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Fantasmic! Marks 20 Years at Disneyland® Park

Fantasmic!, Disneyland® Park’s nighttime spectacular presented on the Rivers of America in New Orleans Square and Frontierland®, marked 20 years of presentations this past weekend. Opening May 13, 1992, Fantasmic! combined Disney characters and live performers with amazing special effects and high-definition digital images from classic Disney movies projected on giant mist screens.

Fantasmic! is an exploration of Mickey’s active imagination as the forces of good and evil battle in his dreams. Whimsical scenes from the film Fantasia and other classic Disney films are displayed around Pirates Lair on Tom Sawyer Island until the Evil Queen calls her her magic mirror. From there, Mickey’s dream takes a dark turn as he tries to triumph over some of Disney’s most dastardly villains!

Several updates have kept Fantasmic! fresh over its 20-year run. Recent enhancements include the climactic transformation of the evil Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty into a fully animated 40-foot-tall dragon. Also added was an appearance by Flotsam and Jetsam, the slithering eels who serve Ursula the Sea Witch in The Little Mermaid and a new look for Captain Hook’s crocodile nemesis.

Because of the continued popularity of Fantasmic! at Disneyland® Park, be sure to ask your Magic Maker® about the availability of advance reservations for premium viewing options. Slightly varied versions of Fantasmic! can also be seen at Disney’s Hollywood Studios™ in Florida and Tokyo DisneySea®.

Enjoy these Fun Facts from Disneyland® Park’s Fantasmic!:

The new dragon is a fully animated 3-D design that replicates the movements of the dragon in Sleeping Beauty.

The Fantasmic! dragon is 32 feet wide and weighs approximately 18,000 pounds.

When “lurking” beneath the Fantasmic! stage prior to appearing, the dragon contracts to just 22 feet tall.

Tri-color LED lighting fixtures put the gleam in the dragon’s eyes.

In her spectacular appearance, Maleficent breathes a plume of fire 35 feet long, lighting the Rivers of America on fire for 25 seconds during the show. She is controlled and monitored by four computer systems.

By Off to Neverland Travel|2017-06-27T10:22:48-05:00May 16th, 2012|Categories: Disney News, Disneyland News|Tags: Disneyland Park, Fantasmic!|0 Comments

Disneyland Park adds Charging Lockers

A dead smartphone battery is no longer a reason to slow down guests at the Disneyland® Park. Guests can now take advantage of new “Charging Lockers” which were installed inside Main Street Lockers and Storage.

Use of the lockers are pretty simple:

Select whether you need a standard outlet (if you brought your own cell/camera charger), or use the supplied Apple or Android/Blackberry cord.
Use the touchpad kiosk to prepay for the first hour of use.
Create a 4-digit pin that will be used later to access your locker.
The kiosk will print a receipt with your locker assignment. Connect the device to the charger inside the locker and you are ready to go enjoy the park.
When returning, if you are within the prepaid hour time frame, you can return directly to your locker. If not, first return to the kiosk and pay any additional balance.

Pricing for the new Charging Locker is $2 per hour. At this time, this secure alternative to charging your devices is only available inside the Disneyland® Park.

By Off to Neverland Travel|2012-02-17T13:27:49-05:00February 19th, 2012|Categories: Disney News, Disneyland News|Tags: Disneyland, Disneyland Charging Lockers, Disneyland Park, Mobile Phones|0 Comments

“New Orleans Bayou Bash” Kicks Off at Disneyland Park

Warm Southern hospitality will be flowing as Disneyland® Park brings “New Orleans Bayou Bash” into the streets!

Every weekend during February and March, park guests will enjoy street performers, N’awlins style specialty food, and jazzy music in New Orleans Square and parts of the Rivers of America. Special events include:

Princess Tiana’s Mardi Gras Celebration
Disney Characters in festive outfits in Jambalaya Jazz Cavalcade
Royal Street Bachelors Band
Mardi Gras Procession
Meet ‘n’ Greet Opportunity at Court of Angels Photo Location

The “New Orleans Bayou Bash” will run every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in February and March, 2012 with additional celebrations on February 20th and 21st. Valid theme park admission to Disneyland® Park is required.

