Disneyland Park – Page 16

PHOTO REPORT: Disneyland Resort 2/24/16 (Interactive Game, Star Wars Land, Zootopia, ETC.)

WDWNT on March 5, 2016

Our Disneyland Reporter, Tim Alcoser, recently visited the Disneyland Resort and has some photos to share with us from his trip, so let’s take a look:

Land clearing for Star Wars land is well underway and quite visible from the top of the parking structure

Welcome to Disneyland

This week’s theme for AP Days is Fantasy and Fun

Work continues on Autopia as Honda is added as a sponsor

The Mark Twain sits on the dock, waiting to be explored

The Strawhtters have been performing on the boat, one nice thing about the ship being docked

Not much to see around the back of the river yet

A cast member polishes the engine

Dr. Facilier roaming around

Splash Mountain is closed for refurbishment

The Columbia sits and waits…

This strange prop showed up near Harbor Galley last week, rumor has it Disneyland may be installing their first interactive game attraction…

Jungle Cruise Skipper School continues while the attraction is closed

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Soundsational will be live streamed on the Disney Parks Blog this week, but we have some photos of the parade for you to enjoy

Moving over to California Adventure…

Zootopia posters have gone up outside of the Magic of Disney Animation

Still no exact opening date being given for the FROZEN musical

Soarin’ closed for the conversion to Soarin’ Around the World

Back to Disneyland for some AP Days fun

Buttons and more being given to guests

Some pieces from the Disney Archives on display

Over at the Disneyland Hotel, the pool is closed to be resurfaced

Goodnight Disneyland Resort!

BREAKING: Disney Parks Switch to Tiered Seasonal Ticket Pricing Imminent

WDWNT on March 5, 2016

We have talked about this for a long time, but expect a formal announcement from Disney that Disneyland ticket pricing will be switching to a new tiered system very, very soon.

Rumors of Disney Parks going towards this kind of pricing system have been rumored for years, so much so that some of the competition has researched such pricing, and some other parks have even rolled it out already (namely Universal Studios Hollywood):

Universal Hollywood is already trying a similar system for ticket pricing

Under tiered seasonal ticket pricing, ticket prices can be higher or lower based on when you are visiting. Peak seasons like the summer and the Christmas season would be most expensive, while “off-season” months like January or September would be the least expensive. We have not yet received any pricing charts or information, but we expect a formal announcement from Disney soon.

UPDATE: Walt Disney World is expected to make similar changes to the ticket pricing structure over the weekend. We expect a Disney announcement soon.

We have since found out more information on this new ticketing structure which you can read here.

Ginnifer Goodwin Wants Zootopia to be a New Land at Disney Parks

WDWNT on March 5, 2016

If you read my review of Zootopia earlier this week, you no doubt know that I absolutely love this film. While somewhat embarrassing to admit, by the opening night of the film last evening, I had already seen the movie 4 times and I’m not completely certain that I won’t be seeing it again before it leaves theaters honestly. While I love the animated films of the Walt Disney Company, my first love has always been the theme parks, so when I see a new animated movie, I often drift into a daydream and think about what it could possibly bring in a three-dimensional environment. Needless to say with how much I loved the film, I REALLY, REALLY want to see Zootopia at the domestic theme parks, but Ginnifer Goodwin (voice of Judy Hopps) definitely wants it more…

Goodwin is the voice of Judy Hopps, the optimistic first-ever Bunny cop of the ZPD

Goodwin (who also stars in ABC’s Once Upon a Time) is a lifelong Disney fan and was even tapped to help open New Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom back in 2012. Ginnifer has been waiting on the call to be a Disney animated character her entire career and literally accepted the job the second John Lasseter began to ask her over the phone. Goodwin admittedly calls Lasseter her personal “Walt Disney”, and is constantly “bugging” him (in her own words) to let her remain at the Disney studios is some capacity for the rest of her career. However, she is also constantly “bugging” John to make Zootopia a reality at Disneyland.

Goodwin and Lasseter together at the 2015 D23 Expo

Ginnifer admittedly visits Disneyland at least once a month (which makes her pretty endearing to this Disney fan), her favorite attraction being the Haunted Mansion, but it sounds like she could very easily have a new favorite attraction should the world of Zootopia come to life at Disney Parks. When I asked Goodwin about if she would like Zootopia in the parks and what kind of presence it should have, she excitedly told me she wanted a Zootopia-land, “I want all of the world!”

Since she visits Disneyland at least once a month, the voice of the ever-optimistic Judy Hopps obviously is dreaming of the Cars Land treatment for her first full-length Disney animated feature. After seeing the movie a few times, I’m in complete agreement. While I don’t necessarily think Zootopia would be a great fit for Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure, I think Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be itching for a more kid-friendly world after the opening of Pandora: The World of AVATAR next year, a niche that could easily be filled by, oh, let’s say a sprawling, mammal-filled metropolis?

The city of Zootopia is big and immersive, perfect for a theme park

The level of detail in the world seen in the movie would undoubtedly translate amazingly to the theme park realm, so I have no doubt after you see Zootopia that you will be dreaming of visiting Tundra Town or Sahara Square someday soon on a Disney vacation. Well, you can take solace in knowing that Ginnifer Goodwin wants that too.

