Bird Watching...

So those rumors of J.J. Abrams leaving "Episode VII" circling about...

Alan Horn put an end to them at D23 Expo 2013 yesterday, unless he's not in the loop with the director.  Which I have to say is unlikely.  So, with JJ moving full steam ahead directing the latest episode, one has to wonder if they are moving ahead planning for who will direct the next one.  It is unlikely that Abrams will direct the rest of the series as it will keep him occupied for the rest of the decade were he to do so.  As much as a fan as he is, I don't expect him to want to be tied exclusively to nothing but Star Wars for that long a time.  I mean, look at what it has done to George.

So the question becomes who will direct Episode VIII?  My response would be the person I wanted to direct Episode VII.

Brad Bird.

Now I know it's early, but Kathleen Kennedy isn't going to want to wait too long before looking ahead to who will helm the franchise after the next film.  Unlike the original trilogy, or even the Prequel's where there were three years between each film, this new one will have a film out every other year.  This will mean that by the time EP7 is in post, they will have to be preparing the next film already.  Not long after the film is released they will be very close to starting production on the next one.  That is how tight the schedule will be.

And many like myself were hoping that Bird would get the nod, but as he has talked about in interviews, the director is too busy with his current project: "Tomorrowland".  That film comes out next year, and he will just so happen to be looking for his next project.  Hello luck, meet opportunity.  I hope that Horn and Kennedy are being proactive and focusing on the great chance they have here.  He's ripe for the picking.  Imagine the continuation of the new trilogy under his command?

It could be "The Empire Strikes Back" of this Postquel...

Parisian Dream...

It's hard to believe it's been two decades since Euro Disneyland opened...

Disneyland Paris, which is what the park became is celebrating it's Twentieth year celebration throughout the year and has many things planned, but one of the most surprising is the water show that takes place in front of Le Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant at night time.

It's called Disney Dreams and it's very much like if you were to see an elaborate World of Color show on the castle.  It's a lovely show, combined with those interactive mouse ears it makes for a magical display.  If you'd like to learn more about it check out this NewsParcs article on the creation of the show.  It's filled with a lot of information about the preparation and detail that go into the development of a show like this.  This is part of the Mouse's celebrating it's growing presence in Europe.  Don't worry, they'll be some more special magic over the next few years.

There are a lot of interesting things happening in the Parisian parks over the next decade...

The Entertainer...

Now appearing at the Golden Horseshoe...






On this day Ninety-two years ago, the mold of entertainment in Disneyland was filled...

Wally Boag (the original Wally B.) was born today. He would go on to perform in Disneyland and create the standard of high excellence that guests have come to expect from Disney Entertainment. He not only would go on to make many a fan of the people seeing his routines, but would inspire many Cast Members (including a young Steve Martin, who idolized him) as well.

The joy that you experience in the parks is a result of the talent and hard work of this creative and kind man...

Creating Magic...

If one is good, ten will be great...



Fourteen years ago today, the Walt Disney Company set sail...

The Disney Cruise Line christened its first cruise ship on this date.

The Disney Magic became the first of two ships that would form the basis for a Disney cruise line. Not much of line, but it was a start. The initial plans were far more ambitious with plans to expand rapidly to ten ships. That's right, ten ships and their home port would have been slit between Florida, just a short distance from Walt Disney World, and California at the soon to be built Port Disney. But it was an overly positive plan. And so, only the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder were built.

Both were an instant hit, but the Mouse has/was extremely conservative when planning expansion. After close to a decade, it was announced that two more ships would be added, the Disney Dream and the Disney Fantasy, essentially doubling the fleet. Not quite up to ten, but almost half. If the bookings continue to be a success then by the end of the decade we may have another ship or two join these sisters. But until then we have four elegant ladies that cut through the water, entertaining us rather successfully.

Now, if we can just get one permanently on the West Coast...

A Full Plate...

Yummy...









Disneyland has released a list of all the entertainment that will be offered at DCA over the summer...

