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There’s no better way to freshen up your closet and makeup bag than with a touch of… Minnie Mouse, obviously! Her iconic style has inspired countless collections that fans around the world continue to obsess over, including the latest releases from Kate Spade and Sephora.
See for yourself! Check out the items that should be on every Minnie fan’s must-have list below.
Sweater Weather
Kate Spade New York for Minnie Mouse sweater
Tote-ally Cute
Kate Spade New York for Minnie Mouse comic tote
On the Dot
Kate Spade New York for Minnie Mouse iPhone 6 case
Can you believe that summer is already on the horizon? In a little over a month’s time, we’ll be facing the season wrap-ups of some of our favorite ABC television shows… but thankfully, there’s so much to look forward to, we can’t be sad (just yet!).
Make sure to mark those calendars for the season finales of primetime favorites, including:
Once Upon a Time (Sunday, May 15, from 7–9 p.m. ET)—Special two-hour event!
Quantico (Sunday, May 15, from 10–11 p.m. ET)—It’s graduation day for the NATS of Quantico—while in the future, Alex and her team find themselves head-to-head with the terrorist.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Tuesday, May 17, from 9–11 p.m. ET)—It’s a showdown a season in the making as S.H.I.E.L.D. takes on Hive in this two-hour season finale. With Hive’s master plan finally revealed, the team must spring into action. Who will live and who will die?
Modern Family (Wednesday, May 18, from 9–9:31 p.m. ET)—Claire can’t seem to find the right time to fire one of her employees, while back at home Phil thinks he caught Luke with a girl in his bed, and no one seems to notice that Alex has moved back home for the summer.
black-ish (Wednesday, May 18, from 9:31–10 p.m. ET)—Dre dreams himself into an episode of the classic TV series from the 1970s…
Grey’s Anatomy (Thursday, May 19, from 8–9 p.m. ET)—Will Callie and Arizona have finally agreed on what’s best for Sofia?
Dancing with the Stars (Tuesday, May 24, from 9–11 p.m.)—See who’s given this season’s coveted Mirrorball trophy during the second half of DWTS’ two-night season finale event.
So much good TV, so little time! Thank heaven for DVRs…
Parks March 2—May 30 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival April 1-May 1 Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival June 16 Shanghai Disney Resort to open Television May 1 Disney Channel Presents the Radio Disney Music Awards airs on Disney Channel from 7–9 p.m. EST
Climbing to Zoo Heights!
Fans around the world have been positively hopping to the nearest movie theater to enjoy Zootopia, the newest feature from Walt Disney Animation Studios. On April 5, the film surpassed the $800 million mark at the global box office, making it the third-highest-grossing Walt Disney Animation Studios film of all time. Zootopia is now also the fifth biggest ever among animated films based on original intellectual property.
The Little Mermaid—See “Under the Sea” Performed Under the Stars
If you’re planning to be near Hollywood on Saturday, June 4—and when you hear this news, you might want to be!—you’re in store for a treat. It was announced today that Disney’s animated classic, The Little Mermaid, will be given new life in a special live performance at the Hollywood Bowl. Grammy®-nominated artist Sara Bareilles (“Brave”) will voice Ariel for the evening, with Rebel Wilson (Pitch Perfect) lending her voice to Ursula. Rounding out the cast, who will be singing the songs live, accompanied by a full orchestra, are Darren Criss (Glee) as Prince Eric, John Stamos (Grandfathered) as Chef Louis, Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) as Sebastian, Norm Lewis (Porgy and Bess) as King Triton and Joshua Colley (Broadway’s A Bronx Tale: The Musical) as Flounder. The evening will open with eight-time Oscar®-winning composer Alan Menken performing a medley of his beloved Disney hits—including songs from Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Tangled, and more—and the festivities even include fireworks. Tickets go on sale at ticketmaster.com this Saturday, April 9, at 10 a.m. Sara Bareilles might as well have been speaking for all of us when she said in a statement, “I suppose this is the part where I say ‘dreams do come true.’”
Meet Disney’s The BFG in a Magical New Trailer
We’re already ridiculously excited to see legendary director Steven Spielberg’s first film for Disney, The BFG—based on the spellbinding Roald Dahl story and starring Oscar® winner Mark Rylance—and this brand-new trailer has us even more enchanted!
We finally meet the Big Friendly Giant (Rylance) himself, as he and adorable orphan Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) begin their adventures in Giant Country. Also starring Penelope Wilton (Downton Abbey), Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords), and Bill Hader (Inside Out), Disney’s The BFG will bound into theaters nationwide on July 1.
