Disney News Blog

All-new Web Site Keeps Visitors Up to Date On Expansion at Disney’s California Adventure

ANAHEIM, Calif. (July 16, 2009) – Fans of Disney’s California Adventure can explore coming attractions and exciting plans for the park during its expansion at a new, interactive Web site, starting July 16.

The site, hosted at www.DisneysCaliforniaAdventure.com, will serve as an online preview center, taking visitors behind the scenes of the multiyear expansion at Disney’s California Adventure. It features videos, photos, renderings, interviews and other assets to keep users up to date on the progress of attractions and entertainment coming to life in the park.

Like the Disney parks themselves, the site will “continue to change and add new things” with regular updates.

Among the highlights at www.DisneysCaliforniaAdventure.com:

· What’s New – link to the latest information on new developments at the park

· Big Plans – see the “big picture” approach to the ambitious expansion project

· Pictures and Videos – link to renderings, photos and exclusive, behind-the-scenes views of works in progress

· Individual Attractions – click on the pictures of “World of Color,” Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, Buena Vista Street or Cars Land for more details about those exciting attractions

In addition to www.DisneysCaliforniaAdventure.com, guests can visit Blue Sky Cellar at Disney’s California Adventure to see concepts and models, or play trivia games related to the expansion. Guests can also find information about other Disneyland Resort attractions, or plan a celebration or vacation at Disneyland Resort, by visiting www.disneyland.com, calling 866/60-DISNEY or contacting local travel agents.

Disney Imagineers reveal details of ‘World of Color,’ a nighttime water spectacular coming in spring 2010

ANAHEIM, Calif. (July 16, 2009) – Nestled in the Golden Vine Winery at Disney’s California Adventure, Blue Sky Cellar is a place where guests get a sneak preview of what’s new and what’s next during the expansion of the park. Beginning July 16, guests will see the first in-depth look at “World of Color,” the next major milestone in the expansion of Disney’s California Adventure, opening in spring 2010. Disney Imagineers, the creative minds behind the design and construction of Disney theme parks and attractions, are sharing their models, concepts and sketches to reveal the development of this spectacular water, animation and special effects show.

At Blue Sky Cellar, guests are invited to preview works in progress at Disney’s California Adventure by immersing themselves in a facsimile of an Imagineering workspace. Based on the belief that idea gathering is best when “the sky’s the limit,” Blue Sky Cellar is designed to resemble an Imagineering “charette,” an extended creative idea development meeting. Guests receive an inside look at how Imagineers take “blue sky” ideas and refine them into the classic storytelling that characterizes Disney theme park attractions and adventures.

In this whimsical immersive setting, Imagineers have taken over a former wine cellar and set up shop. Wine barrels have turned into work stations and the former wine tasting room has become a screening room where a video showcases the behind-the-scenes magic that goes into the creation of new and upcoming attractions for Disney’s California Adventure. Additionally, guests in Blue Sky Cellar will have fun testing their knowledge of Disney trivia at one of the interactive workstations.

The video seen in the screening room features Imagineers describing the approach and vision of the Disney California Adventure expansion. Guests will see footage of model-making, sculpting, Blue Sky meetings and all the aspects of bringing a Disney concept to life. In the latest video, Imagineer Steven Davison and others show guests some of the astounding animation and water effects they can expect to see in “World of Color” in 2010.

Included in the original announcement of the multi-year expansion of Disneyland Resort in fall 2007, Blue Sky Cellar is part of the overall commitment to keep the community and Disneyland Resort guests informed of the exciting new and upcoming plans for the resort. Guests are encouraged to check back for updates on additional exciting developments and attractions, both at Blue Sky Cellar and online at www.DisneysCaliforniaAdventure.com.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Opened on Feb. 8, 2001, Disney’s California Adventure anchored a major expansion of Disneyland Resort. The expansion included Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa and Downtown Disney, a 300,000-square-foot shopping, dining and entertainment district.

Building this expansive project took more than three years and resulted in an additional 6,000 jobs, bringing the total employment at Disneyland Resort to 20,000, making Disneyland Resort Orange County’s largest single-site employer.

The expansion was a catalyst for transforming the Anaheim Resort Area into a multiday destination that attracts millions of visitors from around the world who spend billions of dollars each year. Hundreds of millions of dollars in additional tax revenue, generated by the expansion, help fund vital services for the city of Anaheim.

Disney’s California Adventure has become one of the nation’s most visited theme parks. The 55-acre park is filled with dozens of shows, adventures and attractions that appeal to guests of all ages. Through Disney’s legendary storytelling, the fantasy of California comes to life in four themed lands – Golden State, Paradise Pier, a bug’s land and Hollywood Pictures Backlot.

