While we’re gearing up for my very first Gumball Rally (I’m among the volunteers), If you are interested in join us, take a look at the event page here. Now, let’s dive into this week’s Disney news:

24-Hour Party World of Color Dining Packages Now Available!

If you’re going to be attending the 24-hour party, there’s a rare treat available – but book now, I’m pretty sure these will be gone in no time: yes, they’re at Ariel’s Grotto and Wine Country Trattoria, no surprise there, but this is for breakfast. Yep, you can get your eggs and bacon on from midnight to 1:45AM on May 23, and get fastpasses for a special 3AM showing of Celebrate!

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Disneyland Resort

If you can’t wait that long, there are packages available at The Golden Vine Winery and Carthay Circle for the 9PM and 10:15PM shows the night of May 22nd.

 Star Wars Celebration Announcements

Star Wars Celebration has come and gone, but seems to have been a huge success. Fans got face time with their favorite stars, cosplayers showed up in every mashup imaginable and “Chewie, we’re home!” brought even those viewing at home to tears. Star Wars: Rogue One will be the new standalone film, and will take place, like Star Wars: Rebels, prior to Episode 4. Remember the throwaway mention about those who obtained the plans for the Death Star? Well, this is their story. Director Gareth Edwards explains that it’s about a ragtag group of rebels “come down to a group of individuals who don’t have magical powers that have to somehow bring hope to the galaxy.”

Oh, and the trailer for The Force Awakens sent Disney stock into orbit.

Speaking of Upcoming Movies…

A bunch of lucky Avengers fans got to get some face time with Thor, Captain America and Hawkeye at Disneyland, and then they got to watch Avengers: Age of Ultron waaay before it hits US theaters. Lucky stiffs! Why do I only find out about these things after the studio sends me pictures? I know why. It’s because I’ve been spending all my time reading Haley Atwell stories over at The Mary Sue. Worth it.

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Over 300 fans dressed as their favorite Avengers visited Disneyland and met Captain America, Thor and Hawkeye before attending a special advance screening of MARVEL’S AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON. Disney/Marvel

 

Hello, Tech Support? There’s a Rabbit in my Printer!

Remember the days when Disney was alone at the top of the entertainment technology field? When they buried animatronic animals under what is now Big Thunder Barbecue to keep competitors’ filthy hands off them (ask me about it, I’ll tell you more)? When they consistently took home awards for special effects? Now, it’s all outside contractors making technological magic – or is it?

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Disney Research

Disney Research is working with Carnegie-Mellon University on a project that can 3D print objects made of cloth! Until now, polymer was the only commonly-used material in 3D printing. Disney’s discovery may blow the doors open on toy manufacturing. This is actually their second go at this – the first was a needle-felting machine.

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Felting Printer Disney Research/CMU

With the “Layered Fabric 3D Printer”, instead of polymer being extruded from the machine, the machine cuts layers from a roll of felt fabric.This felt is coated with a heat-activated adhesive; a heated surface makes the layers bond to each other. The resulting object is soft and flexible; the layers don’t come apart easily.

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Disney Research

They are really up to some cool things at Disney Research. Why they’re not blowing their own horn about this, I’ll never know. Unless they tell me, of course.

Infinity 3.0 Teases New Characters

A leaky tiki over in France put up a screen grab of an ad for Disney Infinity 3.0, in French, even, but the characters are universal: Mickey and Minnie a la Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Mulan, all five Emos from Inside/Out, Olaf and Sam Flynn and Quorra from Tron: Legacy. I’m guessing that this isn’t the complete line-up, and still holding my breath for Star Wars figures.

Disney Junior Gets Fancy (Nancy)

Parents rejoice (or despair, if that’s your thing): the popular childrens’ book series Fancy Nancy is coming to Disney Junior. There’s plenty to draw from, with over 60 titles, and plenty of International interest, too; the books are translated into roughly eight million languages. The plot: Nancy is Fancy. The stories are written by Jane O’Connor and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser, whose artwork will be turned into three dimensions next spring.

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Penguin Books

 Docter, Docter, Gimme the News!

Is it true, Pete? I hear that selected cities are going to be screening Inside/Out three days ahead of the official release date. Disney is getting together with Fathom Events for a one-night-only special screening – yes, Lava will be included in the bill of fare. I also hear that no one’s coming out of preview screenings with a dry eye. Bring a hankie – and consider yourself warned.

Spring Specials at Disneyland

The Hotels of the Disneyland Resort are having some great specials from now until mid-June, but you have to book by May 21. There are discounts for locals, passholders AND visitors! Also, Frozen Fun is going, going, but it isn’t gone yet. Have you tried the “Frozen Fever” inspired treats like individual ice cream cakes, Olaf’s Perfect Sundae and Anna’s Birthday Cupcake? Plus, even though Easter is past, you can still visit all of the Disney bunnies on display weekends at Springtime Roundup in the Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree area. Get hopping, they go back into their burrows June 7th.

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Disneyland Resort

Finding Hidden Mickeys for Fun and Profit

Hidden-MickeyImagineers make them, we spot them. Hidden Mickeys. Did you find one? It can be in the parks or in the Real World – send in a snapshot on Disney’s Applause app on iPhone or Android and you’ll have a chance to win a $100 Disney gift card!

“The free Disney Applause app lets you submit your photos and videos to Disney contests and sweepstakes with ease. New challenges are added all the time and even more Hidden Mickey contests will be coming throughout the year, so be sure to check the app frequently for more Disney fun!”

Learn more about the contest at OFFICIAL RULES: SPOT THE HIDDEN MICKEY CONTEST.

Get Your Fandango On – Upcoming Disney Films

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Photo by Anon at Cinemacon

 

Well! I guess I know what I’ll be doing for the next couple of years…and the next couple of days: compiling more news for youse guys. See ya real soon!

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Shelly Valladolid
Shelly Valladolid, aka Fab, has been writing about Disney and theme parks for about two decades. She has written for various fan and pop culture sites, Disney Magazine and OCRegister.com and participated in several books, including Passporter's Disneyland and Southern California and Disney World Dreams. She was co-founder and president of the Orlando, Florida chapter of the NFFC (now Disneyana Fan Club). She taught a class on theme park history at a Southern California University. She is creator and co-owner of Jim Hill Media, one of the creators of MousePlanet and was a consultant on MSNBC, The Motley Fool and others about Disney and various media matters. She was a Heel wrestling manager on TV and a voice artist on the radio in Honolulu, HI, where she grew up. She has a blog and a podcast with her daughter, Mission:Breakout Obsessive Alice Hill. She and her husband, MiceChat columnist Noe Valladolid, live in Southern California with Alice.