Walt Disney Studios Tower of Terror new official pictures

I had the pleasure to receive today a huge and great brochure that DLP marketing dept sent to journalists. This one is going to be a real collector. Not only the size of it - a "A3" format is really big, but the layouts are very well done. I will put picture of all of it on line tomorrow, so come back on the site to se them.
But include was a press photo cd with new pictures and today, i have made a selection for you of the most interesting one, including some of the inside of the TOT, but shot on an angle that only official DLP photographs are allowed to shoot.

Above is a beautiful night photo of the tower. And below a new shot with some of the bell boys.



Let's have a look at the making-of pictures. First a photo of the model.



Also released some rare shots of the building construction...




As we know the theming of the inside of the hotel is gorgeous, and full of real antiques bought by imagineers in antiques shop or Paris flea markets. Here is some unique photos when they were looking for them...




This head will ends in the window of the Hollywood Boulevard department store, not inside the Tower of terror



On these photos, some imagineers put the final touch on part of the decor




And here is the final result!







Here is a great picture of the library of the hotel.



And some new one of the boiler room.





Now, guess who is missing? Cmon' Mickey and Minnie, let's go for the big drop!




Don't forget to come back tomorrow to discover the collector's brochure!

All photos : copyright Disney

Indiana Jones 4 : Tour Indy's home - Video

There is no big news in Disney theme parks, as it is often the case during the months of january. But there is more and more news coming about the next Indiana Jones movie release on may 22. So, as Disney theme parks fans are usually ALSO Indy's fans, this is why i post regularly new topics about the awaited " Kingdom of the crystal skull ".

The official website for director Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has revealed a new featurette in which production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas (Superman Returns, X2: X-Men United) gives you a tour of Indy's home in the movie.

And for those of you who like theming, the theming of the Indiana Jones home done by the movie decorators is a brilliant one!
WDI imagineers wouldn't have done it better! Have a look!

New Toy Story musical will debut in april

Disney announces a new Toy Story - The Musical for Disney cruise line. The multi-million dollars production based on the first Toy Story movie and Randy Newman music will play at the Disney cruise line theatres and will be 50 minutes long. The show will debut in april on the Disney Wonder ship.

Here are some renderings , and you can watch a video of the rehearsals on the Orlando Sentinel web site by clicking HERE

New picture from " Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull " plus Indy wallpapers

A new photo from "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" was released, and the least we can say is that the decorators were not cheap on the spider webs!

The photo features Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf and Ray Winstone, and we can feel more and more an "Indiana Jones Adventure" feeling. The picture is in high-res, so click on it to see it in big size and enjoy each details ! The movie is hitting theaters on May 22.

And for those of you who are Indiana Jones fans -but who is not?- here is a selection of high-res wallpapers pictures.

Photos : copyright Lucasfilm ltd

“SNOW WHITE – AN ENCHANTING NEW MUSICAL” High-res Photo tribute

Here is an "eye-candy" pictorial article for those of you who have missed or never been able to see the “Snow White - An Enchanting New Musical” show at Fantasyland theater, with a special high-res photo tribute.

The show began in 2004 at the Disneyland's Fantasyland theatre, and ended some years later.

Great decor and costumes, and award-winning actor Patrick Stewart - best known for his roles on “Star Trek” TV series - was the voice of the Magic Mirror.

The high-res pictures are beautiful, so enjoy them!

















Here is the video of a Disney commercial released at that time to promote the musical. You can also see videos of the show on Youtube HERE.



All photos and video : copyright Disney

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull special : photos of the movie set , Annie Leibowitz Vanity Fair's pictures and John Hurt interview

Lot of news today about the most awaited movie of the year 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'.
Let's begin first by some insider pictures of the secret decor inside the Universal Studios set revealed by the excellent Harrisonfordweb.com site, and if all these ruins and vines remember you some decor elements of the Indiana Jones Adventure attraction, it's normal.
As i've said in my previous article about the movie, i won't be surprised at all if the movie set have some reminiscent of the attraction decor.







Here is a little description:
The set was large, tall and the main level lead to lower sublevels by series of small flights of steps. The main level was a bit uneven, had two peaks that indicated man made structures, sported a big dead looking tree, the ground was strewn with dead leaves and rocks, some with crystalline structures. The set was otherwise extensively dressed with mosses, branches, vines, grasses, spider webs. relics and ….skulls. A wall was decorated with carved skulls and there were stones with carvings on them. The set clearly iluded somewhere outdoors and there were devices in the set roof that produced lightnings. Early models of the set were marked with signs in Spanish that read “Cemetery”



Part two of this Indiana Jones news special is about the new issue of vanity fair , which include great photos of the cast by Annie Leibowitz , the one with Ford Lucas and Spielberg is above, and below are the pictures of Shia La Beouf with Karen Allen, and, much more interesting , the first picture of Cate Blanchett, playing a russian villain in the movie.




