A Few Disney News Bites

Hello everyone!  There are a number of little Junior News stories about Disney from the past week or two, so I’m going to toss them at you and ask: what are you most excited for?

1: The Jingle Cruise!

Disneyland and Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom will both be giving a holiday makeover to the classic Adventureland attraction, The Jungle Cruise. The holiday theming will begin “in early November”, so presumably sometime in the next week or two?  From Disney’s description:

In this new seasonal storyline of the attraction, the Skippers have grown homesick for the holidays, so they’ve added holiday cheer to the Jungle Cruise queue and boathouse with decorations that have been mailed to them from home (plus a few they’ve created themselves). The Skippers have also added a slew of new jokes to their tours that are the perfect way to get guests in the holiday spirit. Additionally, Jungle Cruise boats have been renamed with the holidays in mind, and if you listen carefully, you may hear a holiday-themed radio broadcast playing in the background.

My thoughts: I love the idea of a Jingle Cruise – I’m not sure why, I just do – but I’ve always been struck by how the Skippers on the Jungle Cruise are such smartasses. ;D  Somehow it seems weird to me that they’d be so sentimental as to get “homesick” and decorate for the holidays!  But that’s just me.  I’d still love to see this!  What do you think, are you for or against this makeover?

2: New Lounge at Hollywood Studios’s Brown Derby restaurant!

One of the nicer restaurants at Hollywood Studios, the Hollywood Brown Derby is now opening an outdoor patio lounge area for guests.  The area is shaded with umbrellas and menu offerings include beverages (alcohol included), small bites – that’s “fine dining” for appetizers – and some really luscious desserts:

Small bites are on the menu and include artisanal cheeses, charcuterie, duck confit tacos, steamed Prince Edward Island mussels, Derby Cocktail with jumbo lump blue crab, black tiger shrimp, avocado and a horseradish-tomato juice, and two Derby Sliders – a Wagyu beef slider with cognac mustard aïoli, smoked gouda cheese, bacon and avocado; and a house-made chorizo slider with chipotle mayo, manchego cheese, pickles and crispy onions.

You can also just stop for dessert, with Chocolate Three Ways (praline milk chocolate cream, crunchy ganache and orange-chocolate mousse), a banana-white chocolate toffee tower on a cocoa-almond cookie and bananas Foster, or strawberry Champagne cheesecake.

Reservations are not accepted and the lounge won’t take the Disney Dining Plan – this is important to know.  The Brown Derby is on the DDP for *meals*, but not lounge.  However, if you have Tables In Wonderland, it applies!

My thoughts: I’m boring and I don’t go to lounges. I should! but I don’t.  I’m a park commando most of the time, because I need to fill up on Disney experiences while I’m there. Then I think of all the things I missed once I’m back home. 😉

3: Reimagined Disney Magic!

Image (c) The Walt Disney Co./Disney Cruise Line

The Disney Magic has been relaunched (cautiously!) with new sailings out of Miami, Florida.  The ship has not been just refurbished, but reimagined, with new spaces and activities and experiences all over the place.  Among the most exciting are the AquaDunk, a water ride that begins with a VERY sudden drop – the floor opens beneath you! – and the Avengers Experience, a kids’ section of the boat with activities and Marvel Comics characters such as a Captain America meet & greet!

My thoughts: They had me at “Cruise ship”. 🙂

So?  What are you most excited about?  Are there any that inspire a yawn and a pass?  Leave a comment and let me know!

The Return of the Hat Box Ghost

As a long-time Haunted Mansion fan, I’m familiar with the Hat Box Ghost, though of course I’ve never actually seen him in the ride.  This friendly fella was among the original 999 Happy Haunts of the Haunted Mansion, with a decidedly spooky trick, wherein the head on his shoulders vanished and reappeared inside the hatbox he held.  Unfortunately, technical limitations – well – limited his use.  They just couldn’t quite get him working right, so shortly after the HM opened, Hatbox Harold (I made that name up just now) was retired.

 

I don’t know where ghosts retiring from the Haunted Mansion would go. I always figured the Haunted Mansion was where ghosts went upon retirement.  Y’know, for the party!

