A True-Life Jungle Cruise with National Geographic: The Amazon River

By Justin Arthur and the National Geographic Image Collection

In celebration of the “gnu” excitement coming to the Jungle Cruise attractions at Disneyland Park and Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World this summer, along with the Disney’s Jungle Cruise, now in theaters and on Disney+ Premiere Access, D23 is teaming up with the National Geographic Image Collection to explore some of the real-life rivers that have inspired Adventureland over the years! If you missed our adventures on the Mekong, Congo, and Nile Rivers, be sure to check them out!

jungle cruise
An intrepid skipper takes guests on a crash course Jungle Cruise at Disneyland, 1960.
Photo from the Walt Disney Archives Collection.

The final leg of our photo safari takes us to the Amazon River, South America’s mightiest river and home to one of the most diverse ecological systems on the planet. In Adventureland, this river snakes past butterflies, biting piranhas, and howling monkeys. The Amazon also provides the thrilling backdrop for Jungle Cruise, now in theaters and available with Premiere Access on Disney+!

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Don’t let it get a crush on you. A slithering python eyes guests on Jungle Cruise at Walt Disney World, 1971.
Photo from the Walt Disney Archives Collection.

The National Geographic Image Collection archives began in 1919 as an illustration library, and contains over 64.5 million still images dating back to the 1860s. The Image Collection is carefully preserved, curated, and digitized, with amazing photos from the pages of National Geographic magazine constantly added, making it one of the most significant photo collections in the world. D23 is pleased to partner with the expert team at the Image Collection to offer a glimpse into this vast archive and celebrate the Jungle Cruise!

jungle cruise
A furr-midable jaguar prowls along a trail, Tiputini Biodiversity Station, Yasuni National Park, Ecuador, 2012.
Photo by Steve Winter/National Geographic Image Collection.

The most powerful river in the world, the real-world Amazon carries four times the volume of water than any other river. Flowing 4,000 miles from high in the Andes Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, its basin stretches through Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Brazil. The Amazon is the world’s largest rainforest, critical to the control of the entire Earth’s climate, producing 20% of the world’s oxygen. The destruction of this habitat has increasingly degraded the health of this ecosystem, and conservation groups are working hard to protect it. This enigmatic river has long captured the imaginations of explorers from around the world, winding into countless tributaries, some of which remain uncharted. The Amazon is home to hundreds of thousands of plants and insects, along with captivating creatures like capybaras, piranhas, sloths, jaguars, and river dolphins.

jungle cruise
Providing us some inspiration to go… deeper and deeper into the jungle, a rainforest stream trickles through Yasuni National Park, Ecuador, 2012.
Photo by Steve Winter/National Geographic Image Collection.
jungle cruise
A squirrel monkey does a “banana split” in the Tiputini Biodiversity Station, Yasuni National Park, Ecuador, 2012.
Photo by Tim Laman/National Geographic Image Collection.
jungle cruise
This butterfly was spotted in Tiputini Biodiversity Station, Yasuni National Park, Ecuador, 2012.
Photo by Tim Laman/National Geographic Image Collection.
jungle cruise
The view from a tower in the Museu da Amazônia reserve offers soaring views of the rainforest, Manaus, Brazil, 2017.
Photo by Kirsten Luce/National Geographic Image Collection.
jungle cruise
Indigenous people have called the Amazon home for thousands of years, like these locals paddling across the Rio Negro, Anavilhanas, Brazil, 1980.
Photo by James P. Blair/National Geographic Image Collection.
jungle cruise
“I wonder what happened to Rosita?” Scarlet macaws in the Tiputini Biodiversity Station, Yasuni National Park, Ecuador, 2012.
Photo by Tim Laman/National Geographic Image Collection.
jungle cruise
A fig tree with giant buttresses takes root in Tiputini Biodiversity Station, Yasuni National Park, Ecuador, 2012.
Photo by Tim Laman/National Geographic Image Collection.
jungle cruise
A red howler goes about his monkey business in Tiputini Biodiversity Station, Yasuni National Park, Ecuador, 2012.
Photo by Tim Laman/National Geographic Image Collection.
jungle cruise
Aerial view of the Amazonian jungle on a flight from La Paz to Rurrenabaque, 2014.
Photo by Matthieu Paley/National Geographic Image Collection.
jungle cruise
A long-horned beetle grubs about in the Adolfo Ducke Reserve, Manaus, Brazil, 2014.
Photo by Anand Varma/National Geographic Image Collection.
jungle cruise
The 200-person Huni Kuin community of Santa Rey, Peru, 2017.
Photo by Charlie Hamilton James/National Geographic Image Collection.
jungle cruise
“This fine-feathered friend is a jolly toucan.” A white-throated toucan is perched above Anangu Creek in Yasuni National Park, Ecuador, 2012.
Photo by Tim Laman/National Geographic Image Collection.
jungle cruise
The Yuruá River, a southern tributary of the Amazon, meanders near the Peru-Brazil border, 2017.
Photo by Charlie Hamilton James/National Geographic Image Collection.

Thanks for joining our true-life Jungle Cruise on the Amazon River, and we hope you’ve found our world-wide journey with National Geographic to be Ama-zin. All right, now please stand up and exit the boat. If you don’t, I promise I’ll go around again and tell some really bad jokes.

Read an Exclusive Excerpt from Meant to Be: If The Shoe Fits, A Rom-Com Twist on the Cinderella Story

By the D23 Team

Everyone wants their princess moment—but in modern times, invites to royal balls in glamorous castles are much harder to find. Good news for anyone with present-day princess dreams: Disney Books’ Meant to Be Series is the fairy godmother here to cast some magic over everyday life, turning our favorite fairy tales into modern rom-coms that are an enticing escape for any fantasy fan. The first in the series, Meant to Be: If the Shoe Fits, by Julie Murphy, follows the story of newly-graduated Cindy, an aspiring shoe designer who ends up on her mother’s reality dating series, Before Midnight, and becomes a sensation. Meant to Be: If the Shoe Fits will be hitting shelves on August 3, but if you can’t wait until then, check out this exclusive excerpt from the book:

“Follow me,” Jay says as Henry helps them down from the stage. “We’ve got racks upon racks of goodies for you beauties to choose from.”

My whole body is tense with nerves as we’re herded into a back room with racks of clothing and makeup and hair touch-up stations. Some girls settle in for hair and makeup, but I know that if I stand any chance of not walking down the runway naked, I need to get first dibs on these clothes.

In a panic, I start shuffling through the items left out for us. I look for the biggest sizes, of course, which is most often an eight or a ten, but I’m also looking for anything with a shapeless or flowy cut to it. Slowly, I begin to amass a pile of clothing in my arms.

Addison clears her throat from the other side of the rack. “Um, you only need one look,” she tells me. “That’s not really fair to just start taking all the other perfectly good stuff just because you want options. Wes?” she calls. “Are there rules to this? Cindy has, like, a whole damn rack in her arms. Wes?”

I roll my eyes, but otherwise ignore her and continue my efforts even though the other women are also starting to show signs of concern. A storm of anxiety swirls in my chest, and it’s the same panic I feel when I attempt to clean out my closet. I’m so used to finding that I have zero options that it’s almost impossible for me to part with my clothing. Each piece is something I hunted relentlessly for or customized to my exact taste. I can’t exactly walk into a Forever 21 and snag a dress I’ve personally doctored to be a Badgley Mischka dupe. I hate feeling like I need so many things, but when a chance to buy something in your size is one in a hundred and a chance to buy something good in your size is one in a thousand—

“Hey, kid, what exactly is going on here?” Beck swoops to my side.

I turn to her, my teeth gritted. “Did no one consider the fact that LuMac doesn’t even make my size?”

Beck grimaces painfully and yells out, “Irina! Get over here!”

Irina stops what she’s doing, leaving a half-naked Stacy with a dress bunched up around her waist. She stomps over to Beck with her arms crossed and a safety pin clenched in her teeth. “What?”

“Do we have any options for Cindy?”

“What do you mean?” Irina asks incredulously. “She has options coming out the ears.” She motions to me. “She looks like a Black Friday sale threw up on her.”

“In her size,” Beck says as discreetly as she can, like it’s something to hide. But it’s not. In fact, accommodating me is not that hard. If you want me on your damn show, make it possible for me to be included. That’s it. It’s that simple.

Irina throws her arms up. “I can only work in the framework of the episode. This is on you and Wes. You two are—”

“Stop,” I say firmly. “Stop it. Both of you stop. You’re both to blame, but bickering isn’t going to fix anything. I need scissors, safety pins, and fabric tape. And maybe a sewing kit.”

Beck motions to Irina. “You heard her.” Once Irina has disappeared into the chaos, Beck turns back to me. “I’m so sorry. What can I do?”

“Buy me time.”

She bites down on her bottom lip, and I’m pretty sure I’ve just asked for the one thing she can’t guarantee. She nods and marches off in the same direction as Irina.

I drop to the floor with all the items I’ve accrued and immediately begin to put any items back that I definitely can’t use. A trench coat. A sweater dress. A neon-yellow slip dress.

My eye lands on a shift dress with huge nude sequins. The fabric is some kind of synthetic satin with stretch. I pull it across the widest part of my hips, and I think it might work.

Irina returns with my requested tools and begrudgingly asks, “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Yes,” I tell her as I stand up and begin to strip down with no mind for privacy. I step into the dress, and even though it’s meant to be oversize, it feels immediately too narrow.

“That’s a dress,” Irina points out.

“Not on me it isn’t,” I tell her, yanking it up to my waist in what is now a skintight pencil skirt. “I need you to snip out these straps and tape down the freshly cut fabric so it doesn’t poke out.” I point to something one rack over that’s white and billowy in shape. “What’s that?”

Irina steps through a gap in the clothing rack beside us and reaches for the item in question, returning with a long white beach cover-up.

“It’s a tent!” Irina says gleefully. “This is perfect.”

“Helpful,” I say, my voice flat as I take the scissors halfway up the front seam and then up the back, leaving only a deep V neck and a dolman sleeve.

I slip it on over my head and find that the fabric is sheer, so my black bra underneath creates a sexy silhouette. Pulling the two panels of fabric I just cut, I tie them in a knot in front of me and let the long pieces hang, creating a nice long line down the center of my body.

“Damn,” says Stacy

“Oh,” I say casually. “This was definitely on the rack.”

Irina eyes me up and down. “It’s good.”

After we’ve sat through hair and makeup, Mallory and Zeke— who still has a job thanks to Anna—line us all up on the other side of the stage.

Jay peeks in from between the curtains with a camera in hand. “Visions! All of you! I come bearing good news. We thought we’d need a third judge to weigh in on this competition, so I am pleased to tell you that the Lucy Mackenzie has graced us with her presence on this fine day. Make her proud, people!”

My stomach plummets. As if I wasn’t already freaking out enough.

“His mom!” Chloe gasps. “Oh my God. This is a huge deal.”

“Uh, yeah, and not just because it’s his mom,” Addison says.

Sara Claire, in a fuchsia silk wrap dress, looks like she’s very nearly turning into a puddle. “Oh Lord. Moms hate me.”

Stacy shakes her head. “That can’t be true.”

