Join Chris & Matt as they discuss the fall of Netflix, the demise of R.E.M., the Star Wars Blu Ray set, the Avatar/Disney connection, and much, much more.
Behind The Scenes At The Indiana Jones Stunt Show
The fine folks at the Disney Parks Blog took us behind the scenes at The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular earlier this week in honor of the anniversary of the show which opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on August 25th, 1989.
The 30 minute show features some of the big stunts from the films and would be a welcome addition, in my humble opinion, to our own Disneyland Resort (with a little work.)
Take a look after the jump…
D23 Expo: Day Two Recap
Man, this is taking longer than I thought. I’ll try to be quicker about getting Part Three of this out.
But now comes Day Two. If you read the Day One recap, you know I was frustrated on Day One for several reasons – crowds, lack of panels, and a lack of more than surface depth “news” being distributed at the show. I had high hopes for Day Two as it was the day of the big Walt Disney Studios panel including Pixar and Marvel Studios.
After Day One being a huge bust in terms of making it into panels, I made the early decision to forego EVERYTHING but the Studios panel. I knew that meant it was highly unlikely that I’d make it into anything but that but it was the risk I was willing to take. After all, the Studios panel was the main reason we were going to the show – getting to see Marvel and Pixar after they stood up Comic-Con was the hook for me to be there.
We woke up and arrived bright and early on Saturday to find perhaps an even longer line than Friday – however, it was a line that was a lot more organized.
It was a long wait to get through the doors… and that’s where chaos began.
The Expo made no secret of the fact that they intended to confiscate all video/audio/photographic devices – hell, essentially ANY electronics – before the Studios panel. Yes, this is as ridiculous as it sounds. Comic-Con International puts on panels in front of FAR more people for FAR more studios and they’ve never done anything more than asked people to not record images on the screen and had security walk through the room to make sure no one was recording. Yes, leaks inevitably happened and it sucked but… it’s part of the game.
Not at D23.
At D23, they marched us in line to a series of checkpoints. Checkpoint #1 was a group of security guards who asked us to open our bags so they could check for electronics. Fine. Look away. I had already taken everything out so no big deal. They waved us through.
Checkpoint #2 was a series of tables with people holding plastic bags. The idea was to hand over your electronics and a photo ID, they’d stick ‘em in a bag and give you a claim check. The problem? They didn’t have bags big enough for most people. Instead, they’d shout out to a supervisor that they needed a bigger bag. The supervisor would arrive, give them ONE larger bag, and then walk away. Then when the next person arrived needing a bigger bag, they would repeat the process. So, I stood and watched as countless people walked by us into the line of people waiting for the panel. Finally, they got a bag and we were on our way…
…almost.
Checkpoint #3 was a security guard with a metal detecting wand to check for stuff. Wow. I have to say that I didn’t go through this much security to get into Staples Center less than TWO MONTHS after 9/11! But okay, fine, whatever.
Again, we were on our way…
…almost.
Then I get waved for by ANOTHER GUARD WHO WANTS TO CHECK MY BACKPACK! I was stunned! Shocked! My reply of “You guys just checked it ten feet ago” fell on deaf ears. My reply of “You’re kidding me, right? Are you serious?” went unanswered. My reply of “Why did you bother to check it if you’re gonna check it again?” finally earned a “We just have to check again.” Great. Thanks, Disney, for making me feel like a criminal.
We finally got to the line… which we had to sit in without any electronics for two hours. And so we waited and waited and waited.
Just like the Studios panel, the trip in was completely organized and out of control. We had more still photos and Disney trivia once inside to tide us over. And finally… FINALLY… the panel began.
By now, I’m sure many of you have read the recaps of the panel so I’m gonna stick to the highlights.
John Lasseter captivated that crowd. The man knows his audience and knows how to work them into a mildly-contained frenzy. He absolutely refused to work off the teleprompter that gave so many stiff moments the day before (and would lead to many, many, MANY more – hello, Jennifer Garner! – before this panel was over.)
Planes - the new film from the Cars universe – looks somewhat fun from the brief piece they showed. Just a little teaser. It was at this point that we learned something quite odd about this panel. They introduced Jon Cryer as the voice of the main character of the movie, talked to him for a few moments, and then ushered him off the stage. A little odd in comparison to Comic-Con where the stars are usually on stage for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Moving on from there, the first four minutes of the next film to come out of Walt Disney Animation, Wreck-It Ralph, was introduced. Ever since I first heard the concept of this movie, an 8-bit video game character thrust into a modern video game world, I knew it had the potential to be fantastic. And the first four minutes of the movie did not prove me wrong. Absolutely fabulous stuff and I can’t wait for the rest of the world to see more of it. Some of the cast came out for this as well – including Sarah Silverman – who literally was on stage for no more than two or three minutes. Good use of her time, I’m sure.
Lasseter got to toss us headfirst into the world of Pixar next – first discussing the upcoming Brave which I was already in love with the idea of. Now, I can safely say that I feel like I’m going to be in love with this movie as well. From the concept art to the actual footage shown, this looks like Pixar’s pitch perfect charm, characterization, and world-building blended to its absolute best. I can’t wait to see more of this as well and was really disappointed that I had to miss the Art of Brave panel on Sunday… more on that to come.
Monsters University got off to a charming start with the introduction of a video from stars Billy Crystal and John Goodman. They talked about how great the movie is and how it’s been ten years since they worked on the first one. Goodman mentions that they really need the fans to like them after ten years and that they probably should have been there in person. Crystal remarks, “You should have thought of that before… like I did.” Crystal then, of course, walked out on stage to a thunderous standing ovation. He said a few words (literally) and then left.
Of course, the news that everyone left the Pixar portion of the panel talking about was the announcement of two new Pixar projects – one that will focus on the world of dinosaurs… a world where a giant asteroid did NOT hit Earth and wipe out dinosaurs. Brilliant! Love it! Buy my ticket for 2013 now! The other project will take us inside the human mind in 2014. Not as enthused but it still could be quite cool.
To wrap up the Pixar panel, Woody and Buzz roll out a birthday cake to celebrate Pixar’s 25th birthday… and John Lasseter announces that his mother always told him to never bring a cake unless there’s enough for everyone. And with the cry of “FREE CUPCAKES!” a sea of ushers brought out individually packaged cupcakes for every member of the audience. Now THAT’S how you earn a crowd’s loyalty, John!
The main Disney Studios was up next – not as fun… quick thoughts…
- John Carter - the footage was solid, nothing fantastic but quite surprisingly decent in my opinion. A lot of people are giving this movie a hard time but I think Andrew Stanton has earned a pretty decent level of trust from his fans and I’m willing to give this a chance.
- Frankenweenie - Tim Burton’s latest stop-motion animated flick about a boy and his dog what unfolds in this town after his dog dies. This looks like a lot of typical Burton dark, dark fun in the vein of The Nightmare Before Christmas and could be a lot of fun.
- The Odd Life Of Timothy Green - uhhhh… I’m not sure how to feel about this. It seems like a kind of twisted concept for a family friendly movie. Jennifer Garner was absolutely TERRIBLE in hyping this flick during this part of the panel – coming off very stiff and staged.
- Oz: The Great And Powerful - all we got from this was a series of concept art and a little teaser footage. I want to love this movie… I really do. But I’m still not sold on James Franco as the Wizard but we’ll see.
That brings us to one of the Main Events of the panel – The Muppets. Jason Segel and Kermit The Frog were brought out to talk about the movie… waiting on Miss Piggy to arrive. During the course of their discussion, they realize that neither clip they’ve brought has Piggy in it and they’re terrified to tell her when and if she arrives. Of course, she arrives… on a motorcycle. After some funny banter (one of the highlights of the panel,) they run the footage. We’ve seen some of this – Walter getting thrown into an electrified fence. And then we get a nice long clip of the Muppets cleaning up the theatre set to Starship’s “We Built This City.” So, so good. This is gonna be a huge hit and I can’t wait for it.
