Disney and more

Two good news for Hong Kong Disneyland: the first one is that it seems the park didn't suffer too much of typhoon Usagi. Sure, some trees fell down, but the typhoon did not affect Hong Kong as much as they fear probably because it made landfall not directly on Hong Kong but a little bit higher, meaning that the winds were probably less strong when it arrived over Hong Kong.

The second good news came from Bob Iger as during his interview last night on CNBC with Jim Cramer he declared, basically, that Disney will continue to invest in HKDL - something we would be happy to hear him saying about Disneyland Paris!

Here is the transcript of the part of the interview when he talks about HKDL and SDL and you have the full interview embedded below: "Hong Kong Disneyland is doing extremely well. That's an opportunity not only in terms of growing the company long term but i think there are great opportunities to invest even further in that marketplace. You're right,TDL, i'm going there in a couple of weeks, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, incredible. Very strong returns for a company. We're building a theme park in Shanghai, Pudong, i can't think of an opportunity for a company i'm more excited about because the opportunity to take that great theme park experience and Disney in its most immersive form to the most populous country in the world i think is extraordinary for the company, not just when it opens but for a long time to come because there is great opportunity to expand after we open..."

Picture and video: copyright CNBC

When Universal Studios Singapore Sesame Street Spaghetti Space Chase opened seven months ago i've posted a full ride POV video but Luke, from luke and the Temple of Fun is back with a brand new video of the ride and this one include for the first time the screen on the vehicle in which Elmo character interacts with many ride elements.

This on vehicle screen is important for a fully understanding the story, and this is why i post this new video of Universal Singapore family ride. Have a look, it's a 1080p HD video and the best i've seen so far!

pPicture: copyright universal Singapore

Video: copyright luke and the Temple of Fun

These two artworks showing Shanghaî Disneyland Enchanted Storybook Castle appeared on Twitter three days ago and posted then on NewsPlusNotes. The first one shows a "south west axonometric" view while the one below shows a "south elevation" and the two were shots obviously in an office were they were displayed on the wall, that's why the castle looks a bit distorted.

On the rendering above what is specially interesting is the moat with water in the front. I guess it will be used for a fountain show but if you look well it seems that there is also two archways, one on the left and one on the right and I wonder if it could be that the boats from the Fantasyland ride which is supposed to end under the castle could show up riding outside in the front of the castle and then back inside the show building. I'm not totally sure but if yes it could give to the area a kinetic element. Or may be some parade floats will move on the moat?

Artwork: copyright Disney - Shendi

Disney Parks released new pictures of Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and the first train is now on tracks at WDW Magic Kingdom New Fantasyland! The first picture below shows a WDI rendering...

...and the picture below show you - on a quite similar curve than on the rendering - the first train which today "ran under its own gravity and completed its first drop out of the station".

Earlier today "Imagineers and design and engineering" marked a milestone in the construction of the awaited ride.

I remind you that the queue decor will be highly themed with guests going through tunnels of the mine full of diamonds as you can see on the two renderings below, done by artist Chris Turner.

One lat thing: the artwork at the top looks a lot like the one officially released but it's not the same one, this one was done by Chris Smith, also for WDI, and it looks great.

Pictures: copyright Disney

Here is a small Shanghaî Disneyland update to start the week. Not a lot of things happened since the last update and there is nothing really to see on site. You'll still have to wait at least one year before interesting things appear but SDL released these last weeks some news that i've missed so here they are.

As the 2013 Shanghai Tourism Festival opens, construction work continues on track at the Shanghai Disney Resort build site in Pudong. The concrete pour for the resort's two themed hotels has just commenced, marking another key milestone in the development of the resort. Disney hotels are known around the world for their attention to detail and outstanding Guest services. This tradition will continue at Shanghai Disney Resort with two themed hotels - a deluxe hotel and a value hotel. Each hotel will have its own distinct theme, a unique selection of shopping and dining opportunities, and a variety of recreation options. The two hotels, providing a total of 1,220 rooms, will be located in within Shanghai Disney Resort, in close proximity to Shanghai Disneyland and to the resort's shopping, dining and entertainment area.

The Shanghai Disney Resort Management Company also announced an agreement to adopt a leading new environmental technology to supply the resort with heating, cooling and compressed air, thereby increasing the overall energy efficiency of the resort by three times and ensuring the resort’s efficient and environmentally- friendly operations. The utilities will be co-generated by a Combined Cooling and Heating Plant, to be built and operated on the resort site by the Shanghai International Tourism and Resort Zone New Energy Company Limited, a joint venture company owned by Huadian New Energy Development Company, Ltd, Shanghai Shendi (Group) Co,. Ltd, and Shanghai Yiliu Energy Group Co., Ltd.

As a key infrastructure project for Shanghai International Tourism and Resorts Zone, the Combined Cooling, Heating, Power Plant (CCHP) is a grid-tied, gas-fired power plant which co- generates cooling and heating via engine waste heat, and produces compressed air by self- generated electricity. The CCHP project will supply hot water and chilled water for space heating and cooling, domestic hot water, and all compressed air needs for the Shanghai Disney Resort’s daily operation in the most energy efficient and environment-friendly way. The project is designed, constructed and operated by Shanghai International Tourism and Resort Zone New Energy Company Limited, and will become operational in time to support the resort’s opening, scheduled for the end of 2015.

“Shanghai Disney Resort has been devoted to seeking new technology and business solutions which reduce our impact on environment, save resources, and promote sustainable technology, and to support all kinds of cooperation with our local partners,” said Mike Crawford, General Manager, Shanghai Disney Resort. “The CCHP project is an excellent example of partnership, localization and Disney’s long-term commitment to environment protection. We are excited to be creating a world-class destination here in Shanghai to showcase environment friendly and leading Chinese and international technologies.”

Pictures: copyright Shendi

Editor's Note: A great DLP Update awaits you below, but first, for those of you staying in Hong Kong, here is the latest news about giant hurricane Usagi which will make landfall on Hong Kong tonight. According to the latest forecast from Hong Kong Observatory are expected "Northwest winds force 7 to 8, becoming cyclonic force 12 later. Frequent heavy squally showers and thunderstorms. Rough to very rough seas, becoming phenomenal later."
With winds up to force 12 (!) and "phenomenal" seas awaited later today, you probably understand why it might be better to stay at your home during the next 48 hours. Sunny weather is expected to be back at HK starting next thursday or friday.

Here is a new DLP update but as Disneyland Paris unveiled today on their Facebook page a series of news about the future as well as the first visual and the official name of the Ratatouille ride, i've combined them with my pictorial update that i had scheduled to post this week-end.

So, let's start with DLP official news and the first one is of course the one which was awaited by DLP fans, i.e a first visual and the official name of the WDS Ratatouille ride which will be called in french: "Ratatouille: L'Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémi". DLP announced that "This world-first adventure uses state-of-the-art technologies that will reduce you to the size of a little rat … Plunge into the heart of a particularly excited Parisian kitchen!" The picture above shows clearly the ride vehicle and the fact that guests will be indeed "reduced" at the size of a rat with oversized decors all along the ride. Also note that there is a play on the word "toquée" as "toqué" means crazy in french but the word "toque" also means the hat of a cook. So, in this case one of the translation in english could be "Ratatouille: Remi's totally crazy adventure". They probably won't use this one but it seems that the original english title " Ratatouille Kitchen Calamity " may not be used finally, we'll see...

The next DLP official news is about the Halloween Season : "Do you like to shake with laughter? Our first surprise is about to begin! As of 5 October, make way for the Disney Halloween Festival. Mickey and his Friends have prepared an unforgettable party for you in the Park, more invaded than ever by pumpkins and ghosts! Come meet Uncle Scrooge and his nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie for a brand new Cavalcade before learning to sew at Minnie’s Costume Couture. And if you have a sweet tooth, Goofy will adjust his remarkable candy-making machine to make your "mouth water!"

I'm adding that Jack and Sally as well as Disney villains will always be part of Halloween as well as the Disney Dreams! show which will play every night too!

And now, the news about the Christmas season which confirm that there will be a special Christmas version of the Disney dreams show with new sequences! :
"Would you rather shiver when a snowflake falls on the tip of your nose? Right! Well then come join us as of 10 November for the most magical Christmas at Disneyland Paris. Come meet the heroes of the next Disney animation movie “Frozen, the Snow Queen”, admire our new Christmas Cavalcade and dream of the presents you would like to discover on Christmas day at the foot of our brand new 24-meter tall Christmas tree … Last –but not least- make the dream go on and on by staying wide awake in front of our unique and mind-blowing nighttime show “Disney Dreams ! of Christmas”. You have now understood that at Christmas time, more than any time, Disneyland Paris slips into its most beautiful light costume and piles on the presents, all for you!"

Another news about the future, but this one was NOT unveiled today by DLP but by the Disney Gazette forum and it is a plan showing a project scheduled for between 2015 and 2020 of a new hotel and convention centre as well as a new bus station will be built near the Disney Village and the Vinci parking lot.

And now, here is the DLP pictorial update thanks to pictures of Max Fan, D&M contributor and Dlrp Welcome webmaster. As we had today a special announcement about the Ratatouille ride let's start with the latest picture of the Ratatouille construction site.

The scaffoldings have been removed on the part of the show building where will be the ride entrance!

Here are some closer shots...

...as well as pictures of the others building on the right.

Here is something else which will interest you, always about the Ratatouille ride: the pictures below were posted by Disney Magic Interactive and shot at the EAS show recently and show decors made by the PnP company. What is interesting is that PnP previously worked for DLP on some floats of the Once Upon a Dream parade. Max think - and me too - that these might show some of the oversized decors elements which will be inside the Ratatouille ride. I remind you that the guests are supposed to "have" the size of a rat during the ride. And by the way the caption on the left "Major theme park, 2014 attraction" confirms that this is very probably for the Ratatouille ride.

At the Disneyland Park, nothing special except that they already started to put the Christmas lighting on Sleepy Beauty Castle - but you won't notice it from the ground.

Another good news is that Peter Pan's Flight is open again...

...but the Carousel de Lancelot is now in refurbishment!

Outside the parks, works are still going on on the new esplanade gate, the one leading to the Vinci car park, as you can see on the pics below from Disney Central Plaza and Dlrp Welcome.

And a small bad news to end this update as the new Lego Store at Disney Village will have a delay in its opening as a fake ceiling fell down during the installation and now all works have been stopped.

O-kay, that's all for today's DLP update and i'll be back soon with a new one. In the meantime I remind you that the Disneyland Paris book - in which you have the whole park in 320 pages with 750 photos including 250 WDI renderings - is still available in its collector edition but that unfortunately there is now less than TEN copies of the Disneyland Paris From Sketch to Reality book available in its ENGLISH collector's edition - the FRENCH edition is also available - so if you don't own the book yet, it's really now or never!

And there is a special price right now with a $45 / 40€ discount on the normal price, so order your collector copy while there is still copies available as it's really the last english collector copies. You'll find below a one click Paypal button as well as a video showing the whole book. Also, you can have more infos about this gorgeous 320 pages book HERE.