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Disney News
Farewell to Captain Rex – D23’s Last Flight to Endor Celebration
Many of you may have heard about the Last Tour to Endor party associated with the Star Wars Celebration V that took place at the Orange County Convention Center last month. I know I was disappointed that we couldn’t get it to work out logistically, so when I saw the D23 event for the Last Flight to Endor (which was an essentially free event save for the $5 per ticket processing fee), I was all over it! What’s more, this free event was going to take place on the actual last night of Star Tours operation before it closed for refurbishment and would be limited to the number of guests that could fill the speeders in the attraction for the actual last flight. It was too cool to pass up. I am so glad I didn’t.
{I apologize in advance for the photo quality. I was using my cell all night – convenient, but not so great at night and when you are pretty much constantly moving. Hopefully the spirit of the evening comes across in the pictures, despite the blurriness! }
I make no claims to know all there is about Star Wars, but I know enough to make obscure references or movie lines when needed and get suitably excited when our escorts for the evening turned out to be some of the 501st Legion‘s finest Stormtroopers (even though my first response upon seeing one of them was “Aren’t you a little short to be a Stormtrooper?”). It was great to see so many excited fans and fellow bloggers/Disney media people there as well as meeting some twitter friends. We all checked in and were given a commemorative boarding pass and FastPass for the evening, and the first 100 guests received a limited edition Star Wars coin set as well. Soon the Stormtroopers arrived and we were on the march to our destination: Star Tours.
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All New Secretariat Behind the Scenes Trailer-Penny’s Story: Against All Odds
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I will admit to not having given Secretariat a second thought when I heard they were making the movie. I mean, I like horses, don’t get me wrong. As a girl I went through the requisite Black Beauty and Black Stallion phases but I’ve never been so into horses that I wanted to watch a full-length movie about one, as an adult. Then I saw the trailer to Secretariat and was blown away.
Perhaps because I loved the time period of the film (I am a wee bit obsessed with Mad Men as my friends may be aware), or my love of John Malkovich as an actor, or my new found love of Nelsan Ellis (Lafayette on True Blood). Maybe I even did what the Disney marketing team wanted me to do – identify with the “just a housewife” moniker with which Diane Lane’s character is branded. In any event, I became excited for a movie about a horse. Disney has just released a new behind-the-scenes featurette focusing on Penny (the housewife in question) and her journey against all odds. I enjoyed it and thought you might too.
For those unaware of the story, housewife and mother Penny Chenery (Diane Lane) agrees to take over her ailing father’s Virginia-based Meadow Stables, despite her lack of horse-racing knowledge. Against all odds, Chenery—with the help of veteran trainer Lucien Laurin (John Malkovich)—manages to navigate the male-dominated business, ultimately fostering the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years and what may be the greatest racehorse of all time.In 1973, Secretariat became the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in 25 years, setting race records that still stand today in the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes.
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Muppets Kitchen With Cat Cora Sneak Peek!
Check out this sneak peek from Disney Online – the all new Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora is coming soon!
Muppets and cooking? Sounds like the perfect combo to me – it worked for the Swedish Chef!
Watch for the Muppets Kitchen – Where Everything Tastes Funny!
Pets Get a Dose of Pixie Dust at Disney’s Best Friends Pet Care
It’s not news that devoted pet owners will do just about anything for their “fur children”, including luxury accommodations which are gaining popularity across the country. I have a friend who’s been putting her dog in a similar pet hotel for years, allowing her to watch her pets on a webcam while she’s away. After all, if you’re enjoying the place “Where Dreams Come True”, why not let your beloved pets experience some magic as well?
I was really impressed with the facilities at the Best Friends Pet Care, which opened this week. Situated across from Port Orleans Riverside on Bonnet Creek Parkway, the newly built Best Friends Pet Care replaces all other Disney kennels throughout the Walt Disney World Resort. With facilities for over 300 pets, this one new location will be able to comfortably accommodate all of Disney’s four-legged visitors. Whether you are just dropping your pet off for a day visit, or an overnight stay, they will be given as much attention as if they were a human guest at one of Disney’s deluxe resorts.
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Duffy the Disney Bear Finds a Home in Epcot-Passholder Preview
Fans of Disney’s Tokyo DisneySea may be familiar with the very popular bear, Duffy, who graces the park as a character, plush toy and many, many other forms of merchandise. As the story goes, (you knew there was a story, right?) Mickey Mouse was about to leave on a long sea voyage. Minnie gave him a stuffed bear so he wouldn’t get lonely. Mickey kept the bear duffel bag, and the name “Duffy” was born. Aww.
