Disney News Feed for August 9

MousePlanetWatch 31 – news feed for August 9, 2007

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In the Walt Disney World news, most of the news came from this past Monday’s
Walt Disney World Park Update, and
links to the various information reported can be found there.

• Reservations for special events at the Epcot International Food &
  Wine Festival are now available. Call 407-WDW-FEST (407-939-3378) for reservations.
  Check out our new 2007 Food & Wine
  Park Guide page.
• Walt Disney World raised theme
  park admission prices on Sunday. One-day, one-park admission prices
  are now $71 plus tax for adults, $60 plus tax for kids ages 3-9. Ten-day
  adult passes are up to $225 plus tax, and if you add Park Hopper, Water
  Park Fun & More and No Expiration options, it goes to a whopping $500
  plus tax.
• The 2008 Dining Plans have
  been released. Packages are roughly the same, but a new Deluxe Dining
  Plan has been introduced with the food allotments from the Premium and Platinum
  plans, but without the recreation options. There’s also a Wine & Dine
  option. For more information, check out the 2008 standard Dining
  Plan, Deluxe
  Dining Plan, Premium
  Plan, Platinum
  Plan and Wine
  and Dine Plan brochures.
• Room-only rates for 2008
  have also been released.
• A lifeguard at the Polynesian Resort was
  honored for saving the life of a five-year-old boy who nearly drowned
  while swimming in the pool there.
• It looks like at least The Making of Me will be no more, based on construction
  paperwork filed with Orange County.

In the Disneyland news, some of the news came from this past Monday’s Disneyland
Park Update.

• Registration for the fall MouseAdventure (October 14) is now
  open. The event is already over 2/3 full. If you’re interested in playing,
  register now!
• Disneyland has announced new
  ticket prices as well, though their prices do not take effect until
  2008.
• Disney has filed permits
  for preliminary work in the creation of a new wing at the Grand Californian
  for the Disney Vacation Club.
• Disney and SunCal have
  concluded negotiations on the Anaheim housing issue without coming to
  an agreement.
• Disney increased prices
  on the Panama Canal repositioning cruises next year, explaining that it’s
  due to port fees. After the Park Update went to press, Disney announced
  that it was removing
  the fee and would pay the port charges itself.
• Anaheim schools have gone back to a single-track
  school year, decreasing the school-age population at Disneyland.
• Disneyland is conducting a “utilization
  survey” of services around the park.
• An account of MousePlanet reader cstephens’ final visit to the Disney
  Gallery is on our MousePad
  discussion forums.
• River Belle Terrace closes
  August 19
• Self-service kiosks have been removed from Taste Pilot’s Grill.
• Vault 28 hosted a launch party for the new BLOC 28 collection.
• Long-time SoCal news anchor Hal Fishman has
  passed away from colon cancer at age 75.

In The Walt Disney Company news:

• Disney and Lenovo are partnering to sell a limited edition Power Rangers
  Mystic Force-themed desktop PC in India.
• Disney kicked off the release of Fairy
  Haven and the Quest for the Wand with a “Fairies on Fifth”
  parade. The book is the sequel to Fairy
  Dust and the Quest for the Egg. Author Gail Carson Levine is using the
  promotional tour to promote the “My Fairy Haven” environmental
  project. Meanwhile, the DisneyFairies.com
  web site has seen visitors create nearly 2.5 million personalized Fairies
  since the site launched in January.
• Disney’s Toontown
  Online held “ToonFest 2007” at Walt Disney World last Saturday..
• The Walt Disney Company announced third-quarter
  results last week. You can download a transcript of the earnings call
  here,
  or download the audio here.
• Disney also bought Club
  Penguin, a popular online tween hangout, last week
  for $350 million. Depending on performance, the final price may rise
  to as much as $700 million.
• Disney will be collaborating with the Federal Department of Homeland Security
  on a video to welcome
  foreign tourists to the United States.
• The soundtrack CD for High
  School Musical 2 will include a song that will not be heard until the
  DVD of the movie is released later this year. The name of the song, “Humuhumunukunukua’pua’a”,
  reminds many of the Warner Brothers cartoon “Wackiki
  Wabbit”.
• “Home
  At Last,” Billy Ray Cyrus’ first album on Walt Disney Records has
  debuted at #3 on the Billboard Country album chart and #20 on the Top 200
  album chart. He and daughter Miley Cyrus are both in the Top 20, as her
  “Hannah
  Montana 2/Meet Miley Cyrus” CD is at #5.
• Disney Mobile
  rolled out two new phones from Samsung.
• Johnny Depp’s stunt double has sued Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer for negligence
  in using unsafe equipment.
• Producer Scott Rudin has purchased the film rights to “The
  Dangerous Book for Boys,” and has made a deal to produce the film
  for Disney.
• Underdog finished
  third for the week
  at the box office. Meanwhile, Ratatouille
  nears the $200 million domestic mark. While Pirates
  of the Caribbean: At World’s End runs the risk of coming in as low as
  fifth at the domestic
  box office this summer, it is still easily the global
  box office champ for the same period.