The Spotlight Turns...

Goodbye Carousel of No Progress...

 Now that DCA has finally been rebranded as a Disney Park, questions remain...

 It won't be answered anytime soon, and it won't be announced for quite sometime, but the focus will now turn to the other park across the Esplanade.  That's right, Disneyland.

We won't hear anything about it this year.  The main focus will be on making sure the rest of the year will build upon and add to the success of Disney California Adventure.  But once the new year begins, Team Disney Burbank/Anaheim and WDI's Imagineers will be hard at work focusing on the plans to expand, update, and in some cases redesign part of the original magic kingdom.  Now, it won't be announced next year (at least in the early part of it if at all).  More likely, it will be teased, but held off till later for a more dramatic announcement.

While plans are still evolving, you can expect the majority of it will focus on the planned restructuring of Tomorrowland.  There are plans in the works for an expansion of Frontierland if enough funding is available. No final budget has been given yet since Glendale is in the blue sky phase of the development, but we can expect some interesting surprises planned for the future of the Mouse's land that celebrates the future.  Not everything will make it, but it's fun to dream because dreams don't cost much, if anything.

 But if you could only be in the model room in Glendale come January...

Looking In The Mirror...

Mirror, mirror on the Esplanade...







It's been a very bizarre week at the Disneyland Resort...

Not only has DCA been doing better than expected, it's been doing better than Disneyland. Take Sunday for instance. The projected attendance for the day for California Adventure was a mind blowing 58,000 guests. All this while Disneyland was supposed to get a more moderately high 30's figure. It's like a reverse image of a month ago. And just getting 30,000 would have been a very busy day for DCA. Not anymore. Mid to high 40's are the norm and lately it's teetering on the 50,000+ level.

It's amazing the success you can achieve when you do something right.

The bean counters that smacked Disney's name on the mess that was DCA in 2001 couldn't grasp this simple concept that the company's founder put forth as a business model. They were the antithesis of what the man, and his company was. The majority of the new management in Burbank realize this now. Not all, but most, and that's as good as can be expected. After all, 12% of the nation believes Elvis is still alive. You can't get everyone on the right issue, but as long as you can get the majority of them with you, then you're doing alright.

Now, I don't want you to think that I believe DCA is perfect. It's not. It still needs work, and it will still get work. But it will be incremental, not dramatic like what has come before. It will have some interesting improvements, but that is/will be a talk for another day. In another post. For the next couple years, lets all walk down Buena Vista Street and enjoy what the company does best when it does its best. Let's take a stroll through the Pacific Wharf area and head beneath that arch for a breathtaking view of how you can be consumed by an idea. It's the best representation of entering the world embodied in a film. It's mesmerizing. Even if you're not a fan of the film, "Cars", Cars Land is a sight to behold.

And the new found success of DCA is good for everyone...

Comic Appeal...

The World of Tomorrow, today...







With all the media attention today surrounding DCA, one obvious question was asked...

What about Marvel?

Tom Staggs was giving a press interview at the Golden State Winery, he was pressed about the matter and was honest without being too revealing.

"We were hard at work on attractions using Marvel characters previously, and that work has only intensified given (the film's) great success,"

Yes, there are plans to work the characters into every park in some way or form, but the thing I like is he emphasised about it being in a proper way. So you won't have to worry about Sleeping Beauty and Thor walking out for a photo op. Or don't plan on seeing the Hulk and Belle walk through the castle opening to greet guest, while the Other Guy says: "Hulk Happiest When Smash!"

But you might see something along the lines of the Fantastic Four in Tomorrowland, or maybe Iron Man and the Avengers in a Stark Expo there... theoretically, of course. But time and place will still mean something. While Bob Iger has spent more on parks in the last few years than his predecessor, spending will tapper off a bit as Burbank settles in to see how guests react to the Extreme Makeover. Disney California Adventure will enjoy its new place in the Resort, while next year the Big Sister starts to get some much needed attention. And I don't believe you'll see many Marvel characters at the Second Gate, but in a couple years some interesting events/shows/attractions mights start to show up in other areas of the park here in Anaheim and the world.

Orlando and Yunibāsaru Sutajio will just have to wait and watch, for the meantime...

