Disney News Round up: Boos, Clues, and Pumpkins Too

MiceAge Disneyland Update: Parties, Parking, and Planned Projects

The post-summer off season of low crowds at Disneyland Resort lasted only two weeks, and after the crazy Friday the 13th Villains event Disneyland has crashed into its wildly popular HalloweenTime season before it shifts almost immediately into Christmas mode in early November. While Team Disney Anaheim keeps their cards close to their vest on Burbank’s orders regarding big new rides about to begin construction in DCA and Tomorrowland, there are still some big changes coming to the parks in the next month.

PLEASE WELCOME TWO GREAT SHOWS TO THE MICEPOD

MOUSTALGIA

The hits just keep coming. Please put your hands together for the newest stars of the MicePod, Mousetalgia! If you are a podcasting nut, then you’ve no doubt already run across this EXCELLENT show. And if you haven’t heard of them, you are in for a real treat! Mousetalgia is brought to you by the same folks behind DoomBuggies.com and TellNoTales.com. We couldn’t be happier to have them on the MiceChat team.

WINDOW TO THE MAGIC

Review of Princess Fairytale Hall at Magic Kingdom

Kevin Yee reviews the new Princess meet and greet in the Magic Kingdom’s old Fantasyland. Princess Fairytale Hall, opens to guests on September 18. Does it live up to the hype? It is a good replacement for Snow White’s Scary Adventures?

JOIN MICECHAT AT THE SIP AND NIBBLE AROUND THE WORLD EVENT

Gather at the FESTIVAL WELCOME CENTER (located in Future World East) at 10:30 a.m. and take a leisurely stroll around World Showcase, sampling the food and wine offerings along the way. Take your  lanyard and record your progress tasting the wide array of food and drink samples from around the world with your MiceChat friends.  Registration is FREE and it is the best time you can have seeing what the world of food and wine has to offer!

The Villains unleashed Halloweentime at Disneyland Anaheim, on Friday the 13^th, with special stages at the Main Street and New Orleans Square Train Stations.  Jack Skellington breaks into the Haunted Mansion in a new way, for his 13^th annual visit!  And be sure to save room for all the Halloweentime Food and Snack selections! ~ Aladdin

Haunted Mansion Holiday – New Effects!

Haunted Mansion Holiday has a couple new additions for its 13th year! Jack has fancy new video effects, and Zero gets into the spirit of the season as he takes an up close look at the changing portraits! Videos of these new additions are included! Take a peek, here!

Disneyland on Friday the 13th was a REAL nightmare

Bradley C is one the first to report on the special Unleash the Villains Event at Disneyland Unfortunately, this opening for the Halloweentime season brought more tricks than treats. Videos from the event are in this topic, as well as videos of the villains that came out to celebrate this Friday the 13th!

 

Halloween Time Food

Astrophel1 asks what special food and snack items will be available during Halloweentime, at the Disneyland resort. Thanks to Grizzly, who provided a thorough list of all the season’s specialties!

‘Planes’ have been added to Soarin

Dreams of Color brings to our attention a change to the video shown prior to boarding Soarin’ Over California! Take a look at the video here, and then give us your thumbs up, or thumbs down!

Some rumors are met with enthusiasm; others not so much.~ Trekkie Dad

River Belle Terrace to Get New Menu. Mickey Mouse Pancakes Will Be Removed

No more Mickey Mouse pancakes? Say it isn’t so! says DisneylandFan1955.

Cars Land plans shelved for DHS

Looks like Cars Land won’t be copied at Disney Hollywood Studios, according to information found by SpacemanSpiff.

If the Bears DID come back…

Not the first MiceChatter to miss Disneyland’s Country Bear Jamboree, DisneylandMaster speculates where it could be relocated.

The Polynesian DVC has officially been announced by Disney! Aside from this not so best kept secret, this week brings us questions about the villains out at the almost infamous Friday the 13th event at Walt Disney World, a look at the film shot on Disney’s property without their knowledge, making magic for a 6 year old, and something not so magical, a price hike on hotel rooms. All this in this week’s roundup! ~ YoYoFlamingo

What Villains Were Out Last Night [9/13] at DHS?

