It’s Going To Be A Circus In There…

WDWNT on February 11, 2011

WDWNT Reporter Josh Siegel attended a cast member only farewell to Mickey’s Toontown Fair tonight at the Magic Kingdom and Disney is already previewing some of the new sights you will see when the Storybook Circus arrives in 2012:

It appears that County Bounty will become Big Top Souvenirs featuring The Flying Piggolinis (Three Little Pigs)

The Great Goofini replaces the Barnstormer

Not sure what Pete’s Silly Sideshow will be, but it’s part of the circus…

Stay tuned to WDW News Today for more details on New Fantasyland as they become available. We will also have coverage of Toontown Fair’s final day on Friday, February 11th.

More Magical Vinylmation to Celebrate WDW’s Birthday

WDWNT on February 7, 2011

The Disney Vinylmation Blog released some treats for us today because their Facebook account reached over 7100 likes. If you haven’t liked them on Facebook yet, do so, because the more people who do, the more stuff we find out about. And now today’s stuff:

In 1981, WDW turned 10 years old. 1981 also marked the year Disney discontinued the coupon books in favor of these 1-Day Passports into the park. Here, courtesy of AllEars.net, is a scan of an original WDW 1-Day Passport.
For more looks at some really great old WDW tickets, visit http://allears.net/tix/tickethistory.htm. Especially check out the “Cast Member and Comp Ticket” page.
I can’t wait to see how the images are represented on the 3D finished Vinylmation figure! They have been doing a lot of great things with the painting and style and quality these days. I hope they capture the old, vintage feel of the ticket with a real stamp like quality for the date and ticket number.
Also a WDW 40th piece:
This is an amazing retro look at EPCOT Center. Both Future World with the iconic ball and the World Showcase are represented here. These Thomas Scott designed figures do not have a release date yet. I’m excited about all things retro when it comes to Disney… so I can’t wait to see what comes out this year at WDW. The 6 figure 3″ open window set was a good start, and these two new 3″ figures look incredibly impressive. (According to the blog they are 3″, but the designs are so cool we hope that’s a typo.)

Pictures from allears.net and
the Vinylmation Blog

The Turtle Replaces the Pirate and the Parrot

WDWNT on February 7, 2011

WDW News Today’s own Justin Heyman is in WDW this week and will have a full report upon his return, but for now we bring you the new menu at Tortuga Tavern, which replaced El Pirata Y El Perico, across from Pirates of the Caribbean in Adventureland.  The Mexican-themed food remains, as well as the original sign featuring the pirate and the parrot.  A new semicircular cutout with the words Tortuga Tavern has been installed over the old name of the restaurant.  The new menu features beef, chicken, and vegetarian burritos as well as a taco salad and nachos.  Kids can choose from quesadillas or a PB&J sandwich.

First Look at Your New Star Tours Pilot

WDWNT on February 2, 2011

From Imagineer Tom Fitzgerald on the Disney Parks Blog:

It was a big day for Star Tours recently, as Star Wars creator George Lucas, joined by producer Rick McCallum, paid a visit to Disneyland Park to take a few test rides on the attraction with our Walt Disney Imagineering team. After experiencing adventures to several of the Star Wars worlds aboard the Starspeeder 1000, George and Rick gave the team a big thumbs up on their progress. George even took a moment to pose with the Audio-Animatronics figure of C-3PO in the Starspeeder cockpit!

Stay tuned for more Star Tours updates.

“Everybody’s Got a Lap-Bar in Place” – Video of Splash Mountain’s New Logs

WDWNT on February 1, 2011

Splash Mountain at the Magic Kingdom re-opened from refurbishment today with new logs utilizing lap bars to keep guests in the seats. WDWNT Reporter Banks Lee was on the scene and remarked they are”comfy, have plenty of room, and no different then those you would find at Big Thunder Mountain”. You can judge for yourself in this video and enjoy a full ride-through Chic-A-Pin Hill:

Lap Bars, Miners, and SHAG! Oh My! A Magic Kingdom Video Update for 1/31/11

WDWNT on February 1, 2011

WDWNT Reporter Banks Lee was on the scene at the Magic Kingdom today, where it seems all the excitement was. Not only was artist SHAG previewing his work for Walt Disney World’s 40th anniversary and Splash Mountain testing logs with lap bars before it re-opens tomorrow; the rescued Chilean coal miners were paraded in grand fashion down Main Street, U.S.A.! Here is a video of all the festivities: