Disneyland tries out a brand new family-centric competition throughout the back-to-school season – Orange County Register
Disneyland is take a look at driving a brand new youngsters competition geared towards preschoolers and their households throughout the back-to-school season that would finally increase into the annual kickoff of the busy competition season at Disney California Journey.
The Disney Junior & Pals Playdate three-day occasion kicked off at DCA on Friday, Aug. 18 with a parade, reveals, meals, music and video games.
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In the intervening time, the Disney Junior competition is little greater than repurposed retreads and salvaged elements from different seasonal occasions cobbled collectively for younger youngsters who don’t know any higher and fogeys simply searching for a strategy to hold them entertained on a sweltering scorching day in late summer season.
For now, the Disney Junior Playdate stays a piece in progress with simply sufficient newness to make it value trying out this 12 months and sufficient potential to carry out hope for subsequent 12 months.
Disneyland is attempting out a brand new location, season and identify this 12 months for the Disney Junior youngsters competition geared towards youngsters 2 to 7 years previous.
Final 12 months’s occasion — dubbed Disney Junior Enjoyable Fest — ran in April only a few days after the DCA Meals & Wine Competition and was set on the fringe of Paradise Bay. This 12 months’s occasion strikes to Hollywood Land and kicks off simply earlier than the beginning of DCA’s competition season that sometimes runs from September to April.
The spotlight of the this 12 months’s competition was the “Disney Junior Reside Playdate” present on the Hollywood Backlot Stage. Disney dancers acquired the children leaping, spinning, clapping and enjoying alongside as Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Pooh and Tigger joined within the enjoyable.
The 15-minute present was good for the little ones teetering between naptime and a sugar excessive who simply wanted to get their wiggles out and their groove on. The dancers led the children in participatory video games like head, shoulders, knees and toes in addition to call-and-response cheers tied to Disney Junior reveals.
After the primary efficiency of the afternoon there was a world-premiere screening of the brand new Disney Junior TV sequence “Playdate with Winnie the Pooh.”
Brady MacDonald/Orange County Register
The Disney Junior & Pals Playdate three-day occasion kicked off at DCA on Friday, Aug. 18 with a parade, reveals, meals, music and video games.
Calling the Playdate Celebration Parade a “parade” was a stretch for the fledgling Disney Junior occasion. The temporary procession was little greater than Disneyland’s wet day cavalcade with a single float, a handful of energetic dancers and some characters using on Predominant Road U.S.A. automobiles.
The Playdate Play Zone supplied meet-and-greet alternatives with Doc McStuffins, Vampirina and different Disney Junior characters. Donald Duck and Daisy Duck appeared thrilled to present out massive hugs to guests on a scorching day with little shade in sight.
Children additionally took half in Alice’s Wonderland Bakery Unbirthday Celebration cupcake adorning course — a mainstay of the DCA Meals & Wine Competition. The present principally concerned the dwell host speaking to a video display screen with a quick look by Minnie Mouse whereas youngsters on the foot of the stage made cupcakes.
The Animation Academy had Disney artists instructing youngsters how to attract characters from the “Star Wars: Younger Jedi Adventures” kids’s animated TV sequence and different Disney Junior reveals.
The Disney Junior craft zone offered a shady place for the little ones to paint whereas Mother and Dad waved hand followers that Disneyland staff handed out by the boxload.
The “Disney Junior Dance Celebration” stage present in DCA’s Hollywood Land continued with its often scheduled performances throughout the Playdate occasion.
Disney Junior Playdate specialty meals choices included Honey Pot Caramel Apples and Tigger Marshmallow Tails at Trolley Treats and cotton sweet at choose out of doors merchandising areas.
The sweet apple and marshmallow snacks had been nothing actually particular past the truth that they’re normally unique to Disneyland — and never usually out there in DCA.
The Disney Junior competition supplied little or no in the best way of specialty meals and drinks — a chance for enchancment from Disneyland’s gifted culinary crew in years to return.
Total, the target market for the Disney Junior Playdate competition appeared glad — and when the children are glad, so are the dad and mom. However Disneyland might want to do extra to make the Disney Junior competition an annual custom.
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The three-day Disney Junior & Pals Playdate continues on Saturday, Aug. 19 and Sunday, Aug. 20 within the Downtown Disney out of doors shopping center with dwell leisure, arts and crafts actions, photograph alternatives, search-and-find video games and specialty meals.
The Disney Junior occasion kicked off only a few days earlier than the favored Oogie Boogie Bash that runs on choose dates in September and October — suggesting the family-centric competition may finally be expanded in upcoming years.
Disney California Journey has turn into the seasonal competition headquarters on the Disneyland resort very like Epcot at Walt Disney World in Florida. DCA is already residence to a sequence of occasions and festivals throughout the low season celebrating Halloween, Christmas, Lunar New 12 months and California meals and wine. A household enjoyable competition may function a bridge between the summer season season and the busy fall and winter vacation seasons.
Epcot festivals run year-round with typically just a few weeks and even days between occasions. DCA already has variations of Epcot’s winter holidays and meals & wine festivals. What’s lacking at DCA are the back-to-back arts and flower & backyard fests discovered at Epcot. The Disney Junior & Pals Playdate is DCA’s newest addition to the competition season that at the moment runs from September to April.
