I was at Disneyland yesterday to have a look all the construction around the resort and captured a plethora of newsworthy photos to share. Photos include Buena Vista Street, Little Mermaid, Goofy’s Sky School, and much more…
Time to Let the Memories Begin
From the Disney Parks Blog:
Do you enjoy shopping at the Downtown Disney District in Anaheim? Here are two more reasons to visit: Sanuk, a footwear store, and BLINK, a denim apparel shop. These retail locations are coming to Downtown Disney this spring.
Sanuk’s new flagship location will offer the largest selection of products available outside of the company’s online store, including flip flops, surf sandals and other innovative beach footwear, such as their signature yoga mat flip-flops.
Sanuk first joined Downtown Disney in 2010 – that pop-up was the company’s first retail store. Its success paved the way for the new, larger space.
Did you know the Sanuk name comes from the Thai word for fun?
Also coming to Downtown Disney this spring is BLINK, a denim-focused pop-up concept owned by Wet Seal. BLINK features the latest trends in denim, with an assortment of fashion tops and accessories.
At BLINK, “Denim Experts” will be available to offer service and product knowledge about dozens of styles from various fashion brands.
Sanuk will be replacing Basin which closed in January and BLINK will be replacing Anne Geddes which closed this past week.
Disney Junior: Live on Stage recently debuted at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and WDWNT Reporter Banks Lee was on the scene to provide a video of the updated show:
Disney Junior: Live On Stage – 3/2/11 from WDWNTube on Vimeo.
If you’re wondering what changes were made between this show and Playhouse Disney: Live on Stage, they were few and far between. The inclusion of the new “Jake and the Neverland Pirates” portion replaces the “My Friends Tigger and Pooh” segment. The remainder of the show is identical.
Disney’s Vinylmation Facebook page hit another milestone, 8200 fans. And as predicted, 1982 being the year EPCOT opened, we saw the release of some special EPCOT Vinylmation Concept Art. No indication if these are 3″ or 9″. No release dates or edition sizes either. Just some fun teases to keep an eye out for. Maybe around Project Florida in September?
EPCOT 2000
Artist: Thomas Scott
Release Date: Unknown
LE: Unknown
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Love it or hate it, the EPCOT ball had a wand attached to it for 8 years. This figure celebrates the occasion. In the picture, it says “EPCOT” above the ball, however, when the wand was originally put in place in 1999, it said “2000” as on the Vinylmation.
Kitchen Kabaret
Artist: Maria Clapsis
Release Date: Unknown
LE: Unknown
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Kitchen Kabaret was a 13 minute show at the Land Pavilion in EPCOT featuring animatronic food. It was an opening day attraction and lasted until 1994. This broccoli character was in a Latin music band toward the end of the show and shook maracas while yelling “cha cha cha!” This Vinylmation even has him in his signature colorful sleeves.
Living with the Land
Artist: Caley Hicks
Release Date: Unknown
LE: Unknown
Living with the Land has been around since EPCOT opened it’s doors on October 1st, 1982. It celebrates how people can use the Earth’s resources in a responsible manner. It also informs guests on steps Disney takes to produce food for its guests. The colors of this Vinylmation match the mood and colors of the Land Pavilion. It’s also great to see another piece from up and coming Vinylmation artist Caley Hicks who designed the Flag series.
What do you think of these EPCOT Vinylmation?
Disney and HP executives were joined by sports celebrities and ESPN personalities March 3, 2011 at ESPN Wide World of Sports for the dedication ceremony for the newly named “HP Field House.” Joining in the ceremony: (L-R): Gary Elliott, vice president of Brand Marketing for HP, U.S. Women’s Soccer legend Mia Hamm, Mickey Mouse, Ken Potrock, senior vice president of Disney Sports Enterprises, and Jason Witten, NFL All-Pro tight end for the Dallas Cowboys. The HP Field House is a 165,000-square-foot, multi-sport venue, which debuted in 1997 when the Disney sports complex opened. With the new HP partnership, the facility is outfitted with HP technology including HP TouchSmart 9300 Elite Business PCs.
