Tim Alcoser’s 11/9/12 DLR Photo Report
Tim Alcoser was at the Disneyland Resort this past weekend and got some pictures around the resort as the holidays begin at the parks.
Thanks for reading
Thanks for reading
Thanks for reading
Concept Art Previews New Queue, Marquee, and Logo for Epcot’s Test Track
With GM Test Track closing at Epcot yesterday for a 5 month refurbishment, Walt Disney World wasted no time updating their website with concept art for Test Track presented by Chevrolet, schedule to open October 1, 2012:
The concept art shows the familiar blue vehicles we have seen appearing at the attraction for the last several months, but also shows the logo on the new marquee that will appear outside of the building. Upon closer inspection, you can see a rendering of guests using touch screens to create their own “SimCar” in the Chevrolet Design Studio, the planned queue/pre-show portion of the updated attraction. We assume that the lounge with concept cars in it seen in the upper left corner is the remodeled sponsor lounge in the top floor of the pavilion that looks into the attraction. The rendering in the upper right corner could be a show scene during the ride or the new post-show area where guests see how their “Sim Car” fared on the course, but it is too early to tell.
Whatever the case may be, stay tuned as more becomes available on Test Track presented by Chevrolet.
“Glow With The Snow” At Disneyland Park
From Shawn Slater on the Disney Parks Blog:
One of my favorite parts of the Holidays at the Disneyland Resort is wrapping up a day in the park with the“Believe … In Holiday Magic” fireworks spectacular. And this year, the Creative Entertainment team has made that show even more special by incorporating the popular “Glow with the Show” Ears. Disneyland park guests will be able to become part of the performance, with visions of sugarplums literally dancing on their heads!
Just as they’ve done with “World of Color” and “Fantasmic!”, our designers and technicians have seamlessly integrated the magical, glowing Mickey Mouse ear hats into key moments of “Believe … In Holiday Magic.” From wildly changing patterns of red and green during the “Nutcracker Suite” to a bed of newly fallen snow leaving you dreaming of a “White Christmas,” the audience gets swept up in moments both up-tempo and serene.
And here’s a pro tip: If you’ve worn your “Glow with the Show” Ears a lot or just haven’t taken them to the park in a while, you may want to change the batteries (they take 3 AAAs). Fresh batteries will help your ears pick up the signal and glow along perfectly!
“Believe … In Holiday Magic” is scheduled to be presented nightly, November 12 – January 6.
Robert Ashburn’s 4/12-13/12 Epcot & Magic Kingdom Photo Report
WDWNT Reporter Robert Ashburn visited Epcot and the Magic Kingdom this weekend, and he took plenty of photos from both parks to share with us:
Test Track graces the maps during its final days
You still have a month to check out the Flower and Garden Festival
Habit Heroes and the soon-to-open VISION House on the signage inside Innoventions
Still closed…
The VISION House still behind walls
Opens April 22nd, but we’ll have media coverage beginning April 21st
Habit Heroes and VISION House are both not on the wall yet
The ImageWorks at Imagination! looks empty since the new company took over
Amazing Pictures is now in charge of this photo location
Work continues on the facade of the Seas with Nemo and Friends
This seperate and elevated piece of pavement will take guests to a new queue area for Turtle Talk
A new whole in the facade will be the entrance for Turtle Talk
Inside the queue, a new enclosed area is visible, this will be the Turtle Talk queue
Today was the last day for the original Test Track, it closes tomorrow for refurbishment
MouseGear has an entire section of Phineas and Ferb merchandise
An interesting new shirt
Sorry Oswald, but I like the classic character shirt…
Pretty cool!
