Awesome! Look at the latest item shown at vinylmation.com. This 3″/Jr set of Jumbo and Dumbo will be your free gift if you come to the vinylmation day of Mickey’s Circus. Both pieces are by Thomas Scott. If you haven’t registered yet, this will totally make it worth it! Do so now!!
What do you think of these pieces. They are perfect to me! Simple, straightforawrd, and extremely effective!
What a time in Disney Parks history. New resorts opening and Fantasyland construction well underway at Walt Disney World. And Cars Land and Buena Vista Street opening at Disneyland today. As I write this post, Zoe is sitting in a sea of people outside Disney’s California Adventure waiting for the gates to open up. In fact, she has been there since something like 10pm PST last night. There are two lines, one to get into the park and one to get into the merchandise building… she is in the later. There are mostly pins inside, however there are two special 9″ Vinylmation (LE 500, $54.95):
The AP Limited Release 3″ Red Car Trolley will also go on sale:
The next group of vinyls has been in DCA stores all week, but officially release today.
Which are your favorite?
“I made this for the VMK custom swap. Its a 3” figure painted sky blue and with airbrushed clouds. The house and balloons is made from a block of wood painted to look like the house. (Next Limited versions LE10 will have a JR. in place of the painted wood block). The wood block example is just a one off for the swap.
All placed together in a glass dome with wooden base. This “look” will be a staple of mine over the next few years, glass domes. I have plans on doing 9″ custom dioramas in glass domes also.
I’ve made a Topiary version for Blind Bags Two LE10 and a One of a kind “Balloon Kid’ version for the epilepsy charity Art From the Heart held at the UCLA campus, that sold in a silent auction.
I found out about the “Art From The Heart” event through my artist buddy Mike Peraza (Art Director for the Little Mermaid). The event would be one night where Disney Artists would talk about Epilepsy, have a Disney panel where they would talk about the movies they worked on and donate art to raise money for Epilepsy. The roster of Disney Animators was amazing. From Mike Peraza, Rob Minkoff (Director of Lion King), Ruben Procopio (Famed Disney Sculptor) and many more. There was also a good amount of Disney artists not in attendance who donated art like Larry Nikolai (Art Director for The Little Mermaid Ride and Disney Pin Designer) and plus many more.
I asked if I could be apart of this event and represent Vinylmation. He was very excited and added me to the artist list. I quickly began work on my two customs for the silent auction. One being a Purple Candy 9″ Custom that would be signed by all the Disney panelist and a one of a kind Topiary entitled “From the Heart” where a little child holds a Red Mickey Balloon against a Purple/Green Mickey Topiary.
The event was a huge success, we raised awareness of Epilepsy. Both my Vinylmations sold at the silent auction to the biggest vinylmation collector in the world, Gabriel Luna.
The panelists talked for a couple hours about all the great times they had working on The Black Cauldron, Little Mermaid, Lion King and many more. It was very surreal to be grouped in with such Disney legends.”
-Evilos
Congrats on the great work Evilos! If you’d like to find out more about the things mentioned in this post check out the following websites.
Face Book “Art From The Heart” Page, lots of info here.
facebook.com/artfromthehART
Evilos’ Webpage
evilos.com
Evilos’ Ebay Store:
ebay.com/sch/eojcollector/m.html
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?
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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.
