Late last night the walls covering Toy Story Midway Mania came down. The new attraction at Disney’s California Adventure is now visible. Mr Potato Head is also uncovered and is operating. We should have pictures later tonight or tomorrow.
Stay tuned for more information regarding Toy Story Midway Mania!!
We finally have confirmation from Disney that the old Backlot theater at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has been converted to a closed venue, and we now have a name to call it by:
“AÂ new indoor concert venue to be called the Premiere Theater is being fashioned from an unused open-air theater.”
While we still don’t know exactly the uses for the theater, we believe it will first get use for special events and maybe even a Disney film premiere at some point, before finally hosting the rumored “Festival Disney” ticketed stage show concept a few years down the road. Be sure to stay tuned to WDW News Today as more info becomes available; and remember, you heard it here first!!!
As we have been reporting here at WDW News Today for almost a year, Space Mountain at the Magic Kingdom is scheduled to go down for an extensive refurbishment beginning in January of 2009. The number one priority for Disney during this refurbishment will be to bring in new, more comfortable ride vehicles and loading gates for added safety to the attraction. However, Imagineering has a few other ideas in store for the attraction. Among those ideas are new lighting effects, a completely new queue and exit, and a unique music track to play through the new on-board speakers that each vehicle will have. We are still 6 months away from what should be the beginning of a lengthy refurbishment, but stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information becomes available.
According to some of our sources, the Toy Story Midway Mania construction walls will be coming down completely this upcoming Wednesday, revealing the queue, loading area, & Mr. Potato Head to everyone. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the attraction will be open, or open to all guests, but the walls should be down on Wednesday!
Here’s an excerpt from the Orlando Sentinel talking about changes taking place at Epcot’s Nine Dragons Restaurant now through this December:
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (Orlando Sentinel) Nine Dragons Restaurant, Walt Disney World’s premiere Chi-nese cuisine diner at Epcot, closed late last week for refurbishment. The work is part of ongoing efforts to re-fresh many of the food offerings and experiences in Epcot’s World Showcase. Nine Dragons interior is to be remodeled and redecorated. The restaurant also will be revising its menu. Nine Dragons is expected to reopen sometime in the fall. Meanwhile, counter service of a limited number of Chinese dishes is still available through the China Pavilion’s Lotus Blossom Cafe, and a food kiosk will be added to the pavilion’s courtyard with additional offerings. The main restaurants in Epcot’s Mexico, Japan and Italy pavilions were refurbished in the past year or two. Nine Dragons Restaurant features several styles of Chinese cooking, with entrees ranging in price from $15 to more than $30.
According to Monday in the Parks:
Disneyland has designed a special summer Southern Californian (and Baja California, Mexico) offer to be available if purchased in advance at selected locations, basically Southern California Grocery Stores. (Vons, Ralphs, Albertsons, Stater Bros., and Gelson’s). Based on prior promotions, this offer will also be available at other locations and Disneyland.com.
Some key points.
These tickets go on sale June 16th, and not valid until that date.
The first day of use must be between June 16th and August 30th, 2008. The Summer Fun Pass is Blocked out July 4th (cannot use any of your three days on the 4th).
You then have 45 days to use the other two days. These tickets are ParkHoppers, so you can visit both parks on the same day.
The tickets are clearly marked that each person that uses a “Summer Fun Pass” must have proof of living in the Southern California/Baja California area. (Southern California residents within ZIP codes 90000-93599 and Northern Baja California residents within ZIP codes 21000-22999.)
This is one of the better Summer Discounts that Disney has offered to Southern Californians in a while. It is a 3 day ParkHopper with a longer window (45 days instead of the normal 13 days after first use) and you can apply the Summer Fun Pass to any Annual Pass (of course, the Annual Pass will be backdated to the first day of use of the Summer Fun Pass). But since the Southern California and Southern California Select Annual Passes are blocked out most of the summer. Somebody could buy the Summer Fun Pass, get three visits during the summer period, and then upgrade to a Southern California AP for the rest of the year.
Hi everybody, John Corigliano here to provide you with some photo updates of my wild weekend at the Walt Disney World Resort, visiting both Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Hope you enjoy it!!!
Spaceship Earth’s wait time for 20 minutes today. Does that look like 20 minutes?
They’ve added this sign to Pin Central at Epcot to tell guests how to trade pins. They’ve also a screen that will soon tell guests how much pins are just by scanning the UPC bar code.
