WDW Daily News

No. 5 Penn State Nittany Lions and No. 9 University of Southern California Trojans have won berths in the 2017 Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual in Pasadena, Calif., and their first stop along the way is a traditional visit to the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim on Tuesday, Dec. 27.

The teams will play in the 103rd Rose Bowl Game on Monday, January 2, 2017. Penn State is the Big Ten Conference Champion while USC won their Rose Bowl Game berth after finishing the regular season with an eight-game winning streak. The teams visit to Cars Land in Disney California Adventure Park at 2 p.m., will be their first official pre-game appearance, as well as their only joint appearance of bowl week.

USC head coach Clay Helton and Penn State head coach James Franklin will be welcomed to Disney California Adventure by Lightning McQueen and friends, along with Disneyland Resort Vice President Patrick Finnegan. Featured USC players scheduled for the event are offensive tackle Zach Banner, quarterback Sam Darnold, defensive back Adoree’ Jackson and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. Among the Penn State players expected in Cars Land are linebacker Koa Farmer, wide receiver Chris Godwin, defensive end Garrett Sickels, and center Brian Gaia.

After the teams have been introduced, they will enjoy two attractions in Cars Land, joining in a celebratory “dance” aboard micro-cars at Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters and zooming through the desert landscape of Ornament Valley at Radiator Springs Racers.

The 103rd Rose Bowl Game will be the third time that Penn State has faced USC in a Rose Bowl Game. The two teams met in the ninth Rose Bowl Game in 1923, when the Trojans won, 14-3, and in the 2009 Rose Bowl Game, where USC defeated Penn State, 38-24.

With the classic Main Street Electrical Parade coming home to Disneyland® Park on Jan. 20, 2017, spring 2017 is already shaping up to be a great blast to the past for Disneyland fans. Now there’s even more excitement in the air with the return of the beloved fireworks spectacular “Remember… Dreams Come True.”

“Remember… Dreams Come True” once again begins regular weekend performances on Feb. 3, 2017 at Disneyland Park.

There’s magic to be found throughout The Happiest Place on Earth! With its two amazing Theme Parks, three Resort Hotels and the Downtown Disney District, the world-famous Disneyland Resort is where Guests of all ages can discover wonder, joy and excitement. Here, there is Magic for Days!

• Disney characters celebrate the season in “A Christmas Fantasy” parade, a daily procession with floats, music, marching “tin soldiers” and holiday cheer. Santa, who makes a jolly appearance in the parade, also will be found welcoming guests at his special location in Critter Country while he visits Disneyland.
• The classic Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle brightens the park nightly with magical snowfall moments along Main Street, U.S.A., concluding with “Believe … in Holiday Magic” fireworks and its stirring snowfall finale.
• Twinkling lights, festive holiday garland and nearly 1,800 ornaments decorate the soaring Christmas tree in Town Square, Main Street, U.S.A., an ideal place for guests to begin their holiday traditions. The Christmas tree becomes an enchanting place for guests to take their holiday photos, up close or with all 60 feet of the shimmering tree.
• On Friday, Nov. 18, guests and cast members in Disneyland will celebrate the birthday of Mickey Mouse, applauding him as he appears in a special birthday cavalcade preceding “A Christmas Fantasy”
• Disneyland guests definitely will want to experience the popular seasonal transformations of these park attractions:
  • “it’s a small world” becomes “it’s a small world” Holiday for the 20^th time, celebrating children around the world and the distinctive holiday traditions of their nations. (The Holiday theme debuted in 1997.)
  • Haunted Mansion becomes Haunted Mansion Holiday, with Jack Skellington and his friends from Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” causing a collision between Christmas and Halloween.
  • Jungle Cruise is transformed into Jingle Cruise, as the jungle skippers gather jettisoned holiday gifts and decorations to brighten the rugged landscapes surrounding their riverboats.

Take a look at some B-Roll Video from ‘it’s a small world” Holiday at Disneyland Resort

For many guests at the Disneyland Resort, a visit during the holidays means a must-do voyage through the heartwarming “it’s a small world” Holiday. Now in its 20^th season, “it’s a small world” Holiday is transformed from the classic attraction into one that depicts children of the world dressed in seasonal costumes and happily singing a mix of holiday songs, along with the “it’s a small world” theme.  The story of the attraction changes from a charming party with dolls, toys and decorations representing children of many nations, all joining in a song of unity, to the winter wonderland of “it’s a small world” Holiday.

Fun Facts:

• Guests who enjoy searching for “Hidden Mickey’s” at the Disneyland Resort will discover a new challenge for Holidays 2016: There are at least half a dozen “Hidden 20s” in “it’s a small world” Holiday, a tribute to its 20^th holiday presentation.
• Jolly decorators use 50,000 lights on the façade of “it’s a small world” Holiday, and an additional 350,000 mini-lights in the trees, hedges and animal topiaries surrounding the attraction in whimsical Fantasyland. Thousands of additional lights decorate the shops and food kiosks around the attraction, bringing the total to more than 400,000 lights adding sparkle and wintry ambiance to the plaza area around “it’s a small world.”
• The warm holiday atmosphere of the plaza area is further enhanced with colorful garland, festive poinsettias and beautiful, international holiday wreaths.
• After dark, the smiling clock at the front of “it’s a small world,” decked out in a Santa hat, reveals a sparkling projection show. On every quarter hour, the brightly light façade of the attraction is transformed into an enormous clockwork mechanism with advanced 3D-projection technology presented by Siemens. The gears and springs pull back to reveal a world of holiday wonders hidden behind the whimsical clock.
• Guests on “The Merriest Attraction on Earth” sail through 10 scenes inspired by places around the world, such as Europe, Asia and Africa, each representing unique cultural holiday traditions celebrated in these regions.
• Among the holiday special effects inside the attraction are scents of fresh pine from a glistening winter forest and peppermint from tantalizing candy canes in the European scenes. In the South Seas scene, hundreds of iridescent bubbles float through the air.
• Nearly 150 giant candles decorate the Christmas Tree in the European scene. Once a common tradition in Western European countries, the lighting of candles has inspired the string lights seen on modern Christmas trees today.
• The attractions’ finale features a 14-foot snowman made of glimmering crystal snowflakes that shine with thousands of luminous lights. The snowman stands atop a 10-foot-wide snowflake and holds a beautiful “icicle” sign that spells out “Happy Holidays” in colors that change as guests drift along. The snowman joined this festive attraction in 2011, bringing an extra sprinkle of holiday pixie dust with him.
• The iconic music of “it’s a small world,” written by the legendary Sherman Brothers, is one of the attraction’s signature elements throughout the regular season. During “it’s a small world” Holiday, guests may still hear this classic tune weaved in between the joyous caroling of holiday favorites “Jingle Bells” and “Deck the Halls.”
• Many languages of the world can be heard serenading guests, with cheerful tunes in English, French, Italian, Spanish and Scandinavian languages. Festive signs and banners throughout the attraction spread holiday greetings in such dialects as French Canadian, Dutch, Asante and Hawaiian.
• The Disneyland Resort has its own team of holiday “elves” who help create the magic of “it’s a small world” Holiday each year. It takes a talented and dedicated team of nearly three dozen cast members 35 days to install the glittering façade, and nearly 18 days to decorate the holiday attraction’s dazzling interior.
• Throughout the regular year, 100 percent of the holiday props and scenic elements are actually stored inside the attraction. A merry reminder: Do not open until the holiday season begins!

Please note from January 2017 through fall 2017, it is possible that guets may see and hear construction as improvements are made to Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. To minimize any disruptions, activities that may create noise will not start earlier than 9 a.m. daily. All construction dates are subject to change:

• Room refurbishments will occur from January 2017 through fall 2017.
• The pools and poolside cabanas will be closed for refurbishment from January 2017 to spring 2017. The pools and waterslides at the Disneyland Hotel and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel will be available for your enjoyment, and poolside cabanas at Disneyland Hotel will be available for reservations.
• The Great Hall lobby will be refurbished and access will be limited beginning June 2017 through early August 2017. Some Guest rooms will not be available during this time.
• The Craftsman’s Club concierge lounge will be temporarily relocated from early August 2017 through early October 2017.