A look at holiday merchandise available from Disney this season

Heading to Walt Disney World Disney for the holidays? Want to know what's new in the shops?

The folks over at the Disney Parks Blog put this video together to show us how much more money we can spend on the new merchandise that will be available this holiday season. It includes Mickey Mouse eating a turkey leg, the Jingle Smell series of Vinylmation - with holiday scents - and of course the Orange Bird antenna topper.

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Disney announces Flower Power concert series lineup

The 20th Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival at Disney World to be held March 6 to May 19, 2013 will have an all-start cast at The Flower Power concert series.

The concert series brings back the "oldies but goodies" singers and bands from yesteryear.

The 75-day festival will feature more than 100 topiaries, 240 floating mini-gardens, dozens of flower towers and sweeping beds of multi-colored blooms around Epcot.

Here's the lineup for the concert series:

March 8-10: Micky Dolenz (“I’m a Believer”)

Micky Dolenz

March 15-17: Chubby Checker & The Wildcats

March 22-24: The Guess Who

March 29-31: Nelson

April 5-7: The Turtles featuring Flo & Eddie

April 12-14: Paul Revere & the Raiders

April 19-21: The Village People

April 26-28: The Orchestra, Featuring Former Members of ELO and ELO II

May 3-5: Tommy Roe

May 10-12: Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone

May 17-19: Starship starring Mickey Thomas.

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Smile of The Day: Hollywood Studios Stop Light

When walking down the street at Hollywood Studios don't forget to watch out for the lights.

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Disney was among companies which used factory in Bangladesh fire

Disney was among a number of companies which used a Bangladesh factory that burned down killing 112 workers to produce clothes, the Associated Press reports.

Clothes found at the factory as well as account books showed the building was used by major American and European retailers, including Disney, Wal-Mart and Sears.

Shorts from hip-hop star Sean Combs' ENYCE label lay on the floor, along with a hooded Mickey Mouse sweatshirt from Disney, according to the Associated Press.

Three factory officials, believed to have a locked the workers inside the factory, have been arrested.

The fire has increased the awareness of how the Bangladesh garment industry contains dangerous workplaces.

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Disney increases its annual cash dividend by 25 percent

The Walt Disney Company board increased its annual cash dividend by 25 percent from 15 cents per share to 75 cents per share from the previous year.

The December payment represents the 57th consecutive dividend payment to shareholders.

“Fiscal 2012 was another great year for The Walt Disney Company, creatively and financially,” Robert A. Iger, Chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company, said in a press release. “We achieved record revenue, net income and earnings per share, while continuing to invest for long term growth, and we are pleased to be able to increase our shareholder dividend by 25 percent.”

The Company also announced that it has scheduled its annual shareholders' meeting for Wednesday, March 6, 2013, in Phoenix, Arizona.

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Helium balloons pulled from Tokyo Disneyland

Those going to Tokyo Disneyland will no longer be able to buy the helium-filled Disney character balloons.

A worldwide shortage of the gas has prompted the park to stop selling the balloons, The National reports.

 "Delivery of our orders cannot be fulfilled" because suppliers are finding it difficult to obtain the gas,  an official at Oriental Land, which operates Disneyland and the next door Disneysea park, told the website.

"We will resume sales of balloons as soon as we can secure supplies," he said. 

Most of the world's supply of helium is held by the US National Helium Reserve, which was mandated in 1996 to sell off all of its stockpile by 2015.  Rising demand and the artificially low cost of the gas is combining to exacerbate dwindling supplies.

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American Tourister is the now the 'official luggage' of Disney World and Disneyland

There will be a new corporate name around the Disney Parks and some mailers going out to people heading to the parks - American Tourister.

Yes, the luggage manufacturer has entered into a multi-year agreement with Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, making American Tourister in the United States the “Official Luggage of the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts,” according to a news release from the two companies.

"American Tourister will receive branding locations inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios; branding on luggage tags and direct mail offers to guests; as well as signage and commercial spots at the Old Spice Classic basketball tournament held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex," the release states.

