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May 2012

Princess Merida – A First Look at Walk Around in the Parks

Just like a ride or a show, Disney’s walk around characters have soft openings where the character and their host get used to being in the park and interacting with guests. Princess Merida from Pixar’s Brave was recently spotted doing her thing near the International Gateway in EPCOT’s World Showcase.

I really love the character. Haven’t seem the film yet, obviously. But from the trailers it seems like they captured her well. My only beef is that she’s a bit too old compared to the young teen Merida appears to be in the movie. But I guess you have to meet certain realities when you’re in the park.

Another video below the jump:

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Arjun – Disney’s first animated film from India

Earlier this year Disney bought a controlling interest in the Indian movie studio UTV and now that relationship is paying off with Arjun: The Warrior Prince, the first animated feature to be produced and released in India by Disney. Arjun is a mythological Indian hero… Read More »Arjun – Disney’s first animated film from India

Royal Guest Rooms at Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Contain Hidden Magic

Part of the joy of staying on property at Walt Disney World is that you never have to leave that magic envelope. Richly themed hotels, world famous service, and well apportioned rooms keep the Disney experience going 24/7. A few years ago, Disney decided to kick that up a notch higher by bringing the immersive story telling its famous for in the parks into the guest room itself. It started with a few themed covers, some details on the walls, and a color scheme, changes that were well received. Now, with the new Pirate and Royal Guest Rooms at Port Orleans, the level has been raised again.

The Royal Guest Rooms, re-imagined accommodations fit for a prince or princess, opened at Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort in March 2012. 512 themed rooms with ornate beds trimmed with dazzling crystals and gold accents, story time elements, and “magical fireworks” swirling about are now welcoming guests.

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Castle 4-22: Undead Again

Allow me to set the scene for you. I have just spent the day at Disneyland with some friends. I am tired. I am spending the night at a hotel room down there so I can go back the next day. I arrive in time to watch Castle, so I settle in and turn on the TV only to have it be the zombie episode. And let me tell you, the make up on those faces was a little freaky. Fortunately, it didn’t keep me from having nightmares, but since I don’t do much horror at all, it did have me worried.

The episode opens with someone sneaking up on Alexis. It’s Castle, and he’s taking part in the game of laser tag they’ve been playing since she was 5. Game to 1000. But she’s not interested because she’s trying to figure out which college to attend. She’s debating between two far away colleges because she doesn’t want to have the option of running home easily. She wants to spread her wings.

Castle’s depressed about that and confiding about it to his mom when Beckett calls. He refuses to take the call at first, and Martha prods him about that. Finally, he decides to work one last case with her, but because of how hurt he is to hang it up after this.

So he arrives at the crime scene, a parking garage, to find the victim was a stock broker at a nearby financial firm. He was found by his boss with a bite mark and his head smashed in. The only other car is from someone who he beat out for a promotion.

This looks like an open and shut, easy case. Castle’s a bit bummed as they go to take down the killer. Only the suspect begs Beckett to kill him. He claims that not only is he not the killer, but he witnessed the killing and then was attacked and bitten by the killer – a zombie and is now worried about being turned into one himself.Read More »Castle 4-22: Undead Again

Magic Kingdom Update – Fast & Furious

Big news in this weeks Magic Kingdom Update. NextGen makes its next big leap into the parks, new Fantasyland grows taller, and Big Thunder Mountain rebuilds, plus other great stories. So let’s get to it.

New signs have been installed in Town Square and Liberty Square directing guests toward the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom game stations.

Of course, it helps if the sign points in the right direction. This one would send guests out of Liberty Square, back toward Main Street. I guess they’d get there eventually.

As you may have heard, the NextGen Fastpass+ experience has begun testing this week. It’s a temporary test to try a few ideas about the system. A few selected guests are given a card with an RFID chip in it and a fixed itinerary of rides and attractions to enjoy. Each ride on the Fastpass+ network has a terminal at the entrance of the queue and at the merge point.

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Oh, Urkel. Dancing With the Stars Week 7 Results Show

The results show began with Maria and Derek performing an encore of their perfect-scoring paso doble. Katherine and Mark, Donald and Peta, and William and Cheryl were put out of their misery early and declared safe. After an extremely emotional AT&T Spotlight Performance, Gavin DeGraw returned… Read More »Oh, Urkel. Dancing With the Stars Week 7 Results Show