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Cover Photography © Tim Foster

PLUS you’ll receive a FREE gift:IllumiNations: A Magical Keepsake.

Your FREE IllumiNations Booklet takes you on a pictorial tour of one of the most magical nighttime experiences to be found at Walt Disney World: IllumiNations at Epcot, and will arrive with your next regular issue (March/April).

3 · Celebrations

Florida may offer a more temperate climate than other parts of the country (where snowy winters are the

norm), but the last couple of years have seen a fair number of cold snaps take hold of the Sunshine State. But

for now the temperatures are climbing back to normal (and hopefully will stay there), and Walt Disney World

is still a great place to visit to escape those brutal northern winters.

But that’s not to say that the changing of the seasons aren’t a part of the Disney experience. Even on warm

December evenings, you’ll find it snowing on Main Street U.S.A., and as the holidays drift off into the distance,

we can now look forward to the coming of Spring with Epcot’s International Flower & Garden Festival. But

Florida is best known (season-wise) for its hot summers…the better to enjoy those dips in the ocean or, if

you’re at Disney, those wonderfully themed water parks and resort pools. And of course, the Fall brings out the

bright oranges and yellows of the changing leaves as Halloween takes over at the Magic Kingdom, and Epcot

ushers in the changing seasons with the International Food & Wine Festival.

The fact is, though most people associate Walt Disney World with hot summer days and sometimes-brutal

heat waves (and yes, that predictable late afternoon summer thunderstorm!), all of the seasons are celebrated

in this wondrous land. It certainly helps when the temperature drops outside, but even if the sun is beating

down on you in early Spring or late Fall, you can still celebrate the seasons in true Disney style through its

many festivals and events.

But with all of that being said (and I’m writing this knowing that we still have plenty of winter ahead!), it’s nice

to start thinking about the Flower & Garden Festival and the promise of warmer days ahead!

Enjoy the magic!

Tim Foster

The Changing Seasons of Disney

4 · Celebrations

Disney NewsMinnie Mouse Heads to Hollywood and the Reveal of Her Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Minnie Mouse has made Disney History. The famous

mouse received a star on the Hollywood Walk of

Fame in Southern California. The sidewalk star was un-

veiled on Monday, January 22, recognizing the iconic status

of the world-famous mouse who made her film debut in

1928’s Steamboat Willy.

Before she left on her grand Hollywood adventure, Min-

nie was celebrated with a special send-off from Disney’s

Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort in Flor-

ida. The send-off celebration took place Sunday, January 21,

at 1 p.m. ET.

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5 · CelebrationsPhotos ©Disney

New Cirque Du Soleil Show For Disney Springs In DevelopmentCirque du Soleil Entertainment Group and Walt Disney

Parks and Resorts announce the renewal of their long-

lasting relationship with the creation of a brand-

new show to premiere at Disney Springs. The

two entertainment companies first teamed

up to bring La Nouba to the stage in 1998.

Twenty years later, Cirque du Soleil Enter-

tainment Group and Walt Disney Parks

and Resorts are working together on a

new project.

The new show created by Cirque du Soleil

in collaboration with Disney will draw its in-

spiration from Disney’s heritage of animation. It

will celebrate Disney’s legacy of storytelling in Cirque du

Soleil’s signature way, with a tribute to the one-of a kind

craftsmanship that makes Disney so extraordinary.

“This long-standing relationship is built on mutual es-

teem and the success achieved by our two creative busi-

nesses throughout the past two decades with La Nouba,”

said Tiffany Rende, Senior Vice President, Corporate Alli-

ances and Operating Participants, The Walt Disney Corpora-

tion. “We look forward to our continued collaboration with

Cirque du Soleil in developing this new show that will honor

Disney animation’s rich history.”

After paying homage to some of entertainment’s great-

est artists, such as The Beatles and Michael Jackson, Cirque

du Soleil will leap into the iconic world of Disney.

Daniel Lamarre, President and CEO of Cirque du

Soleil Entertainment Group, added “We are

incredibly inspired by Disney’s immense

creative universe. We are convinced that

bringing Disney’s magic to life on stage will

touch audiences and bring them back to

their childhood.”

The curtain will close on La Nouba on Dec.

31, 2017. Since its première, La Nouba has en-

tertained more than 11 million guests and has

performed close to 9,000 shows. There have been

over 2.8 million flips in the PowerTrack act and the ward-

robe department has handled over 21 million costumes

and headpieces. Tickets are still available here to watch the

show before it takes its final bow.

