Disneyland Details Holiday Festivities at Buena Vista Street, Cars Land

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This summer, the eagerly anticipated additions of Buena Vista Street and Cars Land opened to excited Guests as part of a major expansion at Disney California Adventure Park. Now, those popular areas will undergo a spectacular holiday makeover, meaning that The Happiest Place on Earth Just Got Merrier.

Bustling and busy Buena Vista Street, which now welcomes you when you enter Disney California Adventure Park, is themed to a Los Angeles business main street from the 1930s. It re-creates the era when Walt Disney was establishing his world-famous animation studio.

A community Christmas
“For this first holiday celebration, we imagined that all the businesses on Buena Vista Street got together like a chamber of commerce to bring the community together,” explained David Caranci, Manager of Resort Enhancement. “It becomes a matter of civic pride to decorate the street and stores and to erect a huge, 50-foot-tall Christmas tree in the heart of the city as a spot for everyone to join in singing carols.

“Even Mickey and his friends will sport a retro look — how they appeared in the 1930s — to match the rest of the theming on Buena Vista Street. We’ll also have wonderful vintage toys for display under the huge Christmas tree. From a tin robot to a blimp — all sorts of hidden surprises from that time period.”

The bell motif on the garlands and street decorations is continued on the oversize ornaments on the massive Yuletide tree as well. The Buena Vista Street Community Bell Ringers will perform as they wander up and down the street and participate in the evening tree lighting.

Re-creating magical holiday moments
“On the episode entitled ‘Holiday Time at Disneyland’ on ‘Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color’ TV series in 1962, Walt was seen in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle ringing bells and standing beside a group of carolers,” said Carla Carlile, Show Director, Walt Disney Entertainment. “We are very excited to re-create that concept with our own bell ringers in a ring-along, sing-along encouraging our Guests to join in by singing familiar carols and ringing in the season.”

“One of the things that I love about the creative people at The Walt Disney Company is their attention to detail,” said Alan Bruun, Creative Director, Walt Disney Entertainment.

“The amazing people in Resort Enhancement studied what type of trees might have been used during that time period in Los Angeles. The Buena Vista Street tree is completely different from any others in Disney Parks. All the decorations are large-scale replicas of actual decorations that would’ve been on a Los Angeles Christmas tree in the 1930s.”

Underneath the airy tree will be a custom-made 1/16th-size train chugging along with sound and lights through the specially designed gifts, evoking Walt Disney’s love of model trains.

The Citizens of Buena Vista Street, the improvisational performers at the Park, will share in the holiday cheer with Disney California Adventure Park Guests, treating them as if they were residents of the town. Molly the Messenger will have forms for children to fill out to send their letter to Santa.

Speaking of the jolly old elf himself, Mr. Claus will be found in the lavish Elias & Co., a sprawling shop that evokes the grandeur of classic department stores. Just like those fondly remembered stores of yore, Santa will be at his special seat surrounded by his many helpers so that children can share their secret wishes with him.

Getting all revved up for the holidays
Cars Land is celebrating its first Christmas season as well, in an enchanted creative partnership between Resort Enhancement, Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Imagineering. “We all came up with some very imaginative answers to the question, ‘How would cars celebrate the holiday season?’” said David.

Look for Snowy the Snow Car, a brand-new automotive holiday friend. He’s the Cars Land version of a snowman. “We have all fallen in love with him already because he is just so endearing,” said David. A nice photo next to this whimsical, seven-foot fellow might be just the thing to include with your holiday cards this year!

Every resident of Cars Land has incorporated their own personality into their holiday decorations. Mater has a nine-foot-tall tree with an arching sparkplug on top as the star. Luigi and Guido added holiday flair to the red, white and green color scheme of their shop—the colors of the Italian flag. Sarge sports a six-foot-tall, red, white and blue tree with a military star on top. And Flo’s nine-foot-tall tree is made out of oil cans!

Around almost every corner of Cars Land, you’ll discover new imaginative decorations and surprises — even the 20-foot-tall tree at the courthouse has a hubcap for every ornament. The courthouse statue of Stanley, the founder of Radiator Springs, is adorned with a Santa hat and a big bag of rims, wheels, accessories and other goodies for all the good residents of Cars Land.

“We’ve never done a land like this before,” David added. “Our Guests won’t see these types of unique decorations anywhere else in any of the Disney Parks.”