Show Your Force with New Star Wars: Force for Change Campaign
The Digital HD and Blu-ray® release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens isn’t the only big news coming out of the Star Wars universe this week… Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy and Star Wars veteran Mark Hamill just announced a new campaign (sponsored by CrowdRise) in support of Star Wars: Force for Change, an initiative that inspires people to make a positive impact on the world. Starting April 5, Star Wars: Force for Change will match the donations of Star Wars fans to four select charities up to $1,000,000!
To date, Star Wars: Force for Change has raised more than $10,000,000 with the help of the awesome Star Wars community. This year’s month-long campaign leads up to “Star Wars Day” (on May the 4th, natch)—and the select charities include the U.S. Fund for UNICEF in support of UNICEF Kid Power, American Red Cross, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and Make-A-Wish®.
Check out the announcement video—featuring some galactic hilarity from Luke Skywalker himself—above… and then head over to CrowdRise.com/ForceForChange for more information!
P!nk Takes a Trip with Alice Through the Looking Glass
Fans of pop superstar P!nk, your three-year wait for a new single is almost over! On April 15, the Grammy® winner will release “Just Like Fire”—a song written especially for the upcoming Disney film Alice Through the Looking Glass—on music-related digital platforms worldwide! The single will appear in the film and on the motion picture soundtrack from Walt Disney Records, which also features a score from four-time Academy Award® nominee Danny Elfman.
Directed by James Bobin (Muppets Most Wanted), Alice Through the Looking Glass follows our golden-haired heroine (Mia Wasikowska) as she returns to Underland and is swept into helping the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) find his “muchness” while keeping Time himself (Sacha Baron Cohen) at bay. Also starring Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, and Michael Sheen, the film opens in theaters on May 27.
Finding Dory: Characters and Full Voice Cast Announced
“Just keep swimming!” Disney•Pixar’s Finding Dory recently revealed its full roster of aquatic characters—as well as the voice talent tasked with helping bring each personality to life. Besides previously known stars Ellen DeGeneres (Dory) and Albert Brooks (Marlin), the animated adventure will feature Modern Family’s Ed O’Neill and Ty Burrell as Hank the octopus and Bailey the beluga whale (respectively); comedy legends Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy as Dory’s very own parents, Jenny and Charlie; and Golden Globe® winner Idris Elba and nominee Dominic West as the voices of Fluke and Rudder, a pair of lazy sea lions.
Directed by Andrew Stanton (who helmed Oscar® winners Finding Nemo and WALL•E),Finding Dory revisits everyone’s favorite blue tang as she embarks on a life-altering quest to find her family. Ride the waves with Dory and friends when the film swims into theaters on June 17.
Mowgli Meets Baloo in New The Jungle Book Clip
Ready for a quick onslaught of adorable? Curious as to what Bill Murray looks like as a large, furry, appropriately droll bear? Then check out this brand-new clip from Disney’s The Jungle Book, in which Mowgli (Neel Sethi) meets Baloo (Murray), a critter who managed to save the young man-cub’s life… and evidently, there’s some payback involved.
Watch the further adventures of Mowgli, Baloo, Bagheera, King Louie, and scores of other incredible creatures when The Jungle Book roars into your local cineplex next week!
There’s a special bond between siblings—whether they be brothers (like Hiro and Tadashi in Big Hero 6), sisters (Anna and Elsa in Frozen), or a combination thereof (Ryan and Sharpay in High School Musical). As National Sibling Day (April 10) approaches, we decided to take a spin through the fabulous Disney Gif app to find some sibling-centric gifs that demonstrate exactly why we love Disney kinfolk.
To paraphrase that beloved little blue genetic-experiment alien, these sibs are all great examples of “ohana.” Did your favorite make the cut?
Time flies when you’re careening forwards (and backwards) aboard Expedition Everest—Legend of the Forbidden Mountain at Walt Disney World Resort. D23 is taking fans on an exclusive excavation into the backstory of this E-ticket attraction.
The adventure begins in Asia at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, as guests join the Expedition Everest team and embark on a trek through Anandapur. The trail leads visitors to the village of Serka Zong, which means “fortress of the chasm.” In the early years, the Royal Anandapur Tea Company shipped its tea by train from Serka Zong through the Forbidden Mountain pass, but the railroad was closed after a series of mysterious accidents, rumored to be from the hand of the Yeti.
Today, the village of Serka Zong is thriving and has moved beyond its tragic past, largely thanks to the efforts of local entrepreneurs. In spite of the local opposition, the Himalayan Escapes, Tours and Expeditions company has partially refurbished the railway and now offers transportation for adventurers to the base camp at Mt. Everest.
