Crofton To Helm Walt Disney World Resort

PRESS RELEASE

Disney Veteran Meg Crofton Named President of Walt Disney World; Jim Lewis Promoted to President of Disney Vacation Club

ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 17

Jay Rasulo, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, today announced two key leadership changes at the Walt Disney World Resort. Meg Gilbert Crofton, a 27-year Disney veteran who has held executive leadership roles in worldwide Human Resources, Operations and Sales, has been promoted to President of the Walt Disney World Resort. In addition, Rasulo announced that 10-year Disney veteran Jim Lewis has been promoted to President of Disney Vacation Club. Both Crofton and Lewis will report to Al Weiss, President of Worldwide Operations for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

"I look forward to Meg's leadership at the Walt Disney World Resort, where she will continue to focus on growth, creativity, innovation and excellent Guest service," said Rasulo. "Jim's promotion is well deserved in recognition of his strong leadership of our rapidly growing, very successful vacation club business. Both Meg and Jim are strong leaders with an excellent command of our business -- and both know what it takes to ensure an experience for our Guests that only Disney can provide."

Meg Crofton, President, Walt Disney World Resort

"The combination of Meg's leadership experience, in-depth knowledge of the company's operations and her incredible passion for our Cast Members and the Guest experience make her the right leader of the Walt Disney World Resort," added Weiss. "Throughout the past 27 years, Meg has assumed more responsibilities and gained extensive perspective and practical experience -- all of which will be invaluable as she represents more than 57,000 Cast Members at one of the most popular resort destinations in the world."

Most recently, Crofton, 52, served for four years as Executive Vice President of Human Resources for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. In this role, Crofton had global responsibilities for all HR-related services for 99,000 Cast Members worldwide, including Employee/Labor Relations, Diversity/Inclusion, Compliance, Recruitment, Disney University Training and Development, Organizational Development, Benefits and Workforce Planning. Crofton reported to Jay Rasulo, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

"Thanks to Meg's leadership, we've made great strides in creating a world- class HR organization that is focused on providing the best experience and work environment for our Cast around the world, as well as furthering the business objectives of our segment," said Rasulo, who added that Crofton's replacement would be named shortly.

"I am extremely excited about the opportunity to lead the Walt Disney World Resort," said Crofton. "Central Florida is my home and it's where I spent the majority of my career -- and it has always held a very special place in my heart.

"I look forward to working closely with the talented Walt Disney World Resort leadership team, as well as with our dedicated Cast, as we continue to provide families around the world a fun and memorable experience," added Crofton.

Throughout her tenure at Disney, Crofton has consistently taken on roles with increasing levels of responsibility. Prior to her promotion to Executive Vice President of Human Resources for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts in 2002, Crofton served for five years as Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Organizational Improvement at the Walt Disney World Resort, where she oversaw all HR services and strategies for the resort's Cast Members. Prior to this, Crofton served as Vice President of Human Resources, focusing on Guest satisfaction and Cast excellence.

Crofton also has extensive local and international experience, serving from 1987 to 1994 in several executive roles with Walt Disney World's Resort Operations. During this time, Crofton was responsible for hotel operations, as well as for convention sales and account services. She also served as the task force leader for 10 resort hotel openings at the Walt Disney World Resort and led the task force responsible for the successful opening of Disneyland Resort Paris in 1992.

She began her career at Disney in 1977 at Vista-United Telecommunications. After a brief departure to work for AT&T, Crofton rejoined Disney in 1981 as Operations Manager of Vista-United Telecommunications. Three years later, she became General Manager of The Disney Inn.

Crofton serves on the Board of the Rollins College Hamilton Holt School in Winter Park, FL. She attended Rollins College and received her BS degree in Marketing and MBA from Florida State University.

Jim Lewis, President, Disney Vacation Club

"Under Jim's leadership, Disney Vacation Club achieved significant growth, bringing total membership to nearly 300,000 individuals in 100 countries," said Rasulo. "Jim's strong business acumen and passion for Guest and Cast experience have been key to this growing segment of our business, and he is poised to expand the operation into new markets."

Lewis, 45, most recently served as Senior Vice President/General Manager of Disney Vacation Club (DVC). Prior to joining DVC in 2003, Lewis served as Senior Vice President, Multi Market Business Development and Public Affairs of the Walt Disney World Resort. In addition, he previously led the Operations Finance team at Walt Disney World.

"I am clearly very excited about this promotion, my very talented team, the Disney brand, and the opportunities that lie ahead," said Lewis.