Image source: http://www.flickriver.com/photos/29883059@N05/4669506928/

Anyway, Hatty has such a great, off-putting design that he’s retained a good deal of popularity among HM fans over the years, in spite of his abruptly shortened afterlife-span; you can learn more about him at various websites like DoomBuggies.com, Wikipedia.org, and so forth.  Fans have been hoping he’d make a triumphant return to the Haunted Mansion for years now… and there have recently been hints that maybe he just might. 😀

 

Hint #1: The emergence of Hatty Harold (Rebecca! Stop making up names for canon Disney characters!) on a variety of Disney merchandise, including this really wicked awesome t-shirt!  Need a Christmas gift idea for me?  I’m linking on purpose, guys. 😉  No, but seriously, with a new Haunted Mansion movie in the rumour mill, Disney is cashing in on some new HM merchandise and I have NO complaints about that.  The inclusion of the Hat Box Ghost might just be a nod to dedicated fans, but maybe it’s a suggestion that he may soon play a bigger role in the Haunted Mansion?

 

Hint #2: Hat Box Ghost is at D23 2013!!  Hatty made it to the Expo!  Touringplans.com reports on their blog that Hatty is appearing in the “Journey Into Imagineering” pavilion at the Expo.  Now, this could easily be done as a relic, something that they designed years ago and didn’t quite work out and they’re showing it since they have it.  Right?  Except that’s not the case.  According to Touringplans.com’s, article, this is a modern recreation of the Hat Box Ghost animatronic.  He’s not holding the Hat Box, but in the promotional video for this pavilion, the speaker says that this is a showcase of “what they are working on” as well as some of their “greatest hits”, and the Hat Box Ghost animatronic is described – somewhat awkwardly – as something that “could have been created for the Haunted Mansion”.  Hmmmm…?  It’s statements like that which make us stop and give pause. 😉

 

So I don’t know about you, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this is the start of a great big, beautiful tomorrow for Hatbox Harold.  Whose name is not actually Harold, I remind you for the third time.

Limited Time Magic: April Fools?

Well hi folks. 🙂 I missed last week’s update on new Limited Time Magic – last week was just rough for my schedule! – and I’m a tiny bit late with today’s, but I don’t think anyone minds, because I’m reasonably sure no one reads the LTM posts I put up. But I do! (Wait, I read my own posts? Eh, sure why not.)

To catch up, there are several new things to cover both at Disneyland and Disney World, some for the month of April and some more limited than 30 days.

I’ll start with the hats.

The hats kind of make me wonder, Is this an April Fools joke or something? DL and WDW each have their own unique hat for the month of April. What

Now I’m hungry. (Image (c) The Walt Disney Co.)

follows now is purely MY opinion and yours might vary, but here we go. This is NOT just because I’m biased in favour of WDW, honest!

I think WDW’s strawberry ear hats are adorable. I don’t normally buy ear hats but I’m really tempted to try and grab a pair of these somehow. Except you can ONLY buy them at Epcot and I don’t think I can drive that far in an evening to pick up a pair. *G*

Good lord. What. (Image (c) The Walt Disney Co.)

DL’s Cozy Cone hats on the other hand… Okay. Well. Look, I know when we were kids (including 30-year-and-older kids) we always wanted to pick up traffic cones and put them on our heads. (I’m almost sure that wasn’t just me. Help me out here.) But… would I actually BUY a hat for this purpose? On the other hand, would my children want to? Probably. So I guess I’ve answered my own misgivings. I still think they’re – to put it politely – ugly and clunky as heck. Okay, I’ll admit it, that wasn’t politely. 🙂 These are found only at Sarge’s Surplus Hut in Disney’s California Adventure.

Second – the more limited-time events! Firstly I notice that they’re advertising the WDW summer room discounts as Limited Time Magic. I think that’s a bit of a stretch, to be honest, but I guess you could technically apply the term; the discounts are available for a limited time, and a trip to WDW is magical, so it all works! (Hey – psst – did you know that a travel agent can work these room discounts to your best advantage? Do you know anyone who is a travel agent? YES YOU DO! It’s me! I’ve saved more than one client money they didn’t know they could save with this room discount, and my magic is not limited time only! …Aaaaand, done.)