To avoid any spoilers, we’ll leave the journey to the base for the explorer in all of us, but below are some fun facts about this thrilling attraction!
Imagineer Joe Rohde with a model of Expedition Everest.
The Forbidden Mountain’s rocky peaks and distinctive face are based upon the actual northwest face of Mount Everest.
More than 2,000 handcrafted items of wood, stone, and metal supplied by artisans in Asia are featured in the attraction.
The Yeti Museum was curated by Professor Pema Dorji and features a collection of maps, photos, paintings, and artifacts that present the legend, lore, and science of the Yeti to visitors of the region.
The “Shangri-La Trekker’s Inn & Internet Café” features a mix of popular music including pop remixes of Tibetan, Indian, and Himalayan tunes.
At 199 feet, Expedition Everest is the tallest mountain at any Disney park.
Katherine McNamara stars on the Freeform series Shadowhunters as Clary Fray, a teenager with mystical abilities who’s tasked with helping protect humanity from all manner of demons. No pressure, right? Thrown into a world of fairies, witches, werewolves, and vampires, Clary is faced with secrets from her past while charting a course for a very unique future.
Katherine—a former Broadway actress who also starred on the Disney Channel series Jessie—recently took a break from celebrating Shadowhunters’ fantastic first season finale by attending Disney’s The Jungle Book premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. D23 caught up with the actress (and Disney fan) on the red carpet and learned all about her five favorite Disney films—both animated and live action. They’re the perfect way to unwind from all that day-to-day demon hunting…
5) Mulan & 4) Pocahontas
I loved Mulan, and I loved Pocahontas growing up—because they were the warrior princesses, and maybe that’s why I identify with Clary so much! They always stood up and fought for what they believed in. I thought that was great.
3) Lady and the Tramp
I really love Lady and the Tramp—the music in that film was so great, and it was such a romantic piece. And I loved the little dogs, of course!
2) Marvel’s The Avengers
That one was incredible! I loved that film. I love what Disney is doing with all the Marvel super heroes…
1) A Bug’s Life
I have to say A Bug’s Life was one of my favorite films as a kid! I love going back and watching all the Disney animated films from when I was a kid—all the Disney and Disney•Pixar animated films—because they still carry over, and they take on a different meaning [now as an adult] that’s so fabulous.
On April 6, 1991, mild-mannered every-duck Drake Mallard donned his hat, mask, and cape for the first time and assumed an alter ego—the “daring duck of mystery,” Darkwing Duck. We can’t believe that the series that bears his name, Darkwing Duck, made its Disney Channel debut 25 years ago today.
Throughout the series’ 91 episodes, Darkwing Duck and his loyal—but often clueless—sidekick, Launchpad McQuack, kept their hometown of St. Canard safe from a slew of frightening fowl and brutish beasts. In celebration of Darkwing Duck’s silver anniversary, we asked you to tell us who are your favorite villains from the series, and you responded with a flock of foes. “Let’s get dangerous” and meet your rogues’ gallery now:
Erin J. casts her villainous vote for Negaduck, Darkwing’s evil double from another dimension. “Not only is he Darkwing’s nemesis, he is (like Darkwing) voiced by my favorite voice actor, Jim Cummings.”
“QuackerJack is my personal favorite… Talk about toying with the hero!” Christian A. says about the crazed toymaker. Dennis S. also counts QuackerJack as the best of the bad guys. “I love his gags, and his craziness makes him a formidable and unpredictable foe,” Dennis says.
Melissa Y. also singled out QuackerJack: “Voting for QuackerJack because he had the absolute best henchmen!”
Splatter Phoenix made a splash with Marisol A., who voted for the pompous reality-warping artist because, “Splatter Phoenix was pretty awesome with her ability to alter paintings and bring stuff to life with paint, too.”
The suave chief agent of F.O.W.L., Steelbeak, forged a bond with Jeff C.: “I was always a fan of Steelbeak—a [James] Bond-like villain.”
Disney fan David Y. is a mega-fan of Megavolt, the electric controlling rodent. “Megavolt! Dan Castellaneta’s voice work is so fun,” David says.
But perhaps the Darkwing Duck villain whose evil deeds inspired the most love among our fans is Bushroot, the plant/duck hybrid. Fans had a gaggle of good things to say about him:
“Bushroot—you always kind of root for him,” Alissa H. said.
