Confirmed Character Changes:

• DAK’s Good Times Gathering Spot is home to an interactive character experience this summer; June 13th-August 7th, 10:00a-3:00p daily.
• Power Rangers are leaving DHS on August 8th.
• Vidia is going to start making appearances at Pixie Hollow in August.
• Duffy the Disney Bear is going to start making appearances at Epcot in September.

Rumored Character Changes:

• Rapunzel, Mother Gothel and Flynn are expected to start making appearances in the Magic Kingdom in October.
• Phineas and Ferb have already made appearances in the Christmas Parade, a Disney 365 spot, and at the WDW Marathon, so when are they going to be available in the parks? Not this fiscal year. Disney has recognized the demand for these popular boys, but do not expect to see them until FY2011.
• Perry the Platypus and Agent Oso have popped up as characters, but no sign at WDW.

Fantasyland Expansion:

• Mickey and Minnie are moving to Exposition Hall once Toontown closes (announced for spring 2011). No word on if this will become their permanent greeting location, but most indicators point to yes.
• Princesses are moving to Exposition Hall as well. Once the Fantasyland Forest is complete, the princesses and fairies will move to their appropriate locations.
• Ariel is appearing in the Adventureland Veranda with Prince Eric. Once the Fantasyland Forest is complete, Ariel will move to her new grotto.
• Pooh and Tigger are moving to Town Square. No final word on if the new Fantasyland Forest will include the 100 Acre Woods.
• Fairies are moving somewhere once Toontown closes, possibly a different park. They will probably not fit in Expo hall as initially announced, more information to come.

Shows and Parades:

• Disney’s Electrical Parade (DEP) has returned to the Magic Kingdom, the currect expected end date is August 14th.
• The Hoedown has transformed into a Flash Mob in Frontierland! This change occurred on February 26th.
• The Pirate Tutorial is performing on a new stage in Adventureland! The stage was tested in summer 2009, but has become permanent as of January 5th.
• Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee was discontinued after January 3rd with little momentum to support a possible return.
• Totally Tomorrowland Christmas was considered a success in 2009 so there is a strong indication it will be back in 2010!

Ever wonder what it would be like to spend the night in the super-exclusive Cinderella Castle Suite in the middle of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom? For one thing, it’s by invitation only; there is no price tag for guests who wish to reserve the suite.

During 2007 and 2008, lucky guests were chosen randomly just about every day from the Disney theme parks to stay in the suite as part of the Year of A Million Dreams campaign. Since then, recipients mostly have been winners of charity auctions and various contests or specially chosen guests.

Here is one of those opportunities: a contest sponsored by Liberty Travel that you can easily enter with a grand prize that features a one-night stay on Sept. 10 in the suite for four people. The prize also includes three additional nights at a Disney World hotel, breakfast at Cinderella’s Royal Table the morning after the winner’s stay, four three-day Magic Your Way tickets with Park Hopper option and a $500 Disney gift card. Airfare is not included.

Deadline to enter is Friday, June 25. One entry per household is allowed; click here to enter.

Disney Consumer Products (DCP) today unveiled a first look at its unprecedented fall line-up of TRON: Legacy inspired electronics and toys (#TronMerch), including the first-ever action figures to feature impulse light projection technology.

Also unveiled were high-end lifestyle headphones and advanced computer peripherals for gaming enthusiasts, illuminated iPod® docks, high-quality ear buds and iPhone® cases; and break-through zero-gravity vehicles that travel up and down walls. Walt Disney Picture’s TRON: Legacy, starring Academy® Award winning actor Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde, will take audiences on a thrilling action-packed adventure in a unique virtual world when it hits theaters Dec. 17, 2010 in Disney Digital 3D(TM) and IMAX® 3D.

Check out this video

Fast Tube

Featuring dark finishes, neon lighting and a cyber aesthetic, DCP’s new TRON: Legacy line will immerse kids and adults alike into the amazing, illuminated cyber world of TRON. Developed in collaboration with leading industry innovators including Spinmaster, Monster, Performance Designed Products (PDP) and Razer, TRON products will be available at retail beginning this October and will be showcased at the San Diego Comic Con International Convention next month giving fans an exclusive first look.

