Walt Disney World cuts its funding to local Boy Scouts of America

Walt Disney World has cut its funding to the Boy Scouts of America through the company's employee volunteer program over the Boy Scouts ban on openly gay leaders, according to a published report.

Last year, the Boy Scouts national organization voted to allow openly gay youth scouts, but kept the ban on openly gay leaders.

Since then, UPS, Merck and Lockheed Martin have cut their funding to the the scouts.

A Disney spokesperson had no official comment on the decision, according to the Orlando Sentinel. However, the spokesperson did highlight a corporate policy in which grants will not be given to groups that “operate or support activities that are counter to the policies of The Walt Disney Company,” which is considered to be a gay-friendly employer, according to the report.

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Soundtrack for 'Muppets Most Wanted' coming out March 18, see complete list of songs

The latest Muppets soundtrack will be released three days before the the new movie "Muppets Most Wanted."

The songs in the movie follow the Muppets' musical reputation, according to Brett McKenzie, who wrote the songs and won an Oscar for the original song "Man or Muppet" from the 2011 "The Muppets."

"'I'm Number One' is about the bad frog Constantine being the number one criminal and his sidekick Dominic, played by Ricky Gervais, being number two," McKenzie said in a news release. "It's a power struggle, a classic rivalry song in a style that could be performed in a cabaret venue. A lot of the old Muppets songs are like that—show pieces."

The soundtrack features songs with Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett and Celine Dion.

The soundtrack is released March 18, three days before the movie hits theaters.

Here is a list of the songs:

1. "They've Ordered a Sequel" Walter, Statler and Waldorf
2. "We're Doing a Sequel"  The Muppets with Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett
3. "My Name First_ _ _ Your Name"* Constantine and Ricky Gervais
4. "I'm Number One" Constantine and Ricky Gervais
5. "The Casa Grande"* Kermit, Tina Fey, Jemaine Clement, Danny Trejo and Ray Liotta
6. "The Big House Tina Fey with Josh Groban
7. "Stick with Me"* Constantine and Miss Piggy
8. "I'll Get You What You Want" (Cockatoo in Malibu) Constantine
9. "The Muppet Show Theme" Los Muppets
10. "Answer Some Questions"* Ty Burrell
11. Interrogation Song Ty Burrell, Sam Eagle and The Muppets
12. "Oh Foo Foo, It's Always Been a Fight"* Miss Piggy and Foo Foo
13. "Something So Right" Miss Piggy, Kermit, Celine Dion and The Muppets
14. "We're Goin' Underground"* Kermit
15. "Working in the Coal Mine" Jemaine Clement
16. "The Gulag Finale"* Kermit
17. "Together Again" The Muppets with Josh Groban
18. "Moves Like Jagger" Scooter and the Penguins featuring Pepé the King Prawn
19. "Macarena" (Bayside Boys Remix) Miss Piggy and The Flamingos
20. "Muppets Most Wanted Score Suite" Christophe Beck

Bonus Tracks

1. "We're Doing a Sequel" Demo Bret McKenzie
2. "The Big House" Demo Bret McKenzie
3. "What You Want" Outtake Bret McKenzie
4. "I'll Get You What You Want" (Cockatoo in Malibu) Demo Bret McKenzie
5. "Something So Right" Demo Bret McKenzie

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Marvel releases a Captain America feature before upcoming movie 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier'

Marvel has released a new featurette focusing on Captain America just five weeks before the April 4 release of  "Captain America: The Winter Soldier."

Captain America himself, Chris Evans, Robert Redford and Scarlett Johansson discuss the underlying story and conspiracy behind the story.

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Disney Parks to remain open for 24 hours again in May

Disneyland and Disney World resorts will again stay open for 24 hours, this time to mark the beginning of summer.

Disney publicity photo

Kicking of the Memorial Day Weekend, guests at the Magic Kingdom in Florida and California Adventure in California will be open Friday from 6 a.m. May 23 to 6 a.m. May 24, local time, Disney announced.