The REAL Limited Time Magic, for the week of April 8-14:

– At WDW, you can “Go Vintage at the Disney Truck Shop”. I don’t know what this means either, so here is the description on the site:

For one week only, the Disney Truck Shop will be parked along the Downtown Disney Westside route at Walt Disney World Resort, offering you the chance to pick up a limited release vintage-style tee. Available while supplies last, the tee has been inspired by the design and logo of the Disney Parks newest shop on wheels. So cruise over for this Limited Time Magic offer, and pick up some of your favorite souvenirs too—this is one ride you can’t afford to miss!

My take: cheat. You have a week to buy a vintage tee-shirt? That’s it? CHEAT. No wonder they put up the Summer room discounts as LTM too, to try to cover for that lame LTM. There were no ideas this week apparently.

– It’s especially lame when you find out that Disneyland is doing its version of WDW’s more-popular-than-expected Long-Lost Friends Week from 4/8-4/14. They’re keeping the exact possibilities on the down-low, but hopefully the voting from a couple of weeks ago will prove fruitful; here is the write-up:

Some rarely seen Characters are stepping back into the spotlight, but only for a limited time! During Long Lost Friends week, Characters you picked in an online poll will make appearances at Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree in Frontierland, where you’ll have the chance to get up-close and enjoy photo opportunities. You could meet Robin Hood, Ludwig Von Drake… even the Three Little Pigs! Visit Disneyland Park to find out, and be sure to sample some long-lost favorite foods too, including Monte Cristo Strips and Zany Cotton Candy!

WHAT are Monte Cristo Strips? Someone mail me some!

So obviously I saved the best for last. If you are going to a Disney Park this week, apparently you win on events if you go to Disneyland, but you lose on hats. (From my perspective anyway.) I’d still pick the long-lost friends over the strawberry ear hat and the “Truck Shop” tee, though.

Join us next week for another installment of “Limited Time Magic: Will It Be Good This Time?”

Limited Time Magic: Spring Fling!

Spring Fling with the Bunnies, Easter and Mrs. Easter! Image (c) The Walt Disney Co.

Next week’s Limited Time Magic is still looking ahead to Easter and the start of Spring, with a week’s worth of Spring Fling activities!

This spring, things get hoppin’ at Walt Disney World Resort when Mr. and Mrs. Easter Bunny come to visit. Delight in an array of family-friendly festivities, from egg hunts to season-themed processions to greetings with the floppy-eared couple—and more! Valid theme park admission is required.

Running from Monday, March 25 until Sunday, March 31, both WDW and DL are offering a variety of Spring activities at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot to add some fling to your spring. (see what I did there?)  At WDW, you can meet the Easter Bunny and his wife at the Magic Kingdom, or see them in a springtime procession before the Celebrate a Dream Come True parade each day; at Epcot you can see Mr. and Mrs. Easter Bunny at the UK pavilion (because… they’re English!? uh, okay), hunt for easter eggs and run relay races; and they’ve got special rabbit-themed accessories including Oswald ear hats.

I’m just going to repeat that, okay? OSWALD. The LUCKY RABBIT. EAR HATS.  You can find them at MouseGear in Epcot, while supplies last.

EAR. HAT. Image (c) the Walt Disney Co.

At Disneyland, Mr. and Mrs. Bunny will be appearing on Main Street as well as in a Bunny Hop dance with Mickey, Minnie, and the Dapper Dans; the Easter Egg Hunt will take place at Disney California Adventure, with the Wilderness Explorer Egg Hunt in Redwood Creek Challenge Trail.  If you find the eggs you win a badge!

The Oswald Ear Hats are available at Oswald’s Service Station in DCA.

So.  Reaction paragraph time!  I like the sound of this and I’d have a good time doing this with my kids.  I wish they’d have more events like this each week instead of waiting for, you know, “occasions” to pull these things out for.  As far as I’m concerned this is the kind of thing that LTM is about, getting to have an experience that you can’t plan too far ahead for, but that is a little extra added fun.

