Last night, the Magic Kingdom previewed its spectacular Fourth of July fireworks program known as Celebrate America and fortunately we were right there in the middle of it all to capture it for you. While there’s no humanly way possible we could replicate the magic and the spectacle of it all, we hope that you enjoy watching the video as much as we did making it.

Embedded below is the playlist which will automatically play the second half once the first half is completed. If you prefer to watch a larger version on YouTube, you can access the playlist directly.

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No, sadly the Pocahontas and Her Forest Friends show hasn’t returned, but the theatre in which it took place at Animal Kingdom’s Camp Minnie-Mickey isn’t going to waste either. Offered daily through August 8, Disney has brought back the Good Times Gathering Spot which had previously only been offered during Christmas and Easter weeks.

The Good Times Gathering Spot offers the chance for guests to play and dance with some of their favorite characters: Koda, Kenai, Chip, Dale and Meeko are regulars here. Pictured to the right are the characters supporting children involved in a game of Dots, which seems innocently enough a lot like musical chairs until it takes an interesting switch that sends kids out into the audience to be the first to bring back the requested item (the first was a left shoe, if that gives any indication). A live DJ facilitates the games, dances and other activities. Hint: If you’re looking for autographs, wait until after 1 pm or so.

Pocahontas also makes scheduled appearances to tell stories to the children, followed by a meet & greet. She does continue to meet & greet at Rafiki’s Planet Watch’s Conservation Station as well.

The Good Times Gathering Spot runs continously through hours posted in the park’s times guide. All subject to change, particularly due to weather.

Unfortunately, because the attraction is not yet officially open, I cannot offer any photos inside the actual theater, but I can share images of some of the artifacts you can find inside the pre-show area, including the first ladies’ exhibit featuring dresses and other items from Elizabeth Monroe, Edith Roosevelt and Nancy Reagan.

Please enjoy.

[View with PicLens]

 

I had the distinct honor of attending the naturalization ceremony which took place at the Magic Kingdom earlier this morning in which 1,000 immigrants (including 25 cast members) were sworn in as new citizens of the United States.

The ceremony, with keynote speaker actor Andy Garcia, was an incredibly moving experience as the new citizens were sworn in. The event also featured performances by Voices of Liberty and appearances by the Spirit of America Fife and Drum Corps and Mickey himself. After the ceremony and group photo, the citizens and their friends and family made way to experience the newly enhanced Hall of Presidents (more to follow on that later).

I didn’t have the best view and the photos will attest to that but I hope you enjoy them even a tiny fraction as I did having the opportunity to share them with you.

As always, you can click on individual photos to see them full size, or click on the PicLens link to start the slideshow.

[View with PicLens]

 

The Disney Gift Card is now available in small form. Using the same bracelet as the small form PhotoPass cards, the new gift card format which made its debut as a limited release during the Food and Wine Festival is now available full time.

The card appears to be available only in select locations as a resort’s gift shop had them, but the Emporium in Magic Kingdom did not.

About  a month ago, Disney’s Magical Express instituted a new check-in procedure for guests arriving at Orlando International Airport and making use of the service for those staying at a Disney owned and operated resort.

Guests who have their blue DME booklet in hand and have attached the yellow tags to their checked bags (or have no checked bags for DME to claim) are able to proceed directly to the bus waiting area, bypassing the welcome desk altogether which used to be mandatory for everyone. Instead, eligible guests will now have their voucher scanned at a podium at the front of the bus queues.

It’s being widely reported that Disney Theatrical has opted to close the show with August 30 being the final performance after an almost two year run in an effort to avoid losses during the ’slowdown season.’ Tickets for performances sold beyond August 30 are eligible for a refund.

Sierra Boggess, who originated the role of Ariel, has recently left the show after extending her intial performances.

It is expected that there will be a touring production of the musical commencing late 2010.

BURBANK, Calif., June 30 — Last week Disney Channel’s PRINCESS PROTECTION PROGRAM was crowned royalty as TV’s number one entertainment telecast of 2009 in Kids 6-11 (3.1 million) and Tweens 9-14 (3.2 million) and as cable’s most watched scripted telecast (viewers) when the exciting adventure/comedy debuted. Since its premiere in EMEA in May ‘09, and now the U.S. and Canada, Disney’s “Princess Protection Program” has reached 28.1 million unique Total Viewers around the world, including 3.7 million Kids 6-11 and 3.5 million Tweens 9-14 for the June 26th premiere.

Now, just days after the record-setting cable debut, two of young Hollywood’s superstars, Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato, head to DVD in the royal journey PRINCESS PROTECTION PROGRAM: ROYAL B.F.F. EXTENDED EDITION. The exclusive bonus materials feature the all-new music video “One and the Same” performed by the real life best friends Demi and Selena plus much more. This regal experience is available with a free “Best Friends” necklace set inside the DVD for a limited time from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.

EXCLUSIVE DVD BONUS FEATURES INCLUDE:
–  “One and the Same” Music Video performed by Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato.
–  Royal & Loyal B.F.F.s – stars Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato reveal secrets about their real-life friendship.
–  A Royal Reality – meet a real-life Princess and learn the realities about gowns, castles and her responsibilities.

A Disney Channel Original Movie PRINCESS PROTECTION PROGRAM is an adventure comedy about two very different girls – a princess from a small kingdom and a small town girl who, when fate brings them together, must team up to help the would-be queen pass for a regular teen.

PRINCESS PROTECTION PROGRAM is rated ‘G’ in the U.S. and ‘PG’ in Canada.

Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc., a recognized leader in the home entertainment industry, is the marketing, sales and distribution company for Walt Disney, Touchstone, Hollywood Pictures, Miramax and Buena Vista product, which includes DVD, Blu-ray Disc(TM) and electronic distribution. Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc. is a division of The Walt Disney Studios.

These press materials are available in electronic form at www.WDSHEpublicity.com

(Source: Nielsen Media Research (Fast National Ratings, Live + Same Day, 6/26/09). Ratings based on national rating unless otherwise noted. Reach based on unduplicated viewers who watched 6 minutes or more. Online: Omniture for 2009 data, Hitbox for 2008.

(C) Disney

Source: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

CONTACT: National, Jennifer Lang, +1-818-295-5232,
Jennifer.J.Lang@disney.com, or Regional, Michelle Alexander, +1-818-295-5246,
Michelle.Alexander@disney.com, or Local Field Representative Darrell Borquez,
+1-818-295-5224, Darrell.Borquez@disney.com, all of Walt Disney Studios Home
Entertainment

Who wants to be a contestant on “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” Here’s how to apply for the highly-anticipated 10th anniversary edition hosted by Regis Philbin and running for 11 nights in August, Sundays-Thursdays at (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) from August 9 to August 23 on the ABC Television Network.

There are multiple ways (see below) to become a contestant on “Millionaire,” including the original phone game that was used when the show premiered in 1999 and video submissions – an all-new method that will enable people to upload videos of themselves directly to the show’s producers. Would-be contestants can use more than one method to try to get on the show but will only be selected one time. No former “Hot Seat” players are eligible, and you must be at least 18 years old, a legal U.S. resident and meet all eligibility requirements. Read the rest of this entry »

HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong on Tuesday said the Walt Disney Co will invest $452 million to expand its Hong Kong theme park, seen as necessary to bolster the park’s long-term prospects against a planned rival park in Shanghai.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang said Hong Kong would not invest more capital in the joint venture but would convert a substantial part of its loan to the project into equity.

After Disney’s new investment and the government’s debt to equity swap, Hong Kong will see its stake in the underperforming park fall to 52 percent from 57 percent.

“If there is no expansion, the attraction of the theme park will fall over time, government economist Helen Chan said at a media briefing to announce details of the expansion.

The Hong Kong government desperately needs the expansion to boost flagging attendance, with a much larger rival Disneyland expected to be built in Shanghai in 2014 that could draw much visitor traffic from the burgeoning mainland China market.

“To help deleverage the joint venture the government will convert a substantial part of its loan to equity, retaining a balance of not less than HK$1 billion,” the government said in a statement.

The expansion, which will cost about HK$3.6 billion, will include 30 new attractions and three new theme areas, and will see the total area of Hong Kong Disneyland increase by 23 percent over five years.

The total net economic benefit of the expanded theme park over 40 years would range from HK$64.7 billion to HK$117.3 billion, the government said in a statement.

Hong Kong’s Financial Secretary John Tsang traveled to Los Angeles in May, where he met senior Disney executives. The trip is seen to have paved the way for the breakthrough after Disney earlier said it would stall any expansion amid the credit crunch.

Disney earlier indicated it would likely invest more capital in Hong Kong Disneyland and allow the Hong Kong government to convert its loans to equity to maintain its majority share of the theme park, a source involved in their talks told Reuters earlier.