6 · Celebrations

Tim Foster is the creator of Celebrations magazine and the author of the Guide to the Magic book series, which includes the Guide to the Magic for Kids and the Deluxe Guide to the Magic Autograph & Sticker Book. Tim is also the creator of the www.celebrationspress.com website.

by Tim Foster

It’s All In the NumbersSeven Dwarfs. 101 Dalmatians. Three Little Pigs. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Numbers have certainly played a big part in Disney’s cinematic history (quick,

name all seven dwarfs!), but many folks don’t realize that numbers play a significant

(though oft-overlooked) role in the parks as well. And not just in attraction names

(with all apologies to the Three Caballeros at Mexico’s Gran Fiesta tour), but in the

smallest of details found throughout all of the parks; details that may seem innocu-

ous at first but in fact are clever inside jokes or veiled references to an historic date.

Let’s begin with something as innocent as house numbers. Most of us have one,

and by and large they don’t mean anything. (For example, even though my house

number is 308, it doesn’t mean I was born on March 8!) But at Walt Disney World it’s

a different story. Given that the Imagineers needed to put house numbers on many

of the buildings throughout the parks (particularly the Magic Kingdom), and given

that they’ll never miss a chance to infuse some humor or historic authenticity into

the smallest of details, you’ll find that the house numbers you see actually carry

some significance.

Most famously, you’ll find that the buildings that line the streets from Liberty

Square all the way through Frontierland have numbers that are in fact years; in-

dicating the time periods when those buildings would have existed. Walking from

Liberty Square through Frontierland toward Splash Mountain is like traveling

through time, with the buildings in Liberty Square numbered in the 1700s (begin-

ning with the Hall of Presidents bearing the number 1787, the year the U.S. Constitu-

tion was ratified) and those in Frontierland representing those in the 1800s (many

buildings have two-digit numbers, the trick is to put an “18” in front of it, and just like

that you’ve travelled back in time!)

You’ll also find some references to significant dates in Disney history on Main

Street U.S.A., such as a plaque over the door of the Emporium Gallery that reads

“Established in 1901” (the year Walt Disney was born). According to its sign, the Em-

porium itself was established in 1863, but the derivation of that year is a bit more

complicated. According to the fictitious back-story, that was the year the Empo-

rium was established by its founder, Osh Popham. But why 1863? It turns out that

Disney had released a film called Summer Magic in 1963 (one hundred years later

if you don’t want to do the math), which told the story of a Boston widow and her

children who took up residence in a small town in Maine. The film also starred Burl

Ives (of “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas” fame) as…you can see where this is going…

none other than Osh Popham.

But that’s just the beginning. You’ll also find lots of references to opening dates

throughout the parks, disguised as seemingly random numbers on signs and other

decorative items. For example, the Starport Seven-Five sign you see on the Tomor-

rowland Transit Authority PeopleMover as you enter Space Mountain is a reference

to 1975, the year Space Mountain opened. Over at Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger

Spin, you used to be able to see a more obscure reference to a significant date. Be-

fore it was recently removed during a renovation, you could find a small painting

of Stitch zipping through space in a tiny ship with some alien writing on the side.

This writing (which used the same alphabet seen in Stitch’s Great Escape! and on

7 · Celebrations

the newspapers being sold by the robot newspaper vendor

at the entrance to the TTA) spelled out 1972, the year that

the building that houses the attraction opened. Over at

the Casey Jr. Splash ‘n’ Soak play area, see if you can spot the

numbers on the various train cars that represent the years

that each of the four Disney parks opened. (Magic Kingdom

in 1971, Epcot in 1982, Disney-MGM Studios in 1989, and Dis-

ney’s Animal Kingdom in 1998 in case you forgot!)

Over in Epcot, pay close attention to the flight announce-

ments as you wait to enter the boarding area of Soarin’

Around the World. You’ll hear that you’ll be embarking on

flight 5505, which is a reference to the date that Soarin’ first

opened; May 5, 2005. At the nearby Living With the Land,

look closely at the mailbox in the farm scene that reads “B.

Jones RFD #82.” 82 is of course a reference to the park’s open-

ing date. More humorously, a trip over to Chester & Hester’s

Dino-Rama at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will uncover several

road signs and license plates bearing the number 498, a ref-

erence to April 1998, the date the park opened. And in Disney’s

Hollywood Studios, sharp-eyed Guests can spot the imprints

in the sidewalks along Sunset Boulevard that read ”Mortim-

er & Co. 1928 Contractors.” That’s a reference to the year that

Mickey Mouse (briefly named Mortimer Mouse before Walt’s

wife Lillian suggested Mickey instead) came to life.

