $399 for about five minutes. So is it worth it? “Definitely,” said Greg Monk, as he pulled out his American Express card for a second session Tuesday in a G-Force Indy race car. Monk, who was visiting with his wife and daughter, got a grand total of 16 laps around the one-mile Walt Disney World Speedway. He was behind the wheel of the same $250,000 car that Felipe Giaffone drove to the third-place finish in the 2002 Indianapolis 500 after qualifying fourth at more than 230 mph.

Full Story

Changes to Walt Disney World Christmas Day parade taping

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:24:34 +0000

Tickets for the annual Walt Disney World Christmas Day parade taping will not be distributed to passholders, or the general public, a Disney rep said. Instead, anyone visiting the Magic Kingdom with a valid ticket can view the taping if space permits. In the past, a passholder giveaway distributed tickets for reserved areas in front of the castle and along Main Street. Then, Lightship Entertainment handed out the remaining tickets, which included free admission to the park, to the general public.

The main production dates have been confirmed for Dec. 5 and 6. The first day typically involves the performances in front of Cinderella Castle and the second is the actual parade on Main Street. If you’ve never gone to the taping, be forewarned that both days involve a lot of standing around and waiting — this is a television production, people! In other words, you will not see the parade travel seamlessly down Main Street. Each float may be started and stopped several times to get the correct camera angles. Likewise, performers will come out and sing their songs multiple times after you watch hours of prep work by the crew.

Full Story

Miley Cyrus and John Travolta’s Day at Disney

admin — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:20:20 +0000

Their new animated film “Bolt” hits theaters this Friday, November 21st. And yesterday Miley Cyrus and John Travolta were spotted tying up a few loose ends. The paparazzi caught up with the “Hannah Montana” sweetie and the “Pulp Fiction” star as they left the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, both looking quite accomplished after putting the finishing touches on the sure-to-be hit.

Full Story

Disney Interactive Studios Embarks on a “Fully Awesome” Adventure with Disney’s Bolt

admin — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:17:20 +0000

Bolt, the superdog, and his companion Penny are ready to spring into action. Disney Interactive Studios today announced that the Disney’s Bolt video game is available at retail stores throughout the United States in time for the film’s opening on Friday, November 21. Inspired by the animated comedy adventure of the same name from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Bolt game versions are available for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the Wii home video game console, PLAYSTATION3 computer entertainment system, PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo DS and Windows-based PC.

Full Story

Alamo and Disney Parks Are Giving People a Reason to Celebrate This Year

admin — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:15:42 +0000

Alamo Rent A Car, the official rental car company of the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California, announced today that it has launched the Alamo.com sweepstakes tied to Disney Parks’ “What will you celebrate?” consumer campaign.

The Alamo.com online sweepstakes begins today and runs through January 18, 2009, and will award 20 vacations to the winner’s choice of either Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World Resort. Each winning entry will receive a five-day/four-night vacation that includes airfare, rental car, hotel accommodations, theme park passes, and a personalized celebration experience for a family of four. Consumers can register for the sweepstakes and view full terms and conditions by visiting www.alamo.com. No purchase is necessary for entry, but consumers can increase their chances of winning by earning additional entries with each qualified Alamo rental.

Full Story

Disney to release 5 films on IMAX

admin — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:14:01 +0000

The Walt Disney Co. said Wednesday it agreed to deliver five movies via IMAX theaters beginning with the 3-D movie “A Christmas Carol,” starring Jim Carrey, in November 2009. Future films may also include those made by director Tim Burton and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, the studio said. Imax Corp. is in the midst of rolling out digital projection technology at its large-screen theaters and the Disney slate takes advantage of that. As of September, Imax had 320 theaters worldwide and aims to have up to 50 converted to digital technology by the end of the year.

Full Story