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PHOTO REPORT: Disneyland & California Adventure 2/1/16 (Kylo Ren Arrives, Refurbs, Star Wars Construction, ETC.)

WDWNT on February 15, 2016

Disneyland Reporter Tim Alcoser visited the Disneyland Resort this past weekend and has some newsworthy photos from around the parks to share with us today, so let’s take a look:

Autopia is closed for refurbishment as Honda will now be the sponsor

“it’s a small world” is currently closed to remove the holiday overlay

Big Thunder Trail is now closed to accommodate Star Wars construction

BUT YOU CAN PIN TRADE!!!

Looking at the path from the other end near Big Thunder Mountain

Construction workers wasting no time getting to work

The docked Mark Twain

Haunted Mansion is back open

While the Jungle Cruise is closed, guests can attend skipper school

Even though it was advertised for February, Kylo Ren started greeting guests at Star Wars Launch Bay at Disneyland

The Zootopia Sneak Peek is now open in the “it’s tough to be a bug” theater at DCA

You can hear Imagineers actively testing Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters, so it should open very soon

Tim got a unique view of Paint the Night from the Train Station, so we thought it might be cool to share some pics from that spot

Mardi Gras decor up in New Orleans Square

Goodnight Disneyland

PHOTO REPORT: Disneyland Resort 2/12/16 (AP Days, Rollickin’ Roadsters, Refurbishments, ETC.)

WDWNT on February 15, 2016

Disneyland Reporter Tim Alcoser visited the two parks this week and has a number of newsworthy photos to share with us from his trip, so let’s take a look at what’s new and exciting around the Happiest Place on Earth:

Welcome back to the Disneyland Resort

AP days are ongoing throughout the month

The Diamond Celebration continues through September

Annual passholders could get this map and button set during the Main Street and Mickey Mouse days

“it’s a small world” has returned

More people were trying to ride the Jolly Trolley than when it actually functioned…

Tim caught the Soundsational daytime parade, now in its 5th year

The Autopia refurbishment rolls on as Honda is set to become the sponsor

The last of the Tomorrowland 1998 paint scheme is being erased as blues and whites are applied

Tuppence a bag…

Tim spotted some activity towards the back of the Rivers of America

Looks like they may be surveying the area before they start bulldozing for Star Wars land

Attraction posters now adorn some walls around the river

This sign is particularly interesting as it has been altered to say the Disneyland Railroad. Could elements of the old mine train be coming to the new path of the Disneyland Railroad?

The Hungry Bear Restaurant remains open through the construction

Tim attended one of the AP Days screenings at the Opera House, which included free popcorn and water

Some work being done to the ticket booths outside of the parks

Moving back to DCA, testing continues on Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters

We expect the attraction to open any day now

Back to Disneyland, where the Haunted Mansion is running FastPass service again

While World of Color- Celebrate! is not the best version of the show to date, it is very photogenic

Goodnight!

Star Wars: Season of the Force Extended Through Summer 2016; How Long is it Staying?

WDWNT on January 30, 2016

Disneyland Park has officially extended the Season of the Force event through Summer 2016 as of today.

While Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple and Star Wars Launch Bay are set to be perennial attractions for the park, Path of the Jedi, the automatic Jakku sequence on Star Tours, and Hyperspace Mountain will be sticking around also.

Rumors indicate that Hyperspace Mountain will leave for Ghost Galaxy in September, but will likely return again in November to promote Rogue One which will be released theatrically in December 2016. When will normal Space Mountain return? It may not until the Star Wars-themed land is completed honestly, but that is purely speculation at this point.

Star Tours will remained locked on Jakku as the first destination through at least September 2016, but we are expecting a Rogue One sequence to be added to the ride around November 2016, which perhaps will randomize the earlier sequences for the attraction again. There has been no word on if the Jakku sequence lock has been extended for Walt Disney World.

EDITORIAL: How Does Star Wars: The Force Awakens Affect Star Wars Land?

WDWNT on January 27, 2016

Star_Wars_The_Force_Awakens
With the immense popularity of the seventh installment of the famous Star Wars franchise firmly in place as a Hollywood mega-blockbuster, the question now is on minds (or maybe just mine) “what is in store for Star Wars Land?”

We knew that the Imagineers in charge of the Star Wars-themed land were taking major influences from Episode VII (as well as the 2 further episodes that lie ahead), but we wonder now is if the newest iteration of the franchise will take over as the only focus in the upcoming land. It had been speculated that the new area in Hollywood Studios and Disneyland would take its cues from both the new trilogy as well as the original trilogy, but clearly the new land falls somewhere in the timeline between episodes 7, 8, and 9. We know that Disney is constantly looking to cater to the next crop of fans, so is it possible that Star Wars Land will focus entirely on the new trilogy and leave the older films completely out of the equation?

The most likely scenario has the new land’s attractions focusing solely on the newer films, with a few hints of the original trilogy mixed in for nostalgia. With the recent announcement of the placement of the land within both parks, Star Tours will be left out of the equation as its own separate entity on both coasts. We are not sure of many of the details, but it definitely seems as though “The Force Awakens” and its subsequent sequels will not only have a major impact on film history, but also on the future of the Disney theme parks.

Closed Disneyland Attractions Offering New Experiences During Star Wars Land Construction in 2016

WDWNT on January 27, 2016

When January 11th brings the close of the Disneyland Railroad, the Mark Twain Riverboat, Sailing Ship Columbia and the Jungle Cruise (the first three related to Star Wars-themed land construction), the attractions will begin to operate in a new form as limited-time-only special experiences.

The Main Street and New Orleans Square Train Stations will allow guests to get up-close with the historic steam engines that have circled Disneyland park for decades, learn about these amazing machines firsthand from train engineers and take a picture with an engine. Each engine will be accompanied by knowledgeable train engineers, who will share facts, details on how the engines operate, stories from the history of the Disneyland Railroad and more.

While the world-famous Jungle Cruise undergoes refurbishment early this year, the skippers will still share their stories, adventures and humor with Disneyland park guests in front of the attraction. They will recount tales from their travels while the Jungle Navigation Company headquarters readies for reopening later in 2016.

New, limited-time experiences aboard the Mark Twain Riverboat and Sailing Ship Columbia will be offered later in the year, so even though these attractions won’t be running per usual, guests will get the chance to see them in an entirely new way.

RUMOR: Disney Files to Add Drones to Fireworks; Tangled Lanterns & New Epcot Show?

WDWNT on January 27, 2016

A few months ago, Disneyland tested autonomous flying lanterns high above the park to see if they would be a viable element for the new Disneyland Forever fireworks show. The lanterns were patterned after those seen in the animated film Tangled, and for whatever reason never made it into the show. The Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts are now filing for an exception to FAA rules so that similar show elements can be tied into new entertainment offerings.

Autonomous lanterns floating on the water will make their debut in Rivers of Light this Spring at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, but it seems flying versions of these show pieces are on the way to a new show at the Vacation Kingdom, most likely at Epcot. The rumored lanterns from Tangled may also finally debut in Disneyland Forever if the exception is made by the FAA.

For guest safety, the drones would never go within 100 feet of active guest areas, with flight paths sticking to water elements and restricted areas. The drones would reach a max height of 150 feet as well, making it more likely we will see such technology in Florida over World Showcase Lagoon rather than around Cinderella Castle or the Chinese Theater.

The drones, which Disney is calling a Flixel, would weigh less than 10 pounds and Its airspace would be no more than 600 feet in diameter, remaining in use for roughly 10 minutes. The Flexels would only fly if wind speeds are less than 10 mph and gusts are less than 15 mph.

Will these drones soon be joining Tinker Bell in the skies above the Disney Parks? Well, we’ll have to wait on an FAA decision to find out.

CONCEPT ART: Beautiful Waterfalls, Peaks, and Train Trestle to Grace the New North Banks of Rivers of America

WDWNT on January 27, 2016

RIVERS OF AMERICA — As part of an ongoing, planned expansion at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., the Rivers of America at Disneyland Park will receive a brand-new waterfront, just outside the location of the new Star Wars-themed land. The new riverbank will also feature an elevated trestle over which the iconic Disneyland Resort Railroad will travel. (Disney Parks)

When the Rivers of America return to Disneyland Park shortened in 2017, they will feature an incredible nod to the park’s past. A new elevated train trestle will take guests aboard the Disneyland Railroad over the water as beautiful waterfalls run off the nearby rockwork and mountains of the new north shores. In many ways, this will be a nod to the now lost vistas of the Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland attraction:

The new, shortened Rivers of America project is part of the expansion of the park, namely the 14-acre addition of a Star Wars-themed land.

The Rivers of America is now closed at Disneyland Park and will return in 2017.

Category: Disneyland Park

PHOTO REPORT: Disneyland Resort 2/24/16 (Interactive Game, Star Wars Land, Zootopia, ETC.)

BREAKING: Disney Parks Switch to Tiered Seasonal Ticket Pricing Imminent

Ginnifer Goodwin Wants Zootopia to be a New Land at Disney Parks

PHOTO REPORT: Disneyland & California Adventure 2/1/16 (Kylo Ren Arrives, Refurbs, Star Wars Construction, ETC.)

PHOTO REPORT: Disneyland Resort 2/12/16 (AP Days, Rollickin’ Roadsters, Refurbishments, ETC.)

Star Wars: Season of the Force Extended Through Summer 2016; How Long is it Staying?

EDITORIAL: How Does Star Wars: The Force Awakens Affect Star Wars Land?

Closed Disneyland Attractions Offering New Experiences During Star Wars Land Construction in 2016

RUMOR: Disney Files to Add Drones to Fireworks; Tangled Lanterns & New Epcot Show?

CONCEPT ART: Beautiful Waterfalls, Peaks, and Train Trestle to Grace the New North Banks of Rivers of America

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