Duffy has his very own Disney site in Japanese, an unofficial Facebook page, countless flickr photos and ebay auctions for bears, outfits and more. He was for sale, though not referred to as Duffy, simply “The Disney Bear” briefly at Walt Disney World, making character appearances during Teddy Bear Weekends here in Florida. I happened to have purchased one back when my 11 year old was first born. I think I loved him more than my son did. Since I have a a love for all things Japanese as well, I was pretty excited about Duffy coming here to Epcot. Update: read all about Duffy’s arrival this October.
The good news for annual passholders is they will get a sneak preview and special hour-long presentation all about Duffy on September 18, 2010, at 11am, 2pm and 6pm at the Odyssey restaurant in Epcot. Reservations for this event open Tuesday, Aug. 31, at DisneyWorld.com/passholder to all current Disney World passholders. However, Weekday Select and Epcot After 4 p.m. passholders will need valid admission to Epcot. To read more about the details, check out Kristen Ford’s story on The Daily Disney. Duffy should begin making regular appearances in World Showcase’s Japan pavilion in October.
I can’t wait to sign up and be there for Duffy madness to arrive here in Florida. Hopefully he will receive as warm a welcome as he did in his Japanese home. Okaeri nasai, Duffy!
Make Some Magic With the Wizards of Waverly Place:Spellbound Nintendo DS Game
Disney Interactive Studios announced today the upcoming release of Wizards of Waverly Place: Spellbound for Nintendo DS™. Inspired by the hit Disney Channel TV series, “Wizards of Waverly Place,” the video game will take players through five exciting episodes in a brand new mystery as they play as some of their favorite characters from the show.
In Wizards of Waverly Place: Spellbound, players will take their Wizard skills to the next level to find out what happened to a dress designed by Alex Russo that goes missing just before her big fashion show. Fans can play as their favorite wizards-in-training – Alex, Justin and Max Russo – while interacting with familiar characters and exploring locations from the show, including the Waverly Sub Station, Tribeca Prep and others.
In this fun-filled adventure game, players will complete various puzzles and overcome obstacles by casting spells on objects and characters. Fans will be able to move and freeze objects, turn themselves into a hamster, travel at turbo speed and more. In addition, players can dress Alex in 25 collectible outfits and compete in bonus wizard challenges.
Wizards of Waverly Place: Spellbound will be available this fall for Nintendo DS.
The First and Only Broadcast on Disney Fairytale Weddings Debuts Today
Inside Disney Weddings is the only program dedicated to weddings and honeymoons at the Disney parks and on the Disney Cruise Line. Each week, Scott Sheppard and Carrie Hayward take a look at what’s new and exciting in the world of Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings. Topics range from the latest news, planning information and money-saving tips to in-depth interviews and event coverage. The program also features special guests, including industry experts and real Disney brides and grooms, along with caller Q&A, giveaways and contests.
“I’m thrilled that Scott Sheppard and Carrie Hayward have teamed up to bring us the new ‘Inside Disney Weddings’ program,” said The Disney Wedding Blog founder Carly Morgan. “Scott has worked in the Disney wedding industry for years, and Carrie—a past Disney bride and the author of ‘PassPorter’s Disney Weddings & Honeymoons’—has become the expert on all things Disney weddings. I can’t think of a better team!”
Print and broadcast journalist Carrie Hayward is the author of “PassPorter’s Disney Weddings & Honeymoons,” a guidebook and bridal organizer for weddings, vow renewals, commitment ceremonies and honeymoons at Walt Disney World and on the Disney Cruise Line. She is also the E-Book Editor at PassPorter Travel Press, an independent publisher of best-selling Disney park guidebooks. She was married at Walt Disney World in 2008.
From the site: This week’s show offers an introduction to the four types of Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings at Walt Disney World and on the Disney Cruise Line—Escape, Wishes, Couture and Cruise—and sets the stage for an in-depth look at each type of wedding in the coming weeks.
If you’re planning a wedding, honeymoon or renewal, or just love everything about weddings like me, be sure to check out this magical new podcast!
In Napoli Where Pizza is King…Epcot Welcomes Via Napoli to the Family
Ok, so Dean Martin said love was king, but he never tried the pizza at Via Napoli now did he? I was among those lucky enough to get a taste yesterday at the Via Napoli grand opening celebration and I can’t wait to return. Of course there has been a lot of buzz about Via Napoli online since it was first announced it would join the World Showcase family of restaurants. Fears swirled that adding a new element to an existing country pavilion would disrupt the look and flow of our beloved Italy, while others felt an expansion was necessary and eagerly awaited its arrival. Me? Well, I am used to Boston pizza, where Dominoes is a 4-letter word and places like Bertucci’s once took the pizza chain restaurant up to date and into the land of the brick oven. Knowing there would now finally be a place to get authentic Neapolitan pizza in Epcot, I was a fan before I even got there.
