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| Hello everyone,
I have some character related updates for you this afternoon.
In Tokyo, our friend attended a Disneyana convention, and made a report on our forums about what he saw, which includes Mickey and Friends in their brand new 30th Anniversary outfits! I believe this is the first time they have been out for any public event, so he was very lucky to see them! I have to say, they do look better in person than what the previous artwork releases had made them appear. We'll be in Tokyo Disney Resort in May, shortly after the 30th launch, so we can't wait to see all the cool new stuff, including their brand new parade! For those interested, also in that thread are pictures of the brand new 30th merchandise, including pins.
The Disney Parks Blog has officially confirmed that the new Fantasy Faire in Disneyland will open on March 12th (less than 2 weeks away!). The Disneyland website has been updated accordingly, and now includes lots of info of what we can expect to find there! It details the new stage which will bring to life two beloved Disney stories. One will be Beauty and the Beast, and will star Belle; the other will be about Tangled, and star Flynn Rider. The website specifically says "Disney heroes and heroines". I think they are deliberately going for a Flynn oriented story for Tangled, to appeal to the boys, which will be cool. It also mentions the new Princess met 'n' greet, which sounds like it will be really detailed, and much better than the Princess meet 'n' greet in either Magic Kingdom or Paris. We'll be there in May, and can't wait to see it all!
Over in Animal Kingdom, the new Mickey and Minnie meet 'n' greet will open in "the spring", which could mean anytime soon basically! Taking over the former Beastly Bazaar store (because DAK really needs less retail...), it will literally just feature Mickey and Minnie. Donald and Daisy are apparently moving to Discovery Island where the Pooh friends currently are, and Goofy is already seen in Dinoland practically all day. Camp Minnie-Mickey is remaining as-is, less the Greeting Trails, for the time being, and you can continue to meet some critter friends and other random Disney pals, as well as watch the Lion King show. The Pooh friends are suspected to move into C M-M, maybe to Greeting Trails, but no official confirmation of that, as yet.
Limited Time Magic continues to be a bit of a flop, with the Golden Horseshoe Revue (DL) and Long Lost Friends Week (WDW) still being the best ones so far. Disneyland is yet to hold its own Long Lost Friends Week, and I have heard rumours that they want to out-do Florida, and so we might be treated to some really cool characters! Other upcoming events include Pirate Week (Jack Sparrow rumoured to appear. No date yet), Independence Week (Patriotic characters) and Friday 13th Villains Dance Party (Villains of course! September 13th).
Remember also that this new version of the site has some wonderful new features, including the ability to create your own profile and check off all the characters you have met! They'll appear on your profile in a big list! Find out how, here!
Ok, that's all for today,
Dan. |
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Hello everyone,
Not really anything too exciting sadly this week, but just a few updates regarding Limited Time Magic,the new Fantasy Faire and Valentine's Day.
As Long Lost Friends Week at the Magic Kingdom draws to a close, we heard that it has been quite a success, and that WDW are now seriously considering more events for later this year, which would be really great! Once we hear more, we'll report it of course, but so far we heard it suggested that there could be a voting system like there was for Character Fan Days at DL last year.
This week's Lost Friends line-up consisted of the Big Bad Wolf, the Three Little Pigs, Scrooge McDuck, Ludwig von Drake, Robin Hood, Friar Tuck, Prince John, the Sheriff of Nottingham, Clarabelle Cow, Horace Horsecollar, Pinocchio, Geppetto and Jiminy Cricket (don't think I missed any!).
My only problem with an otherwise really neat week, is that some of those aren't so much "long lost" as they are just harder to find - especially the Pinocchio family. Long Lost to me would be characters that have not literally been seen in years. I guess we can't have everything! I hope that their next round - when ever they decide to do it - is just as well set up, and has even better characters!
Over at Disneyland, their Limited stuff continues with the Horseshoe running until the start of February, and the Bayou Bash with the Princess and the Frog gang.