American Tourister just launched a marketing campaign built around a new tagline, “Pack More Fun,” which includes the official Disney designation language.

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Smile of The Day: Small World After All

The it's a small world ride at the Magic Kingdom in Disney World holds many great images. Here's another.

                                                                                                                                                              © Steven Liebman

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A video looking at the making of the latest Pirates of the Caribean attraction at Disney World

Disney is expanding its Pirates of the Carribean franchise from the the Magic Kingdom in Disney World and adding an attraction to Hollywood Studios.

The grand opening of The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow attraction is Dec. 6. This is not a ride but a walk-through experience that allows you to follow in the footsteps of Jack Sparrow, according to a Disney video on YouTube.

In this video from Walt Disney Imagineers give a behind the scenes peek at the making of this new attraction and how it was working with Captain Jack Sparrow himself - Johnny Depp.

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Agent P interactive game expanding at EPCOT

The new interactive game which debuted at Epcot over the summer is already expanding.

Armed with a “F.O.N.E.” or Field Operative Notification Equipment device, guests in Epcot receive clues as part of Disney's Phineas and Ferb: Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure, which takes guests around the World Showcase to solve cases and try to defeat Agent P's nemesis Dr. Doofenshmirtz.

Now, new elements are being added to the United Kingdom, Mexico and Japan Pavillions, according to the Disney Parks Blog.

For those not familiar with Phineas and Ferb (first, shame on you) here's a quick primer: These characters are from a Disney Channel hit. The show follows stepbrothers Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher on summer vacation. Everyday the boys embark on a new project with a subplot of Perry the Platypus as secret Agent P fighting his nemesis Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz.

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Smile of The Day: Crystal Arcade

It's always fun to take night time photos around the Disney Parks. The light's on the buildings are great subjects. Here's the Crystal Arcade in Disneyland.

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Smile of The Day: Fantasmic sign

The billboards at Hollywood Studios at Disney World are always fun to look.

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Disney Diary unveils new Disney Universe Calendar

Trying to keep track of everything Disney is difficult for everyone. There is a lot of things happening not only in Disneyland and Walt Disney World, but there are movies, DVDs, video games, etc.  So,  we've created a new calendar format called the Disney Universe.

The calendar has been added to our Home Page here at Altdisneyworld.blogsot.com and contains daily information on big events at the two U.S. parks; movie, dvd and video game releases; major days in Disney history; and other big information on parks from around the world and consumer information.

We hope that this will become a useful resource for all. We'd like to hear your thoughts and suggestions.

Here's a look at the calendar

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Smile of The Day: Small World Hippo

There are great animals around Disney World and not only in the Animal Kingdom. it's a small world is another great place to animal watch. Here is a fund photo of a hippo.

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Tokyo jeweler makes a $4.2 million Disney Christmas Tree

Looking for a special Disney Christmas tree? Well the Ginza Tanaka jewelry store in Tokyo has one for you.  It's made of 88 pounds of gold. The price - $4.2 million, according to NTD Television.

This 7-foot 10-inch high tree, which is almost 4 feet across, contains "50 pure gold cut-outs of Disney's most popular characters, including Mickey Mouse, Tinkerbell and Cinderella, on its three revolving platforms," the report states.

This is all being done to commemorate the 110th anniversary of Walt Disney.

Can't afford this tree? That's ok, they have a smaller version, the Disney Mini Christmas Tree. Standing only 10 inches high this tree features 20 silver Disney characters. The price, only $243,000.

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Earliest drawing of Mickey Mouse on display

One of the earliest drawings of Mickey Mouse is on display in the UK as part of the Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two release, the Daily Mail reports.

The image of Mickey was drawn by animator Ub Iwerks in 1928 for Steamboat Willie, the first Mickey Mouse cartoon with synchronized sound.

The drawing was being held at The Getty Images Gallery in Westfield, Stratford City.

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Smile of The Day: Mickey Mouse surprise

It's always fun to have your photo taken with Mickey Mouse and at times he comes up with a surprise gesture.

