Wednesday night was the first of two Annual Passholder parties reported in this week's Disneyland Park Update. Event guests were treated to an exclusive performance of Mickey's Soundsational Parade, with an opportunity to hear from the parade designers and get a close-up view of the floats afterward. Along with access to Tomorrowland and Fantasyland attractions, Passholders had the chance to preview unique food items that may appear on Disneyland menus in the near future. This Bacon Mac & Cheese hot dog from the Refreshment Corner was a big hit.

 

The next event will take place next Monday, October 17, and Disney has notified guests by e-mail. If you are a Disneyland Annual Passholder with extra tickets to Monday's event, or you don't have tickets but would like to attend, please post your offer or request on our event thread. We'll be having a MousePlanet meetup there too, so you can swing by and grab a MousePlanet button before the parade. Hope to see you there!

Disney finally announced announced the opening date for the much-anticipated Art of Animation Resort: May 13, 2012. The resort is expected to be especially popular with larger families, as the suites in the Finding Nemo, Cars and The Lion King areas will be able to accommodate up to six guests; The Little Mermaid section will contain standard rooms. Check out more information, including a Disney Parks video, in this week's Walt Disney World Park Update.

One of Disney's classic live-action comedy films, The Shaggy Dog (1959), was made in an era before computer-generated imagery allowed virtual animals to be created that could perform all kinds of stunts at the click of a mouse. Have you ever wondered just how they got those shots, especially how they got the dog to drive the car? Jim Korkis provides interesting background on the intricate training process that was involved to create some of the signature scenes in the film as well as Sam, the dog who acted in the film, in his article, "The Dog Who Was the Shaggy Dog."  

As we mark the 40th Anniversary of the Walt Disney World Resort, what lies ahead for its next decade? Jeff Kober gazes into his crystal ball and provides some predictions in the final part of his series looking at Walt Disney World through the decades. Much of the next decade will feature Disney's Next Generation technology that will bring a more interactive guest experience to many parts of the resort, starting with the Magic Kingdom. Jeff provides a good mix of known plans and speculation, just enough to get us all in a Blue Sky kind of mood. 

Disney collectibles come in big and small sizes, and sometimes in very small sizes. On Friday, Chris Barry highlights some of the smallest collectibles: Disney Collector Packs. These small pouches of rubber toys have featured a wide range of characters and park elements over the years, and the mystery of finding out what you got is one of the enticing elements of this collectible line.

Beware of hitchhiking ghosts! Photo by Chris Barry.

 

There's nothing as constant as change, especially when it comes to Walt Disney World menus. Some recent changes have included the move away from separate lunch and dinner menus to all-day menus at some table service restaurants, including the 50's Prime Time Cafe and Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The revised menus are a blend of the previous menus, but many of the lighter lunch choices have been lost. What do you think of these changes? Will they affect your dining choices? Weigh in on our MousePad discussion board.

MouseAdventure World Explorers is ready for its close up on Saturday, November 12 at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The day will start before park opening with breakfast at  the Backlot Express. After breakfast and a brief event orientation, the cameras will roll as teams attempt to solve quests and earn MouseAdventure World Explorer Merit Badges. Pricing for this event is $175 for a 2 player team + $35 for each additional player (up to a total of 4 players per team). Registration is still open, but don't delay: casting ends on October 21!

Not sure what MouseAdventure is all about, or want more detail? Read all about what to expect and  some summaries of past events at Mouseadventure.com!

Where am I?

Where in the Disneyland Resort would you find this item? Email your guess to newsletter_contests@mouseplanet.com  for a chance to win a MousePlanet baseball cap. The correct answer - and another chance to win - will be posted in next Thursday's Newsletter. Good luck!