Park 11 Explained

WDWNT on April 19, 2012

Park 11
October 19
$12.95
12 figure blind box series based on Disney’s California Adventure Park.

Update 10/13/12 All of set list revealed including combo topper. Pictures of all figures added.


Update 10/10/12 DCA themed Mickey Combo Topper will also be released on 10/19 for $24.95 along with the blind boxes. Park 11 will also get an online release on this same day.

 Minnie’s Fly Girls
2012

Song and dance show at Condor Flats.

photo from mydisneyblog.com

King Triton’s Carousel of the Sea
2001

The otter is just one of many sea creatures guests can ride on this aquatic themed carousel.

California Screamin’
2001

This represents the original attraction vehicles on this DCA roller coaster.

photo by Express Monorail on Flickr

Disney’s Aladdin: 
A Musical Spectacular
2003

The plot of this musical is based on the move, but the Genie steals the show with his present day reference comedy routine.

photo by Disney Cruise Line

Monster’s Inc.
Mike & Sully to the Rescue!
2006

A dark ride where guests board taxi ride vehicles for an adventure around Monstropolis.

photo from justacarguy.com

World of Color
2010

The World of Color nighttime water spectacular weaves water, color, fire and light into a kaleidoscope of fantasy and imagination.

photo by Disney
photo from Vinylmation Exchange

 Francis’s Lady Bug Boogie
2002

A tea cup like ride at A Bugs Land in DCA.
photo from Vinylmation Exchange

 Man Hat ‘n Beach
2001

A former store in the Paradise Pier section.
photo from Vinylmation Exchange

 Mickey’s Fun Wheel
2001 (Sun Wheel from 01-08)

160 foot tall Ferris wheel.
photo from Vinylmation Exchange

 Turtle talk with Crush
2004

Interactive attraction with Crush from Finding Nemo.
photo from Vinylmation Exchange

 DJ Dance ‘n Drive
2012

A new character in Cars Land that plays music for guests.

Mystery Chaser
photo from Vinylmation Exchange

 Combo Topper
Sunshine Plaza Mickey
2001

This was Mickey’s meet ‘n greet character in the area that is now Buena Vista Street.

9″ Grizzly Peak
2001

LE 800
October 26
Casey Jones

The centerpiece of DCA is a man-made, 110-foot mountain in the shape of a grizzly bear, which represents California’s state animal.

photo from laughingplace.com

Periwinkle joining Tinker Bell at Disneyland

WDWNT on March 31, 2012

From Shawn Slater of Disney Parks Blog:

In the newest Disney Fairies movie “Secret of the Wings,” coming to Blu-ray and DVD October 23, Tinker Bell journeys into the mysterious world of the Winter Woods, where curiosity and adventure lead her to an amazing discovery and reveal a magical secret that could change her world forever. In the Winter Woods, Tinker Bell meets Periwinkle, a frost fairy who turns out to be Tink’s sister, born of the same baby’s laugh.

Soon, you’ll be able to meet Periwinkle, too, as we bring a bit of the Winter Woods to Tinker Bell’s Magical Nook at Magic Kingdom Park and Pixie Hollow at Disneyland park. These areas will receive a sparkling layer of snow and ice, creating the perfect environment to greet Periwinkle and make her feel at home. Even Tinker Bell will be dressed for the occasion, wearing her warm, wintry ensemble from the film.

Look for Periwinkle to join her sister at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom parks, beginning in mid-September.

New Haunted Mansion Vinylmation Series

WDWNT on March 31, 2012

From Steve Miller of the Disney Parks Blog:

I love visiting the Haunted Mansion in the fall, as there is something extra special about the attraction during the Halloween season at Disney Parks. Perhaps that is one reason why we waited until September to release the much anticipated Vinylmation – Haunted Mansion series #1. This limited release, mystery series has been in development for over a year, and contains a handful of the 999 happy haunts. I spoke with Disney Design Group artist Casey Jones about how he selected the characters for the series.

“We knew we couldn’t feature every single character from the attraction,” explained Casey. “So we selected a character from almost each of the different show scenes. This set gives us a strong foundation to build upon for a future Haunted Mansion series.”

One thing I noticed is that the series contains a lot of accessories. Eight of the figures have some type of accessory item, which Casey explained “helped add the essential touches for each character.”