The celebration will feature events showcasing good-vs.-evil classic Disney stories including character meet-and-greets throughout the parks, special entertainment, event merchandise and food and beverage offerings.

This is the third year in a row Disney Parks will be remain one for 24 hours. The first time was 2012 in which the parks were open on Leap Day. Last year the Magic Kingdom and California Adventure were open of during Memorial Day weekend as a part of a tie-in for "Monster's University."

The announcement was made with a 140-character-strong “Ultimate Tweet,” sending a #DisneySide message to all their fans on social media to come see them on May 23.

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Watch a ride-through on the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train roller-coaster

Disney Parks Blog

With every tree it plants and rock it paints, Walt Disney Imagineering comes closer to opening the long-awaited Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride in New Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom.

The ride has been described as both a "family-friendly coaster" and a dark ride -- but not a thrill ride. What sets it apart from other coasters is that the cars swing from side to side.

To give us a taste, Disney released a video this week of the real ride side-by-side with an original CGI ride-through that was created early on in the attraction's development.

The ride is on schedule to open "this spring," but that's as specific as the folks at Disney have gotten.

How wild is the ride? The height requirement of 38 inches is a good clue. That's right between Goofy's Barnstormer, at 35 inches, and Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain, which both have a cutoff of 40 inches.

Read more from this week's online chat with Imagineer Dave Minichiello, and check out the video.

 

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Smile of The Day: Inside Dinosaur

The queue of the Dinosaur ride at Animal Kingdom in Disney World has a great central attraction - the skeleton of an actual Carnotaurus.

© Steven Liebman

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New Disney movie digital download service debuts

It is now possible to digitally download Disney, Pixar and Marvel movies.

The Walt Disney Studios has debuted a new app, Disney Movies Anywhere, for the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and web. iTunes is the digital movie provider for Disney Movies Anywhere.

The release of the app coincides with the digital release of "Frozen" and features Disney's library of over 400 active digital titles, according to a Disney news release.

"The beauty of this technology is that it enables us to work with iTunes and future provider partners to ensure movie lovers have streamlined access to all of their favorite Disney titles no matter which device they are on," said Jamie Voris, Chief Technology Officer, The Walt Disney Studios.

According to Walt Disney Studios: "Since 2008, Disney has included codes in select DVD and Blu-ray products redeemable for digital copies of Disney, Pixar, and Marvel films. Users can now redeem these codes through Disney Movies Anywhere, and Digital Copy titles previously redeemed in Disney Movie Rewards or via iTunes will automatically be active in both Disney Movies Anywhere and iTunes once a user logs into Disney Movies Anywhere and connects their iTunes account. Additionally, for the first time, consumers can now earn Disney Movie Rewards points for their digital purchases through Disney Movies Anywhere going forward."

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Avengers Half Marathon Weekend coming to Disneyland in November

If you see yourself as more superhero than princess, runDisney has added a race weekend that might be right up your alley: Avengers Super Heroes Half Marathon Weekend, Nov. 14-16 in Disneyland.

In addition to a half-marathon, the weekend will include a 5K and kids events. It also will be eligible for runDisney's Coast-to-Coast Race Challenge.

The courses run through Disneyland Park and California Adventure.

Registration for the races opens March 25. The fee for the half-marathon runs $195-$225, depending on when you register. You'll pay $78-$80 to register for the 5K.

Watch the official announcement video:

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New Disney World parade - Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade - will debut on March 9

The new "Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade" will debut at Disney World on March 9, the Disney Parks Blog announced.

More than 100 performers will be marching down Main Street, U.S.A. at the Magic Kingdom with with a new musical score and featuring never-before-used technology for the floats. The parade is a tribute to Fantasyland.

Mark Hammond, known for his work on World of Color at Disney California Adventure and the Flights of Fantasy parade at Hong Kong Disneyland, composed original music for the parade. Each float has its own theme song in addition to a medley of songs which can be heard throughout the parade.

