Our good friend Robert Ashburn of FloridaThrills.net sent us some newsworthy photos from his latest trip to Walt Disney World:
Let’s head on over to the Magic Kingdom
Read More about Robert Ashburn’s 4/30-5/1/10 WDW Photo Report
Exciting news from our good friend Brady MacDonald over at the LA Times Travel Blog:
After months of false starts and frustrating anticipation, the Fantasmic dragon will finally take the stage at Disneyland tonight (Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2009) at 8:15 p.m., according to park officials.
Despite top billing, the oft-delayed dragon failed to appear during the Anaheim theme park’s Summer Nightastic promotion.
Expect big crowds along the Rivers of America tonight as the news spreads via the blogosphere, Twittersphere and Disneysphere.
During the rest of the week, Fantasmic plays at 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday and 9 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. over the four-day Labor Day Weekend (Friday-Monday). On high attendance days, Disneyland often adds a third Fantasmic show.
After Labor Day, Fantasmic switches to a weekend-only schedule (Friday-Sunday) until the Christmas holidays.
Disney has finally given us our first real look at the new dragon in Fantasmic, after 3 months of waiting:
You’ll be absolutely stunned once you watch this video
There’s still no word on if “Murphy” will debut tonight or not, but stay tuned to Disneyland News Today as we keep up with the latest on Fantasmic’s new dragon.
Disneyland News Today has acquired the very first picture of the new dragon set to debut in Fantasmic!:
Keep an eye out on Fantasmic! this weekend, as “Murphy” is strongly rumored to debut. Stay tuned to Disneyland News Today for the latest on this story.
According to the OC Register’s Around Disney blog:
The image of a giant glowing dragon spitting fire graces most promotional material — billboards, flags, fliers — for Disney’s Summer Nightastic events.
But the theme park’s official summer season will end this weekend without any appearance of the dragon in the water-and-light Fantasmic show because of technical difficulties.
Still, Disney officials promise that fans should get ample time to see the dragon, once it’s ready, because the Fantasmic show will be extended until the end of the year, said John McClintock, a Disneyland spokesman. Disney recently decided to add extra time for the show. On busy days, a third show is added at 11:30 p.m.
But a firm date for the dragon’s debut has yet to be released.
The dragon was supposed to emerge as the centerpiece of a revamped Fantasmic show, stretching 35 feet high in 17 seconds as “Sleeping Beauty” character Maleficent transformed into a dragon in the water and light show. The dragon then was to ignite the Rivers of America for 25 seconds, according to Disney’s press materials.
The dragon was designed to be 40 feet tall by 28 feet wide, weighing about 10,000 pounds.
But the dragon has yet to get off the ground in public, prompting much debate and discussion among Disney fans online. Fans even gave the dragon the nickname of Murphy after Murphy’s Law.
Disney has continued to release the same official statement about the dragon:
“Our goal is to exceed our Guests’ expectations every day. Because the dragon is technically complex and the largest and most fully animated Disney character ever created for a live stage show, we want it to be perfect before adding it to Fantasmic! However, Fantasmic! is a summer tradition at Disneyland, and we’re glad we have been able to offer the show throughout the summer. We’re happy so many Guests have been able to experience it.”
Al Lutz, editor of Miceage.com, a Disney watchdog blog, said he has heard that the dragon may be up soon, but he isn’t sure he believes it after so many delays. Lutz has monitored the behind-the-scenes problems on his blog.
“I’ve never seen so much attention on one thing,” Lutz said of the fans. “I find it fascinating.”
The Summer Nightastic season officially runs June 12 through Sunday, although some features will go beyond this weekend.
Here is the schedule for some promotions:
- Disney’s Electrical Parade in Disney’s California Adventure will go on for the last time Sunday.
- Sunday is the last day for Southern California residents to buy three day passes for $99. The first visit must be made on Sunday at the latest.
- The fireworks show, called “Magical,” will go on nightly through Labor Day and on weekends until Sept. 20. A special Halloween fireworks show is set to begin Sept. 25.
- Fantasmic shows will be nightly through Labor Day and on weekends through the end of the year.
