For those of you looking to trade Jrs, Nick found a new place. At Frontierland in the Magic Kingdom, you can trade Jrs in this neat wooden case at the trading post. Now people in Florida have two options, this place, and at D-Street.
How many people have traded Jrs??
The Disneyland Resort is continuing its series of small previews of the upcoming “The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure” at Disney California Adventure this week with a look at Ariel’s dress from the finale scene. As usual, this applies to Walt Disney World since “Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid” is essentially the same attraction. From the Disney Parks Blog:
As anticipation builds for the British royal wedding on Friday, so does speculation about what Kate Middleton will wear when she weds Prince William. We have another princess getting ready to debut her wedding gown here at the Disneyland Resort, on June 3. That’s when Ariel and Prince Eric will debut in The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, an attraction inspired by the classic animated film, including the film’s wedding scene.
To find out more about Ariel’s dress and Prince Eric’s attire, I talked to the clothing designer, Gloria Bowls. She collaborated with Walt Disney Imagineer Larry Nikolai to create a look that reflects several periods of British history. Ariel’s gown, similar to the dress in the film, was largely influenced by the royal wedding of Charles and Diana in 1981 (“The Little Mermaid” film debuted in 1989).
“What was amazing about Diana’s dress was that no princess had arrived on the scene with such grandeur – larger than life,” Gloria said. “Ariel’s dress has some of that grandeur, a fantasy come to life – and larger than life. The big poof sleeves are almost as big as her head.”
Here’s a sneak peek at Ariel in her wedding finery.
Gloria designed custom wedding gowns and evening wear before taking on the challenge of designing costumes for Audio-Animatronics figures and consulting for Disney. She credits Larry Nikolai’s vision for encouraging her to let this dress express Ariel’s mermaid personality (i.e., she has this thing for “thingamabobs”).
“Ariel’s dress is made very much like a regular bride’s dress in that the bodice is fully lined, interlined and extensively boned – it practically stands up on its own,” Bowls said. “My favorite part is the front inset of the skirt … an underwater seascape with a shell, a starfish, a seahorse, all beaded and appliqued on, with seaweed lace.
“I hope each little girl will come off the ride inspired and dreaming of having a dress like Ariel’s for her own wedding day.”
These photos show Gloria as she was working on the dress, plus some of the intricate detail.
Complementing Ariel’s dress is Prince Eric’s attire, inspired by 19th century British royalty and British military uniforms. Details such as gold silk buttons reflect the aspects of courage, valor and honor.
WDWNT Reporter Banks Lee visited the Magic Kingdom on Easter Sunday and has a video of the traditional Easter Pre-parade that has become a staple of the holiday since the Easter Parade went away several years ago. Enjoy:
WDWNT Reporter Robert Ashburn made a visit to Disney’s Animal Kingdom and took a peek at the construction on Disney’s Art of Animation Resort construction on Wednesday, so let’s taker a look at some photos from his trip:
The test of “Truckosaurous” dance party will still going
From Merchandise Communications Manager Steven Miller on the Disney Parks Blog:
If I had a nickel for the hours I spent as a child playing with my Star Wars toys, I would be living on a beach in Maui right now. Luckily, my parents saved those toys (thanks Mom and Dad), and my son now spends hours pretending he is in a galaxy far, far away. Soon, he will have a few more toys (among several awesome things) to add to his Star Wars collection, especially with the launch of “Star Tours – The Adventures Continue” on May 20. But wait! I get to photograph and write about merchandise created for Star Tours? Sign me up! After reviewing the more than 40 items we’ve created, I have selected a few of my favorites to share with you.
First up is the incredibly detailed Starspeeder 1000 Spaceliner Collection. This boxed set features die-cast metal vehicles representing six spaceliners that are involved with the new Star Tours story. I spoke with Brad Schoeneberg, Product Developer for Toys and Games, to learn more about the toys.
“We’ve been working on the Star Tours toys for about two years now,” explained Brad. “During the past two years, we have had a great relationship with Walt Disney Imagineering. They provided us with tons of reference material for the Starspeeders and other new characters. That partnership helped us capture wonderful details including the tiny droids seen on top of each of [the Starspeeders].”
This set will retail for $22.95. Brad also shared with me the packaging for the “Ambush at Star Tours” and the “Star Tours Travel Agency” action figure sets (both will retail for $39.95 each). Favorite figures include the Sky Troopers who were created specifically for the attraction. I also loved how the droid who is “fluent in over six million forms of communication,” C-3PO, turned out.