Sadly, the next offering for this coming week is nowhere near as exciting, and is instead a vote on next years merchandise logo. I try to stay positive overall normally, with balanced arguments and seeing both side, but I have to admit, I'm at a loss with this one. In the past they wouldn't have thought twice about just asking that sort of thing on Facebook or the Parks Blog anyway, so why now make it a "limited time opportunity?" Did I miss something?
Anyway, later this year we know that they plan to hold a Villains dance party event in WDW, and at Valentine's both US Resorts will feature a week long celebration with all the Princesses and their Princes.
Also, in WDW we know that the 4th July will be celebrated all week long with patriotic characters and the like, instead of just on the day, as in the past. So there are definitely some good things to come, but this week is certainly the lamest attempt so far!
Speaking of Valentine's, you may recall that earlier this week I revealed some details exclusively here on the blog about Disneyland Paris's happenings this year. Now, in addition I have discovered that the character meet 'n' greets (click the link to see details) will extend through the weekend, making Valentine's a four day event this year! The cavalcade will remain exclusively for the 14th though, sadly.
We will be there for the entire 4 days, so be rest assured we'll be updating live from the parks on Twitter and Facebook!
Jumping back to Disneyland, and someone on the DIS posted some new details about how the new Fantasy Faire will be set up. I can't guarantee the accuracy of the information of course, but it does sound like it will be quite good once finished! Nearly every Princess will be represented and new character based entertainment will be in the line up. We look forward to seeing it in May!
Finally for the parks, and actually not a Disney park for once! As you probably know, we aren't just Disney Character fans, and we do visit other parks, including the Universal ones (which we LOVE incidentally!). Technically this site is actually Character Central, meaning we cover all characters where possible, and we do have dedicated sections for non-Disney Parks. Anyway, my point was going to be that we have been adding a bunch of characters from other parks to the site increasingly often, and two we added recently were Bumblebee and Optimus Prime (Transformers) at Universal Studios Hollywood. We now know that just in the last few weeks Universal added Megatron to their line up! I thought this was really cool, and worth mentioning, as I know a lot of our fans out there also love similar things to us! We look forward to meeting him some time!
Some brief website updates now. I have been adding some new Disney Characters also, and the latest ones can be easily seen on the Recently Added list in the panel to the left of this article.
We are also working really hard to get all the character meeting information up to date across the site, though this is a massive task! I have also been updating location information, descriptions and guidebook information, as well as giving many pages brand new images. It's hard work, but we hope that you all appreciate our efforts.
We are really hoping that VERY Soon the new version of the website will be launched, and we can assure you, you will all LOVE it!
Finally, although we are now three weeks into the New Year, I thought if any of you had missed it, you might still want to check out my EPIC Year in Review for 2012. Be warned though, it is HUGE and you need some time to be able to read the whole thing! There are HUNDREDS of pictures, so you might want to make sure you're at a good computer before hitting the link!
Ok, I think that is all for now. You can discuss anything mentioned here by clicking the blue title bar above, and then scrolling down to Discuss, to leave comments on our forum.
Dan. |
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Hi all,
Just two updates today.
Following my lengthy blog about Limited Time Magic the other day, we finally got to find out what WDW's latest offering would be today.
The Disney Parks Blog announced that from January 14th through 20th, EPCOT's Canada pavilion would host 'Winter Wonderland', where you would be able to meet your favourite Disney Characters. Their example shows a picture of Donald Duck in special clothes, and I imagine other will be there too.
Given this promotions massive anticlimax so far, this is a start, I guess!
As I was writing this, the Disney Parks Blog ALSO announced Disneyland's next offering (select dates through February 12th), which, again going back to my criticism of the Limited stuff so far this year in my last blog post, is a previous years' recycled event, that they are branding as "Limited Time Magic". Sigh.
