Disney Pin Traders will be happy to know that WDW will host two pin trading events next year. The first event, Expedition:PINS, will take place at Animal Kingdom on May 3, 2008. The second event will be the annual event for Epcot from September 5-7, 2008. The theme for the event will be PTU: School of Trading. More info on these and other WDW pin trading event s will be covered on our pin trading page when it is complete. Stay tuned!!!
The Nine Dragons Restaurant in the China pavillion of World Showcase is closing for refurbishment and a complete overhaul from 1/6- 7/31/2008. The restaurant will be changed, including menu and building changes during that time, but it remains unclear if the name will remain. We will have more on this as it becomes available.
It seems the new changes in the look and scripting of The Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor at the Magic Kingdom is finally getting some attention. I first noticed the adapted script and the smoother runiing animation at the Pirate and Princess party on August 15th. The revised show is a vast improvement and now makes the interactive experience something worth seeing more than once, and it is actually quite funny!
Making the Haunts Even Happier
That old, creepy, uninhabited mansion — you know, the one where you sometimes hear mysterious sounds and see eerie apparitions? I think something’s going on up there. Ever since June, I seem to hear weird noises in the dead of night … noises suspiciously like hammering and sawing. But none of the 999 permanent residents seem to be leaving the joint. Is it possible that that place is going to get even SPOOKIER?
That’s right — in case you haven’t heard the news through the ghoulish grapevine, the Magic Kingdom Park’s venerable Haunted Mansion is getting a facelift. New details are being added to reward sharp-eyed spookhunters, and some high-tech magic is being put to use to create old-fashioned thrills. Kathy Rogers, Senior Show Producer for the attraction, told us what to expect if you dare to venture through the doors of this most beloved attraction, which is slated to reopen this month.
“For several months, our team has been “illusioneering,” making the invisible, visible,” explains Kathy. “For example, a previously unseen wing of the Mansion has been revealed for the first time. Observant Guests will see more of the 999 happy haunts cavorting on a seemingly endless staircase leading to secret realms. Watch closely and you’ll see evidence of these residents — their glowing footprints, candles going out — is it the wind or did someone blow them out? It’s for you to decide. Other haunts reveal themselves in the mansion’s infamous Corridor of Doors — don’t blink or you’ll miss the clues!”
The Haunted Mansion is one of the Disney Theme Park attractions that have inspired legions of passionate fans. The last thing anyone wanted to do was to change the experience in a way that would disappoint Guests, and Kathy and her team were acutely aware of the necessity to “strengthen the story, and not change it.” So in many cases they expanded on the lore that already existed — as in Kathy’s own favorite addition: “In the attic the long, sad tale of Constance on her wedding days finally comes to light. For almost 40 years, our Guests have come face to face with Constance the bride. Now it’s time for them to meet her and her grooms face to face — all five of them! They all loved Constance,” she laughs. “In fact, you could say they lost their heads over her.”
In addition to adding to the story, the Imagineers are taking advantage of some technological advances since the Mansion first saw the light of day. You won’t be overwhelmed with high-tech bells and whistles that disturb the eerie atmosphere, but, Kathy promises, “Imagineers constantly look for new ways to combine compelling stories with new technologies. As we’ve worked to enhance Haunted Mansion, we’ve added a few surprises that may make the ghosts seem a little closer than before.”
So whether it’s your first visit to the Mansion or your hundredth, when Guests are allowed to enter that elegant but eerie house again, keep your eyes peeled. You never know when you’ll stumble across the evidence of a haunt you haven’t encountered before! And remember — there’s always room for one more.
Virtual Magic Kingdom central insode the Main Street Cinema at the Magic Kingdom is about to be a thing of the past. Permits have been filed to remove certain pieces of the interior, but it remains unclear just what is leaving. One thing is for sure, the VMK will no longer have a home on Main Street U.S.A.. A rumored replacement is a store specializing in Disney Channel and Disney Movie merchandise. More on this as it becomes available.
Mickey’s Mystery Pin Machine makes its debut on Thursday, Sept. 6 at MouseGear located at Epcot®. More than a year in the making, this new pin machine will feature three, open edition pin collections – Puzzle, Pirate and Disney-Pixar. Each mini-collection will contain five pins each. Play is $5.00 per game which includes tax. Guests are encouraged to relax when playing the game as every player receives one randomly selected pin from the specially designed collections. There will be three tries per game with a maximum of one pin distributed per game. “Mickey’s Mystery Pin Machine is something we have never done before,” said Steven Miller, Project Manager for Disney Pin Trading. “We’ve learned that Guests enjoy having fun with pins and enjoy the thrill of a good mystery. This machine combines the best of both worlds ultimately giving Guests an excellent, valued priced Disney pin to collect or trade.” Additional machines will be introduced at the following locations in the coming weeks: Disney’s Pin Traders at Downtown Disney® Marketplace; Tomorrowland® Arcade in Magic Kingdom® Park; Sorcerer’s Hat Shop at the Disney-MGM Studios and Everything Pop! at Disney’s Pop Century Resort. Pins from Mickey’s Mystery Pin Machine may not be exchanged or returned. Mickey’s Mystery Pin Machine will require exact cash as no change will be given. Visa® and other credit cards will be accepted including the Disney Key To The World card.“I’m excited about this new and innovative concept for Disney Pin Trading,” said Julie Young, product developer for Mickey’s Mystery Pin Machines. “We partnered with many departments in The Walt Disney Company to introduce this new technology to the Disney Theme Park Merchandise division.” When asked about future mystery pins, Julie responded, “We always have a few surprises up our sleeves. You never know what may happen in the place where dreams come true.”
Some lucky guests were able to ride the Haunted Mansion last night, here are the now confirmed changes:
-The stretching room has recieved some big upgrades. The Gargoyles in the room now turn their heads, and when the lights go out, it appears that bats are flying around the room. Bursts of air are now blown at guests to really make you feel like bats are flying past your head.
-The portrait hall has indeed recieved the window with the wind, thunder, and lightning effects.
-The new floating crystal ball with Madame Leota has been implemented.
-The attic scene is now identical to the Disneyland version, featuring the murderous ghost bride with a bunch of flowers that turn into an axe as your doombuggy passes by.
– All of the other effects in the Mansion have been restored to their original glory, and the audio has been completely repaired
We will have more on the Haunted Mansion as we come closer to September 13th.
In a new article on Jim Hill Media, it has been reported that Disney has patented a new fastpass system. The new system would work with mobile devices and Disney distributed devices to do away with the use of paper and park passes in the system. Guests would electronically recieve their fastpass tickets and just have to flash the message on their device to the cast member in charge of the fastpass queue. The new system would require guests register for attractions the day before they go to the park the fastpass is to be used for. The system could also use your mobile device to tell you 5 minutes before your fastpass is good for use. The system would also give first preference to guests staying at Disney Resorts, and more importantly, deluxe resorts. In effect, depending on how expensive your hotel room, you would be paying for an added perk of priority fastpass. This would be a good way of Disney making sure that guests stay at more expensive resorts such as The Grand Floridian and The Contemporary. There is no date or timeframe for when this new system may begin.
Recent additions to WDW theme parks such as Stich’s Great Escape, Turtle Talk with Cruch, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, and The Grand Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros are stirring up controversy because they are all based on Disney characters and movies. In this week’s issue, Tom Corless takes a look at this recent imagineering trend and its impact on originality.  Â
Disney purists will tell you that the overall WDW product has declined over the last few years. The addition of motion picture and television program-inspired attractions has set off a lot of the online community. However, many forget the very reason Walt Disney created the parks – to promote the products of his company.
The ideas for Adventureland and Tomorrowland were based on the weekly television programs that Walt hosted. Fantasyland was a way of promoting Walt’s animated features. Even most of the attractions Walt himself created for Disneyland were based on shows and movies. Some of the classic attractions such as Peter Pan’s Flight, Snow White’s Scary Adventure, and even the long forgotten Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride are based on animated features. Still, the desire for attractions with no former presentation is great within the Disney fan base.
New additions such as Soarin’, Expedition Everest and Mission: Space have been the only original attractions opened at the resort since 1999. Within that same amount of time, seven attractions and three shows have opened featuring characters and stories from movies and television shows. While most of these attractions have been widely successful, fan response has still been horrible. While these feelings are supported by busts such as Stitch’s Great Escape and The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, there are still gatebusters such as Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and Finding Nemo The Musical that pack full houses and garner great responses every day. However, a strong argument can be made for the creation of original attractions. Original attractions such as Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion, Test Track, Space Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad have set the bar high over movie and television-based attractions. So which is better? The point can be made that both are equally entertaining, but from a business standpoint, what makes more money?
In the end, something based on a motion picture or a television program is going to sell much more merchandise and is going to do a better job of bringing in people who have never visited the parks before. Yet the success is reversible. The development of Pirates of the Caribbean into a blockbuster film series has shown that originality can draw just as well as media-based items. People who have never been on the ride were clamoring to see the films.
The focus, then, should not be on where the idea for an attraction comes from but rather the quality of the attraction. There have been bad original rides as well as bad movie-based rides. Success is not determined by notoriety rather by the guests enjoyment level.  If you believe originality is important, then I suggest you sit back for a while. For as long as there is Disney parks, there will be attractions based on the films and shows of the Walt Disney Company. Â
The new Fountainview Ice Cream location at Epcot has been doing so well that it’s hours of operation have been increased to 12:30pm-8:30pm. We may never see breakfast at the Fountainview again unless the sometimes cold winter months slow buisness down at the Ice Cream Parlor.
