Disney Parks Blog Hosts “Villains Victory Party”

WDWNT on October 14, 2010

From the Disney Parks Blog:

UPDATE: Congratulations to all our Villains Victory Party Trivia Contest winners! The complete list of winners can be seen here. Here are the correct answers to the contest questions:

  • Which Disney animator created both Maleficent and Cruella De Vil?
    A: Marc Davis
  • Who was in the lead in the “Vote for Villains” race on October 8?
    A: Maleficent
  • On which Disney Cruise Line ship can you see the show, “Villains Tonight!”?
    A: Disney Magic
Jafar Maleficent Ursula
Evil Queen Captain Hook Cruella De Vil

If you’re an avid reader of the Disney Parks Blog, then you’re probably familiar with the Disney Villains who have been battling for the title of “baddest of them all.” Jafar, Maleficent, Ursula, the Evil Queen, Captain Hook and Cruella De Vil have been duking it out for four weeks now, and the madness will end October 28, 2010, when the baddest Disney Villain will be announced at the Villains Victory Party.

If that sounds like fun to you, then I have good news. You could win a spot at the Villains Victory Party!

If you are one of the first 75 people to answer the three trivia questions below correctly, you and a guest may be able to attend the “after hours” Villains Victory Party at Disneyland park on October 28. Access to this very special event cannot be purchased and can only be won through the Disney Parks Blog or participating radio stations in the Los Angeles area.

Winners will have several attractions all to themselves from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on October 28, including Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion Holiday, Indiana Jones Adventure©Disney/Lucasfilm Ltd and Haunted Voyages aboard the Mark Twain Riverboat. The party will also include eerie music, Club Skellington, tarot card readers, palm readers and special photo locations with characters. Haunted Mansion Holiday is inspired by Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

Here are the questions:

  • Which Disney animator created both Maleficent and Cruella De Vil?
  • Who was in the lead in the “Vote for Villains” race on October 8?
  • On which Disney Cruise Line ship can you see the show, “Villains Tonight!”?

To enter, e-mail your answers along with your full name to contests@disney.go.com. Once the contest is over, we’ll send notifications to the winners via e-mail. If you win, you must provide verification of your age and residency and be able to attend the Villains Victory Party on October 28. Check-in on October 28 will begin at 3 p.m. PT, and you are welcome to enjoy both parks after 3 p.m. and before the party starts. To read all the contest rules and eligibility requirements, click here. If you have any questions, please ask them here on the Blog.

Good luck!

P.S. Please don’t spoil it for others by posting guesses or answers in the comments.

Contest open to US residents 18 and over. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. Ends 10/15/10.

10/13/10 Fantasyland Expansion Video Update

WDWNT on October 14, 2010

As buisness picks up in Fantasyland at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, WDWNT is looking to provide you with the most complete coverage of the largest expansion in the history of the park. In addition to the constant picture updates in our photo reports and the Fantasyland Forest Project Tracker (which we are working on getting up-to-date), we are proud to introduce the very first video update of the constructions from Banks Lee:

C-3PO Strikes Back in Star Tours: The Adventures Continue

WDWNT on October 14, 2010

Imagineer Tom Fitzgerald has posted another Star Tours update on the Disney Parks Blog:

Things are very busy in the world of Star Tours, both here in California and in Florida as well!

A few weeks ago I shared a first look at two new characters joining Star Tours, and today, I want to take you behind the scenes and show you what we were working on back in April 2009. We occupied a large soundstage in Hollywood to film a key sequence of the new show. Anthony Daniels flew in from London to bring C-3PO to life on the stage, as well as workshop the script with our writer Steve Spiegel.

I spoke with Anthony Daniels the other day about what it felt like to be back working on Star Tours.

“Wow! Back in the gold suit for the first time since ‘Revenge of the Sith,’” was Anthony’s reply. “But on this occasion in front of a beloved Starspeeder, a bit like the one R2 and I’d repaired every day since Disneyland first opened the Star Tours Spaceport all those years ago. I’d enjoyed being a part of the original Star Tours, one of the most wonderful jobs I ever had. I’d been alerted that amazing things were in store for passengers on the new Starspeeder – and for me too – and so here I was again, working with many of the same creative teams, with even more spin and excitement than the first time.”

On the immense soundstage, our production team re-created – full size – a portion of the Starspeeder 1000, so we could film it from multiple angles. Later, the effects wizards at ILM, under the direction of Bill George, completed the scene, adding in a whole range of droids and characters, and expanding the scale and scope of the scene.

Here, for the first time, are some photos from that soundstage shoot. More on Threepio in our next post.

Starspeeder 1000

C-3PO Next to the Starspeeder 1000

Anthony Daniels Bringing C-3PO to Life

C-3PO Strikes Back in Star Tours: The Adventures Continue

WDWNT on October 14, 2010

Imagineer Tom Fitzgerald has posted another Star Tours update on the Disney Parks Blog:

Things are very busy in the world of Star Tours, both here in California and in Florida as well!

A few weeks ago I shared a first look at two new characters joining Star Tours, and today, I want to take you behind the scenes and show you what we were working on back in April 2009. We occupied a large soundstage in Hollywood to film a key sequence of the new show. Anthony Daniels flew in from London to bring C-3PO to life on the stage, as well as workshop the script with our writer Steve Spiegel.

I spoke with Anthony Daniels the other day about what it felt like to be back working on Star Tours.

“Wow! Back in the gold suit for the first time since ‘Revenge of the Sith,’” was Anthony’s reply. “But on this occasion in front of a beloved Starspeeder, a bit like the one R2 and I’d repaired every day since Disneyland first opened the Star Tours Spaceport all those years ago. I’d enjoyed being a part of the original Star Tours, one of the most wonderful jobs I ever had. I’d been alerted that amazing things were in store for passengers on the new Starspeeder – and for me too – and so here I was again, working with many of the same creative teams, with even more spin and excitement than the first time.”

On the immense soundstage, our production team re-created – full size – a portion of the Starspeeder 1000, so we could film it from multiple angles. Later, the effects wizards at ILM, under the direction of Bill George, completed the scene, adding in a whole range of droids and characters, and expanding the scale and scope of the scene.

Here, for the first time, are some photos from that soundstage shoot. More on Threepio in our next post.

Starspeeder 1000

C-3PO Next to the Starspeeder 1000

Anthony Daniels Bringing C-3PO to Life

ElecTRONica Premiers Tonight

WDWNT on October 8, 2010

From the Disney Parks Blog:

ElecTRONica at Disney California Adventure Park

Tonight is the first night of ElecTRONica at Disney California Adventure park, and to get you ready to “rez in,” we’re sharing some photos and video from last night’s preview for cast members.

ElecTRONica Event at Disney California Adventure Park

We’ve received a lot of questions on Facebook and Twitter about this weekend’s line-up, so hopefully these details help.

  • The fun starts in Sunshine Plaza at 6 p.m. when music, video, projections and a dance party welcome guests (a.k.a. Programs) and prepare them to enter the world of “TRON: Legacy.”
  • The second performance in Sunshine Plaza starts at 6:45 p.m., and following that, the portal will officially open and all aspects of ElecTRONica will be available, including Flynn’s Arcade, TRON: Legacy Exclusive 3-D Sneak Peek, End of Line club, face painting and the TRON: Evolution video game area.
  • There’s a great line-up of DJs this weekend. DJ GiangStar will be spinning tonight; DJ Michael Paul will change things up Saturday night, and DJ Derek Dunbar will be heating things up on Sunday evening.
  • This weekend you can see Laserman at 7:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. For future dates, check the show guide for the schedule.

Curious to know what ElecTRONica looks like in action? Take a look at this video shot last night and hear what our cast members had to say.

Still want more details? Robin Trowbridge has been sharing a lot of information here on the Blog. Did you read these posts: First Look, Laserman, TRON: Legacy Exclusive 3-D Sneak Peek and Flynn’s Arcade?

LASERMAN at ElecTRONica

What are you most looking forward to at ElecTRONica? Let us know if you’re entering the Grid tonight!