Disneyland Paris Update : New Artworks Released for DLP Walt Disney Studios Frozen Land, Avengers Campus, Studio D - Plus: New Pictures for DLP Hotel New York - Art of Marvel, Frozen Celebration, New Tower of Terror !

Disneyland Paris just released two new artworks for the Frozen land as well as the Marvel land - "Avengers Campus" - coming at the Walt Disney Studios in 2021 and later! Above, the one for Fozen, below the Avengers Campus with the facade of the Iron Man ride on the left and Avengers jet on a platform on the right.



Also released a first rendering for Studio D, a new interactive show with Mickey and his friends at Walt Disney Studios Park. This brand new interactive show will welcome children and their parents in Spring 2020 with Mickey, Minnie and their Friends from Disney Junior at Studio D. In this new experience, the little ones will dance and sing alongside their characters.



Also at the WDS, On September 28th, thrill-seekers will discover three new experiences at The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror - A New Dimension of Sensations! Walt Disney Imagineering and Maintenance teams are currently hard at work creating these new experiences. To "tell" their new story, each elevator as well as the scenes of the attraction must be updated: new lights, projectors, media, remixed soundtrack, vehicle movements. Everything has been reprogrammed, modernized, or replaced if necessary!



The three new scenarios feature the famous little girl, one of three elevator passengers who disappeared when the Hollywood Tower Hotel was struck by lightning in 1939, and which now haunts the attraction. From September 28, this little girl becomes the key character of three new experiences more terrifying than ever. The Infernal Machine, Caged Creatures and The Fifth Dimension plunge you into sinister and confusing universes:

Curse 1: The Infernal Machine: Stay alert, because the ghost of the little girl who haunts the place is perhaps not your worst nightmare ... The Infernal Machine in which you have just settled down has a very specific idea in mind. She aspires to trap you in this mechanical prison, shaking you in all directions. Hang on tight, the fall does not prevent! Will you be able to free yourself from its grip?

Curse 2: Caged Creatures: A tip: especially do not shout! Disturbing creatures roam around the elevator shaft and wait for the presence of souls in distress to come and terrorize - for the louder your cries are, the more powerful they become ... Will you be silent during your vertiginous falls? 13 floors?

Curse 3: The Fifth Dimension: Beware of you ... Do not get lost in this dimension! A sinister specter Poltergeist has opened the Fifth Dimension with one goal: to take away your soul. Prepare to lose all sense of reality as you tumble down on a psychedelic journey between two worlds ... will the little ghost girl bring you back to our dimension?



Will you have enough guts to enter The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror - A New Dimension of Sensations?

From September 28, 2019 to Disneyland Paris.From January 11 to May 3, 2020, Disneyland Paris will offer a brand new rendez-vous: the Frozen Celebration. During these festivities, visitors will discover 'The Snow Queen 2: An Enchanting Journey', a dazzling procession with Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven accompanied by incredible dancers and acrobats.

A brand new enchanted float will bring all the magic of nature to life! At the Walt Disney Studios Park, a brand new interactive adventure will open at Animation Celebration: 'Frozen: A Musical Invitation'. Visitors will then be transported to the kingdom of Arendelle, where they will be invited to play and interact with their favorite characters.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to extend the 'Frozen' experience in shops and restaurants, with exclusive treats and drinks, as well as a collection of products that will take them back to the adventures of Anna, Elsa and their friends.

Dont' go away as there is more DLP news with new pictures for the Hotel New York - Art of Marvel to open in 2020. And by the way, here is the full timeline of events at DLP and WDS up to end of 2020!



In 2020, Visitors will discover Disney's Hotel New York - The Art of Marvel, celebrating 80 years of Marvel storytelling in a typically New York atmosphere, recognizable by its contemporary Art Deco style. Disney's Hotel New York - The Art of Marvel will be inspired by a New York art gallery, paying tribute to the birthplace of many Marvel Super Heroes and the various artists who have imagined them. When it reopens in the summer of 2020, it will be the first hotel entirely dedicated to Marvel Art, inviting visitors to (re) discover the iconic stories and characters that make up the richness of this epic universe.



The Disney's New York Hotel -The Art of Marvel will also be one of the world's largest collections of Marvel works, with more than 300 unique exhibits, some of which are completely unpublished and exclusive. Disneyland Paris collaborates with more than 50 artists - Marvel Comics and Marvel Studios - to showcase the richness of the Marvel universe: comic book covers, posters, movie illustrations, storyboards, original sketches and more!

This unprecedented renovation will also include a redevelopment and modernization of all the rooms, which will reflect the sophisticated urban style of Tony Stark's tastes. All rooms (including 471 Superior Rooms) will feature several Marvel works and the 65 Empire State Club Rooms will offer a design that will surely delight Marvel fans.

Disney's Hotel New York - The Art of Marvel will also feature 25 Suites that will pay homage to the iconic heroes - including the Avengers and Spider-Man: references will creep into the design of the furnishings of some Suites and the walls will exhibit many works spectacular performances by Marvel artists, including special creations.



Residents of the Club & Suites rooms will enjoy exclusive amenities and services, such as a dedicated reception and access to the Empire State Lounge, a private lounge in an elegant setting where guests can relax and enjoy their breakfast.





Beyond the rooms and Suites, visitors will enjoy a 100% New York experience right down to the plate with unique restaurants and bars celebrating Art Marvel: Manhattan Restaurant: an elegant and refined table service restaurant, highlighted by a magnificent chandelier inspired by Asgard, where exceptional dishes will be served. The menu will highlight authentic flavors reminiscent of the spirit of an Italian family trattoria, with a work of fresh and local products.



Downtown Restaurant: a true culinary journey through a cosmopolitan New York with this buffet where traditional American dishes come to meet the flavors of Chinatown and Little Italy. Visitors can even see chefs preparing tasty dishes. The restaurant will also offer a selection of specialties inspired by the Marvel universe and its walls will display 90 superhero sketch portraits, some of them unpublished!



Skyline Bar: an elegant New York-style martini bar, offering a breathtaking view of the New York City peaks that will hold some heroic surprises. Visitors will find Marvel cocktails at the Skyline Bar as well as a fine selection of wines.



Lounge Bar: a trendy bar in the shape of a Manhattan loft serving fresh, organic produce: biodynamic wines, bottled beers from craft breweries, coffee and other organic cocoa drinks. The ideal place to meet up with family or friends after a day of adventure in the Disney Parks.



Disney's Hotel New York - The Art of Marvel will be the first Disney Hotel to host the Super Heroes. Visitors will be able to meet the iconic Marvel figures in a dedicated area: Super Hero Station.

In addition to heroic encounters every morning with the Marvel Super Heroes, visitors will enjoy spectacular photo points and be immersed in the action: to be part of the collection of the Guardians of the Galaxy Collection, lift the Mjolnir de Thor, and much more ...



Visitors will also enjoy many amenities during their stay at Disney's Hotel New York - The Art of Marvel: Metro Pool: an aquatic complex including an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, a children's pool, a Jacuzzi but also a sauna and a steam room.

Metro Health Club: a fitness center that will be equipped with sports machines and accessories. Residents of the hotel will also be able to access various outdoor sports activities.

Marvel Design Studio: a world dedicated to children, where they can learn to draw their favorite Marvel Super Heroes in a setting inspired by the workshops where the comics are imagined.



Visitors can even head home with memories of their Marvel adventures through New York Boutique, which offers a selection of Marvel collectibles.

All residents of Disney's Hotel New York - The Art of Marvel will of course enjoy the benefits of Disney Hotels: Free Shuttle, More Magic Moments to access the Disney Parks before the opening, and many more services ... The first bookings for the Disney's New York Hotel - The Art of Marvel will open on November 05, 2019. The opening of the Hotel is scheduled for Summer 2020.

Artworks and pictures: copyright Disney

The Real Reason Why Disney Built Disneyland Paris in France Instead of Spain, Explained by Michael Eisner Himself

Forbes posted a long article titled "Michael Eisner Reveals The Magic Touch That Gave A Glow To Disneyland Paris", which include Michael Eisner comments about why Disney decided to build Disneyland Paris in France instead than in another European country - Spain - which was also considered, back at the end of the eighties. And now, after 27 years since DLP opening, we have al last the answer why and it's coming from Michael Eisner himself. Below, some excerpts from the Forbes article, there is more to read in the full article HERE.

