Category: Disney News

A mom wrote a touching note to a cast member at Walt Disney World after the character’s thoughtful tribute to the woman’s deceased daughter.

Janice Maureen Murphy shared two images to Facebook on March 21 of the park’s Fairy Godmother holding and hugging a purple teddy bear. The bear holds the ashes of Murphy’s infant daughter Analiese, who passed away shortly after birth on Feb. 11, 2016, according to Murphy’s blog.

The fairy godmother interacted with the teddy bear just as she would with any other child at the park, Murphy wrote. “When you hugged her, and kissed her cheek, you made me feel like Analiese mattered to you.”

Murphy’s touching Facebook post went on to be shared over 25,000 times, with people sending kind words to both Murphy and her Fairy Godmother.

“What a legacy you are leaving for your daughter. Sending you so much love and hugs,” commented one user on Murphy’s blog after reading her story.

“We lost our son from Trisomy 13 & 18 and a myriad of other health issues when I was 6-months pregnant in 2013. It’s not an easy path to walk but know that you’re not alone,” commented another.

According to one commenter, the Fairy Godmother was able to see Murphy’s touching Facebook post.

“I just wanted to let you know that your message/picture did reach your Fairy Godmother, as well as other wonderful friends at the Magic Kingdom,” the commenter wrote. “It’s these cast members and their interactions with guests that means the most to me and is what I see as true magic. May you and your family have love and strength in this time and throughout your lives.”

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A small fire broke out at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando on Monday afternoon, forcing Walt Disney World park officials to evacuate about 1,000 guests.

The fire started during a performance of the live action “Festival of the Lion King,”a show featuring puppets and actors performed on the hour at the park. Guests noticed the fire under one of the floats used for the show, reports the Orlando Sentinel.

Video of the incident shows clouds of smoke coming out of an elephant shaped float in the middle the crowd. Audience members start to clear out as the smoke continues.

The fire was extinguished before the fire department arrived and no guests or cast members were injured, according to Disney officials. Performances of the show were canceled for the rest of Monday but are expected to resume later Tuesday.

Though the cause of the fire was not determined, guests were given a ticket to come back for a later performance.

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As you might twig from the title, Disney Animation Studios’ latest film Zootropolis (called Zootopia in the US) is set in a world run by animals: elephant ice-cream parlours, mouse mafia, buffalo police chiefs – you name it. As one might imagine, animating such a menagerie presented the studio – coming off a streak of hits, from Frozen to Big Hero 6 – with a rather hairy problem.
“Typically in an animal film that has fur, people use human hair as the proxy, and not animal fair – because we’ve developed technology that allows us to do human hair,” explains producer Clark Spencer. “You go in, you use the human hair in a certain way and you put a colour on it. For us, we said, that’s not going to work; we’re making this entire animal world, we need it to feel believable. So we’re going to go in and make each individual strand of hair on each animal.”

As with Pixar, Disney’s sister studio, each new film starts with a research trip. Spencer’s team travelled to Kenya, San Diego zoo and Disney’s own animal theme park to research as many animals as possible – from their behavior and gait down to individual hairs.

“So for the polar bears, we were amazed to discover that [the fur] is actually clear, and it’s the way it’s lit that creates that kind of white-yellow quality to it. So from there, we said, OK, we’re going to have to create clear strands and light it,” says Spencer.

“We realized that a fox’s fur is very dark, almost black, at the root, and then grades up to a light colour and red at the tip. And knowing we were going to be putting wind and things into the film, we’re going to want to be able to see – when the fur separates – those different colours.” Cheetahs’ spots, they noted, are only on the surface – the black hair doesn’t go down to the root. The same level of research went into the film’s 64 different species for a total of around 800,000 character models.

They fed the research into a new tool, dubbed iGroom. The software helped animators create the film’s ludicrously detailed characters: rabbit protagonist Judy Hops, for example, features around 2.5million individual strands. A giraffe boasts 4million. Even the film’s smallest rodents feature more hairs than the entire cast of Frozen.

