Animation 3 Combos Release Dates

WDWNT on January 9, 2013

Today Disney revealed some information about two of the Animation 3 LE sets.

First, The Fox and The Hound will be at D-Streets and online on May 10, 2013. There will be a LE of 2,500 and each pack will go for $26.95.

I like the tail on the fox a lot. The side of Copper is great, showing long ears on the arms. Good job Monty Maldovan.

Next up are the Stabbington Brothers from Tangled. The will be released a fortnight later on May 24, 2013 at D-Streets and online. There will only be 1,000 of these bad boys, so catch them while you can.

The artist is Thomas Scott and they will cost you $26.95 for the set. These guys are some rough looking dudes and they come with knives, which is interesting for a Vinylmation.

So, what do you think Disney was thinking with these when they made the Brothers an LE of 1000 and the Fox and Hound an LE of 2500? Is it just that people probably know the Fox and the Hound better?

Park Starz 2 Explained

WDWNT on January 9, 2013

I have said it on the podcast numerous times that Park Starz is the best part of Vinylmation. This second series cements that feeling. Wonderful character selection and wonderful designs. Park Starz 2 will release on May 10th, 2013 at both D-Streets and May 3rd online for $18.95 per blind tin. Here is the 12 figure lineup:
–
Wally Boag
Golden Horseshoe Revue
Disneyland (1955)
Wally Boag starred in the long running Disneyland show and is a perfect fit in this Park Starz set. I’ll be honest, I didn’t recognize him. I thought he may be from Big Thunder Mountain. But when a friend pointed it out, there was no mistaking it. What a nod to Disney Park history.

Carnotaurus

Dinosaur (Countdown to Extinction)

Animal Kingdom (1998)

I wanted a dinosaur in Park Starz, but thought it would look a little different. Wonder character in the face, but I would like to see what it looks like with a rounded head maybe? Great horns, tail and feet. This is one of the attractions that’s always fun, but most enjoyable the very first time you ride.

Tree Troll

Maelstrom

Norway Pavilion Epcot Center (1988)

I was giddy when I saw this little guy previewed at the Epcot 30th D23 event. AMAZING. One of the weirdest but one of my favorite rides at WDW. It’s just so Epcot.

Elephant

Jungle Cruise

Disneyland 1955

An adorable addition to the lineup. This is one of the characters I had on my personal Park Starz short list. Just an iconic animatronic. I love the use of the clear for the spouting water.

Gus

Haunted Mansion

Disneyland (1969)

There can be, and most likely will be, a Haunted Mansion character in the first 999 editions of this series. Can you say clear variant? Overall, I like it. But I will say I expected a better ball and chain from Park Starz.

Mark Twain

The American Adventure

Epcot Center 1982

I put together a list of characters that needed to be in Park Starz form, and this was right at the top. Call me a nerd, but I love the addition of the historical figures into Vinylmation. He is from one of my favorite shows at WDW and looks perfect here.

Orange Bird

Sunshine Tree Terrace

Magic Kingdom (1971)

This is one figure I wanted in Park Starz but didn’t know it. I don’t know why I didn’t think of him as a park character, but he a quintessential one. And how popular is Orange Bird merchandise these days? VERY!

Disc Man

Tapestry of Nations

Epcot (1999)

Unexpected, but awesome addition. These puppets were crazy and the parade is something not many remember or know of. It was only around for about 2 years, but it is wonderful that the DDG dug deep into the parks character archive to include it.

Dutch Girl and Hippo

It’s a Small World

World’s Fair (1964)

If an IASW character with animal combo is a trend that will be in every Park Starz series, I’d be very happy. The Hippo is one of my favorites, and this combo is beautifully done.

 

Red Head

Pirates of the Caribbean

Disneyland (1967)

We finally gots the Red Head… in Vinylmation form anyway. She is done beautifully with a wonderful hat and I bet the color really pops in person.

Rex

Star Tours

Disneyland (1987)

If you are looking to please every category of Disney fan, you might just succeed in this set. Fans have been craving a Rex… a much beloved Disney made Star Wars character. The HD upgrade to Star Tours was needed and is now makes Star Tours one of the most enjoyable experiences at the parks… but Rex was moved out of his starring role. But fear not, he can now be found among the droids in the queue areas at WDW and DLR. This figure is modeled wonderfully after the real droid.

Bellhop

Tower of Terror

MGM Studios (1994)

This was the first figure we got a glimpse of from PS2. There are three attractions where the Cast Members can make or break the experience… Jungle Cruise, Great Movie Ride and Tower of Terror. When you have a creepy Cast Member, the experience is next level. This figure is not based on a true character, but rather the bell hop Cast Members that load you into the elevator. Well done DDG.

