Congratulations to Disney and Pixar for their big Oscar win on Sunday, March 7, 2010 -- Up took home the golden statuette for Best Animated Film. But this was hardly the Mouse's first Academy Award. In fact, Walt himself holds the record for most Oscar nominations and the most awards. In his lifetime, he receved 59 nominations and took home 26, including four special awards -- 1932 Honorary Award for the creation of Mickey Mouse, 1939 honorary award for "significant screen innovation' of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1941 Honorary Award for "outstanding contribution to the advancement of the use of sound in motion pictures through the production of Fantasia," and the Irving J. Thalberg Memorial Award.

Needless to say, the Disney Corporation has been the Academy Awards king when it comes to animated films. For a fun way to celebrate those achievements during your visit to Orlando and the Walt Disney World Resort, try a family scavengar hunt using the list of nominations and wins below--the first person to find something from all the movies on the list wins! It can be a picture, a character, a toy, a ride, whatever you decide counts as a find. Here's the complete list--be sure to comment in the blog when you have your hunt and tell us how everyone did!

Scavenger Hunt Movie List


1940: Pinocchio -- Winner, Best Original Score and Best Song "When You Wish Upon a Star"
1941: Dumbo -- Winner, Best Original Score; Nominated, Best Song "Baby Mine"
1942: Bambi -- Nominated, Best Song "Love Is A Song"
1943: Saludos Amigos -- Nominated, Best Original Score, Best Song, and Best Sound
1947: Song of the South -- Winner, Best Song "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah"
1950: Cinderella -- Nominated for Best Sound, Original Music Score and Best Song "Bibbi Bobbidi Boo".
1964: Mary Poppins -- the most nomiated film in Disney's history! 13 nominations and 5 wins. Winner for Best Actress, Best Film Editing, Best Original Music Score, Best Visual Effects, and Best Song "Chim Chim Cher-ee"
1967: The Jungle Book -- Nominated, Best Song "The Bare Necessities"
1971: Bedknobs and Broomsticks -- Nominated, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Original Music Score and Best Song (The Age of Not Believing0; Winner, Best Visual Effects
1973: Robin Hood -- Nominated, Best Song "Love"
1977: The Rescuers -- Nominated, Best Song "Someone's Waiting for You"
Pete's Dragon -- Nominated, Original Song Score and Best Song "Candle on the Water"
1989: The Little Mermaid -- Nominated, Original Music Score and Best Song "Kiss the Girl"; Winner, Best Song "Under the Sea" (that's right -- the songs competed against each other!
1991: Beauty and the Beast -- Nominated, Best Sound, Best Picture (the first animated film ever to compete in this category), Best Song "Belle"; Best Song "Be Our Guest"; Winner, Best Music and Best Song "Beauty and the Beast" (again, Disney competed against itself for best song, this time with three songs)
1992: Aladdin -- Nominated, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound, Best Song "Friend Like Me"; Winner, Best Song "A Whole New World"
1994: The Lion King -- Nominated, Best Song "Circle of Life" and "Hakuna Matata"; Winner, Best Original Score and Best Song, "Can You Feel The Love Tonight"
1995: Pocahontas -- Winner, Best Original Score and Best Song "Colors of the Wind"
Toy Story -- Nominated, Best Original Score, Best Screenplay, Best Song "You'ev Got A Friend"; Winner, Special Achievement (for being the first full-length computer-animated film)
1997: Hercules -- Nominated, Best Song "Go the Distance"
1999: Tarzan -- Winner, Best Song "You'll Be In My Heart"
2000: Toy Story 2 -- Nominated, Best Song "When She Loved Me"
The Emperor's New Groove -- Nominated, Best Song "My Funny Friend and Me"
2001: Monsters, Inc. -- Nominated, Best Animated Feature, Best Sound Editing, Best Original Score; Winner, Best Song "If I Didn't Have You"
2002: Lilo and Stitch -- Nominated, Best Animated Feature
Treasure Planet -- Nominated, Best Animated Feature
2003: Brother Bear -- Nominated, Best Animated Film
Finding Nemo -- Nominated, Best Original Score, Best Sound Editing, Best Original Screenplay; Winner, Best Animated Feature
2004: The Incredibles -- Nominated, Best Sound Mixing and Best Original Screenplay; Winner, Best Sound Editing and Best Animated Feature
2006: Cars -- Nominated Best Animated Feature and Best Song "Our Town"
2007: Ratatouille -- Nominated, Best Original Score, Best Original Screenplay, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing; Winner, Best Animated Feature
Enchanted -- Nominated, Best Song "Happy Workign Song," "So Close," and "That's How You Know"
2008: Bolt -- Nominated, Best Animated Feature
Wall-E: Nominated, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Song "Down To Earth", Winner, Best Animated Feature
2009: The Princess and the Frog -- Nominated, Best Animated Feature, Best Song "Almost There" and "Down in New Orleans"
Up -- Nominated, Best Picture, Best Sound Editing, Best Original Screenplay; Winner, Best Original Score and Best Animated Feature

Hello all! I'm Dawn and I will be your new DW Tickets blogger. I'm a long-time visitor and former resident of Orlando, so I have a whole lot of love for the place, and all its many forms and functions and fantasy. I'll be blogging about all things Orlando, from the theme parks and big news events to smaller travel secrets and places and things you might not know about without my help. I hope you'll use my tips and enjoy my suggestions on your next visit to Orlando, whether you're hardcore for the Mouse or not.