Beyond Cars Land and Buena Vista Street, the spirit of the season will also glow throughout Disney California Adventure Park. The lights on Mickey’s Fun Wheel on Paradise Pier will be specially programmed for the holidays. Not far away, good pals Flik, Princess Atta and Princess Dot have decorated “a bug’s land” so it’s crawling with goodwill to men, women — and cute bugs!

The rocking Mad T Party will offer its own holiday spin on its special entertainment repertoire — including a live band and dancers with an icy, cool look for this party in the streets. Don’t be surprised if, just as things start to really heat up, a surprise snowfall doesn’t cool things off for a bit before the fun begins again!

Of course, one of the most acclaimed wonders to appear in recent years is World of Color, the nighttime water spectacular. It’s the festive finale to any day — or several days — of Disney California Adventure fun, but during the holiday season, look for special surprises added especially for this delightful time of year.

“One of the most exciting things for all of us is creating new holiday traditions,” said Alan, echoing the enthusiasm of his fellow Cast Members on the makeover team. “Now there are holiday things to enjoy on our ‘two main streets’ to add to the existing memories traditions at Disneyland Resort.”

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‘The Taste’ Adds Ludo Lefebvre and Brian Malarkey

Famed culinary experts Ludo Lefebvre and Brian Malarkey are confirmed to join no-holds-barred chef Anthony Bourdain and British food star Nigella Lawson as Mentors on eight episodes of ABC’s innovative new cooking competition show, “The Taste.” Bourdain and Lawson are also executive producers. The new one-hour alternative series from Kinetic Content will premiere in 2013 on the ABC Television Network.

On “The Taste,” each of the four culinary superstars – Bourdain, Lawson, Lefebvre and Malarkey — will coach a team of four competing pro and amateur cooks chosen from a nationwide casting call as they vie to create the best tasting dish. In each episode, the groups will face team and individual challenges with a variety of culinary themes through several elimination rounds. At the end of each episode, the Mentors will have to judge the competitors’ dishes blind, with no knowledge of whose creation they’re sampling, what they’re eating, how it was prepared or whom they could be eliminating.

Ludovic Lefebvre is the pioneer of a guerilla style “pop-up” restaurant event called LudoBites that currently takes place at locations around Los Angeles. His newest book release, LUDOBITES: Recipes and Stories from the Pop-Up Restaurants of Ludo Lefebvre, is the story of the seven LudoBites events that showcase Lefebvre’s wildly inventive food with recipes that merge the techniques he has perfected in his years at the finest French restaurants with the simplicity forced upon him by the limits of a pop-up kitchen. Lefebvre trained at Restaurant L’Esperance with Marc Meneau, Restaurant Pierre Gagnaire and Arpege with Alain Passard, and Le Grande Vefour with Guy Martin in France. He moved to Los Angeles to work at L’Orangerie, where he became head chef at 25, and at the age of 26, was named as one of the world’s 50 Greatest Chefs by Relais & Chateaux. Under his guidance, L’Orangerie became one of the top-rated restaurants in California, receiving the Mobil Five Star Award. He then moved on to Bastide, where he also received the prestigious award. He was a nominee for the James Beard Foundation Rising Chef Award in 2001, and is the author of the cookbook Crave.

An award-winning maverick chef, Brian Malarkey is one half of the brain trust that in less than two years has conceived five wildly successful restaurants in San Diego, including Searsucker, Burlap, Gingham, Gabardine and Herringbone. Each has opened to rave reviews, and Searsucker was named “the country’s no. 2 hottest restaurant” by Time Magazine and OpenTable Diners Choice Awards. On the horizon is national expansion to 15 restaurants over the next five years, including a Searsucker in Scottsdale in November 2012, plus the release of Malarkey’s first cookbook, Come Early, Stay Late. Growing up on a ranch in Bend, Oregon, and spending summers enjoying the fresh seafood on the coast, Malarkey discovered his love for food and cooking at a young age. He attended Le Cordon Bleu in Portland. He was later hired as sous chef at Oceanaire Seafood Room in Minnesota, before opening their San Diego location as executive chef and operating partner. Under his direction Oceanaire received over 60 industry awards in less than five years.

“The Taste” is executive-produced by Chris Coelen, Matilda Zoltowski, Emma Conway, Anthony Bourdain and Nigella Lawson. Brian Smith is the director.

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Walt Disney Imagineering ‘Living Worlds’ Project Seeking Designers to Engage in Transmedia Storytelling

Disney Living Worlds project from Walt Disney ImagineeringWalt Disney Imagineering Research and Development will soon launch phase one of its new ‘Living Worlds’ program in which it seeks to engage ‘innovative storytellers willing to push the limits to create fully immersive worlds where guests can explore, play and discover deep narratives.’

