Category Archives: Disney

‘Star Wars’ Land Progress

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Via Ocregister.com:

Concrete walls are shaping up at Disneyland for the “Star Wars” land project at Disneyland, as construction crews look to be preparing much of the land for building foundations.

The first walls appear to be around the new channel for the Rivers of America in Frontierland and for the new route for the Disneyland Railroad.

As the summer winds down, many of the annual passholders are no longer blacked out, and have returned to the Disneyland for a final chance to see the entertainment related to the 15-month celebration of the park’s 60th anniversary. The Paint the Night parade, special fireworks and more will all be disappearing after Labor Day, though park officials said the parade might make some encore appearances during holiday seasons.

The Sailing Ship Columbia is shorter than normal right now, as the top half of its three masts have been removed for maintenance.

The Haunted Mansion closed Monday so that Disney Imagineers can install the Halloween and Christmas seasonal overlay based on the movie “A Nightmare Before Christmas.”

The first signs of Halloween appeared at Marceline’s Confectionery in Downtown Disney, with Halloween-themed candy now on the shelves for those haunted by a sweet tooth.

Over in Critter Country, the construction walls around the first level of the Hungry Bear Restaurant have expanded outward, forcing crews to build an alternate path to the restrooms there.

Excavation has started on a rectangular plot in the “Star Wars” land construction zone. No word on what attraction this potential building might hold, but Rebel spies have been dispatched to determine their plans.

May the force be with you.

Click below to see the slideshow of pictures.

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A Peek At New Star Wars-Themed Land

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Via Disneyparks.com:

In April, we celebrated the official groundbreaking of Star Wars-themed lands coming to Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts, and beginning today, Disneyland park guests can get a glimpse of this exciting and immersive experience. A new image has been unveiled on the fence along Big Thunder Trail in Frontierland – one of the entry points to this never-before-seen planet in the Star Wars galaxy – revealing more about what guests will find in this all-new land.

Nestled between towering spires of rock, this thriving port contains a seemingly familiar architecture of markets, landing zones and buildings. Click here for a larger version of the image above. Look closely and you may find hints of some of the thrilling experiences that are coming – like the Millennium Falcon peeking out of one of the cargo bays, marking the location where guests will get the opportunity to pilot the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy.

The 14-acre land will be the largest-ever single-themed land expansion at Disneyland Resort. Keep an eye on the Disney Parks Blog – we’ll continue to bring you updates as we learn more about this planet, as well as the citizens, aliens and droids who populate it.

Disney Parks Blog To Live Stream Star Wars Fireworks Show

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Via Baynews9.com:

Save the date. The Disney Parks Blog will live stream the new “Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular” fireworks show on July 18.

The new show features scenes and music from the popular film franchise and includes laser projections and pyrotechnics.

“Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular” takes place in front of the Chinese Theater at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Disney hasn’t announced a time for when the show will be streamed live.

However, it plans to live stream a different show every Monday for the rest of July.

It recently streamed its Celebrate America! A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky on July 4 from the Magic Kingdom.

Here’s the upcoming schedule:

July 11 – Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire, Magic Kingdom at 4:10 p.m. ET
July 18 – Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular, Hollywood Studios
July 25 – Paint the Night Parade, Disneyland Resort
Each live stream will be available at the top of the Disney Parks Blog on the day of each show.

D23 Expo 2017 Ticket Information

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Via D23.com:

On Thursday, July 14, at 10 a.m. PT, D23: The Official Disney Fan Club will begin selling tickets for the next D23 Expo, which will take place July 14–16, 2017, at the Anaheim Convention Center. The largest Disney fan event in the world, D23 Expo celebrates all the wonderful worlds of Disney entertainment, uniting all parts of The Walt Disney Company under one roof, including The Walt Disney Studios (including Marvel, Pixar, and Lucasfilm); Walt Disney Parks and Resorts; Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media; and Media Networks (including ABC, Disney Channel, and Radio Disney). D23 Expo 2017 marks the fifth biennial event held in Anaheim.

Once again the Expo will celebrate the past, present, and future of Disney with live events, celebrity appearances, panels, presentations, sneak peeks, and immersive experiences. D23 Expo 2017 marks the return of fan favorites, including the Disney Legends Awards Ceremony, honoring the talented men and women who have made indelible contributions to the Disney legacy; an exhibit from the Walt Disney Archives, which spotlights costumes, props, and set pieces from Disney’s rich history; and the Mousequerade costume contest.

Tickets for D23 Expo 2017 will be available at a discounted price for a limited time. From July 14–December 31, 2016, tickets are $67 for a one-day adult admission and $46 for children 3–12. Tickets for members of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club are $57 for a one-day adult admission and $41 for children. Multi-day money-saving tickets are also available. D23 Members can save as much as $296 off the price of admission, based on the purchase of four three-day tickets at the D23 Member rate. For more information on tickets and the ticket pricing structure for members and general admission, visit D23Expo.com.

To celebrate the launch of ticket sales, D23 will be streaming select presentations from D23 Expo 2015 at D23Expo.com from Wednesday, July 13, through Sunday, July 17. Presentations include “Once Upon a Time: An Evening with Snow White & the Evil Queen” (featuring Ginnifer Goodwin and Lana Parilla), “A Goofy Movie 20th Anniversary Celebration!” (including stars Bill Farmer, Jason Marsden, and Jim Cummings), “Disneyland: Fond Memories of the Past” (with Walt Disney Archives Director Becky Cline), and “In Conversation with the Filmmakers and the Emotions Behind Inside Out” (featuring Pete Docter, Jonas Rivera, and a special appearance by Sadness herself, Phyllis Smith).

D23 Expo 2017 will showcase all of the latest stars in the Disney universe. In 2015, celebrity appearances included Johnny Depp, Harrison Ford, Ellen DeGeneres, Chris Evans, Lupita Nyong’o, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Dwayne Johnson. The event also featured performances by Ne-Yo, Sabrina Carpenter, the cast of Teen Beach 2, and stars of Disney’s shows on Broadway. Additionally, Disney executives and creative talent came together to deliver special presentations, announcements, and experiences to Disney fans throughout the three-day extravaganza.

Click below to read the full article.

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The Freemaker Adventures

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Via zap2it.com:
That galaxy far, far away where the “Star Wars” universe exists continues to get more and more crowded. Not only are their numerous films planned over the next few years, but the number of comic book titles, novels and TV shows available keeps increasing. You could say there are more “Star Wars” products than fleas on a Wookiee.

The latest TV production to join the expanding galaxy is “Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures,” which launched on Disney X D Monday, June 20. It’s the story of a three siblings — Zander (Eugene Byrd), Cordi (Vanessa Lengies) and Rowan (Nicholas Cantu) — who travel the galaxy looking for space debris. They had been content to turn the junk into merchandise but a chance find changes all that.

“We are embarking on an unprecedented collaboration that will allow us to extend the narrative experience of the ‘Star Wars’ saga with the same playful spirit that’s always made Lego ‘Star Wars’ so much fun to watch,” says Carrie Beck, vice president of animation development at Lucasfilm, in a news release the show.

The new series takes place between the events of “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi.” Executive producers Bill Motz and Bob Roth picked that point in the “Star Wars” timeline because it gives them access to all of the main and supporting characters from the films.

“When we first dipped our toe into the project, all they told us was they wanted a Lego ‘Star Wars’ show and it needed to be set within the original trilogy,” Motz says. “We wanted as much access to all the battles we could get and having the series take place when it does pushes it as far as we can go.”

Click below to read the full article.

Disneyland Is Testing New Interactive Droids For Star Wars Lands

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Via Gizmodo.com:

If you thought Disney’s only reason for buying Lucasfilm was to make more Star Wars movies, you’re way off. The company is also currently in the process of converting parts of Disneyland and Walt Disney World into sprawling Star Wars-themed lands, and it’s already testing some of the new characters it’s designed to interact with guests.

Though the new Star Wars lands are still at least two years away from opening, YouTuber DAPs Magic spotted this new interactive droid called Jake being tested at the Star Wars Launch Bay at Disneyland. It’s not known if the droid is being controlled behind the scenes by an operator, but presumably it will have some level of autonomous capabilities to avoid crashing into visitors and other obstacles.

Jake also appears to be able to interact with the exhibits at the Launch Bay. When it rolls up to a control panel the droid beeps and bloops at the computer as its head moves about, which triggers lights and other interactive elements.

It’s nothing especially fancy yet, but it’s promising. Droids are a big part of the Star Wars experience, and Disney is obviously spending a lot of money to ensure its new exhibits provide the most authentic experience as possible to park guests. If you remember, eight years ago a full-sized version of Wall-E was spotted roaming the parks, so just imagine how far the robotics technology that powered that character has been improved.

Official Trailer for LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures!

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NEW OFFICIAL Trailer Available for “LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures” –

Premieres Monday, June 20 at 10:00 a.m., ET/PT on Disney XD!

Zach King to Host Live-Stream “Brick-Building” Event, which will Feature Series Sneak Peek

Introducing new heroes and villains to the LEGO Star Wars universe, the animated television series “LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures” will premiere MONDAY, JUNE 20 (10:00 a.m. EDT), on Disney XD. Set between the events of “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi,” the action comedy series follows the Freemakers, a family of sibling scavengers who operate a salvage and repair shop in space. The series will also feature familiar characters and locations from the filmed Star Wars saga.

Fans will get a sneak peek at the series during a special live-stream “LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures Battle of the Bricks” event, Saturday, June 11 (8:00 p.m. EDT). Presented by Disney XD (https://www.youtube.com/user/disneyxd), YouTube stars (EvanTubeRaw, Parker Games, 101 Dark Monkey, ZexyZek ) and LEGO enthusiasts will gather in teams to determine the galaxy’s BRICK BUILDING CHAMPION. Instagram celebrity, Zach King will host, and a panel of LEGO Master Builders will judge the showdown.