There is a large balloon promoting “UP” outside the AMC Theater in Downtown Disney West Side

I think the “UP” balloon was fly ing higher than this one…

We managed to grab dinner at the new Paradiso 37 restaurant on Pleasure Island with no wait

A really nice chandelier in the lobby area

You may recognize some parts of the chandelier…

Corks from the bottle

Most drinks come in large glasses

Some specialty drinks come in a “crushed” cup

The food was very good

So was the Paradiso 37 sundae

Characters in Flight and Paradiso 37 have now been added to the Downtown Disney map

The back of the Downtown Disney map and some billboards around WDW feature a new marketing campaign for the area, stating that you can have the night or daytime of your life, a play on some of the lyrics from the “Celebrate You!” theme song

A poster for the upcoming Disney film “G-Force” near the Magic Kingdom entrance

And a poster for “The Princess and the Frog”

The new signage outside the Hall of Presidents makes it much more noticeable

As of July 4th, The Hall of Presidents is officially open

I managed to see the show 3 times while I was there, and It has been vastly improved

This sign was also changed. The new attraction tag-line “A Celebration of Liberty’s Leaders” was added

There was a long line to see the show during the Annual Passholder previews

The lobby has experienced some minor changes

The new tag-line again

A new exhibit featuring some artifacts from the first ladies has been added

It was a packed house

The show now focuses on the Presidents more than American history, featuring a new speech by Abraham Lincoln (who actually appears alone in the middle of the show), a high-definition projection system, a surreal sound system, and much more. Even if you are not a big fan of this attraction, it’s worth a another look.

Stitch enjoyed the “Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It! Street Party”

Some of the facades in Liberty Square are still under tarps

The Diamond Horseshoe is open for the holiday weekend, with a fake sign up for some reason

The location serves a few interesting items as an extra option for guests during the busy weeks

There were actually quite a few people eating at The Horseshoe

Where’s the Diamond?

A new stage was built for Captain Jack’s Pirate Tutorial, but it isn’t yet in use

The Rum’s not gone!!!

The Pirates League is now open inside Caribbean Plaza

The shop is beautifully themed to the film series

Faded away above the entrance is the insignia of the East India Trading Company

There are also two “damaged”" icons

The map from “Dead Man’s Chest” makes an appearance

A damaged flag from “the company”

You can find all of the Brethren Court flags throughout the location

The shop blends beautifully into the 36 year old

The prices and details are explained in this pamphlet

The characters usually in the “Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party” boxes were out of the boxes as the parade was rolling out, presumably due to the extreme heat

Many of the facades on Main Street U.S.A. are still under tarps

Main Street U.S.A. is decorated for the holiday weekend

Donald and Goofy were at the beginning of the “Celebrate a Dream Come True” parade, and there was no Lilo, Stitch, Woody, Jessie, Baloo, or King Louie appearing that day

Due to the weather, the Princess floats were not in the parade, so the Princesses were on the Castle unit instead

I managed to get a perfect score on “Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin” pretty early on…

So I decided to take some on-ride photos, since I had never taken any

Can you find the hidden Mickey?

Something was wrong with this banner outside of Stitch’s Great Escape, rust or something more?

As usual, 5 minute wait…

I tried to be artsy with some of these pictures….

The Magic Kingdom map now features Splash Mountain

Stitch’s Supersonic Celebration, the Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party, The Pirates League, and the Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade are all on the map

Stitch’s Supersonic Celebration is on the Times Guide, it’s just not performing

The exterior’s of many of the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa buildings are being worked on

Moving over to Epcot, the pavement in the Innoventions breezeway is being changed

Definitely more futuristic….

But I am really going to miss this!!!

