Magical Adventures & Memories
The toys are back! Disney*Pixar’s brand-new Toy Story Toon, PARTYSAURUS REX, will run in theaters before FINDING NEMO 3D starting September 14th. This adorable short is directed by Mark Walsh, produced by Kim Adam, and is the third installment of Toy Story Toons.
Check out this brand-new clip from PARTYSAURUS REX!
FINDING NEMO 3D & “Partysaurus Rex” Hit Theaters September 14th!
LINCOLN focuses on the last four months of the president’s life and the political strategizing he undertook at the close of the Civil War to ensure that slavery would be forever outlawed. “Our movie is really about a working leader who must make tough decisions and get things done in the face of overwhelming opposition,” Spielberg says.
LINCOLN is a DreamWorks, Twentieth Century Fox, Participant Media production opening in limited release November 9, expanding November 16, 2012.
Like LINCOLN on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LincolnMovie
The Disney Parks Blog just announced the news we’ve all been waiting for, the date for the next phase of the New Fantasyland expansion to open to guests!
With Storybook Circus quickly becoming a favorite part of the new Fantasyland, the Parks Blog today shared details of the next area of Storybook Circus to open, Pete’s Silly Sideshow. There guests can meet their favorite characters in their Storybook Circus-themed finest: Minnie Magnifique (Minnie Mouse as a circus star), Madame Daisy Fortuna (Daisy Duck as a fortuneteller), The Great Goofini (Goofy as a daredevil stunt pilot), and The Astounding Donaldo (Donald Duck as a snake charmer).
Locals and far-off visitors alike have been cheering the attention to detail we’ve seen in Storybook Circus, and have been anxiously awaiting the walls to come down so we may see more of that Imagineering magic in the Enchanted Forest.
We now know that opening on December 6 will be the highly anticipated Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid attraction, Ariel’s Grotto meet and greet location, the Be Our Guest Restaurant, Gaston’s Tavern and Enchanted Tales with Belle character interaction experience as well as Bonjour! Village Gifts.
Previews of these attractions will begin November 19.
I know I am not alone in being ridiculously excited for these new attractions and experiences. I was lucky enough to step “behind the wall” a few of months back and it looks like it will live up to expectations and be a magical place to stroll through and explore.
The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train coaster and Princess Fairytale Hall Meet and Greet location will be opening at later dates, so watch for future announcements. What are you most looking forward to when Enchanted Forest officially opens?
It is no secret that Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant is one of my favorite spots at Downtown Disney here in Orlando. I’ve always been a fan of their amazing Chef Kevin Dundon‘s creations as well as the great live music and atmosphere the location offers. Having grown up outside of Boston, the granddaughter of Irish immigrants, I’ve also always had a great love in my heart for Irish music and dancing. Many high school friends took part in Irish step-dancing and I was always amazed by their syncopated movements and talent. Now Raglan Road brings some great Irish culture to all of us here in Central Florida, with their first ever boutique Irish festival called “The Great Irish Hooley” taking place from August 31-September 3 at Downtown Disney.
Here is all the official information about what exactly a Hooley is and what to expect there:
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Labor Day weekend guests at Downtown Disney Pleasure Island can eat, drink, dance and celebrate during Central Florida’s first boutique Irish festival — The Great Irish Hooley — August 31 through Sept. 3.
A traditional Irish social celebration, the “Hooley” combines music ranging from traditional to rock tunes with entertainment and interactive fun for the whole family. Raglan Road’s Great Irish Hooley will make the long weekend memorable with a mix of great Irish bands, Irish Dance Workshops for anyone in the family, structured set dancing known as the Ceili (pronounced kay-lee), Celtic face-painting Saturday through Monday and authentic food and beverages for all.
“At last, Orlando has its own boutique Irish festival like those found back home in Ireland and in certain other U.S. cities,” says John Cooke, a founding partner of Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant. “This unique Irish festival will be jam packed with the best of Irish music and entertainment outside of Ireland.”
The four-day party kicks off Friday, August 31 at 5 p.m. and continues through midnight Monday, Sept 3. The Great Irish Hooley entertainment lineup includes six top Irish bands and a troupe of acclaimed dancers:
o Full Set, a popular Irish band that released its successful debut album last year. The band plays the festival Friday through Monday to begin a U.S. tour that includes the Milwaukee Irish Fest.
o Elevation, the U2 Tribute Band. Elevation will play the pub stage Saturday and a full show under the Florida sky on the patio stage Sunday evening.
o Creel, Raglan Road’s popular house band, will play all weekend.
o The Raglan Rogues, here from Dublin with their energetic expression of Irish folk and traditional tunes, will play Thursday through Monday.
o Danny Burns brings his unique blend of Irish ballads and contemporary Irish music to Raglan Friday through Monday.
o Johnny “Snaggs” Norton is a renowned Dublin entertainer in the tradition of the great Irish folk and ballad groups who has toured worldwide with Riverdance. His performances Saturday through Monday include sing-along songs from the great Traditional Irish Songbook.
o The Raglan Road Irish Dancers, the resident six-strong troupe of champion Irish dancers plucked from the stages of the most famed Irish dance shows, perform throughout the weekend.
