Making A Wish

The topiaries at the EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival are so fun. You never know which character will be hiding around the next corner. In 2024, this Goofy topiary was making a wish on a dandelion near the World Celebration Bridge. 

Starlight: Dream the Night Away Parade

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Disney World's new nighttime parade looks like a dream come true. It reminds me of an updated version of the Main Street Electrical Parade, which has long been a fan favorite. Traveling down the parade route from Main Street USA to Frontierland in the Magic Kingdom are many familiar characters covered in twinkling lights, each with a dream or wish.

The Starlight: Dream The Night Away Parade can be seen most evenings at 9 & 11 PM.

Cruella de Vil

Cruella de Vil was on hand to welcome guests to this year's Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. She was her typical haughty self, which was a delightfully villainous start to the party fun.

Chip & Dale

Chip & Dale really are "just a couple of crazy rascals out to have some fun". We caught Chip sneaking up on Dale while hiding under a picnic blanket at Hollywood Studios one day. Dale sure was startled when he finally realized where Chip was.

Photo of the Week

I love seeing Mickey and his pals dressed up for Halloween. Daisy was the cutest witch in 2020.

Hocus Pocus At Disney's Oogie Boogie Bash

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The Sanderson sisters have arrived at Disneyland's Oogie Boogie Bash... well, sort of. This year, Minnie, Daisy, and Clarabelle will be taking on the roles of Winifred, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson. They're quite cute.

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Duffy Bear Has A New Friend

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Duffy the Disney Bear is an adorable character created specifically for the Disney parks. Over the last several years, he has acquired quite a few fun new friends to keep him company on his travels. First up was ShellieMay the bear who is Duffy's girlfriend. Then came CookieAnn the baking dog, StellaLou the dancing bunny, Gelatoni the artist cat, and 'Olu Mel the ukulele playing sea turtle. 

The latest friend is an adorable fox named LinaBell who loves solving mysteries. So cute!

Duffy And Friends "Spring Surprise"

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Duffy the Disney Bear and his pals are back to help celebrate friendship and the arrival of Spring. So adorable!

Christmas Is Coming To The Magic Kingdom

All images: Disney

Tomorrow marks the start of the Christmas celebrations at Disney World. It may look a bit different this year, but there will still be holiday magic throughout the parks. 

In the Magic Kingdom, character cavalcades will feature festive floats with Disney friends in their holiday finest as well as favorites from the Once Upon A Christmastime parade such as gingerbread men, elves, reindeer, and toy soldiers. Santa Claus will be riding in his sleigh along the parade route  with holiday wishes and a cheerful wave. On Main Street, U.S.A, listen for merry melodies as the Dapper Dans perform their jolly harmonies on the Holiday Trolley and Toy Soldiers join the Main Street Philharmonic as they play and march along.

A flurry of tasty treats will be available from November 6 - December 30, including:

• Twice Upon a Cupcake (Main Street Bakery) – A confetti Christmas tree tops a vanilla cupcake with a red velvet hidden Mickey
• Let it Snow Taco (Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe) – Sugar cookie “taco shell” filled with salted caramel and spiced chocolate mousse
• An Orange Bird Christmas (Sunshine Tree Terrace) – Orange–scented white chocolate mousse filled with orange curd
• Chip and Dale Christmas Churros (Westward Ho) – Gingerbread churros topped with apple pie filling and chocolate chips
• Pistachio Chai Tea Float (Aloha Isle) – Pistachio soft–serve, spiced chai tea, and a red velvet cake pop ornament

As evening turns to night, Cinderella's Castle will be transformed with holiday projections of Christmas sweaters and red and gold ornaments. What a delightful way to end a day filled with holiday magic.

Photo of the Week

I love seeing all the characters dressed up in their Halloween finery at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.

These Onward Character Posters Are Totally Retro

All images: Disney/Pixar

Disney and Pixar recently released five new posters for Onward and they look like something straight out of the 80s. They're absolutely delightful!

This poster features brothers Ian and Barley Lightfoot, voiced by Tom Holland and Chris Pratt, who go on a quest to complete a spell to spend one last day with their father.

Their mom Laurel, voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, is shown with her pet dragon, Blazey. She heads out after her son's to try to protect them.

They meet the Manticore Corey, voiced by Octavia Spencer, in a diner. She gives the boys advice about their quest but forgets to mention the curse, so she sets out with their mom to help them.

The final poster show the police officers the Lightfoots encounter along the way. Mel Rodriguez is the voice of  Officer Colt Bronco, Lena Waithe is Officer Specter, and Ali Wong is Officer Gore.

Onward arrives in theaters on March 6.

Photo of the Week

The Bo Peep you can meet at Hollywood Studios is so cute!

Photo of the Week

Dale in the Move It! Shake It! MousekeDance It! Street Party.

Meeting Edna Mode

As part of the Incredibles Celebration in Pixar Place at Hollywood Studios, guests can meet the fabulous designer, Edna Mode. When you enter the queue, you'll notice a wall of Edna Mode quotes, such as "Luck favors the prepared" and "Fear not, for I have arrived." And then of course, there's my favorites "No capes!" and "I never look back, darling, it distracts from the now."