Take a closer look at the parade:

• The floats
• The costumes
• The Festival of Fantasy by the numbers 

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New Alex and Ani bracelets at the Disney Store online

Fans of both Disney and Alex and Ani jewelry could soon have bangles from wrist to elbow. The Disney Store has restocked its collection, adding a little color and a chance to personalize your collection a bit.

Put a personal stamp on your collection with a silver Initial Bangle ($21.95) with a small Mickey Mouse icon. Also available in  brass ($31.95).

Commemorate a trip to Walt Disney World with Cinderella's Castle, available in brass or silver ($39.95 each). 

Add a little color with a purple jewel wrap. Also in azure blue or mint green ($39.95 each).

Or check out the complete collection of Disney-themed Alex and Ani bracelets.

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Millennium Falcon sneakers and more new Star Wars stuff

"Star Wars" is one of those things that make all of us feel like kids again. If only we could still fit into kids' sizes. 

That's because Disney and Stride-Rite are making the coolest shoes ever: light-up Millennium Falcon sneakers. The boys' shoes sell for $54.95. The toes light up on every step, so you might want to leave them at home the next time you go to the movies:  

If your kid is more anti-hero than hero, there's a Darth Vader hooded t-shirt ($22.95):

If that's not a complete enough ensemble, here's a Star Wars swim collection that will deck him out from the top of his Darth Vader baseball cap to the soles of his Star Wars flip flops ($5.95-$19.95):

When the sneakers come off at the end of the day, there's this Stormtrooper pajama set ($24.95):

And, if your little Stormtroopers aren't prone to nightmares, they can sleep under the watchful eyes of this 5-foot, 8-inch vinyl Darth Vader wall decal ($49.95). (I don't know about you, but I would have thought Vader was more 6-foot-4.)

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New gallery-wrapped prints for Disney fans

Disney released 33 gallery-wrapped giclées on canvas today celebrating many of its classic characters and iconic images, from Mickey Mouse to Maleficient, "Snow White" to "Up." All are limited editions of 1,500, and all are priced at $149.95. Here's a selection: 

"All Their Wicked Ways," by Tim Rogerson, 9"H x 18"W

"Carl's New Adventure," by Rob Kaz, 28"H x 7"W

"Royal Reflection," by Rodel Gonzalez, 18"H x 12"W

"We're in This Together," by Manuel Hernandez, 16"H x 12"W

"Donald's Paris," by Tim Rogerson, 24"H x 8"W

"Cold Winter Woods," by Michelle St. Laurent, 10.5"H x 18"W

"Hip to Be Squared," by Trevor Carlton, 18"H x 10"W

Among the characters and movies that have their own giclees but are not pictured below: Stitch, Lady and the Tramp, Tinkerbell, Beauty and the Beast, the Seven Dwarfs, the Little Mermaid, Lightening McQueen, and Alice in Wonderland. To see them all, visit the new arrivals section of the Disney Store online. 

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Smile of The Day: Pascal's friend

Don't forget when you get to the Tangled Rest Area in the Magic Kingdom at Disney World to stop and search for the some of Pascal's friends.

© Steven Liebman

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3-time Olympian wins Disney World's Princess Half Marathon with new record

Disney publicity photo

Kim Smith crosses the finish line at the 2014 Princess Half Marathon.

Three-time Olympian Kim Smith shattered the Princess Half Marathon at Disney World record by nearly six minutes today.

Running the race for the first time Smith, a 32-year-old New Zealand native who lives in Rhode Island, ended the event with a time of 1:11:49.

Last year's record was 1:17:38.

In 2011, Smith ran the fastest half marathon ever by a woman in the U.S. with a time of 1:07:36.

She ran for New Zealand in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics.

“It’s just a fun event and pretty low-key for an elite athlete to do. But definitely a lot of fun and I’d recommend it to people out there," Smith said in a news release.

Kimberly Ruck and Alyssa Kulik, two sisters from South Carolina, finished second and third place, respectively nearly 15 minutes behind Smith.

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Disney World increases ticket prices; single-day to Magic Kingdom is $99

It's now going to cost more money to get into Walt Disney World.