Disneynature stepped up to the plate with their next movie, Chimpanzee. It featured lots of footage of cute monkeys! But the premise seems a little odd to me… almost staged. It would be incredibly coincicdental for their cameras to catch the story they’re telling. I’d love to do a little bit of reading about this one to see how legit it is.
Then it was time… the Main Event… and from the sound of the crowd, the real reason that everyone was there. Marvel Studios.
And then… The Avengers.
I’ll give my best recap of the footage from memory – which they played twice.
It opens with Nick Fury confronting Loki who is trapped inside a cell (think Magneto’s cell in X2.) Fury reveals that if Loki tries to escape, he’ll dump him out a giant hole… which very clearly applies we’re getting a look at the SHIELD Hellicarrier. Loki is impressed by the cage but he knows it’s not meant for him. He spots a camera and we get our first glimpse of Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner – who presumably the cage is meant for. Fury says the cage was built for someone even stronger than Loki. Loki calls Hulk a mindless beast and wonders how desperate Fury is to ally himself with the Hulk.
Loki points out that Fury was so close to total power (Cosmic Cube) and let it all slip away. Fury points out that Loki has put his world on the brink of war and kills for fun – “You have made me very desperate – and you might not be glad that you did.” Loki asks what it feels like to be in the presence of real power. Fury: “Let me know if real power wants a magazine or something.” Awesome line that still gets a smile out of me thinking about it. This whole scene really made me appreciate Samuel Jackson in this role. I’m more curious than ever to see a Fury solo flick.
Ruffalo gets a great line as well with a, “He really grows on you, doesn’t he?”
Then we get a series of action shots as Fury explains the idea behind the Avengers – “an idea to bring together a group of remarkable individuals to see if they could become more. To fight the battles we never could.”
Great stuff, right?
Oh, it’s not over. Tony Stark, I love you.
Stark: Let’s do a head count. We’ve got two master assassins…
Clips of Hawkeye and Black Widow.
Stark: A demigod.
Shot of Thor.
Stark: A living legend that kinda lives up to the legend.
Stark and Loki sharing a room.
Stark: And you, big fella, have managed to piss off every single one of them.
And then it happens… the line that made all the horribleness of the morning worth it.
Loki: I have an arm.
Stark: We have a Hulk.
…
….
…..
OH MY FRACKIN’ GOD!
I freaked out. I absolutely freaked out. That was the perfect teaser for that crowd who went nuts.
And then (some of) the Avengers hit the stage… to wave, smile, ask for the footage to be played again, and leave.
And that was that. The Studios panel was over but had easily lived up to all my expectations. A big win for D23 despite the horrific crowd control… again.
After getting out of the panel and spending FORRRREVER trying to get our stuff back, we knew we had no chance to see… well, anything else wanted to see.
No Michael Giacchino’s Music Of Pixar.
No 25 Years Of Pixar.
No Sneak Peek Of Buena Vista Street.
Blah, blah, blah.
We decided to go check out the Treasures of The Disney Archives Exhibit… and waited in an hour line for that too. It was an interesting exhibit – some cool stuff like props from the Rocketeer, models from Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, and even stuff from Lost.
Here’s a few highlights…
After leaving the Exhibit and going through that giftshop (yep, waited in a line to get into that shop too), we decided to take another spin through the Carousel Of Projects.
Nothing new but it was still one of my favorite things I saw all weekend.
And that brings Day Two to a close.
D23 Expo: Day One Recap
I told myself that I wouldn’t do it.
I told myself that I wouldn’t compare D23 to Comic-Con International because it wasn’t a fair comparison to make. A convention that was only having its second edition compared to the mecca of all things geek.
But at the end of the day, it was the only thing I COULD compare it to.
And my friends, it is NOT a favorable comparison.
But we’ll get back to that.
We decided to go to D23, the convention for all things Disney, as a way of “making up” for us not getting to go to Comic-Con this year. This decision was made easier by the announcement that Pixar and Marvel would be skipping San Diego to present in Anaheim. In a lot of ways, I was really looking forward to this event since I’ve never been to it and I’m a big Disney geek as well but I kept trying to temper my expectations at the same time.
