Is everyone getting ready for the holiday rush? I have one more day with my daughter until I put her on a plane; she’ll be on the East Coast until February. I’ll have a lot of work to keep me busy. I hope everyone who is traveling has safe travels, wherever you are going. Now, what’s coming?

The Lion Guard is Coming!

Remember at the D23 Expo, Ford Riley and Howy Parkins introduced The Lion Guard? It’s coming out February 23rd. If you don’t remember, I’ll tell you again. Simba and Nala’s second-born cub, Kion, and his Lion Guard team embark on adventures together throughout the Pride Lands: Bunga the honey badger, Fuli the cheetah, Beshte the hippo and Ono the egret. Together they use their unique abilities to defend the Pride Lands from predators and maintain balance within the Circle of Life. There’s a great balance of humor and heart, beloved Lion King characters and new friends to meet.

Along with the DVD, you’ll get an Exclusive Talking Backpack Clip, a Digital Copy of the Film and “Here Comes The Lion Guard” Music Video Performed by Beau Black, who performed at the D23 Expo.

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Voice Cast:
James Earl Jones and Ernie Sabella reprise their roles from “The Lion King” as Mufasa and Pumbaa, respectively, alongside Rob Lowe (“The Grinder”) as Simba and Gabrielle Union (“Being Mary Jane”) as Nala; Max Charles (“The Amazing Spider-Man 2”) stars as Kion; Joshua Rush (“The Adventures of Puss in Boots”) as Bunga; Atticus Shaffer (“The Middle”) as Ono; Diamond White (“Sofia the First”) as Fuli; and Dusan Brown (“Blaze and the Monster Machines”) as Beshte. Additional cast members include: Eden Riegel (“All My Children”) as Kiara; Sarah Hyland(“Modern Family”) as Tiifu; Madison Pettis (“Jake and the Never Land Pirates”) as Zuri; Khary Payton (“Teen Titans”) as Rafiki; Jeff Bennett as Zazu (“Jake and the Never Land Pirates”); Jonny Rees (“Star Wars Rebels”) as Mzingo; Andrew Kishino (“Star Wars: The Clone Wars”) as Janja; Vargus Mason (“Sofia the First”) as Cheezi; and Kevin Schon (“The Lion King 1 1/2”) as Chungu and Timon.

 Ford Riley (“Special Agent Oso”) is the Executive Producer and Howy Parkins (“Jake and the Never Land Pirates”) is directing, so it’s people with a solid track record all around. And that’s a good thing, because this is a heck of a legacy to be handed.

No Relation

The Fabulous Disneyland Vacation Giveaway is giving away FOUR Disneyland one-day passes. Click here to enter. Valid in limited areas, sorry.

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Thanks to Fab News’ Sponsors!

If you’re thinking of buying or selling Disney Vacation Club points, please consider DVC Resale Market. They’re a great bunch of people with years of experience and lots of happy customers!

The Skipper Canteen is Open!

The intrepid Scott Sanders @TheDCLBlog was one of the first guests to experience the newly-opened Skipper Canteen, the new sit-down eatery in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World….and it is gorgeous! See for yourself:

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As promised, your servers are Jungle Cruise skippers. I hear they’re just as quick-witted as well.
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Alice’s Table.
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This is the former “secret room” that they, according to the Imagineers, found and opened up to the public. Sharp-eyed Adventurers’ Club members will recognize at least one of the masks, and sharp-eyed SEA Cadettes will probably see a familiar face or two in the painting over the mantel.
A little better detail.
A little better detail.
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The main dining room
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Another view. Blends in seamlessly with the existing architecture.
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Oh, you do. Believe me.

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Yep, their Kungaloosh!, you eat.

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The first person in the Comments section who knows the meaning of the list under the letter gets bragging rights for the rest of the week.

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A slightly Americanized version of  barely sweet Ethiopian Ambasha bread, served with a Greek honey spread/sauce.

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This is the Mac & Cheese all of my friends are raving about.
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Scott says: “Really enjoyed Skip’s Mac & Cheese – it was filling and flavorful. Nice hearty option.

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Basil’s getting into dessert more often now. I love it. Scott liked his, his Missus was meh. Nice mug there in the background, eh?

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And now for the most important part: that mug.

