Adam Roth’s 6/30/12 Animal Kingdom Photo Report

WDWNT on December 3, 2012

This photo report is a little late as we have been preparing for our fifth anniversary festivities here at WDW News Today, but better late than never. WDWNT Reporter Adam Roth visited Animal Kingdom on June 30th to catch one of the last Sundowner Celebrations held at the park. The celebration only lasted a month but was a unique offering, almost like the food and wine festival at Epcot. Let’s take a look:

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A truck is used as an information board at the front of the park

Things going on in 3 lands

It is Animal Kingdom after all…

Wow… not very crowded…

Some fairly new Animal Kingdom merchandise available

Cool ear hat

Carnotaurus knit cap

Russel and Dug from UP meeting in the old “It’s Tough to be a Bug” FASTPASS area

Work continues on some of the side paths near the Tree of Life after the branch falling of a few weeks back

You can still get plenty of good photos of this…

On to Camp Minnie-Mickey

The dragon waterfall is still there

Hey, Meeko is out and doesn’t have a line!

It’s pretty empty

Word is the greeting trails are going away and these characters are moving to the former Beastly Bazaar in a few weeks

It wouldn’t be a trip to Animal Kingdom if we didn’t stop at Pizzafari to visit the greatest mural ever…

Psycho lion and incredibly nervous Zebra!

On to Harambe

Temporary signs inform guests of the festivities

There’s a wine walk

Beer

There are also some cultural demonstrations

The Henna booth was about the only one that wasn’t free

All kinds of special treats available

Fruit salads available as well

Let’s take a walk to Asia

You can learn how to play this instrument

The carts leading to Asia had special menus for the event

You can learn how to make summer rolls

Ta-da!

You can take home a recipe card

The boneless chicken wings are back!

I guess you can just call this place Anandapur Wild Wings! GET IT?

Huh?

I think I’m gonna be sick…

Live music

What is your Asian language?

Plenty of specialty drinks

Learn how to make fried rice!

They had dancers teaching dance moves to guests as Bollywood style music played in the area

I love the DJ’s decorated computer

Dragon Hollow? Now you’re just rubbing it in…

The water play area in Asia is being refurbished

Another Henna booth

Adam got a drink and decided to hang out in a secluded spot

Let’s see what’s going on at Kilimanjaro Safaris

Wilson is still featured in the queue even though his narration and story is gone from the ride

“WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE”

JUMPING GAZELLES!

Oh, it’s poachers…

It was…

Hiding, Hiding Hippos

“NOM-NOM-NOM”

Holy giraffes!

Here’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for: the backside of giraffe!

No, the bridge doesn’t collapse right now

Hidden Mickey

Awwww, sleepy cheetahs…

That turtle was moving so fast Adam couldn’t get a picture of him

Blurry, but some work was being done on the bridge

Work on the new finale scenes is visible

This is where Little Red once stood, but soon it will be a home to Zebras

A natural barrier being dug-out

Back to Harambe

The dance party is in full swing

Unlike the hated dance parties at the Magic Kingdom, this band performs music from their culture and teaches you their dances, a much better fit for a Disney park

Here’s a video of the dance party:

There is podium where guests can find out more about Wild Africa Trek

Some people seem to believe this will be the new entrance to Festival of the Lion King once it is forced to move out of Camp Minnie-Mickey

Popcone?

It’s the Enchantment in the Jungle Dance!

Gotta love intricate details…

Let’s take a look at the Tree of Life trails

You can still get some great photos of the Tree of Life

Some work continues

The exit of It’s Tough to be a Bug

Over at Expedition Everest, they have been chopping down some of the bamboo

Beautiful

Still no bird…

Still no movement… and no, there are not two of them…

New Everest shirts

More chopped bamboo

This old map of Dinoland U.S.A. is still up. It still includes Dinosaur Jubilee… look it up kids…

No, you won’t…

It’s time to leave

Not sure if Disney did anything, but the water isn’t bright green anymore!

The Rainforest Cafe sign is missing!

Heimlich Maneuvers Into D-Streets 11/23

WDWNT on December 3, 2012

At the WDW Trade Night on Friday we had the chance to see the Pixar 1 Heimlich combo topper that will be released on November 23.

 As hoped for, he will use the same elongated torso used for the John Carter alien figures. Heimlich will be attached to a Pixar 1 blind box with a retail price of $24.95.

In other Pixar 1 news, we have a December 14 release date for the Little Green Men three pack and a December 28 release date for Tuck and Roll. The entire first series will be in D-Streets Disney Store Online on November 16 with a retail price of $12.95.

Which figure of the known 11 is your favorite? Mine is Mr. Incredible.