The first piece of news I'd like to share is about a truly once-in-a-lifetime dining experience. Victoria and Albert's at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa has been considered a culinary treasure since its opening. The restaurant has been awarded the the prestigious AAA Five-Diamond Award for 10 consecutive years, the most of any restaurant in the state. For a long time now, V&A's has served two menus, both prix fixe, both changing daily, and both at over $100 per person: the 6-course menu in the main dining room and the 7-course Chef's Tasting Menu in the kitchen itself. These experiences last 2 to 3 hours, on average, and are worth every penny if you love food and exquisite preparation. It's not for everyone, certainly; the price point and the dress code--jackets for gentlemen and pants ensembles or dresses for ladies--do scare some away. But if you can do it, it's worth doing. I've been lucky enough to try it a few times and I can't wait for more.

Well, now there is more--more food, more experience and, yes, more money. V&A's recently announced a third dining experience. It is their most amazing and their most exclusive yet -Queen Victoria's Room. The room has only 4 tables with one seating time each night. It features French gueridon service, where a rolling cart travels from table to table, offering the most superb cuisine with incredible touches (like a sprinkle of Himalayan sea salt, mined from the mountains themselves, or perhaps a plate of exceptional cheese from all over the world). The experience lasts four hours and features TEN courses of Chef Scott Hunnel's most creative offering, such as "perfectly seared Kurobuta pork tenderloin and belly, or butter-poached lobster with bisque and lobster roe foam." And if that's not enough, why not have the sommelier pair wine to each course? Or choose your own bottle from V&A's well-respected and very impressive wine list. The experience will set you back $200/person for the food, plus $95 for the optional wine pairings--the bottle of your choosing could most a lot less or a lot more than that, depending on your personal taste. And if you have children, you'll also need to pay for a sitter--V&A's does not serve children under 10 years of age. It's an intimate, adult dining experience, an evening worth savoring and enjoying, worth lingering over as long as possible. You'll head home from any of the three dining options with a personalized menu and a rose for the ladies. You'll also remember the meal for a long time, like a perfect mental souvenir you'll ttreasure for years to come. Especially if you opt for the Kona chocolate souffle at desert time, which you definitely should. Save a bite for me, too.

The game of soccer and all of its supporters has been trying to become a dominant force in the world of United States sports for many years now. The LA Galaxy even signed Brit soccer (or football, as they say across the pond) superstar David Beckham to help draw more attention to the sport here in the States. While some may argue it has helped bring soccer a bit closer to the limelight, it can’t compare to football, baseball, or even UFC—not yet. But if the Walt Disney World has anything to do with it soccer will be bigger and better very soon.

The Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic is coming up soon. The ESPN Wide World of Sports, formerly the Walt Disney World Wide World of Sports, will be hosting four Major League Soccer (MLS) teams in a tournament to bring awareness to the sport and to award a championship to one of the teams.

“Bringing four Major League Soccer teams to Central Florida to play in the Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic is very exciting and a big win for all of our local soccer players, fans, parents and spectators,” said Disney Sports Area Manager Patrick Dicks. “ESPN The Weekend is serving as a major platform for these teams to prepare for the upcoming season and we are proud to have them be a part of this re-branding weekend.”

The tournament will officially launch the re-branding of Disney’s sports complex into the ESPN Wide World of Sports, which hosts pro and amateur sports of all kinds featuring players of all ages. There will be a new ESPN café for visitors of the complex to grab a bite to eat and all kinds of HD technology including brand new TV’s, cameras and Jumbotrons. ESPN The Weekend will bring the hottest sports stars to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and the brand new ESPN Wide World of Sports so fans can take pictures with their favorite athletes and get autographs. Checking out the brand new ESPN Wide World of Sports could be a great way to get interested in sports, fitness, and getting active. This high-tech complex is great for the sports lover in everyone.

The word is officially out regarding the newest addition to the Orlando theme parks coming in 2011. Merllin Entertainment recently announced Central Florida will get the biggest Legoland theme park in the world. Legoland Florida will be built where Cypress Gardens used to be while keeping most of the gardens intact to stay environmentally friendly. This will be the second Legoland location in the USA, the first being in California. Legoland also has parks in Denmark, Germany, and the United Kingdom. It’s great that this creative park is coming to the Central Florida area, since we already have the Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort.

Legoland is aimed at kids and kids at heart a bit more than Walt Disney World is. All of the attractions feature creatures, animals, and structures built out of Legos. It’s really an architectural wonder considering how much of what you see was constructed by millions of little Lego blocks, the same ones you probably played with as a kid! Legoland in California has over 50 rides and attractions, many of them without a height restriction. This has to make Legoland one of the friendlier parks for the really little ones in the family. When you want to shop you can go to The Big Shop which is 8,000 square feet large and features every Lego toy and set you can imagine! When you’re hungry you can check out The Market for some delicious baked goods, coffees, and sodas.

We can expect restaurants and gift shops at Legoland, Florida, but also much more. It’s going to be the largest park in the world and we’re sure it can fit way more than 50 rides and attractions. It’s going to be great to see what the engineers and architects come up with as they build the park here in Central Florida. While Legoland is known for being kid friendly, it will definitely need some coasters to compete with Universal Studios and Walt Disney World, so maybe Florida’s Legoland gets an extra bit of attention! We’ll have to wait until 2011 to see. Story developing…