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Archives for August 2013

Disney On Ice Presents Princesses and Heroes Orlando Giveaway

24 August 2013 by Suzannah Otis 8 Comments

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If you’ve ever been to any of the Feld Entertainment Disney on Ice shows, you know how spectacular they are. Well now you could win tickets for 4 to Disney on Ice presents Princesses & Heroes here in Orlando. This giveaway is super quick, so you can find out if you won in a matter of days and start planning!

Disney on Ice Princesses and Heroes

Here is all the official info on the Disney on Ice presents Princesses & Heroes show:

Believing is Just the Beginning! Disney On Ice presents Princesses & Heroes Comes to Central Florida

-Tinker Bell Whisks Audiences through Classic Moments from some of Disney’s most Beloved Stories of Beautiful Princesses and their Daring Heroes –

Through artistic skating and graceful acrobatics, Disney On Ice presents Princesses & Heroes beautifully recreates the defining moments when eight Disney Princesses’ wishes are fulfilled with help from their devoted Princes.  Tinker Bell guides guests through the inspiring stories of Ariel, Belle, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Tiana, Jasmine, Aurora and Snow White as their wishes are being granted and their dreams coming true.

In this new touring show produced by Feld Entertainment, audiences will go where imaginations soar and anything can happen if they just believe.  Ariel’s dreams are unlocked from under the sea and, in one magical moment, Prince Eric breaks Ursula’s slithering spell to reclaim his one true love.  In a race against time to rescue Sleeping Beauty’s Aurora, Prince Philip defeats the evil Maleficent as she transforms into a fire-breathing dragon.  Rapunzel fulfills her dream to escape the tower and see the floating lights; Tiana celebrates her ambitions of owning a restaurant down in New Orleans; Jasmine discovers a whole new world with Aladdin; and Snow White finds her one true love.  This beautiful presentation also reveals Cinderella and Belle’s deepest wishes.

“Before dreaming up this edition of Disney On Ice, we reflected on what makes Disney’s princesses and heroes so special,” said Producer Kenneth Feld.  “It didn’t take long to realize that every princess had one thing in common: each embarked on an adventure to find their heart’s fondest wish, and through believing, they come true.  We wanted to share that inspirational message with our audiences by celebrating the stories of these enchanting princesses and their heroic princes.”

Disney On Ice presents Princesses & Heroes features the newest Disney Princesses, Rapunzel and Tiana, as well as their adventurous counterparts, Flynn Rider and Prince Naveen. “It’s always exciting to welcome new faces into the Disney family.  Being able to include these fresh, enchanting characters from the Academy Award® nominated film Tangled as well as the lovely Tiana from Princess and the Frog keeps our shows current and ever evolving,” Feld said.

Adapting the inspirational moments to the ice presented an interesting challenge to the creative team that collaborated on Disney On Ice presents Princesses & Heroes.  To cause audiences to re-experience the emotions evoked by the films would take glittering sets, dramatic lighting, breathtaking choreography and a few surprises. Each member of the creative team approached this challenge with their own unique perspective.

For Director Patty Vincent, it was about realizing her goal for the overall vision of the show.

Disney on Ice Jasmine “My favorite part of this entire experience was actually piecing it together from my original dream,” she noted.  “Starting with a blank piece of paper then gathering ideas, finding music, working out the choreography and costumes – I really loved creating it from scratch.  One of the most perfect moments for me was when I found the song “If You Can Dream” on the Disney Wishes album.  It just embodies the wishful and inspirational tone of the show. There’s nothing like seeing ideas that start with your imagination become something real – it’s an incredible experience.”

An example of this creative process is evident in Vincent’s favorite part of the show.  “I love the ‘Under the Sea’ production number because I was able to combine bubbling special effects with the most fantastic costumes and high-energy skating.  The scene is even more fun than I imagined it would be.”

Recognizing the timeless nature of the stories, Creative Director Jerry Bilik sought a cast whose talent would make the stories more real and inspiring.

“To me, the most exciting part of the show is really the cast,” Bilik said.  “These exceptional performers help make the stories translate to the ice magnificently.  Their portrayal of the princesses and princes sweeps the audience away because they capture the essence of the characters’ hopes, dreams and heroism.”

For Costume Designer Ilona Somogyi, this experience was similar to her work on costumes for the hit Broadway production Spamalot, where she also used a very well-known film with many beloved characters as her primary resource.  For Disney On Ice presents Princesses & Heroes, she sought inspiration from the original films and some other, more unusual places.

“In addition to the films, specific scenes also had their own sources of inspiration,” Somogyi said.  “For the Cinderella ball, Fabergé eggs were the basis for the full-flowing waltz gowns.  My underlying inspiration was the little girls who go to Disney On Ice shows dressed as their favorite Disney princess.  Seeing them made me nostalgic and took me back to what dazzled me as a little girl.”

Choreographer Cindy Stuart focused on crafting numbers that highlighted the unique story of each princess and her hero.  For example, in the Aladdin segment, there is a busy, fast-paced opening scene in the marketplace where Aladdin is being chased by the guards.  Then when he meets Jasmine, the scene gives way to a dreamy, magical escape from reality in “A Whole New World.”

Set Designer Robert Little’s goal was to create a set that would be as beautiful and surprising as the princesses themselves, but flexible enough to allow the telling of so many classic stories.  The core setting is a cascading, multi-tier waterfall with actual flowing water.  With a little pixie dust, Tinker Bell magically transforms the set into a different backdrop for each princess’s wish.

Disney on Ice
How cool is this?!

“We had this idea early on about wishes and the types of places where you’d be compelled to make wishes, and we hit upon the waterfall,” said Little.  “Like Snow White, who wouldn’t be inspired to wish for their dreams to come true at such a beautiful, magical place in the woods?”

Little also had a hand at crafting the dragon from Sleeping Beauty, one of the most exciting and dramatic elements of the show.  “The effect is truly magnificent – and there’s a thrilling surprise in store for the audience that will really ignite their interests and the ice itself.”

In this, his fifth ice show credit, Emmy® Award winning Lighting Designer Peter Morse sought to complement the set design with the appropriate lighting that would transition smoothly between the stories.  For instance, Morse used leafy designs of greens and sepia tones to establish the forest where Snow White wishes by a well.  He also recreates the night when Cinderella’s dreams come true with bursts of bright white stars.

“When telling eight distinct stories, it’s important to be able to create a new environment to set the stage for each tale,” said Morse.  “Robert Little did this with the transformable set, and it was my mission to fill the rest of the ice with radiant lighting that would place the audience in the heart of these stories.”

Disney On Ice presents Princesses & Heroes invites audiences to come along as Tinker Bell shows them the timeless tales of inspiring princesses and their heroes.  Focusing on the moments where the princesses’ dreams come true, the show uses high-energy music, glittering sets and dramatic choreography to make a truly breathtaking experience.

 If you don’t win the giveaway, you can also purchase tickets with a special discount: Get $4 off per ticket with promo code MOMDOI. 

Valid for Sat 11am, Sat 7pm and Sun 5pm. Offer not valid on Front Row or VIP Seats. Not valid day of show. Click to purchase tickets.

You can also follow Disney on Ice on Facebook and Disney on Ice on Twitter.

Just follow the Rafflecopter instructions to enter the giveaway!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Filed Under: Central Florida Family Entertainment, Disney Movie News & Reviews, Giveaways, Top Stories Tagged With: acrobatics, artistic skating, defining moments, Disney On Ice, Disney on Ice Princesses & Heroes, Disney princesses, evil maleficent, Feld Entertainment, fire breathing dragon, imaginations, magical moment, owning a restaurant, prince eric, prince philip, race against time, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Tiana, tinker bell, whisks

Disney Infinity Dragon Unlocked with MagicBand

22 August 2013 by Suzannah Otis 11 Comments

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Reported first here at Zannaland: After hearing some suggestions from Tom Staggs, Chairman, Disney Parks and Resorts, that there just might be some things in store for Magic Bands and the newest Disney video game venture, Disney Infinity, I thought I’d do a little experimenting. Turns out, something pretty cool happens! You may remember talk of the Disney Dragon, an elusive creature, who even had his own blog for a time. He made one appearance, at the press event celebrating the opening of New Fantasyland in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Well, now you can see him whenever you like, if you have a Magic Band.