The computer systems are located at kiosks throughout the venue and allow coaches, athletes and spectators to access sporting event highlights, updates, current weather information, dining options, event information and more. Another cornerstone of the HP Field House is the HP Photo Creation Center, where athletes and fans can create and download event images and print them in a variety of customized ways, including large-scale posters, banners and photo cards. (Gene Duncan, photographer)
Last week, the Disney fan community exploded when Disney placed temporary tarps and projections of ghosts Phineas, Ezra, and Gus in the hitchhiking ghost scene of the Haunted Mansion at the Magic Kingdom without any announcement. Rumors have indicated that new, interactive elements are coming to the Haunted Mansion, both in the queue and on the ride. We may have a clue to what’s happening inside:
If you look very closely at the Fall 2010 issues of Disney’s Twenty-three magazine, you would see this piece of concept art fairly hidden in the article on Walt Disney Imagineering. The artwork shows two guests being frightened by all three of the ghosts in what has to be projection form. If this artwork is any indication, when work on the scene is complete, guest’s reflections will have the ghosts floating around them both inside and outside of the vehicle.
Stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information on these changes to the Haunted Mansion become available.
WDWNT’s own Cody Smith recently attended the “Love is Magical” pin event at Walt Disney World. How does this apply to Star Tours? Well, there was a pin preview board at the event, and Disney was showcasing some of the pins that will be released when Star Tours re-opens at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on May 20th and Disneyland Park June 3rd:
Now, the photo is not of the best quality, but we believe it reveals destinations guests will be traveling to in “Star Tours: The Adventures Continue”, and maybe even what will happen when they get there. The two announced locations of Coruscant and Tatooine are represented. The Tatooine poster pin even shows the Starspeeder 1000 getting stuck in a podrace, a scenario that has already been revealed. With this in mind, we believe the other 6 pins reveal more destinations and events that guests may experience randomly.
Let’s examine the posters in order from left to right:
Again, these destinations are not confirmed, but the appearance of the Starspeeder 1000 in these scenes and the fact that several already announced locations & character encounters are featured leads us to the conclusion that these are spoilers for the new attraction. Stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information on “Star Tours: The Adventures Continue” becomes available.
WDWNT Reporter Taylor Martina was roaming around Walt Disney World on Friday and lucky for us he had his camera with him to snap some newsworthy photos:
Yes, both legs of Spaceship Earth are back to normal for the first time in 12 years…
From the Disney Parks Blog:
Many of you may remember our announcement last spring about the ongoing Disneyland Hotel renovation. This exciting project gives the hotel a retro theme with a contemporary twist and adds historic and nostalgic elements of Disneyland park, circa the 1950s.
In keeping with that spirit, we are excited to announce that this spring Tangaroa Terrace and Trader Sam’s will open. The tiki-inspired design and storyline for this restaurant and bar were a perfect fit, as they tie in thematically with the mid-century modern architecture of the Disneyland Hotel and the adjacent Dream Tower, soon to be renamed Adventure Tower.
Inspired by Adventurelands from Disney Parks worldwide and the nostalgic Tahitian Terrace restaurant, located in Adventureland from 1962-1993, Tangaroa Terrace will immerse guests in a tropical setting with tiki torches and themed music. The name of the restaurant was borrowed from one of the tiki gods at the Enchanted Tiki Room. The fast-casual dining experience will include island-inspired food and beverages. The new bar, named after Trader Sam, the infamous Jungle Cruise “head” salesman, will open adjacent to Tangaroa Terrace. Trader Sam’s unique lounge experience will include interactive experiences with a bit of Disney magic you won’t want to miss.
These new locations are in addition to the new in-room décor and exterior of the hotel, as well as the new pool, immersive water play area and redesign of the Never Land Pool that will be completed later this year. Check back soon for more details on the Disneyland Hotel renovation project!
WDWNT Reporter Banks Lee was on the scene at Epcot earlier today as Bill Nye the Science Guy appeared at Innoventions in Epcot as part of National Engineers Week. Banks took some video to share with us from this event:
