Disney Book Giveaway! Imagineering Field Guide to Disney California Adventure!

Win a copy of the Imagineering Field Guide to Disney California Adventure at Disneyland Resort.

You can get 5 points by heading over to Mice Chat and leaving a comment on the review that we did.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Images from Carowinds New Slides

Carowinds shared some more images of their new slides. (See the press release from last week.)

Surfer’s Swell will travel a total of 263 feet; riders will plunge downward through a tunnel then swoop up onto an angled wall that mimics the sensation of catching an ocean wave.  Guests then gracefully enter a final tunnel for a fun ‘splash landing’ into a pool at the bottom of this 45 foot tall experience.  

Dorsal Fin Drop offers 351 feet of slide and takes riders on the whirl of a lifetime as they gain speed in a curved-tunnel that blasts them into a bowl.  Like a shark circling its prey, guests spin and swirl before sliding into the corkscrew exit.   

Are you going to try out the new water slides at Carowinds on your next visit?

New Disney Book: Once Upon a Dream by Charles Solomon

Over the past few years, we've seen some great books come from D23, the Walt Disney Family Museum and Disney Publishing Worldwide. I just received a review copy of Once Upon a Dream: From Perrault's Sleeping Beauty to Disney's Maleficent by Charles Solomon.

Solomon is a biggie in Disney history circles and has written quite a few titles on animation history and Disney animated films.

I'm only about half-way through the book and it's already quite spectacular. The book is large and Solomon takes advantage of the larger format to present art across both pages for some breathtaking shots.

A full review will be coming to Mice Chat and Communicore Weekly, soon!

Press Release: Carowinds Opens New Water Slides

Have you had a chance to visit Carowinds, lately? It looks like they're about to add a large number of attractions over the next few years.

New waterslides to open at Carowinds June 20!

Dorsal Fin Drop, Surfer’s Swell bring new sliding thrills to Boomerang Bay!

Charlotte, NC- June --, 2014    Carowinds, Thrill Capital of the Southeast, is excited to open two new water slides in their waterpark Boomerang Bay Friday June 20.  The new slides will stand over 4 stories high and add 600+ feet of sliding fun, bringing new thrills and splashes to the popular water park.  

They’ll offer two distinctively different rides unique to Boomerang Bay.

Surfer’s Swell will travel a total of 263 feet; riders will plunge downward through a tunnel then swoop up onto an angled wall that mimics the sensation of catching an ocean wave.  Guests then gracefully enter a final tunnel for a fun ‘splash landing’ into a pool at the bottom of this 45 foot tall experience.  

Dorsal Fin Drop offers 351 feet of slide and takes riders on the whirl of a lifetime as they gain speed in a curved-tunnel that blasts them into a bowl.  Like a shark circling its prey, guests spin and swirl before sliding into the corkscrew exit.  

The slides open just in time for the first official day of summer and are the first phase of a multi-year, multi-million dollar, capital investment plan at the park initiated by its parent company Cedar Fair.  “Cedar Fair noted the growth in Charlotte and across the Carolinas, and saw an opportunity to grow our park as well” says Bart Kinzel Carowinds VP and General Manager adding “there are a lot of plans in the works to better serve our guests across all areas from infrastructure to new rides, it’s an exciting time.”  

The new slides will be the premier experience inside Boomerang Bay, the waterpark will now have 2 wave pools, 13 waterslides, and 2 kiddie splash pools with over 2 million gallons of water to help visitors have fun during the areas hot Carolina summers.  Riders will need to be 48” in bare feet in order to slide down, each rider will slide down on a single rider inner tube.   

First Riders

A group of special kids from the University City YMCA, a branch of the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, are eagerly anticipating opening day.   When the slides were announced in September 2013 they didn’t know how to swim, and never could have imagined themselves swooshing down the exciting twists and curves of Carowinds new slides.  Now after 9 months of weekly lessons sponsored by Carowinds the kids will become the honorary first riders down Dorsal Fin Drop and Surfer’s Swell.

“We are so grateful to Carowinds for providing the opportunity for these 15 children to learn to swim,” says Matt Fitzwater, University City YMCA Executive Director. “This is not just a fun activity but a life-saving skill. This group represents the confidence and safety that comes with swim lessons.”