It's quite a collection, between all the good entertainment that was there and the new or returning offerings. This park is a long way from where it was a decade ago. Imagine where it will be a decade from now.

And that's a good thing.

Here's the list:

Starting June 15, 2012 when Disney California Adventure's new hours will be open/close 8:00 am-11:00 pm
Continuing Entertainment/Returning Entertainment/New Entertainment


World of Color - Paradise Bay
9:00pm , 10:15pm

Pixar Play Parade - Performance Corridor
2:00pm, 5:00pm

Phineas and Ferbs Rockin Rollin Dance Party - Performance Corridor
9:30am, 10:30am, 11:30am,12:30pm,2:55pm,3:55pm

DJ's Dance and Drive - Route 66 (Cars Land)
3:30pm, 4:30pm, 5:30pm, 7:00pm, 8:00pm, 9:00pm

Disney's Aladdin a musical Spectacular - Hyperion Theatre
11:55am, 1:35pm, 3:20pm, 4:45pm, 6:20pm

Five and Dime - Carthay Circle
8:30am, 9:30am,10:30am,12:30pm,1:30pm, 3:30pm ,4:30pm, 6:00pm, 7:15pm , 8:15pm

Red Car News Boys - Carthay Circle
10:00am, 11:00am, 12pm, 1:00pm, 3:00pm, 4:00pm

Disney Junior- Live on Stage - Disney Theatre
10:15am, 11:15am, 12:15pm, 1:50pm, 2:50pm, 3:50pm

Minnie Fly Girls Charter Airline - Condor Flats
10:50am, 11:50am, 12:50pm , 2:35pm , 3:35pm, 4:35pm

Instant Concert: Just Add Water - Paradise Bay
11:00am, 12:00pm, 1:00pm, 2:45pm, 3:45pm, 4:45pm

Dancing' With Disney - Stage 17
1:00-5:00pm

Mad T Party - Hollywood Land
7:00pm ,8:00pm, 9:00pm, 10:00pm


It's nice to not see Disney Dance Crew and Disney Channel Rocks on that list...

Hat Tip to Lighttragic for his compiling this list for Disney fans to enjoy.

Inside The Mouse Trap...

Avengers does pretty a pretty face on a mouse...







Bloomberg News had a special series of interviews throughout the other day entitled: "Inside Disney" that you might find interesting...

It's a series of discussions with the various Suits within the Team Disney Building:

Bob Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney Company.

Jay Rasulo, Dark Lord of Evil Souless Non-Creativity, I mean, CFO of the Walt Disney Company.

Anne Sweeney, Co Chair of Disney Media Networks.

Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios.

John Lasseter, head of Pixar, WDAS and Chief Creative Consultant to WDI.

But no appearance by Tom Staggs, head of Walt Disney Theme Parks & Resorts? Hmmm...

If you want to see some of these interviews, we've broken them down for you in to bite size bits:

Disney's Financial Snapshot.

Bob Iger

Disney didn't shift fast enough to mobile.

I knew "Avengers" would be a strong movie.

I don't lose sleep over spending.

I was very worried about John Carter.

Interactive business more focused now.

Disney Cruises bring 'healthy' margins.

ESPN must constantly re-invent.

Jay Rasulo

Disney's Growth Engines.

John Lasseter

How does Pixar keep making movie magic?

Inside Disney's Cars Land.

Anne Sweeney

We have great solid programming.

Kevin Feige

Disney working on five new Marvel movies.

A billion dollars will make anything look better, even when it's already going good...

Holiday Of Color...

Ho Ho Ho Two Oh...









When the holidays roll around this year, DCA may be the place to be...

Regardless of all those walls, the Christmas holiday season may offer a great reason to skip the fireworks over at Disneyland. Unless the plans change between now and October, the World of Color show that you watch in December will be filled with a lot of green and red, with sugar plum dreams to dance in your head.