Even the film’s smallest rodents feature more hairs than the entire cast of Frozen.
Sounds crazy? It doesn’t stop there. “You have to think: OK, how would clothes sit on top of the actual fur? It has to not feel weird, it has to look real,” says Spencer. “And you have to think about scale: how big is a stitch on a piece of clothing for a mouse, vs clothing on an elephant? And how big are the buttons?”

The pay-off shows: look closely and you can see the detail in a wolf’s fur separating in high winds. It also demonstrates the pace of animation tech development: iGroom was not even possible as recently as 2008. “On Bolt, they just distorted the camera to make it look like the fur was blowing in the wind,” says Spencer. Other technology, like the Hyperion engine developed for Big Hero 6, also contributed. (Expect it to go even further in the studio’s next picture, the hotly anticipated South Pacific-set Moana.)

“Some people may not notice it, some people will, but either way they’re going to feel it, because the world feels that much richer and more alive.”

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The power of YouTubers, streamers and personalities with gigantic social media followings is better starting to be better appreciated by the wider world of gaming. But one area where a clear disconnect remains is the realm of mobile gaming.

Developers and publishers are still investigating how the power of that social footprint can be harnessed for mobile games. And Disney thinks it has an idea.

Disney Interactive’s mobile business came more into the spotlight last week after they announced a partnership with Melbourne developers Hipster Whale to produce Disney Crossy Road. The spin-off of the endless runner is a good example of how Disney has changed its focus to mobile gaming over the past few years, and it’s also nice to see a little more success for Australian studios and developers.

But the interesting part of Disney’s mobile plans revolve around what they want to do with influencers. Earlier this week, Disney’s mobile games head Chris Heatherly told VentureBeat that they were investigating ways to build mechanics into their mobile games that would encourage people with large social followings to remain in-game.

“One thing we’d like to do going forward is, how do we build mechanics into our games that allow influencers to be an active part of the community and help manage their own micro-communities within our games,” Heatherly said. “That’s a whole thread we’re thinking about.”

Disney, according to Heatherly, has five internal studios with a goal to ship between three and four titles a year. That doesn’t include the amount Disney partners with outside parties, of course, although the company has learnt from what happens when your internal development plans get out of hand.

He added that Clash Royale was a good indication of what the immediate future might hold for mobile games, with synchronous competitive multiplayer and a raft of community features that include clan creation, automated replays and more. “One of the most interesting things I’ve seen at [GDC] is people who are doing games built to be watched by audiences.”

“They’re building off the trend of YouTube and Twitch, building those features directly into their games, which is very interesting to us from a game and a maker standpoint.”

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It appears as if another change is coming from Walt Disney World and it is in the form of the addition of a paid event. An announcement has been made on Monday afternoon, revealing that Magic Kingdom park is going to introduce “Disney After Hours” for the months of April and May where guests can pay an extra fee to enjoy different attractions late into the night.

Yes, this may sound like the Extra Magic Hours that Walt Disney World Resort guests get complimentary access to with their stay, but it’s a tad different. For this event, tickets for each person will cost $149 plus tax for three extra hours in Magic Kingdom.

• April: 14, 21, 28
• May: 5, 8, 12, 19

It seems as if select attractions and meet-and-greets will be going on during these events. Perhaps there will be some rare characters appearing and other exclusive opportunities. The details are not known for certain just yet.

Tickets are set to go on sale for this event on Apr. 6, and it is also very likely that only a limited number of tickets will be made available. It isn’t known how many tickets will be sold for “Disney After Hours,” but it probably won’t be many.

It isn’t known if this is going to be a way of replacing Extra Magic Hours at Walt Disney World Resort hotels, but those are still scheduled and in place for months. By checking out the official Disney site for park operating hours, the “Disney After Hours” events take place on nights that there are no Extra Magic Hours at any of the four parks.