Our own Conner Purzycki has sent in a video of the updated Fantasmic, featuring just the new Crocodile and Flotsam and Jetsam (no dragon unfortunately). Here’s his video, embedded through our wonderful WDWNTube Disney Parks Video Site:
Disney has released a few press releases over the past couple of days pertaining to different things going on around the Walt Disney World Resort right now. First up, 1,000 immigrants that will be sworn in as American citizens on July 3rd not only get that honor, but they will also get to preview the updated Hall of Presidents attraction:
In a stirring celebration of citizenship, more than 1,000 immigrants will gather on Main Street, U.S.A. July 3 to be “sworn in” as American citizens.
And as the country kicks off Independence Day weekend, these brand-new Americans will attend a premiere performance of the newest Walt Disney World attraction, a re-imagined Hall of Presidents, now featuring a lifelike Audio-Animatronics figure of President Barack Obama.
From more than 100 countries and ranging in age from 18 to 82, the immigrants will take the Oath of Allegiance to the United States during a Friday morning ceremony jointly hosted by Disney Parks and Resorts and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
USCIS’s highest-ranking official will preside over the ceremony on the forecourt of Cinderella Castle. The event will feature a welcoming address by Walt Disney World Resort President Meg Crofton, the presentation of the colors, the national anthem, the Oath of Allegiance and the Pledge of Allegiance.
Actor Andy Garcia – a naturalized citizen himself – will deliver a keynote address during the ceremony. Garcia, originally from Cuba, is an acclaimed actor known for roles in films as diverse as “The Untouchables,” “The Godfather: Part III” and “Oceans Eleven.”
“This year, Disney parks are asking our visitors, ‘What will you celebrate?’ ” Crofton said. “And on a weekend when our entire nation celebrates its independence, we are honored to host – and celebrate – 1,000 individuals who are embracing American citizenship.”
New Citizens to Preview Revised Hall of Presidents
To cap a star-spangled morning, the new citizens and their family members will get to preview the Hall of Presidents attraction – which reopens July 4 in the Liberty Square area of Magic Kingdom. The attraction has been closed since Election Day last November for a makeover that included installation of a lifelike Audio-Animatronics figure based on President Obama.
The recently installed figure of the country’s 44th chief executive – which comes to life with recognizable mannerisms and makes comments that were recorded recently at the White House – is only part of an eight-month makeover so significant that the iconic attraction in the park’s Liberty Square has been retitled Hall of Presidents: A Celebration of Liberty’s Leaders. Other updates to the “re-Imagineered” attraction which has been entertaining Magic Kingdom guests since 1971:
A re-programmed Abraham Lincoln delivers arguably the greatest speech in the history of the presidency – the Gettysburg Address.
For the first time in the attraction’s history, George Washington stands and delivers a stirring speech.
Developed with the assistance of Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, the show now tells a moving story of the bond between the presidents and “We, the People,” focusing on the chief executives who have guided America through trying, turbulent times.
“Our goal with every major Disney attraction is to completely immerse our guests in a compelling story,” said Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “The stories associated with the American presidency are some of the most engaging and relevant our guests will hear while they are with us. And, like all great stories, these stories inspire, motivate and teach us to appreciate the challenges and personal triumph that comes with overcoming adversity.”
True to Walt Disney’s vision, Hall of Presidents features the appearance on stage of every United States president – life-sized, three-dimensional and fully animated. Seven presidents have been added to the “Hall” since the attraction opened during the presidency of Richard Nixon.
The figure of President Barack Obama is not only the seventh addition but also the most dynamic figure Disney has ever created. Disney Imagineers, who’ve been refining Audio-Animatronics technology since 1963, have discovered new ways to integrate an array of subtle movements and facial expressions into the figures. Imagineers also worked closely with White House staff to create realistic clothing and accessories worn by the figure in the show, right down to a lapel pin and watch.
Kathy Rogers, senior show producer for Walt Disney Imagineering, says the show pays particular tribute to the strength of the bond between the people and the president “that led us through the most troubling times in our nation’s history.
