Check back soon for upcoming posts in our new “Ever heard of?” page! We’ll explore random facts, events and even rumored plans of the past that you may, or may not have, heard of in your search for all things Disney!
Author: Miss Main Street
Disney now making the holidays even more delicious with their new Gingerbread Academy
Vaguely introduced in a recent Disney Parks Blog post about all the delicious gingerbread related items and events coming to Walt Disney World this holiday season, a brief mention of a new “Gingerbread Academy” at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn was revealed. Stated as an opportunity to decorate individual gingerbread cookie ornaments, full houses for groups of four, or even learning how to design holiday cookies with a Disney pastry chef, it looks as though the Gingerbread Academy will be a tasty new way for guests to enjoy some scrumptious, quality time together.
No mention (at the time of writing) has been made as to whether or not it is simply a walk up experience or if reservations are needed, but details about pricing were available. For those looking to decorate individual cookie ornaments, those will be $8.95 a piece, for a group of four decorating a gingerbread house expect it to cost $125 and for the holiday cupcakes $10.95 a person. That all said, it seems there will be complimentary hot chocolate and apple cider available as well. And, if that all weren’t enough, the icing on the cake is that the proceeds will benefit the local Give Kids the World charity. Guess you know where you can find me this holiday season!
Meet Piper, the star of Disney Pixar’s Newest short
photo courtesy Oh My Disney
As I’m sure you’re counting down the days until Disney Pixar’s newest full length feature film Finding Dory, if you’re anything like me, you’re probably also eagerly awaiting the release of an equally exciting, yet less covered film as well. Generally clocking in around five minutes or so, Disney Pixar has been known to feed our anticipated expected hunger with short films that are often woven with the perfect blend of emotion and quirkiness strung together. And it looks like with the release of Piper, their newest short debuting alongside Finding Dory on June 18th, will satisfy this craving with an extra dose of cuteness.
Learning to overcome its fear of water over the six minute duration of adorableness (and most likely swoons and chuckles from the audience), Piper will be about a young sandpiper living on the beach. Said to be inspired from the director Alan Barillo watching the birds run around scurrying for food while racing away from each wave that breaches the short, the film seems bound to be another Disney Pixar classic.
Take me to EPCOT!!!
As an impish little fellow with a vegetable nose and snow for a body has been known to randomly belt out, “it’s summer!!!”. And thanks to all the wonderful, meticulous planning going on behind the scenes at Walt Disney World, one thing has been on my mind for weeks months now…. finding a way back (insert devious Haunted Mansion voice over here)! Okay, so maybe it isn’t quite summer yet, but it’s close enough. And as summer approaches, I can hardly contain myself from recreating Olaf’s happy little jig as I count off all the wonderful things coming to EPCOT alone. Ready? Here goes!
(photo courtesy Disney Parks blog)
5 Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious reasons to make EPCOT a MUST DO this summer!
- Premiering June 17th, the new Soarin’ Around the World will debut along with a third theater to help relieve the long queue lines that have become synonymous with the attraction itself. It will also be premiering in Disneyland this day and as Soarin’ Over the Horizons at Shanghai Disneyland
- Then, just a few days later on June 21st, Frozen Ever After and the Royal Sommerhus will open for the plethora of folks still holding onto winter over at the Norway pavilion. Frozen Ever After will be a water ride taking guests on a journey through Arendelle while the Royal Sommerhus will give guests the opportunity to meet Anna and Elsa in person. Prepare for the above long queue lines to now become synonymous with this pavilion giving us all plenty of time to ponder whether Odin in his infinite wisdom knew what he was paving the way for all those years ago…
- Turtle Talk with Crush will continue to give guests a reason to keep swimming over to its corner with the addition of several characters from Disney/Pixar’s upcoming ‘Finding Dory’ film. We’ll see Dory and several of her big picture friends join Crush in the tank and for the first time, Squirt will be swimming along as well!
- On June 6th Disney Vacation Club members will get their own private retreat featuring air conditioning on the second floor of the Imagination pavilion as a part of the 25th anniversary of the club. Okay, so the Member Lounge will include Coco-Cola Freestyle machines, wi-fi and other features but we all know the real joy will be stepping away from the crowds to indulge in the creature comforts of basking in cool temperatures while staring out at the melting family caricatures doddering by on the sidewalks below.
- And finally, the latest perk rounding out this list (because admit it, it needed a fifth item to seal the deal) is that guests can now use their personal smartphones to play Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure throughout the park. You’ll still need to stop by the Odyssey Bridge or the International Gateway to begin recruitment but it’s still a welcome advancement for this wonderful activity within the park.
And so there you have it folks! I can only imagine that later this fall I’ll be begging to stroll through Disney Springs and that next summer I’ll be ready for explore Pandora but right now, EPCOT is where it’s at.
Pete’s Dragon now has an official trailer
Hi Guys!
So, it’s been a while since I last posted but I figured with Disney’s newest trailer out, it was only appropriate to share it with you all. Why? Because exactly SIX months ago (yes, it’s been that long) I shared with you that Pete’s Dragon was slated to be taken into the live action realm. And now, the trailer has been released. I’m still not convinced of the direction it’s being taken, but one never knows! Here’s the trailer from youtube below:
Welcome Disney Springs!