On Saturday, Sunday and Monday, guests can participate in Irish Dance Workshops — “From Our Roots to Riverdance” — with renowned Irish dancer and choreographer Ronan McCormack of the original Riverdance cast and the Raglan Road Dancers.Ronan will chart and demonstrate the origins and traditional styles of Irish Dance through to the contemporary styles of dance made famous by Riverdance. And on each of those three afternoons, guests can step up for a two-hour Ceili (kay-lee) – a traditional music and structured set-dancing event that was the precursor to today’s popular country line dancing.
Throughout the Hooley, guests can belly up to one of Raglan Road’s 130-year-old imported-from-Ireland bars or grab a table for authentic fare by Irish celebrity chef Kevin Dundon. The restaurant, a Diners’ Choice 2012 award winner, is known for its beer-battered fish and chips, as well as its Shepherd’s pie with a contemporary twist, delectable seafood, Kevin’s Heavenly Ham and other popular entrees. Desserts like the Bread & Butter Pudding and the decadently chocolate Dunbrody Kiss are just as popular. Raglan Road also offers gluten-free items including scallops, fish and chips, calamari, onion rings and pasta dishes.
Owned and operated by Irish partners and celebrity chef Kevin Dundon – famous for his five-star hotel and cookery school in Ireland – Raglan Road features traditional Irish dishes and new creations with a Celtic twist. The restaurant’s warm interior of aged walnut and mahogany woods from old Irish bars and churches was built in Ireland and shipped to Orlando. Live entertainment nightly includes Irish house band Creel (Monday through Saturday) and Irish duo Johnny and Justin (Sundays) plus The Raglan Road Irish Dancers perform seven nights a week. Lunch is served 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; Dinner 3-11 p.m.; Bar menu 11 p.m.-late. Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant is located on Pleasure Island at Downtown Disney in the Walt Disney World Resort, 1640 E. Buena Vista Dr., Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Visit RaglanRoad.com or call 407/938-0300.
For years now, I have enjoyed the Annie Leibovitz Disney Dream Portraits and am thrilled to see a sneak peek at two new photos on the Disney Parks Blog today. When I saw that the first portrait was one of my favorites, Russell Brand, I was even more excited. Check out the two images below:
The above images and more from Annie Leibovitz will be featured as inserts in fall issues of GQ, O – The Oprah Magazine, People, People En Español, Vanity Fair, Real Simple, Essence, and InStyle. Which is your favorite so far??
That said, both films look spectacular on Blu-ray. There are some scenes that seem to just be made for this technology and the backgrounds and colors are just fantastic. The Bonus Features for Home on the Range are: Audio Commentary; animated short “A Dairy Tale: The Three Little Pigs;” 4 Deleted Scenes; Music Video; Trailblazers: The Making-of “Home on the Range;” Art Review; YodelMentary; Joke Corral: Herd of Jokes. On Treasure Planet the Bonus Features are: Deleted Scenes; RLS Legacy: Virtual 3D Tour & Treasure Hunt; DisneyPedia: The Life of a Pirate Revealed; Visual Commentary and More!
If you are looking to complete your Disney film library, of course these are must-haves, I think Home on the Range is worth it for the yodeling scene alone and Treasure Planet for the amazing space special effects scenes. They are available July 10 on Blu-ray:
Add them to your collection today!
After revealing the intriguing new movie poster for Oz the Great and Powerful starring James Franco, Disney has now released the first trailer, shown yesterday at San Diego’s Comic Con. Oz the Great and Powerful tells the story of how Oscar Diggs went from simple Kansas man to the great Wizard of Oz.
I’ll just say five words: We’re not in Kansas anymore!
BURBANK, Calif. — (July 12, 2012) – “Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two” will be presented in a panel discussion taking place on Sunday, July 15th at 1:00 p.m. at the San Diego Convention Center, Room 25ABC. Participating in the panel are video game designer Warren Spector of Disney Interactive’s Junction Point, Peter David, award-winning comic writer and author of the upcoming “Disney Epic Mickey 2 Graphic Novel” and Marv Wolfman, award-winning American comic book writer and co-writer of “Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two.” The panelists will discuss how the team mapped out the story for this innovative new video game and unveil the first details surrounding the graphic novel, a 48 page retelling of Mickey’s return to Wasteland that will extend the video game experience for readers. Additionally, Becky Cline, Director of The Walt Disney Archives will be on hand to discuss the historical significance of Walt Disney’s first cartoon star, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, who is prominently featured in the video game. The panel will reveal all-new gameplay footage and artwork, and a special never-before-seen sequence of pages from the upcoming graphic novel.
