LilSugar

Avatar to Come to Life at Disney Theme Parks

Kelly Schwarze — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 04:21:03 PDT

Disney seems to be the biggest Avatar fan of all, as it recently announced plans to bring the mythical land of Pandora to life at Disney theme parks around the globe.

According to the film's director, James Cameron, two new upcoming Avatar films will help to develop Pandora in theme park form in greater detail. "Our goal is to go beyond current boundaries of technical innovation and experiential storytelling, and give park goers the chance to see, hear and touch the world of Avatar with an unprecedented sense of reality." The first Avatar-themed land will open at Animal Kingdom, part of Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL, though construction isn't slated to start until 2013. Additional Avatar land theme park locations are still under consideration.

Will you plan a trip to see the future Avatar land?

When Did You First Visit Disney?

babysugar — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 04:00:00 PDT

With schools' rolling spring breaks in full swing many families' thoughts turn to the magical world of Disney. Whether it be frolicking with the princesses, riding It's a Small World or taking pictures with Mickey and his pals, the Disney theme parks have caught the attention of youngsters and their parents for generations.

But with single day ticket prices costing as much as $68 per child – and that doesn't even include transportation to the parks and accommodations once you arrive – a trip to the land of the Mouse is hardly an inexpensive one. Given the costs, many families hold off on visiting the wonderlands until their children are old enough to enjoy the whole park, while others plan a trip as soon as their tots can utter the characters' names.

When did you first take your lil ones to a Disney resort?

Shades of Green - A Disney Resort For Military Families

CitizenSugar — Sat, 17 May 2008 11:00:09 PDT

I can't believe I had never heard of this place until I cracked open the Times yesterday - Shades of Green. It's a vacation spot for soldiers on active duty (and other eligible service folks) to call their own when they come home to visit their families or need a vacation.

Nestled within Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL, the name is inspired by camouflage colors and features everything you'd expect from a fun-in-the-sun resort - all housed on property leased by the Army. Shades of Green is one of five Armed Forces Recreation Centers (the other fun-spots: Hawaii, Germany, South Korea and Virginia) where servicemen and women can reunite with families.

The resort has the usual - swimming pools and tennis courts - but there are some service-specific goodies as well. The pond has radio controlled boats emblazoned with service insignia so branches can compete with one another, and strict attention is paid to making the resort ADA-accessible. To see the other perks,

read more. There's the Disney attention to detail. Keeping the resort family-friendly, video games are not permitted to have any blood, gore, or foul language. Staff uniforms, nail polish, and mustache length are all regulated and potentially dicey magazines have all inappropriate material edited out before they're put on display. And adult beverages? The Shades of Green's cocktail lounge, Eagles, closed due to lack of business. Spending time with family is only one bonus of the resort - as a military haven, it gives service members a chance to spend time with sympathetic strangers who understand the challenges of being in uniform. One Army MP just back from Iraq said: “You can enjoy the esprit de corps of being with other military.” Another attraction? The price. A room at Walt Disney world can cost as much as $350 a night while an "oversized" room at Shades of Green is available for $89. Oh, and lines for rides? Taken care of. Sea World has a special Heroes line on popular rides getting them to the goods that much quicker. Have you been to one of the Armed Forces Recreation Centers? Did you know they existed? Source

Walt Disney Banning Children?

babysugar — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 09:00:24 PST

Children dream of going to the wonderful world of Disney to meet their heroes, wear mouse ears, ride the Dumbo ride, and eat cotton candy. And, most parents love taking their kids to Disney to fulfill those childhood fantasies while relaxing a little bit themselves. Apparently, some adults, in the midst of all things Disney, will be able to relax kid free according to a Tampa Bay news report.

Victoria and Albert's, an upscale restaurant at Walt Disney World, has closed its doors to children eleven and under. At first, I flinched thinking, isn't Disney World a place where two large rodents by the names Minnie and Mickey Mouse roam free? And Bambi and Donald the Duck are revered and not hunted? But after reading up on the swank eatery, I realized that maybe this was the right call. To see why I think the restaurant made a good decision,

read more. As I learned from Frommer's, Victoria and Albert's is a "jackets required" romantic hot spot with limited seating – only room for 65 people to dine at a time. While a harpist serenades patrons, they can browse the menu, set at $95 prix fixe minimum. The fare, which is offered across seven courses, includes duck, pheasant, abalone, veal, or tuna. At the end of the meal, the diners are presented with a personalized menu and a rose. Call me crazy but this doesn't sound like the kind of place that has chicken tenders or French fries for emergency tantrum solutions. But just in general, it seems like an oasis for adults and older children, those who can appreciate silverware and the lack of sippy cups, to enjoy a nice night without a pair of oversized round ears poking out from every table.