(photo courtesy Disney Parks Blog)
Just over a month ago I was able to spend an exciting extended weekend at the place where dreams come true! Walt Disney World! And while there, I noticed that the maps for Downtown Disney were hinting that the official name change was soon to come. While they said “Downtown Disney,” more importantly they also said “Soon to be Disney Springs” in much larger font. It was a tease for something to come and much sooner than I had expected. But it’s official! Downtown Disney is now Disney Springs and with that simple swapping of words, comes the excitement of everything yet to come. While the whole area already looks much different, the plans for a new chocolate shop, more restaurants, stores (Lilly Pulitzer, I’ve got my eye on you!) and the NBA Experience, it’s clear that Disney isn’t done yet with the future of Disney Springs. They’re just getting started and I’m more than happy with that. 😉
The new Pete’s Dragon will NOT be a musical
(photo from disney.wikia.com)
Slated to be released in 2016, one of the newest installs in the ever growing list of Disney remakes will be none other than Pete’s Dragon. Aware that some of the darker themes of the original may not be the smartest choice for today’s audiences it appears the film will be taking a very different direction with this retelling. In an interview with Bryce Dallas Howard, who stars in the film, she was quoted as telling the Orlando Sentinel that it will be a “story of an orphaned boy whose best friend is what everyone thinks is an imaginary character, and it’s actually a real dragon. And during the course of his journey he finds his family. So that’s still intact. But everything else is very different. Everything else.”
Personally, I’ll admit that I’m a little disappointed that Pete’s Dragon is being re-imagined. After reading multiple other stories about how Elliot is now going to be fluffy and that, according to Bryce once more, “this is not a musical” that perhaps there was no real need to even call it Pete’s Dragon and maybe if they had simply made this new version with a new name, it would seem easier to accept? That said, as there’s no real way to judge a movie until it’s released, I’ll just have to keep reminding myself of what the original movie had to say about these matters, because after all, there’s room for everyone on this world.
Dwayne Johnson to be in two upcoming Disney movies
When Disney first teased at its upcoming animated feature Moana, I was instantly hooked. It didn’t matter that I knew little to nothing about the movie, the name said it all. It was clearly going to have some Hawaiian/Polynesian influence and that was enough for me. As news has trickled out about the team working on the music (Ron Clements and John Musker, famous for their work on movies such as Aladdin and The Princess and the Frog), the plot (about a young Polynesian woman who sets out across the Pacific) to the news about another major character, Maui, the news has only amplified my excitement.
Therefore when I recently found out that Maui was going to be played by none other than Dwayne Johnson it was just another reason to be reaffirmed that this movie can’t come out soon enough. And now it appears that Dwayne Johnson will be in yet another upcoming Disney movie, this one being based on the Jungle Cruise. Although the Jungle Cruise movie (currently untitled) does not have a release date as of yet, you can expect to see Moana released in November of 2016.
Star Wars Lands and Experiences coming to Disney!
(Photo Courtesy DisneyParks blog)
If you haven’t heard the news yet, then sit back and prepare to be blown out of this world. In fact, prepare to be blown into a galaxy far, far away for at the latest D23 EXPO, it was announced that both Disneyland and the Walt Disney World Resort will be getting their own Star Wars themed land. According to Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger, each land will be over 14 acres large and offer two new attractions. There wasn’t much detail on the future attractions (just yet) but one of them was teased boasted that it will let guests get to fly the legendary Millennium Falcon on a “secret mission.” While it’s hard to tell exactly what that means, I’m already envisioning a Star Tours mixed with a Mission:SPACE type of feel.
(Photo Courtesy DisneyParks blog)
In addition to the two lands, it was also announced that a new Star Wars experience will be coming to both locations in early 2016 known as Season of the Force. For Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World, this means a specially themed Star Wars fireworks show and for Disneyland it marks something much bigger. For years people on the West Coast have been asking for Star Wars Weekends to come to Disneyland and now they’ll be getting to take part in this new event. Space Mountain will be temporarily re-imagined into Hyperspace Mountain and park guests will get to enjoy specially themed food and entertainment.
Expect to hear more in the upcoming months about these latest additions to the parks. For the great thing about Disney is that they love to surprise and excite you with news like this, but they also know to keep just enough secret to keep you coming back for more!
Disney Shopping just got easier!
Today I found out about an exciting new app that Disney is going to be rolling out shortly. Simply named “Shop Disney Parks” the app will allow users to purchase virtually any item from a Disney operated store at Walt Disney World right from their smartphones. It will also allow park guests to find the availability of the merchandise in question and where it can be found. The rumors from the sites I went to suggested that eventually it will work with the My Disney Experience app, but that for now the two will remain separate. Although I can’t confirm anything, one site even mentioned that this linking would then allow for the automatic application of discounts that guests may be entitled to have (example: Annual Pass discounts).
As someone who has personally experienced the twinge and then full on pangs of regret for not buying an item while at the parks and wishing for a way to turn back time, I know this app will be a saving grace for many.
