Bob Iger Will Stay as Disney CEO Until 2018

The WDC announced today that Bob Iger will stay on as chief executive and chairman of Walt Disney Co. until mid-2018, two years later than his previously planned retirement in 2016.

In addition, the WDC is expected to name a chief operating officer, who will likely be groomed as its next CEO, sometime in 2015, according to a person familiar with the situation. Iger has run Disney without a No. 2 executive since he took over in 2005.

Iger's contract extension maintains the same annual compensation terms as his existing contract. Iger, 63, will have the opportunity to earn a performance-based retention bonus if certain financial performance goals are met over a five-year period ending with the 2018 fiscal year.

"I’ve had the privilege of being the CEO of this great company for nine years and am thrilled to have the opportunity to continue through June 2018,” Iger said. “I’m very excited about what lies ahead, including the release of our ‘Star Wars’ films and the launch of Shanghai Disneyland, and I’m honored to continue working with our talented management team and the 175,000 dedicated people who make this company what it is today.”

"Mr. Iger’s vision and strategy for the company led to the successful acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm, the resurgence of Disney animation, and the dramatic expansion of its parks and resorts around the world, positioning the company for continued long-term growth," Smith added. "Given Mr. Iger’s outstanding record to date, it is obvious that shareholders and the company will be best served by his continued leadership, which is why the Board of Directors has asked him to extend his contract for two years, to June 30, 2018. I am pleased to report that Mr. Iger has accepted. Disney has an incredibly strong senior management team, and the Board is confident in the leadership talent available for succession planning."

O-kay, so Iger is here to stay until 2018, why not. What does it mean? First, it could mean that no one was found yet to be a ( good ) WDC CEO once Iger will leave, which is probably the case. It could also mean that there is no way to have Shanghaî Disneyland open for late 2015, and there was no way Iger was going to miss the opening of what he probably considers his legacy. And in Iger legacy we also have the purchase of Star Wars - Episode 7 coming Dec 2015 if there, too, there is no delay, and the Avatar land which will open in 2017 at Animal Kingdom. By staying till 2018 he'll be able to enjoy the awaited openings, which to be honest, he fully deserves. But, more simply, Iger certainly enjoy the job and the board probably think there is no one else better than him for it. Now, if Iger before leaving in 2018 could add one more legacy, and do for Disneyland Paris what he did for DCA and HKDL, this would be great, isn't it?

Tokyo Disney Resort Counter Attack Universal Studios Japan in 2015 With a Series of Shows, Events...

Tokyo Disney Resort announced today that the total combined attendance at Tokyo Disneyland Park and Tokyo DisneySea Park during the first half of this fiscal year (April 1 to September 30, 2014) amounted to a figure of 15,099,000 persons (a decrease of 260,000 persons or 98.3% of the attendance figure for the same period last year). Although this is the second highest figure ever recorded for the first half of a fiscal year, they probably didn't liked the "decrease" so, in 2015 Tokyo Disneyland will counter attack to Universal Studios Japan spike in attendance - due to the opening of Harry Potter Wizarding World at USJ - with a series of new events, shows, and one ( small ) attraction.

So far, TDL didn't  provided a lot of information about these new events, but it seems that some of them might bring a little more traditional Japanese culture to The Happiest Place in Japan. Here is the list of the new planned events for Tokyo Disney parks in 2015:



Mermaid Lagoon Theater (4/24/15)
I've announced it to you last week, “King Triton’s Concert,” the new production at Mermaid Lagoon Theater will be themed to Disney’s The Little Mermaid. In the new show, “King Triton’s Concert,” King Triton hosts a musical concert with Ariel, Flounder, Sebastian and other familiar characters from the Disney film creating a mesmerizing world under the sea with music, songs and dynamic performance, just as in the movie. Ariel will “swim” above the audience to the beautiful music and will even “swim” down and approach guests in this lively and sensational musical show. For this show, Mermaid Lagoon Theater will be renovated with upgraded stage and lighting technology, as well as new display screens to be installed around the audience seating area.

Disney Easter (4/2 – 6/23/15)
Although Easter is more an occidental tradition than a japanese one it looks like TDR is aiming to popularize it at TDL with a new Disney Easter event that spans a way longer time than the Easter season in France or in the U.S. It all makes sense when you remember that the Japanese will take any excuse to dress up like cute critters (bunnies, in this case).

Disney Natsu Matsuri (“Summer Festival”)(7/9 – 8/31/15)
This Natsu Matsuri is probably the one which will have a distinctly Japanese spin on it. Summer is the season of festivals in Japan, so it will be interesting to see what TDL have scheduled for us here.

Disney Summer Festival (7/9 – 8/31/15)
This other one will be at Tokyo Disney Sea and will probably be more in line with the Western-flavored events and festivals usually on display at the resorts. Apparently there will be a lot of fruity new food and drink items, Latin-inspired song and dance, and a lot of chances to get wet.

Disney Tanabata Days (6/24 – 7/7/15)
Based on Japan’s Tanabata holiday which takes place on July 7, Tanabata Days will fittingly give guests a chance to fill out “wish cards” and hopefully see their wishes come true. Mickey and Minnie will also put on a daily show re-enacting the tale of literally star-crossed lovers Orihime and Hikoboshi – two deities separated by the Milky Way who are allowed to meet only once a year on, you guessed it, July 7.

Stitch Encounter (Summer ’15)
The only real new attraction for 2015, Stitch Encounter will be most probably the same interactive attraction, during which young guests will be able to talk and interact with Stitch.

Tokyo Disney Electrical Parade (From 9/7/15)
A new nightly parade with floats and Disney’s characters iand all the question is to know if TDL will have the same "Disney Paint the Night" parade that currently started at HKDL.

Disney Halloween (9/8 – 11/1/15)
You can't expect the same scares as in Universal Studios Japan’s annual Horror Nights, but we can count on TDR and its high production values to provide a great Halloween season.

Christmas Fantasy/Christmas Wish (11/9 – 12/25/15) + New Year’s (1/1 – 1/5/16)
Culminating on Christmas Day, this season is already anticipated to be the most romantic time to visit the park, since Christmas is a holiday for couples to spend together in Japan.
Following the Christmas events, an “Oshogatsu” (Japanese New Year) event will take place, with Japan-inspired decorations and costumes for major characters.

Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Fantasy (1/12 – 3/18/16)
Like all Disney parks in the world TDR is capitalizing on the success of Frozen in Japan and this will be a park-wide event with original decorations, show schedules and more – all themed on the world of Frozen.

Welcome, Little Princess (1/12 – 3/18/26)
Supposedly this attraction/event combo will let little girls realize their dreams of becoming a Disney princess. It’s too early to say if it will carry a separate cost to park entrance, or require reservations, but chances are that it'll be the case.

So, lots of seasonal events at Tokyo Disney Resorts for 2015, a bit like they do at DLP when no new ride is planned, and if except Stitch Encounter the most interesting thing will be indeed the King Triton Concert starting next April!

Disney Weddings Unveil Wedding Cake With Mapping Projection Effects

Who said that the castle mapping technology had to be used only for Disney castles shows? Disney Fairytale Weddings unveiled a magical way to have wedding cakes come to life with Tinkerbell and Cinderella special effects which is really cool, as you'll see in the videos below. 

And here is the downside to this fairytale cake: It's currently available only as part of Disney's "Wishes Collection" wedding package, which starts at ..... $12,000! 

Disneyland Paris Update : DLP Halloween Season Starts Today! Full Report - Part One

Disneyland Paris Halloween Season starts today Oct 1st and will end Nov 2. Thanks to Max, D&M contributor and DLPWelcome webmaster i have for you plenty of pictures of the Halloween decorations, so let's have a look at all this right now!