While you’re in Hollywood Studios, why not take a jour-

ney on Star Tours? While you’re making your way through

the queue, see if you can hear the announcement saying

“will the owners of a red-and-black landspeeder, vehicle ID

THX 1138, please return to your craft. You are parked in a no-

hover area.” THX 1138 is the name of George Lucas’s first film,

which of course set the stage for Star Wars, released six years

later. Another infamous movie reference is A113, which can

be found in nearly every Pixar film, as well as many recent

Disney films. (A113 was the number of the classroom used

by graphic design and character animation students at

the California Institute of the Arts, whose alumnae include

John Lasseter, Tim Burton and Brad Bird.) Surprisingly, A113

isn’t very prevalent in the parks, though you could find a

poster of Donald Duck’s nephews that included the image

of a Disney Vacation Club travel ticket with the number A113

on one of the exterior facades of the Streets of America in

Disney;s Hollywood Studios.

This only scratches the surface of the numerical myster-

ies to be discovered at Walt Disney World. The next time you

visit; take a closer look at the posters, signs, and crates you

see along your travels. If you spot a number, you just may

have found a little Disney secret…but it’s up to you to figure

out what it means! Good luck, and happy hunting!

Photo ©Tim Foster

8 · Celebrations

Steve Barrett is the author of the Hidden Mickeys Guide Book Series (Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and the Disney Cruise Ships) available in book stores, on Amazon, and on Kindle and other downloadable formats. The WDW and Disneyland Hidden Mickeys Guide books are also offered as iPhone and Android apps. Steve and his wife Vickie (hiddenmickeygal) are the webmasters of http://www.HiddenMickeyGuy.com and are on Twitter @hiddenmickeyguy and Facebook as Hidden Mickey Guy.

by Steve Barrett

If you’re alert, you’ll likely come across many awesome Hidden Images scattered

throughout this great park. The art of Hidden Mickeys had evolved to a higher

level by the time the most recently constructed WDW park opened.

1. Riverside Depot store, Discovery Island - Along the rear wall opposite the entrance door from the walkway between the Oasis and Discovery Island, three baskets come together as a classic Mickey, tilted to the left. Find the baskets on an upper shelf in a tall merchandise cabinet at the middle of the rear wall.

2. The Boneyard - A tiny Lightning McQueen makes an appearance here! Look for him in a screened-in display on the right side of the Dig Site, to the left of the fan-and-hard hat classic Mickey.

3. Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures shop, DinoLand U.S.A. - Near the rear en-trance, a classic Hidden Mickey is made of dark spots at the lower left of the left side of a “Cold Drinks” dispenser. It’s just above the lower red horizontal band.

4. Expedition Everest, Serka Zong Bazaar gift shop - Small gold balls form classic Mickeys at the bottom of both sides of a merchandise display in the middle of the gift shop at the ride exit. The display is across from the photo pickup area.

5. Expedition Everest - Outside the attraction, at the front of the left side of the Anandapur Ice Cream Truck, look for a painting with two towers. A classic Hidden Mickey, tilted to the left, hides in the clouds at the upper right of the painting. (Note: the images on this truck change from time to time.)

6. Kali River Rapids - Along the entrance queue, keep your eyes peeled for stone stat-ues in the grass. As you approach the next room to your right, study the lower left corner of the outer wall. Three of the plates on the wall form a classic Mickey, tilted down to the right. (Note: these images change from time to time.)

7. Kali River Rapids - Inside the next room to your right, just past the wall plate Hid-den Mickey, a dark classic Mickey is on the back of a light brown boot, which is high on a shelf near the ceiling in the middle of a collection of boots. To find it, walk through the first door to the room and look up behind you to the shelf. (If the room is roped off, ask any Cast Member nearby if you can just look around in the room - a museum - for a few minutes).

8. Conservation Station - Toward the end of the inside entrance mural on the left wall, the pupils of an owl’s eyes are classic Mickeys.

9. Conservation Station - Midway along the right curving mural along the hallway to the exhibit area, high up near the ceiling, a classic Mickey-shaped marking is on the white skin of the chin under the middle of a frog’s face. The frog is behind a red-faced monkey.

10. Conservation Station - Along the bottom of the right mural as you draw near to Rafiki’s Theater, two black classic Mickeys are near the bottom of the wings of an orange butterfly under a monkey,.

Hidden Mickeys in Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Photos ©Steve Barrett

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9 · Celebrations

By Lori Elias10 · Celebrations

Artwork © Disney

Filming a movie, even (and sometimes especially) an

animated one, is never easy, and Lilo & Stitch is no excep-

tion. But when that movie enjoys success, it is well worth

the work. What began as a failed book pitch would, almost

twenty years later, become a hit film, making the story of

Lilo & Stitch a real-life “Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride”!

Lilo & Stitch, Disney’s 42nd animated feature, was written

and directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DuBois. Alan Sil-

vestri composed the score, with additional songs by Mark

Keali’i Ho’omalu.

Not only was the movie the first Disney animated fea-

ture to be set in Hawaii, Lilo & Stitch has the distinction of

being one of three animated films created at Disney’s Hol-

lywood Studios! At that time, the park – known then as Dis-

ney-MGM Studios – included a working animation studio

in the former Art of Animation building. Mulan (1998) was

the first film to be created there, followed by Lilo & Stitch,

and finally Brother Bear (2003).

After the grandiose blockbuster movies of the Disney

Renaissance, not to mention the recent advancements of

the early Pixar films, all of which were hurtling Disney into

the 21st century like Buzz Lightyear’s spaceship, Lilo & Stitch

seemed like a bit of a throwback to the studios’ earlier days.

And rather surprisingly, that is exactly what Disney wanted.

Though Lilo & Stitch did not hit theaters until 2002, its

roots date back to the fall of 1997, when then-Disney CEO

Michael Eisner invited a number of studio creators to his

mother’s home in Vermont. As they picked apples in the

brisk New England autumn air, they discussed the state

of the company, and in which directions they considered

moving next. A question arose: what could be the Dumbo

of this current era in Disney films? In other words, a movie

that was not so grand as what had been released in recent

years, but one that focused less on technological advances

and more on a heartfelt story, with perhaps more tradi-

tional visual art.

This prompted Chris Sanders to return to a character he

had created almost 20 years earlier, a rascally alien named

Stitch, who had landed from his home planet in the middle

of a forest. He had hoped to develop this character into a

book for children, but was unable to construct a story that

was thorough, yet short enough for young readers, and so

the plan had been abandoned. He described this charac-

ter to his colleagues, and how because the other animals

shunned this unusual creature, he learned to mimic their

sounds, as well other natural sounds, such as wind and

water. After pitching the idea to Thomas Schumacher, at

that time the president of Walt Disney Feature Animation,

the idea evolved into Stitch mingling among humans, spe-

cifically becoming attached to a human child, rather than

animals. It was also decided that it would be very difficult

to attract a marketable actor to the project if he would

be limited to what were basically sound effects, so words

were added to Stitch’s repertoire.

In its early stages, the story was conceived of taking

place in a rural area such as Kansas and Kentucky – an area

small enough where the arrival of an alien being might fly

under the radar (so to speak) and not draw excessive media

or military attention, as the creative team did not want to

take the story in that direction. As discussions continued,

attention gradually turned to Hawaii, lush with vivid land-

scapes and a distinctive culture that would be interesting

and fun to put on screen, but isolated enough to maintain

the atmosphere of a small town.

In order to stay with the concept of a “simpler” film, wa-

tercolor was used for the backgrounds of the animation

cels. It had not been used in several years – since Dumbo,

in fact – because it was not particularly easy to work with,

and in those earlier years did not provide as much variety

in color than paints that were developed later. In fact, there

were members of the team who pushed to use the more

contemporary opaque wash paints to mimic the effects

of watercolor, but the higher-ups insisted on watercolor,

which proved to be a more aesthetically pleasing appear-

ance. It had been so long since watercolor had been used,

that some of the artists had to learn how to paint cels in

the unfamiliar medium, as they had never learned the

technique!

Two significant rewrites were incorporated during the

creative process. The first was the relationship between

Nani and Lilo: while they were always intended to be sis-

ters, audiences attending early screenings perceived their

relationship to be as mother and daughter, and with that

in their minds were both confused and troubled at the way

Lilo sometimes spoke to Nani. The writers took the audi-

ences’ comments to heart and re-conceived certain scenes

to more clearly illustrate the sister relationship.

Another major scene was altered in respect for a na-

tional tragedy. An extensive amount of time was spent

constructing a scene involving Stitch rescuing Lilo from a

plane hijacked by Jumba, thus demonstrating his newly-

discovered understanding of the idea of ohana, or family.

A variety of scenarios were discussed, debated and con-

structed, and just as the writers reached a consensus, the

11 · Celebrations

12 · Celebrations12 · Celebrations

nation was devastated by the attacks of September 11. The

team was immediately aware that their scene, as it stood,

would be entirely inappropriate, and so the scene was com-

pletely reworked, with the original 747 replaced by Gantu’s

spaceship, and changing the timbre of the scene to being

more comedic.

Lilo & Stitch was not conceived as a musical, but music was

still a crucial component to the film. Elvis’s hordes of fans

certainly had reason to celebrate, with the singer having

such a prominent place in the film! The Presley estate had

to give permission to use his songs, as well as his image, and

fortunately they were both cooperative about Disney’s us-

age, and also very enthusiastic about the film!

