To commemorate Mickey Mouse’s birthday, we are excited to reveal a special surprise at the Disneyland Resort. Following a refurbishment, the iconic Partners statue in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland park has been restored to its original grandeur!
The beloved Partners statue, created by famed Disney sculptor Blaine Gibson, features Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse. The photo above left was taken at its original unveiling on Nov. 18, 1993, at the hub in Disneyland park to commemorate Mickey’s 65th birthday.
Over time, the bronze had oxidized, and because of the applied patina, acrylic polymer and wax, it required a more intensive process than just a simple cleaning or polishing. Over four days, an artisan utilized a process using crushed walnut shells to gently strip the figure down to the bare bronze. After cleaning, various chemicals were applied and heated with a blowtorch to create a reaction and fuse with the bronze. The figure was coated in a polymer to protect the patina, then coated with a very thin layer of wax.
Guests visiting the Downtown Disney District’s extension into Buena Vista Street will have an opportunity to see the Storytellers statue, which has also been restored. This statue features a 1920s-era Walt in a fedora and traveling attire — just off the train from Missouri and ready to realize his dreams with his pal, Mickey.
Happy birthday to the duo who started it all 92 years ago today — Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse!
Today is Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse’s birthday! These two have given us so much joy for the 91 years that they have been around. And they couldn’t be more young at heart. So, let’s raise a cake pop to them and celebrate with a full day of fun.
Show off your love of these two with these exciting new “wearables” that you can find over at shopDisney.com. It’s the go-to place for any Mickey’s Toontown citizen.
Our friends over at Walt Disney Imagineering came up with the best table setting for such a day…a re-creation of these fantastic friends’ homes in Mickey’s Toontown. Create this miniaturized, cartoon city right in your home with the latest release of Disney Paper Parks.
Now it’s time to dot up your style with this adorable sweater craft. Create yours and show it off using #DisneyMagicMoments.
Snuggle up in your sweater and delight in some cake. Then turn on your TV or as we call it TooniVision and catch the brand-new series “The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse” only on Disney+.
That’s our party bash folks. We’ll see ya real soon!
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Keep your eyes open and ears out! In honor of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse’s birthday, we’re going on a global tour to share our favorite mouselebrity sightings at different destinations around the world. Let’s go!
Disneyland Resort
Starting in sunny California, here’s Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse greeting the day from their homes in Mickey’s Toontown at Disneyland Resort.
Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa
Across the sea, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse are vacation-ready at Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa. In celebration of its recent reopening, we’re also inviting you to take a behind the magic journey and learn about the beloved resort’s creation.
Tokyo Disney Resort
On the other side of the Pacific, the two are looking resplendently regal in front of Cinderella’s Castle at Tokyo Disneyland. Sweet and spiffy!
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
A soaring celebration is to be had at Hong Kong Disneyland where the two are riding high on Dumbo the Flying Elephant.
Shanghai Disney Resort
A sighting at Shanghai Disney Resort where Minnie Mouse greets us in front of one of her favorite sweets shops: Sweethearts Confectionery and Mickey Mouse is looking dapper as always with a stunning sky backdrop!
Disney Cruise Line
The two have also been known to be spotted on the deck of Disney Magic before docking at their next destination. If you haven’t seen it yet, we recommend checking out a virtual viewing of the “Frozen, A Musical Spectacular,” Disney Cruise Line’s Broadway-style show.
Disneyland Paris
At Disneyland Paris, Mickey Mouse greets us in his studio from the hit show “Mickey and the Magician,” while Minnie Mouse – ever the perfectly poised pirate – poses for a photo in front of the Pirate Galleon.
Disney’s Riviera Resort at Walt Disney World Resort
Back in Florida, Mickey Mouse puts paint to paper on the verdant lawns of Disney’s Rivera Resort with Minnie Mouse. Picture perfect if you ask me!
The fun doesn’t stop here! Today at 3 p.m. PST / 6 p.m. EST visit D23.com for a birthday celebration of everyone’s favorite pals, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse! Host Mark Daniel will be taking you on an inside look at the wild and zany world of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disney’s Hollywood Studios with one of the attraction’s lead Imagineers, Kevin Rafferty. Then get a special look at the new Disney+ series “The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse” and hear from Bret Iwan, official voice of Mickey Mouse!
(Some photos are achieved and do not reflect current social distancing guidelines.)
Filed Under: Aulani, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club, Disneyland Paris, Disneyland Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland, Shanghai Disney Resort, Tokyo Disneyland, Walt Disney World Resort
On December 25, Disney and Pixar’s “Soul” will introduce the world to Joe Gardner. In celebration of the release of the film, Disney and Pixar collaborated with multicultural powerhouse HUE Unlimited to bring Joe and company to life through a curated collection of wearable art pieces inspired by the film.
From its community incubator of cultural creatives and leaders, TONL, HUE Unlimited tapped four emerging Black artists and led their creative direction in crafting original inspired-by artwork. The collection features artwork designed by cultural creatives Bee Harris, Bianca Pastel, Arrington Porter and Cory Van Lew. Each artist took to the canvas to capture the soul of the film and its heartfelt story of music, family, friendship and self-discovery through their own unique lens, life story and experience as diverse creatives.
“We’re proud to work on this meaningful collection inspired by “Soul” and to be able to have each artist’s unique vision shine through,” says Michael Watson II of HUE Unlimited. “As a part of the next generation of creatives, we deeply understand that authenticity is incredibly important to audiences — so being able to curate a collection of products that represents Black voices overall is a dream come true.”
Get to know each artist featured in the new collection!
Bee Harris, a visual artist and activist focused on reflecting the multi-faceted aspects of the Black Diaspora, social movements and community through art, shares the inspiration behind her piece “The Village:”
“Working on this collection was a dream come true! It was an honor to highlight the four Black women in Joe’s village. These women represent the strong-willed, supportive women in my life who have helped me discover and walk in my purpose. I walked away with a deeper understanding of myself and my capabilities as an artist. It was both challenging and inspiring to create something so unique to things I’ve done in the past.”
Bianca Pastel, a pop artist known for recreating nostalgic moments and leaders in Black culture through over-expressive imagery and pastel elements, speaks to how Joe and company inspired her piece “Joe & His Fro:”
“Throughout the film, Joe learns some very valuable lessons on his journey, so I wanted to express the connection between colors, characters and stories in every detail. My favorite part of this process was choosing color palettes because, for me, it’s like picking a feeling. How I want a piece to feel depends on the colors I create with. Throughout the process, I realized I could create authentically, be myself with my process and have fun with my art – which is exactly what I did.”
Arrington Porter, an eclectic musician and painter visualizing the richness of Black culture, music, film and people with celestial exaggeration, created “Joe’s World:”
“Creating artwork for this collection was an awesome experience! As an artist, I found myself connected to the film, relating back to a familiar place within my own love for music and being in constant pursuit of my dreams. Outside of being a visual artist, I too am a pianist – so I related to Joe’s character on a more personal level.”
Corey Van Lew, a new-age artist known to reimagine real-world elements of the Black experience into unique multi-dimensional art, took to the canvas for “The Great Gardner:”
“This was an amazing opportunity for us as artists to tap into our version of “The Zone” and create a visual representation of what this moment means to us! The parallel worlds in the movie go hand-in-hand with the parallel universe I depict in my paintings. Down to the digitally-made background paired with the hand-painted characters, I aimed to immerse people in an alternate realm of my own.”
Starting today, kids, families and the next generation of artists and creatives can shop the entire collection featured on the Pixar “Soul” Shop on Amazon. Fans can also stretch their own creativity by designing personalized products from t-shirts and hoodies to accessories and home goods using their favorite piece of artwork from the collection.
Share the special joys of the holidays this season in the Downtown Disney District at the Disneyland Resort! Maybe it’s sipping a hot cocoa on a crisp, cool morning, sharing stories over a memorable meal, or finding the perfect, thoughtful gift for everyone on your list!
This season, discover these great takes on all things merry and bright:
A Happy Thanksgiving!
Enjoy turkey and some Thanksgiving favorites throughout the month at the Downtown Disney District. For a limited time, try the Thanksgiving Burger at Black Tap Craft Burgers & Shakes, or enjoy a tasty twist with a sweet scoop ofSalt & Straw’s Salted Thanksgiving Turkey or Sweet Potato Casserole with maple pecans. A Pints Club gift subscription is a gift idea from Salt & Straw’s colorful mercantile. Don’t forget, Earl of Sandwichoffers its holiday best year-round with its Holiday Turkey Sandwich, a delicious layering of turkey, cornbread stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce and mayonnaise on freshly-baked artisan bread.
Carthay Circle Restaurant is introducing Carthay Circle Lounge – Alfresco Dining, a new outdoor dining experience featuring flavorful Mediterranean-California fare and terrific views of Buena Vista Street. At this time, this restaurant will use a mobile waitlist system throughout the day to manage the number of guests dining when the location is at capacity.
After a day of shopping, grown-ups may enjoy La Brea Bakery’sclever cocktail list featuring the Merry Manhattan, the Tinsel-Tini, a Mistletoe Margarita, the Joyful Daiquiri or a Jolly Old Fashioned that can be paired with a sandwich or entrée.
Find Your Treasures!
Swing into the holiday spirit by picking up a silver and gold spirit jersey, an “ugly sweater” Loungefly backpack or a new snow blower wand for wintery fun at World of Disney, Elias & Co.or Disneyland Resort Backlot Premiere Shop. You’ll find even more Disney to love and to choose from at The Disney Dress Shop, Disney HomeandJulius Katz & Sons. Together, these stores offer the ultimate in Disney shopping for toys, apparel, souvenirs, home décor and holiday collections.
Rinse Bath & Body Co. offers Spiced Cranberry handcrafted soaps and lotion sticks, giving the scent of mulled spices, made with ingredients that are soothing to winter skin. Check out their entire selection of natural products, which make nice stocking stuffers!
At Pandora, build your own bracelet with charms that make a statement, hand-finished in sterling silver. Pandora has limited-edition gift sets for the holidays including three themed Cinderella charms with magical motifs, celebrating the 70th anniversary of Walt Disney’s animated classic.
Now through December 13, 2020, donate a toy online at shopDisney.com/ToysForTots, or donate a new, unwrapped toy to any Disney store or a World of Disney store in the U.S., and Disney will donate an additional $1 to Toys for Tots. Disney’s tradition of supporting the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves’ Toys for Tots program dates back to Walt Disney, who personally supervised the creation of the Toys for Tots logo. Disney also was a founding sponsor of the program when it began in 1947. Today, Disneyland Resort is proud to continue the tradition of supporting Toys for Tots.
If you haven’t visited the Downtown Disney District lately, be sure to visit Disneyland.com/DTD to learn important information about updated experiences and other details including our health and safety measures such as the requirement of temperature checks for all guests, ages 2 and older, to wear an appropriate face covering.
The number of guests visiting the Downtown Disney District and its shopping and dining locations is limited to promote physical distancing. At some locations, including the World of Disney store, Marceline’s Confectionery, Buena Vista Street and Carthay Circle Lounge – Alfresco Dining at Carthay Circle Restaurant, we may at times use a mobile waitlist system to manage the number of guests when the location and/or queue are at capacity. Guests can choose to provide their name and mobile number to receive a text message when they are able to return.* Disney California Adventure park is currently closed.
There is much to discover and explore at the Downtown Disney District! We wish you and your loved ones a sparkling holiday season, filled with wonders and delight!
*Subject to availability. Data and message rates and other restrictions may apply.