Christmas Time Is Here Again…

WDWNT on December 3, 2012

After Friday’s WDW Trade Night I visited Downtown Disney were the Christmas lights were strung and classic holiday tunes burst out from the speakers. At Target this morning the Christmas displays merrily greeted the shoppers. And as I sit here, writing this post, I sip from my red Starbucks cup filled to the brim with Gingerbread goodness. Oh, Christmas time is upon us once again, so let’s take a look at Disney’s Christmas themed Vinylmation offerings for 2012.

They are really pushing this Agent P Christmas design across all merchandise platforms this year. I did purchase the pin because of the extra elements on it such as the wire, but I will pass on this design. Not because it doesn’t look well done, but because I already have the original version. You can pick Agent P up at D-Streets on November 16th and at the Disney Store Online on November 30th for $12.95. They have everything from plush to antenna toppers with this design at the parks, but I found some extra fun things online.

I’m pretty sure I’ll be making this 3-D ornament. You can find the template here at DisneyFamily.com. I also know some friends who would be happy to receive a Christmas card that looks like this…

Again, the template can be found on Disney Family website here. Moving on from Phineas and Ferb to Prep and Landing.

This combo pack came out on November 2 at D-Streets and Disney Store Online for $26.95. It is an Open Edition set. Then we come to the classic Mickey Mouse…

…dressed as Santa Clause. This appears to be the Christmas release this year meaning we may not be getting a Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party or Osborne or Holidays Around the World figure. I believe we have gotten at least one of the above in each of the last three seasons. I’m glad they went with a classic pie eyed Mickey here. He looks wonderful in person. The classic look of his face is what turned me from a no to a yes on this one. He even has mistletoe in one ear. If I had one complaint, it would be the hat looks a bit too ridged, but otherwise, a solid figure. Santa Mickey can be had on November 9 at D-Streets and Online for $16.95.

And there you have it, the Christmas Vinylmation lineup for 2012. Would you want to see more Disney Parks Christmas event Vinylmation? What other Christmas vinyls do you want? I’m still waiting for a Mickey’s Christmas Carol set. Would be great as an open window series or event a 6 figure LE box set.

3″ Annual Passholder Balloons LE not OE

WDWNT on December 3, 2012

In Disney’s funny little way of not wanting us to have all the info up front, we found out another little tidbit about these new 3″ Annual Passholder Exclusive Balloons… they have a limited edition size of 3,000. That is according to the Disney Vinylmation Blog. The Events page still calls them “open edition.” There was no LE placed on the first two Passholder figures, Mr. Toad and Orange Bird. The were open edition and in fact, are still available today to my knowledge. I will say, the LE of 3,000 on this figure is quite large and should be around for some time to come. Disney also released official pictures of both versions…

The balloon figures for each coast are different and retail for $14.95 and are now available at the D-Streets. I like the Disneyland one much better. Just appears to be a more classic and clean design.

WDW News Today Turns 5 Years Old! – July 8th, 2012

WDWNT on December 3, 2012

Every year this Network grows older, we reflect upon the accomplishments, impact, and incredible growth of WDWNT. It has now been 5 years since WDW News Today launched on July 8th, 2007. What was founded on the website you see before you and built on the back of daily news and information about Walt Disney World is now a vibrant collection of websites, podcasts, electronic publications, online radio stations, & more. The last year in particular has been a memorable one, from the ongoing project of moving our expansive video library to Youtube, to “See Ya’ Real Late” with Tom Corless making it’s successful debut on iTunes. We even set new records in traffic for our websites and podcasts this year, as well as brought you the best live coverage of events such as the D23 Expo back in August.

In the world of Disney, our sites have covered huge stories such as the announcement of an AVATAR-themed land at Animal Kingdom, the completion of the Disney California Adventure expansion with the opening of Cars Land and Buena Vista Street, the grand opening of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, and the continuing progress on the Magic Kingdom’s New Fantasyland. We even celebrated the 40th anniversary of Walt Disney World along with WDWCelebrations and have continued to present a fascinating series of WDWNT: The Magazine articles and podcast segments celebrating four decades of the Magic Kingdom.

Tonight, we will continue our annual tradition of presenting a special anniversary edition of WDWNT Live! show on WDWNTunes.com. The show begins at 9PM EST and will last until 12AM EST. We hope you will join us for that, but also what we have coming up this week…

We’ll also be presenting a series of live programming coming to you from our event in the NY/NJ area including the recording of the 25oth episode of the WDW News Today Podcast on 7/13 at 8PM EST, WDWNTunes Around the Hub on 7/13 at 12PM EST, and a live video edition of “See Ya’ Real Late” with Tom Corless on 7/14 at 11PM EST. All of these programs will be available on WDWNTunes.com at those times, but will also be released for download at some point afterward. As well, if you’d like to attend the festivities in person, last-minute registration is still open for our event at WDWNT.com.

