Disney announced the release of Disney Enchanted Tales on iOS and Android. The kingdom-building game allows users to construct buildings and interact with characters from popular Disney films.
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Archive for Scott
Red Cross and Disney Help Half a Million Kids and Families Prepare for Disasters
During National Preparedness Month in September, the American Red Cross is celebrating the significant impact of its signature disaster preparedness program for youth –The Pillowcase Project – which has reached more than 500,000 students nationwide, resulting in six lives saved.
The program, which is taught to 3rd – 5th graders in schools, after-school programs and summer camps, teaches students how to create their own emergency supply kit by packing essential items in a pillowcase for easy transport during an emergency. Students also have the opportunity to decorate and personalize their pillowcases. The program is sponsored by The Walt Disney Company.
“Understanding the unique needs of children is an important part of disaster preparedness planning,” said Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the American Red Cross. “Thanks to tremendous support from The Walt Disney Company over the past three years, The Pillowcase Project has grown significantly, enabling us to provide children nationwide with the necessary tools to remain safe during an emergency. We are extremely grateful for Disney’s commitment to this vital effort.”
The Pillowcase Project curriculum is structured by three core principles: Learn, Practice and Share. Students learn about hazards, how to prepare for emergencies, enhance coping skills, practice what they have learned and share their knowledge with friends and family. The program emphasizes the importance of developing an emergency communications plan, fire evacuation plan and emergency contact cards.
“It is vital to provide kids, families and communities with tools that make it simple to plan ahead for the unexpected,” said Kevin Callahan, vice president of community and engagement, Corporate Citizenship at Disney. “We are proud to work with the American Red Cross to inspire youth nationwide to take family preparedness action and help ease kids’ fears about emergencies.”
The Pillowcase Project was created in New Orleans, and was inspired by the story of local university students carrying their belongings in pillowcases during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Disney has helped the Red Cross expand the program nationwide by sponsoring The Pillowcase Project since 2013.
The Red Cross and The Walt Disney Company Encourage Disaster Preparedness:
In addition to The Pillowcase Project, the Red Cross worked with Disney to develop the Mickey and Friends Disaster Preparedness Activity Book, which has been distributed to more than 300,000 youth nationwide. The book teaches kids and families how to prepare for and respond to a wide range of disasters and emergencies through interactive games and activities. The book is available to download in English and Spanish.
Disney also sponsored the creation of Monster Guard – the first mobile app created by the Red Cross designed specifically for kids. The app complements The Pillowcase Project, and is a game where children role-play as various monster characters and engage in interactive training episodes for hazards such as home fires, floods and hurricanes. Since the launch of the app inOctober 2014, there have been more than 50,000 downloads.
Other Disney contributions to the Red Cross include the donation of over 300,000 Mickey Mouse plush dolls distributed to kids during disaster-relief operations and hundreds of hours of volunteer service through the Disney VoluntEARS program.
Disney is also part of a group of leading companies that are members of the Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP). As an ADGP member, Disney helps to ensure the Red Cross is ready to immediately respond when a disaster strikes.
For information about The Pillowcase Project in your area, contact your local Red Cross chapter.
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MOANA WILL BE DISNEY’S FIRST ‘ACTION HERO’ PRINCESS
Moana isn’t your average Disney princess; she’s a cool Disney princess. During a press day for Disney’s anticipated animated flick, directors Ron Clements and John Musker — the dynamite duo behind The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and The Princess and Frog — revealed that they wanted Moana (voiced by teen newcomer Auli’i Cravalho) to stand out among Disney’s princess squad.
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Costco’s Selling Seriously Discounted Park Passes And Food Vouchers
You’ll still need a friend in high places—like, steeple of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle high—to snag a seat at Disney’s newest members-only lounge, 1901, but getting your foot in the door at the theme park itself has gotten a smidge cheaper, if you know where to look.
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21st Epcot International Food & Wine Festival by the numbers
Walt Disney World Resort guests are invited to join the fun when the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival presented by Chase turns 21 from Sept. 14-Nov. 14, 2016. The longer-than-ever party will feature global and specialty cuisine, refreshing new beverages and three live concerts nightly.
The 62-day festival at Disney’s Epcot theme park will showcase 30 global marketplaces including four new Future World marketplaces featuring fresh culinary concepts to pair with select wines, beers, cocktails and other beverages. ABC’s Emmy Award-winning lifestyle series, “The Chew,” will broadcast from the festival for the second year and will participate in one of the new Future World festival marketplaces, The Chew Collective. The festival is believed to be the largest food and wine event of its kind in the world.
