Disneyland: The Magic, the Memories and You!

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the media premiere of the new show at Disneyland. It is called The Memories, the Magic and You….which of course is the same show I saw at Disney World last week- except totally different. What Marcy? Well this show is projected on the face of Small World attraction which makes for a much larger and clearer image area. It utilizes over 500 photos taken that day by the Photo Pass cast members in the park, so yes, there is a very good chance you could end up in the show.

The best place to see the show is actually on the platform area facing the Small World attraction (in other words, don’t try to be TOO CLOSE) since the show is projected from side to side, you want a little distance to take it all in easily. The show will be once a night during the week, and twice a night on weekends. This is a very creative use of technology to bring a fascinating type of entertainment to many people. This has HUGE potential in my opinion…holiday shows, best of shows etc. (Sidenote: I was not however, a huge fan of the music used. It is fine, very ‘Disney’….but not catchy. Seemed a bit operatic for my tastes and I had to turn off the sound while editing my video. Just kinda high pitched)

So here is my video coverage. Enjoy and if you are coming to the park soon- be sure to put this on your must-do list….

New poster series coming soon! (shared by Jane Gillespie of Irvine)

I am so excited about these new posters, being released by Disneyland. I am not sure when they will be available for purchase- but you can bet I will be buying everyone, and framing them and hanging in my house. They are beautiful, tasteful and retro. What more could I want?

Thanks to Jane Gillespie of  Irvine for sharing this with me!

WDW Fantasyland Expansion renderings...

  Recently I attended a press conference at Walt Disney World in which they shared with us artwork for the new WDW Fantasyland expansion. Yes, it is going to be twice the size it is now. The photo above is a rendering of Belle's palace (a dinning option)....

 Snow Whites scary ride is going away, but they are creating this area and ride centered around the seven Dwarfs and yes, Snow White as well.

 This is a totally fresh idea....bringing a touch of the Circus to the park. Looks fun.

 This is facinating to me. A first in the history of Disney- they are doubling the capacity of an attraction by making two of them side by side. Two Dumbo rides will flank the Circus entrance.

And Goofy is a pilot taking us up up and away with The Great Goofini...

These are some fairly huge builds, and I look forward to visiting this Fantasyland when it opens in 2013

Here is the official list of attraction names:

• Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid
• The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• The Castle of the Beast
• Princess Fairytale Hall
• The Sound of the Calliop
• Storybook Circus

The Disney Dream Christening

I had never been to a boat christening ceremony before, but I am guessing very very few ships get this kind of send off. It was spectacular and here is a run-down:

We entered on a red carpet, and found our seats. There was the Naval band, the giant screens that parted to reveal the Disney Dream behind. My boyfriend Bob Iger spoke (he is a very calm and eloquent speaker), then Mickey (all wizardry up) and his friends came, giant fireworks shot off, The WildCats showed up and Mickey did the running-man which was awesome. Tom Skaggs spoke, and poor guy he always seems so nervous. But he had a great line when upon seeing Fairy Godmother he said ‘ I haven’t seen you since I got this job! Where have you been?’. Skinny Jennifer Hudson was there and sang about half a song. She had horrible mic skills. Before she sang, she talked a little bit and the mic was so close to her mouth she sounded horrible. (Just sayin. You would think she would know better right?). Then a helicopter picked up a car sized champagne bottle from a float in the ocean and ‘broke’ it on the ship. More fireworks…. And in between all this, there were princesses and pirates and lots of wonderfully produced numbers.

 

Click on images to see full size. Would you like to see what it was like to cruise on the The Disney Dream?

Here is Marcy’s official guide (tons of photos!)

The memories, the magic and you! (projection show at WDW)

Last night I participated in a private party at Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom (yes, they closed the park!) and after the free flowing cocktails and delicious food we were treated to being the first audience of the new projection show called "The Memories, the Magic and You!" This is no ordinary slide show people. This is an astonishing feat of artful technology. And yes, it is coming to Disneyland too. (Jan 27)

Earlier in the evening in the press meeting we were shown this illustration. Those red lines are the locations of the many projections used to create this spectacular show. I went in not excited about this new addition, thinking it was more of a gimmick to help promote the PhotoPass concept (images taken from PhotoPass photographers that day are used in the show). But I left thinking this was something Disney will be doing for many years to come. Artfully created, set to beautiful music this production feels like something Walt would have adored since it relies heavily on skillful animation to help it come to life.

Bravo Disney. You managed to do it again.

Dying to see Mickey in a Sombrero!

Do you like fiestas, hoedowns, Mardi Gras, Lunar New Year and Disney Characters? Then you won’t want to miss the next eight weekends at Disneyland park. We’re calling them “Family Fun Weekends” and they run Jan. 14 through March 6.

“Family Fun Weekends” are themed events that invite guests to enjoy music, dancing, and special food and merchandise, along with a chance to meet and take photos with some Disney characters in specially themed attire. This weekend, for example, Fiesta Mickey and Minnie Mouse will greet you at Festival Arena in colorful, folk  attire.
These events take place weekend days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The first five weekends will be held at Festival Arena (at the back of Frontierland), and the final three weekends will move to New Orleans Square.
Here’s a brief description of the fun, and we’ll tell you more in the coming weeks.

Fiesta Disneyland – Jan. 14-16: The first weekend celebrates the Hispanic culture and experience in a colorful, lively event, featuring performance groups such as award-winning Mariachi Divas.
Disney’s Kickin’ Country Weekend – Jan. 21-23: This weekend will feature live music – including band Forth Worth West – and a Disney hoedown with Cowboy Mickey and Cowgirl Minnie Mouse.
Character Fan Days – Jan. 28-30: This is your chance to meet and take photos with some rarely seen characters. Think of this as the ultimate Disney character reunion – featuring the characters that you told us you would most like to meet. (We’ll announce the results of our Character Facebook poll later this week on the Disney Parks blog.)
Lunar New Year Festival – Feb. 4-6 and Feb. 11-13: Two weekends will be devoted  to Lunar New Year, when time-honored traditions and family celebrations are observed within the Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese cultures as the sun and moon begin their journeys for another year.
Mardi Gras – Feb. 18-20, Feb. 25-27 and March 4-6: Three weekends will be devoted to a lively, New Orleans-style Mardi Gras event, with vibrant excitement, jazzy music and sensational food of New Orleans. Where else? At New Orleans Square.  Princess Tiana, along with a cavalcade of some Disney characters in their Mardi Gras finery, will appear at a photo location in the Court of Angels, staffed by Disney Photo Pass photographers.

I love that Disneyland is embracing all of these unique and special events……I will personally make an effort to go and experience Mardi Gras and report back to you! New Orleans is one of my favorite places in the park…so any reason to spend more time there is okay with me!

Ear-Marked.

Over the weekend I ‘borrowed’ a friends two daughters for a visit to Disney’s California Adventure for an article I was asked to write. I was talking to the kids about how I still have my first pair of Mickey ears in my office when I found out that my little friend Ruby didn’t have a pair of ears of her own. Naturally I consider this to be a very important part of any California kids childhood- so I was thrilled to be able to get her very first pair!

 

She wore them proudly all day long…..

Which made me smile.