The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr.Toad

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is an animated feature produced by Walt Disney and released to theaters on October 5, 1949 by RKO Radio Pictures. It is the eleventh animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series.

The Wind in the Willows
The Adventures of Mr. Toad was based on Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows (narrated by Basil Rathbone). In this story, the charismatic J. Thaddeus Toad, Esq., was the happy-go-lucky, wealthy proprietor of Toad Hall. Toad believed in fun, adventure and travelling to "Nowhere in Particular"; He had built a great deal of debt from disregarding the financial responsibilities of his insatiable love for fads and "manias", such as recklessly riding through the countryside on a gypsy cart with his loyal horse, Cyril J. Proudbottom. His friends, Ratty (Water Rat), Moley (Mole) and Angus MacBadger try to talk some sense into him but Toad quickly discovers the newfangled motor car and is determined to get one by any means necessary. Toad is charged with car theft after trading the deed to Toad Hall for a car belonging to Mr. Winky the tavernkeeper and his gang of weasels and thrown in jail when Winky testifies that Toad tried to sell him a stolen car (which his cronies actually stole). On Christmas Eve, Cyril visits Toad in disguise and assists him in escaping. Toad manages to find Ratty and Moley and they are informed by MacBadger that the evil Winky and his weasels have taken over Toad Hall. With his friends' aid, Toad redeems his good name by recovering the deed to the estate from the very hands of its captors. Toad, touched by the loyalty and kindness of his friends, promises to reform. Ratty, Moley and MacBadger give a toast to the new Toad at their New Year celebration but are shocked to find Toad now recklessly flying a 1908 biplane along with Cyril.

This film was later made into the beloved Mr. Toad's Wild Ride at Disneyland Park. It is one of the few remaining attractions that was operational on the park's opening day in 1955. The ride's story is based on Disney's adaptation of The Wind in the Willows, one of the two segments of the film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. It was once an attraction at the Magic Kingdom park in Walt Disney World, but despite a long protest against its closure, Mr. Toad's journeys to nowhere in particular were put to an end in 1998 and the ride was replaced the following year with The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. However, a statue of Mr. Toad can be seen with many others at a pet cemetery outside the Haunted Mansion. Corey Burton does every voice at the attraction.

Aulani

Aloha! Bookings are now open for Disney’s new family resort on the shores of O'ahu. Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, Ko Olina, Hawai'i, is scheduled to welcome its first Guests on Aug. 29, 2011.

Aulani is a destination where families can experience the stunning natural beauty, rich cultural heritage and friendship of Hawai'i – in a setting only Disney could create.

The resort, built adjacent to a crystal-blue lagoon and a white-sand beach, features 359 hotel rooms. Your Clients can choose from a variety of room options with commanding views of the ocean, mountains or magnificent grounds.

With activities available for families, kids, tweens, teens and adults, there is something for everyone to enjoy. From pool parties with Disney characters to excursions into the rainforest and rejuvenating spa treatments, days and nights will be filled with the magic of Disney in the beautiful tranquil setting of Hawai'i.

Aulani also features a signature kids' club – Aunty's Beach House – where kids can explore Hawaiian culture through fun games, arts and crafts.

The resort is located 17 miles from Honolulu International Airport and features convenient access to a Ted Robinson-designed, 18-hole championship golf course.

Check out WDWTravels Aulani website:

http://aulanihawaiiresort.com/default.aspx

Spaceship Earth (Epcot)

Spaceship Earth is the iconic and symbolic structure of Epcot, a theme park that is part of the Walt Disney World Resort. One of the most recognizable structures at the Walt Disney World Resort, it is not only the centerpiece and main focal point of Epcot, but also the name of the attraction housed within the 18-story geodesic sphere that takes guests on a time machine themed experience using the Omnimover system. The 13-minute dark ride shows guests how advancements in human communication have helped to create the future one step at a time. The attraction involves a timeline from the origins of prehistoric man to the dawn of the 21st century, where guests can then create a future for themselves.

