James and his producing partner Jon Landau and their team at Lightstorm Entertainment will serve as creative consultants on the project and will work side-by-side with our Walt Disney Imagineers as we dream up experiences that will take our guests deep into worlds of AVATAR like never before. There are also two sequels to the record setting first film in the works, which will offer more fascinating stories, characters and locations to explore in the AVATAR universe. Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort is planned as the site of the first AVATAR-themed land with construction expected to begin by 2013.

We believe Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a great fit for this project because it was created to give guests the opportunity to experience the worlds of animals and nature – real and mythical – in new ways. Disney’s Animal Kingdom also celebrates adventure, living in harmony with nature and environmental stewardship – themes that are deeply rooted in the story of AVATAR.

To read more follow this link to the Disney Blog http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2011/09/avatar-coming-to-disney-parks/

Walk through the regular line, after entering the building, in the second room, on the second table there is a tin that looks like a Hidden Mickey was dented into it.

In the destroyed Tea Kettle, where the Yeti put two claws through it. The claw marks cause an indention and below it is a “smashed” part that is Mickey’s head.

Pictures:

• Expedition Everest Queue Line – Teapot
• Expedition Everest Queue Line – Teapot – MOUSEovers
• Expedition Everest Queue Line – Teapot Large
• Expedition Everest Queue Line – Teapot Large – MOUSEovers

This week’s Tip: How to spend 5 days at Walt Disney World without going inside the park.

Day 1: Head to upstate NY and visit a town that was built on horse racing. Saratoga Springs Resort offers, Golf, Swimming, Quick access to Downtown Disney and a great Spa.

Day 2: After heading to upstate NY take a ride down to the NJ shore and walk the boardwalk. Disney’s Boardwalk Resort offers one of the largest pools of all Disney Resorts and fun water slides for that extra excitement. On any given night, strolling along the Boardwalk from 6:30-10:30 p.m. you may see a sword swallower, jugglers, a tarot card reader, a New Orleans style jazz trio… you just never know. Walk over to Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resort and enjoy a campfire and movie under the stars. You can even see some of the IllumiNations Show at Epcot along the Disney’s Boardwalk.

Day 3: Fly to Hawaii using a boat, monorail or bus. Disney’s Polynesian resort will make you think you’re in Hawaii without the jetlag. Stroll around this beautifully decorated resort and enjoy the flowers. Take a dip in the volcano pool, stroll along the white sand beach, watch a luau and finish your day with some fireworks from the hillside.

Day 4: Go on a safari at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. You don’t need to go inside Animal Kingdom Park to see all the animals. Disney’s Animal Kingdom lodge has plenty to see. After you enter the main lobby and stop looking up, head to one of the many viewing platforms to see, Giraffes, Zebras, Ostridge, and potentially over 130 species of other animals walking right past you. Try out some new flavors of food at one of the many restaurants. And finish your day swimming in one of the pools of Jambo House of Kidani village with a fruity nightcap.

Day 5: Finish your Resort Hopping week with some relaxation at the Beautiful Grand Floridian. Just sink into one of the couches in the main lobby and listen to the band or pianist play. Go to the salon and have a makeover before your flight back to reality. Get a massage in the relaxing Grand Floridian Spa. Finally grab a cabana and take in some sun on the beach and wait for the fireworks to start over the Magic Kingdom.

Disney World Hotels and Packages

There you have it 5 days at Walt Disney World without going inside the park. If you have any other tips feel free to post them below.

The Planning Stage

1. Disney Tickets – Understand your ticket options. In a previous post we provide a complete guide to understanding Disney Tickets.

2. Ride Refurbishments and Closures – Before departure check out ride refurbishments and closures to keep everyone happy. If your child has a favorite attraction, make sure it isn’t closed for maintenance.

3. Pick Your Time of Year. – You need to balance four main factors: crowds, heat, park hours, and special events. During busy times, parks stay open late and you may find extra parades and fireworks. View Walt Disney World 2010 Events and Calendar Guide

Inside The Park

1. Baby Swap (adult swap) – First, parents and kid(s) all line-up together; Parent A rides first with any older kids, while Parent B stays to one side with baby or under-height kids; once the ride is over, the parents change places, and again one parent rides while the other one waits.

2. Stay at a Disney Resort – When you stay onsite at a Disney Resort its easy to go to the park of your choice very early. When the day starts to get hot take a break and return to your resort; than return to the parks in the evening.

3. Advanced Disney Restaurants – Make advanced dining reservations for restaurant meals. It’s easy, it’s free, and usually entails no commitment — yet you get seated quickly instead of waiting in line.

Quick Hint

1. Stay Cool – Walt Disney World Resort, On a crowded hot day in the Magic Kingdom we always use this quick hint to stay cool. When you enter the park stay to your left, instead of walking down Main Street fighting the crowd enter the first store and continue walking through all of the stores on the left hand side until you exit directly in front of Cinderella Castle. This tip might not seem like much now, when you have strollers and its hot the air conditioned stores and lack of crowd will put a smile on your face.

The fourth park built at the resort, it opened on April 22, 1998. It is the first Disney theme park to be themed entirely around animal conservation, a philosophy once pioneered by Walt Disney himself.

Home to more than 1,700 animals from 250 species and sprawling across 500 acres of lush landscape, Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park is the largest animal-themed park in the world!

Kilimanjaro Safaris – Flamingo Island

There are so many animals to see this one might just slip by you. The island that the Flamingos sit on (Flamingo Island) in elephant country is shaped like a classic Mickey it is to the left of the ride vehicles.

Pictures:

• Flamingo Island Aerial – Can You Find Mickey?
• Flamingo Island Aerial – Ahhh There He Is
• Flamingo Island Close up – Where Is He?
• Flamingo Island Close up – MOUSEover To Help

There are many rides at the Disney World Parks. The questions we need answered are: What Is Your Favorite Disney Thrill Ride? Does it matter if you ride them during the day or in the darkness of night? And what do you think of the rumor that has been circulating from the beginning of time. Will there be a new Villains Theme Park to compete with the rides at Universal? This would be a very exciting way to use the new Marvel Characters that Disney obtained when they purchased Marvel last year.

Here at D23Magic we have many favorites. Expedition Everest, Tower of Terror, Space Mountain, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Splash Mountain, Mission Space, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Test Track and the list goes on. I would have to say mine is Goofy Barnstormer.. just kidding.

We all gathered our votes and came to our winner. Or favorite Disney Thrill Ride has to be Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom. No matter how many times you ride it you get that feeling that right around the next corner…. Watch OUT…

We told you what we think now lets hear what you have to say. What Is Your Favorite Disney Thrill Ride?

Pictures:

• Tower of Terror
• Dinosaur
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

In a aerial view of Mt. Everest in Asia, a classic mickey is formed by the tracks of the ride as the ears and Everest itself as Mickey’s head (the second image below shows this with overlay). You can check out more aerial views from Google Maps.

Pictures:

• Hidden Mickey without overlay
• Hidden Mickey with overlay

The male baby gibbon was born last week and has not been named. You can see baby, mom (Melaka) and the baby’s two sisters, Suki and Tuyen, in their habitat near Kali River Rapids.

White-cheeked gibbons, an endangered species, spend their lives in the tops of trees. They produce offspring about once every 2-3 years after 7 to 8 months of gestation. Infants have the ability to cling to their mothers immediately after birth, which allows females complete range of motion while moving about the forest with their offspring.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom participates in a gibbon Species Survival Plan program coordinated by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).