Every since speculations and rumors have abounded about a proposed second Disney theme park in China, Shanghai to be specific, The Walt Disney Company has been mum as to any validity to the news. In fact during my recent visit to the Disney D23 Expo, when a guest asked an Imangineer about the Shanghai project, he simply stated, “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

Now in a official press release, Disney reveals that they are indeed planning a Disney theme park for Shanghai.

Here is the verbiage from the release:

THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY REACHES ANOTHER MAJOR MILESTONE
ON SHANGHAI THEME PARK PROJECT

BURBANK, Calif. – November 3, 2009 – The Walt Disney Company today announced that the Project Application Report (PAR) for a Disney theme park in the Pudong district of Shanghai has received approval from the relevant authorities of the central government of China.

“China is one of the most dynamic, exciting and important countries in the world, and this approval marks a very significant milestone for The Walt Disney Company in mainland China,” said Robert A. Iger, president and CEO of The Walt Disney Company.

The PAR approval will enable Disney and its Shanghai partners to move forward toward a final agreement to build and operate the park and begin preliminary development work. Upon completion of the final agreement, the project’s initial phase would include a Magic Kingdom-style theme park with characteristics tailored to the Shanghai region and other amenities consistent with Disney’s destination resorts worldwide.

Even the official Disney Parks blog republished this press release. So obviously while in negotiations all along, Disney refused to comment on the project at least until they moved past this phase.

Keep in mind that the press release says “the PAR approval will enable Disney and its Shanghai partners to move forward toward a final agreement” so no ground has been broken yet. And previous rumors stating that the park would open by 2012 seem unlikely although they did open the original Disneyland in 1955 within a year or so of breaking ground.

The Walt Disney Family Museum has announced its full schedule of events for the month of December, highlighting the premiere of Christmas with Walt Disney, a special holiday film showcasing Walt Disney’s Christmases past. Additional events include a concert by the String Circle Quarter and a candlelit Christmas program with the Artists’ Vocal Ensemble. In addition to this, Disney legends Blaine Gibson, Rolly Crump, and Richard Sherman come together to share their special memories of Walt on his birthday.

See below for the schedule of events sure to delight guests of the museum.

Film of the Month: Christmas with Walt Disney

Christmas with Walt Disney runs in the theater until January 4 and can be viewed 12:30pm, 3:30pm, 6:30pm daily with the exception of Tuesdays, December 25, January 1, and December 5th at 12:30pm and 3:30pm.

This special holiday screening includes The Nutcracker Suite from Fantasia (1940), Pluto’s Christmas Tree (1952), scenes from the television Christmas specials, and rarely seen home movies of Walt and his family. See how Walt celebrated Christmas at the Studio, at Disneyland, and at home.

December 5th – Memories of Walt: A Conversation with Legends

Join the museum on Walt’s birthday as you will hear from Disney Legends Blaine Gibson, Rolly Crump, and Richard Sherman as they share special memories of Walt. Blaine is the sculptor behind the Hall of Presidents, Rolly is one of the Imagineers behind “It’s a Small World” and “Haunted Mansion” and Richard wrote such Disney music classics as “It’s a Small World” and “Chim Chim Cher-ee”. It will be an extraordinary afternoon filled with stories, laughter, and reflection.

December 12th – String Circle Quartet

Concerts in the Special Exhibition Hall continue to shine light on composers of Fantasia with Schubert’s String Quartet in G. Henry Purcell’s delightful Suite from The Faery Queen—a bit of musical fantasy—is also performed. Joseph Edelberg, Anthony Martin, and Kati Kyme, violins, and Thalia Moore, cello.

December 19th & 20th – Artists’ Vocal Ensemble Concert: A Candlelight Christmas

Nothing is more magical than a choir performing classic Christmas songs and carols. The museum’s candlelight program will include European Renaissance motets and carols, contemporary American carols and anthems, and an audience sing-along led by Jonathan Dimmock.

Disney Cruise Line revealed some new details about its first new ship in over a decade — the 128,000-ton, 4,000-passenger Disney Dream at a festive show-and-tell today at Guastavino’s in New York City. The Disney Dream is full of cruise industry firsts, including the first-ever shipboard water coaster as well as what Disney is calling “Virtual Portholes”  which will reside in all inside staterooms and provide a real-time view outside of the ship via a live, high-def feed.

Additional features include the opportunity for kids to interact with Crush — an animated sea turtle from “Finding Nemo” — via a 103-inch plasma screen in the Magic Theater; Vibe – a 9,000-square-foot club for teens which will feature an outdoor deck for sunning, with water features and a giant chess board, video games, comfy chairs, each with its own iPod station, and a dance floor; Andy’s Room, a new addition to the Oceaneer Club where kids will experience being “toy sized” in this space with its gigantic features, from larger-than-life characters (including a working Mr. Potato Head doll) to an oversized, remote-control racecar (get behind the wheel!); plus much more.

But rather than write about the fantastic amenities the Disney Dream will provide, check out the following video tours that Disney Parks has put together – the first providing a sneak peak into the cruise liner’s features and amenities and the second providing a virtual ride thru the first ever water coaster aboard a ship.

Disney Dream Features & Amenities

Virtual Ride Through the AquaDuck

Walt Disney Company recently announced its plans build a 56-acre film/television production facility in northern Los Angeles County, casting a ray of light on an otherwise gloomy film economy that has hemorrhaged thousands of jobs in the last decade.

The proposed Disney/ABC Studios at the Ranch would occupy a corner of the Golden Oak Ranch, a sprawling 890-acre parcel off California 14 that has been the setting of such classic films as “Old Yeller.”

Disney filed applications Wednesday with Los Angeles County planning officials in the first step of a lengthy approval process. The new complex is not expected to open before 2013. County officials anticipate little opposition from the community, which has already become a television production hub in recent years. A half-dozen television shows, including HBO’s “Big Love” and CBS’ “NCIS,” are based in nearby Santa Clarita.

Plans call for 12 sound stages, production offices, a commissary and other facilities that could be used for film, television, commercial and new media projects.

“The proposed expansion will be a significant economic boost for the Santa Clarita Valley and northern Los Angeles County,” said Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who represents the area.”Although the county must review and analyze Disney’s application, I am encouraged that one of the world’s largest and most successful entertainment companies is making this commitment.”

See The Los Angeles Times article “Disney plans to build major production facility near Santa Clarita” for further details.

A new iPhone app is now available that not only provides wait times for Disneyland resort attractions but integrates with Facebook, Twitter, and FriendFeed. Best part is it is completely free.

MouseWait is a free iPhone app that gives Disneyland fans accurate wait times and the chance to bring their social media friends into the app to create a true social Disneyland experience.

The best part about Disneyland is experiencing it with other people, and MouseWait is a must have for anyone who is at the park, planning a trip, or at home to satisfy your Disneyland “fix” by looking at live webcams, real-time news and Twitter updates – all from your iPhone!

“I use this app when I am at the park to get accurate wait times, real-time news, and to interact with my Facebook friends who are also Disneyland fans. I use it at home to see images and tweets from the park, to watch the live Disneyland web cams, and to talk to my Facebook friends who are at the park. It is great for trip planning too,” said Kelly Johns who developed the app for app316.com.

Mousewait will give iPhone users an instant mobile gateway into Disneyland, California Adventure, and Downtown Disney. The app joins the Magic of Disneyland with the most powerful social networks in the world – Facebook, Twitter, & FriendFeed. It is the first Disneyland iPhone app to bring Disney fans a combination of accurate wait times, live Disneyland webcams, Facebook integration, Twitter feeds, and more.

“We have been annual passholders for over 15 years and our goal with MouseWait is to give Disneyland fans what they want most – accurate wait times, real-time Disneyland news via Twitter and the top Disney blogs in the world, restaurant menus with pricing, LIVE webcams, Facebook integration, and more,” said Johns.

The Facebook module allows you to login to your Facebook account and check your Newsfeed from within the app. It also has a feature called “Disneyland Friends” where it shows your Facebook Friends who have MouseWait installed. You can easily click on a friend and see what they are doing, post to their wall, etc. You can also post wait times direct to your Facebook page.

The Twitter page gives you a real-time customized Twitter search that shows you all tweets coming from Disneyland, so you can see which celebrities are there, how busy it is, and pictures from the park.

MouseWait also includes a FriendFeed page which displays real-time posts from the top 20 Disneyland blogs in the world.

if that weren’t enough,there is a 1 mile radius search in included in the app. The idea is to give you full, comprehensive access to real-time Disneyland news so you can get an idea of what’s going on within seconds.

The Resources page gives you tons of great info including live updated restaurant menus (with pricing) from Disneyland, DCA and Downtown Disney, the Disneyland Weekly Update, Event Times and Hours, an Annual Passholder blockout calendar (so you can see if you can get in), a complete Disneyland phone list, top 10 Disneyland tips, and more.

“This version of MouseWait will always be free. We are working on MouseWait Premium which will improve integration with Facebook and Twitter and add a lot of other cool features, but for now our focus is to give Disneyland fans tons of great features at no-cost as we continue to improve the free version,” said Johns, who had the idea of developing a Disneyland app when the app store originally launched.

You can follow MouseWait on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mousewait or visit www.MouseWait.com for more details.

The Walt Disney Family Museum is jump starting the holiday season with a series of screenings and lectures. Highlights include screenings of Sleeping Beauty in the Museum’s 114-seat auditorium and the premiere of Christmas with Walt Disney, a special holiday film showcasing Walt Disney’s Christmases past.

See below for the schedule of events sure to delight guests of the museum.

Film of the Month: Sleeping Beauty

The classic fairy tale of a princely kiss awaking a beautiful princess from a deep sleep is the subject of Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty.  Throughout the month of November, relive or discover for the first time the visually stunning animated feature, Sleeping Beauty as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of this incredible film.

Sleeping Beauty will be shown daily in the museum’s auditorium until November 20th. Show times are 12:30pm, 3:30pm and 6:30pm.

November 14 -  International Animation Festival and the Screening of the Alice Comedies

Walt Disney’s first successful series of films, the Alice Comedies, were built around a clever special-effects idea: a real little girl entering a cartoon world and interacting with the cartoon characters.

The Walt Disney Family Museum will partner with the San Francisco International Animation Festival to present these charming films. A selection of the Alice Comedies can be seen during the Festival on Saturday, November 14 at the Embarcadero Cinema.

Tickets available on the SF Film Society website.

November 27 – Christmas with Walt Disney (Special Holiday Film Begins)

Walt Disney’s Christmases past are remembered in this special holiday screening that includes Walt’s “Nutcracker Suite” from Fantasia (1940), Pluto’s Christmas Tree (1952), scenes from the television Christmas specials, and rarely seen home movies of Walt at home with his family.  See how Walt celebrated this beloved holiday at the Studio, at Disneyland, and at home.

Show times are 12:30pm, 3:30pm and  6:30pm.

November 21  – The Art of Sleeping Beauty with Lella Smith

The rich tapestry appearance is the visual hallmark of Sleeping Beauty and the primary vision of animator Eyvind Earle.  Lella Smith, Creative Director of Walt Disney Animation Studios Research Library, will discuss the unique art and design that brought Princess Aurora and her magical world to life 50 years ago.

This lecture will take place at 3:00 pm ion the Theater.

November 22  – Sleeping Beauty’s Castle and Beyond: The Designs and Art of Herb Ryman

The first glimpse of the gleaming white towers of “Sleeping Beauty’s Castle” is a moment that few forget.  But, who designed Disneyland’s most recognizable landmark and the dream home of many a prince and princess? Here is the opportunity to discover the creativity of an early Imagineer, Herb Ryman, from Marty Sklar, former International Ambassador for Walt Disney Imagineering.

Mr. Sklar, who was with the Walt Disney Company and Walt Disney Imagineering for 53 years, will talk about the extraordinary talent of Herb Ryman that went beyond his work at Disneyland by sharing his art and designs.

This lecture will take place at 3:00 pm ion the Theater.

Disney.com just launched a new destination for visitors to enjoy new and exclusive videos, games and activities related to their “Haunted Holidays.” The site features pages of your favorite Disney attractions, from Pirates of the Caribbean Online to the Muppets, Snow White and the upcoming A Christmas Carol and many more.

“Haunted Holidays” brings together scary attractions like the Haunted Mansion, notorious villains from classic films like “Snow White,” and then embraces the holiday “spirit” literally with special features on the upcoming “Christmas Carol” film from Walt Disney Studios.

From Pirates to Muppets, from London to New Orleans, “Haunted Holidays” on Disney.com brings together an array of exclusive and never before seen features from some of Disney’s most popular films and characters.

Highlights include:

The Haunted Mansion

Often picked as a favorite attraction by Disney Parks guests around the world, the Haunted Mansion is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and on Disney.com you can watch exclusive behind-the-scenes videos that look at the history and Imagineering that went into creating the spookiest place at Disneyland.

The Haunted Mansion Chapter features:

• “Choose your Demise” game, in the “spirit” of the real Haunted Mansion elevator portraits the portraits featured in this game may not be as they appear.

• Exclusive flip book of Haunted Mansion images and artwork

• Exclusive, behind-the-scenes videos and fan videos at Disneyland Resort

The Muppets

The Muppets have “dug up” their favorite spooky jokes in honor of Halloween – check out all-new videos and shorts, you don’t have to be a werewolf to howl at these jokes, even our mummy likes them.

Chapter features are:

• Hidden “pop-up” Halloween jokes

• Original Halloween-themed videos

• Fan-favorite Muppet sketches

Nightmare Before Christmas

What holiday is complete without a visit to Halloweentown with Jack Skellington?  Continuing a Disney Halloween tradition, the “Nightmare Before Christmas” Chapter features:

• Video of Rise Against’s music video “Making Christmas”

• Links to Disney.com Create portal photo mash-up featuring “Nightmare” characters

• Character flip book

Visit Haunted Holidays for more fun and be sure to check back often as this special destination on will be continuously updated with new features often from now until the New Year.

