Create Your Own Mania

If you head on over to the official Toy Story Mania website, you’ll now find four games you can play that are very similar to the games in the real Toy Story Midway Mania. While the four games (themed to Rex, Weezy, Slinky Dog, and Jesse) feature slightly different themes from the games in the attractions, they feature secret targets and ammunition multipliers, giving hints to the existence of similar targets in the ride-through version. You can also create your own wacky midway game by using the game creator on the site. Now what are you waiting for, go play Toy Story Mania online!!!

Hollywood Studios Update

Our good friend Epcot Servo has some great pictures up from yesterday on his new site and here are some pictures of interest:

The often unused area near the AFI showcase at the exit to the Backlot Tour is being converted over to a new Monsters Inc. meet and greet area. Picture here.

Speaker towers are going up along the route for the new Block Party Bash parade at the studios. Picture here.

You can all of EpcotServo’s pictures from his trip to the studios at this link.

AMC-E

Dan-Tasmic on MiceChat managed to snap a shot of a giant inflatable Wall-E up in Downtown Disney by the AMC Theaters:

(and no folks, the titles of these posts aren’t getting any more creative!)

Article Mania!

Here are 3 articles from the OC Register with information on the Innoventions Dream Home, Wall-E in the parks, & an incident in New Orleans Square:

The Innoventions Dream Home is still closed and will possibly open to the public next week, according to Disney Spokesman John McClintock.

Last week Disney pulled back the curtain on the new Innoventions Dream Home, but the attraction was only open for limited hours and only to annual passholders.

McClintock said today that Disney workers are “making sure that all the technology in the home is working perfectly” before opening the Dream Home to the public. He said that the goal is to open the home to the public next week.

Currently, the second floor of the Innoventions building is open. Just the first floor, the Dream Home level, is closed.

We’ll keep everyone updated on this blog about when the Dream Home will open to the public.

Disney’s Wall-E character debuted in theaters yesterday, but don’t expect the little robot in the Disneyland Resort any time soon.

A Disney Backstage Pass newsletter mailed to Disneyland Annual Passholders a few weeks ago included thata three-foot-tall Audio-Animatronic model of Wall-E would be visiting people in Disney’s California Adventure this summer

But, Disney Spokesman John McClintock said the robot is not expected to be in the park for a few months.

“We don’t expect Wall-E to be in the Disneyland Resort any time soon, especially during the summer,” McClintock said.

treebranchphoto2Update: New photo on the left sent in by someone who was in the park when the tree branch fell. Right click and click view image on either photo to see an enlarged image.

A tree branch broke and fell onto a pathway last night near the French Market restaurant in the New Orleans Square area of Disneyland.

A Disney spokeswoman said it was one branch and that it did not fall directly on anybody. She said that no more than five people were near the branch when it fell. She said those people had minor scrapes.

Irvine resident Vicki Munsell was at the park yesterday when the branch fell. She was there with her family celebrating her and her husband’s 14th wedding anniversary.

Munsell and her family were eating at the Cafe Orleans restaurant when they heard someone shout and she turned around in time to hear the branch cracking and see it fall on a pathway.

She said people ran over right away to help. While Disney said the tree did not fall on anyone, Munsell said people were pulled out from underneath the tree. Still, Munsell agreed that she did not see anyone injured with more than a few scratches.

branchfallsatdisneyland

Munsell took the photo that you see at right with her camera phone, and she sent it to The Orange County Register. After the branch fell, she said the area was blocked off by Disney cast members who removed the branch and checked on people nearby.

This is not the first time trees have fallen on people in theme parks. On Aug. 1, 1997, a large tree limb at Knott’s Berry Farm broke and fell onto four visitors near the Montezooma’s Revenge ride, causing minor injuries to three and leaving the fourth hospitalized. And on May 5, 2001, Jeanne Gill, 73 suffered a broken hip, and 27 others are injured when a 20-foot oak tree falls in Frontierland at Disneyland.

Win Your Own Dream Home!

From BizJournals:

Taylor Morrison Inc. is giving away a home inspired by the recently unveiled Innoventions Dream Home at Disneyland’s Tomorrowland.

The Scottsdale, Ariz.-based home builder has launched an online contest that runs through Aug. 20 with the winner able to choose a home in one of Taylor Morrison’s communities in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Nevada and Texas. The home will include a custom technology package and furnishings. A vacation for four to the Disneyland Resort in California also is part of the package.

Participants can visit the entry Web site, www.tmdreamhomegiveaway.com, once a day to register. They also may visit any Taylor Morrison community and receive a special code that offers the maximum number of chances available to enter the contest.

The Innoventions Dream Home debuted June 16 and features what Walt Disney Co. calls a “high-tech, high-touch” experience within a 5,000-square-foot home. Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, Life|ware and Taylor Morrison were also involved in the Dream Home project.

The home showcases the latest in mobile devices, computers, digital music, entertainment and gaming technology in a connected environment that adjusts to the preferences of its occupants.

Downtown Disney Update

Orlando Attractions Magazine has gained possession of some of the concept art for the new stores and restaurants coming soon to Downtown Disney. Some interesting notes from the photos:

-Mickey’s T-Shirt Factory will replace or take up most of the Wonderful World of Memories store next to the Art of Disney in the Downtown Disney Marketplace.

-The new restaurant replacing the Rock N’ Roll Beach Club on Pleasure Island will most likely be named “El Dolbe”.

-Portobello Yacht Club will make a minor name change, menu changes, and an interior renovation when its changes occur.

You can see all of the concept art HERE.

Magical Texting

Here are a couple of little tidbits from MousePlanet that I wanted to share with y’all:

Disney’s PhotoPass service is testing out a series of new “Magic Photos” at locations around Disneyland. Now you can duel with Darth Vader in Tomorrowland, or join the Hitchhiking Ghosts near the Haunted Mansion. Look for the PhotoPass cast members carrying sample photos like the one below.

The Disneyland Resort has begun a marketing campaign to promote Downtown Disney merchants. Text DTDFUN to 67463 to receive instant discounts and coupons for select Downtown Disney restaurants and shops. Current offers include 20 percent off meals at the La Brea Bakery Cafe, 20 percent off a meal at the House of Blues before 5:00pm, 15 percent off lunch at Catal and $5 off a purchase of $25 or more at Build-a-Bear.

Up, Up, and Away Over The Closed Clubs

From the Orlando Sentinel:

Disney World also is sprucing up Downtown Disney’s other two areas, adding restaurants, expanding and updating a band shell, refurbishing and updating other businesses, and bringing in a giant tethered-balloon attraction that visitors will be able to ride in, going up more than 300 feet above Village Lake.

This will be similar to the one that can be found in The Disney Village at Disneyland Resort Paris, you can see it HERE.

Hotel Protest

From MyFox Los Angeles:

Workers at Disneyland Hotels are fighting to keep their health insurance benefits. Contract negotiations with Disney are not going well so the hotel workers took their fight to Main Street and Disneyland itself. Gigi Graciette was in Anaheim, where workers and their supporters held a candlelight vigil.

You can find a video with more information & a couple of interviews at the link above.

A Softer Side of Indy

From the OC Register:

A softer side of Indiana Jones is coming to Disneyland.

During an interview this week, Glenn Kelman a Disney Entertainment Productions senior show director, said that direct hits choreographed into the “Secrets of the Stone Tiger” and the related Adventureland stunt show will be taken out. Kelman said there are three direct hits in the whole sequence that will be removed.

“We haven’t had a big negative response,” he said. “But there will be more pushes and shoves than direct hits.”

Kelman said that the crowd enjoys when Indiana Jones is beat up on, but the bad response is when he hits the show’s female character, playing Col. Dr. Irina Spalko, in the face.

“There are things that can happen in a movie that just shouldn’t happen in a theme park,” Kelman said.