As many of you know, my main reason for going to WDW was to attend this year’s pin event

Bobby Pinback welcomed everyone to…

A giant T-Rex greeted traders

With Pluto at the guard

While you can’t see it here, the top of the building had a Rebel Alliance logo from Star Wars on top of it

The Haunted Mansion

Donald was making a Chernabog statue

A large Sphinx stood in the background

Some of those icons look familiar…

R2-D2, C-3PO, and an icon I’ll leave for you to solve

The stage area had plenty of seating

The art area had some interesting artifacts

Statues of Pain and Panic from Hercules

A sculpture of Sorcerer Mickey’s hat

Some props from the classic shorts “Plane Crazy” and “Steamboat Willie”

A large Figment stood over the preview area

A very cool auction piece

One of the grand prizes

One lot contained a Hollywood Studios 20th Anniversary jumbo pin that was never produced

Notice the Alien Encounter/Stitch’s Great Escape pin that was never made

Another prize package

Another auction lot

A White Glove pin auction lot

A lot full of surfboard pins

On to some pin previews!!! Here are some pins coming to the Disneyland Resort

A boxed set featuring the World of Color construction walls at California Adventure

There is also a load of pins coming out at the D23 Expo in September

A limited Release pin that will be member exclusive

Some of the public merchandise

The “One Man’s Dream” collection covers company milestones

The Magical Destinations collection looks really cool

As well, Alex Maher and Tyler Dumas designed 4 artist choice pins that will be released each day of the Expo

There is also a Legends Ceremony limited edition pin

Some merchandise being released at both DL and WDW to commemorate ten years of Disney Pin Trading

The EPCOT Center set we previewed a few weeks ago will be released on October 13th

A new Figment set also coming in October

Some new Marquee collection pins

A Big Al White Glove pin is on the way

The pins from this year’s “Not So Scary Halloween Party”

I love the Spaceship Earth apple pin for Food and Wine 2009

More Vinylmation pins are on the way

The 2010 logo pins

Some new lanyards on the way

A look at some pins coming to the Soda Fountain & Studio Store in California

Haunted Mansion action figures are coming

As well as the game of “After-LIFE”

Moving on to some Vinylmation previews, you can see the NYC exclusive piece coming soon

The Carnotaurus from Dinosaur

A preview of some upcoming 3 inch figures

The Vinylmation plush are coming later this year

There are also 3 exclusive pieces for the holiday offerings this year

On Saturday, I attended Scoop Sanderson’s One O’clock Pin Chat

Scoop’s guest for the chat was Steven Miller, project manager for Disney Pin Trading

They discussed the tenth anniversary of pin trading

10th anniversary open edition pins

10th anniversary limited edition pins

The tribute collections featuring some classic Disney pins

Some special limited edition of 100 pins will be released on the tenth of every month in 2010 at WDW

Disneyland will have a Limited Edition of 10 framed set

There will also be a purchase with purchase promotion for WDW

and for the Disneyland Resort

Next year’s WDW Pin Celebration will be titled Trade City U.S.A.

The event will take place in August 2010

Some retro-style WDW pins are coming soon

Notice the Carousel of Progress 35th anniversary pin

As well as pins of the Little Orange Bird from Adventureland

The summer pin festival at Disneyland next year will be titled “Dateline Disneyland 1955″

As noted earlier, there is a plethora of pins being released at the D23 Expo

8 special hidden mickey pins were created just for this year’s Pin Celebration

A new viral marketing campaign interrupted the pin chat multiple times

Start searching!!!

This appears to be the DeeBees language, looks familiar…

For more coverage of the 2009 Pin Celebration, tune in to The Disney Pincast and go to the WDWNTube for video from the events

On Monday, I was able to take part in a tour of the new Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort

The tour began with a presentation in the Contemporary’s Ballroom of the Americas

A character called the “Wish-Meister” made appearances throughout the show, granting wishes

We were then transported to Hawaii

Some new concept art for the Hawaii Disney Vacation Club property

We were then taken on an Adventures by Disney trip to Italy

A quick look at the Treehouse Villas

All of the attendees were given a few small gifts

We then saw a short presentation about Bay Lake Tower

The wall behind the presentation room opened at the end, revealing a dance and dessert party!!!

