A new pre-show of sorts has been added to the Animation Academy in Disney’s California Adventure. It’s a preview look at the new Disney-PIXAR movie Wall-E, hosted by Andrew Stanton of PIXAR.
Also, Dopey has been added to the characters that you could draw in the Animation Academy, as a tie in to the Snow White 70th Anniversary event going on elsewhere in Disney Animation.
My good friend Jason Saldivar of the Disney Hub Blog has posted some information about new Autopia costumes over on MiceChat:
My lead at Autopia told us we could pick up our new costumes on Feb. 25 and have to wear them by the 27th. So be on the lookout for new Autopia costumes FEB 27.
The costumes incorporate the 3 new colors of Tomorrowland (blue, white, and orange). They are very futuristic looking, and don’t look like barf like the current Autopia ones. Best of all, the colors clash MAJORLY with the current (ugly) color scheme of Autopia, which has to mean the attraction will soon get a paint job (hopefully this year). We get new hats as well and they are styled exactly like Nemo’s.
Astro Orbitor will be getting these same costumes, and HISTA will also be getting new costumes along with Monorail (though it’ll be a while for them since their new train is stupid).
So again, come take pictures on the 27th!!
In addition to a Annual Passholder only preview for the PIXAR Play Parade, there will also be a few AP only previews for Playhouse Disney – Live on Stage on March 13th, 2008. There will be 3 showings, at 10:30am, 12:30pm, & 3:15pm. To get in, you just need to show a valid Annual Pass.
Another DCA attraction has been added to the refurbishment list. It’s Tough to be a Bug will be closed for minor refurbishments from May 12nd to May 23rd.
As always, you can check up on the latest Disneyland Resort refurbishments on our Attraction Refurbishments page!
Disney have released details on this year’s California Food & Wine Weekends. The signature event tickets are now on sale. And a new addition this year is that some parts of the event will not be restricted to weekends. The Taste of California Marketplace, as well as the festival wine and gift shops, will be open every day from April 11 to May 5, 2008.
Bellow is some more specific information on the event from the press release:
Taste
Date: Saturday, May 3, 2008
Time: 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Location: Stage 17, Hollywood Pictures Backlot, Disney’s California Adventure Park
Price: $125 per person (tax and gratuity included, no discounts apply)Celebrity Chef Dinner with Guy Fieri
Date: Sunday, April 27, 2008
Time: 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Location: Napa Rose Restaurant at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa
Price: $185 per person (tax and gratuity included, no discounts apply)Winemaker Dinners
Dates:
April 11 – Chappellet Winery – Phillip Titus, Winemaker
April 18 – Twomey Cellars – Daniel Baron, Winemaker
April 25 – Nickel & Nickel Single Vineyard Wines – Darice Spinelli, Winemaker
May 2 – Pride Mountain Vineyards – Steve Pride, Proprietor
Time: 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Location: Steakhouse 55 at the Disneyland Hotel
Price: $125 per person (including tax and gratuity, no discounts apply)Napa Rose Cooking School
Dates: Saturdays, April 12, April 19, April 26 and May 3
Time: 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Location: Napa Rose Restaurant at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa
Price: $400 per person (including tax and gratuity, no discounts apply)Festival Wine Receptions
Dates: Friday and Saturday, April 11, April 12, April 18, April 19, April 25 and April 26
Time: 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Location: Lower Patio of the Golden Vine Winery
Price: $55 per person (including tax and gratuity, no discounts apply)Taste Wine Like An Expert with Michael Jordan, M.S.
Dates: Sunday April 13, April 20, April 27 and May 4
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Location: Napa Rose Restaurant at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa
Price: $45 per person (including tax and gratuity, no discounts apply)
To subscribe to the WDW News Today podcast on Itunes, go to this link. If you do not have Itunes, visit our Podcast Download Directory to download or listen to all of our shows
Join host Tom Corless and a cast including John Corigliano, Adam Roth, Luke Manning, Jose Castillo and Jim Hill for a show that Bridges the Gaps Between you and the World. Sit back, relax, and enjoy all of the Walt Disney World news, information, and fun we have to offer on this special episode of WDWNT.
After months of delay, its finally here, our Pirates of the Caribbean spectacular. We kick off this week’s show with audio from the original Disneyland attraction, the Pointer Sisters, and the beloved series of films. After that, we have the round table discussion that launched a thousand ships, as Adam Roth, Jim Hill, Jose Castillo, and Luke Manning join me to talk about the Magic Kingdom attraction, the movie trilogy, and everything inbetween. Did we forget something??? Stay tuned to the very end to see what audio we left out.
To subscribe to the WDW News Today podcast on Itunes, go to this link. If you do not have Itunes, visit our Podcast Download Directory to download or listen to all of our shows
It looks like we might now have a close to official re-opening date for King Arthur’s Carousel in Disneyland Park. And it’s no where near as far off as January 3rd, 2009. But rather on April 5th, 2008. It’s not listed as closed on that date on the official Disneyland website, so it’s a safe bet to say that’s when it’ll re-open. Of course though, this information could change at any time.
This Disneyland Press Release shows a few more details on the new Innoventions Dream Home:
Disneyland Resort Reaches Agreement with Microsoft, HP, Life/ware and Taylor Morrison on Innoventions Dream Home.
Guests to experience cutting-edge technology in a simple, fun and interactive environment.
ANAHEIM, Calif., Feb 13, 2008 — The Disneyland Resort today announced a five-year alliance with Microsoft, HP, Life/ware and home builder Taylor Morrison to showcase integrated digital technologies for the home in the immersive, story-telling experiences for which Disney is known. The alliance includes the design and development of the new Innoventions Dream Home attraction, a 5,000+ sq. ft. home belonging to the fictional Elias family, scheduled to open in May in Tomorrowland at the Disneyland Resort.
Keeping with Walt’s vision of bringing cutting-edge and inspiring ideas to Tomorrowland, the Innoventions Dream Home will introduce Disneyland guests to newly available technology from the participating companies that will enhance their lives today, while providing them a glimpse of the emerging digital advances they may find in their homes in the future. The attraction will provide guests with a “high-tech, high-touch” opportunity to experience technology in an entertaining, low-risk environment showing them how the power of technology can connect them to the people and things they care most about.
“We’re thrilled that Disney has chosen Microsoft to bring digital entertainment to life at Disneyland,” said Joe Belfiore, Corporate Vice President, Entertainment and Devices eHome Division at Microsoft. “Together, we’re showcasing innovative technology that is both attainable and inspiring, offering park guests the opportunity to see, touch and feel digital home experiences in a simple, fun and interactive environment.”
“This exciting alliance gives each of our partners a forum to inspire our guests’ imaginations and motivate them to incorporate and enjoy the new technologies that are available today,” said Ed Grier, president of Disneyland Resort. “Consistent with the Disney heritage of growth through innovation, the Innoventions Dream Home is just another example of how we are committed to investing in and developing exciting projects that keep our guests returning again.”
The technology companies will showcase a wide range of technologies and products in the exhibit, including the latest in mobile phones, PCs, digital music and gaming. The Innoventions Dream Home demonstrates how home technology can be simple, intuitive and fun while helping guests understand how to seamlessly interconnect their home, the surrounding community and the world, helping consumers stay closer to the people, places and entertainment that are most important to them. The alliances also help ensure that the Innoventions Dream Home remains on the forefront of technology with the newest devices and products as part of the exhibit.
Guests will actively engage in this experience as they help members of the fictional Elias family prepare for a trip to World Soccer Championships in China, where their son is competing. Elias family members rotate throughout the house, randomly interacting with guests in the various rooms. Upon exiting the house, guests can learn more about the companies that collaborated to create the Innoventions Dream House, exploring the technologies for themselves first-hand.
The notion of a Dream Home has deep roots at the Disneyland Resort. Walt Disney was fascinated with the concept of a futuristic home and he introduced concepts at World’s Fairs that led to the first “House of Tomorrow” exhibit in Disneyland (1967). Those early versions featured modern conveniences for housewives, but the story line always focused on progress that led to a better way of living. In 1998, Disneyland opened Innoventions, an interactive pavilion featuring what was then considered breakthrough technology: voice-activated computers, high-definition TVs, smart-cars and satellite broadcasting.
The intent was not to predict the future, but to let people play with emerging technologies and imagine how those technologies might enhance everyday life. The precursors to the Dream Home enabled people of all ages to experiment with interactive devices, games and exhibits, demonstrating both the fun and the significance of modern innovations.
Now comes the Dream Home, a convergence of five companies and their fascination with technology. The combination of Disney’s strong storytelling heritage, cutting-edge technology expertise from Microsoft, HP and Life/ware, and Taylor Morrison’s talent for building an environment that will bring it to life, will inspire Disneyland guests’ imaginations for years to come.
PARTNERS’ QUOTES
HP – Carlos Montalvo, Vice President, Managed Home Division, Personal Systems Group
“The Disney Innoventions Dream Home will bring to life HP’s vision of consumers living a connected, high-definition lifestyle, demonstrating how simple it is today to control where and when you enjoy your digital content. As a driver of the emerging ‘Connected Entertainment’ market, HP is delivering on the promise of making connected entertainment an integral part of everyday life.”
Life/ware – Seale Moorer, Founder and CEO of Life/ware
“Life/ware is honored to be a part of the ongoing legacy of Tomorrowland,” said Seale Moorer, Founder and CEO of Life/ware. “The Innoventions Dream Home may seem futuristic to many Disneyland guests, but in fact, adding Life/ware entertainment and automation technology to products many people already own will bring this experience much closer to home than ever before. We’re thrilled to work with Disney and our partners to help people see how they can enhance their digital lifestyles now and in the future.”
Microsoft- Joe Belfiore, Corporate Vice President, Entertainment and Devices eHome Division
“Microsoft technologies touch the lives of 1 billion people, giving us an unparalleled opportunity – and perhaps responsibility – to help people understand the products and services that can enrich their lives. With millions of visitors to Disneyland every year, being a part of Innoventions Dream Home is one way to reach people and fulfill that role.”
“By visiting the Innoventions Dream Home at Disneyland, people can see, touch and feel the latest and greatest Microsoft technologies that will inspire them to try out new technologies in their own homes as well as better understand what’s available today.”Taylor-Morrison – Sheryl Palmer, CEO
On participating:
— “Taylor Morrison has a rich heritage of building homes that become a meaningful part of our customers’ lives. To be able to participate in a project that carries the Disney name on it is a tremendous compliment to the hard work of our staff through the years.”
— “Much like our partners, Taylor Morrison has a legacy of being an innovator in its field. We’re excited to apply our extensive design and construction expertise to the Innoventions Dream Home and feel fortunate to be the exclusive provider of this pioneering technology package when it’s brought to market.”
On the home’s design:
— “In designing the Innoventions Dream Home, we approached the project in much the same way as we have the wide range of homes we’ve built through the years – by drawing on our company’s experience, imagination and old-fashioned ingenuity.”
— “Being an industry leader takes determination, inventiveness and a dedication to being bold when the situation calls for it. Like Walt Disney and our Innoventions Dream Home partners, these traits have served to transform Taylor Morrison into the dominant market leader it has become over the years.”
On the partnership:
— “We feel very fortunate to be partnering with our fellow Innoventions Dream Home collaborators in this five-year alliance with Disney to bring the latest in cutting-edge technology and home design to Disneyland Resort guests.”
— “Walt Disney was fond of saying that his company ‘all started because of a mouse.’ For Taylor Morrison, it all started with a house, built by a 16-year-old visionary, Frank Taylor.”
Our good friend Jim Hill over at Jim Hill Media has reported to extremely interesting stories this week:
-Disney may be purchasing the old Dixie Stampede building in Orlando and converting it into a High School Musical themed dinner show: LINK
-Walt Disney World may be opening a fifth theme park called Night Kingdom, that will only open for evenings and for a very small number of guests: LINK
While these two major projects may be just rumored at the current time, more than a few inside sources have been confirming this information. Stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information becomes available.
Sara K. Clarke | Jason Garcia and Scott Powers, Orlando Sentinel
The first phase of Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom Villas time share is complete. Disney last month wrapped up work on the last of 109 units that have been converted from hotel rooms to time shares on the upper levels of the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Construction is continuing on the project’s much-larger second phase: A 340-unit annex next to the lodge that has been dubbed “Kidani Village.” Disney says the expansion will include a 120-seat sit-down restaurant, a 4,700-square-foot swimming pool with a water slide and two spas, plus tennis, shuffleboard and half-court basketball, among other amenities. Disney expects to complete the second phase during the spring of 2009.
The Animal Kingdom Villas are Disney’s eighth time share and the sixth at Disney World. The company is in the midst of building new time shares at Disneyland in Southern California and has announced plans to develop a time share and hotel resort in Hawaii. Construction records also suggest Disney is building a time-share addition to the Contemporary Resort in Orlando, though the company has not confirmed the project.