“We still present that ‘mighty cavalcade of history’ that Walt Disney originally envisioned,” Rogers says, referring to “headline moments” of America’s past that are depicted in the film, “but it is viewed through the lens of the presidency.”
The 25-minute show begins with the story of George Washington and the struggle to build a new nation. It continues through today, highlighting presidents who have reached out to the people during times of strife. Disney senior show writer and director Pam Fisher, who worked closely with Kearns Goodwin to develop the story, describes the revised Hall of Presidents as “a very human story – one that we hope strikes a chord with all guests.”
A soaring new musical score written by Emmy-winning composer Joel McNeely adds another emotional dimension to the experience.
The show’s impact is bolstered by the stirring performances of actor David Morse, who voices Washington, and the late veteran actor Royal Dano, who voices Lincoln. Morse played Washington in the award-winning HBO miniseries, “John Adams.” Dano was selected by Walt Disney himself to voice the first animated Lincoln figure, which debuted at the 1964 New York World’s Fair and later became part of the Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln attraction at Disneyland in California. Obama’s speech, recorded in the White House Map Room, includes the presidential oath of office and his thoughts about “the American dream.”
In the tradition of earlier versions of the show, the rewritten story begins with a large-format movie, but this time it is projected in crystal-clear, high-definition video. Imagineers digitized many of the huge scenic paintings of historic America made for the original movie by Disney legends including Herb Ryman and Sam McKim. In addition, the team combed through the National Archives, Library of Congress, museums and private collections to acquire more than 130 new images ultimately woven into the show.
Imagineers enhanced the soundtrack with digital production and state-of-the-art speakers; they also upgraded the lighting with energy-efficient LED technology.
The new Hall of Presidents experience begins in the pre-show lobby, which has been transformed into an expanded gallery of presidential artifacts. The inaugural exhibit showcases the women behind the presidents. Large display cases exhibit dresses and personal objects worn by several First Ladies, including Edith Roosevelt (Teddy’s wife), Elizabeth Monroe and Nancy Reagan. The historical gallery also displays presidential portraits of Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and other chief executives, plus two cases filled with personal artifacts of presidents including Gerald Ford, Franklin Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover and George Washington.
Presentations of the Hall of Presidents show will take place daily and are included with Magic Kingdom admission.
The OC Register’s Around Disney blog also has a report from last night’s media preview of Summer Nightastic:
Disney Channel stars Selena Gomez and Jennifer Stone were like any other kids at Disneyland Thursday night, standing in giddy excitement next to Mickey Mouse.
That is, until the “Wizards of Waverly Place” actresses were presented with magic wands by the mouse himself.
With a flick of the wrist, fireworks burst over Sleeping Beauty Castle — the quintessential kickoff to Disney’s Summer Nightastic, the summertime run of shows at the Resort that include the fireworks display, the Electrical Parade and Fantasmic!, which plays out on Disneyland’s Rivers of America.
Disney’s Electrical Parade (California Adventure)
When a sparkling mass of lights emerged onto the street of California Adventure, the crowd stood in awe.
Tinker Bell, the latest addition to the classic Disney parade, first trotted out in 1972, led the way waving her magic wand from a hot air balloon.
“It was bright, and very green,” said Grad Night guest Prince Jones, from the School of Arts and Enterprise said.
“It was pretty cool.”
“We thought it was the right place to put Tinker Bell – leading the parade,” Director of Entertainment Doug McIntyre said of the new float, which features 25,000 lights.
“She has a sort of pixie dust-effect coming from her float, and we added it to all the floats. We knew we wanted to do some enhancements to the rest of the parade, so we thought by adding Tinker Bell to the front, we could add this pixie dust swirl that goes throughout the parade.”
The Electrical Parade has been a part of Disney since its premiere in 1972. The parade has undergone numerous changes, adding new floats, more lights. It has showed up in locations around the world.
This phase of the parade combines a bit of the old with a bit of the new; for example, the diamond mine float from Snow White and the Pleasure Island scene from Pinocchio return after a long hiatus.
