Christmas Offerings for Tokyo Disney Resort, Disney Junior's "Goldie & Bear" Set to Premier on Watch Disney Junior, and More

Christmas Offerings Announced for Tokyo Disney Resort:

This year at the Tokyo Disney Resort, they will be offering some new and exciting offerings this holiday season from November 9 through December 25.There will be a variety of offerings at Tokyo Disneyland Park, Tokyo DisneySea Park, and their 3 hotels.

At Tokyo Disneyland, families will be able to enjoy a "Christmas Fantasy" celebration with a theme this year of "Christmas Storybooks." The new afternoon Christmas parade will be called "Disney Christmas Stories" will bring life to Disney Christmas stories. There also will be pop-up Christmas storybooks and other decorations around the parks that will depict your favorite Disney characters celebrating the holidays.

At Tokyo DisneySea, they will celebrate "Christmas Wishes" with a new entertainment offering called "A Perfect Christmas." It will feature your favorite Disney characters sharing their dreams of Christmas. At night, the "Colors of Christmas" will return this year with its fantastically shining Christmas trees floating on the harbors. 

The signature Christmas tree will be decorated with snow crystals and will appear in front of the ocean liner, the S.S. Columbia. The Cape Cod area of the park will feature a tree decorated by Duffy, ShellieMay, and Gelatoni. The "Snow Crystal Illumination" in Waterfront Park at American Waterfront and "Fiesta De La Luz" (festival of lights) at Lost River Delta will light the park up at night. 

Disney Junior's "Goldie & Bear" Set to Premier on the WATCH Disney Junior App:

Disney Junior fans can get excited for the new series "Goldie & Bear" is set to premiere on September 12 on the WATCH Disney Junior App. They will premiere the first six episodes on the app every Monday through October 12. The animated series will premier on the Disney Channel in November. 

The show will be set in the magical world of Fairy Tale Forest and will focus on kids ages 2-7. It will reunite Goldie and Bear after the renowned porridge incident in the classic fairytale, "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." Each episode will have two 11-minute stories that shows off the new and unexpected friendship of the between Goldie and Bear, as they seek out fun and adventure along with their friends and neighbors, all of whom are drawn from classic storybook characters. 

"Goldie and Bear" stars Natalie Lander (The Middle) as Goldie and Georgie Kidder (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) as Bear. Recurring guest stars of the series will be Lesley Nicol (Downton Abbey) as Fairy Godmother, Isabella Day (Cristela) as little witch Rosie, Debbie Ryan (Jessie) as Thumbelina, and Miles Brown and Marsai Martin (black-ish) as Jack & Jill. "Goldie & Bear" is co-executive produced by Jorge Aguirre and Chris Gilligan (Frankenweenie) is executive producer and director. Joe Ansolabehere (Recess) is the story editor and Rob Cantor from the band Tally Hall is the songwriter. 

Sign Removed from Magic of Disney Animation at Disney's Hollywood Studios:

Guests today at Hollywood Studios noticed the Magic of Disney Animation Sign in front of the former attraction is now gone. The picture about is credit to Kristen from @Schmoofy on Twitter. The former Magic of Disney Animation building is supposedly set to become the new Star Wars Launch Bay that was announced at this past weekend's D23 EXPO. 

Star Wars Launch Bay is set to open at some point later this year. 

Star Wars Land is Practically Confirmed, Ice Palace Boutique Opening Today, Final Part of Magic of Disney Animation to Close

Star Wars Land is Practically Confirmed:

We are just waiting for the big announcement on Star Wars Land at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Yesterday, Theme Park Insider wrote in an article according to multiple of their sources, Disney has selected a contractor to build the long rumored Star Wars Land at Disney's Hollywood Studios. We have been saying for months that the announcement will be at next month's D23 EXPO beginning August 14. No announcement has be made official by Disney however.

In a direct quote from Theme Park Insider, "Still, when a theme park gets to the point of hiring outside construction help, that means the project is a go and shovels are ready to hit the ground. Fans should expect visible construction work to begin on Star Wars Land in the park not long after the official announcement, unlike the Avatar project, where designs weren't completed and a contractor wasn't hired for a few years after Disney's official announcement of the land." 

They also had a note that Star Wars Land for Disneyland will be a bit behind what is set to be built at Hollywood Studios and may not be ready to open until a year after it opens in Disney World. The only think I have that possibly could debunk the sources is that Disney just announced the return of Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights for the holiday season in the Streets of America. That area is a large part of the rumored area where Star Wars Land would go. 

