Word on the street is that Cinderella Castle is going to undergo a special winter holiday transformation this year by adding thousands of lights to the exterior of the Castle. The transformation is said to be taking place from mid-September til mid-November, making the Castle all neat and pretty just in time for the first of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Parties. I personally welcome the change (as long as it’s temporary! )

On August 31, 2007 L’Originale Alfredo di Roma Ristorante (current restaurant in the Italy Pavilion in the World Showcase) will be closing. On September 1, 2007, the restaurant will re-open as Tutto Italia. I personally welcome the change; I was never impressed by Alfredo’s…their red sauce always reminded me of Chef Boyardee!!

Rumors are flying that the Imagination Pavilion will be getting yet another rehab, possibly to include Dreamfinder again! Most die-hard Epcot fans (including myself and my husband) are chomping at the bit in hopes of experiencing something similar to the “original” Journey Into Imagination again.

Long-time Epcot fans will be happy to hear that current rumors state that a new film will be unveiled in late August 2007, replacing the current “O Canada” film in the Epcot World Showcase. I personally am thrilled to hear that Canada will finally be getting a new film, the old one is extremely dated. “O Canada” is currently scheduled for rehab from August 20 - August 24, so we can assume the new film will debut on August 25, 2007. However, I will definitely miss the theme song, if that goes too!

Waaay back in November, 2006 I reported about rumors of the giant “Mickey Hand Wand” on top of Spaceship Earth might be coming down. Well, it looks like I was right! Latest rumors confirm this rumor (now that’s a lotsa rumors!). It sounds like the 2008 budget was recently approved and included in this budget is the removal of the giant wand! Yay! I can’t wait to see Spaceship Earth in all its naked glory again

Due to its immense popularity, the Pirate and Princess Party will be returning to the Magic Kingdom for select dates in August and September, 2007. The exact dates are as follows: August 11, 15, 18, 21, 24, 28, 31 and September 3! The price for adults (ages 10+) is $48.94 and the price for kids (ages 3 - 9) is $42.55. If you’re an AP holder or a DVC owner, you can get a special deal on the pricing (same goes if you order the tickets ahead of time–at least 1 day prior). The party is similar to that of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, in that there is a special parade and the park is decorated especially for the party. It’s a super-cute, super-fun event that your whole family is sure to enjoy!!

“Finding Nemo - The Musical” is currently in soft opening at Animal Kingdom. It is showing daily at 10:00 am, 11:30 am, 12:45 pm, and 3:00 pm. Be sure to check it out if you are at AK!! However, please remember that the passholder preview is from December 1 - December 10, so if you’re not an annual passholder, you probably won’t be able to see it on those days.

I received my monthly Disney Hello newsletter today (a monthly newsletter all about the theme parks) and it provided a lot more details about The Laugh Floor Comedy Club:

SOMETHING MONSTROUSLY FUNNY IS COMING

Mike Wazowski’s opening a comedy club at Magic Kingdom® Park-and you could be part of it!

At the end of Disney·Pixar’s Monsters, Inc., the citizens of Monstropolis discovered the wondrous power of human laughter. And at the new movie-inspired Monsters, Inc. The Laugh Floor Comedy Club, your laughter has the potential to light up the city. At least, that’s the theory of your monstrous old pal, Mike Wazowski.

“Mike had the bright idea that, instead of going from closet to closet getting laughs, why don’t they gather humans into their world in one place to get a bunch of laughs all at once?” explained Steven Spiegel, Director, Show Writing at Walt Disney Imagineering.

Enter a fantastic and funny world
“When you enter from Tomorrowland®, you’ll be invited to walk through a doorway to the monster world,” he continues. “Inside the comedy club, there are ‘laugh canisters’ to contain the power as the audience laughs. And as part of the audience, there’s a chance that you could be trading quips with one of Mike’s friends-monsters who are getting their big break in show biz.”

Some of the monsters are more experienced at comedy than others, so part of the fun is seeing if different sets of performers “hits the big time” each time you visit. Disney Imagineers have teamed with Pixar artists to create wacky new characters especially for the new attraction, and these mirthful monsters will be doing a variety of humor, from improv and one-liners to prop comedy and physical gags.

The audience is part of the fun
The one thing they will all have in common is the fun they’ll share with Guests like you throughout the laugh fest. And everyone will fall under the watchful gaze and wisecracking wit of Roz, who is there to make sure the whole thing meets her expectations.

Opening late January 2007, Walt Disney World® Resort Monsters, Inc. The Laugh Floor Comedy Club takes the “living animated character” technology that has made attractions like Turtle Talk With Crush, inspired by Disney·Pixar’s Finding Nemo, such beloved Disney Theme Park “must-sees.” The new attraction takes this magic further than even the Disney Imagineers believed could be possible.

“I love doing these attractions and having guests come up to me and say ‘How did you do that?’, especially in this day and age when so much is possible with home entertainment systems and computers,” Steve said. “It’s just wonderful to see the reactions-especially from the little kids because, like us, they believe in the magic anyway.

“They figure they should be able to talk to the characters. We’re just helping prove their point.”

The WDW Official site is now reporting that the Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor Company will be opening in January 2007.

“Help Mike Wazowski, your “Monster of Ceremonies,” and his wild and crazy pals power the city of Monstropolis — with laughter! Mike and his buddies have transformed the Laugh Floor at Monsters, Inc. into a comedy club for visiting humans. You won’t have the exact same experience twice as Mike invites his furry and funny friends to the digital stage to trade jokes with audience members like you. And don’t miss the wise-cracking Roz, who isn’t sure Mike is up to the task!”

The Laugh Floor will be taking the place of the Timekeeper in Tommorrowland at the Magic Kingdom.

From Disney’s Annual Passholder email:

“To celebrate the premiere of Finding Nemo—The Musical at Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park, we’ve set aside each day’s first seating between Dec. 1–10 for valued Passholders like you!”

Please note that advance sign-up is required; you can sign-up online at the WDW Passholder site:

https://secure.disney.go.com/wdw/passholder/passholdersGate?id=PassholdersGatePage