Toy Story 3 teaser now available on Apple.com

Check out the Toy Story 3 teaser trailer that was just released on Apple.com/trailers!

There isn't any plot information in this teaser, but it's still nice to see something from the Toy Story world.

New American Idol, Kris Allen, celebrates his win at Disney's Hollywood Studios

Dreams keep coming true for new “American Idol” Kris Allen.

Last week, the 23-year-old singer from Conway, Ark., became the newest “American Idol” by garnering the most fan votes in the television series’ thrilling Season Eight finale. Moments after his victory, Allen did what dozens of sports celebrities and heroes have done for more than two decades: He looked into a television camera and shouted, “I’m going to Disney World!”

This week, America’s newest star lived out his post-finale show pronouncement when he basked in the glow of a victory parade and gala celebration at “The American Idol Experience,” the new Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park attraction based on the “American Idol” television show.

Celebrating with Allen Friday at Walt Disney World was his new bride, Katy. The longtime sweethearts were married eight months ago.

Thousands of fans turned out May 29 for Allen’s day in the Disney sun, which included a party-filled procession through the theme park and a chance for fans to see the newest “American Idol” amidst the celebratory setting.

In the iconic commercial shot on the Nokia Theater stage in Los Angeles following the May 20 season finale show, Allen not only shouts the famous “I’m Going to Disney World!” line, but his voice also is featured throughout the ad as he performs the famous song, “When You Wish Upon A Star.” And with the same immediacy that has made the Disney spot one of the most beloved commercials of all-time, the newest “I’m Going to Disney World!” commercial debuted on television within hours of the “American Idol” finale.

By starring in the Disney commercial, Allen joins a line-up of superstar professional athletes and heroes who have shouted the famous “I’m Going to Disney World” line. He is the second singer ever to star in the Disney commercial in its 23-year history (2008 “American Idol” champion, David Cook, was the first).

Fittingly, Allen made his visit to Walt Disney World as Disney Parks asks guests “What Will You Celebrate?”

Allen’s victory on “American Idol” took the country by storm and highlighted Season Eight of the show.His journey on “Idol” began when he and his brother drove more than eight hours from Arkansas to Louisville, Ky., and then waited another 14 hours to audition. All of Allen’s long hours and hard work were rewarded May 20 in the star-studded season finale when he was crowned the newest “American Idol.”“

The American Idol Experience” at Walt Disney World Resort – which had a February 2009 grand opening – is the first major theme park attraction in the world based on the popular television series. Walt Disney Imagineering developed the interactive attraction in conjunction with FremantleMedia Enterprises and 19 TV Ltd.

“The American Idol Experience” lets Disney guests experience the glitz and glamour of the “American Idol” television show, whether they are auditioning for a Disney producer, performing on-stage in front of a packed theater or voting for their favorite singer from their audience seats. Attraction performers who receive the most audience votes in the preliminary shows return to star in that evening’s grand finale show. In addition to their new-found theme park fame, the top vote-getting guest in the finale show receives “The American Idol Experience” Dream Ticket – which allows an eligible holder to schedule a front-of-the-line audition at a future regional audition for the “American Idol” television show.

Tip Tuesday: Dealing with dirty laundry

Welcome to another Tip Tuesday.

Well it's time I aired out some dirty laundry here on the DisneyDaddy blog - sort of.

It's not something we like to talk about, but we all have to deal with it on any trip: dirty laundry.

Whether your driving or flying to Walt Disney World, you have to take clothes with you (unless you plan on buying them at the parks). As your trip progresses, those clothes will get dirty, especially in the hot and sweaty summer months.

So what's the best way to deal with all this mess? Here are two ideas.

If you're flying:
Try to put a smaller suitcase inside a larger, empty one. This way you won't get hit with another baggage fee for an empty suitcase. Once you get to WDW, unpack the smaller suitcase and put all the clothes into the large one. As your clothes become dirty, put them in the smaller suitcase. Yes, there will be one more bag to check in, but this extra bag also gives you room to pack all those souvenirs you will probably purchase while at WDW. Best of all, when you get back home, all the dirty clothes are in one place, so you know what to wash.

If you're driving:
You could do the same as the tip mentioned above, but I've found a method that I think works better. Pack a large tupperware with all the drinks/food that you'll likely have in the room. Once you're in your resort room, unpack all the food. The tupperware is now your dirty clothes hamper. You will likely go through all the food/drinks, so there will be little to bring back. Also, the room made available by clothes no longer in your suitcase can serve as space to pack the aforementioned souvenirs.

I've tried this both ways and they work pretty well (though I last used the extra suitcase trick back before there were all these baggage fees). Give it a shot, I think you'll appreciate how this makes life in the resort room a little easier - especially for those families with kids.

Kingdom Keepers update: Third installment set for release Sept. 15

The much-awaited third installment in Ridley Pearson's Kingdom Keepers series is anticipated to hit bookshelves in either September (according to Amazon.com), October (according to Barnes & Noble.com) or April 2010 (according to some posts on some Disney forum sites). Original reports indicated the book, "Disney in Shadow," would be coming out in August. One possible reason for the delay could be due to the book's huge size - nearly 550 pages, according to Ridley Pearson's blog.

In some earlier blog posts, Pearson indicated there would be five books in the Kingdom Keepers series. "Disney in Shadow" is expected to pick up where the second book, "Disney at Dusk," left off with the escape of one of Disney's most powerful villans, Chernabog. According to another post on Pearson's blog, much of "Shadow" will take place in Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

Remembering Wayne Allwine (1947-2009)

It is a sad time for Disney fans. The news came this week that Wayne Allwine, long-time voice of Mickey Mouse and Disney Legend, passed away May 18 due to complications with diabetes. Allwine apparently had been ill for some time and was in need of a kidney transplant.

Allwine is survived by Russi Taylor, who provides the voice of Minnie Mouse. The two were inducted as Disney Legends just last year. The couple have three children.

Allwine had been providing the voice for Disney's signature character, Mickey Mouse, since 1977 and was only the third person in Disney history to perform the voice of Mickey. The first voice of Mickey Mouse was, of course, Walt Disney himself.

I join many other Disney fans in extending my heartfelt sympathies to Wayne's family. While Mickey will continue, Allwine's passing marks another key change in history of Mickey Mouse. Allwine was a great Mickey and he will always be remembered for bringing joy and happiness to the world.

You can learn more about Allwine from the Disney Legends Web site.

Tip Tuesday: Speeding up the process of sending mail from Walt Disney World

Welcome to another Tip Tuesday!

One of the ways Disney fans help to share the Disney magic is by sending postcards and other letters to friends and family while visiting Walt Disney World. This is especially true of children sending postcards to grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, pen pans, etc. - you get the idea.

The one problem with all these postcards is the time it takes to get them addressed. You have to bring down an address book and then spend all that time filling in addresses.

Here's where today's tip (courtesy of my wife, call her the DisneyMommy) comes in. Before your trip, go get a packet of printable mailing labels and pre-print all the addresses. Most word-processing programs (like Microsoft Word) can guide you through how to make labels. Best of all, once you have the labels ready to go, all you have to do is bring that sheet (or sheets) of labels and just peel and stick to your postcard.

Bingo! No more having to remember addresses, no more having to hand-write addresses on each postcard. Just write a note, slap on an address label and a stamp and you're good to go!

We've been using this tip for the past several trips and it has been real time (and hand!) saver.

Best of all, this tip also works for any vacation destination (though why would anyone what to go anywhere but Disney!). Just save the file and print the list when you need it.

Disney to build resort hotel outside Washington D.C.

The Peterson Companies announced today the sale of land at its National Harbor development near Washington, DC (see above) to Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. Disney is considering using the 15-acre site overlooking the Potomac River in National Harbor, MD as the location for a resort hotel for families and others visiting the National Capital Region.

"We're thrilled Disney has decided to invest in National Harbor," said Milton V. Peterson, chairman of the Peterson Companies. "Disney is the top family entertainment company in the world, and its purchase is a great vote of confidence in the future of National Harbor and the Washington area as a top family tourism destination."

