WDW Daily News

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — In appreciation of the service and sacrifice of U.S. veterans, LEGOLAND® Florida Resort is offering all non-active duty military personnel free admission Nov. 1-20, 2016, plus a 50 percent discount on tickets for up to six guests during the same period.

To receive free admission, U.S. veterans must present valid military ID or proof of veteran status at the theme park ticket windows on the day of their visit. This offer is not available online or by phone.

On Veterans Day (Friday, Nov. 11) only, LEGOLAND Florida Resort will further honor veterans with a 10 percent discount on retail purchases and food and beverage items. To receive the Nov. 11 discounts, veterans with valid ID can request a wristband and flyer at the ticket windows. The discount only will be honored for those wearing the wristband.

For the purposes of this promotion, U.S. veterans are defined as retired or non-active duty members of the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marines and U.S. Coast Guard in possession of valid military ID or other proof of veteran status. The discounts described above are exclusive and cannot be combined with any other offers, including annual pass discounts.

On Nov. 11, LEGOLAND Florida Resort reserves the right to limit or exclude certain items without prior notice. Complete details of limits or exclusions will be available in participating locations.

Meanwhile, don’t forget that active duty U.S. service members receive complimentary admission to LEGOLAND Florida Theme Park and LEGOLAND Water Park all year long! This offer is available only at the theme park ticket windows with valid military ID, and is not available online or by phone.

For additional details about discounts available to U.S. military personnel, please visit www.LEGOLAND.com/florida/buy-tickets/military.

During September, the real-life heroes dedicated to keeping us safe will receive complimentary, single-day admission to LEGOLAND® Florida Theme Park, a promotion brought back by popular demand with thanks and appreciation. Plus, eligible personnel will be eligible for a 10 percent discount on stays at LEGOLAND® Hotel.

At the theme park #BuiltForKids, first responders can bring families and friends to receive up to four same-day tickets at 50 percent off. LEGOLAND Water Park admission is available for a $20-per-ticket upgrade.

To receive complimentary and discounted tickets, eligible personnel must present his or her employee ID or professional organization membership card at the LEGOLAND Florida Resort ticket windows on the day of their visit. This offer is not available online, by telephone or through ticket resellers.

To receive the 10 percent discount at LEGOLAND Hotel, make reservations online atwww.LEGOLAND.com/hero2016. Proof of eligibility is required during check-in; otherwise, the prevailing room rate will be charged. This discount is available online only at the link above.

This promotion is available to law enforcement, fire and rescue and EMT/EMS personnel working in the United States, as listed below. Retired personnel with identification also are also eligible.

Eligible U.S. personnel include:

• Fire and rescue first responders
• Emergency medical services employees (EMT/EMS)
• Municipal and county police and sheriff’s officers
• Highway patrol officers
• Corrections officers
• State and federal law enforcement officers
• Fish and wildlife field officers
• U.S. Forest Service rangers
• National Park Service personnel
• Homeland Security agents
• Environmental Protection law enforcement officers

For more information, including days and hours of operation, visit LEGOLAND.com/Florida. Please note that the theme park and water park will be closed on select dates in September.

The Force is strong with LEGOLAND^® Florida Resort as the anticipation builds for LEGO^® Star Wars™ Days presented by LEGO Club.  During this exclusive, one-weekend-only event, guests can release their inner Jedi or Stormtrooper as they participate in a variety of immersive, themed activities. No extra ticket or Jedi mind tricks required.

The event will feature the LEGO Star Wars™ Miniland Model Display — seven of the most famous scenes from the six live-action Star Wars™ movies, as well as a scene from the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars™, all made out of 1.5 million LEGO bricks.

Fans are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite LEGO Star Wars™ characters and take part in an all-new parade.  Those who dress the part will also have the chance to win a LEGO Star Wars™prize pack.  And, be warned, The Dark Side awaits those who stop in for a meet-and-greet with LEGO Darth Vader.

LEGO Star Wars™ set designer Jens Kronvold Frederiksen will host a live speaker session with an interactive Q&A and Master Model Builders will offer building tips.  There will also be a LEGO Star Wars™ Mural Build and budding builders are encouraged to get creative during a competition build.

Each guest will have the opportunity to join LEGO Club and be the first to know all the new and exciting things coming from The LEGO Group and LEGOLAND Florida Resort.  For more information on this #BuiltForKids event, visit https://www.legoland.com/florida/.

LEGOLAND^® Florida Resort has introduced 7¾-year-old Tommy Parker as “Kid CEO” of its family-friendly hotel. Tommy has branded the property “The Five-Gazillion Star Hotel” and expanded his team to include Captain Brickbeard, The Good Knight and The World’s Greatest Adventurer.

“How’d I get so lucky?” Tommy pondered. “Hard work and juice boxes — that’s how.”