“No, it is. A proven fact. My last boyfriend just broke up with me after his mom refused to give him her mother’s ring to propose. Said I was a firecracker and not the good kind.”

“I don’t think Lucy—I mean, Mrs. Mackenzie—would think something like that,” I tell her. “And everyone loves firecrackers!”

“Except when they cause forest fires,” Stacy points out.

I nod. “True.”

Sara Claire takes a heaving breath. “In fourth grade, my first boyfriend was Dylan Timbers and his mama told me that the only way she’d give up her son was if she knew the woman she was handing him over to could be a better mother to him than she could. I. Was. In. The. Fourth. Grade.”

I hold up a finger. “Okay, first off—men don’t want their partners to be their mothers… and if they do, those aren’t the men we’re looking for.”

Stacy holds up her hands and snaps in agreement.

“And second,” I add, “gross.”

Sara Claire throws herself against Stacy and me. “Hold me. I’m scared of mothers. Even my own. Especially my own.”

Stacy and I pat her on the back, and I say, “Well, at least you didn’t deconstruct his mother’s designs for her own fashion show the way that I did.”

Stacy grimaces. “‘Deconstruct’ is putting it lightly.”

The lights dim, and Mallory barks at us to get back in line.

“Ladies,” Wes says, “you’ll hit the runway one by one. There won’t be music, but we’re adding it in post, so just pretend you’re walking to music.”

“What if we’re off beat?” Jenny asks.

Wes looks at her briefly but doesn’t answer. “After we’re done, we’ll be lining you up onstage, and Lucy will have the chance to speak to you and ask any questions she might have. Break a leg!”

Luckily, I’m the second one on the runway and have little time to spiral into a panic. When it’s my turn to walk out, my hopes that it will be too dark to see Henry, Jay, or Lucy sitting in the audience of employees and random fans is immediately dashed. The lights are low, and the production lights on the runway are intense, but there’s still enough natural light bleeding through the floor-to-ceiling windows that the audience is fully visible.

I may have walked in a handful of student runway shows as favors to friends, but this is instantly nausea-making. What do I do with my hands? Do they just hang like limp spaghetti? How do models manage to look cool doing this? Maybe I just need to do the Zoolander pout. Tyra Banks’s voice telling me We were rooting for you rings in my ears.

I begin to walk, and I do my best to make each step nice and elongated while also swishing my hips, but I also think I might just look like one of those dashboard hula dancers. Keeping my eyes straight ahead for the most part, I glance down and risk a quick smile at Henry, which unfortunately means I see Lucy Mackenzie’s scowl. Well, lady, it was either this or walk the runway naked. Maybe start making clothing in my size and I won’t have to take a pair of scissors to your work.

Henry offers me a wink, and I do my best not to beam and to maintain my coolish model swagger.

“We’re Going to Disney World”: Family Matters

By Matt Moryc, Walt Disney Archives

If you grew up watching television in the 1980s and 1990s, there is an objective argument to be made that some of the greatest family sitcoms of all-time were produced during this era. The American Broadcast Company(ABC) was at the forefront of this golden age of adolescent television with their Friday night programming block titled TGIF (short for “Thank Goodness It’s Funny”). Debuting in 1989, TGIF became a staple in millions of homes across America, and would continue to be throughout 1990s as audiences tuned in weekly to watch classic shows such as Full House (1987-1995), Boy Meets World (1993-2000), Step by Step (ABC: 1991-1997; CBS: 1997-1998), and Sabrina the Teenage Witch (ABC: 1996-2000; WB: 2000-2003).

For Disney fans, these titles are memorable not only for their place in ABC history, but also for the episodes each show filmed at Walt Disney World Resort. The idea to send family sitcoms to the vacation kingdom could not have come at a better time for The Walt Disney Company as it was in the midst of vastly expanding its hold on ‘90s popular culture with a string of hit animated films and new theme park attractions that were ripe for promotion via television programming created for families.

One of the most fondly remembered TGIF sitcoms is Family Matters (ABC: 1989-1997; CBS: 1997-1998), a show about the Winslow family and their brilliant but annoying neighbor, Steve Urkel. The series gained popularity on the strength of the character, who Jaleel White performed to geeky perfection. His portrayal of the nerd archetype cemented Urkel’s place in pop culture history via catch phrases—“Did I do that?”—and a stream of merchandise including a board game, lunchbox, and the proverbial pull-string doll.

family matters
The Winslow family enjoying a magical family vacation to Walt Disney World.

In early March 1995, the cast of Family Matters traveled to Central Florida to begin filming a two-part episode at Walt Disney World. The story begins with Urkel discovering he won a trip to the finals of Amateur Inventors Weekly’s Annual National Contest,  thanks to his transformation chamber—a device created the season prior that gives Steve the ability to change his DNA and become Stefan Urquelle, the suave and sophisticated alter ego version of Urkel. Because Steve is allowed to take whomever he wants to the contest, he chooses the entire Winslow family to join.

This news excites Laura Winslow (Kellie Shanygne Williams), who still has feelings for Stefan after a previous fling between the two ended when Stefan changed back into Urkel.

While at the contest, held inside the former Innoventions at EPCOT, Laura sabotages Steve’s transformation chamber after he changes into Stefan—giving her more time to spend with the man who adores her. Stefan vows to fix the machine but needs a couple of days to do so. Meanwhile, the family patriarch, Carl Winslow (Reginald VelJohnson), becomes so unexpectedly entranced by the magic of Walt Disney World that he decides to quit his job and move the family to Orlando. It’s a decision he later reverses thanks to his wife Harriet (Jo Marie Payton), who makes him realize he cannot walk away from the police job he loves back in Chicago.

