While 2013 is already a momentous year for Disney Parks – with New Fantasyland as the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom history at Walt Disney World Resort and the first full year of a reimagined Disney California Adventure at Disneyland Resort – Disney unveiled Limited Time Magic: 52 weeks of magical experiences big and small that appear, then disappear as the next special surprise debuts.

Imagine an Independence Day celebration – only it lasts an entire week….Main Street mainstays the Dapper Dans rocking out with boy band hits in barbershop style….a Friday the 13th dance party with Disney villains that lasts to the 13^th hour….a Valentine’s Day in 2013 that becomes Valentine’s Week with Disney castles blushing pink, surprise meet-and-greets with Disney princes and princesses, and candlelit dinners for couples in love.

These and many more special experiences to surprise and delight Disney Parks guests will roll out each week in 2013. Unique, magical, memory-filled – and each for a limited time only.

Disney officials noted that Limited Time Magic was inspired by the reality that many of life’s most cherished memories are made during those special, but fleeting moments when families spend time together with shared experiences.

Here’s a sampling of Limited Time Magic in store for guests in 2013 — for a limited time only:

• True Love: Celebrate romance and enchantment throughout Valentine’s Week with special moments and entertainment geared to lovebirds. Guests can celebrate their Valentine as Magic Kingdom and Disneyland turn up the romance, complete with their iconic castles bathed in hues of red and pink. Disney Princes join their Princesses to meet park guests in special settings, prix fixe menus turn up at select restaurants and Valentine collectibles will be offered for the week.
• Independence Week: It’s red, white and blue as Disney Parks salutes America with a 4^th of July Fireworks Party — for an entire week, with patriotic lighting bathing the Disney castles on both coasts. Mickey Mouse appears in his patriotic finest and guests will find special USA shirts, Ear Hats and other limited-edition souvenirs.
• During “Long Lost Friends Week,” lesser-known Disney characters will move from the shadows to the spotlight with meet-and-greets on both coasts. Photo opps with characters that could include Flik, Clarabelle Cow, Remy, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum will surprise and delight guests. And Disney guests will even have the chance to vote online for which characters they want to see.
• Pirate Week:  Why talk like a pirate one day when you could celebrate these scalawags all week long? The adventures of Jack Sparrow come to life like never before during a bicoastal buccaneer bash in which Disneyland and Walt Disney World become pirate-palooza: pirate bands, pirate meet-and-greets and more.
• Dapper Dans Sing Boy Bands: Dapper Dans, the iconic quartet from Main Street, U.S.A., will add a special finale to their show, claiming the title of the “Original Boy Band” and delivering a medley of hits from One Direction, *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys.
• Unleash the Villains: A Friday the 13th in 2013 is a special day, so Disneyland and Disney Hollywood Studios are staying open until the 13th Hour (1 a.m.). Maleficent, Capt. Hook, Jafar and other Disney villains host a dance party, complete with limited-edition collectibles and nighttime mischief on Sept. 13.
• Golden Horseshoe Revue: A tribute to the fabled Frontierland show comes to Disneyland for one month only, bringing back some of fun-filled humor, songs and dance numbers often enjoyed by Walt Disney himself.

Disney dream makers are crafting more surprises and magical offers that will be rolled out weekly during the magical year. The experience of the week will be announced in a variety of ways including in-park, Disneyworld.com, Disneyland.com, Facebook, Twitter, the Disney Parks Blog – adding to the element of surprise.

For more information about Limited Time Magic, guests should visit www.LimitedTimeMagic.com or search for Twitter hashtag #LimitedTimeMagic.

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – In a dramatic new projection show filled with special effects and magic, Cinderella Castle will transform into a shimmering canvas for images of Walt Disney World guests and the memories they made that day at Magic Kingdom.

In the nighttime spectacle, photos of guests captured that very day in the park will be projected larger-than-life among the spires and turrets of Cinderella Castle. In similar fashion, guest images will be projected onto “it’s a small world” on select nights at Disneyland Park in California, beginning Jan. 27.

The ten-minute experience – called “The Magic, The Memories, and You!” – will dazzle park guests on both coasts in ways never before experienced, themed to beloved Disney stories and with playful animated sequences that seem to defy the architecture of the buildings. The spectacle is scheduled most nights with up to two shows per night depending on theme park operating hours and other special ticketed events.

As many as 500 images shot that day will project onto the castle each night the show is presented, producers estimate. Disney PhotoPass photographers will capture guests creating new memories as they “smile for the castle.”