LEGOLAND Hotel recently celebrated its first birthday. In the first year, Tommy was busy making sure the hotel was running smoothly. Now he’s ready to share a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the inner workings of his pride and joy.

In a TV spot that launched Memorial Day Weekend, Tommy tours viewers through the 152-room hotel, highlighting some of its awesome amenities, including a pirate-themed room, a disco elevator, a lobby pit filled with LEGO^® bricks, and Bricks Family Restaurant, while dispensing nuggets of kid wisdom.

“Mac and cheese is for closers,” he says.

The TV spot is being supported by a social campaign showing additional amenities such as the hotel’s adventure and kingdom-themed rooms, and includes an opportunity for kids to win actual items from Tommy’s TV shoot. Take the tour with LEGOLAND Hotel Kid CEO Tommy Parker here: https://youtu.be/0vxf4FFCXJ4

LEGOLAND® Florida Resort and Tampa Electric are partnering on a 2-megawatt solar energy project that will produce electricity — and shade — for visitors at the popular vacation destination, a project announced today as part of an Earth Day commemoration at the resort #BuiltForKids.

Beginning this spring, Tampa Electric will install a canopy of solar panels over the resort’s preferred parking lot, adjacent to the theme park entrance.  When operational later this year, the solar photovoltaic installation is estimated to produce enough electricity to power up to 250 homes annually, while shading more than 600 vehicles. Tampa Electric will own and maintain the solar array, with all power entering TECO’s electrical grid for the benefit of its more than 725,000 customers, including LEGOLAND Florida Resort.

The solar energy project is one of several ongoing environmental initiatives at the site, which includes the iconic theme park, a 5-acre water park and 152-room themed hotel. In order to manage resources in a sustainable and responsible way, the resort has established a “Green Wave” committee to coordinate the efforts of multiple departments. Recent efforts include:

• Nearly 1 ton of LEGO® brick has been collected on site for recycling. After melting or grinding the toys down to their core material, the plastic is then redistributed to manufacture new products.
• In the theme park, the 12 electric vehicles at the Ford Junior Driving School attraction are charged entirely with solar power, letting kids take the wheel for a quiet, energy-efficient circuit around a mock road.
• A 30-kilowatt solar panel array is mounted atop the park’s Imagination Zone venue.  The system supports Tampa Electric’s Renewable Energy program, which lets the company’s customers purchase a portion of their electricity from renewable sources.
• Resort guests driving electric or hybrid vehicles can now take advantage of a two-car charging station recently installed in front of LEGOLAND Hotel.
• Under the Citrus Connection Universal Access program, all Model Citizens employed at LEGOLAND Florida Resort can enjoy unlimited, seven-day-a-week rides on the transit agency’s bus routes throughout Polk County, resulting in 22,581 fewer vehicle trips on area roads in 2015.
• During its first several months of operation in 2015, LEGOLAND Hotel distributed 384 bars of soap to Clean the World. The Florida nonprofit delivers recycled hygiene products donated by the hospitality industry to domestic homeless shelters and developing countries suffering from high death rates due to acute respiratory infection and diarrheal disease.

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Combining family, fitness and fun, the annual Brick Dash 5K Run and Fun Walk presented by Sun Newspapers returns to LEGOLAND Florida Resort on Saturday, April 16, benefiting the Winter Haven Hospital Foundation’s Fund for Women and Children.

A Polk County tradition for more than two decades, the early morning event formerly known as the Citrus Classic invites runners and walkers of all ages and abilities to enjoy the splendor of LEGOLAND Florida Resort beginning at 7 a.m.

This year, kids and kids at heart will run, jog or walk past icons like The Orlando Eye, the newest LEGO^® model in Miniland, and participants are sure to find encouragement from Emmet and Wyldstyle, stars of “The LEGO^® Movie 4D™ A New Adventure,” the resort’s dazzling new theatrical attraction in Fun Town.

“Supporting the Winter Haven Hospital Foundation’s Fund for Women and Children at the place built for kids is truly the perfect fit,” said David Johnson, new business development director for LEGOLAND parent company Merlin Entertainments and its creative division, Merlin Magic Making, as well as a Winter Haven Hospital Foundation trustee. “This year’s event is sure to be the most awesome yet.”

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In an evening of glitz and glamour befitting a classic Hollywood movie premiere, LEGOLAND Florida Resort welcomed celebrities, media and VIP guests to a gala event Jan. 28 for the grand opening of “The LEGO Movie™ 4D A New Adventure.” The theatrical attraction reunites Emmet and friends in an all-new short story combining dazzling 3D computer animation with “4D,” real-world effects such as wind, water and fog.