Then there are several of Edna's best designs in the Supersuit Gallery. Frozone's suit includes a visor made with frost resistant glass and boots equipped with slip resistant micro-grip soles.

Dash's suit can withstand friction levels up to 348.7 mph and has boots with maximum traction.

Just before you meet Edna, you can see some of her many awards and several of the magazine covers she's graced. Finally, it's time to meet the designer herself. Edna loves to strike a pose and take photos, so this Meet and Greet is a lot of fun. The Incredibles Celebration only lasts until September 30, so be sure to meet Edna Mode while you can.

Photo of the Week

You never know who you'll see in the Move It! Shake It! MousekeDance It! Street Party, such as Clarice.

Skyliner Testing is Underway at Disney World

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The Disney Skyliner is an exciting new mode of transportation that is coming to Disney World this fall. This state-of-the-art gondola system will connect Hollywood Studios and EPCOT to four hotels: Art of Animation, Pop Century, Caribbean Beach, and the new Riviera which opens later this year.

Towers for the Skyliner have been appearing for the last year and the stations are coming along nicely. The Skyliner is close enough to completion that a few gondolas have been soaring through the sky while Disney begins testing the system.

Several of the gondolas will have images from Disney movies on them. From the ground, it will look as if the characters are riding the Skyliner.

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Character gondolas will include:

• Mickey and Minnie 
• Chip and Dale
• Beauty and the Beast 
• Hitchhiking Ghosts 
• Goofy
• Pluto
• Pete
• Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow
• Frozen
• Lilo & Stitch
• Moana
• Peter Pan 
• Princess and the Frog
• Ralph Breaks the Internet 
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 
• Zootopia

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• Toy Story 
• Star Wars 
• Donald and Daisy
• Guardians of the Galaxy 
• Coco
• Finding Dory
• Monsters, Inc.
• Pirates of the Caribbean 
• Ratatouille

I can't wait to ride the Skyliner and have the chance to see Disney World from a whole new perspective. It should be amazing!

Hidden Character Art at the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts

Hidden throughout the World Showcase at EPCOT are many delightful character portraits that were added just for the International Festival of the Arts. In the American Adventure, look above the door to the right of the theater to find Amos mouse from Ben and Me exploring electricity like his friend Benjamin Franklin.

Two portraits from Mulan can be found in the China Pavilion. Little Brother is trying to reach his bone above one of the benches.

Mushu and CriKee seem to have broken through the wall to the right of the pavilion.

The Lion King's Pumbaa has gotten a bit stuck, much to Timon's annoyance near the Refreshment Outpost.

There are three different Pascal portraits from Tangled in the Germany Pavilion. First up, he's eating caramel corn near the Karamell-Kuche.

He's showing off his ability to blend in near the Volkskunst Clocks and Crafts shop.

And finally, he's painting sun symbols near the corner of the building.

In Italy, Pinocchio's Official Conscience, Jiminy Cricket is a bit difficult to spot. He's rather small, peaking out from a broken section of wall on the far right of the pavilion.

In the Morocco Pavilion, Aladdin's monkey pal Abu is up to his usual thieving ways.

There are two portraits in the France Pavilion. Lumiere, the lovable candelabra from Beauty and the Beast, is lighting the lamps.

The three playful kittens from the Aristocats, Toulouse, Berlioz, and Marie, are out for a stroll along La Petite Rue.

Finally, in the United Kingdom, you can find Skippy the adventurous, young rabbit from Robin Hood. He's hanging around near the Lords and Ladies sign. How many will you find?

Kevin from Up! Is Headed to Animal Kingdom

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If you like the Disney/Pixar film UP!, you probably remember Kevin, the large, exotic, mama bird who loves chocolate. Sometime next month, Kevin will join her UP! pals, Senior Wilderness Explorer Russell and his furry friend Dug, at Disney's Animal Kingdom. No one is quite sure where exactly she'll pop up, so be on the lookout. And remember, "Adventure is out there!"

Ralph and Vanellope are Heading to Disney Parks

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Ralph Breaks the Internet arrives in theaters on November 21. To celebrate, Ralph and his pal Vanellope von Schweetz are coming to Disney parks. Beginning tomorrow, Disneyland guests can meet the pair at Hollywood Land in California Adventure. And starting November 21, guests at Disney World can find them at EPCOT in Innoventions West. Later this winter, a new experience is coming to the Imagination Institute, creating a portal to the internet for Ralph and Vanellope to meet guests in the ImageWorks area of the pavilion.

Star-Lord and Baby Groot Meet and Greet

Did you know that you can meet Star-Lord and Baby Groot at Disney's Hollywood Studios? They are currently meeting guests in a Guardians of the Galaxy themed area inside One Man's Dream. I had the chance to meet them recently and I loved it.

Baby Groot is so cute! He dances and says "I am Groot!" It's too fun. Star-Lord is very chatty and charismatic. And he loved my Groot Dorbz from Funko, although he really hoped his Dorbz didn't have such a big head. Make sure to stop in and meet Star-Lord and Baby Groot on your next visit to Hollywood Studios.