Walt Disney Co will invest $200 million in edgy video maker Vice Media, known for its coverage of current affairs for the Millennial generation, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.
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More than 20,000 runners set to race, eat and drink during Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon
More than 20,000 runners from across the country, including thousands from Central Florida, are expected to lace up and run, eat and drink during the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend at Walt Disney World Resort.
The 13.1-mile half marathon race on Saturday night is the only nighttime half marathon in the Orlando area and takes runners through Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot. To top it off, runners will toast the night away at the exclusive Finish Line Party during the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, featuring more than 30 kiosks offering fine cuisine and wine until the wee hours of the morning.
The half marathon begins Saturday night at 10 p.m. from ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and finishes at Epcot. All runners receive a special Wine & Dine medal at the finish line.
In addition to the half marathon, the Disney Wine & Dine Weekend also features a full course of events for the entire family, including Thursday’s Wine & Dine Welcome Reception at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex from 7:30-9 p.m. and the runDisney Kids Races beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday.
EVENT SCHEDULE for WINE & DINE WEEKEND:
- Wine & Dine Welcome Reception • ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex • Thursday, November 5 – 7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.
- runDisney Health & Fitness Expo • ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex • Friday, November 6, 2015 – 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. & Saturday, November 7 – 9 a.m. – 3 p.m
- Disney Wine & Dine Pre-Race Taste • Disney’s Hollywood Studios • Friday, November 6 – 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
- Mickey’s Jingle Jungle 5K • Disney’s Animal Kingdom • Saturday, November 7 – 7 a.m. start
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Star Wars Icon Mark Hamill Reveals Why He Named His Son After Walt Disney
Long before the Star Wars franchise officially became a Disney-owned property, star Mark Hamill – a.k.a. Luke Skywalker – was a Disney devotee.
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Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse Lead The BMO Harris Bank Magnificent Mile Lights Festival November 21
The Magnificent Mile® invites visitors to kick off the holiday season with a day full of family fun! Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse from the Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida will lead an unforgettable evening lighting parade down North Michigan Avenue, illuminating more than one million lights on 200 trees.
The beloved holiday tradition promises a weekend of festivities that family and friends can enjoy throughout The Magnificent Mile district, including an interactive wonderland of holiday-themed activities at Lights Festival Lane starting at 11:00am on November 21(Pioneer Court, 401 N. Michigan Avenue).
“Lights Festival is a wonderful opportunity for us to help kick off the holiday season for our community,” said Justine Fedak, SVP, Marketing, BMO Harris Bank. “For the tenth consecutive year, our BMO volunteers are thrilled to be people first and bankers second, sharing in the magic along The Magnificent Mile and helping to create special holiday memories for everyone who attends the Lights Festival.”
BMO Harris Bank will allow visitors to feel like they are a part of the parade with a special green screen photo booth, in addition to face painting and appearances from mascots Hubert the Lion, Benny the Bull and Tommy the Hawk. Festival goers will also have the chance to visit with Santa, engage with interactive activities and sample some delicious treats from Connie’s Pizza, Eli’s Cheesecake, Fannie May Chocolates and more. Don’t forget to stop by one of three BMO Harris Helper Tents for insider tips and hand warmers!
As the Official Airline of The Magnificent Mile, Southwest Airlines® presents Michelle Branch for a live concert on the BMO Harris Bank Stage. The afternoon’s line-up also includes Justin Roberts and the Not Ready for Naptime Players; Cuban-born pop singer and American Idol finalist Lazaro Arbos; and the Petoskey Steel Drum Band, ranked as one of Michigan’s coolest high school bands. Fans can also look forward to a meet-and-greet with Michelle Branch at Lights Festival Lane, presented by Southwest Airlines.
Subaru will have a display by North Michigan Avenue at Illinois Street. Beginning at noon there will be an Ice Carving Demonstration; and festival-goers can stop by to have their photo taken and receive a Subaru Santa Hat, while supplies last.
The day’s activities lead up to the much-anticipated tree lighting parade, the country’s largest evening holiday celebration. The parade begins at 5:30pm as Grand marshals Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse lead more than 40 magnificent floats; helium-filled balloons; classic characters from the Walt Disney World® Resort; and five marching bands from across the country. Celebrity appearances include Verve Records’ pop/soul/funk phenom, Charles Perry; world-renowned tenor, Anthony Kearns, a member of the PBS super-group, the Irish Tenors; and Girl and the Dreamcatcher featuring Dove Cameron and Ryan McCarten.
Audiences can expect crowd favorites such as Santa soaring down the parade route on a brand new float; the larger-than-life Hubert the Lion balloon from BMO Harris Bank; and the world-famous scent of Garrett Popcorn Shop’s popcorn infused from the shop’s float. Other visual masterpieces include a float made of life-size candy from Candyality and the talented troupe fromCirquesExperience.
The BMO Harris Bank Magnificent Mile Lights Festival draws to a grand conclusion with a spectacular fireworks display over the Chicago River.
The nationally-televised event will be hosted by ABC 7 Eyewitness News Anchors Cheryl Burton and Alan Krashesky on Saturday, November 21 from 6 – 7 pm CST on ABC 7 Chicago, with Janet Davies spotlighting some of the best acts from Broadway in Chicagoand Tanja Babich capturing the magic from the street. It will also be streamed LIVE on Watch ABC to viewers in the Chicago area and will be available on-demand at abc7chicago.com.
The Lights Festival will air in 93% of markets around the United States throughout the holiday season, with repeat airings in multiple markets. Viewers can find their local broadcast times at TheMagnificentMile.com or check their local listings to relive the magic.
The BMO Harris Bank Magnificent Mile Lights Festival is also the perfect time to get a start on holiday shopping! Seasonal promotions and holiday happenings from area shops, restaurants, hotels and attractions continue into the new year.
For more information, visit TheMagnificentMile.com and follow The Magnificent Mile on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest andfoursquare.
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Teenage Walt Disney’s Scrapbook of Original Cartoon Drawings To Be Auctioned
The only known existing scrapbook of original cartoons drawn by Walt Disney will be auctioned at Bonhams in New York City this month, Phil Sears Collectibles LLC announced today. Walt Disney was no more than 17 years old when he drew the 13 cartoon characters in the scrapbook. Two of the characters are rodents, drawn a full 10 years before he created his iconic Mickey Mouse.
The rodents are trench rats; the young Disney drew the cartoons at the close of World War One while serving as a Red Cross ambulance driver. The drawings, dated 1918, include soldiers, the German Kaiser (being kicked off a cliff by an allied soldier), non-war cartoons, and of course the two rodents. The young Disney gave the 11-inch x 14-inch scrapbook to a female friend fromChicago’s McKinley High School. Disney dropped out of high school after only one year, forging his birth date on the Red Cross application to serve in France at the age of only 16.
The Bonhams auction also features the earliest autographed photo of Walt Disney ever offered for public sale. Just 16 or 17 years old in the photo (Walt celebrated his 17th birthday while serving in France), the future entertainment mogul tries to look serious and older than his young age.
Walt Disney collectibles dealer Phil Sears (www.philsears.com) consigned the items to the auction. “This is the earliest collection of original Walt Disney cartoon drawings not locked away in a museum or the Disney Company archives,” says Sears. “In terms of Walt Disney’s life story, these are the ‘cave paintings’ of his creative timeline.”
The drawings and signed photograph are two of ten lots of teenage Walt Disney artifacts, all of which are considered to be the earliest of their type ever publicly sold. They go under the gavel November 23rd, 2015 in New York City as part of the “Bonhams & Turner Classic Movies Presents Treasures from the Dream Factory” auction. The auction lots (including photos, details and bid estimates of Disney lots 138 through 147) are online at http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/22486/lot/138/.