On a personal note, the 5 year journey of this website, the podcast, and the entire family of shows and websites that make up WDWNT has been the greatest experience of my life. I’d like to thank the incredible volunteer staff of over 50 people that has worked tirelessly to get us where we are today and the loyal readers & listeners who are to thank for our great success. I am very proud of what we have accomplished in just 5 short years, and look forward to many more of “Bridging the Gaps Between You and the World”.

Tom Corless
CEO & Founder of the WDWNT Network

Custom Class with Rust This World: Lesson 3 – Stripping Paint

WDWNT on December 3, 2012

This week in Custom Class, I’m going to be showing you how to strip paint off of Vinylmation figure. Paint removal is kind of advanced technique, and definitely only applicable in very specific situations. With the I Heart Mickey series that just came out, us custom artists now have a cheap and easy source for Buzz bubble helmets. Unfortunately, they all have some sort of paint on the inside of the back part of the helmet. I’ve had a lot of people asking how to strip paint from something. I’m going to show you two different ways.

Here are the two products I’ll be using. On the left is a bottle of acetone nail polish remover. This is the stronger of the two liquids I’ll be using. It strips paint off figures really easily, but is also a lot easier to mess something up with. On the right is my bottle of brush cleaner that I use to clean the paint out of my brushes after I’m done painting. It’s definitely more gentile than straight Acetone, but it may take a bit more work.

So I’ll start with the helmet. I’m using the brush cleaner for this because I don’t want to accidentally mess up the inside of the helmet, since it needs to be clean when I’m done. What I do is dip my brush into the brush cleaner and just brush over the spot I want to remove the paint from. Depending on the paint, sometimes I’ll brush the stuff on and then give it a minute to dilute the paint, before wiping it off.

As you can see, I can not wipe off some of the paint.

It takes a few layers of brushing, then wiping, then repeat until it’s completely removed.

Next up I have a Bambi 25th Anniversary figure that I want to completely remove the paint from except the face, which I’ll just paint over. I start by brushing on brush cleaner just like before.

With the ears completely clear, I move onto the body. I don’t know how the glue and glitter will react to the brush cleaner, so I sanded it down to just the figure and paint.

Using the same technique, I gradually am able to remove the paint from bamboo’s body and arms. She had several layers of paint, so it took longer and was a bit messier than just the writing on the helmet.

Eventually, I was able to get his entire body down to just the plastic.

For the last part of the lesson, I’ll be using Acetone. You don’t want or need any industrial strength acetone as there’s a good chance it will melt your figures. Nail polish remover with Acetone in it will work fine. If it can’t eat through the plastic bottle it comes in, it won’t eat through your figure. If you’re buying the acetone in a metal can, you’re over doing it. I’m going to be turning this I Heart Mickey figure into just a clear red figure. Because Acetone is more acidic than the brush cleaner, I use a cue tip instead of my brushes so that I don’t destroy my brushes.

I pour a little bit of acetone into the cap to dip my cue tip into and begin to wipe away the paint.

It may takes several passes and multiple cue tips to remove all of the paint and sometimes it will just smear around.

I probably went through 7 cue tips, using both ends, to get it to this stage where it’s completely clear.

To stop the acidic effects of the acetone and make sure it doesn’t melt my figure, I run the figure in some water and dish soap. The soap acts as a base to cancel out the acetone.

And finally, I end up with a plain clear red figure on the current mold.

By stripping the paint from the Bambi figure and the bubble helmet, I was able to make this Madame Leota figure, which I like so much more than the version from Haunted Mansion.

Urban Barricades Photoshoot

WDWNT on December 3, 2012

The Urban Barricades had some fun directing traffic around Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Epcot and the Magic Kingdom.