“They had been sitting there in a warehouse, so we had them shipped over. When they shipped that parade (back to the United States in 2001), they left that unit behind, so we called them up and had them ship it out and refurbished,” McIntyre said. “It’s the way I remember the Electrical Parade from its old days at Disneyland. It’s nice to have it back.”
Meanwhile, a new control system allows for intricate control of the lighting and 11,000 LED lights used on the dancers’ costumes make the parade more energy efficient.
Then there is the music.
“Music is a big part of any of our entertainment experiences, and we knew we wanted to update the soundtrack,” said McIntyre, a 27-year Disney veteran. “The music was written in 1967, and with the technology of synthesizers, we’ve come a long way. We wanted to maintain the classic-ness of what the guests expect using ‘Baroque Hoedown,’ which is the piece of music used. We were excited to do it with all of today’s modern technology.”
When the parade premiered on June 17, 1972, it was called The Main Street Electrical Parade, but since then it has moved to California Adventure.
“Part of the dynamic of the business here is balancing the guest flow and the experience between both parks, so it was a perfect fit to bring the parade here,” McIntyre said.
TLT Dance Club at the Tomorrowland Terrace (Disneyland)
The Tomorrowland Terrace is not the place you want when looking for a quiet dinner to wind down after a hectic day of spinning teacups and meeting giant mice. On the other hand, if you are looking for a serious energy boost, then the TLT Dance Club is the place to be.
“Hannah Montana” star Mitchel Musso opened the night on a high note while appearing with his band for a surprise performance.
For 11-year-old Elizabeth Burkemper of Missouri, standing so close to one of her favorite “Hannah Montana” stars was a dream come true.
“It was, like, the most amazing experience of my life,” she said.
The rest of the summer is filled with a lineup of appearances by popular radio stations and Top-40 bands, including KIIS-FM, Tomasina, 104.3 MYfm and Instant Replay. The club has already been compared to the now-defunct Videopolis, but this one will have a 2009 spin, such as the ability to vote on what song should be played via text message.
Fantasmic! (Disneyland)
Fantasmic! has been a staple of Disney nighttime entertainment since it began performances in May of 1992. It is set on the Rivers of America in Disneyland.
Just like the Electrical Parade, this nighttime show underwent changes in preparation for the summer, with Fantasmic! now including new digital projectors, a 12-foot-tall crocodile and giant eels slithering through the water.
Although the highlight of the show was slated to be a 40-foot-tall dragon from the movie “Sleeping Beauty,” technical difficulties forced last night’s premiere to debut sans dragon. Stay tuned to Around Disney for a peek at the dragon later this summer.
Here are a few of their photos from the media preview of Summer Nightastic:
Selena Gomez and Jennifer Stone were at Disneyland to launch Summer Nightastic
Read More about Disney Stars, and Disney’s Electrical Parade, Rock the Parks
D23 have put up 2 articles for the debut of Summer Nightastic today. The first covers last night’s media launch:
On Thursday, June 11, Disneyland was packed with summer guests, and D23 was invited for a peek at all the new happenings as Nightastic! takes over the park this summer.
First stop was the new TLT Dance Club in Tomorrowland. Also known at the Tomorrowland Terrace, the TLT Dance Club is packing in the crowds with the new lights, videos screens and sound system playing today’s hottest tunes. The place burst into wild screams when guest performer Mitchel Musso of Hannah Montana fame took to the stage and rocked the house with a seven song set that included his hit “The In Crowd.” Look for other surprise guests to drop in on the Dance Club all summer long.
Following Mitchel’s mini concert, guests were escorted to Main Street, U.S.A. to watch the premiere of the summer fireworks spectacular, Magical. To start things off Disneyland’s Russ Marchand came out to talk all about the excitement of Nightastic! before introducing the voice of the new Magical show, Broadway star (and Disneyland veteran performer!) Eden Espinosa. Eden wasn’t the only celebrity on hand; next Russ brought Wizards of Waverly Place stars Selena Gomez and Jennifer Stone on stage — what better way to kick off something “magical” that with some wizards? When Russ asked if they were having a good time at Disneyland that night, Selena replied, “How can you not?” before revealing they had blasted off on Space Mountain four times. Sorcerer Mickey came up on stage with a pair of sorcerer hats. “Oh my God!” exclaimed Selena, before donning the hat — and picking up a special Nightastic! magic wand which they used to kick off the festivities.
