Thursday, February 11, 2010

D&M Exclusive : Universal Studios Singapore Grand Pictorial Report - Panoramic Pictures



As it was announced yesterday Universal Studios Singapore is finally opening next Sunday, February 14th, for one week of sneak preview. Disney and more have a great pictorial report for you today with fantastic panoramic pictures which will give you the feeling to visit the park, just like if you were there. A kind of sneak preview before the "real" sneak preview!

Most of the pictures you will see today are new pictures. There is 34 new pictures, but to make sure you'll have a view of all different lands i've added some pictures posted previously. Two or three pictures were shoot while the park was still under construction just some weeks ago, specially the New York Streets pictures, and of course all building machines you'll see on the pictures are removed now and guests of the sneak preview will see a park totally finished, even if some rides are not yet operational.

Also, you will notice on some pictures lot of people just like if the park was already open, especially in the Mel's Drive-In restaurant shots. That's because some of the pics were shoot two weeks ago during the "family employee preview" day. For any theme parks there is always a "family day" before the park's opening where employees and people who helped to built the park can invite their Family members.

And one more thing: due to a mistake during the shooting the "date stamp" appeared on some pictures. And because it's panoramic pictures made of four or five different pictures put together there was four date stamps! No big drama but as these date stamps were really un-esthetic and as i really want to pay tribute to the fantastic work done by Universal creative people i did my best to hide them. In some cases i had no other choice than to put a colored rectangle on these damn' date stamps. It was a huge work but most of the time you won't notice them, and if you do just remember they're here to hide a date stamp, and of course that they don't exist in the real decor.

So, let's have a look at these great panoramic pictures showing all the different areas of the park. As usual click on each panoramic picture to see it in big size and explore the park in details.

The first picture at the top is of course the park's entrance with the Universal Studios famous revolving globe. Same for the picture below with the tickets booths.



This next picture show the grand entrance of the park.



Let's enter the Hollywood area. On the picture below the camera is looking towards the entrance you saw in the previous picture.



A panoramic view of Hollywood Blvd, the entrance of the park is on the right.



Inside one of the shops. Could not located where it is exactly, but might be in the Hollywood area.



Exiting the Hollywood Blvd, on the center of the picture. On the right the Madagascar land, where the big ship is, on the left looking towards New York Streets.



The Brown Derby shop where guests will find great headwear is located on the right when you exit Hollywood. The big building structure behind it is 1500 seats Pantages Hollywood Theater fully equipped to host major Broadway musicals. Guests will watch the Universal Monsters Revue with a rock and roll style.



On the picture below it's Universal Singapore Central Plaza, with the Mel's drive-In restaurant on the right. You can see Ancient Egypt and Sci-Fi City lands on the other side of the lagoon.



Another exterior view of the Mel's Drive-In.



These vintage cars are parked in front of the Mel's Drive-In restaurant.



The two next pictures were shoot inside the Mel's Drive-In during the "family day". Sorry, they're not perfectly sharp.





Located on the left when you exit Hollywood is the Madagascar land, with this huge tree.



Welcome to Madagascar! Here is a picture of the entrance of the land.



But if you turn on the right when you'll exit Hollywood you'll enter the New York Streets area.



This next panoramic show the other side of the New York Street. As usual with Universal the quality of the sets is stunning.



The next shot is also showing the New York area, looking towards the Hollywood area.



Always in New York, the facade of the Palace Theater.



The 1940's style decor of the KT's Grill restaurant where guests will find grill entrees and sea food!



Another restaurant of the New York streets is Loui's NY Pizza Parlor.



A last picture of the highly detailed sets of New York streets.



Another picture of a shop. Sorry, i couldn't locate in which land it is, may be New York?



Let's move to Sci-Fi City, the next land. It's here where guests will be able to ride the giant Battlestar Galactica Dueling Coaster. Here are three different pics of it, the first one also showing the entrance of the ride.







On the picture below Sci-Fi City looks a bit empty but no doubt that when there will be plenty of guests or with the night lighting it will look great.



On the right of this next panoramic, the "tea cup style" Accelerator ride.



