Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Arrives at Tokyo DisneySea!

So at first I thought this was an April Fools day prank, based on when it was posted, but apparently it's actually true!

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit has finally come to Disney Parks -- specifically (for now?) Tokyo DisneySea!

Both images from Disney Parks Blog

He has previously shown up in Tokyo, Florida and California but never has a costume character, only on parade floats or posters.

For those of you who are unsure who Oswald is, here's a snippet from his Wikipedia article:

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (also known as Oswald the Rabbit or Oswald Rabbit) is an anthropomorphic rabbit and animated cartoon character created by Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney for funny animal films distributed by Universal Pictures in the 1920s and 1930s. Walt Disney was eventually separated from the project and went on to create Mickey Mouse. Charles Mintz, and later Walter Lantz, took over production, creating new Oswald cartoons until 1943.

In 2003 Buena Vista Games pitched a concept for an Oswald-themed video game to Disney President and COO Bob Iger, who then became committed to bringing Oswald back to Disney. In 2006, nearly 80 years after Disney left Universal, The Walt Disney Company managed to acquire the intellectual property of Oswald and the catalog of Disney-produced Oswald films (with NBC/Universal effectively trading Oswald for the services of Al Michaels as play by play announcer on NBCSunday Night Football).

Ever since I started playing Epic Mickey, I have fallen in love with Oswald and his history.  I've waited years for him to come permanently to the Parks, and I believe this means he has!

Now I just need to go to Tokyo DisneySea and meet him!

Or, Disney, hurry up and bring him to the States!

ttfn!

Welcome…Princess Merida!

It’s official – Merida, Scottish star of Disney-Pixar’s features Brave, is now an official Disney Princess.

Not just a princess in the Disney franchise.  No, she’s now the 11th member of the Disney Royal Court aka the official lineup for the Disney Princess franchise.

Take a look with me at the royal festivities!

I Am Merida…And I Am a Princess!

This morning at 9:30, the ceremonies began at Disney World. 

Video from YouTube. Leave it to InsidetheMagic.net to always create an amazing video!

In a pretty epic coronation ceremony, all the members of the Royal Court showed up in front of Cinderella Castle to welcome the newest member, who came in riding on Angus (that was sweet!) with banners and Scottish dancers.  Let me just say at this point that I love how “Merida” stayed in perfect character during the entire ceremony – just wonderful!



All images, unless specified, are from InsidetheMagic.net.

Joining the Royal Court on the stage, Merida told everyone how excited she was to be here and then the proclamation was read.  Her mother Queen Elinor (yeah, that’s right!  Her first Park appearance!) came out and crowned Merida, making her the 11th member.



I love Queen Elinor so much!
The speech she gave to Merida was so cute!



Image from Stitchkingdom.com

Then there was a really really cute hug between mother and daughter.



I can't tell you how much I am in love with this!

And then the best part: Merida happily stood before the audience in her new crown and proclaimed, “I am strong. I am brave.  I am Merida…and I am a princess!”

I just can't.



Love love love!

Cue fan girl screams now.  Man, Disney sure knows how to do it right.

After Queen Elinor gave Merida her bow, Merida joined the rest of the Royal Court for a final photo opportunity – a once-in-a-lifetime one until Princesses numbers 12 and 13 come in 2014.



Wishing so hard that I had been there!

Welcome Princess Merida to the Disney Royal Court!



What a smile!

Reaction: *sigh*...just magical
Source

ttfn!

***UPDATE***

Here’s the video of the coronation from Disney Parks Blog, showing different angles/views of the event!  Enjoy!

***UPDATE***

Mary Connor at the blog Capturing Magical Memories got an up-close spot at the coronation, and her pictures of the ceremony really make you feel as if Merida and the others are standing right in front of you!

The One and Only Flying Elephant!

Instead of doing an entire post on New Fantasyland, which would be very overwhelming, I’ve decided to post on just a few of the key factors of the opening ceremony and new attractions.  Be prepared for several New Fantasyland-themed posts, giving you an insight to the new sights and sounds of the Magic Kingdom.

Let’s start off with one of my favorite characters: an adorable, quiet little guy named Dumbo.

Have you ever ridden on Dumbo’s back at any of the Parks?  I did, on my trip.  It was fun to feel as if you were flying, with the help of the one and only flying elephant and his magic feather!

Dumbo the Flying Elephant Ride original version
at Magic Kingdom before New Fantasyland expansion.
Picture from Wikipedia.

For New Fantasyland, Disney added Storybook Circus to Walt Disney World.  In this new area, there’s an “updated” version of the Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride, now featuring two rides, the original (slightly changed – Timothy Mouse got moved) and a new one next to it.  The more the merrier!

Because of this new Dumbo-themed land, during the opening ceremony for the expansion, guess who showed up!  A very rare appearance, and one that knocked me almost right out of Roomie’s chair!

(For the video below, skip to 3:08 and watch for about a 30 seconds for his short appearance.  I hope to do a post later on the entire opening ceremony.)

Video from YouTube.

I do think Dumbo isn’t as cute as he could be.  This is how cute and bubbly (but mute) he looks in the movie.

Dumbo! The one and only!
Picture from the Disney Wiki.

His character appearance is exactly like how he appears in a Disneyland parade, seeming to be another character performance (instead of an animatronic one) so I guess this isn’t the first time he’s been seen.  Compare below.

Dumbo in Disney's Electrical Parade.
Picture from the Disney Wiki.

Video capture by THE Disney Freak.
Taken from the included video.

This here below is my favorite appearance of Dumbo – one I feel that is much cuter and closer to his movie appearance.  Disney should work with this appearance over the parade one – meaning perhaps change the costume a bit.

Dumbo as he appears in the fireworks show Magical!
Picture from the Disney Wiki.

And a question for you all: Do you know why his feet seemed so springy in the ceremony?  Or I guess to put it better, why they decided to do that?

Summing up then, I think Dumbo’s surprise visit is adorable (too short perhaps?) here but maybe Disney should look into working on making him a tad cuter.  And also, if he’s appearing on stage, can’t he do meet and greets in his new Storybook Circus?

Give me a shout out in the comments below as to what you think!

ttfn!