In two words, the sympathetic ghosts are back in Main Street U.S.A - some in new locations -  Frontierland has its pumpkin men back as usual, and the back of Sleeping Beauty Castle gets a new decor of huge brambles where Maleficent and others villains characters will stand for a meet and greet.

In the back of Sleeping Beauty Castle, the brambles decor was still in construction a few days ago when Max shot the pictures, but you can see on this rendering how it will look with the characters once finished.

Let's move to Frontierland where pumpkin men awaits the guests!

And that's all for today's DLP update! I'll be back later this week for another one and in the meantime I remind you to those of you who wants to order my Disneyland Paris "From Sketch to Reality" book and would like to have a signed copy dedicated specially for them can now have one. The September offer is extended all October and i'll sign personally each copy that will be ordered, whether it will be a french or english edition!

And to make things even better anyone who will order the book during October will have a signed copy at the price of a non-signed copy, i.e 75€ instead of 100€ ( and additional worldwide shipping remain the same at 15€  ). Only a very few copies have been signed since this book was published 12 years ago, so for sure it'll make your copy even more "collector's".

Paypal and credit card payments are accepted, so make sure to place your order now!  
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.

Pictures: copyright Max Fan , DLPWelcome.

Editor's Note: LOTS of interesting news about DL and DCA in today’s Mice Age Update that you don't want to miss! New Soarin' technology, DL 60th parade , Frozen at DCA Animation building AND a new ride for Luigi Flying Tires!  Go ahead, jump to Mice Age HERE.

Rumor: Will Avengers 3 Be a Two Part Movie?

How to make even more money with the next Avengers movie? By cutting it in half! A strong rumor about Avengers 3 comes from Daily Marvelite, saying that Avengers 3 will be a two part movie just like, for instance, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows or others like the last Twilight. All the movies who did it have doubled their money by splitting the movie in two, and as we've heard in the past from different sources that a showdown with Thanos is not going to happen until a fourth Avengers film there might be some truth in this rumor...

And, considering that the first Avengers did more than $1.5 Billion in 2012 and that Avengers 3 surely will be a highly awaited movie, will Disney resist to make the double bingo? Although this two part Avengers 3 is still only a rumor - so take it with a pinch of salt - I wouldn't bet on that...

By the way, it still need to be confirmed but it seems that the first trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron may be attached to Christopher Nolan's Interstellar, to be released next month!

Picture: copyright Marvel

News About DLP Frontierland Mark Twain and Geysers Condition - Plus : The Missing Scenes That Frontierland Imagineers Had Envisioned For The Rivers of the Far West

If you've read my DLP update last week about DLP Frontierland Rivers of the Far West you're aware of the bad condition in which are the Mark Twain riverboat and the geysers. Due to the many outraged reactions to the article i thought i had to find more about what DLP intend to do to resolve these serious problems. And the infos that i had from an insider source who got them "from the horse's mouth" is that the park is currently doing "feasible studies on the renovation of both the Mark Twain and the geysers". Which still doesn't mean that they will renovate them for sure, but at least we know that they're thinking about doing them and all we can hope now is that the cost of these renovations won't be too high for DLP. In the meantime, the Molly Brown will have finished its three weeks renovation later this week and the Mark Twain will go back in the dry dock, as in fact when the riverboat is inside the hangar the Mark Twain is not "in" the water. 

Unfortunately I also have new pictures shot by Max - D&M contributor and DLPWelcome webmaster - yesterday and they're showing that, since i shot the pictures that you've seen last week on Sept 10 - just two and a half weeks ago - the Mark twain condition is getting worse. At Frontierland the children playground "Pocahontas Indian Village" was closed Sunday for refurbishment so Max could't access to the river bank to be shoot pictures as close as possible to the Mark Twain. But he succeeded to get a shot through the vegetation and sadly, the riverboat condition has deteriorated even more since two weeks. Part of the wood siding literally fell down, revealing the metal structure beneath. If you have a closer look to this new picture you can see that not only a part of the decorative wooden frieze is retained by the external electrical installation, but in addition another part of the woodwork is missing (see the red zone) and most probably fell down in the Rivers of America. I can't believe a Disney park let such magnificent ship literally crumbling before our eyes...

To help you to see the difference, first two pictures shot by me two weeks ago, note the red zone:

A zoom on the red zone ( picture from two weeks ago ):

And now, pictures shot yesterday Sunday by Max, of the similar zone:

Max also sent me these others pictures below shot three years ago, in November 2011. They're interesting as they show how three years ago both the Mark Twain ( picture on top or below ), the geysers and the stone arch, although not in perfect condition, were still looking better that they look today. But these photos clearly show that once the Mark Twain and geysers started to deteriorate the damage done by lack of maintenance increased the decay in just 3 years. And it certainly will continue to get worse, specially on the geysers and the Mark Twain, if nothing is done anytime soon.

Always about Rivers of the Far West, i've got something even more interesting for you, and it's about what were the original plans for the missing scenes that were supposed to be included in Rivers of the Far West after park opening. One of the scene was located on Wilderness Island and it was a trapper cabin ( house ) which would look exactly like the one in which was living the character played by Henry Fonda in How the West Was Won. It has been tough to find pictures of that scene but you have below two pictures showing the scene with Henry Fonda trapper cabin. The pics are not HD but they will give you a pretty good idea of how it will look if DLP finally decide to add it. No Audio-Animatronic figure would be included in the house but the shadow of the trapper as well as smoke coming out of the chimney could be seen, and of course trapper props all around the little house.

Always on Wilderness Island Frontierland Imagineers had envisioned to put some beavers, including a beaver "lodge"or dam.

Another scene including animals was envisioned, this time on the other side of the river, in front of Wilderness Island, not far from where guests can see these three mooses...

...and it would have been 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. I did a quick photo-montage for you to show how it will look, and placed them exactly where Frontierland Imagineers would have staged the bisons to be seen by both guests riding DLP railroad trains as well as passengers on the river's boats. 

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. Definitely click on the pics below to see them in big size.

Back in 1992 one of the reasons why Frontierland Imagineers thought about including a bisons herd scene was because they knew that bisons molds already existed at WDI, as a scene in Epcot "Living with the land" ride - the one below - included bisons. Interestingly, the Imagineer who was show producer on The Land pavilion at Epcot is the same one who was DLP Frontierland show-producer, i.e Jeff Burke.

The reason why these scenes were not included in Rivers of the Far West at DLP opening day was because of the cost of the Grand Canyon Diorama. The Imagineers had to save some money on the budget because the Grand Canyon Diorama show elements cost reached around $1.5 Million in 1992. And if the cost was so high it was mainly because of the french taxes which apply on the importation of stuffed animals - as all animals that you can see in the Grand Canyon Diorama are real. No animals were killed as Frontierland Imagineers found them in Arizona where someone had them since years and kindly accepted to sell them to the Imagineers. By the way, the backdrop diorama paintings were done in a 20th Century Fox studio, the same one where was painted the one for Disneyland Grand Canyon Diorama, when Walt was still alive.

What's interesting is what the cost of these missing scenes ( trapper cabin , bisons herd, beavers ) would have been, back in 1992, and it was around $400.000. Now, it probably would be around $600.000 ( 450.000 Euros ) which in fact wouldn't be that much considering the great additional show elements it would add to DLP Rivers of the Far-West. And it's probably an amount that could be affordable for Disneyland Paris, so i hope that someone at DLP Imagineering or even DLP new CEO Tom Wolber will read this article as i bet you they're not aware about these missing scenes. 

If, as it seems to be the case, DLP intend to bring back the park to its original splendor for DLP 25th Anniversary in 2017, and eventually plan to update some classic rides, these additions to the Rivers of the Far West for a rather small cost would be a great idea and indeed very welcome by all Disneyland Paris guests and fans.

Pictures: copyright Max Fan, DR