Here are some fun facts about the 21st festival celebration:
- Now 62 days long, the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival began in 1996 with a first run of 30 days
- At the 2016 festival, 30 global marketplaces will include new offerings like The Chew Collective in Future World’s Next Eats festival area and Islands of the Caribbean along the World Showcase Promenade
- Producers of ABC’s “The Chew” will tape 5 episodes of the show before 5 festival guest audiences numbering in the hundreds for each show
- The 21st festival will feature 32 new marketplace dishes and 49 (as of right now) new cocktails, beers, wines and ciders
- In 1998, 200 domestic and international wines were poured at the festival. This year, at marketplaces and premium events, more than 300 domestic and international wines will be offered
- More than 50 wineries and more than 35 breweries from around the world, including local craft beer operations, will be represented at festival marketplaces
- The new “The Best of Epcot Festivals 2016” cookbook by Pam Brandon and the Disney Chefs features 75 recipes from the global marketplaces.
- 3 Rockin’ Burger Block Parties and 6 Party for the Senses grand tastings will take place at World Showplace during the festival run. In all, the festival will feature 204 premium events ranging from Signature Dinners and Food & Wine Pairings to Beverage Boot Camps and Festival Events in World Showcase pavilions
- Guest chefs and Disney chefs numbering 250 will present culinary demonstrations and will cook for festival events
- Celebrity chefs and visiting culinarians from 10 countries and 26 U.S. states will participate in the festival at culinary demos, book signings, and special tasting events and dinners.
- Nearly 400 culinary demos, beverage and interactive seminars will take place during the 62-day festival
- During Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak festival scavenger hunt, guests can help Remy scour the park for the ingredients to make his signature dish, ratatouille. Along the way, they’ll find 12 Remy statuettes hidden in each of 11 countries of the World Showcase and at the African Outpost location. Guests can redeem the 12 stickers they’ve collected for one of 6 special pins at Select merchandise locations
- More than 375 hours of scheduled seminars will take place at the Festival Center for the 62 days of the festival. These include culinary demos and beverage seminars, the new Mix It, Make It, Celebrate It! interactive events, plus more
- 186 Eat to the Beat concerts will be performed; 8 musical acts will appear for the first time at this year’s festival featuring entertainment ranging from rock and soul to funk and blues
- The Festival Passport (previously called the Marketplace Discovery Passport) was introduced in 2010 for the 15th annual festival; today, the free passport will feature pages with all 30 festival marketplaces
- More than 1,200 fireworks will explode each night over World Showcase Lagoon in IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth nightime spectacular
- Chase is the festival’s presenting sponsor for the 5th year; its Chase Lounge at the American Adventure Pavilion is open exclusively to Chase cardholders and offers an inviting place to relax and recharge
- More than 225,000,000 festival dishes were served during last year’s 53-day festival
- 100,000-plus desserts, including the Hard Soda Floats at Desserts & Champagne Marketplace, are expected to be served
- In 1997, during the festival’s second year, festival planners introduced the first Grand Tasting culinary extravaganza; in 2002, the event was renamed and moved to World Showplace as Party for the Senses, now featuring up to 50 food and beverage stations and, in 2016, new and different themed entertainment for each event
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15 Fascinating Facts About the Making of Disney’s Moana
An adventurous young girl sets out with a demi-god to solve the mystery of her people in Moana, the upcoming film from Disney Animation. It sounds like a simple story, but as directors Ron Clements and John Musker can tell you, putting it on-screen is anything but simple.
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Disney World: Secrets of the Skipper Canteen
The Jungle Cruise is among the most popular and beloved Disney park attractions. Now, visitors at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom can augment their whimsical river journeys by grabbing a table at the Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen restaurant.
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Disney Parks Launches 10th Annual Moms Panel Search
Today, Disney Parks kicks off the 10th annual search for applicants to join the 2017 Disney Parks Moms Panel. Moms, dads, grandparents, and guardians of all walks of life can serve as panelists for this award-winning, online trip-planning forum.
Disney Parks is seeking seasoned Disney vacationers with diverse backgrounds to lend fresh insights to the Disney Parks Moms Panel that offers advice to guests looking to plan their ultimate Disney getaway. The search is on for new panelists who can answer questions in any of the four languages now used on the forum –English, Spanish, French and Portuguese. Adults who have experience with and a passion for Disney vacations are encouraged to apply now through September 14 by visiting www.momspanelsearch.com.
The Disney Moms Panel began in January 2008 as a simple, question-and-answer forum with only 12 members focused solely on the Walt Disney World Resort. Today, the Disney Moms Panel is a multilingual resource that has tripled in size with a diverse array of enthusiastic panelists with extensive knowledge of Disney vacation destinations and offerings, including Disneyland Resort, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club, runDisney and ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Over the years, more than 145 moms, dads and grandparents have participated on the panel and have answered more than 300,000 Guest questions.
