By Courtney Potter
Super Bowl Hero James White Visits Walt Disney World
Can you believe it’s been a full 30 years since the first Super Bowl-winning football player celebrated his team’s victory with a trip to Disneyland or Walt Disney World Resorts? The tradition started back in 1987, just after Super Bowl XXI, and now all kinds of achievements—in sports and beyond—are memorialized with a trip to visit Mickey Mouse and his pals…
Naturally, this year is no different: James White, a New England Patriots running back and one of the heroes of Super Bowl LI this past Sunday, was honored with a colorful, celebration-filled parade on Monday down Main Street, U.S.A. at Magic Kingdom Park! Park guests and NFL fans alike lined the street as James smiled and waved from a float he shared with Mickey, Minnie, and other Disney characters. After all that Main Street, U.S.A. fanfare, James posed for photos and even enjoyed some fun time in the park—including a trip on the popular Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
Congrats to James and his teammates!
Save the Date!
Be sure to mark these upcoming Disney events on your calendar:
| D23 and Walt Disney Archives February 10, 2017 Lunch with a Disney Legend: Dave Smith February 11, 2017 D23’s Magical Screening Series: Tangled in Florida February 19, 2017 D23 Member Night at Freaky Friday at La Jolla Playhouse March 8, 2017 Exclusive D23 Beauty and the Beast Advanced Screening and Luncheon April 10, 2017 D23 Members Invited to “Eat Like Walt” at the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival July 14-16, 2017 D23 Expo 2017 Studios February 16, 18 and 22, 2017 Newsies in select movie theaters March 17, 2017 Beauty and the Beast opens in theaters April 21, 2017 Born in China opens in theaters May 5, 2017 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 opens in theaters May 26, 2017 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales opens in theaters June 16, 2017 Cars 3 opens in theaters November 3, 2017 Thor: Ragnarok opens in theaters November 22, 2017 Coco opens in theaters December 15, 2017 Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens in theaters |
Parks January 13–February 20, 2017 Epcot International Festival of the Arts January 20–February 5, 2017 Lunar New Year Celebration at Disney California Adventure park March 10–April 16, 2017 Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival August 31-November 13, 2017 Epcot Food & Wine Festival 2019 Star Wars-Themed Lands Opening at Disneyland and Walt Disney World Television February 26, 2017 The Oscars® are broadcast on ABC March 10, 2017 Tangled Before Ever After premieres on Disney Channel at 8 p.m. ET March 24, 2017 Tangled: The Series premieres on Disney Channel at 7:30 p.m. ET |
New Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Teaser Trailer
If you happened to be watching the “Big Game” this past Sunday (and eating copious amounts of delicious snack foods, because that’s clearly part of the fun), you may have noticed there were several very cool, brand-new teaser trailers (from Disney and Marvel) that premiered during the broadcast. Case in point: An extended first look at Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2! (If you missed it the first time ‘round, check it out above.)
Our favorite ragtag team of vagabond heroes—Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Baby Groot (Vin Diesel), and Drax (Dave Bautista)—is back and better than ever… and they’re joined by Yondu (Michael Rooker) and Nebula (Karen Gillan), as they continue to hurtle around the universe—this time trying to unlock the mystery of Star-Lord’s parentage.
Ready to go “running in the shadows” with the Guardians? You’ll have to wait til May 5… but if this teaser is any indication, it’ll be so worth it.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Extended Trailer Debuts
Honestly, Sunday’s game was an embarrassment of cinematic riches—besides the Guardians sneak, we also caught a glimpse of the next installment in the Pirates adventure… Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tale No Tales. In case you had to refill your chips and guac during this particular commercial break, take a gander at the trailer, above.
Johnny Depp returns as everyone’s favorite antihero, Captain Jack Sparrow—and as per usual, the good cap’n is in a heap of trouble… a cadre of deadly ghost sailors (led by the terrifying Captain Salazar, played by Javier Bardem) have escaped from the Devil’s Triangle, and they’re bent on killing every pirate at sea—especially Jack! His only hope of survival lies in the fabled Trident of Poseidon, but to find it he must forge an uneasy partnership with Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario), a brilliant and beautiful astronomer, and Henry (Brenton Thwaites), a headstrong young sailor in the Royal Navy. Ultimately, Captain Jack must reverse his string of ill fortune and face down one of the most formidable foes he’s ever encountered.
The fifth film in the franchise also stars Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbossa, Golshifteh Farahani (Body of Lies) as sea-witch Shansa, and, yes—Orlando Bloom as Will Turner. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales sails into theaters on May 26!
Beauty and the Beast to Celebrate Opening Night with Nationwide Events
We’re just a few short weeks from the debut of Walt Disney Studios’ live-action retelling of Beauty and the Beast—and to celebrate, they’ve just scheduled some fantastic special opening night events for BATB fans around the country on Thursday, March 16. The events—at around 600 locations nationwide—will take place ahead of the 7 p.m. showings at theaters with IMAX®, Dolby Cinema®, and other select premium large formats. Fans will not only get the opportunity to be among the first to experience the highly anticipated film, but they’ll also get to see some exclusive behind-the-scenes on-screen content… plus, it’ll be the only chance for in-theater audiences to see Ariana Grande and John Legend’s music video for their big new “Beauty and the Beast” duet!
Tickets for these Beauty and the Beast opening night fan events are on sale now and available through BeOurGuest.com/fan-events. For more information, including which theaters near you might be participating, visit BeOurGuest.com.
Psst! D23 Members are invited to attend an advance screening of the film––click here for details.
Freeform and Marvel Announce Cast for New Series Cloak & Dagger
Freeform is ready to enter the Marvel Universe in a big way with Cloak & Dagger, a live-action series based on two beloved Marvel comic book characters. Former Disney Channel star and Hollywood Records recording artist Olivia Holt will portray Tandy Bowen, a once-privileged little girl who watched as her family was destroyed by a disastrous storm that uprooted her life. Now in her late teens, an unexpected encounter with a boy named Tyrone Johnson sparks a life-changing event. Aubrey Joseph (Run All Night, The Night Of) will play Tyrone, who, as a young man wanted nothing more than to prove he was fearless… but when everything he held close was taken away, life taught him to be afraid. Now older and more sheltered, Tyrone closes himself off—until he meets a girl named Tandy, and his life changes forever.
Additional cast for Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger will be announced at a later date, so stay tuned for more info on the decidedly intriguing show as it becomes available.
New “Rebel” Teaser for Descendants 2
The sequel to Disney Channel’s über-successful original movie Descendants won’t grace our screens for a few months yet—but thankfully, we’ve been getting some exciting sneak peeks over the last few weeks. And here’s another one! Check out the new teaser video, subtitled “Rebel,” above.
Cool, right? We get to see Descendants 2’s new villains in action—namely, Uma (Ursula’s daughter), Harry Hook (Captain Hook’s son), and Gil (Gaston’s son). This time ‘round, Mal (Dove Cameron) returns to her rotten roots on the Isle of the Lost, where Uma (China Anne McClain) and the other Villain Kids are setting out to break the barrier between the Isle of the Lost and Auradon, and unleash all the villains imprisoned on the Isle, once and for all. Say it ain’t so!
Look for Descendants 2 this summer, only on Disney Channel.
Music Acts Set for Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival
The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival—the fabulously fragrant Walt Disney World event now in its 24th year—is only a few weeks away… and as in festivals past, a dizzying array of awesome music acts from the ‘60s through the ‘90s will be providing an exciting soundtrack. The “Garden Rocks” concert series brings your favorite stars from rock and pop history to the America Gardens Theatre; this year, there’s not only music all weekend long (Friday through Sunday), but every Monday, too!
This year’s line-up includes The Pointer Sisters (pictured above) (March 10 though 13); Night Ranger (March 24 through 27); Berlin featuring Terri Nunn (April 30 through May 1); and The Spinners (May 26 through 29). “Garden Rocks” concert performances are held each Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday of the Festival; show times are at 5:30, 6:45, and 8 p.m. each night. The best news? Concerts are included with regular park admission to Epcot!
The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival runs from March 1 to May 29. For more info, visit epcotinspring.com.
