"Cars 3" Road to the Races Tour Kicks Off in Disney Springs Later This Month

Disney Pixar's "Cars 3" will begin a huge tour across the country later this month. The "Road to the Races" Tour will kick off later this month March 23-26, 2017 at the Disney Springs Marketplace. Fans of the film can get an early glimpse of the film's stars which include Lightning McQueen and newcomers Cruz Ramirez and Jackson Storm. 

Alamo Rent A Car will sponsor a giant color mural; Coppertone will encourage guests to take part in a racer pit crew tire-changing activity and a fun photo opportunity; Crest and Oral-B will pass out prizes from the Piston Cup prize wheel (I hope I win a new toothbrush!) and will offer fans the chance to create a digital postcard with Lightning McQueen; at the Dole Refueling Station, you can sample high-octane smoothies; Mattel plans to present an interactive play area; and last, but not least, NASCAR will be on hand to share the history and science behind their iconic brand.

There will also be new "Cars" merchandise, special menu items at select food & beverage locations, plus a DJ dance party with tracks that will make guests want to rev up their engines. The event at Disney Springs will be located in the former Marketplace Bus Loop area near Once Upon a Toy. It will be open to the public on Thursday, March 23 at 12:00 p.m. and will run until 7:00 p.m. that evening. On Friday, March 24, and Saturday, March 25, join the fun from 11 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. And on the final day, Sunday, March 26, guests can enjoy the experience from 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

This will kick off a 27 city tour that includes visits to:

Walt Disney World, Miami, FL, Tampa, FL, Dallas, TX, San Antonio, TX, Houston, TX, St. Louis, MO, Chicago, IL, Cleveland, OH, Pittsburgh, PA, Boston, MA, Allentown, PA, New York, NY, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, PA, Greensboro, NC, Charlotte, NC, Cincinnati, OH, Kansas City, MO, Denver, CO, Salt Lake City, UT, Phoenix, AZ, San Diego, CA, Disneyland, Los Angelas, CA, San Jose, CA, and Sonoma, CA.

For dates for each tour city visit here. Meanwhile "Cars 3" races into theaters June 16, 2017.

Force Friday Event at Disney Parks Now Free for All Guests and a Force Friday Preview:

Well everybody we are now just that much closer to "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and tomorrow even tonight will make us excited even more. That's right Force Friday is tomorrow and begins tonight at Midnight. Here is some news the previously announced Force Friday events at Disney Parks was a $50 hard-ticket event. Last night, it was announced that both events Once Upon a Toy in Disney World and World of Disney in Disneyland will now be free for all guests of all ages.

Guests who attend the midnight release event at either of the two locations will be the first to be able to purchase new Star Wars and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" themed merchandise. In addition to the two locations at Disney Parks will be releasing new merchandise only available in Disney Parks including apparel, pins, toys, retail MagicBands (only in Disney World), Vinylmation figures, and more. Purchase limits will apply. 

Force Friday Merchandise Preview:

Over the last day and a half, the Force Friday Global Unboxing event has been happening all over the world with a preview of what is being released tomorrow for tomorrow's big event. One of most popular preview's has been of the Sphero smartphone-controlled BB-8 that will sell for retail of $150. 

Here is the live unboxing of BB-8 and the new LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcon that happened live on Good Morning America this morning:

Here is just some of the other toys that were previewed in the live global toy unboxing event that was streamed on the Star Wars YouTube channel. 

This is just some of what you will see at the midnight kickoff events happening at many retail locations all over the country. Who's excited for Force Friday, I know I am!

Star Wars and Youtube Join Forces For Force Friday; Disney World and Disneyland to Hold Force Friday Events

Force Friday is just over a week away and we will finally get to see the merchandise for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. (Hint: The merchandise looks amazing, trust me I've already seen some of it, since I work in retail.) Today, Star Wars and Disney and YouTube giant Maker Studios announced plans for a global live toy boxing event for Force Friday.

The event will unfold over 18 hours in 15 cities and 12 countries, where the event will see highlights from the epic merchandise revealed in a rolling New Year's Eve style celebrating "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" featuring Maker Studios' top digital stars. LucasFilm President Kathleen Kennedy said, "Star Wars toys have always played an important role in how our fans interact with the saga. They've inspired multiple generations to relive the experience of the movies and to create new adventures all their own. These spectacular Star Wars: The Force Awakens products will continue that tradition."

The event will kickoff in Sydney, Australia on the morning of September 3 here on the east coast and travel through Asia, Europe, Canada, North America, and South America where selections of the new line will debut at each location.

The Star Wars YouTube channel will host the live stream, which kicks off with the first unboxing in Sydney, Australia at 7:45 a.m. local time on Thursday, Sept. 3 (5:45 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Sept. 2), with the grand finale at Lucasfilm in San Francisco at 8 a.m. PDT (11 a.m. EDT) on Thursday, Sept. 3. Each of the 15 locations will reveal a new product inspired by Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

The event will feature many Maker Studio stars from families like Bratayley, life hack specialists such as ExpCaseros, gamers such as AlexBy11, and Star Wars fans from around the world like Chris Pirillo. Several countries will join the event live from YouTube Spaces in Berlin, Tokyo, and London, with Anthony Carboni and Andi Gutierrez hosting the event live from the YouTube Space in Los Angeles. Here is the full global list of stars for the event:

COUNTRY	CITY	MAKER TALENT	LOCAL TIME 9/3	EDT
Australia	Sydney	Bratayley	07:45	17:45 9/2
Japan	Tokyo	Einshine	11:00	22:00 9/2
Korea	Seoul	Dollastic	12:00	23:00 9/2
Hong Kong	Hong Kong	Dante Basco	12:00	00:00 9/3
France	Paris	AyPierre	09:00	03:00 9/3
Spain	Madrid	AlexBy11	11:00	05:00 9/3
Germany	Berlin	Reyst	12:00	06:00 9/3
England	London	GamingBeaver	11:30	06:30 9/3
Brazil	Rio de Janeiro	Malena010102	08:30	07:30 9/3
USA	New York	EvanTubeHD	08:30	08:30 9/3
Canada	Toronto	Quill18	09:00	09:00 9/3
USA	Chicago	HobbyKidsTV	08:30	09:30 9/3
Mexico	Mexico City	ExpCaseros	09:30	10:30 9/3
USA	San Francisco	Chris Pirillo	08:00	11:00 9/3

Details Released For Force Friday Events at Walt Disney World and Disneyland:

Today, the Disney Parks Blog revealed that Walt Disney World and Disneyland would be having their own special merchandise ticketed-events for Force Friday beginning at 12:01 a.m. on September 4. It will take place at Once Upon a Toy in Disney Springs at Walt Disney World and the World of Disney Store in Downtown Disney at Disneyland.

Tickets to the event will include:

• The opportunity to be among the first to purchase new merchandise from Star Wars and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," including Disney Theme Park merchandise exclusives and licensed products. Purchase limits will apply.
• Amenity Gift

Tickets to the event were available beginning today, September 26, at 2 p.m. EST/ 11 a.m. PST for $50/ person only available on www.DisneyParksMerchandise.com. Tickets are limited to availability and no discounts will be applied.