Sure, we know the villains who are usually out, but would brave the insanity to meet Oogie Boogie? See who showed up to the dance party in this thread.

Extra Magic for a 6 year old boy

Our friend from the Netherlands, JosM is back with more questions for his upcoming trip. How can he make his son’s trip extra magical? Share your ideas here!

Escape from Tomorrow – Illegal Movie?

A new movie trailer from the controversial Escape from Tomorrow is out. What do you think of the movie’s promise? And is it illegal?

Big price hike on hotel rooms?

With nothing major like Universal’s expansion plans, does Disney warrant a price hike on their rooms? Share your thoughts here.

This week we get a peek of life behind the scenes in Paris and get to see how the new Magical Dreamlight Wand is working in Tokyo. Plus see how Tokyo is celebrating their 30th Anniversary. ~DLandFansAZ

Life behind the scenes at DLP – Cast Member interview

Former Cast Member soundtracker shares his interview of life behind the scenes at Disneyland Paris.

Tokyo Disneyland Magical Dreamlight Wand 9/9 Video

DreamSweetsLove shares with us the first night with the Magical Dreamlight Wand at Tokyo Disneyland.

Curious about how Tokyo Disney Resort celebrates an anniversary?

Tokyo Disneyland is celebrating its 30th Anniversary and Jenn brings us information on the ‘Happiness Sharing Spots.’

A shop’s roof collapses: Lego Store delayed

The Lego Store under construction in the Disney Village had a setback when the roof collapsed.

MICECHAT PODCAST #11: THE GREAT DISNEY GEEK-OUT

Did you hear the Disney angels singing hallelujah? For a long weekend in August, all the Disney stars aligned during Disney’s big Comic-Con like event, the D23 Expo. Of course, MiceChat was there. We set up a huge booth and offered three days of Disney Celebrity meet and greets, giveaways, podcasts and more. But the big fish was Disney itself, who set up massive pavilions for Imagineering, Archives, Legends and more. In this show, we tie ropes around our waists and jump head first into the cave of Disney wonders. We make it back with quite a few gems to share. Oh, and we finally break Dusty. We think you’ll be touched. It’s truly one of our best (and also the longest) podcast we’ve done to date:

Direct Link | iTunes Link

COMMUNICORE WEEKLY

Welcome to this week’s Communicore Weekly, where we talk about Disneyland Half, Disney on Parade, Return to Neverland, Pooh, and Legos! GLUCK TALES! — Keith Gluck returns to the show to tell us a bit about the Disneyland Half Marathon in Disney His…er, GluckTales! BOOK OF THE WEEK! — George takes a look at Disney on Parade for the Book of the Week! 60 SECOND REVIEW! — Finally living up to its name, Jeff and George look at Return to Neverland and Winnie The Pooh in the 60 Second Review! FIVE LEGGED GOAT! — And finally, Lego Captain Jack is this weeks Five Legged Goat!

Halloweentime brings VILLAINS to Disneyland!

It’s officially Halloween according to Disneyland! What is your favorite Halloweentime addition to Disney Parks?

In The Parks

A ride through of the first group to go therough Haunted mansion Holiday in 2013

Wakefield Report, covers the latest in theme park news! find full notes on this podcast at WakefieldReport.com.

Direct Link | iTunes Link

Coffee with Kurtti features Keith and Jeff reflecting on their in-person recording failure, how fun the Pacific Northwest Mouse Meet was, the Saving Mr. Banks trailer, and a little-known Disney employee periodical Jeff worked on called WD Eye.

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Unofficial Universal Orlando Podcast On Tuesday the 10th of September, Universal Orlando held a special media preview for this years Halloween Horror Nights and Eric was there reporting for UUOP. So, here we have the audio from that event. Enjoy.