But toys aren’t the only thing I loved seeing (or should I say “playing with?”). We are releasing a variety of shirts for launch. I particularly liked the stylized travel posters shirt, as there is no better way to say “I love space travel” than with that one. How I wish I could visit Bespin and hang out with Lando Calrissian!
There are a few items, however, that neither my son nor I can get – we are not Passholders (unlike many of you and I’m bummed). These Passholder Exclusive items will include a commemorative coin, a limited edition pen (not to be confused with a “pin,” which will also be released), a Darth Vader T-shirt and, what I consider the most awesome drinkware in the galaxy, a 20 oz. tumbler featuring Darth Vader.
I don’t think I can make time pass fast enough until the opening! As mentioned, there are many other items we created for the launch, so keep watching ArtofDisneyParks.com for release dates and additional information.
WDWNT Reporter Adam Roth visited The Magic Kingdom and Epcot yesterday and has a ton of newsworthy photos to share with us from his trip, so let’s take a look:
I think you know where we’re going…
From the Disney Parks Blog:
We’ve taken you behind the scenes to see some of the amazing things the Walt Disney Imagineers are working on for the June 3 debut of The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure at Disney California Adventure park. We’ve shown you what it’s like to create not only the Ariel Audio-Animatronics figure, but also how to animate her hair.
We’ve given you a glimpse of how impressive Ursula will be when she gets settled into her lair.
And we’ve shown you the beautiful “clam shells” – the vehicles that will take you “under the sea.”
Now we’re inviting you to join us for a very special meet-up, featuring Walt Disney Imagineers Lisa Girolami, Larry Nikolai and Chris Crump from the attraction’s creative team, as well as Walt Disney animators Andreas Deja and Mark Henn who worked on the animated feature film on which the attraction is based. Their tales will also be featured in an article in the May issue of D23 Magazine.
Today through April 28 at 11:59 p.m. (PDT), you can enter for a chance to attend our meet-up.
Those selected will be among an exclusive group at our panel discussion with the Walt Disney Imagineers and animators. The meet-up will be held May 10 at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. The team is still hard at work getting Scuttle, Sebastian and their friends ready to perform, so you will NOT be able to ride or visit the attraction.
Please carefully read the details on the form when you enter. As a reminder: You must be at least 18 years of age to enter, the meet-up does not require theme park admission and you must appear in person with a valid ID and your guest. If you are one of the 150 people randomly selected from our entries, you will be able to bring only one (1) guest. We will notify you by email if you are selected, with check-in details. All elements of this opportunity are subject to change without notice. Click here to register and learn more.
Are you excited to enter The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure Meet-Up? Good luck and I’ll see you there!
Is Brazil going to fill one of the long empty pavilion spaces in Epcot’s World Showcase? This short article from Brazil’s largest daily newspaper, Folha, claims that it is:
TRANSLATION:
Brazil got a great seat at an International forum with Disney. Representatives of the largest complex of theme parks in the world sought the federal government this week to announce that are going to install a pavilion of Brazil at Epcot in Orlando.
Now, this wouldn’t be the first time a pavilion for World Showcase was announced and not built, so it may be too early to be concerned about this. Brazilian guests do make up a large portion of Walt Disney World’s visitors, so it wouldn’t bee too far-fetched. One question: Do Brazilian guests need to visit the country they just left? Probably not, but according to this article (how credible it may be is still debatable), it is happening.
We will keep you up-to-speed on this breaking story as more becomes available, so stay tuned…
From the Disney Parks Blog:
Heads up Pixar fans – we’re breaking an exciting announcement this morning on the Disney Parks Blog.
The 18th Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival will celebrate all-things Pixar, including the upcoming release of “Cars 2,” during Pixar’s 25th Anniversary Weekend May 13-15 at Epcot.
Mater from “Cars” and “Cars 2” leads the celebration, which will include special Pixar character meet and greets, kids activities, informational discussions by Pixar filmmakers and more.
World Showplace (located between the Canada and United Kingdom pavilions), will serve as the celebration headquarters. Inside, families can enjoy meet and greets with characters from “The Incredibles,” “Toy Story 3,” “Monsters, Inc.” and “Up,” or browse a photo gallery that calls out some of Pixar’s best Easter eggs from past films. There also will be an art gallery that displays the creative work that went in to Pixar films.