The resort built for kids staged an appropriately kid-centric world premiere, punctuated by twin blasts of glittering confetti that welcomed the Master Builder heroes back to the big screen. Hundreds of fans strolled an “interactive,” special effects-filled red carpet before entering the Wells Fargo Fun Town Theater to celebrate the return of Emmet, Wyldstyle, MetalBeard, Benny and Unikitty.

Joining the festivities were 8-year-old actress Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, star of ABC TV’s “Modern Family,” Joey Bragg, star of Disney Channel’s “Liv and Maddie,” Jack Griffo, star of Nickelodeon’s “The Thundermans,” singer-songwriter Megan Lee, star of Nickelodeon’s “Make It Pop,” Isabela Moner, star of Nickelodeon’s “100 Things to Do Before High School,” Jace Norman, star of Nickelodeon’s “Henry Danger,” Madisyn Shipman, star of Nickelodeon’s “Game Shakers,” and social media sensations The Eh Bee Family and Family Fun Pack.

In 2014, kids around the world embraced the adventures of Emmet, an ordinary, rules-following, perfectly average LEGO minifigure who is mistakenly identified as the key to saving the world in “The LEGO Movie™,” which went on to gross more than $400 million worldwide.

But what happened after the movie?

Fans can find out starting tomorrow, Jan. 29, now that “The LEGO Movie™ 4D A New Adventure” has officially opened at LEGOLAND Florida Resort.

Returning to voice their iconic characters are actors Elizabeth Banks (Wyldstyle), Nick Offerman (MetalBeard), Charlie Day (Benny) and Alison Brie (Unikitty). Actor, writer and comedian Patton Oswalt voices the scheming Risky Business, brother of movie villain President Business, a new character created exclusively for the attraction.

Set after the events of the movie, the 12 ½-minute story finds the gang entangled in an Evil Secret Plot involving a mysterious theme park inspired by their adventures in “The LEGO Movie,” one that requires them to call on the Master Builder skills of a surprise ally to save the day.

“The LEGO Movie™ 4D A New Adventure” was directed by Rob Schrab, who is making his feature film directorial debut with “The LEGO Movie Sequel,” set to open May 18, 2018. When it came to designing the attraction, he said a strong story was critical to its success.

“We only spotlight them for a fraction of the amount of time,” he said, “so it’s important to get to the fun as soon as possible. This is the first time Emmet, Wyldstyle and the gang meet since the film.”

Developed in collaboration with LEGOLAND owner Merlin Entertainments Group and Warner Bros. Consumer Products, the attraction was created by Los Angeles-based Pure Imagination Studios with input from Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the talented writer-directors who brought “The LEGO Movie” to hilarious life, along with producer Dan Lin.

The result is a delightfully clever blend of the same sly humor and breathtaking, built-with-LEGO visuals that made the first-ever, full-length theatrical LEGO film a global hit among kids and adults alike.

For Offerman, the opportunity to slip back into MetalBeard’s shoes – er, bricks – was a welcome one.

“I have worked with Rob on ‘Childrens Hospital’ and ‘Parks and Recreation,’ so it was like a nice reunion of old pals from summer camp,” he said of making the attraction. “We just tried to make each other laugh with silly renderings of dead-serious pirate-y mayhem.”

Following its debut in Florida, “The LEGO Movie™ 4D A New Adventure” will open Feb. 6 at LEGOLAND California Resort in Carlsbad, Calif., and at all other LEGOLAND theme parks and LEGOLAND Discovery Centers worldwide in 2016.

For more information, visit www.LEGOLAND.com and www.LEGOLANDDiscoveryCenter.com.

In preparation for the world premiere of “The LEGO^® Movie™ 4D A New Adventure” at LEGOLAND^® Florida Resort, the attraction’s star, Emmet Brickowski, has been immortalized outside the Wells Fargo Fun Town Theater with a pair of giant, golden statues evoking the classic glitz and glamour of show business.

(Any resemblance to another famous golden award statue is purely coincidental, of course. At least that’s what our lawyer told us to say.)

The iconic “Emmet Award” figures tower more than 8 feet above the entrance plaza outside the theater, which is undergoing a dramatic transformation as it prepares to reveal what happened after the events of “The LEGO Movie.”

Exclusive photographs of the statues released today offer a first peek at the red carpet-style makeover that will greet guests when “The LEGO Movie 4D A New Adventure” opens Friday, Jan. 29. The 12 ½-minute 3D film will play several times a day at the theme park, with “4D” effects such as wind, water, fog and more bringing the action bursting off the screen and into the audience.

Each larger-than-life likeness of Emmet was created with precisely scaled measurements of the famous LEGO^® minifigure. Now on display in the theme park, the gleaming statues flank a newly shaded entrance queue, one of several Hollywood-style enhancements at the theme park theater that will be unveiled in the weeks leading up to the attraction’s gala grand opening.

For more information about “The LEGO Movie 4D A New Adventure,” including an exclusive, 30-second preview, visit florida.LEGOLAND.com and the Official LEGOLAND Florida Resort Blog at llfblog.com.

