Hey Fabanistas! Have I got some stories for you! How about a once-in-a-lifetime shot at some genuine Disney treasures. (Leave them to a museum when you die, willya?) A little Broadway-on-TeeVee news, because I love that stuff and I can’t wait for Hairspray Live! A look at what they get in Japan for Halloween! A big-ole D23 Fanniversary-flavored giveaway, and a TON of MiceChat events coming your way!

divider-fab-newsKevin & Jody: A Retrospective Sept 9 – Nov 9 at POP Comics

From theme park parades, toys, and tiki mugs to paper sculptures and TV commercials, the creative collaborations of Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily command a seemingly endless range of styles and mediums. As young artists, Kevin and Jody met in Disneyland’s art department, and have since gone on to design entertainment for Disney Parks worldwide (Kevin was one of the original creators of Disneyland’s Fantasmic in 1991). They designed Mickey’s Soundsational Parade and the Pixar Play Parade for the Anaheim resort, as well as parades in Tokyo and Paris. For most of their fans, however, Kevin & Jody are known for the amazing collectible merchandise they’ve created for Disney’s Consumer Products division. Their special “limited editions” in resin, ceramic, glass, wood, pewter and bronze are among the most sought-after Disney collectibles ever.

Pre-production model with working lights, signed by the artists.
Pre-production model with working lights, signed by the artists.

Pop Comics presents Kevin & Jody, a seven-week retrospective featuring the work of Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily. Paintings and prints from both artists are featured, along with signed rarities from their personal archive of artwork and collectibles—including prototypes, artist proofs, production art, and never-before-seen one-of-a-kinds. Each and every item is available for purchase, with new pieces revealed each week. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to own some of Kevin & Jody’s most iconic and impossible-to-find collectibles and artwork.

Yes, you read that right. They are showcasing and selling them at POP comics on Center Street Promenade for the next 7 weeks, beginning this Friday. As in you can go there and own them, (the works of art, not Kevin and Jody, though they are quite fetching) starting Friday the 9th at 6PM.

Look at this. I can’t even. . .

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POP Comics
203 W Center Street Promenade
Anaheim, CA 92805

(657) 208-3835

MONDAY         10am-6pm
TUESDAY          2pm-6pm
WEDNESDAY  10am-6pm
THURSDAY      10am-6pm
FRIDAY            10am-6pm
SATURDAY      10am-6pm
SUNDAY            2pm-6pm

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“We will be rotating out the items every couple days as we have hundreds of items to show ranging from the classic films to vintage Disneyland. We have original paintings, storybook illustrations, concept pieces, paper sculptures, production art, sketches, product paint samples, unpainted ‘white ware’ castings and artist proofs. Everything it takes to bring an idea to final collectible product. Stained glass lamps, ‘Big Figs’, Tiki mugs, Tapestries, tin signs, collector pin variant samples and even items never produced. Mr. Toad to Monorails. It really is a whole lot of stuff!” ~ Jody Daily

Go. For the love of Walt, GO! TO! THIS! THING! Even if you haven’t the filthy lucre to take these treasures home, get a gander at them and take home a couple Disney Kingdoms comic books from this fantastic little shop. Encourage marvelous things like this to keep happening in any way you can! Speaking of which, if you go to the event page and SHARE it on your Facebook wall before Saturday, you’ll be entered to win a phan-tastic prize – an autographed copy of the special Marvel POP! variant cover Haunted Mansion comic book, signed by project Imagineers Tom Morris and Josh Shipley and artists Brian Crosby (who specialized in horror comics before getting his dreamy Haunted Mansion gig; he still does them and they’re AMAZING) and Jody Daily!

HM signed

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Disney Enchanted Tales Mobile Game Launches Today!

Check out @PinkMonorail for the hashtag #DisneyEnchantedTales from 11:30AM – 2:30PM today; I’ll be live tweeting from Disney’s Grand Central Creative Campus in Glendale from the launch.

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And speaking of Disney Interactive and Consumer Products, here’s their latest gift to the fans: Beauty and the Beast, as told by Emoji:

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Beauty and the Beast Contest and Screenings

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In celebration of Beauty and the Beast’s 25th anniversary, Disney’s D23 fan club is screening the classic Disney animated film in cities across America. Members were given first chance to purchase tickets, the remaining tickets are now open to anyone!  If you live in Seattle, Dallas, Chicago or Washington DC, you are in luck. CLICK HERE for D23 event details.

