Monday, January 11, 2010

A Sneak Peek to Disney's California Adventure Future



The Disney Parks Blog was obviously created by Disney to control the release of informations, but there is nothing wrong with that, it's their company, it's perfectly natural. Sometime it looks a bit corporate like last friday article about "New Chairman Tom Staggs Visits Walt Disney World" but generally they do a pretty good job. And sometime we can find interesting stuff like in the January 4th article called "What’s Coming Up at Disney’s California Adventure Park".

The article had a special video about DCA's future, and anyone who watched it in full screen mode and knew to click on "pause" at the right time could discover interesting shots. That's what we're going to explore today - please note that some pictures may not be perfectly sharp as the screen captures were not easy to do.

Let's begin with the future entrance of the park. We all know the entrance model of the new DCA but the shot you can see above - note the red car model in the back - is pretty good. More interesting, this rendering - always of DCA's future entrance - the building in the background is the Carthay Theater.



Great close shot too of the Red Car/Trolley artwork. Works for it began recently at California Adventure.



Next on the video, some interesting shots of the awaited Little Mermaid attraction. The rendering below shows the "Under the Sea" scene of the ride with Sebastien...



...just like this picture of an Imagineer at work on the model of the scene.



But it was in the Cars Land segment that we could see some very interesting artwork. Beginning by a rare night-view of the land (may be this artwork like some others below is on display at DCA's Sky Blue Cellar but personally it's the first time i see it).



We can see John Lasseter talking about the Radiator Springs Racer ride and how great it will be - and he is right, the ride will be GREAT, but behind him some WDI artwork was display, showing scenes of the outside part of the ride.



The camera had the good idea to do a zoom on some of the artwork. Although Disney reveal some scenes in this video, please note that it doesn't necessarily mean that all of them will be kept in the final version of the ride. However, i hope that this scene showing the two cars entering a cave with stalactites during the last part of the ride - the "race" part - will remain in the final version...



...just like this other scene - always referring to the "race" part of the ride - where the two racing cars seems to get "out of the road". Of course it's an illusion, they're not really leaving the tracks, but it's a VERY good idea, it's probably not very difficult to do and i hope they will keep it in the final version.



Only one shot referring to the dark ride part of Radiator Springs Racer was shown, and that's fine as i think the less we will know about that part, the better it will be if we want to keep a (very good) surprise. Anyway, the artwork shows a night scene with Lightning McQueen and Sally Carrera, and yes, these will be "automatronics", just like the one of Lightning McQueen you saw at D23 Expo last September.



Finally, we could see in the video three WDI Imagineers working on the Radiator Springs Racer model and a simple look at it makes you understand what a huge piece of rockwork it will be, probably the biggest one that WDI Imagineers have to build - since Expedition Everest...



You can see the full Disney Parks blog video right HERE.

Don't miss tomorrow or thursday my Disneyland Paris update about the future of the resort!


Thanks to leave a comment or discuss this article on D&M english forum on Mice Chat

All pictures: copyright Disney

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Disneyland Paris Update : A Frozen Magic Kingdom



How cold is it at Disneyland Paris Magic Kingdom right now, you ask? Well, as you'll see on the pictures below: that cold. Really really cold. So cold that i'm very happy that David from the excellent Ravenswood Manor web site sent me these great pictures so i don't have to go there to shoot them myself!

And David's pictures are beautiful: Above and below Big Thunder Mountain under snow and ice - even the Rivers of the Far-West are frozen!





Not so far from BTM, the Colonel Hathi Pizza Outpost in Adventureland is far from tropical temperatures...



...And in Fantazyland the entrance of It's a Small World Celebration is also covered by snow.



However, as cold as the temperatures are right now in Paris, it's also the best time to shoot amazing pictures of the park so don't hesitate to go at DLP!

As promise i will post later this week another DLP update about the future of the resort, but in the meantime don't forget to check the offer below about the great Disneyland Paris book if you don't own it yet!

Again, many thanks to David, make sure to check his fantastic web site about DLP Big Thunder mountain and Phantom Manor HERE


Thanks to leave a comment or discuss this article on D&M english forum on Mice Chat

All Pictures: copyright David "Ravenswood"

Looking for a great Disney book ? Then, the Disneyland Paris book is the perfect gift for any Disney fan !



