Outsource Animatronics???

WDWNT on June 16, 2008

By Sonya Smith of the OCRegister:

The Walt Disney Co. will begin out-sourcing the manufacturing of Audio Animatronics because of too much demand on staff time, according to an Imagineering memo sent to the Orange County Register and Disney Imagingeering Spokeswoman Marilyn Waters.

Audio-Animatronics figures are basically moving and talking (or singing) robotic figures that were started by Walt Disney’s company. Today, Audio-Animatronics can be seen in several Disneyland attractions, which include: “it’s a small world,” Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones Adventure, Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! and the upcoming Toy Story Mania!.

The memo is dated June 12, 2008, and was sent to all Walt Disney Imagineering employees from Bruce Vaughn, chief creative executive, Craig Russell, chief development and delivery executive, and Kevin Eld, vice president of Disney Creative Production. The memo was sent to and received by the Orange County Register today. Imagineers is Disney’s a word for designers and engineers.

The memo states that after review manufacturing all Audio-Animatronics figures in-house is not feasible in terms of cost and staffing. Instead, Imagineering’s Manufacturing and Prototype Operations group based in North Hollywood will “build some select, highly complex” figures in-house.

Waters confirmed that the manufacturing of some Audio-Animatronics will be given to outside vendors. She said that over the past years Walt Disney Imagineering has begun to work with outside vendors on the talking and moving figures.

In one example, Waters said Disney employees worked with Chinese vendors to make some of the figures for the “It’s a Small World” attraction at the Hong Kong Disneyland.

“Our industry has generated quite a few heavily-skilled and proficient vendors who can supplement our teams with simple figures with significant oversight by our production team,” Waters said. “This will allow us to focus on creating more sophisticated and advanced figures.”

While Waters said Imagineering’s next step is to focus on the next-generation of Audio-Animatronics, an anniversary is coming for the oldest figures. June 22 is the 45th anniversary of the Enchanted Tiki Room in Disneyland’s Adventureland.

The Tiki Room includes 225 performers, including birds, flowers and tiki poles that spring to life. The attraction opened in 1963 and was the first attraction to function completely via the wonders of Audio-Animatronics technology.

Crime Doesn’t Pay

WDWNT on June 14, 2008

From the Orlando Sentinel:

A second St. Cloud man accused of helping to obtain a pipe bomb detonated in a Downtown Disney trash can last July surrendered Thursday to federal firearms agents. Brandon Woll, 21, was freed on his own recognizance after a bail hearing before U.S. Magistrate Karla Spaulding. His attorney, Jim Taylor, entered a plea of not guilty.

On Wednesday, Woll’s stepfather, David Tagg, 40, of St. Cloud, was arrested on charges he aided in the bomb-making. A third St. Cloud man, Michael Morgan, 21, is being sought.

At Thursday’s hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanya Wilson asked Spaulding to bar Woll from having contact with other defendants and witnesses in the case, including his live-in girlfriend, Sarah Folsom. But Taylor objected, saying the couple had lived together for a year and that Woll could not move back in with his mother and Tagg. Spaulding ultimately allowed the couple to remain together but ordered them not to discuss the case.

Catch The Wave

WDWNT on June 12, 2008

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Wave, the new restaurant just opened at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, is all about bold ideas, featuring modern American cooking with a dash of world flavors. And an unusual wine program with more than 50 choices by the glass matches the forward-thinking cuisine.

“The Wave suggests a surge of new ideas,” said Master Sommelier John Blazon, manager of wine sales and standards, Walt Disney World Resort. “It’s a chance to have some fun with a wine list that balances New World flavors and a variety of price points.”

Blazon put together a taste of the best New World wines with 95 cutting-edge choices that are all screw cap. The approachable list supports sustainable agriculture, he says, with a majority of the wines originating from vineyards where grapes are organically grown, or farmers are using sustainable methods.

“And the recyclable screw caps are nothing short of a revolution in wine packaging,” said Blazon. Industry experts say that the screw cap is the most significant technical evolution in the wine industry since the glass bottle was introduced 250 years ago.

“In the forward-thinking wine industry, screw caps are gaining rapid acceptance,” said Blazon. Research shows that the screw cap consistently provides the most reliable wine quality (spoilage is as high as 9 percent for corked bottles). The New Zealand wine industry, for instance, has set high standards for quality and bottles more than 90 percent of its wines with screw caps.

The options for screw cap wine are growing, said Blazon. The Wave serves no California wines (California Grill on the resort’s 15th floor has a corner on that market), but instead focuses on bright-style New World wines from the Southern Hemisphere, including Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. Prices range from $37 for a bottle of pinot gris from Mendoza, Argentina, to $160 for a syrah from Eden Valley, Ore. By-the-glass prices range from $8 to $20.

With 45 whites and 40 reds on the list, the biggest challenge was finding Bordeaux-style grapes, said Blazon, because the industry still is hesitant to put expensive reds into screw cap bottles. But when Blazon visited one of New Zealand’s top estates, Craggy Range Winery, he worked with the winery to bottle half bottles of merlot from the Gimblett Gravels region in Hawkes Bay, “arguably some of the finest merlot out of New Zealand,” said Blazon. Exclusively at The Wave guests can unscrew a half bottle of Craggy Range Te Kahu, Gimblett Gravels, and Craggy Range Sophia, Gimblett Gravels.

Pinot noir standouts on the list from New Zealand include Craggy Range Te Muna, Martinborough; Pegasus Bay, Wairarapa, and Peregrine Wines, Central Otago.

Because of its range of styles, Australian shiraz (the Australians call it syrah) comprise the biggest collection of The Wave’s wines, said Blazon. “It’s flavorful, satisfying, and superb with food,” said Blazon.

Among other interesting choices are sparkling wines from Tasmania, Rieslings from South Australia and floral New Wave whites from Argentina.

The Wave offers flights of three 3-ounce samplings, including syrahs, sauvignon blancs, pinot noirs and crisp whites. The sauvignon blanc flight, for instance, includes sips from three continents: New Zealand, Chile and South Africa, so that guests can compare and contrast the similarities and subtle differences of each, selected from top wineries in their class. “You never stop learning with wine,” said Blazon. “Just around the corner is the next great glass.”

The 220-seat Wave is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and features one of the largest lounges at Walt Disney World Resort. For reservations, call 407/WDW-DINE.

The restaurant is part of a revitalization at Disney’s Contemporary Resort that includes a makeover of the hotel’s fourth floor with a new game arcade and new quick-service eatery for salads and sandwiches (replacing Concourse Steakhouse). The popular Chef Mickey’s restaurant and the monorail station anchor that family-friendly area.

Hundreds of Open Lanes on the Way

WDWNT on June 10, 2008

According to Mark Pino of the Orlando Sentinel, It looks like Walt Disney World will finally recieve its own bowling alley:

Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex is expanding its strike zone with what could be the biggest bowling stadium in the country. Planned for 100 lanes, stadium-style seating and a restaurant, the facility would be complete in about 18 months. When not used for tournaments, the stadium would be open to the public, Disney officials said Monday.

“It’s big. It will be big for the area,” said Ray Turgeon of Winter Springs, a bowler who had heard rumors about the facility and the tournaments it will host. “For a lot of new bowlers who have not bowled in a national tournament, it would be great.”

Disney officials said an unnamed company will build and operate the 160,000-square-foot stadium, which would be used for events or open to guests except during United States Bowling Congress tournaments. The organization will bring 13 events to Central Florida starting in 2011 and running through 2029. Each tournament is played over a four- to six-month period.

Disney officials said it was too soon to talk about the facility’s name or its cost or the third party under negotiation to build it. A spokeswoman said those details might be available in a couple of months.

The bowling mecca would be the latest addition to a growing constellation of facilities at the 220-acre Wide World of Sports that includes a basketball arena and baseball stadium — spring-training home of the Atlanta Braves. Other sports played there include football, soccer, softball, track and field, lacrosse, volleyball, martial arts, and endurance events.

The Disney facility would be complete in early 2010 and would host the 2011 United States Bowling Congress Open Championship — an event guaranteed to put thousands of visitors in Osceola hotel rooms, according to a deal approved Monday.

The tournaments are widely regarded as the world’s largest participatory sporting event, said Jack Mordini, the bowling congress’ vice president of tournaments and events. Mordini said members want to travel to vacation destinations like Central Florida for tournaments.

John Berglund, executive director of the Bowling Proprietors Association of America, said the deal would be great for bowling and Disney. “Bowling is a tremendous family sport, and Disney is a tremendous family venue,” he said. The deal is expected to generate $750 million for the area from 2011 through 2029, when the bowling congress will host seven open and six women’s championships, the county said.

Osceola County will pay the bowling congress, with the hopes of getting bowlers to fill rooms at struggling hotels. The county will use tourist-development taxes to pay $1 million to the USBC on the first day of active competition, with a total of about $13 million over the life of the agreement. The payments will be reduced if the number of hotel rooms booked is lower than set out in the agreement. Other cities in the running for the USBC tournaments were Wichita, Kan.; Tulsa, Okla.; Corpus Christi, Texas; and Reno, Nev.

World Premiere

WDWNT on June 5, 2008

We finally have confirmation from Disney that the old Backlot theater at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has been converted to a closed venue, and we now have a name to call it by:

“A new indoor concert venue to be called the Premiere Theater is being fashioned from an unused open-air theater.”

While we still don’t know exactly the uses for the theater, we believe it will first get use for special events and maybe even a Disney film premiere at some point, before finally hosting the rumored “Festival Disney” ticketed stage show concept a few years down the road. Be sure to stay tuned to WDW News Today as more info becomes available; and remember, you heard it here first!!!

“Screw” It

WDWNT on May 14, 2008

Scott Joseph | Orlando Sentinel Staff Writer

When The Wave, a new full-service restaurant at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, opens next month, it will boast an unusual wine cellar. Besides stocking no California labels — those wines are available upstairs at the California Grill — the ground-floor restaurant will feature wines of the Southern Hemisphere, including vintages from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Chile and Argentina.

But that’s not the most unusual aspect. The Wave will offer only wines that have screw caps; no wines with corks will be available. One exception will be sparkling wines, which are not yet available with screw caps. John Blazon, master sommelier and manager of wine sales and standards for Walt Disney World Resort, said he wants “to show middle America that you can enjoy a great bottle of wine despite how it’s sealed.”

Blazon said he has collected 80 wines of various varietals and price points to present at the restaurant’s opening, which is scheduled for June 7. Once considered an indicator of low quality, screw caps, also known as Stelvin closures, have been gaining popularity among premium wine producers for several years as a more reliable means of sealing a bottle of wine.

ESPN: The Complex???

WDWNT on May 13, 2008

NEW YORK (May 13, 2008) — Aligning the world’s No. 1 family vacation destination with the worldwide leader in sports, Walt Disney World Resort and ESPN are joining forces to re-brand Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex with the ESPN brand, creating an entertaining and immersive experience for the nearly 2 million athletes, coaches and spectators who come through the Disney sports complex each year.

Plans for the re-branding initiative — which was announced today during the ESPN upfront presentation to advertisers and sponsors — are still in the development stage, but initial concepts involve renaming the sports complex and incorporating the signature elements of ESPN throughout the 220-acre facility, which is a leading venue for amateur and professional sports in the country. The project aims to enhance the experience of both athletes and spectators by connecting them to their favorite ESPN programs, personalities and elements. It also will provide advertisers new sponsorship opportunities at the grass roots level.

“This is a natural and exciting pairing of two powerful brands to create a one-of-a-kind, immersive sports venue that will enable athletes, coaches and guests to experience sports in a whole new way,” said Jay Rasulo, chairman of Disney Parks and Resorts. “This project builds on our collaborative successes and positions us to explore more opportunities with ESPN to create new experiences for guests at Walt Disney World Resort.”

“Our involvement in the Disney sports complex will provide greater opportunities for us to connect directly with athletes, coaches and fans in a highly immersive way,” said George Bodenheimer, president of ESPN Inc. and ABC Sports, and co-chairman of Disney Media Networks. “Our involvement also provides us with a unique and exciting new media platform that will enable our advertisers and sponsors to reach new customers and bring their products and services to life.”

The re-branding of the Disney sports complex is the latest initiative in the growing sports business at Walt Disney World Resort. In December, the sports complex debuted additional outdoor playing fields for football, soccer, lacrosse and field hockey competitions. And this summer the sports complex will open Jostens Center, a new state-of-the-art field house that will allow Disney to accommodate twice as many indoor sports events each year. Additional expansion plans are being explored.

The Disney sports complex annually hosts more than 180 events in 50 different sports involving athletes from more than 70 countries. Among those events are the Atlanta Braves spring training season, a Tampa Bay Rays regular-season series, the Major League Baseball Draft, the NBA Pre-Draft Camp, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp, Chelsea Football Club events, the Pop Warner Super Bowl, AAU National Championships, Varsity All-Star Cheerleading competitions, USSSA events and the Walt Disney World Marathon, one of the top marathons in the nation. ESPN televised 20 sporting events from the complex in the last year. Walt Disney World Resort and ESPN also annually work together to host the popular ESPN The Weekend event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Disney

WDWNT on April 10, 2008

I found a rather funny press release put out by Disney earlier this week and felt I should share it with our readers. This is probably the first time Disney has acknowledged that they have a huge number of attractions based on Pixar films:

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — It’s a Pixar palooza at Disney Parks! In family-friendly attractions and immersive experiences on both coasts of the United States, guests can do it all — find Nemo, zap Zurg and meddle with Monsters.

But the fun doesn’t stop there. Coming this summer to Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., and Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., is a whole new interactive adventure: Toy Story Mania!

Celebrating Disney-Pixar classics “Toy Story” and “Toy Story 2,” this new ride-game experience combines delightful film characters with personality-matching games guests can play. Donning 3-D glasses, guests shrink to the size of a toy and hop fanciful ride vehicles following a midway-themed route. At each game booth, they aim for animated targets using special on-board spring-action shooters. And since games adapt to the skill level of each player, beginners and gamers alike have plenty of reasons to ride — and play — again and again.

Toy Story Mania! debuts at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida in late May and at Disney’s California Adventure in Anaheim in late June. It joins these other experiences inspired by favorite Disney-Pixar characters and films.

At Walt Disney World Resort:

  • Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor — Guests find the power of laughter in an engaging and interactive adventure inspired by “Monsters, Inc.” as they match wits with the one-eyed hero Mike Wazowski and his friends. As Monster-of-Ceremonies, Mike recruits comedian wanna-bes whose humor delights audiences at a 400-seat theater in Magic Kingdom.
  • Finding Nemo-The Musical — The undersea world that charmed audiences in “Finding Nemo” comes to life in a musical stage show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The 30-minute Broadway-style production immerses guests in the story of Marlin and Nemo, an overprotective clownfish father and his curious son, with imaginative puppetry, dazzling special effects and an original musical score.
  • The Seas with Nemo & Friends — This whimsical and visually stunning attraction at Epcot picks up where the film “Finding Nemo” left off. Riding aboard “clamobiles” in a colorful coral reef setting, guests meet Mr. Ray and learn that Nemo has wandered off. The journey continues as Dory, Bruce, Marlin, Squirt and Crush help with the search. These deep-sea friends inhabit a variety of vibrant vignettes, including a huge aquarium that contains more than 65 species of marine life.
  • Block Party Bash — This high-energy extravaganza at Disney’s Hollywood Studios cranks the music and excitement to the max, putting guests in the middle of the wildest Disney spectacle ever — a non-stop musical block party that doubles as a fun-filled interactive street spectacular. Featuring characters from “Toy Story,” “A Bug’s Life,” “Monster’s, Inc.” and “The Incredibles,” “Block Party Bash” combines dancers, acrobats, stilt performers and a caravan of electric scooters to fill the performance area with awe-inspiring visual and sound sensations.

    •           At Disneyland Resort:

  • Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage — Guests embark on an underwater expedition where they discover Nemo and his finned friends from “Finding Nemo.” Thanks to cutting-edge imaging technology, characters such as Dory, Marlin, Crush, Bruce and, of course, Nemo, come to life before guests’ eyes in a brilliantly colored lagoon at Disneyland Park. 
  • a bug’s land — Designed especially for kids, this land at Disney’s California Adventure features Flik’s Fun Fair, which is full of attractions inspired by the film “A Bug’s Life.” Children can experience the world from a bug’s point of view by visiting Flik’s Flyers, Francis’ Ladybug Boogie, Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train, Princess Dot Puddle Park, and Tuck and Roll Drive’Em Buggies. Families can then cap off their adventures with a screening of the 3-D spectacular “It’s Tough to be a Bug.”
  • Monster’s Inc., Mike and Sulley to the Rescue — Disney’s California Adventure guests are in for a ride of “monstrous” proportion as they climb aboard taxis and hit the streets of Monstropolis with Mike, Sulley and Boo. Along the way they’ll encounter the super-sneaky Randall Boggs, the yellow-suited agents of the Child Detection Agency and other characters from the film.
  • Pixar Play Parade — Characters from Disney-Pixar films “Toy Story,” “A Bug’s Life,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Finding Nemo,” “The Incredibles,” “Cars” and “Ratatouille” dance onto the parade route and invite guests of all ages to join in a whirling, spinning, fun-for-all animated playground. This daily spectacle at Disney’s California Adventure is brought to life in giant parade floats, puppetry, acrobatics and interactive surprises including bubble, fire and water effects.

    •           At both Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort:

  • Turtle Talk With Crush — Crush from “Finding Nemo” has made a different kind of screen debut at Epcot and Disneyland Park — as a chatting, joking quipster who engages guests in conversation from his movie-screen undersea environment. The interactive show is a breakthrough experience in real-time animation using digital projection and sophisticated, voice-activated animation.
  • It’s Tough to be a Bug — Inside the massive trunk of Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s Tree of Life, and at the heart of Disney’s California Adventure’s “a bug’s land,” is “It’s Tough to be a Bug,” a humorous 3-D film and special effects show starring Earth’s least-known wild creatures — and a few familiar faces from “A Bug’s Life.” Guests will recognize friendly Flik and the villainous Hopper, but the rest of the show promises some “stingingly” surprising antics.
  • Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (WDW) / Buzz Lightyear Astroblasters (DLR) — Armed with infrared lasers, guests join forces with Buzz Lightyear to defend Earth’s supply of batteries from the evil Emperor Zurg in a spinning, brought-to-life spin-off of the movie “Toy Story.” The shoot-’em-up fun at both Magic Kingdom and Disneyland Park triggers sight and sound gags, while a lighted display inside toy-spaceship vehicles allows guests to keep score.

    • For more information about Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort visit disneyworld.com and www.disneyland.com.

    WASH. RESIDENT FIRST IN THE NATION TO REDEEM HIS FREE DISNEY PAR

    WDWNT on April 9, 2008

    (JANUARY 1, 2009): Using an oversized park ticket created for the occasion, Seattle, Wash. resident Andrew DaCosta enters the Magic Kingdom in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. on Jan. 1, 2009. DaCosta was honored this morning as the first person in the nation to receive free admission to a Disney theme park on his birthday as part of Disney’s “What Will You Celebrate?” campaign. DaCosta, who is celebrating his 49th birthday today, redeemed his “Free On Your Birthday” registration at the Magic Kingdom Guest Relations window at 7:31 a.m. Jan. 1 is the first day of the “What Will You Celebrate?” campaign at both Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California. In addition to offering everyone who visits a Walt Disney World or Disneyland theme park on their birthday in 2009 free admission, the “What Will You Celebrate?” campaign features new theme park entertainment, added celebration experiences and new ways for guests to customize their own “celebration vacation” at both vacation resorts. (Preston Mack, photographer)

    Big Fish Declares War on the Mouse, and That Other Place

    WDWNT on April 4, 2008

    Scott Powers | Orlando Sentinel Staff Writer

    Seaworld Orlando is preparing to build a roller coaster billed as the theme park’s most ambitious and expensive attraction yet. It will be part thrill ride and part animal attraction, a theme that visitors will experience from the time they take their place in line until the time they leave the post-ride area, said Joseph Couceiro, vice president of sales and marketing for SeaWorld’s parent company, Busch Entertainment Corp.

    “It’s going to have animal components, marine-life components. It will have a very unique, state-of-the-art ride, a roller coaster if you will, that will provide a sensation of gliding,” Couceiro said. “The combination of the animals and the ride is what makes it special.”

    Couceiro and other company executives unveiled the project Wednesday evening to a gathering of travel-industry and community VIPs at SeaWorld for the kickoff gala of two other new attractions: Aquatica in Orlando and Jungala in Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. The coaster signals a new boom time for development at the region’s theme parks, combined with the Aquatica water park, which celebrates its grand opening Friday; the multiple-attraction Jungala area in Busch Gardens, which has its grand opening in Tampa today; several attractions about to open or under way at Universal Orlando; and a new simulator ride at Walt Disney World. The tourism industry may be generally concerned about the soft economy right now, yet the theme parks are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on projects.

    “Not that I’m at liberty to discuss dollars, but this is the largest single investment we’ve made at any one attraction at any SeaWorld park,” Couceiro said. “It’s us investing in a destination that we feel very confident about. . . . We want to make sure that we remain as a must-do experience when visitors come to Orlando.”

    The SeaWorld coaster should have an effect on the marine-life park similar to that envisioned for another big-dollar attraction announced two weeks ago by rival Universal Studios, which is building its Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit roller coaster. Both are designed to become bold new focal points for their respective parks’ entrances. And each is to become its park’s new anchor attraction. Couceiro said the new SeaWorld ride would be visually “both appealing and compelling.” Few other details were disclosed Wednesday night — not even a name. No cost estimate was announced. The coaster is set to open in 2009.

    “What it’s going to be is the next-generation SeaWorld attraction,” Couceiro said. “What we do well is connect the world with the sea, presenting marine life in totally different perspectives. Also, what we do well is put the guest in the midst of that. This is the next generation of that.”

    He and other officials were reluctant to call the ride a roller coaster, though they said it would have roller-coaster components. They said the attraction would combine entertainment with marine-life education. SeaWorld began clearing land for construction this winter. The ride will go into the area formerly occupied by a flamingo-habitat exhibit, a backyard-habitat exhibit, other small exhibits and a gift shop.

    The Aquatica water park, which opened March 1, features a water slide called Dolphin Plunge that passes through a pool with live dolphins by using clear tubes. That 59-acre park also includes other slides, rides and beaches. Jungala combines Busch Gardens’ animals, including tigers, with new rides and dining experiences.

    In addition to announcing its centerpiece roller coaster, Universal Orlando recently opened an attraction called Disaster! and will open The Simpsons Ride (with a reported $30 million price tag) in coming weeks. Universal also is building a new attractions area called “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter,” with a reported price tag of at least $230 million. Disney World plans to open its $80 million Toy Story Mania! ride in Disney’s Hollywood Studios in coming weeks.

    SeaWorld officials also announced Wednesday that they will offer more nighttime features this summer to encourage visitors to spend the day at Aquatica and the evening at SeaWorld. “SeaWorld AfterDark” is billed as a giant nightly rock-‘n’-roll party, with music throughout the park, a summertime “Shamu Rocks” show, a new water-ski show and other activities. The water-ski show — the first offered at SeaWorld in two years — will feature giant kites, live music and a beach concert.