We arrived at the Anaheim Convention Center on Friday morning around 8:30 AM. The doors were scheduled to open for D23 members at 9 AM and since we already had our badges (there’s no on-site registration required like at CCI,) I expected a quick moving line that would have us in the building in plenty of time for our first planned panel – the 2011 Disney Legends ceremony – at 11 AM in the biggest room in the Convention Center, the Arena, an area that was listed as holding approximately 4000 people (which apparently is a step down from the Expo two years ago when the Arena was configured to hold 6000.)
Instead, we were greeting with this…
For a company that specializes in crowd control, Disney’s attempts to wrangle this larger-than-expected (by my understanding) crowd was an utter failure from the get-go. There were four lines that needed to be maintained – the high-roller Sorcerer package purchasers, the Premier packager purchasers, the general D23 member line, and the General Admission line. Everywhere you looked, there were lines.
After little assistance from signage or D23 staff in figuring out which line was which, we finally found the member line which had been sectioned off with green tape on the ground. The line went South, then North, then curved around into some bushes nearby, and then back South. It was one of the worst designed lines I’ve ever seen put together. The walkway between the lines was non-existant so you constantly had people walking against the flow of the line trying to find the end of it.
The doors opened for D23 members at 9AM as promised but the slow process of getting us into the building (they scanned the barcode on each badge) resulted in us not getting into the building until shortly before 10AM – still plenty of time, right?
We decided to check out the Exhibit Hall floor before making our way to the Legends panel. My immediate reaction upon seeing the floor? Underwhelmed.
A model of the Black Pearl? Cool. Walt Disney’s limo? Neat. Dharma van? Awesome.
But as I look around, I see a lot of space. There’s a few booths but nothing of note. And there’s just lots and lots of space between them. On the one hand, it was a plus as it really gave the show floor an open feel however it also gave the feel that there wasn’t much going on and not a lot to see. Let’s put it this way – while I often feel the Comic-Con floor takes several hours (almost an entire day) to see and you STILL manage to miss things, I walked this entire floor several times over three days and didn’t feel like I missed a single thing I wanted to see.
Why did I walk the floor several times? We’ll get back to that in a bit.
The biggest section of the Exhibit Hall floor that I was excited to see was Parks And Resorts “Carousel Of Projects” area. This was described as the area where we would get to see how the various projects that Walt Disney Imagineering are working on around the world. We decided to stop in and check it out real quick before heading over to the Legends panel.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t a “real quick” anywhere at D23.
This particular area was tarped off from the rest of the Expo floor. Once you lined up, people were brought into a small viewing area in groups where you saw a short pre-show video and then were walked into the main pavilion.
Great pre-show video to get you in the mood to see what’s next for Disney Parks’ creative branch. Inside the pavilion were several things of great interest to me.
The first thing you saw upon entering the area was a giant model of the Fantasyland expansion at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. The map was very detailed so that you could tell what everything was and just in case you had questions, they had Imagineers manning it to talk to you about it. We had a fun conversation with an Imagineer who is currently working on the Florida version of the Little Mermaid attraction.
There was also a mockup of the ride vehicle for the Snow White mine car coaster that will be in the Park with an accompanying video to give guests an idea of what that ride will be like.
At that point, I was in love with that area of the Expo and felt like I could spend hours there (we did actually make a return trip at one point for a second look.)
From there, there were also models of the Buena Vista Street rework of the entrance to Disney California Adventure. That area was surrounded by DCA items – a sample ride vehicle for Radiator Springs Racers plus a couple of rooms showing video of the work in Carsland in progress.
Adventures By Disney had an area, the Disney Cruise Lines had an area, as did the Disney Vacation Club featuring Aulani, the new Disney resort in Oahu. We stopped at the latter just for a quick intro into the world of the DVC and at that time, we heard an announcement over the PA that if you weren’t already in line for the Legends panel – don’t bother. Our first disappointment of the weekend.
But I’ll take a moment to give a major prop to D23 organizers for having the forethought to make announcements like that as well as constant updates to their Twitter feed as to what panels were close to filling up and which ones were full. It’s something that Comic-Con International DESPERATELY needs and a lesson the organizers of CCI can learn from D23 – one of the few lessons they can learn.
