Disney announced the disappointing news yesterday that the annual Walt Disney World event ESPN: The Weekend is no more. The event, which has been held annually at Disney’s Hollywood Studios since 2004, featured appearances by top athletes, ESPN telecasts, special events and activities for sports fans, and more. Despite the fact that the 2012 dates for ESPN The Weekend had already been announced for March 2-4, 2012, the event’s cancellation is effective immediately.
Disney has explained that the event’s cancellation comes as a way for Disney to focus more fully on …

An important milestone for the construction of Disney’s new Art of Animation Resort in Walt Disney World was celebrated yesterday, when a “topping out” ceremony was held. The ceremony, a tradition in the construction and engineering fields, is held to celebrate when the highest piece of steel is placed on a building’s frame during construction. The Vikings began this long tradition by placing an evergreen tree on the top of their buildings, to celebrate the achievement and wish for good luck. Yesterday’s topping out ceremony took place on top of …

This Saturday, Disney Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club members are in for a special treat at the Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts. In the morning, the World of Disney stores on both coasts will host a summer sale, exclusively for these members. While the sale normally takes place each year for only Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club members, D23 members are invited to take part in Disneyland’s sale this year as well.
The sale will take place on Saturday, July 23 from 6-9 AM at Walt Disney World, …

American Idol fans who were at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom Park today may have been in for a treat, as Lee DeWyze, the winner of American Idol’s 9th season, was also spending his time at the park today. DeWyze visited the theme park with his girlfriend, actress Jonna Walsh.
Fans of DeWyze can also catch him every day at The American Idol Experience over at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where he appears in some of the attraction’s video elements. Lee DeWyze previously visited Walt Disney World to celebrate his 2010 American …

Are you an HGTV fan heading to Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival in Walt Disney World this fall? You’re in luck! Disney recently announced that this year’s festival, which will take place at Epcot from September 30-November 13, will include some special seminars led by personalities from your favorite HGTV shows.
The seminars will take place on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays during the Festival in the Festival Center. Each seminar will focus on home entertainment. And the best part about these new seminars? They’re free! With Epcot admission, there will be …

Work is well underway on the brand new Fantasyland Expansion coming to Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom Park, and each new update we get makes us even more excited for the brand-new area. A few days ago, we brought you new details that emerged about the expansion’s “Storybook Circus” area, and more information recently emerged about Maurice’s workshop in the Beauty and the Beast experience area of the expansion as well. Now, Walt Disney Imagineering has released some new artist rendering images, giving us an exciting glimpse into some of …

We previously announced some exciting new changes coming to Walt Disney World’s Downtown Disney, including an overhaul to the Pleasure Island area. Today, Disney gave us an update on the area’s progress.
Downtown Disney has already seen some exciting new changes recently. The AMC Movie Theater in Downtown Disney’s West Side recently added a brand-new in-theatre dining experience in May, and the LEGO Imagination Center was recently expanded in Downtown Disney’s Marketplace section. Additionally, Harley-Davidson recently opened one of the largest and most interactive Harley merchandise stores on Downtown Disney’s West …

Guests heading to Walt Disney World’s Epcot or Magic Kingdom Parks during evening Extra Magic Hours will now find themselves with one less transportation option, as Disney has announced new operating hours for their monorail system. While the monorails previously ran for approximately one and a half hours after park closing and through extended hours, the monorails will now only operate for one hour after the official park closing each night. They will no longer operate during Extra Magic Hours, Disney’s extended park hours exclusively for their resort guests.
These new …

Fans of Disney/Pixar’s film Cars and the upcoming sequel Cars 2 will soon have a brand-new way to see some of their favorite characters at the Walt Disney World Resort. The Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show, an attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, will soon be updated to include the films’ star Lightning McQueen.
In the show’s new sequence, a highlight reel will be interrupted by Lightning McQueen’s sidekick, Mater, who announces that a report of enemy spy activity has been issued at “these here coordinates” by Cars 2 character Finn …

Epcot’s 2011 Food and Wine Festival at the Walt Disney World Resort is fast approaching, and Disney has started to release some information about what to expect there this year. The festival this year will have the theme “Passport to a World of Flavors,” and will be held at Epcot from September 30-November 13, 2011.
One of the most popular aspects of the Festival has always been the food kiosks set up around World Showcase, which each feature the cuisine of a different country or region. This year, it has been …