2010 is the year of volunteering in the world of Disney and The Muppets are here to usher in Disney’s Give a Day Get a Day program in a very special way. The Muppets are the creation of genius Jim Henson who is also behind television and movie greats like Sesame Street, The Dark Crystal, and Return of the Jedi. Loved by many, the cute characters of Miss Piggy, Kermit the Frog and Sweetums (the friendly monster) are all coming together to get the world to volunteer and they’re using both the Magic Kingdom and viral videos to get everyone involved!

If you do a quick internet search you will find a video of Fozzie and Kermit encouraging people to volunteer. The great thing about this is that you can insert your name, website or even blog and they will show up on the white cards Fozzie and Kermit use in the video. If you go to the Disney theme parks you will be able to enjoy a special “pre-parade” that will feature special floats and vehicles dedicated to volunteerism and people that have dedicated themselves to the craft. It was reported that in the New Year, around 59% of Americans considered volunteering as one of their New Year’s Resolutions. So if you’re one of those in the 59% category, what are you waiting for?

“Volunteering is incredibly easy, and it’s never been as easy as it is now with this new partnership between Disney Parks and HandsOn Network,” said Maggic Jones Patton, with the Youth HandsOn Network. “It’s really about finding a match that you can be passionate about,” Patton said. “There’s opportunities ranging from education, the environment, the economy — it can be as simple as packing care packages to send to our troops that are serving abroad.”

The Muppets promotion might just be for a limited time only, but don’t forget you can get your puppet laughs at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at the Muppetvision 3-D Experience! This 3-D adventure is fun for the whole family and involves classic Muppets comedy along with music and an adorable story—definitely a Hollywood Studios classic! Lend a hand this year for the Give a Day Get a Day program and enjoy both your free theme park ticket and the Muppets!

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Part of what’s fun about going to the Disney theme parks is getting to enjoy all of the great restaurants located within. It’s not just about park food—there is much more to the Walt Disney World Resort than turkey legs and pop corn! Plenty of the parks have amazing restaurants like Teppan Edo in Epcot or The Brown Derby at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. As always, Disney finds a way to make the park experiences extra special for the most loyal Disney fans. One example is with Tables in Wonderland, formerly the Disney Dining Experience.

Tables in Wonderland is a members-only program that allows Disney fanatics to experience amazing dining adventures within the parks. Whether it involves having special dinners with top chefs, attending private functions, or getting other great Disney privileges, this program will not disappoint. Just recently, Tables in Wonderland held an event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios where Tables in Wonderland members got to dine in The Great Movie Ride! This classic ride takes you through a tour of Hollywood’s most famous movies, from Casablanca to Alien, and Tables in Wonderland members recently got a chance to have an amazing themed dinner there!

The dinner was set up in the Mobster and Wizard of Oz sections of the ride, with table décor following the appropriate themes. The Wizard of Oz tables had lollipops and ruby slipper party favors while the gangster movie section included actors dressed like 1920’s mobsters. They got to dine on great food like miniature calzones, house cured salmon with caviar and arancini with spicy Italian sausage. Also on the menu were great creations featuring gorgonzola and hazelnut along with white bean and eggplant dishes.

If you’re a Florida Resident it costs 5 to join the Tables in Wonderland program and annual pass holders usually get a bit of a discount. You also have access to complimentary resort parking, reimbursement for eating in the theme parks along with 20% discounts on food and beverages within the parks kiosks. Overall if you’re a Disney fanatic Tables in Wonderland would be an amazing club to join!

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Actress Eva La Rue, star of the CBS series “CSI: Miami,” and her daughter Kaya (left), age 8, pose March 1, 2010 with Minnie Mouse at the Magic Kingdom in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Prior to joining the cast of “CSI: Miami,” La Rue appeared on the ABC Daytime drama “All My Children.”

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BURBANK, Calif. – February 3, 2010 – Seventy years ago, Walt Disney opened his tree-lined, campus-like studio lot in the heart of Burbank, and Disney twenty-three magazine travels back in time to tell the story of how Walt’s dream factory was created – one of more than a dozen new features and articles in the Spring 2010 issue.

The latest issue of Disney twenty-three magazine is available beginning today, and will be mailed directly to members of D23: The Official Community for Disney Fans. It’s also available at select Barnes & Noble and Borders bookstore locations, online at DisneyStore.com and throughout the Disneyland® and Walt Disney World® Resorts.

