Jake and the Never Land Pirates at the D23 Expo Including a Reading from David Arquette and Corey Burton

On the first day of the D23 Expo, I had my little guy with me for a few hours. I took a look at the schedule and knew right away what we would be doing together.

Being big Jake and the Never Land Pirate fans meeting Jake was a must, and so was seeing Sharky and Bones from the Never Land Pirates Band. 

As we entered the expo we headed straight to the Disney Channel and Radio Disney Pavilion, where we were greeted with Perry the Platy-Bus and a backyard setting filled with white adirondack chairs, Perry benches, and beach balls. 

The Little Guy was excited going from Perry bench to beach balls in record time. 

When it was time to meet Jake we got in line to get our pictures with him. 

Somehow from the time we got in line and the time it took to meet Jake the Little Guy's shoe came untied, and he wanted Jake to tie it for him. Luckily for Jake, I swooped in and saved the day. 

We got our picture with Jake, then we were handed a Jake and the Never Land Pirates poster and bandanna and we were on our way. 

Mr. Smee and Captain Hook also came out for photos once Jake was done. 

We returned shortly later to see a performance from Sharky and Bones from The Never Land Pirate Band. They performed one song, but first they showed everyone some moves to do while singing along with the song. 

The video above is them showing us the moves, but unfortunately I can't share with you the actually song because it was SO loud it blew my speaker on the video. Let me just say it was an absolute blast seeing them in person. I'm not afraid to admit that I may just like the show and songs a little bit more then my son.
After they performed their song they signed autographs which we didn't stay for.

Photo ©Disney Used with permission from Disney
Once Sharky and Bones were done with their autograph session, we headed back to the Disney Channel and Radio Disney Pavilion for the Disney Corporate Citizenship Announcement and Storytelling Event.

Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson the authors of The Bridge to Never Land came out to read a chapter in the book along with David Arquette and Corey Burton. It was fun to see David Arquette, who is the voice of Skully on Jake and the Never Land Pirates, but it was an honor to hear Corey Burton, the voice of Captain Hook (among an endless list of other characters) read out loud in Captain Hook's voice. He didn't just read from the book, he moved and acted like the character, cracking Arquette up several times. It was such a pleasure to be there to see him. 

You can see the whole reading (except for the first 5 seconds) below. 

Once they were done reading, the First Book President Kyle Zimmerman made an announcement that Disney was donating $500,000 and 8 million Disney Publishing Worldwide books to First Book.
First Book is a nonprofit organization that connects book publishers and community organizations to provide access to new books for children in need. 

Everyone who was there for the reading left with a hard copy of  Walt Disney's Peter Pan retold by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson with pictures by Mary Blair. 

The Never Land Pirate Band came back out for another song, and that concluded the events for Jake and the Never Land Pirates. 

Wordless Wednesday: Perry the Platy-Bus at the D23 Expo

Inside Perry the Platy-Bus at the D23 Expo, a place to play interactive games.

The Pizza Planet Truck in BRAVE? Find Out!

At "A Conversation With the Pixar Creative Team" during the D23 Expo, the last portion of the panel was spent answering questions from fans. 

One fan asked if we could expect to see the famous Pizza Planet Truck in BRAVE.

©Disney

The Pizza Planet Truck has appeared in every Pixar film except The Incredibles, so will we see it in the Highlands of Scotland?

Watch the video below to find out!

BRAVE will be released in theaters June 2012.

I'll be going more in depth about this panel along with photos soon. 

The Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives at the D23 Expo

One of my favorite things to see at the D23 Expo besides the two panels I saw with John Lasseter (which I will talk about soon in another post), was The Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives.
This year the collection was not only impressive, but it was also much larger then the first D23 Expo in 2009.
If you were able to go to the first expo, you may remember seeing the collection in one small room. This year the archives were in the same room plus you had to walk across a hall into two other rooms.
Instead of posting a select few photos, I have made videos for each room. 

The first room included props and costume from The Mickey Mouse Club, Hocus Pocus, Zorro, The Father of the Bride,Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie, National Treasure, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Rocketeer, and Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. 

This door is the same door that Alice walks through in the movie. 

The second room included props and costumes from the Pirates of the Caribbean films, the television show LOST, and costumes from the original Tron. 

The third room was filled with Mickey Mouse memorabilia including items from Mickey's Toontown Fair in Walt Disney World and retro items and dolls. 

Just when you thought you were done looking, there was a hallway dedicated to House of de Vil to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the film One Hundred and One Dalmatians with fan art too. 

This 12,000 square-foot exhibit was a joy to look at, the only problem that arose was the long line to get into it each day. 