I was happy to see that the Hatbox Ghost is included in this series. He is also featured on the packaging, which was designed by Thomas Scott with help from artist Dan Salgo. Thomas told me the packaging (which looks stellar) was a nod to a different kind of vinyl.

“We used the cover of the ‘The Story & Song from The Haunted Mansion’ vinyl album as inspiration for the packaging,” said Thomas. “We even used the unique ‘Haunted Mansion’ lettering found on that album as a nice tribute.”

One of Casey’s favorite figures is the singing bust, as he felt it translated the best to the Mickey Mouse-shaped canvas. (Look for the hidden Mickey on the back of the figure.)

To celebrate the release of this series, we will be holding two different release parties. On Friday, September 21, the series will be released at D Street at Downtown Disney West Side in Florida. Casey will be meeting with fans from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. that day. We will also release a one-of-a-kind custom 9-inch Mariner figure designed by Casey.

Casey will then make an appearance from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, September 22, at D Street in the Downtown Disney District in California. That morning, we will release the mystery series; Casey’s one-of-a-kind, custom 9-inch Bride figure; and additional custom figures by Javier Soto, John Henselmeier, Julie West and Miss Mindy.

Couple Visits Disneyland Resort Everyday in 2012

WDWNT on March 31, 2012

By Erin Glover on the Disney Parks Blog:

Jeff Reitz and Tonya Mickesh Receive a Night in the Disneyland Dream Suite from Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Tom Staggs in Celebration of Visiting Disneyland Resort Every Day in 2012
Congratulations to Jeff Reitz and Tonya Mickesh, who today reached the milestone of visiting the Disneyland Resort every day in 2012! Having made at least 366 memories this year (including One More Disney Day, of course), Tonya and Jeff received a special welcome this morning from Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Tom Staggs in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle.

As the couple entered Disneyland park, Tom was waiting to greet them at the other end of Main Street, U.S.A.Moments later, he marked the occasion by making Tonya and Jeff honorary citizens of Disneyland. And Tom presented one more added surprise – a gift that would ensure at least one more memory in 2013: a stay in theDisneyland Dream Suite.

“Jeff and Tonya have an affinity for Disney Parks that is shared by many of our guests, and I wanted to take the opportunity to congratulate them on reaching this milestone,” Tom said. “During this momentous year, their dedication to the Disneyland Resort is a testament to why we continue to expand, grow and share the Disney Parks experience with guests around the world.”

—

From all of us at Disneyland News Today, have a happy and magical new year.

Monorail Cars or Cars Monorail

WDWNT on March 31, 2012

Update: 3/16/12 Disney’s Vinylmation Blog has cleared up the Cars Monorail news.

The series will be a blind boxed set of Cars characters as Monorails! I love this idea and really hope more characters are used in the future. They will retail for $11.95. Each figure is 4.5″ with the artwork designed by Maria Clapsis and Thomas Scott. Lin Shih designed the form and Eric Caszatt designed the packaging.

The artwork is truly beautiful. The series will first be released at the DLR Annual Passholder event for Cars Land talked about below… then in select stores at both DLR and WDW on March 30th. Disney Store Online will see a release at a date TBA. Vinylmation forms are expanding way past Mickey and even characters now and I for one very much welcome it! I came around on Park Starz rather quickly, am not a big fan of the look of Popcorns, but these… are great. I may not want to collect all the forms of Vinylmation, but keep ideas like these coming Disney.

Back on March 12th the Vinylmation.com blog posted the above picture of a Blue Monorail figure. Lots of people speculated on what it was (we know there will be a new mold monorail as part of the Contemporary Hotel Park 8 LE) but no one knew for sure. Then there were rumors of a Monorail Cars pack. We originally thought that meant there would be a set of figures that represented the front, middle, and end cars of a monorail. Now it’s looking more like the figures will be Cars characters as monorails. I know confusing. We haven’t seen any pictures yet, but it will be interesting to see them when they are show.

The only way to get them is to go the the Annual Passholders Disney California Adventure Merchandise Showcase from March 27 – 29, 2012 at Stage 17 in Disney California Adventure. Merchandise is limited and there is a limit of 2 trays per customer. (Which brings up the question: Trays? How big is this set going to be? Is it a full 12 figure set?)

For details on this event go to the Art of Disney page.

Anyone going? Will they be picking this up?