Here’s the new Price Pin Guide that’s being implemented at the Epcot’s Pin Central. Each color is represents a different price.
Here’s what the UPC Bar Codes on the back of the pins look like. This pin has a blue sticker denoting that the price is $8.95.
Here’s another example. The price here is $6.95.
Rumors were circulating that Nestle had their signs removed at The Land, for the time being that is totally and completely FASLE. Here’s the proof.
The only thing that’s gone is the Jr. Chef station.
Here’s the “NEW” EPCOT Center shirt that’s been released around Epcot shops.
The only difference is that there’s a 25th Anniversary logo on inside where the tag would be.
Here’s some of Father’s Day merchandise being sold around Walt Disney World.
Here’s a billboard for Toy Story Mania! that’s just down the street near my home.
Now we move over to the actual attraction and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
TSMM had a 90 minute wait on opening day (May 31). Sadly, I one got on the ride once since the ride had technical difficulties after I got off it.
Here was my one and only score. Not as good as Tom Corless who actually holds the all-time high score at the moment.
Here’s the newly unveiled directional sign showing where Toy Story Midway Mania is.
Here’s the only reference to the Disney-MGM Studios that I could find in the entire park. I miss you MGM.
More Disney’s Hollywood Studios merchandise continues to come in.
Already, Imagineering has a Toy Story Midway Mania wait time sign pin. Tom wants this pin so bad.
Progress on enclosing the old Hunchback Theater is almost done.
As you can see from looking over the wall.
Nothing really new over at the old ABC Theater, future home of the American Idol Experience.
Does it seem like something is missing?
Anyone know the answers?
Here’s the new DHS watch design by Jason Zucker, only 50 of them available.
One of Jason’s amazing drawings for Star Wars Weekends.
Here’s one of Jason’s unreleased Star Wars Weekends artwork designs featuring Donald Duck.
Here, again you can see the new Playhouse Disney sign at the entrance.
A lot of progress as gone on over at the DVC Tower.
I finally got to eat here for the first time….on the last day in operation. Too bad I can’t come back for seconds.
So, as we end this WDW Update, we say good-bye to the Concourse Steakhouse.
Let’s take a look at some various things going on through-out the Disneyland Resort from the latest Disneyland Update on DisneyGeek:
The section of the Bengal Barbecue that was behind walls is no longer behind walls
The little Guided Tours garden is being worked on
The Pacific Wharf fish-net photo-op is also being worked on
Part of Toy Story Midway Mania queue
The scaffolding is down on the Grizzly River Run waterwheel building, but the walls are still up
Both of the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage waterfalls are back on
New signs to keep guests out of the Hollywood & Dine area (such a shame)
Strangely enough, the new Official Album for Walt Disney World is available in various stores through-out the Disneyland Resort (I bet the DL Album isn’t available in WDW!)
The Toontown Gas Station & water fountains are behind walls for a little touch up
Food & drinks are still being sold however
Notice new colors?
Monorail Red being towed by the Monorail Tow (what a surprise!)
Let’s take a look at some various things going on through-out the Disneyland Resort from this week’s Dateline Disneyland on MiceAge:
Banners for Toy Story Mania in Downtown Disney
Another Toy Story Mania ad, this one in the Esplanade
Cast Members at the parking toll booths are passing out flyers for the Indiana Jones Summer of Hidden Mysteries
The It’s a Small World train has been stripped down to the bear
The pond underneath Gadget’s Go Coaster has gone dry while the connecting water for Donald’s Boat is drained during the Boat’s refurbishment
The fire truck in front of the Toontown Fire Depot is missing
The article (linked above) has a detailed look at the Create Your Own Ear Hat station in the Gag Factory in Mickey’s Toontown
A look at the new Hot Dog Hut’s menu
Just wanted to take a moment to clear up two rumors about the future of Disney’s Hollywood Studios:
-The space next to Toy Story Midway Mania (known as sound-stage 1) is not being prepared for Pixar Place area expansion at this time. As we reported in April, the space will be the merchandise location for Star Wars Weekends at the Studios beginning in June. I even took a peek inside the studio this week to be sure, and all that I saw were boxes and shelves full of merchandise.
-Of course there has been another leak about the new Star Tours attraction in development (as if there was any doubt this was happening) this week. From what I have been told, the attraction will either close later this year or right after the conclusion of the 2009 Star Wars Weekends at the Studios. Either way, the current feeling is that the attraction can not miss a Star Wars Weekend event during this lengthy refurbishment, so It can only be closed for a year at the most.