Thinning The Herd...

Money, money, money...





In case you missed it, the price to get into Carsland go a whole lot higher...

Daily Tickets:

One Day/One park... $87
One day/Two park... $125


Annual Passports:

Premium... $649
Deluxe... $469
Southern California*... $329
Southern California Select*... $269

Southern California Residents Only

On Sunday the Suits put out their new prices to get into the park/annual passport and it was much more than most were expecting. And it could be described as the Mouse being greedy, it's also correct to say that it's a way to control the ever growing AP's that are coming to the parks monthly/weekly/daily.

While I too cringe at the thought of paying $600+ for a premium pass, the over a million annual pass holders and their spending habits have gotten Team Disney Anaheim in a position where they felt to control the coming onslaught of crowds, a line was going to have to be drawn.

With AP's walking around the parks spending far less and coming far more than tourist/foreigners it was determined that a much larger (30%) fee was going to have to be charged. Now, some have felt that this will cause less people to come and this is true. But it is also the Disneyland Resort's intention. Why would they want less people to come, you say?

Well, the crowds that will be coming over the next few months are expected to be large and the worry inside the halls in of the Suits is that controlling them and the AP's was going to be too difficult a headache. So, the decision was made to make those paying for a pass, to pay a slightly larger premium than they've paid before. Not all will renew their passes. Some will get a lower passport like the SoCal or SoCal Select (which is what the Suits wanted) or even the Deluxe. But with the resort finally being a Disney Resort, and the park finally being a Disney Park it was time to stop giving away what they felt was a package that was worth more than the price.

Now, a decade ago it could be easily argued that the price of going into DCA or a park hopper wasn't worth it. That is a much more debatable argument today. It's certainly worth more to go there, but it has yet to be determined if it's worth the price that Disney is charging. We won't really find out on June 15th either. It's more likely the success of this Extreme Expansion will not be known for a year, or at the very least till the end of the holidays.

But the confidence it shows in the new branding/offerings is the mark of a new day for the Resort...

Small Favors...

Sorry for the lull in post, guys...

I've had a very busy week followed by an even busier weekend. I've been attending, with the help of a couple friends, the Destination D events and figured I'd bring you a couple of interesting nuggets. The first one was when asked about what was his favorite attraction never built, Tony Baxter mentioned that his favorite was DisneySea in Long Beach (the Port Disney Resort he was referring to). And the designs and plan for that is what allowed Tokyo DisneySEA to be built. That's music to my ears, hearing someone I greatly admire mention that. He GETS it. Let's hope the Disney Suits let him pursue some other dreams he has. I know he had been working on Plus +ing several attractions around the park, but he's got a few grand designs I'd love to see get greenlit. And if all goes well, we should start to hear about some of those as DCA's Phase One gets closer to the end. Cross your fingers. Too bad the Suits wouldn't let him talk about any of this.

But the other thing I wanted to mention, which is rather interesting is how much we owe to Breck Eisner. You know him, right? He's Michael's son. When Eisner first became head of the Mouse he put a halt to all development so he could see what they were working on and decide what would continue and what would be halted. Being as he wanted to see how these projects would be perceived by kids, he brought along his fourteen year old son, Breck to look at the projects. He wanted to see what ideas/concepts lit a fire under his son. Three things in particular made the young lad's eyes light up. Out of all the projects, Star Tours, Splash Mountain and Captain EO were what he liked. All three were then greenlight and the rest is history. We owe that young fella more than you can comprehend, so I guess I'll just have to forgive him for "Sahara."

So with that I only have one question. Where was young Breck when Disney's California Adventure was being thought up? Couldn't Eisner have brought his now early twenties son in and showed him the carnival model? He could of said: "Dad! What were you thinking!?" Saved a lot of time and money. Sadly he was around twenty-four or so and likely finishing up college. Dang higher education! Look at what you have wrought! Ok, ok. Enough of that, but imagine how things could have been different if the young man had just happened to have had bad taste?

You know, like his father...

Where To Vacation In 2011...

No Jar Jar, no Jar Jar...


I received this travel video from the Star Tours Travel Company...

Enjoy it for your perusal and start booking today.

The future really isn't a long, long time ago...

Buy The Numbers...