On the panoramic below the Ancient Egypt land is across the lagoon on the left, Sci-Fi City with the Battlestar Galactica dueling coaster in the center and the New York area on the right.



Next stop: Ancient Egypt land, where Universal Creatives built a gorgeous decor!



Another area of the land with the giant Anubis statues and the Lost World land in the background.



Right at the border of Ancient Egypt and The Lost World.



A picture of a shop which, considering the items sold and the deco, is probably the Carter's Curiosities shop in Ancient Egypt.



Let's move to The Lost World, home of Jurassic Park raft ride. On this first picture, the entrance to Ancient Egypt is on the left and the Discovery Food Court in the background, inspired by Jurassic Park's Discovery Center.



Two other views of the same area with Jurassic Park entrance on the left.





Another panoramic showing the vegetation inside The Lost World and the Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure entrance on the right.



The entrance of Canopy Flyer on the left and the Dino Soarin ride on the right.



A Lost World area for young kids: the Raptor Nest.



Another picture of a shop, probably located in the Lost World area. Sorry, not perfectly sharp picture.



Our last stop will be Far Far Away land, home of Shrek and other characters from the animated movies. This panoramic below show the entrance of Far Far Away, shoot from the entrance of the Lost World land.



The next shot below is a picture of the "Far Far away" "Shrek" castle.



On the picture below the New York area is on the left (with a bit of the dueling coaster), the Hollywood area in the center and the Enchanted Airways coaster of Far Far Away land on the right.



And one more panoramic for the road, which is the least i can say as it shows the giant car park where you will have to find back your car at the end of the day! You better remember where you will park your car!



Hope you've enjoyed this pictorial report of Universal Studios Singapore. Once again everybody who built the park did a fantastic job and i'm confident it will be a success from day one.

Let's end with a special note: if you're a Disney and more reader who intend to go at USS sneak preview days, please let me know as i am looking for pictures of the park's opening. Any pictures of USS sneak preview are welcome and you can send them at: lawrence55@wanadoo.fr
Thanks!

See you next week for more news about this great park!


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

All pictures: copyright Disney and more

Toy Story 3 Final Trailer Released !



The Toy Story 3 Final Trailer has been released and it looks GREAT! you'll discover all the new toys/characters and more about the movie story line! Here it is below, enjoy it!






Picture and Trailer: copyright Disney-Pixar

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Universal Studios Singapore finally open for " sneak-preview " Sunday Feb 14th !



Edited: After your reading of this article, don't miss the new Grand exclusive report on Universal Singapore with 45 panoramic pictures showing you the whole park! It's HERE.

Universal Studios Singapore will finally open Sunday, Feb 14th, but only for a "sneak-preview"! In theme park world there was "Grand Openings" or "soft-openings", thanks to Universal there is now the "sneak preview" days! In addition to this the Resorts World Sentosa Casino is opening also on Sunday Feb 14th. Frankly, they've found a smart answer to the problem: how to open a theme park not totally operational during Asia biggest holiday when we need people in a casino which is ready for opening?

So, this sneak preview will be every night from Feb 14 to 21 and the park will open from 5pm to 9pm. Good news: admission will be $10 only and with a same-value dining voucher! I tell you more below about what happened this week, but first, the official press release.

Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore’s First Integrated Resort Casino opens 14 Feb 2010; Celebrates with Universal Studios Singapore Previews

Singapore, 11 Feb 2010 - Singapore’s first Integrated Resort (IR), Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), will begin the first day of the Tiger year with the soft-opening of its casino and a preview opportunity to stroll through the amazing environments at Universal Studios Singapore and enjoy the specially themed dining and shopping venues that will complement the incredible attractions, rides and shows that soon will be revealed.

The casino, the Resort’s much-anticipated attraction, will have its first play at an auspicious hour with a private ceremony and welcome its first public guest at 12.18 pm. A day of festivities at the Integrated Resort has been planned to mark the red-letter day, including the debut of its public attraction, Lake of Dreams, and evening previews at its Universal Studios theme park.