Resort Expansion

In 2007, a significant multiyear expansion of Disney’s California Adventure was announced including new family-oriented attractions and shows that feature more stories and characters from both Disney and Pixar.

The park expansion began with the 2008 opening of Toy Story Mania! This interactive 4-D ride-through attraction transports guests into a carnival midway hosted by beloved “Toy Story” characters.

In early 2009, Mickey’s Fun Wheel, a 150-foot-diameter attraction that features a new Mickey Mouse marquee, reopened along with the Games of the Boardwalk, carnival-style games that now showcase some of the most beloved Disney and Disney•Pixar characters.

Opening in spring 2010, “World of Color” will bring nighttime excitement to Paradise Pier with a panorama of spectacular water effects, dancing fountains and music that will bring Disney animation to life with a new creative and technical approach. “World of Color” boasts a 9,000-guest viewing area.

The first major attraction based on Disney’s classic “The Little Mermaid” is coming to the park’s Paradise Pier area with leading-edge animation and special effects. Guests will be able to dive into the magnificent scenes and magical songs from the movie when The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure debuts in 2011.

In 2012, a brand new gateway to Disney’s California Adventure will welcome guests into the Los Angeles that Walt experienced as a young artist arriving with big dreams in the 1920s. Red Car Trolleys reminiscent of the old Pacific Electric Red Car Line will travel up and down Buena Vista Street alongside new dining, shopping and entertainment experiences. A new visual icon inspired by Los Angeles’ historic Carthay Circle Theatre, which premiered “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” in 1937, will draw guests into the heart of the park.

Culminating the major expansion is the entirely new, 12-acre addition: Cars Land, which recreates the town of Radiator Springs as inspired by the hit Disney•Pixar film “Cars.” Cars Land will feature three immersive family attractions, Radiator Springs Racers, Luigi’s Flying Tires and Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree. Radiator Springs Racers will be one of the largest and most elaborate attractions ever created for a Disney park. This major E-ticket attraction will place guests in the middle of a twisting, turning, high-speed adventure.

Walt Disney Imagineering’s Blue Sky Cellar, a preview center located near the Golden Vine Winery, showcases the expansion plans for Disney’s California Adventure. Here, guests can take a sneak peek at models, concepts and sketches and view a video of what’s new and what’s next. An online version of Blue Sky Cellar launches July 2009 at www.DisneysCaliforniaAdventure.com.

Continued Investment

Investment in Disney’s California Adventure has continued since its opening, broadening the appeal to guests of all ages. Guests have been further immersed in thrilling new attractions and shows, giving them compelling reasons to stay longer and visit often.

* Based on the Disney•Pixar movie “a bug’s life,” a bug’s land was added in 2002. This land added several new rides and shows designed for younger guests.
* “Disney’s Aladdin-A Musical Spectacular” debuted at the 1,800-seat Hyperion Theatre in 2003. This 40-minute, Broadway-quality musical entertains thousands of people every day.
* The Twilight Zone® Tower of Tower opened in 2004. The 13-story attraction encourages guests to leave reality behind as they experience a new dimension in fun and sheer thrills.
* “Turtle Talk With Crush” was added in 2005 inside the Disney Animation building and continually amazes guests with its interactive technology.
* In 2006, “Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!” featuring more than 40 animated figures, opened to rave reviews.
* Toy Story Mania! opened in 2008, adding another immersive family experience to the park. The 4-D ride-through interactive attraction is hosted by favorite characters from the Disney•Pixar “Toy Story” films.
* Joining the lineup in 2008, “Pixar Play Parade” brings together the energy and excitement of beloved films in a unique, dynamic and water-filled spectacular.

Continued investment also is being made at the award-winning Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, adjacent to Disney’s California Adventure, with 200 new rooms slated to open in fall 2009 along with 50 vacation villas, the first Disney Vacation Club villas on the West Coast.

Home to Popular Attractions

Disney’s California Adventure is home to some of the highest-rated attractions at Disneyland Resort, based on guest satisfaction ratings. Among them are:

* “Soarin’ Over California”: This exhilarating airborne adventure takes guests soaring over the wonders of the Golden State, from the beaches to the mountains.
* California Screamin’: The 6,000-foot-long roller coaster, inspired by the “golden age of coasters,” thrills guests as they experience sharp turns, go upside-down and make sudden drops. At launch, guests go from 0 to 55 miles per hour in less than five seconds.
* The Twilight Zone™ Tower of Terror: This thrilling and chilling supernatural adventure, based on the classic “Twilight Zone” television series, surprises guests with a series of faster-than-gravity drops and amazing special effects.
* “Disney’s Aladdin-A Musical Spectacular”: With dancing genies, soaring carpets and imagination taking flight, this amazing musical production brings favorite characters from Disney’s “Aladdin” to life.
* Toy Story Mania!: One of the most engaging, dynamic attractions at Disney parks, this next-generation interactive ride-game experience is fun for the entire family.

With dozens of highly entertaining shows, adventures and attractions, Disney’s California Adventure appeals to guests of all ages, and takes them to a California that could only be Imagineered by Disney.

ANAHEIM, Calif., July 16, 2009 – Elaborate preparation is underway for “World of Color,” the spectacular nighttime water show that will astound guests with its magnitude and creativity when it debuts in spring 2010 as the next major milestone in the expansion of Disney’s California Adventure park. Surpassing all Disney water productions, “World of Color” will bring Disney animation to life with powerful fountains that become stars of the show as they create the world’s largest projected water screen.

For months now, guests at Disney’s California Adventure have been peering into the lagoon near Paradise Pier as Walt Disney Imagineering and Creative Entertainment have installed the massive infrastructure and innovative technology that will create the stage for this extraordinary combination of music, animation and stunning water effects. Teams of Disney workers have built nearly an acre of superstructure to support the complex “World of Color” production.

“World of Color” will combine hundreds of magnificent fountains, dazzling colors and an all-new kaleidoscope of audio and visual effects, to take water-infused entertainment to a new level of artistry. The production will flood the senses, taking audiences on an imaginative journey into the colorful worlds of animated Disney classics such as “Alice in Wonderland,” “The Lion King” and “Pocahontas,” along with Disney•Pixar films “Toy Story,” “WALL-E” and many more.

Disney’s newest production features an unprecedented infrastructure of water effects, larger-than-life projections, lasers, fire, fog, surround sound, and stunning images. This technical wizardry, combined with classic Disney film sequences, will create a breathtaking emotional experience for guests, as jaw-dropping effects sweep across the lagoon, soar into the sky, and rush toward the audience.

A newly designed 9,000-capacity viewing area will provide Disney’s California Adventure guests the best view in the park of this exciting nighttime extravaganza. The show lasts approximately 25 minutes.

Some of the technical magic behind ‘World of Color’ includes:
• Nearly 1 full acre of engineered superstructure, longer than a football field and capable of settling on three levels – one for the performance, one under the water surface and one for maintenance
• More than 1,200 powerful and programmable fountains
• A vast underwater grid with more than 18,000 points of control. Each fountain has multiple points of control for lighting, color intensity, water angle, height and more.
• Fountain heights that range from 30 feet to 200 feet in the air (by way of comparison, Mickey’s Fun Wheel reaches a height of 150 feet, some of it below the edge of the lagoon)
• A precise system of flame projections, lasers, and special effects that will flood the senses as guests experience the animation
• Scenic elements that rise more than 80 feet above the lagoon
• The world’s largest projected water screen — a wall of water 380 feet wide by 50 feet high for a projection surface of 19,000 square feet
• Nearly 30 high-definition projectors

Photo © Disney

ANAHEIM, Calif. (June 12, 2009) – Everything about “Disney’s Electrical Parade” has a new glow this summer as Tinker Bell sprinkles her pixie dust to illuminate the classic parade, presented by Sylvania. Even the parade’s highly recognizable musical theme is brightened by new technology, adding to the excitement of Summer Nightastic!

Tinker Bell leads the procession on an all-new float and her trail of pixie dust enchants all the parade floats with new beauty along the way. The popular pixie waves from the basket of a balloon floating gracefully above a magical garden shimmering with fairy light.

In addition, enhanced versions of two classic favorites will return to the lineup after a 13-year hiatus – the shimmering diamond mine of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and the Pleasure Island haunts of Pinocchio.

Photo © Disney

WHAT: The parade twinkles with approximately half a million lights. Of those, nearly 10,000 are new “pixie dust” lights spread over the 17 floats. The new LED lights use one-quarter of the power of incandescent lights. The “Tinker Bell” float alone has more than 25,000 points of light and 75 percent are powered by an LED source.

WHEN: Nightly at 8:45 p.m., beginning Friday, June 12, and continuing through Sunday, Aug. 23, at Disney’s California Adventure.

LIGHTS ON DEMAND: A new control system makes it possible, for the first time, for each light to be programmed individually. One example is the new Tinker Bell float, which has 160 dimmers, by far the most of any parade float, to control the lighting. Programming for this parade took approximately two months.

