La Brea Bakery Café New Menu Items

WDWNT on July 10, 2012

From Pam Brandon on the Disney Parks Blog:

Look for a late May opening of the expanded 

>La Brea Bakery Café in the Downtown Disney District at theDisneyland Resort, when lots of classics will be back on the menu. But it’s the new creations we can’t wait to try, like the brioche French toast or the Croque Madame sandwich made with gruyere cheese topped with a fried egg, both on the breakfast menu.

The centerpiece of the café is a new exhibition baking area, so guests can watch the chefs in action. A state-of-the-art wood stone oven will turn out new signature focaccia dishes, artisan flat breads, baked pastas, and other made-to-order dishes. And of course, La Brea’s fresh pastries and breads will be in the oven.

We checked, and classics like the turkey, avocado and arugula on country wheat bread, and the fresh mozzarella sandwich with basil and sun-dried tomatoes will stay on the menu. Ditto for Nancy’s Chop Salad, Cobb salad, classic Greek salad and Tuscan chicken salad, all with made-from-scratch dressings. For a heartier lunch or dinner, we recommend the seared salmon with crushed European potatoes, or Italian sausage pasta with crushed tomato sauce. The delicious menu is inspired by La Brea Bakery’s founder, Nancy Silverton.

The new décor features soft earth tones, highlighted by fresh food displays in the adjacent express area. Outdoors, new awnings, ceiling heaters and fans will offer expanded, comfortable seating.

What is your favorite treat from La Brea Bakery Café?

Color Blocks… or Jr Series 2 Remake?

WDWNT on July 10, 2012

Last week, the mysterious Color Block series appeared on the Disney events calendar as a June 29 release. Intrigued, we anxiously awaited our first look at this series. Would it be an artsy series like the 6 piece Black and White set? No. No it would not. Here is the first look direct from the Disney vault:

Look familiar? Ya, you probably remember these designs from Jr. Series 2.

Pretty close. And the fact is the designs work so incredibly well on the 1.5″ figures! Sure we get more detail now on the juniors, but series 2 still stands as a great looking Disney themed set. But to blow those designs up to a 3″ figure and sell them for $12.95??!! We are so used to more and more detail and ground breaking designs that this almost, especially at that price, seems insulting. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for painting on representations of a character as an artsy take on a vinyl. But these designs do not have that much to them and there is an incredible amount of wasted space. With so many brilliant designs out there like Mascots and Star Wars, I can not see spending a dime on these. Here is a look at the rest of this 8 figure set that includes Buzz, Woody, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Nemo and Cheshire Cat.

Conner Purzycki’s 3/20/12 DLR Photo Report

WDWNT on July 10, 2012

I was at the Disneyland Resort yesterday and took some newsworthy photos to share. Photos include Buena Vista Street, Cars Land, Matterhorn Refurbishment, and much more…

Buena Vista Street

Oswald’s looking good

The new color on the light posts in Paradise Pier is much nicer.

Cove Bar closed for refurbishment

Crowd Control is using blue tape instead of neon green tape… Yup.

The Parade Towers are back along the performance corridor by Golden Vine Winery

More Buena Vista Street from in the park

Carthay Circle has started to receive its clay roofing tiles

Facade refurbishment in Hollywood has wrapped up

The Monsters Inc. facade is getting a re-paint

Over in Downtown Disney, one of the new displays is already outside the new Lego store

Soon a dragon will rest here

Over in Disneyland, the Nemo extended queue has been set up for the spring break crowds

Matterhorn Refurb

The observatron is working again…

Some quick night shots of Cars Land

Wrapping up this photo report is the majestic return of Mr. Crane. This time he’s working on Buena Vista Street

Thanks for reading!

A Rival Is Born

WDWNT on July 10, 2012

The most rewarding part about recording the podcast YesterEARS is learning all the pieces of Disney history that I would never read otherwise. My co-host and lead researcher Austin uncovers many interesting Disney facts each and ever week. This week, I’d like to share one with you here on DV.

Wednesday June 20th, will mark the 76th anniversary of the first screen appearance of Mortimer Mouse. In 1936 the Walt Disney productions cartoon short “Mickey’s Rival” was released featuring Mortimer as the romantic rival for Minnie Mouse. Mortimer is the name that Walt Disney had originally suggested for Mickey Mouse. His wife Lilly didn’t like that idea and suggested Mickey instead. Mickey Mouse, not Mortimer, debuted in “Steamboat Willie” at the Colony Theatre in New York City on November 18, 1928, and was a great success. A couple years later, the name Mortimer was revived, but for a distinctly different looking character who would go onto comic strip fame. But unlike Mickey, after only one cartoon appearance in 1936, Mortimer would disappear from the screen for the next six decades.

