Lin-Manuel Miranda & Alan Menken Join Forces for Live-Action "Little Mermaid", New MagicBand Prototype in Development, and More

Lin-Manuael Miranda & Alan Menken Join Forces for Live-Action "Little Mermaid":

We already have heard some of the amazing music Lin-Manuel Miranda is bringing to Disney's next animated film in "Moana." Now news has broken that Miranda and Disney Legend/iconic songwriter Alan Menken will join forces to write songs for the new live-action "Little Mermaid" that is development. Menken won 2 Oscars for the 1989 Disney animated classic sharing Best Song with Howard Ashman and winning Best Score on his own.

The songs they are working on will be a mix of pre-existing songs from the original classic as well as some new ones. Miranda is a huge fan of "The Little Mermaid" even naming his son Sebastian after the famous crab from the film. While no word on what else he will do for the film besides the music it is said they are still working on the details. He won't be writing the script but he will be supervising the story. Miranda besides this new venture with Disney will be starring in the new remake of Disney's Oscar-winning film, "Mary Poppins."

This was first reported by Deadline.

New MagicBand Prototype in Development:

Disney appears to be developing a new prototype for its MagicBands according to MagicBandCollectors.com. The new prototype as seen above was discovered in a new FCC filing by Disney. It appears to be a puck that will fit into interchangeable bands like you would see on FitBit step trackers. 

This will allow guests to keep the puck style MagicBand and interchange straps as they would like. Here is more on what they had to say on the new prototype:

"It would probably lower the cost of graphic straps for guests (because no chips would need to be embedded within each strap), and also help lower costs and IT support for Disney, as they would not need to send a new MagicBand for every trip."

There is no word on when this 2nd Generation of the MagicBand will roll out but nothing before 2017 as Disney has requested some specific information on the prototype be kept secret. The lift on the embargo is February 11, 2017. Stay tuned as we await more details on the 2nd Generation of MagicBands.

Disney PhotoPass Day Being Held This Friday at Disney Parks:

Disney last night announced the very first PhotoPass Day at Disney Parks being held this Friday, August 19. During the day guests will be able to enjoy special character experiences with rare characters, complimentary photo locations inside all Disney Parks & Disney Springs, and Participate in a Disney PhotoPass Challenge. Here are the details:

Special Character Experiences At Magic Kingdom Park & Epcot

Enjoy special character experiences at Magic Kingdom Park and Epcot, where Disney PhotoPass photographers will capture your encounter with Pinocchio, Gideon and Foulfellow in Storybook Circus from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

At Epcot, a friend or foe will join some of your favorite Disney characters around World Showcase, including Mushu and Mulan in the China Pavilion; Snow White and Dopey in the Germany Pavilion; and the Queen of Hearts, who will join Alice in the United Kingdom Pavilion. Check the My Disney Experience app or the Epcot Times Guide on August 19 for these Disney characters’ schedule.

Complimentary Photo Locations at All Disney Parks & Disney Springs

There will be one location at each of the four theme parks (and Disney Springs) at the Walt Disney World Resort and at both parks at Disneyland Resort where a Disney PhotoPass photographer will capture your special moment. That photo will be available in the My Disney Experience app at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland app at Disneyland Resort to download and share at no charge as part of the #DisneyPhotoPassDay celebration. (Normal My Disney Experience registration is required to access the image). Check out Disney’s PhotoPass Service Facebook page on Tuesday for a list of participating photo locations.

Participate in a Disney PhotoPass Challenge

Complete a Disney PhotoPass Challenge at any of our parks at the Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort to get a Disney PhotoPass photo on us. All you need to do is get your photo taken by a Disney PhotoPass Photographer at each of the designated challenge locations on August 19. Once you’ve stopped by all of the locations, visit a Disney PhotoPass Sales Center to claim your Disney PhotoPass photo. At the Walt Disney World Resort, participants will receive a voucher for one Disney PhotoPass download. Participants at Disneyland Resort will receive one 5×7 print of a Disney PhotoPass photo. Challenge locations and details will be posted on the Disney’s PhotoPass Service Facebook page on Wednesday.

If you are attending Disney PhotoPass Day share your favorite all-time favorite Disney photos on social media by using the hashtag #DisneyPhotoPassDay. 

Sara Bareilles, Rebel Wilson to Star in Little Mermaid in Concert; Meet Piper: Pixar's Newest Short-Film Hero, and More

Sara Bareilles, Rebel Wilson to Star in Little Mermaid in Concert:

Today, Disney announced that the will be taking its animated classic, "The Little Mermaid" to a live one-night concert on Saturday, June 4, 2016 at the Hollywood Bowl. The concert will star singer Sara Bareilles as Ariel, Rebel Wilson as Ursula, and many other stars as they sing classic songs from the award-winning score accompanied by a live orchestra as the film plays on the Bowl's massive screen. The event will also include a fireworks spectacular, a costume contest and more.

Also joining the cast is Tituss Burgess as Sebastion, Darren Criss as Prince Eric, Norm Lewis as King Triton, Joshua Colley as Flounder, and John Stamos as Chef Louis. That is not all as Disney Legend and Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken will appear a special guest. 