The casino opening is part of the initial phased opening of Singapore’s first IR that began on 20 Jan 2010 with the opening of its four hotels: Crockfords Tower; Hotel Michael; Festive Hotel; and Hard Rock Hotel Singapore. Its shopping and dining promenade, FestiveWalk, soft-opened on 30 Jan 2010.





Chairman of Resorts World Sentosa and the Genting Group, Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay said: “In less than three years since the time we broke ground and commenced construction for Resorts World Sentosa, we have taken our vision from drawing board to reality. This is a significant milestone in Singapore’s business history. We promised to deliver a true Integrated Resort, and we have not deviated from that.”

Chief Executive Officer of Resorts World Sentosa, Mr. Tan Hee Teck said: “We know a lot of Singaporeans are looking forward to the opening of both our major elements, the casino and Universal Studios Singapore. We are ready to soft-open the casino but are still fine-tuning the rides and shows in the theme park, which are still on schedule to open in the first quarter of 2010. However, since its Chinese New Year, we decided to offer Singaporeans a week long preview of Universal Studios Singapore with a special and unique first-to-see walk-through opportunity. The theme park’s unique restaurants and shopping venues will be open for guests, although rides and shows will not be operational. However, we are confident that the park’s design, vistas and photo opportunities will truly excite and impress guests and motivate them for return visits when fully operational.”

“We celebrate the New Year with the people of Singapore and are thrilled to provide a sneak peek of Universal Studios Singapore during this festive holiday period,” said Tom Williams, Chairman and CEO, Universal Parks & Resorts. “It’s an exciting time for all of us and a great opportunity to share a glimpse of the action, thrills and adventure that Universal will bring to the region.”

For sneak peek week, Universal Studios Singapore will open from 5pm to 9pm every night from 14 Feb to 21 Feb. Admission will be by $10 tickets, rebated by a same-value dining voucher. Sale of the tickets starts from 11:18am Friday, 12 Feb 2010. Guests can visit the box office at the Universal Studios Singapore front gate to purchase tickets for another day (there will be no same day ticket sales available).
Following the sneak peek week, Universal Studios Singapore will open on 22 Feb 2010 to Resorts World Sentosa, Genting, and Universal employees followed by limited audiences of staff families, charities and invited guests. It expects to welcome its first public guests in early March.

Casino Levy
Singapore citizens and Singapore Permanent Residents can start buying the casino levy at the similar time of 11.18 am on Friday, 12 Feb 2010. The levy can be bought from counters outside the Resorts World™ Sentosa casino and online at www.rwsentosa.com. Details of the tours, levy terms and conditions will be posted online from Friday. Enquiries can be made at enquiries@rwsentosa.com or 6577 8888/99.

(end of press release)

So, what happened during this crazy week at Universal Singapore? Well, until yesterday no opening date was announced, not even sneak preview days but Universal Singapore teams worked all days long to fix the technical problems they have on some attractions and to finish all the usuals security tests.

Everything was done to have the park ready to open this week-end - which is Chinese New Year week-end, the biggest holiday of the year in all Asia. I told you last time that some attractions were not fully operational but at least two attractions are definitely not ready for an opening this month. Universal Singapore informed their staff that the Lights, Camera, Action special effects show located in the New York area probably won't be operational before the end of March and the big Madagascar flume ride may not be ready before April. And all the week other USS teams worked on the Jurassic Park ride to make sure it will be fully operational next week-end. If they were small "A" Ticket rides it won't be a problem, but unfortunately the three of them are very good attractions, kind of "D+" or "E" Ticket rides so let's hope they will be operational as soon as possible.

Although USS teams are doing absolutely all their best to have all rides working and safe as soon as possible but even during the park sneak preview days some of the rides won't be operational, as they say in the press release. Nobody is to blame in all this as what happen at Universal Singapore happen for any theme park in the world, and specially theme parks with sophisticated rides. The more sophisticated a ride is, the more difficult it is to have everything working fine. And you know how reality is, so you'll understand that there is no reason that everything works fine at the first push on the button.