At that moment, the magic of Magical took flight. Using new launches and fireworks, some classic Disney music (sung by Eden) not often heard in the parks like “Baby Mine” and “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” and a brand new Dumbo puppet that soars through the air, Magical indeed lived up to its name. And while the show will only run though August 23, Disneyland’s Director of Entertainment, Doug McIntyre, says it may return in 2010. “There’s a chance it will come back as our summer offering,” Doug revealed. “It will go back to Remember… Dreams Come True after the summer. We’re looking at some yet-to-be-announced possibilities for Halloween. Then we’ll have our Christmas show, and then back to Remember. And Magical could possibly become a summer offering.”
Following the fireworks, guests hit the Rivers of America to witness the enhancements to the already spectacular Fantasmic!. Thanks to HD technology, the projections now virtually leap off the screen — and they’re not the only things leaping! A new crocodile lurches and snaps at Captain Hook as he swims behind the pirate ship looking for a snack. Plus, Ursula’s “hench-eels” Flotsam and Jetsam now menacingly sweep through the waters. All these wonderful new characters posed exciting challenges to Disneyland’s creative team. “Obviously, any time you create new show elements — and Flotsam and Jetsem and the crocodile are examples of that — you go through some teething problems in testing and adjustments,” Doug explained. “Certainly we went through those but they worked out really great.” And Doug and his team aren’t done playing yet! “We talked tonight about making a new adjustment to Flotsam and Jetsam.” Currently the two slither out together from the same side of the river. “We’re talking about doing a version where they come from different sides of the river. We’re still learning as we see it.”
One thing guests didn’t see was the new Maleficent dragon, who wasn’t quite ready for her close up. “As one of the very few people who have seen the dragon in its functioning mode, I’m thrilled by the dragon,” Doug noted. “In our test-and-adjust period, we had a situation where we had a mechanical issue we knew we had to fix and we knew we weren’t going to be ready. So we’re working on that and will get it into the show as soon as we can.” And Doug says, when she makes her debut, guests won’t believe their eyes. “I think is going to be one of the most spectacular additions to a Disney show that’s ever been done. It’s certainly the largest Disney character that’s ever been created in animated mode. And it’s a huge leap from what the dragon used to be. This is full, three-dimensional, fully articulated, 45-foot-tall, 32-foot wingspan, with 18 axis of motion, it takes five computers to run the thing — it’s what you’d expect from Disney with all of the technology we have at our hands!”
Last, but certainly not least, it was over to Disney’s California Adventure to get a look at Disney’s Electrical Parade, which features a brand-new Tinker Bell float and the return of three other floats: the diamond mine from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and two from Pinocchio. All the floats glitter and gleam like new, with the help of LED technology (Alice in Wonderland’s Cheshire Cat now disappears!), and an enhanced soundtrack gives to depth to the musical elements of the parade. But the returning floats are sure to bring a smile to the face of any fan of the Electrical Parade. “The parade has almost been around the world,” Doug explained, when asked how the Snow White and Pinocchio floats found their way back into the show. “Here at Disneyland, then it went to Disney World for a while, then it went to Paris, and finally it ended up in Hong Kong. When we brought it back here, the diamond mine and the Pinocchio units were left behind in Hong Kong. They were sitting in a storage facility in Hong Kong.” When Nightastic! was in the planning stages, Doug and his team thought it was the perfect time to bring them back from overseas. “So we called Hong Kong, shipped them out, refurbished them, and put them back in the parade.” Combining the perfect blend of exciting new offerings and emotional nostalgia, Summer Nightastic! is sure to be a crowd pleaser for any Disney fan.
And the second article is an interview with vocalist for Magical, Eden Espinosa:
The Broadway star returns to her Disneyland roots to sing the theme for the new fireworks spectacle Magical.
“I’m such a Disney girl, and I have been since I was growing up here in Orange County,” Eden says. “I’d always come to Disneyland as a kid. It was always a dream of mine to work here and be in entertainment here.”
If you’ve been a regular Disneyland visitor for a while, chances are good you have seen Eden Espinosa in a show — she did more than a half a dozen during her career in entertainment at Disneyland, before moving to New York City where she starred in such musicals as Wicked, Rent and Brooklyn. This summer, park guests will be able to hear Eden’s rich vocals nightly; the incredible talent recorded the music for the new fireworks show Magical. D23 sat down with Eden for an exclusive interview and learned about her favorite attraction, her best Disneyland job and why she needs to reach for a box of tissues any time she hears a Disney song.
How did they approach you about singing the theme from Magical?
One of the talent bookers, Dana White, contacted me and said, “Bruce Healey [Disneyland’s Senior Music Producer] wanted to get your number, and I wasn’t sure if I should give it to him.” And I said, “Dana, it’s Bruce Healey! He cast me in Dickens Carolers when I was 18. You can give him my number! It’s fine!” [Laughs] And he called me and wanted me to send a couple of clips of things that he could show the director, because the director wasn’t too familiar with me. And that was it. Then he called me back and said, “We’d love you to be a part of it, if you want to do it.” I was like, “Are you kidding me?!”Was Dickens Carolers your first Disneyland job?
Actually my first job was A Christmas Fantasy parade, the first year they did it with the live carolers. I was in it. And then I started doing the stage shows.Do you have a favorite memory from working here?
My first solo, I think. I did the Carolers and then I was in the Hunchback of Notre Dame stage show.Were you Esmerelda?
No, I was just Gypsy No. 4! [laughs] But then I was cast as Pocahontas in Animazement the Musical, and it was my first solo in the park. That moment, being able to do the montage [with songs from Pocahontas, Hercules and Hunchback of Notre Dame], which Bruce Healy actually arranged, was pretty cool.Didn’t you do [the Disney music revue] Steps in Time at Disney’s California Adventure, too?
I did Steps in Time too — both versions! I did Route 66 in the park too, that was the last thing I did before I left the park. I did a lot!Do you have a favorite attraction?
I love Tower of Terror. But my favorite Fantasyland ride is Peter Pan. I love Peter Pan. I think the concept is well executed. I love how you fly above the city with all the little lights.And you now open Magical singing “The Second Star to the Right”!
I know! It’s great.Was there a favorite song you got to sing for Magical?
Honestly, all of them are on a favorites list. But I think getting to do “Chim Chim Cher-ee” from Mary Poppins was awesome. And also “Baby Mine” [from Dumbo]. You don’t get to hear that very often. And I love the original song Greg Smith wrote as well. I love all of it!What was it like watching Magical for the first time?
I had heard it before I saw it. Bruce sent me a CD earlier in the week, and I’ve been intentionally listening to it nonstop because I’m such a Disney girl, and I have been since I was growing up here in Orange County. I’d always come to Disneyland as a kid. It was always a dream of mine to work here and be in entertainment here. I always cry at Disney music in the fireworks shows, in Fantasmic, in the parades — so I was like, “I’m gonna bawl like a little baby!” So I listened to it a lot so I could get all the tears out. But hearing it on Main Street and seeing it happen was pretty cool! It was breathtaking.After all that time in New York City, are you living back in Southern California now?
I’ve been back in L.A. since Wicked opened at the Pantages, so I’ve been back a couple years now. And I’m enjoying being back in Southern California. I have a solo concert coming up at the Ford Amphitheatre on July 24. I started doing shows at the Upright Cabaret when Wicked was ending and I went back to the show to close it. Then we took it to New York and did it at Joe’s Pub in March. Now we’re bringing to the Ford. It keeps getting bigger and bigger. It’s going to be a great show! I’m very excited.
Stay tuned to Disneyland News Today this weekend for continuing coverage from the debut of Summer Nightastic.
Summer Nightastic begins tonight at the Disneyland Resort, and in honor of that, here’s a new Disney press video with footage from all three main offerings, as well as interviews with Carla Carlile (show director for Fantasmic), Denny Newell (senior show director for Disney’s Electrical Parade), and John Addis (senior show director for Magical):
