Magical Adventures & Memories
At the Summer to Remember Media Event I had the opportunity to ask Imagineering Show Producer Trevor Bryant to give us the scoop on what the re-imagined Test Track will offer. Take a peek at this video and see what he shared!
I’ve just received some more photos featuring the Walt Disney World version of the Retro Collection from Dooney & Bourke and wanted to share them here. I’m pretty excited about this pattern. These bags, along with the Buttons and Charms collection, will be out later this year. I will post additional photos, styles and prices as I get the information.
What do you all think? Which of the new designs is your favorite?
Don’t forget to check DisneyStore.com for sales of select current released Disney Dooney & Bourke purses and Zannaland’s Disney Dooney & Bourke page with ALL handbag photos and info.
*DisneyStore.com links are affiliate links, which means it costs you nothing extra to click or buy, but if you do, I get a small commission. Thanks for reading!
Correspondent Nicole Siscaretti is experiencing Disney’s “A Summer to Remember” media event and sharing all sorts of news about “What’s New, What’s Next” at Disney Parks. I had to pause and share her latest photos – the all new Disney Dooney & Bourke “Buttons” collection and another new design – “Charms” from Courtney Williams. We’ve been waiting (im)patiently for the last month or so when we first heard about Buttons with the Disneyland Retro Collection, so without further ado, here are the photos! Click to enlarge all photos! All designs below will be coming out soon.
Don’t forget to check DisneyStore.com for sales of select current released Disney Dooney & Bourke purses and Zannaland’s Disney Dooney & Bourke page with ALL handbag photos and info.
*DisneyStore.com links are affiliate links, which means it costs you nothing extra to click or buy, but if you do, I get a small commission. Thanks for reading!
Is vacationing together considered a must for your family? According to Samantha Brown and the panelists of a discussion at Disney’s Summer to Remember media event, it should be. Panelists Leslie Ferraro, Dan Lazar and Susan Newman shared information and thoughts based on a recent study that made me consider vacationing as a family a “necessity, not a luxury” as Brown bluntly put it.
‘Family bonds are harder to develop and nurture than ever before because life has become, for most families, a forgettable blur. With both parents working and kids working harder than ever in school, it’s very hard to make connections in the family unit because life is moving by so fast. Parents recognize this, don’t like it, and are purposeful about making memories. Family vacation is almost like the first aid of families; they need it.’
My favorite thing I took from this panel is a quote from Samantha Brown: ‘Just wander, make mistakes and create memories for yourself that way. Put the schedule away and just see what happens.’
Editors Note: Nicole Siscaretti is currently reporting from Disney’s A Summer to Remember media event, on behalf of Zannaland. I am excited to have Nicole share her experiences from this event here with us. Stay tuned for more coverage, including photos of the new Art of Animation Resort!
Below is the latest, and most beautiful in my opinion, official trailer from Disney Pixar for Brave, coming to theatres June 22. I cannot wait to see this gorgeous film. And as you may have heard Merida and Brave meet and greet characters are coming soon to Disneyland and Walt Disney World, which will be fun to see in person as well.
Disney Pixar has also sent over some new stills from the film:
As we reported when the last Brave trailer was released, the song played is Tha Mo Ghaol Air Aird A’ Chuain by Julie Fowlis. Enjoy!
Avengers, Assemble! I’ve just now caught up on all the Avengers films leading up to the May 4th release of Marvel’s The Avengers and couldn’t be more excited to see the film tonight at a media screening. I’ll be sure to share my thoughts in an upcoming review, but until then, I have a fun giveaway to share with Zannaland readers!
The good folks at Marvel were nice enough to put together a gift pack containing:
– MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS t-shirt in adult sizes of S, M, L, XL
– MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS set of 6 buttons
– MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS one pair of limited edition 3D glasses
The giveaway starts NOW and ends May 9, 2012 (11:59pm EDT) when a winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here. Open to U.S. and Canadian residents only.
To Enter:
Additional entries may be earned by:
Giveaway has ended, thanks to all who entered! Congrats to Jim who was chosen from random.org as our winner!
Good luck and see you in theatres May 4th!
The Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival has been a family favorite for years, so of course this year was no different. Below are some of my favorite flowers and topiaries. I’ve left some displays out so you can discover them on your own when you visit. If you have the chance, make your way to Epcot and take in the sights and scents!
Be sure to check out the workshops and merchandise locations too for some great info and home garden ideas. There are fun activities for the kids and informative ways to take better care of our world, one garden at a time. The Flower Power Concert Series also offers a fun way to relax and enjoy the day with some sounds from the past.
The Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival runs until May 20, 2012
As always, click any photo to see full-size.
Here at Zannaland, I’ve loved tracking fun Disney Merchandise from the start. Whether it’s Disney Dooney & Bourke purses, Duffy the Disney Bear, Ear Hats, Minnie Ear Headbands, Disney antenna toppers, or unique t-shirt designs, I’ve loved sharing it all! I was recently at Downtown Disney West Side and Marketplace and realized it had been a while since I’d done a t-shirt update. I saw some fun shirts at D-Street and World of Disney and thought I’d share them here.
Some of these designs have been out for a while but I wanted to post them anyway as they showcase the really cool retro/vintage designs that have been sweeping twitter as of late. It’s been great to follow along the designers as their work shows up in the parks. While some shirts may appeal to a select group of Disney history buffs, thankfully, Disney is taking a chance on these cool designs that poke fun at their past or even present. Click to enlarge any photo:
Which shirts are your favorite?
The Behind the Seeds Tour is one of those things I’d see at Epcot, each time we went on Living With the Land (back to when it was Listen to the Land) and always wanted to do, but never got around to it. Finally, last September, my newly local friends and I decided to fix that and I finally got to experience this wonderful tour first hand.
Most of the special tours Walt Disney World offers are well into the $50+ range, and the backstage ones can get up to over $200 per person. Having three children, that adds up quickly. Also, many tours are for ages 16 and up, so as not to ruin the magic for any younger visitors.
Back to Behind the Seeds; this tour is $18 per adult and $14 per child, and 15% annual passholder, DVC, Disney Visa, and military discounts are offered. If you have even a slight interest in gardening or horticulture, you will love Behind the Seeds. I had no idea that the cast members that give the tour are actually members of the Epcot Science Team, and really knowledgeable on the topics at hand. I just assumed all these years that they were just regular cast members, so that was a pleasant surprise. The tour groups are kept small, up to I believe 10 or 12 people, but it is still an undiscovered treasure, and our tour only had 5 people, including my friends and me.
The first stop is the Biological Control area. I feel like there should be a warning here for anyone squeamish about bugs, that there are some very icky videos shown of bugs in action, bugs that live inside other bugs and nest and all sorts of gross stuff like that. I’m not really a fan, but it was over relatively quick. Circle of life and all that. The point of this area is to teach guests about good bugs and bad bugs. Of course we all know ladybugs and dragonflies are good bugs, eating aphids and mosquitoes respectively, but there are many others out there, which can control pests that destroy crops and offer a natural alternative to toxic pesticides. It was great to learn that that is the preferred method in the Land greenhouses. At this time, we were all handed a test tube full of frozen ladybugs to hold on to. We were told we would get to release them later in the tour.
We then walk by the Biotechnology Lab, which is really just a look into the window where they are growing crops with different techniques. It’s also where they grow all of those little “Mickey’s Mini Garden” trees they sell out front.
Next, was one of my favorite parts of the tour. There is a plant which is touch-sensitive – it’s scientific name is Mimosa Purdica. We were told to touch the leaves of the plant, which instantly folded up! It was the coolest thing, until our tour guide bumped the pot the plant was in and ALL the leaves folded in. That was the coolest thing.
We then saw the hydroponic methods, elevated growing methods – which yields more fruit or vegetables, aquaculture, and then growing tea and spice gardens. It was such a wonderful tour – completely interactive – we got to touch things, feed fish, release ladybugs, try a hydroponic cucumber (yum!), and identify spice origins. You can also see how they make the Mickey-shaped pumpkins, watermelons, etc. but during our tour they did not have any on display that were big enough to look like Mickey yet. I always feel kind of bad for those veggies, forced to squeeze themselves into Mickey. But then, I’m silly that way, having grown up with Kitchen Kabaret and attaching feelings and emotions to my food groups. 😉 Check out some photos of what we did see on our tour in this gallery below:
I would recommend this tour in a heartbeat. You can bring children 3 and over too, just make sure they are well-attended as there are parts where you go near the water on the boat ride. Strollers are provided if you need them too. Most of all, it’s just really amazing to see the amount of time and effort Disney makes with these greenhouses. The fruits and vegetables are used in many Walt Disney World restaurants, which is even better!