After some dancing and dessert, it was on to Bay Lake Tower

A sign welcomes guests home

This glass is actually temporary and will be removed before the tower officially opens

I really wanted to buy a lot of the artwork

The pool area looks phenomenal

The water slide will actually feature special lighting effects at night

We were then taken into a Grand Villa

The Grand Villa has two floors

The kitchen

Even though you couldn’t see the Magic kingdom, the view was phenomenal

A hidden Mickey in the carpet

A look down into the living room

It was then on to the “Top of the World” lounge

Guest will need to use their key to access the lounge and viewing platform

The terrace is HUGE

I love the speakers that will pump in the fireworks soundtrack

The view from inside the lounge

The chandelier in the lounge

The Monorail mural behind the bar is phenomenal

The view from out on the terrace is astonishing

Some benches have large speakers under them

Can you spot the Magic Kingdom skyline?

Bay Lake Tower may be the nicest Disney Resort ever built

Moving over to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, “The Good Times Gathering Spot” has replaced the “Pocahontas and Her Forest Friends” show

It appears to be similar to the Belle’s Storytime show at the Magic Kingdom, with appearances from other characters such as Koda and Kenai from Brother Bear

What’s this?

Not only does Restaurantosaurus in Dinoland offer 10 different soft drinks, but they are a t a self-serve station

I thoroughly enjoyed free refills of Sprite Zero….

I then went to see Festival of the Lion King, believe it or not, for the first time

It was a very good show, not as good as Finding Nemo: The Musical, but very good

In another personal first, I got to ride Expedition: Everest at night, an experience I highly reccomend

A look at Primeval Whirl at night

Finally over at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the San Francisco facade has been replaced

“The Incredibles” Blockbuster Weekend has been replaced by “UP”

Sounds Dangerous (thankfully) remains closed

Luxo Jr. has been experiencing problems and has not come back out in quite a while.

The line for Toy Story Mania! got pretty bad

Soundstage One is now a “Hot Set”

The popularity of Toy Story Midway Mania seems to be helping the line for the Backlot Tour

The Backlot Catering Coke bottles have returned from refurbishment

Nothing going on at the Premiere Theater at the moment

A new area designed for kids has opened outside Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster

It’s called Walt Disney Records: On The Road

Kids get to make their own cardboard “album” while the more adventurous go on the ride

A new lighting effect is in use in the Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster queue

Lights now “dance” around the G-force Records album on the ceiling

Mickey was caught off-guard by the rain

While I didn’t have it in mind when I took this photo, notice the new signage on Playhouse Disney Live on Stage!

I had to take time this trip to visit the characters from “UP” at the Magic of Disney Animation

There are now posters up from “Rapunzel”,

“Toy Story 3″,

and “The Princess and the Frog”

Over at the Animation Gallery, you can pick up the latest Gallery of Light piece, Splash Mountain

The DHS maps have been changed to urge guests to ask about American Idol Experience auditions

The map also has a 2A and 2B, separating and promoting both the show and the audition area

That concludes my report, I hope you enjoyed it!!!

]]> http://wdwnewstoday.com/archives/3906/feed 0 http://wdwnewstoday.com/archives/3787 http://wdwnewstoday.com/archives/3787#comments Tue, 16 Jun 2009 22:11:20 +0000 wdwntadmin http://www.wdwnewstoday.com/?p=3787 From The Orlando Business Journal:

Stitch’s Supersonic Adventure, an interactive stage show that opened May 5 (Actually, it was May 3rd) at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, will close on June 27.

Disney officials wouldn’t say why the show, which opened with much fanfare just six weeks ago, is on the way out. Postings on blog sites by Disney fans suggest that park patrons complained about having to form queues in the late spring heat without shelter or seating.

A Disney spokeswoman didn’t say what is planned next for the Stitch site.

While I personally saw a lot of promise in the Stitch’s Supersonic Celebration show, it was quite clear that it needed a little work, but no one could have expected a permanent closure. The news that the show won’t perform for the remainder of the summer isn’t all that surprising, since guests have already been complaining about sitting and standing in the bright Florida sun in front of the Tomorrowland stage during the daily performances. With average summer temperatures like they are, the show could have caused some major legal trouble for Walt Disney World. You can expect a re-worked stage area and some various seasonal shows to debut beginning this Fall. Be sure to stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information becomes available on this breaking story.

