Mouse Extra

It appears that Spoodles is not long for the Disney’s Boardwalk. In order to grab some celeb chef vibes, Disney will be replacing the Boardwalk mainstay with an eatery designed by the Celebrity Iron Chef, Cat Cora, who has in the past been a part of Disney culinary events including those at the Epcot Food & Wine Festival. According to allearsnet.com, the restaurant will be open sometime this Fall.

Spoodles at Disney

Ms Cora has long been a mainstay on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America program as well as a cooking author. The food will be Greek in nature. The place will be called Kouzzina, which is Greek for “kitchen.” The restaurant will apparently be operated and owned by Disney.

This will come as bad news to many a Disney fan.  Spoodles has been a popular mainstay for some time now, though apparently not popular enough.  The loss of their breakfast will most likely be the biggest complaint.

Jim Hill Media is reporting this morning that a certain culinary rodent has started making appearances at Les Chefs de France at Epcot.  The overly cute Remy from Ratatouille is now an audio-animatronic making the rounds entertaining the crowds at this popular World Showcase eatery.

… Les Chefs de France is still one of the most expensive restaurants found in that theme park. And given that Guests are really watching their money these days, Disney World officials felt that they had to come up with a strong new draw for this France pavilion restaurant.

Which is why – this past Monday — Remy from “Ratatouille” began making appearances at Les Chefs de France. And – no – I’m not talking about some sweaty teenager in a walk-around Remy costume. I’m talking about the latest application of Disney’s Living Character Initiative program. Which first started entertaining diners at Walt Disney Studios’ Rendez-Vous des Stars restaurant last summer.

Be warned, though. This itty-bitty animatronic Remy is scheduled to make his last appearance at Epcot on September 10th. So if you want to be entertained by Little Chef while you’re dining at Les Chef de France, you’d best make some reservations ASAP.

With all due respect to Mr. Hill, his conclusion about why they added Remy to Les Chefs de France seems like a bunch of bunk to me.  While it is certainly possible the economy may have some additional effect on Les Chefs de France from the rest of the park’s expensive restaurants, and that seems pretty debatable by itself, I just can’t see that as the main reason for Remy’s appearance.  Considering how long it takes to develop these characters, and the entertainment value they have on their own, I would imagine Remy was coming to the France pavilion regardless. 

And if a downturn in bookings is truly the reason, why would they have a hard date of September 10 for Remy’s finale?  Are they certain the Little Chef will cure all the restaurant’s economic hardships in a matter of a few months?  No, it doesn’t add up.  I would imagine this was going to happen for no other reason than it was a really good idea.

Long time readers of Mouse Extra know how much I love this little rat and his incredible film.  Ratatouille is my favorite Pixar film, and very close to my favorite animated film period.  I am calling for reservations at Les Chefs de France for my April trip as soon as I finishing posting this article.  (Wait a minute…maybe that whole “bookings theory” isn’t a bad idea after all…)

In recent weeks, Disney has been teasing the heck out of something called D23, which rumors reported was a Disney “fan club” so to speak.  Well, yesterday, many an inbox finally lit up with details of this much anticipated new program.  Check out Disney’s official D23 FAQ page for details.

To thank all of our fans, we have created D23 with its one-of-a-kind experiences, special events, collectibles, quarterly publication, Web site, and opportunities to meet others who share the same affection and fascination for Disney. D23 offers fans an insider peek at every corner of Disney, from the Parks, animation and stage shows to television and film to the treasures of the legendary Walt Disney Archives.

So what exactly is D23 and what do members receive?  For $74.99 Disney explains the benefits as follows…

-One year subscription (four issues) to “Disney twenty-three” publication. D23’s exquisite collectible magazine is filled with stunning photography, dazzling illustrations and Disney insider perspective. It’s an all-access pass to discovering the magic of Disney’s past, present and future!

-Membership Card and Certificate. The membership card and personalized, suitable-for-framing charter member certificate feature many of Disney’s most beloved characters as drawn by Disney Master Artist Dave Pacheco.

-Surprise Collectible Gift. Just for D23 members, an exclusive Charter Year collectible gift from the new Walt Disney Archives Collection.

-Exclusive Special Events and Merchandise. D23 offers its members unique special-event opportunities throughout the year, as well as access to member-exclusive, limited-edition merchandise and collectibles.