Beginning October 22, WDI R&D will begin accepting high level proposals for potential transmedia stories supported under the program. Proposals received by December 1, 2012, will be considered for round two in which chosen proposals will be engaged to further develop their concepts and submit a more detailed and developed proposal. From this second round of proposals, Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development hopes to select one or more teams to collaborate with to create and build the proposed experiences.

To be considered eligible for the project, the experience must have a narrative arc that tells a complete story and be original in nature and may not use any existing intellectual property. It can take place anywhere must take place in a physical environment as well as on another media such as an interactive website, mobile device, another physical location or any other media format/platform. The experience also must run for at least two weeks, be able to support at least 50 people per day and be family friendly. The program is open to anyone of at least 18 years of age.

For more information on the Living Worlds project as well as to apply, visit the official web site.

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Target, Neiman Marcus Seek ‘Revenge’ for Holiday Collection with Original Content Airing November 11

Target and Neiman Marcus have partnered with ABC for a ground-breaking integration in conjunction with the critically acclaimed series “Revenge.” As part of the highly anticipated reveal of the retailers’ holiday collection, Target and Neiman Marcus will be the exclusive show sponsor in the episode airing Sunday, November 11 at 9:00 pm ET on the ABC Television Network. In lieu of commercials, the retailers are working directly with the creative team of “Revenge” — a series known for its flair for fashion and high style — to create original content incorporating the Target+ Neiman Marcus holiday collection.

“This is an unprecedented event on every level,” said Marla Provencio, chief marketing officer, executive vice president, ABC Entertainment Group. “It has been a great experience collaborating with these two iconic brands, and we are thrilled that they chose ABC’s ‘Revenge’ as the exclusive partner.”

“The scale of our partnership with Neiman Marcus propelled us to go well beyond the traditional approach and develop marketing initiatives that reflect the historic nature of this collaboration,” said Jeff Jones, chief marketing officer and executive vice president, Target. “Working with the team at ABC has been invigorating. We’re confident the November 11 episode of ‘Revenge’ will blow our guests away and, much like our collection with Neiman Marcus, provide an unforgettable element of surprise this holiday season.”

Target® Corp. (NYSE: TGT) and Neiman Marcus unveiled their unprecedented holiday collection featuring 24 of America’s preeminent designers – all members of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) – in New York. The collection will be available December 1 at all Target and Neiman Marcus stores, as well as online at Target.com and NeimanMarcus.com. In recognition of the 24 designers who created products for the holiday collection, Target and Neiman Marcus are donating a total of $1 million to the CFDA.

More information about the Target + Neiman Marcus Holiday Collection integration on the November 11 episode of “Revenge” will be available via ABullseyeView.com and NMDaily.com.

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Photos/Video: ‘Limited Time Magic’ Campaign to Bring Extra Pixie Dust to Disney Park Guests in 2013

Limited Time Magic announcement in New York's Times Square

A sparkling 25′ tall Cinderella Castle Ice sculpture, weighing in at an impressive 22 and a half tons, played centerpiece to the latest announcement from Disney Parks early this morning in Times Square.

Along with several other ice sculptures portraying Cinderella’s pumpkin coach, a balloon seller (accented with real Mickey Mouse balloons) and various park guests, Disney Parks is announcing its 2013 campaign, ‘Limited Time Magic.’

The big to-do, which included visits from Disney Parks dignitaries such as Minnie Mouse, Goofy and Cinderella, was all about the new ‘Limited Time Magic’ campaign which brings 52 weeks of both small and large celebrations to both the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts in 2013.

Below are some exclusive photos and video from the event. All photos and video © copyright Stitch Kingdom. All rights reserved.

Sample celebrations schedule to occur in 2013 include:

  • True Love: Celebrate romance and enchantment throughout Valentine’s Week with special moments and entertainment geared to lovebirds. Guests can celebrate their Valentine as Magic Kingdom and Disneyland turn up the romance, complete with their iconic castles bathed in hues of red and pink. Disney Princes join their Princesses to meet park guests in special settings, prix fixe menus turn up at select restaurants and Valentine collectibles will be offered for the week.
  • Independence Week: It’s red, white and blue as Disney Parks salutes America with a 4th of July Fireworks Party — for an entire week, with patriotic lighting bathing the Disney castles on both coasts. Mickey Mouse appears in his patriotic finest and guests will find special USA shirts, Ear Hats and other limited-edition souvenirs.
  • ‘Long Lost Friends Week:‘ lesser-known Disney characters will move from the shadows to the spotlight with meet-and-greets on both coasts. Photo opportunities with characters that could include Flik, Clarabelle Cow, Remy, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum will surprise and delight guests. And Disney guests will even have the chance to vote online for which characters they want to see.
  • Pirate Week: Why talk like a pirate one day when you could celebrate these scalawags all week long? The adventures of Jack Sparrow come to life like never before during a bicoastal buccaneer bash in which Disneyland and Walt Disney World become pirate-palooza: pirate bands,
    pirate meet-and-greets and more.
  • Dapper Dans Sing Boy Bands: Dapper Dans, the iconic quartet from Main Street, U.S.A., will add a special finale to their show, claiming the title of the ‘Original Boy Band’ and delivering a medley of hits from One Direction, *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys.
  • Unleash the Villains: A Friday the 13th in 2013 is a special day, so Disneyland and Disney Hollywood Studios are staying open until the 13th Hour (1 am). Maleficent, Capt. Hook, Jafar and other Disney villains host a dance party, complete with limited-edition collectibles and nighttime mischief on Sept. 13.
  • Golden Horseshoe Revue: The fabled Frontierland show returns to Disneyland for one month only, bringing back the corny jokes and enduring songs that were often enjoyed by Walt Disney himself.

Disney dream makers are crafting more surprises and magical offers that will be rolled out weekly during the magical year. The experience of the week will be announced in a variety of ways including in-park, Disneyworld.com, Disneyland.com, Facebook, Twitter, the Disney Parks Blog – adding to the element of surprise.

Additionally, Disney Parks has created websites for ‘Limited Time Magic’ which will are accessible at http://limitedtimemagic.com and http://magiaportiempolimitado.com (Spanish)

Photos and video from this morning’s festivities are set to come shortly.

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‘Wreck-It Ralph’ Clip ‘Bad Guys Second Thoughts’

'Wreck-It Ralph' Teaser PosterWalt Disney Animation Studios has released a new clip from its upcoming film, Wreck-It Ralph, titled ‘Bad Guys Second Thoughts.’ In the clip, Ralph shares his aspirations to overcome the hurdle as being known as the ‘bad guy’ and his desire to achieve recognition and a medal at the local Bad-Anon meeting. The news leads to worries that Ralph may be ‘going Turbo’ by wishing to play cards beyond those that were dealt to him.

After a brief lecture from Clyde of Pac-Man fame, the meeting adjourns with the daily bad guy affirmation: I’m bad and that’s good. I will never be good and that’s not bad. There is noone I’d rather be than me.

Wreck-It Ralph debuts in theaters nationwide on November 2, 2012.

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New Year’s Eve 2012 Events at Walt Disney World Announced

Walt Disney World has released a list of opportunities for ringing in the new year at the resort this year from the theme parks to opportunities at Downtown Disney and Disney hotels.

At Epcot, guests can dance away 2012 to the beat of the DJs stationed at select pavilions throughout the evening and watch ‘IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth’ salute the new year at 7 p.m. and 11:42 p.m. A buffet dining experience inspired by Disney’s classic animated films Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 will take place at World ShowPlace facility, with reservations available from 4:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. Priced at $68.67 for adults and $44.37 for children. Park admission is required.

At Disney’s Hollywood Studios rock in the New Year with resident family of landscapers/rock and roll musicians, Mulch, Sweat, and Shears! ‘The Mulch, Sweat, and Shears New Years Eve Spectacular’ blasts off on a specially built stage in front of Disney’s Hollywood Studios signature Sorcerer Hat icon and includes contemporary rock, funk, and classic rock and roll favorites. The four concert sets will feature pyrotechnics and special effects and lead up to ringing in the New Year with Mulch, Sweat, and Shears playing live accompaniment to a full scale fireworks spectacular in order to welcome the start of 2013 properly!

At DisneyQuest, located at Downtown Disney, there is a family-friendly cyber celebration from 8 p.m. -1 a.m. Guests are entertained with a DJ Dance Party, character meet and greets, plus unlimited access to games and DisneyQuest attractions including Pirates of the Caribbean, Virtual Jungle Cruise and CyberSpace Mountain. There’s a confetti drop and festive party favors as the clock strikes midnight. Partygoers also get a coupon for a quick service entrée, side and drink. Tickets go on sale soon at 407-934-7639.