For more photos of the tour, head to my Behind the Seeds flickr set. You can sign up for tours on the same day, at the desk to the left of the Soarin’ entrance. Tours are every 45 minutes, from 10:30 am – 4:30 am. You can also plan in advance by calling 407-WDW-TOUR. Behind the Seeds should definitely be added to your “Must-Do” Disney list, or even your Must-Do-Again list!
Unlike many Disney fans, I can’t really pinpoint my first visit to Walt Disney World. I like to attribute my Disney fandom to our visit in 1983, when I fell madly, deeply in love with EPCOT Center. Then I discovered this gem of a 70’s photo (right) which I guess is from 1978 or 1979. I also found my mom’s photo album, including pictures of us at Sea World that say 1975, and we’d certainly visit Walt Disney World if we visited Sea World, RIGHT MOM? But seriously, my memories are a bit hazy…my dad’s family lived in Ocala, so we did visit Disney back then. I’m just unsure of the very first time. If only my archives were as extensive as those of the D23 fan club.
What I do recall is the Little Orange Bird. I remember getting a little plastic orange cup with the green straw like it was yesterday. I took that cup home with me and it was my favorite cup to use for many, many years to come. I had an Orange Bird bank, and a little PVC figure and they were both prized possessions as well. Sadly, both were lost in a move long ago, and while I know ebay exists for such things, it was hard not having my own childhood collection any longer. I may not be as eloquent with Orange Bird’s history as some of my friends like Progress City, U.S.A. and Passport to Dreams Old and New (<–seriously, PLEASE read these posts!), but I had to try to put into words just what Orange Bird meant to me and how heartwarming it is to see his return.
Having grown up in Massachusetts, I guess the idea of seeing oranges grow on trees and the intoxicating scent of their blossoms (I remember having orange blossom perfume from Silver Springs in Ocala, FL) was just enchanting. Throw in an adorable little mute bird that looks like an orange and you’ve got a generation of kids hooked on Little Orange Bird. Florida at the time was still another world, a natural paradise, which Walt Disney World highlighted when it opened in 1971. Families from the northeast and midwest looked at Florida as this other-worldly place, full of tropical plants and lush greenery, and yes, citrus fruits. While they may not be as popular a gift item today, back then, when you went to Florida, you brought home a bag of oranges or grapefruits. They were THE Florida souvenir. Now, people in every state in the union can get oranges 365 days a year, so the appeal has waned a bit. Kids and families of the past decade walking by the Sunshine Tree Terrace might not have been as impressed as we were by the ability to get a Florida orange juice Citrus Swirl there, or even pay attention to a little orange bird hanging out behind the counter. I mean, there are PRINCESSES to take photos with right behind you! 😉 So, after the first decade of WDW passed, somehow the uniqueness and what made the Sunshine Pavilion so magical in 1971, just wasn’t necessary any more. Enter internet Disney fans.
With the advent of online forums, Disney fans from all over the country and world suddenly had a place to gather and say “Oh yeah, I loved Orange Bird too!” or “If You Had Wings was my favorite ride ever!” And sure, not every classic Disney memory or desire is able to be returned to its former glory, but somewhere along the line, a group of creative folks decided there were a few things they could bring back to Walt Disney World. We started seeing hints of Orange Bird here and there, and merchandise in Japan too. Last year, we saw some Orange Bird shirts and pins appear, and a Passholder Vinylmation as well.
At D23’s Destination D at Walt Disney World last May, we heard from a trio of Imagineers who instantly won the hearts of all in the room and on the Twitterverse. Orange Bird appeared on D23’s 40th Anniversary of Walt Disney World t-shirts, and we hoped our friend would make an appearance at the 40th celebrations. No luck there, but as the year progressed, we saw Little Orange Doodles, instagrams of vintage Orange Bird merchandise and Orange Bird taking pretty much every form possible, including one of the Imagineers himself. Soon those who were too young to know of Orange Bird and the Sunshine Tree, or just had never cared before, had interest sparked in our Vitamin C-filled friend. A month ago, the first step was taken, as the Citrus Swirl was returned to the Sunshine Tree Terrace’s menu. Differing from the orange option down the road at Aloha Isle, the Citrus Swirl is tangy frozen orange juice swirled with sweet vanilla ice cream and is served in a cone or cup. Disney fandom was ablaze with this addition and we hoped against hope it was the first of many changes. Yesterday, our hopes came to fruition (get it? ORANGE? FRUITion? – hopefully I’m not overusing that pun).
In a surprising but welcome announcement, D23 members were invited to reply on Twitter to attend a meet-up the next day, in Adventureland. News had already been spreading, as some additions were revealed before their time, but the excitement was not dampened. Yesterday morning, sixty D23 members with their plus-ones were taken into Adventureland, before the Magic Kingdom opened and host Steven Vagnini from the Walt Disney Archives led us around the corner to this beautiful site:
He then introduced Imagineer Dave Hoffman, part of the Orange Bird team, who shared with us how they actually discovered the original Orange Bird figure from the Sunshine Tree Terrace in 1971. We had been so busy looking at the gorgeous new sign, we didn’t head in by the counter to see our Little Orange Friend hanging out by a crate of oranges watching over his Citrus Swirls. A collective “awww!” could be heard echoing through the Sunshine Pavilion as we saw him perched above us. Taking my blogging hat off for a moment, I had a portion of my childhood handed back to me. In fact as I drank from my Orange Bird sipper cup, I exclaimed, “I’m SIX again!”.
Imagineer Jason Grandt then took the stage to share about the discovery of Orange Bird in a drawer in Glendale and how happy they were to have him back home. We had a little trivia contest (where some of us learned we needed to brush up on our Orange Bird history a bit) with Orange Bird whistles as prizes. Casey Jones and Monty Maldovan, both of the Disney Design Group, then shared their newest designs – the Orange Bird sipper cup, two new Orange Bird t-shirts, and coming in June, the Orange Bird ear hat. Casey also revealed the new attraction poster to be featured under the Main Street train station. The Adventureland poster entices guests to experience the Sunshine Tree Terrace and enjoy the Orange Bird’s offerings. As a bonus, the poster is available as a print to purchase too.
Here’s a video from D23 explaining the history and recovery of the Orange Bird:
Did Disney have to add the original Orange Bird figure back? Did we need Citrus Swirls again? Of course the answer is no. Will there be guests that visit the park and don’t know who the heck Orange Bird is or why he’s on the Sunshine Tree Terrace sign? Sure. As with any project WDI takes on, there will be guests who don’t notice or appreciate the details and will happily enjoy their time at the Parks. Then there will be those who take the moment and look down to see those animal footprints in Storybook Circus, or read the windows on Main Street, and notice all the little touches which separate Disney parks from any other theme park or company. When the Imagineers involved in creating new projects are such fans themselves, there is hope for all the other fans who visit and give their feedback.
Yes, there is new merchandise which will make money. But really, as has always been the case at Disney theme parks, you have to ask yourself these questions: do you want an Orange Bird t-shirt because Disney has hyped it, or do you wish there were Orange Bird t-shirts and thank goodness, Disney now has them? In the case of the recent retro lines and D23 merchandise, the choices definitely seem to be a case of (fan) demand and then supply. That is what gives us hope as extreme Disney fans, who long for preservation and curation of the Disney history we grew up loving.
Overall, it was an amazing event, full of appreciative support of the changes, history and new merchandise. Every cast member I spoke with who was involved with the project seemed so genuinely happy to be a part of bringing a bit of vintage Disney charm back to Walt Disney World. I think announcing the changes in this fashion was a wonderful way to show fans they are appreciated and that membership in D23 is a worthwhile investment. Kudos to the whole Little Orange team – it was a pleasure and honor to be a part of this gift to Walt Disney World guests. You can read more about the return of the Orange Bird at D23’s recent blog.