MiceChat is celebrating too. We are giving away a D23 Beauty and the Beast Prize Pack which contains information and swag to enhance your Beauty and the Beast home screening.  For party ideas, downloads, exclusive content and more, you can visit D23.com/D23Fanniversary.

There is no cost to enter our contest. Simply select an option below (you’ll get one entry for each option you select!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Upcoming MiceChat Events

October 1st – MiceChat Knott’s Scary Farm Halloween Haunt Event

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Join us in the fog for a night of spooky treats and VIP experiences. For one low price, you’ll get an all you can eat BOO-ffet dinner, early entry into the event, tours, meet and greets with Knott’s creatives, front of line for the mazes, VIP seating for shows, Skeleton Key access and a night of fun with your mice pals at the haunt which started it all. We have a VERY limited number of tickets available this year, SIGN UP NOW – HERE

October 10th – Mickey’s Halloween Party @ Disneyland

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Join the MiceChatters for a not so scary Halloween event on Monday October 10th. Please buy your own tickets directly from Disney for the October 10th Halloween Party. Then sign up for MiceChat’s event list HERE to be notified about event meeting times and locations. It promises to be a night filled with candy, friendship, headless horsemen, scary parades and fireworks!

November 3rd and 4th – New York Meet-ups and Events

The MiceChatters invade NYC in November before their New York to Puerto Rico cruise. We’ll be seeing Aladdin and Cirque Du Soleil Paramour as well as taking a city tour. If you are interested in any or all of these activities, please contact [email protected] for more information.

Also, not an official MiceChat event but you’ll be sure to see some familiar and friendly faces: the BBQ to support the Anaheim Halloween Parade is this Saturday! Hang out with cool people, eat delicious food and drink homemade root beer floats!

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NewsiesHamilton Alum Ephraim Sykes Joins Hairspray Live!

Music and lyrics by Tony winners Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (“Smash,” the upcoming feature ”Mary Poppins Returns” and the Broadway-bound “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”).

Broadway stage pros Ephraim Sykes and Shahadi Wright Joseph have been cast as Seaweed J. Stubbs and Little Inez, respectively, in NBC’s highly anticipated production of “Hairspray Live!,” set for Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

The pair join an already stellar lineup that includes Harvey Fierstein, Jennifer Hudson, Ariana Grande, Kristin Chenoweth, Martin Short, Derek Hough, Dove Cameron, Garrett Clayton, exciting newcomer Maddie Baillio, and special guest stars Sean Hayes, Andrea Martin, and Rosie O’Donnell.

Seaweed J. Stubbs is a hip and kind-hearted dancer who befriends Tracy in detention and teaches her some new moves. He is also the son of Motormouth Maybelle (Jennifer Hudson) who falls in love with Tracy’s best friend, Penny (Ariana Grande).

Hairspray Live! - Season 2016

Little Inez is Seaweed’s younger sister, who tries to audition for “The Corny Collins Show” but is at first turned away because she is African-American.

Sykes has been a member of the “Hamilton” company ever since the musical sensation, which recently won 11 Tony Awards, opened on Broadway in August 2015.  Prior to his role in “Hamilton,” Sykes appeared in four other Broadway musicals — “Motown the Musical,” “Newsies,” “Memphis” and “The Little Mermaid.” His television credits include “Vinyl,” “Smash” and the Emmy Award-winning comedy “30 Rock,” and he can be seen in the upcoming Woody Allen series “Crisis in Six Scenes” on Amazon.

Wright Joseph is an American singer, actor and dancer who at age 9 made history as the youngest actor to play Young Nala in Disney’s Broadway production of “The Lion King.” She began her career as a Fisher Price print model and started dance training with Purelements: An Evolution in Dance at age 2. In fall 2015 Wright Joseph joined the original Broadway cast of “School of Rock,” playing the role of Madison and understudied the role of Tomika, with performances recognized by the Audelco Theater Committee and earning her the 2016 Audelco Rising Star Award. Her 12-month experience with “School of Rock” also helped Wright Joseph discover her interest in mentoring young aspiring actors by facilitating musical theater workshops with A Class Act NY.

In “Hairspray Live!,” teenager Tracy Turnblad’s dream is to dance on “The Corny Collins Show,” a local TV program. When against all odds Tracy wins a role on the show, she becomes a celebrity overnight and meets a colorful array of characters, including the resident dreamboat, Link; the ambitious mean girl, Amber; an African-American boy she meets in detention, Seaweed; and his mother, Motormouth Maybelle, the owner of a local record store. Tracy’s mother is the indomitable Edna, and she eventually encourages Tracy on her campaign to integrate the all-white “Corny Collins Show.”