"One of Disney’s objectives was to develop far more land than the space on which its theme parks would sit. It needed more land so that it could maintain standards throughout the entire resort from the parks to the surrounding hotels and even the roads and nature reserves. It has done this at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and to pull it off in France, Disney requested a vast plot of land almost a fifth the size of Paris. It got what it wanted but it came with a catch.

The French government agreed to sell a 5,510 acre plot of land to Disney provided that the majority of it was developed in accordance with its vision. To ensure that it benefits the local area, and isn’t rushed through, the government only sells land to Disney in stages once previous plots have been completed.

“We wanted to be close to the biggest population base, the crossroads of Europe,” says Eisner. “Although the UK has a welcoming business and creative climate, we didn’t consider England for Euro Disney for the reasons of location. We considered France and Spain. Most of the strong Disney management we inherited would have preferred to go to Spain because of the presumed similarities to Los Angeles and Florida. But that was a false assumption. Florida is warmer than Spain in the winter and has a history of Disney available tourism. For decades American travelers travelled past Orlando on their way to Southern Florida to places like Miami. People left Boston, New York, Toronto and Philadelphia etc and drove through Florida to Miami".

“Of course, Spain, which is a fantastic country and would have been a good choice, did not have the history of Disney type tourism. If we had gone to Barcelona or even Valencia, it would not have been that warm in winter as Florida and it wasn’t a convenient route across Europe. Paris, on the other hand is in the middle and the big question was about the weather.”

In winter the temperature in Paris can fall to below 30 degrees and it regularly snows so Disney ensured that its parks in Paris have more covered pathways and queue lines than their counterparts in the US. It came up with a particularly attractive solution for its Disneyland Paris park which has a turn-of-the-century themed Main Street running through its center. On either side of the street are elaborate arcades decorated with wrought-iron beams and oil lamps. They are turned on in winter making the arcades a welcome refuge from the weather outside though Eisner says they may not have been necessary.

“I grew up in Manhattan and knew how people operated in the winter. The subway was our friend. Nothing kept us inside. I knew that the weather would not preclude anyone in New York walking down Main Street in the winter if the park was there. More importantly, if you grew up in London or Paris, the underground and the metro was part of your life. But most of Disney management at that point was California-based and people on the west coast cannot imagine going anywhere without a car."

“My view was that, unless there is a blizzard, people in France do not let the weather keep them from going out. We knew, if France agree to extend the RER to our front gate as well as the TGV, Disneyland Paris would work. And in addition the tunnel to the UK was on the horizon. So the big question on the table was whether to build in Spain, because of the Disney California mentality, or France because of my New York mentality. I never wavered."



“Jacques Chirac, the then Mayor of Paris, Laurent Fabius the then prime minister, and François Mitterrand delivered on what we needed, mainly enough land and transportation. The President did say on opening day that Disney was “not his cup of tea,” although he asked for Disney tee shirts for his grandchildren. Chirac on the other hand was all in having spent some of his youth in the USA. But from the very first day it was a smash hit as far as the public was concerned.”

"Peter Pan Goes Wrong" Is the most Irreverent, Outrageous, and Hilarious Version You've Ever Seen of James Barrie's Beloved Novel !

I've got a real treat for you to start the week. Aired for Christmas on the BBC "Peter Pan Goes Wrong" is a stage adaptation of James Barrie's beloved novel by the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society and it is the most irreverent, outrageous, and irresistible version you've ever seen. It is hilarious from start to the end with a gag each five seconds and with this delicious British humor, which makes the play closer to one staged by the Monty Python than the Royal Shakespeare Company.



All Peter Pan characters are here, including Nana the dog and the crocodile and i wish i could tell you more without spoiling the gags, but believe me it's incredibly funny, so don't miss it! One more thing for French D&M readers as the video is in English but with French subtitles if you wish to have them - just click on the subtitles icon on the bottom right of the frame to have them.




All-right, let's fly to Neverland!




Vidoe: copyright BBC

Bangkok Fantasia Lagoon Water Park Will Remind Disneyland Paris Fans the Lava Lagoon Project That Never Was

You know the famous quote at Walt Disney Imagineering: "Good ideas never die at WDI"? Well, they certainly don't die and can even reappear outside WDI!

Disneyland Paris fans know well the DLP water park project that never was titled "Lava Lagoon", supposed to have a huge volcano at its center - see previous D&M article HERE. Universal Volcano Bay water park took the principle of a volcano at the center and did something different than WDI 1990's concept, but DLP fans who still regret the Lava Lagoon project will have to come to Thailand as i discovered not so long ago that another water park exist with a volcano at its center, and this one is in Bangkok!