Less than eight months since ticket prices were increased at the Florida theme parks, the company hiked prices today by about 4 percent. It will now cost $99 to enter the Magic Kingdom for one day, according to the Disney World website.

The price increased by $4 for all the parks. The single day cost to get into Epcot, Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios is $94. The company last year started putting a premium to get into the Magic Kingdom for one-day, that is why it is $5 more to get into that park.

According to a review of previous price hikes, Disney on average has raised the single-day price every 10 months. The shortest time period between price hikes was three months. This took place between June and September 1982 when the price increased from $13.25 to $15.

Increases for multi-day tickets range from 2.17 percent to 5.38 percent. Interestingly, the prices for multiple days increase dramatically to the 4-day ticket, which is 5.38 percent. Everyday over a 4-day ticket, the percentage increase is smaller.

Tickets for children 3-9 have also increased by about the same percentage.

Annual passes have also gone up.The regular annual pass increased to $634 from $609. The premium annual pass increased to $754 from $729.

To the right is the new pricing structure. Below is a look at the price increase at Disney World through the years.

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Smile of The Day: Hidden Mickey at Tangled rest area

We know there are tons of Hidden Mickeys around Disney World. Some are placed on purpose and some just may happen. Take a look below. This can be found at the Tangled rest area in the Magic Kingdom.

© Steven Liebman

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Orlando City Soccer Club schedule at Wide World of Sports at Disney World

Orlando City Soccer Club will play its regular-season home games at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World.

This will be the Lions’ final United Soccer League season before becoming the 21st Major League Soccer franchise in 2015.

Here is the 2014 home schedule:

Saturday, March 29, 7:30 p.m. vs. Pittsburgh

Saturday, April 5, 7:30 p.m. vs. Rochester

Saturday, April 12, 7:30 p.m. vs. Charleston

Sunday, May 4, 7:30 p.m. vs. OKC

Wednesday, May 21, 7:30 p.m. vs. Charlotte

Saturday, May 31, 7:30 p.m. vs. Charleston

Saturday, June 7, 7:30 p.m. vs. Impact Reserves

Wednesday, June 11, 7:30 p.m. vs. Orange County

Saturday, June 28, 7:30 p.m. vs. LA Galaxy II

Saturday, July 12, 7:30 p.m. vs. Wilmington

Saturday, Aug. 2, 7:30 p.m. vs. Charlotte

Saturday, Aug. 16, 7:30 p.m. vs. Harrisburg

Sunday, Aug. 31, 7:30 p.m. vs. Dayton

Saturday, Sept. 6, 7:30 p.m. vs. Richmond

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Disney blog to host live chat on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

© Steven Liebman

Seven Dwarfs Mine under construction.

The Disney Parks Blog will hold a live chat Monday with an imagineer about the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

On Feb. 24, 2014, from 2:30 p.m., Dave Minichiello will share an exclusive video of the mine train and answer questions about the attraction.

"We’ll also be answering questions you may have about the attraction and talking about the completion of New Fantasyland at the Walt Disney World Resort," according to the blog.

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Disney adds extra weekend to Star Wars Weekends this Spring

Disney publicity photo.

Disney has added a fifth weekend to the Star Wars Weekends at Hollywood Studios this year at Disney World.

From the middle of May to June, celebrities, characters and special shows will take place each night as well as a fireworks show featuring Star Wars music.

The weekends this year are:

Weekend I: May 16 – 18, 2014

Weekend II: May 23 – 25, 2014

Weekend III: May 30 – June 1, 2014

Weekend IV: June 6 – 8, 2014

Weekend V: June 13 – 15, 2014

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Kinsey Collection at Epcot getting new exhibits

The "Re-Discovering America: Family Treasures from the Kinsey Collection” at Epcot is being updated this Spring, Disney has announced.

Untitled, 1951 by artist Hughie Lee-Smith.

Additional images, artwork and artifacts related to watershed moments in American history will soon be on display at the collection housed in the American Adventure pavilion.

“Representing more than 400 years of African-American achievement and history, the Kinsey Collection showcases the best of the American spirit with a nod to ingenuity and innovation," Erin Youngs, vice president of Epcot, said in a press release.

Being added to the exhibit is:

Distribution of Population in New York, 1801: At the Philadelphia Convention of 1787, states with smaller populations voiced their concern about representation at the federal level. This resulted in the Three-Fifths Compromise stating that only three-fifths of the slave population would be counted in the census. The Distribution of Population in New York, 1801 was one of the first few census calculations done by the state of New York following the compromise.

Noon Wash by artist Jonathan Green:  His work with acrylic and oil paints reflect the hope of African Americans throughout history. A number of his works are inspired by his upbringing in the Gullah community of coastal South Carolina.

Slave Songs of the United States: Published in 1867, this original collection of African American music was the first of its kind. Northern abolitionists William Francis Allen, Charles Pickard Ware and Lucy McKim Garrison collected 136 songs from the slaves of Southern plantations, phonetically recording them as they heard them, in an effort to preserve the unique and powerful art form.

Tintype Photographs: Popularized in the mid-1850s, tintypes were easier to produce than previous methods and made photographs accessible to more people. Though their names have been lost to history.

Carte de Visite: Following a similar printing process as tintypes, carte de visite photographs were easier and more economical to produce, with the image printed on a high quality paper. The carte de visite photographs being added to the Courage portion of the exhibit feature African American soldiers from both sides of the Civil War

The Kinsey family’s private collection features rare art, documents, books and artifacts and has been displayed throughout the U.S., including the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

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Guide to Disney World's 2014 St. Patrick's Day events

St. Patrick's Day at Disney World is more like St. Patrick's week in 2014.

Disney publicity photo.

From March 7-17 at Downtown Disney in Disney World St. Patrick's Day takes center stage with music, food and family events.

Musical performances start nightly March 7-14 from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. and March 15-17 on stages indoors and out, guests can don their finest green duds and join in a jig or two.

Here's the breakdown of the events:

MUSIC

Daily March 7-17: daily: The Raglan Rebels, The Raglan Road house band; The Brayzen Heads, this  duo puts a spin on traditional Irish and modern music; Creel, an off shoot from Raglan Road’s resident house band; and West Coast Trio, who hail from Ireland’s West Coast, Authentic Irish songs, all hail from performing daily throughout the festival.

March 7 - 9 and March 15 - 17: We Banjo 3, an Irish quarter with old-time American and Bluegrass tunes.

March 11 – 17: Goitse,  A  5-piece old-fashioned band performing Irish melodies.

March 14 - 17: 3 Dollar Band performs folk songs inspired by Irish and Appalachian influences, with just a dash of French and Bulgarian rhythm.

March 15 and March 17: Elevation, U2 tribute band.

Dancing

March 7-17: The Raglan Road Dancers perform.

March 15-17: Irish Dance Workshops will take place, taught by Ronan McCormack and the Ragland Road Dancers.

Food

Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant: Special Irish, European and American beers to go with a menu of modern cuisine from Master Chef Kevin Dundon.

Paradiso 37:  Irish cocktails, speciality like the The Giant Leprechaun.

T-Rex:  Travel back in time for a prehistoric celebration of all things Gaelic, with featured food items and specialty beverages like the Candy Apple Cotton-Tini.

Fulton’s Crab House: Features the Limey Leprechaun, which includes Cuervo Gold, Midori, pineapple juice, sour mix and ice.

Wolfgang Puck Café: Featured cocktail include Shamrock Martinis, mixed with Midori, green crème de mint, ice cream and a chocolate swirl.

Entertainment

• The shamrocks around Downtown Disney will give an Irish history lesson.
• Roaming stilt walkers, living statues, face painters and tattoo artists will be around the areas.
• Irish storyteller has a trio of tales: the story of St. Patrick, “The Salmon of Knowledge” and “Tír na nÓg.”
• Celebrate being green with a Muppets Family Zone on the West Side where it's possible take a photo with Kermit, learn how to draw the famous front and take part in games and DJ dance parties.