(Reporting by James Pomfret / Editing by Chris Lewis)

BURBANK, Calif. — Disney Press will publish the new middle-grade series based on Disney Interactive Studios’ best-selling Spectrobes videogames. The sci-fi story of two planetary officers and the mysterious Spectrobes creatures will be told through these original junior novels in addition to the upcoming Wii™ game. Disney Interactive Studios and Disney Press today announced that four Spectrobes junior novels will be available in North America this year.

Spectrobes is Disney Interactive Studios’ original monster battle video game franchise. The first Wii game of the series, Spectrobes: Origins, will be released this fall. More than 1.6 million units of the two Spectrobes Nintendo DS games released in each of the last two years have been shipped worldwide.

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Miniature artist Robert Olszewski will be on hand at the Disneyana Shop in Main Street, USA in Disneyland on July 17, 2009 from 9 AM – 11 AM to sign his latest piece, the Monorail Mark I, commemorating the attraction’s 50th anniversary.

There will be two initial versions of the sculpture. An Annual Passholder’s version will be limited to only 100 pieces while the Open Edition version will be stamped ‘First Edition’ for its first 12 months of production.

Features of the Monorail Mark I sculpture include:

* Removable Monorail Mark I sculpture. Sculpture details include clear windows to see in front and back. Magnets used to hold Monorail onto rails.
* The columns feature attraction posters
* Lighting turned on and off by trash can on right front

The Monorail Mark I sculpture is available for $95, plus tax. Sculpture and Base Size: 8″W x 3 7/8′ D x 3 1/2″T (Monorail is approximately 6 1/2″ L x 1/2″W x 5/8″T.

Online ordering commences 8 AM PT on Wednesday, July 1.  Shipping and handling fees plus any applicable sales tax will apply. To order the Annual Passholder edition beginning July 1, click here. For the Open Edition version, click here.

Looks will be taken out of the equation when men and women get to know each other and connect in total darkness on the premiere of the one-hour reality series, “Dating in the Dark,” MONDAY, JULY 20 (10:02-11:00 p.m. ET), on the ABC Television Network.

Hosted by Rossi Morreale, the six-episode “Dating in the Dark” is a sexy social experiment asking the age-old question, “Is Love Blind?” Each week three new single men and three new single women, all looking for love, will live in separate wings of a house and remain totally sequestered from the opposite sex. While they’ll have no chance of seeing each other in the light, they will have the opportunity to date in a completely dark room. The participants won’t be able to see anything, but the audience will get to see EVERYTHING first hand with the help of high-tech infrared cameras.

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BURBANK, Calif. — Three-dimensional experiences are taking over the film experience at movie theaters in 2009 and Disney Interactive Studios is leading the way in video games by introducing innovative stereoscopic 3-D features in two of its premier games this summer. G-Force and Toy Story Mania! both feature revolutionary innovative experiences using 3-D technology and are the first games for next-generation systems to fully feature three-dimensional stereoscopic technology.

G-Force and Toy Story Mania! allow the player to choose to turn on special 3-D features in the games while wearing the enclosed 3-D glasses. Using the anaglyphic 3-D glasses, players will see the action extend forward from their television screens in a three-dimensional perspective while playing the games. Two sets of 3-D glasses will be enclosed in each package for players to experience visuals that seem to pop out from their television sets. The glasses enable both players to experience 3-D during a two-player Toy Story Mania! game or for an accompanying family member to view that perspective in G-Force. Both standard video game 3-D graphics and the stereoscopic 3-D experiences are offered in the games and can be changed by the player.

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – A remarkably lifelike Audio-Animatronics figure of President Barack Obama enters the spotlight in a revised and refreshed Hall of Presidents show that reopens July 4 in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort.

The recently installed figure of the country’s 44th chief executive – which comes to life with recognizable mannerisms and makes comments that were recorded recently at the White House – is only part of an eight-month makeover so significant that the iconic attraction in the park’s Liberty Square has been retitled Hall of Presidents: A Celebration of Liberty’s Leaders.  Other updates to the “re-Imagineered” attraction which has been entertaining Magic Kingdom guests since 1971:

* A re-programmed Abraham Lincoln delivers arguably the greatest speech in the history of the presidency – the Gettysburg Address.
* For the first time in the attraction’s history, George Washington stands and delivers a stirring speech.
* Developed with the assistance of Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, the show now tells a moving story of the bond between the presidents and “We, the People,” focusing on the chief executives who have guided America through trying, turbulent times.