Walt Before Mickey movie
Although the news is a bit dated, I couldn’t help passing along a trailer for a new movie coming out on DVD called Walt Before Mickey. It’s a bit confusing but it appears it is not endorsed by the Walt Disney Company and that it is slated for release on DVD shortly (I’ve seen August 14th posted online but their direct site says “summer”). The movie is to be based on the book of the same title that shows Walt during his early years prior to creating Mickey. I can’t say it looks like the best movie ever created, but, at the same time, I think it proves that we’re all still ready for an official biopic of Walt’s life on the big screen!
Pick the next Disney Infinity Character!
Today, Disney blogs has announced that it is allowing a new character for its upcoming edition of the game to be chosen by the masses. There are 20 options available as to who the next character should be and after you vote, you’ll get to see the current results. At the time of writing Mabel from Gravity Falls was in the lead with 57% of the 1.2 million votes followed by Darkwing Duck with 22%. As great as Gravity Falls is, I have to admit, my inner 90’s self is holding out hope for good ole D.W.!
Billboards fit for an Ant-man (or woman)
Although this is apparently old news (I’ve found articles going back to April on this), I had to chuckle when I ran across a particular type of ad campaign for the newest Marvel big picture, Ant-man. All across Downtown Disney (and according to Reddit, random places across Australia) tiny billboards advertising the new movie have popped up. There are pictures of the tiny ads next to benches, on trashcans and even in a garden patch outside Planet Hollywood. I don’t know if it’s enough to make me want to see the movie, but its piqued my interest!
Happy 60th Birthday Disneyland!
(photo courtesy http://disneyland.disney.go.com)
As you may have noticed all over social media (or at the very least, from the title of this post!) that today marks the 60th birthday of Disneyland. Dreaming of a place that both children and adults could enjoy together, Walt created Disneyland to be the culmination of that vision. Over the years, the park has expanded to now being two parks in addition to spawning multiple other theme parks across the globe. And while many Disney fans may argue over what is the best of these theme parks, any die hard fan would agree that Disneyland truly holds the heart of Walt. It is the only park he personally over saw from start to finish and there is definitely a sort of magic when you enter it. So today, I’ll keep the post short and sweet by simply saying, Happy Birthday Disneyland and Congratulations Walt and to everyone who helps keeps the magic alive!
5 Free things at Disney Parks
As you probably already know, going to Disney can be expensive. Between travel arrangements, tickets and hotels, it can sometimes seem that there’s no end to the items required just to get there. However, did you know there are actually some things you can get for free? Yep, that’s right! Disney and free can go together, but you just have to know where to look. And, that’s why I’m here today to help out with 5 things you can get at Disney…for free!
- Personal hand drawn character keepsake: Located at the soon to close Magic of Disney Animation in Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World (closing July 12th), the bottom level in DisneyQuest in Downtown Disney Orlando and Hollywood Land at Disney California Adventure Park in Disneyland, is an experience called Animation Academy. Here guests will get to learn from a Disney artist how to draw various Disney characters and get to keep their drawing as a personal keepsake for years to come!
- Special Occasion Buttons: Wandering around the park you will be sure to see guests sporting buttons announcing birthdays, family reunions, anniversaries and nuptials. Often times these buttons allow cast members to hone in and be able to share in your celebrations wishing you a congratulations, to sometimes a free dessert for the birthday guest. I’ve even gotten a free piece of decadent chocolate cake from Germany once for merely sporting an anniversary button and looking particularly ravenous at all the treats before me. You aren’t guaranteed to get anything free for wearing the button, but the buttons themselves are! You can find them at Guest Services in the front of the parks.
- Free 5×7 photo with Disney Characters for guests with Disney Chase Visa cards: Okay, so this item requires you to have taken your love of Disney so far that it travels with you in your wallet even when you aren’t on vacation. If that’s you, it means you are entitled to a free 5×7 photo during your visit to Walt Disney World or Disneyland. And if you are so inclined, you’re even allowed to get one every day of your visit… you just have to make it to the booth location. At WDW this one on one photo experience is located in Innovations West in Epocot and at DL it is in Hollywood Land at Disney California Adventure.
- Disney family decals: So this one is super cute and worth doing even if you aren’t going to a Disney park. All you have to do is go to Build Your Disney side and from there you’ll get to create your family in decal form. You’ll get to choose what your Disney persona wears and even if they’ll be enjoying a nice Mickey shaped treat to tempt you! If you do it before your trip, put it on your car to look at as you travel or on your luggage if so inclined. I’ve been itching to place mine on a mirror in our Disney section at our house. Whatever you use them for, they’re totally worth the time!
- Disney Planning DVD: Okay, so this tends to be a take it or leave it type offering. For many people, if they are going online order this DVD, they’re probably also going online to already plan their trip. But! If you want to get pumped for the big trip or maybe just want an overview of what there is to expect, this is a great and actually fun to collect. It’s amazing seeing how much information on the DVD’s (and VHS’s if you’re my age) have evolved over the years.
Take me to Main Street! 