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Archive for the category “DHS”
Star Wars’ Weekend 2013 Dates Announced (Disney Parks Blog)
posted on December 27th, 2012 by Gary Buchanan, Social Media Managing Editor
“Luke, We’re gonna have company!” — Han Solo
If your starship can make the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs (I’m still trying to figure out how fast that is), set your hyperdrive for the Disney’s Hollywood Studios sector for May and early June, for the 2013 edition of Star Wars Weekends.
This year’s Force-filled fun will take place every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from May 17 – June 9, 2013.
While details are still being planned, we’re excited to announce that James Arnold Taylor and Ashley Eckstein are returning as celebrity hosts for the annual special event. James, the voice behind many of the most famous animated characters in film, television and commercials, is known to Star Wars fans as the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi on the Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series. Ashley, who started her show business career as a parade dancer at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, is the voice of Anakin’s ambitious Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, on Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
James is the Official Celebrity Host of Star Wars Weekends 2013, and Ashley is Celebrity Host of “Behind the Force,” a live show that takes fans behind-the-scenes in the Star Wars universe.
Be sure to program your scanning droids to check here for the latest updates from the Galactic Senate about Star Wars Weekends 2013.
For guests who may be considering a visit to Walt Disney World Resort for their very first Star Wars Weekends, here’s a short overview video with our own galactic reporter, “Jedi John” (please note his very stylish “mic saber”). While the celebrity appearances for this year have not been announced (stay tuned for those names in an upcoming post), John talks to some Star Wars celebrities from past events to get their thoughts.
Take a Flight Back in Time with ‘The Mouse’ « Disney Parks Blog
Take a Flight Back in Time with ‘The Mouse’ « Disney Parks Blog.
If you’ve ever experienced The Backlot Tour at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, chances are you’ve seen “The Mouse” – a white airplane with a Mickey Mouse icon on its tail. As the tour says, this airplane was used to fly Walt Disney on secret scouting missions over Central Florida when he was looking for the perfect spot to build a second theme park.
I’ve always been intrigued by this airplane and the important role it had in Disney history. After digging through our archives, it turns out the story behind this aircraft is actually much bigger than I ever thought.
Walt purchased the Grumman Gulfstream 1 (G1) in 1964, and worked with his wife, Lillian, to select the plane’s interior design and color scheme. (Remember, this was 1960s fashion!). The plane seated 15 and featured a galley, two couches and a desk. Walt even designed his own special seat in the plane, which was in the rear left cabin. The seat was equipped with a special altimeter and air-speed gauge, which Walt added to satisfy his endless curiosity about flying.
The plane’s first trips took Walt and his Imagineers to and from California and New York to oversee the final preparations for Disney’s contributions to the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Later that year, Walt (pictured above, center) began surveying land in Central Florida, considering the site a possibility for his second theme park.
The plane also led Walt (literally) to find inspiration for the look of one classic Disney attraction. According to Mark Malone, son of Pilot Chuck Malone, Walt spotted El Morro fortress while flying over San Juan, Puerto Rico, and remarked that it would be the perfect look for his new Pirates of the Caribbean, which at the time was still in the planning phase.
In addition to taking Walt on his secret trips, the plane also took Disney characters on goodwill tours and visits to children’s hospitals around the United States. An estimated 83,000 passengers have flown aboard the plane, including Disney animators and several famous faces, including former Presidents Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, as well as Disney Legends Julie Andrews and Annette Funicello.
The airplane’s last flight took place Oct. 8, 1992, when it touched down on World Drive, west of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and was added to The Backlot Tour for all to enjoy.
Cool Pic (Disney Parks Blog)
This was a photo that was in a post that was all about the blog’s coverage of all things Star Wars which includes the reimagineering of Star Tours at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
For more information about this head on over to the Disney Parks Blog for one stop STAR WARS coverage by click on the blue link.
Also to make this post more interactive…
Leave me a comment and let me know what you are hoping/expecting from the reimagineering of STAR TOURS!!!
Darth Vader vs. Indiana Jones at Disney’s Hollywood Studios? (Disney Parks Blog)
Posted: 15 Aug 2010 05:41 PM PDT
Here’s something you’ve never seen before and may never see again – a lightsaber battle between two of Hollywood’s most famous film characters, Indiana Jones and Darth Vader. The face-to-face meeting was part of the “The Last Tour to Endor” event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios for fans attending this week’s Star Wars Celebration V in Orlando, Florida.
Walt Disney Creative Entertainment created the special show, which featured Star Wars characters like Darth Vader making one-night-only appearances in the park’s “Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular” live show. We have more to share from the show so be sure and check the Blog this week.