I find it interesting that from the descriptions, Disneyland has a slightly better experience offered.  Getting a badge for the egg hunt? Pretty cool!

New Disneyland Hotel Offer for Spring 2013!

This is the pinkest castle I will ever love.

It’s not very often that Disneyland extends travel offers. Unlike Walt Disney World, Disneyland tends to have a thriving day-trip local base which doesn’t rely too heavily on vacationers making a home at their resorts. As a result, they don’t usually offer the same kinds of hotel discounts or package deals as Disney usually cooks up throughout the year.

But for travel in April and May, Disneyland Resort is offering up a pretty spiffy special; if you book between now and April 27 for most stays between April 7 and May 22, you can save up to 20% per night Sunday-Thursday, and up to 15% per night on Fridays and Saturdays! This deal requires at least a two-night stay. You can add tickets and Character dining and make it into a package, and keep the room discount!

There are little fine-printy things involved; one thing to know up front is that this offer isn’t good on suites, and it can’t be applied to previously-booked rooms. This means that if you had a reservation you’ll have to cancel it and make a new one to get the savings. The offer doesn’t include taxes or hotel fees; there’s a limit of two rooms per party, and five people per room.

Also, understanding the timing of what dates are covered and how can be tricky, so this is how it works: book anytime between right now (RIGHT THIS VERY SECOND!! …Sorry, feeling silly) and April 27, for stays beginning no sooner than April 7 through May 22, 2013. This doesn’t mean that the discount itself ends on May 22, though – that is done on May 24. If your stay begins on May 22 or earlier, you can stay with the room discount through May 24. If, however, your stay begins on May 23, there is no discount. (Remember – two nights minimum stay.)

Wondering what, exactly, are the benefits of staying at the Disneyland hotels? Well first of all… the Disneyland hotels. 🙂 This offer is good on the Disneyland Hotel – I know, I sound like a broken record up in here – Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa, and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel. All three hotels are themed and packed with fun and luxury. In addition, by staying at a Disney hotel, you get Extra Magic Hour at a park each day, an exclusive entrance into the parks, Character Dining and wake-up calls, and a lot more.

Hope you get a chance to take advantage of this! If you do, tell me how it went!

Limited Trolley Magic!

To kick off the first month of Spring – even though it actually doesn’t start officially until the end of March – Disney World has not just one but TWO Limited Time Magic events taking up …. pretty much all of March.  I’m not sure yet if this is going to mean that there won’t be other weekly events, or just that they will be added on top of the ones they’re announcing today.

 

In any case, the first – beginning today, March 1, and running through March 31 – is a kickoff for Disney’s new beauty products line, Beautifully Disney.

Mirror, mirror, something or other… logo (c) Disney

I’m kind of on the fence about that logo, it’s very dramatic, but… aren’t we supposed to side AGAINST the Evil Queen?  What, it’s okay to emulate her if you’re into makeup because she’s really beautiful?  Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great LOOK, but it kind of ignores how they’ve branded the whole Evil Stepmother Thing all these years.  I’m digressing, though.  The celebration of the makeup launch will include a special event tomorrow on either coast – it’s at Tren-D in Downtown Disney FL, and Vault28 in Downtown Disney California – where you can get a complimentary makeover.   I would want to look like Ariel, thank you!

Because she’s gorgeous, is why.

More enticing to me, beginning on Sunday March 3 Walt Disney World will be celebrating SPRING! with a Main Street Trolley show!

The citizens of Main Street, U.S.A. in Magic Kingdom park are bursting with excitement now that spring is in the air. Dressed to the nines in bright pastels and with a few new songs in their hearts, they arrive in town on a horse-drawn trolley adorned with colorful bouquets of flowers and ribbons. Put a little spring in your step and join in the celebration—another part of Limited Time Magic at Walt Disney World Resort.

