American Idol Experience at Disney's Hollywood Studios opened to cast members this morning January 5, 2009, at 9am with shows at 11, 1 and 4pm. Things ran smoothly although attendance was a little less than desired. Show runs just over half an hour with a seating capacity of 1000. Special Thanks to DisneyHD for this great update on whats sure to be a Rockin' New show at Disney Hollywood Studios!!

As the story goes, Arkansas resident Jennings Osborne and his family were very big on the Holidays. In 1986, Jennings asked his youngest daughter Breezy what her Christmas wish was. She replied that she would like to see their whole house covered in lights. They had quite a large house but Jennings was determined to make his daughter's Christmas dream come true. That first year the Osborne family covered their home with a modest 1000 red lights. With each passing year, the family wanted to do more. The Osborne's eventually purchased property adjacent to their own in order to expand on their newfound hobby. The display grew to millions of lights. There were flashing lights, multi-colored lights, custom made light sculptures and a 75 foot Christmas tree adorned by lights. This drew onlookers from all over Arkansas. Displeased by the resulting traffic jams, the local residents asked that the Osborne family stop the annual display. Legal intervention was sought, and it appeared that the Osborne's beloved tradition was about to come to an end. When Mickey Mouse got word of this, he offered a venue where the Osborne lights could be shared with visitors from around the globe. In 1995, Residential Street at the Disney's Hollywood Studios became the home of this dazzling light show. Approximately 80% of the lights that are on display come from the original Osborne collection. In 2003, Residential Street began undergoing a major renovation in preparation of the new stunt show scheduled to open in 2005. For the first time in 8 years, the Osborne lights were not displayed. Fortunately, a new home was found for this magical attraction. The Streets of America (formerly New York Street) is now hosting the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights. As in years past, once evening descends, this amazing display springs to life. Formerly drab buildings become twinkling light sculptures, while a host of angels fly overhead. Visitors are welcome to stroll through at their own pace. With over 4 Million Christmas lights, this is not to be missed. To enhance the experience, Florida "snow" flutters down while Christmas tunes fill the air. Be sure to look in the windows. See if you spot the infamous mannequin leg lamp from "A Christmas Story". Check out what show is on the TV. There are all sorts of easy to overlook details that will leave you smiling. Admission to the display is free with admission to the park, and it's a MUST SEE if you're visiting Disney World over the holidays.

A great stop animation video from PoohCop2002. Lego Star Wars figures doing the single digit dance!!!! Only a few days left till Star Wars Weekend2008.

This is a great little video about Disney MGM Studios from 2007. Now Disney has renamed the location to "Disney Hollywood Studios". During 2008 many renovations and changes will be taking place at the new Disney Hollywood Studios - so if it's 2008, PLEASE check to see what rides and attractions are currently open or closed!

This is our preview video of Toy Story Midway Mania ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios taken May 10, 2008 during the Annual Passholder preview. Please note that the ride spins and is in 3-D, so the video is shaky and blurry at times.

http://www.destinationsinflorida.com

Groundbreaking Held for Disney Ko Olina Resort Video and Writing by Sunrise on KGMB9 Reporter: Ramsay Wharton Shown at 10:30 am HST, November 19, 2008 ickey Mouse and the gang will be in Ko Olina today for the groundbreaking of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts first family destination resort. The 800 unit resort is scheduled to open in Hawai'i in 2011. It should create nearly one thousand jobs for Hawaii. Located at the picturesque Ko Olina Resort & Marina on the western side of O'ahu, the resort will include hotel rooms and Disney Vacation Club timeshare villas. For more information: www.disneyvacationclub.com The 21-acre oceanfront property overlooks white sand beaches and crystal blue lagoons and is destined to become a perfect place for families to discover the wonders of Hawai'i. The resort has been designed to honor the local culture of the Hawaiian islands. During the past year, the Walt Disney Imagineering team has worked with local architects and cultural experts on O'ahu and throughout the state as part of the creative design process for the resort. The resulting design is a village celebrating the Hawaiian customs and traditions that lead to a life filled with joy and in harmony with the natural world. Upon completion, the resort will include 350 hotel rooms and 480 Disney Vacation Club timeshare villas along with an 18,000- square-foot spa and an 8,000 square-foot conference center. Both on-site restaurants will feature foods unique to Hawai'i. One of the restaurants will offer views of the spectacular sunsets for which the Leeward Coast is famous. And for couples dreaming of a perfect beginning, plans call for a wedding lawn with a serene view of the Pacific's endless horizons. A signature Disney kids' club with custom-planned activities and adventures is also in development. As part of the signature water way at the pool, family friendly tubes and body slides will weave through volcanic rockwork and engage an iconic caldera volcano, while a nearby wading pool gives parents with toddlers a welcoming alternative to the sprawling fun pool. In addition, more adventurous family members will swim with vibrant fish in a saltwater snorkel lagoon. Disney Vacation Club Part of the Disney resort in Ko Olina will be dedicated to Disney Vacation Club, a vacation-ownership program that helps families enjoy flexibility and savings on vacations for decades to come. By purchasing a real estate interest in a Disney Vacation Club resort, families enjoy flexible vacations at Disney destinations worldwide as well as hundreds of other popular Member Getaways vacation locations around the globe. Disney Vacation Club accommodations blend Disney's famed attention to storytelling detail with all the comforts of home. From well-appointed studios equipped with convenient kitchenettes to sprawling, multiroom villas complete with full-size kitchens, washers and dryers, luxury tubs and other homelike amenities, Disney Vacation Club Resorts create flexible options to meet the needs of thousands of families from around the world. Disney Resorts Walt Disney Parks & Resorts operates 38 resort hotels with more than 35,000 hotel rooms worldwide. Disney Vacation Club existing properties include the following eight deluxe resorts: * Disney's Old Key West Resort * Disney's BoardWalk Villas * The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge * Disney Beach Club Villas * Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa * Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas * Disney's Vero Beach Resort * Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort Fun Facts About Disney and Hawai'i: Disney's fascination with Hawai'i began in the company's infancy, with founder Walt Disney. From the 1937 Mickey Mouse animated short “Hawaiian Holiday” to the Hawaiian setting of Disneyland's groundbreaking Enchanted Tiki Room attraction, which debuted in 1963, to the inclusion of Disney's Polynesian Resort at Walt Disney World Resort, Walt often pulled inspiration from the islands. Walt Disney Pictures continued the Hawaiian legacy in 2002 with the hit animated film “Lilo & Stitch.” The Walt Disney Company also does extensive film work in Hawai'i, including on-location production for the hit ABC series “Lost.” The Walt Disney Studios feature film “Pearl Harbor” also was shot on location in O'ahu. Ko Olina means "place of joy."

