Disney Insider returned today for another sporadic episode of the Disney+ original series. This time, we take a peek behind the scenes at an upcoming Disney Junior series, the hit ABC competition Dancing with the Stars, and see the creation of a few sweet treats at the Walt Disney World Resort. Here’s a recap of everything revealed in the 9th episode, titled “Alice Through the Years, Creative Directing DWTS, Princess Provisions.”
Framed around the 70th anniversary of Walt Disney’s animated feature Alice in Wonderland, Disney fans get a look at some of the characters from the upcoming Disney Junior animated series Alice’s Wonderland Bakery. Executive producer Chelsea Beyl visits Disney’s El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood for a tea party with Disney Animation Research Library archivist Tori Cranner and Walt Disney Animation Studios associate production designer Lorelay Bové to talk about how Mary Blair’s bold colors and style have been translated into the new preschool series. Chelsea Beyl also showed off some character artwork and names, with the show following the adventures of the original Alice’s great-granddaughter, who is also named Alice. Her friends include the descendant of the original White Rabbit, named Fergie. All of the characters in the show are descendants of the classic Wonderland characters, with the exception of the Cheshire Cat. Alice’s Wonderland Bakery premieres in early 2022. The animated classic turned 70 last July.
In this featurette we meet Justin Mabardi, the creative director of Dancing with the Stars. Feeling like a segment from One Day at Disney, we follow him through a day on the series and learn about his Disney career, which began at Disneyland on a Disney College Program. It’s there that he became a stage manager, which lead to his job on the popular ABC live dance competition. He shares that he only gets about 20-minutes with each dance couple to set up the projections for their routine and there’s just one other opportunity to perfect it during a dress rehearsal before the live taping. His vision for each number is that they feel like a cross between the Met Gala and the classic comedy film The Birdcage. Season 30 of Dancing with the Stars ended on November 22nd.
Walt Disney World Disney Princess Treats
Disney Parks joined Disney’s Ultimate Princess Celebration last August with a variety of limited-time treats. In this segment, we meet the pastry chefs behind two Disney Princess-inspired creations, a Moana cupcake that was available at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort and a Tiana Petite Cake that was offered at Amorette’s Patisserie. Desirey Gibson and Lauren West reveal how each dessert is made to look as dazzling as the characters that inspired them. The Moana cupcake appears to still be available, while the Tiana Petite Cake is not currently listed as a menu item.