Veteran film composer Alan Silvestri (Back to the Future,

Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump, and later, the Aveng-

ers franchise) was Disney’s first choice to pen the score, and

he eagerly accepted. The creative team was determined to

avoid the stereotypical (and typically incorrect) Hollywood

style of Hawaiian music, so they studied hula dancing with

Mark Keali’i Ho’omalu, a hula master, in order to portray au-

thentic musical and cultural traditions. He also contributed

much of the traditional Hawaiian music used in the film; vo-

cals were performed by a local ensemble, the Kamahameha

Schools Children’s Chorus, consisting of 100 4th-6th graders,

all of Hawaiian heritage.

Of course these were not the only young people involved

in the film. Lilo was voiced by then-nine-year-old Daveigh

Chase, who also that year provided the voice of Chihiro in

the English-language version of the anime film Spirited Away,

which would go on to beat Lilo & Stitch for the Oscar for Best

Animated Film! Chase has gone on to perform throughout

her teens and 20s, including notable roles in The Ring (2002)

and the acclaimed HBO series Big Love.

Her sister Nani was played by Hawaiian-born actress Tia

Carrere, a veteran of Wayne’s World (1992) and True Lies (1994).

Canadian character actor Kevin McDonald was the voice of

Pleakley; he would return to Disney in 2005 to portray Mr.

Medulla in Sky High. Jason Scott Lee, who played the title role

in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993), was the voice of David Ka-

wena.

Ving Rhames, whose rich career has ranged from Dave

(1993) to Con Air (1997) to the Mission: Impossible franchise,

voiced Cobra Bubbles. Bona fide Broadway superstar and

four-time Tony Award winner Zoe Caldwell (Slapstick Trag-

edy, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Medea, Master Class) was the

formidable Grand Councilwoman.

Artwork ©Disney

While not officially a Disney Legend (yet), the Disney ca-

reer of David Ogden Stiers, the voice of Jumba, certainly

qualifies as “legendary.” The M*A*S*H star made his Disney

debut as the narrator and Cogsworth in the animated ver-

sion of Beauty and the Beast (1991), with repeated returns to

the Studios to voice Governor Ratcliffe and Wiggins in Poca-

hontas (1995), the archdeacon in The Hunchback of Notre Dame

(1996) and as the narrator in a number of Winnie the Pooh

short films and videos, as well as portraying J. W. Harper

in the live-action film Iron Will (1994). He also joined co-star

Daveigh Chase in the English-language version of the anime

film Spirited Away, voicing Kamaji.

With an original story that was so different from Dis-

ney’s recent films, it was known that generating audience

interest before its release would be crucial to the box office

success of Lilo & Stitch. In order to promote the film, Disney

produced a series of trailers inserting Stitch into a variety

of previous (and recognizable) films: he startled Rafiki on

Pride Rock, surfed in Ariel’s ocean, dropped the chandelier in

the center of the Beast’s ballroom, and flirted with Jasmine

as his spaceship met up with Aladdin’s flying carpet.

Their efforts worked: Lilo & Stitch enjoyed a strong open-

ing weekend, ranking second to the Steven Spielberg-Tom

Cruise blockbuster Minority Report, but just barely: Minority

Report brought in $35.7 million, while Lilo & Stitch earned $35.3

million. The film ultimately grossed $245 million worldwide.

Lilo & Stitch Fun Facts

• As is typical of Disney films placed in unique locations, the

creative team ventured to the setting to explore the flora,

fauna and local traditions of the area, this time spending

time on the island of Kaua’i.

• Co-writer/director Chris Sanders provided the voice for

Stitch while the film was in development. The creative

team became so accustomed to his take on the role that

his voice was used in the final cut of the film.

• Stitch was originally conceived to be the leader of an inter-

stellar criminal gang. It was decided that audiences would

prefer to see him as more impish than evil, so he became a

loveable – if destructive – genetically-mutated alien.

• Tia Carrere (Nani), a Honolulu native, and Jason Scott Lee

(David Kawena), who was born in Los Angeles but raised

in Hawaii, assisted in providing the scriptwriters with au-

thentic Hawaiian slang, as well as the casts’ accents.

• Two scenes – one in which Stitch rips the stove from the

wall and using the leaking gas to blow up the house, and

another showing Jumba using a gun to coerce Stitch from

the ceiling – were cut, as they were deemed too violent. (In

the latter scene, the gun was replaced with plates, which

Jumba tossed at Stitch.)

• The students of the the Kamahameha Schools Children’s

Chorus and their parents were the first audience to see the

completed film.

