Off to Neverland Travel® Disney Vacations Blog

Inside the Epcot® icon, remarkable changes have taken place. A re-imagined Spaceship Earth, presented by Siemens, re-launches this month, combining the magic of the iconic attraction’s time-travel adventure into the past with a new finale that provides Guests the opportunity to imagine their futures.

On a trip through time inside the Spaceship Earth attraction, Guests discover how each generation of mankind has invented the future for the next generation, and how the spirit of innovation has moved people from the caves to the cosmos.

Enhancements to the time-travel attraction encompass changes to each of the ride scenes. New show scenes were added to the attraction’s story along with new lighting effects, costumes, set decoration, narration and musical score.

This adventure through time leads ultimately to the very top of Spaceship Earth’s geodesic dome, where Guests arrive at the present. The time travel adventure is enhanced through new, interactive touch screens installed aboard each “time machine” that enable Guests to create their own visions of the future.

As Guests disembark the time travel experience, they are invited to visit “Project Tomorrow: Inventing the World of Tomorrow,” where interactive exhibits bring to life the ideas and technologies Siemens is developing to help make the world a better place for the future.

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts will create an “American Idol” attraction that will bring the television and pop culture phenomenon to life at the Walt Disney World® Resort. The joint announcement was made by Jay Rasulo, chairman of Disney Parks and Resorts; Simon Fuller, CEO of 19 Entertainment; and Keith Hindle, executive vice president of FremantleMedia Licensing.

The attraction, slated to debut in late 2008, will be located at Disney’s Hollywood Studios^TM  and will follow the model of the high-energy show. Disney Guests will be able to experience the challenge of auditioning, the rush of performing on stage in competition, or the thrill of judging the performances in a live interactive entertainment setting with all the glitz and glamour of the distinctive “American Idol” set.

That experience will include an audition process, open to all who register, where Guests perform “live” in front of a Disney’s Hollywood Studios producer to be cast in a theme park show. After backstage preparation – working with a vocal coach, hair and make-up – it’s lights up and showtime in front of a “live” audience and a panel of judges.

Guest performers with the highest votes will compete in an end-of-day Grand Finale show at the Walt Disney World Resort, and the winner of the Grand Finale show will receive a guaranteed reservation for a future regional stadium audition — to ensure no waiting in long lines. But when it comes down to the television show auditions, everyone is treated equal.

“Millions of people have imagined themselves standing on the ‘American Idol’ stage,” said Rasulo. “We’re excited that we will be bringing this dream to life every day at Walt Disney World.”

The coming “American Idol” attraction joins an all-star lineup at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Among the new adventures debuting in 2008: Block Party Bash, an interactive and moving Disney•Pixar spectacle filling the theme park streets, and Toy Story Mania!, a 3-D interactive ride-through video game starring popular Disney•Pixar “Toy Story” characters.

It’s that time of year again.  A time when flowers are soon to bloom…a time of new beginnings.  Nowhere is Spring-time celebrated like the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, FL.  In just a couple of months, the The Fifteenth Annual Epcot® International Flower & Garden Festival will spring to life. 

“Celebrating “Fun in the Sun,” the Epcot® International Flower & Garden Festival is packed with new experiences for the entire family. See millions of blooms and the largest collection of Disney Topiary anywhere! Interact with top horticulturists inside the Wonders of Life Pavilion at Garden Town, a new festival addition, where you can get gardening tips, participate in demonstrations, plan your day, and more! Have a fun evening “under the stars” at the America Gardens Theatre and enjoy the music that inspired generations during the Flower Power Concert Series.”

More information can be found here, at OfftoNeverland.com:
Epcot® International Flower & Garden Festival