Every time I’ve been on Main Street, the times when the performers come out and sing are always among my favourite moments.  I have to say because of that, I don’t consider this “Special” – it’s just an update to their show – but it’s nice, regardless, to know they still care. 🙂

 

Disneyland this week, in addition to being Beautifully Disney, is showcasing an Oz Exhibit in Downtown Disney:

Follow the yellow brick road to WonderGround Gallery in the Downtown Disney District for a limited-time event celebrating the release of the Walt Disney Studios fantastical adventure Oz The Great And Powerful. The gallery will showcase Oz-themed artwork—as well as costumes and props from the film, like Glinda’s gown and accessories.

I think it’s really interesting that the Oz promotions have been so thick over in CA, and much less so in FL.  It is because of the proximity to Hollywood?  You’d really expect that Hollywood Studios would be hyping that movie a bit more, but nope.  Too American, maybe?  WDW’s promotions seem to be trying for a wider, non-US-centric audience base.  Who knows?

Hidden Kitties: the Feral Cats of Disneyland

So. You’re a top entertainment destination spot and one of the symbols of what is unquestionably among the main giants of the corporate/media world. (Yes, you’re a thing, not a person. Bear with me here.)

And you’re infested with feral cats.

Not this kind. Probably.

What do you do?

If you’re Disneyland, as all entertainment destinations/symbols of corporate/media giants aspire to be, you seize the opportunity and turn this around into a good thing.

In short, ever heard that urban legend that Disneyland is crawling with unseen, feral cats that come out after dark? Totally true. There are over 200 of them, rarely seen by guests as they avoid people. Disney has set up five feeding stations, well away from cast members and guests, and the cats spend most of the day at these locations; at night they’re released into the parks where they do their hunting.

Also, the nightly concerts.  These are hard-ticket events only.

What’s really interesting about it is that Disney on the whole cares for these animals.  They do not domesticate them and even avoid much human contact with them to avoid them becoming used to humans – but they do TNR, or trap-neuter-release, and they provide shots and even have adoption programs for the kittens.  In fact, they’re lauded for this.  These cats are better cared for than some humans.  Of course keeping them responsibly benefits Disney – it keeps the cat population from dangerously outnumbering the pests they’re being kept to control, keeps down the threat of disease, and gets a little free labour into the picture too.

I mean it’s not as if they went out and adopted these cats; they’d have to do something about them anyway, and being Disney I’m sure they weighed their options pretty soundly and picked the one that had the best cost-to-benefit ratio.  That it’s a humane and responsible option is a PR benefit. 😉

There’s no word on what these cats do on nights when the park stays open super-late or has a themed party.  Of course I’m sure they’d blend right in.

There’s a pretty neat collection of images of the hard-to-find Hidden Kitties of Disneyland out there.  Random cats, just walking along a landscaped area or nestled in a train track.  I wouldn’t go looking for them though – “feral” is a pretty scary word and feral cats live up to it.

I must say, I think my favourite part of this whole story is the part where they found 100 feral cats (and their fleas) living in the unused portion of Sleeping Beauty Castle.  That reminds me of something out of a horror movie.  “Just – need to – move this board aside – almost… there!  G-Good LORD!  Look at them all!” *HISSSSS!*

Oh, who am I kidding, it was Disney.  It was probably more like “Wow, it sure is spooky in this basement!  Wh-what was that noise?!”  And they shine the light in and it’s:

And then they all go “AWWWW!”

Thanks to Mickey Mutineers for the topic suggestion.  This is my 50th post, y’all! 😀  I don’t know about you, but I love to celebrate meaningless milestones!

Limited Time Magic: Dapper Boys?

Well, I spent some time hunting around last night to find out the next Limited Time Magic event that will be starting this Monday, 2/25.  And… it was hard to find advance word!  All I got were rumours, which meant it was being played pretty close to the chest, which meant essentially that it’s not meant to drive attendance to the parks so it’s going to be pretty small.  This morning the rumours were confirmed, and here is what we’ve got:

The Dapper Dans tip their hats to a new kind of music that they discovered while “strolling through the park one day.” Watch for this winsome quartet and their all-new medley that will have “Everybody” seeing “What Makes You Beautiful.” But they won’t be saying “Bye Bye Bye” to barbershop completely—after all, the Dapper Dans are the “Original Boy Band.” Part of Limited Time Magic, this musical time warp is a can’t-miss experience at Magic Kingdom park in Florida.