Menken thrilled to be joining the concert said, “It is such an unbelievable abundance of riches to have my score for The Little Mermaid performed by a live orchestra, with incredible guest artists at the Hollywood Bowl…From the animated film to our Broadway production to events like this one, it is just incredible to realize the emotional investment people continue to have with this musical.”

Tickets to the show will go on sale this Saturday, April 9 at 10 a.m. on ticketmaster.com.

Meet Piper: Pixar's Newest Short-Film Hero:

This adorably cute bird will debut in front of "Finding Dory" in June when the film hits theaters. Piper is about a hungry baby sandpiper learning to overcome hydrophobia. The six-minute short's inspiration came from less than a mile away from Pixar Studios in Emeryville, California as director/animator Alan Barillaro would run along the shore and see these birds fleeing from the waves then return between the waves to eat.

"Piper" will appear before "Finding Dory" when the film hits theaters June 17, 2016.

Official Details on 'Disney Early Morning Magic' in Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom:

Last week, we had some details on "Disney Early Morning Magic" in Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom, the ticketed event brings Fantasyland fun before the park even opens. Guests will in fact be able to enter into Fantasyland on select days beginning April 26 from 7:45 a.m-10 a.m. The 'Early Morning Magic' will take place on days where Magic Kingdom isn't operating on Extra Magic Hours. Here are the full details from Disney:

Fantasyland Fun Before the Park Opens

Make your Magic Kingdom morning more magical than ever with this limited-entry, first-access experience in the park.

With the purchase of regular theme park admission and a ticket to Disney Early Morning Magic, Guests of all ages can be among the first to enter Magic Kingdom park and experience a trio of famous Fantasyland attractions: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Peter Pan’s Flight!

Plus, in addition to rising with the sun for some early-morning fun, you can also get your fill of a fantastic breakfast at Pinocchio Village Haus—featuring such scrumptious breakfast fare as:

• Chilled juices, coffee and teas
• Seasonal fruit and berries
• Freshly baked pastries
• Cheese and cured meats
• Scrambled eggs with assorted toppings
• Vegetable frittata
• Smoked bacon
• Pork and turkey sausages
• Fried potatoes with caramelized onions
• Waffles with butter and syrup

Disney Early Morning Magic is a separately ticketed event taking place on select Tuesdays and Saturdays from 7:45 AM to 10:00 AM. However, the number of available tickets is very limited—be sure to buy your tickets before it’s too late!

Please note: regular theme park admission is required, in addition to a ticket for this special event.

Tickets will cost $69 for adults and $59 for children ages 3 to 9 (plus tax). This will not include regular admission to the mark as noted above. Here is more information on what you should know for the event:

• Official check-in will take place near the far left turnstiles of the Main Entrance to Magic Kingdom park beginning at 7:30 AM.
• Guests who have purchased both regular theme park admission and a special event will receive an event sticker for identification upon check-in.
• Starting at 7:45 AM, event Guests will be admitted into the park and guided into Fantasyland.
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Peter Pan’s Flight are the only attractions that will be operational during this special event.
• From 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM, breakfast will be available at Pinocchio Village Haus.
• Around 9:00 AM, the theme park will open to Guests with regular Magic Kingdom admission tickets and event-only attraction access will end.
• Please note that regular theme park admission is required for this event, in addition to a Disney Early Morning Admission ticket.
• The number of tickets for these events is limited. In addition, all tickets are non-refundable, non-transferrable and are only valid for admission during the special event date and hours.
• All attractions, entertainment and experiences are subject to change without notice.

Will be purchasing tickets for "Disney Early Morning Magic"?

2016 D23 Member Discounts Announced, 'Darkwing Duck' Coming to Disney XD, and More

2016 D23 Member Discounts Announced:

Today, D23 announced its member exclusive discounts for 2016. Discounts are on shopping, entertainment, and Disney adventures when they present their membership card or they can use special member-only online discounts.  Here are the discounts that can be enjoyed throughout the worlds of Disney:

• 15 percent off all purchases of $60 or more at DisneyStore.com and in all Disney Store locations through March 31, 2016
• A discount on VIP tickets to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens now through February 7, 2016 at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood—as well as special pricing for Lady and the Tramp and Zootopia during their 2016 runs
• Savings of 15 percent off purchases at the ABC Store online, including items from fan favorite shows such as Once Upon a Time and Scandal
• 30 percent off the beautiful Disney Princess: A Magical Pop-Up World book
• Up to 53 percent savings on Disney magazines including Disney Frozen, Disney Junior, and Marvel Super Heroes

D23 is also bringing back discounts and savings on hotels, restaurants, and stores in and around Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts:

• Discounted rates at Howard Johnson Anaheim, Carousel Inn & Suites, and the Anabella Hotel located near Disneyland Resort; as well as at Buena Vista Palace Hotel & Spa, B Resort & Spa, Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista, and Wyndham Lake Buena Vista, located near Walt Disney World Resort
• 10 percent savings on activities at Sammy Duvall’s Watersports Centre and on merchandise at CURL®by Sammy Duvall at Walt Disney World Resort
• Sweet savings at Ghirardelli Chocolate Company online, in its two Disney Parks shops, and at the El Capitan Theatre
• Dining discounts in and around Disneyland Resort, including Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen, Catal, Uva Bar, Naples, Tortilla Joe’s, and Tangerine Grill

Also D23 Members can enjoy savings on visits to the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, merchandise discounts at the Walt Disney Hometown Museum in Marceline, MO, 40% off all online purchases at H2O Plus - the luxury skincare line available at Disney Parks, 10% off purchases at RIDEMAKERZ, online and at all locations including the Disneyland 60th Anniversary RZ Rascar and Rod vehicles available in Anaheim, plus 23% off all merchandise online from SMS Audio, the official headphones of Disney. 

