Disney Gift Guide: Video Game Edition @DisneyGames

Disney Gift Guide: Video Game Edition

Tis the season for gaming! If you have any gamers on your list, you don't want to miss our picks for the Top 7 Disney Video Games this year! We're pretty sure that you've seen these titles on some Christmas/Hanukkah lists in your house. From Disney Fantasia to Disney Infinity 2.0, whether you prefer the Xbox, Play Station or Nintendo 3DS - there's plenty of fun gaming to be had with these top 7 Disney picks! Because it's all fun and games people...

Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved (Kinect, Xbox 360, Xbox One)

A breakthrough musical motion video game inspired by Disney's classic animated film "Fantasia." In the game, players enter the magical realms of Fantasia, selected by the legendary sorcerer Yen Sid, to hone their musical and magical prowess as his new apprentice. "Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved" takes players on an interactive and immersive motion-controlled journey through worlds of music and magic.

Featuring over 30 tracks – including contemporary hits, classic rock, classical music, and more – “Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved” transports players to a breathtaking world where music and magic combine to transform extraordinary interactive landscapes in entirely new and creative ways. Players will be introduced to Yen Sid’s previous apprentice, Scout, via the game’s narrative, who will guide the player as they perform, transform and create music to restore order to the world.

Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes 2.0 Edition (PS3 / PS4 / WiiU / Xbox One / Xbox 360 / PC)

Disney Infinity just got super powered! Conquer a game universe where you have endless opportunities to create stories and action adventures featuring all-new Super Heroes, characters and powers! Join Earth's mightiest heroes to stop Loki and his army of Frost Giants before they freeze Manhattan - and the world!








Disney Magical World (Nintendo 3DS)
A new life awaits you in the magical world of Disney! Meet and interact with over 60 of your favorite Disney characters while exploring the worlds of Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, Aladdin, and Winnie the Pooh. When you can manage your own cafe filled with Disney magic and set off on ghost-hunting quests, your life becomes the adventure.

Go customization crazy! Build new furniture to decorate your cafe with, and your own personal room above it. Put together hundreds of Disney-themed outfits with collectable clothes and accessories for your avatar. You can even plant and harvest crops, learn new greetings, and collect Disney character cards. Or, collect magic wands and battle through ghost-filled forests and dungeons. In other words, with Disney Magical World game the magic never has to end!



Frozen: Olaf's Quest (Nintendo 3DS)

Everyday is a snow day with this side scrolling adventure game and stars Olaf, the carefree snowman, in all new story. Following the events of the film this original adventure throws the focus to Olaf, the happy-go-lucky snowman, as he tries to hold himself together through all the perilous situations he stumbles into. An Icy (and Dicey) Adventure - Players must guide Olaf across 60 imaginative levels inspired by the mythical kingdom of Arendelle, navigating stimulating but accessible challenges, icy hazards and encountering mischievous natives while discovering hidden collectibles and unlockable accessories along the way.



Disney Planes Fire and Rescue (Wii / WiiU / Nintendo 3DS / Nintendo DS)

Earn your wings in all 12 Fire & Rescue story missions. Practice your skills in 30 training academy missions. Show off your teamwork with Dusty and his friends ? use different character's abilities to help battle wildfires. Switch between 8 different playable characters from the film, including Dusty, Dipper, Avalanche, and many more.












Big Hero 6: Battle in the Bay (Nintendo 3DS / Nintendo DS)

The Big Hero 6 team is targeted a dangerous gangster named Yama and his legion of out of control fighting robots! Fight alongside Baymax and send robot's flying across the screen as Hiro with his electro-mag gauntlets! Zoom through levels at top speed as Go Go! Slice and dice as Wasabi with his plasma blades! Smash and burn as Fred in his Kaiju monster super suit!

Just Dance 2015 (Xbox One / Xbox 360 / PS3 / PS4)

We know this isn't a Disney video game, but it features some Disney songs like the classic, "Let It Go" from Frozen, so we wanted to include it. Just Dance 2015 is the latest, most awesome-filled version of the world's #1 dance game! Bringing new moves and game modes to over 40 top tracks, Just Dance 2015 features hit songs like "Let It Go" from Disney's Frozen, "Maps" by Maroon 5, "Bang Bang" by Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj plus other favorites like "Walk This Way" by Run DMC & Aerosmith."

What Disney video games are your kids asking for this holiday? Which ones are you planning on buying? Better yet, which Disney games do you want to play yourself?

SEASON'S GAMINGS!

Disclosure: We were not compensated for this post We were sent Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved for review purposes. The opinions shared on this blog are 100% magical and 100% ours only.

Best Disney Games for Families To Play

What does Scrabble, Monopoly, and Clue all have in common? These are all classic board games that have Disney counterparts. Scrabble has a Disney Theme Parks Edition, Monopoly transforms into Disney Villians Version and Clue becomes the mystery Tower of Terror. How about Candy Land, Operation, and Trivial Pursuit? Yep, they all have Disney Editions too! These are just a few of the Disney Games that we have included in our list of 25 Awesome Family Games for Disney Lovers! There is a Disney game choice right for every Disney fan in your life.

If you're more into video games like Disney Infinity, we've got those on the list too! Throwing a Birthday Party? Here's 10 Tips for Hosting the Ultimate Gaming Party that your kids will love! So roll the dice, spin the wheel, grab the controller and get your game on - You'll be so glad you did!

Tell us, do you have any of these "Magical" versions?

Want more of the Magic? Make sure to follow us over at Babble as Disney Voices.

Disney Infinity Game Announced: VIDEOS

Earlier this week we shared the breaking news of the Disney Infinity video game with you through photos across our Facebook Page, Twitter, and Instagram. We also talked about it on the blog To Disney Infinity and Beyond: The Big Game Reveal. We now have the entire 45 minutes press event on video available on our YouTube channel, you can also watch it below.

Warning: After watching these videos- you may want to buy this game immediately, however it is not being released until June. Please watch responsibly! 

Enjoy!

 John Pleasants Co-President, Disney Interactive and John Lasseter

 Introduce Disney Infinity.

John Blackburn Vice President & General Manager, Avalanche Software 

Explains Disney Infinity Part 1 

John Blackburn Vice President & General Manager, Avalanche Software 

Explains Disney Infinity Part 2

John Blackburn Vice President & General Manager, Avalanche Software 

Explains Disney Infinity Part 3

John Blackburn Vice President & General Manager, Avalanche Software explains 

Explains Disney Infinity Part 4

John Blackburn Vice President & General Manager, Avalanche Software explains 

Explains Disney Infinity Part 5

John Pleasants, John Blackburn and John Lasseter show another video
and sneak peek into the video game. 

Press Event for Disney Infinity took place at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, CA on January 15, 2013.

Disclaimer: We were invited to the Big Reveal Event at the El Capitan Theater as members of the press. All thoughts are 100% Magical and 100% those of the Disney Sisters only.

To Disney Infinity and Beyond: The Big Game Reveal

What happens when you pair up Disney collectible figurines with a video game and add in your imagination? Disney Infinity happens, that's what. It's the latest interactive gaming platform from Disney and it's creating quite a buzz in the gaming community.

Yesterday we attended the Disney Infinity Press Release Event with the three Johns. LOL. John Lasseter along with two other VIPs, John Pleasants, Co-President of Disney Interactive and John Blackburn, the Studio Vice President and General Manager of Avalanche Software, announced the newest game from Disney Interactive to the media. Disney Infinity will be available on all platforms from Xbox 360 to PS3 to WiiU and is Multi-player with two different "Play Modes" to the game:

Play Sets

Explore new adventures with your favorite characters inside of their worlds.

• Sail the High Seas in Pirates of the Caribbean, where you can design your own ship and pick your crew mates.
• Go To Monster College in Monsters University where you can play with your favorite Monsters, Mike Wazowsi and Sulley as they "battle" their cross town rival school.
• Become "Incredible" and save Metroville from being destroyed by Syndrome and other Super Villians.

Toy Box

Pick all your favorite characters and tell your own story in a mash-up Disney/Pixar world that you build and create.

• Endless ways to play, with endless possibilities.
• Mix characters, create your own worlds and experience unlimited play. 
• No rules, just you and your own virtual world.

How It Works:

Three character figures Sulley, Mr. Incredible and Captain Jack Sparrow come in the "Starter Pack" which also includes an Infinity base, interactive/landmark piece and power tokens/discs. Each piece works together to bring both Disney and Pixar fans a unique experience. But this game is not just for gamers. They are introducing out a lot of different elements for collectors including the figures and tokens. With the success of vinylmations we're sure that these will be the "next big thing" flying off of the shelves. How much does Disney Infinity cost? Retail $74.99

Sitting in the legendary El Capitan Theater we were completely blown away, and are still trying to gather our thoughts about all of the concepts and infinite possibilities of Disney Infinity. (It was A LOT to take in!)  Over the next few months leading up to the launch in June we will be covering much more on Disney Infinity, including video coverage and interviews from the event COMING SOON!!!!

Now you tell us... Are You "IN"?

Disclaimer: We were invited to the Big Reveal Event at the El Capitan Theater as members of the press. All thoughts are 100% Magical and 100% those of the Disney Sisters only.

December to Remember: GAMES *Giveaway*

Games

It’s only day two of our Disney Magic photo challenge and we’re so excited we’re tossing in a giveaway! We can’t imagine the holidays without fun and games, which happens to be our word for the day and what we’ve got in store for you. On the heels of the amazing press event for Epic Mickey 2 (you may remember us gushing about it), Disney Interactive has gifted us gifts for you, in the form of 5 copies of Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two along with the coveted Oswald ears, guaranteed to be a Disney classic!

All you need to do is link-up here this week and we will be choosing 5 lucky Disney fans (one a day for the next 5 days). Of course, we encourage you to share a link to your photos but if photography isn’t your thing, then just leave a link to one of your online whereabouts and you’ll be entered to win. Contest runs through Thursday night 12/6 at midnight EST and the winners will be announced by Sunday 12/9. *Winner must be from the US.

Want another chance to win? Our Disney Sister Tracey has got her take on our Epic day at Disneyland over on her blog Reframed at Babble and she’s giving away 5 copies of Epic Mickey 2 and the Oswald ears too. Why not? Two places to winis better than one. That’s the power of Two!

We're so glad that you've decided to join us on our magical photographic journey 

Disney Sisters: December to Remember

For the entire month of December we are sharing photos of Disney Holiday Magic. 

Disney Sisters welcome you to celebrate the season with us! All you need to do is post your photo at your creative outlet of choice (your Blog, Flickr, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr) and add your url to the linky below.

Grab our button and please use the hashtag #DisneySisters

Help spread the holiday cheer.

*We encourage Disney themed shots but welcome all images that express holiday magic and what it means to you.
Disclosure: We were given copies of Epic Mickey 2 from Disney Interactive to giveaway on our blog.

If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It -Walt Disney

We are all big dreamers in our family. Our parents have always taught us to dream big and nothing was ever out of our reach. Maybe that's part of love for Disney. Walt Disney believed "If you can dream it, you can do it" We recently had the honor of attending the media preview of Epic Mickey 2, earlier we shared with you our tour of Walt Disney's Apartment in Disneyland, as we took "A Walk In Walt's Footsteps."  Today, we'd like to share what it was like to meet the "men behind the digital mouse." Below are videos of us interviewing Warren Spector, Paul Weaver, and Bill Roper. It was really special hearing about the love for Disney these men have, and the length they go to at Junction Point to deliver a video game that is obvious to us, their dream come true. We especially love the part of the game's name "The Power Of Two" a tribute to the original two partners, Walt and Mickey and the new video game duo Mickey Mouse and Oswald The Rabbit.

We were inspired to hear the stories of their passion for what they do and the love they have for their jobs. They reminded us, you can love what you do. It made us realize as parents how important our job is to instill those simple yet crucial lessons into our children. You can be anything you want, if you work hard and believe in yourself. 

Getting to know Paul Weaver was a highlight of our day! After our interview, we knew we had found a kindred spirit. We spent the rest of the day touring Disneyland together and we even sat at the same table at none other than the famous Club 33, inside Disneyland for dinner. We are grateful to the magic of Disney for putting us together with Paul Weaver, we are thrilled to know such an awesome Disney Fan! Thanks for hanging out with us crazy sisters, Paul!!!

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." -Walt Disney

Watch the video below as Warren Spector shares his excitement about Epic Mickey 2. His passion is contagious as he talks about all the new adventures that await the player of this new epic game.

“You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.” -Walt Disney

Don't miss this heart warming story:
Epic Mickey's Warren Spector meets Ortensia at Disneyland

Visit Epic Mickey 2 on Facebook          Epic Mickey 2 YouTube Channel 

Epic Mickey 2 Website                         Epic Mickey on Twitter

Disclosure: We were invited to a Media Day preview of Epic Mickey 2, which included the tour and dinner at Club 33. It was a night that we will remember for the rest of our lives. All opinions are 100% Magical and 100% those of the Disney Sisters. 

Epic Mickey's Warren Spector meets Ortensia at Disneyland

Have you ever wondered who Oswald's the Lucky Rabbit's girlfriend is? Her name is Ortensia, and in case you didn't know. . . she's a cat!  Fans of Disney Epic Mickey and Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two are very familiar with her. We shared with you about Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse - The Power of Two and our day with Warren Spector and other Video Game royalty.....

Now let us introduce Courtney from Northern California. We had the pleasure of meeting her at Mickey's Halloween Party on the same night we were at the the Epic Mickey 2 Media Event.  A chance meeting that brought two very special Disney fans together, at a very magical place. We loved seeing it unfold right before our eyes. It made our night that much more special. That's the power of Disney. It brings people together who may never have met otherwise, and bonds them together forever with a love for something bigger than themselves. Something that was all started by a mouse.

When things like it happen, we like to call it DISNEY MAGIC! Here's her story:

What made you choose Ortensia for your Halloween costume? 

I had looked at doing Ortensia for a little while, but it wasn't really a serious idea until I finally went onto Facebook and asked friends and family what I should do for Halloween. Option after option came up, but nothing really came across saying, "You can do this, and it'll be amazing!" Ortensia kept coming back to me and in the end, I was extremely passionate about making her come to life!

Tell us about your magical meeting on that special night.

When my family and I got to Disneyland for Mickey's Halloween Party, I knew that the people who would recognize Ortensia would be few and far between. I carried around a small Oswald plush in hopes of some recognition. I even had a few people at the park gate ask me if I was Dot from the Animaniacs or Betty Boop. So when a gentleman came up to our group outside the Main Street Mad Hatter shop and asked if I was Ortensia, I was absolutely ecstatic! Someone had recognized me! And so quickly too! He said, "I saw you across the street and I had to come over. Now, don't freak out, but the creator of Epic Mickey is here in the park tonight and I'd like to introduce you to him". I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped. I said, "Warren Spector? Warren Spector is at Disneyland tonight?" He grins and replies, "Oh, you know of him. Well, that's good". What an understatement. I love following the YouTube videos for both Epic Mickey games and I watch them regularly. I love getting to see the passion that goes into games like this. So Warren Spector's a celebrity to me.

The liaison brings my family and I over to the entrance of the Mad Hatter shop, and out comes Warren Spector with a small touring group and a camera crew. What a once in a lifetime opportunity! He was so taken aback, but I'm fairly sure he was just as excited about seeing me as I was seeing him. I can imagine it's extremely exciting to see one of your creations come to life, especially one you might have thought was overlooked. Oswald himself is only just beginning to come back into the limelight, with little or no mention of Ortensia (or at least until she starts playing a larger role in Epic Mickey 2, which I'm hoping she will).

We shook hands, were introduced, and he asked about my interest in the Epic Mickey franchise, why Ortensia, what do I like about the characters, am I looking forward to the new Epic Mickey 2 game, etc  He wanted some pictures together (so did I!), and almost laughingly asked if someone could take a few pictures with his own cell phone, too. After a few pictures, I also had the opportunity to meet Paul Weaver, another creative mind from Junction Point! What an honor to meet two such great men!

Can you share about the special gift Warren gave you?

After his questions, Warren Spector looked down to his left lapel and took of a pin off of his own shirt. It was a pin with both the faces of Mickey and Oswald together, looking very determined. He wished for me to have it as a token of our meeting and as a thank you to dressing up as one of the characters from his game. It was amazing enough to just meet the man, but to get a gift as well! I honestly didn't know what to say. I found out later, from a very helpful lady, that this pin was not something that I could find around Disneyland in one of the pin shops. This was Warren Spector's personal pin and was one of a kind! I really know my jaw dropped then! I was, and still am, blown away by his generosity and kind nature.

I had the opportunity to be at Disneyland for the next week following and I wore that pin on my collar proudly. And I'm glad to say that when people ask about it, it gives me the opportunity to tell them about Oswald and the Epic Mickey games and encourage a few more gamers to become just as passionate about the games and the characters as I am.

Once I go back home, I intend to treat it like the treasure it is. I'm going to get a display frame with a picture of Warren Spector and myself and display the pin in a place of respect. This experience was too amazing to just have the memories stored on a hard drive and a jewelry box.

 How has the magic of Disney touched your life? 

Disney has played a tremendous role in my life. The movie nights at home, late night trips to the double feature at the drive-in theaters on my Little Mermaid sleeping bag, the hours of sing-a-longs and dress ups, those few trips to Disneyland and the great memories with it. Disney's inspired a lot of my personal costuming and the ideas keep coming. Not to mention sharing my passion for Disney with my husband and in-laws. I even had the chance to bring a little bit of home-made Disney into my wedding. My husband gave me a crystal rose and dome from Beauty and the Beast as a wedding gift. Beauty and the Beast has been a kind of theme throughout our entire relationship.

But you break everything down and Disney is just one word: Family. The memories, the good times, the love, the passion - it's all connected with family. And I intend to share the Disney Connection with my future children. I hope they can truly believe that they are Princes and Princesses, making a wish upon a star means dreams really do come true, Disneyland runs on magic and laughter, and that there's nothing wrong with suddenly bursting out into song and dance and grinning all the while.

Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two comes out in stores November 18th, 2012.

Disclosure: We were invited to the Epic Mickey 2 Media Preview Event. All opinions are 100% magical and 100% those of the Disney Sisters only.

The Disney Haunted Mansion Moves To Club Penguin

Do you remember last year's Club Penguin's Halloween Party? 

Well, if you loved the island of Transylvania, this year promises you'll have more Ghoulish Fun!

Starting today the Club Penguin Halloween Party begins with The Haunted Mansion at Disney taking over Club Penguin and 9 creepy rooms to discover. The island is overrun by ghosts and it's up to players to protect it by becoming ghost hunters! First, players must find the Ghost Goggles hidden in the haunted mansion to be able to see the ghosts they are hunting, next find the Ghost Lab. There are cool costumes, spook-tacular scavenger hunts and an Igloo Contest! Some very lucky players will be able to interact with Gary the Gadget Guy during the Halloween party, helping him solve the mystery of his great uncle Gariwald's disappearance.

We'd like to share a Club Penguin code with you from Disney Parks Blog, 
 Just visit http://play.clubpenguin.com/#/redeem/ 

and enter the code CHILLING for a
free Ghost Sheet Costume

There's even a brand new music video starring none other than your favorite Club Pengiun Penguins called "Ghosts Just Wanna Dance"

What is Club Penguin?

Club Penguin is more than a club of penguins and puffles, it's the #1 virtual world for children. Our kids love to play Disney games online. As parents, we love that Club Penguin keeps the online environment safe by using live moderators!

Here are some of our FAVORITE new virtual spots:

Which is your favorite room?



Did you know that DisneyStore has a Club Penguin section?

Disclosure: We did not receive any compensation for this post. Disney Interactive sent us a club penguin stuffed animal, as shown above. The thoughts and opinions shared on this blog are 100% magical and 100% ours.

Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse - The Power Of Two

All three Disney Sisters are big dreamers. We each have different hopes and dreams but we all share a love for Disney. About a week ago, we had a dream of ours come true and we are so excited to share our day with our readers through video provided to us by Disney.

The adventure began with a mysterious save the date email that was very vague. We recognized Mickey Mouse and Oswald in the email and were really happy figuring we would be exploring the new Epic Mickey 2: The Power Of Two video game. As details of the event came in, there was mention of a  car service, The Grand Californian Hotel, lunch and interviews with Warren Spector and Paul Weaver of Junction Point, Peter Ong of DreamRift and Disney Interactive's VP of Product Development, Bill Roper and as if that wasn't enough, dinner in a secret private location. To say we were excited would have been an understatement!

When we arrived at the event, we played Epic Mickey 2 and had a lovely lunch as they shared with us the inspiration Disneyland had given them when designing the video game. There are many specific things in Disneyland that have significance in the game, Epic Mickey 2 like animatronics. Our day was filled with Disney game magic and we were loving every minute of it. Little did we know what was about to come next.

After lunch, we were whisked off to Disneyland and given the once in a lifetime opportunity to take a "Walk in Walt's Footsteps" tour with Warren Spector and Paul Weaver of Junction Point. During the tour Warren Spector pointed out how he, Paul Weaver and the rest of his team used The Disneyland Train Station, Main Street and The Hub as well as the iconic Castle view as inspiration when creating wasteland to give players something familiar to connect with that made them want to play and ultimately save Wasteland. When we found out in the tour we were going to see Walt Disney's apartment, we were giddy. We could almost not contain ourselves.
 It was a dream come true.

When you watch the video, you will notice two things, one that Becky gets really emotional inside Walt Disney's apartment listening to the stories and two, the surprise private location for dinner was none other than Club 33! The video actually shows inside Walt's apartment and inside the upstairs dining room of Club 33!!! As most Disney fans know, these are two places cameras/video cameras are almost never allowed.

We hope you enjoy watching the video!

(Warning: this video is 26 minutes of all the Disney magic you can possibly handle!!!)

If you have a Disneyland pass or this is your first visit the park, taking one of the Disneyland tours would be a real treat. We recommend getting reservations and finding out more by visiting Disneyland's website.

We will have more exciting coverage of our day and Epic Mickey 2 coming soon!

Visit Epic Mickey 2 on Facebook          Epic Mickey 2 YouTube Channel 

Epic Mickey 2 Website                         Epic Mickey on Twitter

Disclosure: We were invited to a Media Day preview of Epic Mickey 2, which included the tour and dinner at Club 33. It was a night that we will remember for the rest of our lives. All opinions are 100% Magical and 100% those of the Disney Sisters. Video shot by Disney, footage used with by permission.