Saints QB Drew Brees and several fellow NFL stars are making dreams come true at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World for hundreds of high school football players. The Drew Brees Passing Academy and 7-on-7 Tournament is taking place at the Disney sports complex through Saturday. – See more at: http://disneysportsnews.com/2014/06/26/nfl-stars-giving-high-school-players-a-chance-to-shine-at-disney/#sthash.bNHVP2kW.dpuf
Marvel mutants, mavericks, masterminds, monsters, mechas, and magicians all come from somewhere. So it is no surprise that such a broad palette of superheroes and villains come from all over the globe.
Wizard World, Inc. plans to expand its schedule of pop culture conventions to a minimum of 22 shows in 2015, including at least nine new venues, it was announced today by John Macaluso, Wizard World CEO. The series, which includes 16 cities in 2014, will add San Jose, Calif.; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Cleveland; Raleigh, N.C.; Indianapolis; Las Vegas; Des Moines, Iowa; Madison, Wis.; and Greenville, S.C. Additional cities (new and returning) may also be added in the coming weeks.
Next year’s schedule to date also includes a return of at least 12 of the 16 events from 2014, plus the “Bruce Campbell’s Horror Fest” at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill., site of Wizard World Chicago Comic Con. Among the longer-running Wizard World events returning are Comic Cons in Chicago (Rosemont, Ill.); Philadelphia; New Orleans; Columbus, Ohio; and Austin, Texas. Newer events in Portland, Ore.; Minneapolis; St. Louis; Sacramento, Calif.; Nashville, Tenn; Richmond, Va.; and Tulsa, Okla. are also slated to return.
“We are excited to bring the Wizard World experience to more fans in more places than ever before in 2015,” said Macaluso. “The new shows this year have been huge successes, and we believe that fans in these additional cities will enjoy our mix of top celebrities, superstar artists and all things pop culture.”
The 2015 Wizard World Comic Con schedule to date is as follows (*denotes new show) (all dates and venues subject to change):
Wizard World Comic Con events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, comics, toys, video gaming, television, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. A first-class lineup of topical programming takes place at each event, with celebrity Q&A’s, the Wizard World Film Festival, comics-themed sessions, costume contest, movie screenings, evening parties and more. Sunday is also Kids Day, with an array of activities and programming specially designed for the younger Wizard World fans.
One of my favorite memories from my last Disney trip in April 2014 is the time that we spent watching the Citizens of Hollywood. These “Streetmosphere” characters perform throughout the day at Hollywood Studios, and they can show up at any given time, anywhere. If you happen to come across one of their shows, it’s well worth spending some time watching them. Every show is different and extremely interactive with the audience, so you get a new experience every time! If you’re lucky, you might even get to be a part of the spectacle. Since we happened upon these hilarious residents of Tinseltown various times throughout the day at Hollywood Studios, I was able to get some great shots of the gang.
Along with the skits that groups of Citizens put on, you may also come across just one of them on the street. If you do, don’t be afraid to go up and talk to them! You’ll leave with a smile on your face and some great memories to last a lifetime.
This summer, Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be celebrating “Frozen,” the hit animated feature film from Disney, with a daily character procession, sing-alongs with Anna and Elsa, fireworks, a polar playground, ice skating rink, ice carving demonstrations and a nightly party featuring a live band, all themed to the worldwide phenomenon.
From July 5-Sept. 1, 2014, “Frozen Summer Fun Live!” will bring to life the world of royal sisters Anna and Elsa and their fairy tale kingdom of Arendelle. Most activities are included in theme park admission.
Special experiences will immerse guests in lots of Frozen fun. Here are some highlights (*schedule subject to change without notice):
Anna’s & Elsa’s Royal Welcome: Each day at 11 a.m., Anna and Elsa, riding in a horse-drawn sleigh, will travel in a royal procession down Hollywood Boulevard. Rugged mountain man Kristoff is along for the fun joined by a flurry of skaters, skiers and ice cutters, all dressed in their Arendelle best.
For The First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration: Inside the park’s Premiere Theater, Princess Anna and Queen Elsa join the Royal Historians of Arendelle for a fun and comedic retelling of the history of their kingdom amidst projections, lighting and special effects. Guests will be invited to join in special sing-along moments from the film’s chart-topping soundtrack. At the end of the performance, guests might find themselves becoming “Honorary Citizens of Arendelle.” The 20-minute show will be presented multiple times each day.
Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post & Frozen Funland: There’s a “big summer blowout” happening inside the park’s Soundstage One, where Oaken – the film’s trading post owner – and his cousins have created the “Frozen Funland” amidst a winter wonderland. Living up to its name, there will be plenty of frozen festivities inside the makeshift adventure park Oaken and his cousins built to make the most of the sudden snowstorm.
Part of the Oaken’s Frozen Funland will be an ice skating rink with demonstrations by some of Oaken’s talented cousins on the Arendelle ice.
In addition, icy artisans will put their talents on display, creating carvings of favorite “Frozen” characters from giant frozen blocks. Kids can enjoy frozen wintertime activities in the “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” area. For all of his Frozen Funland friends, Oaken has plenty of merchandise at his Trading Post, along with hot cocoa and sweet treats available for purchase.
Guests can take pictures with the film’s animated characters in a virtual setting, and then email them or share on their social media channels.
When guests want to escape the icy atmosphere of Oaken’s outpost, all they have to do is look for the door marked “Sauna,” where they once again will exit to the warm Florida sun.
Coolest Summer Ever Dance Party: From 5:30-9:30 p.m. each evening, a live band will take the stage to celebrate the Frozen summer fun with contemporary songs and a few familiar tunes from the film.
Take-Along Olaf: As a special feature before the fireworks, guests will have a chance to be a part of a pre-show celebration by hashtagging photos of themselves in the park with a “Take-Along Olaf.” Throughout the day, Take-Along Olafs will be distributed at various locations in the park. Guests are then invited to take Olaf along with them on their Disney’s Hollywood Studios adventures. By sharing their photos with the unique hashtag #OlafSummerVacation, their photos may appear on the big screen in this special pre-show feature.
Frozen Fireworks: At 9:35 each evening, the giant Sorcerer Mickey Hat on Hollywood Blvd. gets the full Frozen treatment with special projections of snow and ice images, in an eye-popping spectacular above Hollywood Blvd. Set to the film’s soundtrack, the fireworks show will feature some special guests – including a very magical appearance from Elsa in which she will show how her powers flurry “through the air and to the ground” to produce magically icy blue and white gleaming fireworks.
More Frozen Fun! The Frozen festivities do not end at Disney’s Hollywood Studios! At Magic Kingdom, fans can get immersed in these “Frozen” fantasies:
Meet Anna and Elsa inside Princess Fairytale Hall in Fantasyland
Anna and Elsa appear in the new daytime spectacular “Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade”
The “Celebrate the Magic” nighttime projection show transforms Cinderella Castle with visuals from “Frozen.”
Marvel’s most popular super hero, Spider-Man, swings into a new season in “Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man: Web Warriors,” premiering SUNDAY, AUGUST 31 (9:00 a.m., ET/PT) on the Marvel Universe programming block on Disney XD. Accompanied by Nova, Iron Fist, Power Man and White Tiger, Spider-Man and the team take on dangerous S.H.I.E.L.D. missions and encounter some of their most thrilling adventures yet.
The new season begins with Spider-Man accepting an invitation to become an Avenger. Alongside Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye, Black Widow and Falcon, everyone’s favorite web-head gets one step closer to becoming the Ultimate Spider-Man!
Get ready for a one-of-a-kind adventure into New York City — America’s melting pot of culture, cuisine, sights and activities. From Central Park to Broadway to the studios of Good Morning America — there is so much to do and experience in New York, it’s now wonder they call it “The City That Never Sleeps.”
Ben Kingsley will voice Bagheera in Disney’s upcoming film, The Jungle Book.
The film is tentatively scheduled for an October 2015 release.
Get a behind-the-scenes look at how your favorite Disney, Marvel and Star Wars films and TV shows inspire innovative merchandise with exclusive interviews from the designers and filmmakers. Discover the creative process behind connecting best-in-class storytelling to our latest compelling product as we take your favorite characters from screen to shelf!
Before Disneyland was built in Anaheim, there was a proposed Disney theme park in Burbank where the current studio lot now stands.