After spending days romancing each other, Stefan and Laura become engaged to be married. The news comes at a bad time as Myra (Michelle Thomas), Urkel’s overzealous and sweet girlfriend from Chicago, surprises Steve at EPCOT… only to find out he’s changed into Stefan and will be marrying Laura. Myra then declares its over between them before storming off and seeking comfort from the nearby Winnie the Pooh. The blowup causes Laura to call off the engagement and confess to undermining the transformation chamber. Stefan pleads with Laura, but she admits she cannot be with someone based on a lie. This act of truth convinces Stefan to change back into Steve Urkel, resuming his life as über nerd, and Myra’s main squeeze.

Thanks to our partners at ABC, we hope you enjoy these publicity photos taken during the filming of the 1995 Family Matters episodes “We’re Going to Disney World, Part I,” and “We’re Going to Disney World, Part II,” now available to stream on Hulu.

Celebrate even more Walt Disney World nostalgia with the 2021 D23 Gold Member Collector Set, exclusively available to D23 Gold Members!

Disney Junior Spins an Inspiring Web of New Stories on Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends

By Beth Deitchman

When it comes to Super Heroes, Spidey has a devoted fan base among preschoolers, but those young fans have never had a full-length TV series centered on their friendly neighborhood Spider-Man—until now, that is. On Friday, August 6, Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends premieres with a simulcast on Disney Channel and Disney Junior (9:00 a.m. EDT/PDT). The team behind the new animated series has embraced the philosophy of Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben, that “with great power comes great responsibility,” and they’ve carefully and lovingly created a show for young viewers that’s aspirational, filled with web-slinging action, and—most of all—fun.

Executive producer Harrison Wilcox and the creative team went back to the very beginning to study the Super Hero’s comic book origins. “We were able take a lot of inspiration from that. There’s a lot of joy, a lot of light-hearted storytelling from those early books, and that was sort of our foundation for how we built the series,” he shares. As in the comic books, the new animated series is set in New York City, and Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends follows Peter Parker, Gwen Stacy, and Miles Morales on adventures as the trio teams up with Hulk, Ms. Marvel, and Black Panther to defeat foes such as Rhino, Doc Ock and Green Goblin.

Like all of our favorite Super Hero stories, Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends reflects the world we live in. It’s inclusive, and the stories are based in a reality that young viewers will recognize. Lori Mozilo, vice president of Original Programming for Disney Junior, emphasizes, “You see them grounded in a very relatable world to kids and having very relatable problems.” Young fans will be able to envision themselves in the situations the beloved Super Heroes find themselves navigating in their “secret identities,” such as when Peter, Gwen, and Miles are having a sleepover and they balk when Aunt May insists they must go to sleep. And then, Mozilo says, the Super Hero element comes into play when a Spidey alert necessitates that the trio must fly off to save the day. “But it’s grounded in something that’s completely familiar to our audience,” she stresses. Bringing together the worlds of Marvel and Disney Junior was never an issue, Mozilo says, noting, “They’re both aspirational places, so that’s a very natural fit.”

Since its launch more than 10 years ago, the team at Disney Junior has learned a tremendous amount about what works developmentally and what kind of storytelling resonates with its preschool audience, and Mozilo believes the Super Hero world lends itself perfectly to the platform. There’s also an aspirational feeling for kids that comes with solving problems, figuring things out, and mastering new skills and ideas.

Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends

The emphasis in Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends is on the “friendly neighborhood” aspect of being a Super Hero, as Peter, Gwen, and Miles lend helping hands to those in their immediate vicinity. “We have plenty of adventures where the kids stop Doc Ock, Rhino, or Green Goblin from the dastardly villain plan of the week, but there are also adventures where they’re just helping people around the city, stopping problems, things like that,” Wilcox explains.

The three kids who comprise “Team Spidey”—Miles, Gwen, and Peter—are all unique and very different from one another. “Peter’s very much a scientist, Gwen’s a musician, and Miles is an artist. That lends itself to a lot of territory for us to explore with what sort of stories we could tell that would be relatable to 2–7-year-olds,” Wilcox explains, noting, “We always try to draw from a place of character and try to start and end the story with something going on with them personally—not necessarily as heroes, but as kids.”

Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends

Where there are Super Heroes, there are usually super foes and Disney Junior considered very carefully what would work in the preschool world. When it comes to portraying villains in Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends, the emphasis is on behavior that’s “naughty” rather than diabolical. “[The villains] do things that I think preschoolers could identify as bad behavior,” Wilcox says, “And at the end of the day their villain plan is thwarted and they’re sometimes wrapped up in webbing, but their intent is more trickster-y than evil or malicious.”

The mischief makers in this first season of Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends are Doc Ock, Green Goblin, and Rhino. Mozilo shares that once the villains were chosen, the team considered, “OK, what are their wants? What are wants that would make sense in a preschool world?” Green Goblin, she explains, is determined to ruin a good time. “He goes to the park when everyone’s having a picnic and ruins the picnic. It’s a sunny day and he brings out a way to get everything wet.” Rhino lives to smash, and he’s also greedy… which leads to a bit of thievery. And Doc Ock is all about power and control. “Those drivers were simple enough to start driving stories,” Mozilo explains, from the jumping-off point of “Here’s the thing they want. Our Super Heroes are going to thwart them, and how do they do that?”

Team Spidey’s heroic efforts will be accompanied by a truly super soundtrack, thanks to Grammy® Award-nominated musician Patrick Stump, lead singer of the multiplatinum-selling rock band Fall Out Boy, who performs the theme song for Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends and also serves as songwriter and composer for the series. “That theme song, he knocked out of the park on the first try,” Wilcox reveals. “He’s also a lifetime Marvel Comics fan, so when we get down to scoring the show, he or I can throw a reference out to something from the comics or movies and easily the other one knows what we’re talking about—and suddenly all the musical pieces are fitting together and it’s ready to go.”

