Disneyland Resort – Page 48

Midway Mania and Dream Home Open For Business!

WDWNT on June 18, 2008

Both Toy Story Midway Mania & the Innoventions Dream Home officially opened for business today! Here’s some pictures & a press release from Disney:

John Lasseter & Roger Gould riding Toy Story Midway Mania

Left to Right: Ed Grier, Jay Rasulo, Bob Iger, John Lasseter

During the opening ceremony, Green Army Men parachuted down into the Paradise Pier lagoon

Various executives at the opening of the Innoventions Dream Home

The Family Room at the Dream Home

TOY STORY MANIA! LAUNCHES WITH FOUR DIMENSIONS OF FUN AND A BIG BOOST FROM BUZZ AT DISNEYLAND RESORT

ANAHEIM, Calif. – June 17, 2008 – In a spectacular ceremony featuring sky divers, fireworks and Disney executives, along with NASA Astronauts and Buzz Lightyear on board the International Space Station, the new Toy Story Mania! attraction premiered today in Disney’s California Adventure as part of Disney’s “Year of a Million Dreams.”

Inspired by the Disney•Pixar films “Toy Story” and “Toy Story II,” Toy Story Mania! raises the bar for interactive ride-game attractions. It’s a high-energy, immersive adventure in which guests don 3-D glasses and enter a wild 4-D world of game play with Woody, Buzz and other favorite “Toy Story” characters. Special effects add a fourth dimension of fun.

“Through the years, millions of people around the world have enjoyed the humor, excitement and wonder of ‘Toy Story’ and its unforgettable cast of characters,” said Bob Iger, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Walt Disney Company. “With the opening of Toy Story Mania!, we celebrate the enduring popularity of Woody, Buzz and their friends as our Disneyland Resort guests become a part of their adventures through this new and imaginative theme-park experience.”

Joining Iger in the opening festivities for Toy Story Mania! were Jay Rasulo, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts; Ed Grier, President of the Disneyland Resort, and John Lasseter, director of the original “Toy Story” and Chief Creative Officer of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. Buzz Lightyear and NASA astronauts sent greetings to Disney•Pixar fans from “infinity and beyond” – aboard the International Space Station.

In the timeless tradition of Disney storytelling, Toy Story Mania! takes its inspiration from the fact that Andy’s toys spring to life whenever he is away. Soon after Andy received a “Midway Games Play Set” for his birthday, the toys opened the box and set up the game booths and carnival trams so everyone could ride and play.

Upon entering the attraction, guests are welcomed by Mr. Potato Head, more than five feet tall and looking like he stepped right down from the movie screen. The state-of-the-art Audio-Animatronics Mr. Potato Head makes a perfect carnival barker, capable of engaging guests in two-way conversation and encouraging them to “step right up” for the immersive Toy Story Mania! experience.

“Toy Story Mania! merges interactive gaming with classic storytelling as only Disney can do,” Rasulo said. “We consider it to be one of our most energetic, immersive experiences yet, and it took a remarkable collaboration between Pixar and Disney to bring it to life in 4-D.”

Everyone gets a front row seat when guests put on their 3-D glasses, “shrink” to the size of a toy and board the Toy Story Mania! carnival tram ride vehicles, which add a huge amount of fun to the interactive experience. The innovative design includes features that also make the fun accessible to guests with disabilities. No matter how many times guests return to ride and play Toy Story Mania!, they can be sure every ride-through will seem like a new experience.

Toy Story Mania is just the latest highlight of the Year of a Million Dreams celebration at Disney Parks. Also premiering at Disneyland Resort today is the new Innoventions Dream Home, in Tomorrowland at Disneyland park.

Innoventions Dream Home is both a show and a showcase, offering guests of all ages a hands-on experience with the newest in-home technologies as they interact with members of the fictional Elias family in a fun, home environment. Microsoft, HP, Life|ware and homebuilder Taylor Morrison have joined with Disneyland Resort to create entertaining, story-based demonstrations of the connected digital lifestyle, which can simplify and enhance daily family life.

Read More about Midway Mania and Dream Home Open For Business!

Innoventions Dream Home Opening Tomorrow!

WDWNT on June 17, 2008

IT’S THE HOME OF YOUR DREAMS!! INNOVENTIONS DREAM HOME INVITES GUESTS TO EXPERIENCE THE FUTURE TODAY

New Tomorrowland Attraction at Disneyland Resort Combines State-of-the-Art Technology with the Latest in Disneyland Immersive Storytelling

ANAHEIM, Calif. – June 16, 2008 – Imagine a home so perfectly attuned to the needs of a family that it can anticipate and fulfill them, virtually without anyone lifting a finger. Now imagine that the home offers family members high-tech connectivity, not just with one another but with people, entertainment and information in the world at large.