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Dr. Albert Slush. They went waaaay into the depths for that one.
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It’s similar to the metal Moscow Mule mugs in the generic cocktail menu at most Disney bars, but with a beautiful silhouette, great graphics and a better handle.
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Plus, it’s labeled exclusive to the resort, which is nice.
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It’s really beautiful, and wouldn’t look out of place with a tiki mug collection.
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For scale. I have never seen this man before in my life, but I have seen the photograph above his left shoulder somewhere before!

Scott Sanders, you’re a brick! Thanks so much for letting me have these great pictures to use here. I can’t wait to get back to Walt Disney World and get a gander at everything on the walls (and on the menu).

You know, that mug sure would make a good gift for someone. Better put it in…

Shelly’s Fabulous Things!

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We’ve come to the middle of December, and payday is today for a lot of people, so Christmas shopping is NOW! Here’s links to the last three lists:

I’m not the only one making lists of great gift ideas here on MiceChat!

Everyone seems to be making lists:

Who’s Their Favorite Artist?

This year, I’m giving my dad something by one of his favorite Disney artists, Floyd Norman. You can, too. Or almost any one of your favorite Disney artists. Floyd has written a number of books, which are hilarious, and illustrated quite a few, too, so many that when I asked for a list he couldn’t recall all of them.

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You can get commissions, too. 

If you look for Floyd Norman on Amazon, you get about 80% good results. you’ll also get stuff from YA author Norman Floyd and a thing or two on golfer Greg Norman, for some reason. Floyd has quite a variety there, how-to books for the serious art student, the “Faster! Cheaper!” series for an irreverent (but true) view of working in the animation industry, charmingly-illustrated children’s books, stirring independent comics and more.

I’m using Floyd as an example. From Alice Hill (hey, I’m biased) to Kevin-John to Tom Hodges to Amy Mebberson, there is a treasure trove out there if you’re willing to look. Many artists have websites, Twitter or Facebook pages where they sell their work or do commissions. Some even do Periscope sessions so you can watch them create. It’s amazing.

Sweet Sherman Songs

Robert J. Sherman recently launched Love Birds in London, as I wrote about earlier. The soundtrack to that, or to a Spoonful of Sherman, would make a great gift for the music-lover in your family.

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And don’t forget about these great gift ideas from our friends and sponsors:

Tickets to Medieval Times (MiceChat Readers get a 40% DISCOUNT!!!)

MiceChat readers get 40% off adult tickets to Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament. My family had a fantastic time here. Great for a gift basket premium, gift for people who prefer experiences over objects and people who just love FUN!  Information & tickets HERE

A Lifetime of Magic with DVC Resale Market!

Pre-pay your vacations by buying points for their favorite Disney Vacation Club resort, and save money by buying it through Fab News’ sponsor, DVC Resale Market.  Check out some of the resorts and points available here. In case you missed it earlier this month, here’s their introduction video:

Check out their website. It’s a great way to learn about the intricacies of DVC ownership, buying, selling, and how points work, and how best to use them (and how NOT to use them!) Whether you’re looking into buying or selling, or just looking into looking into it, Nick and his team are patient, knowledgeable and have a lot of experience and happy customers who will happily refer them to you.

If you want to reach me I’m on Twitter, on Facebook, and also available at [email protected] . If you’d like to support Fab News, I’d appreciate it. You can pledge a dollar or more a month through Patreon or you can make a one-time donation of a dollar or more through Square. Just click on the banners below. Thanks!

 

 

Michelle Valladolid
Shelly Valladolid, aka Fab, has been writing about Disney and theme parks for about two decades. She has written for various fan and pop culture sites, Disney Magazine and OCRegister.com and participated in several books, including Passporter's Disneyland and Southern California and Disney World Dreams. She was co-founder and president of the Orlando, Florida chapter of the NFFC (now Disneyana Fan Club). She taught a class on theme park history at a Southern California University. She is creator and co-owner of Jim Hill Media, one of the creators of MousePlanet and was a consultant on MSNBC, The Motley Fool and others about Disney and various media matters. She was a Heel wrestling manager on TV and a voice artist on the radio in Honolulu, HI, where she grew up. She has a blog and a podcast with her daughter, Mission:Breakout Obsessive Alice Hill. She and her husband, MiceChat columnist Noe Valladolid, live in Southern California with Alice.