“Disney parks create family vacation memories to last a lifetime,” said Meg Crofton, president of Walt Disney World Resort. “What better canvas for those memories than Cinderella Castle, one of the most photographed icons in the world.”

After the sun goes down, 16 high-powered state-of-the-art projectors will bring the castle to life as that day’s photos (and videos taken from Disney’s “Let the Memories Begin” online hub) seem to dance about the famous facade, explained Alan Bruun, associate creative director, Walt Disney World Entertainment.

As classic Disney music weaves in and out of the new “Let the Memories Begin” theme song, turrets spin while the castle shimmers and magically transforms itself in playful and exciting ways to accompany the guests’ memories of fun, adventure and family experiences.

“The images dance to the music and culminate in a spectacular finale punctuated by animated and actual fireworks,” Bruun said.

As Disney Parks encourages families to “Let the Memories Begin,” guests have been celebrating their only-at-Disney memories by sharing their stories and by uploading photos and videos online at DisneyParks.com/memories.

Vacation memories hold a special place in the hearts of families, too, according to a recent survey of Americans and Canadians conducted by Ypartnership, a leading research firm that tracks consumer insights and trends in travel.

Nine out of 10 parents polled said they plan their vacations with the express hope of creating a lasting family memory. And most memories don’t fade with the passage of time. Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed said they think back “often” or “very often” on their most cherished vacation memories.

BY THE NUMBERS:  ‘The Magic, The Memories, and You!’ Nighttime Spectacle

• Height of Cinderella Castle: 189 feet
• Number of shows: up to two per night (select evenings)
• Length of each show: ten minutes (approx.)
• Projectors: 16
• Same-day guest photos per show: up to 500
• Total number of images projected per show: more than 5,000

In the nighttime spectacle, photos of guests captured that very day in the park are projected larger-than-life among the spires and turrets of Cinderella Castle.  In similar fashion, guest images are projected onto “it’s a small world” on select nights at Disneyland Park in California.

The ten-minute experience – called “The Magic, The Memories, and You!” – dazzlespark guests on both coasts in ways never before experienced, themed to beloved Disney stories and with playful animated sequences that seem to defy the architecture of the buildings.  The spectacle is scheduled most nights with up to two shows per night depending on theme park operating hours and other special ticketed events.

As many as 500 images shot that day project onto the castle each night the show is presented, producers estimate.  Disney PhotoPass photographers capture guests creating new memories as they “smile for the castle.”

“Disney parks create family vacation memories to last a lifetime,” said Meg Crofton, president of Walt Disney World Resort.  ”What better canvas for those memories than Cinderella Castle, one of the most photographed icons in the world.”

Producers storyboarded the show as if it was a short animated film, explained Alan Bruun, associate creative director, Walt Disney World Entertainment.  They weaved music, story, photography, video and animation into a new kind of nighttime entertainment.

After the sun goes down, 16 high-powered state-of-the-art projectors bring the castle to life as that day’s photos (and videos taken from Disney’s “Let the Memories Begin” online hub) seem to dance about the famous facade.

As classic Disney music weaves in and out of the new “Let the Memories Begin” theme song, turrets spin or rocket into space, vines grow, planets and cannonballs whiz by as the castle shimmers and magically transforms itself in playful and exciting ways to accompany the guests’ memories of fun, adventure and family experiences.

“The images dance to favorite Disney tunes and culminate in a spectacular finale punctuated by animated and actual fireworks,” Bruun said.  “Guests see the castle behave in ways they would have never thought possible.”

As Disney Parks encourages families to “Let the Memories Begin,” guests have been celebrating their only-at-Disney memories by sharing their stories and by uploading photos and videos online at DisneyParks.com/memories.

Vacation memories hold a special place in the hearts of families, too, according to a recent survey of Americans and Canadians conducted by Ypartnership, a leading research firm that tracks consumer insights and trends in travel.

Nine out of 10 parents polled said they plan their vacations with the express hope of creating a lasting family memory.  And most memories don’t fade with the passage of time.  Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed said they think back “often” or “very often” on their most cherished vacation memories.

BY THE NUMBERS: ‘The Magic, The Memories, and You!’ Nighttime Spectacle:

And Disney guests will be seen starring on television, too, as part of the new “Let the Memories Begin” campaign. For the first time, Disney Parks is featuring the home videos and snapshots of real guests in television ads and other marketing that will allow an audience of millions to share in true-life, heartfelt moments.

“A Disney vacation is the perfect way to create family memories that will last a lifetime,” said Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “We’ll spotlight those ‘only-at-Disney’ moments with family and friends during our ‘Let the Memories Begin’ campaign.”

A recently released survey of U.S. and Canadian families conducted for Disney Parks by Ypartnership, a noted research firm that tracks consumer insights and trends in travel, showed that vacation memories hold a special place in family history.

Nine out of 10 parents said they planned their vacations with the express hope that they would result in a lasting family memory, the survey showed. And those memories stuck with them – nearly three-quarters said they think back “often” or “very often” on their favorite vacation experiences.

‘Memories in the Making’ to be Shared on Disney Park Icons

Some Disney parks guests will find that the memory they just made has become a larger-than-life image during a “Let the Memories Begin” nighttime experience.

At Walt Disney World Resort, the guest photos are projected on the soaring spires of Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom. At Disneyland Resort, the iconic façade of “it’s a small world” is the canvas for the show.

In both locations, Disney PhotoPass photographers capture guests caught up in the Disney experience – a memory in the making – and as many as 500 photos are used in each location every day, producers estimate.

The nighttime show uses the latest in high-intensity projection technology to create vivid visuals that seem to defy the architecture of the building. A new song commissioned for the show provides an emotional context for these images of the Disney guest experience.

For TV Ads and More, Disney Parks Issues a ‘Call for Memories’

Beyond seeing their own projected photos in lights, guests also could become the stars of Disney Parks television commercials, online campaigns and social media opportunities that will showcase to the world the power of memories.

For future TV commercials and other advertising and marketing programs, Disney Parks is asking guests to share their memories by uploading photos and videos at a special “Let the Memories Begin” online hub at www.DisneyParks.com/Memories. From a first meeting with a princess to a laugh-filled watery touchdown on Splash Mountain, Disney Parks is looking for videos and photos that capture those never-to-be-forgotten experiences.

Some memories will be shared online, while others may be selected to share in print ads, brochures and other marketing – including television ads to air across the United States and Canada.

With real visitor images on iconic attractions and home video featured in commercials, the storytellers at Disney Parks are letting guests tell their own stories, Staggs said.

“We wanted to give our guests a powerful way to share the memories they create every day in our parks,” Staggs said. “Essentially, this becomes our first user-generated show and our first user-generated marketing campaign.

“A day at a Disney park is filled with magical experiences that become cherished and unforgettable memories – and now we’re helping our guests share those memories with the world.”

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September 23, 2010 (Orlando, Fla.) Which vacation memories are most enduring and why? The answers to those questions are revealed in the first-ever survey of its kind conducted by Ypartnership, the travel service marketing firm headquartered in Orlando, Florida. The nationally representative survey of adults in both the U.S. and Canada was conducted during the months of August and September, 2010 as travelers were ending their own summer vacations and time away was still top-of-mind.

The results reveal that vacation planning to create memories was the choice of nearly nine out of ten U.S. and Canadian adults surveyed. Nearly three-quarters canvassed said they think back “often” or “very often” to their vacation memories. They also identified the dramatic way in which new technology has altered the manner in which Americans and Canadians “memorialize” vacation memories, increasingly in “real time” and through postings on social media websites. And although the traditional role of the scrapbook has been diminished, souvenirs continue to play a very important role in the recall of vacation memories.

“The most enduring vacation memories derive from the people with whom the vacation was taken, and vacations taken with both parents and siblings trump all others,” said Peter C. Yesawich, chairman of Ypartnership. “The results also underscore the emerging phenomenon of people sharing memories in ‘real time’ as the events that create those memories actually take place.”

Selected highlights of the survey results are provided below:

Vacations an Important Part of Our Psyche

Parents view vacations as an important way to create special family memories.

• Almost nine out of ten (88%) U.S. and Canadian adults actively plan vacations with the hope they will result in special memories for/about their children;

• Vacation memories occupy a prominent place in our psyche: almost three quarters of U.S. (72%) and Canadian (70%) adults think of them “often” or “very often;”

• Vacations taken with immediate family are the most memorable, regardless of when they were taken (as a young child or after becoming a parent);

• Vacations taken with immediate family are cited as most memorable by both U.S. (89%) and Canadian (88%) adults, while only four out of ten U.S. (43%) and Canadian (46%) family travelers state their best vacation memories “include friends;”

How We Record and Share Vacation Memories

Family vacationers have quickly adopted new social media and digital technologies to capture and share their memories.