The global pandemic meant that many elements of Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends have come together with the team working remotely. “As I’ve joked for the last 400 or 500 days, I have a 4-year-old and I have a 6-year-old so I’ve been making a preschool show while running a preschool at home,” Wilcox says with a laugh. But the unexpected benefit of creating a preschool show from home has been having a real-time test audience. “Because of the lockdown, there have been a lot of Zoom calls with a lot of little kids weighing in and sitting on their parents’ laps and responding to the stuff we were talking about in real time with a high level of excitement. That has been fun,” Mozilo says. She also shares, “On a very personal note, my son, who is now 27, but at the time when he was a Disney Junior-aged kid, he was Spider-Man. I lived with Spider-Man for two solid years.” Mozilo’s son, who as a preschooler could often be found fully decked out in a Spidey costume, was living with his mother for some of the quarantine and was able to enjoy a sneak peek at what the team was creating for Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends. Mozilo recalls her son telling her, “I would have gone insane if this was happening when I was that age.”

Wilcox and Mozilo are both confident that the new series will inspire today’s preschoolers to find their own power—whatever that may be. Wilcox shares, “What I would love is for kids to watch the show and then want to go outside and reenact it with their friends, to be so excited and have so much fun by what they saw that they want to go and try to replicate that for themselves.” Mozilo hopes that the “great responsibility” that comes with kids’ emerging powers helps inspire them to support their own communities. She also thinks it’s important that kids realize that even though Peter, Gwen, and Miles use their physical prowess, more often than not they’re relying on their cleverness and intuition—superpowers all preschoolers possess. She emphasizes, “It’s not just might makes right and I think that that is what I’m hoping kids get out of this, that we’re better together and that we help each other.”

This New Pin Set Celebrates the Characters of “A Most Magical Kingdom”

By the D23 Team

D23 Exclusive Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary Pin Set – ”A Most Magical Kingdom” – Limited Edition

Celebrate a half century of the Most Magical Place on Earth with this incredible pin set created just for D23 by artists Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily. This set, a tribute to the early days of Magic Kingdom Park, features five fan-favorite characters from across the park! These D23 Gold Member-exclusive pins, created in vintage-inspired soft enamel, are the perfect way to celebrate this magical milestone!

To compliment the “Florida’s Fab Five” exclusive pin set included in the D23 Gold Member Collector Set—part of the 2021 D23 Gold Membership, D23 is proud to offer four additional pin sets celebrating 50 years of the Walt Disney World Resort. Read the fall issue of Disney twenty-three for a sneak peek at all four, set to be released monthly starting this August.

wdw pin set #2

wdw pin set #2

The next in our series, our “Most Magical Kingdom” set, includes:

  • Peg Leg Parrot from Pirates of the Caribbean
  • Bubbles from Country Bear Jamboree
  • Sea Serpent from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
  • Red Demon From Toad’s Wild Ride
  • Maestro Mickey from Mickey Mouse Revue

Our “Most Magical Kingdom” pin set, offered in a Limited edition of 2,500, will be available exclusively to D23 Gold Members on shopDisney at 7 a.m. PT on August 2, 2021.

*Available while supplies last. To purchase, you must log in to shopDisney.com with the Disney account tied to D23 Gold Membership. Pin sets are sold for $49.99 each, plus applicable sales tax. Maximum of one (1) pin set of this style for purchase per D23 Gold Member for online orders. Shipping not available to PO boxes; shipping and handling fees may vary for all online orders. Other restrictions may apply. All information is subject to change including, but not limited to, artwork, release dates, editions sizes, and retail prices.

Join Mickey & Friends in Celebrating International Friendship Day

By Zach Johnson

International Friendship Day is here—the day that starts and ends with friends!

Mickey & Friends are an eclectic group of relatable characters who remind us just how important friends are. This International Friendship Day, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Goofy, Donald Duck and Daisy Duck (aka the Sensational 6) invite you to celebrate friendship and share your unique friendship styles. There are so many fun ways to join the fun with the Sensational Six on July 30.

How will you celebrate? We’ve got a few ideas…

In honor of International Friendship Day, Disney is teaming up with Starlight Children’s Foundation to offer a one-of-a-kind opportunity to win a personalized message from the original friends Mickey, Minnie or Goofy on CAMEO. For each contest entry, Disney will make a donation (up to a maximum of $350,000) to Starlight Children’s Foundation to produce one Mickey & Friends-themed Starlight hospital gown (up to a maximum of 16,000 units), which will help deliver happiness to seriously ill children and their families.* For more information, click here.

international friendship day

Disney+ is the home for all Mickey & Friends content, including all-new episodes of The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse! The second batch of episodes began streaming Wednesday. Each seven-minute short is filled with laugh-out-loud comedy, modern settings, timeless stories, new music and the classic art style of the Mickey Mouse shorts.