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The Season Pass: Doug Barnes and Robert Coker sit with Tom Zeliff (the Lead 3D modeler for NoLimits) on the origin of NoLimits Roller Coaster Simulator and the creative process behind NoLimits 2!

iTunes Link

Unofficial SeaWorld Podcast, In this episode we will bring you news from all 3 SeaWorld Parks, SeaWorld Orlando, San Antonio and San Diego, along with an incredible interview with Catherine Brown a Sea Lion trainer at SeaWorld San Antonio, talk to Super Fan Becca, and Super Fan Erin who just came back from Career Camp at SeaWorld Orlando. We also have an animal spotlight on Harbor Seals, some inspiring Sea Rescue stories and more!

Direct Link | iTunes Link

V24 Radio’s Android App just got a unique dose of magic added to it!

Pierce, our station mascot, has magically added our live recordings of Wishes, Spectromagic and The Magic, The Memories and YOU to the app!

Update it (or download it for the first time) FREE in the Google Play Store here, and click on ‘Pierce Presents‘ to hear these unique features whenever you want!

Also, we fixed something:When you stream the station and get a phone call, the station will automatically stop and restart when your call is finished!

Don’t forget to request a Disney Park or Universal Studios song via our app for a chance to win weekly prizes from Earl of Sandwich, valid anywhere in the USA!

While we wait for more news on Aquatica we’ll catch up on Shamu’s Halloween Spooktacular, take a tour of a new bridge, visit the oldest amusement park in the world and tag along on a cruise. ~ DLandFansAZ

Orlando Sentinel: Universal parks worth $10 billion

NBCUniversal President and CEO Steve Burke says the theme-park business is worth $10 billion just four years after being acquired.

Disney animation artifacts at L. A. County Fair

The LA County Fair has an exhibit, ‘Pencils 2 Pixels – The Art of Animation’ which features the works of many different studios.

75 Baby Sea Turtles Released into the Wild by SeaWorld Orlando

Thanks to KingEric we learn about SeaWorld Orlando’s Animal Rescue Team returning 75 sea turtle hatchling to the waters off the coast.

We invite you to join us on a very special MiceChat voyage to the Eastern Caribbean on the newest ship of the Disney Cruise Line, the Disney Fantasy.

Universal Orlando Resort Attendance Up 20 Percent and New Attraction Plans

We have news from all around the Universal Orlando Resort, with updates for Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios and CityWalk.  And we also look into the future for both Orlando and Hollywood as we get confirmation on incredible plans for both coasts!  So lean in, because we have a lot to share in today’s update!

Disneyland kicks off Halloween Time with a very busy Friday the 13th party

Disneyland kicked off its popular Halloween Time season with a bizarre and insanely busy Friday the 13th event that brought out villains, special dance parties, special food and huge crowds until 1 a.m. on Friday night. Meanwhile, the popular Halloween Time promotion brought back favorite seasonal offerings including Haunted Mansion Holiday, now in its 13th year, as well as a Halloween Carnival in Frontierland and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy. Work also continued on various refurbishments and construction projects around the Resort, including the new Starbucks Coffee locations on Main Street andDowntown Disney.

Walt Disney World Research Help Needed

I’ve got some Walt Disney World mysteries that I need your help to uncover that I’ve listed at the end of this article. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can discover!

Six Flags Magic Mountain – Fright Fest Preview

Six Flags Magic Mountain Fright Fest 2013 is just around the corner and we’ve got the scoop for you. With 2 all new mazes and one re-theme of the stand-out maze from last year as well as additional scare zones, this year’s event is shaping up to be a non-stop Fright Fest.

Your Survival Guide to Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights 23

Twelve years ago, I was right where you might find yourself now.  I had never attended Halloween Horror Nights before, but I was incredibly excited to be preparing for a night of terror.  At that time the internet was a teenager, no social media or twitter updates from the creators.  We would watch TV shows that would contain commercials for the event.  In those days, you found out about the houses (what you West Coast folks would call “Mazes”) when you got there.  You didn’t know anything about the shows.  You would wander aimlessly, hoping to get into a few houses while darting through the streets, watching everyone and every shadow.

Alaska Cruise Day Four: Hubbard Glacier

It’s day four on BC_DisneyGeek’s fantastic Alaska cruise on the Celebrity Century. This “day at sea” is devoted to viewing (and cruising through) the spectacular Hubbard Glacier. Apparently the glacier bits that are floating in the ocean have actually taken four hundred years to travel there. Did you know that glaciers have calves? It’s true. Read on…

Castle: Season 5 DVD Review

You probably read the headline to this review and thought “Castle? Why the heck is he reviewing Castle?!” And if I were you, I’d be asking the same thing as well. But, in the interest of synergy, since ABC is owned by Disney, this totally fits into our Disney Review category. Totally. Just go with it.

Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort Begins Today

Happy Friday the 13th everyone!  Today marks the beginning of Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort. What does that mean?  Frankly, not much for Disney California Adventure.  But it means a lot of fun for Disneyland Park.  Today, the much-loved overlay, Haunted Mansion Holiday, reopens to celebrate its 13th year.  We have been watching the installation of this attraction and will be updating this article later today with more pictures and a ride-through.  Also on tap is Ghost Galaxy, the spooky overlay of Space Mountain.  Back in the Big Thunder Ranch, we have the wonderful Halloween Time Carnival and a sprinkling of limited time magic goodies at different locations throughout the park.  We will also be touching on a few of the other bits of news like more guard rails, the lack of Halloween in DCA and the Big Thunder refurb.

Magic Kingdom News and Happenings

Dateline Disney World dives headlong into the Magic Kingdom this week.  We have plenty of fun for everyone today including an in-depth look at the Mine Train construction and surrounding areas as the New Fantasyland continues towards completion.  We also have a look at the new Haunted Mansion entrance.  Is the Fastpass addition a good thing?  Halloween has just started at the Magic Kingdom and so has Mickey’s Not-so-scary Halloween Party.  Want to see some Halloween decorations?

DCA Then & Now, Part 1: Around Grizzly Peak

In the first of a series of Disney California Adventure “then and now” comparisons, Yesterland looks at some spots around Grizzly Peak.

A Sneak Peek at Halloween Horror Nights, Universal Orlando Resort

Universal Orlando is pulling out all the stops for Halloween Horror Nights 23, with new technologies, a park wide “Walking Dead” theme, and a vomit room.  So get out your chainsaw, because this update is full of Walkers.

Samland visits the new Universal Plaza

Universal Studios Hollywood’s greatest strength has also been its greatest weakness. Since 1964, the old chicken ranch had always been a working production studio first with a studio tour, theme park , and shopping mall shoved in between. Universal has slowly been turning its back on its heritage of taking you behind the scenes and is now going directly at Disney’s lead on creating fantasy spaces.

When Should You Use an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner?

A trip to any Disney resort can be a big undertaking.  Lots of decisions to make, deadlines to remember and tricks and tips to memorize.  This is where an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner agent comes in to save the day!  Or not.  When should you consider calling in the professionals for your next vacation?Five Ways To Save Money At Disney When Traveling With Kids

Universal Hollywood Harry Potter Update with Exclusive Halloween Horror Nights Artwork

We have something sinister from Universal Studios Hollywood to share, exclusive artwork from one of their terrifying scare zones for this year’s Halloween Horror Nights.  But that’s not all.  We also breeze through the park to share some of the latest happenings.  Did you know that the new Universal Plaza is now open to guests?  We have pics.  We also update you on the progress of Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem and share more news on the recent shifts of construction on the upper lot.  Finally, we begin the long process of covering Harry Potter construction with the closing of the Gibson Amphitheater.

Dueling Disney: Which Adventureland Is Best?

Welcome to this tropical hideaway, you lucky people, you. If we weren’t writing this column, right away, we’d be in the audience too! Whether your pleasure is exploring treehouses, being serenaded by birds, or navigating a treacherous jungle full of dangerous animals (and even more dangerous puns), Adventureland is your land. Come join Keith and Jeff as they put on their safari hats and sharpen their machetes, and find out just which Adventureland comes out on top!

The MiceEars Crew can be e-mailed at: [email protected] if you have questions for Anthony our Editor he can be e-mailed at: [email protected]