• Digital photos represent the most popular way to memorialize vacation memories today, cited by 82% of respondents, with over four out of ten (43%) using a smart phone to capture the images. Souvenirs play a very special role in memorializing memories, however, mentioned by almost half (46%). And the tradition of composing and keeping scrapbooks was mentioned by just one out of four respondents (25%);

• Although fewer people appear to be keeping scrapbooks, photo albums continue to be the number one way people share memories, mentioned by 57%. It’s clear this traditional method has been replaced by the evolution of technology, as almost half (46%) family travelers now post vacation images on social media websites. Nevertheless, personal storytelling remains a preferred method of sharing memories for fully one third (36%) of family travelers;

• New technology has also altered the immediacy with which people start sharing memories. Specifically, fully one out of five (21%) family travelers share the events that make the memories “real time” as they actually occur;

• Kids play a very influential role in planning vacations in both U.S. (52%) and Canadian (61%) households;

On the “Must Visit” List of Travel Destinations

When it comes to creating a memorable family vacation, there are some clear “must visit” destinations.

• The top three “must visit” vacation destinations with children less than 12 years of age include Disney Parks, Sea World of Orlando, and Hawaii;

• The top three “must visit” vacation destinations with children between 12 and 18 years of age include Disney Parks, Europe and Washington, DC;

Respondents included non-Hispanic white, Hispanic and African American family travelers, all of whom were asked to recall the specifics of their most memorable vacations at three different life stages: 1) as a young child (less than 12 years of age), 2) as an older child (between 12 and 18 years of age), and 3) since becoming a parent.

A total of 3,600 adults (3, 000 U.S., 600 Canadian) and 600 children (U.S.) participated in the survey, which was commissioned by Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. All statistical estimates have an error interval of less than 2%.

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Ypartnership is America’s leading marketing services company serving travel, leisure and entertainment clients. The agency’s Insights group is widely acknowledged as the preeminent source of market intelligence on emerging business and leisure travel trends as revealed in the Ypartnership/Harrison Group 2010 Portrait of American Travelers^SM. The firm also co-authors the quarterly travelhorizons™ survey with the U.S. Travel Association. For more information, visit www.ypartnership.com. Stay current on our research findings and client activities by following Ypartnership Public Relations on Twitter (@Ytravels) or becoming our fan on Facebook at facebook.com/YpartnershipPR.

For further information on the results of the “Vacation Memories” survey please contact Mary Jane Kolassa at maryjane.kolassa@ypartnership.com or 407-838-1803.

In Colorado, a dad and his kids accompanied grandma and grandpa to the airport to see them off on a trip. Or so the children thought. In fact, it was the kids who were leaving – for a surprise vacation to Disneyland Resort. And the excitement that followed was captured in a home video.

Moments like these of real emotion – memories in the making – are becoming the platform for communications as Disney Parks invites guests to “Let the Memories Begin.”

The new ‘Memories’ theme focuses on parents’ desire to have lasting experiences with their children. “Making memories is the masterpiece of parenthood,” said Leslie Ferraro, executive vice president of Global Marketing for Disney Destinations.

To create the first round of TV commercials and other forms of marketing, the Disney Parks creative team scoured the Internet for publicly posted videos and photos.

They were enraptured by what they saw: People riding Disney attractions and hugging characters … a family around a dinner table, with the children opening a pizza box to discover a message that they were “going to Disney World” … the airport surprise … and more.

“And the kids, naturally, enthusiastically were going wild,” said Marty Muller, senior vice president, Global Creative, Disney Destinations. “We discovered parents finding unique and creative ways to tell their kids. We found all this video content filled with love, passion, reality, authenticity, genuine emotion around going to the parks.”

The consensus was unanimous. Disney’s tradition of beautiful film in its TV ads would give way to beautiful, authentic moments.

“We decided we were going to make our commercials a forum for these people to tell their stories,” explained Ferraro. “We were looking for authentic emotion around our brand and we found it here. The emotions of these people are nothing we could have shot.”

The initial series of four spots includes snippets from about 30 user-generated videos … from literally thousands of videos that were reviewed by the Disney creative team. Common to the user-generated content is a lack of fancy equipment – no gaffers or sound techs or mega-expensive recording equipment here.

“These real voices have impact and credibility,” Ferraro said. “They are making real-time moments that burn in your memory.”

As Disney envisions subsequent communications relating to “Let the Memories Begin,” it is creating a “memories website” (www.DisneyParks.com/Memories) where consumers can upload their Disney memories and share them with others. Disney Parks is planning on making user-generated content part of future TV commercial spots, print advertisements, newsletter articles and vacation planning video segments.

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