Eli Manning will appear in Disney World Monday after winning the Super Bowl

Eli Manning will appear at Walt Disney World on Monday, one day after winning leading the Giants over the Patriots in the Super Bowl 21-17.

According to Disney, he will lead the grand parade down Main Street, U.S.A. in the Magic Kingdom and will interacts with some NFL Youth kids.

Immediately after winning the Super Bowl , Manning looked into the camera and said the magical words "I'm going to Disney World." Manning will become the fifth person to appear in the campaign with Joe Montana (1989 and 1990), Emmitt Smith (1994 and 1996), John Elway (1998 and 1999) and Tom Brady (2002 and 2004).

Here is a look at the history of the "I'm going to Disney World" campaign and how Phil Simms started it all off when the Giants beat the Denver Broncos in the 1987 Super Bowl 39-20.

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Disney week in review

A new iPad app, new attractions opening and some new announcements took place this past week in the Disney Universe. Here are some highlights in case you missed them:

DISNEYLAND

• Disneyland is introducing the New Orleans Bayou Bash starting next weekend where New Orleans Square will have music, characters and street performers. It will take place 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb 10-12, Feb. 17-21, Feb. 24-26, March 2-4 and March 9-11.
• The Downtown Disney area will see a remodeled LEGO Store in the spring. This month the LEGO Store will move into a temporary location while the remodeling takes place. The changes include an interactive outdoor play area and new large-scale LEGO models.
• In addition to LEGO remodeling, the La Brea Bakery Cafe is also getting a facelift.  The full-service restaurant will remain open during the refurbishment through mid-March. The restaurant will reopen its doors with a fresh new look in April.

DISNEY WORLD

• Habit Heroes, a new exhibit, opened at Innoventions in Epcot. People can join Will Power and Callie Stenics battle against villains like Sweet Tooth and The Snacker. There are three interactive areas including the "Control Freak" area for the remote control, resist Sweet Tooth and then make "Lead Bottom" shake his booty. You can then go online and play games at home.
• “Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom" will open at the Magic Kingdom later this month. This interactive role-playing game takes you around the park to in attempt to stop villains. Using casting spell cards, featuring Rafiki, Rapunzel, Woozles, Mr. Toad and more than 60 other characters, guests will try to defeat Disney villains.

APPS

• "Disneyland Explorer," a free iPad app is released. The app takes you on a photo-realitstic tour of the entire resort with a variety of activities such as creating your down water show in "World of Color;" steer a Soarin' hang glider over California; and take photos of the Yeti at the Matterhorn.

NEWS

• Disney releases information on the 19th annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. It will feature the largest ever Disney front entrance topiary with an 8-foot tall Sorcerer Mickey, according a news release from the company. The topiary in front of Spaceship Earth will stand atop a 12-foot tall floral mountain cliff where Mickey Mouse will direct shapes of broomsticks, buckets, mushrooms, hippos and other animals from the movie "Fantasia."
• Kermit and Miss Piggy take a shot at Fox News for the network's comments about how the new Muppets film was pushing a dangerous liberal agenda. During a press conference in the United Kingdom, reporters asked the green star about this. Kermit's response: "If we had a problem with oil companies, why would we have spent the entire film in a gas-guzzling Rolls-Royce?"
• A lost Disney song from "Lady and The Tramp" called "I'm Free as a Breeze" will be part of the Feb. 7 Blue-ray release.

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Disney Facts: Animal Kingdom By The Numbers

A view of Expedition Everest

To create Disney's Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World, the company sent out seven Imagineers around he globe to document what life was like in the wild. The group ended up traveling more than 500,000 miles to make sure they could get the scenery correct.

Here's a look by the numbers of what it took to put the part together:

27 million: The amount of gallons of water in Discover River. That would fill 1,800 backyard swimming pools.

4.4 million: The amount of dirt in cubic yards delivered o Disney’s Animal Kingdom construction site every day for two years straight to build the park. That was about 60 dump trucks a day.


1 million: The amount of rock work in square feet throughout the park. That’s twice the volume of rock work in the sculptures on Mount Rushmore.


103,000: The number of hand-made leaves attached to the Tree of Life.


40,000: The number of animal poop analyzed by lab technicians since the park opened.


1,500: The number of folk art animal carvings that adorn the architecture of Discover Island. They were all made by craftsmen on the island of Bali.


600: The average number of wellness checks the performed each year at the park.


325: The number of animal carvings on The Tree of Life.


18: The number of months it took to carve the images on The Tree of Life. It took 10 artists and three Imagineers working that time to complete the job.


2: The number of vocalizations park scientists have discovered in elephants that have been reported.

Source: Walt Disney World

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Your Guide to the 19th Annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival

This year's Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival will feature the largest ever Disney front entrance topiary with an 8-foot tall Sorcerer Mickey, according a news release from the company.

The topiary in front of Spaceship Earth will stand atop a 12-foot tall floral mountain cliff where Mickey Mouse will direct shapes of broomsticks, buckets, mushrooms, hippos and other animals from the movie "Fantasia," according to Disney.

A cast member waters plants at last year's festival

Also for the first time at the festival there will be an illuminated garden, which will highlight the rich heritage of Haitian art and culture. "Haiti: Garden of Many Colors" will be next to the Germany showcase.

The 19th annual event takes place from March 7 to May 20.

Twice a day on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the festival, HGTV designers and hosts will share their insights on landscaping and design. And each weekend pop music stars from the 1960s and ’70s will play at the America Gardens Theatre stage (a full schedule below).

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

• The Festival Center -- in Future World between Universe of Energy and Mission:SPACE -- will be home to demonstrations from master gardeners. Disney horticulturists and local experts such as Robert Bowden of Harry P. Leu Gardens will share gardening tips and lead guests in a hands-on, take-home activity. The HGTV Designers’ Stage will host the HGTV celebrities as well as other nationally recognized garden personalities who will give talks.
• Special weekend celebrations include: An Art in the Garden celebration of plein air artists from March 23-25; a Disney’s Animal Kingdom Specialists weekend with indigenous insects; a Florida Federation of Garden Clubs gathering April 27-29; and a Florida Farmer’s Market May 4-6.
• Bambi’s Butterfly House, with multiple species of brilliant butterflies, at Imagination Walkway by Innoventions West.
• Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden -- Fairy topiaries at the Test Track Walkway.

PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS

The American Gardens Theatre will host a variety of performers throughout the festival at 5:15 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. each Friday-Sunday. (All performances and times are subject to change, according to Disney).

March 9-11: Jose Feliciano

March 16-18: Starship starring Mickey Thomas

March 23-25: The Guess Who

March 30-April 1: The Spinners

April 6-8: Chubby Checker & The Wildcats

April 13-15: Paule Revere & The Raiders

April 22-24: The Turtles

April 27-29: Chuck Negron formerly of Three Dog Night

May 4-6: The Orchestra, featuring former members of ELO and ELO Part II

May 11-13: Herman's Hermits starring Peter Noone
May 18-20: Mickey Dolenz

FESTIVAL BY THE NUMBERS

2011 Lady and The Tramp topiary

30 million: The number of blooms which will blanket the park during the festival.

500,000: The number of plants, trees and shrubs to be planted for the festival.

22,615: The number of plant plugs to be used to make up the Fantasia front entrance topiary. They include reindeer moss for Sorcerer Mickey’s face and red begonias for his hat; creeping fig for Mickey as well as the hippos and gators; Sweet Ayssum and three shades of Lobelia to simulate water spilling over the large topiary rock made up of Black Scallop Ajuga upon which the Sorcerer stands.

1,250: In feet, the amount of quarter-inch irrigation tubing woven into the Fantasia topiaries.

1,000: The number of butterflies that will be in Bambi's Butterfly House.

400: The number of Walt Disney World horticulturists needed to install the landscape, topiaries and exhibits.

60: The number of tree species being used.

48 The varieties of bedding plants.

47: The types of palms that will be seen.

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Smile of The Day: The Evil Queen

Sometimes it's good to be bad. Not really -- unless you're an actor playing a part. The Evil Queen is actually taken from fairytales collected by the Brothers Grimm. The story is familiar: Wicked stepmom wants to kill Snow White, sends a huntsman to do the deed and bring back her heart (or, in the original story, her lungs and liver), stepmom eats the heart. She later finds out ... well, you know the story. But did you know how the original tale ends? Once revealed, Snow White and the Prince invite Momzilla to their wedding and force her to wear hot iron shoes and dance until she drops dead. Could that be how the ABC-TV series "Once Upon a Time" will end?

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Smile of the Day: Hello from Eeyore

Here he is, the most poster donkey for pessimism. The gloomiest of the gloom - Eeyore. Did you realize his name is an onomatopoeia (a word formed by the imitation of a sound).  In the U.S. you would probably spell out the sound a donkey makes as "Hee Haw," but the English writer A.A. Milne pronounced it "Eeyore" with a silent "r."

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Disney Facts: Hooked on The American Idol Experience

I admit it, I am not an "American Idol" fan. I have watched the TV show a few times, have never voted, and am not one of the millions who need to come back week after week and cheer someone on. However, I am hooked on the American Idol Experience at Disney World.

There is something about being in a live audience cheering on guests who have the guts to go on stage and give their all to the hundreds of strangers in the studio.

The studio where this all takes place is phenomenal and is a great replica of what is seen on television.

For all of who have attended and for those who plan to visit, here are some things to know about the venue By The Numbers:

25,000: Square feet of indoor space

3,000: The size of the stage in square feet

1,000: The number of seats for the audience

113: Video screens in the theater and audition space

105: Speakers in the theater and auction space

76: Miles of cable wired in the high-tech theater

25: Miles of conduit in the theater

3: Number of judges on the show, all of whom are industry professionals.

Source: Walt Disney World

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