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The Epcot Explorer's Encyclopedia

Monthly Archives: June 2011

Disney Publishing Launches Disney Comics App for iPad/iPhone/iPod

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Over 80 Years of Disney Comics Are Now Available to Readers Digitally, Including Mickey Mouse, Cinderella, Cars 2 and More.

Disney Publishing Worldwide announced today its new Disney Comics App for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch is now available on the App Store. Disney Comics gives readers instant access to one of the most extensive collections of comics, short stories and graphic novels ever created, ranging from classic adventures starring Mickey Mouse to brand new comics from Toy Story and Cars 2.

The launch collection includes more than 50 comics for readers of all ages and features Disney classic characters like Donald Duck; Disney-Pixar comics featuring Toy Story’s Buzz and Woody; Disney Channel-inspired content including High School Musical; and feature film-based comics based on Tron: Legacy and Tangled. Disney Publishing will release two new titles each week following the launch.

The Disney Comics App will launch in the U.S. and will also be available on the App Store in over 80 countries across the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Additional markets will launch Disney Comics later this year.

“Comics are a tremendous part of our heritage and we see great potential and interest in bringing our extensive catalog of Disney Comics to mobile devices,” said Russell Hampton, President, Disney Publishing Worldwide. “We create over 25,000 original comic pages each year and it’s critical that we deliver this content to our readers around the world. We have over 1 billion Disney comic readers today, and our Disney Comics App will further broaden that audience.”

The Disney Comics App offers a new, director-style reading experience; readers can choose portrait or landscape mode, automatic or manual smart paneling, and can view double spreads. Disney Comics also enables readers to preview comics before making a purchase, share their stories with Facebook friends, and save all content to their iPad, iPhone or iPod touch for offline reading. An added feature lets readers receive automatic updates when stories relating to a favorite Disney character become available.

The Disney Comics App is available for free from the App Store on iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, or at www.itunes.com/appstore. Individual stories are $.99 and themed bundles are available for $3.99 through In-App Purchase.

For more information, visit www.disney.com/disneycomics and www.facebook.com/DisneyDigitalBooks, or follow @DisneyDigiBooks on Twitter.

Hyperion Wharf: “I’m not dead!”

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Well, not -entirely- dead if anything. New paperwork has been filed by Disney in regards to the Hyperion Wharf project with the mater management district. The project to overhaul Pleasure Island into Hyperion Wharf is already partially completed but it was rumored that further work had stopped entirely.

If that’s true, it’s news to Disney’s legal department and engineering services. They even have photos of the dark and yucky culverts under “The Area Formally Known as Pleasure Island” to prove it. The documents submitted on June 28th essentially address a series of issues the water management district had with the original paperwork. The “revised” paperwork still includes the demolition of the old BET and Adventurers Club locations. The replacement is still grass.

The Comedy Warehouse is somehow coming out of this whole thing unscathed and is labeled as a future entertainment venue. Click the links we put in the text above to see the technical drawings and photos of the swampy culverts – we recommend right-clicking and saving as they’re large files.

Virtual Fly-through of Cars Land at Disney’s California Adventure

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The Park’s Blog gave us a nifty treat this afternoon – a virtual look at the upcoming Cars Lands at Disney’s California Adventure by means of a rendered fly-through.These little animations are created to both help visual the upcoming area and sell it to the powers-that-be. Of course they can also be re-purposed to advertise the concept to the little folks like ourselves.

Epcot Pin Central getting new signage or other work?

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An interesting filing today from Disney – Epcot’s pin central is getting general construction work done by Don Bell Signs. Don Bell specializes in large signs, like the ones for shopping plazas and such. It could possibly be a new electronic display board for the attached wait-time and park information sign that has been buggy the last few months – as Don Bell also installs those types of displays as well.

We’ll have to see, regardless, he’s the paperwork.

Orlando most-booked destination for July 4th per Travelocity

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Today, the first day of summer, Travelocity unveiled the top 10 travel destinations for Fourth of July. Based on bookings, the list reveals where travelers will head to barbeque, watch fireworks, sunbathe and celebrate our nation’s independence over the holiday weekend in 2011.The full list from Travelocity:

  1. Orlando. Summer’s number-one family destination has plenty of places to view fireworks, including shows at Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld. For a break from the parks, pack your picnic basket and head instead to the free fireworks show at Lake Eola in downtown Orlando.

  2. New York City. What would Independence Day be without hot dogs? Watch the champs chow down at Nathan’s International Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island by day, then head to Manhattan’s West Side for another beloved tradition — the Macy’s 4th of July fireworks in the evening.

  3. Los Angeles. If you’ve been working hard on your bikini bod, head to Venice Beach on the Fourth for the Mr. & Mrs. Muscle Beach pageant to see how you stack up. For all-American evening entertainment, check out the Dodgers vs. Mets game, which will be followed by a fireworks show.

  4. Las Vegas. Summer’s number-one singles destination is both literally and figuratively hot over July 4th weekend, but luckily plenty of hotels will be hosting pool parties to cool things off all weekend long.

  5. South Florida. It’s all about the beaches in South Florida, even in the evening hours. If Miami is your destination, the Fourth of July fireworks festivities and fireworks viewing are taking place on the beach at 8th Street and Ocean Drive in Miami Beach.

  6. Denver. Denver is the place to be for fireworks enthusiasts, with four straight nights for viewing. Coors Field has fireworks after the Rockies games on July 1st and 2nd; the Civic Center Park has a free concert and fireworks show on July 3rd and the 4th brings the sparkly stuff at Mile High Stadium after the Colorado Rapids game.

  7. Chicago. Spend the day on the beach on the shores of Lake Michigan and the evening watching fireworks at Navy Pier. There are two opportunities to see the sparkly stuff over the holiday weekend, once on Saturday July 2 and again on Monday July 4th.

  8. Washington, D.C. There’s only one place to be on the Fourth of July in our nation’s capital, and that’s on the National Mall. The all-day celebration begins with a parade and culminates with music and a fireworks show over the Washington Monument.

  9. Seattle. Seattle is well-known for microbrews. Get in on the fun July 1-3 at the Seattle International Beerfest. July 4th brings the annual – and moving – naturalization of hundreds of new citizens at Seattle Center. Celebrate your own citizenship that evening with fireworks and family friendly fun at Gas Works Park on Lake Union.

  10. San Francisco. It’s fitting that the City by the Bay hosts San Francisco’s largest fireworks display over the bay. Head to Pier 39 for the evening show, or spend the whole day there dancing away to the live music.

Special July 4th Fireworks at Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot.

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Walt Disney World Resort will pixie dust the night skies July 4 with special pyrotechnic shows, including a patriotic display at Magic Kingdom, a rock’n’roll spectacular at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and a classic sky show at Epcot infused with an Independence Day finale. Here’s what’s in store:

  • Magic Kingdom will present “Disney’s Celebrate America! A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky.” This patriotic fireworks spectacular, paying homage to the hopes and dreams of America’s forefathers, will light the skies at 9 p.m. July 4 – and for guests who would like to begin the Independence Day celebration early, the show also will be presented July 3 at 9 p.m.
  • At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, traditional Fourth of July fireworks take on a different spin when Mulch, Sweat, and Shears perform for the all-new “Rockin’ 4th of July Celebration”! These resident landscapers – with serious rock and roll ambitions – take Disney guests on a musical road trip across America that will highlight each region’s contribution to rock and roll. Fireworks, lighting and special effects – backed by the driving live rock and roll of Mulch, Sweat, and Shears – combine to bring a new twist to celebrating Independence Day. Showtime July 4 is 9:45 p.m. Before or after the show, Disney’s Hollywood Studios guests can thrill to Disney’s Fantasmic!, performing July 4 at 9 and 10:30 p.m.
  • At Epcot, sky-watchers can check out “IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth” bursting high above World Showcase Lagoon. IllumiNations is a 14-minute spectacular during which pyrotechnics, lasers, water and music are all used to tell a story about the past, present and future of our planet. On the Fourth of July, the show will be enhanced with “The Heartbeat of Freedom,” an overture of traditional Americana themes displayed in a pyrotechnic and laser light event. The show is at 10 p.m.

In addition, Epcot guests may lend their ears to “Voices of Liberty 4th of July Concert” and participate in meet-and-greets with Benjamin Franklin, Betsy Ross and Disney characters adorned in patriotic dress at American Adventure.

Theme park hours on July 4 (subject to change without notice): Magic Kingdom, 9 a.m.-11 p.m.; Epcot, 9 a.m.-10 p.m.; Disney’s Hollywood Studios, 9 a.m.-10 p.m.; and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

Epcot’s Japan courtyard modifications, new dining check-in location

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The courtyard of the Japan pavilion at Epcot is going to undergo restructuring in the near future.

The Kaki Gori kart on the edge of the pavilion toward the American Adventure has already been closed to be replaced with a larger and more prominent location bearing the Mitsukoshi (sponsor) name. Now the interior courtyard of the pavilion is slated for modification in what appears to be even further aggressive expansion by the sponsor.

Two merchandise will be added to the main courtyard of the pavilion. Currently there is no indication that the existing merchandise kiosk in the area will be removed during the process to add the two new karts. Additionally, the check-in for the two restaurants on the second floor of the Mitsukoshi complex (Tokyo Dinning and Teppan Edo) will be relocated down onto the courtyard level as well. Guests will likely need to check in downstairs and then be permitted up to the second level when their table is ready.

Filing from Disney to notify the county of this renovation can be found here.

2010 Global Theme Park Attendance Numbers Out

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This morning we put a plea out on twitter for people to annoy TEA/AECOM’s department in charge of the global park attendance estimates to get the 2010 numbers out. Today, they’re out. We’re not saying we had anything to do with it, but.. ya know?

Read the full report (pdf).

Most of Disney’s park in Orlando are down by about 2% with the exception of Animal Kingdom which gained a little. Over at Universal Orlando the Islands of Adventure park with having Harry Potter only open for part of the year gained 30%. In California, Disneyland made a marginal gain while California Adventure rose 3%.

Overall there weren’t any major surprises as IOA’s gains were expected and when Disney glossed over the Orlando parks at recent financial meetings it was assumed they had small losses. Usually these reports come out right around tax time (April) but this year’s was delayed for reasons unknown. There’s been some speculation that Disney – who at times sponsors the TEA/AECOM activities – didn’t want the numbers to see the light of day due to the increases of other parks in Orlando while theirs were down. The loss on Disney’s end while Universal gained goes directly against their statement that new additions in the area help their bottom line and bring more people to Disney World.

Apparently not.

Odyssey Lounge to open -with- but not part of Epcot Food/Wine Festival?

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Last week Pam Brandom (Food Writer) of the Disney Parks Blog made an announcement about the forthcoming Odyssey Lounge along with other information about the 2011 International Food and Wine Festival at Epcot on June 13th:

  • Hawaii, the Caribbean islands and Portugal all debut Marketplaces – look for Kalua pork sliders in Hawaii, ropa vieja in the Caribbean and calamari salad in Portugal.
  • The new Odyssey Lounge opens, where guests can check in with friends and family back home, play games and surf the web while enjoying a specialty cocktail or a glass of wine or beer. There’s even a charging station for mobile phones and other electronic devices.
  • Celeb chefs are back – top culinarians like Jeff Henderson, Cat Cora, Alan Wong, Gale Gand, Suvir Saran, Jamie Deen, Rock Harper, Celina Tio and more. All told, more than 270 chefs participate.
  • There’s always fun stuff at the Festival Welcome Center, from a wine bar to tasting seminars and free sessions with cookbook authors.
  • Eat to the Beat! Concert Series is back at America Gardens Theatre with first timers the Pointer Sisters, The Orchestra starring former members of ELO and Gin Blossoms. Taylor Dayne kicks it off opening weekend.
  • Also back are First Bites Opening Reception on Sept. 29 (one time only); Kitchen Memories (formerly Celebrating Family and Friends in the Kitchen); Mixology Seminar, and “3D” Disney Dessert Discovery. And of course the grand Party for the Senses!
  • A new Cranberry Bog display by Craisins tells the story behind the cranberry’s rich agricultural heritage.

Notice how the Odyssey Lounge is said to “open” during the festival and none of the other festival exclusive offerings are mentioned that way. Then you have the latest press release a day later from Disney about Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival on June 14th – with no mention of the Odyssey Lounge as part of the event’s offerings. (We’ve included the full press release below down for your reading convenience.)

Why would Disney’s public relations and marketing gurus choose to leave something like that out of the event’s announcements? The press release is otherwise vastly more detailed than the information posted to the blog. It’s unlikely the Odyssey was simply “left out” if it was meant to be part of the upcoming festival.

Instead, we suspect the Odyssey Lounge is opening with the festival – not as part of the festival – and may become a permanent addition to Epcot’s lineup. We’ll have to wait and see what really happens. Perhaps the other postings asking the same question on the Park’s Blog will be answered… but until then, we can hope that the powers that be at Epcot intend to return the building to daily operations.

