Transformer Donald Duck

OK, so we had Easter Donald Duck. Now along comes a Transformer Donald Duck. You can read the entire review of this new "toy" at Seibertron.com. It looks rather complicated.

Transformation is way tricker than on Mickey. I would have felt confident that a young child could easily transform Mickey but Donald is nore elaborate. He's something of a shellformer and folding his various little tabs and pegs in. It'll present no problem to anyone who's transformed a movieverse figure or Universe Sunstreaker but it may be worth noting for anyone planning to buy this for kids.

Hum... But then again, Donald is a complicated and complex creature himself. So this is only appropriate! :)

Zz.

"Tron Legacy" Secret Trailer Event

OK, Disney is being way too clever with the promotion leading up to "Tron Legacy". To their credit, they certainly know the audience that the movie appeals to, and playing it up to full tilt. This is one such example, where ....

....Diehard fans of the movie (Tronheads? Trononites?) had to look for clues and go an scavenger hunt in cities like Sydney, Berlin, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, then work together via the Internet to piece together what would eventually tell them where the sneak peek would occur.

The report gives an account of the special trailer of "Tron Legacy", which doesn't come out till December this year. But already, the excitement is building almost to a frenzy, it seems.

What I'm afraid of here is that they might release too much of the movie and give it away. The best part of any movie is the expected, something that just blows you away the FIRST time that you saw it. We now have quite a glance at the new Tron world, the light cycle, etc.. etc. That's too bad, because that's something I want to be wowed with when I first see it in the movie theater. I'm sure there's be other surprises, but I wish they didn't reveal these either.

Zz.

Easter Donald Duck

I was rolling on the floor when I saw this.

I went to the Hallmark store a couple of nights ago, and bought the Easter Donald Duck that they were selling. If you've never bought anything from them, this is the one you want to get, so GO! NOW! It is so hysterical that I just had to take a quick video of it!

It has a tag on one of the ears telling you NOT to pick up by the ears. But you should do it anyway! :)



I wonder why Disney doesn't think of such clever merchandise for themselves. This would be a HUGE seller at the theme parks. It seems that many of the fun and funny stuff are licensed and sold elsewhere.

I'm thinking of buying another one. It costs $14.95 if you purchase 3 Hallmark cards, which is nothing since we typically buy a few Hallmark cards anyway!

Zz.

An Amazing HK Disneyland Pin Set

{Thanks to Simon for getting me this pin set}

This is an amazing pin set from Hong Kong Disneyland. It is to commemorate the recent Chinese New Year. It is an amazing set. The box itself looks impressive.


But the content is even more impressive. When you open it, it contains 5 amazing pins all mounted on what looks like 5 panels of a Chinese screen.


Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, and Daisy are all in their Chinese outfits.

In fact, you can stand it up like a screen.


The pin set costs HK$350. If the exchange rate is ~HK$7 to US$1, then it's about US$50 for the set, which is about right if you consider that you got 5 pins, and an amazing mount for the pins.

I love this set!

Zz.

Orlando's SeaWorld Trainer Killed by Killer Whale

Not a Disney news, but still, it's tragic news.

A SeaWorld trainer in Orlando was killed after she slipped and fell into a pool, and then attacked by a killer whale.

"The trainer was explaining different things about the whale, and then the trainer that was down there walked away from the window. Then [the whale] took off really fast in the tank, and he came back, shot up in the air, grabbed the trainer by the waist and started thrashing [her] around," Biniak said.

Wow. This is horrifying.

Condolences go to the trainer's family and friends. This is just tragic.

Zz.

Captain EO Officially Returns to Disneyland

Fans of "Captain EO" can now catch it at Disneyland. There is even a YouTube clip of one of the musical numbers, "We are here to change the world".

Honestly, I didn't get this before, and I'll probably not get this again, especially now. It looks like a music video from Thriller, and definitely feels out of date. I guess many fans will like it for the "nostalgic" reason, which is understandable. I, on the other hand, would rather be on Dumbo.

Zz.

Give A Day, Get A Disney Day Pin Hat

I mentioned earlier that I received the voucher for my volunteer work for Project Linus as part of the "Give A Day, Get A Disney Day" promotion. I haven't redeem the voucher yet, since our next trip to WDW isn't until end of April. However, a friend already has cashed it in. Since most of us have Annual Passes, we will probably opt for either the super fastpasses, or the pin hat. My friend opted for the pin hat, and she has graciously sent a picture of it through the Windy City Pin Traders group (Thanks Melody, Gene!). Here is what it looks like:



It looks quite nice, and you get quite a few pins. I was going to choose this anyway, but this now makes it even more worthwhile to get! Can't wait to get my hands on it.