“Celebrate Today!” over and over and over again

The West Side was a ghost town early in the morning

Some new decorations for “Celebrate Tonight!” at Pleasure Island

They have repainted this refreshment/DJ building

The Paradiso 37 restaurant is now open

Characters in Flight blends nicely into scenery at Downtown Disney

The entrance of the Design-a-Tee shop is under refurbishment

A bus to the new Treehouse Villas at Saratoga Springs

Welcome to the Magic Kingdom, or as we’re calling it now, Refurbland

Tarps are up on the Penny Arcade facade

As well as the Hall of Champions

Guests can still walk through

A bubble machine was running by the hub for some reason

“I’m not waiting that long for this attraction!”

A new stage is being built for the Captain Jack Sparrow Pirate Tutorial across from Pirates of the Caribbean

The Diamond Horseshoe is still under tarps

A strange tarp is up on the top of this building

The Hall of Presidents is still under tarps, even though we are just two weeks away from Passholder previews

Are these Eagles on the lampposts new?

Ye Old Christmas Shoppe is also under tarps

The backside of the tarp features trees

“it’s a small world” and Pinocchio’s Village Haus are behind tarps as well

The entrance is temporarily back on the right side of the attraction

The wait time sign has actually been embedded in the walls

This is what it would look like if the queue was enclosed….

Space Mountain is still closed

The old Skyway building is still under refurbishment

The Frontierland Railroad Station is still under tarps as well

Back to Space Mountain, where there are people working on the roof

The TTA is closed until late August

A really cool sign telling guests about the closure

Matt then watched the Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade

“Please don’t hit me with that baton…”

The princess unit has received a new pain scheme

The white frosting has been turned blue

They also repainted the white railings here gold

More new blue frosting

Star Wars Weekends has wrapped up at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

The “Alice in Walt Disney World” cel was released at the Animation Gallery on Saturday

The parks have been very crowded all week

The San Francisco Street facade has returned and is looking very good

We end this report with the Green Army Men teaching some new recruits. Thanks for the report Matt!!!

“They’re ripping the top off of Space Mountain!!!” More on that later…

Some Main Street U.S.A. facades are under refurbishment

I like how they made tarps for the Hall of Champions’ awning

There it is, the claw!!!

Actually, it’s just a crane lowering materials into Space Mountain during it’s lengthy refurbishment

The Tomorrowland Transit Authority is getting some TLC during the closure as well, you can see here that they are replacing some of the track lighting

Time for some more “Stitch’s Supersonic Celebration”

Notice the Timekeeper’s head is choice C when Stitch builds a robot

Robo-Mart a division of X-S Tech

Many guests pick out a shaded spot for the show under the TTA track

He’s teleporting

He’s here!

While kids are waiting for the parade, they now have another choice in entertainment besides dancing or playing jumprope

Thanks for the report Robert!!!

The second video comes to us by Robert Ashburn of Figmentsmedia.net and is of the new Stitch’s Supersonic Celebration show in Tomorrowland:

Starting at the Magic Kingdom on April 27th…

Construction has begun on the Pirates League at the entrance/exit to Pirates of the Caribbean

The exterior refurbishment on the Hall of Presidents building continues

The right side of the Diamond Horseshoe is still under tarps

A new (?) exit sign at the Haunted Mansion

The Village Fry Shoppe in Fantasyland has become the Friar’s Nook

Nice to see a Robin Hood reference in the parks (Friar Tuck from the film is pictured on the signage)

Space Mountain and the Tomorrowland Transit Authority are closed for refurbishment

Space Mountain is closed until November, the TTA re-opens in late August

The Stitch meet and greet is making use of the old Galaxy Palace Theater entrance area

The TTA trains are sitting in various places up on the tracks

This end of the area could really use some help, you can see the back of the Main Street buildings from some angles

The repainting of the rock-work in Tomorrowland is complete and it looks fantastic

The service that creates family crest merchandise has moved to the Exposition Hall while the Heritage House in Liberty Square is closed

The now infamous Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride shirt being sold in Fantasy Faire and the Emporium

A lot of the Magic Kingdom merchandise for this year is using the park’s classic logo and the new artwork seen above

Stopping by Disney’s Contemporary Resort, the Fantasia Market has opened

This space used to be “Concourse Sundries & Spirits”

A beautiful picture hanging behind the register

With this complete, the entire 4th floor is refurbished and looking ready for the Bay Lake Tower addition

Over to Epcot on April 28th

Flower and Garden Festival still rolling on

The Test Limit Labs were closed

Not a whole lot at the moment, but that will change in the fall

Where’s the Fire? at Innoventions

Are these interactive kiosks in the queue new?

A nameless attraction?

The Journey into Imagination banner was missing

McDonald’s is gone from the Refreshment Port

The “Top Secret” Kim Possible signs have been replaced with these nicer-themed ones that actually match the area they are in

Tarps slowly coming down in Japan

Not sure how long this menu has been running at the Liberty Inn, but the Buffalo Chicken Breast Nuggets were fantastic

Another new Kim Possible sign near Norway

A great piece from Randy Noble in the Art of Disney at Epcot

Another great Figment piece right next to it, not sure about the artist on this one

The giant gears outside of Mouse Gear were covered with these new rubber mats

A Vinylmation display inside the store

Full of more Mickey plush than Vinylmation

At the Art of Disney in Animal Kingdom, I found these Robert Olszewski boxes that I just had to pick up. The first is the Enchanted Tiki Room.

The Mad Tea Party

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

Peter Pan

and Pinnochio

Picnic in the Park at Animal Kingdom

Here is the small map they hand out with the 14 in-park picnic locations

Moving over to Downtown Disney, construction continues on the Paradiso 37 restaurant opening later this month

The new Guest Relations has opened in the Marketplace section

Some of the WDWNT crew at the Guest Relations desk

The new Photopass area

It looks a lot like the Grand Californian hotel out at the Disneyland Resort

Current specials running at the World of Disney store

We made a quick stop at Kidani Village one morning to pick up the limited edition opening daypin

Cool, square garbage cans

A quick look in the Sanaa restaurant

A look at the menu

A quick look at the special times guide for Disney’s Hollywood Studios on May 1

They also gave out small maps to tell guest about the imagineer session and where it was taking place

The Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream over at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has been updated

The final portions of the exhibit are now celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Disney’s Hollywood Studios

A monitor above the area plays a short video loop about the park’s creation

A D23 billboard at the exit of the One Man’s Dream film

Another piece at the Animation Gallery that emptied my wallet

This cel features the original park map (slightly altered to have the Sorcerer’s Hat rather than the Chinese Theater) with Mickey and Minnie in the front

The price was hefty, but I couldn’t let this one go

This sketch with pin was pretty cool as well

The cupcake is still available through the rest of May

Billboard for Up in the Animation Courtyard

As well as these banners

Moving back to Epcot on May 3rd, the Test Limit Labs re-opened

The back-end of it is still behind walls though

What could this be around the Kimmunicator?

Some kimmunicators have a protective metal casing now, really kills the “Top Secret” feel…

The Casa Mexicana has re-opened as a shop

The store on the other side is closed to become the tequila bar

The Journey Into Imagination banner has returned. Not sure if that is good or bad…

Obligatory monorail pictures

Pluto!!!

They slightly moved this hidden mickey in Morocco

Heading back over to the Magic Kingdom on Sunday evening, they have introduced Mickey’s Pin Trading Stroller

A pretty cool idea

The Launches to the Grand Floridian and Polynesian Resorts is no longer leaving from the small dock in front of the Magic Kingdom

On to my last day, May 4th. The latest D23 magazine was on sale in the Grand Floridian

Someone was having fun with their stroller name tag…. a classic

At the Magic Kingdom, the Frontierland train station is under tarps. This refurbishment will cause the WDW railroad to shut down for two days later this week

The latest version of the Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade debuted on Sunday, I saw it on Monday

Pluto,

Chip, and Dale now follow the grand marshall vehicle

Gepetto, Fowlfellow, and Gideon are now in front of the Pinnochio float

Abu, Genie, and Aladdin are in front of the Aladdin/Mary Poppins unit now

Dopey has left the float

Winnie the Pooh is gone

Captain Hook, the updated Mr. Smee, Tweedle Dee, and Tweedle Dum have been added as well

Nice sandals

The number of dancers in front of the other floats has dwindled. Also note that the Villains float has been removed.

Suzy, Perla, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, and Drizella are now in front of the princess unit

Lilo and Stitch have made it in the parade

Woody joins the crew as well

As does Jessie

Baloo and King Louie are now featured with Goofy and Donald aboard the castle float

Some characters now come off of the floats for the updated show stop. Overall, the parade has greatly improved and is now actually worth a viewing.

Over in Tomorrowland, Stitch’s Supersonic Celebration has debuted

An interactive Stitch appears on screen…

while Tip Trendo and his Galactic Girls dance along with guests

At times, Tip goes into the crowd to talk to guests and allow them to interact with Stitch

At one point, Stitch creates dancing robots (after turning down the Timekeeper’s head for them) that he buys from Robo Mart (a division of X-S Tech)

The two “robots” do some unbelievable dance moves

Stitch plays them a tune on-screen

Stitch can also take pictures of guests with his camera and then show the picture on screen

Stitch eventually transports himself to Tomorrowland to join the celebration

They invite guests to dance along to “Stop, Look, & Listen”

Overall, it’s a fun show. It’s a little long at 25 minutes, but it truly outmatches the Stitch Live! shows in Hong Kong and Paris.

I hope you all enjoyed the report!!!

“Celebrate Parking!”

Some new flags outside of Animal Kingdom

A promotional booth for “Earth”, now in theaters

Jiminy Cricket was posing for photos to celebrate Earth Day, since he is the face of the environmentality program

More Earth Day festivities inside the park

Matt Paul is excited about Earth Day

Moving over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the High School Musical show is performing on the temporary Grad Nites stage

Lighting towers are set up for the Grad Nite events

A billboard for “Earth” on the Backlot Tour route

A former Tapestry of Nations puppet is sitting in the backlot of the Studios

A close-up of the Earful Tower

Another temporary stage on the Streets of America

Lighting structures across the street

Sounds Dangerous has closed once again, we don’t expect it to re-open again, but it may this summer

The local police are awfully friendly

The Streetmosphere characters rolled out in cars before Block Party Bash hit the streets at 3:00 PM

Before Block Party Bash rolls out, Buzz sits and waits  under a deflated ball.

“Maybe I should get a poncho…”

Matt enjoyed a showing of the extremely popular Block Party Bash

Performing a Piledriver – DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME

“Hollywood, 1939. Amid the glitz and glimmer of bustling young movie-town at the height of its golden age….”

“Now, something is about to happen that will change all that…”

“This as you may recognize is a maintenance service elevator”

Thought this was kind of freaky

At first, I thought this was just a nice shot, but then I realized that one person is holding up a piece of paper. I hope they realize no one can see it and that the on-ride picture was already taken

Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream…

presented by D23

Over at “Lights, Motors, Action”, the pre-show has a question that doesn’t really pertain to stunts or driving

If you said A, you were right

“And I’m freeeeeeeee, free-fallin’…”

Over on Pixar Place, the home of the soon-to-debut Luxo Jr. animatronic character is being prepared

Moving over to Epcot on Spaceship-Earth Day (really corny, I know)

A sand sculpture promoting “Earth”

Moving over to Downtown Disney, Characters in Flight has proven quite popular

Time to “Celebrate Tonight!” at Pleasure Island

The clubs may be closed, but the dance floor is wide open

Seems to be popular for a Wednesday night in late-April

Still closed, and shall remain

We would like to come in, but the door is locked

I don’t think that’s Sue from England…

A blurry look at Paradiso 37, still under construction

Look, in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Characters in Flight!

These construction walls are mimicking the finale of the Great Movie Ride

The DJ booths are back up and running on Pleasure Island thanks to “Celebrate Tonight!”

Thanks for the report Matt!!!

]]> http://wdwnewstoday.com/archives/3392/feed 0 http://wdwnewstoday.com/archives/3315 http://wdwnewstoday.com/archives/3315#comments Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:46:20 +0000 Tom Corless http://www.wdwnewstoday.com/?p=3315 In usual fashion, Walt Disney World put out a number of new press releases all at once, giving us a lot to talk about after what has been a rather quiet period. The first piece gives us an official time frame and some already announced details about the Stich’s Supersonic Celebration show coming to the Magic Kingdom:

Interactive wizardry that combines comedy, real-time animation and live musical madness will dazzle guests during Stitch’s SuperSonic Celebration in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom.

Beginning in May, Stitch will host a zany interactive experience at the new Rockettower Plaza Stage. Guests are invited to participate in a Galaxy Day celebration when the new outdoor stage comes to life with music and a giant LED screen displays real-time, interactive animation.

The new show incorporates the same interactive technology used in “Turtle Talk With Crush” and “Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor.” Shows will take place six times daily.

Looking for some sweet fun at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa?

There’s a lot “s’more” new fun in store at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa each evening when guests staying at the resort can roast marshmallows around a Mickey-shaped campfire, sing favorite camp tunes on the shore of Seven Seas Lagoon and see the “stars” – both on the silver screen and in the sky – as they watch a family-friendly Disney film on the moonlit beach. S’mores kits and marshmallows are available for purchase during the campfire and movie. For more information about recreational activities at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, visit Disneyworld.com or call 407/824-4321.

The line-up for this year’s Sounds Like Summer Concert Series at Epcot has been released and includes WDWNT’s favorite group, Bjorn Again:

The whole family will be rockin’ and rollin’ to legendary music this summer at Epcot when popular tribute bands take the stage at America Gardens Theatre.

Seven tribute bands will recreate classic hits from musical icons under the stars as part of the Sounds Like Summer concert series. Concerts, which are included in regular Epcot admission, are nightly at 5:45, 7 and 8:15 p.m. (except July 4, when show times will be 5:15, 6:30, 7:45 and 9 p.m.).

Here is the lineup (subject to change):
June. 15-21 – Stayin’ Alive – A Tribute to the Bee Gees
June 22-28 – Hotel California – A Tribute to the Eagles
June 29-July 8 – Slippery When Wet – A Tribute to Bon Jovi
July 9-19 – Bjorn Again – A Tribute to ABBA
July 20-26 – The Sounds of the Supremes – A Tribute to the Supremes
July 27-Aug. 2 – 2U – A Tribute to U2
Aug. 3-9 – Petty Theft – A Tribute to Tom Petty.

Even though it has been runnign for a few week’s now, Disney is finally publicizing the new farwell show at Animal Kingdom:

Disney’s Animal Kingdom guests get so involved in adventures with birds and beasts of many kinds that they tend to put off one of their priorities all day long: a little quality time with Disney characters.

“So when guests come out of the park, they are absolutely determined to see our characters,” said Chris Ambrose, general manager of entertainment at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

In a classic example of giving guests what they want, Disney’s Animal Kingdom has launched Adventurers’ Celebration Gathering, an interactive experience near the theme park entrance each evening during park closing.

Khaki-clad cast – including Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Goofy – gather to bid farewell to guests with a music-filled celebration. Cast members shake their pom-poms and urge guests to join in the street-party fun by dancing to the music and forming a conga line procession while Mickey, Minnie and Goofy keep the beat from atop their safari vehicle.

“We’ve created a way for our guests to experience our characters … and it’s a way for us to have a fun, exciting way to end the day at Animal Kingdom,” Ambrose said.

Be sure to stay tuned to WDW News Today for more information on all of these items as it becomes available.

The main stage structure is now being painted (or decorated with very large stickers) in purples, whites, and blues

Workers are picking up the pace to get the show operational by the end of April

The exterior of the control booth looks just about finished