Background

The structure was designed with the help of science fiction writer Ray Bradbury, who also helped write the original storyline for the attraction.

The term 'Spaceship Earth' was coined by Buckminster Fuller,who also developed the structural mathematics of the geodesic dome.


Ride scenes

Audio-animatronic cavemen in the first scene of the ride. The scene has since been updated with new figures and an animated background.The ride begins with the Omnimover vehicles ascending into a dark tunnel with twinkling stars all around. Midway, the guests are asked to have their picture taken to be used later in the ride, and in the post-show where you can email your picture. Guests then see prehistoric man fighting for survival, later on Cavemen are depicted, who developed the first spoken languages. Then guests see the Egyptians, who invented a system of hieroglyphs and made papyrus on which to record them; Phoenician merchants, who developed a written alphabet (the Phoenician alphabet); Ancient Greece, where the theater was a popular form of entertainment; and Ancient Rome, whose leaders built a vast system of roads all over Europe.

After the sacking of Rome by invaders, guests see scenes of the Middle Ages, when Jewish and Islamic scholars continued to progress in science, and when monks copied Bibles by hand. The attraction then moves on to the European Renaissance, the development of the movable-type printing press, and the 20th century communications revolution—newspapers, telegraphs, radio, telephones, movies, television, as well as the computer.

The remainder of the ride is involved in seeing a depiction of Earth from space, traveling through an infinite amount of stars and into a realm of glowing triangles. The guests can then use the touch-screens in their Omnimover vehicle to fill out a questionare to create a possible depiction of their future, which uses the pictures taken at the beginning of the ride.

Disney Pin Trading –Guidelines For Guests

Disney Pin Trading is magical fun for the whole family! The most important guideline to remember is to have fun collecting or trading the Disney pinsyou like.

• The main criteria to judge whether a pin is tradable or not is that it must be a metal pin bearing a “©Disney”mark on the back that represents a Disney Event, Place or Location, Character or Icon.


• Pins should be in good, undamaged, tradable condition.
• For a safe trading experience, please trade one pin at a time, hand to hand with pin backs attached.
• Guests may trade a maximum of two (2) pins per Cast Member, perday.
• Please refrain from touching a Cast Member’s or Guest’s pins or lanyard. If you need a closer look, kindly ask the Cast Member or Guest wearing the lanyard if she or he can bring it into clearer view for you.
• Monies, gifts or receipts may not be exchanged or used in tradefor a pin.
• When trading with a Cast Member, Guests should offer a pin thatis not currently displayed on the Cast Member’s lanyard.
• Pins from other business units of The Walt Disney Company (i.e.ABC, ESPN) are accepted for trade.
• Operating participant pins that show a Disney, Disneyland®Resort, or Walt Disney World®Resort affiliation are accepted for trading.
• Plastic pins, rubber pins or other non-metal pins are not accepted for trading.
• “Personalized Name”pins are not accepted for trade.
• “Broche style”or “clasp pins”are not accepted for trade.
• Disney Service Award pins, Spirit of Disneyland®Resort pins, Partners in Excellence pins or Cast Member costume pins (i.e. Host/Hostess Badges, Disney Trainer) are not tradable.Disney

Pin Trading Location Etiquette Guidelines:

• Limit of one table for each Pin Trader.


• Limit of one bag/binder on the Pin Trading Table.


• Limit of one bag/binder in the Pin Trading location.


• Tables may not be moved, and please . . .


• Be courteous and always remember to follow Disney Pin Trading etiquette as outlined above. Thank you!

The location etiquette guidelines are for specific trading locations at Disney Parks. These guidelines are designed to ensure the safety and courtesy of participants, maintain the show quality of the pin trading areas, and provide an enjoyable experience for all of our Guests.In California, these location etiquette guidelines currently apply to the designated pin trading areas at Disney's Pin Traders at Downtown Disney®District, and Little Green Men Store Command and Westward Ho Trading Co. in Disneyland®Park..In Florida, these location etiquette guidelines currently apply to the designated pin trading areas at Disney's Pin Traders at the Downtown Disney®Marketplace and Pin Central at Epcot®.

