Disney Christmas Day Parade Filming Dates

Big news first: I know the filming dates for the 2012 Disney-ABC Christmas Day Parade. This is an elusive event where the tickets go on sale and sell out almost immediately. This year I have an inside line on the taping; the daughter of a friend of mine is going to dance in the parade. They’re taping the last week of November/the first weekend in December. The big day should be Saturday, December 1. I couldn’t verify this information online, because Disney hasn’t posted anything official about it yet. They probably won’t until November. But I can guarantee that the … Continue reading

Exploring the New Official Disney Website

I promised a preview of the new official Disney site, and today I’m delivering. The new Disney site isn’t that different from the old one, it’s just got a sleek new redesign. The front page is less cluttered than before, and is on a bright white background rather than the previous black. I’m actually a little surprised at how plain the front page is; there are plenty of thumbnail pictures and links, but there’s nothing going on around the edges. The official Disney site is a good place to go if you’re a general Disney fan, but aren’t really sure … Continue reading

Disney on Ice 2012-2013 Season

A new year means a new group of Disney on Ice shows debuting for the public. All right, I know we’re over halfway through the year, but so many interesting things have been happening with Disney so far in 2012 that this got pushed back to the list. Plus, it’s unlikely that, given how new most of these shows are, they’re going anywhere for a while. Speaking of shows that aren’t going anywhere: Disney on Ice: 100 Years of Magic is still going strong. It started in 1999 to commemorate the Disney legacy, and although it’s sometimes toured under a … Continue reading

Fall Disney Cruise Special Offers

The Disney Parks aren’t the only Disney vacation destinations that give discounts from time to time. The Disney Cruise line has its own special offers page, so today we’ll check out the upcoming deals. One special deal was actually just announced on the official Disney Parks blog. Want to have a unique Halloween that you’ve never experienced before? Take a Disney cruise over the holiday. Cruise ships transform for Halloween (and, presumably, allow all of their passengers to wear costumes). If you travel aboard a Disney ship over Halloween, expect to find: Disney characters dressed up in special seasonal duds, … Continue reading

“Newsies” to Carry the Banner to Broadway

At the end of March “Newsies” will come to Broadway to run for 101 performances through June. “Wait,” you might say, “wasn’t ‘Newsies’ already on Broadway?” Nope, when the musical ran in fall 2011 it actually played off-Broadway at a theater in New Jersey. Thanks to its popularity, both with critics and the general public (i.e., in ticket sales), it now gets to play on the Great White Way at the Nederlander Theatre from March 29 to June 15. Previews begin on March 15. “Broadway revival” is a popular term, though it usually refers to once-famous New York shows that … Continue reading

Disney Website for New and Expecting Parents

Remember Our365? I don’t expect you do. Almost a year ago I posted about how Disney had teamed up with the organization that helps companies market to expectant parents. Our365 can actually get its partner companies’ representatives into maternity wards to try to sell their wares. For all I know either the company or its partnership is now defunct. But Disney hasn’t stopped sniffing around its coveted new market. On Monday January 17 the House of Mouse launched disneybaby.com. Disney Baby works just like other sites in the Disney Go family, although strangely its URL doesn’t contain the word “go” … Continue reading

The Gooiest Apple Awards at Disneyland

This year Disneyland’s doing something a little different for Halloween. Sure, both parks are throwing the usual parties, but this time Disneyland has a little something special for the holiday on its website. Travel over to Disneyland’s Halloween Time and see what I mean. The main focus for Halloween Time is the Disney Villains, which makes sense. The flash animation on the site rotates between each of the most popular baddies, and users can click on them to read a tidbit about the character. Then they can vote to crown their favorite with the Gooiest Apple Award. But rather than … Continue reading

Disney Youth Programs

Your kids could learn physics from a roller coaster Three times now I’ve written about special events offered by Disney World under the Disney Youth Programs division: Grad Nite/Senior Class Trip, STEP Classic, and Festival Disney. So what is Disney Youth Programs itself? Its official website doesn’t have an “about” section, but perhaps that’s because the name of the department is rather self-explanatory. Disney Youth Programs is the banner under which the Disney Parks offer a multitude of deals, discounts, and opportunities for youth groups and organizations. Youth Programs falls under four main categories: Performing Arts, Education, Celebrations, and Field … Continue reading

Disney Channel Friends for Change Games

“High School Musical” star Corbin Bleu at a prior Disney Games event In 2007 and 2008 the Disney Channel’s then-stars such as Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers competed in a series of gladiator-style games for charity. The event was filmed and called the Disney Channel Games. The Orlando Sentinel has the scoop that after a two-year break the games return in 2011, albeit with some changes. This time, in keeping with the theme “Friends for Change” that the Disney Channel’s developed for its Project Green program, the event’s called the Disney Channel Friends for Change Games. Rather than filming … Continue reading

Upcoming Disney Flicks

Because it’s the first month of the year I thought I’d take a look at some of Disney’s upcoming movies for 2011. I’m going to skip over highly anticipated films like the fourth “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Cars 2,” because I’ve posted about them before, and more general knowledge is known about them. Instead, I want to feature lower-key Disney movies, ones that are perhaps more bubbly fare than blockbuster bait, but should be enjoyable nonetheless. At the moment Disney’s got three such movies announced: “Prom,” “Mars Needs Moms,” and “Winnie the Pooh.” The first, “Prom,” is a blend … Continue reading