The Big Thunder Suite is the wildest suite in the wilderness and immerses up to six pioneers in 1,400-square-feet of luxurious rustic accommodations inspired by the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad attraction at Disneyland park.

Howling wolves sound to the push of the suite’s doorbell as guests step into a mine shaft foyer inlaid with Fool’s Gold and hear the rumble of a passing runaway mine train. A button on the wall can be pushed to trigger sound effects from the attraction. The mine shaft leads into a living and dining area that separates the suite’s two bedrooms. In many rooms, repurposed wood from a Midwestern barn is used as flooring and paneling, which is complimented by textured earthen walls.

A stone-hearth fireplace in the living area serves as the suite’s centerpiece and houses a mounted flat-panel television. When not in use, the TV is cleverly concealed by one of the many pieces of attraction concept art found throughout the suite. The living area also includes a surround sound-stereo system and displays antique tools once used for mining gold, including an 1850s gold scale and pan.

The centerpiece of the dining area is a knotted table with seating for eight, with a wagon-wheel chandelier. Nearby is a wet bar made of petrified wood and above the bar hangs a “living portrait” of a gold miner who magically changes activities over the course of the day.

Rustic décor belies the luxurious amenities found in the suite’s two bedrooms. The master bedroom is appointed with a desk, sitting area, TV and king-sized bed with a commanding headboard made of rich wood, brown leather and exposed brackets.

The master bath is revealed through a sliding barn door, where a free-standing copper tub is surrounded by a dramatic stone wall. The tub’s copper finish matches the copper piping in the adjacent steam shower, which is tiled with an earth-tone mosaic. A television is concealed behind the mirror above the bathroom’s bucket sinks.

In the coming weeks, details of other signature suites, including the new Fairy Tale Suite, Mickey Mouse Penthouse and Pirates of the Caribbean Suite. All are located on the 11th floor of the hotel’s Dreams Tower and boast a distinct design, luxurious amenities and amazing views.

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Less than 160 days away from the maiden voyage of the Disney Dream. All of the spaces on the ship are quickly transforming from cavernous steel hollows to beautiful guest areas.

Construction is moving very quickly on the Buena Vista Theatre which will span two decks and have capacity for 399 guests. As you can see, the decorative ceiling is nearly complete, the stadium seating structure is already in place and furnishings will be installed shortly.

For cinephiles, the Buena Vista Theatre will be home to first-run-movies, including releases in stunning digital 3-D. Take a look at this rendering of the finished venue.

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Actor Cheech Marin was recently presented with a diorama showcasing Cars die-cast toys to honor his role as Ramone, the popular low-rider in Disney/Pixar film, Cars. Since Cars opened in theaters in June 2006, more than 120 million die-cast Cars toys have been sold.

Cars 2 opens in theaters next summer; Disney Consumer Products will support the film with a very robust licensing program.

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Spread the Word about Disney’s Fan Club

BURBANK, Calif. – October 24th, 2010 – Membership in D23: The Official Disney Fan Club is already filled with exclusive perks, and now D23 Members who ‘Refer a Fan’ to the global community of Disney enthusiasts will receive very special gifts for making their friends a part of the magic.

When existing D23 Members refer new members to D23: The Official Disney Fan Club, the referring member will receive the following special rewards:

• Refer one (1) fan who becomes a new D23 Member, receive an exclusive collector pin created especially for the D23 Refer a Fan program

• Refer five (5) fans, receive an exclusive three-pin set featuring favorite Disney characters

• Refer 10 fans, receive a special tour of the Walt Disney Archives

• Refer 15 fans, receive a free, one-year Gold-level D23 Membership
This special ‘Refer a Fan’ program began on August 9, 2010, and continues through July 31, 2012, and is open to all existing D23 Members. This program applies to the purchase of new memberships (Gold or Silver-level) only and cannot be applied to the renewal of an existing membership.

D23 Members receive a host of special benefits throughout the year, including a one-year subscription to Disney twenty-three, the quarterly publication of D23 (Gold-level memberships only); access to special, member-only events throughout the year; annual membership gift from the Walt Disney Archives Collection; special discounts and offers on a wide range of products and services; and a suitable-for-framing membership certificate plus a personalized D23 membership card.