Zz.

Toy Story 3 Characters at Toy Fair

The characters from "Toy Story 3" dropped in at the International Toy Fair in NY City.



Ah, merchandising. It's what Disney does best!

Zz.

Disney Fact or Fiction - Episode 3

Another fun video to dispel (or confirm) the various myth of Disney theme parks.



If you missed the earlier videos, here are Episode 1 and 2 below:







Zz.

Disney's Volunteer Promotion Overloads Programs

Disney's "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" promotion is too successful. It is overloading many volunteer programs. Raise your hand if you saw this coming from a mile away at the age of 10! I did.

In Southwest Florida, the program has flooded nonprofits like the Susan G. Komen for the Cure affiliate in Bonita Springs and the Harry Chapin Food Bank in Fort Myers.

The Komen affiliate received 501 queries and ended up with more than 218 volunteers. They can’t take any more for the March 13 Komen Race at Coconut Point mall in Estero. But still the calls keep trickling in.

Still, many of these volunteers will continue to volunteer with these various causes. So that's the significant benefit to this promotion.

Zz.

"Waking Sleeping Beauty" Trailer

This is the trailer for the documentary "Waking Sleeping Beauty".



It sent chills through my spine just watching the trailer. I am so waiting for this movie.

Zz.

Johnny Depp Talks About "Pirates 4"

While making rounds for the upcoming "Alice", Johnny Depp talked a little bit about "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides". The short interview can be found here.

No new revelation and no insight into the movie, which is fine. I want to be surprised by it, and with a new director, maybe it will have a different feel than the last two (the first one was totally wild and unexpected, so that was good).

Zz.

Alice (Underground) Music Video

Avril Lavigne performs "Alice" from the soundtrack of the upcoming (March 5 here in the US) "Alice in Wonderland".



On a related topic, as part of the promotion for "Alice in Wonderland", Disney is going all goth!

While the movie itself is aimed at a much wider audience, ground zero of the marketing effort is Hot Topic Inc., a mall-based retail chain that is a shopping destination for 12-to-22-year-old goths, whose favorite color tends to be black, whether for clothes or makeup.

Disney has licensed an extensive line of clothing and accessories to Hot Topic's 680 locations. The selection includes a black shackle bracelet for $10, along with T-shirts and fragrances.

The approach represents a twist on Disney's successful strategy of turning its "princess" movies into merchandizing juggernauts. What's distinctive about the new initiative is the target audience. Disney Consumer Products Chairman Andy Mooney says the buyers of "Alice" merchandise are "definitely more 18 to 34 than our traditional 6 to 11."

Zz.

The Longest Hotel Rehab in WDW!

That Holiday Inn hotel on Hotel Plaze Blvd. FINALLY re-opened after a gazillion years!

We used to stay there when it was the Marriott Courtyard, before we became DVC members. Then it became the Holiday Inn, and then came the hurricane. Now, it actually opened AFTER the hurricane, because we did stay that afterward. Some of the rooms were not available due to the hurricane damage, but the room we stayed in were perfectly fine. It was shortly after that that they closed it down completely. The hotel was due for a major overhaul anyway, but none of us imagined it would take THAT long. Considering that it is in such a popular area, and it was not making any money, it was strange that they let the rehab dragged on for years (what is it now, 5, 6 years?).

We always paid close attention to the building each time we drive on Hotel Plaza Blvd., and each time we always shook our heads at why they let that building just sat there for that long. We did see quite a bit of activity the last couple of times we were at WDW, and the last time (this past December), we did see marked improvements and changes to the building. So it is not a surprise that they've announced a reopening of it now. While we probably won't stay there again now that we have DVC resorts to go to, we still have fond memories of our stay there a while back.

Edit: there are a couple of pictures of the hotel at this web report. It looks really slick and very nice!

Zz.

The Building That The Mouse Left Behind

This is a rather fascinating short article on a building in NY City. Like so many buildings there, there's a long history to it, and a story of the architecture. This building was occupied by the World of Disney store on 5th Avenue till the end of last year. It is now empty, and for rent.

Disney opened on the ground floor in 1996 and installed the bronze-toned sculptures over the Fifth Avenue entrance. But now they are gone and the space is for rent. Zoraya Suarez, a spokeswoman for Walt Disney World, says mice and dog are bound for Florida — snowbirds like so many New Yorkers.

Zz.