If you're looking for a great gift to offer to anyone you love - including you! - my "Disneyland Paris, From Sketch to Reality" book with its 320 pages and 750 pictures - including 250 renderings from Walt Disney Imagineering - would be a GREAT gift for any Disney fan!

I still have copies of the book, and, as i am one of the two authors of the book, each copy will be sign specially for you or anyone you wish. Of course, don't forget to tell me the name to whom you wish i dedicate the book.

An important note before i go further: If you're not in a rush to get the book, choose the flat shipping option (also indicated below) which usually takes between 3 to 6 weeks delivery (depending if you're living in Europe or in the U.S) and is also much less expensive.

And now, here is a description of the book and everything you need to know to order one of the last signed copy of this beautiful book. Please note that NO re-printing of the book is scheduled, and these last available copies may be the REAL last one!


IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR THE ENGLISH EDITION OF THE BOOK WITH THE TEXT IN ENGLISH:

Price for one copy of the english updated edition is 87 Euros

About the shipping:

IF YOU'RE IN A HURRY TO GET THE BOOK: Air-mail shipping (3 weeks delivery) is 25 Euros.

IF YOU'RE NOT IN A HURRY TO GET THE BOOK: Flat shipping (5-6 weeks delivery) is 15 euros.

If you have a Paypal account you can proceed to the payment by paypal - paypal payment including your choice of shipping must be sent to the email adress: lawrence55@wanadoo.fr

Important: Note that the price is in Euros, not in U.S $, so you have to choose the "euro" currency when you do the paypal payment.

If you don't have a Paypal account, a bank wire transfert is possible, just let me know.

And, of course, thanks to confirm me your order and payment AND the shipping adress by email at the email adress: lawrence55@wanadoo.fr


PLEASE NOTE THAT FOR NOW I DON'T HAVE ANY MORE COPIES OF THE FRENCH EDITION, SORRY. IF YOU STILL WISH A FRENCH COPY? PLEASE LET ME KNOW? I'LL TRY TO FIND A COPY FOR YOU.

As i am the one who designed the book, i'm not really at the good place to send compliments about it, but if you are a reader who already own the book, please leave a comment at the end of the article to let other readers know what you think about it.
Previous comments can be read at the bottom of this page where the article below was previously posted.

So, here is a little description of the book, now - See below some pictures of the book pages - click on each of them to see the photo-montage pictures in big size.



The book is a gorgeous "coffee table book" with 320 pages and 750 pictures - of which 500 are park and attractions photos and 250 are Walt Disney Imagineering renderings!

The size is 9 x 12 inches, all pages are in color and it's hardbound with a glossy dust jacket. The text (by Disney historian Didier Ghez), was written after more than 75 interviews he conducted with all the Imagineers who created the park. He goes into just about everything you wanted to know about this unique place that many describe as the best "Magic Kingdom" ever created by WDI.

It took five years to create the book, but it was worth all the time we spent on it, and the book looks just as good as we had hoped for at the beginning - in fact Imagineer Bruce Gordon told us that it was "probably the best book ever done on a Disney theme park". Coming from Bruce who did with David Mumford the great "Disneyland, The Nickel Tour" book, it was more than a compliment.

The first chapter about Main Street has 52 pages and introduces the reader to the "legend" of Main Street, USA. You'll learn all about the Disneyland Paris Railroad, the unique "Discovery" and "Liberty" Arcades; find out about the architecture, the restaurants (like "Walt's," a tribute to Walt Disney, but also inspired by Club 33 in Anaheim) and the shops; with dozens of photos, renderings, models, and reproduced for the first time here, all the "cities of the future" posters located in "Discovery Arcade."



The second chapter on Frontierland discusses the park's western side with extensive sections about its major attractions, "Big Thunder Mountain" and "Phantom Manor." In fact the book has the longest sections ever put together in a book on all the major attractions. The Pirates of Caribbean section in the Adventureland chapter is 26 pages, Phantom Manor has 16 pages devoted to it, as does Space Mountain, it's a small world, etc. The photo material was so great that we kept adding more pages to the book, which was supposed to have only 240 pages when we started... we ended up with 320 upon completion!