Prior to joining Disney, Lewis spent eight years at PepsiCo in a variety of finance and operating assignments before joining Disney in 1996.

He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Indiana State University and received his MBA from the Krannert School of Business at Purdue University. Lewis is also a CPA.

Since moving to Central Florida, Lewis has become an active community leader. He represents the Walt Disney World Resort on the boards of Enterprise Florida, the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) and the Coalition for the Homeless. He is also a board member and 2006 Chairman of the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is where dreams come true and magic comes to life. This segment of The Walt Disney Company encompasses 11 theme parks at five of the world's leading family vacation destinations -- Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Resort Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland. It also includes the Disney Cruise Line; Disney Vacation Club, Adventures by Disney; Disney Regional Entertainment; World of Disney stores in New York, Orlando and Anaheim; and Walt Disney Imagineering, which creates and designs Disney parks, resorts and attractions. Walt Disney Parks and Resorts had more than $9 billion in revenues in fiscal 2005.

(source: Walt Disney Parks and Resorts)

DizHub Visits Comic-Con 2006

KeepToTheCode.com and DizHub.com Invades the San Diego Comic-Con 06

The San Diego Comic-Con International is one of the biggest and most popular comic conventions in the world. Every year the geeks, freaks, nerds, and the just plain curious are drawn through its doors by the hundreds. This year, pushing past the hopeful Jedi and the anime enthusiasts were pirates.



LOTS of pirates. It seemed you couldn't walk two booths without running into pirate-themed merchandise or attendees decked out in pirate garb.





Even one of Keep To The Code's favorite Jack Sparrows was there, sashaying and grinning his way through folks eager for a picture.













Crowds were perpetually wandering through the official Disney area at the Con.



On display were items from groups like Master Replicas, merchandise from the first movie, and items hinting at the Asian influence of the third.



Every hour on the hour drew more people who eagerly reached out as large bags with images from the Dead Man's Chest posters and Jack running for his life were handed out.







The biggest display of pirate spirit, however, was at a presentation held on Saturday in Hall H of the convention center. The title of the presentation was "Disney Previews: From Narnia to the Caribbean." While the Narnia portion of the presentation had a sizeable crowd, the room ended up packed by the time the first mention of 'Pirates' was made.

All attention focused when a man walked out onto the stage with a laptop. The man was John Knoll, ILM Visual Effects Supevisor; a man who had movies like Star Trek: First Contact, Star Wars I-III, and Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl under his belt. Before we knew it, giant size images from Dead Man's Chest appeared on the screens hanging above the crowd and things really got going.

John Knoll started out by answering a question that's been floating around lately: how much of Davy Jones and his crew is CG (computer generated)? The answer: everything. Even Davy Jones' eyes were created digitally. Gore Verbinski had been worried about the eyes and wanted the option of using Bill Nighy's real eyes if he didn't like the CG ones. They never had to test using the real thing. Davy Jones and his crew were another step forward for the world of digital creation.







Bill Nighy as Davy Jones during his transformation from live actor to CG character. Images © Disney.

Creating purely digital characters that seemed absolutely believable posed a challenge to ILM with Dead Man's Chest. They wanted to have the actors who modeled the movements and expressions of the crew to be on set, but the movie's filming took place in a lot of locations, some very out of the way. This problem meant they would have trouble using regular motion-capture techniques. Normally motion-capture requires a lot of cameras and everything to be just right environmentally.

So what did they do? They created something new to solve their problem.

The solution was named iMocap. The technology is an on-set, low impact motion-capture. The system only requires two cameras on set and it's not as fussy at picking up the signals from the actors in motion-capture suits. It can also be used for multiple character scenes. The technology is smarter and has the capability to fill in the gaps that might occur when filming tricky scenes where they might lose the connection or a lighting effect might throw the cameras off. iMocap helped ILM keep their characters' movements more fluid and human while allowing the actors to be on set playing opposite other characters when necessary.





Bill Nighy as Davy Jones and his crew during their transformation from live actors to CG characters. Images © Disney.

After the basics of the technology were explained, the presentation centered on the character of Davy Jones. We were treated to breakdowns of the character going from live-action Bill Nighy, to the computer generated roughs, to the finished product. There were several scenes shown in split-screen with Nighy acting on one side and Davy on the other. I can safely say that Nighy IS Davy Jones. The expressions, down to a subtle crease of an eyebrow, were mimicked.

As for Davy's beard, there were 46 individual tentacles writhing about. John explained how each tentacle was broken down into segments in the computer and each segment was motorized. There were a lot of things to consider with the tentacles, and they programmed them to do things such as stick slightly to each other and have a certain "springiness" so that their interactions appeared realistic.







Bill Nighy as Davy Jones during his transformation from live actor to CG character. Images © Disney.

The serious explanation and showcasing of ILMs masterpieces over, John decided to show us some digital gags and spoofs. There is nothing like seeing the movie's water-wheel programmed in to look like a giant donut or seeing the Davy Jones crew bouncing around doing Riverdance.

Then John announced one final treat to the audience. We were going to be viewing what was the equivalent of a rough trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean 3. The stunned audience watched Singapore pirates, half-finished CG ship battle scenes, and all of the characters you would expect to return in the third installment. Some people even seemed to forget the "no photos or recording" rule and were promptly dragged out by security. Let's just say there is good reason to be excited for the release next year.

We walked out, grinning like idiots, clutching our tickets for a free gift. We went upstairs to redeem whatever we were getting for attending and were each handed a large poster with a breakdown of every member of the Davy Jones crew. The poster is absolutely frame-worthy.







I feel I must give a heartfelt apology to any Pirate fans not at Comic-Con. I won't tell you that you didn't miss anything because then I would be lying. I just hope that this has given you a good glimpse at the workings of Dead Man's Chest, and excitement for the release of Pirates 3 on 5/25/07.

Arrr!

ed note: The report above was filed by KTTC's own Captain Lequatte and Lady Killigrew, who attended Comic-Con on behalf of DizHub and KeepToTheCode.com. Unless otherwise noted, text and images © DizHub.com/KeepToTheCode.com and may not be reproduced without prior written permission.
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DizHub.com is pleased to announce a major Halloween holiday happening! Join your DizHub staff at FrightFest in Nashua, New Hampshire on October 27 and 28 for two nights of spine-tingling, pulse-pounding fright.

Scheduled to appear is Kane Hodder, known to fans of the Friday the 13th films as Jason Voorhees.



Kane Hodder as Jason in "Jason X." Photo © New Line Cinema.

Kane has portrayed Jason in four of the films (parts 7, 8 and 9 as well as Jason X) and will be available for photos and autographs during the event. Attendees will also have the opportunity to purchase autographed souvenirs.

Tickets for the private event include unlimited tours through two of the finest haunted attractions anywhere, a souvenir photo, food, a live DJ for your partying pleasure, a special attendee gift and more.



Mark your calendar for this not-to-be-missed party! Click here for details and ticketing information...it's sure to be a party to die for!

Disney Announces "Year Of A Million Dreams"

During 'Year of a Million Dreams' Celebration Disney Cast Members to Award a Million Magical Dreams

From an Overnight Stay inside Cinderella Castle to a Golden FASTPASS, Dreams Big and Small to Come True During a First-of-its-Kind Celebration That Also Features New Attractions and Entertainment at Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts

From an overnight stay inside Cinderella Castle to a Golden FASTPASS, dreams big and small will come true at Disneyland and Walt Disney World resorts during Disney's "Year of a Million Dreams," a first-of-its-kind celebration of the individual dreams of Disney Parks guests.

The year-long celebration, beginning Oct. 1, 2006, at Disneyland Resort in California and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, will feature the debut of an incredible lineup of new attractions and entertainment at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World resorts, plus new technologies that allow guests to customize their Disney park experience.

And, for the first time, during the "Year of a Million Dreams" celebration, Disney cast members will award a million dreams -- both large and small, including many "money-can't-buy" experiences -- to guests selected through a random process as part of a unique "Disney Dreams Giveaway" promotion.

"Throughout this incredible celebration, special dreams and unique experiences once thought impossible will be awarded by our cast every day," said Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. "Disney parks are always the place where dreams come true -- but even more so during the 'Year of a Million Dreams.' "



KEYS TO THE MAGIC KINGDOM -- This October in a once in a lifetime launch to Disney's "Year of a Million Dreams" celebration one lucky family will get the Magic Kingdom all to themselves. The winning family will enter the Magic Kingdom on a red-carpeted Main Street U.S.A. lined with cast members for their exclusive visit. They'll enjoy a VIP itinerary. The celebration runs October 2006 through September 2007. Image © Disney.

The "impossible" includes the creation of over-the-top, overnight experiences for winning guests at both East and West Coast resorts: a royal bedchamber inside Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World Resort and a Mickey Mouse Penthouse at Disneyland Resort, both expected to be complete by January 2007.

