Disney Channel Fans

It was a big night last month when the lovely Chelsea Staub,

and Nicole Anderson of JONAS,

were joined by Vanessa Hudgens

at the grand opening of World of Color at Disney’s California Adventure.

And I have to say, WOC is an amazing show. I went to see it myself and it is simply indescribeable.

I’d post the video, but it’s nearly 30 minutes and youtube won’t let me upload it in one piece.

Of course, nothing is as pretty as Chelsea Staub on King Triton’s Carousel of the Sea

On Sunday, I was in Anaheim to see Emily Osment at the House of Blues.

And after she wrapped up her show at 9, I ran over to Disney’s California Adventure and Disneyland for a few hours before they closed.

I actually ended up getting stuck on the Indiana Jones ride, but that’s another story.

Anyway, as I passed the ticket booths, I looked at the movie posters they had up, as I always do. But this time, I saw a Sonny with a Chance poster!

I know we’ve seen that graphic before, but I still think it was really cool that they’re actually promoting the show at the park. I can’t recall them ever doing that for any DC series.

So Chelsea Staub is like the most amazing person alive. Or at least on Twitter.

This tweet really made my Easter: “The Easter Bunny came down the chimney and took all my eggs. Now I can’t have children.” I was literally bursting into laughter all day.

My family thought I was nuts. But they already did, so I guess that’s no big.

But as you can tell, she is really serious about her Easter eggs.

She also “broke the news story about the [Easter] earthquake in AZ! http://bit.ly/aojzLo” and wrote “The Southwest terminal is playing Carole King’s ‘I Feel The Earth Move’ while I wait to board my flight back to Califonia. Poor taste?”

I tell ya, this past Easter was all about Chelsea.

But it doesn’t end there. She also showed us her new iPad:

Yeah, my mom wouldn’t buy me one of those either. LOL

And then, just now, she wrote: “#fallinginlove is hard on the knees.”

And after pondering what that could mean, she added: “Okay, ew. Not like THAT.”

LOL! I would mind her, well, ya know.

Chelsea Staub really is more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

Especially Monkey’s at Disneyland.

I may have to make this Chelsea twitter wrap-up a regular feature.

Okay, this isn’t the sort of thing I generally consider news, but it struck me, so I wanted to share it with all of you.

I went to Disneyland this past Friday, and I was excited to see the new(ly reinstalled) Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln.

“Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln” returns to Disneyland on Friday after a five-year hiatus, Walt Disney Imagineering officials confirmed.

Since its debut at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York and subsequent Disneyland residence, the “Great Moments” show has undergone repeated story makeovers and audio-animatronic updates.

After an employee preview Thursday night, visitors to the Anaheim theme park will see a fifth-generation Lincoln figure with a rebooted storyline and remastered soundtrack that revert to the 1964 original.

Source: The Los Angeles Times

Upon exiting the show (which was fantastic) the exit gallery featured great moments in American history, and the dreamers that made it possible.

For example, the most amazing achievement in the history of mankind, the moon landing

Or great inventors like the Wright Brothers, Thomas Edison, or Henry Ford.

And let’s not forget musical legends like Hannah Montana.

Yeah, that’s right. They put Miley up next to the Moon Landing and Michael Jackson.

Now, I love Milez, but seriously? Who came up with that idea? I still randomly burst into laughter just thinking about it!

Speaking of Miley, they where also promoting her new movie, The Last Song.

Which they should be doing.

We’re going a little off our usual subject, but I wanted to share my videos of a new show at Disneyland features princess Tiana and Prince Naveen of the new movie The Princess and The Frog.