DisneyInfinityMagicBand

The new RFID bands are part of My Disney Experience, a next-gen project which allows resort guests to pre-book their FastPasses, and organize tickets, dining and more all on their wrist. I’ll have more on the MagicBands and My Magic + portions of My Disney Experience in a later post, as well as a full write up on Disney Infinity. Until then, please enjoy the game play capture of the special achievement unlocked with the MagicBand. We thought it was fun!  *Edit, I realize the quality is less-than-stellar on this Wii video below. I did not know what I was missing until it was pointed out to me. We had an Xbox at home but my son used it upstairs, so I just got this for the Wii, not realizing a lot of the content was missing on this game. So I went out and got a Wii U. The difference was amazing! Check out the 3rd video below to see. I now a new video of Dragon Gate and the Dragons Keep world (not available in the Wii version) up from the Wii U, in HD. We also added some of the background sky and land power discs, so you could see the Dragon’s Keep in lots of different ways!

 

 

 

Disney Infinity is available now on all platforms with more figures and content coming out soon! I also captured the entire opening sequence for the game, after getting a Wii U and realizing a lot was missing from the Wii gameplay that is available on Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Wii U. It is simply gorgeous and I had to share it. If this doesn’t make you want to try out the game with your family, I’m not sure what will! (Wait, maybe the Tangled lanterns background sky would do the trick!) I’ll also have an updated Dragon Gate and Dragon’s Keep Toy Box World video coming soon, captured from the Wii U. Keep checking back and subscribe on YouTube for more!

 

Disney Infinity Dragon
Do you see the Disney Dragon shooting fire?

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Filed Under: D23 Expo, Disney Merchandise, Top Stories, Video Games and Apps Tagged With: disney dragon, Disney Easter Egg, Disney Infinity, Disney Infinity Dragon, Disney Infinity easter egg, Disney Infinity special item, Disney parks, Disney video game, dragon, Dragon Flight Sky, Dragon's Gate, Dragon's Keep, FastPass+, magic band, Magic Bands, My Disney Experience, My Magic +, Nex Gen, next-gen, NextGen, rfid, The Disney Dragon, video game, Video game easter egg, videos, Walt Disney World, Wii U

D23 Expo 2013 – What to Know Before You Go!

6 August 2013 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

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If you’ve been reading Disney blogs, twitter, facebook or even instagram lately, you know that the D23 Expo is almost upon us! As you know, I am attending for my second time, and my fourth time at the happiest place on earth, the Disneyland Resort. This year, D23 has made some big changes in the way the Expo works, in response to guest and fan feedback from past Expos. Because of that, and the large amount of first-timers I’ve seen commenting online, I thought I would put together a D23 Expo 101. Here I’ll share my own personal tips and tricks, as well as get some insider info from D23’s own Jeffrey Epstein, who was nice enough to speak with me the other day and give me the run down.

D23 Expo

What’s New:

In listening to guest feedback, according the Jeffrey Epstein, the biggest issue D23 worked to improve upon was capacity. As a result, they have doubled the size of the Stage 23 venue to 2000 seats. The Stage 28 venue also has an increased capacity and the Arena now has a 2000 seat overflow theatre, with closed-circuit live streaming of all Arena events. In addition, they have created a “StagePass” for the Stage 23 and Stage 28 sessions, similar to a FastPass system. We’ll discuss more about StagePass in a moment.

Additionally, D23 has added 2 concerts this year, of course the amazing combo of Alan Menken and Richard Sherman, which is a dream show for all Disney fans. There is also the Broadway and Beyond concert which is sure to thrill attendees and fans of Disney’s Broadway productions. Also this year, Imagineering is celebrating its 60th anniversary and has decided to showcase the creative process that fascinates so many who love the Walt Disney Company. Sunday will feature a full day of Imagineering panels, offering a look behind the scenes, which guests so often want to see. The full D23 schedule is available online and with the D23 App, which we’ll also discuss below.

StagePass: 

When Stage Pass was first announced, there was a little confusion about how exactly it worked. Well our amazing pal Jeffery has given us the facts on how Stage Pass will work for us. Similar to a FastPass within a Disney Park, StagePass is free, and available on a first-come-first-served basis for sessions taking place after 11am in Stage 23 and Stage 28.  StagePass is not available for morning sessions before 11am. Here’s exactly what to do:

StagePass

For a session after 11am, line up with your activated D23 Expo credentials. Decide which session you want to get a StagePass for. Jeffrey recommends you have a second and even third choice because there will be a lot of people doing just what you are. Then if you want to get back in line to obtain another StagePass for a session after 3:00pm, you may do so after 12:30pm.