One thing that was nice for those who didn't want to wait in the long line was the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides exhibit on the showroom floor. This was out in the open for anyone to walk up to and look at on their own pace without having to worry about a line. 

Even a Jack Sparrow Voodoo Doll was included. 

Most Missed Attraction at Disneyland

Welcome to those of you joining me from Your Highway in the Sky and those of you just hopping aboard. I am the 2nd stop on our Magical Blogorail.

Today we are talking about attractions we most miss. This was an easy one for me as I think about it every time I go into Tomorrowland... The PeopleMover. 

Although I do miss the Skyway, the PeopleMover is the one attraction I want back at Disneyland more then anything else.

Each time I enter Tomorrowland I am reminded of the PeopleMover with it's track above the pathways of the land. 

 It was the one attraction that not only could you relax for 15 minutes, but also go all through Tomorrowland while passing Star Traders, Space Mountain, and cruising above the Autopia cars. 

Entering the Grid

When it was open, there was a portion that had you going through the grid of the original Tron. 

At night it was magical to go through and see the glow of the park around. 

The Rocket Rods replaced the PeopleMover in 1998, three years after the PeopleMover closed, with the Rocket Rods only lasting two years. For the last 11 years those tracks have sat unused. 

Thanks to Dennis Brown from www.dennisbrown360.com for giving me permission to use three photos of the PeopleMover in WDW. 

When I make it back to WDW, the PeopleMover will be one of the first rides I go on. 

Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is Adventures of a Disney Princess.

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:

1st Stop ~ Your Highway in the Sky

2nd Stop ~ Magical Days with the Mouse

3rd Stop ~ Adventures of a Disney Princess

4th Stop ~ A Disney Mom’s Thoughts

Final Stop ~ Walt Disney World: Not Just for Kids

Disney Flashback Friday - The Mulan Parade

Welcome to another Disney Flashback Friday.

Where did this week go? It seems I can't find enough hours in the day to get my posts up about the D23 Expo. As I panicked realizing that it was indeed time for another Flashback, I knew it had to be something quick. I took a glance in a box of photos I have that need to be organized, and I came across these three photos from my last trip to Walt Disney World 13 years ago. 

So here I am at Disney's Hollywood Studios sitting by myself. Now of course I am wondering why I am sitting with people I don't know on both sides of me. I have no clue. Funny but weird.  I'm the retro looking one in the middle.  In another photo that I'm not posting, my family and friends are across the street. Again weird. Maybe I was mad at someone. Haha.  On a side note, notice the guy in the white tank top, he appears to be looking at my family taking the picture too. 

We are waiting for the Mulan Parade.

 Great shot of their backs.

Another great shot from behind. Obviously my photography skills have gotten better. ;) 

One thing I know for sure by looking at these photos... I miss it there. Such fun memories, and I'm ready to create some new ones. 

Want to join in? It's easy! The only rules are that it must be a Disney flashback. Your flashback can be from 20 years ago or 1 month ago. It's your flashback so have fun with it.

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Please grab the flashback button (copy and paste the code above) to help spread the word, and leave a direct link below to your flashback post. Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to say hello to some of the other Disney Flashbacks.

John Lasseter Announcement in Search of Jungle Cruise Photo from 1977-78 at D23 Expo

During the "Radiator Springs Reality: Imagineering Cars Land for Disney California Adventure" panel at the D23 Expo, John Lasseter announced a contest called John of the Jungle.

“I was a Jungle Cruise skipper. It changed my life, and I mean it. It taught me about comic timing. It was one of the most fun things I’ve ever done. You know, I would still be a Jungle Cruise skipper if I didn’t get hired as an animator at Disney because I just absolutely loved it. In the 50th anniversary of Disneyland I was able to go and don my skipper outfit again. I have this great picture of me in 2005 at the 50th, it was so, so, special to me", said Lasseter. 

John Lasseter went on about having a conversation at home with his sons about how much being a skipper at the Jungle Cruise meant to him. He told them he was going to get to put his jungle cruise skipper outfit back on, with his son questioning "It still fits?" "No, it's a different one", replied  John with laughter throughout the room. 

“The problem I have, is that I don’t have a picture of me in 1977 and 1978 when I was a Jungle Cruise skipper. So today we’re announcing a contest", said John Lasseter. 

"This is very, very, special and very, very, important to me because this is such an important part of my life and I don’t have a record of it. I remember a lot of people taking pictures of me. So we are announcing a contest for you to dig through your old pictures and find a picture of me from 1977 or 1978 of me as a Jungle Cruise skipper. To be specific, I was trained in Thanksgiving of 1977. I worked Christmas, the holiday season of ’77. I worked Easter of ’78, grad nights of ’78, and part way through the summer of 1978, so it was really kind of a nine-month period.”