Called "Fantasia Lagoon", it's certainly a smaller water park and volcano than the one imagined by WDI Imagineers, or even Universal's Volcano Bay, as it is stick to a big shopping mall but i've found some pictures of it on the web, so let's have a look at it, would we?

From the press release: "Fantasia Lagoon is a relatively large and attractive water park built on the roof of The Mall Shopping Center, near Bangkok. Fantasia Lagoon got refurbished recently and is a fun place for kids and young adults to spend a day with huge pools and decent size sliders, and in addition you have the entire mall to play with including a very attractive games and entertainment zone located right below the water park.



Fantasia Lagoon - with a low entry fee - is divided into several zones, accommodating children of all ages - Fantasy Fountain for the youngest, Pirate Cove and the Slider Tower for the more daring, and everything in between: Magic Jungle, Mystery Island and Ocean 10 are full of water activities, games and fun features to thrill kids for a great afternoon of splashing fun.

Once you are running out of energy, just drift along the Lazy River on an inflatable tube or sit near the stage where entertainers involve kids in balloon shows, magic shows and other fun games. And of course there is no fun without food so you can order Thai dishes and plenty of ice cream at the food court."

I quite like the bamboo theming of the slides, i think it's a pretty good idea. One of the slides enters inside the volcano.

Does the water park has a lazy river? Hell, yes!

As often in South-East Asia water parks Fantasia Lagoon includes plenty of multi colored water areas where kids enjoy playing. 

It's definitely a small water park but the theming don't look bad to me and if one day it happens that you come to Thailand here is Fantasia Lagoon Facebook page with all infos to find it as well as a video trailer below in which you'll discover that the park has even a hidden treasure!

Pictures and video : copyright Fantasia Lagoon - The Mall

How Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, and soon Disney + Warm Up the Planet

The report of the think tank The Shift Project is about a time bomb that nobody have heard about yet but which will explode in years to come at the face of all major companies which invest in streaming like Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Warner, and of course Disney+. And this report couldn't happen at a worst time, two months before Disney launch its streaming service.

What is all this about? Well, you all surely have heard about gobal warming and what is responsible for it, starting by the CO2 emission from cars or planes. Pollution from men doesn't stop there of course and the big  thing to fight right now is plastic, something that big companies, starting by Disney, take very seriously, thanks God.

But there is something else that we didn't think or even heard about until now which is about to pollute and warm up the planet anytime soon as much as cars emissions, and it's streaming videos. Believe it or not but in 2018, online video accounted for 60% of Internet data traffic. And it has generated more than 300 million tonnes of CO².

How is this possible? Because the movie you watch on your computer or mobile device, or TVs ,are stored in data centers, then are routed to our terminals (computers, smartphones, connected TVs) by networks (cables, fiber optics, modems, antennas of mobile networks) and all these processes require electricity, of which production consumes resources, and emits CO2! And it's not about to diminish anytime soon. Here is a translation of excerpts from an article of French Liberation newspaper - you can read it in French HERE.

"Too many people still think that digital is a virtual world and, as such, the pollution it generates is just as virtual. However, this is far to be the case and the report of the think tank The Shift Project published in July 2019, "The unsustainable use of online video," confirms. "We are facing a mythological construction of the digital. The digital is immaterial, we do not see it, it floats around us, "says Maxime Efoui-Hess, project leader within this think tank.

The study starts from this observation: "The digital world today emits 4% of the greenhouse gases of the world, more than civil air transport. This share could double by 2025 to 8% of the total, the current share of car emissions. "

According to a study by Cisco, a company specializing in network hardware, 80% of the data streams are video in 2018. The remaining 20% ​​is traffic generated by websites, e-mails, instant messengers, storage of photos and other data. Among these 80%, the organization excludes TV streaming and live video like Skype for example. Online video accounts for 60% of traffic, or 1.05 trillion billion bytes.

The Shift Project made the accounts and observes that in 2018, viewing videos online generated 306 million tonnes of CO2, or "1% of global greenhouse gas emissions" or the equivalent of "Greenhouse gas emissions of Spain in 2010" [about 311 million tonnes of CO2, ed].