World Showplace also will be the setting for informational discussions by Pixar filmmakers: Composer Michael Giacchino, Producer Jonas Rivera and “Cars” Franchise Guardian Jay Ward (pictured above). Discussions will take place May 14-15 (times are still TBD).
And the Pixar fun will continue throughout World Showcase, where characters from “Toy Story,” “Ratatouille” and “A Bug’s Life” wait to greet guests. Kids also can play the “Cars 2” Race Around the World Showcase game by picking up a booklet with clues that send them on a journey to specific World Showcase pavilions, where they’ll receive more clues, and receive a reward at the end. (All entertainment is subject to change).
You can find more information on the events official site at www.PIXARWeekend.com!
Disney has issued an updated press release with new details on “Star Tours: The Adventures Continue”, opening May 20th at Disney’s Hollywood Studios:
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – The power of the Force and the magic of Disney have combined to create “Star Tours – The Adventures Continue,” a new 3-D attraction set to open at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park on May 20, 2011. The attraction also will open at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, Calif., on June 3, 2011.
Based on the Star Wars films, Star Tours will take Walt Disney World Resort guests to multiple Star Wars destinations where they will interact with characters from throughout the Saga. And it will all be in 3-D.
With eye-popping 3-D digital filming, a dramatic musical score and motion simulator-based technology, guests will be immersed in the Star Wars galaxy like never before on a theme park attraction. Walt Disney Imagineering worked with Lucasfilm, Ltd. and Industrial Light & Magic – the groundbreaking visual effects division of Lucasfilm – to bring the out-of-this-world attraction to life.
Star Tours, which had thrilled Disney Parks guests since the 1980s, was “powered down” at Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2010 so Imagineers could begin work on the new attraction.
And in a new twist, guests may be able to enjoy the attraction multiple times without ever experiencing the same adventure. More than 50 story combinations are possible for guests to experience aboard Star Tours.
Just as the Star Wars films immerse movie-goers in storylines that keep them on the edge of their seats, Star Tours will feature multiple stories and scenarios that will hurtle park guests throughout the Star Wars galaxy. And all of the storyline’s twists and turns will be random, affording guests the chance to ride the attraction multiple times.
Whether it’s a battle with Darth Vader and his legion of stormtroopers or a plea from Princess Leia to help her save the Rebellion, guests will find themselves in the middle of the action – literally – in the 3-D, multi-sensory attraction.
Entering the attraction queue area, Star Tours guests walk into a bustling spaceport. The famed Star Wars droid duo, C-3PO and R2-D2, greet them as the Starspeeder 1000 is prepped for service. Anthony Daniels, the voice of C-3PO and the only actor to appear in every theatrical chapter of the Star Wars Saga, reprises his role as the golden protocol droid. Daniels worked with Walt Disney Imagineering to record new dialogue for the attraction. Guests also are introduced to AC-38, a hotshot droid pilot known simply as “Ace,” and Aly San San (voiced by actress Allison Janney), the “spokesbot” for the spaceport.
After winding through the spaceport, guests board the Starspeeder 1000 spacecraft and prepare for Star Tours Flight #1401. Through a series of mishaps, however, C-3PO finds himself in the pilot’s seat instead of Ace, and it’s up to him and R2-D2 to navigate their passengers through the galaxy. However, the tyrannical Empire is out to stop the Starspeeder at all costs. C-3PO and R2-D2 take the controls and try to outwit and outrun the Imperial forces and a galactic bounty hunter hired to pursue the spaceship and its passengers.
Utilizing the 50+ random story combinations, the Starspeeder then embarks on a wild trip through the galaxy, visiting several planets made famous in the Star Wars films. Among the locations that might provide haven from the Empire’s pursuit are the icy planet of Hoth, the lush jungles of Kashyyyk and the underwater Gungan world of Naboo. And along the way guests may encounter Star Wars characters that offer to help (or hinder) their journey, including Yoda, Admiral Ackbar, Darth Vader and Boba Fett. “Skytroopers,” a legion of stormtroopers created just for the Star Tours attraction story, might even join in the chase.
In fact, with multiple ways to experience each flight, guests will never know where the Force will take them.
At Walt Disney World Resort, Star Tours opens May 20, 2011, the same day the annual Star Wars Weekends event begins at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park. Star Tours and Star Wars Weekends event activities are included in regular admission to Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park.