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60 Amazing Facts about Disneyland Resort For the Diamond Celebration of 60 Magical Years
A rich tradition of innovation and storytelling will be on stage for the Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration, beginning May 22, 2015. Three electrifying new shows will make their premieres, adding to the magical lineup of attractions and family-friendly fun that guests enjoy every day. Since opening July 17, 1955, the Disneyland Resort has grown from a single park to a world-class family destination with two renowned theme parks, three hotels and the shopping, dining and entertainment district known as Downtown Disney. As the resort continues to evolve and expand, the Diamond Celebration will recognize the innovation of the last 60 years while anticipating all that is yet to come.
The Disneyland Resort: By the Numbers
1. Since opening day in 1955, the Disneyland Resort has welcomed more than 750 million guests to The Happiest Place on Earth. That number includes guests from approximately 200 nations, nearly every country in the world today.
2. Through the years, hundreds of famous individuals have visited the Disneyland Resort, including U.S. presidents (dating to Harry S. Truman), heads of state and countless athletes, artists, authors and celebrities. The guest list is a virtual “Who’s Who” of the 20th and early 21st centuries.
3. The Disneyland Resort now employs some 28,000 cast members, making it the largest single-site employer in Orange County, California.
4. Thirty-eight different languages are spoken among Disneyland Resort cast members.
5. More than 50 scuba divers work year-round to maintain Disneyland Resort attractions, including “World of Color” at Disney California Adventure Park and Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at Disneyland Park.
6. More than 800 species of plants indigenous to 40 nations grow at the Disneyland Resort, making it one of the most extensive and diverse botanical locales in the western United States. The landscape includes colorful flowers, 22 topiary animals and characters, and approximately 18,000 trees.
7. Mickey Mouse ear hats are the most popular Disneyland Resort souvenirs of all time, with more than 84 million “ears” sold since 1955. New “crystal” ears and other creative designs will debut during the Diamond Celebration.
8. The Disneyland Resort generates $4.7 billion annually for the Southern California economy.
New Fun at Disneyland
9. Debuting for the Diamond Celebration, “Paint the Night” will sparkle with more than 1.5 million individually controlled lights. Nearly all of those are energy-efficient, LED lights.
10. In addition to the LED lights on “Paint the Night” floats, each costume in the parade features its own sophisticated individual system of lighting controls.
11. “Paint the Night” features some subtle tributes to the classic “Main Street Electrical Parade,” including hints of that parade’s musical theme, a new “drum float” to lead the parade and, at the tip of Tinker Bell’s magic wand, a light from the original “Electrical Parade.”
12. In the new “Disneyland Forever” fireworks show, guests will enjoy pyrotechnics above them and immersive projections all around them: on Main Street, U.S.A., the mist screens on Rivers of America, the façade of “it’s a small world” and the Matterhorn. The largest use of projection mapping technology in any Disney Park will transform park locations into a magical canvas, transporting guests into Disney stories, from flying high above the London skyline with Peter Pan, dancing with King Louie of “The Jungle Book,” and seeing Nemo fly through the sky to Mount Wannahockaloogie.
13. “Kiss Goodnight,” the inspiring closing song of “Disneyland Forever,” was written by Disney Legend Richard M. Sherman. Richard also was the co-writer, with his brother Robert B. Sherman, of “it’s a small world” and the award-winning songs for the classic Disney film “Mary Poppins.” Adding another “practically perfect” touch to “Disneyland Forever” is the singer of “Kiss Goodnight” – Ashley Brown, star of the Broadway production of “Mary Poppins.”
14. A new show at Fantasy Faire in Disneyland tells the story of “Frozen,” Disney’s animated blockbuster film. The Royal Theatre’s resident storytellers, Mr. Smythe and Mr. Jones, tell the tale of Anna and Elsa in their own unique, wacky style.
More Fun at Disney California Adventure
15. In the Diamond Anniversary “World of Color – Celebrate!” nighttime spectacular, award-winning actor Neil Patrick Harris will appear in multiple film sequences with Mickey Mouse. They will host the show, with the help of some amazing special effects.
16. Part of the recent expansion of Disney California Adventure, “World of Color” uses a submersible platform that’s bigger than a football field, with more than 20,000 points of control and revolutionary lighting that infuses nearly 1,200 fountains with color — making it one of the largest show systems ever built.