The 2009 attendance figures for theme parks are out...

And the Mouse leads in all categories. Even if there is a large amount of competition, it really isn't close on most fronts as you'll see in the data. Of course, that said, I don't want the folks at WDI or the Team Disney Building in Burbank getting any swelled heads. Complacency is the graveyard of many a company.

Theme Park Attendance (Worldwide):

1. MAGIC KINGDOM at Walt Disney World (17,233,000)
2. DISNEYLAND (15,900,000)
3. TOKYO DISNEYLAND (13,646,000)
4. DISNEYLAND PARK at Disneyland Paris (12,740,000)
5. TOKYO DISNEY SEA (12,004,000)
6. EPCOT at Walt Disney World (10,990,000)
7. DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS at Walt Disney World (9,700,000)
8. DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM at Walt Disney World (9,590,000)
9. UNIVERSAL STUDIOS JAPAN (8,000,000)
10. EVERLAND (6,169,000)
11. DISNEY’S CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE (6,095,000)
12. SEAWORLD FLORIDA (5,800,000)
13 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS at Universal Orlando (5,400,000)
14. OCEAN PARK (4,800,000)
15. NAGASHIMA SPA LAND (4,700,000)
16. HONG KONG DISNEYLAND (4,600,000)
17. YOKOHAMA HAKKEIJIMA SPA PARADISE (4,500,000)
18. ISLANDS OF ADVENTURE at Universal Orlando (4,500,000)
19. UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD (4,308,000)
20. LOTTE WORLD (4,261,000)
21. EUROPA PARK (4,250,000)
22. SEAWORLD CALIFORNIA (4,200,000)
23. BUSCH GARDENS TAMPA BAY (4,100,000)
24. DE EFTELING (4,000,000)
25. TIVOLI GARDENS (3,870,000)


Theme Park Attendance (North America):

MAGIC KINGDOM at Walt Disney World (17,233,000)
DISNEYLAND (15,900,000)
EPCOT at Walt Disney World (10,990,000)
DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS at Walt Disney World (9,700,000)
DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM at Walt Disney World (9,590,000)
DISNEY’S CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE (6,095,000)
SEAWORLD FLORIDA (5,800,000)
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS at Universal Orlando (5,400,000)
ISLANDS OF ADVENTURE at Universal Orlando (4,500,000)
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD (4,308,000)
SEAWORLD CALIFORNIA (4,200,000)
BUSCH GARDENS TAMPA BAY (4,100,000)
KNOTT'S BERRY FARM (3,333,000)
CANADA'S WONDERLAND (3,160,000)
KINGS ISLAND (3,000,000)
CEDAR POINT (2,942,000)
BUSCH GARDENS EUROPE (2,900,000)
HERSHEY PARK (2,807,000)
SIX FLAGS GREAT ADVENTURE (2,634,000)
SIX FLAGS MAGIC MOUNTAIN (2,500,000)
SIX FLAGS GREAT AMERICA (2,500,000)

Hat Tip to the Themed Entertainment Association.

ElecTRONic Chatter...

It's amazing how times change your perception of things...

Take the film "Tron" for example. When it came out it was a huge disappointment to Walt Disney Productions. They expected this to be their new "Star Wars" and when it was released not that many went and saw it. Over time, the storyline has proven to be ahead of its time (not the script, mind you). And as the passage of years goes by it's gathered more and more followers to where it's now a cult hit. Over the past decade there has been talk of finally making a sequel, but most of it was rumors that never made it anywhere other that the whispers of fan boys in pop culture's hallway.

Then there was that concept trailer that Walt Disney Pictures snuck in as a surprise for Comic-Con attendees a couple years ago. The crowds reaction was the final element needed to get the Suits to pull the trigger on the sequel. Soon with the release of "Alice" an actual 3D teaser for the film can be seen for the first time. This is the one many people got to check out last week when they followed that viral campaign to several locations across the country. And come late summer you can expect an actual trailer with more of the journey into the world of Tron. It's evolved a lot in a generation and this holiday season we're finally going to get to see it. We're a long way from the disappointment of 1982.

It's taken twenty-eight years to change this. 2010 will be a huge year for the sequel to Tron. Huge. And should the box office returns provide what Disney Suits with smiling faces then you can expect a whole lot more over the coming years. On the theatrical front, this could be the beginning of a new trilogy. And I'm not talking about including the original Tron. If all goes according to plan you could see this as the first in a trilogy of films that start with the word "Tron" and end somewhere else... Legacy is only the beginning. There are preliminary plans to milk this into a franchise of "Pirate" proportions. And the buzz from it so far is very good.

And that's not the only Tron project they're planning on having for us in the possible future. The plans have been put into motion for a computer animated television series that could conceivably be up by late 2011/early 2012. This would be something of a placeholder to keep the fans interest still peaked in between this first film and the next one. No word yet on where it will wind up being broadcast. It's not known if it'll be staged for the Mouse's fledgling boy channel Disney XD or the more mainstream ABC network, but as of now the concept has been greenlit for a pilot. We'll see how this project evolves down the development line as the film's release gets closer.

Then there is the merchandise that you're going to see flood the parks come this October/November. Expect Tomorrowland to be filled with all things Tron. And some of the areas are being talked about getting "thematic" makeovers. If you're into Retro-Eighties with the Captain Eo attraction back for a limited run, then prepare for more, albeit fictional nostalgia. Should it get approved, you might get to see the arcade next to Space Mountain turned into a variation of "Flynn's Arcade." We'll cross our fingers and see if the Suits make the call on this one.

Naturally, there's the talk of a Tron attraction at Disneyland and various other theme parks. WDI is working on concepts for a Tron experience, but don't expect a fully immersive Tron Legacy attraction by the time the film opens. Any attraction wouldn't be seen in Tommowland until 2012 at the earliest... but that doesn't mean there won't be surprises between now and then.

I've been told that nothing has been signed off on for an E-Ticket, but Imagineers are working to create an impressive addition to the already talked about elaborate expansion of Disneyland for the sixtieth anniversary. While my Bothans were spare with the details since they are in the embryonic phase, they none-the-less said that the concepts are pure, Disney spectacle and absolute techno-geek magic. There are many things that are being planned in this blue sky phase, but remember that it's early. Just like the Tron universe, these designs/plans are likely to evolve.

Box office results will factor into this so remember that mileage may vary depending on what the final tally is. Either way, the word for Disney's future is out there.

And it's spelled T-R-O-N...

A Jewel, A Gem No Longer...

The one-of-a-kind "Jewel of Orleans" is a gem no longer. The River front store in Disneyland's New Orleans Square that sells rare estate and other unique jewelry will be closing due to "tough economic" times on, oddly enough, April 15th. The store was privately run, which I didn't know, and they have decided to close up shop and focus on their other locations:

“Our Dear friends,

We want to extend our thanks for all you both have done to help us over the years. It is with deep sadness that we must tell you that we are closing our Disneyland location. We plan to close The "Jewel Of Orleans" on April 15th. Due to this tough economic time we have no choice but to focus on our two Northern California stores. We will continue to offer sales and special deals on our company website. We also encourage you to check us out on facebook. And please keep in mind that our Home store in San Francisco is not far from the new "Disney" museum!”

After the "Jewel of Orleans" closes Disneyland will have one remaining store like this that is not the gimmicky merchandise local that seems to choke the atmosphere right out of each land - and that is the Coat-of-Arms in Fantasyland. Selling plaques and shirts with family crests and sabers and swords and such. And I'd bet the Coat-of-Arms days are numbered too!

It's very sad to see these shops go. I think part of the charm of Walt's early Disneyland was that there were shops that evoked the spirit of each land like the flower or candle shop on Main St., or the old one-of-a-kind antique shop in New Orleans Square among others.

Given the times, reinforcing this kind of shopping that is half entertainment and nostalgia could go a long way. I'd love to see things like a baseball card shop on Main St. 0r an old time hat shop in Adventureland? Walt built the berm around Disneyland to keep the rest of the world out. Now there's Quicksilver and Roxy all over Adventureland, with the same stuff at any mall in America. - and you can buy any merchandise from the parks online anyway. Why not preserve some of the Gems that make Disneyland a diamond in the rough?

Bank Roll Call...

Will that be big or small bills?



Today, the Disney Gallery opens back up...