Complete details on all these discounts can be found at D23.com/Discounts. D23 Gold Members receive all these discounts while only some offers may be available to D23 General Members.

'Darkwing Duck' Coming to Disney XD:

Disney's "Darkwing Duck" is coming back to a tv near you, unfortunately you will have to wait until 2018. Disney yesterday announced the famous crime-fighting duck will be making his return to Disney XD.

In the release Disney XD said, "Our new series will bring that same energy and bumbling crime-fighting spirit that fans have come to love about Darkwing Duck. We're also going to add a gritty look that this generation of kids love. It's our goal that fans of old and new will enjoy the new Darkwing Duck."

So who's excited to see Darkwing Duck back to battling on your television. 2018 can't get here soon enough.

Check Out This Year's Princess Half Marathon Weekend Medals:

Yesterday, the Disney Parks Blog showed us a sneak peak of this year's runDisney Princess Half Marathon Weekend medals. This year's medals are themed around Ariel and "The Little Mermaid." The event takes place next month on the weekend of February 18-21. 

Ariel, Sebastian, and Flounder are featured on this year's Disney Princess 5K.

This year's 10K medal is shell-inspired and better than a crown.

The Disney Princess Half Marathon is magical with the course running through Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom and ending at Epcot. Here is this year's medal:

When you complete the Glass Slipper Challenge by completing the 19.3 mile challenge over two days, you will receive this medal when you complete the 10K and the Half Marathon:

Finally, here's a look at all the medals for the runDisney Kids Races.

Are you attending Walt Disney World's runDisney Princess Half Marathon? Which of the medals are you most excited about?

Review of Stay at Disney's Art of Animation May 24-30, 2015

Over the last week, my family and I were in Walt Disney World where we got the chance to stay at Disney's Art of Animation for the second time since it opened just a few years ago. Previously, we had stayed in the Nemo family suites, this time we had a room in the Lion King section of the hotel. We really enjoy staying there considering all the space in the family suites even though there is only 4 of us it works out great for us. My father is handicapped so that does help the situation of all the space so here it goes for the review of our stay.

On Sunday, we arrived at Disney's Art of Animation just a little after 11 in the morning. I had previously used the online check-in, so when we got there our room was already ready despite us being there early. We had a quick lunch at the quick service restaurant Landscape of Flavors and headed to our room in building number 6 in the Lion King section, our room number was 6517. In Disney's Art of Animation family suites consist of 3 rooms, 2 bathrooms, and a kitchenette. Here are some views of inside the room.

It definitely felt like we were in the pride lands, the Disney Imagineers really did a great job with this resort. My parents took the main room with the walk-in shower, my sister took the murphy bed, and finally I took the couch that turns into a double-size bed. 

The stay in the room was quite wonderful except for one thing. On Thursday night while my father was taking a shower, the shower backed up and flooded the bathroom and part of the main room with water. We called the front desk where they sent two wonderful cast members from room cleaning stepped in one brought a shop vac and got rid of the water almost 2 gallons and the other discovered hair clogging the drainer. The only complaint I had was if we couldn't stay in the room there were no other rooms available that would be accessible to my dad. We only had 2 nights left so it would have been pointless to switch hotels and hard to move everything with my father. Anyways, the cast member, Richard, who had vacuumed up all the water brought a fan to dry out the rest of the dampness in the room. He said we should have no problem staying the room for the remaining two nights of our stay.

There are three pools at Disney's Art of Animation: the main pool "The Big Blue Pool" in the Nemo section, The Cozy Cone Pool in the Cars section, and the Flippin' Fins Pool in the Mermaid section. There is no pool in the Lion King section of the resort. The "Big Blue Pool" is the largest hotel pool on Walt Disney World Resort property. It contains over 308,527 gallons of water. We went to the pool twice on our stay and it is one of my favorite pools on property and ranks right up there with the pool at the Polynesian. This pool is a zero-entry pool that when you go underwater you hear music from your favorite Disney classics. Here are some views of the pools at Disney's Art of Animation:

Now to finish up the review here are some of my favorite photos from around the resort. It was a great week overall and went by so fast. Tune in the week and next week where I will review what went on in the parks during my stay. I sure hope I can get back to Disney World real soon.

Disney's Art of Animation Resort is a beautiful Value Resort at Walt Disney World with all the feels of a deluxe resort. That's it for today, back to normal tomorrow with news from around Disney.