Rocky T. told us, “Darkwing Duck has such a great array of villains, but I feel that Bushroot never gets his due. He had a great origin story, and had so much to offer in his other episodes—especially as a member of the Fearsome Five. Being voiced by Tino Insana also helps to make him memorable.”
Affection for the onetime botanist also sprouted for Andrew A., who points out, “Bushroot had just such a misunderstood quality about him. I thought he was the perfect villain for the Christmas episode.”
And Jill N. brings it all back to the beginning—of the theme song, that is—when she votes, “Bushroot for sure! Let’s get deciduous!!”
Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival is back! The festival made its triumphant return this weekend and will continue through May 1, 2016.
The park has transformed into a foodie paradise featuring eight marketplaces, each hosting delectable eats inspired by California cuisine. We’ve come up with three different ways to eat your way through DCA. Follow along with our California crawl below—the marketplace where you’ll find each delicious dish is provided for your consumption convenience—and don’t miss our pro-tips!
‘Appy’ Hour—Enjoy a glass of wine or beer with lighter options, including:
Artichoke chips—Spicy aioli is the perfect kick to these crisp artichokes! (Gold Rush)
Chilled Shrimp and Snow Crab Cocktail—You can find this sensational seafood specialty near Paradise Bay. (By the Bay)
Cheese plates—We’d argue that a cheese plate is the ultimate appetizer, which might be why Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival features two of them! You can find a fruit and cheese plate at both Mendocino Terrace and Sonoma Terrace—for a heartier option, try the sausage and cheese plate.
Entrée Eats—Make lunch or dinner a moving meal with heartier choices, including:
Anaheim Chile & Roasted Cauliflower Burrito—Roasted cauliflower rolled up with jack cheese and served with avocado-lime crèma? Yes, please! (!Viva Fresca!)
Triple Cheese Mac—Smoked chicken and Fontina, cheddar, and Gouda cheeses take classic mac and cheese to the next level. (Gold Rush)
Grilled Beef Tenderloin Slider—This slider definitely lives up to its name! Super tender beef is served with fresh chimichurri sauce. (The Farm)
Treat Trail—It was hard to narrow this one down, so we suggest sharing with friends for the ultimate treat-tasting experience.
Milk Chocolate Caramel Tart—Almond brittle and sea salt add a salty side to this sweet treat. (LAstyle)
Apple Bacon Whoopie Pie—This one’s for the bacon lovers! This savory sweet is served with maple cream cheese icing and bacon brittle. (Gold Rush)
Meyer Lemon Macaron—Blueberry marmalade is the perfect complement to the crisp Meyer lemon cream in this delicate French cookie. (The Farm)
PRO-TIPS:
Grab a Food & Wine Festival map on your way into Disney California Adventure—along with marketplace locations, you can learn more about the Beverage Seminars, Celebrity Kitchens, and culinary demonstrations happening each week!
The festival is much more than marketplaces! Check out special Food and Wine offerings at Pacific Wharf Cafe, Cocina Cucamonga, Lucky Fortune Cookery, and Wine Country Trattoria.
For all the social butterflies out there, don’t forget to tag your foodie photos with #DisneyCaliforniaFoodandWine.
Need a breather? Take a quick walk around the park with one of our Disney Parks miles before your next bite.
They’re cute, cuddly, and quite collectible: You may already be a fan of Disney’s Tsum Tsum—round plush toys of varying sizes that feature faces of popular Disney characters… But do you know how they first began delighting admirers of all ages? Introduced at Disney Stores in Japan in October 2013, Tsum Tsum (pronounced “soom-soom”) quickly became a veritable phenomenon; the toys—plus an accompanying mobile puzzle game—were brought to the States the next year, where they’ve enjoyed passionate popularity ever since.
Their name is taken from the Japanese verb for “to stack,” and they’re designed to sit on top of one another to form a pyramid of adorable. New Tsum Tsum characters are released the first and third Tuesday of every month, both online and in Disney Stores around the country—and you can even sign up for a monthly mail-order subscription at DisneyStore.com. (The toys, also available at Target stores nationwide, include the added functionality of screen-cleaner material on their tummies!)
Available stuffed pals range from Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Buzz Lightyear, and Frozen’s Olaf to recent special releases like Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy’s Groot, Disney Park-themed exclusives, and Star Wars favorites. What characters will get the soft-and-sweet Tsum Tsum treatment next? We’ll have to wait and “tsee.”
Continue your stacking fun with these facts below!
The struggle between good and evil is at the core of many great stories, and The Jungle Book, in theaters April 15, is no exception. Shere Khan, an intimidating tiger, seeks revenge on mankind and plans to act out this revenge on Mowgli, a young boy living in the jungle. In a battle between boy and Bengal tiger, who will prevail?
