WDWNT Reporter Josh Siegel visited the Magic Kingdom on Sunday and has a number of newsworthy photos to share with us from around the park (including the usual batch of Fantasyland updates):
The Frontierland facades are being ripped out and completely replaced
Read More about Josh Siegel’s 8/21/11 Magic Kingdom Photo Report
Not a lot of pictures from Day 3 yet, but here’s a few to start…
Handy Manny makes an appearance with Ernie D and Wilmer Valderrama
With the 2011 D23 Expo wrapping up right now, guests of this year’s event were notified via PA announcements that the next D23 Expo will be in 2013, keeping with the every two year schedule. Of course, WDWNT will be there to bring you all the announcements, news, and fun.
However, our coverage of this years Expo is far from over. Over the coming days, weeks, & months, we will continue to provide additional details of the event along with the deep analysis that our readers / listeners have come to expect from WDWNT. Along with additional posts on the site and podcast discussions, WDWNT: The Magazine will shortly release Issue 7 with the majority of the content devoted to continued coverage of the 2011 D23 Expo.
As always, if there is Disney news happening, WDWNT is there…
For those that couldn’t attend the Walt Disney Studios presentation during the 2011 D23 Expo, here is a summary of the movies that were discussed. Leading the presentation were Rich Ross (Chairman, The Walt Disney Studios), Sean Bailey (President, Production, The Walt Disney Studios), John Lasseter (Chief Creative Officer, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios), and Kevin Feige (Producer and President, Marvel Studios).
Read More about D23 Expo: Walt Disney Studios Presentation Summary
Today, Disney released a short video showing just a few of the highlights of the various Pixar events going on at the D23 Expo. Scenes include the US Postal Service unveiling of the Pixar stamps, an extremely quick look at the Prep 4 Landing panel and merchandise, and a look at Cars 2 merchandise with John Lasseter. Here it is…
Here are some of the photo highlights from Day 2 of the D23 Expo…
Day 2 of the event was sold out, which meant large crowds
We are starting to see the flood of photo’s from the D23 Expo, so we thought we would share some of the photo highlights from Day 1…
Tow Mater out early to welcome D23 Expo attendees
One of the great panels of the D23 Expo thus far has been the “Voices of the Park” presentation from last night. While you wait for some more in-depth reports from the Expo, enjoy this uncut audio of the entire presentation.
Download the “Voices of the Parks”
One of the great panels of the D23 Expo thus far has been the “Voices of the Park” presentation from last night. While you wait for some more in-depth reports from the Expo, enjoy this uncut audio of the entire presentation.
Download the “Voices of the Parks”
From Jennifer Fickley-Baker on the Disney Parks Blog:
Ever wonder how Disney develops new attractions and experiences for its theme parks and resorts? Today, Tom Staggs, chairman, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, and Bruce Vaughn, chief creative officer, Walt Disney Imagineering, took us on a behind-the-scenes look at the creative design process for the Magic Kingdom Park New Fantasyland expansion at Walt Disney World Resort.
When Imagineers start building a new park or a land, they first create a detailed scale model to help visualize what the project will look like when it’s complete. Models like the one in this Magic Kingdom Park New Fantasyland flythrough video are not only works of art, but they’re also an invaluable tool that helps Imagineers visualize sight lines, analyze guest traffic patterns and get an overall sense of the design and aesthetics.
Some of the attractions and restaurants coming to New Fantasyland that you saw in that video include:
- Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid where guests will get to experience what it’s like to go under the sea with Ariel and her friends.
- Enchanted Tales with Belle where families and children will have the opportunity to meet Belle with a whole new degree of interactivity and personalization.
- Dumbo The Flying Elephant, complete with an interactive queue under the Big Top and not one but two Dumbo attractions.
- Be Our Guest Guests can dine in three separate dining rooms in the Beast’s castle. The main dining room is the Ballroom, where Belle and Beast had their first dance, in the West Wing or in the Castle Galley during lunch hours.
- Gaston’s Tavern, a place where guests can dine in splendor and pay tribute to the manliest of men…Gaston himself!
Tom also gave D23 Expo attendees even more detail around the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train where guests will take a journey through the diamond mine of the Seven Dwarfs in a new ride system designed by Walt Disney Imagineering. The ride system allows each mine car to swing back and forth individually as the train twists and turns along the track. But don’t take my word for it – see for yourself.