AN EVEN BETTER HOEDOWN: The unforgettable musical theme of the “Electrical Parade,” which has inspired several generations of Disneyland Resort guests to clap along, was adapted from a synthesizer piece known as “Baroque Hoedown,” written in 1967 by Gershon Kingsley and Jean-Jaques Perrey. Disney themes are superimposed over the original piece. For Summer Nightastic!, the distinctive “electro-sytho-magnetic” “Baroque Hoedown” has new audio technology that gives it a richer, fuller sound.

FUN FACTS

* More than 80 performers appear in each presentation of “Disney’s Electrical Parade.”
* There are 11,000 lights on the dancers’ costumes alone. Thanks to the energy-efficient LED lights, some of the dancers’ costumes now carry only one battery pack instead of two.
* All the floats are battery-powered. More than 500 batteries supply power for lighting, propulsion, audio and special effects.
* Approximately five miles of wire is used throughout the floats.
* The tallest float in the parade is the Cinderella clock tower, at 18.5 feet tall.
* The “Fireworks Finale” float, the longest in the parade, has seven cars that span 118 feet.

HISTORY

* Summer Nightastic! 2009 will mark the 30th summer of the “Electrical Parade” performances at Disneyland Resort.
* The original “Main Street Electrical Parade” premiered at Disneyland on June 17, 1972.
* The parade has been performed more than 5,000 times at Disneyland Resort.
* It has been presented nearly every summer, with the following exceptions: a 1975-76 hiatus for the Bicentennial “America on Parade”; the 1983-84 break for “Flights of Fantasy” parade; and the “Electrical Parade” retirement from Disneyland following the summer of 1996. Renamed “Disney’s Electrical Parade,” it premiered at Disney’s California Adventure in July 2001.
* The original “Main Street Electrical Parade” floats were “flatter” and less three-dimensional than the current floats. New floats have been added through the years and some – “it’s a small world” float, “Briny Deep” float, and special anniversary floats for Disneyland’s 25th Anniversary (1980) and Mickey Mouse’s 60th Birthday (1988) – have been retired.
* One of the original floats, the “Title Drum Unit” near the beginning of the parade, was created using an actual bass drum, one of the world’s largest in 1972. This drum had been used in Disneyland parades in the 1960s, when Mickey Mouse used to beat it using large drumsticks.
* Versions of the parade have been presented at Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida (premiering 1977), Tokyo Disneyland (premiering 1985) and Disneyland Paris (premiering 1992).

Photo © Disney

Photo © Disney

Photo © Disney

ANAHEIM, Calif. - April 24, 2009 - /PRNewswire/— Disneyland guests are dancing down Main Street, U.S.A., with Mickey Mouse and the gang in a high-energy show that celebrates spring at the Disneyland Resort. The party rocks with a new street show, revs up with a new dining experience and swings for six full weeks with Disney's California Food & Wine Festival. Valuable ticket offers and vacation packages add a big bonus to the new entertainment, making this one of the best times ever to experience the magic in Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure parks.

Whether guests are marking a birthday, anniversary, graduation, family reunion, quinceañera or any special occasion, they'll discover that Disneyland Resort is the perfect place to celebrate with favorite characters, world-class attractions and entertainment, and legendary guest service - all the ingredients to make magical Disney memories.

To top it off, some extra-special travel and ticket values are available for a limited time.

"Disneyland Resort has always been a popular destination for celebrations, and we've seen all kinds of celebrations here in 2009," said Ed Grier, president, Disneyland Resort. "With new entertainment and adventures appearing this spring and summer, along with our special vacation value packages, we're offering guests more reasons than ever to celebrate today."

Now through June 3, Southern California families (zip codes 90000-93599 in California, 21000-22999 in Baja California) will find the best value at Disneyland Resort by purchasing the "Southern California 2fer Ticket," which enables guests to visit either Disneyland or Disney's California Adventure one day, then come back on another day to play in the other park, for free! Information is available at www.disneyland.com or by calling (714) 781-7290.

For those planning a multi-day getaway at Disneyland Resort, there's the "2 Nights Free" offer. Guests who purchase a three-night summer vacation package - three nights of hotel accommodations and three days of theme park admission - will receive two more nights at the hotel and two more days of theme park admission. That's a total of five days and nights of Disneyland fun for the price of three. Details on these packages are available at www.disneyland.com or by calling (800) 854-3104.

These travel values are in addition to the first-of-its-kind "Free on Your Birthday" offer - one day's free admission to a Disneyland Resort park with valid ID. More details and online registration for Free on Your Birthday are available at www.disneyparks.com.

