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Characters in Flight Balloon Video, Photos, and that Pesky Wind

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The Characters in Flight helium balloon ride at Downtown Disney officially opened on April 21, 2009. The balloon, operated by Aerophile, takes up to thirty guests 400 feet in the air for around five minutes, providing 360-degree views of all of Walt Disney World and the surrounding Orlando area. One of the most-discussed aspects of…

Men in Black ride scoring tips from the creative director

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Robert Niles of Theme Park Insider has posted a question and answer with Dave Cobb, the creative director for the Men In Black Alien Attack ride at Universal Studios. Below are his tips for getting the best score. The interview also includes technical and creative details about creating the ride. Follow the link to read…

More details on Rip Ride Rockit coaster, plus video

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Although the opening date was pushed back a bit to late spring/early summer, Universal Studios will feature a radically innovative roller coasters – Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. The coaster combines customized hit music, breathtaking first-ever maneuvers and highly sophisticated audio and video for a one-of-a-kind ride experience. Riders will pick their own soundtrack and listen…

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Universal's new coaster delayed until summer

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From the way it has been looking compared to SeaWorld’s new Manta coaster, you could tell Universal wasn’t as far along. Now word has come that the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster won’t be opening for another few months. From tampabay.com: Universal Studios Florida has stalled the opening of its Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit…

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Pirates League coming to Magic Kingdom

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Our Disney friend Shawn Slater has posted some details of a new experience coming to the Magic Kingdom – Pirates League. It will sort of be the pirate version of the Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boutique. It’s under construction in Adventureland. From https://disneyshawn.blogspot.com Opening in late June 2009 in Adventureland at the Magic Kingdom Park is the Pirates League,…

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Photos from the new Kidani Village at Animal Kingdom Lodge

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Disney held an “Open Mouse” today for cast members to get a look at their newest vacation club resort, Kidani Village at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. Here are a few pictures of the resort. For more photos and information, buy a copy of our upcoming Summer issue. We’ll have a full story on the new…

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New Disney/Star Wars Merchandise Announced for Star Wars Weekends 2009 and Beyond

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At this past weekend’s FX! International Show, a Disney products panel was held, hosted by Disney product developer Brad Schoeneberg, in which new merchandise was revealed for the upcoming Star Wars Weekends event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Here are some of the highlights (click the images to enlarge them): New to this year’s Star Wars…

Follow Shamu on Twitter – Where's Woody and Mickey?

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For the first time in four decades SeaWorld’s star killer whale is communicating in something other than clicks, squeaks, whistles and trills. Shamu has joined Twitter. Twitter.com, a free social networking/micro-blogging community, allows users to communicate in 140-character blog posts, also known as “tweets.” Shamu, who writes under the Twitter handle “RealShamu,” started tweeting at…