As was said earlier no formal announcement has been made by Disney for Star Wars Land and we all will be eagerly awaiting this year's D23 EXPO that starts in less than 3 weeks. Stay tuned as the long rumored Star Wars Land at Disney Parks  develops into more than just a rumor and finally becomes a reality.

Ice Palace Boutique Set to Open Today at Disney's Hollywood Studios:

The Ice Palace Boutique that was confirmed just over a week ago for Frozen Summer Fun at Hollywood Studios is set to open today. It will be located across from the ABC Commissary on Commissary Lane. The wintry palace boutique is for guests 3-12 as they prepare for Coronation Day as they are magically transformed into Queen Elsa or Princess Anna. There are three packages available ranging from $75 for the cheapest package and $240 for the premium package. The Ice Palace Boutique Package and the Ice Palace Boutique Deluxe Package is up to 6 guests including the child getting the magical transformation.

The Animation Gallery Story Set to Close August 23rd:

The Animation Gallery Store the final part of the The Magic of Disney Animation at Disney's Hollywood Studios has a closing date of August 23. The rest of The Magic of Disney Animation closed earlier this month on July 12th. 

Disney Interactive at D23 EXPO, Rumors Swirling at Hollywood Studios, Update on Food & Wine, and More

Disney Interactive at D23 EXPO:

We are just a little over a month away from the much anticipated D23 EXPO. Today, Disney Interactive announced it will have a huge presence at the expo next month August 14-16. It will feature the biggest Star Wars and Disney video games in a special presentation in the signature 7,500 seat Hall D23 theater as well as in the Disney Interactive pavilion on the show floor.

In the Hall D23 presentation on Sunday, August 16, at 11 a.m., fans won’t want to miss never-before-seen gameplay, trailers, new reveals, and surprises from Disney Interactive’s most anticipated games. Among the games participating in the presentation are: Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition, Star Wars™ Battlefront™ from Electronic Arts, and KINGDOM HEARTS III from Square Enix. Disney Interactive will showcase more Star Wars characters and Play Sets new to Disney Infinity 3.0 Editionand provide the entire audience with limited-edition giveaways exclusively for Hall D23. Electronic Arts will give guests an in-depth look at Star Wars Battlefront, the authentic Star Wars gaming experience coming November 17. Square Enix will also bring special guests and surprises to Hall D23 to reveal new information from KINGDOM HEARTS III.

Here is what fans will see at Disney Interactive's pavilion on the show floor of the D23 EXPO which promises hands-on demos of upcoming games, innovative interactive experiences, and premium giveaways for all guests:

• Players will join forces with Star Wars, Marvel, Disney, and Disney•Pixar characters in Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition, the next chapter in the best-selling “hybrid toy/video game” series. Guests will have the chance to play some of the new Disney Infinity Play Sets, Star Wars™ Twilight of the Republic, Star Wars™ Rise Against the Empire and Disney•Pixar’s Inside Out, and the fully enhanced Toy Box mode. Pavilion guests will also be able to visit the “Only in the Toy Box” Experience. Using a new augmented reality technology, fans can step into a virtual Toy Box environment and interact alongside their favorite Disney, Disney•Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars characters found inside Disney Infinity. Disney Infinity will also be giving away thousands of pre-release Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition figures featuring popular characters from across The Walt Disney Company (while supplies last).

• Pavilion guests will also be able to live out some of their Star Wars battle fantasies by going hands-on with Star Wars 

• Fans can experience the latest arcade sensation from Disney Interactive, Lucasfilm and BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment, Star Wars™:Battle Pod™. Featuring cutting-edge, arcade-style video gameplay, Star Wars: Battle Pod brings players right into the action with a totally unique experience featuring a dome-shaped screen, air jets, and rumble seat.

• In the pavilion’s game lounge, fans can take a break from the show floor and try out the hottest mobile games including Star Wars: Commander, Frozen Free Fall and LINE: Disney Tsum Tsum.

Rumors Swirling at Hollywood Studios:

Yesterday, was the final day of the Magic of Disney Animation at Disney's Hollywood Studios. With all the rumors swirling of the impending expansion project at the park, two new rumors have surfaced of what will take place of the Magic of Disney Animation.

WDWMagic is reporting that according to multiple sources that the building will be converted to a preview center for the impending makeover project of the park. It will be much like the Blue Sky Cellar at Disneyland that operated while California Adventure was being made over. You would see models, plans, and more as the planning and construction progresses.