Some new shirts with a tropical theme
The “unfriend” shirt is pretty brilliant
A new EPCOT Center shirt
The Southwest Black Bean Flatbread is a fairly new offering
Moving to the Magic Kingdom, the tarps on Center Street are gone
It looks great
Plaza Ice Cream is back after a lengthy refurbishment
The menu is pretty much unchanged, but the interior was spruced up
A short line for Sorcerers? Wow…
The new menu at Sunshine Tree Terrace
The torches were turned back on after years of just sitting there, which is a very good thing to see
The flash shows the great job they did repairing the facade
The Avengerail passing through the Contemporary
Mickey’s Circus- Once of a Kind Customs
Circus Monkey
by John Henselmeier
$850
–
Target Practice
by John Henselmeier
$700
–
Chip and Dale Clowns
by Adrianne Draude
$1,800
–
Neverland Mermaid
by Adrianne Draude
$1,200
–
Strong Man
by Quynh Kimball
$650.00
–
Timothy Mouse
by Maria Clapsis
$500
–
Circus Clown from Dumbo
by Alex Maher
$1,200
–
Bluey
by Miss Mindy
$1,600
Celebrate The Holidays On Buena Vista Street
From Shawn Slater on the Disney Parks Blog:
Buena Vista Street is filled with dreams of a bright future for all, and this Yuletide season promises to be even brighter as this happy, bustling community celebrates its first Christmas with joyous new traditions.
Shopkeepers up and down the street have decorated for the holidays, but inside the lavish Elias & Co. department store, they’ve gone all out to create a winter wonderland for the arrival of Santa Claus. Here, wide-eyed children may take a seat alongside the jolly old elf to share with him their fondest wishes for Christmas morning.
Another new idea really struck a chord after a holiday committee meeting of the Buena Vista Street Chamber of Commerce. Wishing to serve their community, eight individuals decided to form a volunteer holiday troupe, calling themselves the Buena Vista Street Community Bell Ringers. Acting as a spirited, traveling “welcome wagon” to anyone visiting this friendly neighborhood, the Bell Ringers take their festive cheer to the street, encouraging others to join in spontaneous ring-along sing-alongs of familiar holiday tunes.
As dusk falls each evening, the Buena Vista Street Community Bell Ringers will gather in Carthay Circle with their fellow Citizens of Buena Vista Street. The sound of bells rings out, and everyone is invited to join together in the lighting of the town’s Christmas tree, wishing goodwill and joy to one and all! You’re all invited to come join in the merriment, November 12 through January 6, at Disney California Adventurepark.
NOW HIRING: Lead Reporter for Disneyland News Today
As of lately, The Disneyland News Today website has not been living up to its original expectations. This is mostly due to myself and my lack of time to donate to posting on the site and keeping up with the daily news. That is why I am stepping down as lead reporter of the Disneyland News Today website and as of immediately we are beginning our search for a new lead reporter to post news daily on the Disneyland News Today website. We are looking for someone who is extremely familiar with the Disneyland Resort and visits the parks often. Position is voluntary. If you would like to apply for the position please email wdwnewstoday@gmail.com and please put DLNT Lead Reporter in the subject line.
Conner Purzycki
VP of Disneyland News Today
A New Fantasyland Aerial Update – April 2012
Courtesy of Scott Keating and scottkeating.net, we once again have some fantastic aerial photos of Fantasyland to share with you:
The former site of Dumbo looks clear and more Castle Walls are rising. Also interesting is that the excess Mermaid rock-work will hide a cast access road.
Gaston’s Tavern is still far behind the rest of the buildings in the Village as some are already getting roof shingles
The old Fantasyland Skyway site has been flattened, so we should see some vertical construction soon
I’d wager that we’ll see waterways and pathways within the next 6 weeks
A special bonus: a look at the ongoing Big Thunder Mountain refurbishment. Looks like all the new track is in place and they are now re-painting the finale scene with the geysers.
Mickey’s Circus- Park Starz
At Mickey’s Circus we learned that Park Starz 1 will be restocked!
We also learned that we have to wait until Summer of 2013 for Park Starz 2. As for PS2, we saw a picture of the Tower of Terror Bellhop in the DLR D-Street window… but now we get a look at the actual figure.
The Music Of The Carthay Circle Theater Being Released November 6th
We reported last month that Disney would be real releasing an album consisting of some songs from the Carthay Circle Theater’s background music loop. Here it is…
From Greg Ehrbar on the Disney Parks Blog:
In the wake of the extremely popular “Music from Cars Land” album, another new CD comes out November 6 that has already become a favorite among Disney cast members. “The Circle Sessions: The Music of Carthay Circle” offers, for the first time, sparkling jazz versions of great Disney songs, selected from the soundtrack of the Carthay Circle Restaurant and Lounge at Disney California Adventure park!
