Disney Parks Introduces "Unforgettable Happens Here";DVC Confirms Wilderness Lodge Waterfront Cabins, and More

Disney Parks Introduces "Unforgettable Happens Here":

We can say goodbye to the "Show Your Disney Side" marketing campaign, as Disney Parks is rolling out a new one this week called, "Unforgettable Happens Here." The purpose of the campaign is to say that just around every corner in Disney Parks and at any moment of any day magical and unforgettable things happen. They said, "Around every corner, at any second or minute of every day, there's a magical moment waiting to happen. Moments both big and little become stories that will be forever told and retold. And, never ever forgotten."

Disney rolled out two commercials with the campaign that you should see this week on their television channels: ABC, Disney Channel, and ESPN networks. Here they are:

Disney Vacation Club Confirms Wilderness Lodge Waterfront Cabins:

While it has been know for a while that the next expansion for the Disney Vacation Club would be waterfront cabins at Disney's Wilderness Lodge. Today, the Disney Vacation Club confirmed with The Orlando Sentinel that an expansion would be coming to the resort.

The plan is set for 26 waterfront cabins (much like the bungalows recently built at the Polynesian) has not set completion date. Although, it is expected that construction will begin next month. As part of the work the Hidden Springs Pool at Disney's Wilderness Lodge will close October 26, 2015 and  remain closed until sometime in 2017. 

Disneyland's Diamond Celebration Will Continue Through September 5, 2016:

Since May, Disneyland has been celebrating its 60th Anniversary in a Diamond Celebration. Well, Disney announced today that the celebration will continue through September 5, 2016. That means guests have lots of time to visit and experience the joys of the celebration. 

They are encourage guests to come check out the new "Paint the Night" parade, "Disneyland Forever" fireworks, and "World of Color - Celebrate!" as well as special edition food and merchandise and even Sleeping Beauty castle has become diamond encrusted. 

The Disneyland Resort 60th Diamond Celebration will dazzle now through September 5, 2016. 

"To all who come to this happy place, Welcome."

"To all who come to this happy place, welcome Disneyland is your land." - Walt Disney

Happy 60th Birthday Disneyland!

Disney Imagineering Legend Tony Baxter arriving for the festivities.

Richard Sherman and Ashleigh Brown on stage for the celebration.

And one last picture of the man who brought it all to us, Walt Disney, thank you for bringing so much joy into our lives.

Walt would remind us today though that, "It was all started by a mouse." 

Happy Birthday, Disneyland!!! 

From: It All Started With a Mouse

Kickoff of Diamond Celebration and 'Coolest Summer Ever' and Tinkerbell Live-Action Movie in the Works

Well, today is the day starting this morning on both coasts, Disneyland's 60th Diamond Celebration and Disney World's 'Coolest Summer Ever' kicked off with 24-hour parties that will last until 6 a.m. tomorrow morning. While I am not at either of the parks (although I wish I was), many people are enjoying the festivities. Here is what it looks like on both coasts with pictures from guests on the inside.

Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, and Olaf kickoff the 'Coolest Summer Ever' at WDW.

Kickoff of Diamond Celebration at Disneyland

Decorated Entrance at Disneyland for 60th Anniversary

Commemorative Shirts for 'Coolest Summer Ever' 24-Hour Party

Guests Celebrating Disneyland's Diamond Celebration

One of the many photo spots at Disneyland for Diamond Celebration 24-hour party.

Walt's Apartment Decorated for Diamond Celebration.

Disney Channel Stars were the Grand Marshal for Festival of the Fantasy parade
today to kickoff the 'Coolest Summer Ever.'

The day continues on both coasts the Diamond Celebration and 'Coolest Summer Ever' are just beginning. I can't wait to get to Walt Disney World on Sunday.

Tinkerbell Live-Action Film in the Works with Reese Witherspoon Starring:

Not all of today's news about the exciting events inside the theme parks continue. Today, it was announce that a Tinkerbell live-action film is in the works with actress set star in the film as well as co-producer. The film set to be called "Tink" will be co-produced by Witherspoon and here producing partner, Bruna Papandrea. Victoria Strouse will be writing the script. 