The music of friendship: Released today, DCapella has a brand-new song and music video “Mickey’s Friendship Mashup,” featuring a medley of “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” (Toy Story), “We’re All in This Together” (High School Musical) and “Friend Like Me” (Aladdin). That’s not all, as Mickey & Friends have curated a friendship-themed music playlist by Walt Disney Records, steaming now!

international friendship day

The second year of Mickey & Friends: Stay True celebrates The Style of Friendship, encouraging you to share unique friendship stories and styles—just like Mickey & Friends! World-class photographer Misan Harriman has been capturing images of celebrities and everyday people expressing their unique Style of Friendship. These photographs will be featured in an exclusive virtual exhibition—which will showcase Harriman’s full works—and launch later this summer. In addition, Pop-In@Nordstrom will feature a dedicated Mickey & Friends online and in store shop-in-shop. For the first time in the United States, consumers will be able to shop pre-owned and upcycled apparel and a carefully curated collection of limited-edition pieces inspired by the unique personalities and friendship styles of each member of the Sensational Six crew. Check out more from Nordstrom.

international friendship day

international friendship day

international friendship day

Throughout the month leading up to International Friendship Day, the Sensational 6 have inspired new product collaborations and retail collections, encouraging consumers to express their Style of Friendship! In addition to Pop-In@Nordstrom, keep an eye out for exciting new products from Adidas, BaubleBar, Dose of Colors, Pandora, Pura Vida, Ray-Ban, Society6, Torrid, Uniqlo and Vera Bradley.

*No purchase necessary. Open to entrants in the United States only. Visit the official site https://disney.cameo.com/mickeyandfriends for entry and rules. Contest ends August 5, 2021.

Season Three of Disney Channel’s Amphibia Coming Soon—Plus More in News Briefs

By Courtney Potter

Get Ready for a Ribbit-ing Good Time with Season Three of Amphibia

Later this fall, make sure to hop over to your favorite screen for the season three premiere of the popular frog-out-of-water animated comedy Amphibia—debuting Saturday, October 2, at 9:30 a.m. EDT, only Disney Channel and DisneyNOW!

Created and executive produced by Matt Braly (Gravity Falls), the latest adventures of the Emmy® Award-nominated series—which kicks off with a special extended-length episode—finds Anne and the Plantars transported from Amphibia to her hometown of Los Angeles, where the Frog Family must learn to navigate the complexities of this modern-day world, conceal their identities as talking frog people (easier said than done!), and search for a way home. But that’s not all the news that’s fit to print: Season three will also include a 22-minute Christmas special featuring a song written by Rebecca Sugar (Steven Universe)! Check out a cool sneak peek at the new season—first released during the show’s recent Comic-Con@Home panel—above…

Amazing guest stars for season three include iconic Disney Legend Whoopi Goldberg, Emmy® winner RuPaul Charles (RuPaul’s Drag Race), Kate Micucci (DuckTales), Disney Legend Anika Noni Rose (The Princess and the Frog), Archie Yates (Jojo Rabbit), Wayne Knight (Seinfeld), Jason Ritter (Gravity Falls), Melissa Villaseñor (Saturday Night Live), and so many more.

Following the season three premiere, new episodes of Amphibia will debut every Saturday through November 27 on Disney Channel and DisneyNOW.

5 Fantastic Things to Watch This Weekend

Well, if you’re reading this, you’re a pal who visits D23.com with at least some regularity—which also means you’ve no doubt seen our plethora of coverage regarding Jungle Cruise… So if you’re looking for something to watch this weekend, it’s behind the proverbial backside of water on Disney+ (additional fee required) beginning today: Friday, July 30! What else can you expect from around the worlds of Disney? Take a gander right here.

Behind the Scenes of EPCOT’s Harmonious—Debuting October 1

Part of “The World’s Most Magical Celebration” at Walt Disney World Resort, Harmonious is a sure-to-be-incredible new nighttime spectacular—one of the largest ever created for a Disney park—and it’s getting ready to begin delighting audiences this October 1.

Harmonious will bring the globe together at World Showcase Lagoon in a celebration of Disney music that inspires humans on every continent—all told with incredible new technical magic that incorporates pyrotechnics, fountains, lighting, and media in fresh, unique ways. The show set to feature new interpretations of classic Disney songs, reimagined in more than a dozen languages by a diverse group of 240 artists from around the world; collectively, these performers contribute to a unique experience that really could only happen at EPCOT—a place where the impossible becomes possible. The show moves through three distinct chapters, beginning with a sunrise… and as the world awakens, we set out on a journey that takes us across the globe.

Want to find out a bit more about it? Hear from several folks working on Harmonious in a new behind-scenes video from our friends at the Disney Parks Blog, seen above.

We cannot wait to check out this new nighttime spectacular in person!

stand up to cancer

Stand Up To Cancer® Returns to ABC on August 21

In just a few weeks’ time, the entertainment community will come together for Stand Up To Cancer® (SU2C) and its seventh biennial televised fundraising special—supporting urgently needed research and new treatments for cancer.

This year’s show, on Saturday, August 21 at 8 p.m. EDT/PDT (7 p.m. CDT), will be broadcast from Los Angeles and air simultaneously on more than 60 participating media platforms across the United States and Canada, including all four major broadcast networks here in the States (ABC amongst ’em). Broadcasters carrying the show are donating one hour of simultaneous commercial-free primetime—but don’t worry: for those of you who’ve “cut the cord,” the telecast will also be available to stream live and on-demand on several streaming platforms.

Academy Award®-winning actress Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth, a media industry entrepreneur and investor, will come on board this time ’round as co-executive producers, working alongside the renowned live-event producing team Done + Dusted as well as Stand Up To Cancer’s production team. Anthony Anderson, Ken Jeong & Tran Ho, and Sofia Vergara will also join as cohosts, and Common and Brittany Howard are the first of many incredible artists to be announced as performers taking the stage for this special event. Stay tuned for further info (including the announcement of a lot more celebrity participants and performers!) in the weeks leading up to the telecast.

For more information on Stand Up To Cancer and the August 21 special, visit their website.

Special New Look at Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story

Earlier this week, 20th Century Studios released a breathtaking new look at Oscar® winner Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, releasing only in theaters this December.