They've been testing selections and musical pieces over the past couple of months for it, as well as a Halloween show. That show has been postponed till next Halloween when the park will be fully open, sans walls. It's pretty impressive, from what I've been told, but for now it appears that the Christmas/Holiday show will be the only one. Which isn't a bad thing at all.

Imagine the snow...

Seaing Fantasmic...

Sea-nsational debut...



Fantastic Seaside Show...

Well, we've now gotten our first look at the Japanese version of Disney's "Fantasmic!" water show...

And as can be expected, it's a pretty impressive show. It seems to melt much of the original show with projection elements from World of Color. Here it is in two parts: One and Two and alternate versions Here and catch the entire thing in one shot with Joe In Japan's version Here.

It's not an exact duplicate of the original or a cheap copy like Walt Disney World has. It's a beast of a different nature and I like that. If there was one complaint, it would be that at times it feels uneven with the transitions. But this was it's first show and I'm sure there will be fine tuning over the coming months.

Also, some of the rehearsals had dancing metallic birds made of metal that sort of did a ballet duel - not here. It didn't make the cut. Overall, a grand and beautiful show.

Now, on with the rest of the celebration...

End Of A Legacy...

Game on, game on, game on...






Those of you that go to DCA tonight to see World of Color are in for something special...

You see, tonight is supposed to be the last performance(s) of the "Troncore" trailer at the end of the show. While, as of now nothing has been green lit to take it's place, there are a couple of presentations that WDI is mulling over. We should see something to replace it by the time summer is upon us.

But for those of you that see the show tonight, you have seen the last of Legacy...

SEAing Dragons...

Believe In Magic...

So the Mouse has finally released another image of the Tokyo version of "Fantasmic!" that will debut in Tokyo DisneySEA in April...

Over at D23, this weeks commentary by the Disney Geek has a peek at the art (go to the 6:40 mark). This illustration helps to understand Steven Davison's comments about Maleficent having wings made of water. You can also see the Sorcerer's Hat which will be filled with LED lights and will rise from a collapsible float. It's going to be interesting to see how this 360 degree in-the-round version will play and compare next to the original in Disneyland and the deplorably, sad clone down in Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Only a few more months before we find out...

Miscast Member...

What happened? Did Paul Pressler suddenly become in charge of Disney Entertainment...




Someone at Disney Entertainment did not get the memo...

You know the one? About the retheming of the park into period-centric areas. The last time I looked, the Hollywood Backlot, soon to be Hollywoodland, was themed more to a studio with plans to slowly turn the theming more towards the 40's and the Golden Era of movies. Debuting the new blinking eyes/talking mouth technology is an important step in evolving entertainment in the parks. Putting Mickey here to do a dance show is a great idea. Theming him to hip-hop/gangsta culture is a terrible mistake. I can't see how this got past so many people that had to sign off on it. I mean, taking classic songs and hearing the lyrics altered to a variation of: "Drink up my gangstas, yo ho!" Someone actually thought that this was good? You're kidding me, right?

Shows should reflect the place they're in as well. Look at the Mickey and Minnie "Over the Waves" show over in the American Waterfront port of Tokyo DisneySEA. It's perfect for the area and totally blends in with the theme of the port. There was no attempt to "contemporarize" this cultural icon. Mickey isn't supposed to be hip. He is square. He is safe. He is the friend that you know you can count on to be there for you in times of trouble. He is not meant to symbolize whatever cultural fad is of the day (Disco Mickey, anyone?). He's an example of American Exceptionalism and a model for how others could be. He's not a thrill seeker looking for acceptance from a fickle public. For that, please see Donald Duck. But don't just listen to my rantings. Judge it for yourself.

After seeing this you might want to go (or contact) see Guest Relations and let them know your opinion of this move...

InserTRON...

I've gotten a few e-mails asking me about the rumored insertion of "Tron Legacy" into the nightly World of Color show...

So let me set the record straight. No. It's not getting inserted into the night time water show, but it will be there to see. What? How can that be, you say? Well, it will be projected up there for all to see, but it won't be during the show. At least, that's what the Bothans have told me.