The plot of the film is unknown at this point however it will be based around the classic "Peter Pan" novel with Tinkerbell as the focus. No known date of when the film will go into production. Disney has already watched live-action films such as "Alice in Wonderland," " Maleficent," and most recently "Cinderella" this year have been huge and successful hits at the box office. Disney has previously announce live-action films for more of its classic films including "Beauty and the Beast" and "Dumbo." 

Entertainment Will be Dazzling for Disneyland's 24-Hour Party

Entertainment Will be Dazzling for Disneyland's 24-Hour Party:

We are only two days away from the big kickoff for Disneyland's Diamond Celebration with it 24-hour "Up All Night" party. Today, the Disney Parks Blog just what will be going on inside the park during the 24 hours and guests should be prepared to be dazzled.

Here is what guests can expect:

• The parks will open at 6 a.m. with countdown moments featuring some of your favorite Disney characters including Mickey and the gang in their new sparkly Diamond Celebration outfits
• Photo spots will let guests mark the hours through out the park
• Beginning at 6 p.m., guests will be able to join in at the Main Street Opera House for a sing-along screening of the Walt Disney classic, "Mary Poppins." If guests miss that opportunity the sing-along will appear again with screening at 10 p.m., 12:45 a.m., and 3:30 a.m.
• At the Tomorrowland Theater guests can catch a sneak peek of scenes from Disney's "Tomorrowland" during the day. At 10 p.m. or 3 a.m. guests can come back for a full-leghth screening of "Guardians of the Galaxy." "The Avengers" will be shown at 12:15 a.m. in the Tomorrowland Theater.
• For live music guests can head to the Tomorrowland Terrace for a band playing retro hits starting at 7 p.m. and the Royal Swing Big Band Ball in Fantasy Faire will have four sets starting at 10:30 p.m.
• The "Paint the Night" parade will be presented twice on its opening night at 8:50 p.m. and 1 a.m. while the "Disneyland Forever" fireworks will be presented at 9:30 p.m.
• After all that, you can hit the dance floor to the DJ mix at TLT Dance CLUB in Tomorrowland from 12:30 a.m. – 5 a.m., or head over to Mickey’s Toontown for a Pajama Party with your pals, starting at midnight and continuing into the wee hours of the morning.
• At Disney's California Adventure, the all new "World of Color - Celebrate!" will have 3 showings at 9 p.m., 10:15 p.m., and 3 a.m.
• At Pacific Wharf, a DJ will spice things up with a Latin dance party from 10:45 p.m. - 5 a.m.
• Guests can join the Mad T Party Band for the new Diamond Mad T Party in Hollywood Land from 8:30 p.m. - 1 a.m., and stick around as the White Rabbit DJ will keep things hopping until the morning

Tune in on Friday on both coasts as the 24-hour parties will kick off the summer in Disney Parks.

Hatbox Ghost Reappears in Disneyland's Haunted Mansion and Disney's Tomorrowland World Premier at Disneyland

I hope all the mother's out there enjoyed their Mother's Day yesterday. It was certainly an enjoyable weekend, the weather is beautiful up here in NEPA and I am only 13 days away from my Disney World vacation.

The Hatbox Ghost Reappears at Disneyland's Haunted Mansion:

On Saturday, the legendary Hatbox Ghost finally made its reappearance in the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland just two weeks away from the start of the Diamond Celebration. Guests lined up and caused long wait times just to see the legendary ghost. The Hatbox Ghost appeared during the parks opening at the attraction and then disappeared just days after the attraction opened never to be seen until finally this past Saturday. Here are two close-up photos of the Hatbox Ghost that Disney released today.

The Disney Parks Blog also along with the two photos showed off a behind the scenes video of the Hatbox Ghost from Disney Imagineering. Another video is from Attractions Magazine as their doom buggy literally stopped in front of the Hatbox Ghost in one of the first rides after the mysterious ghost reappeared. Here is the behind the scenes video from Disney Imagineering:

Here is the Attractions Magazine video from Saturday:

World Premier of Disney's Tomorrowland at Disneyland:

George Clooney, Amal Clooney, Mia Alamuddin (Amal's niece), Disney CEO Bob Iger,
and journalist Willow Bay ride the monorail at Disneyland.

After the exciting reappearance of the Hatbox Ghost in the morning, evening came and the world premier of Disney's "Tomorrowland" took place at Disneyland. The stars took to the 'blue carpet' including the star of the new film George Clooney and his wife, Amal. Disneyland was the hot spot this weekend as we fast approach the park's Disneyland's 60th Diamond Celebration and when "Tomorrowland" hits theaters on May 22. 

