Take a look at Part 2 of the Character Topiaries around the 2014 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival
Archive for Walt Disney World
Video – Exploring the Interactive Queue at Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Take a peek inside at some of the hands-on fun guests can have when the attraction opens this spring.
Harambe Nights Celebrity Narrators List
The lineup of celebrity narrators for “The Lion King – Concert in the Wild” features stars from movies, TV, and Broadway. Those scheduled to appear each night of the event include*:
June 7 – Viola Davis: “The Help,” “Ender’s Game”
June 14 – TBD
June 21 – Montego Glover: “The Following,” “Memphis”
June 28 – David Alan Grier: “Porgy & Bess,” “In Living Color”
July 5 – Michael Beach: “ER,” “Third Watch,” “Sons of Anarchy”
July 12 – Harry Lennix: “The Blacklist,” “The Five Heartbeats”
July 19 – Joe Morton: “Scandal,” “American Gangster,” “The Good Wife”
July 26 – Alfre Woodard: “Desperate Housewives,” “Miss Evers Boys”
August 2 – Brian Stokes Mitchell: “Ragtime,” “Trapper John, M.D.,” “Glee”
August 9 – Patina Miller: “Pippin,” “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1”
Video Highlights – Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Take a look at some video highlights of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Attraction. The ride is set to open to the public May 28.
Photos – Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Attraction Characters
A springtime opening is planned for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, a rollicking family-style coaster and the crown jewel of New Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom Park. Walt Disney World Resort guests will be treated to an exciting, musical ride into the mine “where a million diamonds shine” as the lovable world of Sleepy, Doc, Grumpy, Bashful, Sneezy, Happy and Dopey comes to life. One feature will be first-of-its-kind ride vehicles mounted in cradle-like pivots that allow the vehicles to swing back and forth during the ride. Adding to the fun, the journey will be accompanied by beloved music from the Disney film classic. On their adventure, riders pass by animated figures of Snow White, the Seven Dwarfs and playful forest critters. The attraction will complete New Fantasyland, the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom history. Walt Disney World Resort is in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Matt Stroshane, photographer)
Disney’s Animal Kingdom To Get Nighttime Show, ‘Rivers of Light’
‘Rivers of Light’ will be a brand new show on the Discovery River, between Discovery Island and Expedition Everest, inside Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The show will feature floating lanterns, music, and water screens. Opening of the show will be announced at a later date. Check out the concept art below.
Video – Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Dedication
Take a look at the dedication ceremony video for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Attraction.
Seven Dwarfs Mine Attraction Exterior Photos
A springtime opening is planned for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, a rollicking family-style coaster and the crown jewel of New Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom Park. Walt Disney World Resort guests will be treated to an exciting, musical ride into the mine “where a million diamonds shine” as the lovable world of Sleepy, Doc, Grumpy, Bashful, Sneezy, Happy and Dopey comes to life. One feature will be first-of-its-kind ride vehicles mounted in cradle-like pivots that allow the vehicles to swing back and forth during the ride. Adding to the fun, the journey will be accompanied by beloved music from the Disney film classic. On their adventure, riders pass by animated figures of Snow White, the Seven Dwarfs and playful forest critters. The attraction will complete New Fantasyland, the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom history. Walt Disney World Resort is in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Matt Stroshane, photographer)
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Launches ‘Harambe Nights’ June 7 to Celebrate Grandest Tales and Tastes of Africa
Harambe Nights, a dazzling theatrical production based on the beloved Disney classic film, “The Lion King,” and an energetic street party with gourmet dining will debut in June 2014 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Oscar-winning movie, it was announced today.
A 55-minute theatrical extravaganza, “The Lion King Concert in the Wild” comprises celebrity narrators, a live orchestra, choir and special effects to present the story of Simba’s coming of age like never before. A lively welcome reception and the post-show street party featuring Afro-pop rhythms, performers and a buffet of culinary creations keep the celebration rocking through the evening.
The theme park’s first-ever ticketed special event will welcome guests every Saturday from June 7 through August 9 to this memorable evening of theatrical storytelling, inspired dining, live music and dance amid the non-stop fun of an immersive street party.
It all begins with a welcome reception in the park’s Harambe Village where savory appetizers and a selection of refreshing wines and beers are on the menu.
Soon after, guests will find their seats waiting at the brand-new Harambe Theatre, where dramatic lighting, breathtaking scenic pieces and projection exclusive to this production will transport them to the African savanna. “The Lion King Concert in the Wild” show brings the humor and heart of the story to life by blending excerpts from the Disney classic film with stage theatrics. Each week, a celebrity narrator backed by a live orchestra will join a company of singers and dancers to recreate the drama of an African story circle. The lineup of narrators will include Viola Davis, David Alan Grier, Joe Morton and other noteworthy actors.
Beginning with the iconic birth-of-Simba scene and continuing through the show’s gripping climax, guests will be immersed in Simba’s journey to find his place as the Lion King. The guest narrator adds emotional perspective to the original tale inspired, in part, by African folklore and Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.”
As the show wraps, the celebration continues in Harambe Village to the tune of live Afro-pop rhythms. Dancers, costumed stilt-performers, puppets, popular characters from “The Lion King” and a DJ ratchet up the fun and encourage guests to participate in the street party.
The celebration will feature a culinary nod to Africa with multiple buffet stations of perfectly seasoned dishes for pairing with a selection of beers, wines and specialty beverages all included in the event admission. Soft drinks and water also are offered. Sweet bites of gourmet desserts under the stars and a special farewell experience will deliver a delicious ending to a magical evening.
Exclusive Lion King-themed merchandise and collectibles will be available to Harambe Nights guests. A limited-release case for iPhones 4 and 5 designed by Disney Design Group artist Randy Noble will feature imagery from “The Lion King,” and a 20th anniversary “The Lion King” puzzle will be offered. Other exclusive merchandise will include art and apparel.
General admission tickets for Harambe Nights run $119 ages 10 and up; $79 ages 9 and under. Premium floor seating tickets run $134 ages 10 and up; $94 ages 9 and under. The event runs from 7-10:30 p.m., and parking is complimentary.
To reserve tickets for Harambe Nights, guests can visit Disneyworld.com/HarambeNights or call 407-939-1319.
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train: Fun Facts
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, in the Enchanted Forest of New Fantasyland (Magic Kingdom), is a family coaster inspired by the film classic “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” that takes Walt Disney World Resort guests into the famous mine, glittering with diamonds, rubies, and other precious gems, where the Seven Dwarfs sing happily as they work.
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is almost completely “on stage.” With its location in the middle of New Fantasyland, guests aboard the rockin’ coaster are afforded amazing views from all angles.
The footprints of forest creatures, large and small, and the impressions of sticks, stones and acorns are embedded in the dirt path that meanders through the Enchanted Forest, leading to the attraction.
The Dwarfs cottage is a meticulously detailed representation of the cozy home seen in the classic film, down to the wisteria vine and birdhouse at the front door.
At the first interactive station in the attraction queue, Doc’s note explains the jewel washing game. As the jewels flow by in a wooden trough, or sluice, guests touch and drag them into a tray on the side of the sluice, matching them by color and shape. The trough is about 15 feet long and is accessible from both sides.
At the third interactive station in the queue, “Vault” is carved into the wooden crosspiece, or lintel, above the doorway. This is a reference to the scene in the film where Dopey opens the vault and throws in a bag of gems, then locks the door with a key. For safekeeping, Dopey hangs the key to the vault on a peg next to the door. The key hangs on a peg next to the entrance to the vault in the queue as well.
The figures of Grumpy, Doc, Bashful, Sleepy, and Happy, seen in the cottage near the end of the attraction, originally appeared in Snow White’s Scary Adventure, a Magic Kingdom attraction now the site of Princess Fairytale Hall. The figures of Snow White, Dopey and Sneezy, in the cottage scene, were created for this attraction.
The two vultures perched on the jib crane near the mine entrance are styled after the vultures in the film and originally appeared in the Snow White’s Scary Adventure attraction.
The individual mine cars are designed to reflect similar vehicles that appear in the film, handmade of wood by the Dwarfs, shaped with an ax, and used to haul rocks and jewels. Hand-hammered metal bands and nails are used to bind the wood. In the film, the mine cars sit in a cradle that allows them to be tipped to unload their contents. Here, the cradle design allows the cars to swing back and forth as they carry riders along the winding track.
The innovative, patented ride system for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is an original design developed at Walt Disney Imagineering. It features five-car trains designed to swing independently from side to side as they move along the track. This newly patented design provides a one-of-a-kind ride experience.
Next to Doc’s workstation in the mine, the carved wooden clock is a replica of the one seen in the film with the figures of two miners striking an anvil. As in the film, that motion signals the start of the beloved song, “Heigh-Ho.”
At the jewel washing station, a melody from the classic film can be created by moving from spigot to spigot. There are 12 spigots, corresponding to the notes of the musical scale.
The jewels seen throughout the mine come in four different sizes and six different colors: red, green, amber, purple, blue and clear.
The shadows of the Dwarfs marching homeward along the track on the lift inside of the mine were rotoscoped from the scene in the original film where the Dwarfs march across a log bridge, singing “…home from work we go.” (Rotoscoping is a technique where the movements of a figure in original live or animated footage are copied, or traced, frame-by-frame).
At the top of the second lift, guests have a brief moment to enjoy an inspiring view across Fantasyland to Belle’s cottage, Beast’s Castle above Be Our Guest Restaurant, and beyond. Then, the track drops precipitously, passing under a trestle and looping around the mountain crossing over the same trestle. The vehicle picks up speed as it careens down the mountain, twisting and turning, with its cars swinging back and forth. At the foot of the mountain, the mine train loops back to cross a pool at the bottom of a waterfall.
In the original tale by the Brothers Grimm, the Dwarfs were unnamed. When Walt Disney and his animators decided to name them to correspond with their character, scores of names were rejected including: Wheezy, Jumpy, Baldy, Hickey, Sniffy, Stuffy, Burpy, Tubby, Shorty, Deafy and Dizzy.
In the last view of the cottage, around the corner of the far wall, the Wicked Queen can be seen in her disguise as an old hag watching Snow White and the Dwarfs through a cottage window. She turns toward the train as it passes, and cackles wickedly.
