Search Results for: blog fantasyland expansion in progress

Disney World Bridal Studio Upgrade

It seems everything at Walt Disney World is getting a facelift these days. First come plans for a major Fantasyland expansion, and next we hear that popular destination for Disney fan couples Franck’s Bridal Studio has undergone a technological renovation. Stitch Kingdom reports that Disney’s one-stop shop for weddings has added two new planning rooms, updated its furnishings, and most importantly, upgraded its technological capabilities. Before, couples would travel to the Franck’s in person to meet with their wedding planner to iron out all the details on their upcoming Disney-themed nuptials. While it’s still necessary for couples to meet with … Continue reading →

The Silhouette Studio

In my senior year of college I wrote several papers on my favorite poet, John Keats. As part of my studies I read a 600-page biography of the poet. One of my favorite sections of the book collected the many portraits of Keats into a glossy-paged insert in the middle of the book. Amongst the many paintings and sketches Keats’ artist friends completed of him included a couple silhouettes. I’d heard of the practice before then, but I’d never taken much time looking at or thinking about them. Popularized in the 18th century, making silhouettes became a favorite pastime for … Continue reading →

Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg

I know I promised to review “Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg” about a month ago, but it’s taken me that long to get my hands on a copy. Now I have, so I can bring the first story of Tinker Bell’s solo adventures in Neverland to you. Actually, “Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg,” the first of the children’s books Disney commissioned to kick off its Tinker Bell/Pixie line even before the home-release movies, doesn’t star Tinker Bell. Our main protagonist is newly-born Never Fairy Prilla; Tinker Bell is the most important of the secondary … Continue reading →

“Spirit Beasts” at Epcot

Coming from a literary background, I love examining the interconnectivity between stories. I am especially addicted to studies on how stories function and overlap in different forms, be it literature, film, television, art, or anything else. For example, Disney’s now-defunct “Dreams Come True” exhibition at the New Orleans Museum of Art, which explored the connection between Disney’s movies and their fairy-tale sources. I’ve lamented a few times the fact that the exhibition only appeared in New Orleans for five months, and Disney has no plans at the moment to run it anywhere else. Now Disney’s teasing me again. The official … Continue reading →

Vacation in an Animation-Themed Suite

Way back in December I posted about a one-of-a-kind exhibition Disney debuted at the New Orleans Museum of Art. The show celebrated the fairy tale nature of Disney’s movies, revealing behind-the-scenes glimpses of animation work and studies on the relationship between Disney animated films and their source material. Unfortunately, only New Orleans hosted the show. But almost as if to make up for it, Disney World’s building a new resort hotel which carries on the theme and spirit from the “Dreams Come True” exhibition. Breaking ground this summer, and expected to open in 2012, is Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. … Continue reading →

No Queue for You

What would it be like to visit an amusement park with no lines for rides? That’s exactly the question Disney Imagineers are tackling. Orlando Attractions Magazine reports that Disney’s testing and preparations to introduce a new queue-less waiting system for their parks. Soon to be a thing of the past? The gist of the system kind of reminds me of waiting in line for a deli: Riders are given numbers corresponding to their place “in line,” and are free to wander around an area near the ride until their number is called. But that’s where the similarity to this and … Continue reading →

Disney’s Plans to Broaden its Appeal

I’ve written a lot about the Disney Princess culture, and how it’s experienced some backlash lately. Though Disney makes truckloads of money off its Princess brand, it also takes a hit from the brand due to how alienating it supposedly is for boys. While Disney is in the midst of expanding its Princess line, adding a larger fairy tale section and brand new Pixie Hollow to the Magic Kingdom, it’s also got some elaborate plans to draw young male interest. Some of these plans are already in place. For a few years now the Hollywood Studios at Disney World has … Continue reading →

D23: An Insider’s Disney

Anyone who’s here at families.com’s Disney corner is probably a Disney fan. Maybe we consider ourselves members in an unofficial fan club. Well, now we can join an official one. Last March Bob Iger unveiled D23, the official Disney fan club/community. The “23” stands for 1923, the year Walt Disney left Kansas City for California and founded the Walt Disney Company with his brother Roy O. You get the usual fan club stuff: calendars, membership cards and certificates, and subscription to a quarterly. Not to knock the quarterly; Disney twenty-three offers gorgeous photographs of and insight into past and present … Continue reading →

Disney’s Quiet Florida Escape

Sometimes it feels like the only Disney attraction I talk about are the parks, especially Walt Disney World in Orlando. It’s one of the most popular locations and a lot of interesting promotions and events are happening there right now, so I do want to share them with everyone here at families.com. But for those who might tire of the hectic crowds, noise, and cement pathways of an amusement park, Disney has an entirely different option: the Disney Wilderness Preserve. The Walt Disney Company created the Wilderness Preserve in 1992, purchasing the 8500-acre Walker Ranch in Poinciana, Florida. In partnership … Continue reading →

Google Gives 3D Disney Tour

One of our more popular Disney and Travel topics here at families.com is how to plan your Disney vacation. Even the most frugal of trips to a Disney attraction can be expensive. So it’s important to do a lot of research before embarking on a Disney vacation. Now Disney has partnered with Google to create a new way for web users to start researching and planning their trip to Disney World. Using the Google Earth program, downloadable onto your home computer, you can take a virtual tour of Disney World from the comfort of your own home. The Disney World … Continue reading →