“We really wanted to capture music across all generations and breathe new life into treasured and familiar songs,” said John Dennis, Director, Music Production, Walt Disney Imagineering, who is music supervisor and producer of the new album. “Everyone involved wanted to allow the variations to weave a different tapestry for our guests.” Even though several of the songs were created after the themed 1937 setting of the restaurant, the smooth, evocative jazz approach is right at home in the period. But choosing from the voluminous catalog of Disney songs was a daunting task. In cooperation with Chris Montan, President of Walt Disney Music, these are the eclectic, wide-ranging gems they mined for a fresh, yet classic, jazz approach:
1. A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes (from “Cinderella”)
2. Be Our Guest* (from “Beauty and the Beast”)
3. Ev’rybody Wants to Be A Cat (from “The Aristocats”)
4. Winnie the Pooh
5. A Whole New World*** (from “Aladdin”)
6. Alice in Wonderland
7. He’s a Tramp (from “Lady and the Tramp”)
8. Can You Feel The Love Tonight** (from “The Lion King”)
9. If I Didn’t Have You** (from “Monsters, Inc.”)
10. Married Life*** (from “Up”)
11. Some Day My Prince Will Come (from “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”)
12. You’ve Got A Friend In Me* (from “Toy Story”)*Best Original Song Academy Award nominee
**Best Original Song Academy Award winner
***Best Original Score Academy Award WinnerNot only does the CD feature some of the most beloved Disney songs with an upbeat, sophisticated twist, but this timeless collection also creates an ambiance that allows the listener to feel like they are in another time and place.
“Did you know that the selection of music actually changes from the downstairs to the upstairs?” fellow Disney Parks Blog writer Michelle Harker asked me—and I did not know that! “Guests on the first level will often hear these pieces represented by an ensemble trio, while those dining in the restaurant upstairs, will enjoy the same music but in a variety of light jazz piano tones.”
John is quick to point out the musical virtuosity behind this music. On piano is the album’s arranger, Bill Cantos, who has worked with a “who’s who” of the music industry, including Herb Alpert, Lani Hall, Elton John, Phil Collins, Bob Dylan and Burt Bacharach. And while we’re name-dropping, the album was produced by 11-time Grammy nominee Bill Schnee—who has helped such stars as Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, Natalie Cole and Whitney Houston to Gold Record awards—and Todd Homme, a longtime music supervisor/producer of music for Disney feature films as well as award winning films such as “Almost Famous,” “Catch Me if You Can” and “Saving Private Ryan.”
Both Bills, as well as every musician you’ll hear, are among the most sought-after music names in Hollywood, heard on countless movie and TV soundtracks, as well as best-selling recordings. You can catch a glimpse of them making this music in Valarie Sukovaty’s “Cue the Dining Music at Carthay Circle Restaurant” post.
Here at Disney, we’re no strangers to hyperbole, as you probably have noticed. But in the case of “The Circle Sessions: The Music of Carthay Circle,” everyone involved has become especially attached to the quality and magic of these performances. “I’ve already been told things like, ‘I play this over and over and never tire of hearing it,’” says John. “Best of all, this CD is the perfect way for parents to introduce their children to jazz music. I feel so privileged to have been part of this project—and that’s probably one of the best reasons.”
Look for “The Circle Sessions: The Music of Carthay Circle” beginning Tuesday, November 6 at Carthay Circle Restaurant and Lounge, and at nearby locations such as Elias & Co. and Off the Page in Disney California Adventure park. (And if you like this album, allow me to also recommend the landmark “Dave Digs Disney” by the iconic Dave Brubeck Trio, one of several albums that paved the way.)
For information on purchasing select Disney merchandise items, call Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Merchandise Guest Services at 1-877-560-6477 or send an email to merchandiseguestservices@disney.go.com.