Mickey’s Rival
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Mortimer was first created for the Mickey Mouse comic strips in 1930, not as a rival to Mickey, but as Minnie Mouse’s ranch-owning uncle. It wasn’t until the 1936 short that Mortimer Mouse was introduced as Mickey’s competition for Minnie’s affections.

Mickey Mouse Comic Strip
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Jump to 1999, where Mortimer finaly makes another on screen appearance in Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas. Here, Mortimer is the snooty and wealthy owner of the department store Mortimers. It’s a bit of a dislikable character and his his role of antagonist is re-established.

In the Mickey Mouse Works series Mortimer is once again the main antagonist along with Pete. Here, Mortimer is Mickey’s neighbor and is still competing with Mickey to win Minnie Mouse’s heart.

Mickey Mouse Works
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In the House of Mouse television series, Mortimer gets a role as a recurring character. Mortimer appears many times as a guest and tries to trick Mickey and Minnie into breaking up.

House of Mouse
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Mortimer has most recently made a cameo is in the CG animated series Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. He has a non-speaking role in Minnie’s Birthday seen sitting beneath a tree, playing a guitar.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
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As far as I could find, Mortimer’s only video games appearances are in the Game Cube’s Disney Sports franchise. He is a playable athlete in the Soccer, Football and Basketball games. He is also in Disney’s Golf as a secret character.

Disney Sports Football
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Disney Sports Soccer
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Disney Sports Basketball
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Mortimer has not yet made any live appearances in the Disney theme parks. However, a mural with several classic Disney characters during the Disney California Adventure expansion was seen, with Mortimer being one of the characters featured.

DCA Construction Wall
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I also found a few Mortimer pins on PinPics:

Where will Mortimer appear next? Mortimer’s first screen appearance is just one of many topics we cover in the next episode of YesterEARS, a podcast that looks at “This Week in Disney History.” You can find it at www.YesterEARS.com.

The Red Car News Boys Coming To Buena Vista Street

WDWNT on July 10, 2012

Adding to the plethora of entertainment already announced for Buena Vista Street, (and the lot of unannounced offerings for Cars Land) another group has been added to the roster. The Red Car News Boys have been rumored for a while and here is the official posting on Disney Auditions…

Disney Parks Talent Casting is seeking male, youthful, well-rounded Singer/Dancer/Actors for The Red Car News Boys. This high-energy group of 1920s/30s-era paperboys will take to the streets of Disney California Adventure Park as they sing and dance to authentic period tunes. Some roles will emphasize strong singing skills while other roles will emphasize strong dancing skills. Performers of all ethnicities are encouraged to attend.

Invitational callbacks will be held Thursday, March 29. Rehearsals begin mid-May; performances begin mid-June.

Entertainers for this show are covered under the terms and conditions of a collective bargaining agreement with the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA).

Roles

JOHNNY: portrays an older teen, the heart-throb leader of the pack, tenor

KIP: portrays a young teen, Johnny’s younger brother, the “exaggerator”, tenor

FEETS CHARMING: portrays 14-17, very outgoing, strong tapper, tenor

BRASS TACKS: portrays 14-17, gymnast, the “funny guy”, tenor

SHORTY MCGUIRE: portrays 14-17, 6’+, athletic, tenor

Spotlight On: Custom Vinylmation Artist Ryan Marella

WDWNT on July 10, 2012

To have your custom work spotlighted, please send an email to DestinationVinylmation@gmail.com
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Destination Vinylmation: In this article, we will focus on some of your Disney character customs. The Evil Queen is amazing!!! The face is spot-on with the calm yet evil looking expression. But for me, the poison apple steaming in the cauldron is the best part. What do you like best about the front of this one?
Ryan Marella: I had to create some thing different from the ordinary vinyl that we usually see, so I began sketching out ideas and the Idea of having scenes from the movie on the front and back of a vinyl would look amazing. I watched the movie and Googled images of the Evil Queen and it turned out just the way I planned it. My favorite part about the front would have to be the face of the Evil Queen, getting that expression was a fun challenge.

DV: The back is like a whole new vinyl. It’s the Old Hag. You have a knack for painting faces, and this one seems difficult, but I also heard hands are difficult for artists to get just right. Which half of this vinyl was more difficult?
RM: The back was a little easier and I would have to say that hands are a little harder for me than faces.

