Award Winning Composer, Michael Giacchino, Will Score Walt Disney Animation Studios “Zootopia”

WDWNT on November 13, 2015

 

Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino marks his first-ever feature collaboration with Walt Disney Animation Studios for next spring’s big-screen adventure “Zootopia.” Featuring an 80-piece orchestra and conductor Tim Simonec, Giacchino’s score is being recorded this week.

“In a world as vast as Zootopia, we needed someone who could deliver a score that can feel exotic and powerful, but also provide that same emotional intimacy,” said director Byron Howard. “We tell stories with images, Michael tells stories with music. ‘Zootopia’ is a massive film with deep emotional themes running throughout the story, and Michael was the perfect choice to bring the music of this extraordinary animal world to life.”

Added director Rich Moore, “Zootopia is a thriving metropolis inhabited by animals from around globe, and Michael’s music has captured a wonderful international spirit that marries perfectly with the visuals. I’m very excited for audiences to experience this incredible new world we’ve created together.”

According to the composer, the score is very diverse instrumentally. “There are flavors of world music sprinkled in everywhere. But at its core, the score always follows the emotional story of Hopps and Nick.”

Giacchino’s credits feature some of the most popular and acclaimed film projects in recent history, including Disney•Pixar’s “Inside Out,” “The Incredibles” and “Ratatouille,” as well as “Jurassic World,” “MissionImpossible: Ghost Protocol” and “The Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.”  His score for Disney•Pixar’s 2009 feature “Up” earned him an Oscar®, a Golden Globe®, the BAFTA, the Broadcast Film Critics’ Choice Award and two GRAMMY® Awards.

“The process of working with Michael is unique in that it doesn’t feel like a process,” said Moore. “It feels more like visiting with a childhood friend. We started by talking about the film—the themes, the tone, the characters, the emotional moments. We talked about what inspired us, and our hopes for the movie. And from those conversations, Michael began building the score. When we listened to his work together, an amazing thing happened. Michael somehow took those conversations and turned them into music. It’s creative collaboration, pure and simple.”

Said Giacchino, “We’ve had a lot of fun working together and the directors have been wonderfully supportive of me throughout the entire process, giving me an incredible amount of freedom to really explore the tone and emotional side of the story.

“I am really proud to be a part of this film,” continued Giacchino. “It’s one of those films with a huge heart and wonderfully realized characters set within a story that’s not only incredibly fun and entertaining but takes an honest look at our own world and the important issues we deal with living in such a diverse society.  That’s what really attracted me to the film—the chance to write music that reflects these kind of challenges.”

Added Howard, “Michael approaches composing from an intuitive, emotional place that’s so completely personal to him, but at the same time, his themes and musical storytelling are completely universal. You fall in love with the music the instant you hear it.”

Monorail Coral Nose Cone Destroyed Due to Collision with Tractor During Test Run, No One Was Injured

WDWNT on November 13, 2015

During a planned test on the Express Line of the Magic Kingdom monorail this afternoon, a tow tractor collided with Monorail Coral.

Disney blocked all foot and vehicle traffic in the area around Disney’s Contemporary Resort and ensured most guests had no way of visibly seeing what exactly had happened on Wednesday afternoon near Disney’s Contemporary Resort. The planned test was to have the Express Line unavailable to guests all afternoon, but the accident brought all lines of the Walt Disney World Monorail System to a close. They are still closed at this time.

The test was related to the TCS (Train Control System), the long-awaited automation system that might bring driver-less Monorails to Walt Disney World.

No one was injured and no guests were on-board as the train was not in operation.

 


Monorail service resumed as normal the next day.

RUMOR: Pizza Planet at Hollywood Studios to Become Muppets Restaurant?

WDWNT on November 13, 2015

Pizza Planet at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is closing January 11th, 2016. If no further information was provided, we would assume this has something to do with the construction of the Star Wars themed land, but the restaurant is scheduled to re-open in late 2016. So… are the Muppets moving in?

Provided Muppetvision 3-D is staying, it would make sense to finally turn this establishment into a Muppets themed restaurant, as originally intended back in 1991. With a refurbishment this long and an entire Toy Story Land being built on the other side of the park, it makes little sense for it to return as a Toy Story-themed eatery. While it may not be a Muppets re-theme, something is definitely happening to Pizza Planet in 2016.

