Walt Disney World prepares for Halloween at the Magic Kingdom, a Media Monday report

Walt Disney World Resort is gearing up for its Halloween season, including its popular after-hours event at the Magic Kingdom Park. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) begins tomorrow, Sept. 14 and takes place on 24 select nights through Nov. 1, 2010

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party runs from 7 p.m. – midnight, and is Disney’s special celebration of the fall holiday. While guests can enjoy much of Disney's Halloween décor during regular Magic Kingdom Park house, the hard-ticket event (meaning it requires a separate admission ticket) is a “must-do” for guests who want to dress in costume and trick-or-treat around the park, see the special “Happy HalloWishes” fireworks and "Mickey's Boo-to-You Halloween Parade," and enjoy the party’s live entertainment.

See my Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party hub for articles on the event's fireworks, parades, decore and more. See this article for more information, including dates and prices, on 2010 Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. You may also enjoy Halloween at Walt Disney World: Beyond the Magic Kingdom and MNSSHP.

Of course, Halloween isn’t quite the same without carved jack-o-lanterns to set the tone of the season. As part of the fall holiday, the Magic Kingdom is decorated with 182 jack-o-lanterns that demonstrate the skill and creativity of Disney Cast Members. The hand-carved pumpkins populate the windows and buildings of Main Street U.S.A., introducing guests to the many visual treats of the Halloween season at Walt Disney World.

David Hartmann, an art director with Walt Disney World Entertainment, has designed an impressive portfolio of pumpkins, offering much more than your standard snaggle-toothed grin.

Using Hartmann’s sketches, Disney’s Event and Decorating Support transformed the pumpkins into unusual jack-o-lanterns. Walt Disney World boasts several unusual designs that help make MNSSHP the family-friendly and fun affair that it is, such as last year’s snowman and clown designs. Guests who enjoy food items posing as food may enjoy finding the pumpkins that look like a hot dog or a spilled ice cream cone.

Cast Members who make the holiday happen also offer the following Halloween tips, first available on the Disney Parks Blog. See the end of this article for the YouTube videos on pumpkin carving and The Pirates League.

Disney’s Pumpkin Carving Tips for Designing Your Halloween Jack-O-Lanterns

• Pick your pumpkin: Before you buy, put your potential pumpkin on the floor or ground and make sure it sits straight. If you can “see” where the face should go, it’s the right pumpkin for you.
• Start sketching on paper: Once you start cutting into the pumpkin, it’s too late to go back. First, draw your design on a piece of paper (grocery bag, old wrapping paper, newspaper) the same size as your pumpkin. Once you’ve got your design just how you want it, you’re ready to move the design to your pumpkin. Disney’s Event and Decorating Support used an overhead projector and a black marker, but you can just as easily use a toothpick or fork. Hold your pattern to the pumpkin and poke a tiny hole through the paper every half-inch or so. When you take the paper away, you’ll have a dotted outline to follow.
• Carve the lid at an angle: If you cut up-and-down around the pumpkin’s stem, your cap could fall through. Don’t worry if you don’t carve a perfect circle. That will actually help you find the “right” way to put the lid back on.
• Skip the candle: All of the pumpkins along Main Street U.S.A. use LEDs (light-emitting diodes). Much safer than an open flame, LEDs don’t get hot. They also last longer than a candle and won’t blow out in the wind. New LEDs even flicker like a real flame.

Disney’s face-painting tips from Adventureland’s The Pirates League

• To create a black eye, use black makeup. Add highlights around the black eye makeup – which looks a bit like a smoky eye – near dark shadows to create the illusion of puffiness. Add ing a touch of red eyeliner pencil suggests soreness.
• To create a scar using makeup sponges and pencils. Draw the scar from the eye down toward the mouth. Use a wavy line rather than a straight one. Add white highlighter to the “top” of the scar’s line and black eyeliner to the “bottom” to create lights and shadows; this technique will add depth and dimensionality. Add a few stitches across the scar, then use a sponge to gently soften the effect.
• To create a fake beard, stipple some black makeup around the jawline, chin and cheeks.

Click this link if you’re interested in 2010 Disneyland Resort's Mickey's Halloween Party.

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