With this model, guests would expect many updates throughout the progress and would include exhibits of past attractions and other items of historical interest much like of what you see in One Man's Dream. If One Man's Dream were to close like rumors are saying many of those exhibits would be moved over to where Magic of Disney Animation is in what would become the preview center. 

The other rumor that surfaced is from The Disney Blog and its sources saying the Magic of Animation building will become a preview of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" along with a meet & greet. In the new building guests would get a preview of the movie opening in December. There will be behind-the-scenes details, movie props, and a meet and greet opportunity with some of the new characters from the film. It will be much like what Disney did for Maleficent, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Cinderella but kicked up a few notches.

None of this of course has been confirmed by Disney and we will be wait for official confirmation of either of these rumors if true.

Updated Details on the 20th Epcot International Food & Wine Festival:

A few weeks ago it was announced that ABC's "The Chew" would be filming at Epcot's Food & Wine Festival as well as new marketplaces expanding for the first time into Future World. Today, the Disney Parks Blog continued on the expansion of the marketplaces into Future World.

As guests walk along Future World West, the new Artistry of Wine & Cheese festival area will feature the new Cheese Studio and Wine Studio. The new Cheese Studio will be offering a cheese sampler served on an artist's palette to pair with wines. The Wine Studio will offer premium wines on tap with each keg keeping wine's fresh and hold the equivalent of 26 bottles of wine. This will eliminate the use of bottles, corks, cardboard, and paper waste. These materials are recycled at other marketplaces throughout the park.

The 20th Epcot International Food & Wine Festival opens September 25 and runs through November 16, 2015. 

Teaser Trailer and Concept Art Released for Shanghai Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean:

The Pirates of the Caribbean themed land called Treasure Cove in Shanghai Disneyland got a tease of what it will look like released. The artwork in the video is much like what has been shown in previously released images and shows to scale of what to expect on the new attraction.

Shanghai Disneyland's version of Pirates will have cutting-edge technology and be much bigger in scale compared to its counterparts in Magic Kingdom, Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris. The Shanghai Disney Resort has an announcement planned for this coming Wednesday, July 15 so stay tuned for details. You can see the teaser video on thedisneyblog.com.

Disney Consumer Products and Disney Interactive to Combine, List of Allowable Camera Accessories, and More

Disney Consumer Products and Disney Interactive to Combine into One Division:

In news breaking today Disney Consumer Products and Disney Interactive are going to combine into one single division to be named Disney Consumer Products & Interactive Media. The reasoning behind the conversion of the two divisions is increasing overlap of both consumer and interactive products. The new division will be headed by the two previous heads of the divisions, Jillian Ferraro who became president of Consumer Products back in May, and Jimmy Pitaro the current president of Disney Interactive. 

In the statement released by Disney, Disney COO Thomas Staggs stated: As technology and digital entertainment continue to evolve, a shared innovation strategy will enable this new segment to create unique and engaging products and experiences that exceed customers' expectations.

The development of Disney Interactive's Disney Infinity video game had helped the division become profitable. It operated at a $116 million profit last year, where as recently as 2011 the division had a reported $308 million loss. Disney Consumer Products unveiled its newest product earlier this month in Playmation which is a line of wearable toys that use radio waves and other technologies to interact with each other. Sales for Disney Consumer Products last year rose 12 percent to $4 billion. Now seems the perfect time for these two divisions to combine. 

Disney Releases List of Allowable Guest Camera Accessories in Time for Upcoming Ban on Selfie Sticks:

Last week it was reported that selfie sticks would be banned from all Disney Theme Parks effective tomorrow, June 30, 2015. Guests have been worried that camera accessories similar to selfie sticks would not be allowed into the park either. Here is a list released by Disney of camera accessories that are and aren't allowed into the park:

• Tripods that can be folded and stored in a reasonable size bag are allowed. Large tripods are not allowed.
• Extendable camera monopods are allowed.
• GoPro brand name body and head harnesses are allowed.
• Short, brand name GoPro handles are allowed.
• Brand name or similar style GRIP & SHOOT handles are also allowed.
• GoPro 3-way or similar style extending handles are now allowed.
• Selfie Sticks of any kind are not allowed.

More Details  The Magic of Disney Animation Closing at Hollywood Studios:

Last week it was reported on the possibility that The Magic of Disney Animation at Hollywood Studios would be closing in part of the intended massive makeover project at the park. The closing of The Magic of Disney Animation will be July 12, 2015 as reported by Cast Members. It was also discovered on the My Disney Experience app that the last day for the character meet & greets in the area would be ending on July 18, 2015. 