“With this being the 10th year of our global search for Disney Parks Moms Panelists, I’m always in awe to see so many passionate and inspiring applicants share their Disney memories and emotional experiences as they vie for a spot on the Panel.” said Leanne O’Regan, Director of Content Relations for Disney Parks. “Since 2008, the Panel has replied to hundreds of thousands of questions providing personalized answers and often sharing fun stories that help guests with their individual planning needs.”
Panelists tap into their own real-life experiences to thoughtfully answer a wide array of questions. Whether the questions are about visiting as a family on a tight budget, a parent of a child with special needs, or families traveling in groups looking to plan the ultimate getaway, there is truly a panelist for everyone.
How to Apply
Disney Parks will accept applications for the 2017 Disney Parks Moms Panel from noon EDT on September 7, 2016, through noon EDT on September 14, 2016. Visit www.momspanelsearch.com to enter. The application process includes a series of written questions and essays in the first round; additional questions and essays along with a video submission in Round 2; with the final round being a phone interview. Applicants selected to be panelists for the Disney Parks Moms Panel will be announced in January 2017. Those selected must be available to attend a training session at Walt Disney World Resort in December 2016.
About the Disney Parks Moms Panel
The Disney Parks Moms Panel is an online forum where guests can get tips and insights for a Disney vacation from real moms, dads and grandparents who have mastered the art of planning Disney getaways. Guests can pose questions to panelists in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese, and gain access to other Disney vacation planning tools. Featuring just 12 members in its 2008 inaugural year, the panel has more than tripled in size since. That growth is a result of the popularity of the forum and an ever-growing number of questions submitted by curious parents. For more information and to meet the panelists, visit www.DisneyParksMomsPanel.com.
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THE SEARCH FOR THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE BY SAM ALLEN
While Mickey Mouse appeared in over 100 films during the Golden Age of Hollywood alone, his portrayal of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice in “Fantasia” is considered by many Disney enthusiasts to be his greatest role.
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The Science Behind Pixar Exhibition to Open October 15, 2016 at the California Science Center
Guests at the California Science Center will be inspired by the science and technology behind some of the most beloved animated films and their characters with the west coast premiere of The Science Behind Pixar Exhibition,opening October 15, 2016. This hands-on 12,000 square foot exhibition showcases the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) concepts used by the artists and computer scientists who help bring Pixar’s award-winning films to the big screen.
Featuring more than 40 interactive exhibit elements, The Science Behind Pixar Exhibition demonstrates the technology that supports the creativity and artistry of Pixar’s storytellers. The exhibition is broken into eight distinct sections, each focusing on a step of the filmmaking process – Modeling, Rigging, Surfaces, Sets & Camera, Animation, Simulation, Lighting andRendering – providing guests with a unique view of the production pipeline and concepts used at Pixar every day. Visitors of all ages will engage in and learn about the filmmaking process through hands-on activities inspired by some of Pixar’s most treasured films, from the first-ever computer animated feature film Toy Story, to the Oscar®-winning film Inside Out. They will also have the opportunity to take their photo with human-size recreations of many of their favorite Pixar film characters, including Buzz Lightyear, Dory, Mike and Sulley, Edna Mode and WALL•E.
“The Science Behind Pixar Exhibition is a fun, hands-on experience where guests can explore the art and science of animation at Pixar as though they were part of the production team,” said Jeffrey N. Rudolph, President and CEO at the California Science Center. “It’s a great opportunity for them to participate in the step-by-step process where art incorporates science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to make all the elements of an animated film seem more believable.”
Visitors will be invited to experience different roles within the production pipeline. Exhibit highlights include:
- Sets & Cameras – Discover how a bugs-eye view was achieved for A Bug’s Life, through camera angles and large-set design within the computer.
- Modeling – Envision how Toy Story’s digital sculptures are created based on sketches from artists.
- Lighting – Explore challenges similar to what Pixar artists faced in creating animated water with virtual light in Finding Nemo.
- Rigging – See how the models are given a virtual skeleton to enable animators to add movement, like the virtual model of Sulley from Monsters, Inc., which has 30,000 posable points.
- Surfaces – Feel immersed in the techniques behind adding color and texture to every surface of a film by designing “skins” for computer models of characters from Cars.
The Science Behind Pixar Exhibition was developed by the Museum of Science, Boston in collaboration with Pixar Animation Studios, and is part of the Science Museum Exhibit Collaborative (SMEC) – of which the California Science Center is a member.
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