Among the guest list of the premier included: George Clooney, Chairman of Walt Disney Studios, Alan Horn, Chairman and CEO Bob Iger, Director Brad Bird, legendary Disney composer Richard Sherman, composer of the film Michael Giachinno, Britt Robertson, producer Damon Lindelof, Keegan -Michael Key, Hugh Laurie, Raffey Cassidy, Tim McGraw, Thomas Robinson, among many others. 

Disney's "Tomorrowland" hits theaters May 22, 2015.

Your Daily News from Around Disney 4/20/15

It's Monday and it certainly was a busy weekend with Star Wars Celebration wrapping up in Anaheim. Next years celebration will be in London. The weekend went by quickly and it seems the days are just flying by. I can't believe we are already three quarters of the way through April. Anyways lets get into your daily news from around Disney.

Live with Kelly and Michael Will be Live from Disneyland for Diamond Celebration:

"Live with Kelly and Michael" will help celebrate Disneyland's 60th anniversary with shows from Disneyland May 18-22. Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan will bring their show in which Disney hopes will boost park attendance in time for the Diamond Celebration which begins on May 22. The morning show duo will broadcast live from in front of Main Street, USA and Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Guests for the show will include Mariah Carey, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Christina Aguilera, "Tonight Show" host Jimmy Kimmel, "Scandal" star Scott Foley, and "The Middle" star Patricia Heaton. More guests will be announced at a later time. Live with Kelly and Michael will also look into the park's history as well as new attractions at the park.

"Live with Kelly and Michael" is distributed in national syndication by Disney/ABC Home Entertainment and Television Distribution. It is produced by WABC-TV in New York and airs in more than 200 markets.

Bob Iger Named One of Time Magazine's Most Influential People:

Disney CEO Bob Iger has been named to Time Magazine's Top 100 Most Influential People. As written by Rupert Murdoch, Iger is described as a mogul mouseketeer. It says that Iger could have been haunted by the past but has instead created a powerhouse for Disney's future by diversifying the portfolio and not traducing the tradition of Disney. Murdoch continues that instead of being like many of the Hollywood "characters," "Bob is thoughtful leader and earnest individual, decent and dignified, farsighted and focused."

It goes on to talk about how the business of Disney is family whether it be through its family of networks, its movies, theme parks, shows on Broadway, and cruises. Murdoch also writes how ESPN is a juggernaut as a part of the Disney family and business. He writes how Hollywood balked at the idea that Iger spent $15 million on Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm. In turn the transactions turned into brilliant investments that have kept Disney out in front. Murdoch ends with this, "Under Bob, Disney is hardly Frozen in time." 

Disney Releases Further Details on Disneyland's 60th Diamond Celebration

Today, Disney released further details on Disneyland's 60th Diamond Celebration which is set to begin May 22nd. The new details included new info about entertainment, food, merchandise, and more.

Entertainment:

There have been more details that have been released about the new "Paint the Night" parade lineup. Tinkerbell will lead the parade in a magical and musical processional that is followed by a float that will be reminiscent of a giant glass drum that led the "Main Street Electrical Parade." Lightning McQueen will follow and race in with Mack who will be 54 feet long and is covered from his headlights to his tailpipe in gleaming light. Anna and Elsa will glide in on the tallest float a shimmering palace of ice and snow. Guests will also see characters from Cinderella, Rapunzel, Monsters Inc., The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Toy Story. Mickey and pals will join in for a breathtaking finale.

For the "Disneyland Forever" fireworks spectacular guests will be surrounded by timeless Disney tales from the ground all the way up to the sky. This will be all thanks to the largest installation of projection mapping technology in a Disney park and surprising special effects. Scenes will include the Pride Lands from the "Lion King," dancing with King Louie from the "The Jungle Book," going under the seas with Ariel and "The Little Mermaid," flying over London with Peter Pan, dripping in honey with Winnie the Pooh, the heffalumps, and woozles, or quivering with Queen Elsa as she blankets Disneyland with snow. Guest will also be treated to Finding Nemo and the Tank Gang over the Matterhorn mountain as it is transformed into Mt. Wannahockaloogie. Disney will roll out new "Made with Magic" merchandise for the night time fun including a souvenir sipper, new ear hats, a magic wand, and a paint brush that debuted with the "Paint the Night" parade in Hong Kong Disneyland.