One of the biggest perks of staying on property at one of the Walt Disney World Resort hotels is the option of Extra Magic Hours (EMH).

With EMH, resort guests get to enjoy one of the three parks that can be open two hours past the closing time for daily guests. As of this writing, Disney’s Animal Kingdom does not offer evening Extra Magic Hours.

There are also morning EMH at all four parks.

If this announcement of “Disney After Hours” ends up being true and staying in this format, it could end up making a number of people not want to stay on property any longer. While EMH was a huge perk of staying at a Disney hotel, there are other perks:

• Merchandise delivery to the resort
• Ability to make advanced dining reservations past 180 days (180+10)
• Ability to make FASTPass+ reservations at 60 days out instead of just 30
• Ability to purchase the Disney Dining Plan

Taking away Extra Magic Hours won’t make staying on Disney property entirely worthless, but it does take one huge perk away.

Disney has yet to officially comment on this event and they haven’t made an actual announcement as of yet, but it does seem to be legit. The word is starting to make the Disney rounds on social media, and it seems as if it is only a matter of time until Disney says something officially.

Walt Disney World has made a number of changes over the course of the past couple of years, and this is yet another one. Some guests may find it difficult to justify spending $150 on three extra hours in Magic Kingdom, but it could be time well spent with fewer crowds. “Disney After Hours” still needs to formalize an official announcement but when it happens, there will be those for the change and those against it.
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In the current Hollywood climate, you’d think Disney would be quicker knocking out a sequel to 2013’s mega-blockbuster Frozen.

However, the company has taken their time, releasing very little information about the upcoming project. Courtesy of the voice behind Anna – Kristen Bell – we finally have an update.

When asked by Collider whether she had recorded any of her lines, the The Boss actor said: “Not yet. We’re just about to. They’ve just written it and they’re still doing tweaks, but I think we should be recording this month”.

She added: “The story is great, and they exude quality. What I know about that whole team is that they wouldn’t just put something out to put it out. That’s why it took them so long to even announce that we were doing a second one.

“Generally when you have a first successful movie you want to make a second one. It took them a while because they wanted to figure out what story they needed to tell and what would be important and engaging and I think they found it.”

A release date has yet to be announced for the film but if the script is completed and voice recording sessions happening this month, perhaps we’re looking at a Christmas 2017 release.

However, a Frozen ‘Holiday special’ is set for release that same year – and animation takes a long time – so it is perhaps more likely we’ll be waiting until 2018. A musical stage adaptation is also happening that year.

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Families thinking about a long weekend at Disney World might want to consider visiting Mickey Mouse on the high seas instead.  Depending on the dates, a 3-night Bahamian itinerary on the Disney Dream runs a family of four between $2,000 – $3,000, not much more than 3-day Park Hopper passes, Disney hotel stays, parking and meals.

Here are nine reasons to take this year’s Disney vacation at sea.

All-You-Can-Eat

Anyone who’s cruised before knows you spend at least half your time eating.  The Disney Dream features three beautifully-decorated dining rooms (The Royal Palace, The Enchanted Garden and The Animator’s Palette) and above-average cuisine.  The Cabanas buffet, open for breakfast and lunch, is a more casual, but equally tasty, option.  Another nice perk you won’t find on many cruise lines: unlimited soda.  Contrast that to Disney World, where even the fast service options are pricey.

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The AquaDuck

Rather than wait an hour to ride Splash Mountain, hop in an inner tube and brave the AquaDuck, the world’s first “water coaster” at sea.  This 765-foot series of transparent tubes takes riders out over the side of the ship — 12 decks up — and then traverses both the port and starboard sides of the pool deck.  It’s alternately relaxing and exhilarating, and the wait varies from 5-30 minutes.

Castaway Cay

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On the Disney Dream, expect special visits from favorite Disney characters.

