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Celine Dion Set to Perform Brand-New Song for Disney’s Upcoming Beauty and the Beast

Hush now, we see a brand-new Disney classic in the making.

As the anticipation continues for Beauty and the Beast’s live-action film, fans received news that will be music to anyone’s ears.

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Caribbean Beach Expansion

There have been some indications recently that a CBR expansion was on the way and now we have confirmation. User danlb_2000 on WDWMagic Forums takes a look.

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4 Reasons to Prefer Disney Over Netflix

Netflix (NFLX) stock has been on a tear since 2012. Over the past five years, the stock has returned roughly 892% to investors.

Its returns almost seem too good to be true, but that is what happens when a company disrupts its industry like Netflix has.

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SEASON OF THE FORCE NOW AT DISNEYLAND RESORT

During Season of the Force at Disneyland® Resort, guests can transport themselves into a faraway galaxy filled with epic encounters and thrilling attractions.

On Hyperspace Mountain, guests can board the re-imagined Space Mountain attraction and join in a dogfight between Rebel X-wing fighters and the Imperial TIE fighters!

Then, they can step inside Star Wars Launch Bay to come face to face with some favorite heroes and villains from the saga. They can even explore replicas of movie props and models from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

If guests want to experience hyperspace and outrun the Empire, the y can hop aboard Star Tours – The Adventures Continue and fly through everyone’s favorite galaxy far, far away. And, young Padawans can really feel strong with the Force as they test their Lightsaber skills in an immersive show at Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple where they can face Darth Vader!

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The Hotels of the Disneyland Resort Offer More Magic and Memories

At the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, leisure and business travelers will find three Disney Hotel properties, each with a distinctive style: the luxurious surroundings and California Craftsman architecture of Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, the classic Disney magic and charm of the Disneyland Hotel, and the sunny California beachfront theme at Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel.

Offering a variety of accommodations, surroundings and amenities, all three hotels feature the famous Disney touch for quality, service and hospitality.

As part of the Disneyland Resort, these hotels are just steps away from the eclectic mix of dining, entertainment and recreational features of the Downtown Disney District.  Of course, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Parks are just a short walk away from any of the on-property hotels.

DISNEYLAND HOTEL

The reimagined Disneyland Hotel creates a fun, family destination that pays tribute to the early days of Disneyland. 973 rooms are spread across three themed towers that feature an energy-efficient sky-blue reflective glass exterior. The Fantasy Tower lobby showcases Mary Blair artwork, creating an instant connection to “it’s a small world.” The Frontier Tower features a scale model of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in the lobby. At the Adventure Tower, guests will see Jungle Cruise characters incorporated into the design.

The AAA Four Diamond hotel is also home to a unique collection of themed suites immersing guests in a way only Disney can, including the Mickey Mouse Penthouse, Pirates of the Caribbean, Adventureland, Big Thunder and Fairy Tale suites.

Guests of all ages will enjoy an immersive water play area and courtyard. With a nod to the iconic original park signage, a replica of the original Mark 1 Monorail Car sits at the entrance of two water slides, paying tribute to nostalgic Disneyland. No tickets are required at the D-Ticket and E-ticket pools, which draw their names from the iconic ticket books that were used in the early days of Disneyland to experience attractions. The area also features a Minnie Mouse-themed outdoor spa. In addition, six cabanas are available; each features a flat screen TV, refrigerator, safe, phone, and ceiling fan.

For dining experiences, Tangaroa Terrace features Island-inspired fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Meals are prepared to order and delivered to their tables either inside or on the large outdoor patio.

Trader Sam’s – Enchanted Tiki Bar, named after Trader Sam, Disney’s Jungle Cruise “head salesman,” features interactive special effects blended with classic Disney storytelling. Trader Sam’s serves a mix of creative appetizers and signature cocktails like the “Uh Oa!” (light and dark rums with orange, passion fruit, guava and grapefruit juices) or the “Shipwreck on the Rocks” (bourbon, lemon, mint and organic agave nectar). Live music performed on the patio in the evening adds to the fun environment.

For families or individuals preferring a high degree of service, the Disneyland Hotel features concierge-level rooms with upgraded in-room amenities and complimentary access to the exclusive concierge lounge.  Meetings are easily accommodated within the hotel’s 136,000-square-feet of function space, and a business center provides a variety of services.

DISNEY’S GRAND CALIFORNIAN HOTEL & SPA

Capturing the spirit of early California through inspiring design and daring architecture, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa is a deluxe 948-room resort hotel property, offering a premium option for business or pleasure visits to the Disneyland Resort.

This AAA Four Diamond hotel is the first Disney resort hotel in the world to be located inside a theme park – Disney California Adventure – making stays at the deluxe hotel a uniquely themed experience.  The Grand also is home to the first Disney Vacation Club Villas on the West Coast.

Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa celebrates the romantic Arts & Crafts movement of early 20th century California.  Designed to capture the artistic exploration of California’s coastlines with its Monterey pines and redwood forests, the hotel is layered with the memories of the arroyo craftsmen, the mission pioneers and the Plein Air school of painters.

Among the deluxe guestrooms are standard rooms, artisan suites, two vice presidential suites and two presidential suites. In addition, the Resort offers more than 20,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space, ranging from the 12,000-square-foot Sequoia ballroom to smaller conference rooms and a sophisticated boardroom.

The deluxe hotel features 24-hour room service, its own entry gate into Disney California Adventure, and rooms that overlook both the theme park and the exciting Downtown Disney District.  For corporate meeting guests, the hotel features meeting planner offices, a business center and separate meetings and conventions check-in facilities.

Food and beverage facilities include the AAA Four Diamond restaurant Napa Rose, as well as Storytellers Cafe and Hearthstone Lounge.  Guests will enjoy two heated pools and a themed water slide, two whirlpools, a children’s pool, and a concierge level with upgraded amenities and services.

DISNEY’S PARADISE PIER HOTEL

Guests return to the heyday of California beachfront boardwalks at Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel.  Loaded with special Disney touches, this seaside-themed hotel overlooks Paradise Pier, one of the most colorful sections of the Disney California Adventure, making its name and theme a natural fit.

This hotel offers charming facilities and superb service, with a fun California beachfront theme including recently remodeled seaside-themed rooms.  The hotel is festively painted and decorated to reflect the theme, and some guests enjoy a view of the colorful Paradise Pier district of the park right from their room, along with the “World of Color” nighttime water spectacular.

Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel takes pride in being one of the finest hotels in its class.  The 15-story, high-rise structure features 481 guest rooms, including remodeled suites and a recently renovated rooftop pool and whirlpool, a fitness center, lobby bar and coffeehouse, poolside bar, gift shops and game arcade.

In Disney’s PCH Grill, guests can take a trip along California’s famous Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), for a celebration of the state’s culinary diversity and fresh spirit.  Offered daily, “Surf’s Up! Breakfast with Mickey & Friends,” is a lively character dining experience where families can snap photos, practice hula hooping and learn how to ride a wave with Mickey Mouse and other favorite Disney characters. Disney’s PCH Grill also offers the Beach Side Bonfire Dinner Buffet, where guests can enjoy a taste of the picnics, barbecues and bonfires that often happen along the Pacific Coast Highway beaches.

For hotel reservations, call (714) 956-MICKEY or contact a travel representative.  For information on group rates and meeting accommodations, call the Disneyland Resort sales office at (714) 956-6556.   For general Disneyland Resort information, call (714) 781-4565 or visit www.disneyland.com.

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The Most Beautiful Shots in Disney Movies

We loved Disney movies as kids, but we might secretly love them even more after we’ve grown up. They’re almost always a fun ride, they almost always make our cold hearts feel something, and they almost always have a wonderful animation sequence that takes you to another place entirely.

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NFL PRO BOWL WEEK ACTIVITIES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT

The 2017 NFL Pro Bowl is coming to Orlando. And, Walt Disney World® Resort is excited to be part of the team hosting a week-long celebration kicking off at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

Pro Bowl Week starts Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017 and the first stop for the marquee NFL players will be the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. This first-class sports venue will host many of the Pro Bowl Week activities, including AFC and NFC team practices; youth football events; a free, family-friendly football-themed festival – NFL Pro Bowl Experience and more.

This site will also host the taping of “The Pro Bowl Skills Showdown,” pitting the AFC and NFC All-Stars against each other, which will air on ESPN on Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. EST. Additional exciting activities are planned for Disney Springs™ and Epcot®, which will be the site of the Pro Bowl 5K run.

And, over at Magic Kingdom Resort, it will be a magic-filled afternoon, as everyone’s favorite Pro Bowlers join Mickey and his pals in a celebratory parade down Main Street U.S.A. on Friday, Jan. 27.

If your Clients are headed to the Walt Disney World Resort Jan. 25-28, be sure to tell them about all of these exciting activities. For more information on Pro Bowl Week, visit espnwwos.com.

Admission to Pro Bowl week activities and events open to the public at ESPN Wide World of Sports is complimentary, but subject to availability, capacity limits, eligibility requirements and may be subject to delay, change or cancellation for inclement weather.

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Disney QUEEN OF KATWE Review

Disney has done it again with the release of QUEEN OF KATWE, now on Blu-Ray and Digital HD.  This is the inspirational true tale of a young girl from the slums of Uganda who reaches her dreams through the game of chess. Coming from such a difficult life, Phiona sets her sights on something better for herself and her family.  She joins a local chess team of children who cannot afford to attend school.  Here they learn the game of chess as well as life lessons. When they go to an affluent school to compete in a tournament, they are at first intimidated by the other students who have better clothes, better beds, and better opportunities.  They soon realize they are able to be equals once they sit in front of the chess board.  They gain confidence and see they too can be winners in life.  QUEEN OF KATWE stars Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o as Phiona’s mother, David Oyelowo as Coach, and newcomer Madina Nalwanga as Phiona. This is such a powerful story for those who think their current circumstances will not allow them to succeed.  I am anxious to show this film to my students. Many times the students in my inner city school do not believe that they can achieve much or that they have bright futures.  QUEEN OF KATWE will show them that they too can be champions.  The feature film is fantastic!  Be sure to watch the Bonus Features with behind-the-scenes footage of the cast, crew, and the actual chess players of Katwe, including Phiona herself. QUEEN OF KATWE is a must-have movie for anyone who wants to be inspired.

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Live Shows and Performers Make Disneyland Resort an Entertaining Experience All Day and Night

Disneyland Resort guests enjoy a variety of live performances, and many youngsters get their first taste of live theater in Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park. Even with all the spectacular rides and attractions in the parks, a Disneyland Resort guest could spend a full day and night simply enjoying the shows, large and small.

Throughout Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, guests encounter parades, dance parties, street performances, musical groups and live shows virtually at every turn. A full list of entertainment is available each day at the park entrances and may include the following:

At Disneyland

  • “Mickey and the Magical Map” – The show, presented on the Fantasyland Theatre stage, features Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters in a dazzling adventure filled with music, fun and special effects.
  • “Mickey’s Soundsational Parade” – Presented daily, it features beloved Disney characters performing to a variety of rhythms and musical styles.
  • “Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple”– In this interactive show at Tomorrowland Terrace, younglings train in the ways of the Jedi and help defend against Darth Vader and the Seventh Sister Inquisitor.
  • Fantasy Faire, near Sleeping Beauty Castle, features live shows that are presented in the Royal Theatre. Renaissance men Messieurs Smythe and Jones, with the assistance of some fellow villagers and a little help from the audience, bring the tales of “Beauty and the Beast” and “Tangled” to life with music, whimsy, humor and heart.
  • Main Street Electrical Parade – This beloved nighttime parade returns home for a limited-time encore performance with an array of Disney characters, the iconic music of “Baroque Hoedown” and more than 600,000 flashing lights
  • Nighttime fireworks spectaculars, including the fan favorite “Remember… Dreams Come True” show, light up the sky above Disneyland Park.

At Disney California Adventure

  • “World of Color” – The innovative and immersive nighttime spectacular presented on Paradise Bay combines water, color, fire, music and animation to bring classic Disney stories to life.
  • In 2016, the all-new “Frozen – Live at the Hyperion” musical stage production debuted at Disney California Adventure. Guests are immersed in the beloved world of “Frozen” with elaborate costumes and sets, stunning special effects, and show-stopping production numbers.
  • “Disney Junior – Live on Stage!” – Mickey Mouse is joined by favorite Disney Junior show characters, including Doc McStuffins and Sofia the First.

Parade routes and theatrical venues aren’t the only places where Disneyland Resort guests encounter live entertainment. There are magical encounters with live Disney and Disney•Pixar characters, and the parks are filled with many other energetic and talented performers.

At Disneyland, the Disneyland Band, the Dapper Dans quartet and the Refreshment Corner Piano Player are all on view on Main Street, U.S.A. In New Orleans Square, the toe-tapping shows star the rowdy piratical Bootstrappers, the Jambalaya Jazz Band and the mellow Royal Street Bachelors.

 At the entrance to the Golden Horseshoe in Frontierland, guests may encounter the goofy Laughing Stock Company. The gifted musicians of the All American College Band appear on Main Street, U.S.A. during the summer.

 At Disney California Adventure, Buena Vista Street comes alive with the Red Car Trolley News Boys and the outgoing, improvisational Citizens of Buena Vista Street. The swinging jazz combo Five & Dime travels through the park on a makeshift jalopy, Green Army Men from “Toy Story” patrol the park with “Operation: Playtime!”

 The new Cars Land in Disney California Adventure offers in-person greetings by Lightning McQueen, tow truck Mater, fire engine Red (who waters the flowers and cleans up the streets) and “DJ’s Dance ‘n’ Drive,” a spontaneous street party designed to get everyone dancing with the vehicular music maker DJ.

The live entertainment experience at Disneyland Resort extends beyond the borders of the parks, with character meals and occasional musical entertainment at the Disneyland Resort hotels, and multiple live musical performances along the walkways of the Downtown Disney dining, shopping and entertainment district. Downtown Disney also offers live entertainment at Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen.

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‘Moana’: How Disney’s Sci-Tech-Winning Drawing System Aided the Oscar Contender

Disney’s innovative Meander drawing system, utilized on the Oscar-winning “Paperman” and “Feast” shorts, and one of 18 recipients of this year’s Academy Sci-Tech Award, was integral to “Moana’s” 2D/CG integration.

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