Almost There

When We’re Human

Friends on the Other Side

Dig a Little Deeper

Save Disney Shows October 2009 Events

Save Kim Possible Day – 10/22/09

Save W.I.T.C.H. Day – 10/30/09

SDS Halloween Bash – 10/31/09

It’s important to remember that paper letters are the key to our efforts, and events are spaced out so you have at least a week to prepare as many as you can. Please refer to our how to help section for addresses: http://help.savedisneyshows.org

Then on the day of the event, you can also send faxes, make phone calls, and use our email program at http://sdsmail.org

Save Ruby & The Rockits

Ruby & The Rockits is an ABC Family original series staring Alexa Vega and the Cassidy brothers. On 09/11/09, Alexa announced on her twitter that the show has not been picked up for a second season: “Ruby didn’t get picked up “

But this doesn’t have to be the end! Save Disney Shows was founded by Kim Possible fans that thought it was that wrong for a “soulless” company to arbitrarily end the show at 65 episodes. We where able to brink KP back by working together. And since then, Disney management has been much more responsive to the wishes of fans, but it’s only natural that problems still arise.

The cancellation of Ruby & The Rockits has to be one of the biggest blunders of the Iger-era at Disney! Any show that brings together Alexa Vega and the Cassidy brothers has scores of untapped potential! There is no justification that warrens ending the series after showing just eight episodes!

Simply put, this cannot be allowed to stand. ABC Family can’t just produce ten episodes and just walk away, not only is it wrong to drop the fans once they’ve started to get invested in the show, it doesn’t make any business sense. What does ABC Family do with 10 episodes? It’s a waste of money not to order a second season.

We don’t know if there are enough fans to make a difference. ABC Family didn’t give the series much of a chance to acquire fans, but if every fan joins our movement, and shows the show to their friends that number will grow. And given the amazing success of the Save Kim Possible Campaign has made, We firmly believe that there’s nothing we can’t accomplish if we work together – starting right now!

Learn more at http://savedisneyshows.org/ruby/

D23 Expo Recap

This past September, Disney hosted the “Ultimate Disney Fan Experience,” the D23 Expo, at the Anaheim convention center (across the street from Disneyland). Fans in attendance had unprecedented access to Disney employees and technology including keynote presentations from CEO Robert Iger, Former Walt Disney Studios chairman Dick Cook, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts chairman Jay Rasulo, and Animation Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter. These executives presented a wide array of exclusive previews of upcoming film and other projects.

For a fan like SDS Webmaster Greg that loves both the classics and the new stuff, the Expo was like a dream come true. He saw a lot of cool footage, everything from rare shorts from the archives (including a never before shown Mickey mouse cartoon) to the newest unreleased footage (like the first third of The Princess and the Frog).

Greg got to meet some DC stars including Debby Ryan of the Suite Life on Deck, and Tiffany Thornton of Sonny With a Chance. And of course, he let all the stars in attendance know of our movement should we ever be needed to help save any of their shows. He even got to see Miley Cyrus perform “The Climb” at Dick Cook’s presentation!

Kim Possible got a couple mentions. The first was in the “world of disney” video that showcased the scope of the company at the beginning of CEO Robert Iger’s presentation. All of the currently running DC shows where mentioned, but KP and SWAC got slightly more prominent mentions. This video introduction also prominently featured the music of the High School Musical series. The other mention for KP was during Jay Rasulo’s presentation and was about the popular Epcot attraction. Greg stood and clapped – and people around him looked at him like he was nuts!

There where some problems, which was to be expected as Disney’s never done anything like this before, but all in all it was an awesome event.

Everyone should take a look at Greg’s Expo Website. There’s a lot of great information there about the event.

Dick Cook Resigns; Rich Ross Promoted!

Our very own Rich Ross has been selected as the new chairman of the Walt Disney Studios.

Ross was the president of the Disney Channel, and has been our #1 recommended target for letters and emails ever since the founding of SDS. But now that Ross is moving on to the film division, we need to change our strategies.

We’ll be watching as Disney reshuffles it’s personnel, and we’ll keep you apprised on whom you need to write to.

Read the full article on the SDS Blog.

It’s Halloween Time!

Halloween is by far the best recruiting day of the year. All year long we spend a lot of time encouraging everyone to get out there and find more people who don’t yet know about our movement(s). This might be by posting flyers around town, wearing SDS merchandise, and/or by posting about us online. But on Halloween, kids (and their parents) come right to your door. So put a couple flyers on it. Or pass out handouts with the candy. It’s a great opportunity for near free promotion that should not be wasted. Start printing your flyers and handouts now! For your convenience, we’ve organized our available flyers and handouts on our Halloween Bash Website. Spread the Word!

