Disneyland Mark VII Monorail at last began to run - Videos

We all know the technical problems that happened to the new Mark VII Monorail, but the good news is that the long-awaited train began to run with passengers - only 15 guests per car - last thursday.

No video yet available of the inside, but here are two videos, the first one with the train running over the of the Tomorrowland lagoon, and the next one showing train entering the Disneyland Hotel station, with some shots showing a bit of the inside...





And, for the fun, this one - well done, by the way !



Interesting article, too, on the L.A Times HERE

Youtube video: copyright - and thanks too! - OBLines, ReadyTooGo and : STNautilus

Rendering: copyright Disney

Pre-order your "Ultimate Wall-E" robot on Disney Shopping now !

It is now possible to pre-order on Disneyshopping.com the awaited 18" high "Ultimate Wall-E" robot. However, the price on Disney Shopping is $250 instead than $189 as it was announced previously by the manufacturer.



Features include:

* With the original voice from the hit movie, WALL•E can chat with you. He can also dance, play music from your MP3 player (cable included), follow you around, or explore on his own. His programmable infrared remote control lets you create more than 1000 action sequence combinations!
* His eyes light up and blink with the expressions you loved in the film
* Designed with advanced technology, Ultimate WALL•E has audio, motion and obstacle sensors
* WALL•E will turn his head towards a sound and respond thanks to 4 audio sensors that give him 360-degree sound detection.
* 4 motion sensors, 3 in the front and 1 in the back, allow WALL•E to detect motion and trigger his curiosity
* Obstacle sensors enable WALL•E to detect obstacles in his path to avoid collisions
* WALL•E's arms move up and down, hands grip and rotate 360 degrees and his body tilts forward and backward plus he has real working treads
* Play modes include Follow-U mode, Explore mode, Dance mode, MP3 Music mode and Program mode plus he has an interactive Talk Back feature
* Innovative remote control allows WALL•E to be played with using Touch Pad control, dual joy sticks or any of the 16 function buttons for voice, lights, sound effects, music, expressions, special programs and more!

Include in the box:

* Ultimate WALL•E
* Infrared remote control
* MP3 Backpack and connection cable
* 7.2V rechargeable battery pack and charger
* Instruction guide

Size: 18'' H x 15 1/2'' W x 13'' D

Finally, i remember you that Disney Shopping takes only pre-order - the item is supposed to be ship not before mid-october!

WDW Magic kingdom 4th of July fireworks - Photos and Videos

It was the 4th of July yesterday, i.e the big national day in America. WDW Magic Kingdom had a new and stunning fireworks with patriotic images projected on the castle. Here below is a two-part youtube video filmed by alexanderhomes









And here is another video from the excellent insidethemagic.com, filmed differently where you see less the projections effects on the castle, but better the fireworks.
By the way, don't forget to click on the two photos above, they are in high-res!




Photos: copyright Disney

Youtube videos: many thanks to alexanderhomes and insidethemagic

France F 1 Grand Prix coming to Disneyland Paris ? Say goodbye to the third theme park !

Today in the french newspaper "Le Parisien", Euro Disney admits they are officially favorable to the move of the french Formule 1 grand prix from Magny-Cours to the Disneyland Paris Resor . On the condition of limiting the noise pollution and the atmospheric pollution.

EuroDisney wishes that the project will be more a "technopole" with a F 1 grand prix only once a year. This "high-tech city" would be dedicated to the development of the renewable energies. In two words, it is about research on the "green" vehicles of the future: hydrogen, biofuels, etc...

"For us, it is unthinkable that visitors of the park hear the noise of the racing cars when they walk in Main Street" said Dominique Coquet.

In fact EuroDisney requires that " the activities of the circuit during the year bring no emergence of noise with regards to the current level, and no supplementary atmospheric pollution. "These drastic conditions ask the question of the profitability of the future installation, the cost of which is estimated at 60 million euros". " This business plan is not within our competence " said EuroDisney , adding that " the ball is in the camp of the government and the French Federation of car-racing ( FFSSA) ".