"Made with Magic" Paint Brush

Mickey and friends will be dressed in new sparkling diamond attire as the march up Main Street, USA in the new Diamond March-Along. The Dapper Dans will invite guests in sing-a-longs in the Diamond Sing-Alongs and the Straw Hatters band will encourage guests to join in Diamond Dance-Alongs. At California Adventure, guest will be able to Dream Along with Mickey and Red Car News Boys. Mickey will share a new song on his vision for the Happiest Place on Earth. The Mad T Party will return in the new Diamond Mad T Party. 

New Merchandise to Debut:

Over 500 new items will debut for the Diamond Celebration will include new headwear like the Diamond Celebration ear hat, a Minnie Mouse rhinestone-embellished headband, and youth and adult baseball hats. Also being debuted will be a crystal-encrusted Minnie Mouse headband and Mickey Mouse ear hat. New home decor items will include snow globes, photo frames, mugs, a dinner plate, desert plate, trivet, napkins, drinkware, bottle topper, beach towel, throws, and pillows. Toys will include a fashion doll, a Diamond Celebration truck hauler, train set, playing cards, puzzles, a new Sleeping Beauty Castle playset in honor of the anniversary, and much more. Open and limited edition pins, trading accessories, boxed and framed pin sets, and a limited edition crystal-embellished Vinylmation.

New arts and collectibles will include new releases by brands such as Precious Moments, Lenox, Highland Mint, and Arribas Bros. Over the course of the celebration, new artwork will be released by Dave Avanzino, Disney Design Group (Costa Alavezos, Tyler Dumas, Susan Fey, Caley Hicks, Alex Maher, and Randy Noble), Liana Hee, Ink & Paint artists, Brian Jowers, Lisa Keene, Jerod Maruyama, Kurt Raymond, Tim Rogerson, SHAG, Javier Soto and the Thomas Kinkade Studios, Greg Visintainer, and many more.

Food and Beverage:

• Special Diamond Celebration Cupcakes will be found at the Jolly Holiday Bakery Café (lemon flavored) in Disneyland and the Fiddler, Fifer and Practical Café (orange flavored) in Disney California Adventure.
• Appropriately sparkling for the Diamond Celebration, a Pomegranate Silver Sparkler, topped with lemon-lime foam and garnished with silver flakes, will be served at the Jolly Holiday Bakery Café on Main Street, U.S.A., in Disneyland.
• At the Lucky Fortune Cookery in Disney California Adventure, a special Lucky Fortune Tea will feature mango, pineapple and passion fruit flavoring.
• Exotic new Diamond Celebration beverages will also be available at Disneyland Resort hotel locations: a Longboard Lemonade at the PCH Grill in Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel, and a Wild Raspberry Rapids Lemonade at White Water Snacks in Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa.
• Diamond Celebration Crisped Rice Treats, Caramel Corn and Cotton Candy will be available at select locations in the parks.

Tune in for more details of Disneyland's Diamond Celebration that begins May 22, 2015. 

Disneyland's 60th Celebration

Tonight Disneyland revealed its plans for it's 60th anniversary. Walt Disney Parks & Resorts chairman Tom Staggs took the stage to unveil them. The celebration will officially begin May 22, 2015. In entertainment, the celebration will begin with a new World of Color show called World of Color - Celebrate! The Wonderful World of Walt Disney.

Also Paint the Night Parade will begin May 22 with new floats, vibrant costumes and over 1.5 million  LED lights. Here is a brief description released by the Disney Parks Blog:

Mickey Mouse uses his vivid imagination to harness the power of Tinker Bell’s pixie dust and “Paint the Night” in Disney dreams, bringing to light beloved characters and stories from “Monsters, Inc.,” “Cars,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Toy Story,” “Frozen” and more.

A new fireworks display will also begin on the 22nd called Disneyland Forever. It will include projection mapping technology with two new songs one of them by famous Disney songwriter, Richard Sherman.

That is it for the announcement for tonight. Stay tuned for future announcements for Disneyland's 60th Diamond Celebration. Here is preview of Sleeping Beauty Castle with its diamond overlay for the celebration.

All photos courtesy of the Walt Disney Corporation and the Disney Parks Blog.