Just for the Hannah Montana Fans…

If you’re not a fan of Miley Cyrus or Emily Osment, this section is definitely not for you. For everyone else, Webmaster Greg was lucky enough to see both Miley and Emily perform this past month! Miley is currently on her second major concert tour, “Wonder World,” and she puts on quite a show! And we wanted to share some photos (see below) and videos from Miley’s concert.

A few days after Miley, Greg was able to attend Emily’s free concert in the parking lot of the San Jacinto, CA Wal-Mart store, which also featured Ashlyne Huff. He’s posted the Videos of the Concert which include all six songs from Emily’s upcoming EP “All the Right Wrongs.” And check out some of the photos from the event below.

Give a Day. Get a Disney Day

And finally, before we end this edition of the newsletter, we wanted let everyone know about a new program from the Disney parks that will let you in the gates for free! (And we certainly hope everyone has or will take advantage of their free birthday admission this year). What follows is the un-edited announcement from Disney:

Birthdays. Anniversaries. Reunions and beyond. Life gives us so many feel-good reasons to celebrate!

Because you’re a valued Passholder, we wanted you to know about a very special program beginning in January 2010. One that gives us all one more reason to celebrate–and that’s the good things we do for each other.

Introducing the “Give a Day. Get a Disney Day.” program*. It’s how we want to inspire one million people just like you to volunteer a day of service to a participating organization in your community. In turn, we’ll celebrate your efforts by giving you a free one-day admission to Disneyland® Resort! As a Passholder, you may choose from one of the following three options instead of receiving the 1-day, 1-Park ticket:

• Disney Special FASTPASS® cards for certain attractions for you and up to five additional members of your party†
• A collectible Ear Hat figurine with exclusive trading pins‡
• Donate your free ticket to a non-profit organization designated by Disney Parks.

In the next few months, you’re going to be hearing more about all the ways you can help. Whether it’s helping out with animals or environmental programs, mentoring a child, or building a home for someone who doesn’t have one, start thinking about what kind of volunteering you’d like to do in your area. Visit disneyparks.com to learn about the “Give a Day. Get a Disney Day.” program!

The “Give a Day. Get a Disney Day.” program. It’s something you can truly put your mind, your back and heart into!

This concludes this email news alert. Thanks for reading from all of us at Save Disney Shows.

Save Disney Shows September 2009 Events

Save Jake Long Day – 09/09/09

Save Lilo & Stitch Weekend Bash – 09/18-21/09

Save W.I.T.C.H. Day – 09/28/09

Save Kim Possible Day – 09/30/09

It’s important to remember that paper letters are the key to our efforts, and events are spaced out so you have at least a week to prepare as many as you can. Please refer to our how to help section for addresses: http://help.savedisneyshows.org

Then on the day of the event, you can also send faxes, make phone calls, and use our email program at http://sdsmail.org

SDS Fundraising Results

For the past couple months, I’ve been asking you all for donations to keep the website going. And I would like to thank everyone who donated. We where able to renew most of the domains, but I unfortunately we did have to drop a couple domains.

But now, we need to renew the hosting! By the end on the month we need to raise $160.00 to renew our current hosting plan. The hosting package keeps the main site, all of the movement websites, the SDS forum, the WITCH forum, and a whole bunch of other sites online. We need your help to keep the site online!

Can you help keep our campaign going? Can you contribute $5, $10, $20? Any donations are appreciated. Please visit our SDS Fundraising page to see the list of domains and to make your donation. We know times are tough, but please give what you can, we can’t make this work your help!

Reporting Live from the D23 Expo…

S We’ve mentioned the D23 Expo in previous issues of the newsletter, but the time is finally upon us! The inaugural D23 Expo will take place September 10th through 13th at the anaheim convention center (across the street from Disneyland) and it promises to be the biggest Disney event of the decade.