17. “Anna and Elsa’s Royal Welcome” offers guests a special place to greet the popular sisters from “Frozen.” It opened in January, 2015, at the Disney Animation building.
18. The iconic Carthay Circle Theatre Restaurant and Lounge opened in 2012 on Buena Vista Street. It stands 79 feet 6 inches tall, to the top of its cupola spire, and it is approximately ¾ scale to the original Carthay Circle Theatre, the site where Walt Disney’s animated classic, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” premiered in 1937. By way of contrast, Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland stands 77 feet high and is designed to appear taller, due to forced perspective, when viewed from the other end of Main Street, U.S.A.
19. For the Diamond Celebration, Carthay Circle Theatre and Sleeping Beauty Castle will glisten and gleam as never before with brilliant diamond enhancements. On Carthay Circle Theatre, the large “Diamond D” marquee was inspired by the 1930s Art Deco movement. On Sleeping Beauty Castle, more than 100,000 blue, glass crystals will shimmer on the rooftops.
20. Cars Land is home to Radiator Springs Racers, the popular attraction that opened in 2012 at Disney California Adventure. After dark, the colorful and nostalgic appearance of the town of Radiator Springs features 16 neon signs in bright, luminous colors.
21. The cars of the Red Car Trolley attraction on Buena Vista Street are reminiscent of the historic cars of the Pacific Electric Railway system, which operated in Southern California from 1901 through 1961.
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Permits reveal new details on the future of Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Disney announced in August that major updates were headed to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
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A Feast of Disney Tastes Featured on Thanksgiving Day
Walt Disney World Resort guests can indulge in a fresh take on an American tradition by enjoying their Thanksgiving feast Nov. 26, 2015 with a bounty of Disney tastes. With more than 30 different dining choices at Disney theme parks and resorts, families and friends can come together for a variety of Thanksgiving lunch and dinner offerings.
Special holiday menus include roasted turkey breast with all the trimmings plus traditional Norwegian meatballs and pan-seared salmon at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, poppy seed lavash, house-made naan, and apple-cranberry achar at Sanaa, roasted heirloom beets with candied walnuts and mulled apple cider at Artist Point, and other unique dishes to enjoy with the holiday classics.
At Epcot, guests can dine on Thanksgiving menus during lunch and dinner seatings at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, Biergarten Restaurant, Coral Reef Restaurant, Le Cellier Steakhouse, Restaurant Marrakesh, and Rose & Crown Pub & Dining Room, as well as quick service at Sunshine Seasons.
Holiday menus also are offered at 50’s Prime Time Cafe, Hollywood & Vine and The Hollywood Brown Derby in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Tusker House Restaurant in Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Within the Walt Disney World Resort hotels, special Thanksgiving dining options are available at:
- Artist Point and Whispering Canyon Café at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Boatwright’s Dining Hall at Port Orleans Resort Riverside
- California Grill, Chef Mickey’s and The Wave… of American Flavors at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Cape May Café at Disney’s Beach Club Resort
- Captain’s Grille and Yachtsman Steakhouse at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
- Citricos, Grand Floridian Café, Narcoossee’s and Victoria & Albert’s at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- End Zone Food Court at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
- Flying Fish Café and Trattoria al Forno at Disney’s BoardWalk Resort
- Mickey’s Backyard Thanksgiving Feast and Trail’s End Restaurant at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
- Jiko – The Cooking Place at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge and Sanaa at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas-Disney’s Kidani Village
- Kona Café at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Olivia’s Café at Disney’s Old Key West Resort
- Sanaa at Disney’s Kidani Village Resort
- Shutters at Old Port Royale at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
- The Turf Club Bar and Grill at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
Availability is limited and dining events are subject to change. For information and reservations, guests can call 407-WDW-DINE or book online at DisneyWorld.com/dine.
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New details on Disney World’s upcoming ‘Frozen’ attraction
Anna, Elsa and Olaf—stars of 2013’s “Frozen,” the highest grossing animated film of all time—are set to appear in their very own Disney attraction early next year.
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Video – B-Roll: Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy at Disneyland park
Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy at Disneyland park.
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