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Walt Disney Imagineering in collaboration with filmmaker James Cameron and Lightstorm Entertainment is bringing to life the mythical world of Pandora, inspired by Cameron's AVATAR, at Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park. The awe-inspiring land of floating mountains, bioluminescent rainforests and soaring Banshees will become real for Disney guests to see, hear and touch. Scheduled to open in 2017, the AVATAR-inspired land will be part of the largest expansion in Disney's Animal Kingdom history. (Concept art, Walt Disney Imagineering)  As part of the largest expansion in its history, Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park will be adding all-new entertainment experiences including a new after-dark spectacular centered around and above Discovery River, new nighttime entertainment including live performers on Discovery Island (pictured below) and a new night version of Kilimanjaro Safaris. (Concept art, Walt Disney Imagineering).   Walt Disney Imagineeri...

Zendaya, star of Disney Channel’s “Shake It Up,” rode down Main Street U.S.A., Thursday, in Magic Kingdom Park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida as Grand Marshal of the “Celebrate A Dream Come True” Parade. Zendaya was joined by three of 68 children known as the 2013 Champions of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Riding with Zendaya: • Saray Gonzales, 13, from New Mexico is in remission after six rounds of chemotherapy and 30 days of radiation for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. • Victoria Reed, 9, from Vermont, underwent ten surgeries and speech therapy for a cleft lip and palate, a defect that affects one in 600 children. • Cody Trembecki, 11, from Calgary, Alberta, weighed just over a pound at birth and couldn’t breathe on his own. Cody endured five years with a tracheostomy and two surgeries to build a windpipe from cartilage and bone grafts. The Children’s Miracle Network is a charity that raises funds and awareness for 170 pediatric centers. This week, t...

Disney Parks continues to tease us with additional looks into the new AVATAR Land that is coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom in early 2017. At the first ever D23 Expo in Tokyo, Japan, guests were treated to a special video presentation from James Cameron, the creator of Avatar, and Joe Rohde, the incredibly talented Disney Imagineer. Take a look below: This project has been the subject of much negativity on quite a few Walt Disney World fan forums. To be honest, I have to say that I fed into the negativity. I have always been a big fan of the movie, and the sheer brilliance behind this incredible world that James Cameron imagined, but I could never really grasp on how this would fit into Disney's Animal Kingdom. However, after viewing this video and much of the artwork, I'm going to give Walt Disney Imagineering the benefit of the doubt, and wait for the final product in early 2017. Do you think it will be worth the wait? Is there something else that you...

Get ready! The "Glow with the Show" Ears are coming to the Walt Disney World Resort! These INCREDIBLE color-changing Mickey Ear Hats will interact with shows and experiences at various Disney Parks here in Florida and will make their Walt Disney World debut with Fantasmic! on October 15, 2013 – that is also the same as the nighttime spectacular’s 15th anniversary at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Guests can purchase the “Glow with the Show” Ear Hats for $25 each, at the following locations: Fantasmic! cart Theater of the Stars cart Beverly Sunset Once Upon a Time Mickey’s of Hollywood Head to Toe “Glow with the Show” Ears will also be coming to Magic Kingdom Park starting October 19, 2013  - (I think as a personal birthday present to ME ) and they will interact with both "Wishes" and "Celebrate the Magic." They will be sold at these locations: Chapeau  Emporium  Tip Board Cart  Glow with the Show Carts The "Glow with...

Disney Parks have an unwavering commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment and accessible experiences for guests. Disney Parks is modifying the current Guest Assistance Card program, which provides access to attractions for guests with disabilities, so it can continue to serve the guests who truly need it. The new program is designed to provide the special experience guests have come to expect from Disney. It will also help control abuse that was, unfortunately, widespread and growing at an alarming rate. The new Disability Access Service (DAS) Card will replace the Guest Assistance Card on Oct. 9. Guests at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort can request a Disability Access Service Card at Guest Relations. DAS Cardholders will receive a return time for attractions based on the current wait time. Disney Parks has long recognized and accommodated guests with varying needs. Guests can visit Guest Relations to discuss their individual situati...

News from the Disney Parks Blog - I’m really looking forward to “Frozen,” Disney’s latest animated comedy adventure from the creators of “Tangled” and “Wreck-It Ralph.” I think audiences are going to really fall for fearless and optimistic heroine Anna, feel for her sister with a secret, Elsa, and laugh out loud with hysterical snowman Olaf. And the songs from “Frozen” are especially wonderful! I haven’t been able to get Elsa’s song, “Let It Go,” out of my head since I heard Idina Menzel perform it live at the D23 Expo in August. This November, the enchanting story and characters from “Frozen” will be brought to magical life with new experiences coming to Disney Parks. At Disneyland park, Olaf is preparing a special, snow-capped spot in Fantasyland, where you can spend time visiting with Anna and Elsa. When the royal sisters travel east to Walt Disney World Resort, they’ll be appearing at the Norway Pavilion at Epcot, where you’ll also find a new gallery exhibit exploring h...

Everyone has a Disney Side. I know that I sure do! It comes out when we let loose at a Disney Park, celebrate our inner pirate or princess, and meet Mickey Mouse again and again. Now, Disney Parks is giving us social media-savvy theme park fans a new way to celebrate our Disney Side with the launch of an official Disney Parks Vine account, which will feature both original and user-generated video content. Disney Parks will celebrate the account’s launch with a “Vine Your Disney Side” contest that encourages Viners to create six-second films that celebrate their unique interest in Disney theme parks, characters and more. Starting today, Vine users who create videos that show their Disney Side can include the tag #DisneySideContest for a chance to appear on the Disney Parks’ Vine account. Selected videos will begin appearing on the channel Oct. 7, with each featured filmmaker selected receiving $1,000. The creator of each video featured will also receive the chance to win a vaca...