From a screenplay by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Tony Kushner, West Side Story tells the classic tale of fierce rivalries and young love in 1957 New York City. This reimagining of the beloved musical stars Ansel Elgort as Tony, Rachel Zegler as Maria, Ariana DeBose as Anita, David Alvarez as Bernardo, Mike Faist as Riff, Josh Andrés Rivera as Chino, Ana Isabelle as Rosalia, Corey Stoll as Lieutenant Schrank, Brian d’Arcy James as Officer Krupke, and Rita Moreno as Valentina, who owns the corner store in which Tony works. Moreno—one of only three artists to be honored with Academy, Emmy®, Grammy®, Tony, and Peabody Awards—also serves as one of the executive producers.

The film, which boasts a roster of truly incredible Broadway and Hollywood artists behind the camera, has been adapted for the screen from the original ’57 Broadway show—with book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and concept, direction, and choreography by Jerome Robbins. Look for it at a cineplex near you beginning December 10.

ICYMI: Inside Intel from the Makers of How to Stay at Home Animated Shorts

Just like the vast majority of us, Goofy spent the better part of the last 16 months at home… and a brand-new series of shorts from Walt Disney Animation Studios show how he mastered—or at least, attempted to master—skills such as “Learning to Cook” and “Binge Watching.” For an exclusive look into these adorable How to Stay at Home shorts, why don’t ya click right here?

Enter This Contest for a Chance to Win a Personalized Cameo Video From Mickey, Minnie, or Goofy!

How would you or a friend like to receive a personalized video greeting from Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, or Goofy? You can! In honor of International Friendship Day on July 30, Disney is teaming up with Starlight Children’s Foundation to deliver a one-of-a-kind opportunity: to win a personalized Cameo video from one of the three original friends—Mickey, Minnie, or Goofy! And that’s not all: For every contest entry, Disney will make a donation (up to a maximum of $350,000) to Starlight Children’s Foundation (www.starlight.org) to produce a Mickey & Friends-themed Starlight hospital gown (up to a maximum of 16,000 units) to help deliver happiness to seriously ill children and their families. So you’re not just entering for a chance to get a video greeting from one of your favorite Disney friends, you’re also showing true friendship to someone else in need…

And it’s easy! Just go to  disney.cameo.com/mickeyandfriends to fill out the simple form, then watch your email inbox. If you win, you’ll receive a personalized video from Mickey, Minnie, or Goofy just for you. But don’t wait—the contest ends August 5, so get going and show your friendship today!

cameo

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Contest submission phase begins at 12:00 PM ET on 7/30/21 and ends at 11:59:59 PM ET on 8/5/21. Open only to legal residents of 50 US/DC who are 18 years or older. Click Here for Official Rules, including how to enter, prize details and restrictions. Void where prohibited. Msg&data rates may apply. Sponsor: Disney Worldwide Services, Inc., 500 S. Buena Vista St., Burbank, CA 91521.

Set Sail for Fun with New Ways for Adults to Relax, Recharge, and Reconnect on the Disney Wish

By the D23 Team

The newest member of the Disney Cruise Line fleet is about to bring even more magic to the high seas! Just announced today, Disney Wish guests ages 18 and older will have new ways to pamper and play, sip and swim, and escape and indulge starting summer 2022. Our wishes for high-seas fun were already coming true with the previously announced Star Wars-themed lounge and fine dining experiences inspired by Beauty and the Beast, and now our vacation plans are getting even dreamier with the debut a variety of brand-new venues for adults, including the fleet’s first outdoor spa retreat, unique salon and barbershop experiences, and a collection of upscale bars and lounges sure to keep any itinerary jam-packed with relaxation and fun.

“With the Disney Wish, we wanted to design an experience that allows our grown-up guests to relax, recharge, and reconnect in unique ways that only Disney Cruise Line can create,” said Laura Cabo, portfolio creative executive, Walt Disney Imagineering. “Not only did we infuse more storytelling and enchantment into the adult-exclusive venues, but we added more variety and made them more accessible than ever before. This ship has truly been designed with adults’ vacation needs in mind, and I know our guests are going to return home feeling refreshed after their Disney Wish vacation.”

Want more details on all the new fun? Your wish is our command:

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The Fleet’s First-Ever Outdoor Spa Retreat
Nothing is more relaxing than a cool ocean breeze—until now! For the first time aboard a Disney ship, guests can relax at Senses Spa, a dedicated outdoor relaxation space featuring whirlpool spas, plush loungers, and yoga sessions. Plus, anyone looking for some private rest and relaxation can enjoy the Senses Spa’s private treatment rooms or lavish spa villas for couples, with full menus of massage, facial, and acupuncture therapies, along with a menu of specialized treatments that are customized to their needs, such as pain management and sleep improvement. Adjacent to the spa, the reimagined Senses Fitness will offer state-of-the-art exercise and wellness facilities, including a main room with exercise equipment, a dedicated cycle studio, and an aerobics room.

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This open-air oasis is a brand-new extension to Disney Cruise Line’s signature Rainforest experience, which has been reimagined for the Disney Wish to provide even more ways to relax and rejuvenate. The Rainforest will introduce the fleet’s first ice lounge, allowing guests to combine thermal therapies, which promotes both physical wellness and tranquility. It will also include guest-favorite elements like heated ergonomic loungers; sensory spa showers; and sauna, steam, and dry chambers.