Check out all the summer events, and new sliding fun on the parks social media channels http://www.facebook.com/carowindspark  , http://www.youtube.com/user/CarowindsPR, on  twitter and Instagram find them  @carowindspark .  For information on park schedule, prices and attractions head to www.carowinds.com .  

Disney Book Giveaway!

We're giving away a copy of The Art of Disney Princesses over at The Disney Review at Mice Chat.

There a few ways to enter the contest which will run from Tuesday, June 10 to Friday, June 20, 2014.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Press Release: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D – The Complete First Season

So, the first season of Agent's of S.H.I.E.L.D. totally surprised me and my family. Once the characters and the storyline got settled, the action was extremely well done for a television series and the line was blurred between a theatrical release and what you typically see on a television show. It took about half a season to become fully vested in the characters and that's when everything changed. With a direct tie-in to Captain America: Winter Soldier and the next Thor film, there are a lot of great moments on the series.

I can't wait for Season 2 and the further development of the Marvel Universe.

The Mind-Blowing Saga That Began in Marvel’s The Avengers Continues in
ABC’s Action-Packed Series

MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.

Relive All 22 Thrilling Episodes, Plus Get Level 7 Access with Newly De-Classified Bonus Features Available On Blu-ray and DVD.  In Stores September 9, 2014

Synopsis:   

The mind-blowing saga that began in Marvel’s The Avengers continues in ABC’s action-packed series, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. — The Complete First Season.

In the wake of The Battle of New York, the world has changed forever. An extraordinary landscape of wonders has been revealed! In response, mysteriously resurrected Agent Phil Coulson assembles an elite team of skilled agents and operatives: Melinda May, Grant Ward, Leo Fitz, Jemma Simmons and new recruit/computer hacker Skye. Together, they investigate the new, the strange, and the unknown across the globe, protecting the ordinary from the extraordinary. But every answer unearths even more tantalizing questions that reverberate across the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe: Who is "The Clairvoyant”? What is Hydra’s sinister master plan; what dark secret lies behind Skye’s puzzling origins, and most importantly of all, who can be trusted?

Cast: “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”  stars Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson, Chloe Bennet as Skye, Ming-Na Wen as Agent Melinda May, Brett Dalton as Agent Grand Ward, Iain De Caestecker as Agent Leo Fitz and Elizabeth Henstridge as Agent Jemma Simmons.

Bonus Features:            Journey Into S.D.C.C. – Hop on the bus and share the thrill of a lifetime as the series makes its first ever appearance at San Diego Comic-Con, where the cast is welcomed with open arms by a sea of enthusiastic fans

                               Marvel Studios:  Assembling A Universe TV Special                                                                                   

5 Behind-The-Scenes Field Reports – Get exclusive access to the show’s classified sets for the making of some of your favorite episodes

·       “The Malibu Jump”

·       “The Bridge”

·       “Asgardian Bar Fight”

·       “Classified”

·       “Cello Duet”                                                            

VFX Breakdowns – Explore the layers of effects in sequences with split-frame comparisons to the final version

Audio Commentaries with Filmmakers & Cast    

Gag Reel 

Deleted Scenes

  

Writers:                                   Varies by Episodes

Executive Producers:      Joss Whedon (“Marvel’s The Avengers”, “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”), Maurissa                                                                                        Tancharoen (“Dollhouse”, “Spartacus”, “Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog”), Jed Whedon                                                                 (“Dollhouse”, Spartacus”, “Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog”), Jeffrey Bell (“Angel”, “X-                                                                       Files”, “Alias”) and Jeph Loeb (“Heroes”, “Lost”, “Smallville”)

Release Date:                       September 9, 2014

Rating:                                      TV PG

Run Time:                               Approx. 946 minutes; 22 episodes

Aspect Ratio:                        1.78:1, 16x9 Widescreen

Audio:                                       Blu-ray:  5.1 DTS-HDMA, DVD:  5.1 Dolby Digital

Languages:                             English Audio

Subtitles:                                English SDH, Spanish, French