Be our guest in the Disneyland Dream suite - High-res pictures and Videos

That's it, the first guests of the new Disneyland dream suite had the pleasure to spend a night inside this gorgeous suite, located ,as we know, where the Disney Gallery used to be. Let's have a look how gorgeous it is with these new Disney pictures, and the original renderings. Take the time to double-click on each picture to explore each detail, it worth the look, really!



Christine Terwilliger of Salem, Oregon - fourth from left on the picture below, became the first-ever winner of an overnight stay inside Disneyland, California. Shown here entering the Suite with her family, she was randomly selected Thursday, Jan. 31 to spend the first night in the new Dream Suite, located above Pirates of the Caribbean in the New Orleans Square area.



The Disneyland Dream Suite has been restored using drawings created in the 1960s by Dorothea Redmond when Walt Disney himself was planning a luxury apartment inside Disneyland. Here the 1966 artwork of the dream suite living room.



Here is the 2007 artwork from WDI for the same room. Look at the changes...



And here is the final - and beautiful - result.



Other artwork was done in 1966, but as we will see, the new rooms are quite different, even if WDI imagineers tried tp preserve the "spirit" of the original artwork. “Our plan has been to use the renderings that Walt worked on with Dorothea Redmond and to replicate those as exactly as we can,” said Walt Disney Imagineering Art Director Kim Irvine. “Her illustrations were very specific, with a color and style for each room. “But to make it special for the guests, we want it to be more than just a beautiful suite.  We want it to be filled with things that might have inspired Walt as he dreamed of Disneyland.”
Here is the artwork for the adventureland master bedroom.



And the adventureland bedroom, finished.



At night, the lighting is fantastic, with a starry night sky, projection of waterfalls, and Peter Pan with the mermais right above your head when you're in the bed.



There is another bedroom, with a Frontierland theme. And with a train that goes all around the room. When it comes close to some decor element, these begin to move, magically.



The 1966 artwork for the same room...



And the one for an elegant "wash room" - although it looks more like what we call in france a "boudoir".



The master bathroom has a Fantasyland theme...



The bathtub with its gothic arches and the Aurora stained glass



One of the highly appreciated difference with the other dream suite inside WDW castle is the fact that guests can go outside not only on a central courtyard, but also have a balcony with a front view on Frontierland. First, here is the 1966 artwork.



The 2008 version include some chinese lampoons lighting.




On the other side, the balcony offer a perfect view on Tom Sawyer island, The river with the Mark Twain, and Big Thunder mountain...



...and the best place, at night, to enjoy the Fantasmic show!



Now, the question is: how does it feel when you're the winner and enter inside this wonderful suite for the first time ? Here is the answer with a video of Christine Terwilliger and her family, the first "winner" guests.





And what about having a look to the making-of, with special comments from WDI imagineers? Watch this!



The next topic tomorrow will take us not that far from that place, right below in fact, for another event, with another winner, about another kind of dream!

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All photos, artwork and videos: copyright Disney Enterprises inc

New Disneyland Dream Suite at Disneyland Anaheim

Beginning January 31, 2008 – and continuing nearly every night throughout the year –a Year of a Million Dreams winner will be chosen randomly to spend a night inside Disneyland Park.

Guests awarded this dream will stay inside a brand new, in-park apartment originally designed for Walt Disney himself - formerly the Disney gallery. The lavish suite willfeature a private balcony with a dazzling view.

The picture above - "wallpaper" high-res - is the Dorothea Redmond artwork of the suite that was commissioned by Walt Disney.

Here is the Disneyland press release: For the first time in history, lucky guests will have the chance to spend an unforgettable night inside Disneyland Park during the Year of a Million Dreams most nights starting January 31, 2008 during the 2008 Disney Dreams Giveaway. A guest will be escorted on the same day awarded into the most extraordinary accommodations at Disneyland Resort: the Disneyland Dream Suite, an in-park apartment originally planned for Walt Disney himself.

The overnight stay in the Disneyland Dream Suite will be a highlight among the more than a million “dream come true” experiences awarded through random process to eligible Disneyland Resort guests and mail-in participants in the 2008 Disney Dreams Giveaway. Mail-in winners of prizes that require use on day awarded, such as the Disneyland Dream Suite, will receive a prize of comparable value.

