From the Disney Parks Blog and written by: Thomas Smith
Disney’s Ultimate Princess Celebration is kicking off today! This year, we are celebrating our heroes and spotlighting the courage and kindness they meet with every challenge. From Moana’s courageous efforts to rescue her people, to the kindness Belle extended to a stranger, we take this time to celebrate their valiant acts and stories of personal triumph.
To pay tribute to our Princesses and Queens, we’ll start with a global tour to see how each hero’s story of courage and kindness comes to life at our parks and resorts, and we’ll also check out some exciting new ways to take home the magic!
We start this tour with a look at Disneyland park’s only ride-through Princess attraction, Snow White’s Enchanted Wish – which will be ready to welcome guests when the park reopens April 30. Imagineers have updated this classic Fantasyland attraction with new magic inside and out. Using state-of-the-art audio and visual technology, including new music, LED black lighting, laser projections and a new animation system, the attraction brings to life Snow White’s “happily ever after.”Here, we flip through the pages of the story that “started it all,” and land on one particular scene that hasn’t yet been shared!
For our Hong Kong Disneyland stop of the tour, of course we have to include the Castle of Magical Dreams, unveiled for the resort’s 15th anniversary. Inspired by the 13 courageous stories of Disney Princesses and Queens, the Castle stands proudly as the centerpiece of Hong Kong Disneyland – a symbol of courage, hope, and possibility. For a behind-the-scenes look at the Castle of Magical Dreams, we have to check out Building a Dream: The Magic Behind a Disney Castle. This brand-new exhibition takes us from concept to reality, showing the tools and techniques used in Imagineering’s creative process for developing the new Castle design.
Jumping over to the east coast, in Florida, we now visit Walt Disney World Resort, where some of our favorite Disney Princess characters kindly greet guests in a cavalcade around Magic Kingdom Park. Wave hello to Jasmine, Tiana, Cinderella, and more, as you watch the regal procession go by.
The next stop on our global tour is Shanghai Disney Resort, where “ILLUMINATE! A Nighttime Celebration” will take us on an exciting journey, inspiring us to break through the darkness and adversity—just as Mulan, Rapunzel, Anna, and Elsa did—and see the light! Through seven unique chapters, the stunning visual story delivers a message of perseverance and courage, inspiring guests to hold onto the light that exists within all of us and trust it to see them through.
We have now come to Disneyland Paris, where we find a beautiful statue of Cinderella, who truly exemplifies kindness. She faced a great deal of adversity and challenges in her life, but she always persevered with courage, and this statue is a beautiful symbol of that. Also in Disneyland Paris, there is now a new selfie spot where guests can see Queen Anna & Snow Queen Elsa. These sisters go on courageous adventures and treat all of the residents of Arendelle with pure kindness. Snap a photo with the Queens that you can take home to last a lifetime.
Speaking of taking home the magic, there are several ways for you to take home the magic of all of our favorite heroes! Disney Publishing Worldwide has released an all new, empowering and heartfelt storybook collection by a diverse group of authors and illustrators, “Tales of Courage and Kindness.” The collection of 14 original stories explores themes of courage and kindness. The stories are brought to life by the voices of Auli’i Cravalho, Mandy Moore, Anika Noni Rose, and Kelly Marie Tran—aka Moana, Rapunzel, Tiana, and Raya, respectively. It also features beautiful new illustrations of the characters and their unique stories. “Tales of Courage and Kindness” will be available for free download at Princess.Disney.com beginning today until the end of August to help inspire children to create a kinder world.
For even more stories of courage, get wrapped up in the Disney Princess characters’ latest adventures with “5 Minute Princess Stories,” perfect before bedtime, story time, or any time! Each of the twelve stories in the collection is the perfect length for reading aloud in about 5 minutes. Read about the kindness displayed by Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, and Moana!
Embrace your inner Princess on your journey to balance with a Disney Princess Lokai bracelet. With beads that contain water from Mt. Everest, the highest point on Earth, and mud from the Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth, you will stay humble and grounded through it all, just as Belle, Mulan, Jasmine, and Moana do. Available tomorrow on Lokai.com.
You can also play out your own scenarios of kindness with Hasbro Disney Princess Royal Shimmer Dolls. Collect Royal Shimmer Ariel, Aurora, Belle, Cinderella, Merida, Moana, Mulan, Pocahontas, Rapunzel, Snow White, and Tiana. Relive your favorite moments of courage and imagine some of your own! Available at retailers such as Target and Walmart.
Sometimes a Princess needs to plan her adventures. That’s easy to do with The Disney Princess collection of The Happy Planner planners, journals and stationery. Get inspired by all the Disney Princess characters with new ethereal prints and artful sketched designs. Live out your adventures of courage and kindness with new planners, notebooks, stickers, and more!
The Ultimate Princess Celebration is just getting started! On August 23, Disney will take the celebration to the next level with the first-ever World Princess Week – a weeklong celebration aimed at inspiring a million acts of kindness around the globe. You can join in the festivities and learn more about Ultimate Princess Celebration at princess.disney.com. Stay tuned, because new products including toys and collectibles from Hasbro, JAKKS Pacific, LEGO, and Funko, plus fashion, beauty and accessories from Adidas, Coach, Chaser, Hanna Andersson, POPSUGAR, and others will be released throughout the year.
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