SDS Webmaster Greg will be there, and will be reporting live from the expo! At the moment, he’s most excited about seeing Robert Iger and Selena Gomez. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Visit Greg’s Expo Website for news, photos, videos, and those minute by minute updates once the event kicks off!

Article: ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ movie casts ratings spell

“Wizards of Waverly Place the Movie” premiered to 11.4 million viewers on Friday, making it the most-watched cable telecast of 2009. It’s also the No. 2 Disney Channel movie ever in terms of total viewers, behind only 2007’s “High School Musical 2.”

Read the full article on the SDS Blog.

Article: Disney To Buy Marvel Enterprises For $4 Billion

Walt Disney Co. (DIS) agreed to acquire Marvel Entertainment Inc. (MVL), the creator of Spider-Man and thousands of other characters, for about $4 billion. The deal marks one of the largest acquisitions in Disney’s history…

Read the full article on the SDS Blog.

Article: Disney, NBC, and Hearst Merge Lifetime and A&E

A&E Television Networks will acquire Lifetime Entertainment Services in a deal that will consolidate three of the U.S.’s major cable networks…

Read the full article on the SDS Blog.

Snow White coming soon to DVD

And finally, before I end this edition of the newsletter, I wanted to remind everyone that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is going to be re-released on DVD this November. I remember wearing out my VHS of the film when I was little, and I am so looking forward to being able to finally see it again!

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Thanks for reading from all of us at Save Disney Shows.

This is a long article, but there’s a lot of good information about the upcoming D23 Expo.

ANAHEIM, Calif., Aug 20, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Disney’s spectacular product lines will come to life like never before in over 20,000 square feet of fun-filled interactive experiences and activities at the inaugural D23 EXPO, where the entire world of Disney will come together under one roof at the Anaheim Convention Center in California from Sept. 10-13. Disney Consumer Products (DCP) will treat fans to a sneak peek of the latest and most innovative Disney products as well as the chance to meet and hear from the artists and designers that bring them to life.

D23 EXPO attendees will have the premier opportunity to visit the first-ever Disney Dream Home, stroll through 30 years of Disney-inspired Hallmark keepsake ornaments, witness Disney Fine Art created right before their eyes, and immerse in the magic of a Disney Fairy Tale Wedding where guests will get a first look at the yet-to-be-unveiled Princess Tiana wedding gown inspired by the upcoming animated feature The Princess and the Frog. They will go behind the scenes of Disney products through a series of events and presentations including fashion shows, art galleries, appearances by best-selling authors such as Ridley Pearson and artists such as Thomas Kinkade, and seminars describing the creative process by Disney toys and electronics designers. Plus, they will be part of a special introduction to the history and future of Disney Store by Disney Stores Worldwide president, Jim Fielding, and much more.

There will be fun for the whole family at the Disney Creativity Center hosted by Crayola, the Disney Princess Story time and Royal Manners event, the Baby Einstein World of Discovery Center, and a magnificent live LEGO building event of Disney characters with the help of Master Builders.

Additional highlights of DCP’s exciting line-up at the D23 EXPO include:

– Disney Store and www.DisneyStore.com guests will get a first look at this year’s hottest Halloween costumes, exclusive The Princess and the Frog product assortment (available only at Disney Store and DisneyStore.com) and limited edition collectible Snow White deluxe dolls; and on September 12, a special presentation by President Jim Fielding on exciting new developments coming soon to Disney Store retail.

– Guests will stroll through the ultimate showcase house and experience the first-ever Disney Dream Home featuring Disney furniture, carpeting and rugs, paint, lighting, bedding and home decor. They will preview the new color collection from Disney Color by Behr and wall-to-wall imagination from Shaw Carpets. Eight beautifully designed rooms will come to life including a central courtyard, nursery, boys and girls rooms, living and dining rooms, home office, master bedroom and even a Lillyput Play Home in the backyard.

– Guests will travel back through time as Hallmark and Disney introduce the Disney Hallmark Keepsake Museum featuring more than 30 years of Disney keepsake ornaments.