 

Urban Redux Secrets Reveled

WDWNT on January 9, 2013

The wait is over. Urban Redux has been mistakenly released at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Villains in Vogue store before the official March 22 release date. (part of the promotion or mistake?) Some photos and info have been posted on the Vinylmation Exchange Facebook page, posted by Andrew M. Pitts.

First of all, a case has 8 figures. The biggest reveal however, as shown by the packaging above, each figure has a seeding ratio attached to it. This is very common in the vinyl toy world, but the first time we are seeing this in Vinylmation. The Pig, Cowboy, Alien and Ant Farm are each in 1 out of every 6 blind boxes. The Ninja is seeded 5 in every 24 blind boxes. The single mystery chaser is seeded 1 in every 24 blind boxes. So you are not guaranteed a chaser in a sealed case, only one in every three cases will have a chaser.

The other reveal is the Lucky Cat, seen at Mickey’s Circus, is actually a combo topper with a twist. There are three different colors of the cat (Red, Black and White)

Urban Redux is $12.95 per blind box. No word yet on the price of the combo topper. No word yet on the chaser(s). Either the single ? or the triple ???. We discussed the idea of ratios in Vinylmation in an earlier episode of the Destination Vinylmation podcast. I think it is a great idea to shake things up in the Vinylmation world. However, although I think it is fun to see this method applied to an urban themed set, I don’t think I would be willing to see this applied to a park themed set that I would be interested in making sure I want the whole set. Collecting 4 Dapper Dans is one thing… trying to find various ratio figures through the set is another. I would not mind seeing this in a generic, fun Disney character set that is in the vain of that Funko Mini Mystery set that just released.

I’m sure we will be back to update this post as news comes out today.

Artist Roman Rodriguez’s Custom Vinyl Giveaway!

WDWNT on January 9, 2013

FREE GIVE AWAY… ENTER NOW!!!!

(above image is NOT the giveaway piece)

For a chance to win a 3” Roman Rodriguez Art Custom One of a kind.

SO HOW DO I WIN???:

1. Visit the Roman Rodriguez Art Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/romanrodriguezart

2. “Like” the page by clicking the Like button at the top right.

3. Comment on this posting that is pinned at the top of the page and saying that you want to enter and win the giveaway. Leave a comment saying what character you would like to win.

4. If you share the post on your wall by clicking the share option below this picture, you will get one additional entry. Please mark the share as PUBLIC at the top of the share popup window so I could see it and count it.

5. People that have bought Vinylmation from me in the past or before March 8th will get one additional entry.

6. On Friday March 15, 2013 at 7PM Eastern Standard Time (EST) I will gather all the comments and shares and using a random number generator I will pick the winner. If I get to 300 likes I will give two Vinylmation away.

Good Luck!!!!!!

Jared Flores Previews Upcoming Custom Bug’s Life Series

WDWNT on January 9, 2013

Here is a message from custom Vinylmation artist Jared Flores:

Hello all,
I am currently working a custom series I’d like to let you know about. The blind box series is to be a 13 figure series (containing 1 mystery Chaser) featuring beloved characters from Pixar’s A Bug’s Life. The series will include a range of villains and heroes from Pixar’s 2nd movie. All of the figures are painted to a higher standard than I have ever done before. The level of detail in both the painting and modeling (for some in the set) added many extra hours of work that my normal designs don’t require. I have always had a soft spot for A Bug’s Life and wanted to do it justice, so I made sure to get each character just right.

Currently the series is halfway complete,  but I consistently post updates on my page at jaredcirusbear.tumblr.com, as well as on http://www.facebook.com/groups/VECustoms/ More information about pricing as well as detailed photos will follow as soon as the series is complete in full. I’m having a lot of fun with these characters, and hope you will enjoy the final results.

Thanks- Jared Circusbear
jared_circusbear@yahoo.com

A Closer Look at Silly Symphony

WDWNT on January 9, 2013

The Silly Symphonies were a series of animated shorts produced by Walt Disney Productions. There was a total of 75 made between 1929 and 1939. Each short was unique, in that, with few exceptions, they did not contain reoccurring characters. The Silly Syphonies are a very important part of Disney’s animation history, because they were a testing ground for techniques that Disney would later use to revolutionize animation. They also launched the career of my favorite character, Donald Duck.

So it is wonderful that the Disney Design Group is celebrating the Silly Symphonies with a blind box Vinylmation set that is due out this fall. With all those shorts, there is quite a catalog of characters to choose from. Let’s take a look at the three characters we know about and speculate who else may be in the set.

The first figure is Old King Cole from the 1931 short “Mother Goose Melodies.” In this short, Old King Cole summons various Mother Goose characters for his entertainment, including the Three Blind Mice as his “fiddlers three”, Miss Muffet, Jack and Jill (who meet Simple Simon atop the hill), Humpty Dumpty, Jack Horner (his Christmas pie also containing the four and twenty blackbirds), Bo Peep (Boy Blue brings the sheep home, one of which falls in mud to become Baa Baa Black Sheep) and the Cat, Cow and Little Dog.