Below is the text of Disney’s June 14th press release:

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Exotic cocktails will pair like a tropical daydream with fresh new tastes from more than one island paradise at the 16th Epcot International Food & Wine Festival Sept. 30-Nov. 13, 2011, at Walt Disney World Resort. The one-of-a-kind 45-day festival serves up international cuisine, culture and entertainment from six continents, with more than 25 international marketplaces featuring tapas-sized portions paired with beer, wine and inventive new cocktails.

Marketplace tasting menus offer variety and adventure for guests on a mission to tantalize their taste buds during a scenic stroll around the 40-acre World Showcase Lagoon. The adventure can take them to the festival’s first Hawaii marketplace, which will cook up Kalua pork sliders and tuna poke with seaweed salad and lotus root chips to team with a refreshing Seven Tiki Mai Tai or a Kona Longboard or Pipeline beer. A new Caribbean Islands marketplace will serve ropa vieja with rice and jerk-spiced chicken with mango salsa. A beverage menu featuring a frozen Dragon Berry Colada and frozen Rock Coconut Mojito is sure to conjure steel-drum fantasies.

With a swing across the Atlantic, guests will be transported to the new Portugal marketplace, where the Portugal Wine Bar will offer best sips to pair with calamari salad with olives and smoked paprika. The Scandinavia marketplace will return after a hiatus with a fresh new Xante Sunshine cocktail made from Xante pear and cognac liquer. And the Canada marketplace will introduce a sweet treat: apple ice wine.

Disney and celebrity chefs will team with winemakers and brew masters from around the world to get the party started Sept. 30. During the six-week festival, guests will discover:

  • Three new tasting marketplaces — Hawaii, Caribbean Islands and Portugal — plus new menu offerings at popular returning marketplaces
  • Celebrity chef appearances starring top culinarians like Jeff Henderson, Cat Cora, Alan Wong, Gale Gand, Suvir Saran, Jamie Deen, Rock Harper, Celina Tio, Robert Irvine, Andrew Zimmern, Buddy Valastro, Warren Brown, Art Smith, Keegan Gerhard and more.
  • First-ever HGTV home entertaining seminars each Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
  • The Cranberry Bog display by Craisins telling the story behind the venerable cranberry’s rich agricultural heritage.
  • Daily wine seminars, bottle signings, author events and culinary demonstrations at the Festival Welcome Center.
  • Eat to the Beat! concerts three times nightly at America Gardens Theatre.

New Sips, Fresh Bites

Festival guests can make a day of circumnavigating the World Showcase Promenade, grazing and sipping as they go. Tapas-sized portions of regional specialties run $3 to $8 each, and recommended wines, cocktails and beers make perfect pairings at each marketplace. For quicker marketplace visits, guests can purchase a festival-themed mini-Disney Gift Card that can be worn on a wristband and loaded and reloaded at several park locations.

Live daily entertainment showcases many cultures with music, acrobatics and improv performances along the promenade. Evening Eat to the Beat! concerts at America Gardens Theatre feature acts from many musical genres. Appearing for the first time on the Eat to the Beat! stage are The Pointer Sisters, The Orchestra starring former members of ELO and Gin Blossoms. Fan favorite Taylor Dayne kicks off the festival Sept. 30-Oct. 2, and crowd pleaser Big Bad Voodoo Daddy wraps the event Nov. 11-13.

The festival attracts a diverse audience — from wine connoisseurs and epicures to novices wishing to boost their culinary IQs. Special culinary programs showcase a lineup of renowned winemakers, guest chefs and speakers participating in elegant dinners, luncheons, seminars and wine schools.

Festival highlights include:

  • The Festival Welcome Center, with a Wine Bar, Authentic Taste Seminars, Authors Without Borders weekend conversations and more.
  • More than 270 chefs including Disney chefs and culinary stars from across the country conducting culinary demonstrations and hosting dinners and tasting events.
  • A complimentary Marketplace Discovery Passport to be stamped at each international marketplace visited for the perfect scrapbook souvenir.
  • Popular returning events that include First Bites Opening Reception on Sept. 29; Kitchen Memories (formerly Celebrating Family and Friends in the Kitchen); Mixology Seminar; and “3D” Disney Dessert Discovery.
  • The weekly Party for the Senses grand tasting event beginning Oct. 8 and with a new Saturday evening time of 7:30-10 p.m. featuring tempting bites from eminent chefs, more than 50 wines and beers and live entertainment presented by Cirque du Soleil.