The Five Best Races For Women

espnW — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 04:09:19 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from espnW here on FitSugar!

By Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea

Sage Steele, SportsCenter anchor, is preparing to run the Disney Princess Half Marathon at Walt Disney World on Feb. 26 and hoping to fall in love with running in the process. Follow Sage’s journey on espnW.com

Women's races offer a decidedly different vibe than their coed cousins': more camaraderie, a sole sister atmosphere that welcomes all runners and walkers, and lots more running skirts. Here are five of the top women's races and series in the country. Sign up then train like Sage.

Disney Tinker Bell and Princess half marathons
Sage picked a winner. Let your inner child run free through the Magic Kingdom at these festival race weekends. Tinker Bell is in Disneyland, while Princess is in Disney World, but both allow thousands of runners to mix and mingle with Disney characters on courses that wind through each park. Racers put almost as much effort into costumes - Snow White, Belle, or Minnie, anyone? - as training. Bonus: your kids will be especially psyched to cheer you on.

Sage Steele gets some training advice from Disney runMom Lori Lovell

Nike Women's Marathon
Yeah, it's tough to snag an entry, but if you can, this race is so worth it. (Psst: Go through Team in Training.) This 26.2-mile race, and its half-marathon companion, traverses San Francisco with sweeping vistas of the Golden Gate Bridge and Pacific Ocean to take your mind off the killer hills in the first 10 miles of the race. Tuxedo-clad firefighters bestow each finisher with a Tiffany & Co. pendant.

Run fast by fueling up smart

Three more great races after the break.

The Muppets' Music Man Bret McKenzie on His Oscar Nod and Taking a Silly Job Seriously

Lindsay Miller — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:50:41 PST

Bret McKenzie is up for an exceedingly rare honor this year, with his ballad "Man or Muppet" earning one of just two nominations in the Oscars' best song category. I caught up with The Muppets' musical supervisor today at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank to chat about the awards attention and the unique experience of penning music for Kermit and company. The New Zealand native talked about fighting the temptation to use the word "motherfrogger" in his songwriting and the roundabout way he came on board The Muppets project in the first place. Bret - who previously was best known as one half of the musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords - also shared his hopes of bringing FOC to the big screen. Check out our conversation below:

PopSugar: It's got to be an honor to be nominated for an Oscar, but also in a year when the Academy only bothered to nominate two songs.
Bret McKenzie: They barely nominated anyone! When I found out, it sounded like there'd been a mistake, and yeah, it's a huge honor. It's great and it's really exciting, and I'm not complaining that there's only two nominees the year I'm nominated. I mean, this is the best chance I'll have of winning an Oscar, ever. It couldn't have been better, unless there was just one nomination, and then it would be a very dull ceremony . . . There's a lot of legendary musicians - tunesmiths - in that list of possible nominations. So it's all very surreal to think that I got in ahead of Elton John.

PS: And Madonna. Those two had a little rivalry going on.
BM: I know. I got nervous about what Elton John's husband was going to say about me. It's crazy, and it's great for The Muppets film, because we're all really proud of the film and it wasn't ever really going to get a best actor. Hey, Jason's good, that's not what I mean, but Kermit, Miss Piggy - they can't win these awards - and comedies don't generally get recognized at these awards ceremonies, so it's kind of cool. It's almost like the film as a whole is being recognized with this category.

For more from our chat with Bret, including what he says about his plans for a Flight of the Conchords film, coaching Jason Segel, and the pressure he felt on the project, just

read more! PS: What was the biggest unexpected challenge for you writing music for the film? I know you talked about one draft of a song where you referred to a Muppet as a piece of felt and were told you couldn't do that. BM: Yeah. Little piece of felt, and you couldn't say things like motherfrogger, even though it's very tempting. There were lots of hard parts to it. The Muppets can't sing certain notes. They can't sing too high or the voice changes and doesn't sound like the right character. There were so many weird things. I spent hours recording penguins and rats, and what's weird is that it's such a silly job, but you have to take it very seriously. So I would be in the studio for days, maybe a whole day recording penguins, and then I'm like, "I'm not happy with how the penguins are sounding! Where's penguin four?" You know, getting demanding. "We lost penguin track four! I can't hear the penguin!" PS: I was watching the movie again last night and watching Jason Segel's performance of "Man or Muppet." Did you coach him on any of his rockstar moves? Because he pretty much nailed it. BM: He nailed it. That's my favorite moment in the film. When he buckles down in the rain, that was one of my favorite shots. I was so proud of what James [Bobin, the director] and those guys achieved, because I wasn't there on set, I just saw them syncing the video, and I was like, "Wow, guys. You nailed it." What we did do in the studio, as Jason and I had a technique where I would sing a line, and he'd watch me through the window, and then he'd sing it back. So we did this thing where, I was really into the drama of it. So, I was like, "Am I a Muppppettt?" [balling his hands into fists] And he'd be like, OK, record. "Am I a Muppppettt!" So we kind of worked together to get that style. PS: Did it shatter some of your childhood illusions to have the guy that does Miss Piggy's voice come work with you [in the recording studio]? BM: Yeah. Well, it wasn't Frank Oz. The guy Eric, who does it now, yeah. That was strange. And the day that we recorded Kermit the Frog doing "Rainbow Connection" - I was sort of pinching myself, because that was probably one of the real moments for me where I realized that my world had really changed. That I'd come from New Zealand, I'd grown up with Kermit the Frog, and now I was in Hollywood in a studio recording Kermit the Frog. It felt like worlds had collided. PS: Was there pressure knowing there was already this great catalog of Muppet songs? To try to add to that or top it in some way? BM: I knew I wouldn't top "Rainbow Connection," but I was very intimidated, but the way I worked on the job was it actually started with me just writing one song, so I didn't feel the pressure of writing the whole movie. I think it would have been different if I'd been hired from the outset to do all the music. So I wrote one, then another, and gradually wrote more and more, so that helped. PS: What song did you write first? BM: The opening song. That's the one they needed, that's the one James asked me to write first. The script was probably on a second draft, and they were in preproduction, so I came in quite late. And the way they were doing it was, they got 100s of demos submitted from all sorts of songwriters, and surprisingly - even though they got some really great people to do demos - people weren't quite hitting the right tone. The Muppet tone. I'd just come off the Conchords tour and I had some time, and James asked if I was interested in doing that opening song, because he had a kind of specific thing he needed from that song. He needed it to be really Muppet-y, that song, and he had a great idea for the whole town joining in, it starting off small and becoming a big musical number, and that came together really well. PS: Is this experience maybe something you want to bring to a Flight of the Conchords movie? BM: Yeah, exactly. Having done this movie now, we're in a much better place to do a Conchords film, because James is more experienced - well, we're all more experienced. Not specifically, but James Bobin - well, we're all very keen to do another studio musical, because I really enjoyed being able to do comedy musical numbers on such a grand scale, and I think next time, I really think it will just get better and better. Because it's such a fun genre, and we've done like 50 songs for TV now, and now The Muppets movie, and I feel like we've accidentally sort of become musical comedy experts. PS: What do you imagine Bret and Jemaine from Flight of the Conchords are up to these days, in their universe? BM: In the Lower East Side? That's a good question. I reckon they probably got a regular gig now. Like, at a Chinese restaurant. Photo courtesy Disney

Pixar Announces New Dinosaur and Inside-the-Human-Mind Movies at D23

Lindsay Miller — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 11:52:01 PDT

At yesterday's Disney expo D23, Pixar fed the fandemonium by announcing two all-new movies now in production. This year marks the animation studio's 25th anniversary, and judging by yesterday's offerings, their innovative spirit shows no signs of fading. The first film they unveiled explores what the world might have been like if dinosaurs were never wiped out by a giant asteroid, but continued to exist on Earth. Director Bob Peterson, a longtime Pixar story artist and the voice of characters like Doug from Up, is helming the movie. He said Walt Disney's animatronic dinosaurs, which he first saw at the New York World's Fair as a child, inspired the idea. Bob shared one still with the audience, but the finished product won't arrive in theaters until Holiday 2013.

The second movie will take a look inside the human mind and explore the reasons why we get songs stuck in our head, why we dream, and even why we remember. Not many details were revealed about how scientific, or fantastic, Pixar's approach to the subject matter may be, and the effort is clearly in the early stages - the movie won't be released until Spring 2014. For more details on the rest of the 2012-2014 animated Disney films previewed yesterday, just