Groundbreaking Held for Disney Ko Olina Resort Video and Writing by Sunrise on KGMB9 Reporter: Ramsay Wharton Shown at 6:52 am HST, November 19, 2008 Mickey Mouse and the gang will be in Ko Olina today for the groundbreaking of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts first family destination resort. The 800 unit resort is scheduled to open in Hawai'i in 2011. It should create nearly one thousand jobs for Hawaii. Located at the picturesque Ko Olina Resort & Marina on the western side of O'ahu, the resort will include hotel rooms and Disney Vacation Club timeshare villas. For more information: www.disneyvacationclub.com The 21-acre oceanfront property overlooks white sand beaches and crystal blue lagoons and is destined to become a perfect place for families to discover the wonders of Hawai'i. The resort has been designed to honor the local culture of the Hawaiian islands. During the past year, the Walt Disney Imagineering team has worked with local architects and cultural experts on O'ahu and throughout the state as part of the creative design process for the resort. The resulting design is a village celebrating the Hawaiian customs and traditions that lead to a life filled with joy and in harmony with the natural world. Upon completion, the resort will include 350 hotel rooms and 480 Disney Vacation Club timeshare villas along with an 18,000- square-foot spa and an 8,000 square-foot conference center. Both on-site restaurants will feature foods unique to Hawai'i. One of the restaurants will offer views of the spectacular sunsets for which the Leeward Coast is famous. And for couples dreaming of a perfect beginning, plans call for a wedding lawn with a serene view of the Pacific's endless horizons. A signature Disney kids' club with custom-planned activities and adventures is also in development. As part of the signature water way at the pool, family friendly tubes and body slides will weave through volcanic rockwork and engage an iconic caldera volcano, while a nearby wading pool gives parents with toddlers a welcoming alternative to the sprawling fun pool. In addition, more adventurous family members will swim with vibrant fish in a saltwater snorkel lagoon. Disney Vacation Club Part of the Disney resort in Ko Olina will be dedicated to Disney Vacation Club, a vacation-ownership program that helps families enjoy flexibility and savings on vacations for decades to come. By purchasing a real estate interest in a Disney Vacation Club resort, families enjoy flexible vacations at Disney destinations worldwide as well as hundreds of other popular Member Getaways vacation locations around the globe. Disney Vacation Club accommodations blend Disney's famed attention to storytelling detail with all the comforts of home. From well-appointed studios equipped with convenient kitchenettes to sprawling, multiroom villas complete with full-size kitchens, washers and dryers, luxury tubs and other homelike amenities, Disney Vacation Club Resorts create flexible options to meet the needs of thousands of families from around the world. Disney Resorts Walt Disney Parks & Resorts operates 38 resort hotels with more than 35,000 hotel rooms worldwide. Disney Vacation Club existing properties include the following eight deluxe resorts: * Disney's Old Key West Resort * Disney's BoardWalk Villas * The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge * Disney Beach Club Villas * Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa * Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas * Disney's Vero Beach Resort * Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort Fun Facts About Disney and Hawai'i: Disney's fascination with Hawai'i began in the company's infancy, with founder Walt Disney. From the 1937 Mickey Mouse animated short “Hawaiian Holiday” to the Hawaiian setting of Disneyland's groundbreaking Enchanted Tiki Room attraction, which debuted in 1963, to the inclusion of Disney's Polynesian Resort at Walt Disney World Resort, Walt often pulled inspiration from the islands. Walt Disney Pictures continued the Hawaiian legacy in 2002 with the hit animated film “Lilo & Stitch.” The Walt Disney Company also does extensive film work in Hawai'i, including on-location production for the hit ABC series “Lost.” The Walt Disney Studios feature film “Pearl Harbor” also was shot on location in O'ahu. Ko Olina means "place of joy."

Jose Eber takes us on a trip to Disney’s Hollywood Studios to look at the new animation archway sign, Pixar Place construction, new walls on the back-side of the former ABC Theater, and more...

See Mike Wazowski take a fall at Disney Hollywood Studios . This happened on Apr 27 2008.

If you love the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios then you’ll love this next video. Courtesy of Disney Parks Holiday Light Designer Mark O’Conner here are a few ways for you to light up your house this holiday the safe and sane way: Walt Disney Entertainment’s Mark O’Connor, who designs the holiday display each year at Walt Disney World Resort, offers a few tips on how to make your holiday display more magical, economical and safe. Each year, Walt Disney World crews take three months to hang the five million bulbs that make up the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. For more information about how Walt Disney World celebrates the holidays, visit www.disneyworld.com/holidays

Toy Story Midway Mania Onride Video in Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Florida Jose Eber was able to grab an on-ride video (Warning: its a little bit shaky, as is expected with a ride of this nature containg spinning vehicles and 3-D effects) just before Toy Story Mania closed down for the day. Included is video of the queue, handicapped load area, and a special surprise at the end. A special thanks to the cast who allowed this to be filmed. Enjoy!!!

Check out this very happening video from PoohCop2002. Showing how excited one family is about Star Wars Weekends 2008 at Disney Hollywood Studios.

disneylandupdatedotcom shows you a quick look at the ride as it was being built and then some great Tips and Strategies for the best score ever.

Cars Quatre Roues Rallye (Cars Race Rally) in Toon Studio at Walt Disney Studios Park, Disneyland Resort Paris. I wonder if this is the kind of thing we will be looking at in the New California Adventure Cars Area. Video By www.dlrpmagic.com

The Cheetah Girls' Sabrina Bryan and Kiely Williams rode the two famous and thrilling ride of Walt Disney Hollywood Studios, Tower Of Terror and Rockin Roller Coaster... They where with Brenda Song, Jake T., and Joe Jonas... Hope you like it! Listen to them Scream!!!!

You have to Watch Chewbacca, Princess Leia, The Ewoks, Darth Vader, and many more in The Dance off with the Stars. This is part of the 2008 Star Wars Weekends Hyperspace Hoopla show at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The Star Wars weekends happen every weekend of June 2008.