– Disney Toys and LEGO Master Builders will host a live building event where guests can join in the fun and help construct a life-size mural of Disney characters paying homage to innovation.

– Families are invited to Early Bird Books, seminars from renowned Disney Publishing authors including Ridley Pearson, who will discuss the Kingdom Keepers series and Peter and the Starcatchers books where he will be joined via satellite feed by co-author Dave Barry.

– Additional luminaries speaking at Early Bird Books panels include author Don Hahn, acclaimed producer of The Lion King, who will discuss The Alchemy of Animation: Making an Animated Film in the Modern Age; author and animation historian JB Kaufman, who will speak about his book South of the Border and reveal the story behind Disney’s contribution to Nelson Rockefeller’s “Good Neighbor” program; and Jason Surrell, author of The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies, who will discuss the evolution from beloved attraction to major motion picture.

– The Disney Creativity Center hosted by Crayola will bring to life Andy’s room from Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story where guests will learn drawing techniques from DCP character artists John Quinn and George McClements.

– Disney Fashion & Home will host a series of fashion shows featuring the latest styles from Disney Couture, Disney Couture kids and the Wizards of Waverly Place collection inspired by the hit Disney Channel series starring Selena Gomez.

– Guests will go “behind the fairy tale” at the Disney Fairy Tale Weddings showcase; they will hear from celebrity wedding designer David Tutera and couture wedding gown designer Kirstie Kelly who will unveil the first public viewing sketch of the Princess Tiana-inspired wedding gown releasing this October.

– Collectors Editions will showcase beautiful art displays and host an all-star list of artists, voice talent and legendary Disney personalities, including Margaret Kerry (the original Tinker Bell model), Dick Jones (original Pinocchio voice), Eddie Carroll (current Jiminy Cricket voice) and Paige O’Hara (original Belle voice from Beauty and the Beast).

– BOOM! Comics will present comic legend and writer Mark Waid.

– Disney Toys and MINDstyle will introduce Disney’s Stitch: The Experiment 626 Project custom art tour – a collection of interpretive Stitch vinyl figures.

– The original art program “Mickey By” will make its first public debut. These artistic interpretations of Mickey Mouse, in a classic pose, come from Disney artists of every style and genre. The result is a celebration of one of the most recognizable and beloved characters around the globe.

– eFX Inc, will preview an astonishing four foot replica of Captain Nemo’s iconic Nautilus from the classic Disney film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea based on the Jules Verne novel.

– S/R Laboratories’ artists will demonstrate how animation art backgrounds are made for the new Courvoisier Miniatures art collection.

– EK Success will showcase its latest Disney crafts products, from scrapbooking to stamping to paper crafting, and share tips and techniques.

– The Disney food, health and beauty group will offer samplings from the latest Disney food product lines and fun beauty activities for girls featuring Disney beauty products that are age-appropriate, fun and easy-to-use.

– Disney and Retro 51 will host an hourly raffle for a D23 collectors pen. Plus, Retro 51 will introduce a unique design-your-own-pen contest in which guests will have the opportunity to use a Retro 51 pen template to design their own Disney-themed pen. At the conclusion of the D23 EXPO, 23 winning designs will be chosen to be featured in Disney Twenty-three magazine, and souvenir pens with those designs will be produced for the winners by Retro 51.

What follows is a press release from the Disneyland resort about their new “Summer Nightastic” promotion.

I haven’t seen the revamped electrical parade yet, but I did see the new Fantasmic. Th HD video projection didn’t look any better to me. The new croc was cool, but kinda silly at the same time. The Eels where a nice touch. And I’m still waiting to see the new dragon.

More powerful projection technology and some awe-inspiring new creatures – including 37-foot-long eels Flotsam and Jetsam – make “Fantasmic!” an exciting part of Summer Nightastic! at Disneyland. The long-running nighttime special-effects spectacular, presented on the Rivers of America in New Orleans Square and Frontierland, jumps off the screen like never before with stunning video and lighting effects that bring brilliant life to Mickey Mouse’s encounters with classic characters and menacing Disney villains.