The new resort hotel would be one of Disney's stand-alone resort hotels separate from the Disney theme parks. This new resort hotel, like the project under construction in Hawaii, will be in a prime geographic location and will provide guests with the same comfort, fun and amenities for which Disney is famous.

"As we began identifying possible locations to grow our business, the Washington, DC area immediately jumped to the top of the list," said Jay Rasulo, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. "National Harbor offers an array of entertaining activities for regional visitors, but it is also a family-friendly base camp, from which visitors from around the world can explore the stirring sights and inspirational stories of our nation's capital. We believe National Harbor has the unique opportunity to offer a new level of family-friendly hospitality."

Disney purchased the Maryland property from the Peterson Companies for $11 million.

About National Harbor:
Rising from the banks of the Potomac River in Prince George's County, MD., National Harbor is a new 300-acre destination waterfront resort. With six hotels and 3,000 rooms, National Harbor features the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center.

Many attributes include the tree-lined avenue American Way, public art including "The Awakening" sculpture by Seward Johnson, shops and offices, numerous high rise residences and the largest marina on the Potomac River. It is also the future home for the new Cesar Pelli-designed National Children's Museum.

The master developer for National Harbor is The Peterson Companies, one of the largest privately owned development companies in the greater Washington area specializing in large mixed use developments.

Click here for additional coverage from the Washington Post.

Restaurant Review: Tony's Town Square Restaurant

It's been a while since I gave you another restaurant review, so I thought I'd share my thoughts about Tony's Town Square Restaurant located in the Exposition Hall on Main Street U.S.A. in the Magic Kingdom.

Tony's is located right next to the main PhotoPass station in the Exposition hall and (as the name suggests) is themed after the Disney film, Lady and the Tramp. There is a nice fountain in the center of the restaurant depicting Lady and the Tramp (see above). This is a participating Disney Dining Plan restaurant, requiring one table service credit per person. My family and I were using the dining plan for this meal.

Just like the restaurant in the movie, Tony's Town Square features Italian cuisine. This is not a character dining experience, nor is it a buffet. Guests order plated meals off a menu. I happened to order the chicken parmigiana, which is one of my favorite Italian dishes. My wife had the grilled salmon while the kids had cheese pita pizza and spaghetti and meatballs.

The atmosphere is a bit dark. The lighting was mean to evoke more of a candlelight affair, but I felt the lighting could be a bit brighter. The photo above was taken with a longer exposure to allow more light, so don't be fooled by the photo. For adults, this darker atmosphere could create a more romantic experience, so I image it depends on your preferences. I wouldn't recommend against dining at Tony's just because of the lighting.

This hidden Mickey made of bread sits towards the back of the restaurant.

OK, now for the food.

In short it was good. It wasn't the best Italian I've ever had, but it was quite tasty, hot and well prepared. Best of all, the portions were quite large, if not huge. I can handle a large plate and I had a hard time finishing a large breaded chicken breast and the big side of pasta and sauce I was served. My wife couldn't finish the salmon and the kids' meals were plenty. For dessert, my wife got the tiramisu while I had the chef's signature cheesecake. The tiramisu was light and well-portioned. My cheesecake was very rich and also well-portioned. This wasn't your basic run of the mill cheesecake

The service was up to the usual Disney standard, which meant outstanding. Our server was very pleasant and frequently checked on us to see if we needed anything.

All-in-all, I'd recommend Tony's to guests at the Magic Kingdom who feel like some Italian food for lunch or dinner. It's not at the top of my list for restaurants at the Magic Kingdom, but it's a restaurant you can expect good food (and a lot of it) and good service. As for price... well if you're on the Disney Dining Plan, price is irrelevant. If not, you can expect prices to be a bit high (you are eating inside a Disney park after all), but they're not insane. My chicken parmigiana was about $17.00.

(insert bad Italian accent here) So if you're-a a-lookin' for some-a good Italiano food-a, give a-Tony's a try. You'll-a be happy with-a your meal-a.

Didn't I say D23 would be worth it? Now see what D23'ers can do!