Well, nonetheless, Disneyland will be celebrating Mardi Gras again this year with the characters from The Princess and the Frog, including a cute mini-show with Tiana, Naveen and Louis, and lots of live bands. Also, look out for Mickey and the gang in their cool Mardi Gras clothes!
Over at Disneyland Paris, the rumour mill has been turning...
DLRP Express posted on Facebook an interesting picture. The old Lion King set at the Videopolis Theatre is being disassembled this evening! Although the show has been gone for years, the set of the old Lion King show has always been there, not really doing anyone harm, but not being very useful either.
Disney being Disney, and with money being tight, I can only imagine that they have plans for the stage, rather than fruitlessly wasting time taking all the set down. I can dream, right?...
Ok, that's all for now.
Dan. |
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Hello!
It has sadly been a long time since I really had chance to update the blog properly with any real updates. Actually, there hasn't really been any good character news for a long time, either, so that coupled with Jon and I always being mega busy makes for more sporadic posting than I would like!
Anyway, here we are with the first proper update of 2013, and it's shaping up to be quite the year so far - which of course is good news for us character fans!
We'll start with the US Parks, and first up is California.
As you may recall, the old Fantasyland Theater in Disneyland has for the longest time been used for a Princess meet 'n' greet, which just about everybody agreed was a massive waste of time and space. Last year Disneyland closed it and finally started making preparations for a brand new show to debut there.
Since then we have all waited anxiously to find out what new show would appear at the theatre.
Well, our questions were answered this week, finally, when the Disney Parks Blog announced that 'Mickey and the Magical Map' would start in "summer 2013". I am hopeful that this will become a well loved show, as it looks quite neat, and that we get to see it when we visit in August (providing it has started by then!).
Since the show is taking over Fantasy Faire, you may also recall that Disneyland are relocating their Princess meet 'n' greet to what was the beloved Carnation Plaza Gardens area, next to Sleeping Beauty Castle. They are of course making some massive upgrades, and this week, again, the Parks Blog announced that we would see the opening of the new location in "spring 2013" - which could mean as early as say, the end of March (that's what I've heard, but who knows!).
Disney never like to give much away, but we are still anticipating - though it hasn't been re-confirmed properly for quite some time. They keep missing that detail out... - that the former stage area from Carnation Plaza Gardens will remain, and there will be some sort of mini show or live entertainment there, also.
Staying with Disneyland, and last weekend saw the return of their popular Day of the Three Kings event, which featured entertainment, and of course characters! Mickey and Minnie were out in special Mexican clothing, and Donald appeared with none other than Panchito and Jose! I believe though, that this was being billed as "special" for the new Limited Time Magic promotion, despite not really being new at all!
Which then brings me to Limited Time Magic itself. Loren informs me that he has been told by Cast Members in Disneyland that their Chinese New Year entertainment will also return this year, but will be advertised as one of the Limited Time Magic events, and also something similar to last years Character Fan Weekends will reappear as a Limited event, too.
I am of course very happy that these things are returning, but it makes me a little sad that they cannot think of something new and special, instead of re-branding something existing.
Of course, Disneyland are also getting their Horseshoe Revue Back for a very limited run, which I know has proven to be a very popular move.
That brings me to Florida, and their Limited Time Magic.
So far, as far as I am aware, they have had a Tomorrowland dance party, and limited edition ear hats as their first two "special" events. The problem with both of these is that they are, well, not new! Anyone who has been to Florida in the last two years will have seen Stitch and the gang rock it out in Tomorrowland almost constantly! The only real difference is that Stitch is wearing his Elvis outfit.
Incidentally, before we move on, it was Elvis's birthday yesterday, and the little blue guy we all love wanted to just pay a small tribute...
Going back to Limited Time Magic, and although we don't know much else right now, we do know that for Valentine's the parks are planning some special things (though I don't think we can expect too much), and in September in Florida a Villains dance party for Friday the 13th.