Disney's Chicago Merchandise

Was at the Disney Store in Downtown Chicago on Michigan Ave. this past Monday. They have a few Chicago merchandise at the store. The first one is the reusable bag (of course). It actually is a neat-looking bag. So I bought 4! :)


There are a couple of t-shirts with Chicago-specific design. The first one has the same design as the reusable bag.



The second design is nicer. It shows all the various neighborhoods within the city of Chicago.



I definitely like the 2nd one better.

I think these merchandise are exclusive only to this store, because I haven't seen any Disney's Chicago merchandise at other Chicago area Disney stores. There are certainly none at the Woodfield Mall which I've been to several times.

Zz.

Swindon, UK Twinned with Walt Disney World

I mentioned earlier of some of the things that the town of Swindon in England is trying to do after being selected as the twin city with the Walt Disney World. This is the video that officially welcomes the town of Swindown at WDW's twin city.



Zz.

Dance Star Mickey

We have a new merchandise that has been receiving quite a bit of publicity - Dance Star Mickey!

"Our newest Mickey plush, Dance Star Mickey, combines the strength of the Disney brand and its powerful storytelling content behind the Mickey Mouse character, with the magical playtime experience that Fisher-Price has been bringing to kids for nearly 80 years," said Gina Sirard, vice president, marketing, Fisher-Price. "The collaboration between Fisher-Price and Disney brings Mickey Mouse to life in an exciting new way, proving that the iconic character continues to resonate strongly with kids today. And when it comes to dance stars, it takes one to know one, so we are thrilled that Donny Osmond is here to help us show everyone just what this new Dance Star Mickey can do."

It's supposed to be released nationwide in October, and for $69.99, you can have one too!

Edit: here's a picture of the little darling.

Zz.

Tom Staggs First Public Appearence As Disney Parks Chairman

The new Disney theme parks Chairman, Tom Staggs, made his first public appearance at the unveiling of the world's largest structure of canned food as part of the Disney "Give a Day, Get a Day" promotion.

The stunt was intended to kick off a promotion called Give a Day, Get a Disney Day. Working with the Points of Light Foundation, Disney for a limited time is offering a free ticket to one of its six North American theme parks to anyone who completes a qualified day of community service. About 600,000 people have already completed or committed to one, according to Disney.

He obviously is quick on his feet too, or should I say, Kermit was.

Mr. Staggs did a grand job on his can of tuna, a squadron of Disney executives decided afterwards, even if there were a few missteps. For part of the introduction, the marketing staff had written a skit for him to perform with Kermit the Frog. But the teleprompter fizzled for a moment, and the pair had to crack some impromptu jokes.

Mr. Staggs: “Should we add something to the structure, like a canopy?”

Kermit: “Canopy. Can of peas? I get it. Who writes your jokes, Fozzie Bear?”

The video of the construction of this structure can be seen here.



It looks like this was done at the World Showplace at Epcot.

Zz.

Drumming for the Mouse: Kumidaiko and the Exhibition of "Japan" Walt Disney World

This is a rather fascinating research treatise. This is someone's thesis for a Master of Arts degree.

Abstract: Performing at Walt Disney World as often as six times a day, seven days a week, the kumidaiko group Matsuriza has the unique opportunity to expose thousands of people per day to the world of Japanese taiko. Simultaneously, the group serves as an ambassador of sorts for Japan, representing the country within a section of the Epcot theme park known as World Showcase. Their performance space is the Japan pavilion, part of a modern day World’s Fair that seeks to introduce tourists to various cultures from around the world.

Matsuriza’s participation in Disney’s World’s Fair is not without its consequences, however. The group must grapple with issues of commoditization, authenticity, and representation in Walt Disney World that have long caught the eyes of scholars. At the same time, the group must deal with the expectations of the tourists that have come to Epcot, expectations that are fueled in part by the atmosphere created by the Walt Disney Company.

Due to this confluence of issues, kumidaiko at Walt Disney World as performed by Matsuriza is a reified art form, static and unchanging. Taiko is discussed by group members using a discourse that adheres to the sense of Japan created within the pavilion, and repertoire and performance practice are modified so as to not disrupt the atmosphere that has been created. Even as kumidaiko continues to grow and evolve outside of Epcot’s borders, within the theme park it is simply another exhibit on display for the paying tourist in the museum of culture that is World Showcase.

I haven't finished reading the whole thing yet (obviously), but I intend to go through a bit at a time. Japanese culture (and food) is something I'm quite fascinated with, so this is right up my alley.

Zz.