“The story in ‘Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two’ will immerse players in an even deeper and richer gameplay experience than before as they take on the roles of Mickey Mouse and Oswald to befriend and battle their way through the world of Wasteland on a brand new journey of creativity and discovery,” said Warren Spector, creative director and vice president, Junction Point. “We’re honored to have collaborated with such talented individuals as Marv Wolfman, Peter David and Becky Cline on Mickey and Oswald’s next adventure, and we look forward to offering Comic-Con attendees a behind-scenes-look at the game and graphic novel.”
Written by Peter David and illustrated by Fabrizio Petrossi, the “Disney Epic Mickey 2: Graphic Novel” is a 48 page retelling of Mickey Mouse’s return to Wasteland to help Oswald the Lucky Rabbit as he faces the Mad Doctor. The graphic novel extends the videogame experience for readers and will include exclusive footage, a backstage pass, and more.
The “Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two” video game returns Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit to Wasteland, an alternate world filled with more than 80 years of forgotten Disney characters and theme park attractions. But for the first time, Mickey and Oswald will join forces as true partners – Mickey with the magical paint brush that allows him to wield paint and thinner, and Oswald with a powerful remote control that allows him to command electricity. This new co-op play further enhances the idea that “PlayStyle Matters” – a unique approach to gameplay pioneered by Warren Spector where players tackle challenges the way they want to in order to explore a variety of possibilities and storylines, but always with consequences for their chosen actions.
Development for “Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two” for the Wii™ system from Nintendo, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system is being led by Disney Interactive’s Junction Point. Supporting the latest technology, the game will also feature full support for the PlayStation®Move motion controller. “Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion” for the Nintendo 3DS™ hand-held system is under development by critically-acclaimed developer DreamRift, in collaboration with Junction Point. The games are currently unrated by the ESRB. For more information, go to www.disney.com/
Can’t wait to play! Will you be picking up Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two?
PARIS, FR, July 4, 2012 – The fabled Cinderella slipper which has captured the hearts and imagination of generations of women around the world, comes to life as The Walt Disney Studios and world-renowned shoe designer Christian Louboutin unveil the ultimate, modern- day Cinderella inspired slipper in Paris, during Haute Couture week July 2-5.
“Cinderella is not only an iconic character when it comes to beauty, grace and fairytale love, but also shoes,” explains designer Christian Louboutin. For Louboutin, the worlds of fantasy and shoe-making collided in perfect harmony when he was invited by Disney to re-imagine Cinderella’s famous slipper in honor of Disney’s global release of the classic masterpiece “Cinderella” Diamond Edition on Blu-rayTM this Fall.
Cinderella’s legendary slippers have been re-imagined with the mastery of one of this generation’s most important designers. Lightness, beauty and transparency are the words with which Louboutin describes this special pair; they are a dream materialized. The designer’s magic touch brings this iconic shoe to reality and gives it a modern twist. Delicate lace adorned with crystals gives these slippers an enchanting look. Two sparkling butterflies rest prettily on the shoes, one landing on the vamp while the other sits closely behind atop of the crystal covered heel, gently brushing the ankle. Louboutin’s signature red soles add the final dash of excitement as Cinderella’s slippers come alive. “Her character and her story dictated the design to me, it was all there in the pages and the words of this tale,” explained the designer.
“The slipper is the magic wand of transformation
which conjures confidence, beauty and love.” – Christian Louboutin
Christian Louboutin’s famous red soles are instantly recognizable for their elegance, innovative, playful designs and femininity. “The dream is a major factor in my language of design,” said Louboutin. This whimsical quality is paramount to his creations, which have been embraced by women all over the world. Louboutin’s limitless imagination, adventurous spirit and the inspiration he draws from the world and people around him have helped turn his own dreams into reality. For Louboutin, “there are no limits in the world of fantasy and there is always a happily ever after.”
As part of the celebration, a few lucky, modern day Cinderella’s will have the chance to be a part of the magic and win one of the twenty original slippers created for this collaboration. Further details about the contest and participating markets to follow.
About Christian Louboutin:
French designer Christian Louboutin’s red soles have stamped an inimitable mark on the world of fashion and shoe making over the past twenty years. Born in Paris and raised by his mother and three sisters, the designer credits this feminine environment as the inspiration for much of his work. The innovation and imagination behind Louboutin’s mesmerizing shoes and his utter devotion to women have established him as one of the world’s most visionary and important shoemakers.
Disney’s fantastical adventure “Oz The Great and Powerful,” directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum’s beloved character, the Wizard of Oz. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot—fame and fortune are his for the taking—that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity—and even a bit of wizardry—Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.
“Oz The Great and Powerful” is produced by Joe Roth and written by Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire (credit not final). Grant Curtis, Philip Steuer and Palak Patel are serving as executive producers. “Oz The Great and Powerful” opens in U.S. theaters on March 8, 2013.