Since we’d already missed the panel, we decided to continue hanging out in the Carousel, taking a look at the Shanghai Disneyland exhibit (no details at all! This one’s still under wraps.) There were a couple of other areas we skipped including Destini – their A.I. fortune teller that I heard a few people raving about over the weekend.
Upon exiting the area, we were dropped – in true Disney fashion – right next to a gift shop. This gift shop was called Mickey’s Of Glendale and was the D23 version of the official “Imagineer” employee store. After a somewhat short line to get in, we explored all the goodies and actually picked up quite a few things – shirts, sweatshirts, notepads – before making our exit.
At that point, it was time for lunch. And while the lunch offerings at D23 weren’t exactly great, they far surpass anything that CCI has to offer in San Diego. Score another point (barely) for D23.
After lunch, it was time to start thinking about our next panel – The Making Of The Little Mermaid Attraction. This panel was to take place in a room called Stage 28 – a room that reportedly was only holding about 500 people. As you can probably guess, while we were about to head up there, we heard the PA announcer reveal that this panel too was filled.
At just before 1PM, we decide that with crowds this bad, it’s time to make sacrifices so we skip the Pixar Shorts panel and head straight for the Arena to wait for the Disney Parks presentation – a full two and a half hours before the panel was scheduled to begin.
And so we waited… and waited… and waited.
We waited next to a super-annoying Disneyland Cast Member who thought the best use of her time was to SPEAK AT AN INCREDIBLY LOUD VOLUME AT ALL TIMES TO PEOPLE TWO FEET AWAY FROM HER! She also believed she already knew everything that would be announced and that there probably wasn’t any point in her being at the panel but she was going anyways. And she also liked to SCREEEEEEAM to greet her fellow Cast Members as they walked by. Sigh.
Anyways, after a lengthy wait, they started to let us into the Arena. And then we saw another failing of their crowd control as they gathered people in bunches with gaps between them. So, let’s say they let three hundred people approach the doors… and then stop them. Then they bring in a second three hundred, leave a ten foot gap between the two groups, and stop them. Finally, when they’re ready, instead of opening the main Arena doors and letting people enter in waves – they simply point down a hallway and release everyone at once, creating an instant bottleneck and causing me to remark, “This is how you cause a stampede.” With bodies pressed up against one another, all it takes it one person to trip and tragedy is in the air. Disney knows this. They know better than this. And it’s both appalling and shameful that they allowed crowds to be handled in this fashion.
Eventually, we get ushered into a section and told we can sit anywhere in that section. We take a slightly elevated seat that has a good view of the stage and the three video screens.
And then we wait some more… and more. Thank the stars for the Disney trivia and artwork on the screens to keep us somewhat entertained.
Oh, and sometime during the weekend, I saw a tweet that the difference between CCI and D23 is body odor. Well, if that person had our seats during this panel, they would need to eat their tweet. There was NO difference between CCI and D23 when it came to personal hygiene, sunshine.
After a lengthy delay (starting the panel late), it finally began with Mickey Mouse playing the drums alongside the D23 orchestra. Fun.
Then Mickey came out and introduced the Disney Chairman of Parks and Resorts Tom Staggs who promptly proceeded to do the majority of his presentation by reading off a teleprompter – marking yet another difference between CCI and D23. The sheer volume of people presenting off a teleprompter really gave the panels a scripted and stiff “feel” to them.
The panel opened with a discussion of the Fantasyland expansion at the Magic Kingdom in Florida – something they reminded us is the biggest expansion in Walt Disney World history (thanks Harry Potter!) There were brief discussions of all the things we knew were coming – Little Mermaid, the Beauty And The Beast stuff, the mine coaster, etc. The only real new news we got was that they have somehow managed to make a very small animatronic out of Belle’s friend Lumiere. How impressive is that?
We saw the same mine coaster footage that was running at the Carousel but then we got a new one. An actual brief simulation of what POV on the coaster will look like.