Here is below the video of the photosession




Part 3 of this Indy 4 special is a John Hurt Premiere interview on 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'
where the veteran actor doesn't exactly confirm, but also doesn't deny playing Indy's mentor Abner Ravenwood.

How did you get involved in the new Indiana Jones movie?

I was invited to do it. I'd never met Steven Spielberg before, and he called me out of the blue. I almost felt like saying, "Oh yeah, Steven Spielberg… uh-huh." Anyway, we had a chat and he said, "Do you want to come make a film for me?" I said, "Well, that sounds very inviting." "In Peru…" I said, "In Peru! Yes, that sounds extremely inviting." We looked into it and there were various things about it — like the time I had to be on set — where I thought, "No, this isn't going to work out." But then I was advised by everybody that it'd be a good thing to do. And I did enjoy it. I mean, look, talk about standing the chance of succeeding on the level that it's intended to succeed…

Not many actors would have thought twice, as it sounds like you did, about accepting a role in an Indiana Jones adventure…

I want to be careful here, because I don't want to make it sound as if I'm anti- the film — I'm not at all. But if I was asked what I would choose to do, it would be lightweight for me, at least for that sort of time commitment. But having accepted it, I enjoyed working with Steven hugely, and we had a great cast. I just wish we'd had something of fabulous interest between each other to act!

Did they show you the entire script?

I said, "I can't do it without seeing a script." They wanted everybody to do it without seeing a script because Steven — you know, "God" — was doing it. And I said, "Well, I need to have a little bit of previous knowledge even if God is doing it." So they sent a courier over with the script from Los Angeles, gave it to me at three o'clock in the afternoon in London, collected it again at eight o'clock in the evening, and he returned the next day to Los Angeles. So that was an expensive read.

Of course, you're not allowed to reveal anything under pain of death…

Well, we signed something. I suppose if I said things that were explicit, they would beat down on me.

A recent report pegs you as Abner Ravenwood, the father of Karen Allen's Marion Ravenwood and Indy's mentor. The man Marion also tells Indy is dead in Raiders of the Lost Ark…

[A big grin spreads across Hurt's face] Hmmmm….

Okay, you won't divulge. What was it like working with Harrison Ford?

I've not a bad word to say about Harrison. He's a proper leading actor. He led the company. He knows the franchise backwards, but he's never cocky with it, he's hard-working, funny, self-deprecatory, utterly charming.

Were you amazed what he gets up to in the film when he's practically the same age as you?

He's younger than me. He's 65, I'm 67. [laughs] Junior… He always was two years younger than me. I told him that when he had his birthday. I said, "You're still younger than me, it doesn't matter how old you get." But he was fabulous, and he was fit, and he did all his fights. I mean, it was fantastic to watch.

How much action does your character see?

Well, I'm all in the second half. I'm one of what I called the Famous Five. You know, [from Enid Blyton's ripping adventure series] "The Famous Five came home tired but happy." [laughs] There was Harrison. There was the wonderful Shia LaBeouf, who also was very impressive. He's very perceptive, smart, again not at all cocky — none of those precocious, unfortunate traits. There was Cate [Blanchett] — ah, no, she wasn't in the Famous Five. It was Karen [Allen], me, Harrison, Shia, and Ray Winstone, who is one of the Famous Five but dodgy.

How was it working with God, a.k.a. Spielberg?

He has the extraordinary knack of being able to make you feel as though you've worked with him ten times before, as though you've known him all his life. That's a great quality for a director to possess. And his notes are very good — very simple, but very good. He doesn't hang about. When he's got it, he's got it.

Did you see George Lucas around much?

Occasionally. George is a bit socially crippled really. Not good with people. So I just left him alone.

Are they doing it the old-fashioned way as opposed to relying on CGI?

They shot as much as they possibly could, but they had some massive blue screens. There will be CGI, but it's based on a lot of the stuff that we shot, so it's not pure CGI. It's overlayed and so on. Steven does shoot as much as he possibly can and that's impressive. I mean we shot on five major Hollywood studios. We shot at Downey, Sony, Paramount, Warners, and Universal, either in their studios or the outside lots. We'd do two days here, then trot off and do a week there and then back to this one, while the other sets were being prepared. And the sets were fantastic, full of moving parts and things that all worked. You suddenly realized that you're almost a puppet. You come on and do your bit, and then you're off to the next one.

And how was Peru?

We never went to Peru in the end! They didn't dare, unfortunately. So we were on the lot the whole time, although we did go to Hawaii for a couple of weeks. But that's not Peru!

Vanity Fair Photos by Annie Leibowitz and video : copyright Vanity Fair

John Hurt interview : copyright Premiere magazine

Universal set pictures from the www.Harrisonfordweb.com site

Disneyland Dream Suite making-of video

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. After the making-of video, you will find the Disneyland press release, but first, here is the making-of video - including some historical footage with Walt - that will show you how WDI imagineers are creating this " Dream suite"




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.

Artwork, photo and video : copyright Disney