13 · Celebrations

Spring Is In The Air!Epcot’s InternationalFlower & GardenFestival ReturnsBy Lindsay Mott

14 · Celebrations Photo © Mike Billick

15 · Celebrations

16 · Celebrations Photo © Tim Foster

This year, Epcot will again play host to a wealth of spring

bounty as the park welcomes the Epcot International

Flower & Garden Festival back for its 25th year. This year’s

festival will run from Feb. 28 to May 28, bringing seasonal

spring-time fun for all. What began in 1994 as a 38-day cel-

ebration of Disney-style gardens and topiaries has grown

over the years to a 90-day spring extravaganza in 2018 with

something for every generation and every member of your

family.

Since 1994, the festival has expanded to include more than

just blooms, breathtaking garden spaces, and wildlife habi-

tats. Now, it’s really a festival for all of the senses with fla-

vor-rich cuisine from 15 Outdoor Kitchens, interactive play

gardens, live chart-topping musical acts during the Garden

Rocks Concert Series, educational seminars and more.

Gardens, Topiaries, and More

This festival takes the beauty of Epcot and its already

scenic garden areas and turns them up a notch. Dozens of

Disney-crafted “flower towers” and beds of multi-colored

blooms will transform the park’s landscape into a colorful

wonderland.

With at least 70,000 bedding plants full of colorful blooms

surrounding the Future World east and west lakes alone,

the sights are breathtakingly set against the blue Florida

sky and the warm sunshine of spring. These lakes are also

filled with 220 mini-gardens set afloat on top of the tranquil

waters.

Pro tip: one of the best ways to views these gardens is

from the monorail! As the monorail gets to Epcot, it takes

you on a full loop over Future World as well as the garden

areas before heading back to the station at the front of the

park. It’s worth it: one, just to ride the monorail itself, and

two, for this great bird’s eye view of the center of the park.

Besides these iconic flowerbeds, the festival plays host

to nearly 100 festival topiaries spread throughout the park.

These include classic Disney character favorites such as

Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, along with the return of

Belle and Beast in France, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

in Germany, Anna and Elsa in Norway, The Three Caballeros

in Mexico, Disney-Pixar’s Woody at the American Adventure

pavilion, and Buzz Lightyear in Future World, just to name

a few.

Also, back by popular demand, you can find the Figment

topiary garden between Future World and World Showcase

along with festival favorites such as the pandas and Brome-

liad dragon at the China pavilion.

A brand-new Epcot front-entrance topiary garden will

set the milestone anniversary scene with a kaleidoscope of

blooming color where topiary icons Mickey Mouse, Minnie

Mouse and Goofy will greet festival Guests. This year’s fes-

tival is set in the middle of the year as Epcot celebrates its

35th anniversary, which kicked off in October 2017.

Play Gardens

This year’s festival will see the addition of a brand-new

interactive play garden in Future World featuring a play

maze, sensory garden, activity zone, and a covered seat-

ing area. The “Road to Florida 500” garden will also be rede-

signed with a Cars themed garden based on the Pixar sequel

Cars 3. This will now feature games and play challenges that

will set the pace for family festival fun, such as fun activities

like highway bingo for families.

Garden Rocks Concert Series

The popular Garden Rocks Concert Series will again fea-

ture hit makers of the 1960s, ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s on the Ameri-

ca Gardens Theatre stage. Three evening concerts each Fri-

day through Monday present musicians that span multiple

genres and generations.

This year, guests can expect to see acts such as STARSHIP

starring Mickey Thomas, The Guess Who, Don Felder from

the Eagles, the Village People, Lonestar, Rick Springfield,

Smash Mouth, and more in the weeks from February to

May. Visit EpcotinSpring.com for a full lineup.

Garden Rocks Dining Packages are also available on select

days at a number of Epcot restaurants.

Outdoor Kitchens

Taking a nod from the ever-popular Epcot International

Food & Wine Festival, the Flower & Garden festival is now

home to its own mini-food festival. These dining experienc-

es were added to the festival in 2013 as part of the festival’s

20th anniversary, and they have since become as popular as

the garden aspect they were added to.

New and creative dishes will debut at 15 Outdoor Kitchens

encircling the World Showcase Promenade. Guests can sip

and savor their way around Epcot, enjoying chef-inspired

noshes and refreshing libations.

What makes this part unique to the Flower and Garden

Festival is that each Outdoor Kitchen will feature its own

raised-bed or in-ground garden of herbs and produce that

17 · Celebrations

18 · Celebrations Photos ©Tim Foster

19 · Celebrations

can inspire the growing numbers of Guests who want to

learn to grow what they eat.

“The culture of growing your own food continues to

trend, and our guests each year have quite a few questions

related to edible gardens,” says Eric Darden, festival horti-

culture manager. “They get a big kick comparing items in

our gardens with the herbs and produce our chefs incorpo-

rate into the festival’s Outdoor Kitchen recipes.”

Tours and More

The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is also

home to inspirational exhibits, seminars and how-to dem-

onstrations as well as special garden-themed tours.

The Royal Tea Garden Tour will return for a second year

each festival morning at the United Kingdom pavilion. For a

small fee, Guests can follow a knowledgeable guide through

the tranquil tea garden setting to learn the history and

artistry behind growing and blending tea. A post-tour treat

of tea and scones is included. The shorter, complimentary

English Tea Garden Tour also will be offered on select days.

The Behind the Seeds Tour is also a unique event to do

during the festival, or any time of year. This one-hour walk-

ing tour of the fish farm and four greenhouses that make

up The Land Pavilion is perfect for anyone with an interest

in gardening or natural sciences. It allows Guests to explore

the future of agriculture and get up-close and personal

with the critters of The Land pavilion.

Miscellaneous

This year will also see the return of the Egg-Stravaganza

scavenger hunt that begins around Easter time and lasts

until the end of the festival (or while supplies lasted). During

the scavenger hunt, Guests search for special hidden eggs

using a specially themed map, representing each location to

record findings with a sticker. Last year, there were 12 eggs

to find. You then return your card to Disney Traders to pick

up a prize.

Don’t forget that Disney is also the king of special event

merchandise. You’re sure to find souvenirs specific to the

Flower & Garden event as well as special vendors showcas-

ing hand-crafted art work, natural products, garden pieces

and more.

As the festival nears, more details will be available at

EpcotInSpring.com. The festival, including all gardens and

exhibits, is included in regular Epcot admission. Some dem-

onstrations and tours require extra purchase.

20 · Celebrations

21 · Celebrations

Main Street in the Magic Kingdom is home to an array

of small town wonders plucked out of turn-of-the-

century America. From the Harmony Barber Shop, where

Guests can experience an old fashioned hair cut, to Casey’s

Corner, where they can feast on hot dogs while listening

to ragtime piano, the land is a

smorgasbord of nostalgic de-

lights. Though the street has re-

mained largely unchanged since

its opening in 1971, a few old fa-

vorites have disappeared. As we

continue our tour of Walt Disney

World’s vanished attractions,

let’s take a little time to visit the

house of mechanical wonders

that was the Penny Arcade.

The Penny Arcade opened in

1971, a replica of the arcades that

popped up around the country

in the early years of the 20th

century. Guests could step inside

and play modern and vintage

games, watch moving pictures

in Mutoscopes and Cail-o-scopes,

or have their fortune told by a

fortune telling machine. Mod-

ern arcade games, like the Teen-

age Mutant Ninja Turtles game

and Sega’s Time Traveler holo-

graphic game, were located in

the back of the arcade. In the

front, there were vintage ma-

chines including a classic “Test

Your Strength” style game. The

arcade also housed the first

penny-pressing machine in the

Magic Kingdom. The moving pic-

tures featured titles like Yes, We

Have No Bananas, Raid on a Watermelon Patch, and Captain

Kidd’s Treasure.

The Mutoscopes were authentic machines, manufac-

tured in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by the Ameri-

can Mutoscope and Biograph Company. They functioned

like a flipbook. A series of 850 photographs were housed

in the machine, and viewers made them move by turning

a hand crank. The Cail-O-Scopes were similar. The Caille

Brothers began producing the machines in the late 1890s.

Unlike the Mutoscope, the Cail-O-Scope worked automati-

cally. Both types of machine were popular in early penny

arcades, causing a scandal across the country with their

promise of “lurid” entertainment that drew guests of all

ages.

Disney purchased a large

number of their machines from

collector Paul Eakins. He’d be-

gun collecting antique music

machines in the 1950s and built

his collection over the decades,

first housing them in a tour-

ist attraction called the Indian

Trading Post, and later display-

ing them in the Gay 90’s Melody

Museum in St. Louis, Missouri.

After the Gay 90’s Melody Mu-

seum closed, Eakins sold of his

collection. Most of the items

were placed in the Magic King-

dom’s Penny Arcade, with others,

like the Orchestrion known as

“Big Bertha,” winding up in Walt

Disney World’s Grand Floridian

Resort.

Guests could visit the arcade

until 1995, when it closed to make

way for the Main Street Athletic

Club (which also replaced the

House of Magic and Main Street

Book Shop). The majority of the

machines were placed in stor-

age, finding a new home in the

Utilidors beneath the Magic

Kingdom. Two of the machines

were briefly used at the Disney

Institute, before moving to Dis-

ney’s Boardwalk Inn and Villas. Several other machines can

be seen in the Main Street Station. At well over a century

old, they are a bit temperamental and don’t always work

quite right, but just looking at them feels like stepping back

in time.