Lasseter gave a warning, “Now, Pixar invented digital compositing. We know a fake when we see it.”

“If someone out there sends one in, and it really is a picture of me as a Jungle Cruise skipper, they get to come to the opening of Cars Land as our guest. It’s going to be really, really, as a VIP guest.”

See video to hear John Lasseter announce the contest and how much the Jungle Cruise meant to him. 

Visit www.johnofthejungle.com for more details. 

Beauty and the Beast in Disney Digital 3D™ at El Capitan Theatre

Be Our Guest!
Relive the Magic & Music at the El Capitan Theatre,
Now in Disney Digital 3D™!

Disney

Beauty and the Beast 

With a Special Live Appearance by

Belle at Every Show!

September 2 -15, 2011

El Capitan Theatre, Hollywood 

Hollywood’s legendary El Capitan Theater is thrilled to present an exclusive theatrical engagement of “Beauty and the Beast” for the first time ever in Disney Digital 3D™ from September 2 through September 15th 2011, it was announced today by Lylle Breier, senior vice president of worldwide special events for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Only at the El Capitan Theatre,  will guests relive the magic and music of “Beauty and the Beast” in this stunning new format. The El Capitan will even provide “Kid Sized” 3D glasses for this one of a kind experience. A special live appearance by Belle is also featured at every performance.

Daily showtimes are 10:45am, 2:00pm, 4:45pm and 7:30pm. Tickets are on sale now, and available at the El Capitan Theatre (6838 Hollywood Blvd.), online at www.elcapitantickets.com , or by calling 1-800-DISNEY6.  Special group rates for parties of 20 or more are available by calling 1-818-845-3110.  Showtimes subject to change.

On select days, El Capitan guests may enjoy Breakfast with Belle at the Disney’s Soda Fountain & Studio Store, and then see the 10:45am movie! Seating is limited and reservations are required.

The El Capitan Theatre will also host a special “Tiny Tot Tuesday” on Tuesday, September 6, at 10:45am only. During this special screening of “Beauty and the Beast” in Disney Digital 3D™parents and small children can enjoy the movie in a “Tiny Tot” friendly way – complete with lights dimmed rather than out and reduced sound levels!

Commenting on the announcement, Lylle Breier, senior vice president, worldwide special events for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, said, “Of all the Disney animated features, ‘Beauty and the Beast’ is one of the most beloved and treasured. And, now, thanks to the magic of Disney Digital 3D™, our audiences can experience  this Academy Award-winning classic in a whole new way. This special engagement is the perfect entertainment for guests of all ages – from those who grew up with this timeless animated feature, to those who have yet to discover the wonder of this Disney masterpiece for the very first time.”

The Walt Disney Studios plans to release one of its most critically acclaimed animated films of all time, Beauty and the Beast, for the first time ever in mesmerizing Disney Blu-ray 3D™ for in-home viewing.  Beauty and the Beast: Diamond Edition 3D will be available in market beginning on October 4th as a 5-Disc Combo Pack (providing families with value, versatility and flexibility to enjoy this film on several formats of choice including Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray™, DVD and/or Digital Copy) and/or 3D Movie Download. For more information, please visit www.disney.com/BeautyAndTheBeast3D .

“Beauty and the Beast” follows the adventures of Belle, a bright and beautiful young woman who finds escape from her ordinary life by reading books.  Meanwhile, off in a castle in the distance, a cruel young prince is cast under a spell that turns him into a tormented beast, and his servants into animated household objects. In order to remove the curse, the Beast must discover a true love who will return his affection.  With the help of the castle’s enchanted staff, Belle sees beneath the Beast’s exterior and discovers the heart and soul of a human prince.


*Photos used with permission from Disney

Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives at the D23 Expo -Room 1

I put together a little video of the costumes featured in the first room of the Treasures of Walt Disney Archives at the D23 Expo. 

This room includes costumes and props from The Mickey Mouse Club, Zorro, Hocus Pocus, The Father of the Bride, Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, The Rocketeer, National Treasure, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. 

I'll have two more videos for you soon featuring the rest of the archives. 

Getting Into Character at the D23 Expo

This past weekend the D23 Expo, the ultimate Disney fan event, was held at the Anaheim Convention Center. 

During the 2009 D23 Expo we didn't see many people dress up for the event, but this year they came as their favorite princesses, villains, attraction, fairies, and action heros. The most popular costumes were Rapunzel, fairies including Tinker Bell, and UP. Here are just a few of the many costumes walking around by Disney fans attending the event.