DV: Lastly we come to Maleficent. You pack so much detail into your creations, how much pre-planning goes into your designs?
RM: Maleficent is one of my favorite pieces that I’ve worked on, I took my time on this one. Pre-planning for this one only took a couple of hours, but sketching on the vinyl  took some time. I do a lot more sketching on the actual vinyl than on paper, it helps to see how it looks on the canvas your working on.

I’ve seen other Maleficent customs but I never see  Diablo the raven  incorporated into the vinyl. I wanted to create a Maleficent custom that would be unique and different from other artists.

DV: I have seen a ton of Maleficent dragons now, and I love the way you painted yours onto the mold like a scene instead of trying to fill the entire canvas with the dragon. Tell us about your favorite parts of this one.
RM: My favorite part of the Maleficent custom would have to be  the Dragon on the back, I put so much time and detail, creating smoke on the background,smoke on the nose and fire in front of the dragon and just the over all look. This particular custom took me 2 days to finish. I was very pleased with what I made. With a little inspiration and some time anything is possible.

DV: To see more of Ryan’s work visit his website: www.ryactiv.sketchlab7.com

An On-ride Sneak Peak Of Radiator Springs Racers

WDWNT on July 10, 2012

From Shannon Swanson on the Disney Parks Blog:

For this point-of-view video, a camera was mounted on the driver’s side of a Radiator Springs Racers car during a recent test run in Cars Land at Disney California Adventure park. Vehicles are being tested seven days a week, mostly at night. By the time each vehicle is commissioned, it will travel approximately 36,000 miles per year!

The video also shows a quick sneak peek of what to expect inside the mountain range. Guests will get to see the entire track for themselves when the attraction opens on June 15.

 

Imagineer Alice Davis To Receive Window On Main Street USA

WDWNT on July 10, 2012

From Erin Glover on the Disney Parks Blog:

“Imagineer
Last night, during a special event at Club 33 inside Disneyland park, Kim Irvine announced that her fellow Imagineer – and Disney Legend – Alice Davis will be honored with her own window on Main Street, U.S.A., on May 10.

Alice Davis is well known for her costume design work and has styled some of the most beloved characters at Disney Parks – including those found in the classic attractions, “it’s a small world” and Pirates of the Caribbean. She first designed costumes for the Walt Disney Studios during the production of “Sleeping Beauty.” It was common for animators to use live-action footage as reference – it helped them to see how the actors, fabrics, hair and other elements moved. And you Disney history fans may remember that it was her former art instructor (and future husband), Marc Davis, who recruited her to make the dress that would be worn by the actress portraying Briar Rose in the reference footage.

Dolls on the 'it’s a small world' Attraction at Disneyland Park Designed by Disney Legends Alice Davis and Mary Blair
She continued to design costumes for the Walt Disney Studios until 1963, when she undertook a costuming project that would go on to become one of the most famous theme park attractions in the world. Along with fellow Disney Legend Mary Blair, Alice supervised the creation of more than 150 costumes for “it’s a small world,” helping to bring to life the iconic dolls who would sing the unforgettable theme song.

Concept Art for the Pirates of the Caribbean Attraction at Disneyland Park
Two years later, she translated her husband’s drawings for the Pirates of the Caribbean into designs and patterns for all the costumes that would be seen in the new attraction.

In addition to the extraordinary work seen by thousands of Disney Parks guests through the years, Alice’s influence at Walt Disney Imagineering extended to the development of manufacturing, quality control and refurbishment standards for the three-dimensional characters created by Walt Disney Imagineering.

The Disneyland Resort is proud to award Alice Davis one of the highest honors one can receive at the Walt Disney Company – her own window on Main Street, U.S.A.

Andy’s Tokyo Toys

WDWNT on July 10, 2012

Who knew? It seems as though Andy from the Pixar Toy Story franchise went away to college to become an artist:

Straight from our friends over at the Vinylmation Japan Blog (an unofficial fan site), we have revealed four Toy Story Vinylmation that will be released at Tokyo Disney Sea on July 5th at McDucks Department Store. They are to commemorate the summer opening of the Toy Story Midway Mania attraction at Tokyo Disney. They will cost 1200 Yen or $15 USD. It seems to be a four figure series that includes Woody, Buzz, Jessie and the Alien all designed from the stand point that Andy actually drew them. And as you can see above, Andy actually signs them as the artist!

To me, these are an absolutely beautifully designed series. Such a unique take that makes so much sense in the Toy Story universe.