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Robert Englund (often affectionately aka Freddy Krueger) guest stars in the next episode of The Spectacular Spider-Man on Disney XD. In the episode titled Reinforcement, Englund voices villain Vulture who helps reconstitute the Sinister Six alongside Sandman, Rhino, Electro and newcomers Mysterio and Kraven. It’s the holiday season and all they want for Christmas is a dead Spidey. Meanwhile, Peter Parker struggles with commitment when it comes to the lovely Gwen Stacy. Here’s a sneak peek of the episode which premieres on Disney XD on Monday, June 29 at 7:30 PM ET/PT:

Disney Mobile and Walt Disney Studios’ G-Force invite you to enter for the chance to win a three day / two night trip for two, including round-trip airfare and hotel, to an unspecified location to see a live performance of Hollywood Records Recording artist Steve Rushton.

To enter, text MISSION to DISNEY (347639) on your cell phone. Successful entries will receive a message back. Standard text messaging rates apply. Deadline for entry to the contest is 3PM EST on July 12, 2009 and the winner will be notified by cell phone. Open to all legal residents of the United States. For full rules and additional details, see here.

Update:  The ceremony is titled ‘Celebrating the American Dream’ and will take place at 8:20 AM, prior to park opening. We are told the ceremony is by invitation only and that guests will not able to view the ceremony.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – In a stirring celebration of citizenship, more than 1,000 immigrants will gather on Main Street, U.S.A. July 3 to be “sworn in” as American citizens.

And as the country kicks off Independence Day weekend, these brand-new Americans will attend a premiere performance of the newest Walt Disney World attraction, a re-imagined Hall of Presidents, now featuring a lifelike Audio-Animatronics figure of President Barack Obama.

From more than 100 countries and ranging in age from 18 to 82, the immigrants will take the Oath of Allegiance to the United States during a Friday morning ceremony jointly hosted by Disney Parks and Resorts and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

USCIS’s highest-ranking official will preside over the ceremony on the forecourt of Cinderella Castle.  The event will feature a welcoming address by Walt Disney World Resort President Meg Crofton, the presentation of the colors, the national anthem, the Oath of Allegiance and the Pledge of Allegiance.

Actor Andy Garcia – a naturalized citizen himself – will deliver a keynote address during the ceremony. Garcia, originally from Cuba, is an acclaimed actor known for roles in films as diverse as “The Untouchables,” “The Godfather: Part III” and “Oceans Eleven.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Winners of the Macy's Moms contest in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland © Disney

Moms from every state took part in the biggest Celebration of Moms in the history of Disney Parks. Winners of the Macy’s “Celebrate Mom” Sweepstakes traveled coast-to-coast on this magical adventure which began Monday June 22, 2009 with a sunrise breakfast on Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland Resort in California and ended Thursday June 25, 2009 with a sunset dinner at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

Winners of the Macy's Moms contest in front of Spaceship Earth in Epcot © Disney

BRISTOL, Ct., June 26, 2009 — Tickets for the 2009 MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney will go on sale Wednesday, July 1, through Ticketmaster and Anthony Travel.

This year, the event owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television (ERT) will pit MEAC defending champion South Carolina State University against 2008 SWAC title winner Grambling State University for the first time since 1994.  The game will return to Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium in Orlando, Fla., and will air on ESPN2/ESPN2 HD and ESPN360.com on Sunday, Sept. 6, at 2 p.m. ET.  This will mark the first time this event will be televised in high definition.

Individual tickets for the game are $20 (plus tax and fees) and will be available through Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000 or by logging on to www.ticketmaster.com.  Fans who want to attend this event can also purchase travel packages through Anthony Travel’s Web site or by calling 888-632-6951.

Each year, the game is played at a neutral site within the footprint of one of the conferences. The inaugural MEAC/SWAC Challenge in 2005 showcased the MEAC’s South Carolina State vs. Alabama State of the SWAC, with South Carolina State prevailing, 27-14.  In 2006, the contest went into overtime with the MEAC’s Hampton University defeating the SWAC’s Grambling State, 27-26. The SWAC earned its first MEAC/SWAC Challenge trophy in 2007 as Southern defeated Florida A&M, 33-27.  Last year, the event moved from Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala., to Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium, where the MEAC reclaimed the MEAC/SWAC Challenge crown, as Hampton defeated Jackson State 17-13. The MEAC leads the series 3-1. Teams for future games are determined on an annual basis.

For more information about the MEAC/SWAC Challenge and for access to the event’s Facebook page, please visit www.meacswacchallenge.com.