Rare and never-before-seen photos from the history of the Walt Disney Studios include the testing of vehicles for Disneyland’s Submarine Voyage (which was actually carried out in a specially built a tank on the Burbank lot); images of the Studio’s construction; and behind-the-scenes pictures taken during the production of such classic Disney movies as Darby O’Gill and the Little People, The Love Bug and Pete’s Dragon and Zorro.

The Spring 2010 issue of the glossy, oversized Disney twenty-three magazine also takes readers into Walt Disney’s office and onto the lot during key moments in the Studio’s history.

But it’s not just Disney history on display in the Spring 2010 issue of Disney twenty-three – it’s Disney’s exciting, vibrant future, as well.

The magazine takes an in-depth look at the upcoming expansion of Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. Theme park fans will want to pore over this seven-page article that’s filled with large, detailed, full-color images of this ambitious expansion.

Disney twenty-three also features an exclusive interview with award-winning actress Helena Bonham Carter, who plays the Queen of Hearts in Tim Burton’s soon-to-be-released Alice in Wonderland, and reveals some unexpected attributes of her character along with secrets of how the Queen’s bizarre appearance was created.

Michael Giacchino, nominated on Tuesday for an Academy Award for his memorable score to Disney-Pixar’s Up, is also the subject of an in-depth profile, showcasing his impressive list of Disney credits, including videogames, theme-park attractions and complex, highly lauded music for ABC’s Alias and Lost, which has just begun its final season.

The 64 pages of Disney twenty-three magazine’s Spring 2010 issue are filled with surprises for Disney fans of all ages. The magazine is free to Gold-level D23 Members, and has a retail price of .95. Subscriptions and D23 memberships can be purchased online at www.disney.com/D23.

About D23
The name “D23” pays homage to the wonder and excitement that began in 1923 when Walt Disney opened his fledgling studio in Hollywood. D23 is the first official community for fans in Disney’s 85-year history. D23 gives its members a greater connection to the entire world of Disney by placing them in the middle of the magic through its quarterly publication Disney twenty-three; a rich website at www.disney.com/D23; a collectibles line, The Walt Disney Archives Collection; and special events for D23 members throughout the year. Fans can join D23 at www.Disney.com/D23, select shops at Disneyland® Resort and Walt Disney World® Resort, and www.DisneyStore.com.

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New Terror for Tower, too

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (Feb. 10, 2010) – The “Main Street Electrical Parade” lights up the streets of Magic Kingdom and headlines a season of after-dark excitement coming to Walt Disney World Resort.

“After the sun goes down, our Walt Disney World parks will light up the night with ‘Summer Nightastic!’, ” announced Meg Crofton, president of Walt Disney World Resort, at a media event Wednesday.

Disney magic will shine and shimmer in a whole new light. Here’s a look around:

* With floats and characters appearing for the first time at Walt Disney World Resort, Disney’s “Main Street Electrical Parade” returns with its joyous sights and sounds. Direct from Disneyland and marking its first engagement in Florida since 2001, the cherished parade will be led by Tinker Bell waving from the basket of a magical balloon aboard a new float. Pinocchio and Snow White join the parade this summer, aboard bright new floats. Disney’s “Main Street Electrical Parade” is set for its summer-long nighttime premiere in early June at Magic Kingdom.

* The Twilight Zone™ Tower of Terror welcomes “drop-ins” this summer with even more pulse-racing surprises. New lighting effects and the addition of a new drop sequence, created especially for “Summer Nightastic!”, will bring unexpected frights to guests who step into that infamous service elevator. If they dare.

* What could be more summery than fireworks on a star-studded night? Magic Kingdom will treat guests to a special summer fireworks spectacular. The night sky will explode in vivid colors and brilliant visual effects as whimsical music fills the air.

* Other fun! The return of the Sounds Like Summer concert series to Epcot and extended evening hours at Disney’s Animal Kingdom several times a week add up to summer fun as only Disney can do – at all four Walt Disney World theme parks.

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From StarWars.com:

This summer, Walt Disney World® continues the tradition of offering new Disney/Star Wars-themed logo art for its Star Wars Weekends event, with Jedi Mickey fending off laser blasts from the galaxy’s best bounty hunter, Boba Fett!

2010 celebrates the 30th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back, the film which originally debuted Boba Fett, and for those fans with a slant for the old-school Star Wars aesthetic, you can’t miss that nod to the classic double-bar wrap-around logo!

Look for this event logo artwork on merchandise offered at Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida starting in May, and don’t miss the four Star Wars Weekends happening this summer:

* May 21 - 23
* May 28 - 30
* June 4 - 6
* June 11 - 13

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