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Fantasmic! To Go Meals will be available in December

Disney is introducing five boxed To Go meals to go with the Fantasmic! show at Hollywood Studios in Disney World or parts of December.

You can decide which Fantasmic! show you want to go, based on availability with the number of seats based on the number of meals purchased, according to the Disney Parks Blog.

This will be available from Dec. 22 to Jan. 5.

Here is a To Go Meal of cold fried chicken
with roasted sweet potato and baby spinach ,
broccoli slaw and blueberry cheesecake.

Adult meals vary from cold fried chicken to a veggie sandwich to Cajun shrimp salad to cold-cut roast beef. Kids get turkey and American cheese wrap with apples.

Meals are $15.99 ($5.49 ages 9 and under) and include a 20-ounce soft drink or water. It’s one quick-service entitlement on the Disney Dining Plan.

More information is available at 407-WDW-DINE. A more complete menu with photos is available on the Disney Parks Blog.

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Disney Research develops a robot that plays catch

Usually when you go to a Disney theme park the only interaction you have with an Audio-Animatronic figure, or robot, is to watch it. Now, Disney Research Labs in Pittsburgh is trying to enhance the experience.

Imagine standing next to a robot and playing. "Using a theme park type animatronic humanoid robot, we developed a test bed for a throwing and catching game scenario," according to a YouTube video posted by Disney Research Labs.

The video explains this is done with the use of a camera system which locates the ball and predicts the destination and timing. The robot's hand then is placed into position for the catch. If the robot catches the ball it then throws the ball back to the person.

If the robot does not catch the ball, the video shows how there are numerous pre-programmed responses, such as shaking a head as if it is disappointed and turning its body to look for the missed ball.

There was even test performed with three jugglers in which the robot and human threw three balls back and forth and juggled them between the two.

How far along this project is until it could be used or even tested in a park is unknown, but it would be cool, even to play catch with a robot.
 

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Is Donald Sutherland joining Big Thunder Mountain in Disney World?

Are Barnabas T. Bullion, the founder and president of the Big Thunder Mining Company, and actor Donald Sutherland separated at birth? You decide.

Disney has recently unveiled the portrait of Barnabas T. Bullion (the one on the left) to announce the new interactive queue at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at the Magic Kingdom in Disney World. Take a close look: He could be the twin of actor Donald Sutherland (on the right), known for "The Hunger Games" and a slew of classics including "MASH," "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," "JFK" and "Ordinary People." Sutherland is also the father of actor Kiefer Sutherland. Could this mean Donald Sutherland will be haunting the Big Thunder?

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Big Thunder Mountain at Disney World gets new backstory

                                                            © Disney

In an effort to keep more guests occupied when waiting in lines, Disney Wold  has been rolling out interactive queues at various attractions, now it is Big Thunder Mountain Railroad's turn.

The queue being developed will include several portraits and other items that are under wraps, according to the Disney Parks Blog.

The Imagineers are expanding the original backstory of the ride (people come to a mining town and find gold in an old Native American burial ground,  flash flood destroys town, possessed train cars take people on a ride)  and will incorporate that into the line. As part of this, the Disney Parks Blog unveiled the portrait Barnabas T. Bullion (the gold magnate, get it?) who owns the Big Thunder Mining Company.

According to the blog, the enhanced backstory goes like this: “Barnabas T. Bullion is the founder and president of the Big Thunder Mining Company. The longtime mining magnate comes from a powerful East Coast family and considers gold to be his very birthright . . . he considers the ultimate gold strike to be his destiny. And that is why he is having so much trouble with Big Thunder Mountain. According to superstitious locals, Big Thunder Mountain is very protective of the gold it holds within, and the unfortunate soul who attempts to mine its riches is destined to fail. And so far that prophecy is coming to pass. The mine has been plagued by mysterious forces and natural disasters ever since. . . a word to the wise for anyone attempting to visit the mountain: watch out for runaway trains.”

And who do you think Barnabas looks like? Here's one comparison.

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Smile of The Day: Crystal Arcade

Night time shots are always fun to take and the signs along Main Street U.S.A. in Disneyland are always provide great opportunities.

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Smile of The Day: Video of Peter Pan and Captain Hook fighting

The Main Street Electrical Parade at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World is always fun. Watching the later parade can mean getting up nice and close to the characters. Here's a video portion of Peter Pan and Captain Hook having a little swordplay.

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How to take panorama photos at Disney parks

We've talked before about how to take a good photo with your smartphone at Disneyland or Disney World. Now, let's take a look at a great feature added to the iPhone: panoramic photos.

It has always been possible to take panoramic shots using a variety of apps, but with the new iOS 6 you now have the built-in ability with either your iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S.

The iPhone creates a 240-degree image, adjusting for camera shaking using its gyroscope. It also produces a large file -- up to 28MB -- so be aware if you plan to e-mail or post the picture.

Here are some tips and things to think about when making a panorama:

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Getting Started

To get started, open the iPhone's camera application and tap the options button you will find in the middle at the top of the screen. You should then see a Panorama button. Tap the button.

On your screen there will be a strip and an arrow pointing to the right. That tells you to start at the left and pan towards the right. Now, tap the camera icon in the middle on the bottom of the screen. This starts the process. Slowly move the phone to the right. You will see the arrow move. Make sure the arrow follows the middle line as closely as possible; this is what tells you how steady you're holding the phone. When you get to the end, the phone will automatically generate the panoramic photo.

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Steady Hand
It's very important to keep your hand steady when moving the phone. If the arrow spends too much time above or below the line you will see parts of the photo cut off. It's also important to go slowly. The application will prompt you if it feels the camera is moving too fast.

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Stable Background
The best panorama photos are those in which everything is clear and stable. But Disney parks usually have a lot of movement, and when stitching together the individual photos into the panorama you could find that movement means parts of people may not show up. Take a look at the photo below and see how the back half of the woman walking is cut off.

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Watch the Light
The same rules used when taking a normal photo works for panoramas as well. Keep the light behind you as much as possible. This is more difficult when moving the camera 240 degrees because you will most likely not get even light. So make sure you don't move directly from shade to bright sunlight.

Stop When You Want
While you do have the full 240 degree area to play with, you can tap the camera button and stop whenever you want. The program will stitch the photos to the area stopped.

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Smile of The Day: Be Our Guest entrance

A view of the Be Our Guest Restaurant entrance in The New Fantasyland in Disney World. 

The restaurant has three themed dining rooms, including: The West Wing, featuring an enchanted rose; The Rose Gallery with twirling, larger-than-life figures of Belle and Beast; and The Ballroom,  styled with a domed ceiling, twinkling chandeliers and views of softly falling snow.

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Minnie Mouse stars in Barneys New York window display

The Electric Holiday Windows are now on display at Barneys Madison Avenue store in New York, featuring Minnie Mouse.

                                                  PRNewsFoto/Barneys New York
Sarah Jessica Parker and Minnie Mouse at the launch
of Electric Holiday with Disney at Barneys New York. 

If you're planing on heading to New York City to see the windows, be aware that all you'll see is the video. This is not a traditional Christmas display in the city with animated mannequins, or in Disney's case Audio-Animatronics. If you happen to be at 60th and Madison go ahead, but I would not go out of your way just to look a the windows.

The video centers around a dream Minnie has of becoming a model and walking down the runway. Minnie dreams of being in Paris and meets some of the highly regarded fashion personalities in the world before strutting down the runway with Mickey, Daisy Duck and Goofy. In the end, Minnie wakes up with Mickey giving her the same designer dress she just dreamed about.

There has been some flak from people criticizing the look of Minnie as a model - thin and expressionless - while going down the catwalk. But this is a fantasy and could also be viewed as the fashion industry taking a little jab at itself.

A film clip of Lady Gaga

Some of the stars featured in the video include:  photographer Steven Meisel, Sarah Jessica Parker, Daphne Guinness, Lady Gaga, Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista.

All of the Disney characters are dressed in a one-of-a-kind exclusive look created by some of the most influential fashion designers, including:

A film clip of Linda Evangelista and Captain Hook.

Mickey Mouse: Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquière
Goofy: Balmain by Olivier Rousteing
Daisy: Dolce & Gabbana
Minnie Mouse: Lanvin by Alber Elbaz
Snow White: Nina Ricci by Peter Copping
Tiana: Proenza Schouler
Cruella de Vil: Rick Owens

Twenty-five percent of the sales from the limited-edition Electric Holiday products collection sold at select Barneys stores and Barneys.com will be donated to the American Red Cross to support rebuilding efforts in Hurricane Sandy affected communities.

Some of the highlights of the products include:

Snow Globe

Paul Smith Vinylmation

Minnie iPhone cover

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Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two is released, early reviews out

The latest Disney video game "Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two", the sequel to "Disney Epic Mickey" is being released today.

The video game teams up Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. The duo go to Wasteland, an alternate world filled with 80 years of forgotten Disney characters and theme park attractions, according to Disney. Mickey has a magical paint brush that allows him to wield paint and thinner, and Oswald with his powerful remote control that allows him to command electricity.

The game, available on Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Here are a few early reviews.

IGN writes: "Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two tries to be many things. It’s a co-op game. It’s a musical. It’s a platformer with elements of choice and consequence. It’s a lovingly crafted homage to the Disney of yesteryear and its iconic theme parks."

Digital Spy writes: "Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two is the kind of ambitious sequel you would expect from a master craftsman like Warren Spector with the considerable resources of Disney behind him. There are few aspects of the 2010 original that haven't been improved or expanded on, and the result might well have been a classic had the technical issues of its predecessor been addressed too."

Gamesradar writes: "Disney’s Epic Mickey was an interesting experiment, telling a tale of the Wasteland: an amalgamation of Walt Disney's notable, but forgotten characters, worlds, and attractions. While it was full of great ideas and boundless ambition, the Wii-exclusive suffered from a litany of technical and design flaws, threatening to make Epic Mickey as forgettable as the obscure characters it referenced. But you can't keep a good mouse down, and developer Junction Point has returned but two years later with the co-op focused, multiplatform release of Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two. Sadly, it would appear that two heads, in this case, are not better than one."

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Renovated Grand Floridian Spa to open Dec. 17

The newly renovated Grand Floridian Resort spa, Senses, will re-open Dec. 17, acceding to the Disney website.

                                                                                    © Disney
A publicity photo of Senses.

The nearly 15 treatment rooms offer services from Swedish massages to sweet red rose ant-aging body treatments to citrus facials.

The new Victorian style entryway leads to the spa's lobby which contains a new mural reflecting old Florida landscape and nature, according to the Disney Parks Blog.

Full information on what is offered can be found out (407) WDW-SPAS or(407) 939-7727.

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Smile of The Day: Donald Duck piñata

The "Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros" attraction at the Mexico pavilion in Epcot at Disney World is more like a game of "Where's Donald?" The search is on for this elusive duck and if you look carefully through parts of the ride, you'll find him in the oddest of places.

                                                                                                        © Mary Liebman

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Meet the Disney World Gingerbread House Chefs

Do you like gingerbread houses? Want to meet the people who make them?

                                                   © Steven Liebman
The 2009 gingerbread house at The Boardwalk.

Disney is giving you the opportunity to meet the people behind the creations, the Disney Parks Blog reports.

This year, five gingerbread houses are spread throughout the resort. There is one at the Beach Club, the Boardwalk, the Contemporary, Epcot and the Grand Floridian.

As part of a promotion to release specific pins for each of the gingerbread houses, Disney is making he chefs available to sign the pins and talk about their creations.

Here's the schedule:

November 16: Chef Deran Lanpher at Beach Club Resort from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and  chef Jeff Barnes at Contemporary Resort from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

November 20: Chef Matt Avery at BoardWalk from noon to 2 p.m.

November 23: Chef Yolanda Lazo at The American Adventure Pavilion in Epcot from  3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

November 24: Chef Erich Herbitschek at Grand Floridian Resort & Spa from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

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Mickey Check will help you find healthier meals at Disney

It will be easier to find healthy meals in Disney World and Disneyland starting in January, just by looking for the Mickey Check.

This new icon will appear on Disney table-service menus in the U.S. starting in January 2013. The Mickey Check is part of the Disney Magic of Healthy Initiative the Walt Disney Company announced in 2006.

The initiative contains nutrition guidelines developed with the help of experts and align to the federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans to help family's choose healthy meetings.

The criteria assess food items and meals based on the following:

• Do they contribute to a nutritious diet? — fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy, or lean protein 
• Do they encourage kid-appropriate portions? — calorie criteria 
• Do they limit ‘nutrients to avoid’? — sodium, sugar, saturated fat, trans fat

The Mickey Check will also appear on Disney-licensed food products sold at retail, on qualifying recipes on Disney.com and Family.com.

Earlier this year, Disney also announced new standards for food advertising to kids. By 2015, all advertising, promotions, and sponsorships on Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney Junior, Radio Disney, and relevant Disney-owned online sites will also meet Disney's nutrition guidelines.

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Smile of The Day: Scuttle from Under the Sea

Here's a look at Scuttle from the latest attraction in the New Fantasyland in Disney World, "Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid."

And a favorite Scuttle quote: "It's a dinglehopper. Humans use these little babies... to straighten their hair out. See? Just a little twirl here and a yank there and voila. You've got an aesthetically pleasing configuration of hair that humans go nuts over."

                                                                                              © Steven Liebman

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Big Thunder Mountain Railroad coming to TV

The "wildest ride in the wilderness"may be come the "wildest ride on television."

ABC is planning to develop a television series based on The Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster attraction at Disney theme parks, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

                                                                                                   © Steven Liebman
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in The Magic Kingdom.

Chris Morgan of the "Fast & Furious" fame will be the executive producer and Jason Fuchs, who penned "Ice Age: Continental Drift," will write, the website reported.

What the show will be about could be interesting.

The backstory is slightly different in each park the ride exists (Disneyland, the Magic Kingdom, Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland) but goes something like this: In the late 1800s gold was discovered on Big Thunder Mountain in American southwest. The mining towns of Big Thunder(at Disneyland), Tumbleweed (at the Magic Kingdom), or Thunder Mesa (at Disneyland Paris) became prosperous. Unknown to the settlers, the Mountain, which was considered a sacred location by Native Americans, was cursed.

The mining caused a great tragedy, an earthquake in the Disneyland and Disneyland Paris versions, a tsunami in Tokyo Disneyland and a flash flood in the Magic Kingdom. Some time later, the possessed trains were found racing around the mountain on their own.

In the old days, the movies or TV series came first and then the rides. Now Disney is trying it the other way with limited success. While the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has been great, there was Eddie Murphy's "The Haunted Mansion" and "The Country Bears."

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Smile of The Day: Believe and Soar

There are some great sayings around Disney World. Here is one, courtesy of Dumbo The Flying Elephant.

                                                                                                                              © Steven Liebman

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Dates announced for 20th Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival

The 20th Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival will be held March 6 to May 19, 2013 with some new topiaries.

                                                                                                   © Steven Liebman

Mike and Sully from the upcoming “Monsters University” will be placed on the walkway from Future World to the World Showcase. The Test Track Walkway will have characters from “Cars” in a Radiator Springs playground and the 2013′s Fawn’s Butterfly House will contain eight fairy topiaries including Tinker Bell, Fawn, Vidia and Terrence, according to a Disney news release.

A 14-foot-tall topiary Goofy will bobble an anniversary cake in honor of the 20th anniversary.

Micky Dolenz will kick off The Flower Power Concert Series March 8-10 at the America Gardens Theatre. Other pop acts set to perform include Chubby Checker & the Wildcats, The Guess Who, Paul Revere & The Raiders and Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone.

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New Cinderella Castle projection show to be unveiled this week

Disney image of "Wreck-It Ralph" scene.

The new Cinderella Castle projection show “Celebrate the Magic” will start this week, the Disney Parks Blog reports.

The show replaces "It's time to Celebrate" which ended Sept. 3

In the new show, Tinker Bell splashes the castle with pixie dust and we are transformed to the time of pencil drawings with Mickey Mouse. Scenes and character then appear from various Disney films, including: Alice in Wonderland," "Dumbo," "The Lion King," "Pirates of the Caribbean," "Brave" and even from the latest movie "Wreck-It Ralph."

The show combines "advances in technology with spectacular imagery and a stirring musical score to create a stunning and immersive way of storytelling," Show Director Katy Harris tells the blog.

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Smile of The Day: The Barnstormer

The Barnstormer roller coaster in Storybook Circus in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World has a great sign that's fun to watch.

                                                                                                                                                       © Steven Liebman

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Disney Facts: Walt Disney and The Red Cross

Here's an interesting question posed by The National Archives.

What do Walt Disney, Ernest Hemingway, and Whitney Houston have in common? 

Give up? They all served with the American Red Cross.

Disney served as a Red Cross ambulance driver in France during World War I. Hemingway served as an ambulance driver in Italy during World War I. Houston was elected to the Red Cross Board of Governors in 1991.

Here's a closer look at Disney's Red Cross service record.

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Tour of Gaston's Village in The New Fantasyland

During the recent dress rehearsal look at the New Fantasyland in Walt Disney World we were able to take a tour of Gaston's Village and Gaston's Tavern from "Beauty and The Beast."

So, let's take a quick tour of the village:

When you first enter the small village, the first thing you notice is the large fountain statute of Gaston in the square. The burly, narcissistic "town hero" steps on his sidekick Le Fou.

                                                                                                          © Steven Liebman

The tavern is adorned with antlers, which we can only assume are from the animals hunted by Gaston.

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Upon entering the tavern, you come upon the bar where you can order the Roasted Pork Shank (which many believe will replace the Turkey Leg as the "it" food in Disney) and Le Fou's Brew, which is frozen apple juice with a hint of toasted marshmallow topped with all-natural passion fruit-mango foam. You can purchase the drink in a souvenir plastic stein or goblet. Be aware, the Brew is cold and it is possible to get brain freeze.

                                                                                                                                    © Steven Liebman

To the left of the bar is a sitting room with tables and chairs. The walls are adorned with animal trophy heads. One wall has a dart board and shows Gaston beating Le Fou.

                                                                                                                                     © Steven Liebman

                                                                                                                               © Steven Liebman

To the right of the bar is another room with chairs. This one has a fireplace with a painting of Gaston and more trophy heads on the wall.

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Next to the tavern is the Village Gifts store containing Beauty and The Beast merchandise.

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As we return to the square and the fountain, don't forget to take a closer look at the figures, and have your picture taken.

                                          © Steven Liebman

                                               © Steven Liebman

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Test Track concept art released

We are less than a month away from the Test Track re-opening at Epcot in Disney World.

Here are some more concept drawings Disney has released.

This rendering depicts a vehicle's on-screen representation featuring four performance attributes scored on the Test Track circuit: capability, efficiency, responsiveness and power.

The sleek "Chevrolet Design Center" invites guests to create their own virtual custom-concept vehicle. Car design wannabes will get to shape their own virtual car, truck or crossover vehicle and learn how their design choices perform in changing terrain and extreme conditions against four attributes: capability, efficiency, responsiveness and power.

Guests will be able to virtually create their own custom-concept vehicles inside the "Chevrolet Design Center at Epcot" prior to buckling into their six-person "SimCar" ride. Each vehicle is scored on four performance attributes; this rendering shows a vehicle being measured for efficiency.

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