“TRON: Legacy is a cutting-edge film with a unique futuristic feel, and we wanted to create products with new technology and high-end design that live up to what you will see on screen,” said Chris Heatherly, VP of toys and electronics, Disney Consumer Products. “This is not a typical movie line. We’re working exclusively with trailblazers who normally do not do movie merchandise, but they believed so passionately in TRON that they jumped at the chance to help us make great products.”

TRON: Legacy Toy Line
Every product in Disney’s TRON: Legacy toy line lights up and is designed to bring the film’s characters and themes to life by boasting sleek design, eye-popping technology and endless opportunities for active play.

TRON Action Figures: The new TRON: Legacy action figures are the first to feature impulse projection technology, which brings the characters to life by projecting digitized, illuminated and moving faces onto the helmet just as in the film. The line features 7.5″ figures and a special 12″ Ultimate Sam Flynn figure. The characters also speak phrases from the TRON: Legacy film. With prices ranging from $15 to $40, TRON Action Figures are expected to immediately attract avid collectors and to shake up the toy aisle this holiday season. (Ages 4 & up).

TRON Core and Deluxe Vehicles: TRON Core and Deluxe vehicles are detailed replicas from TRON: Legacy that come to life when a character is inserted and they both light up. The Deluxe model features launching projectiles, tri-color light changes, pop-up air brakes (pop-up blasters on the Light Runner) and gravity tilt sounds, just like in the movie ($14.99 and $19.99, ages 4 & up).

TRON Zero Gravity Light Cycle: The TRON Zero Gravity Light Cycle features six-foot light-emitting trails and legendary Air Hogs technology allowing the vehicle to be driven on a wall or even upside down. Includes controller (SRP $34.99, ages 8 & up).

TRON: Legacy Electronics
Disney’s TRON: Legacy electronics line is designed to appeal to discerning gamers and audiophiles who seek out products that offer high quality and innovative design. Key licensees include Monster, PDP and Razer.

TRON Headphones, iPod® Dock from Monster: DCP and Monster, a leading manufacturer of high-performance headphones and A/V accessories, have collaborated to bring the ultimate set of headphones designed for the TRON fan, music enthusiasts and serious gamers. The new TRON Headphones capture the design aesthetic of the world of TRON. The Monster Tron T1 over-ear headphones feature Advanced Noise Suppression Technology and ControlTalk(TM), which enables easy and clear hands-free calling (SRP $349.99). The Monster/Disney Tron line will also feature an iPod dock inspired by the iconic data disk from TRON: Legacy ($249.99) and high quality in-ear headphones that will feature ControlTalk(TM) Universal and crystal-clear Monster Headphone signature sound technology ($99.99).

TRON PC Peripherals from Razer: Razer is a leader in high-end PC gaming and lifestyle peripherals and has an established reputation for creating the world’s most precise and advanced tools for gaming. The new TRON: Legacy inspired gaming peripherals from Razer include: an ergonomic gaming mouse incorporating Razer’s 5600dpi 3.5g gaming grade sensor, a gaming keyboard with programmable keys and macro capabilities as well as a detachable keypad, and a high precision mouse mat – all designed to create the ultimate gaming experience featuring highly detailed finishes and lighting effects. The product line will range in price from SRP $79-139.

TRON Game Controllers and Apple Accessories from PDP: Unique multiplatform TRON game controllers from PDP bring the look and feel of TRON: Legacy directly into the hands of gamers with light-up accents, perforated details and performance-enhancing contours and design. Playstation 3® and Xbox 360® controllers are corded with precision parts and vibration support; the Wii(TM) controller is wireless. Available in tandem with the TRON: Evolution video game release, the SRP for each is $49.99. PDP will also offer a line of iPod®, iPhone® and iPad® cases inspired by the world of TRON.