The Dapper Dans at Disneyland. Hey, that rhymes! I did not take this photo and I don’t own the rights.

So beginning on Monday and running through Sunday, March 3, get set for some videos of the Dapper Dans (who, by the way, are one of the unsung gems – you see what I did there – of Main Street USA) barbershopping their way through … Boy Band music.  So there will be some expert harmony on stuff like that.  Kind of a waste. 😉  This, by the way, is concurrent at both WDW and DL.

What do you think?  Is this a fun Limited Time Magic or just filler? I think it’s a little bit weak – easily missed and well, frankly, although I wouldn’t walk away from it if I saw it, it’s not so “magical” that I’d feel bad if I didn’t catch it.  I will say one thing though, and I am completely serious about this: Barbershop is HOT.

Disney Social Media: News Updates

Good morning! Here’s a weekly round-up of mostly-official, some-rumoured Disney News! I’m not affiliated with any of these blogs or companies, I’m just trying to provide a resource for all the news coming out each week. 😀

Disney World:

• So last week, during True Love Week, WDW hosted a number of couples for
  A Celebration of Love; here are some photos from that event, which looks to have been utterly sweet.

• The latest version of the Disney Junior Live On Stage show has opened as of 2/15 at Hollywood Studios. This version includes characters from Doc McStuffins and Sofia the First, to accompany good old Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and returning champ Jake and the Neverland Pirates. Check out official pictures here!
• In my Limited Time Magic blog post yesterday I mentioned the Land of Oz play area in Epcot. Here’s more information and a movie. I think if my kids see this we won’t be able to avoid going to Disney.
• Updates at the Magic Kingdom Park have inspired some great new merchandise you can purchase at the parks. I want that PUSH phone cover, and I don’t even have a smartphone. The Belle and Beast music box is lovely too – coming this summer so MAYBE I won’t miss it!
• Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival is part of Disney’s new Magic of Healthy Living initiative, and they are bringing out a campaign called TRYit, encouraging kids to eat diverse and healthy dishes. More information on the Disney Parks blog. I’m not sure how much luck they’ll have with the beet lollipop.

WDW News from non-Disney Sources:

• No blog to link to directly but according to @studioscentral on Twitter, Hollywood Studios is working on the turnstiles for the new MyMagic+ entrance bands. Woo technology!
• This is not official but you know, sometimes unofficial gets you the goods! Apparently Downtown Disney is slated to have a lot of parking and potential new retail added sometime soon, according to ThemeparkInsider.com.
• The Disney Princess Half Marathon is this weekend! Quick, someone get me new shoes and about six months’ worth of training so I can go too? 😛 Good luck to all runners! You are amazing!
• Okay. So in May Disney is having a Social Media Moms Celebration. And it’s invitation only. And I totally get that there are many, many, MANY better mom bloggers than me out there and that’s cool. But does anyone have any idea how you get on the radar at all? Just… wondering… 🙂

Disneyland:

• Also as I mentioned yesterday, from now until March 31 you can sneak preview “Oz the Great and Powerful” at Disneyland Park. In 4D. You know you want to.
• And to help you get over to Disneyland to do that sneak preview, for a limited time you can get a 3-day park-hopper to both Disneyland parks for just $220. That’s a savings of $30 or so. This offer is only good until 2/27 (ie one week), and has to be used for a visit before March 12. (Self-promotion: If you need any help getting a very quick booking in, I actually have experience with that and can have everything done for you within a week!)
• Back to Disney news… Here’s a list of March merchandise events at Disneyland. Some of those paintings are lovely; the Maleficent one is giving me fits. I can do without those Precious Moments dolls though. If I had one I’d be afraid I’d wake up in the middle of the night and find it staring at me from the foot of the bed. Yeesh.
• The only reason I don’t trade Disney pins is because I’m a completist, and if I started, I’d be unable to stop. It’s a horrible sickness. Do have a look at the 2013 pins coming out though.