We have no solid details at this time, but stay tuned for more on this as it develops.

Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival 2016 Expands to 90 Days

WDWNT on November 13, 2015

If 75 days wasn’t enough last year, the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival will now run a full 3 months in 2016.  Epcot will host the annual event March 2 – May 30, 2016.

 

Making their topiary debut at the park’s front entrance will be Donald Duck’s mischievous nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie along with Donald and Daisy. To celebrate the National Parks Service centennial, Ranger Mickey Mouse will be presented for the first time in Future World.

The Cars play area will be replaced in 2016 with the innovative new “Fab Five” play garden featuring Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Pluto and Donald Duck topiaries. Musical instruments will be built into the children’s outdoor climbing systems.

“The Latest At The Land”: Star Wars – Season of the Force Debuts at Disneyland np

WDWNT on November 13, 2015

As what sometimes seems like the entire civilized world waits for the next installment of the Star Wars film juggernaut and theme park fans gaze into the night skies for a clues about the shape of the films’ brick and mortar edifies at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, a slight peek forward and long look back at the Lucas Universe, Star Wars: Season of the Force opened Monday November 16 at Disneyland.

This re-skinning of Disneyland’s Tomorrowland as Season of the Force, is certainly a placeholder for the full scale Star Wars land now beginning construction, but that doesn’t make this temporary fare insignificant. It uses the resources and rides of the area as a temporary exposition space, and arguably, the most ambitious movie promotion ever mounted.

This temporary fare elevates the area with the look and tone of the previous and upcoming films while building buzz for what is widely expected to be the highest grossing film of all time. It does that with a handful of “pavilions” and overlays at familiar Tomorrowland attractions.

Star Wars Launch Bay: Located in the former Innoventions/Carousel Theatre is primarily a photo meet & greet with Darth Vader and Chewbacca presenting considerable wait times. But not for lack of trying. Multiples of each of the characters, à la Mickey’s House, are tackfully deployed to at least double the capacity.  The rest of the downstairs area is essentially a “hardware” show. Here the wardrobe, weapons, and the vehicles, flying or ground-bound, of a galaxy far away, are on display in a fairly rich, art directed Star Wars environment.

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The Path of The Jedi: Taking up residence in the The Magic Eye Theatre (Yes, that really is the name again…) in the Space Mountain complex. The presentation is essentially a long film trailer, including material from all of the preceding Star Wars films and the upcoming The Force Awakens. It is light on new material, but if you have ever been a fan of the series, you may start to get that familiar feeling again.  Your milage may vary.

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Hyperspace Mountain: In what is certainly the best “Extreme Makeover: Space Mountain Edition” yet, this Disney Park classic get reconnoitered into an X-Wing space battle. It may be a little light on new scenes, and the additions probably wouldn’t pass muster on a long term basis. But when you are speeding through “outer space” at great speed, the new sights work pretty well.

Miraculously, this change was accomplished behind the scenes without significant downtime to the attraction, just a few late morning openings. This highlights Disneyland’s and Walt Disney Imagineering’s “out of the box” creativity, the blessing of proximity, and their willingness to use the So. Cal. Parks as a living laboratory. Lucky us!

Star Tours (with The Force Awakens themes): All Guests will see the new footage as a prelude to the normal randomized scenarios. Warning: This small change and the adventure that follows may serve to remind you that Star Tours is still one of the best simulator rides around.

Various Marvel Universe ephemera is on display on the upper level of the Tomorrowland Expo Center at Super Hero HQ, where guests can also now meet Thor or Spider-Man in meet and greet experiences.

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Giant movie promotion or not, Season of the Force brings a pulse to Tomorrowland, especially at night when dramatic lighting and the stars in the sky add to the atmosphere. And even for a minute, that awkward looking, sometimes rotating antenna/sculpture on the upper level where the Rocket Jets used to be looks okay… Maybe.

REVIEW: “Put Me in the Story – Star Wars: The Force Inside” np

WDWNT on November 13, 2015

Put Me in the Story is a popular line of best selling personalized books for kids. We had the chance to review Marvel’s The Avengers: Black Ops Field Guide a few months ago, and now, just in time for The Force Awakens, we had the opportunity to review a copy of Star Wars: The Force Inside.
The process for ordering any Put Me in the Story book is quick, easy and fun via the Put Me in the Story website. Just a few quick steps of typing your child’s name, adding a short book dedication and uploading two photos of your child and you are done. This can be done as either a surprise for your child, or include them in the process by having them choose two of their favorite photos!
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I decided to have Jedi Master Mace Windu write out a dedication to one of his favorite Jedi… me! The process of personalizing the book really adds to the excitement of waiting to receive it. And we have had a great experience with super fast shipping, so you will not have to wait long after ordering.
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The first photo you upload goes onto the dedication page. The second photo goes on a page in the middle of the book. When you receive the book, you will notice that it is a high quality hard cover book. Which it good, because if your kids are like me when I was a youngling, they will be flipping through it over and over and over again.
The best part in my opinion is that there are two sides to the book… “Path of the Jedi” and “Path of the Sith.” So depending on which cover you start with, you can choose the dark side or the light. The covers have well designed graphics on them with either Jedi or Sith characters. Your child’s name is also on both covers.
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Once you choose your side, you will go through a series of pages with characters and questions on the them. Luke, Yoda, Obi-Wan and more populate the Jedi side with Vader, The Inquisitor and Darth Maul among others on the Sith side.
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On one page you will find a character bio and attribute chart. On the opposite page, is a short quiz to test your dedication to the dark or light side. For each page, you add up the numbers next to the answers you choose, and at the book’s half way point, you total up your points for your Jedi or Sith score. On that middle page is also where your second photo appears.
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Overall, the presentation is wonderful. There are a ton of great graphics and character photos with a layout that invites repeated readings. Just that alone would have me flipping though the pages, but the fact that I can interact with the book by making up my own stories based on the quizzes inside is what makes this book a true winner. It is something I would reference and revisit over and over again as a young padawan in training for a life of Star Wars geekdom ahead.
Click here to check out the Star Wars: The Force Inside book for yourself.

CONCEPT ART & VIDEO: Disney Previews “Rivers of Light” and the Tree of Life Nighttime Projections for Animal Kingdom

WDWNT on November 13, 2015

Today, Disney is finally sharing more about the Rivers of Light nighttime spectacular coming to Animal Kingdom in 2016:

In “Rivers of Light,” a pair of mystical hosts come to the river bearing gifts of light. During the show, the hosts set out from the shore on elaborate lantern vessels for a dramatic dance of water and light to summon animal spirits. With the storytellers as your guides, the wonders of “Rivers of Light” builds to a stunning crescendo.

In addition to the show, you’ll also notice the park’s iconic Tree of Life will undergo an amazing awakening as the animal spirits of the tree are brought to “light” by magical fireflies, revealing moments of wonder and enchantment.

To create “Rivers of Light,” Imagineers and Creative Entertainment partnered with the talents of master puppet designer Michael Curry, composer Mark Mancina and the filmmakers at Disneynature. According to Imagineer Joe Rohde, the addition of “Rivers of Light” to the park’s offerings will serve as that huge “wow” moment that ends a guest’s visit to the park.

 

Disney also released a video with Imagineer Joe Rhode discussing the project:

Animal Kingdom Getting a New Table Service Restaurant in 2016:– “Tiffins”

WDWNT on November 13, 2015

We’ve been watching construction of a new restaurant at Animal Kingdom (just behind Pizzafari on the way to Pandora: The World of AVATAR) for quite a while now, but we now finally know what it will be…

Tiffins Concept Art

Tiffins Concept Art

The restaurant will be called Tiffins and it “will celebrate the art of traveling, featuring a diverse menu drawing from places that inspired the creation of Disney’s Animal Kingdom”. Serving lunch and dinner, Tiffins will also include waterfront views from indoor and outdoor seating areas. “Tiffin” is an Indian English word for a midday meal or a type of container used to carry food while traveling.

Tifins will open to guests in 2016 at Disney’s animal Kingdom theme park.