Showing posts with label phantom manor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label phantom manor. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Phantom Manor Suite Played During Hollywood in Vienna 2015 Concert !
You probably have seen - or at least heard of - the famous New Year Concert which happen each year in Vienna legendary Musikverein concert hall. Well, recently - and all my thanks to Justin, a D&M faithful reader - a concert titled "Hollywood in Vienna 2015" happened apparently n that same concert hall with the orchestra playing a selection of famous Hollywood themes.
And included in the scores chosen for the concert was the Phantom Manor suite that you will hear in the video below at exactly 6.33 minutes!
Artwork: copyright Disney
Libellés :
Hollywood in Vienna 2015,
phantom manor
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
DLP Phantom Manor Video with Original Vincent Price Audio track
In one of my recent DLP update about DLP future you've read that DLP Imagineering is supposed to work on an upgraded version of Frontierland Phantom Manor. And part of the plan seems to bring back the fantastic audio track with Vincent Price voice which would be definitely a great idea.
But how the ride would sounds with the Vincent Price audio? Well, for those of you wondering what the Phantom Manor ride with the Vincent Price audio would sound like, here is a great YouTube video posted by MartinsVidsDotNet a few years ago. The video is showing attraction footage edited with the audio track of the attraction music with Vincent Price's voice work, and the whole thing will give you a perfect idea of what you can expect when DLPI will have finished the Phantom Manor upgrade!
In addition to this video i also post above a rendering which was often asked to me among the years : the famous artwork by Julie Svendsen showing how Phantom Manor looked like "before" the curse transformed it in an uninhabited and haunted manor. This is an upscaled version of the HD scan we used for my DLP book, and i'm sure you will enjoy it.
In addition, i also post above an upscaled version of the HD scan of the artwork showing Phantom manor ballroom scene, a rendering from Fernando Tenedora.
Pictures: copyright Disney
Video: copyright MartinsVidsDotNet
Libellés :
jeff burke,
phantom manor,
Vincent Price
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Disneyland Paris Imagineering Currently Working on a Major Phantom Manor Upgrade
ED92 had some great infos from their reliable sources about a major update of Disneyland Paris Phantom Manor on which DLP Imagineers are apparently currently working on. It should happen in a not too far future, and the news looks great. I did an english translation of ED92 post and french readers can read it in french on ED92 HERE .
One more thing: you can choose to put what you'll read below in the "rumor box" as anything not yet officially confirmed is always supposed to be a rumor, but my feeling is that ED92 sources are reliable and so what is written is most probably right. As usual - and especially in the case of DLP - it doesn't mean that it will be done or that DLP imagineers will have the budget to do it but in this case - Phantom Manor - i'm pretty sure that they will do pretty soon an update of the ride as not only it is needed it but also because it'll be the last Disney "haunted" mansion who didn't had an update yet. Okay, here we go:
Although the date of this Phantom Manor 2.0 project is not yet decided, we can already tell you that this project is close to the heart of many people, even at the highest levels.
For now, the priority is to modernize the entire Phantom Manor existing infrastructure. As we have previously mentioned, the Portrait Gallery will abandon in this forthcoming renovation of DLP famous manor the old slides system for projector technology.
But other surprises should quickly appear. For instance, we had recently the pleasure to see the return of the Mirror Ghosts at the end of the ride, let's hope that this time everything will work fine over time.
Okay, let's make a long story short as Mrs. Leota is ready to read the future of the Manor in her crystal ball - D&M Note: or, as we should say the "séance lady" as it's not Mrs Leota head which is inside the crystal ball but someone else to whom DLP Imagineers didn't gave really a name and who is only known as the "séance lady" as she's the one directing the spirits session...
So, our adventure will starts here, outside the Manor because the famous attraction not only should be fully renovated, but the whole Thunder Mesa should gradually undergo a theming makeover to tell us the rich story of the cursed Ravenswood family.
While the patriarch, Henry, will be our host at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad as the director of Big Thunder Mining Company, it's his daughter Melanie who will be more than ever the Phantom Manor star. As it is her story that DLP guests will discover, more clear and precise than ever.
We will not go through all the details, of course, as the project is still at this time under design. But many ideas are already advanced enough to have a better idea of what should be this Phantom Manor 2.0.
As you now have probably understood, Melanie, as the attraction star, will be much more present than she is right now. And this right from the boarding room as we will discover a beautiful young Melanie, in her wedding dress, sitting on the steps of the grand staircase of the hall, her still fresh wedding flowers bouquet at her feet.
D&M Note: I'm wondering if they will add a new Audio-Animatronic or simply move the AA of Mélanie that we currently see at the start of the ride. I'm betting on this second option.
The picture above is a home-made picture by ED92, but according to them it shows quite accurately what they were told by their sources.
Apparently the beauty didn't had her best day as she is crying, her face covered by her hands, and it's only between two sobs that she will lift her head toward us, before going back in her sadness.
Meanwhile, you will embark on new Doombuggies. Did i say new? Yes indeed, as to make Phantom manor ride story even more immersive and disturbing, and just like at the Haunted Mansion, the Doombuggies should be equipped with individual speakers which actually will give you the feeling that the Phantom of the manor will whisper the story of the endless fiancée right in your ear.