If you’ve cruised through the Caribbean, you’ve probably spent a day on a cruise line’s private island.  While these beach destinations have seen increased amenities over the years, Disney Castaway Cay remains at the top of its class.  This pristine Bahamian island features water slides and playgrounds for the kids, a private beach and cabanas for the adults, snorkeling, stingray interaction and a massive outdoor barbecue.  Best of all, Castaway Cay has a large enough pier for the Disney Dream to dock in.  That’s right, no tendering!

First-Run Movies

In addition to theme parks and cruise ships, Disney has been known to dabble in the movie business. And in the Disney Dream’s Buena Vista Theater, a spacious and lovely Art Deco venue, passengers can watch new releases on the big screen for free (though popcorn costs extra).  If your timing is right, you might even get to attend a premiere at sea.  Star Wars: The Force Awakens was shown at midnight on the Disney Dream the same day it opened across the United States.

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The adults-only Skyline lounge at The District on the Disney Dream is an ever-changing venue that celebrates some of the world’s most 

Character Greetings

If you’ve ever waited in line for 45 minutes so your child (or you) can meet Mickey Mouse, you know that rubbing elbows with Disney’s characters can be tough.  Not so on the Disney Dream, where your kids (or you) have many opportunities to meet Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, several Disney princesses and some lower-tier characters with very little waiting.  You can even dance with Minnie on Castaway Cay.

Pilot the Millennium Falcon

The Disney Dream is only four years old but she’s not too young for a minor facelift.  The ship went into dry dock for a few weeks last October and returned with several upgrades, including a new swimming pool, Vanellope’s Sweets & Treats candy store and a Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique salon for princess and pirate makeovers.  But the most impressive addition is an interactive scale model of the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon.  Located in the Oceaneer Club play area (for children ages 3-12), the set-up lets you take Han Solo’s seat and make the jump to light speed.  Not to worry, adults and older children, the Oceaneer Club goes into open house mode several times during the cruise.

Adult Time

The Disney Dream is a family-friendly cruise ship, but in the words of one cast member, “family-friendly doesn’t just mean children’s activities, it means something for everybody.”  The Dream features quite a few adults-only amenities, from a spa and juice bar to a pair of 18+ swimming pools and two high-end, reservation-only restaurants.  Additionally, the aft end of Deck 4 is dedicated to a series of imaginative bars, including Pink, decorated like the inside of a champagne bottle, and Skyline, where the backdrop changes to feature different cities of the world.

Fireworks at Sea

Disney does fireworks right at all of its parks, but there’s something special about watching a pyrotechnic display in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. On the cruise’s second night, an elaborately staged pirate show (starring Jack Sparrow) kicks off the festivities, which culminate in an explosion of lights against the starry sky. Since the Norwegian Breakaway canceled its own fireworks display last summer, Disney Cruise Line is the only line to feature fireworks. In fact, you’ll see other cruise ships sail as close as they’re allowed in order to watch the Dream’s display from afar. After the light show, the whole upper deck transforms into a raucous dance party.

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A collection of memorabilia including Babe Ruth’s baseball glove and Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse ears is coming up for auction off the beaten path in Maine, far from the Big Apple where Ruth smacked home runs and the theme park and studio Disney created in California.

The items that once belonged to the late New York TV and radio personality Joe Franklin include several dozen hats from a bygone era such as Frank Sinatra’s fedora and John Wayne’s Stetson.

The auction will take place April 2 at Maine-based Saco River Auction, a small auction house far from the entertainment hubs of New York and Los Angeles.

Auctioneer Troy Thibodeau said the items came from a collector who wishes to remain anonymous who spent years purchasing items from the collection of Franklin, a talk show host who encouraged his famous guests to leave a souvenir after appearing on his show.

