Random WDW Picture

It is New Year's eve, and what's more appropriate way to celebrate the New Year than with FIREWORKS!

  

May you have a wonderful and safe New Year!

Zz.

Post Office To Release Pixar Stamps

I guess this is a continuation of some sort of the Art of Disney (even though that series officially has ended). The USPS will be releasing a series of Pixar stamps in 2011. The date of the release is Aug. 19.

It would be a safe bet that most Disney/Pixar fans would be able to name the movies that each of these stamps represents without any difficulties. :)

Zz.

Record Crowds Halted Admission to Disneyland

We know that this time of the year is always busy at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World. In case of Disneyland, for the 2nd day in a row, the theme park had to stop admission due to high number of crowds. Yesterday, admission was halted at 10:00 am at Disneyland, just 2 hours after the park's opening. By 1:00 pm, even California Adventure park was closed to admission.

The Los Angeles Times reports that for the second day in a row, between 750,000 and 100,000 people turned out to celebrate the holiday season at the family-friendly parks. While high turnouts are not uncommon in the week between Christmas and New Year's, the sheer volume of people descending upon the world famous resorts lead to limited admission and the closure of the ticket gates in Disneyland at 10 am, just 2 hours after the park opened. Visitors were diverted to Disney California Adventure to avoid disappointment, but by 1 pm neither park was able to to admit new visitors.

I can only hope that this means that park attendance will get a needed boost this coming fiscal quarter.

Zz.

Rose Bowl Teams at Disneyland

OK, since I am a University of Wisconsin alumnus, please indulge me in showing this short video of the Rose Bowl teams this year at Disneyland.



GO BADGERS!

Zz.

Chilean Miners To Go To WDW

"Chilean Miners, you were trapped underground for more than 2 months! What are you going to do now:?"

"We are going to Disney World!"

Yes they are, and on Disney's tab too!

Disney is picking up the tab for the miners, their rescuers and their immediate families during a six-night stay -- January 27 to February 2. Each family will get a $500 gift card. The group will serve as honorary Grand Marshals of a Main Street U.S.A. parade.

 Zz.

Tilt-Shift Video of Christmas Parade

Another of the amazing tilt-shift video, this time it is the Christmas Day parade at the Magic Kingdom.



 This is a lot more interesting than the one they show you on TV. I get frustrated with the disjointed show on TV. I'd rather see the ACTUAL parade than all the chatty/music performance/etc. So I no longer make an effort to see it on Christmas morning.

Zz.

Ft. Wilderness Campground Decorations

Every year, those Disney fans who stayed at the Ft. Wilderness Campgrounds decorate to the hilt during the holidays. You get to see some of the stuff they did this year.



 Zz.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a safe and wonderful New Year! One can only wish that some day, we do have Peace on Earth.

 

Zz.

Random WDW Picture

Holidays lights from the Osborne's Spectacle of Dancing Lights

Zz.

Disneyland Resort Cast Costuming

Here's something we don't see or hear very often, cast costuming. This video shows the behind-the-scenes of cast costuming at Disneyland Resort.



I would imagine the same thing goes on at WDW, but on a larger scale, obviously, since it is a bigger resort area and with 4 separated theme parks.

Zz.

Happy Holidays From The Dapper Dans

I have always enjoyed the Dapper Dans whenever we bump into them on Main Street USA. I think for many casual guests, they are one of the most overlooked and underappreciated form of street entertainment. But not for us, and certainly not for many avid Disney Parks fans.



Zz.

Tron: Legacy

Tron: Legacy raced to the top of the US Box Office this weekend, raking in $43 million, which is towards the low end of the expected range that it would take in.

[SPOILER ALERT: If you wish to discover the movie for yourself, do not read anymore beyond this]

I saw it over the weekend in IMAX 3D. After being bombarded with a lot of visual delights during the 2 years leading up to the movie's releases, one can imagine the high anticipation for this movie, at least, for me. So let's get this out of the way first and foremost. Visually, it was STUNNING. It was just exactly what I expected and more! There's more then enough thing to see that it will require 2nd and 3rd viewing to really sink in a lot of the visual aspects of this movie. The light cycle battle did not disappoint. It had an added dimension to it, both literally and figuratively! If you like Tron, you won't be disappointed at all with this.

But, as with the first Tron, the story line continues to be weak. The son-feeling-abandoned-by-father-that-did-not-return scenario is really getting tiring. One could also see Shia LaBeouf doing the same thing in the last Indiana Jones movie. And the "plan for invasion" scenes reminded me way too much of scenes from Star Wars Ep. 1-3, and not in a good way. Why do we need such speech? Couldn't the message be transmitted electronically? I'm sure they have Wi-fi at least, or 3G! It just made the whole scene seems generic. And at the end, why Tron suddenly switched sides at the very last minute and at just the right time was extremely flimsy (it was never explained how he survived in the first place after CLU decided to take over). Why he suddenly realized that he must serve the "user" at that point is a mystery.

But would I recommend this movie? Damn right I would. It is still a fun movie, and very much in the spirit of the first. But I think I come out of the Pixar school, because I now tend to expect a movie with a story that tugs at me, even when the visual aspect of the movie is utterly dazzling (I had the same problem with "Avatar"). The story would have been more interesting had they thrown in an unexpected twist, especially with CLU, who we all already pegged to be the "bad guy" (bad code?) early in the movie.

Zz.

Random WDW Picture

One of the many character trees at Camp Mickey/Minnie at Animal Kingdom.

Zz.

Get Discounts at WDW's Quick Service Restaurant

If you are going to be at WDW during the busiest period of the year (Dec. 19-Jan 3) and you have flexible eating hour at the various quick service restaurants, when you might want to check out this article that will allow you to print coupons that can save you 30% on your meals.

The printable coupons, available online at DisneyParks.com/blog, are good for 30 percent off (excluding alcohol) at any of 15 quick-service restaurants in Disney World's four theme parks. But the meals must be purchased before noon or between 3 and 4:30 p.m.

It might be worth it for the discount. Eat a snack or two in between if you are hungry. Not only will you save money, but you'll also avoid a crowded dining area and having to hunt for a place to sit. This is a win-win situation here, folks!

Zz.

Aerial View of Fantasyland Expansion

Orlando Attractions Magazine has a nice aerial footage of the Fantasyland expansion at the Magic Kingdom as of Nov. 2010.



Zz.

"C A L I F O R N I A" To Be Removed

The iconic sign in front of Disney's California Adventure is scheduled to be removed next month as part of the overhaul of the theme park.

The remodeled entrance will echo the design of the legendary Pan Pacific Auditorium, and look a lot like the gate at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park in Florida.

That fits with the park's re-theming, which is supposed to reflect back on Southern California in the 1930s, after Walt Disney arrived and started his studio.

Zz.

2010 Annies Award Nomination

Despite withdrawing support for the Annies due to how the voting is done, Disney received several major nominations for this year's award. This includes nomination for Toy Story 3 and Tangled in the animated feature category.

Let's see if Disney's move will affect how people vote, or if they can separate out the politics from the quality of the movie they see.

Zz.

All You Want To Know About "World Of Color"

Even just watching the video, one can be convinced that this is a spectacular show. Here's more info and background stuff about this show.



Zz.

Another Violent Death In Celebration

Unrelated to the case a couple of weeks ago that became the first ever homicide in peaceful Celebration, this week marks the 2nd violent death in this town. A self-inflicted gunshot occurred during a police stand-off with an obviously distraught man.

The standoff that resulted in suicide ended at 2:20 a.m. Friday when the SWAT team entered the home of Craig Foushee, 52, and found him dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, said spokewoman Twis Lizasuain of the Osceola County Sheriff's Office.

The incident began Wednesday when authorities received a report of a distraught man with a gun, and Foushee and authorities came in contact through his cell phone, police said. Foushee was undergoing a separation with his wife, with whom he has children, Lizasuain said.

Things like this is something no one can prevent, no matter how one tries. There really is no such thing as a Utopian society that is isolated from the problems that society faces everyday.

Zz.

Another Review of "Epic Mickey"

I pointed earlier a video chat on "Epic Mickey". This here is a more detailed review from CNN of the game, now available on Wii.

Zz.

Time-Lapse Video of Sleeping Beauty Castle

This is a lovely time-lapse video of Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland.



That'll get you into the holiday spirit!

Zz.

First-Ever Homicide In Celebration

Police is investigating a first-ever homicide in the peaceful and "almost perfect" town of Celebration.

Osceola County police responded Monday to an emergency call at an apartment building in Celebration, Florida, after speaking with a neighbor who said she found 58-year-old Matteo Giovanditto dead in his home, according to police spokeswoman Twis Lizasuain.

Osceola police classified the death as a homicide, based on evidence found at the scene, according to a police statement. The victim's car was found Tuesday in Kissimmee, Florida, about 10 miles east of Celebration.

Zz.

Epic Mickey

You get to see for yourself the new game Epic Mickey on Wii on the preGame show.

Zz.