Journey into Awesomeness!

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

The much anticipated Dreamfinder 9″ Figment 3″ combo Vinylmation was released today at D-Street Orlando and California! This is a perfect use of the 9″, 3″ combo and the detailed depiction of these two Disney fan favorites in spot on.

Dreamfinder and Figment were the stars of the former Journey into Imagination ride at EPCOT. The ride opened in 1983 and the pair happily entertained audiences for 15 years. In 1998, the ride was refurbished and Dreamfinder was taken out and Figment’s role was reduced. Guests were very upset. One of the only places in Disney to get your Dreamfinder fix these days is in Mouse Gears. One of Dreamfinder’s flying machines now decorates the EPCOT Mouse Gears store.

And this detail in Dreamfinder’s right ear wonderfully depicts his blimp.
As another imagineer tribute to Dreamfinder, the name Dean Finder, appears on one of the lab doors in the current Journey ride queue. In 2002, Disney once again refurbed Journey and added more Figment for guests to enjoy. Now Vinylmation and Disney fans can enjoy this pair back together again with this Maria Clapsis designed Vinylmation limited to just 1,200 pieces. It retails for $74.95. And here are some of the first up close shots of the new 3″ Figment Vinylmation that accompanies Dreamfinder:
Also released today is the 9″ Retro Magic Kingdom for $44.95 at D-Street California and Orlando.

Let the Adventure begin!

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

This Friday, December 17th D-Street in California will release 2 of the 5 Disneyland exclusive Disneyland ’55 Attraction Poster 9″ Vinylmations ($44.95). Yesterday I told you about Tommowland, today we travel to Adventureland.

Walt Disney loved nature and adventure. This is evident in his award winning True-Life Adventure documentaries. Adventureland was meant to be based on these films and feature real life animals in the Jungle Cruise attraction. Since that was not feasible, Walt had his imagineers create the automatronic animals we all enjoy today. This Vinylmation features the attraction poster from the famous Jungle Cruise ride.

Interesting to note is the placement of the world “Adventureland”. In the original poster, “Adventureland” is under the depticted elephant and boat in the brown space at the bottom of the poster.
What was designer Alex Maher’s reasoning for this? To fill up the empty yellow space on the back? Or was it difficult to write the word across the Vinylmation feet? Also, how about the missing hippo? I would have liked to see the hippo on the finished Vinylmation. There appears to be room to wrap him from the right side to the front, or even on the back… there is some empty green space there as well. Those are 2 questions I will ask him if I get the chance… or if there is an artist signing out at D-Street in California, maybe you can ask for us? A nice Vinylmation gift may be in it for you!

“Disney Vacation Connection” Coming Soon

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

The Disney Parks will soon be introducing a new “free” method to get up-to-the-minute official information on your desktop about the Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club, and Adventures by Disney. Similar to Disney Link, the Disney Vacation Connection will be a desktop message center. Unlike Disney Link, Disney Vacation Connection will focus only on vacation planning tools and information. When operating, the message center will be able to:

  • keep you up-to-date on latest news and special offers
  • help you plan your next vacation
  • have polls and quizzes that will allow you to earn points for Disney downloads
  • give you “insider” information
  • allow you to download a vacation countdown clock
  • show a calendar of upcoming special events
  • provide you with wallpapers and special animation
  • allow you to check the weather at the various resorts

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While the program is not yet available for download, you can visit the official website and sign-up to be notified as soon as it does become available. Be sure to stay tuned to WDW News Today as we get more information on “Disney Vacation Connection”.

Toy Story — The Musical to Replace Aladdin at DCA in 2011

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

From D23:

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Great news, Toy Story fans (and really, who isn’t one?)! Toy Story — The Musical will take over Hyperion Theatre at Disney’s California Adventure park in early 2011.

The characters and playful plot from the Disney·Pixar film Toy Story will come to life before your eyes in this dazzling, musical stage spectacular where you’ll be treated to a unique “toys’ eye view” of life in Andy’s room. As reported on the Disney Parks Blog, the stage show will feature larger-than-life set design, new songs, vivid projected backgrounds and elaborate costumes.

The 50-minute musical preserves the humor and heart of the original film and explores the true meaning of friendship as Buzz Lightyear and Woody transform from jealous adversaries to best friends with an unbreakable bond.

To make way for this exciting addition to Disney’s California Adventure park, Aladdin — A Musical Spectacular will close August 15, 2010.

D Street Set to Open December 15th

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

Disney has announced the opening day for D Street a new store coming soon to Downtown Disney. Disney has released the following information about the store as well as upcoming events:

A place where urban art inspired product “intersects” with a Disney creative edge. This raw, unfinished industrial style space will showcase a mix of Disney inspired art created by local and underground artists. Also up for grabs is cutting edge apparel, pop culture novelties, vinyl figures, collectibles and more.

D Street will feature Disney vintage looks from Disney Couture, urban styles and artwork from Bloc 28, Surf and Skate inspired apparel, artwork and accessories, as well as Star Wars tees. Also available at this new hot spot are some of the latest offerings from jewelry designers such as Tarina Tarantino and Classic Hardware as well as fashions from labels like Mighty Fine and Harajuku Lovers. The location will also be home to the work of one of Southern California’s local Artists, Noah. Noah draws his inspiration from his love of Disney as well as his love of the forgotten era that we tend to cling to, which includes old movies, classic cars and rockabilly style Kustom Kulture.

This new urban-style location will also pave the way for everything Vinylmation. Considered one of the flagship stores for Vinylmation figures, D Street will showcase the latest releases from the various collections, including the Park Series, Urban Series, Holiday Series and more. Designed by the creative talents from our Disney Design Group, Disney Vinylmation takes on a whole new meaning in the world of collectibles. These 3″ and 9″ figures are often designed to represent icons, attractions and characters from Disney Parks & Resorts or have more of street feel with their urban-inspired looks.
So be sure to hit the “street” and see what’s in store for you!

Calendar of Events
December 16, 2009
 Goorin Hats Trunk Show
4PM – 7PM
December 17, 2009
 Ed Hardy Trunk Show
4PM – 7PM
December 18, 2009 
Junk Food Trunk Show
4PM – 7PM
December 19, 2009
 Create Your Own Vinyl Experience with Noah
10AM – 12Noon
&
Art Demonstration & Signing with Noah
2PM – 5PM

Annual Passholder Appreciation Days

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

This holiday season, Annual Passholders Can Enjoy Special Holiday Savings and Offers!

Now through January 3, 2010 all So Cal Select, Southern California and Deluxe Passport holders receive 10% off all purchases at select Disneyland Resort stores. For the same time period Premium Passholders receive a 20% discount (usually 10%).

And why is December 5 such a good day to start – or finish – your holiday shopping? Because that’s the day that APs enjoy early shopping opportunities at the World of Disney store. From 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., you’ll enjoy incredible discounts of up to 50% off select items, plus door busters and “Donald’s Deals.” The first 1,000 shoppers at the World of Disney store at the Disneyland Resort will receive a complimentary Vinylmation gift.

Disney fans are wild about Vinylmation, a collectible series of vinyl Mickey figures available at select Disney Theme Park locations. Each collectible series contains 3″ figures in 11 “revealed” designs and 1 “mystery chaser” design that are packaged in blind boxes. You won’t know which design you’ve got until you’ve open the box! Vinylmation figures are also available as limited edition 9″ figures. Join us during the World of Disney store Annual Passholder Event on December 5, 2009 and receive 20% off your purchase of any vinylmation figures (that’s in addition to your 10% Annual Passholder discount)! Offer valid while supplies last during the Annual Passholder Event.

In addition, December 5 -12, Annual Passholders can take advantage of shopping opportunities and savings at participating Downtown Disney District locations including World of Disney store, Studio Disney 365, Build-A-Bear Workshop, RIDEMAKERZ, Jamba Juice, Haagen-Dazs, Naples Ristorante e Pizzeria and more.

You can see the complete list by clicking HERE.

Information on Disney’s Handheld Device

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

From the Disney Parks Blog:

Did you know the Disneyland Resort has several services available for guests with visual and hearing disabilities? I am 40 percent deaf, and I didn’t know about Disney’s Handheld Device until last month.

I’ve never been able to hear all of the audio in attractions such as the Enchanted Tiki Room, and I’ve often wondered if I’m missing some of the rich storytelling that Walt Disney Imagineers carefully and creatively incorporate into all of the attractions at the Resort. Now, thanks to Disney’s Handheld Device, I won’t be missing those special details anymore.

Today, I thought I’d give you a quick rundown of this service in case you or someone you know can benefit from this really cool tool.

Disney’s Handheld Device is a palm-sized wireless device that was developed in 2002. The device features several services, including Assistive Listening, which provides amplified audio at 12 attractions, and Handheld Captioning, which displays text for 14 attractions.

A new service was just added yesterday. Audio Description, now available at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort, provides narrated audio for guests with visual disabilities by describing visual attraction elements, such as actions, settings and scene changes.

The audio below is from the Audio Description for the Haunted Mansion. We’ve layered in some clips from the attraction to show what the audio is describing.

Audio Description is being offered at 19 attractions at Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure parks: Enchanted Tiki Room, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Alice in Wonderland, ‘it’s a small world’, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Peter Pan’s Flight, Pinocchio’s Daring Journey, Snow White’s Scary Adventures, Storybook Land Canal Boats, Disneyland Railroad, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, “Honey, I Shrunk the Audience”, It’s Tough to be a Bug!, Turtle Talk with Crush, Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!, and Muppet*Vision 3D.

So, now that you know all about it, where do you get it? Guests with visual or hearing disabilities can obtain a handheld device at the Guest Relations offices, near the entrances to Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure parks. The devices are provided on a first-come, first-served basis, and there is a fully-refundable $100 daily deposit for use.