The next figure is Abner the mouse from the 1936 short “The Country Cousin.” The film’s story was based on one of Aesop’s Fables, The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse and won the 1936 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

The figure on the box is from “The Ugly Duckling” which was released in 1939 as the last Silly Symphony. It was also the only story made twice in the series… the first was in black and white and contains less story elements. This short took home the 1939 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

What else might be in this set? It is likely the artist have given a nod to “Flowers and Trees.” That was the first cartoon produced in full-color three-strip Technicolor. It also won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1932 and was Disney’s first overall cartoon in color.

Another likely candidate is “Skeleton Dance.” This was the first, and still well known Silly Symphony.

I would like to see “The Old Mill” represented. In 1937, this was Disney’s first use of the multiplane camera. A revolutionary technique that can be seen demonstrated inside One Man’s Dream at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

The Three Little Pigs were popular Silly Symphony characters, but we have seen them in Animation 2. Will they be represented here again? What shorts or characters would you like to see?

Enchanted Tiki Room 50th Anniversary Event

WDWNT on January 9, 2013

I love the Enchanted Tiki Room. More for it’s style and place in Disney theme park history than for the actual entertainment value of that show in the year 2013. But none the less, I enjoy some good Tiki Room merchandise. Well, Disneyland is celebrating the 50th anniversary of this historic attraction this year and is holding a special ticketed event for guests. We recently had a look at the details and a sneak peek at just some of the merchandise that will be available. Still no Vinylmation mentioned, but we are still holding out hope. We think there is a high probability for at least a few one-of-a-kind customs for the event.

The event will be similar to the WDW annual trading event where you pay a price for a ticket and then get to select the merchandise you want to purchase through a “Random Selection Process.” At the event itself, you will be treated to a themed experience, most likely with characters, sounds and sights related to the Tiki Room. There will be trading tables for guests and games where you can trade with Cast Members. Right now, the trading with Cast Members seems to be pins only.

Enchanted Tiki Room 50th Anniversary Event

June 28-29

  • Disneyland Hotel – Exhibit Hall
  • Ticket Sales begin Tuesday, April 2, 2013, at 11 a.m. (Pacific Time) via www.ArtofDisneyParks.com
  • “JOSE” Package is $85
  • Registered event guests will have the opportunity to purchase Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room 50th Anniversary Event-themed merchandise via the Random Selection Process.

June 28, 2013 (5-9 p.m.)

  • Early Registration
  • Event Store & Random Selection Process Merchandise Pick-up
  • Trading Area

June 29, 2013 (8 a.m. – 5 p.m.)

  • Event Store & Random Selection Process Merchandise Pick-up
  • Artist Signings
  • Silent Auction
  • Trading Area and Activities
  • Commemorative Gifts

Special Experience Add-On:

  • Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room 50th Anniversary – SHAG Cocktail Reception – $185
  • In order to register for the SHAG Cocktail Reception, Guests must also be registered for Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room 50th Anniversary Event ‘JOSE’ Package.
  • June 29, 2013 (7–10 p.m.)
  • Cocktail Reception
  • Light Hors d’oeuvres
  • Meet and Greet with SHAG
  • Commemorative Photo
  • Commemorative Gifts
  • Shag is known in the Vinylmation world for creating the 40th Anniversary DLR Haunted Mansion 9″/3″ Figure that is hard to get at an LE of only 150.

WDWNT: The Magazine – The LucasFilm Acquisition’s Impact to the Parks

WDWNT on January 9, 2013

LucasFilm Acquisition– The Impact to the Parks

by Nathan Bradley

Hello Humans! Wow have we hit the jackpot…It’s a match made in heaven: Disney and Star Wars…errr I mean LucasFilm (but mostly Star Wars).  Bob Iger, who is responsible for the acquisitions of Pixar, The Muppets, Marvel, and now Lucasfilm, is going to go down as one of the greatest company leaders.  Looking back at what WDI has done with Pixar in the parks and The Muppets to an extent, having Star Wars in WDI’s lineup almost becomes too much to imagine…but I’m going to try.

The Star Wars franchise right now is a bit of a mixed bag.  On one hand, fans have a sour taste in their mouth because the prequels simply didn’t meet expectations.  On the other hand is money, which is where Disney comes in.  They rightly consider Star Wars to be an “evergreen” franchise, a clever play on words meaning that the franchise never looses its luster like an evergreen tree and also that it is always green in terms of money.  The toy, video game, television, and movie (Episodes 7,8, and 9!) markets are all very successful for Star Wars; always have been, always will be.  This was clearly one of the main selling points to the Disney board of executives.  We already know that Disney believes in the franchise though.  As we all know Star Wars Weekends, Star Tours (both versions), Tatooine Traders, and The Jedi Training Academy are all favorites of Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  While we’re in the Studios, I’d like to mention that the Lucasfilm acquisition does not include the rights to Indiana Jones.  So although Disney has the theme park rights to Indy, they will likely not be adding as many new theme park experiences as they will with Star Wars because they won’t benefit from the perpetual success of the brand as a whole.

Many Star Wars fanboys have called for Disney to base an entire park around the franchise.  As theme park aficionados, we know that basing an entire park around a single franchise, even Star Wars, is ludicrous because the success of the park hangs on the popularity of a single property.  Nonetheless, tantalizing fan artwork has surfaced, such as the Magic Kingdom-style rendering pictured.  Do I wish this would become a reality?  Absolutely.  Do I think this will become a reality? Absolutely not.  The best we can hope for is a Star Wars land at DHS in my opinion.

If such a land were to come to fruition under the WDI roof, at least we know it wouldn’t be placed out west first.  Their Star Tours is located in Tomorrowland; if they want a Star Wars land, they will need to either devote an entire section of Disneyland to one franchise (not happening) or move the attraction between parks (unheard of).  Resting on that, let’s consider the realistic best-case scenario in Florida.  Will there be another Star Wars E-Ticket?  Doubt it.  I would wager on some type of interactive experience since that seems to be a growing trend at WDI.  As fans of the parks we should rejoice if we get an interactive Star Wars experience.  The prospect of a Yoda AA is exciting to say the least.  What if during the show he used the force and things flew around the room?  Turtle Talk, Laugh Floor, and recently Enchanted Tales have been universally well liked.  Also included in this best-case scenario is the conversion of The Backlot Express into the famed Mos Eisley Cantina from Episode IV.  What better way to immerse guests in the universe of the films?  I have always wondered why WDI doesn’t theme more restaurants around specific franchises.  With the general praise of Be Our Guest, I don’t see why they wouldn’t be ready to try their luck again.  Another interesting component could be meet-and-greets with the characters from the films.  Who doesn’t want a hug from Chewbacca or an Ewok?  I think an opportunity for kids to be outfitted like their favorite Star Wars character, along the lines of the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, would also be a solid addition.  Finally, an improved merchandise location is in order if Star Wars land is built.  The carbon-freezing experience from the last Star Wars Weekend would make a fantastic addition.

All sounds pretty reasonable, right? Let’s look at a more adventurous possibility…

 

           Star Wars takes over Tomorrowland.  Please, don’t shoot!  I know I just said that it wouldn’t be okay in Disneyland, but that’s because they don’t have enough space to be devoting a whole land to a single franchise.  In Florida, however, we have plenty.  Let’s look at current Tomorrowland.  Stitch’s Great Escape: “What a piece of junk!” Laugh Floor is a quality attraction but it isn’t so beloved that Star Wars couldn’t easily take its place.  Space Mountain is about as iconic as any ride on the planet, but the façade wouldn’t necessarily clash with a Star Wars land.  As for the content of the ride, you really wouldn’t have to change anything except for some queue elements to make it a Star Wars attraction; that is an awful queue anyway.  Then there’s The Tomorrowland Indy Speedway.  Never has any attraction had such a low ratio of quality to square footage.  I don’t think there is a person on this Earth who would object to a Star Wars themed attraction on that plot of land.  Two main problems now arise (besides the fact of it never happening of course).  #1: The current Star Wars elements at DHS are too well beloved to be simply discarded.  They would have to be moved to the Magic Kingdom by some miraculous act.  #2: The Carousel of Progress isn’t going anywhere.  Nonetheless, I think this option is plausible at best.  “I find your lack of faith disturbing…”

Could Star Wars go in Future World?  I say no way.  No science-fiction franchise should be the basis of an attraction in Epcot.  We may have strayed from the original Epcot creed, but not enough to include a film series, albeit a great one, that isn’t rooted in reality.  The aesthetics might coincide and the possibility of replacing Mission: Space with Star Wars is pretty appealing, but the message just wouldn’t be right.

Even thinking without limits of practicality, I can’t imagine even one decent way of incorporating Star Wars characters into DAK. So that’s that.

I would say that in general, as self-proclaimed scrutinizers of WDW, we should expect Star Wars additions to DHS in the near future.  I don’t think it’s really too much to hope for.  A cohesive land would be significantly more exciting than just new experiences because the locations of Star Wars are so rich.  A Star Wars land as a unit would lend itself to being filled with all kinds of hidden Star Wars references too.  There are almost too many possibilities for us as fans to speculate about.  One thing is for sure: Disney acquiring Lucasfilm can only be good for Walt Disney World.

 

Nathan Bradley is a high school student from the Philadelphia suburbs. He enjoys physics, mechanics, storytelling, and WDW (biannual trips and an avid disney geek). He plans on becoming an Imagineer when he’s older.