The report divides these online video streams into four usage categories: VOD - that is, videos hosted on streaming platforms like Netflix or Amazon Prime - (34%), pornographic content (27%), content "Tubes" (21%) on YouTube or Dailymotion for example and the rest, that is to say the videos that can be found on social networks including (21%). Including between 20 and 30% of global online video streams, each of these categories therefore has a significant share in the calculation of greenhouse gas emissions.

The report of The Shift Project, which advocates for digital sobriety, namely "prioritizing the allocation of resources according to usage" to "comply with planetary boundaries, while preserving the societal contributions of digital technologies", takes the measure of data traffic generated by the video. Indeed, ten hours of high-definition film correspond to "a larger volume of data than that necessary to contain all the articles in English of the Wikipedia online encyclopedia".

With the growth in the number of Internet users and the increase in the number of connected devices per person, data traffic will grow. A projection from Cisco estimates that it will be around 400 exabytes (memory size unit) per month in 2022 against 150 in 2018. Online video has no problem either. Cisco projects that it will be responsible for 82% of global data traffic worldwide in 2022."


Now, you're going to tell me "wait a minute, so i can't have a car or have to reduce trips by plane, not to mention dozens of other sthings and now i can't watch videos on my computer or mobile device?". Wait, you're not the one directly responsible and watching movies on your TV or computer is not something new. What IS new is that the movies definition are higher than ever, thanks to 4K or Full HD, meaning more datas, etc... and as streaming videos won't stop anytime soon thanks to all the different streaming services then the amount of datas transferred explode, meaning it requires more and more energy,  so more C02 emissions, etc...

BUT, the solution must be found first by the companies like Netflix, Amazon, Hulu or soon Disney +, Apple and Warner, and many others. I'm not a specialist in environmental problems so i may be wrong but i think that having the energy needed by the servers provided by solar farms could help to reduce the CO2 emissions. The problem is that i suspect that Disney + , for instance, won't have only one server in the U.S for the whole world but several in different continents. Meaning they'll need to build as many solar farms as they have servers around the world. Good news, Disney knows how to do this as they've created a huge solar farm recently at WDW.  Of course it won't reduce YOUR consumption of electricity when you'll watch Disney + at home or on your mobile devices but it should reduce a lot if the energy needed at the start was provided by solar farms.

I strongly suggest to Disney to have a closer look at the problem because for now medias don't talk about this and people are not aware of it, but it won't take long to be on the front pages and, there, Disney will have a BIG problem. I mean, Disney certainly don't want to be accused to be among the companies which is responsible of as much CO2 emissions as all cars around the world, right? If the Mouse don't keep an eye on this and resolve the problem in advance it will happen, and in just a few years. In the meantime, learn more about it with the full report at the links below and remember you've read about it first here on D&M.

The full report from The Shift Project think tank is available HERE in French and HERE in English.

Hong Kong Disneyland Castle Construction Update

Here we go for a new Hong Kong Disneyland update about HKDL Castle transformation. First, i have to thanks Gavin Jones from Coaster Force who shot the pictures and kindly authorized D&M to post them in this article.

So far HKDL released the two artworks above and below showing the new castle day or night...

...and HKDL castle model was displayed at the last D23 Expo, picture shot by Andy Castro.

As you'll see in the pictures below new elements of the castle arrived and are now being put in place on each turrets. I'm still dubious about the final result considering the mix of syles and the size of the castle  in regards to Main Street proportions,  but let's give them the benefit of the doubt until the castle is finished and open in the first half of 2020. So, le'ts have a look at the pictures, would we?

What is more problematic is that it seems that some "gold" parts mainly at the very top of the turrets seems to be only painted with gold color instead to have the gold done with gold leaf. On the screen capture below the gold of the crown and others decorative elements is probably gold leaf,  but the cone right under them really looks to be gold painting only.

HK Main Street Gazette does a very good job by posting each week a new 4K video showing the progress on the construction, and here is their latest video posted just two days ago.

I remind you that one of the reasons that the castle include different styles is because it is supposed to be a tribute to thirteen different Disney princesses - or considered as - and on the fences around the castle guests can see some artworks which are "hints" for each characters. The characters don't appear on them, only the "world" they belong to and i let you guess who is who, which shouldn't be very difficult...

See you soon for a new HKDL update!

Pictures: copyright Gavin Jones, Andy Castro, Disney