Although it's not in its old home, the destination for those looking for classic Disney artwork and artifacts is now open. Located in the former bank on Main Street, guest will find plenty of the past to reminisce over.

I think it's kind of the perfect place to relocate this collection. After all, where else could you put valuable treasure than in a bank? And in a vault no less?

Just don't get locked in there...

Tale Ends...

And so ends the Walt Disney Company's first D23 Expo...

It was a rather nice start to what will hopefully become a yearly tradition. It wasn't Comic-Con numbers, but that shouldn't be a desire anyway. This is the first year and it wouldn't be fair to compare it to the first year of Nerdvana. But it had quite a few people and quite long lines for many events. One of the biggest differences between this and San Diego is you actually had room to breath and the ability to move around without stepping on someones toes.

I wish I could have attended all four days, particularly Friday with all the Walt Disney Pictures announcements, but Saturday was my first day there. I arrived almost an hour before Jay's speech and the lines were already very long. By the time I got in, the room was probably 80% full already. There were many people who showed up and waited in line only to be told the arena was full.

When Jay Rasulo took the stage yesterday to a loud ovation, the crowd was anxious to here some surprising news and the Chairman (as Darth Vader called him) delivered. Jay seemed to be in a rush and many of his remarks appeared to be delivered as if he was in a hurry to get through them. Perhaps this explains why the Star Tours announcement came so quickly and felt rushed. It was almost an afterthought as he made his spiel with Vader, showed the clip and then essentially said: "Goodnight."

But there were a few nice expected/unexpected surprises. First off, he announced the expansion of the Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland that we broke here over a year ago. The Star Tours news was brief, but had a nice humorous back and forth between an evil Sith Lord and Darth Vader... wait, I mean Chairman Jay Rasulo and Darth Vader. They showed one tour where you were participating in Pod Racing. Jay conveniently left out the details of the attraction which are actually still being finalized. As I mentioned in an earlier post, perhaps they're waiting for next year's D23 Expo to shine the light on more details. But the entire interior and design of the queue area is supposed to receive an overhaul that will give the ride a much snazzier new feel. Another thing the Chairman didn't mention was that there will be a few familiar Star Wars characters in ST II never seen in the old version. One of them, I believe is an 800 year old, wrinkly guy from Dagobah. This, along with multiple adventures will actually make Star Tour(s) finally become Star Tours.

Anyone that got to take a peek inside the Parks and Resorts Pavilion (check out Disney and More for great pictures of it) got a peek into the many models of WDI that wouldn't fit into DCA's Blue Sky Cellar. The area holding all the Carsland models actually wouldn't fit into the building, truthfully. Those that saw the three different scaled models of the park's new land will understand why this attraction is costing as much as two-thirds of the price of the entire theme park.

There were two parts of the keynote that didn't actually make it in the presentation. One was Paris and the other was Tokyo. For reasons not discussed here, those parts were left to be explained at a later date. And then, there were all the Walt Disney Pictures announcements, but we'll talk a bit about that in our second part.

There will also be a couple small articles I'm going to try and post this week about individual Imagineering projects on display as well...

Star Tours: Episode Two...

What you've all been wondering about for a couple years has now become official...

Now, I was privy to some of this, but not all of this a couple weeks ago. I knew that there was going to be a Star Wars/Star Tours announcement and all. I didn't know all the details and my Bothans asked me to not say anything since being employed has an added importance in this economy right now. It doesn't mean I didn't give you guys a hint. There was a reason why I put that picture up of a Stormtrooper/Clonetrooper when talking about the D23 Expo. I expect you guys to be smart and tag along, no room for stragglers here. I was hoping some of you would take the hint as to why is there such a Star Wars presence on the day Imagineering takes the spotlight. Then I posted the "Saturday Matinee" article which should have clearly got your attention. I just couldn't come right out and tell you anything at that time. Now, I can...

Jay Rasulo gave his big speech today and talked about a lot of expansion news. Strangely, there were advertisements of news about Paris and Tokyo that weren't mentioned in the keynote. But Jay did mention that Star Tours is getting a makeover. Sort of a "Pimp my Landspeeder" kind of thing, actually. The attraction will close in October 2010 to reopen in the later part of 2011. More details were expected than what the Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts mentioned, but I take it they're wanting to save some of those details for later. Perhaps a D23 Expo in 2010?

I'll be back at the end of the weekend with a recap of the other news from Saturday and Sunday, but I've got to get some sleep so I can get up early for a keynote tomorrow...

Ghost Mountain...

Boo!

Boo!
Here's the poster for Space Mountain's Halloween makeover as "Ghost Galaxy." It's going to be based on the one in Hong Kong Disneyland, but toned down a bit. Those Chinese like their Halloween closer to "Knotts Scary Farm" that "Mickey's Halloween Time."

Boo...

Maleficent Revealed...

The Disneyland Resort has released photos and a video of the new audio-animatronic Maleficent Dragon...



I have only one thing to say about it: "Frickin' Awesome!"

Hat Tip to the Orange County Register's Blog.

Saturday Matinee...

I can't wait to see the D23 Expo in a couple weeks...

First though, since this is a Saturday Matinee, how about a preview? That's a nice little marketing campaign the Mouse has started just a few days ago. Expect more as we get closer to the events.

Like I said; I'm really looking forward to this show. If anything, it'll be a nice consolation prize for missing out on Comic-Con this year. I'll be at the Expo Saturday and Sunday. Although I'd like to be there on Thursday and Friday (especially Friday), I've made other plans and won't be able to make it. Possibly Friday evening, but I would want to see Dick Cook's keynote and a few other things.

But I will be there the last two days. Any Disney fan will love it, I believe, especially Saturday. Particularly Disneyland fans. Specifically Star Tour(s) fans. And who knows, maybe even a few Star Wars fans, perhaps? What's that? I have know idea what you're talking about. You didn't hear what you thought you heard. These aren't the droids you're looking for. They're for sale if you'd like to buy them? Hehe...

Plus, Sunday I get to see Lasseter's keynote and his talk about the direction of Walt Disney Animation Studios, a few things I can't mention and then a fun filled evening with friends over at Disneyland.

It'll be fun to see how this D23 Expo develops as time goes by...

Innocence Lost, 1956...

Sometimes your life can hold treasures untold...

Take for example, Jeff Altman, who found a 16 mm film that his Grandfather took of Disneyland when it was a wee, one year old. Great stuff, and in color too.

Hat Tip to The Disney Blog.

Disney's Muppet Adventure...

If you're in the Anaheim park today, you may see some familiar characters/friends...

Forty Years Of Fear For Foolish Mortals...

Foolish Mortals...



Forty years ago today Walt Disney's last remaining creation opened up...

The Haunted Mansion opened in 1969 almost six after it was announce, but it's popularity today is still a testament to Disney and his vision. When you think of a Disney park, it's almost incomprehensible to think of one without Pirates or the Haunted Mansion. These two last creations show you the power of a well crafted story/attraction and how it can be a permanent, iconic testament to quality. Something the Disney name is known for world wide (Too bad Eisner forgot this and Pressler never learned it).

Happy birthday HM, from all us foolish mortals...

Awaiting Tiana...

Three months from today, "Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee!" premieres at the Happiest Place On Earth...

Time flies when you're waiting for life to begin. I have a feeling with this show during the holidays and the actual film itself, we're going to get to an extravaganza like we haven't seen in a long, long time. If you plan on going during the Christmas season, it's going to be quite an experience.

Bring on Disney's Third Golden Age...

Time Lapse...

Sometimes the passage of times can reveal buried treasure; right before your very eyes...

I know a lot of people talk about how long it takes for an attraction to get built by Disney and everyone else, actually. The difference between Walt Disney building Disneyland for 17 million dollars (1950's value) in a year and the Walt Disney Company building a billion dollar park in two or three years can be pretty clear.

There were fewer building codes and regulations back in 1954, there was much less bureaucratic red tape, environmental codes and the technology of the attractions was much less complicated.

Now, let me direct your attention to some priceless footage of Disneyland being built back in 1954. Much of it is time lapse photography that was set up to capture the construction of this amazing destination. Walt himself planned for this filming to historically document it, but most of what you see has not been seen by human eyes in almost half a century.

Enjoy...

Hat Tip to the Disney Blog.