Disney News

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  • Holiday Fun Facts at Walt Disney World

    Holiday Fun Facts at Walt Disney World

    The holiday season at Walt Disney World Resort is a magical time where all four theme parks, Disney Springs and resort hotels come to life with festive decor, entertainment and other fun for the entire family.

    With so much that goes into making the resort sparkle for the season, here are some fun facts about holidays at Walt Disney World Resort:

    • The Walt Disney World Holiday Services team provides decor for 780 locations within 41 different properties, including Disney theme parks, resorts, recreation and shopping areas. The team also decorates Disney Cruise Line ships and Disney Vacation Club resorts in Florida and North Carolina.
    • 41 cast members work year-round to make the holiday transformation a reality, with an additional 90 cast members added during the installation period.
    • Decor installation begins Halloween night and is finished by Thanksgiving.

    The Iconic Trees

    • There are 29 custom-created iconic trees, ranging from 15 to 70 feet tall. Trees find their homes at all four theme parks, select resort hotels and Disney Springs.
    • The tallest tree – at 70 feet tall – is located at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. The tree is adorned with 16,000 lights and more than 200 custom ornaments.
    • Stars and toppers for the trees are up to 7 feet tall and can weigh more than 200 pounds each.
    • 596 smaller trees – ranging from 2 to 14 feet – decorate other areas across Walt Disney World.

    In the Parks

    • New this year, holiday fun will come to Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Décor includes a 10-foot-tall Hamm sugar cookie at Woody’s Lunch Box, green alien ornaments near the entrance to Alien Swirling Saucers and much more.
    • Magic Kingdom Park is decorated with 590 garlands (measuring a total of 5,188 feet), 40 trees and 147 wreaths.
    • Epcot International Festival of the Holidays includes 12 holiday kitchens serving more than 50 bites from around the world and 60-plus specialty
    • The Candlelight Processional will be performed 117 times at Epcot this holiday season. It’s also the first year performances will occur on Thanksgiving!
    • At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Dinosaur Gertie is dressed in her finest holiday attire. Her hat is so big, four people could stand inside it!
    • Sunset Seasons Greetings at Disney’s Hollywood Studios includes 12 high-definition projectors used to visually transform the façade of the Hollywood Tower Hotel with scenes of the season. 21 palm trees along Sunset Boulevard illuminate with programmable, color-changing LED fixtures.
    • In Disney’s Animal Kingdom, nearly all lighting decor is LED. The park uses 25,000 C-7 shape LEDs and 40,000 mini-LEDs. Disney’s Animal Kingdom is also home to 331 garlands and 40 wreaths.

    Disney Springs

    • Disney Springs is the epicenter of holiday shopping at Walt Disney World. It’s also the largest of all of the decorated Disney locations, with more than 2,000 pieces of individual decor, including a 45-foot-tall tree.
    • Each piece of decor was custom designed to fit the classic Florida town theme that carries throughout the entirety of Disney Springs.
    • Disney Springs is also home to the Christmas Tree Trail, a walkthrough wonderland featuring 27 unique Disney trees that include new themes this year such as Toy Story and The Haunted Mansion.

    Resorts

    • This year marks the 20th anniversary of the classic gingerbread house in the lobby of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. The life-size house is made from more than 10,000 pieces of gingerbread and requires 560 hours to construct (400 hours to bake and160 hours to decorate). Located inside is The Bake Shop – the perfect place to pick up some sweet holiday treats.
    • Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is home to a 45-foot-tall iconic tree featuring authentic African decor and reproductions of traditional African masks.

    Other Holiday Celebrations

    • A storyteller on a stage between the France and Morocco pavilions at Epcot will tell the Hanukkah story during Epcot International Festival of the Holidays.
    • Kwanzaa will be incorporated into performances of JOYFUL! A Celebration of the Season through Dec. 25. Beginning Dec. 26, the group will perform a full Kwanzaa show. The JOYFUL! vocal ensemble performs uplifting gospel, R&B and holiday songs daily at the Future World Fountain stage in Epcot.
    • Epcot International Festival of the Holidays celebrates holiday traditions from around the world through storytelling and music presented throughout World Showcase.
  • Fifteen Fun Facts For Mickey Mouse’s Birthday

    Fifteen Fun Facts For Mickey Mouse’s Birthday

    As the famous Walt Disney quote says, “I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing—that it was all started by a mouse.” – and today we’re celebrating that Mouse!

    Mickey Mouse made his official film debut on November 18, 1928, in the film “Steamboat Willie,” and has since become a famous face at Disney Parks around the world.

    In honor of today’s milestone, below are 15 fun facts about Mickey Mouse you may not know:

    1. Walt Disney wrote the first script for “Plane Crazy,” the first short created to star Mickey Mouse, while traveling on a train from Chicago to Los Angeles.
    2. Walt initially named Mickey Mouse “Mortimer,” until Walt’s wife, Lily, suggested “Mickey” was a better choice.

    Mickey plane crazy

    1. Disney Legend Ub Iwerks was the sole animator for Mickey Mouse in “Plane Crazy,” and produced an estimated 700 drawings per day for the film, some during the day (as a part of a secret project for Walt) and others after hours in Walt’s garage.
    2. The short film “Steamboat Willie” was the first short starring Mickey Mouse released, but was actually the third created. The first two, “Plane Crazy” and “The Gallopin’ Gaucho,” initially failed to find distributors, but were picked up and released later.
    3. When penning Mickey’s movements, early animators drew inspiration from popular comedic film stars of the day – like Charlie Chaplin.
    4. The first Mickey Mouse Club was formed by theater owner Harry Woodin in Ocean Park, California. On his own accord, Woodin devoted Saturday afternoons in his theater to showing only Mickey Mouse shorts and led children in a Mickey Mouse pledge. Walt later partnered with Woodin and spread the idea of Mickey Mouse Clubs to movie theaters across the nation.
    5. The first Mickey short in which Mickey spoke was “The Karnival Kid,” the ninth Mickey short, which was released in July 1929. His first words: “Hot dog!”
    6. Walt Disney wasn’t satisfied with the first few actors chosen to provide a voice for Mickey Mouse, so he did it, and continued to do so through about 1947.
    7. A Mickey Mouse comic strip, penned by Ub Iwerks, launched in January 1930, and at its height was printed in 40 newspapers in 22 countries.
    8. The first piece of Mickey Mouse merchandise was a tablet of paper that featured the mouse, designed for children. The first Mickey Mouse doll was designed in 1930.

    Mickey Mouse Macy

    1. Mickey Mouse made his debut appearance in the “Macy’s Santa Claus Parade” (now “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade”) in 1934. Measuring 40-feet-tall, the balloon was handpainted and guided by men and women dressed in Mickey/Minnie Mouse costumes.
    2. When Walt was contemplating a name for his first theme park (Disneyland park), he once considered calling it “Mickey Mouse Village.”
    3. Mickey Mouse was the first animated character to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which was given on his birthday (November 18) in 1978.
    4. Mickey Mouse has been a prominent feature at Disney Parks since Disneyland park opened its doors in 1955, with guests interacting with him in character meet and greets, viewing him in parades or snapping up Mickey Mouse merchandise.

    Partners statue

    1. The Partners Statue, a sculpture of Walt and Mickey holding hands, debuted at Disneyland park on Mickey’s birthday in 1993. A second Partners Statue debuted at Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort in 1995.