TRON: Legacy Products at Comic Con
Fans will get a first look at the all new TRON: Legacy-inspired toys and electronics at San Diego Comic Con next month. Disney will showcase an interactive TRON booth that will engage fans with an array of new TRON-inspired merchandise launching this fall. Capturing the action, light, and cool aesthetic style of the film, the line on display will also include collectibles, apparel and accessories for men and women, publishing and the new TRON: Evolution video game from Disney Interactive Studios. Comic Con exclusive TRON product will also be on sale. Disney will also reveal exciting new mobile content at the event. San Diego Comic Con will be held at the San Diego Convention Center July 22-25, 2010. Visit booth #3712 to see the TRON showcase.

Pictures:

• Action Figure
• Vehicle
• Pen
• Headphones
• Keyboard
• iPod Dock
• Xbox Controller
• Controller
• Mouse
• Motorcycle
• RC Vehicle

The famous song “It’s a Small World,” says it all. But no one knows it better these days than Alex and Donna Voutsinas. You might have seen their now-famous photo with Mr. Smee in the news recently, and today they visited Magic Kingdom park to recreate the snapshot.

The year was 1980, and young Donna was with her family at the Magic Kingdom park, posing for a photo along Main Street, U.S.A. with Mr. Smee and her brothers. What she didn’t know at the time was that her future husband, Alex, also would be in the background of the same photograph – riding in a stroller pushed by his father. (Alex and his family were visiting from Montreal; Donna and her family were visiting from Miami.)

Years later, as the couple looked through childhood photos one week before their wedding, Alex noticed something that immediately caught his eye.

“We were looking through pictures for our wedding video and my wife took this one out, and I noticed my dad,” Alex told the Disney Parks Blog this morning. “My dad used to have jet-black hair with a white tuft and I just noticed him right away. Then I saw myself in the stroller.”

The couple held onto the snapshot for about eight years. Two weeks ago, at the urging of friends and family, they posted it on Facebook. After the media and press discovered it on Facebook, their amazing story took flight and has since been reported around the globe.

Today, the couple visited the exact spot the snapshot was taken, recreating the famous photo with Donna’s picture pal, Mr. Smee. And this time, their own children – six-year-old Rocco, three-year-old Vince and one-year-old Antonio – posed with them and shared in the fun. The family now lives in Boynton Beach, Fla., and – as can be expected – are Disney Parks fans.

Read original story

Pictures:

• It’s A Small World Original
• It’s A Small World 2010

Disney confirmed that Toy Story Midway Mania in Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be closing August 16th through the 28th. Rumors have persisted for a while that the attraction would shutter for a week or so after the summer rush, but Disney didn’t confirm until today.

Does this mean that Imagineers will add the much-anticipated holiday games for Halloween and December? Or is it simply to complete routine maintenance and repairs?

We’ll report back as soon as we know.

Pictures, pictures and more pictures, lots of us have a drawer stuffed with photos from a childhood visit to Walt Disney World maybe it’s time to give them a second look. That’s what happened to Alex and Donna Voutsinas who discovered that they came remarkably close to bumping into each other — literally — when they were mere toddlers decades before.

Alex spent his childhood in Montreal, Donna in Florida and each had grown up and met one another at work. They fell in love, were engaged and, days before their wedding, were looking through old family photos when Donna came across a photo of herself, her brothers and Captain Hook’s right-hand man Mr. Smee of Peter Pan fame during a vacation at Disney World, according to a television news report.

Alex noticed an incredible coincidence — his father was pushing Alex in a stroller right behind Donna and her siblings.

“Just to be in the same picture with my wife when we were basically toddlers, it’s unbelievable,” said Alex.

“I was glad he proposed before the picture, because I know that it’s because he loves me and not because he thought it was meant to be, it was fate,” said Donna.

One more reason to believe that Disney is the happiest — and perhaps the most enchanted — place on earth.

Video:

• View Video

The $59 rate includes golf cart rental and pre-round practice balls at Disney’s Palm, Disney’s Osprey Ridge and Disney’s Lake Buena Vista golf courses. If you are on vacation and don’t want the hassle of bringing your clubs, $15 will get you a rental set of Titleist or Cobra clubs.