This December, LEGOLAND® Florida Resort will celebrate the holidays in a uniquely LEGO^® way with the return of Christmas Bricktacular Presented by Shutterfly^®, the theme park’s annual seasonal celebration for kids. This year, the festivities expand with an exclusive yuletide fireworks spectacular presented each night, plus a more than 30-foot-tall Christmas tree made entirely of LEGO and DUPLO^® bricks, a life-size LEGO model of Santa, his reindeer and sleigh, themed scavenger hunts and more.

Included with park admission, Christmas Bricktacular takes place on select dates through December and provides a fun and interactive place for kids to enjoy holiday festivities in a playful way only LEGOLAND Florida Resort could imagine. In addition to creative holiday photo opportunities and festive décor throughout the park, activities will include:

• Meet-and-greets with LEGO Santa and LEGO Toy Soldier
• A LEGO Christmas mosaic guests can assemble with our Master Model Builders
• Holiday-themed scavenger hunts in Miniland USA and DUPLO Valley with a chance to win a LEGO prize pack
• A station where kids can write a LEGO letter to Santa and send it to the North Pole
• A Jingle Jam to kick off the event, dance and celebrate with LEGO Santa and LEGO Toy Soldier
• A competition build in DUPLO Valley with another chance to win a LEGO prize pack

The wintertime fun concludes each night with a holiday-themed fireworks show presented only during Christmas Bricktacular. For the best viewing location, guests should head for the spacious Ski Stadiums in Pirates’ Cove or the grass lawn in between.

Looking for a special LEGO gift? Select stores will stay open for an extra hour of holiday shopping each night after the park closes. Guests will find a dizzying variety of LEGO-branded toys and souvenirs throughout the park, including hard-to-find LEGO sets, children’s and adult apparel, and great stocking stuffers.

Guests can share their favorite Christmas Bricktacular photos with #ChristmasBricktacular on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and tag @LEGOLANDFlorida for a chance to win a special LEGO prize.

For even more fun, guests can book a spot at LEGO Santa’s Christmas Workshop, a special VIP experience.  The workshop includes a playful interaction with holiday characters, tasty seasonal treats and the chance to meet a Master Model Builder and create an exclusive Christmas decoration to keep.

2015 Christmas Bricktacular Presented by Shutterfly® Dates:

• December 5-6 (Saturday & Sunday)
• December 12-13 (Saturday & Sunday)
• December 19-20 (Saturday & Sunday)
• December 26-30 (Saturday-Wednesday)

On Thursday, Dec. 31, ring in 2016 at the high-energy Kids’ New Year’s Eve celebration, which features a LEGO brick-drop countdown to midnight Kid Standard Time (that’s 8 p.m. to moms and dads), a kid-centric dance party and a dazzling fireworks display to end the year with a bang. It’s all included with park admission.

For more about everything there is to do and see at LEGOLAND Florida Resort, including the brand-new, onsite LEGOLAND Hotel, visit http://florida.legoland.com and our official blog at www.llfblog.com.

LEGOLAND® Water Park is going to the dogs for Everything is Paw-some, a four-legged event benefitting the Humane Society of Polk County. On Sunday, Nov. 8, dogs can bring their owners to LEGOLAND Water Park at LEGOLAND Florida Resort from 1-4:30 p.m. for some doggone good fun.

Dogs are welcome to cool off in the LEGO® Wave Pool, the DUPLO® Splash Safari pool and the Joker Soaker pool while humans enjoy demonstrations by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office K9 Unit, a doggy costume contest and a raffle in which a plucky dog will pick the lucky winner. In addition, caricature artists and portrait photographers will be on hand to capture one-of-a-kind memories and the Humane Society of Polk County will help facilitate pet adoptions. Food, beverages and souvenirs will be available for purchase.

Admission is $5 per dog, $10 per human, with a one-dog-per-human maximum. Event parking is included with the ticket price. Guests will park in the Resort’s north parking lot, adjacent to LEGOLAND Water Park, which is located off Helena Road between Roosevelt Drive and Cypress Gardens Road.

Several pet-friendly VIP experience cabanas will be offered with deluxe amenities such as champagne and refreshments for a donation of $55. Businesses interested in a unique sponsorship opportunity can reserve a limited number of “We are Paw-some” cabanas with a wide variety of amenities for $225.

“We’re excited to partner with the Humane Society of Polk County to provide resources to help the county’s only no-kill shelter and find homes for pets in need,” said Phil Royle, product excellence manager at LEGOLAND Florida Resort and a member of the Humane Society of Polk County board of directors. “Proceeds from the event will benefit not only the Humane Society, but also Merlin’s Magic Wand, our worldwide charity for seriously ill, disabled and disadvantaged children.”