Can you believe it has already been about a year since The Walt Disney Family Museum opened? Since its debut last year in Presidio  San Francisco, the award-winning 40,000 square foot building has been host to enthusiastic visitors from around the world. To celebrate their 1st anniversary, the Museum will host a weekend of family fun and festivities from October 1 to 3.

“It’s hard to believe that a year has passed since we opened our doors in the Presidio,” said Richard Benefield, founding executive director of the Museum. “Our efforts to present the life and achievements of Walt Disney in an interactive and imaginative way are ongoing and we’re pleased to see families, teens, and seniors all enjoying different elements of the Museum.”

In celebration of its first anniversary, the Museum will host a weekend of family fun and festivities from October 1 to 3, and will extend its admission hours to 9:00 pm on Saturday, October 2.

Events on Friday, October 1 – Sunday, October 3, 2010

• Live Music throughout the weekend. Bring a picnic lunch for the front lawn and we’ll serenade you with ragtime jazz. Friday from 2 :00 pm – 5:00 pm and Saturday 11:00 am – 2:00 pm

• Our first Saturday Night Soiree. Half-price on Museum Admission tickets and a cash bar from 6 pm to 9 pm on Saturday night.

• The “Where’s Walt?” Treasure Hunt Contest – Grand Prize is a Private Screening of a Disney classic for you and up to 50 of your closest friends in our Theater.

• Learn more about Walt Disney and his legacy with our “LOOK CLOSER”  gallery talks.  Museum staff will share details about the visually dramatic “Steamboat Willie” Wall – our special Pinocchio Animator’s desk – and the first underwater movie camera.

• A 25 minute “Best of” Video in our theater will feature special guests who appeared this past year, including Disney Legends, executives, animators, and stars.

• Radio Disney Road Crew on Saturday from 1:00 – 3:00 pm with games, contests, and music for the whole family.

• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs  – A treat for the whole family on our Big Screen at 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm (Free with Museum Admission).

• Create your own moviola in our Learning Center. New Drop-in Craft activities Friday, Saturday and Sunday 11 am to 4 pm.

The fascinating and inspiring story of Walt Disney, whose artistry, imagination and vision helped define 20th-century America, has been brought to life at The Walt Disney Family Museum in the Presidio of San Francisco.  The Museum illuminates Walt Disney’s tremendous successes, disappointments, and unyielding optimism as he worked tirelessly to advance the art of animation, produce classic motion pictures and develop the first great American theme park.  The Walt Disney Family Museum, L.L.C. is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Family Foundation, a non-profit foundation and is open Wednesday – Monday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm on the on the Main Post of the Presidio.

Disney/Pixar Animation Studio’s “Toy Story 3D” has crossed the $1 billion threshold at the global box office making it the first animated film to ever reach such a feat. In fact, this is Disney’s second film this year to reach the $1 billion mark – Tim Burton’s “Alice In Wonderland” being the other film to reach the astounding number. If that wasn’t marvelous enough,  Disney is now the only studio in history to have two films beyond the $1 billion mark in a year.

“It’s been an incredible year as we saw the Pixar team bring Buzz and Woody back to the big screen and watched Tim Burton’s vision for Alice in Wonderland take the world by storm,” said Rich Ross, Chairman, The Walt Disney Studios.  “These box office triumphs prove that creative storytelling brought to life by imaginative, inspired and talented professionals is something audiences respond to the world over.”

As of yesterday, Toy Story 3 tallied more than $592.9 million internationally, Disney’s largest international animated release. Latin American audiences have contributed $138 million making Toy Story 3 the highest grossing Disney film ever released in the region.  Toy Story 3 is the most successful UK release in Disney history and currently stands as the fourth biggest title in territory history with $102.4 million in box office receipts so far.  In Japan, the film has taken in $111.2 million and spent five consecutive weeks as the #1 movie.  Toy Story 3 currently ranks as the #7 film in global box office history and domestically ranks #9 with $404.6 million in receipts to date.

Disney first crossed the $1 billion threshold with “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” in 2006. Other films to reach this status are part of a short list and include “Avatar,” “Titanic,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” and “The Dark Knight.”

Tickets for the 2nd D23 Expo to be held in August 19-21, 2011 in Anaheim, California go on sale tomorrow. You may be thinking that it’s a bit premature to buy tickets for an event that is still a year away but if you buy now, you can not only get tickets at a discount price, you can also assure that you’ll get tickets at all!

Last year’s first ever expo was extremely crowded so if you want to attend, I’d advise that you get tickets now. I’m sure the event will sell out quickly.

Below is the official press release from Disney which contains all the details.

BURBANK, CALIFORNIA – The first-ever D23 EXPO in 2009 left Disney fans asking when there would be another. On Thursday, Aug. 19, D23: The Official Disney Fan Club begins ticket sales for the next adventure – an incredible three-day event that brings the entire world of Disney under one roof at the Anaheim Convention Center next Aug. 19–21.

Tickets for the D23 EXPO 2011 will be available at a discounted price for a limited time. From August 19–December 31, 2010, tickets will be $37 for a one-day adult admission and $27 for children 3-12. Tickets for members of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club will be $30 for a one-day adult admission and $22 for children. Multi-day money-saving tickets are also available for both D23 Members and the general public, and D23 Members can save as much as $204 off the price of admission, based on the purchase of four three-day tickets at the D23 Member rate. For more information on tickets and the ticket pricing structure for D23 Members and general admission, visit www.Disney.com/D23.

In addition to these special advance-purchase savings, D23 Members can also buy new D23 EXPO VIP packages that are only available to members. These new packages offer incredible exclusive opportunities and will have very limited availability.

The PREMIERE PACKAGE includes:

• Three days of admission to the D23 EXPO

• Reserved seating at all events and presentations in the Arena

• Access to a relaxing Premiere Lounge with concierge and complimentary refreshments, as well as a special exhibit from the Walt Disney Archives

• A D23 EXPO autograph book

• A special Premiere Package gift bag

The SORCERER PACKAGE includes:

• All benefits in the Premiere Package

• A private tour of and reception in the “Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives” exhibit the night before the Expo opens

• Exclusive hardhat tour of the show floor prior to opening

• Limited edition artwork signed by Disney artist Dave Pacheco

• Reserved seating at all presentations and panels

• A voucher for an appointment with an on-site massage therapist

• Special shopping opportunities at the Disney Dream Store

• A hardbound, collectible D23 EXPO guidebook.

Only 250 Premiere Package tickets will be available at $500 per ticket. Availability of the Sorcerer Package will be strictly limited to 50 D23 Members at $1,000 per ticket. Both packages are only available to D23 Members.

All D23 Members – both Gold level and Silver level – can take advantage of these exclusive admission savings and access to the special packages when tickets go on sale on Thursday, Aug. 19 at www.D23Expo.com .

The D23 EXPO 2011 will also feature the Disney Legends Awards – a tradition that pays tribute to the talented men and women who have made indelible contributions to the Disney legacy; the return of the D23 Live Auction boasting extraordinary rarities and specially designed items for Disney fans; an all-new Fan Art Contest themed to the 50th anniversary of One Hundred and One Dalmatians; Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives with an expanded exhibit of costumes, props and set pieces from Disney’s rich history; plus amazing live events, special celebrity appearances, panels and presentations, sneak peeks and unique experiences that celebrate the past, present and future of Disney. The D23 EXPO 2011 is scheduled to take place Aug. 19-21 at the Anaheim Convention Center.

In 2009, the first D23 EXPO brought together all parts of The Walt Disney Company under one roof including The Walt Disney Studios, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Disney Consumer Products, The Walt Disney Archives, ABC, Disney Channel, Radio Disney, and Disney Interactive Media Group to celebrate all things Disney. Stars like Johnny Depp, Nicolas Cage, Courteney Cox, Betty White, Robin Williams, John Travolta and the cast of Wizards of Waverly Place made appearances; Miley Cyrus and Honor Society performed in concert. Imagineering legends took to the stage, and key Disney executives and creative talent including Walt Disney President and CEO Bob Iger and Disney and Pixar Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter.

Gold-level D23 memberships are $74.99, and Silver-level memberships – which provide all benefits with the exception of a Disney twenty-three subscription – are just $34.99 a year. All discounts and special promotions are available to both Gold- and Silver-level D23 Members.

Disney fans can become members of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club at www.disney.com/D23 , select shops at the Disneyland® and Walt Disney World Resorts and at www.DisneyStore.com/D23.

During the recent Star Wars Celebration V hosted in Walt Disney World Orlando and specifically the “Last Tour to Endor” – a special farewell to the Star Tours attraction based on the film, Disney and Lucasfilm released a new video that will play in the queue of the attraction at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland Park.

It appears that the footage used for Bespin and the forest moon of Endor are taken from the finale of the revised version of Return of the Jedi from 1997.

Also note that at the end of the Alderaan footage, the vehicle approaching the landing pad is the new Starspeeder 1000, which replaces the Starspeeder 3000 from the original attraction.

With no further ado, here is the new queue video for the upcoming Star Tours 2.0 scheduled to be complete in 2011.

Themed to the Pixar film favorite, Cars, World of Cars is a new Disney online community created for kids and includes games, interactive activities, and more.  The online world allows users to “create a car” when they sign up, then interact with Cars characters Lightning McQueen, Tow Mater, and others while also interacting with fellow users and players online.

World of Cars Online is a virtual world based on the hit Disney/Pixar animated feature CARS. Get ready for a high-octane ride full of fun and adventure where YOU are the Car. You can design your own car, play games, and make new friends. You can also learn to race like a pro from Lightning McQueen or cruise around and tip tractors. It’s free to play but access to special features requires a subscription.

Disney’s goal for the online community is to keep kids anticipating the release of Cars 2 in 2011 and the opening of Cars Land in Disney California Adventure in 2012.

September 7 is the date that Disney has announced its plans to close the Bountiful Valley Farms area in California Adventure. This to make room for Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree, one of the new attractions coming to Cars Land, an all new land based on the Pixar animated film – Cars. The area between the farm and the Pacific Wharf area will become the new entrance into Cars Land.

Looking at concept art above provided by Disney, it appears that the existing “barn” building will remain in place, however the Farmers Market and Sam Andreas Shakes buildings will be no more. It also looks like the existing parade gate will be replaced with a Quonset hut-like structure, with the new entrance into Cars Land passing to the left.

Here is what the area looks like today.

So, if you wish to visit Bountiful Valley Farms one more time before it is scheduled to be demolished, better do so in short time. You’ve got less than a month.