The Frontierland chapter also covers the Mark Twain, the River Rogue Keelboats, Fort Comstock, all the restaurants, the shops and Cottonwood Creek Ranch.and featuring stunning photos of Disneyland Paris from the air by Yann Arthus Bertrand, author of The Earth from Above that make spectacular "double-pages," and allow the reader to discover the park from a whole different angle.



The Adventureland chapter is even more interesting, as many elements of the land exist only in Paris - such as the Bazaar and Aladdin to Africa and the ex-"Explorer's Club." Plus there's a long section about "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril," "Adventure Isle" and "The Swiss Robinson Treehouse" and, of course, "Pirates of Caribbean" the land's major attraction and featuring its amazing Audio-Animatronics! All in all there are 56 full pages about Adventureland, and as in the previous chapters, there are dozens of photos, lots of concept art, and many shots of Imagineers at work. There's even a great bonus here, with the Marc Davis artwork for "Pirates" also included.



56 full pages are also dedicated to Fantasyland. There's an extensive look at Sleeping Beauty Castle, sections on all the dark rides (Snow White, Peter Pan and Pinocchio), as well as a look at "Alice's Curious Labyrinth," the "Mad Hatter's Tea Cups," "Storybookland," and "Casey Jr." There are even 14 pages about "it's a small world" with stunning photos of nearly all the scenes in it. Here the reader can discover a new attraction that exists only at Disneyland Paris, with a great view from above of Alice's Labyrinth.

Discoveryland also gets 52 pages of special treatment, with sections on the Visionarium, the Nautilus, Star Tours, Space Mountain, and everything you wanted to know about the other attractions in this land – Autopia and Orbitron. In fact the Nautilus chapter takes you on a visit with photos of every room of this detailed walk-through and two double page photo spreads, one which makes you feel you're inside Captain Nemo's grand salon, and the other showing you a unique view of Discoveyland featuring the Nautilus and Space Mountain in a kind of "CinemaScope" view.



When the book was released in early 2002, the Walt Disney Studios didn't exist, so you won't see them in the book. But there's still one last chapter about the hotels of the park, and Disney Village too, with the great Buffalo Bill Wild West show that entertains hundreds each evening.

And because every day in a Magic Kingdom should end with a parade and fireworks, we have the Main Street Electrical Parade that close the book, with an Herb Ryman gorgeous painting!



Pictures: copyright Disney

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Hong Kong Disneyland on its way to celebrate the " Year of the Tiger "



Here is a Hong Kong Disneyland update where we'll have a look not only to what happened the last three weeks but also to the upcoming Chinese New Year event.

On January 3rd HKDL Christmas Season ended and so did the new "Lights of Winter" on Main Street where Christmas lights came alive with giant snowflakes carried by performers in alluring winter spirit costumes sparkled all the way to the Sleeping Beauty Castle.



On December 12, to celebrate a significant step in the expansion of Hong Kong Disneyland, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at Hong Kong Disneyland. John Tsang, Financial Secretary of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, and Jay Rasulo - who was still Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts - officiated the ceremony with representatives from the Government, The Walt Disney Company and the Hong Kong community in attendance.



With the announcement of Shanghaî Disneyland seen by some as a threat for HKDL future no need to say that they did a lot of publicity on this groundbreaking ceremony. They announced that the ceremony represented "a major milestone in the Resort’s expansion plan that will create not only new attractions but also 3,700 jobs during the construction phase and 600 new full-time jobs after expansion". Rasulo, in one of his last speech as chairman of WDPR said “Today marks the beginning of another exciting phase for Hong Kong Disneyland. The new themed areas will showcase the best in creativity, technology and story-telling. The planned attractions and rides will position our youngest Disney theme park for future growth and success.”

On his own, John Tsang said that a larger park with more attractions "will continue to draw the crowds and provide even more fun and excitement for visitors". Let's hope that everything will work as they wish, they have five more years before SDL opening to prove it.