With WDW discussed, they moved on to the mega Disney resort in Oahu – Aulani. Hey look! Hawaiian music with cute kids singing! How Disney can you get! The resort looks amazing. I’m bummed it wasn’t open when I was in Oahu last month so I could check it out but it certainly might give me a reason to go back in the near future. Gorgeous.
We also got to hear a (very) little update on the new Shanghai park. Now, rumors have persisted for months that Disney would be keeping all the details from this park under wraps for as long as humanly possible to avoid cheap Chinese knock-off attractions appearing at other parks in China. I couldn’t tell you if that’s why they chose to say very little here but it very well could be true.
But what we DID see from Shanghai was absolutely spectacular. They unveiled concept art and then an interactive image of the castle that they will be using for the park – a castle completely unlike any used in a Disney park before. The castle will have three levels including a restaurant as well as a Princess shop. They also revealed that there will be a boat ride that will go through the entirety of Fantasyland, ending underneath the castle in a special effects scene that should unfold something like this brief clip shows.
That last piece seemed to blow the audience away – lots of “ooohs” and “ahhhs” there.
From Shanghai, we moved a bit closer to home – right across the street from where we were sitting to be precise as they began with some talk of Disney California Adventure. There was nothing that you don’t already know if you’ve been following the reworking of this park – talk of the new entrance, the Red Line trolley cars, and of course, Cars Land. The only thing that might be somewhat news was the announcement that the second floor of the Carthay Theater on Buena Vista Street would house a new gourmet restaurant that is being designed by the same chef from the Napa Rose. Ooh la la!
But what about the original park? Anything new for Disneyland? You could almost hear people start buzzing as there were TONS of rumors over the past couple months that something big might be announced here for the original park. A new Tomorrowland? Something in Frontierland? What’s replacing the Peoplemover? Anything? Something?
Well, sorta.
They are replacing the Carnation Plaza Gardens with a new Princess-themed area. It will mostly serve as a meet-and-greet area centered around “Tangled Tower” however you can expect a new stage to be set up for some kind of stage show (plus a spot for the longtime favorite swing dancing to remain.)
And that… was that.
Really?
I tried not to be disappointed by it. I truly did. But I wanted SOMETHING more.
Here’s my problem with what they delivered…
D23 has an identity crisis. They claim to be the ultimate Disney fan event and all weekend long, they seemed to be addressing the diehards when they would speak… yet the majority of their programming left those diehards out in the cold.
Did the organizers really think we didn’t already know the vast majority of what was discussed in this panel? The diehards know a lot of stuff that WASN’T discussed. But to simply rehash a lot of what you might find on the Disney Parks Blog or in a press release seemed insulting to me.
How hard could it have been to dig a little deeper into the Blue Sky and come up with something to make the diehards smile and feel happy they were there when it was announced?
For an event targeted to the ultimate Disney fan, this panel almost felt like it was designed for anyone but that person.
The panel let out late… of course, since it started late… which meant we had no chance of seeing the panel about the 40th anniversary of It’s A Small World. A quick Twitter check also revealed that both the Dick Van Dyke performance later in the night as well as the Voices Of The Park panel were rapidly filling (or filled in the former’s case which saw people line up four hours or more in advance.)
I was shocked, stunned, and speechless. A full day at the Expo and one panel under our belts. I reasoned that it was the first day and that people came out en masse. Tomorrow had to be better. It had to be different. It had to be more than this.
Right?
Stay tuned for Day Two.
Check Out How The iPad Is Affecting Disney’s Imagineering Team
As a Disney geek and a tech geek, this kind of video is fascinating to me. I love seeing how a fairly new technological advance is being quickly embraced, adapted, and integrated into a real world project like the new Fantasyland at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom park.
Take a look after the jump.
A Day At Disneyland (1993-94)
Readers of this site know very well what huge fans of the Disneyland Resort we are here at TPIB. So, when I stumble upon a super-cool piece of Disneyland lore, I feel the need to share it.
This is a promotional video produced by the Disney Company in 1993 to show what a day in Disneyland is like. Almost twenty years ago.