When Disney first announced D23, the Official Community for Disney fans, many scoffed and huffed that D23 wouldn't be worth the $75 membership fee. It was said then, there would be more to come with a D23 membership than just the magazines, litho, D23 Expo and access to exclusive merchandise.

Now comes the proof.

The D23 Web site has announced a series of D23 Member-only events going on this summer.

A free exclusive screening of UP at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood on May 28 and pin trading event.

Special seating for the final Flower Power Concert series at Epcot on May 31, featuring Tony Orlando. Afterwards, D23 members can attend a free Illuminations dessert party.

Special access to the 1,000th performance of Mary Poppins on Broadway on June 24 (ticket required). A similar package is offered for Mary Poppins in Chicago on the same night.

Special access to a performance of The Lion King at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas (ticket required).

FREE (yes, I said FREE) tours of the Disney Studios and the Disney Archives (this is HUGE!!) on June 27 and August 15.

Free screening of the recently restored "Disneyland U.S.A." and panel discussion with Tony Baxter, Dave Smith and Ed Hobelman on July 17, the 54th birthday of Disneyland.

Exclusive preview access to the new Walt Disney Family Museum in September. The museum won't open until October, but D23 members will get a free preview tour!

I'm sure there's more to come for D23 members. Now what do you think? Is D23 worth it?

You bet!

I'm 23 - are you?

Tip Tuesday: Hidden Mickeys

This side-profile hidden Mickey is located in the Swiss Family Treehouse (look on the big limb to the left of the door)

Welcome to another Tip Tuesday... well, alright it's more like tip Wednesday. Sorry 'bout that.

Anyway -- on to this week's tip.

Throughout Walt Disney World (and the other Disney parks and even Disney films) are thousands of "hidden Mickeys." These usually take the form of a classic three-circle Mickey head (the classic Disney icon) or a side profile of Mickey's head (see above photo). What makes hidden Mickey's so much fun is the fact that they are, well, hidden. Think of these as "Where's Waldo?" - Disney style.

The search for hidden Mickeys is one of the great things that big Disney fans can always do while at Walt Disney World. That's because hidden Mickeys come and go as many hidden Mickeys (or HM's) are created by cast members.

Now for the tip: get your kids into finding HM's. Why? Because it's a great way to help make those huge summer lines appear to go a little faster. It will also help kids explore and take in more of those little details the Imagineers work so hard to add.

Speaking of Imagineers, I learned something very interesting last December when I had lunch with Magic Kingdom Art Director Alex Caruthers. Caruthers has worked on several refurbs of major Magic Kingdom attractions including the Haunted Mansion and, I believe, is working on the current refurb of Space Mountain. I'll have to do another post sometime on my lunch with Mr. Caruthers - it was a wonderful experience.

This hidden Mickey is located on the ground near the entrance to the Haunted Mansion
Anyway, I asked him if hidden Mickey's were intentionally planned during the design of an attraction. Surprisingly, the answer was no. When Imagineers get together to Blue Sky a particular attraction, they don't consciously say, "OK, where will the hidden Mickey(s) go?" HM's, rather, just start popping up here and there. They're created in a very spontaneous manner. As an artist is working on a particular piece they may just decide to slip in a hidden Mickey. Obviously they are planned in some form as the artist makes a conscious decision to include an HM and the art directors and other folks approve them.

Just like pressed pennies, the hunt for HM's can make the parks a lot more fun, especially on days when the major attractions are packed. Best of all, you just might find an HM no one has ever seen before. As I said earlier, new HM's pop up all the time. If you do find a new HM, you can even sent it to the accepted master archivist of Hidden Mickeys, Dr. Steven Barrett.

Dr. Barrett's Web site, HiddenMickeysGuide.com, is generally accepted as the repository for all HM's at the parks, in the movies, in the resorts, pretty much everywhere. Best of all, he accepts sumbissions for new hidden Mickeys. He usually tries to verify them so don't think your new HM will show up on his site quickly. He also has a book that is easy to carry in the parks listing the location of verified hidden Mickeys.

The next time you're at Walt Disney World -- look around, look up, look down, you never know when you might see Mickey -- he's all over the place!