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Build-A-Bear is now offering Spider-Man and Captain America bears

Build-A-Bear Workshop is introducing two new superhero bears - Captain American and Spider-Man.

Spider-Man Bear is covered in a spider web pattern and Spider-Man logo on his paw. Captain America Bear has blue fur with a Captain America shield pattern and the Captain America logo on his paw.

The two bears go for $23.

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Smile of The Day: Fantasyland train station weather vane

The weather vanes around the Magic Kingdom at Disney World are always fun to look out. Earlier this month we gave you a little tour of those around the park.

Here's another one, located above the Fantasyland train stop on the Walt Disney Railroad.

© Steven Liebman

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"Goodnight Darth Vader" book soon will be out

Goodnight room. Goodnight moon. Goodnight Darth Vader?

Yes, there is now going to be a bedtime story featuring the the Sith Lord himself. Writer/artist Jeffrey Brown has written and illustrated the book. Brown also wrote "Star Wars: Darth Vader & Son," "Star Wars: Vader's Little Princess" and "Star Wars: Jedi Academy."

According to starwars.com, in "Goodnight Darth Vader," little twins Luke and Leia want a bedtime story and who is better to tell it than daddy Vader.

The story, told in verse, pays homage to the Star Wars world with tales of Han Solo, Chewbacca, Boba Fett, heroes, aliens and villains, the website states.

The books is done with conjunction with Lucasfilm and Chronicle Books.

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Guide to topiary locations at 2014 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival

Every year Disney unveils new topiaries for the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. This year, it's Muppets.

Kermit The Frog and Miss Piggy are joining the numerous Disney and Pixar characters around the park for the 21st annual event.


Here are the locations of where the various topiaries will be during the festival lasting from March 5- May 18, 2014:

© Steven Liebman

Goofy, Donald Duck and Daisy Duck: The front entrance. The topiaries will have a new computer-generated look while telling a story. Goofy’s butterfly net will prove useless as topiary butterflies light on the back of his floral garb. A topiary bee buzzes on an exasperated Donald’s head. The garden will feature a real waterfall and pond with water lilies.

Mickey, Minnie and Pluto: Behind Spaceship Earth

Tinker Bell's Butterfly House: The West Side between Future World and the World Showcase.

Buzz Lightyear: Near Mission Space

Mater's Parts, Plants & Play Garden: Test Track Walkway

Phineas and Ferb: At the Odyssey Bridge

Mike & Sulley's Monstrous Garden: Imagination Walkway

Fantasia: World Showcase Plaza

Bambi and Friends: Canada Pavilion

Peter Pan and Captain Hook: United Kingdom Pavilion

Winnie the Pooh & Friends: United Kingdom Pavilion

Classic Disney Couples: International Gateway and the bridge to the France Pavilion

Beauty and the Beast: France Pavilion

Woody & Lotso : The American Adventure Pavilion

Lady and the Tramp: Italy Pavilion

Kermit the Frog & Miss Piggy: Between the Italy and Germany Pavilions

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Germany Pavilion

The Lion King: Outpost between the Germany Pavilion and the China Pavilion

Troll: Norway Pavilion

Pandas: China Pavilion

Soccer Goofy: Bridge between Future World and World Showcase

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AT&T finishes network cell expansion at Disney Parks

AT&T has finished its network improvement at Disneyland and Disney World using a variety of small antennas.

After taking over as The Official Wireless Sponsor for Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort AT&T announced its plan to expand its network. And it has, by using a variety of ways which are designed to blend "seamlessly into the aesthetics of the Disney Parks and Resorts, their impact has been easy to see," according to the AT&T blog.

"For the first time ever, we deployed outdoor Distributed Antenna Systems (oDAS) and indoor DAS (iDAS), repeaters and small cells on a large scale at one location," the blog states.

AT&T has also stated that its engineers have found where the small cells have been placed there has been more than a "10x increase in mobile voice and data traffic."

