Surprising Vinylmation Discovery at Disneyland Paris

WDWNT on June 14, 2011

As promised on Facebook yesterday, here are some surprising finds from across the pond. My Destination Disney co-host had not clue the significance of these pictures he sent back to me from his trip last weekend to Disneyland Paris.

As you can see, several 9″ Park 6 figures are for sale in the DLP gift shops before we even have a release date in the states!

Adam found Alien Encounter, Matterhorn, Davy Crockett and Animal Kingdom Crate. They also seem well stocked on all Vinylmation series.

Star Wars is still abundant at DLP. You can find cases on every display. They also have the standards like Have a Laugh, Cutesters Too and Animation.

DLP shops also seem to have a healthy stock of all 8 Nerds Rock! Here is a look at some of the display areas and trading boxes there.

Star Wars Artist Mike Sullivan at Disneyland Today

WDWNT on June 4, 2011

Star Wars Vinylmation was re-released at Disneyland today and series artist Mike Sullivan was on hand to sign figures for guests. One of our readers David sent us some pictures and a recap from the event.

The queue started right at park opening. There was an initial line to buy the Vinylmation.
There were enough cases to go around.
Once our purchase was complete, we were sent into a second line for the signing with Mike Sullivan.
Autographed Vinylmation
Haunted Mansion? Nope, just some Obi Wan Ghost super chasers.

 I saw quite a few ghost Obi Wans being opened. Very jealous. Overall a fun experience for me especially since this was my very first case purchase. – David

Thanks for the pics and recap David. Did anyone else stop by to buy some Star Wars and meet Mike Sullivan? Tell us all about it. Also, what’s more fun, Vinylmation Collecting or the new Star Tours ride?

Star Wars restocked and ready to be signed

WDWNT on May 25, 2011

Disney announced today, that they have restocked the Star Wars Series in the stores in Hollywood Studios.

They also announced a signing event with the artist, Mike Sullivan, for May 27 and May 28 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Jabba’s Hut. Be sure to drop by then to get your things signed, as well as talk to Mike.

For everyone in California, remember that he’s coming to your coast on June 4th.

This Day in Disney History: Frank Oz is Born

WDWNT on May 25, 2011

Frank Oz was born on May 25, 1944. He is a legendary puppeteer who worked with Jim Henson on many beloved Muppets characters. He created and performed the characters Miss Piggy and Fozzie the Bear. Both can be found in the Muppets 1 Vinylmation series. He also created and performed Animal and Sam the Eagle. Collectors eagerly look forward to the 9″ Vinylmation versions of these Muppets. 
Frank Oz with Miss Piggy
The Muppets and Disney have had a solid partnership since 1989, when Disney announced they would purchase the Muppets characters from Jim Henson. One of the first Disney Theme Park attractions featuring the Muppets was the Here Come the Muppets stage show at MGM. It was eventually replaced by the Little Mermaid stage show. Muppet Vision 3D is a current attraction at a Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Muppet Vision 3D at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Frank Oz is also well known for performing the voice and puppet for Yoda in Star Wars. Frank has also lent his voice to Yoda in the recently opened Star Tours: The Adventures Continue attraction at the Disney Theme Parks. A Yoda Vinylmation can of course be found in the Star Wars set.
Frank Oz on the set with Yoda
Check out Frank Oz’s IMDB page here.

This is not the price you were looking for….

WDWNT on May 20, 2011

Update: 5/20/11 @VinylKonrad snapped this pic for us. It seems that there might have been two different prices for the pieces in two different stores. But at least one of theme was selling it for $11.95, so make sure you get them at that price. Saves you $24 bucks!


Update: 5/21/11 At the trade show we ran into Claudia and she said that they had gone back and checked, and that it seems the store closest to the Star Tours ride was selling them at a different price than the Jabba store that was at the other end of the studios. Many other people also confirmed the lower $11.95 price. Interesting…. Can anyone else chime in?

Update: According to grumpychef25 he bought a boxes for $11.95. We will look into this more.


According to reader Claudia, they are selling the Star Wars vinylmation at $12.95 a box, instead of the $11.95 they were sold at back when they first were released in January.

Can anyone else confirm this?

What do you think? I know several of us were very surprised and happy to see the price at $11.95 the day of the release. I wonder why they changed it…

The Return of the Jedi??

WDWNT on May 19, 2011

Update: 5/18/11 A picture on the Vinylmation.com blog today reveals Star Wars cases in Jabba’s Hut in Hollywood Studios. Then they reminded us that Star Wars Weekends will be coming in two days. This is probably as close to confirmation that SWW will be the re-release for the Star Wars set in WDW. From the rumors we have heard, expect the Star Wars set to only be available in Hollywood Studios (for Florida).

Update: 4/26/11 We noticed that the Art of Disney blog had the following announcement up. June 4th, 2011 Star Wars will be re-released at the Little Green Men Store Command in Tomorrowland, Disneyland. Also that night will be a signing with Mike Sullivan from 9am-11am. So now all we wait for is the official dates for WDW.
3/18/11-


If you notice in this picture, they say that Star Wars is returning soon. There have been rumors floating around that they might be waiting to re-release the Star Wars series. Those rumors seem to be true as a cast member at D-Street said they were waiting for Star Wars Weekends. So be sure to look for them on May 20th, or there abouts. As always we will be keeping up with this story.

Disney Announces Line-Up for Star Wars Weekends 2011

WDWNT on April 30, 2011

From the Disney Parks Blog:

Star Wars Weekends 2011 will be a Tour de “Force” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, celebrating the grand opening of the new Star Tours attraction as the Walt Disney World Resort theme park welcomes Jedi, Sith, Ewoks, Wookiees, galactic bounty hunters and stormtroopers for the park’s annual celebration of all-things-Star Wars.

The fun takes place every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from May 20-June 12, 2011.

Once again, Jedi Mickey and Princess Leia Minnie will be joined by some of the brightest stars from the saga. Celebrity Hosts for the event this year are James Arnold Taylor (voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: The Clone Wars) and Ashley Eckstein (voice of Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars: The Clone Wars). Ashley (seen in the photo above with R2-MK and Jedi Mickey) will host “Clone Wars: Behind the Force,” a closer look inside the popular animated TV series. James will present another event-first: he will star in a one-man show that showcases some of the many voices he has performed throughout his career, including those from The Clone Wars.

Opening weekend will kick off the month-long event in grand fashion, as fan favorite Anthony Daniels (seen in the photo above at a filming session for the new “Star Tours – The Adventures Continue” attraction), who brought C-3PO to life and is the only actor to appear in every theatrical chapter of the Star Wars saga, will make a golden return to the event. Dave Filoni, the talented artist and supervising director of The Clone Wars, also will be a special celebrity guest for Weekend I.

Star Wars Weekends II, III and IV will feature celebrities from the live-action feature films and voice artists fromThe Clone Wars. Here’s the complete event celebrity lineup (*talent subject to change) scheduled to appear:

Scheduled Celebrity Appearances

MAY 20-22

  • Anthony Daniels (C-3PO)
  • The Clone Wars Special Guest: Dave Filoni (Supervising Director)

MAY 27-29

  • Anthony Daniels (C-3PO)
  • Bruce Spence (Tion Medon)
  • The Clone Wars Voice Talent Guest: Dee Bradley Baker (Captain Rex)

JUNE 3-5

  • Ray Park (Darth Maul)
  • Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett)
  • The Clone Wars Voice Talent Guest: Matt Lanter (Anakin)

JUNE 10-12

  • Ray Park (Darth Maul)
  • Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca)
  • The Clone Wars Voice Talent Guest: Tom Kane (Yoda)

And while the stars will shine, a galaxy-full of events, live shows, parades and activities also take place throughout the park during the month.

An event highlight for many is meeting the Star Wars characters, and this year is no exception. More than 60 Star Wars characters will be roaming the theme park, posing for pictures and signing autographs.

From the special “welcome” Guests receive at the turnstile areas from the stormtroopers and Star Wars trivia contests to Jedi Training Academy and the spectacular Hyperspace Hoopla, Star Wars Weekends 2011 will have more fun than you can shake a gaffi stick at. And of course, throughout the event Star Wars Weekends Guests will have the chance to take a ride aboard “Star Tours – The Adventures Continue” when the attraction launches in 3-D on May 20.

On a side note, WDWNT is in the early planning stages of a fan meet for those interested in becoming one of the very first passengers on Star Tours: The Adventures Continue! For more information on our “First Flight, All-Night” fan meet, you can visit our pages on Facebook and Plancast.

Star Wars Signing with Mike Sullivan 6/4/11

WDWNT on April 26, 2011

As we found on the Art of Disney blog, Mike Sullivan will be signing his Star Wars set on June 4th, 2011. This signing will be at the Little Green Men Store Command in Tomorrowland, Disneyland. This will also mark the re-release of the Star Wars set in California.
Mike Sullivan is a great guy, and we had a lot of fun talking to him the night of the original Star Wars release in Florida. We even got him to sign our boxes!
Please note: “Limit TWO (2) cases per Guest. Limit TWO (2) items signed per Guest. We ask that you bring no personal items to be signed. Event and information are subject to cancellation or change without notice including but not limited to dates, times, artwork, release dates, and retail prices. Merchandise for signing must be purchased on the event day at the event location. Valid Disneyland® Resort receipt may be required. Paid admission is required to enter Disney theme parks.”

This looks like it means that you will have to have the receipts and have purchased the Star Wars set that day, instead of bringing a set in from the past.