Guests at Disneyland can soon do more than imagine it. Beginning June 17, the Innoventions Dream Home in Tomorrowland is bringing that world to life as a limited number of guests have the opportunity to preview the home.

The Innoventions Dream Home is both a show and a showcase, offering guests of all ages a hands-on experience with new in-home technologies, some that are practical and some that are astounding. Microsoft, HP, Life|ware and homebuilder Taylor Morrison have joined with Disneyland Resort to demonstrate how a connected digital lifestyle can simplify and enhance many aspects of daily family life.

“We’re thrilled to open the Innoventions Dream Home with the help of our partners,” said Ed Grier, president of the Disneyland Resort. “We are confident our guests will find new ways to connect to their world in this immersive, entertaining experience.”

The Elias family will be excited to welcome all guests into their new Dream Home at the end of June.

The experience includes guest interaction with the residents of the Dream Home – the fictional Elias family. Members of the family move from room to room, utilizing the technology as they prepare for a big celebration. Guests who enter the Dream Home can observe and play with all its comforts, including:

Innovations from Microsoft that enable today’s digital lifestyle, seamlessly connecting family members to live and recorded entertainment and memories
Connected entertainment devices and PCs from HP that help the family members stay connected and simplify their daily activities
Wireless technology adapted by Life|ware that allows the Dream Home’s devices to recognize individual family members as they enter a room and tailor the room to their individual preferences
Design elements from homebuilder Taylor Morrison on the façade, the patio and party tent areas

“It’s both ‘high-tech’ and ‘high-touch,’” said Greg Atkins, writer and director for the free-form Innoventions Dream Home experience. “We’ll be showcasing technology that connects families to each other, their home, the surrounding community and the world. And many of the innovative things our guests will be playing with are actually available today.”

Also new in the Innoventions building are five Neighborhood Shows – educational entertainment presented in the ring area of the first floor. The interactive shows opening June 17 are presented by ABC Television, homebuilder Taylor Morrison and Yamaha Music. Honda and Southern California Edison will open shows later this summer.

The user-friendly technology of the Innoventions Dream Home is on display from the moment guests approach the entrance to “360 Tomorrowland Way” (a whimsical reference to the circular “carousel” structure of the Innoventions building). Each room offers new experiences and surprises.

Astro Blasters Accident

WDWNT on June 15, 2008

We’ve heard reports of an accident happening over at Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters. Apparently a woman had somehow cut her leg so bad that bone was visible.

That’s the only detail we have on the accident right now, but we’ll update you with more information as soon as it’s available!

Disneyland Updating Toontown

WDWNT on June 12, 2008

A New York Times article talks with Bob Iger about planned changes to Mickey’s Toontown at Disneyland, among other things:

Mr. Iger talks about the need to balance “heritage and innovation.” For Mickey and other Disney characters, one method is to keep the core attributes of the characters the same, but to update the world in which they live. For instance, Disney is updating Toontown, the section of Disneyland that Mickey calls home. One plan features an old-fashioned trolley, but Mr. Iger is not sure that is a smart idea. Will modern children know what an old-fashioned trolley is?”

Finally Toontown is getting some needed attention and that probably explains the construction walls around Donald’s Boat, the gas station and the planned refurb for Gadget Go’s Coaster starting in September.

It’s Refurb Time Again!

WDWNT on June 10, 2008

We have quite a few new refurbishments to add to the Attractions Refurbishments list. First off, the French Market will be closed for one day on June 24th. The Mark Twain Riverboat will be closed from August 25th to the 27th. And the Haunted Mansion will be closed for it’s conversion to Haunted Mansion Holiday from September 8th to the 25th.

There’s also a couple of refurbs that we know when they’ll start, but not when they’ll finish. Gadget’s Go-Coaster’s refurbishment will start on September 8th, & the Hyperion Theater’s refurbishment will start on September 2nd, perhaps for a new show?

As always, stay tuned to our Attractions Refurbishments page for the latest attraction refurb info!

DLR/TSMM Update

WDWNT on June 10, 2008

MasterGracey on MiceChat has put up a lovely photo update, which mainly covers Toy Story Midway Mania, but also has a few other things in it. Also, Mouseketeer on MiceChat posted a TSMM update, with a few more pictures. So let’s start with the non-TSMM related pictures:

While the Guided Tour Garden is closed for refurbishment, tour groups will meet at the Guided Tours building

A signing for the new Mark VII Monorail poster was held this past Sunday at the Disneyana Shop

The It’s a Small World Top Shoppe is now also behind tarps

The fire truck has returned to Toontown, looking as bright & shinny as ever!