By Off to Neverland Travel|2012-02-10T10:07:38-05:00February 11th, 2012|Categories: Disney News, Disneyland News|Tags: Disneyland, Disneyland Mardi Gras, Disneyland Park, Disneyland Park celebrations, Mardi Gras, New Orleans Bayou Bash|0 Comments

Happy Lunar New Year Celebration

Disneyland® Park is celebrating the year of the dragon during their Happy Lunar New Year Celebration! Taking place Jan. 20-29, guests will experience special cultural performances, unique food offerings, fun activities, and character meet-and-greet opportunities in front of “it’s a small world.” Observed within the Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese cultures, Lunar New Year is an opportunity for families and friends to gather and wish each other good fortune and good health for the coming year.

Some highlights of the celebration include:

Daily cultural performances include a Chinese Dragon dance troupe, lion dancers, ribbon wand dancers, Korean drummers, Vietnamese musicians and dancers, and martial artists.
Mulan’s Chinese New Year Procession
Character meet-and-greets with Mulan, Mushu, and Chip ‘n’ Dale dressed in festive Asian-inspired attire.
Special food offerings including edamame, chocolate churros, eggrolls, and almond cookies.

The celebration takes place daily from 10 am to 5 pm Jan. 20-29* in front of “it’s a small world”® (weather permitting). Admission to the Disneyland® Park is required.

*On Jan. 24 and 26, offerings are limited to Character meet and greets only

By Off to Neverland Travel|2017-06-27T10:23:33-05:00January 23rd, 2012|Categories: Disney News, Disneyland News|Tags: Disneyland Park, Disneyland Park celebrations, Disneyland Park Lunar New Year, Lunar New Year|0 Comments

Family Fun Weekends

Family Fun Weekends at the Disneyland® Resort

Do you like fiestas, hoedowns, Mardi Gras, Lunar New Year and Disney Characters? Then you won’t want to miss the next seven weekends at Disneyland® park. Families know they can find magic and excitement whenever they visit Disneyland® Resort, and the next few weekends will offer a special reason to play at Disneyland® park.

“Family Fun Weekends” are themed events that invite guests to enjoy music, dancing, and special food and merchandise, along with a chance to meet and take photos with some Disney characters in specially themed attire. Last weekend, for example, Fiesta Mickey and Minnie Mouse greeted guests at Festival Arena in colorful, folklorico attire.

These events take place weekend days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The first five weekends will be held at Festival Arena (at the back of Frontierland), and the final three weekends will move to New Orleans Square.

Fiesta Disneyland – Jan. 14-16:
The first weekend celebrates the Hispanic culture and experience in a colorful, lively event, featuring performance groups such as award-winning Mariachi Divas.

Disney’s Kickin’ Country Weekend – Jan. 21-23:
This weekend will feature live music – including band Forth Worth West – and a Disney hoedown with Cowboy Mickey and Cowgirl Minnie Mouse.

Character Fan Days – Jan. 28-30:
This is your chance to meet and take photos with some rarely seen characters. Think of this as the ultimate Disney character reunion – featuring the characters that you told us you would most like to meet. Stay tuned to see which characters will be available to see.

Lunar New Year Festival – Feb. 4-6 and Feb. 11-13:
Two weekends will be devoted to Lunar New Year, when time-honored traditions and family celebrations are observed within the Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese cultures as the sun and moon begin their journeys for another year.

Mardi Gras – Feb. 18-20, Feb. 25-27 and March 4-6:
Three weekends will be devoted to a lively, New Orleans-style Mardi Gras event, with vibrant excitement, jazzy music and sensational food of New Orleans. Where else? At New Orleans Square. Princess Tiana, along with a cavalcade of some Disney characters in their Mardi Gras finery, will appear at a photo location in the Court of Angels, staffed by Disney PhotoPass photographers.

Which of the weekends are you looking forward to most?

By Off to Neverland Travel|2017-06-27T10:24:14-05:00January 17th, 2011|Categories: Disney News, Disneyland News|Tags: Character Days, Disney Mardi Gras, Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort, Family Fun Weekends|0 Comments