Park 9 – Page 2 – WDWNT Archive

History of: The Land, Epcot

WDWNT on July 27, 2012

The Land Pavilion at Walt Disney World opened just about 35 years ago with Phase 1 of the rest of Epcot Center on October 1, 1982.

Epcot, The Land Pavilion Circa 1982

Photo from Matterhorn1959.blogspot.com

For some undefined reason, this is my favorite pavilion in all of Epcot. It is not the most exciting. It doesn’t have the best food. And it is home to one of the longest wait times and hardest to get Fast Passes in all of Walt Disney World. But I enjoy the Living with the Land boat ride.

It’s a nice relaxing trip through the greenhouses when the rest of the park is hot and in a rush. I enjoy Soarin’. Not as much as most, but the imagineering behind the ride system make it a special experience. I enjoy the smells of the food court. Not sure why, but the mixture of whatever they are cooking up makes me hungry every time. But most of all, I enjoy the sights. The greenery lining the entrance is inviting. The walls, ceilings and carpets are full of color. And then of course, there are the 4 seasons balloons…

And this is were Caley Hicks took her inspiration when designing the 9″ Park 9 The Land figure.

It is a remarkable figure, brilliantly illustrating summer, winter, fall and spring as seen on the four hot air balloons that hang high over the food court. Caley was able to incorporate all the features of each balloon including the bird on summer and butterflies on fall.

For me it’s the colors of this building that stay ingrained in memory and the colors here seem spot on.

The 9″ Park 9 Epcot, The Land figure will be in stores on July 20. The edition size is 1000 and the retail price is $44.95.

Now for a bit of history about The Land. The pavilion underwent a gradual refurbishment beginning on September 27, 1993. The pavilion’s main attraction, Listen to the Land, which took guests on connected boats through various exhibits within the pavilion, reopened mostly unchanged as Living with the Land on December 10, 1993.

The Kitchen Kabaret another of the pavilion’s original attractions featuring an Audio-Animatronics presentation about nutrition, closed on January 3, 1994. It was replaced with a new show titled Food Rocks, which featured some of the elements from the original show with an updated presentation intended to be more modern and appealing to younger audiences. Food Rocks has since closed down to make room for “The Land”‘s newest attraction, Soarin’. Soarin’s massive movie screens and ride mechanics required the construction of a large physical addition to the pavilion itself.

Symbiosis, the last of “The Land”‘s three original attractions, was closed on January 1, 1995. This attraction, which was a cinematic presentation that discussed both the positive and negative aspects of human relationship with the land, eventually reopened as Circle of Life, a new film featuring characters from The Lion King.

Between 2004 and 2005, the pavilion underwent its second major refurbishment. It received a new color scheme and foliage. The walkways and stroller parking to the pavilion’s entrance were redefined and widened. All of the carpeting in the pavilion was replaced, and the main food court was completely redesigned. The pavilion’s signage was updated, incorporating the new color scheme, new typography, and a modernized logotype.

Former Attractions:
Listen to the Land (October 1, 1982 – September 27, 1993)
Kitchen Kabaret (October 1, 1982 – January 3, 1994)
Food Rocks (1994 – January 3, 2004)
Symbiosis (October 1, 1982 – January 1, 1995)

Current Attractions:
Living with the Land (December 10, 1993–Present)
Soarin’ (May 5, 2005–Present)
Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable (January 21, 1995–Present)
Behind the Seeds Tour

Current Dining:
The Garden Grill Restaurant
Sunshine Seasons food court

Variants of the Dapper Dan Park 9

WDWNT on July 16, 2012

Update:

We just got in a photo of the purple variant from Chris!

Chris sent us our first look at the Blue Dapper Dan Park 9 Variant! (normal version is Red) He got 2 blue in a case and the filler in his case was Dumbo.

I so love this design, simple and perfect. One of the best variants to date in my opinion. Here is a look at the regular Red version.

Episode 081 Epcot 82

WDWNT on July 16, 2012

Ep. 081 Epcot 82

In a guest filled podcast we talk with Matt from Vinylmation Kingdom about all the Vinylmation previews at Comic Con. We discuss the state and future of the hobby with Kristina from Tomopop. And Annemarie calls in to give insight on her Hurley 9″ custom and Comic Con. We also fit a review of Park 9 in there with the latest news and up to date release calendar.

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History of: Art of Animation, Disneyland

WDWNT on July 16, 2012

The Art of Animation opened at Disneyland on May 28, 1960 and lasted until September 5, 1966. It sat in the building to the right of the entrance into the Circarama theater. Before the Art of Animation moved in, this building was home to the Satellite View of America. But by the end of the ’50s, the novelty of looking at Earth from space had worn off and audiences had all but disappeared.

The Art of Animation, was a B-ticket exhibit promoting Disney’s own movies. Inside the room, the perimeter was lined with displays showing how animated movies were made. Adjacent to the exhibit were bins of cels… everything from “Alice In Wonderland” to “Peter Pan”, “Sleeping Beauty”, numerous TV programs and shorts, etc…. that guest could purchase for just a few dollars each.

The 9″ Park 9 Vinylmation has a replica of the poster that promoted this exhibit.

It’s a perfect representation with Mickey drawn on the center front, Thumper on the ear and Bongo on the back.

Overall it seems like a relatively simply (but spot on) nod to a seemingly forgetful Disneyland attraction. But maybe this place inspired future animators and designers? In that case we do owe it a bit of gratitude? Do you have a special memory of the this short lived attraction?

The 9″ Park 9 Art of Animation Poster figure will be released on July 13 as an LE 550 for $44.95.

Sources
http://disneygeeek.tumblr.com/
http://blackwingdiaries.blogspot.com

Episode 080 Tomorrowland Space Suit

WDWNT on July 16, 2012

Ep. 080 Tomorrowland Space Suit

In this episode we review all the news brought to us at the WDW Trade Night. Pixar, Park Starz, Comic Con, Park 9 and Popcorns all make headlines. We also have Annemarie stop by to give her two cents on the topics and talk about her latest custom. And of course we dive into your comments in the Mystery Mail Bag.

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Episode 078 SpectroMickey

WDWNT on July 10, 2012

Ep. 078 SpectroMagic

This week we cover all the release dates announced for Park 9 and Animation 2. We also talk about the Villains 3, Mascots and Nerds releases. There is more news out of Japan and from under the big top.

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Park 9 LE and Blind Box Release Dates

WDWNT on July 10, 2012

We have a large slate of Park 9 release dates to share with you today.

July 13

Park 9 Blind Boxes will release at $12.95. See our Park 9 Explained page for the lineup.

Next up is the 9″ Park 9 Feature Animation Building from the Burbank studios. The edition size is 750 and it will retail for $44.95.

Also on July 13 will be the 9″ Park 9 Art of Animation Poster figure representing Tommorrowland at Disneyland. It will be an LE 550 and retail for $44.95.

JULY 20

First off is a Toy Story Mania! 9-inch and 3-inch figure set. An edition size of 1000 and a retail price of $74.95. Could this figure, that we saw about a year and a half ago, be part of this set?

If so, we have an article with a break down of this design here.

Next up is an un-named Park 9 Combo Set that is an Open Edition for $24.95.

And same day, a Park 9 Epcot, The Land 9-inch figure. Edition size is 1000. Retail price is $44.95. Most likely this figure we saw sometime last year.

All of these Park 9 items will be available via the Disney Online Store on July 20, except The Land which will wait until the 27th. I am disappointed The Land is not a 3″. It is my most favorite spot in Epcot, but the 9″ cost is just too high these days with all the other great vinyls. Same with the Toy Story one, but I am excited to see what is paired with it. Any educated guesses on the un-named combo?

Park 9 LE Combo Set Prepares For Takeoff

WDWNT on July 7, 2012

I was among the disapointed when we did not get a non-nine inch LE set in Park 8. So I was excited to see that we will get at least 1 such combo in Park 9. It is a two 3″ figure LE 1750 combo set representing the Disneyland Space Man and Women that walked around Tomorrowland meeting with guests. Space was a fascination in the US during the 1950’s and 60’s and these costumed characters entertained guests until about 1967.

As they always do, Davelandweb.com has a great article on these retro costumes with plenty of pictures. Here is a peek at the back of the box showing the art for these figures.

Park 9 Combo Topper

WDWNT on July 7, 2012

The other day Nick (with the help from some listeners) speculated on what the Park 9 Combo Topper might be. It turns out it was the Brave Little Tailor. We got to see it at Friday’s WDW Trade Night.

This figure looks great. What do you think? Check out all of Park 9 here.

Vinylmation Speculation: Park 9 Combo Topper

WDWNT on July 7, 2012

I opened my email the other day, and there was a message from the Scuba Owl:

What do you think the combo topper will be for Park 9? My vote is for this Mickey from the Mission Space gift shop:

I almost think it would be too awesome for a topper. But then again, the Park 8 topper was fantastic.
– Scuba

Well that certainly got me thinking. The Park Combo Toppers are always Mickey Mouse in various costumes or forms from the Parks or Cartoons. Park 4 was Plane Crazy Mickey. Park 5 had Sorcerer Mickey. The 6th Park series featured Runaway Brain. The 7th series Mickey was all decked out in a tux and bow tie as he was years ago to great guests when WDW opened its gates. In series 8, we saw Mickey in a Rainbow suit he wore in Future World at Epcot. What will the 9th installment of Vinylmation’s marquee series bring us? Remember, the blind boxes come out on July 13 and the combo topper is slated for a July 27 release. Here are some of my thoughts, please leave yours in the comments.

	Dream Along with Mickey How about Mickey from his stage show at the Magic Kingdom? A blue suit and bow tie would look great. And I believe this was one of the first Mickey’s to use the new heads with movable facial features.
	Christmas Mickey This could come in various forms… Santa Mickey or even this Victorian Christmas Mickey found at the Grand Floridian meet and greet.
	Halloween Mickey This colorful Mickey would be absolutely fantastic! The cap and cape alone would make this a must have. With today’s designs, they can pull off all the colors and stripes to make this figure look perfect.
	The Band Concert How about a tribute to the first color cartoon? Not to mention how amazing this figure, done correctly, would look. The amazing hat. The accessory baton. If not here, this must get made eventually.
	Mickey’s Christmas Carol I guess I have a holiday Mickey leaning here. But this portrayal of Bob Cratchit was classic and deserves to be immortalized in vinyl.
	Kingdom Hearts Let’s go way, way, way out on a limb here. A whole Kingdom Hearts set would be a must have, but a King Mickey as a combo topper would be a start.