Festival guests can enjoy fresh Epcot experiences including the latest Future World high-tech fun at Innoventions and the celebrated return of “Captain EO,” the classic musical 3-D production starring Michael Jackson in a rare big-screen performance. In World Showcase, new and recently updated restaurants welcome guests at the Italy, Japan, Mexico and China pavilions.

What’s Included with Epcot Admission:

Authentic Taste seminars and Authors Without Borders programs with special book signings at the Festival Center, Eat to the Beat! concerts, cultural adventures, Marketplace Discovery Passport and all attractions and park entertainment are included with regular Epcot admission.

Special Programming by Reservation:

The Party for the Senses grand tasting events and other special wine and culinary programs require reservations and separate event admission. Guests can call 407/WDW-FEST (939-3378) to make reservations. Information and reservations for select events and programs are available at disneyworld.com/foodandwine.

Disney to Honor 10th Disney Princess Rapunzel

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LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Disney will officially welcome Rapunzel as the 10th Disney Princess character at a high profile, star-studded celebration, to take place in front of a global audience on October 2, 2011. Little princesses from across the globe will watch Rapunzel be welcomed into the Disney Princess royal court by Ariel, Aurora, Belle, Cinderella, Jasmine, Mulan, Pocahontas, Snow White and Tiana.

“Our aim is to help everyone explore the stories of how monarchs and other royals have shaped society, in some of the greatest palaces ever built”

In a world first, Kensington Palace, London, UK, was chosen by Disney as the perfect location for this magical welcoming ceremony of a Disney Princess, as it has been the home of many real life princesses over the centuries.

”Once Rapunzel becomes an official member of the Disney Princess court, she will be celebrated and recognized as such across Disney, and will be included in all Disney Princess products featuring multiple characters, in addition to her own merchandise line. Plus, across all Disney Parks, Rapunzel will for the first time wear her royal tiara, stolen from the kingdom by Flynn Rider in the Tangled film,” said Mary Beech, vice president of girls franchise development and marketing at Disney Consumer Products. “With London knowing a thing or two about bringing royal celebrations to a worldwide audience, it seemed only fitting for the city to become the stage for the celebration to welcome Rapunzel into our own Disney Princess royal court. We are inviting girls from across the globe to welcome each Disney Princess character to the Palace and celebrate with Rapunzel on her special day.”

Independent charity Historic Royal Palaces has joined with Disney to help stage the event, in a collaboration that aims to encourage children all over the world to explore the stories behind the real kings, queens, princes and princesses alongside Disney’s. “Our aim is to help everyone explore the stories of how monarchs and other royals have shaped society, in some of the greatest palaces ever built,” said Ruth Gill, Head of Interpretation at Historic Royal Palaces. “Kensington Palace has always been a place of spectacle, beauty and majesty, and home to many inspirational real-life Princesses. We are therefore delighted to celebrate our relationship with Disney by hosting this magical event that will welcome Rapunzel as the 10th member of the Disney Princess royal court.”

All ten Disney Princess characters will take part in the royal celebration and will be joined by VIPs, celebrities and little princesses from across the globe in festivities including a procession through Hyde Park, party activities and a welcoming ceremony.

Each Disney Princess character has a unique story that empowers girls to imagine and live their very own fairy tales. Rapunzel is a modern heroine – she may have lived her entire life locked inside a hidden tower but Rapunzel is no damsel in distress. The girl with 70 feet of glowing, magical hair is an energetic, inquisitive young lady who fills her days with art, books and imagination. She is full of curiosity about the outside world and can’t help but feel her true destiny lies outside of the lonely tower walls.

Kensington Palace has been a residence of the British Royal Family since the 17th century and is famed for its associations with Princesses. Princess Victoria (later Queen Victoria, Britain’s longest reigning monarch) was born at Kensington Palace on 24th May 1819 and was christened the following month in the Cupola Room. Her love for the palace ensured the renovations of the State Apartments in 1897 which were opened to the public on Queen Victoria’s 80th birthday. Today, parts of Kensington Palace continue to serve as residences for members of the Royal Family. The best known resident in recent years was Diana, Princess of Wales, who occupied apartments in the north-west part of the palace from 1981-1997.