-Discounted admission to the D23 Expo

-FanFare E-Newsletters. Subscription to bi-weekly D23 FanFare e-newsletter with breaking news and special offers. (You may opt out of receiving FanFare upon receipt of each e-newsletter.)

During the build-up to the release of D23, I was excited about what this could be.  Being a Disney addict myself, a “fan club” sure sounded like something I would be interested in.  But this information leaves me wondering if I will in fact buy in.  At $74.99 for a one-year membership, it is certainly not cheap.

And I am not totally sure you get a decent value for your money.  The key is in the surprise gift, and the quality of the FanFare email, because four magazines and a membership card are certainly not worth 75 bucks.  The rest of the benefits seem to be nothing more than the opportunity to spend even more money.  If the gift is unimpressive, and FanFare is nothing exceptional, doesn’t it seem like a lot of money for little return?

Though it may seem on the surface to be disappointing, I do really like the idea.  And I may just give it a try regardless of my questions.  So what do you think of D23?  Will you plug down the 75 bucks for this list of benefits?

Bob Iger recently held a shareholders annual meeting to discuss the future of Disney and how Disney is dealing with the current economic crisis.  He mentioned the upcoming Hannah Montana movie and the progress on Toy Story 3. Iger further confirmed a change in the scheduled release of the Princess & The Frog to avoid competition with a Alvin & the Chipmunks sequel, which to me is a not a good sign that Disney is worried about Alvin & The Chipmunks.

But most importantly, Iger finally announced the names of the new cruise ships, The Disney Dream and the Disney Fantasy.  For more information on the meeting, click here for the story from the Hollywood Reporter.

Today’s posting is from Mike, contributing writer to Mouse Extra.

Editor’s note: I couldn’t let this news go by without comment on the naming of the new DCL vessels.  The Disney Dream, which will launch in 2011, comes as no surprise at all.  It is probably the name everyone was most expecting.  It is a good name, in my opinion, and fits the corporate brand.

The Disney Fantasy, however, I am not as excited about.  I just think the word “Fantasy” is sort of arbitrary and uncreative.  Last year, rumors hinted that the second ship would be named the Disney Celebration.  To me, that would have been a much better name.  It fits the corporate theme and has a better ring to it.  Maybe it’s just that I associate “Fantasy” with a lame Carnival ship…

We are all used to the use of the word “synergy” at the Disney Theme Parks.  Disney has a movie, DVD, or television series they want to promote and use the parks to help with the marketing blitz.  Often times it drives the purists crazy, and admittedly occasionally the rest of us as well.  But I have a feeling this latest round of synergy at the parks will be met with little hostility.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, Walt Disney World is preparing a little cross-promotion on the upcoming re-release of Walt’s classic film Pinocchio.

A temporary set, dubbed “Pinocchio’s Marionette Garden Party,” has been erected just inside the front gate of the Magic Kingdom, where guests get a chance to meet the wooden toy who became a living boy. In addition to a picture and autograph from the character, guests also get sheets of temporary tattoos that include images of Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket, the Blue Fairy, Figaro the cat and Cleo the fish.

Of course, those tattoos — along with signs around the garden party — make sure to include the helpful reminder that the 70th anniversary edition of the animated film will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on Tuesday.

A Disney spokeswoman said the Pinocchio meet-and-greet will be in place until April 3.

If any film deserves a little pomp and circumstance at the parks, it is Pinocchio.  In fact, I would expect even more for a film of such importance to Disney’s history.  But either way, Pinocchio fans should stay on the look out for the little puppet at the parks.

Here is a ridiculously funny photo released earlier this week from Walt Disney World.  It is CC Sabathia and Joba Chamberlain trying out Toy Story Midway Mania at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  Sorry Yankee fans, I couldn’t find out who scored better.  (Don’t laugh.  These guys are pitchers and who has the better aim is important.)

photo copyright Disney 2009

Cleary Joba Chamberlain, right, is acting like a ham.  But doesn’t Sabathia have a smile on his face that says something like “I should have gotten in the single-riders line!”  Yes, this may be the one time Sabathia would rather be hanging out with Alex Rodriguez. 

When I first saw this photo, I thought it was a mistake.  That didn’t look to me at first to be CC Sabathia.  He is a huge guy, but Joba is just as big in this photo.