In addition, D23 Members will receive discounted admission to the 2011 D23 Expo and a number of special benefits during this ultimate Disney fan event.

Gold-level D23 memberships are .99, and Silver-level memberships – which provide all benefits with the exception of a Disney twenty-three subscription – are just .99 a year. All discounts and special promotions are available to both Gold- and Silver-level D23 Members.

Disney fans can become members of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club at www.disney.com/D23 , select shops at the Disneyland® and Walt Disney World Resorts, and at www.DisneyStore.com/D23.

For more details: http://d23.disney.go.com/pages/ReferAFan.html

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(originally published on Official Disney Parks Blog)

New Star Tours Video Makes Us Ask: Where Will the New Star Tours Attraction Take Us?

Last year, Disney Parks fans learned that “The Adventures Continue” with the return of a new Star Tours attraction in both California and Florida in 2011. Earlier today at the Star Wars Celebration V fan event, Star Wars fans caught a first glimpse of a new video that will appear in the queue area of the reimagined Star Tours attraction in Disneyland park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios next year. The video produced by Star Tours is a new “commercial” that shows one of their exciting getaway travel packages.

Today we’re also giving our Disney Parks Blog readers a peek at the video before it appears in the queue next year. While Star Tours now offers flights to new destinations, we cannot confirm that you will travel to any of the destinations shown in this video . . .

Since many Disney Parks fans know the new Star Tours attraction will take place between the two sets of Star Wars Trilogies, and that Star Tours can now take guests to more places in the Star Wars galaxy, what do you think of this video? Is there a destination you hope to visit on the new attraction when it opens next year?

Star Tours fans should also know that there’s still a chance to ride the original attraction for one of the last times in Florida. You can purchase your “Last Tour to Endor” tickets at www.StarWarsCelebration.com/Disney and also at the Disney Parks Merchandise booth at Star Wars Celebration V.

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I sat through at least two showings of Camp Rock 2 with my daughter. Disney is about nothing if not over-exposure, and they showed it on the Disney Channel all weekend long, every night including tonight’s Labor Day holiday.

My admiration of the Jonas Brothers is known to readers of The Disney Blog, but less well known is my admiration for the versatile Ms. Lovato. Disney has a stable full of talented young people, but Demi Lovato is definitely the strong horse, to continue the metaphor. Her versatile vocals are really quite good and she is one of the few, I believe, who doesn’t get put through a voice-over computer generated wash. She can sing, she can dance and she’s got a great deal of charm.

My daughter thinks so, too and seeks to emulate her. She was a Hannah Montana and Miley fan and still is, but I notice something different with Demi and I’m not sure if that she’s older and so Demi’s more adolescent approach appeals to her (as opposed to Hannah’s “tween” approach) or if it’s an honest difference of style. Whatever the case, after each episode of Camp Rock 2, the boom box came out, the toy microphone in hand and she was busy being her favorite rock star.

Camp Rock 2 worked, though I don’t know if it worked for Disney on the High School Musical level. I have theories for this, but none of them are provable. One thing I noticed about HSM is that in the first movie, most audiences were seeing these young actors for the first time. Zac Efron, Corbin Bleu and Vanessa Hudgens weren’t household names until after HSM. In fact, the most well known member of the cast to Disney audiences was Ashley Tisdale because of her role on the Disney Channel program The Suite Life of Zac and Cody (episodes of which I have also sat through endlessly…).

The Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato, who sort of own Camp Rock 2, are well known to their audiences. These performers come in with recognition and so suspension of disbelief isn’t the entire point. In my opinion, Disney isn’t making enough use of Allyson Stoner, the talented singer and dancer who appears in Camp Rock 1 and 2. She can hold her own and I don’t understand why they don’t let her run. Either way, the film is about the Jonas Bros. and Ms. Lovato. They have an appeal that is beyond simple rock star idol worship and that appeal is a very 21st Century thing—at least, my daughter and her friends have picked it up.

The film is typical Disney Channel fare with a competition against a rival camp, the winner of which takes all. The other camp has to shut down if they lose. The ending is a nice twist that I won’t bother to give away, though and the message that comes through is pretty strong and it’s a good one about how what counts is the music and the friendships.

But the film felt awkward at times and it fell short of its predecessor, which was just fresh enough to be different. The singing and dancing were once again top-notch, but the story was a little bit hackneyed and the relationship between Lovato’s Mitchie and Joe Jonas’s Shane didn’t ever feel realistic. None of the relationships did and that downside drew my attention from the story, which was keyed, after all, on successful relationship building.

I have to confess to being a bit bothered by Disney’s stable of films and shows having as their premise the extraordinary lives of famous people. The Jonas Brothers, Sonny with a Chance, Camp Rock, Hannah Montana—the theme gets pretty old and it would be terrible were it not for the fact that the stars of the shows themselves are alluring to young folks.

Still, Disney hit another home-run here if my daughter is any gauge of measurement. She can’t wait to watch it again and sing the songs along with it. I’m glad she has it—all kids need shows and movies they will be able to look back on and Camp Rock 2 will certainly be one of those.

If you can’t catch Camp Rock 2 on cable, or you want to add it to your library so you can play it at your leisure, OR you want to view some of the special extras that come with a DVD edition, then you’re in luck. Follow us below the jump for details on the DVD:

Camp Rock 2 The Final Jam: Extended Edition

Rockin’ on Blu-ray ™ Combo Pack & DVD — Tuesday September 7

The momentum continues for Disney’s “Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam” when Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment furthers the TV musical event of the year with the addition of two new musical numbers into the story, in Camp Rock 2 The Final Jam: Extended Edition, a Blu-ray Combo Pack & DVD, on September 7, 2010.

The premiere of “Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam” will be presented across Labor Day weekend with four event telecasts -– each celebrating music and dance with a storyline that suggests life is about the way you play. The fun for kids, tweens and families begins FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 and goes through MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 (8:00 p.m., ET/PT, each night) on Disney Channel.

The Disney Channel Original Movie stars Teen Choice Award™-winning actress and recording artist Demi Lovato (Sonny With A Chance) and the hugely popular Grammy® nominated Jonas Brothers. The highly anticipated sequel also brings back fan favorites from “Camp Rock,” 2008′s #1 cable TV movie. They are: Maria Canals-Barrera (“Wizards of Waverly Place”), Meaghan Martin (“10 Things I Hate About You”), Alyson Stoner (“Phineas and Ferb,” Step Up 3D”), Anna Maria Perez de Tagle (“Fame”), Jasmine Richards, Daniel Fathers, Roshon Fegan (Disney Channel’s upcoming “Shake it Up”) and Jordan “J” Francis. “Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam” introduces two exciting new performers, Matthew Mdot Finley and Chloe Bridges. Daniel Kash also stars.

The Extended Edition Blu-ray Combo Pack includes a behind-the-scenes introduction to the newest stars and music videos by camp rockers from around the world, a “Rock-Along” feature that allows viewers to take center stage, and more! Only the Combo Pack includes this Extended Edition in an array of formats: Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital Copy; allowing viewers the versatility to watch Camp Rock 2 The Final Jam anywhere.

Mitchie (Lovato) can’t wait to return to Camp Rock and spend the summer making new music with her friends Shane, Nate and Jason (Joe, Nick and Kevin Jonas). But the slick new camp across the lake, Camp Star, has drummed up some serious competition—featuring newcomers Luke (Finley) and Dana (Bridges). With Camp Rock’s future at stake, will Camp Star’s flashy production and over-the- top antics win the sensational battle of the bands, or will Camp Rockers prove that talent, teamwork, and spirit are what truly matter?

Standard DVD Bonus Features
• Rock-Along
• Extended Version of the Film – two exciting exclusive additional music sequences: “Walking
in My Shoes” and “Different Summers”

Blu-ray Exclusive Bonus Features:
Everything on the DVD, Plus…

• Getting to Know Camp Star’s Newest Stars
• Music Videos from Camp Rockers Around the World

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