Guests who take advantage of these value offers will find plenty of fun at Disneyland Resort, including new celebration experiences.

The whole family can join the action with two new immersive shows this spring at Disneyland. Celebrate! A Street Party is a dazzling street show featuring a cast of nearly 100 dancers, DJs and Disney characters inviting guests along the Disneyland parade route to celebrate with them as they perform more than a dozen musical numbers in a lively presentation that allows some guests to show off their own dance moves in a conga line or twist party.

The best place at the Resort for hearty mouth-watering barbecue fare is Celebration Roundup and Barbecue, a spot where guests can celebrate their special occasions ranch-style with Woody and Jessie from "Toy Story," Chip 'n Dale and festive, country entertainment with live musicians. Located at Big Thunder Ranch in Frontierland, Celebration Roundup and Barbecue features family-style table service with a menu of barbecue chicken and ribs, corn cob wheels, ranch beans, cole slaw, cornbread, watermelon slices and a unique surprise dessert.

At Disney's California Adventure park, guests will enjoy the fourth annual Disney's California Food & Wine Festival, a celebration of the international cultures, people, food and traditions that have made California one of the most diverse culinary destinations in the world. From April 24 through June 7, the Festival features more than 600 experiences, many of them complimentary, including wine and spirits seminars, culinary demonstrations and a Junior Chef program for children. Food and wine aficionados will get tips from award-winning Disneyland Resort chefs, noted winemakers and celebrity chefs such as Guy Fieri. Unique ticketed events include "World Celebration" dinners, two nights of the gala finale "Taste, Food-Wine-Life" and intimate receptions with stars of the food and wine world. Information and reservations for ticketed events are available at www.disneyland.com/foodandwine.

Aspiring young princesses (and knights) will get the full fairy-tale treatment at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, new in Fantasyland at Disneyland. Young girls are greeted by their very own Fairy Godmother-in-training who will magically transform them into the princesses of their dreams with a makeover including hairstyles, make-up and jewels. For boys, a magical experience transforms them into gallant young knights.

At Disney's California Adventure park, guests will find a new lineup at Games of the Boardwalk, along the Paradise Pier Midway. The games, themed to Disney characters for the first time, include "Goofy About Fishin'," a ball-pitch "Casey at the Bat," a "Bullseye Stallion Stampede" horse race, and a water-spray "Dumbo Bucket Brigade."

The Disneyland Resort features two theme parks plus the Downtown Disney District comprised of unique dining, entertainment and shopping experiences. The Resort's three hotels are the luxurious 745-room Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, the magical 988-room Disneyland Hotel and the "day-at-the-beach" fun of the 489-room Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel. For information on new attractions and vacations at Disneyland Resort, visit www.disneyland.com.

2fer Ticket Details: 2fer tickets are valid for Southern California residents within ZIP Codes 90000-93599 and Northern Baja California residents within ZIP Codes 21000-22999. Proof of residency is required for admission. Admission is valid for one Park each day, but not for both Parks on the same day. Tickets are valid 30 days from first use. First use must occur between 1/6/09-6/3/09. Each day of use constitutes one full day of use. Guests may purchase up to 8 tickets per person per day with valid ID. Tickets may not be sold or transferred for commercial use. The offer may not be combined with other discounts or promotions. The offer is not valid before 1/6/09 and is subject to restrictions and change without notice. $35 message is based on the purchase price of an adult 2fer Ticket, which is $69. Tickets are $59 for guests ages 3 through 9. Check for entertainment show times. For more information on the 2fer, visit www.disneyland.com or call (714) 781-7290.

"Get 2 Nights Free" offer is valid for bookings from 3/24/09 through 8/11/09 for arrivals at a Disneyland Resort hotel from 4/1/09 through 9/26/09 with travel being completed by 10/1/09, and is valid from 5/1/09 through 9/26/09 at participating Disneyland Resort Good Neighbor hotels with travel completed by 10/1/09. Upon the purchase of a 3-night package, with 3-Day Disneyland Resort Park Hopper Bonus Tickets, at a participating hotel for a family of four (2 adults, 1 junior (ages 10 to 17) and 1 child (age 3-9), two (2) consecutive free nights will be added to the hotel stay and two (2) days added to the tickets. Limited to two (2) free nights per package / reservation and not valid for previously booked rooms. Check for offers associated with longer night stays. The Disneyland Resort Park Hopper Bonus Tickets expire 13 days after first use or 10/13/09, whichever occurs first, and each day of use of a ticket constitutes one full day of use. Tickets may not be sold or transferred for commercial purposes. Offer subject to availability and blockout dates; advance reservations required. Not valid with any other discount or promotion. Subject to restrictions and change without notice. Walt Disney Travel Company CST: 1022229-50, NYST # 2006-0198.