Disney Imagineers are hard at work remodeling a suite of rooms above New Orleans Square in the Park, conceived by Walt Disney as a private apartment for his family and closest friends. The rooms, which most recently housed The Disney Gallery, will be restored to Disney’s original vision of deluxe living quarters. Vintage design illustrations, created under Disney’s personal direction, have been recovered and are being used as inspiration for the look, furnishings and other décor elements in the Suite. Special design touches are being incorporated to evoke memories of Disney’s diverse interests and the rich heritage of Disneyland.

The guests chosen through a random process to enjoy a “dream stay” in the Disneyland Dream Suite will be following in the footsteps of Walt Disney. His dedication to the constant growth and development of Disneyland resulted in frequent overnight stays in a small private apartment which remains today above the Fire House on Main Street, U.S.A. In the 1960s, as plans were developed for the New Orleans Square area, Disney brought in illustrator and designer Dorothea Redmond (Gone with the Wind) and set decorator Emile Kuri (Mary Poppins, It’s a Wonderful Life) to help him create a larger, more lavish apartment where he could entertain friends, family, VIP guests and dignitaries.

Unfortunately, Disney passed away before the Suite was completed. Over the years, the rooms were used as offices and to entertain visiting business associates until, in 1987, the space became The Disney Gallery, a unique venue displaying artwork originally created during the development of various Disney movies and theme park attractions. Only now, 40 years later, is Disney’s dream being fulfilled. The rooms are being returned to their original intended purpose and, as Disney wished, the Disneyland Dream Suite will be occupied by overnight guests.

“Our plan has been to use the renderings that Walt worked on with Dorothea Redmond and to replicate those as exactly as we can,” said Walt Disney Imagineering Art Director Kim Irvine. “Her illustrations were very specific, with a color and style for each room.

“But to make it special for the guests, we want it to be more than just a beautiful suite. We want it to be filled with things that might have inspired Walt as he dreamed of Disneyland.”

Located above Pirates of the Caribbean in the New Orleans Square section of Disneyland, the 2,600-square-foot Disneyland Dream Suite includes a living room, open-air patio, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. In addition to that night’s lodging in the Disneyland Dream Suite, each selected 2008 Disney Dreams Giveaway winner of the Disneyland Dream Suite will also be celebrated as the Honorary Grand Marshal in that day’s Disneyland parade. The winner and their guests will enjoy dinner, late-night snacks and beverages, and the dazzling view overlooking New Orleans Square and the Rivers of America, where a private balcony provides an ideal vantage point on nights when fireworks or the “Fantasmic!” spectacular are presented.

Guests may enter the Dream Suite by climbing the grand staircase outside the entrance to the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. An elevator will be available to accommodate guests with disabilities. Through the doorway at the top of the stairs is the Living Room, to be designed in a French Provincial style reflecting the New Orleans Square setting. Unusual decorative items like a full-size carousel horse, a mechanical songbird and original wall paintings of European castles will conjure up memories of Walt Disney and the inspirations that went into creating the magical world of Disneyland.

The Suite features not one, but two Master Bedrooms. In one, the spirit of early 20th century innovation and the American frontier will be summoned with an earthy color scheme, leather furniture, a cast-iron stove, an electric train and vintage mechanical toys. The other Master Bedroom is on the side of the residence nearest Adventureland, and its lush décor and atmosphere will evoke the exotic flavor of jungle adventure stories as told in the Victorian era.

The Bayou-themed Patio, central to the Disneyland Dream Suite and open to the sky above, will be filled with tropical vegetation, furnished with comfortable chaises and illuminated by Chinese lanterns. Using a type of Disney magic familiar to guests on Pirates of the Caribbean, the Patio will also be visited by fireflies.

As guests settle in for a stay in the Disneyland Dream Suite, they’ll discover special effects surprises in each room. It could be a special tune in a striking clock, a sunset or a starscape that appears when the lights go down, subtle audio enhancements, or something totally unexpected.