All images not watermarked are ©Disney
Now I know, everyone just wants to know how good the pizza is, but please indulge me as I discuss what makes Via Napoli such a satisfying experience…First of all, look at the picture above – how beautiful is that? So authentic-looking and inviting, isn’t it? Before we venture inside, lets take a look at the ribbon-cutting ceremony with Epcot Vice President Dan Cockerell, Patina Group CEO Nick Valenti, legendary chef and Patina Group and founder Joachim Splichal and of course, Mickey and Minnie, in their finest Italian couture!
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Keeper of the Kingdom:Interview with Author Ridley Pearson
A while back I posted my interview with fellow Disney Mom Margaret and she mentioned her love of the Kingdom Keepers series. Imagine my surprise when I received a comment on that entry from none other than the author himself, Ridley Pearson, thanking Margaret for the KK love. I figured I shouldn’t let that bit of providence go to waste, so I emailed Mr. Pearson to ask if he’d be interested in answering a few questions for ZannaLand readers. He responded that he’d be “pleased and honored” to do so. As a fan (of both Ridley’s work and young-adult fiction in general) and a wanna-be-writer, I was a bit excited at the prospect.
What follows are my silly questions and Ridley’s wonderful answers; sharing a bit more about himself, the writing process and his Disney-themed work.
Zanna: What made you first decide to take the leap from a successful adult thriller writer to the young adult genre?
Ridley Pearson: The most obvious change was having children. When my two daughters were little I would tell them a different story every night before bed. Every night. My wife and I would read to them as well, no less than an hour a night. At some point, as a writer, you just start to think: “Why am I not writing for my kids?”
Z: Did you head into The Kingdom Keepers thinking Walt Disney World would be a great setting for a book or did you decide to bring the Disney aspect in after the fact?
RP: Actually, Disney did a remarkably generous thing for me (and for Dave Barry) the result of which was a thank you phone call that ended with me and an editor, Wendy Lefkon, discussing working together. She proposed I use my crime-writing skills to develop a series set inside the Disney theme parks that the Disney “attorneys would approve.” It was a challenge I couldn’t resist.
Z: Had you always been a fan of Disney parks?
RP: I LOVE the Disney parks, but came to it late. (That was the generous gift Disney gave me (and Dave Barry): 3 days with our families as VIP guests in Disney World! It changed my (publishing) life.
RP: The reader reaction caught me and my publishing team at Disney TOTALLY by surprise. The first book Disney After Dark
sold well, but not phenomenally. Then, after a few months, this groundswell began and tens of thousands of readers (later, hundreds of thousands) “got the bug.” It was a so much fun for me, as a writer, because it meant more books — and then, once those books caught on, they way they did, we set a series length (7 books) and I could create a large “arc” for the entire series. It’s been a very special part of my work. I treasure the KK series and its readers.
Z: As a guitarist in the band of published authors, Rock Bottom Remainders, who are some of your musical inspirations? Do you listen to music while writing?
RP: On my iPhone you’ll find everything from opera to U2. Nickleback to Scott Hamilton. Jazz, rock, soft rock, “oldies” — having played music for years now I take it any way it comes. I love music and sometimes, though certainly not always, play music when I’m writing. If I know the music really intimately I can write with it playing; if not, too much of my attention is taken by admiring the piece.
Z: With so many young adult books in the marketplace now, how do you ensure you’ll capture a reader’s attention? Do you have any advice for aspiring authors to set themselves apart?
RP: I try not to think about all the other books (although I read them! I love Eoin Colfer
and Rick Riordan, Carl Hiaasen). I just try to write a compelling, fast-paced story with fun characters (that’s tough enough). I think the key to new writers is “have fun.” If you have fun writing, chances are the reader will too.
Z: Do you have a definite end in sight for The Kingdom Keepers? Will there be a part 4 or beyond? Any hints? (Thanks to my 11 year-old for this question!)
RP: I sure do! See above.
Can’t wait to see what happens next! Huge thanks to Ridley Pearson for taking the time out of his incredibly busy schedule to talk with us today! I know I loved learning a bit more about the process and how Kingdom Keepers began. If you’d like to check out Kingdom Keepers III: Disney in Shadow
, his Peter series
with Dave Barry, as well as all his adult fiction, head over to the Ridley Pearson author page on Amazon or his official website RidleyPearson.com. You can also follow Ridley on twitter @RidleyPearson and “like” him Pearson on facebook, where he updates regularly about his work and appearances.
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