Hairspray Live! - Season 1

Acclaimed live television director Alex Rudzinski (“Dancing with the Stars”) will join Tony-winning director Kenny Leon (“The Wiz Live!”). Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (Oscar-winning ”Chicago,” ”The Wiz Live!” and the upcoming “A Few Good Men Live!”) serve as executive producers of “Hairspray Live!” Harvey Fierstein will also provide a new teleplay and Tony winner Jerry Mitchell (“Kinky Boots,” “On Your Feet”) will serve as choreographer for the live production with music and lyrics by Tony winners Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (“Smash,” the upcoming feature ”Mary Poppins Returns” and the Broadway-bound “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”).

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Sideshow Collectibles Stan Lee Sixth Scale Figure

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From our mailbag:

Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea Special Event Disney’s Halloween September 9 – October 31

The special event, “Disney’s Halloween,” will take place at Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea Parks from September 9 through October 31, 2016. During this special event period, Guests can also enjoy the Halloween atmosphere at the Disney Hotels and on the Disney Resort Line. This Disney-style Halloween event will provide families and friends even more enjoyment and fun at Tokyo Disney Resort.

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The special event at Tokyo Disneyland Park will be themed to a Halloween music festival. Mickey Mouse and his Disney Friends join ghost and skeleton “stars” in entertaining Guests with a variety of amusing and exciting musical performances in “Halloween Pop’n LIVE,” presented along the parade route.

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Each of the units in this parade will be uniquely themed to a different genre of music and decorated with jack-o’-lanterns, skeletons and other Halloween motifs.

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The Disney Friends wearing Halloween costumes that match the theme of the units will appear on the floats as the fun and dynamic music plays, making Guests want to dance along. With the decorations in World Bazaar and around the Plaza also featuring the Halloween music festival theme, Guests will find a lively atmosphere filling the Park.

Tokyo Disneyland Halloween Events Page (Japanese, but go look anyway, it’s incredible!)

Tokyo DisneySea Halloween Events Page (Same story as above, go look)

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And honestly, if you don’t have the left-click translate to English thing, you can just click on the  pictures on the banners; they’re pretty self-explanatory, to see food, shows, shopping, etc. 

Tokyo DisneySea Park, which is currently holding the “Tokyo DisneySea 15th Anniversary: The Year of Wishes” special event, will present a cool, but eerie Halloween event themed to the Disney Villains*. This year, to celebrate the Park’s 15th Anniversary, the Disney Villains make it an even more exciting Villains-style Halloween with Mickey Mouse and the Disney Friends.

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Presented at Mediterranean Harbor will be “The Villains World: Wishes and Desires.” In this harbor show, the Disney Villains take the leading roles and they put on their best performances to attract and impress the Disney Friends and Guests. Dressed in costumes inspired by the Disney Villains, Mickey Mouse, his friends and all the Guests join the party and raise the level of Halloween excitement.

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Apparently, the villains hate your phone:

Taking place in Arabian Coast will be “Casbah Magical Treat,” a special program that was a hit last year. At Casbah Food Court, Guests will find special menus and decorations inspired by Jafar, the villain from the Disney film Aladdin. Both inside the restaurant and in the palace courtyard, atmosphere entertainment will be provided by Shaban and Asim from the Magic Lamp Theater attraction. Guests will also be able to enjoy the Disney Villains-style Halloween through the atmosphere entertainment by loyal servants of the Disney Villains and Disney character greetings around the Park.

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Dressing up in full Disney Character costumes** will be allowed on a limited number of days during the Halloween event period. Guests will be able to enter not only Tokyo Disneyland, but also Tokyo DisneySea with its exciting Disney Villains-style Halloween, dressed as their favorite Disney Characters. Please see the attachment for more details.

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**For details on the restrictions for visiting Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea in full Disney Character costumes, please check the Tokyo Disney Resort Official Website (in Japanese only) or contact the Tokyo Disney Resort Information Center.

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Note: Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays in October, November and December are designated as days when Park admission is restricted to Fixed-Date ticket holders. We recommend purchasing Fixed-Date tickets in advance to ensure Park admission on the restricted dates. For details, please see the ticket information page on the Tokyo Disney Resort Official Website (http://www.tokyodisneyresort.jp/manage/info/ticket_en/).

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Duffy and pals are still alive and well in Japan. If you miss Duffy in the the US parks, you really need to visit Tokyo Disneyland.
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Just look at those cute costumes.

 

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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.