A day of royal treatment will end with a night of enchantment inside Cinderella Castle for a different lucky guest each night. Cinderella's royal bedchamber, now under construction at Magic Kingdom, will allow Disney guests to stay overnight inside the park and enjoy a view shared only by Tinker Bell. The lavishly decorated bedroom will be located in a space originally planned as an in-park apartment for the use of the Disney family.

And for a lucky Disneyland guest, each night, the all-new Mickey Mouse Penthouse at Disneyland Hotel will pour on the Mickey charm and include magical views overlooking both Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure parks. The extraordinary penthouse will be decorated in all things Mickey, with finishing touches by none other than Minnie Mouse herself.


FIT FOR ROYALTY -- During Disney's "Year of a Million Dreams," lucky Walt Disney World guests selected at random will get, every day, the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to stay in Cinderella Castle high above the Magic Kingdom. Beginning in January 2007, this first-ever opportunity will treat guests to a very magical day, including VIP viewing of the daily parade and nightly fireworks, and exclusive meet-and-greets with Disney characters. Once ensconced in their royal accommodations, guests will find everything from midnight snacks to a royal breakfast -- and starry views shared only by Tinker Bell. The celebration runs October 2006 through September 2007. Image © Disney.


In addition, during the year-long celebration, other Disney dreams both large and small will be awarded in the "Disney Dreams Giveaway" promotion, such as:

--Traveling to each Disney resort around the world to serve as grand marshal in a Disney parade.
--A variety of unique Disney vacation experiences.
--Admission to special parties and other extraordinary experiences in the Disneyland and Walt Disney World parks.
--Private meetings with favorite Disney characters.
--Or, a Golden FASTPASS ticket with unique access entitlements to some of Disney's most popular attractions.

New Attractions and Entertainment Planned for the "Year of a Million Dreams"

Throughout the "Year of a Million Dreams" celebration, Disneyland and Walt Disney World resorts will debut major new attractions:

Disneyland Resort in California

Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage -- Inspired by Disney-Pixar's "Finding Nemo," this all-new E-ticket adventure will take guests on a real (and unbelievable) underwater excursion. (Summer 2007)

Rockin' Space Mountain -- Space Mountain is getting a new twist. Thanks to new lighting and technology, Disney's classic attraction will become a new experience in which rockets will rock it through the greatest concert in the universe. An all-new soundtrack will fit the exciting twists and turns of Disney's rocket classic. (Spring 2007)

Walt Disney World Resort in Florida

"The Seas with Nemo & Friends" at Epcot -- Nemo is lost -- again -- and guests aboard "clam-mobiles" join his friends to search one of the world's largest saltwater aquariums for the playful clownfish in a stunning display of new entertainment technology inspired by Disney-Pixar's "Finding Nemo." (Late 2006)

"Finding Nemo--The Musical" at Disney's Animal Kingdom -- Also inspired by Disney-Pixar's "Finding Nemo," the Great Barrier Reef comes to colorful life in an all-new musical filled with spectacular scenery, elaborate puppetry and music by a Tony-Award-winning composer.
(Late 2006)

The Laugh Floor Comedy Club at Magic Kingdom -- Guests find the power of laughter in an engaging and interactive new adventure inspired by Disney-Pixar's "Monsters, Inc." as they match wits with the one-eyed hero Mike Waznowski and his friends. (Early 2007)

Additionally, special entertainment and programs will be in place at the parks and resorts to accommodate the desires and wishes of would-be Disney Princesses, pirates, adventurers and space explorers. Guests will be able to customize their visit to a Disney park to pursue the "Dream Track" of their choice with on-line planning tools and in-park technology to help them become the hero or princess they've always dreamed of being.

For more information about the "Year of a Million Dreams" celebration and the "Disney Dreams Giveaway" promotion, visit www.mydisneyparks.com. Look for future announcements with the details of the "Disney Dreams Giveaway" promotion. No purchase necessary and subject to promotion official rules which will be available on Oct. 1, 2006. Odds of winning any prize will depend on the number of eligible entries. Void where prohibited.

(source: Disney)

Disney Parks: "Where Dreams Come True"

Disney will soon be unveiling the follow-up to its successful 50th birthday celebration promotion. The new "Where Dreams Come True" promotion will allow guests to win exclusive prizes and unique experiences at Disney parks including a night in Cinderella Castle or a "Golden FASTPASS ®"

Visit this link for information on the new promotion.

