“The Great Piggy Bank Adventure” presented by T. Rowe Price has now officially opened inside Innoventions West at Epcot. The exhibit allows guests to choose a goal, grab a piggy bank, and try to reach that goal while learning some fiscal responsibilities in a series of interactive games. A full report of today’s grand opening, along with photos and video, can be found HERE (courtesy of Orlando Attractions Magazine).
Finally, here is our very last Walt Disney world photo report (we promise) from last week. This report is from WDWNT Owner Tom Corless and is quite lengthy, so let’s get started:
Starting at the Magic Kingdom on April 27th…
The good people at Orlando Attractions Magazine have reported that a KUKA robotic arm ride will be an aspect of the upcoming Raytheon exhibit coming to Innoventions at Epcot this Fall:
As revealed to Disney cast members via their online web portal called the Hub, Walt Disney Imagineering is working with Raytheon to develop a new motion simulator attraction for Innoventions at Epcot.
The attraction is called “The Sum of All Thrills” and will allow guests to design a roller coaster, jet plane, or bobsled ride using real-life physics and engineering and then ride it within a robot arm-based simulator.
The exhibit is being described as feeling “like a high-tech laboratory” and is said to try to emphasize to guests “that math can be cool.”
In customizing the ride as part of the experience, guests will use a multi-touch surface table which can sense human interactions and objects placed upon it. Similar technology is currently being used inside the House of Innoventions at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA.
Once the ride is customized it can be ridden by guests in a simulator on the end of a KUKA robotic arm, created by German-based KUKA Roboter GmbH. The robot arm is similar to the one currently being used to control the menacing angler fish in Epcot’s The Seas with Nemo and Friends attraction, though it is the first time a robotic ar is being used as the ride system in a Disney theme park.
The arm pictured here dates back to 2002, as created by the KUKA Robot Group. It is expected that the Disney version of this ride will be a fully enclosed simulator, similar to Cyber Space Mountain in DisneyQuest at Downtown Disney, but with many more possible degrees of movement as a result of being attached to the KUKA arm.
In addition to the experience at Epcot, Raytheon will be supporting another 2009 initiative at the Walt Disney World Resort – the 2009 Raytheon MathCounts National Competition. Taking place May 7 to 10, 2009, at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort, the competition is the culmination of an enrichment and coaching program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement in every U.S. state and territory. Raytheon is the title sponsor of the MathCounts National Competition for the next three years, through 2011.
The new Innoventions exhibit is scheduled to open in late 2009.
In addition to the math exhibit coming this fall, Innoventions at Epcot will be adding another new exhibit this Spring sponsored by T. Rowe Price:
BALTIMORE, March 16 — T. Rowe Price, the global investment management organization, today announced that it has signed a sponsorship agreement to create an innovative financial education and entertainment experience at Epcot(R). Designed in collaboration with Walt Disney Imagineering, The Great Piggy Bank Adventure(SM) is scheduled to open this spring at INNOVENTIONS at Epcot(R) at the Walt Disney World(R) Resort in Florida. This interactive exhibit will bring basic saving and investing concepts to life in a fun and captivating way. The experience will entertain and empower families, while encouraging them to engage in regular dialogue about the importance of saving and how to manage money responsibly.
The first-of-its-kind exhibit, in conjunction with a companion online game and associated web site, broadens T. Rowe Price’s longstanding investor education initiatives. The Great Piggy Bank Adventure(SM) will offer lessons on four key financial themes: setting goals, saving and spending smartly, staying ahead of inflation, and diversifying your investments. Discussions began over three years ago with Epcot(R) Business Development and Walt Disney Imagineering to bring this experience to guests visiting INNOVENTIONS.
“Empowering parents to initiate discussion of the topics of saving and investing with their children is more important than ever before,” said Edward C. Bernard, vice chairman of T. Rowe Price Group. “Financial awareness and decision-making is heavily influenced by one’s early experiences, making vibrant family discussion a powerful and lifelong educational influence that can help children develop sound financial values and habits. In watching families during play-testing of the exhibit, it has been rewarding to see how The Great Piggy Bank Adventure(SM) engages families in a unique way and really does get the conversation started.
“T. Rowe Price has a long history of educating investors and helping people reach their financial goals,” Mr. Bernard added. “We can’t think of a better way to expand those efforts than by collaborating with an organization that is a true innovator in turning the ordinary into the extraordinary and whose name is synonymous with world-class family education, entertainment, and service excellence.”
Dan Cockerell, Vice President of Epcot(R), shared his excitement about working with T. Rowe Price to create this unique experience. “At INNOVENTIONS, our focus is on encouraging guests to imagine, invent, inquire and inspire while exploring amazing innovations that make our lives better. The Great Piggy Bank Adventure(SM) will give our visitors a better insight into what it means to save and invest in an innovative and engaging manner.”
Founded in 1937, Baltimore-based T. Rowe Price (Nasdaq: TROW) is a global investment management organization with $276.3 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2008. The organization provides a broad array of mutual funds, subadvisory services, and separate account management for individual and institutional investors, retirement plans, and financial intermediaries. The company also offers a variety of sophisticated investment planning and guidance tools. T. Rowe Price’s disciplined, risk-aware investment approach focuses on diversification, style consistency, and fundamental research. More information is available at www.troweprice.com.
It seems that a new math themed exhibit is coming to the “new” Innoventions at Epcot in the Fall of 2009:
Raytheon Company plans to unveil an interactive, math-based experience called “The Sum of All Thrills” at INNOVENTIONS at Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The exhibit, set to open fall 2009, will engage children through a fun and educational experience that helps instill a lifelong passion for math, science and technology.
“The Sum of All Thrills” will be a core component of Raytheon’s MathMovesU program, an initiative designed to engage middle school students in math and science, and help create the next generation of innovators for the U.S. It will be located in the INNOVENTIONS pavilion at Epcot, a unique area of the park that contains 100,000 square feet of interactive, hands-on exhibits that allow visitors to celebrate the inspiration and innovation that improve their lives and expand their horizons.
“Raytheon is working to foster young students’ interest and success in math and science, two of the primary fundamentals on which American competitiveness has been built,” said William H. Swanson, Raytheon Company Chairman and CEO and 2009 MATHCOUNTS honorary chairman. “Raytheon shares The Walt Disney Company’s commitment to innovation and education through imagination. We’re proud to offer INNOVENTIONS visitors a unique experience that combines all of these attributes and that seeks to unlock the math and science potential within every student.”
In addition to the experience at INNOVENTIONS, Raytheon will be supporting another 2009 initiative at the Walt Disney World Resort – the 2009 Raytheon MATHCOUNTS National Competition. Taking place May 7-10, 2009, at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort, the competition is the culmination of an enrichment and coaching program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement in every U.S. state and territory. Raytheon is the title sponsor of the MATHCOUNTS National Competition for the next three years, through 2011.
About MathMovesU
Since its inception in 2005 to help spur interest in math and science, Raytheon’s MathMovesU program has touched the lives of more than 700,000 students, teachers and parents. Through interactive learning programs, contests, live events, scholarships, tutoring programs and more, MathMovesU engages and inspires students. Core components of the program include:
- An innovative approach to engaging students in math and science through a partnership with the Kraft family and The New England Patriots at The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon
- www.mathmovesu.com, a virtual space to educate and entertain middle school students through games and activities that showcase the math behind students’ favorite pastimes
- A scholarship and grants program that awards $1 million annually to students, teachers and schools.
More information may be found at www.raytheon.com/stewardship/mmu/.
Raytheon Company, with 2008 sales of $23.2 billion, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 87 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 73,000 people worldwide.
About INNOVENTIONS at Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort
INNOVENTIONS is located in the heart of Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Creativity and imagination abound as guests celebrate inspiration and the innovations that improve their lives and expand their horizons. Hands-on, interactive exhibits allow children and adults to be immersed into ideas that inform, entertain and inspire – conquer the most dangerous house in America, find solutions to “sticky” problems, experience the most cutting edge products at the “House of the Future,” protect the environment from the daily waste we create, and push the limits of everyday products as we make the world a safer place.
Here are a few of the latest Disneyland Park rumors from our friends over at Screamscape:
10/3/08 – The latest rumor on the proposed new Matterhorn cars claims that any plans to retire the current trains in favor of a new fleet will have to wait until 2011 at this point, as it was not approved for the next year’s budget.
9/29/08 – According to a reader this past Saturday was the last day for the Segway experience in Innoventions at Disneyland. Apparently this was never a sponsor driven display and just something the park put in as filler while building the Asimo and Dream Home projects.
10/3/08 – A few weeks ago I mentioned that Pirates had been apparently testing out a few new prototype boats under consideration for next year’s rehab. According to the latest rumor this latest boat design sounds like a disaster and may have already been canned. Apparently the prototypes may have been an off-shoot of the new It’s A Small World boat design (see pictures below), as they were said to look quite similar. The biggest flaw up front was the fact that these boats seemed to have molded “bucket seats” instead of plain bench seats, along with individual hand-grips in all the rows except the front row. The seats were said to be much too small and only allowed for four-across seating. From the sound of things, these boats may have been sent back to the drawing board for a complete redesign.
10/6/08 – I’ve got a quick update on the new prototype Pirate boats. It seems that the comments about the poorly designed prototype boat at pirates was in reference to another test boat dropped into the water very briefly in early 2008. The new prototype boat(s) that was tested more recently will not have the bucket seats or hand grips that were talked about in the last rumor, but will have contoured seat backs just like the new small world boats. They will leave the bench-seating design intact and will actually allow for one extra passenger per boat. The current boats seat only three in rows 1 and 6, and four-across in 2-5. The new boats have a wider Row 1 that will allow for four-across seating as well.
Let’s take a look at some of the lovely photos of David “Darkbeer” Michael from yesterday, that include the last showing of both Golden Dreams & High School Musical 2: School’s Out, among other things:
The Hyperion Theater is now listed as closed on the DLR Information Board near at the security check-points (albeit being spelled wrong).
The Information Board at the Downtown Disney Monorail Station has a much more precise listing of the closed attractions in Disneyland Park.
You gotta love pins with purchase.
The area surrounding Fowler’s Harbor, the place where the Sailing Ship Columbia is docked, has walls up.
The latest Backstage Pass, Annual Pasholder newsletter offers you a free pair of sunglasses, which you can pick up at at the exit of Innoventions.
Filming of some sort going on in Paradise Pier.
Yesterday had the last ever performance of High School Musical 2: School’s Out!. There will be no High School Musical show until late October, when High School Musical 3: Right Here! Right Now! debuts.
Goodbye Golden Dreams, We Will Miss You!
Let’s take a look at some various things going on through-out the Disneyland Resort from this week’s Dateline Disneyland on MiceAge:
A peek behind the construction walls outside the old Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough
For about a couple of weeks now, Power City in Innovention’s Project Tomorrow hasn’t been operating
And the Future Choice Stations seem to be “coming soon” again
The vintage ticket display in Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years has returned
I would like to advise everyone to check this article to see some of the lovely merchandise released for the 45th anniversary of the Enchanted Tiki Room (the link is at the top of the post).
Let’s take a look at some various things going on through-out the Disneyland Resort from this week’s Dateline Disneyland on MiceAge:
All of Innoventions, including the new Innoventions Dream Home, is now finally open!
Would you believe that Innoventions actually has a line!?
Tom Morrow still greets guests on video & as an animatronic…
… Not sure how this will work with all the new stuff
From Tom, you apparently go on to a mini-game show about ABC TV shows (no prizes awarded, of course)
The inner walls are lined with various murals featuring past & present Tomorrowland icons
From there you finally enter the Innoventions Dream Home! Check the Dateline Disneyland article for a full photo guide of the new Dream home (way too many pictures to share here). The link is at the top of this post
You exit the Dream Home through the Elias Family Party Tent…
… And then you go up the stairs that take you to the Segway Experience on the 2nd floor
Here’s a look at the placing of the new Wall-E meet ‘n greet in Hollywood Pictures Backlot
These sponsor themed ads are apparently new
Be sure to check the Dateline Disneyland article for, as I said, many more pictures of the Innoventions Dream Home, as well as a look at Toy Story Midway Mania, the Grand Californian Expansion, & new posters inside the Disneyland Hotel! The link is at the top of the post.
Let’s take a look at some various things going on through-out the Disneyland Resort from this week’s Dateline Disneyland on MiceAge:
The latest map covers, promoting the Summer of Hidden Mysteries & Toy Story Midway Mania
The latest attractions at the Resort are promoted in the inside flap
Adventure Roadmaps are given to guests at the parking lot toll booths, as part of the TSMM/Honda Pilot cross promotion
Really easy trivia questions to answer as you make your way around DCA, & then send it in for the sweepstakes
Toy Story Midway Mania now being promoted at the Mickey & Friends Tram Station
As mentioned yesterday, the Green Army Men are in the Esplanade letting guests know that Toy Story Midway Mania is in fact in DCA, & not Disneyland
Guests can climb into this Honda Pilot & check it out, much like with the post-show at Test Track in Epcot… “DCA or Bust!”
Toy Story **cough Midway cough*** Mania ad in the Esplanade
This toy Spring Action Shooters, that a certain Staff Member of DLNT badly wants, are now available in the Midway Mercantile
Even though the Innoventions Dream Home is now proclaimed open, regular guests can not enter it. I presume all guests must still enter through the exit of Innoventions. Be sure to check out this Dateline Disneyland update (linked at the beginning of this post) for many “up above” pictures!
The Tomorrowland/Fantasyland smoking area has finally been moved from by the Tomorrowland Train Station…
… It’s now the back half of Fantasia Gardens
Work is finally going on at the old Seasons of the Vine theater