Food News:

• I should probably count this as a blog update, but it’s so hard to keep from linkblogging everything that the Disney Food Blog posts that I’m going to split this up. News in the Disney Food World, so like, new menus at park restaurants, food reviews, new items, pictures, things like that. I can look at this stuff all DAY and I swear I’m putting on weight just from the pictures.
• For those of you who follow Disney cupcakes (this is a hobby, you know), there are two new flavours reported by the Disney Food Blog. Birthday cake and pineapple rum cream cheese.

Travel Offers:

• Via D23, there is an awesome offer for Adventures by Disney’s Backstage Magic Experience. This is a full-on tour of Hollywood and related areas in Southern California, with experiences at the Walt Disney Studios and the Jim Henson Company. Right now D23 members can get $300 off this tour if they book before March 30, for travel between now and October 18.

Limited Time Magic, February 18-24, 2013

Limited Time Magic Logo is (c) Disney Co. not by me.

Hello from the Internet!  Remember when people used to say things like “surfing the Web” or “cyberspace”?  Nobody calls the internet “the World Wide Web” anymore.  I for one am glad.

I digress!  Today marks the start of the next Limited Time Magic offerings at Walt Disney World Resort, and I am happy to report them for you here!  With a lot of emphasis on True Love Week, I have not seen as many announcements as its rather lowkey followup, which is an extended Presidents’ Day celebration.  From today, February 18, until Sunday the 24th, Voices of Liberty in Epcot will be performing a special Presidential show.  Per the LTM website:

Voices of Liberty, the a cappella group, is honoring Presidents Day for a limited time with musical performances at the America Gardens Theatre at Epcot. In this special presidential show—a Limited Time Magic experience—the Voices of Liberty will bring to life some inspirational moments from our nation’s history with impeccable 8-part harmonies accompanied by memorable quotes from American Presidents like Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. It’s an a cappella hail to the chiefs of our country!

As a side note, I’m glad Voices of Liberty are a permanent fixture at Epcot (and Disneyland as well); I was a big fan of Five For a Dollar, the a cappella group who used to perform the preshow at the “Beauty and the Beast Live On Stage” show at Hollywood Studios, and I’m sad they’re gone.  Anyhow!  If you’ve got a WDW trip coming up or just happen to live in the area, check out VoL’s tribute to American Presidents!  Then trek over to the Magic Kingdom and enjoy a showing of the Hall of Presidents, not because of any special events but just because.  It’s Presidents’ Day, y’all!

Over at Disneyland, because I do love Disneyland too even if I don’t show it as much, you get not just one but two LTM events to enjoy right now.  First, the Presidents’ Day celebration is shared on the other coast: the West Coast edition of Voices of Liberty will be giving special performances in the Main Street Opera House (did you know there was one? because I didn’t; shame on me) in Disneyland Park.  Unlike the WDW version, these performances will be on February 18 and 19th, then from the 22nd to the 24th.

To sweeten the pot over at Disneyland, you get an amazing opportunity to preview “Oz, the Great and Powerful” in 4D!  From now until March 31, the MuppetVision 3D theatre is being used to show an 8-minute preview of “Oz”, with special 4D effects built into the theatre.  (Just a note: that page I linked to says it is an Annual Passholder LTM, but that was only for 2/15.  On 2/16 the preview opened to the general public.)

Oz the Great and Powerful, do not confuse it with “Return To Oz”

Lucky Californians! I have to say, most Disney live action movies are… ahem *tactful, tactful* not my style, but most Sam Raimi movies usually are my style.  Plus I know for a fact this one has Ted Raimi in it, and I’m a Ted-spotter, so obviously I’ll have to see this. 😉  No, but in all seriousness, this does look gorgeous… and I have to say, the ad campaign has been really creative and ingenious.  Which Disney’s ad campaigns often are, must confess.  But this “preview it in the park” idea is probably the best one.

(Or maybe the Epcot Land of Oz-themed play area in their Flower & Garden Festival is the best one.  I’m genuinely torn.)