Prince Caspian Pre-Parade Debuts
The Prince Caspian Pre-Parade to Walt Disney’s Parade of Dreams that we first told you about back in March debuted last Friday. Armadillo4 of MiceChat snapped some pictures of the Pre-Parade, which you can find here!
Chernabog
I advise you to check out the latest Blue Sky Alert over on Blue Sky Disney. This latest update talks a bit more in depth on World of Color & the Little Mermaid ride, both of which are going into Paradise Pier. The picture below should give you a clue as to what could be a big feature in World of Color:
MitP Update
Here’s a look at some of the latest happenings from around the Disneyland Resort featured in this week’s Monday in the Parks column on MiceAge:
- Disney Animation in DCA closed down yesterday to remove the Snow White exhibit. It will re-open on May 2nd.
- The High School Musical 2: School’s Out show, from now until summer begins, will only be performed on Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays. In addition, Disney’s Aladdin will be performed Wednesdays-Sundays, Disney’s Electrical Parade will only be shown Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays, & the Pixar Play Parade & Playhouse Disney: Live on Stage will be offered every day.
- This week is the last week in this year’s California Food & Wine Festival. So if you want to taste some food & wine, get yourself’s down to DCA. The last day for the festival is May 5th.
And now some pictures from the column:
One of the food stands across from Toy Story Mania will sell Turkey Legs
The Stitch Picture Phone in Innoventions has been replaced with an Air Scooter II display
The Sunshine Plaza fountain has been walled & turned off…
… The railings are being replaced
AP Sneak Peak Drawing for Toy Story Mania
It seems we were right! According to the Disneyland Annual Passholder website:
Enter the Toy Story Mania! Annual Passholder Sneak Peek opportunity drawing to be one of the very first Disney’s California Adventure® Park Guests to ride Toy Story Mania! Take advantage of this exciting chance to be a part of Disneyland® Resort history.
For more information & to sign up for this “sneak peak” of Toy Story Mania, click here!
Pixie Hollow Is Just a Meet ‘n’ Greet
According to MiceAge:
Disneyland’s new Tinker Belle “attraction” you’ve heard about from Ed Grier is actually just a remodeling of the Ariel’s Grotto location near the Matterhorn. The new “Pixie Hollow” will be a photo meet ‘n’ greet for Tink and her new pixie pals with an attached merchandise cart, just in time for DVD sales this fall. More info to come in the next update. By the way, Ariel will be donning a dress and moving to the Princess Fantasy Faire while her lavish new ride gets built (including a new meet ‘n’ greet for her in DCA.
Updated Tomorrowland Rumors
From Screamscape:
Late 2009 or Early 2010 – Star Tours 2 – Rumor – (4/25/08) Screamscape sources tell us that we should finally expect to see Star Tours shut down by late 2008 or early 2009 in order to begin work on the massive overhaul it will receive for the Star Tours 2 concept rebirth. Apparently we shouldn’t expect to see it reopen for close to a year or more since this is said to be a complete overhaul and not just Disney dropping in a new ride-film.
Dateline Disneyland Picture Update
Let’s take a look at some various things going on through-out the Disneyland Resort from this week’s Dateline Disneyland on MiceAge:
Some construction work going on in the Timon lot in preparation for Cars Land
The Lilo & Stitch exhibit in Innoventions has closed down & is now just an area for kids coloring. The kiosks are still there though
Lastly, the It’s a Small World Toy Shop has closed for refurbishment
Tinkerbelle Dark Ride?
The OC Register has an interview up with Ed Grier, the president of the Disneyland Resort. In this interview, Ed talks about some of the expansion plans for the resort as a whole. Most of it is stuff we’ve all heard before… But this isn’t:
A Tinker Bell attraction will open at Disneyland in October. This was the first time Grier mentioned the attraction, and he was short on details. All he would say is that “we know how special she is to all our guests” and that she will be in Disneyland in October. That timing coincides with the Oct. 28 Disney DVD and Blu-ray release of “Tinker Bell,” the first in a new franchise of original movies that include the Peter Pan-movie character along with other fairies.
This new attraction will be a dark ride, & unfortunately or not, will replace either Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs or Pinocchio’s Daring Journey. Expect either one of those 2 to be announced to close soon, because if Ed says it, it’s gotta be true!
Of course these plans could change at anytime, so stay tuned to Disneyland News Today for further developments!
Monorail Red Opening Pushed Back
From the OC Register:
Just got word today that the new Monorail Red train will not open to the public this Friday.
Disney Spokesman John McClintock said the team working on the Monorail “has decided to take a few extra days for test and adjust so it will not open to guests on Friday.”
No date has been set for the Monorail’s public launch. We’ll keep you informed on this blog about a public opening date.
According to this blog post by Brady MacDonald at the LATimes, the new Monorail train has been testing since mid-March.
Blair Family Memories
We would like to speak from our point of view as Mary Blair’s nieces.
We have been impressed and deeply touched by the eloquence and outpouring from the hearts of so many people who want to keep ‘Small World’ as it is. And now the Artists! Amazing. A HUGE thanks to all of you!
Our thoughts are the same. PLEASE keep the integrity of Small World–the children of all nations and its message of world peace. It is a completely unique experience, in and of itself. Our intention is not a ‘put down’ to the imagineers, who have made Disneyland a fabulous, magical place for children and adults—something for everyone. ‘Small World’ however, doesn’t need fixing. It isn’t broken. Bring back it’s original color and sparkle. Mary loved ‘sparkle’. She also loved children.
We have enjoyed the ‘special memories’ that many have written about Small World. We have one also. In 1978, several months before Mary died, my sister Maggie and I, along with my family, began planning a surprise 50th wedding anniversary party for our parents. Maggie and I met with Mary at a favorite restaurant of Mary’s near her home in Soquel, California to discuss the plans. She introduced us to the hostess saying, ‘these are my two nieces, whom I adore’. We adored her as well.
As part of the party plans, Lee put together a slide show, and we taped our parent’s favorite ‘old’ songs, putting the music from ‘It’s A Small World’ in several places. We did that to honor Mary, but also to make the party more fun. (And no, it didn’t make us crazy.)
When the party was over and most guests had gone, Maggie and I were doing ‘cleanup chores’. We looked up in time to see Mary, a lone figure in the middle of the dance floor. She had a gentle smile on her face, eyes closed, and was turning slowly around and around to the music from ‘It’s a Small World’. Two weeks later she was gone.
Again, our family appreciates very much your kind words and heartfelt feelings.
Our Best,
Jeanne Chamberlain & Maggie Richardson