The items include leather jackets belonging to Steve McQueen and Marlon Brando, Laurel and Hardy’s boxing gloves, a baseball glove used by Joe DiMaggio and a harmonica used by Janis Joplin. In addition to John Wayne’s Stetson, the collection includes the actor’s cowboy boots and spurs.

Franklin’s era included the heyday of hats. The collection includes pillbox hats that belonged to Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn, Charlie Chaplin’s derby, Babe Ruth’s Gatsby, a leather hat belonging to Jimi Hendrix, a tattered straw hat worn by Buddy Ebsen and a sombrero owned by Slim Pickens.

Others who donated hats included Grace Kelly, Judy Garland, Walter Matthau, Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, Ray Charles, Mae West, Johnny Carson, Burt Lancaster and Vincent Price.

Franklin, who died in January 2015 at age 88, was a talk show institution in New York. He amassed so much memorabilia — either as gifts or through his own purchases — that his office was a cluttered mess. He even rented expensive storage units to handle the overflow, said Steve Garrin, longtime producer and friend.

“His office was floor to ceiling with stuff,” said Garrin.

Though Franklin never had the national exposure of talk show hosts who followed, he was an icon in New York where he hosted radio and TV shows for decades. Garrin and Franklin joined a restaurateur to open “Joe Franklin’s Memory Lane Restaurant” in Manhattan’s theater district.

Franklin, who logged more than 300,000 guests during his career, auctioned off some of the items himself in 2002. Some of those items including Jack Benny’s stage violin are back up for sale again as part of the collection in Saco, Thibodeau said.

The small auction house made a name for itself in recent years with some high-profile items, including the oldest known recording of black vocal group and a rare baseball card from 1865.

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Online:

http://www.SacoRiverAuction.com

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When I cried at the end of “Frozen,” it wasn’t just because I was so moved by the unconventional love story.

I was frustrated, too, by the idea that I’d never be as smart as the creative team that had produced what would go on to become the highest-grossing animated film in history.

A prince who’s the (spoiler alert) bad guy! Sisters who (double spoiler alert) save each other! I could have thought of that. But I hadn’t.

So I was simultaneously shocked and heartened to hear Charles Duhigg’s take on the film when we spoke this week: “It’s not that clever and original.”

Duhigg is a Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist and author of the new book “Smarter Faster Better,” about the science of productivity. He devotes a chunk of the book to breaking down the creative process behind “Frozen,” and argues that anyone can use the same system that worked for Disney.

Duhigg told me that “Frozen” only seems clever and original because it “takes old ideas and pushes them together in new ways.” And that, he suggests, is a hallmark of creativity.

After the “Frozen” team’s initial idea bombed when they showed it to a preliminary audience of Disney employees, they were forced to go back to the drawing board. Specifically, Duhigg said, they went back to “things we know are true and real.”

Those things turned out to be princesses — something Disney has a near-century of experience with — and relationships between sisters — something that was especially important to Jennifer Lee, who joined the “Frozen” team as a writer and later became a director.

What if they made a movie about two princess sisters who had a complicated relationship and ended up rescuing each other from trouble? Bam.

DisneyUncertainty caused the Frozen team to see old ideas in new ways.

But by the time this realization hit, there was just over a year left to finish the entire movie, and the team was understandably frazzled.

Duhigg told me that such uncertainty can be a good thing — and that it’s part of the creative process.

In the book, he writes: “Recognize that the panic and stress you feel as you try to create isn’t a sign that everything is falling apart. Rather, it’s the condition that helps make us flexible enough to seize something new. Creative desperation can be critical; anxiety is what often pushes us to see old ideas in new ways.”

Ultimately, Duhigg told me, “creativity isn’t about people being creative. It’s about having a creative system.” That means anyone can learn to be creative if only they embrace some of creativity’s core components: uncertainty and new perspectives.

In other words, we all have a shot at becoming the brains behind the next “Frozen,” if as Duhigg writes, “we’re willing to embrace that desperation and upheaval and try to see our old ideas in new ways.”

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