Although no word has been announced by Disney of the closing of any of the other attractions in the area this is just the one of many signs of the impending closing. One Man's Dream is also expected to be closing around the date of the meet & greets. 

UPDATE: With the confirmation of the closing of The Magic of Disney Animation here are some details of what will happen to the area. The Hiro and Baymax meet & greet will be ending and Minnie Mouse will be moving to the central hub of the park in front of the Chinese Theater with other characters. Mickey Mouse is moving to a new home across from the Studio Catering Company. The Animation Gallery store at the exit of the attraction will remain open until August.

It still remains unclear however if any of the parts of the attraction will be returning or if the area is destined for demolition. Rumors have not had this part of the park set for any kind of expansion of the park, but that may have changed. This is now the second major area of the park that is closing ( the other the Backlot Tour last fall) in what seems to be a major expansion of Hollywood Studios not yet announced by Disney. Tune in as this story of what could be a very large expansion to Disney's Hollywood Studios develops.

4th of July Festivities at Disney World, Dining Plan Prices for 2016, and Rumors of The Magic of Disney Animation Closing

First off I want to say I'm sorry for the lack of blogs the last few days. I decided not to post anything on Friday after a long week. Then I had the wind knocked out of me on Saturday when I woke up with a pulled muscle in my back. This completely knocked me out of doing anything the whole weekend. I tried yesterday but I just could not begin to think about sitting down to write a blog. Today I feel a little bit better after working so hopefully we will be back to our normal schedule now.

4th of July Festivities Announced for Walt Disney World:

The 4th of July is next Saturday and Walt Disney World today announced its plans for the upcoming patriotic holiday. It will be a 2-day celebration of our nation's Independence Day starting July 3 with themed souvenirs, characters adorned in festive attire, and of course fireworks bursting in the air. The patriotic firework displays will light up the sky in the evenings of July 3rd and 4th. 

On both nights at the Magic Kingdom guests will be able witness a 14-minute firework spectacular will rocket into the air above Cinderella Castle at 10 p.m. called "Disney's Celebrate America! A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky." At Disney's Hollywood Studios, the "Coolest Summer Ever" dance party will lead into the "Rockin' Fourth of July Celebration" fireworks show, a pyrotechnic, rock 'n roll trip across America, where the DJ will kick things off at 5:45 p.m. with the party going until the fireworks set off at 10:15 p.m. At Epcot Illuminations will have a special red, white, and blue finale at 9 p.m. on both nights.

Epcot will have additional fanfare on the 4th with the Voices of Liberty performing a Fourth of July concert at the America Gardens Theatre at 12:30, 1:45, and 3 p.m. as well as in the American Adventure pavilion at 4:15 and 5 p.m. The Sounds Like Summer concert series will continue at the American Gardens Theatre with "Don't Look Back - A Boston Tribute band" will have performances at 5:15, 6:30, 7:45, and 9 p.m. Special patriotic character greeting will be available throughout the day. At the Walt Disney World Resorts guests will be treated to patriotic poolside activities including Fourth of July-themed crafts and games, pool parties, and movies under the stars at select Walt Disney World resorts. 

Walt Disney World Announced Prices for it Dining Plan in 2016:

The 2016 Disney Dining Plan prices have been released and there are slight increases to all the plans. Here are the details:

• Quick Service Dining Plan: $42.77/night for adults, previously $41.99 and $17.54/night for children ages 3-9, previously $16.03
• Regular Dining Plan: $61.82/night for adults, previously $60.64, and $20.98 per child, previously $19.23
• Deluxe Dining Plan: $111.73/night for adults, previously $109.53, and $32.56 for children, previously $29.86.

Rumor: The Magic of Disney Animation to Close at Disney's Hollywood Studios:

In an article today by WDW News Today, reported a rumor that The Magic of Disney Animation is set to close at Disney's Hollywood Studios. It will be closing for major changes to the area. Rumor is that it will close in a few weeks time leaving the park without the "Mushu film," the Animation Academy, and the character meet & greets throughout the area. The Incredibles meet & greet has already been moved out and beed replaced by a Doc McStuffin's meet & greet in the Disney Junior area of the park.

In the new space the Animation Academy would return in a new and expanded space with possible multiple theaters to help with the ever-expanding guests wanting to learn how to draw. Details on the rest of the space remain unclear and sketchy the article says. Maybe Joy and Sadness from "Inside Out" will get a meet & greet in the area. The only solid information the article states is that the space will be closing very soon and that it has to do with the rumored expansion of Disney's Hollywood Studios. This will be a park-capacity change that will help handle the crowds during the periods of heavy construction.