Donald and Pluto Mystery Combo

WDWNT on March 31, 2012

Update: 2/22/12 An email today sent out by the Disney Store gave us all a closer look at what a lot of our great comments already pointed to. The design scheme for this “Storybook Collection” of merchandise not on sale at the parks and online. It is a variety of magnets, lanyards, pins, frames, shirts, snowglobes and more all to this theme of the Disney characters like guests enjoying the parks. Here is a look at the autograph book.

Update: 3/21/12 Thank you to Cheryl for showing us a picture of the back of these figures from the Vinylmation Exchange Facebook page.

Donald has a backpack with little Vinylmation painted on peaking out. From a comment from Carol below, it seems we should also be on the look out for”a Mickey, Minnie (with a camera), Goofy (with balloons) and Tinkerbell (above the castle) also shown on the box.” These designs struck me personally as very generic and they do look like designs used on some generic park merchandise at DLR and WDW. A Cast Member, Trevor, mentions this looks to be part of the “storybook collection.” I know Disney has to expand to this market for profit reasons, but in my opinion it is sad to see such a niche piece of Disney related art go in the direction of generic merchandise. Say what you will about the movie tie-in figures or Monorail Cars but these move way over that line. I felt the same way about Theme Park Favorites as well. New molds and Park Starz are still unique and more like art. But figures like the New years, theme park favorites and now these are more like generic merchandise. I always welcome new things in Vinylmation and if Disney feels this is what they need to do, that is fine. I would just rather see the main Disney characters used for a reason besides a tie in the the generic park merchandise theme of the day. There are so many great things you can do with the Fab 5 if you want to have them in different designs.

3/20/12 The following picture was posted on the Vinylmation Exchange Facebook page. Jon Quon was the poster and said he found this at Disneyland. Thanks to Ryan for sending it our way.

No real clue what this set represents without more context from the box, but the person who posted this picture also asked if anyone knew what series this is from. Any ideas? Donald and Pluto appear to be in their normal outfits, except for the hats. Donald wearing a yellow cap and Pluto wearing a sorcerers hat.

California’s Trade Show 2/17/12

WDWNT on March 5, 2012

Zoe stopped by the trade show tonight at Disneyland. Big crowd. Lots of new pins being shown, but no new vinylmation.

Also there was a whole table by Evilos. Check it out.

Love those light up Trons!

Did anyone go and get any good trades? Let us know!

Annual Passholder “Holiday Fantasy” Parties Coming To Disneyland

WDWNT on November 1, 2011

With the success of the recent Soundsational parties just for annual passholders, another party is being held soon and passholders should see invites hitting their inboxes any time now:

The Holiday Fantasy party is being billed as “A special party to kick off the holiday season for a select group of Annual Passholders. Arrive early on the first day of this magical season and experience The Merriest Place on Earth during regular park hours. Then stay for special Meet ‘n’Greet photo opportunities with more than 20 beloved Disney characters, and enjoy select attractions, shops, and restaurants throughout Disneyland® Park until midnight! Monday, November 14, 8 p.m. to midnight”

Space is limited and passholders are being given through November 7th to RSVP for the party. Again, this is only for those who receive the email from Disney. Stay tuned to Disneyland News Today as we get more on this breaking story.

Cars Land Ready to Become a “Radiator Springs Reality”

WDWNT on August 31, 2011

Time to hit the road for the D23 Expo and an exciting, high-octane look at one of the largest projects ever created for the Disney Parks!

Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug

In this presentation, John Lasseter and Roger Gould from Pixar and Kathy Mangum, Kevin Rafferty, & Jennifer Mok from Walt Disney Imagineering take us on a in-depth exploration of the upcoming Cars Land at Disney California Adventure. While it may not be a Walt Disney World related presentation, it is a fascinating look at the project and a rare opportunity to hear the creative forces behind the project talk for over an hour about every last detail of next Summer’s blockbuster addition to the Disneyland Resort. Enjoy!:

A Good Look at Buena Vista Street

WDWNT on August 28, 2011

While not related to Walt Disney World, one of the great panels presented by Disney Parks and Resorts at the D23 Expo was “A Good Look at Buena Vista Street”. In case you aren’t up on your Disneyland Resort news, Buena Vista Street is going to be the new entry area for Disney California Adventure starting next Summer. So while we aren’t looking at anything for the Vacation Kingdom, it is a fascinating look at a great upcoming project from Walt Disney Imagineering that we think you’ll enjoy: