Pirates of the Caribbean – Page 6

Adam Roth’s 10/22/12 WDW Photo Report

WDWNT on October 29, 2012

WDWNT Reporter Adam Roth visited the Magic Kingdom and the surrounding resorts on Monday and has a TON of newsworthy photos to share with us, so let’s take a look:

Work continues on RFID turnstiles at the Magic Kingdom

Walls up on the other side too

Holy…

That’s more like it…

That isn’t Osh Popham…

These “black and white” plush have been out for a few months now

We look at Wreck-It Ralph stuff for the 40th time

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom shirts are selling well

Still gross…

Wow…

Magic Carpets of Aladdin closed for refurbishment

A lot of guests want to see mermaids!

Walls still up at the Crow’s Nest

Golden Oak Outpost closed

I’d rather not…

This would be why

Holy lines Batman

You know what doesn’t have lines?

The new, shorter Country Bear Jamboree!

It will never break 12 again…

Lobby wasn’t touched

The theater is another story

New lighting is quite noticeable

These guys look brand new

All of the bears got new fur and clothing

They look incredible

The bad part of all this is the cutting of much of the show

The Five Bear Rugs no longer sing “Devilish Mary”

“Fractured Folk Song” was also cut, then the song order was changed as well

Lines from some songs were even cut

HE LOOKS AWESOME!

A lot of dialogue was cut as well…

It’s great that the attraction was completely restored, but it’s a shame we had to lose so much of it

The Gaston’s Tavern mugs are being repurposed at Sleepy Hollow

I think it’s a neat idea

Work continues on the new restrooms on the former Skyway site

There’s a chimney

The construction walls now extend to the “it’s a small world” exit tarps

Tarps still up at Village Haus

Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train construction

Cast Member previews are currently taking place

Guests are confused! EVERYONE SAID IT WAS OPEN!

I hope something will be done with pavement land at some point

Work continues on Princess Fairytale Hall

The exit test is still happening

Work continues on the Grand Floridian DVC addition

A beautiful sight at your wedding!

The parking lot is just about finished

Let’s head over to the Polynesian

RFID is in full use over here

Let’s go shopping

A lot of the 40th anniversary merchandise has been rebranded

Toothpick holders!

Let’s go eat

BACON CUPCAKES!

IT’S BACON! Well, not completely…

Adam had to get one…

A nice secluded spot to enjoy a Dole float

A look across the Seven Seas Lagoon at the Grand Floridian DVC

We have our first wall

I think it will blend nicely

The Pirates League Coming To New Orleans Square

WDWNT on August 30, 2012

From Michelle Harker on the Disney Parks Blog:

A roll of the dice can change your face, your fate or even your name. A new wave of swashbuckling fun is set to hit land (Court of Angels in New Orleans Square at Disneyland park, to be exact) September 1, as The Pirates League plants its flag in the sands of the western shores.

Captain Jack and his trusted mates have searched across the land to find treasures and new recruits to join their crew. In The Pirates League, savvy pirates will transform guests, giving them their own pirate look and name, training them to swashbuckle and teaching them the official Pirate League Oath! The Pirates League is an interactive pirate experience you won’t want to miss.

The Pirates League is the ultimate pirate transformation available to guests ages three and up that lets you live your pirate dreams and learn the ways of the seven seas from veteran pirates straight from Captain Jack’s crew!

The Pirates League will offer three different packages for guests to choose from: Jake and the Never Land Pirates, First Mate, and Empress (created especially for all the pirate princesses!). Packages range from $29.95 – $34.95. Which will you choose to fulfill your pirate destiny?

This treasured experience, which launched in May 2009 in Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort, also launched this year aboard the Disney Fantasy! This special experience will be available at the Disneyland Resort, for a limited time only, this fall.

Special Tip: Landlubbers Beware! Reservations on Mickey’s Halloween Party nights will book up quickly, so be sure to call 714-781-STYLE beginning August 7, before I make you walk the plank!

Stranger Tides Figures Rise Up

WDWNT on July 16, 2012

Thanks to Vinylmation Kingdom and Vinylmation Exchange, we see those Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides vinyls we have been waiting for. These were on display at Comic Con.

Two words… Peg Leg! Jack looks great. Lots of pirate hats.

Several people have mentioned this is Pirates Series 2. As far as we know, this was the four piece set that we saw last year (before we saw the John Carter set) and was going to be released as a Open Box series. The artwork for this set looked like this…

We talked more about it in September in this post:

Pirates Movie Vinylmation On Deck

VIDEO: Mermaids Swim Into Pirates of the Caribbean at the Magic Kingdom

WDWNT on May 31, 2012

After many months of speculation and Disney teasing us that something from “On Stranger Tides” would be added to Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at the Magic Kingdom, the mermaids have arrived. A new projection effect has been added making it appear that the mermaids are in the water, accompanied by a physical effect that pushes water up to simulate the fin moving just beneath the water’s surface. A lot of this can’t be seen in out video, but you can get a good idea of what to expect:

The projection effect is joined by mermaid singing and a new mermaid skeleton on the beach.

What do you think of this addition to Pirates of the Caribbean?

VIDEO: The Legend of Jack Sparrow Opens at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

WDWNT on May 31, 2012

Despite being billed to open on December 6th, The Legend of Jack Sparrow has now soft-opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The attraction is located on Mickey Avenue between Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream and Toy Story Midway Mania and is pretty hard to miss with its spiffy new facade:

The attraction begins with a short pre-show where guests are introduced to the narrator: a talking pirate skull that should be recognizable from the original attraction at Disneyland and from the film’s logo:

Guest then enter the main show room, a circular set where projection mapping (think Cinderella Castle during Celebrate the Magic) is used to bring scenes from the films to life for about 8 minutes. After recreating some famous scenes from the film series, guests finally get to see Captain Jack Sparrow via projection technology very similar to what brings talking fish to life in The Seas with Nemo and Friends at Epcot. In my 3 experiences, I have seen differences in this portion of the show, meaning you will see a different Jack Sparrow introduction portion in the show from time to time (think Star Tours randomization).

Personally, I think the attraction is very well done. Guest interactions throughout thew show are a bit corny, but the projection technology that brings you into each scene is amazing. Bullets leave marks on walls, sails swing and sway, and the entire room even becomes submerged at one point, all simply through projections. The computer animation is spotless and the novelty of living envoronment around you is sure to entertain guests for years to come. I was ready to hate this attraction based on previous experence with various movie-set walkthroughs that have existed within this soundstage, but I have to say I really enjoy this one. It’s not just publicity for a movie, it’s actually a fun show with great modern technology that does its very best to leave guests smiling. It’s not going to be something you do every time you visit Hollywood Studios, but it is another worthwhile attraction in a park that probably needs some more.

This attraction is a bit of a challenge to film, but we have video of the entire attraction which may help you judge it a lot better. Regardless, you should see this next time you visit Disney’s Hollywood Studios:

Jeff Lukas’ 4/15/12 Downtown Disney Photo Report

WDWNT on April 19, 2012

WDWNT Reporter Jeff Lukas visited Downtown Disney on Sunday and has some newsworthy photos to share with us, so let’s take a look:

They are pretty much rebuilding the entire top portion of the building

Concept art of what it will look like when completed

The conversion of this section to the Lava Lounge has begun

The signage around marketplace was freshened up not too long ago

I can’t believe this is still open…

The former trading area outside of Disney’s Pin Traders is now a Ridemakerz demonstration area

New shirts with the fab five…

It’s a bit strange that Goofy looks modern and the others have a more classic look

Some new tropical-themed shirts

Phineas and Ferb shirts

New Pirate shirts

I really like these 2012 shirts

Weird…

That’s funny…

Still cool…

Still closed…

KUNGABUSH!

One fo the few things open in Pleasure Island

This is scary…

I hope so…

Blink by Wet Seal opened recently

No visible changes to the Splitsville facade

PEOPLE!

What’s on the Vinylmation Horizon

WDWNT on March 5, 2012

So, what’s with this information drought Disney? No solid info has been posted on Vinylmation.com since before the Super Bowl. And with an ever shrinking confirmed release calendar, the Vinylmation collecting community is wondering what’s next? So I thought this is as good a time as any to go over what sets and figures we know about that should eventually get released. The first on my list was an intriguing collection that we saw at The Florida Project.

These 7″ battery operated night light Vinylmation had the community excited… but by the end of the weekend, Disney announced they would be indefinitely delayed. Next up, Disney Classics.

Touted as the Have a Laugh follow up, the release of this series seems to be on the near horizon as it does appear in the Sneak section of Vinylmation.com. The picture above is from a teaser slide at The Florida Project. It looks like a black and white set of classic Disney characters as they first appeared many decades ago. Then we have a follow up to the popular Disney Store Robots series.

We expect to see Robots Series 2 sometime in 2012. We were excited to uncover a couple pictures from a website called http://gdpinvestigation.blogspot.com/. They claim these are images of Robots from Series 2.

This first image features some concept art.

This second image seems like the packaging design. How about a blast from the past? The next two pieces of concept art were already posted online at Vinylnation by the time I started collecting about two years ago. They both seem to feature Disney Vacation Club exclusive figure designs.

This first one is purple with a gold key.

The second one is a wonderful little white picket fence design with Mickey Heads and a “Home Sweet Home” sign. We only have one DVC figure so far… will we ever see these produced? You can put these on the shelf next to Clear Series 2. What ever happened to those? Let’s dive into the movies for a bit. Last year, Disney released a teaser image for a Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides set.

This Casey Jones designed set is expected to hit shelves sometime in 2012. No word on if it will open window or mystery box. This next set has a more solid release window. It’s the Jr. 6 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. We don’t have a release date, but Disney says to expect it in April. We recently found this image of the packaging on http://gdpinvestigation.blogspot.com/.

I am so excited for this detailed Jr set. The seven dwarfs are a given, but it will be interesting to finally get the reveal of the remaining 11 figures. Sticking with the movies…

Disney Character Star Wars is rumored to have a release around Star Wars Weekends at Hollywood Studios (May 18-June 12). We should also see the second Star Wars blind box series later this year as well.

October is the rumored release window. Park Starz was an exciting 2011 release, and Disney promised we will see variants in 2012.

No pictures yet, but Disney said they will sell variants individually, meaning no blind boxing for them. This is a fresh approach were you can just go ahead and purchase the variant outright if you want it. We also have one hint… “copper”. Most people are looking at you Mr. Lincoln. Sticking with the “breaking the mold” theme…

We know absolutely nothing about Popcorns except this teaser image. But we do know plenty about Haunted Mansion… except a release date.

Between pins and concept art, we have a solid idea of what this set will look like. But for two years, we have been hearing rumors of release… I think I speak for everyone when I say “Please Disney, make 2012 the year we finally see this one!” And don’t forget the watch.

This is due out around March/April. And last but not least…

Vinylmation.fr has been teasing us for about 4 months. We are expecting some exclusive vinyl sometime this year in honor of Disneyland Paris’ 20th anniversary. So as you can see, although it has been a slow news month, we as Vinylmation collectors have a lot to look forward to in 2012 and beyond. What have I left off this list? What are you most looking forward too?

Matt Valdez’s 11/17/11 DLR Photo Report

WDWNT on November 25, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!! I would like to welcome Matt Valdez to Disneyland News Today as a staff photographer. Matt already has a photo report to share with us…

Starting off in Disneyland

Main Street is already decked out for the holidays

The new Disney Gallery exhibit, “Trains of Disney” is now open at the Disney Gallery

The rocks at the front of Adventureland still look strange to me. Bright turquoise was a strange choice.

Work on the Jolly Holiday Bakery continues.

Good day to be at the parks

Not much visible progress on the exterior

Nope, they are still funny looking

Planter work in Adventureland

The Pirates refurbishment wrapped up today

The only changes reported was that now both Blackbeard and Davy Jones are on the waterfall right before the battle scene.

How about a quick look around Santa’s Reindeer Round-up

Awwwwww…

Some LED snow on the castle roof

Wreath in the Small World Mall

Notice that the reefs on the facade are missing this year because of the Magic, The Memories, and You needs a flat surface to project on to

Quick peek at decorations around Toon Town

One of the trees that was imported from Walt Disney World’s Toon Town

No extended queue today at Star Tours

Into DCA

Buena Vista Street Construction

Attempt at decorating the DCA entrance way

Carthay Circle Theater

The Carthay Circle fountain was on

Oooooh….

Ahhhhhh..

Elias & Company Depatment Store

The Pump House

The Backlot entrance showing a little wear

The workwalls along the entrance have been moved around and they are no longer the blue Electronica walls… Interesting

Walking down by Tower…

New work walls at the parade gates

Looks like some executives are getting a VIP look at Cars Land

The giant ornaments have returned to Flick’s Fun Fair

The mural is cracked and faded, wondered what’s going to happen to it

Cars Land

The leaning tower of tires has been constructed

So has the sign for Luigi’s

The mountain side facing pacific wharf has been mostly completed

Looking back the Carhtay Circle Theater

Ahhh….

The Christmas Tree is up in Paradise Pier

Mustache!!!

The Cadillac Range from Paradise Park

Another mustache!!

Decorations on The Little Mermaid

Thanks for Reading

Hayley Nance’s 11/11/11- 11/13/11 DLR Photo Report

WDWNT on November 15, 2011

The holidays have arrived at the Disneyland Resort and the parks are getting ready for the busiest season of the year. DLNT Photographer Hayley Nance was at the parks this past weekend and took some newsworthy photos to share.

The holidays are here, only some decorations are up on Main Street

The Omnibus looking good for the season

Work on Jolly Holiday Bakery continues

The Pirates facade refurbishment is wrapping up

Short wait for mansion (Is that Fastpass sign new?)

Splash Mountain has been decorated

Tigger has been stuck in this position past few rides I have been on

TO: Brer Bear, Brer Fox

FROM: Brer Rabbit

Neat penny press in New Orleans Square

Interesting…

Court of Angels decked out with a lot of blue

Lots of holiday merchandise for sale

Blue Bayou is scheduled to reopen on the 23rd

I want this sign…

Some props have been refreshed in the Indy queue

Get your Matterhorn rides in now as it will be closing early next year for the second half of its major refurbishment

Slow day at the parks

Now for a quick ride through this years small world Holiday

A new addition this year, a giant snowman in the finale

This years Christmas tree on Main Street

Now for some quick pictures from DCA

New turnstiles decorated for the holidays

Carthay Circle coming along

Love this shirt

and this one…

and this one.

Adam Roth’s 11/11/11 WDW Photo Report

WDWNT on November 13, 2011

WDWNT Reporter Adam Roth visited Epcot, the Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Downtown Disney on Friday and has a TON of newsworthy photos to share with us, so let’s take a look:

Some of the turnstiles at Epcot are behind walls

Tag: Pirates of the Caribbean