You can check out the official Limited Time Magic website here, but be warned, you might die of boredom before anything exciting is put on there! (It's a pretty dire page!)
Over at Disneyland Paris, although I am not yet allowed to reveal any details, I would say that if you were thinking about planning a trip over any time soon, especially around Valentine's Day, then you most certainly should... I have heard there will be something really extra special and magical this year! (That will be additional to their regular Valentine's offerings, which usually consist of a character brunch, special character meets and a special Magical Moment at the Disneyland Hotel).
When I am allowed to say more, trust me, I will let you all know!
Speaking of brunches, a friend informs us that there is a Chinese New Year brunch at Inventions (with characters of course) on Sunday 10th February. I thought I would point that out, as that is pretty unique. As well as Mulan and Mushu, I wonder if Li Shang will appear?...
Also, I have heard that DLP's long running Tarzan show will once again return this summer to Frontierland.
I just want to take the opportunity to direct you to my recent New Year post, which has a special message from us here at Character Central.
You might also want to check out my now (finally!) completed Hong Kong Trip Report here, my Tokyo Trip Report here, and my latest report which is from our day trip to Universal Studios Hollywood at Christmas, here.
Ok, I think that is everything for now.
Happy New Year everyone!
Dan. |
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Hi all,
This is a very brief news update, as we are on our way to Hong Kong Disneyland later today!
I saw a couple of character related things around the internet this week that were worth mentioning.
First off, and maybe the biggest news was that the US Parks and Resorts, next year (2013), will be dubbed "Limited Time Magic", and will feature a year full of new and interesting events on both coasts.
Of course there are some oddball ones, such as the Dapper Dans singing pop songs (!), but there are also some for us character fans, including "Long Lost Friends Week", which is due to feature, to quote, "lesser known" Disney characters.
There will also be themed weeks, such as the week of 4th July, that will feature Mickey and Friends in their patriotic clothes, and Pirate Week, which, as you can imagine, features them in their pirate gear.
We look forward to hearing more about these events, and the full line-up for the year. We only hope that they release dates for each specific week in advance enough so that everyone can plan the week they want to attend.
You can check out our member's forum post about it here, which also has a link to the Parks Blog post.
In WDW, EPCOT is due to close the Character spot for a lengthy - and long overdue - overhaul.
The new version is due to reopen in February. In the meantime Mickey and Friends are being moved around the park. Though nothing official has been announced yet regarding the future of it, it is expected that they are going to take a leaf out of their own books, and their recent efforts at the brand new Silly Sideshow at the Magic Kingdom. Hopefully EPCOT will finally get an appropriately themed character location, with Mickey and Friends wearing some neat new Future World outfits.
Again, you can check out our forum post about it here.
Over in DL, although this is not official, Miceage king Al Lutz has reported that the West Coast park is due to cut their Christmas offering s from 2013, and instead host ticketed Christmas Parties, like the Magic Kingdom. I won't get into the whole thing here, as I am on limited time (our flight to HKDL awaits! LOL!), but you can read his article here. I for one would be sad if DL went down this route. DL's seasonal offerings are one of the many great things that often sets them apart from WDW, and is another anil in the coffin towards the US Parks becoming standardised, much to the fans disappointment.
With the announcement in NY earlier this week regarding the Limited Time Magic, it was also made apparent that the Disney Princesses would be getting a makeover. Cinderella was there, and if you check that Parks Blog post I mentioned above, you'll see a picture of her in her new dress and hairstyle. I have also heard that the other core Princesses will also be receiving makeovers. As yet, as far as I know, there is no date for their official relaunch. If anyone knows otherwise, just let me know!
Ok, I think that's all for now then.
Like I said, we're off to Hong Kong Disneyland tonight, and later next week Tokyo Disney Resort!
We'll try to update our Facebook page regularly, as well as our Twitter account, with pictures from our adventures at the parks, so be sure to follow us there!
Dan. |
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