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Disney's sports complex rebranded by ESPN – will reopen Feb. 25

The 220-acre sports complex at Walt Disney World formerly known as Disney’s Wide World of Sports has been rebranded by ESPN, and will officially relaunch Feb. 25 as “ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.” The “E” of the ESPN logo was lowered into place on the complex’s entrance today. Disney’s multi-sport venue hosts more than…

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Large photo leaked of tabletop model for Fantasyland's makeover

Click on the photo to see the full size version. This photo of a large model of the expanded part of Fantasyland has been appearing around the Internet this past week. It’s a bit different from the originally leaked blueprints of the redone Fantasyland at Disney’s Magic Kingdom. The Pixie Hollow area has been moved…

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Disney World wait times and more now available via text message – with limits

In addition to Disney’s new mobile phone app for Verizon customers we previously told you about, and their m.disneyworld.com mobile formatted site for all phones with Web browsers, they’re now offering a way to get wait times, hours and more via a simple text message. Anyone with a U.S. mobile phone can join the free…

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Photos/video of the Muppets pre-parade cavalcade at Magic Kingdom

You can now see the Muppets characters Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and Sweetums, along with parade dancers and special floats and vehicles daily at the Magic Kingdom. The Honorary VoluntEARS Cavalcade steps off minutes before each afternoon’s Celebrate a Dream Come True parade. Disney hopes to inspire families to volunteer in their communities during…

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American Idol stars dominate Top 10 Theme Park Photos of 2009

Everyone can give a thumbs up or down to any photo in our gallery. As you’ll see below, our American Idol pictures were very popular by visitors to our online gallery. Here are the top 10 photos from 2009 that received the most thumbs up (and least thumbs down). Click on any of the photos…

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Top 10 theme park videos of 2009

Our YouTube channel was a popular place in 2009. We reached more than a million views for a couple of our older videos, while others lay dormant for reasons unknown to us. Sometimes we think a video is going to be a huge hit and it flops, and sometimes we wonder why we’re bothering to…

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Top 10 theme park blog posts of 2009

A lot has happened in the Orlando area theme parks in 2009. Some new attractions were announced, some have closed down and some have opened up. One both opened and closed in 2009 (we’re talking about you Stitch.) Below are the top 10 most read blog posts on our site during 2009. Below the top…

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What's happening in the theme parks for New Year's Eve

There’s a lot going on for New Year’s Eve, but not all of the parks will be having special events or fireworks at midnight. Here’s a list of the special New Year’s Eve events. But be warned that it’s the busiest day of the year and many of the parks may close when they reach…

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From stamps to Sleeping Beauty: Q&A with a former Disney animation artist

Ron Dias is an animation artist who worked for Disney Studios more than 50 years. He has also done extensive work for most of the other big Hollywood studios. The world first took note of Dias when, as a 19-year-old student, his work was chosen for a special children’s stamp by the U.S. Post Office….