Walt Disney World:

Current

• All Star Music Resort Bus Depot closed through April 2010 for resurfacing. Buses to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Epcot stop in the parking lot across from the check-in parking. Buses to Hollywood Studios and the water parks are to the left as you exit the resort’s main entrance.
• Ranchos Quiet Pool (Coronado Springs Resort) closed through 4/16/10 for refurbishment.
• Teamboat Springs (Blizzard Beach) closed through 5/15/10 for refurbishment.
• Cantina de San Angel (Epcot) closed through Fall 2010.

Upcoming

• Lake Buena Vista Golf Course closed 5/17/10-5/27/10 for refurbishment.
• Palm Golf Course closed 6/1/10-6/10/10 for refurbishment.
• Osprey Ridge Golf Course closed 6/7/10-6/17/10 for refurbishment.
• Oak Trail Golf Course closed 6/14/10-6/20/10 for refurbishment.
• Lake Buena Vista Golf Course closed Mondays only 6/21/10-7/26/10 for refurbishment.
• Palm Golf Course closed Tuesdays only 6/22/10-7/27/10 for refurbishment.
• Magnolia Golf Course closed Wednesdays only 6/23/10-7/28/10 for refurbishment.
• Osprey Ridge Golf Course closed Thursdays only 6/24/10-7/29/10 for refurbishment
• Magnolia Golf Course closed 5/24/10-6/3/10 for refurbishment.
• Stormalong Bay Pool Slide (Yacht & Beach Club Resorts) closed 5/2/10-5/31/10 for refurbishment. Guests may use the rest of the Stormalong Bay pool complex or use the pool slide at the Boardwalk.
• Fast Forward Arcade (Pop Century Resort) closed 5/10/10-5/12/10 for refurbishment.
• Baby Care (Magic Kingdom) closed 5/14/10-5/20/10 for refurbishment.
• Muppet Vision 3D (Hollywood Studios) closed 4/24/10-5/14/10 for refurbishment.
• Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster (Hollywood Studios) closed 5/15/10-5/20/10 for refurbishment.

Disneyland:

Current

• Tower of Terror Fastpass will not be offered through 8/15/10 due to construction of the connector between Bug’s Land and Tower of Terror. A more permanent route is being built between the two lands.
• Rivers of America closed through 5/6/10 for a major refurbishment. All attractions requiring the use of the river will also be closed.
• Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes closed through 5/6/10 for refurbishment.
• Tom Sawyer Island closed through 5/6/10 for refurbishment.
• Matterhorn Bobsleds closed through 4/16/10 and 4/19/10-4/23/10 for refurbishment.
• Sailing Ship Columbia closed through 5/6/10 for refurbishment.
• Mark Twain Riverboat closed through 5/14/10 for refurbishment.
• Princess Dot Puddle Park closed through 4/16/10 and 4/19/10-4/23/10 for refurbishment.
• Fantasmic! closed through 5/27/10 due to major refurbishment of Rivers of America.
• Orange Stinger closed through 5/28/10 for refurbishment. It will re-open as Silly Symphonies Swings.
• Tomorrowland Terrace closed through 7/2/10 for refurbishment. Jedi Training Academy will continue to be offered while the restaurant is closed.
• Golden Vine Trattoria closed through 4/26/10 for refurbishment.
• Corn Dog Wagon closed through 5/4/10 for refurbishment.
• Redwood Creek Challenge Trail closed through 5/20/10 for refurbishment.
• “Honey I Shrunk the Audience” closed through 1/28/11 due to the temporary return of “Captain EO.”
• Corn Dog Castle closed through 3/24/11 due to construction in the area. Corn dogs are currently available at the Bountiful Valley Farmer’s Market.

Upcoming

• Disney Showcase Annex closed 4/26/10-4/27/10 for refurbishment.
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad closed 4/26/10-5/16/10 for refurbishment.
• Disneyland Monorail closed 4/19/10-4/20/10 for refurbishment.
• News Stand closed 4/26/10-5/20/10 for refurbishment.
• King Arthur Carrousel closed 5/8/10-5/10/10 for refurbishment.
• Disney Showcase closed 4/20/10-4/21/10 for refurbishment.
• Splash Mountain closed 5/17/10-5/27/10 for refurbishment.