So many things have changed yet some are still the same as they’ve always been. This series of videos brought a big, dopey grin to my face as I soaked up some nostalgia remembering what the park was like back then. If you went to the park in that period, I’m sure it’ll spark just as many memories for you and if you didn’t, well, this is a good glimpse at Disneyland in a… simpler age.
The video is in four clips – the first is embedded below after the jump and as you finish each one, it’ll link you to the rest.
World Of Disney: Corn Dog Castle
When you’ve been gone on vacation for a week – arguably the busiest week of the year for news in this particular industry – it’s tough to figure out where to start when you return and are staring at a Google Reader literally overflowing with intriguing news. I’ve got my shovel and I’m ready to start digging my way through the piles of information.
But first… something simple to set the mood…
It is no secret that we here at TPIB believe the Disneyland Corn Dog is one of the finest culinary treats you will find on this planet. Now, the particular source of my Disney Corn Dogs is always the wagon on the right hand side of Main Street. But now… a new option emerges…
The Corn Dog Castle in Disney’s California Adventure has re-opened and is the only place in the parks that you can choose from THREE different types of corn dogs – original, cheese, and hot link.
Mmmm.
Check it out some footage from the Disney Parks Blog celebrating the re-opening of this deep fried nirvana.
‘Tangled’ Characters Marvel at iPad
You really got to hand it to the Disney cast members who portray the Princesses and Princes, even when faced with something like an iPad, they remain completely in character. Check out this video of Repunzel and Flynn Rider as they marvel at a guests iPad, “That’s does it, I want one in the castle.”
‘The Little Mermaid’ Comes to Walt Disney World
With the “success” of the Little Mermaid attraction at Disney’s California Adventure, it was expected that a similar attraction would pop up at Disney’s sister park, Walt Disney World. Personally, I didn’t much care for the Little Mermaid ride at DCA, mainly because I waited over an hour for a ride that isn’t much more innovative or interesting than Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.
After seeing this video, I am again envious of the awesomeness that Disney World guests will bear witness to, as imagineers are building Prince Erik’s castle and giant line queue that will tell the story before you even get on the ride! Where was that DCA!? What the heck!?
The World Of Disney: Matterhorn, Stark Expo, Cars Land, & Shanghai!
If all goes well, I plan to make this a recurring column which will highlight all the best news from the Disney parks around the world as stuff comes up:
- The world-famous Mattherhorn at Disneyland Park in Anaheim is scheduled to go down for a lengthy rehab in about a week and a half. The ride will be down from July 11th through September 1st, unusual considering the time of year. This should impact lines throughout the park as the ol’ mountain still draws hour plus lines on busy days. We should also note that this does NOT appear to be when the new ride vehicles will be installed as that’s being saved for a BIGGER rehab in early 2012 which should also see some nice technology plusses all the way around the mountain by Imagineering.
- The rumored Stark Expo replacement for Innoventions in Tomorrowland in Anaheim seems to be creeping closer towards a reality. With an increased sign of Marvel/Disney synergy (rumors of Marvel skipping Comic-Con in favor of D23) and with an Avengers movie in the pipeline, this could be the perfect time to slap a Marvel attraction into the Resort. No word yet on how ambitious the plans are for this or if it’s just a simple name change to the existing attraction.
- The Shanghai Disney park is getting a ton of attention from Disney fans all over the world these days because of the unique approach the park seems to be taking. The first Disneyland without a Main Street? Check. The first Disneyland without a train looping around the perimeter? Check. The first Disneyland without a Space Mountain? Check. All of these elements are combining for what could be a fascinating park when we start hearing things like a massive domed coaster themed to Tron to replace Space Mountain and a Lost World Rapids Ride (in the style of the Grizzly River Rapids but with dinosaurs) to potentially replace the Jungle Cruise. This is going to be a fun park to watch take shape and if it ends up being as cool as it sounds, you can expect Disney fans around the world to flock to China in 2016.
- Disney released a “walk-through” animated video of what we can expect Disney California Adventure’s Cars Land to look like when it opens in 2012. Check it out below -