Here’s a closer look at the two opponents:
MOWGLI (Neel Sethi)
At the heart of The Jungle Book is Mowgli, portrayed by Neel Sethi in his feature debut. Abandoned as an infant, Mowgli is raised in the jungle by a pack of wolves. When Mowgli learns that the jungle can no longer be his home, he begins the adventure of a lifetime, joined by friends Bagheera and Baloo, and encountering foes like King Louie, Kaa, and the sinister Shere Khan along the way.
SHERE KHAN
A sleek Bengal tiger, Shere Khan has been scarred by mankind—we mean that quite literally. The threatening tiger has one goal: to keep man and man’s fire out of the jungle. Which means, unfortunately for Mowgli, the man-cub is definitely on the tiger’s radar. Shere Khan’s intimidating presence paired with the powerful voice of Idris Elba makes for a vicious villain in the upcoming film. Take a look!
While not a musician himself, Walt Disney instinctively recognized the appeal of rhythm from his earliest filmmaking days—even before pictures learned to talk. Beat, meter, patterns, and cycles created visual harmonics onscreen in much the same way that poetry can be said to communicate the musicality of words without the addition of melody. Therefore, it isn’t surprising that a great many poems have rhymed their way into Disney history.
A Disney poem can be as simple as a rhyming couplet, a form often used in magic incantations:
“Dip the apple in the brew / Let the Sleeping Death seep through.” (The Evil Queen, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)
or by prosaic couriers:
“Here is a baby with eyes of blue / Straight from Heaven right to you.” (Mr. Stork, Dumbo, 1941)
Long-form tales with lessons to teach are also well suited to verse. In 2003, a folksy jackalope in Pixar Animation Studios’ Boundin’ encouraged a shorn and forlorn sheep to “bound” and “rebound.” The Ballad of Nessie (2011) from Walt Disney Animation Studios followed the trials of a displaced “monster” and her rubber ducky. Thanks to a little bit of “loch,” we learn “Dinna be afraid to cry / It really is okay. / Sometimes it’s through our tears / We find a better way.”
How many can trace their first exposure to classical poetry to a Disney film? The answer might be surprising. Many historic works were quoted, visualized—and occasionally lampooned.
Though Walt explored producing a feature based on Longfellow’s “The Song of Hiawatha,” the 1855 epic was given an affectionate wink with 1937’s Silly Symphony Little Hiawatha. The winks broadened when “Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888” by Ernest Thayer appeared in Make Mine Music (1946).
Jerry Colonna delivered the baseball recitation with manic gusto, ending with “But there is no joy in Mudville—mighty Casey has struck out!” In 1954 the Disney story team gave Casey another chance, although the real “hero” of the parody poem “Casey Bats Again” is “Mighty Patsy,” one of Casey’s nine daughters! The Burbank bards continued that year as another Disney release, the Oscar®-nominated Pigs Is Pigs, transformed Ellis Parker Butler’s 1905 short story of guinea pigs and muddled freight rates into vivid verse.
In Alice in Wonderland (1951), schoolgirl Alice attempts to quote Isaac Watts’ Victorian ode to diligence, “How Doth the Little Busy Bee,” but it unsurprisingly metamorphoses into Lewis Carroll’s own sly and slightly sinister send-up from 1865, “How Doth the Little Crocodile.” John Townsend Trowbridge’s 1910 “Darius Green and His Flying Machine” told of a modern-day Icarus and his lofty ambitions. Not only does the poem appear in the 1965 Disney comedy The Monkey’s Uncle, but it inspired the entire second half of the screenplay! The custom-illustrated book of the poem seen by Tommy Kirk and Annette in the film is today housed in the Walt Disney Archives.
Limerick or haiku, epic cycle or catchphrase, the art of poetry is alive and well within the Disney world. Creative wordplay will always be music to the ears of Disney fans… and a way to “sing” even when the orchestra has left the building.
Disney Poetry:
To celebrate National Poetry Month April 2016, we’ll be updating this post with Disney poetry shareables! Check back each week in April for a new poem.
“To An Upside-Down Cake” – An original poem by the dragon (The Reluctant Dragon 1941) – Click here to download.
“Talk Happiness” – As recited by Mouseketeer Annette Funicello – Click here to download.
Boundin’ – Written by Bud Luckey – Click here to download.
“How Doth the Little Crocodile” – Lewis Carroll, as recited by the Caterpillar in Walt Disney’s Alice in Wonderland (1951) – Click here to download.
