Forget the franchise, international expansion is the keyword of the Bob Iger regime. The latest nation to receive the Disney-brand upon its shores is Qatar. The Lulu Hypermarket at Al Gharaffa will now be stocked with Disney branded merchandise. I have a hard time believing… Read More »Disney moves into Qatar
What a magical afternoon in London! Rapunzel was officially welcomed into the Disney Princess Court when she was crowned earlier today at Kensington Palace. Rapunzel’s Royal Celebration brought together all the Disney princesses, little princesses from around the world, and a few surprise celebrity guests.
Many people showed up for the free procession through Hyde Park.
I started the day off with a long ride on the tube, and as I got closer to the station, I could already tell that this was a popular event. I saw many families with little girls dressed as their favorite princesses, or wearing a Disney princess backpack or some other identifier. It felt like I was on a bus to Disney World! As I reached Hyde Park, I was blown away at how many people had turned up! There was a procession of all the princesses throughout the park that was free for the public to attend.
After the princesses processed through the park, they dismounted their carriages in front of Kensington Palace (at this point, you had to have an invitation to see the rest of the event.) Each princess was announced by name, but it was sometimes hard to hear because of how many little girls were screaming “Ariel! Ariel!” or “BELLE!!!” Ten lucky girls from around the world were picked to be paired with one of the princesses, and they got to present them with flowers and give them a hug, and be part of a group photo in front of the palace.
I started trying to do pictures and video, but I decided to focus on just video after Snow White came through. It was hard enough getting video of Maximus, who did make an appearance, than to juggle two cameras to also get pictures! Full video of the procession below the jump.
Today marks the big 40 for Walt Disney World and the Magic Kingdom. I’m out and about today trying to soak in as much of the atmosphere and celebration there is today. Disney is putting on a small bit of a show today, but there… Read More »Walt Disney World 40th Anniversary is Today!
Some of the ghoulish entertainment for the evening.
Thursday night my family and I joined nearly 300 other guests at the Magic Kingdom for a special Halloween Trick-or-Tweetup event. The Disney Parks Blog organized this fun, engaging, and magical event for the few lucky guests whose fast fingers got them and RSVP before the event filled up.
Imagineer Pete Carsillo gave tours of the Haunted Mansion Graveyard project he helmed.
Guests were encouraged to dress up and tweet from the event, which many did. Three special guests from Walt Disney Imagineering answered questions from the attendees and Disney Blog team go into the spirit coming in costumes. They also provided free soft drinks and desserts. Finally, they handed out gifts to some of the best costumed guests and everyone got a parting gift (two actually).
Really, I would have been happy with something to drink and the Imagineers. But this event was over the top. One of the best free things I’ve ever experienced as a guest. It’s too bad they can’t do this more often. Disney gets all sorts of great publicity (like this) and the locals get to feel like they’re appreciated.
My biggest critique was that there was so much to do, I couldn’t get it done in the time allotted. Which, if you think about it, isn’t really that bad.
More photos and another video below the jump:
Read More »Walt Disney World Halloween Trick-or-Tweetup A Great Event
What makes the ABC comedy The Middle so relatable is the characters. No single one is more important than another. It’s the family unit as a whole where we truly see a little of ourselves. Wednesday’s episode, Hecking Order, really hit home with me. During… Read More »The Middle – Season 3, Episode 2: Hecking Order