Good news is that expansion work will begin immediately on the primary infrastructure and road work that will support the construction of the three themed areas. Two of the three themed areas, “Grizzly Gulch” and “Mystic Point” will be exclusive to HKDL for the first five years after their respective openings in 2012 and 2013. And the third, “Toy Story Land” opening in 2011 will also be exclusive but only within Asia as we know the same land open this year at the WDS.



But one of the most important event of the year in China will take place soon as the "Year of the Tiger" is expected to begin on Februray 14th. The Chinese New Year is an incredible event not only in China but all around Asia and it's hard for occidental people to imagine how important that date is. In fact, the Chinese new year marks the beginning of the "energetic year" with the very beginning of the "energy of the spring". In the Chinese tradition, the spring don't begin on March 20th but on the second new moon of the year. It's the time - and they are right - where what is called the "energy of the spring" - linked to the "wood" element begin, the end of the "winter energy", and the real date of the re-birth of a new year. This is not very known in Occident and this is why i give you this little explanation.

To come back to HKDL, the marketing office released the program of the event and here it is:

From February 5 to 28, Mickey, Minnie and other Disney Characters will put on their new festive costumes to wish Guests the best of luck in the New Year. The Park will delight Guests with the all-new Disney’s Jumping Jam and the popular Celebration in the Street on Main Street U.S.A. As they visit the different themed lands in the Park, Guests will discover the all-new Lucky Trail, and find festive Chinese New Year merchandize as well as all kinds of delicious cuisine.

Reach new heights with Disney’s Jumping Jam!
The all-new Disney’s Jumping Jam will take Guests to new heights every day as they enjoy this breathtaking, highly interactive drum and acrobat show at the castle hub (picture on the top). Mickey will lead drummers and acrobats in festive costume to drum and jump to high energy music on a spectacular 360 degree circular stage in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle. Mickey will also invite Guests to clap along with the performers, while Tigger will make an appearance at the end of the show to ‘jump-start’ the Year of the Tiger with everyone!

Bring home the best of luck for the New Year
The popular Lucky Trail will bring even more good luck with its brand new look this year. Eight Disney Characters figurines will be featured in gorgeous floral settings symbolizing Happiness, Wealth, Longevity, Romance, Success in Studies, Family Harmony, Achievement, and Prosperity. Before embarking on the journey along the lucky trail, Guests can pick up a Lucky Trail Sticker Card at the Sticker Card Collection Counter. Guests can collect special edition stickers for luck as they take pictures with the Disney Characters.

Greetings from Disney Characters in new Chinese New Year costumes

Throughout the Park, Disney Characters will be proudly wearing their brand new Chinese New Year costumes and wishing everyone a lucky Year of the Tiger! Mickey and Minnie will capture the spotlight with their stylish Chinese New Year outfits, specially designed by superstar Kelly Chen, thanks to her inspiring taste in fashion.



Celebration in the Street brings festive fun to everyone!
A high spirited start to the Chinese New Year will begin with the Celebration in the Street on Main Street U.S.A., where Mickey will lead Chinese Drummers in an energetic drum routine to welcome the New Year. This colorful procession also features a magnificent golden dragon along with an elaborate display of giant puppets, fantastic costumes, and more. Guests will get into the New Year spirit as Minnie presents a beautiful fan dance and Goofy dresses up as Disney’s God of Fortune!

Main Street U.S.A. will also be filled with other live entertainment throughout the day, with traditional and modern Chinese New Year-themed performers including Drummers and Lion Dancers spreading joy and happiness everywhere.

Hong Kong Disneyland will be decked out with traditional Chinese New Year decorations in festive colors to welcome the Year of the Tiger. When strolling around the Park, Guests may run into the Gods of Longevity, Happiness and Prosperity, or become the lucky recipients of Chocolate Laisee!



Exquisite Chinese New Year cuisine and merchandise for additional luck!
Hong Kong Disneyland will offer a complete Chinese New Year celebration experience with delicious specialty food items from traditional Chinese snacks to the most elaborate sit-down dinner, available throughout the Park and at the two Disney-themed hotels. Guests can bring home the best of luck with Chinese New Year merchandise including toys, clothing, sweets and accessories, and Year of the Tiger souvenirs. Guests should look out for limited edition merchandise including clothing and accessories especially designed by super star Kelly Chen! (end of the press release)

If you're planning to attend the Chinese New Year event at HKDL it's of course a very good idea as the happening and fireworks should be pretty spectacular. No doubt that the park will release new pictures of the New Year's event in February and i'll be pleased to post them as soon as available.

Thanks to leave a comment or discuss this article on D&M english forum on Mice Chat


All pictures: copyright Disney - Hong Kong Disneyland

Friday, January 8, 2010

Editor's Note: The reason why i repost this week-end the Michael Jackson Neverland Park article is not only because it was one of D&M most favorite post of last year but because i found new artwork about it! Beginning by the only known colour view of Neverland Island as it was envisioned and also a Greg Pro rendering for the London entrance. Have a look!

D&M Exclusive: The Michael Jackson's Peter Pan's Neverland Theme Park that never was ( Edited with new pictures )



Unless you live on another planet, you probably know that last week was another "Michael Jackson week". The "This Is it" documentary and CD album were released and a major Michael Jackson exhibition opened last Tuesday in London. I thought it would be the perfect time to introduce to you one of Michael's most secret - and really fantastic - projects: the Peter Pan's Neverland theme park that never was.

Let's first go back in time to 1997, when Michael Jackson and Prince Al-Waleed - Disneyland Paris' biggest private stock-holder - created a company called Kingdom Entertainment and purchased 50% of Landmark Entertainment, giving the company a huge infusion of cash. Prince Al-Waleed had 45% and Michael had 5% of the shares. I remind you that Landmark is the famous company directed by Gary Goddard which created the Spider-Man ride at IOA and the Jurassic Park and Terminator 3D attractions at Universal Studios.



Above: Michael Jackson and Prince Al Waleed during the press conference announcing the creation of Kingdom Entertainment Co. I've aded the video of this press conference at the end of the article.

So, what had to happen happened, Michael asked Landmark if they could design a theme park, a real one, not only for him but a park where anybody could go, just like Disneyland. And this theme park would have been named Peter Pan's Neverland! Here is a bird's eye view of the park - please double-click on the image below to see it in big size.



This first concept is amazing, isn't it? Fully inspired from Peter Pan's story, the park would have started with a grand London entrance, as you can see on the artwork below.



A replica of Kensington Gardens, where anyone can see the famous Peter Pan statue, as well as Big Ben and the House of Parliaments in the background, not to mention horse guards at the entrance, all of which would have set a stunning replica of the Victorian city.



Here is another artwork showing this entrance by Greg Pro.



From that point guests were supposed to go to Neverland Island, and Landmark designers had designed two different way to go there, both of which were attractions. The first one, which would definitely have been an E-Ticket attraction, was... to fly to Neverland! As you can see on the artwork below, the take-of was over London, with a fly over Big Ben and other famous London landmarks like the Tower Bridge (note that on the artwork Big Ben and the Tower Bridge are close together but two miles separate them in reality) and then, lead by Tinkerbell, they would fly all over Neverland, the Mermaid Lagoon and Skull Rock and finally land near the Lost Boys home and woods.



And how would Landmark have achieved this wonder, you ask? First, no, the ride was not designed like Soarin' over California - which, by the way, was not built at that time. Instead, guests would have sat on a platform which would have turned down on a 50 degrees angle, a bit less than on the "flying" coasters, and the movie would have been projected on a huge Omnimax dome located under the platform, giving to the guests the illusion of flying over London and Neverland! What a great ride it would have been!

The other way to reach Neverland would have been by boat. During this short boat ride the boat would have go through mysterious caves before arriving to Neverland Island with its lush vegetation and waterfalls.

Once at Neverland, guests would have had the choice of six different areas:

"Lost Boys area" would have been a fun play area for young kids with slides, jumping fountains, a tree house but also a great roller-coaster with tracks going all over the land.



In "Mermaid Lagoon" guests would have had the choice between a boat ride going through Neverland Island caves or to enjoy a meal at a beautiful restaurant located underground with a huge window looking towards the lagoon where a Mermaid show was envisioned. Close to Mermaid Lagoon, the "Indian Village" would have been another area of Neverland where a raft ride was envisioned.