Free on Your Birthday Details. To receive free admission to one of the Walt Disney World or Disneyland theme parks on your birthday in 2009, guests must bring valid ID including proof of birth date. Guests who have purchased a valid multi-day ticket they will use on their birthday may choose from other birthday treats instead. No cash refunds or credits will be given. To register your birthday and find out more details, visit www.disneyparks.com. For terms and conditions of the Birthday Fun Card and details on participating locations visit disneyparks.com/birthdayfuncard.

Photo ©Disney

16 March 2009 -- The latest sign of expansion and "re-Imagineering" in Disney's California Adventure park is the new illuminated "Paradise Pier" sign on the "California Screamin'" roller coaster. Installed overnight between Thursday and Friday, March 12 and 13, the sign reflects the "vintage Disney" themeing that is part of the Disney's California Adventure expansion. It was designed in the style of beachfront amusement park signs from the 1920s and '30s, the era when Walt Disney first arrived in Hollywood and begin producing animated cartoons. As the "re-Imagineering" continues at Disney's California Adventure this spring, the ferris wheel attraction will reopen as "Mickey's Fun Wheel" and the Games of the Boardwalk will reopen in completely new versions featuring Disney characters.

ANAHEIM, Calif., February 19, 2009 — Disney's California Food and Wine Festival will celebrate the international cultures, people, food and traditions that have made California one of the most diverse culinary destinations in the world. With a theme of “World Celebration,” the Festival expands to six weeks in 2009 – April 24 through June 7 – featuring daily complimentary demonstrations and premier ticketed events at Disney’s California Adventure park and throughout the Resort.

Tickets for the premier events - which include unique opportunities to go “Behind the Scenes With …” celebrity chefs and winemakers - go on sale beginning Tuesday, Feb. 24, at www.disneyland.com/foodandwine.

More than 600 complimentary experiences will be available at the fourth annual Disney’s California Food & Wine Festival, including culinary demonstrations, children’s programs and wine and spirits seminars. In addition, food and wine aficionados will get tips from Disneyland Resort chefs, mingle with noted winemakers and celebrate at the spectacular ticketed events, including the gala Festival finale “Taste Food-Wine-Life.”

“The 2009 Disney’s California Food and Wine Festival will take guests on a delicious journey around the globe,” said Gary Maggetti, director of food and beverage for Disneyland Resort theme parks. “We invite guests to celebrate their favorite foods and wines with our great variety of events, and to explore new tastes and flavors with our outstanding chefs and wine experts.”

Food & Wine Festival events held in Disney's California Adventure require park admission, which is not included in the event price. Some events may require an additional fee and pre-registration.

Featured celebrity chefs, including Guy Fieri of the Food Network, along with nearly 100 Disneyland Resort chefs will conduct cooking demonstrations that showcase their talents and an international mix of delectable dishes. Guests will collect cooking tips while they watch the pros in action, discovering new twists on timeless classics and sampling the festival cuisine. Guests will also taste delicious festival-inspired dishes at the Wine Country Trattoria, Pacific Wharf Café, Farmer’s Market and other eateries inside Disney’s California Adventure park.

New Events for 2009
Guests will enjoy several new signature events this year.
• Behind the Scenes With… – Unique opportunities to share food, wine and conversation with cooking personalities from popular television programs and celebrity winemakers. The stars include Guy Fieri (“Guy’s Big Bite”), Keegan Geerhard (“Food Network Challenge), Tommy Lasorda (Lasorda Wines), and John and Nancy Lasseter (Lasseter Family Winery). The evenings begin with tasty appetizers and exquisite wines, followed by question-and-answer sessions hosted by Chef Jamie Gwen.
• Sweet Sundays – The sweetest of all events features a light buffet breakfast and sparkling wine at the Golden Vine Winery at Disney’s California Adventure. Guests will see demonstrations and taste three signature desserts created by acclaimed pastry chefs, including chefs from Sweet Cheeks Baking Co. in San Diego and Cake Monkey Bakery in Los Angeles.
• Festival Wine Walks - Guests will explore wines of the world, or a single region, when they purchase a tasting passport and select up to four tastes of spectacular wines. A tasting tour that features craft brews will also be available. Delicious wine country tapas that complement the beer and wine will be available at The Lounge at the Golden Vine Winery.
• World Celebration Dinners – Disneyland Resort chefs will create an elegant menu that blends the food, wine and celebrations of regions around the world. France, Japan, Korea, Italy and Spain will be featured.
• Master Sommelier Michael Jordan, of the award-winning Napa Rose restaurant, will add a new class to his “Introduction to Wine Tasting.” The “Advanced Wine Class” includes three two-hour sessions that take guests to the next level in their knowledge of wine regions, varietals, growing and harvesting style. Both entertaining classes will offer training as well as a blind tasting to test the participants’ skills.