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Salon and Barbery
Let your hair down—and have it cut and styled in two brand-new salon experiences new to the Disney Cruise Line fleet. The Untangled Salon, inspired by Rapunzel, is a light and airy environment perfect for pampering. The chic, high-end salon is enchantingly designed to reflect the spirit of Tangled, adorned in shapes of purple and gold and decorated with floating light fixtures. As it takes inspiration from our favorite long-tressed, artistic princess, guests can also enjoy custom cut-metal privacy screens depicting Rapunzel’s own paintings! One side of the space will even gleam and glow with the golden light of a signature chandelier that evokes the iconic flower that gave her hair its magical qualities. In addition to haircuts and styling, the menu of services at Untangled Salon will include manicures, pedicures, teeth whitening, and skin treatments.

In the mood for something less royal and more… villainous? Stop by Hook’s Barbery for a unique twist on a traditional European men’s salon. Offering cuts, shaves, and nail and skin care, the barbery is decked out in dark woods, handsome leather chairs, and ornate golden mirrors, and more narrative details inspired by its namesake, Captain Hook. Keep an eye out for an inlaid wooden map of Never Land, a hidden pocket watch and—of course—a hook, plus so many more details straight from Never Land. One more wonderful thought: A trio of seemingly nondescript lanterns will occasionally come to life with lighting and audio effects to signify Tinker Bell jumping from one fixture to another.

No establishment inspired by the pirate life is complete without some secrets: Hook’s Barbery not only provides salon and barber services, but it will also feature a hidden bar. This trove of pre-Prohibition bourbons, vintage whisky and port, aged rum, and premium spirits will be the ideal location for low-key hangouts, romantic date nights, hosted tastings and special evening events.

disney wish

Enchanting Nightlife
Every adult deserves the chance to have an enchanting evening or a magical night out, and the Disney Wish will offer a collection of relaxed and refined bars and lounges reserved exclusively for adults each evening. For the first time, these venues will be spread out among the ship’s other core gathering places for a more flexible, free-flow experience that will allow guests—particularly parents—the opportunity to craft their own adventures throughout their cruise. Also new is the prevalence of storytelling in these spaces, providing a variety of ways for adults to experience some of their favorite Disney stories in sophisticated ways designed especially for them. These experiences include:

  • Keg & Compass: Keg & Compass is a pub that celebrates the adventure and romance of the sea, designed in the rustic architectural style of a late 1800s Norwegian sailor’s map room. Drawing inspiration from the rich folklore of Norse seafaring, period-style oil paintings will depict tales of the deep and intricate carvings of tentacles, barnacles, compasses, and more will accentuate porthole frames.
    • Spanning the entire ceiling will be a grand, fantastical map in old maritime style that features, among other references to ocean lore, a homage to Disney characters and stories related to the sea. In addition to such characters as Ursula and Moana (appearing in the geographically accurate locations of their stories), the map will call out important locales related to The Walt Disney Company and, specifically, the design and construction of the Disney Wish. This casual setting is perfect for guests to kick back and watch live sports, news, and major broadcast events while sampling a specialized selection of beers, including three custom craft brews available exclusively aboard the Disney Wish, along with an assortment of liquors, wines, and cocktails.
  • Nightingale’s: Nightingale’s is a refined piano bar inspired by Cinderella’s lyrical rendition of “Sing Sweet Nightingale” in the 1950 film, offering an extensive menu of fine wines, bubblies, and hand-crafted cocktails. Classically modern with a soft metallic palette, the predominant design feature will be a glittering chandelier perched above the piano—a swirl of pearlescent bubbles and music notes displaying the titular song’s melody meticulously crafted out of shimmering rose gold. This vibrant lounge will be a thematic extension of the fairy tale-inspired Grand Hall from which it stems, with large doors that allow the twinkling tunes to spill out across the atrium, inviting passersby to stop and stay for a while.
  • The Bayou: Guests looking for New Orleans-inspired good time can go down to The Bayou, an informal lounge themed to The Princess and the Frog. Flourishing with magnolia blossoms, lily pads, and a canopy of twinkling fireflies overhead, this space will evoke the magical marsh where Tiana and Naveen take refuge in the film. A bronze statue of each character will be prominently displayed, and two gazebos inspired by the city’s iconic wrought iron metalwork structures will provide intimate seating for small groups on either side of the bar.

This centrally located venue will offer creative cocktails, specialty coffees, and signature beignets in a lively, social atmosphere complete with live entertainment and musical performances.

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More Fun for Adults
As previously announced, the Disney Wish will also feature a first-of-its-kind lounge in a galaxy far, far away; a trio of premium culinary experiences inspired by a tale as old as time; and a dedicated pool district on the upper decks exclusively for guests ages 18 and older.

  • Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge: For the first time on a Disney ship, guests will embark on a space-jumping tour of the Star Wars galaxy at Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge, a high-end bar styled as a luxurious yacht-class spaceship. This richly themed, immersive experience will be reserved for adults every evening, offering interactive tasting experiences and signature beverages inspired by the films.
  • Exquisite Specialty Dining: Adults will savor gourmet meals and exceptional beverages at Palo Steakhouse, Enchanté by Chef Arnaud Lallement, and The Rose, an upscale suite of epicurean excellence inspired by the elegant icons of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Beauty and the Beast.
  • Quiet Cove Pool District: At Quiet Cove, guests aged 18 and older will find a secluded adults-only district dedicated to lounging, sipping, and soaking. Set away from the bustle of family activities, this peaceful refuge will offer panoramic views of the ocean from a luxurious infinity pool. Other amenities include a whirlpool spa, an open-air bar, and a poolside cafe.

disney wish

Maiden Voyage and Inaugural Season
The Disney Wish will sail its maiden voyage on June 9, 2022, followed by a season of three- and four-night cruises to Nassau, Bahamas, and Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay, from Port Canaveral, Florida.

To learn more about the Disney Wish or to book a vacation, guests can visit disneycruise.com, call Disney Cruise Line at 888-325-2500 or contact their travel agent.