To get this done AT&T deployed more than 350 small cells, 25 DAS systems and 40 repeaters at all of the Disney properties in the U.S.

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Anna and Kristoff meet in a deleted scene from 'Frozen'

Anna and Kristoff have a classic meet cute in "Frozen," when Kristoff arrives covered in snow and ice at Oaken's Trading Post (and Sauna) to buy carrots for Sven. But it almost didn't turn out that way.

As part of the run-up to the release of "Frozen" on DVD, Disney yesterday shared a rough animation of a deleted first meeting between Anna and a much-more-mercenary Kristof. "Frozen" will be available for download on HD Digital Feb. 25 and on Blu-ray DVD March 18.

We can't speak for Anna, but this would have made a terrible first impression on us.

See what you think of the deleted scene:

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Epcot International Food & Wine Festival to start early this year

This year you'll have an extra week to get your fill of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.

The event will kick off Sept. 19 and run through Nov. 10 (otherwise known as the unofficial start of the Christmas season at Disney). That's 53 days to eat and drink your way around almost 30 food and beverage marketplaces, attend food and wine seminars and chill with the Eat to the Beat concert series.

That makes 128 "days of yum" at Epcot this year, Disney points out, counting the Food & Wine Festival and the outdoor kitchens at the Flower & Garden Show.

Few other details have been announced about Food & Wine. Menus typically start to trickle out in the spring, and special events start booking in mid-August. We'll keep you in the know, or you can visit the official site.

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Hong Kong Disneyland planning on building third hotel

Hong Kong Disneyland plans to build its third and largest hotel.

The hotel will have 750 rooms and is expected to be finished by 2017, according to the Hong Kong Standard.

The new hotel will be built between the two existing hotels, Disneyland Hotel and Hollywood Hotel, will have a rainforest and adventure theme with a pool and three restaurants, according to the website.

The resort is aiming to have the hotel opened by 2017 to meet the demand expected when the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge is complete.

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New Planes, Star Wars, Spider-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy toys unveiled by Disney

Disney is going after the boys toy market by storm this year hoping that toys inspired by "Planes: Fire & Rescue," "Star Wars Rebels" "Guardians of the Galaxy" and Sony's "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" will lead the way.

"We're excited to see these four properties take off at retail as we know these innovative products will resonate with kids and fans who want to create their own heroic stories," Josh Silverman, executive vice president, global licensing at Disney Consumer Products, said in a news release.

 Here are some of the toys being highlighted at the 2014 American International Toy Fair:

From Mattel this air racer Dusty Crophopper saves the day and puts out the blaze by scooping up “water” balls and racing to the rescue. Take aim, pull the lever and shoot the “water” balls at the “fire” targets to take them out. From Mattel this toy is $49.99 and will be available June 2014.

There are numerous die cast collectibles for $6.99 from Mattel. These will be available  June 2014.

The infrared deluxe RC helicopter from Thinkway is $59.99 and will be available August 2014.

The Planes: Fire and Rescue Action Shifters Burning Bridge Rescue from Mattel will be $34.99 and be available June 2014.

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Star-Lord Role Play Set from Hasbro for $14.99. It will be available in July 2014.

Marvel's Guardian of the Galaxy Star-Lord Quad Blaster by Hasbro for $19.99. Available July 2014.

Marvel's Guardian of the Galaxy Spacecraft assortment by Hasbro for $14.99 each and will be available July 2014.

Marvel's Guardian of the Galaxy Rocket Racooon Action Mask by Hasbro for $19.99 and will be available July 2014.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Giant Web Slinging Spider-Man Figure by Hasbro for $29.99 will be available in Fall 2014.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Spider Strike Triple Strike Cruiser for $19.99 by Hasbro in the Spring of 2014.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Motorized Spider Force Web Blaster from Hasbro  for $19.99. Available in Spring 2014. 

Star Wars Command Millennium Falcon Set for $29.99 by Hasbro will be available in Fall 2014.

Star Wars Rebels Inquisitor Lightsaber from Hasbro

for $19.99 will be available in Fall 2014.

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