The latest character in the Living Character Initiative is going to be Wall-E. He should start appearing in Tomorrowland later this year, but a little video from an event in LA has surfaced, & one word sums up this walk-around animatronic… AMAZING!
Wall-E Spotted in LA! from Blink on Vimeo.
Not sure how old this is, but a Build Your Own Lightsaber stand has been added into Star Traders in Tomorrowland. Basically, it’s a Build-A-Bear type building station, but in this case, you get to make your own Lightsaber. Different Star Wars character’s Lightsaber’s are available to mix & match, a really cool concept! Also at the top of the stand, there are a couple of screens showing various Lightsaber involved battles from the 6 Star Wars movies. The price for this great collectible is $20!
Both pictures courtesy of DL_CRAZE of MiceChat
From Screamscape:
Late 2009 or Early 2010 – Star Tours 2 – Rumor – (4/25/08) Screamscape sources tell us that we should finally expect to see Star Tours shut down by late 2008 or early 2009 in order to begin work on the massive overhaul it will receive for the Star Tours 2 concept rebirth. Apparently we shouldn’t expect to see it reopen for close to a year or more since this is said to be a complete overhaul and not just Disney dropping in a new ride-film.
Rumors are beginning to circulate about the “Indy” name dropping from the Tomorrowland Speedway at the Magic Kingdom. While we cannot confirm this at this time, I did want to share a rumor I have been hearing about the location. Sources have been telling me that before Walt Disney World celebrates it’s 40th Anniversary in 2011, the attraction will undergo a huge refurbishment to add electric cars and new scenery. To quote our source:
“The idea behind this refurbishment would be to make our speedway similar to the Autopia attraction at Hong Kong Disneyland, while also including scenery that tells the story of our Tomorrowland.” (ex. Stitch, Wall-E, Buzz Lightyear, and Monsters Inc. character and theming references)
While this still may be a few years away from happening, keep your eyes peeled for details on any coming changes to Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom. Tomorrow looks very promising.Â
My good friend Jason Saldivar of the Disney Hub Blog has posted some information about new Autopia costumes over on MiceChat:
My lead at Autopia told us we could pick up our new costumes on Feb. 25 and have to wear them by the 27th. So be on the lookout for new Autopia costumes FEB 27.
The costumes incorporate the 3 new colors of Tomorrowland (blue, white, and orange). They are very futuristic looking, and don’t look like barf like the current Autopia ones. Best of all, the colors clash MAJORLY with the current (ugly) color scheme of Autopia, which has to mean the attraction will soon get a paint job (hopefully this year). We get new hats as well and they are styled exactly like Nemo’s.
Astro Orbitor will be getting these same costumes, and HISTA will also be getting new costumes along with Monorail (though it’ll be a while for them since their new train is stupid).
So again, come take pictures on the 27th!!
Let’s take a look at some of the various things going on through-out the Disneyland Resort from this week’s Dateline Disneyland on MiceAge:
This sign for Disneyland’s 53rd Anniversary was up just before the tunnels yesterday
Signs were also up at the Main Street Train Station
At 4:45pm, there was a small ceremony with the Mayor of Main Street & the Fab Five (the Dateline Disneyland article, linked at the beginning of the post, has plenty of pictures from this ceremony)
Cast members wore this anniversary button
The It’s a Small World Toy Shop has come out from behind tarps with a fresh coat of paint, but is still closed to guests
The metal portion of the Tomorrowland marque got repainted a lighter tan & dark brown scheme
The back of this globe used to be blue
The Indiana Jones Summer of Hidden Mysteries photo-op now has a sign, just in case people aren’t aware that the boulder is to take photos with
This lovely painting by Manny Hernandez was released yesterday to commemorate Disneyland’s 53rd Anniversary (more info on this painting can be found at DisneyGallery.com)
To cap this Dateline Disneyland update off, Andy (the writer of Dateline Disneyland) managed to get some concept art for the new Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough:
Let’s take a look at a couple of the latest happenings through-out the Disneyland Resort, brought up in this week’s Monday in the Parks article on MiceAge:
Finally, here is a press release released yesterday by Disney on the Half Marathon:
John Lucas of Eugene, Oregon, Wins Third Annual Disneyland Half Marathon, Setting New Record
ANAHEIM, Calif. (Aug. 31, 2008) – Course records were broken in Men’s, Women’s and Master’s divisions in the third annual Disneyland Half Marathon, Sunday at Disneyland Resort.
John Lucas, a marketing specialist for a sports apparel company in Eugene, Oregon, crossed the finish line first with a Disneyland Half Marathon record time of 1:08:05 (exactly two minutes faster than the 2007 winning time), leading the field of an estimated 13,500 participants.
“It’s a very meaningful place for me,” Lucas said of Disneyland. After qualifying for the Olympic trials in the 2006 Los Angeles Marathon, Lucas took his girlfriend Molly to Disneyland and proposed to her in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. The couple also honeymooned at the Resort after their wedding in 2007.
“My favorite moment (in today’s race) was coming back through Disney’s California Adventure and seeing Mrs. Incredible and Sully cheering us on,” Lucas said, referring to Disney•Pixar characters who lined the course.
Lucas said he liked the competitive field and “the flat course really helped me keep a rhythm.”
Placing second overall was Mark Batres, 23, of Rowland Heights, Calif., with a time of 1:09:55. Chokri Dhaouadi, 36, a Tunisian runner who trains in Las Cruces, New Mexico, finished third with a time of 1:12:14.
Mary Akor, 31, of Gardena, Calif, was the women’s half marathon champion. Akor finished with a Disneyland Half Marathon women’s record time of 1:19:24, despite losing her race chip and having to start from the back of the pack. She caught up with the women’s leader at approximately the five mile mark, in the 13.1-mile event.
“I had to make my way through all the other runners,” she said. “But it was a great race with so many people out there cheering us on. That really made it special.”
The women’s second place finisher was Mary Kate Bailey, 33, of San Diego, Calif., with a time of 1:19.33. Suzy Schumacher, 39, of Phoenix, Arix. – last year’s winner of the women’s Disneyland Half Marathon – took third place with a time of 1:25:12.
Kevin Broady, 45, of Brea, Calif., who finished first overall in the 2007 Disneyland Half Marathon, earned a notable Master’s Division (age 40+) victory this year with a division record time of 1:13.26 and a fourth place overall ranking.
Edith Martinez, 40, of Brea, Calif., was the top women’s Master’s finisher with a division record time of 1:28:29.
In the men’s Half Marathon wheelchair division, Ralph Pieplenbos, 55, of Monrovia, Calif., crossed the finish line with a time of 1:19:27.
Last year’s winner of the women’s half marathon wheelchair division, Kristen Messer, 21, of Austin, Texas, repeated this year with a winning time of 1:37:42.
Approximately 13,500 runners from 50 states and 16 countries registered for the magical 13.1 mile Disneyland Half Marathon this year. The field included first-time half marathoners as well as veteran runners. The course traveled through two Disneyland Resort theme parks and along Anaheim streets with landmarks such as Angels Stadium and Honda Center, while colorful Disney characters and festive music inspired them along the way.
Runners who completed the half marathon received a commemorative Sleeping Beauty Castle medal, the signature medal of the Disneyland Half Marathon and one in the Disney endurance series collection.
The Coast-to-Coast medal, a new award, was presented to nearly 1,000 runners who completed either the Walt Disney World Marathon or Walt Disney World Half Marathon in January and then completed Sunday’s Disneyland Half Marathon. The Coast-to-Coast medal showcases the iconic “Partners Statue,” of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse.
The 2009 Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend will be held Sept. 4-6, with the Half Marathon being held on Sunday, Sept. 6. Registration for the 2009 Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend opens on Monday, September 1, 2008.
For more information and to view complete searchable race results visit www.disneylandhalfmarathon.com.
