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
I wonder if these guys will be at EPCOT
The food and beverage partnership that was announced last October, is finally coming to fruition. The last few months have seen small changes at Walt Disney World restaurants. Craisins are now showing up in more recipes and on restaurant signs. And now, Ocean Spray will bring the Cranberry to the Epcot(R) International Food & Wine Festival. Chef Ming Tsai and Ocean Spray Growers will debut the first Cranberry Bog Exhibit celebrating the taste, health, and heritage of the Cranberry at the festival.
“Three quarters of Americans have never heard of a cranberry bog, never mind witnessed the beauty of the cranberry harvest firsthand,” said Ken Romanzi, Ocean Spray’s chief operating officer, North America. “Through our sponsorship with Disney, we are thrilled to educate a whole new group of people who might not otherwise understand the journey of their favorite Ocean Spray products, like Ocean Spray(R) Craisins(R) Dried Cranberries, from the bog to their favorite recipes.”
I’m actually a big fan of Craisins myself. I like adding them to my chicken salad or just eating them plain. I’m looking forward to this exhibit and maybe learning a few new uses for the flavorful food.
The full press release is below the jump:
Read More »Ocean Spray brings Cranberry Flavor to EPCOT Food & Wine Festival
With the recent announcement of an Avatar themed land and attractions coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdoms and the troubled opening of Disney’s first Hawaiian resort, Aulani, a lot of the conversation has settled on the types of risks the Walt Disney Company’s parks and resorts division has been taking lately.
It’s a bouillabaisse of different complaints:
You can see why the Disney company may be confused. One one hand they get attacked for not doing enough on the other for doing too much. That’s true, but the general theme is Disney needs to take more risks when it comes to its parks and resorts.
Read More »Risk and Reward, is Disney Parks & Resorts on the Right Track?
The Na’vi Hometree on Pandora reminds me of Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s Tree of Life. Of course, we can’t forget that Avatar is a sci-fi film too.
I’ve had a day to think about the announcement of Disney licensing James Cameron’s Avatar properties for it’s theme parks. We’re still very early in the process, but even in just the last 24 hours many interviews with key players have been published. That gives us a slightly better idea, but it’s still pretty much conjecture. Never the less, I have put down a few thoughts on the news, realizing that all this could change as more details of the partnership are revealed.
Disney did a good job keeping the Avatar partnership secret, I’d only heard a few rumors about the idea prior to the announcement but the exact names of Avatar or Cameron never explicitly surfaced, so I didn’t feel comfortable reporting it. However, many Disney fans now feel like they’ve been blindsided and they’re not happy.
Read More »A few thoughts on Avatar, will Pandora fit in at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Disney has released a whole series of videos highlighting recipes from this year’s EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival. Here are a few of my favorites, I can’t wait to get home and try them.
[youtube_sc url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5Ub5h8365Y width=520 height=294 rel=0]
Earlier today, Disney held an Imagineering press conference with James Cameron to announce that an area based on the world of “Avatar” would be added to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Fans around the world were quick to evaluate this addition. People took to message boards, social… Read More »“Avatar Land” gets early mixed reviews
Update: this is no longer a rumor. A press conference with James Cameron, Bob Iger and Tom Staggs is was held earlier today at Imagineering. From the Disney Parks Blog: James and his producing partner Jon Landau and their team at Lightstorm Entertainment will serve… Read More »Disney is adding the world of Avatar to its theme parks