On the other side of the huge Neverland rock, guests would have find "Pixie Kingdom", a great area for young children with giant mushrooms playground and re-themed carnival rides.



Another major area - not so far from Pixie Kingdom - would have been the Pirates village with Skull Rock nearby as well as Captain Hook's ship.



It's there where guests could have watch a great live action show, including a flying Peter Pan fighting his eternal ennemy, Captain Hook. And of course the Crocodile was part of the show.



You may also have noticed that in this first concept three hotels were envisioned: a London hotel, a "Pirate's Cove" hotel and a "Lost Boys Tree top" Hotel. As we will see now, the project had significant changes in its final version.

This next document below is another map of the Peter Pan's Neverland park, actually it's the conceptual master plan. Drawn May 24, 1999 at a scale of 1" = 60' it shows a more advanced project with new attractions and also backstage facilities. Let's have a look again at the whole park to see the differences with the first concept.



First, the three hotels are gone, instead we have one big hotel facing the lake of the London Town area. Located near the entrance, a bit like the Disneyland Paris Hotel it would have allowed the hotel guests to have a unique view on the Neverland park.

In the London Town area, always located at the entrance, Big Ben is still there, but a replica of London's famous Tower Bridge was added. Also, a bigger Kensington Gardens at the entrance and a music hall dinner show in one of the main building on the right.
Inside the House of Parliament replica, a new show: "Salute to J.M Barrie", the creator of Peter Pan. Right on the other side of the Tower Bridge an indoor coaster as well as a 3D simulator theater were also envisioned.



In Pirate's Cove a Pirates Dinner show, another indoor roller coaster and a Pirates stunt show in front of Skull Rock were added. Also envisioned, a lagoon show, probably in the evening.



In Pixie Kingdom, the main difference with the first concept is a big building for a Pixie World dark ride. On the top of the picture below, what seems to be a inverted roller coaster would have had its entrance in a new land "Future Zone".



Lost Boys area always have its roller coaster running all over the land and even inside Neverland mountain, and as you can see below, Future Zone was located at the top with not only the inverted roller coaster but also a smaller coaster and a simulator ride.



In Mermaid's Lagoon, an underwater simulator was added to the first concept and a new area - Kid's Creek - was designed for young children with playground and water fun including small boats.



Peter Pan's Neverland was not designed to be as big as Disneyland, but it certainly would have been a great theme park where all the "Peter Pans" living on this planet would have rush!

So what happened? Why this Peter Pan's Neverland theme park was never built? Well, some years later, Michael Jackson and Prince Al-Waleed ended their association, and considering the cost of a concept like this one, it was very unfortunately the end of the Peter Pan's Neverland project. Although Michael lived in his Neverland Ranch, he never got to walk in this "real" Neverland. However, years later, Landmark designed for Michael a great statue showing Michael as Peter Pan!

Does this mean that we will never see this great park concept become real one day? Who knows, with all the different Michael Jackson celebrations that will happen in years to come - not to mention that Neverland Ranch could become for Michael Jackson's fans what Graceland is to Presley's fans - maybe somebody who has enough money will find, just like we do, that it would be great to build this Peter Pan's Neverland for real? And, hey, there is plenty of land available inside Neverland Ranch. Who could imagine a better place to build Michael's dearest dream?


Thanks to leave a comment or discuss this article on D&M english forum on Mice Chat


Artwork: copyright Landmark Entertainment Group, and Gary Goddard

Please do NOT post these artworks on other web sites or forums without asking permission, thanks.

Many thanks to Gary Goddard for the park's description and to Eric Wong for the pictures. Thanks to Nate Walz for the editing of this article.

Also, I've already let you know about it in a previous article, but i would like to remind you that most of the Landmark Entertainment old artwork is actually put on sale on two sites - but NOT the Neverland park artwork you saw in this article. The first site is the Landmark Selections site and the other one is on EBay.com where they have their own Landmark artwork store.


Edited Nov 7: Here is a rare video of the 1996 press conference where Michael Jackson and Prince Al Waleed announced the creation of their Kingdom Entertainment Co.

Editor's Note: Today, i have for you a Disneyland Paris update with all about the 2010 New Generation Festival!
 
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