So, who says new story, says new recording, right? Well, not really, as WDI sound wizards are digging through Imagineering sound archives to find back all Phantom Manor original tapes and so to keep the magnificent original orchestral recordings, which will go through a well-deserved makeover to give us a sound more stunning than ever.
Most purists will ask: "All the tapes?". Yes, all of them as here is probably the most exciting of all the infos: As Phantom Manor specialists know, before DLP famous mansion opened its doors in 1992, the Phantom was voiced by legendary horror films actor, Vincent Price, and you can see at the bottom of this article a video shot during his recording sessions.
For reasons of understanding for DLP guests different nationalities, the whole french soundtrack, back in 1992, was re-recorded in french, keeping only the inimitable Vincent Price laugh. These recordings unfortunately happened to be Price last great performance as he passed away shortly after. But why am I actually doing such a digression? Because right now, deep in WDI archives is hidden the original tapes recording of Vincent Price, which are in fact the first version of the attraction, when the visit was to be fully guided and telling the story of Melanie!
Few knows about it, but during his recordings, Vincent Price recorded a version in French. Unfortunately his french was not understandable enough because of his accent, so at the end DLP Imagineers decided to keep only Vincent Price English version before asking a French actor to record it again in french. Actor, by the away, who was the one who was dubbing Vincent Price in the french version of Price movies.
So, now you've understood ... WDI should do wonders, a true miracle, as they plan to completely clean the original tapes, edit and tweak them with the latest technology and thus offer us in the ride the recordings of Vincent Price, in French or in English as needed!
D&M Note: I have some doubts about this part - to have Vincent Price voice all along the ride - as in fact his voice was recorded only for the part until guests load in the doombuggies and then Price had some lines at the very end of the ride when we face the mirror ghosts but not in-between, which mean that there is no tape existing with Vincent Price voice telling a story all along the ride like the ghost host is doing at DL Haunted Mansion. Which could mean that either DLP Imagineers will find someone else with a voice close to Vincent Price's voice - which is not going to be easy - or that they will be no off voice all along the ride. But in this case why putting on board speakers?
Above: Left to right: Vincent Price, Ken Lisi, Jeff Burke, Craig Fleming and Greg Meader enjoying a break during the recording sessions.
But while i talk on the subject, our doombuggy has already finished his visit ... We finally did not pay attention to all new Melanie appearances and to the new effects that should be added in the ride. Unfortunately, the wait for this new version might take a while and we don't know the date yet... WDI secrets are well kept. But who knows? Maybe by 2017 we will have the luck to ride this new version of Phantom Manor, and in the meantime we'll just have to wait to actually live it.
A famous Pumpkins King have already made an offer to transform Phantom Manor eventually in a winter residence, but that's another story that we'll keep for another day...
All my thanks to ED92 for their original post available in french HERE.
Thanks to David.G. Ravenswood of the great Ravenswood Manor website i share with you this rare video and once you've watched it jump to David's website where you'll learn more about the story and making-of of Phantom Manor a well as Big thunder Mountain and Thunder Mesa!
Another Youtube video with Vincent Price narration AND the ride music. As i you'll see there is no Vincent Price narration all along the ride itself, only his laugh at the end.
The great Imagineer Jeff Burke was Frontierland and Phantom Manor show-producer and you can see him along with Julie Svendsen, X Atencio, and many others telling you story of the making-of of Phantom manor in this Extinct Attractions video!
Pictures and videos: copyright Disney, Alain Littaye, ED92, Extinct Attractions
Friday, October 24, 2014
Disneyland Paris Update : Nothing but theTruth About Frontierland Rivers of the Far West
I've got a big Disneyland Paris update for you with as usual great pictures shot by Max Fan, D&M contributor and DLPWelcome webmaster. Today, we'll go back to Frontierland as the Molly Brown has finished its refurbishment and is now sailing again on the Rivers of the Far West. So, i asked Max to jump on the Molly Brown and to shoot every inches or so of everything that guests can see during their trip on the Molly brown, this to finally have for once and for all pictures showing us exactly the condition of the Rivers of the Far West, which as we know have a serious problem of bad condition on some of its elements. ALL pictures of this article are in high-res so click on each to see them in big size.
So, all aboard the Molly Brown which is now arriving at Thunder Mesa Riverboat Landing!
Let's start by the good news, i.e by pictures showing the excellent condition of the Molly Brown riverboat now that it's back from several weeks of refurbishment. They did a real good job as you will see.
Looks pretty neat, isn't it? So let's start the cruise with views of Big Thunder Island on the left and Thunder Mesa buildings on the right.
Big Thunder was repainted some years ago and is not in bad condition but a repainting of the back facade of the building below - in which is the shooting gallery - will be welcome. Note that they've removed the benches which were in the little space, under the small roof, in the center of the picture, which is incredibly stupid as it was a unique place to sit and relax away from the guests and to watch peacefully the boats and scenery of the Rivers of the Far West. Let's hope they will put it back!
A few meters from there guests can see the authentic props that great Imagineer Pat Burke installed near the Big Thunder building, bringing authenticity to DLP Frontierland. Here too a little refurb and cleaning will be welcome.
We're arriving now at the River Rogue Keelboats and you can see one the boats on the picture. Unfortunately the attraction is closed since a looong time, mostly because operation cost, and i don't think they plan to reopen it anytime soon which is a shame, let's say it.
Talking about River Rogues, the river rogues cavern REALLY needs urgently a refurbishment as you can see.
Max also shot this close shot picture of the banks which indeed would need some repainting too. I remind you that DLP is apparently thinking to empty all the lake to have an easy access to clean and refurb everything all around but so far no decision was taken because of the cost of the operation. If they can find a way to do all the refurb without having to empty the lake it's okay for me as long as they do a real good job.
More shots of Big Thunder Mountain...
Arriving near the fisherman cabin...
The fisherman was hidden some days ago under a canvas but DLP guests can clearly see him now, though the AA dog normally on the left is still missing. That said, the small building itself needs some refurbishment if they don't want to find it one day in the same bad condition as the Mark Twain is...
Talking about the Mark Twain, now that the Molly Brown went out of refurbishment, it went back inside the dry dock, and is now almost invisible for DLP guests. We're still waiting for ( good? ) news about its fate.
After a turn on the left the Molly Brown is now sailing towards the geysers and what you see on the left hand side is Wilderness Island. DLP Imagineers choose the right name for it as the trees and vegetation have grown up so much that it's now indeed a real wilderness!
You see only trees below but if the original plans would have been done, by now you would see a trapper cabin similar the one below in a scene from how the West Was Won. It's not too late DLP folks to add it and it won't cost you that much and will improve the show!
And on the right hand side, facing Wilderness Island the plans, as i told you in my previous article HERE , was to have a bisons ( buffalos ) herd! The idea was to have around fifteen bisons, including some baby-bisons, and most of them would have been placed near the river's edge and two or three near the train track, just like i've put them on the pics below.
The bisons would not be Audio-Animatronic figures - as they would froze during winter - but some of them would be mechanical figures with small motors placed in their heads and butts to have their ears and tails moving, to give "life" to the buffalos. Eventually some would also have their head slowly moving left and right. The bisons would be made in fiber glass - probably the same material than the three mooses and as you can see these are in pretty good condition after 22 years - covered by false fur, the rest of the body being paint to look like real bisons.
The three mooses are always here, thanks God, and them too need a bit of refurb or repainting.
O-kay, we're arriving now to the geysers area and these are the BIG problem which will require a real budget from DLP as they won't be able to do the refurb for two cents.
As they say, a picture worth a thousand words and, to make a long story short, everything which looks grey and not white on the pictures below - i.e almost everything - is simply the concrete structure itself as all the painting is gone. This is what happen i presume when you don't take care of an outdoor set during 22 years. It looks now unbelievably ugly and the irony is that the only one which seems to always have its original color is the skeleton dinosaur!
It's hard to believe that we are in a Disney theme park, isn't it. Go ahead, there is more geysers pictures to see! Click on each to see them in big size.
No need to say that the geysers themselves are not working since years and that the whole thing is very, very, VERY far from the normal standard quality of a Disney park. Apparently they intend to do a major refurb, probably because it reached a point where it's not only a shame or outrageous but simply completely ridiculous to leave the geysers in this awful condition at the sight of millions of DLP guests sailing each year on the Rivers of the Far West.
The Molly Brown is now sailing towards Rainbow Arch which, with the Mark Twain and the geysers, is the OTHER big problem, although this one should be more simple to resolve if they do it before the stone arch finally collapse. As you'll see on the pictures below, whatever is the arch side you're looking at it, it needs urgently a serious refurb and, most of all, an entire repainting.
The coyote is always here, standing on rocks which also needs a repainting as soon as possible.
We're now arriving close to Phantom Manor which is not specially in bad condition although the facades have aged. But here the danger is to don't do anything and consider that it's fine and adds to the theming as it is supposed to be an uninhabited manor...
We're back now at Thunder Mesa Riverboat Landing where guests can still enjoy the Halloween season, still running until early November. Young guests can enjoy a meet and greet with Jack and Sally the two beloved characters from Nightmare Before Christmas, as well as the Phantom Manor Halloween band.
You can also send me an email with your order at : neverlandeditions@gmail.com
The book is also available on ebay in its english signed edition HERE and in french signed edition HERE.
Don't forget to send me an email with your shipping address AND the name to whom you wish the book to be dedicated!
You can use the Paypal buttons below for the english edition, or for the french edition. If you don't have a Paypal account you can also pay directly with your credit card with these buttons without opening a Paypal account. If it don't works please send me an email at: neverlandeditions@gmail.com
Paypal button for ENGLISH Edition :
Paypal bouton pour Edition FRANCAISE :
Don't know yet the Disneyland Paris book? Have a look at the video below or on the book website HERE.
Paypal bouton pour Edition FRANCAISE :
Don't know yet the Disneyland Paris book? Have a look at the video below or on the book website HERE.
Pictures: copyright DLPWelcome
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