At Cirque du Soleil, located at Downtown Disney, all guests attending the Dec. 31 performances will receive a limited-edition Walt Disney World/Cirque trading pin. Shows are at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. For pricing contact 407-WDW-SEAT.

Disney Cruise Line offers a New Year’s Party complete with music, sparkling wine in commemorative flutes and a midnight countdown to guests sailing on select cruises departing in late December. For booking, call 888-325-2500.

Narcoosee’s restaurant (Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa) will offer a four-course dining experience for $161.85 for adults and $77.19 for children, plus DJ, balloon artist and special fireworks viewing.

Atlantic Dance Hall at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort offers a special-ticket New Year’s Eve party from 8 p.m.-2 a.m. with a video DJ and limited viewing of Epcot’s Fireworks.

For specific information about other holiday dining offerings at Disney resort hotels on Dec. 31, call 407-WDW-DINE.

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RECALL: Disney Hoodies by Children’s Apparel Network Exclusively from Target

Recalled Disney products from Children's Apparel NetworkChildren’s Apparel Network has issued a voluntary recall in conjunction with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission for Disney-branded Fleece Hoodie and T-Shirt Sets sold exclusively at Target. The recalled styles are: Red Fleece Hoodie with Snow White (DP4253B), Grey Fleece Hoodie with Mickey Mouse (J4821) and Blue Fleece Hoodie with Cars (J4820-A). Style numbers can be found printed on the label along the hoodie’s side seam.

The products are being recalled due to the surface coating on the zipper of the fleece hoodie and t-shirt sets contain excessive levels of lead, violating the federal lead paint standard. To date no incidents have been reported.

The items were manufactured in Pakistan and approximately 6200 were sold at Target between October 2011 and December 2011 for about $18. Consumers are advised to return the item to Target for full credit.

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‘Wreck-It Ralph’ Hi-Res Concept Art, Stills

(Pictured) TAFFYTA MUTTONFUDGE in the video game world of Sugar Rush. ©2012 Disney. All Rights Reserved. Walt Disney Animation Studios has provided us with several new hi-res stills and concept art from its upcoming film, Wreck-It Ralph. The new images have been added to the beginning of their respective galleries below. Some of these images may have been seen elsewhere before but as we have just received them, we’ve added them to complete our libraries.

Walt Disney Animation Studios and Emmy®-winning director Rich Moore take moviegoers on a hilarious, arcade-game-hopping journey in Wreck-It Ralph. Ralph (voice of John C. Reilly) is tired of being overshadowed by Fix-It Felix (voice of Jack McBrayer), the ‘good guy’ star of their game who always gets to save the day. But after decades doing the same thing and seeing all the glory go to Felix, Ralph decides he’s tired of playing the role of a bad guy.  He takes matters into his own massive hands and sets off on a game-hopping journey across the arcade through every generation of video games to prove he’s got what it takes to be a hero.

On his quest, he meets the tough-as-nails Sergeant Calhoun (voice of Jane Lynch) from the first-person action game Hero’s Duty. But it’s the feisty misfit Vanellope von Schweetz (voice of Sarah Silverman) from the candy-coated cart racing game, Sugar Rush, whose world is threatened when Ralph accidentally unleashes a deadly enemy that threatens the entire arcade.  Will Ralph realize his dream and save the day before it’s too late?

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‘Wreck-It Ralph’ Pre-Release Screenings Announced for D23 Members

'Wreck-it Ralph' Teaser Poster AustraliaDisney D23, the official fan club for The Walt Disney Company, has announced that it will be offering its members the opportunity to see Wreck-It Ralph from Walt Disney Animation Studios during the week of October 22 for free, ahead of the film’s official opening on November 2, 2012

Metro areas included in the opportunity include: Albany, Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Fresno, Ft. Worth, Grand Rapids, Hartford, Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Louisville, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Nashville, New Orleans, Norfolk (VA), Oklahoma City, Orlando, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland (OR), Raleigh/Durham, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa, Tucson, Washington, D.C. and West Palm Beach.

Tickets are free and will be available from Disney D23 on a first come, first serve basis beginning Wednesday, October 17 at 1 pm ET/10 am PT. Members will be allowed to secure one additional ticket for a guest. Times and dates of screenings vary between cities and are not yet known. Admission to the actual screening is also first come, first serve and is not guaranteed.

Although the event page does not mention it, it’s worth noting that when Disney D23 made the same offers earlier this year for pre-release screenings, it required an account on seeitfirst.net, so you may want to ensure you have an account on it and can access it in advance just in case.

For more information and to obtain tickets when available, see the official event page.

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