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Exclusive interview with the art director of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

We were able to talk with Alan Gilmore, the art director for two Harry Potter films and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, during the Entertainment Designers Forum last night. As you’ll hear in our video below, he tells a few tidbits about The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal’s Islands of Adventure that…

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Top theme park designers help raise more than $5,000 for cancer research

Many of the top theme park designers got together last night at the Mad Cow Theatre in downtown Orlando for the Entertainment Designer’s Forum. In addition to some great talks and stories, everyone in attendance helped raise money for a great cause. Most of the panel members were from Universal, but Disney was also represented….

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Meet the stars of the new Nat Geo Wild channel today at SeaWorld

By Jackie Roseboom A new TV channel called Nat Geo Wild is celebrating its launch today. National Geographic has teamed up with SeaWorld to promote the new channel and you can be a part of it. You have a chance to meet Nat Geo Wild’s animal experts, primatologist Dr. Mireya Mayor and wildlife naturalist Casey…

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Last chance to meet the 'Up' characters before Lotso arrives at Hollywood Studios

You have a couple of more days to meet and greet Russell, Carl and Dug from the movie Up inside the Magic of Disney Animation at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. They’ll be heading back to Paradise Falls on May 1. But a character from the upcoming Toy Story 3 movie will be taking their place.

Mmmmmm pie – Great American Pie Festival this weekend in Celebration

For the ninth year in a row, the small town that Disney built (Celebration) will become the pie capital of the world this Saturday and Sunday, April 24 and 25, when thousands of pie lovers, tasters and bakers gather together the Great American Pie Festival. The highlight, as always, will be the Never-Ending Pie Buffet,…

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Photos, video and results from video game competition at ESPN Wide World of Sports

Major League Gaming’s (MLG) Pro Circuit tournament opened its 2010 season at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex at Disney World this past weekend with an intense three day competition full of unexpected twists and upsets. Ultimately fourth-seeded Instinct prevailed over the rest of the 200 team field, taking home $20,000 and its first…

Be one of 67 people to win a trip to Orlando for World Smile Day

Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau has decided to prove the axiom, “smile and the whole world smiles with you.” The Orlando CVB has launched a global search for 67 smiling people who will win a vacation to Orlando for World Smile Day on Oct. 1. Sixty-seven is the number of days determined to experience…

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Retro Orlando: New column takes a look at Disney's Monster Sound Show

By Audrey M. Brown For the first Retro Orlando column, let’s take a look back at “Monster Sound Show,” an attraction that no longer exists at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. In fact, when it did exist (1989-1997), Disney’s Hollywood Studios was still Disney-MGM Studios. Theme parks are mysterious organisms that usually have good reasons for making…

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Disney, Universal and many others offering specials for stranded travelers

We previously reported that SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Aquatica were offering free admission to European travelers stranded in Orlando because of the Icelandic volcanic ash in the air. Now the Orlando Sentinel is reporting that Walt Disney World and Universal are also offering free admission today and tomorrow. Disney is offering one-day park hoppers which…