Light Cycles to Illuminate “Highway in the Sky”

WDWNT on March 10, 2010

From the Disney Parks Blog:

Disney Monorail Trains to Feature TRON: LEGACY Art

Nope, your eyes are not deceiving you…that’s a light cycle from the Tron universe on our “highway in the sky.” And today, we’re sharing a first look at the attention-grabbing art coming to the Walt Disney World Resort.

The transformed trains will be visible on the Epcot monorail line as early as this month. And if you look close, you’ll notice that the design of the futuristic motorcycle-like vehicles from the upcoming film Tron: Legacy also includes walls of trailing colored light.

Disney Monorail Trains to Feature TRON: LEGACY Art

Tron: Legacy is a 3D high-tech adventure set in a digital world that’s unlike anything ever captured on the big screen. The film is scheduled to hit theaters on December 17. But there will be more updates to come before then so keep checking the Disney Parks Blog for the latest.

A Closer Look at the 2010 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival

WDWNT on March 9, 2010

Instead of posting one enormous photo report from our latest trip to Walt Disney World, we decided to break it up a little bit. The 2010 Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival began at Epcot on March 3rd despite an incredibly cold winter in Central Florida. Don’t be deceived by the photos below, these pictures are from this year’s festival, Disney just recycled a number of the topiaries and such from 2009. We hope you enjoy these photos taken by Jose Castillo and Tom Corless:

The theme for this year is “The Great Outdoors”, even though this is the only area that showcases that theme

Read More about A Closer Look at the 2010 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival

New Concept Art of the Fantasyland Forest Expansion

WDWNT on March 8, 2010

While the presentation about the Fantasyland Expansion during the D23 First Anniversary party did not allow photography of any kind, there were ten pieces of artwork on display at Ariel’s Grotto during the party, some new, some you may have seen before:

The overall view, nothing new here

Old concept art of Dumbo’s Circus area and the “Dueling Dumbos”

The exterior of “Dreams Come True with Cinderella”

Old concept art of “Under The Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid”. A new version of this artwork was shown during the presentation, however, photography was not allowed. The ride will use omnimover vehicles very much like those found at the Seas with Nemo and Friends

Old concept art of “A Birthday Surprise for Sleeping Beauty”

Old concept art of “Dreams Come True with Cinderella”

Old concept art of Gaston’s Tavern

New concept art of the cottage that will hold the magic mirror transporting guests into “Enchanted Tales with Belle”

Older concept art of “Be Our Guest” Restaurant, but take note of the “living character” Lumiere being wheeled around, along with the stained glass windows featuring Beauty and the Beast characters towards the back of the room

New concept art showing the entrance to the Beast’s Castle and the “Be Our Guest” Restaurant

Video of Updated Frontierland Hoedown

WDWNT on March 8, 2010

Although it is not listed on any Magic Kingdom times guides yet, Disney is testing a new version of the long-running Frontierland Hoedown daily at 9:40, 10:40, & 11:40AM daily. Here is a video of the updated show taken by WDWNT Reporter Banks Lee:

No More Sandals in Downtown Disney

WDWNT on March 4, 2010

From The OC Register:

A casual shoe store quickly became one of the top sellers in Downtown Disney after it opened in November. But Sanuk is set to shut down as early as March 14 when its temporary agreement ends.

Sanuk and Disney are in talks to find a new location within Downtown Disney, but nothing has been found yet, said James Crush, marketing manager for Sanuk Footwear.

“We are working with Sanuk to develop future opportunities in Downtown Disney,” said Betsy Sanchez, a Disneyland Resort spokeswoman, in a prepared statement.

The Irvine-based footwear company opened up its first-ever stand-alone store in November as a temporary location for the holiday season in partnership with the Haagen-Dazs owner. Sanuk originally was supposed to close in January so that the store next door, Ridemakerz, could begin its expansion.

Because of delays in the renovations, Sanuk was able to stay longer. Ridemakerz also is set to close March 14 so it can start construction, Sanchez said.

“The store has been very, very successful. We’ve had huge days in the last few months. Disney is happy and we’re happy,” Crush said.

The problem is, there are no open storefronts in the tightly packed shopping district.

Sanuk usually sells its handmade shoes in surf shops and upscale stores, including Barneys New York and Fred Segal. The 10-year-old company specializes in comfortable shoes, including flip-flops made of yoga mats and closed sandal shoes that give the feeling of bare feet, Crush said.

The Downtown Disney store has become popular with tourists with tired feet who want to keep walking around the parks, Crush said.

“We’re waiting for an opening in one of the other retailers to open up for us so can get a permanent location,” Crush said. “The success of the store has really helped our cause.”

Sanuk is the Thai word for fun.

New Manager at Napa Rose

WDWNT on February 24, 2010

From the OC Register

Disney selected a manager of a steakhouse at the Bellagio in Las Vegas to head its upscale Napa Rose restaurant.

Philippe Tosques, who worked at the Prime Steakhouse in Las Vegas for about three years, is set to begin his job as general manager at the Disneyland Resort restaurant on March 1, Disney announced Wednesday on Twitter. The award-winning Napa Rose sits inside the Grand Californian Hotel.

Betsy Sanchez, a Disneyland Resort spokeswoman, said Tosques was unavailable for an interview Wednesday. Disney did not release further information about Tosques. The Prime Steakhouse could not be reached.

Tosques previously worked as a consultant and manager at other Las Vegas restaurants, as well as the Hotel Sofitel in Los Angeles and Chicago, according to his LinkedIn account. Tosques won restaurant awards in both Las Vegas and Chicago.

The previous Napa Rose general manager, Michael Jordan,  left his job at Disney in September. He now is the president of The Beachcomber restaurants in Crystal Cove and Malibu.