Now let’s move onto the Toy Story Midway Mania pictures:

A look inside the queue building

The loading area

The start of the ride

The end of the ride

The exit stairs

Finally, Mouseketeer has a few pictures inside the ride itself:

The layout of the ride as seen from a Cast Member computer… You can find a bigger version of this picture here!

Many more pictures are available at the 2 links in the beginning of this post!

Monday in the Parks Update

WDWNT on June 10, 2008

Quite a few interesting pieces of news were posted in this week’s Monday in the Parks column on MiceAge, & I want to take the time to go through some of them here:

For the whole summer, Disneyland will be open from 8AM to Midnight, but due to Grad Nites, Disneyland will close at 9PM this Wednesday & Thursday, & then next Thursday as well. DCA will close at 7PM those nights for the Grad Nite Blast Off event.
The Magic Morning opportunity, that gets hotel guests into Disneyland one hour early, will be conducted on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, & Saturday this week.
Over at Pacific Wharf, the Hi Seoul Korea performance troupe will be performing a variety of different shows through Sunday, June 15th. Be sure to check the Times Guide for show times.

This Sunday, DCA will hold its first ever triathlons, with swimmers actually swimming in the Paradise Pier lagoon! Contestants will enter & exit the lagoon by using the boat ramp near the launch of California Screamin’.

The smoking location for the Tomorrowland side of Disneyland will be moved from the entrance to the Tomorrowland Railroad station, to the former Motor Boat Cruise loading station, which is now known as Fantasia Gardens.

Current Smoking Area

New Smoking Area

The clock tower itself from the Small World facade is out from tarps… Bit early if you ask me!

3 Days for $99!

WDWNT on June 2, 2008

According to Monday in the Parks:

Disneyland has designed a special summer Southern Californian (and Baja California, Mexico) offer to be available if purchased in advance at selected locations, basically Southern California Grocery Stores. (Vons, Ralphs, Albertsons, Stater Bros., and Gelson’s). Based on prior promotions, this offer will also be available at other locations and Disneyland.com.

Some key points.

These tickets go on sale June 16th, and not valid until that date.

The first day of use must be between June 16th and August 30th, 2008. The Summer Fun Pass is Blocked out July 4th (cannot use any of your three days on the 4th).

You then have 45 days to use the other two days. These tickets are ParkHoppers, so you can visit both parks on the same day.

The tickets are clearly marked that each person that uses a “Summer Fun Pass” must have proof of living in the Southern California/Baja California area. (Southern California residents within ZIP codes 90000-93599 and Northern Baja California residents within ZIP codes 21000-22999.)

This is one of the better Summer Discounts that Disney has offered to Southern Californians in a while. It is a 3 day ParkHopper with a longer window (45 days instead of the normal 13 days after first use) and you can apply the Summer Fun Pass to any Annual Pass (of course, the Annual Pass will be backdated to the first day of use of the Summer Fun Pass). But since the Southern California and Southern California Select Annual Passes are blocked out most of the summer. Somebody could buy the Summer Fun Pass, get three visits during the summer period, and then upgrade to a Southern California AP for the rest of the year.

DisneyGeek DLR Picture Update

WDWNT on June 1, 2008

Let’s take a look at some various things going on through-out the Disneyland Resort from the latest Disneyland Update on DisneyGeek:

The section of the Bengal Barbecue that was behind walls is no longer behind walls

The little Guided Tours garden is being worked on

The Pacific Wharf fish-net photo-op is also being worked on

Part of Toy Story Midway Mania queue

The scaffolding is down on the Grizzly River Run waterwheel building, but the walls are still up

Both of the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage waterfalls are back on

New signs to keep guests out of the Hollywood & Dine area (such a shame)

Strangely enough, the new Official Album for Walt Disney World is available in various stores through-out the Disneyland Resort (I bet the DL Album isn’t available in WDW!)

The Toontown Gas Station & water fountains are behind walls for a little touch up

Food & drinks are still being sold however

Notice new colors?

Monorail Red being towed by the Monorail Tow (what a surprise!)

Dateline Disneyland Picture Update

WDWNT on May 31, 2008

Let’s take a look at some various things going on through-out the Disneyland Resort from this week’s Dateline Disneyland on MiceAge:

Banners for Toy Story Mania in Downtown Disney

Another Toy Story Mania ad, this one in the Esplanade

Cast Members at the parking toll booths are passing out flyers for the Indiana Jones Summer of Hidden Mysteries