If someone must be blame, it would be the guy who choose Feb 14th as the date of 2010 Chinese New Year (there is no "guy" to blame as Chinese New Year happen at the second new moon of the year). If there was not this Chinese New Year next week-end everybody at USS would be probably more relax right now. But there is so much money spent during this holiday that i can understand that Universal Singapore considered a Feb 14th opening as a priority, even in sneak preview mode.

Universal top executives who arrived at the park this week to have a better idea of the situation finally did the right choice or at least the only choice acceptable for the guests security, i.e to have a "sneak preview" of the park with not all rides operational and they'll do a Grand Opening celebration later when all USS 18 attractions will be ready to welcome the guests.

And Don't miss the new great exclusive report on Universal Singapore with 45 panoramic pictures where you will see the whole park! It's HERE.

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


Pictures: copyright Universal Studios - Resorts World sentosa

Disney Shopping release new Mr Toad collectible



All fans of Mr Toad will be happy to learn that Disney Shopping released a new collectible item of Mr Toad. The only problem is that it's a snow globe... Damn' snow globes! Why don't they release these items at least in two versions - with or without the globe?



Anyway, Mr Toad collectibles are really rare and the item itself is not that bad (if we except the snow globe!). Below, the product infos:

Horseless carriage automatically rocks as you experience Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
A shower of sparks surrounds Toad and Cyril
Lighted LED fireplace in Toad Hall
Wind music key to hear London Bridge is Falling Down
Walt Disney's animated classic The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad was originally released October 5, 1949, leading off with a featurette version of Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows
Hand-painted, sculpted resin with glass and plastic
9'' H x 6'' W x 8'' D
Requires 2 AA batteries, included

It don't seem to be a limited edition but i doubt they will have it forever... I remind you that Mr Toad character can be find now only at Disneyland (Mr Toad's Wild Ride) and at Disneyland Paris (Toad Hall Restaurant).

While we talk about collectibles here is another great one, the awaited WDCC Limited-Edition "Maleficent: Evil Eruption" Sculpture by Ruben Precopio. This one is a 500 pieces limited edition, is 15" high and its price is $499. Hand-painted porcelain with glass, pewter and resin.



Expensive, but look great. See you tomorrow for a new update!


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

Pictures: copyright Disney

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Disney CEO Bob Iger calls Apple's iPad a "game changer" in digital media



Bob Iger said Tuesday the iPad was a "game changer" that could transform how media companies deliver content to consumers: "We find that the iPad has a lot of potential. We think it's a really compelling device. We think it could be a game changer in terms of enabling us to create essentially new forms of content."

"We've put in the marketplace a digi-books product through our Disney publishing group just recently. We were developing it primarily for the computer screen and we started developing it for iTunes, I should say for the iPhone/iTouch platform, and suddenly this device comes along and provides us with an even more robust technological platform that makes the interactivity that we were going to provide, things like read-alongs, simple animation, music, to just sort of come to life, and that's just one example."

"When you think about ABC, you think about a program like `Lost' and not just being able to watch the program, but all the other things that viewers like to do with that program. ABC News, another great example."

"ESPN ScoreCenter, which is a great app on the iPhone, and provides relatively rudimentary information, scores, basically, suddenly we have an opportunity with a platform where you can really make the scores come to life."

From canadianbusiness.com

Drum rolls begin at Hong Kong Disneyland for the Chinese New Year's Celebration



The awaited Chinese New Year won't be before next Sunday, February 14th, but at Hong Kong Disneyland the celebration already began four days ago! Here is the official press release with full details and great pictures!

"To welcome the arrival of Chinese New Year, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort is presenting the Year of the Tiger Celebration to media today Feb 4th. From February 5 to 28, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and their pals in their stylish new costumes are ready to greet visiting Guests from across the region. Hong Kong Disneyland Managing Director Andrew Kam, along with singer Kelly Chen joined Mickey to present the first showing of the all-new Disney’s Jumping Jam.



Managing Director Andrew Kam hopes to bring a truly relaxing family vacation to Hong Kong residents and tourists this Chinese New Year. “The Lunar New Year is one of the most important festivals for the Chinese community. Our entire Cast is dedicated to providing our Guests with unique festivities presented in Disney’s truly creative style. We also want to ensure everyone will enjoy their visit and bring home the very best holiday memories, no matter how old you are,” he said.



Guests can take a leisurely walk along Main Street U.S.A and be immersed in the festive spirit as they meet their favorite Disney Friends in new costumes; take photos along the lucky trail; check out the new merchandise in the stores or enjoy delicious traditional cuisine. There are multiple shows of the all-new Disney’s Jumping Jam and the popular Celebration in the Street ready for Guests to enjoy throughout the day. Flower lovers will be delighted with the all-new Lucky Trail.



In the all-new Disney’s Jumping Jam, a 360 degree stage has been placed in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle for the first time ever, allowing Guests to view the show from all angles. The various levels of the stage are filled with Chinese drums in different sizes, the drum which takes pride of place at the centre of the stage is 2.5 meters tall and 7 meters wide.



Mickey leads over 30 drummers, acrobats and cast members in their festive costumes to show off their talents in this one-of-a-kind performance, inviting everyone to join and clap along.



The Park’s Entertainment Team has invited a renowned percussion group based in Xian, China, to collaborate in this new show. Led by An Zhi Shun, an 80-year-old percussion master who has received great acclaim internationally and is known as the “Beethoven of Chinese Percussion” in mainland China, the group has arranged and will perform the percussion part of the Jumping Jam show together with other dynamic performances by acrobats, dancers and everyone’s favorite Disney characters. While Disney is well-known for its attention to details, the whole show is a feast for the eyes and ears with its unique combination of stage design, musical arrangement, art direction and costume design.



Lisa Tsang, Senior Producer at the Park feels that it is a fabulous opportunity for her team to work with An Zhi Shun’s percussion group. “We are thrilled about this collaboration as it has brought a new dimension to our production. Mr. An told me that he is delighted to see how the percussion group and all performance elements are weaved seamlessly into the show. As they usually perform on a theater stage, the experience to perform on a 360 degree audience facing stage while enjoying the interactive experience with Guests has become one of his most memorable productions.”



The popular Lucky Trail will bring even more good luck with its brand new look this year. Eight Disney Character figurines made with over 18 types of flowers symbolizing Happiness, Wealth, Longevity, Romance, Success in Studies, Harmony, Achievement, and Prosperity are featured in gorgeous settings. Before embarking on the journey along the lucky trail, Guests can pick up a Lucky Trail Sticker Card at the Sticker Card Collection Counter. After playing games at each stop on the Lucky Trail, Guests can return to the Sticker Card Collection Counter and redeem special edition stickers.







Mickey and Minnie will be capturing the spotlight this year with their stylish Year of the Tiger outfits, specially designed by superstar Kelly Chen thanks to her inspirational taste in fashion. The themes of their outfits are prosperity and luck, with gold as the main color. Mickey’s outfit is tastefully decorated with lucky traditional Chinese symbols such as plum blossom, orchid, chrysanthemum and bamboo with jade green patterns. With fine gold-colored plum detailing, Minnie’s lovely dress (qi pao) is embroidered with a large, red plum blossom. Disney Friends including Donald Duck, Daisy, Pluto, and Chip & Dale will also dress in the festive spirit with new costumes. And Goofy will appear as the God of Fortune on Main Street U.S.A. to take photos with Guests and wish them a happy Chinese New Year.



Mickey will be the ‘maestro’ leading the Celebration in the Street on Main Street U.S.A twice every day. This colorful procession includes Chinese Drummers in an energetic drum routine, and also features a magnificent golden dragon along with an elaborate display of giant puppets, fantastic costumes, and many 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 all around.
Guests can bring home the best of luck with 88 “Mickey Family in the Year of Tiger” merchandise items, and 18 exclusive items from the “Hong Kong Disneyland Exclusive KxM collection” designed by Kelly Chen including unique clothing and accessories for women. The Park will also offer a range of Valentine items to celebrate the season of love! The Park will transform into the Happiest Land of Fortune with decorations in colors that symbolize good luck. The Gods of Prosperity, Happiness and Longevity will be in the Park to wish everyone a good beginning to the Year of the Tiger. (end of press release)

One more thing (as Steve would say): May be you've noticed the young chinese singer Kelly Chen standing with Mickey and Andrew Kam on one of the pictures above. Apparently the park released a series of merchandise items (T-Shirts, bags) called K&M (Kelly and Mickey) and even did a photo shooting with Kelly Chen. Here is one of the publicity pictures...