Guidelines are subject to change without notice. Guests suspected of abusing the guidelines or the pin trading process may be subject to, among other things, removal from the resort premises.

©Disney 042009

D23's Great Disney Scavenger Hunt

Walt Disney World: The race is on again! Following the first Great Disney Scavenger Hunt at Disneyland with 2,000 people and 575 teams, D23 is inviting guests to the Walt Disney World Resort for a fun-filled, two-day hunt around the World. In spring 2011, for the first time in the 40-year history of Walt Disney World, guests will have the chance to scour all four theme parks to win incredible Disney prizes in this official Disney scavenger hunt. The cost will be $50 per team for D23 Members and $75 per team of non-members. Each team will consist of between 2-4 participants. Additional rules and registration information will be available soon at the D23 Web site.

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?created&&note_id=117722684951420&id=142241152475108

Holiday Disney Cruising Video

As many of you know, it is our family tradition to go on a Disney Cruise over the holidays! We love it and it is a magical way to end a year! Here is a video that shows some of the things we do. Let me know if you are interested in joining us!

http://www.wdwinv.com/files/2010/dcl/holiday/video.html

Pirates of the Caribbean

The popular Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland in California is a ride based on a darker theme than some of the other rides are. This attraction was the last ride that had Walt Disney's hand in the design process.

Located in the New Orleans section of Disneyland, the Pirates of the Caribbean ride is a must-see attraction. New Oleans Square is very cool, modeled after its namesake during the the antebellum period. A United States flag with 31 stars on it, circa 1850s, flies over the area.

As you line up for the ride, you'll see that the boat dock's sign overhead has the name of Jean Lafitte (spelled incorrectly though as "Laffite"), a famous pirate who fought in the "Battle of New Orleans" and in the "War of 1812".

This pirate adventure is a boat ride that takes place indoors and is complete with cannon blasts, burning buildings, and gunshots. The animatronic pirates pillage and cavort around to the tune of "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" which was composed by Xavier Atencio and George Bruns.

The original plans drafted for the ride in the 1950s had this attraction as just a wax museum to walk through and view pirates throughout history. After the 1064 World's Fair in New York, the attraction then changed to a boat ride involving various elaborate scenarios highlighted with audio-animatronically operated characters. The audio-animatronics greatly enhanced Disneyland's features. Marc Davis then created amusing skits with fictional pirates for the final version of the attraction.

Pirates of the Caribbean opened in 1967 on March 18th. It was the largest of the audio-animatronic attraction at Disneyland at that time.


Interesting Facts

Hanging over the bar located in the scene of the crew's quarters, is a portrait of a woman pirate; this is Marc Davis' original creation. There is also a scene with a pirate captain along with some captured women being sold for brides that is used for testing any developments or updates as far as the audio-animatronics go. Most of the new ideas are tested on the Captain before being added to any other character. This means that his actions are more expressive and lifelike than all the other figures run by this method at Disneyland.

One scene in this attraction shows pirates chasing women in a circle. Over the years, this particular scene has changed many times, due to public opinion happening at the time. This was modified a few times through various ways. The last modification just has pirates chasing each other both holding onto a treasure chest in order to promote the 2006 movie, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest." This was the second of the films inspired by this attraction. If you take a close look, you'll also discover animatronic Cap'n Jack Sparrow roaming the area, too.

This ride became so popular that the visitors to the Florida Walt Disney World complained it was not there. Due to popular demand, the Pirates of the Caribbean ride was added to Disney World, though it was never part of the original plans to include.

This ride may not be suitable for young children due to some of the special effects. It's a dark ride with a lot of noise and fire. At the start, your boat drops down over two small waterfalls, so be prepared to get a little wet.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTQ5eWBlApY