Though close to 23 years have passed since the Penny Ar-

cade closed, Guests lucky enough to walk through its doors

will never forget the myriad miracles it once housed.

Photo © Nick Comande

Do you know the name of the town or city where these characters live?1. Mike Wazowski2. Anna3. Wendy, John, and Michael4. P. Sherman5. Princess Kida6. Alfredo Linguini

Can you figure what all of these signs are for? You’ll find them throughout the parks in Walt Disney World.

1

4

2

3

5 6

22 · Celebrations

BB-8 can’t seem to find R2-D2, and he’s got an important message to give him! Can you find the one path that will take BB-8 to R2-D2 safely?

Answers on page 73 23 · Celebrations

Ten Things You Didn’tKnow About WALL-E

24 · CelebrationsBack Cover Photo © Tim Foster

1. WALL-E’s name was going to be W.A.L.-E., but Steve Jobs

didn’t like that particular spelling, so it was changed to the

familiar WALL- E. But what does WALL-E mean? A reference

to Walt Disney perhaps? Actually, the name is an acronym

for Waste Allocation Load Lifter – Earth-Class). Apparently

“loadlifter” was one word in the original spelling!

2. WALL-E’s “voice” was created by legendary sound designer

Ben Burtt, most famously known for creating the sounds

of R2-D2. In the course of creating WALL-E’s different sounds,

Burtt recorded 2500 pieces of audio, more then twice the

number he recorded for Star Wars.

3. And what were some of those sounds? They included a

hand-cranked electrical generator (to create the noises

WALL-E made while moving about), an automobile self-

starter for when WALL-E went fast, and curiously, the

sound of cars being wrecked at a demolition derby.

Why? That’s how Burtt recreated the sounds of

WALL-E compacting trash!

4. However, the most recognizable sound

to most viewers was the familiar Macin-

tosh start-up chime that sounded when

WALL-E has fully charged up. Coincidentally

(or not), the design of his companion Eve is

highly reminiscent of Apple’s dis-

tinctive product design.

5. Finally, when WALL-E runs from

the shopping carts aboard the

Axiom, Burtt went straight to

the source to create the clat-

tering sound effect. He

and his daughter ac-

tually went to a su-

permarket, placed

a recorder in a

shopping cart, and

sent it careening

down a hill!

6. WALL-E’s main

coloring was yel-

low, the better to mimic the typical coloring of a construc-

tion or maintenance vehicle. (Remember that WALL-E was

a utilitarian “machine” whose only purpose was to collect

and compact trash.) Since WALL-E himself was largely yel-

low, Production Designer Ralph Eggleston avoided using

that color (as well as green) when designing the color pal-

ette for the background settings in the film, particularly

those on Earth. As a result, the garbage-strewn Earth is

largely devoid of color.

7. As with most Pixar characters, WALL-E makes a cameo in

another Pixar release, the short film Your Friend the Rat

that was included with the DVD release of Ratatouille.

8. The concept of WALL-E’s distinctive eyes came at, of all plac-

es, a baseball game! Inspiration came from a pair of binocu-

lars director Andrew Stanton was given at an Oakland Ath-

letics/Boston Red Sox game. He was so mesmerized by

them that he missed an entire inning of the game.

9. At one point WALL-E was going to have elbows,

but it was quickly realized that a robot whose

sole function was to pull garbage into itself

would have no need

for them. Not to

mention that test

animations of

him waving (with

elbows) made him look

flimsy. Instead, Animation Director

Angus MacLane had the idea to at-

tach his arms to a track on the sides

of his body, similar to the inkjet printers

his father designed.

10. WALL-E had quite a collection of gad-

gets and gizmos in his “home,” but his

most prized possession was an old

VHS tape of Hello, Dolly!, which instilled

in him the concept of love, which he

would ultimately convey to Eve when

he reached out to hold her hand, reminiscent

of his favorite scene from the old film.

There’s even MORE Disney Magic to discover in this issue of Celebrations magazine!

More Features!Building an Icon: Spaceship Earth • The Architecture of the Magic Kingdom

The Art of the Disney Poster • Living With the Land

More Columns!• Taking Photos of Disney Architecture - Mike Billick• Dining at Epcot’s Rose & Crown - Heather Coursen

• Disney Legend Sam McKim - Jamie Hecker• Secrets of Dinoland U.S.A. - Chris Smith

• MagicBands - Beci Mahnken and Mouse Fan Travel• California Adventure - by J Darling

Plus Lots More Disney News, Fun & Games, and Beautiful Photos!

Subscribe today at www.celebrationspress.com

“People often ask me where we findour stories...and my answer is that

nature herself writes them.The wonders of nature are endless...”

– Walt Disney