...And yes, I agree, she's HOT!


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

All pictures: copyright Disney - Hong Kong Disneyland

The Princess and the Frog Review



I finally had a chance to see last night Princess and the Frog and here is my review. The movie was released in France last week only and unfortunately the press screenings happened when i was on holiday last month and i've missed all of them, so this is the reason why i couldn't write before this review.

So, i saw Princess and the Frog in perfect condition yesterday evening and i liked it a lot! I think it's a wonderful Disney animated movie and i strongly encourage each of you to go out as soon as you can and see it!

First, the animation is first class animation, just like in the old time of Disney animated movies, and Disney animators did a fantastic job, really. The characters are perfect - everything is perfectly done, in fact - and some of them are really funny like the crocodile or the rich daughter character. Backgrounds are sumptuous and Randy Newman's music is as great as you can expect from such a talented composer.

Though, it took Princess and the Frog more than six weeks to make $100 M at the U.S box-office and the movie is not as successful as the latest Pixar movies. So, where is the problem - if there is one? If we except the huge success of Avatar who took a lot of spectators, some may say that if Princess and the Frog was not extremely successful it's because it's a 2D animated movie. Let's think about this one minute : personally what i liked in Princess and the Frog was precisely that it has the class of Disney animated features in the grand Disney tradition (as John Lasseter would say). And it's true that when you see it you have the feeling it could have been done anytime between the 1950's to the 1990's as the animation style and the "Princess" storyline could have been one they choose to adapt in these old days. But that's a big part of the movie charm, precisely! It is this quaint charm which makes it enjoyable.

However i can see two reasons which could explain its so-so success at the box-office. First it's a "Princess" movie and although i don't doubt that young girls can still believe to these poor-girl-who-finally-meet-the charming-Prince stories i think that it's not anymore the same with parents. Let me be clear: even forty years ago adults didn't believe that this kind of fairy tale was true. But, in our 21st Century age, the cynism of the society reached such a point that it has almost destroyed any form of innocence in people's mind. Life is harder and harder - and it's going to get worse - and it's more and more difficult for adults to keep (even hidden) a childhood spirit.

I know that when we go to Disneyland it's precisely to find back this "childhood spirit", but we know that it's not the real life. Back in the 1950's - 70's when the future was bright it was different. Innocence was not yet replaced by cynism and even adults could be sensitive to these "Princess" stories. But not anymore. And that's probably one of the reason why "Princess" didn't had the success it deserves.

One other reason could be that in the times we're living people like what is "shiny". And i have to admit that CGI animated movies have a look more "shiny". It's absurd because it is the animation quality and the storyline which should be more important, but the look of CGI animated movies is more "charming" for the eye. And, by the way, we can see this love for shiny everywhere if it's not in any product. As you know i'm a big fan of Apple computers but i'm furious that all Mac computers have now - and only - a glossy screen. The reason why Apple is doing this is not only an economic reason but also because, precisely, glossy-shiny screens are as i've just said more charming for the eye.

All of this to say that the high quality of Princess and the Frog is not into question. It's probably more difficult now to have huge hits at the B.O with a 2D animated movie but that's not a reason to stop 2D animation. Right now the international box-office of the movie is $149 M but if we except Germany and Italy where the movie was released last December - and France since last week - the movie has yet to open in theatres of many major countries like the U.K or Japan. So, in the meantime, please go out to watch Princess and the Frog, it's a wonderful movie with great characters and, as i've said, top class animation. I'm sure you will love it!


/Film did recently a great behind the scenes Princess and the Frog documentary called "Frogumentary" and filmed at Walt Disney Animation Studios. It's now released in four parts on Youtube and i've embedded it below. Great document, don't miss it!


















Picture: copyright Disney

Video: copyright slashfilm.com


 
  翻译: