Disney’s Monstrous Summer kicks off next month when three Disney theme parks will stay open for 24 hours on Memorial Day Weekend. The Magic Kingdom, Disneyland, and Disney California Adventure will be open from 6 a.m. local time on May 24 until 6 a.m. local time May 25.
The announcement of this first ever Disney parks “All-Nighter” was made last night at Epcot as Spaceship Earth was transformed into a 180-foot-tall animated Mike Wazowski, the lovable one-eyed monster star of Disney/Pixar’s Monsters University.
“This summer, Disney Parks are bursting with a monstrous …

Last year, we let you know about some speculation that Disney and Pixar were working on a new sequel to their hit film Finding Nemo. Today, Disney officially announced the much-anticipated sequel, which will be titled Finding Dory.
About the sequel, Ellen DeGeneres, the original voice of Dory in Finding Nemo, commented:
“I have waited for this day for a long, long, long, long, long, long time. I’m not mad it took this long. I know the people at Pixar were busy creating ‘Toy Story 16.’ But the time they took was worth …

runDisney is adding a new race, as well as a new challenge, to its wildly popular Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend in 2014. Next year, in addition to family fun runs, a 5K, a Donald Half Marathon, and a Mickey Marathon, runDisney will introduce the Minnie 10K to the line up. With the introduction of a new race, a new challenge has also been announced.
Beginning next year, runner will have the opportunity to complete the Dopey Challenge. The group of races, guaranteed to test the endurance of even the most …

Gardeners and Foodies alike have plenty to smile about, as the 20th Annual International Flower and Garden Festival got underway recently. Last weekend, I had the opportunity to visit the Festival and take in all the sights, sounds, and yes, flavors of the 2013 event. There’s plenty to show you, so let’s get going!
Introducing Garden Marketplaces!
While there are always new and interesting things to anticipate every year at the Festival, 2013 is an even bigger deal. Epcot leadership wanted to do something big to mark the twentieth anniversary, and they …

Disney has unveiled plans for a long-anticipated overhaul to Walt Disney World’s Downtown Disney location, after the news first leaked via unnofficial sources earlier this month.
The area is slated to be known as Disney Springs, and along with the plans, Disney has developed a back story:
The story of Disney Springs begins at our new Town Center, which is oriented around a series of bubbling natural springs that first attracted settlers to the area. From there, the town grew to encompass three additional neighborhoods: The Landing, Marketplace and West Side – …

If you are a Disney fan or a Vera Bradley fan — or both — we are about to make your day.
Disney has announced a partnership with handbag and accessory maven Vera Bradley that will bring a line of Disney-inspired handbags and accessories to the parks this fall. And just in time for the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, which opens today, guests can stop by Festival Center to get a glimpse of the bags.
Cathy Dawson, merchandiser for accessories at Disney Parks, spoke about her excitement regarding the upcoming line:
We …

A couple of weeks ago, Disney CEO Bob Iger was forced to respond to concerns about the “magic” wrist bands guests will use as part of Disney’s MyMagic+ program. One particular member of Congress, Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass) sent a letter to Disney’s chief expressing concerns about the data gathered from the use of the bracelets and how this would adversely affect children.
While the company released a general statement to the press regarding the letter, Bob Iger wrote a somewhat scathing response back to Markey, making it very clear that …

First reported by The Wrap and later confirmed by Entertainment Weekly, it’s official: J.J. Abrams has signed on to direct the next installment of Star Wars that’s coming to the silver screen.
Abrams’ respect and affinity for the Star Wars franchise was apparent during EW’s conversation in November – during which he denied that he had plans to direct future Star Wars films:
As a kid I was always a fan of special effects. Watching movies I was constantly trying to figure out how they did it, whatever the effect was. Star Wars was …

Disney Parks are working hard to simplify the guest experience, and will be rolling out a collection of new features over the next several months called MyMagic+. With this new collection of tools, guests will be able to plan their vacations in advance while making their visit to the parks as easy as possible.
One of the biggest features of this new technology is the My Disney Experience website and mobile app. Whether you want to plan your entire vacation in advance or plan to let the day unfold spontaneously, this …

A few weeks ago, we let you know about some of the new and returning D23 events that members could expect in 2013. This week, even more exciting events were added to the schedule, as D23 announced four new events that members all around the country are sure to enjoy.
Here’s the listing of these exciting events:
Disney Interactive Video Game Unveiling:
D23 members in California will be able to attend an exclusive event hosted by Disney Interactive this January. On Tuesday, January 15, a select number of D23 members will have the …