TIP: Also similar to FastPass in the parks, if you have activated credentials for other members of your party, you may bring them to obtain StagePasses for them as well. This will come in handy as you plan your Expo day. Someone may be waiting in line for a morning session, while someone else is in line for StagePass, letting you attend a later session with a guaranteed seat.

Unfortunately, StagePasses are not unlimited. When they are gone, they are gone, and that probably means that particular session will not have any seating. You are able to wait in a stand-by line for sessions if you do not have a StagePass, but you have to decide if that is a good use of your time, with no guarantee of seating. If you have a StagePass and still want to get a seat up front or center stage, you should probably still line up  with a good amount of time to try and get a preferred seat location. StagePasses are for general admission seating and do not guarantee a particular seat location. Good luck!

What’s the Same:

Well, simply put, the lines and waiting. You will wait in line. You will probably miss out on some sessions you really want to see. It will be crowded. That is just par for the course with any convention and the D23 Expo is no exception. What’s also the same is LOTS  of magic compressed into 3 days. Despite all the lines and waiting, you will have fun – it’s Disney! You’ll find the same great Walt Disney Company info and some great exclusive shopping too!

Surprises:

In addition to the larger venues and StagePass, the Show Floor is also expanded, offering even more ways to explore your favorite Disney interests and have fun. Roam the Collectors Forum to see your favorite Disney fan folks, websites, and vendors. Check out the latest from Disney Interactive, Disney Consumer Products, the Disney Channel, and more! As Jeffrey says,”the Disney Channel viewers of today are the Disney Geeks of tomorrow.” I love that quote, and it’s true! There are some great family options at the Expo and while fans of Disney history and news may not be heading there as our first choice, the fact that the Expo offers such great opportunities for all ages, is wonderful.

The biggest surprise may be finding something you never expected to enjoy. If you can’t get into a session, don’t think of it as a loss, think of it as a way to see something you never thought you would. You just may be happy with where you end up. I’ve heard there will be a fun Virtual Scavenger Hunt announced during the Expo, and don’t forget the amazing alternate reality game, The Optimist, which has been playing out online and in person over the past month or so, and may culminate at the Expo. Be sure to visit the Disney Cartography booth on the Show Floor and visit Wallace for more info!

TIP: Head to the Disney In-Home Entertainment section of the Show Floor to see the latest in Disney home entertainment releases…and…enjoy the free charging station! 

If you are looking for some unique things to check out, ESPN is joining the Expo for the first time this year and will feature their moving film The 99ers. The Disney Citizenship booth showcases 30 years of  VoluntEARS and attendees become an honorary VoluntEAR. Also be sure to check out the Once Upon a Time Q&A session, hosted by Jeffrey Epstein. Be sure to say hi and thank him for speaking with us here! He promises the content they are sharing in that session is NEW and unique to the Expo. I can’t wait!

Jeffrey also let us know there will be a few other surprises and reveals sprinkled throughout the 3 days…so keep your eyes and ears open!

Must Do’s:

If you do nothing else, (and you should have already done this if you’re attending the Expo!) download the D23 App for your mobile device. It has tons of fun and important info for your Expo experience. You can plan your schedule, take and edit silly photos, and so much more. During the Expo, the app will be pushing live info and updates to us. Sweet!

D23 App

Hopefully this gives you a little more idea of what to expect when you walk through those convention doors. Plan, prepare, but keep an open mind for changes or plan B’s (or C’s). You know, just like a Disney Parks vacation!

Huge thanks again to Jeffrey Epstein for taking time out of his insanely busy schedule to share with us here. It is an amazing amount of work to put together these Expos and as a fan, I am so appreciative of the opportunities D23 gives us to learn and share more about the company and the magic we all know and love.

{ P.S….If you are arriving early to the Disneyland Resort for the Expo, my great friend and fellow blogger Nicole of SparklyEverAfter and I are having a meet-up on Thursday night! Join us at Disney California Adventure’s Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe on Buena Vista Street at 7pm on August 8 for some sparkles and Starbucks! We’d love to share a coffee with you and chat! If you’re in the area, be sure to stop by! }

Sparkles and Starbucks

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Filed Under: D23 Expo, Disney Special Events, Top Stories Tagged With: alan menken, arena events, broadway productions, D23, D23 Expo, D23 Expo 2013, D23 Expo Info, D23 Expo Primer, disney fans, Disneyland Resort, fan feedback, guest feedback, happiest place on earth, imagineering, insider info, jeffrey epstein, Richard Sherman, stagepass, walt disney company

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