Then there is the question of the land to build it. The direction/management of Euro Disney has already chosen: they will use the 130 hectares initially devolved to the third theme park ( initially a kind of EPCOT). The site is include in the 1987 agreement between Disney and the french government who is the owner of the land. An agreement which has to be renegociated soon.

For Arnaud de Belenet, president of the public establishment of the Val-d'Europe town " to give temporarily this land for the F 1 Grand Prix would allow Disney " to spare time " to realize its project of the third theme park, today frozen for a lack of money.

My opinion on all this is that the park don't need this. The french F 1 Grand Prix happen once a year, and even if the land may look far from the Magic Kingdom, believe me, you WILL hear the roaring F 1 cars in Main Street! Also, if they built it, say goodbye to a third theme park, for a looooong time. Not to mention that i would not like to be a guest at the Newport Bay, Sequoia Lodge or Santa Fe hotels during the F 1 race as the hotels are located just in front of where the circuit is supposed to be build...

Frankly, the park has a lot to loose with this project, but if they keep saying they are interested it may be more for the "technopole" part of the project than the grand prix itself. As always, we must "look for the money" to understand a decision, and this "technopole" will certainly bring some ( money ) to EuroDisney SCA.... Yes, but if the cost is the loss of a future third theme park, then Disneyland Paris fans may enter in rebellion...

Photo from AP Photo by Christian Lutz

Editor's note: Don't miss on Miceage today the fantastic photographic report of Andy Castro on the new Innoventions Dream Home at Disneyland. It's the best i've seen so far!

Hong Kong Disneyland expansion project and Shanghaï Disneyland rumors

The hong Kong Economic Times newspaper printed in their front page this Hong Kong Disneyland expansion map. It is supposed to be a 5 years expansion project covering an area of 5 hectares, mainly in the back of Adventureland and Fantasyland.

About the future new attractions themselves, my opinion is that we can count on the huge Pirates of Caribbean "land" - see rendering below - and rumours are talking about a Toon Town coming, too, in the back of Fantasyland. UPDATED 7/4: Finally it seems that the Pirates of Caribbean land project is "dead" and that the imagineers are going in a different direction...more news when i will have some!



The land for a third hotel is always available , as well as the 60 hectares for the phase two.

We all know that the park need more attractions, and there is no doubt they are going to build new one, the sooner being the better.

A chinese newspaper also reported that the deal for a new Shanghaï Disneyland was signed with Disney, for a park 8 times bigger than HKD. Both disney and the chinese denied that the deal was signed, which doesn't mean at all that it won't be done. My personnal feeling is that a Shangaï Disneyland will exist, but don't hope for an official announcement before the end of the olympic games...

More about this on the excellent Micechat at Miceage.com, from where is coming the map above.

Plectu's Fantastic Galactic Revue, the "Disney decade" project that never was

"Plectu's Fantastic Galactic Revue" was part of the new attraction/show announced in 1990's famous "Disney decade" project. Supposed to replace the Carousel of Progress at WDW, it was, unfortunately, never built. The renderings of this "Plectu's" project are extremely rare, but here is one showing how the exterior would have looked. Let's thanks Mark Taft from the excellent Insight and Sounds blog who had the good idea to take the picture of the artwork in 1990 at Disneyland.

In one of his famous "Why for?" articles published in 2004, Jim Hill described the building exterior theming as "Like someone had brought the Mothership from "Close Encounters of a Third Kind" in for a three-point landing in the heart of Tomorrowland", and when we look at the artwork, the least we can say is that Jim's description was right!

To know more how this "singing audio-animatronics aliens" and their "outer-space musical-variety revue" would have been - if WDI succeed to have the green light from Michael Eisner - which they never had, i suggest you to have a look at Jim's article HERE

Artwork: copyright Walt Disney Enterprises