WHAT: The show combines animation on giant mist screens with lifelike Disney characters and performers. New to the show are Flotsam and Jetsam, the eel pets of Ursula the Sea Witch from “The Little Mermaid.” Another surprise in the cast of creatures is Captain Hook’s crocodile nemesis, now 12 feet tall, 21 feet long and – thanks to new “high-tech” animation – more lifelike than ever with snapping jaws that threaten Peter Pan’s hapless rival. Making its debut later this summer will be a fully animated, three-dimensional dragon who breathes fire across the Rivers of America. The 40-foot-tall dragon will dazzle guests like never before as the creature steps out of the shadows that concealed it in past “Fantasmic!” performances.

WHEN: Nightly, beginning Friday, June 12, and continuing through Aug. 23, with weekend shows through Sept. 7, at Disneyland. For details, visit www.disneyland.com/summer.

BIGGER, SHARPER IMAGES: All-new digital projectors have replaced the 70mm film projectors, revitalizing the images from classic Disney animated films that appear in “Fantasmic!” The result is a larger image with improved clarity and more vivid colors than even before.

FUN FACTS

* Flotsam and Jetsam, Ursula’s eels from “The Little Mermaid,” are each eight feet tall and 37 feet long.
* Central to the magic of “Fantasmic!” are the three mist screens, each 50 feet wide by 35 feet tall, upon which the films are projected.
* Approximately 9,000 guests can view “Fantasmic!” at each performance. The audience is approximately 70 feet from the main stage on Tom Sawyer Island.
* Each night, more than 100 cast and crew members bring “Fantasmic!” to life, in the 23-minute show.
* Additional water effects include 21 fountains and six “whale tails” in the scene when Monstro the whale charges across the Rivers of America.
* At the beginning of the show, two light towers appear on either side of the main stage. During the day, these towers rest 26 feet underground. They rise to a height of 40 feet in less than a minute.
* The audio surrounding the “Fantasmic!” spectators is created by four speakers on Tom Sawyer Island and three on the mainland. Kaa, the conniving snake from “The Jungle Book” who slithers across the “Fantasmic!” stage, is 100 feet long.
* The “crew” of Captain Hook’s ship (the Sailing Ship Columbia by day) is composed of professional stunt performers who execute all the spectacular duels and falls.
* As part of the “Fantasmic!” story, the wicked Maleficent from “Sleeping Beauty” will rise to a height of 35 feet in 17 seconds, before transforming into a new dragon.
* The new dragon is a fully animated three-dimensional design that replicates the movements of the dragon in “Sleeping Beauty.” The dragon is 40 feet tall by 28 feet wide and weighs approximately 10,000 pounds.
* The dragon lights the Rivers of America on fire for 25 seconds.

HISTORY

* “Fantasmic!” officially opened to the public on May 15, 1992, at Disneyland.
* The main stage on Tom Sawyer Island, including underground housing for many special effects, was specially built for “Fantasmic!” By day, it is a boat dock and “cider mill” visited by guests on the island.
* In 1992, the original estimate for the prospective audience size was 6,500. It became clear on opening night that the audience for each performance would be much larger. Spectators found every space they could cram into, and the average number of guests per performance was 11,000 that first summer.
* Within days, the area was re-landscaped to accommodate more guests in the viewing areas. “Fantasmic!” was scheduled for three shows per night that year, and extended to four shows on July 4 and New Year’s Eve. Before summer 1993 arrived, the walkways and planters in New Orleans Square had been redesigned in the “terrace” style from which today’s guests view the show.
* One special feature of “Fantasmic!” is the way it uses existing Disneyland attractions – Tom Sawyer Island, the Mark Twain Riverboat, the Sailing Ship Columbia – as elements of the show. It is unique in that regard.
* A different version of “Fantasmic!” premiered in October 1998 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (then Disney-MGM Studios) at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. A 6,900-seat amphitheater was specially built for the show off Sunset Boulevard in the park.