Traffic at the Indy Speedway can get dangerous, but the proper traffic controls make all the difference.
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Protecting the workers at Hollywood Studios
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No job is too small for the Barricades.
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Standing guard on the Streets of the Americas.
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The Barricades remind guests to watch their step when entering the subway.
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Do Not Cross, or face the Barricade’s wrath.
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Keeping the peace
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The Monorails sneaked past the Barricades.
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Barricades at Test Track

Adam Roth’s 7/6/12 Epcot Photo Report

WDWNT on December 3, 2012

WDWNT Reporter Adam Roth visited Epcot on Friday and has some great photos to share with us from his trip:

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Phineas and Ferb topiary went up as part of the “Summer to Remember”

I had no idea there was a summer promotion… I imagine guests had no idea either…

Large patches of grass back after Flower and Garden clean-up

The Test Track pizza truck and many props from the area are gone, but the tool sheds remain

Test Track is still closed of course

The signage from Inside Track is gone

A pretty bare exterior right now

I love the people checking out the car while Test Track All-Stars are performing…

Looks liek they are surveying guests about their experience with the new World Showcase Adventure

It’s themed too

The old Kim Possible carts are unrecognizable with the Perry the Platypus layover

Brave Highland Games was in its final days at this point, it closed on Sunday

The Flower and Garden play area looked really out of place…

Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure does use a lot of existing game scenes from the old attraction

Don’t be scared, this is actually the olympic mascot

London 2012 olympics merchandise available in the U.K. pavilion

More props that stuck around

Still spells Kim Possible

A new logo on the phone drop locations

I’m sorry, but this attraction is already funnier and all I have seen is this sign…

The new zip-line for Agent P over the U.K.

That’s neat…

The bakery in France is being expanded due to high guest demand

So, they kept the strange baby robot in Japan?

I hope it fits well into the storyline

Have they always offered American Stripes ice cream with the funnel cake?

This seems new…

FLAG FESTIVAL!

FLAGS!

So, there’s something over here people are upset about?

Oh yeah… apparently the American Adventure cast members are getting new costumes that are a bit more modern

A cool new addition for the game

Work continues on the exterior of Maelstrom

The Organization With A Cool Acronym

The water feature outside of La Hacienda is being reapired

For what i recall as the last 8 years or so, the cultural exhibit in Mexico has been Animales Fantasticos. Finally, a new exhibit has opened!

Some displays aren’t quite finished

Some of the animals stayed as part of the new exhibit

They aren’t selling them up here anymore

The parrot people dancing is freaking me out…

OK, that freaks me out even more…

Same props in here

This freaks me out the most…

Work continues on the exterior of the Seas with Nemo and Friends and the new entrance for Turtle Talk

Innoventions is a mess right now…

Innoventions West is practically empty

The old Kim Possible stations are still walled-up

On the East side, Habit heroes is still covered

At least something new just opened to keep it going

A neat little play area for kids was added to the exterior

Lave a Legacy getting some TLC

Soarin’ is now on the cover of the map,but this time it has a logo. I guess people thought it was Test Track or something…

Goodbye Epcot!

More Epcot 30th Anniversary Merchandise Revealed!

WDWNT on December 3, 2012

From Steven Miller on the Disney Parks Blog:

One celebration I’m looking forward to this fall is the 30th anniversary of Epcot, which takes place on October 1, 2012. A few months ago, I gave you a first look at artwork created by Disney Design Group for merchandise we will be releasing. While we haven’t finalized all items or release plans at this point, I’m happy to share another look at items that are coming soon. I caught up with product developer Mary Myers to learn more.

In recent years, Mary has developed theme park logo merchandise for Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot. She recently kicked off the 30th anniversary a little early by releasing new items under the “Epcot 82” banner. I found the shirts shown above at Mouse Gear in Future World.

This fall, Mary will introduce four new shirts and a mesh baseball cap. The artwork was created using the style guide originally made for pins. I love the shirt in the lead image as it reminds me of the attraction poster and a shirt I once owned as a child. (The colors in this shirt are amazing.)

Speaking of pins, we recently received several final samples, including the Passholder-exclusive limited edition and open edition pins. I like the stained glass effect of the “I Was There” pin that has Mickey Mouse and Figment sporting their 1980s outer space attire. That stained glass effect looks even better on the super jumbo-sized pin.

One item I’m adding to my collection is the “toothpick holder” set that has logos from some of my favorite Future World pavilions, including Horizons (yes!!).

Stay tuned for additional details about the release of these items as we get closer to October 1.

Huge Disney Store Online Sale

WDWNT on December 3, 2012

The Disney Store Online is holding a huge sale on Vinylmation this week. Let’s start with the $5 deals. They include a variety of items including Mascots, Sports Teams, Nerds, Keychains, Monorails, Phineas and Ferb and more.

Notice that all $5 Vinyls are also part of a Buy any 4, Get 1 Free deal. Next up are the $10 products. They include the Lightning CYO, DLR Space Man and Women, Various combo toppers, and Park Starz variants… among others.
Then there are some $15 and up deals. They include various 9″ like the Contemporary, Mara and Yeti as well as Kitchen Kabaret, Fife and Drum and other LE sets.
All these deals can be found at the Vinylmation page on the Disney Store Online.