Popular Returning Events
Events returning for 2009 feature Disneyland Resort chefs and premier winemakers.
• Winemaker Dinners - Disneyland Resort chefs will partner with premier California winemakers to prepare outstanding culinary delights at six exclusive “Winemaker Dinners,” on selected Friday nights. Each Festival meal will be paired with award-winning vintages and served at Steakhouse 55, inside the Disneyland Hotel.
• Napa Rose Cooking School - Disney Executive Chef Andrew Sutton will once again lead this hands-on course that sells out quickly. Each class will create and enjoy a themed meal paired with wines and each class member will go home with an official chef’s coat to commemorate the experience. This amazing opportunity takes place in the show kitchen of the renowned Napa Rose restaurant at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. Guests must be at least 18 years of age and advance reservations are required.
• Festival Wine Receptions – Guests will have an opportunity to enjoy a beautiful sunset and weekend evening under the stars, on the patio of the Golden Vine Winery inside Disney’s California Adventure park. While sampling from a variety of selected wines and enjoying hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, guests will meet fellow wine enthusiasts, make new friends and discover new favorite wines.

For more details and pricing information, visit www.disneyland.com/foodandwine

ANAHEIM, Calif., October 15, 2008 – Nestled in the Golden Vine Winery at the base of Grizzly Peak in Disney’s California Adventure Park, the Walt Disney Imagineering Blue Sky Cellar is a place where Guests will get an exclusive sneak preview of what is new and what is in store for the expansion of the Disneyland Resort. Beginning October 20, Guests will view working models as well as dozens of concepts and sketches from Disney Imagineers, the creative minds behind the design and construction of Disney theme parks and attractions.

With Blue Sky Cellar, Guests will be invited for the first time to preview works in progress at Disneyland Resort by immersing themselves in a facsimile of an Imagineering workspace. Based on the belief that idea gathering is best when “the sky’s the limit,” the Blue Sky Cellar is designed to resemble an Imagineering “charette,” an extended creative idea development meeting. Guests receive an inside-look at how Imagineers take “blue sky” ideas and refine them into the classic storytelling that characterizes Disney Theme Park attractions and adventures.

In this whimsical immersive setting, Imagineers have taken over a former wine cellar and set up shop. Wine barrels have turned into work stations and the former wine tasting room has become a screening room where videos showcase the behind-the-scenes magic that goes into the creation of new and upcoming attractions for Disney’s California Adventure.

Guests will view several new attraction models, including the newly envisioned Paradise Pier area with its turn-of-the-20th-Century look, ride vehicle maquettes from Toy Story Mania!; and the new character overlays to the Games of the Boardwalk. Special features include updates and character additions to attractions such as Mickey’s Fun Wheel (an enhancement of the current Sun Wheel) and Silly Symphony Swings (a refreshed and rethemed Orange Stinger).

Brand new sketches and artwork line the walls including images of the new entrance area, soon to be known as Buena Vista Street, which will bring to life a nostalgic look at Los Angeles from the 1920s and 30s when Walt Disney first arrived in California; a Red Car trolley, reminiscent of the Pacific Electric Railway; and a new central plaza area including a replica of the Carthay Circle Theatre, where Walt premiered Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

The “coming soon” area features images of Disney’s World of Color and The Little Mermaid attraction, and looks even further ahead to Cars Land, a 12-acre expansion of the Park which will bring to life the town of Radiator Springs from the Disney?Pixar animated film Cars, complete with three new attractions for the whole family. Additionally, Guests in Blue Sky Cellar will have fun testing their knowledge of Disney trivia at one of the interactive workstations.

The screening room features Imagineers describing the approach and vision of the Disney California Adventure expansion. Guests will see footage of model-making, sculpting, blue sky meetings and all the aspects of bringing a Disney concept to life.

Included in the original announcement of the multi-year expansion of the Disneyland Resort in Fall 2007, the Blue Sky Cellar is part of the overall commitment to keep the community and Disneyland Resort Guests informed of the exciting new and upcoming plans for the Resort. Future updates will focus on other new areas and attractions, and Guests are invited to return periodically for additional exciting information.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – The giant Mickey Mouse Jack-o’-Lantern and the Town Square Christmas Tree will be the symbols of celebration for their respective holidays at Disneyland this fall. But the traditional fan favorites are only the beginning as Disneyland Resort welcomes new shows and immersive experiences, along with an exciting preview of things to come at Disney’s California Adventure park.

It’s all part of the fun as Disney Parks poses the question to guests: “What Will You Celebrate?” Whether it’s the holidays, an anniversary, a family reunion or another special occasion, there’s something for everyone at Disneyland Resort.

The fall season kicks off with a very special event: a once-in-a-lifetime private party in Disneyland for teen sensation Miley Cyrus. “Miley’s Sweet 16 – Share The Celebration” will take place Sunday evening, Oct. 5, inside Disneyland. (The ticketed event is sold out). Miley will celebrate with family, friends and fans, perform a couple of songs, and recognize the outstanding contributions of Youth Service America, an organization that seeks to improve communities by increasing the number and diversity of young people serving as volunteers.

Beginning later in October, guests can enjoy an array of new attractions at Disneyland Resort, adding to the fun of the Halloween and Holiday seasons.

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3: On Friday, Oct. 24, “High School Musical 3: Right Here! Right Now!” premieres at Disney’s California Adventure. The new street show celebrates the infectious energy of the upcoming theatrical motion picture “High School Musical 3: Senior Year.” Featuring a cast of 14 dynamic singers and dancers, the show takes place on a traveling “rock concert” stage with stacks of speakers and rows of lights. Interactive sequences featuring hot new songs from the movie will draw guests into the streets of Disney’s California Adventure for an exciting live concert experience.

PIXIE HOLLOW: The magical realm of Pixie Hollow appears in Disneyland on Tuesday, October 28. Entering along a pathway with an enchanted pool, between the entrances of Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, guests are gradually immersed into the community of fairies. Guests will get the strange feeling that they are shrinking to fairy size as they encounter statues of Tinker Bell and her friends, and spot other evidence of the pixies’ presence. When guests arrive at Tinker Bell’s home, they will meet some of the pixies in person.

BLUE SKY CELLAR: For those who want to stay in-the-know about the expansion of Disney’s California Adventure park, a preview center opens Monday, Oct. 20 at the Golden Vine Winery in Disney’s California Adventure. The Walt Disney Imagineering Blue Sky Cellar – named for the Imagineers’ ‘blue sky’ creative process – displays never-before-seen models and art outlining the concepts and design for the park’s coming attractions, along with a video presentation. The showcase will be updated regularly so that fans can stay abreast of developments.

SLEEPING BEAUTY CASTLE WALKTHROUGH: Sleeping Beauty Castle, a beloved Disneyland landmark since the park’s debut in 1955, will open a “reawakened” version of its classic Castle walkthrough in time for the December holiday season. The new scenes inside the corridors tell the Sleeping Beauty story with modern special effects technology that recreates the look of the original Sleeping Beauty Castle walkthrough of the 1950s through the 1970s.

The new attractions and shows offer added value for Disney fans this fall as they enjoy all the traditional holiday attractions at Disneyland Resort.

Halloween highlights at Disneyland include the 16-foot-tall Mickey Mouse Jack-o’-Lantern on Main Street, U.S.A.; Woody’s Halloween Roundup at Big Thunder Ranch; and Haunted Mansion Holiday, inspired by Tim Burton’s “Nightmare Before Christmas,” which continues into the Christmas season.

At Disney’s California Adventure, Halloween is celebrated at Candy Corn Acres, featuring Goofy’s whimsical candy corn “crops.” Families also will enjoy a fun and safe trick-or-treating experience at the separate-admission nighttime Mickey’s Trick-or-Treat party, with treat locations throughout the park.

The Christmas holiday season gets underway on Friday, Nov. 21, when the traditional “A Christmas Fantasy” daily parade and “Believe … in Holiday Magic” fireworks make their seasonal debuts. The towering Christmas tree appears on Main Street, U.S.A., and the décor and nighttime show surrounding Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle will be will be more spectacular than ever. The lights and effects that appear after dark extend into Disneyland Central Plaza, down Main Street, U.S.A., and to the Christmas tree at Town Square for a sparkling transformation that sets the scene for “Believe … In Holiday Magic” fireworks with their magical snowfall finale.

Additional holiday highlights include the return, Nov. 21, of the “it’s a small world” holiday attraction, celebrating holiday traditions around the world. Guests will visit Santa Claus throughout the season at Santa’s Reindeer Round-up in Big Thunder Ranch, and those looking for a unique experience may book time with a guide for Disney’s Holiday tours.