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September 2013

Disney Rolls Film on Into the Woods All-Star Musical

into-the-woods-album-obcrI’ve long looked forward to a movie musical production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods;” however, I did not expect Disney to be the studio to take it on. The subject matter does feature familiar Disney territory of fairytales, but while the stories are familiar kid tales, the situations are sometimes very adult. Never-the-less, Disney’s “Into the Woods” kicked off production last week, featuring an award-winning production team and all-star ensemble cast.

Rob Marshall, the talented filmmaker behind the Academy Award®-winning musical “Chicago” and Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” will direct the film. Legendary composer Stephen Sondheim will pen an all-new song for the big-screen adaptation. I can listen to the Broadway version of Into the Woods all day.

“Into the Woods” is a modern twist on the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales, intertwining the plots of a few choice stories and exploring the consequences of the characters’ wishes and quests. This humorous and heartfelt musical follows the classic tales of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel—all tied together by an original story involving a baker and his wife, their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the witch who has put a curse on them.

The all-star ensemble cast below the jump:Read More »Disney Rolls Film on Into the Woods All-Star Musical

Universal and Disney fight for your Vacation Dollar

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We talked last week about how Universal Orlando Resort plans to hold Disney’s feet to the fire by continuing its investment in the parks. Today I want to discuss a way you can tell if Universal is making progress in its quest to steal market share from Walt Disney World.

I have one simple indicator that tells me which park is pulling ahead at the moment — it’s a statistic I believe Disney really cares about, or should at least — how many tourists visit Universal before they visit Disney. It’s pretty simple to observe. Sit at any Disney park where you have a clear view of crowds as they walk by and count how many guests are wearing recently produced Universal merchandise. Every hat, t-shirt, or Harry Potter robe that passes by represents a large sum of money that Disney missed out on. In addition to that t-shirt, that guest also dined at Universal, bought admission media, and maybe even stayed at the resort (soon much more likely as Universal looks to add thousands of hotel rooms).

Although they seldom admit it, Disney doesn’t really care that much if you spend a day at SeaWorld or Universal at the end of your trip. By then you’ve already spent the vast majority of your vacation budget (including importantly your souvenir, lodging, and food budget), with them. Having Orlando internationally known as a family vacation destination benefits Disney (those marketing dollars go a lot farther when its true) so it doesn’t make sense for them to set the phasers on kill when it comes to their competition.
Read More »Universal and Disney fight for your Vacation Dollar

Minimalist Disneyland Attraction Posters

Over the last few months Disneyland has been posting a series of minimalist attraction posters many of its attractions on its Facebook page. I wouldn’t mind having a poster version of a few of these. I hope they do more. How about you?  

Give Kids The World Invites Bloggers for Tour

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Long time readers of The Disney Blog may remember that I worked at Give Kids The World from 2005 to 2009. As you might expect, it was rewarding work making once in a lifetime dreams come true for children. Unfortunately, life-threatening illnesses don’t go away when the economy tanks and the need for GKTW Village remains.

Last week, I was invited back to tour the village as part of Blogger Bash 2013. A group of about 50 bloggers, some coming in from other states, were able to see many of the resort’s features and experience a little of what the GKTW’s many thousands of volunteers provide on a daily basis.

The families that visit Give Kids The World are given the chance to escape from the troubles & treatments that surround them as they face the challenge of overcoming a life threatening illness in one of their children. A stay at GKTW Village is free for the family and includes tickets to Central Florida’s best attractions, meals at the Village, and so much more.Read More »Give Kids The World Invites Bloggers for Tour

Fan Created Digital Castle Projection Show

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A Disney fan has lovingly created his own replica model of the Magic Kingdom’s Cinderella Castle and then designed a digital projection show just like they have now on the real castle. The replica is 71cm tall and is molded out of styrene and polyurethane.

I love obsessed Disney fans, they can do some amazing things.

A similar fan made digital projection from Disneyland Paris’ Disney Dreams below the jump:

Read More »Fan Created Digital Castle Projection Show

Musings on Disneyland

Earlier this summer, I was a few days away from my first trip to Disneyland in 8 years when a last minute family reunion was scheduled. Family comes first, so, barring some miracle, my reunion with Walt’s park will have to wait at least another… Read More »Musings on Disneyland

Videopolis: Rewind The Magic – An EPCOT Day in Reverse

Nicole from Sparkly Ever After is back with the second video in her “Rewind the Magic” series. First we experienced a day at the Magic Kingdom in reverse, now it’s EPCOT. Have you ever had a such a great day at a Disney theme park… Read More »Videopolis: Rewind The Magic – An EPCOT Day in Reverse

New Food Trucks coming to Downtown Disney Orlando

I’m a big fan of the food truck scene here in Central Florida. That’s my current favorite truck above! Downtown Disney has experimented off and on with adding a food truck to the lineup with mixed results. For a couple of months, there’s a been… Read More »New Food Trucks coming to Downtown Disney Orlando