Grab your flags and sing Yankee Doodle Dandy, as lots of exciting events unfold at the parks of Walt Disney World next month to commemorate the Independence Day holiday on July 4th.  Fireworks and special music take center stage, as three of the four parks mark the holiday with a little something extra special.

Magic Kingdom:  Walt Disney World’s original park will present Disney’s Celebrate America!  A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky.  The fireworks spectacular will be dotted with red, white, and blue, and will highlight the plans and …

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 …

These past few days have been an exciting time at the Disneyland Resort. Following Thursday’s debut of The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure at Disney California Adventure, Star Tours: The Adventures Continue made its grand debut at Disneyland Park yesterday.
Star Tours: The Adventures Continue is a completely revamped experience from the original Star Tours attraction, which opened at Disneyland Park in 1987. The 3-D simulator ride, which features over 50 different story combinations, gives guests the chance to visit such destinations from the Star Wars saga as Hoth, Tatooine, …

During a recent press event, held in tandem with the re-opening of Star Tours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Eric Jacobson, senior vice president of creative development for Walt Disney Imagineering, took the opportunity to show off some the latest progress within the Fantasyland expansion, and to discuss further details regarding how the new area is coming together.  Here is an update to how the major elements of the refurbishment are progressing:
Belle’s Village:  The area celebrating Beauty and the Beast, which includes Beast’s Castle and Gaston’s Tavern, is the area nearest …

Country singing sensation Scotty McCreery, who was crowned this year’s winner of American Idol, wowed guests yesterday on a victory parade through Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World.  The seventeen year old from Garner, North Carolina, rode down Hollywood Boulevard with none other Mickey Mouse himself, waving to excited fans.  After the parade, Scotty took the stage in front of “The American Idol Experience” attraction, and thanked fans for supporting him on the hit show.  Park guests were treated to a live performance of Scotty’s hit single, “I Love You This Big.”  …

Seventeen year old Scotty McCreery, winner of this year’s season of American Idol, will visit Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios this week, Disney confirms.
The North Carolina native beat out a huge field to win the top spot on this year’s show, and will be featured in a parade down Hollywood Boulevard this Monday, May 30, at 10 a.m.  After waving to fans from the parade route, the young singer will make his way to a stage near the park’s “American Idol Experience” attraction.  After greeting fans, McCreery is  expected to …

Guitarist Joe Perry of the rock group Aerosmith joined Goofy for an impromptu photo op at Disney’s Hollywood Studios last week.
The members of the legendary group are no strangers to the park, as one of its most popular attractions, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, features their music.  In fact, the four-story guitar that stands at the entrance of the indoor coaster served as the perfect background for the photo, which was shot by Disney photographer, Gene Duncan.
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Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to visit with friends who were in town at Walt Disney World.  One thing led to another, and we found ourselves at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Friday night, the opening day of Disney Hollywood Studios’ updated attraction, Star Tours.
As we walked into the very crowded park, well after dark, we were greeted by a steady stream of milling fans, and didn’t think there was much chance that we would be able to get near the attraction.  But with time to kill and no real …

It’s the day that Star Wars and Disney fans alike have all been waiting for:  set to coincide with the beginning of Star Wars Weekends 2011, Star Tours officially reopens today at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World!
And to mark the grand occasion, the Disney will stream the event via webcast LIVE on the Disney Parks Blog!
If you can’t make it to the parks today to join in the fun, tune in via your computer to watch the opening ceremonies, as well as the arrival of dignitaries from all over the …

Disney Fans:  how would you like to make a difference for a child facing the challenge of life-threatening illness?  The power is yours to do just that through fundraising efforts for Give Kids the World.
Give Kids the World is a wonderful non-profit organization whose mission is to give children facing life-threatening illness, along with their families, the trip of a lifetime to Central Florida, where they can enjoy the attractions of Walt Disney World, SeaWorld, and Universal at no cost.  The opportunity to give children “a week of yes” to whatever …