Walt Disney World has implemented a reservation system at many of its “quick service” restaurants which not only allows them to seat guests quickly but allows them to see an increase in profits as well. The former practice of saving tables while another place an order for food is no longer allowed during times when the parks are experiencing peak traffic.

Inside four quick-service restaurants in the Magic Kingdom, Disney has begun restricting access — but guaranteeing seating — during busy lunch rushes. Managers say the approach helps smooth out traffic in part by eliminating the need for groups to split up and send someone to order food while another person holds an open table — something that can clog up as much as one-third of a restaurant’s capacity at any given time.

“This has been very helpful for us from an efficiency standpoint, because everything’s so well-organized,” said Liz Clark, general manager of food and beverage in the Magic Kingdom.

Busy, in-park restaurants are an obvious target for improvements as on a busy days they can rival the longest ride queues in terms of crowds, noise and stress levels.

“It wasn’t really a good way to decompress or relax. So we’ve been really focusing on how we can enhance the whole dining experience,” Clark said.

Under the controlled-access and -seating program, guests in certain Magic Kingdom counter-service restaurants are guided through a single entrance so workers can keep tabs on how many people are inside.

A greeter hands menus and directs the entire group to cash registers to place their orders. After they get their food, they are guided by another cast member to an empty table.

Implementing the change is trickier than it may sound. For example, the restaurants have multiple entrances, so Disney restaurant managers have had to work with “Imagineers” to work out new ways of guiding traffic through a single point.

Clark said the program has already evolved based on feedback from guests. The menus that greeters  initially handed out were only available in English and were done entirely in text. They have since been changed to include multiple languages, pictures of the menu selections, and information about using a pre-purchased dining plan that Disney sells to resort guests.

Disney began testing the concept in the Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Café. But it has since been rolled out to three other busy counter-service restaurants: Columbia Harbour House, Pinocchio Village Haus and Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café. Those restaurants range in size from about 400 seats to more than 1,000 at Pecos Bill and Cosmic Ray’s.

This new system is only being used when that day’s park attendance warrants it.

Original articles at Orlando Sentinel and Examiner.com.

John Blackstone of CBS Sunday Morning News joins Diane Disney Miller and takes viewers on an insightful video tour around The Walt Disney Family Museum, which officially opens tomorrow, October 1, 2009 in the Presidio of San Francisco.

The video not only shows some of the state of the art technology that the museum employs but provides a brief history of who Walt Disney, the man himself, is and how what we know as “Disney” today all started with a mouse.

Built for approximately $110 million by the Disney family, the museum resides in the Presidio District of San Francisco in the converted barracks of an old Army base.

Everyone who enjoys a visit to the museum should thank Walt Disney’s daughter and son-in-law, Diane and Ron Miller, Walt’s namesake grandchild, Walter E.D. Miller, and other members of the Walt Disney Family Foundation. Diane was motivated to establish the museum in part by a few unflattering biographies of her father and some urban legends that had popped up about Walt’s life and death. But she also wanted today’s children and future generations to understand that her father was a real man with a very compelling and inspirational life story.

Her original plans to simply open the family’s leased warehouse loaded with Walt’s awards, art, miniatures, and other personal items to school field trips, Disney fans and small groups grew.  What visitors will now experience was influenced in part by her son, Walter, who said people would expect more than the impressive but static collection the family had assembled.

The original air date of the CBS video was September 27, 2009 and is displayed via YouTube here courtesy of CBS Sunday Morning News.

The Walt Disney Company revealed a new program today on Good Morning America that allows individuals to volunteer one day of  service to a participating organization in exchange for one day of free admission to a Disney Park. It’s a first-of-its-kind program Disney is calling “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day.”

The free one-day admission ticket will be made available to as many as 1 million people who volunteer through HandsOn Network, a giant volunteer organization and will be honored at one of Disney’s Anaheim and Florida parks.

The program officially begins on January 1, 2010. Once it’s live, you’ll be able to visit www.DisneyParks.com and search for an eligible volunteer project. After completing the volunteer work, an e-mail will be sent from Disney with a link to print out a certificate to redeem at a theme park for a free one-day, one-park admission. And if you’re unable to use the ticket, it can be donated to a charity designated by Disney.

“It’s a great way to honor guests who are making a positive contribution to their communities,” Disney President and Chief Executive Robert A. Iger said in a statement.

The “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” campaign represents another installment in promotions designed to keep visitors coming to the theme parks despite the recession. Hotel and ticket discounts this last year stabilized attendance in Orlando and boosted traffic to Anaheim, even as it squeezed profit margins.

HandsOn is part of the Points of Light Institute, which operates 250 centers throughout the country, connecting volunteers to more than 70,000 nonprofit agencies seeking help.

Here are a couple of cute commercials Disney is using to promote this special offer.