(source: Disney)
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Ever been mistaken for Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow, Keira Knightley's Elizabeth Swann or Orlando Bloom's Will Turner? Zizzle Toys is sponsoring a Pirates of the Caribbean Look-Alike Contest, with a top prize of a Volvo XC90 crammed with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest toys.



For more details, click the banner above. Complete rules can be found at Z100's site via this link (Z100 is an official sponsor of the event)

Disneyland and Indianapolis Motor Speedway Present "Minnie Indy" Race

Press Release

Two American Traditions Race For Charity

Disneyland Resort in California and Indianapolis 500 Drivers Participate in the "Minnie Indy Charity Race"

Indianapolis, IN

Checkered flags will wave, crowds will cheer and engines will roar (both big and small) as two American traditions team up to celebrate special milestones. In honor of Disneyland's 50th anniversary and the 90th running of the Indianapolis 500, "The Happiest Place on Earth" and "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" will team up for the "Minnie Indy Charity Race" on Wed., May 24 at 1:30 p.m. (ET) on American Family Insurance 500 Festival Community Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Minnie Mouse herself will be on hand to wave in the likes of Danica Patrick, Dan Wheldon, Eddie Cheever, Jr., Dario Franchitti, Tony Kanaan, Buddy Rice and Jeff Simmons who are among the 31 IndyCar Series drivers who will participate in the whimsical race. They will be driving miniature cars taken directly from one of Disneyland's original opening day attractions - - the ever-popular Autopia. Since July 17, 1955, more than 203 million Disneyland guests have put petal to the metal behind the wheel of these beloved little vehicles.



Image © Disney.

Instead of racing along the futuristic highways of Disneyland's Tomorrowland, the Autopia cars and their speed-loving IndyCar Series drivers will traverse a comical obstacle race course (at top speeds of 10 mph!) that will take place on a specially designed "Minnie" roadway created on the famous Brickyard. The "Minnie Indy Charity Race" will be led-off by the original winning car of the 1911 Indy 500 in addition to the 2006 Chevrolet Z06 Indy 500 pace car. All drivers will line up in the actual race-day grid -- based on qualifying times -- that are slated for the 90th running of the Indianapolis 500 scheduled for May 28.

"It will be exciting to see the cars of Disneyland's Autopia racing across the famed Yard of Bricks with the greatest race drivers in the world driving them," said Joie Chitwood, president and COO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "The Minnie Indy Charity Race will be a good complement to the events leading up to the 90th Running of the Indianapolis 500."

Each driver will be accompanied by a young student, selected from a school participating in the 500 Festival and Indianapolis 500 Education Program, who will do his or her best to assist the drivers as they make their way through the course. The winning driver will win a $25,000 donation to his/her charity of choice and the remaining drivers will receive $1,000 to donate to their charities of choice. The winning child will win an all-expense paid trip to the Disneyland Resort in southern California that will include bringing his/her immediate family.

"The 500 Festival focuses on great family entertainment, so we are thrilled to be involved with Disneyland...the master of family fun," said Kirk Hendrix, President and CEO, 500 Festival.

In addition to the participating IndyCar Series drivers, renowned Indianapolis 500 legends including Michael Andretti and Al Unser, Jr., will join current IRL series drivers to compete for prize money on behalf of their favorite charities.

"The fun of Disneyland and the spectacle of the Indy 500 are two great American traditions," said Matt Ouimet, president of the Disneyland Resort. "As the 50th anniversary celebration enters its finale this summer we are proud that our Autopia cars will be on hand to commemorate 90 years of racing excellence at the Indy 500."

The 500 Festival was created in 1957 to organize civic events celebrating the Indianapolis 500. It is a not-for-profit organization supported by corporate sponsorships, memberships and ticket sales. More than 7,000 volunteers help produce 500 Festival events. With annual participation of more than 425,000 people from around Indiana and the world, it has grown to be one of the largest festivals in the nation.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been the worldwide leader in motorsports entertainment since it opened in 1909. The facility has played host to the Indianapolis 500, the world's largest single-day annual sporting event, since 1911 and also is the site of the United States Grand Prix Formula One race and the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series.

Celebrating with the Indianapolis 500 is just one of the highlights of 2006 as the global 50th anniversary celebration of Disneyland continues around the world. Throughout the year each Disney resort will showcase more new innovative attractions and spectacular entertainment designed to appeal to guests of all ages with immersive experiences that only Disney can provide.

More information about the 50th anniversary celebration, plus vacations at the Disneyland Resort are available at Disneyland.com, by calling (877) 700-DISNEY, or by visiting local travel agents.

(source: Disneyland Resort)