You remember how the show ends? When the finale happens and the lights come up there is a WOC logo while the fountains dance a bit, flashing different sorts of colors? As that happens people tend to watch the display as they exit Paradise Park. Well, that ending with the fountains won't be there. Instead the large mist sprays will be used to broadcast bits and pieces of the Tron Legacy trailer as an advertisement for the upcoming film. So essentially it's a product placement.

Quite literally, it's an aquatic trailer...

The Wrath Of Tron...

01010101010...



01010101010...


The Creatives over at Disney Entertainment have given us our first glimpse of what ElecTRONica will look like...

The nighttime show that will take the place of Glowfest on October 8th, will be a Fri-Sun show, with the exception of Thanksgiving week and Christmas week. It'll go on for a full week at those times. I for one can't wait to go into the Hollywood Backlot (soon to be Hollywoodland) to Flynn's Arcade and hit up some Space Paranoids!

Waiting for my Light Cycle to show up so I can take the trip into this world...

Colorful Tales...

Color, color, color...




If you've been to DCA over the summer since World of Color premiered, then you've seen a noticeable change in the atmosphere...

It's not just the legion of walls or visible details. The new nighttime show has changed the perspective of how most people view the Disneyland Resort's Second Gate. The show has made people who never thought about coming under those ugly entryways take the journey past them. And when here, many of them have actually liked much of what they've found. Don't worry and think that the Suits are now going to stop the Extreme Makeover because it's not needed. That's not the perception. If anything, this will help Imagineers when asking for a few extra bucks for a project. It may even restore a few lost details that have been pushed back.

But back to that atmosphere. I've heard a lot of people that have seen WOC actually say they preferred it to Fantasmic!, which I never thought I'd hear. Now, I'm not saying it's better or worse, I like both shows for different reasons. One is enclosed and intimate with stage performers and the other is large in scale and filled with technological wonders. I know some people are upset at the lack of narrative elements to the show, but Steve Davison's show still has a story. It's changed since the testing phase where certain things worked and others that they thought would, didn't. The character that pulled all those scenes together, Squirt, still makes a muted, but surprising appearance. But the show is divided into emotional themes. Five themes to be specific: Adventure, Friendship, Courage, Fear and Love. I won't break them apart scene by scene, but if you watch the show, you'll be able to tell where one theme ends and the other transitions in. And the park's water extravaganza isn't the only thing that is transitioning here.

Come next week, Disney's Wall Land goes into high gear, and it doesn't let the pedal off the gas until well into next year. The front entrance will go under the knife at the beginning of the year, and guest will enter/exit through that side entrance into the Golden State area. The next couple of years are going to be more confusing and difficult as people are prompted in all directions as they avoid the massive amount of construction. But when the walls come down at varying times, between April of next year and the April after that, a lot will have changed in this park. And it'll be a Disney Park, a decade later than it should, but it'll finally be here.

What you've been seeing in the parks for the last two months is just a preview...

Tokyo DisneySEAsmic!...

It's gonna be purty...



Tokyo DisneySEA will get the classic Disneyland show in spring 2011...

Come April, the Japanese will have their own version of this show and it'll be on steroids. Not only will this show be in the round, it's going to be a pier where it can be seen from all sides. That means a larger viewing area is available and the capacity for seeing this show is 20,000 (by contrast, Disneyland's is approximately 9,000). Judging by how popular Disney is in Japan, I expect every spot to be filled and long lines waiting for the next show.

It's going to be interesting to see all the alterations that Steve Davison makes to the original...

The Color Of Money...

The world is a carousel of color...


There's a lot of colorful bling on the nighttime scene...

If you've seen Disney California Adventure's "World of Color" night time show, then you've more than likely have seen the many things you can buy to show all those that haven't seen it that you have.

Disney is never one to miss an opportunity to market something to its guests and to milk it for everything it's worth. This isn't an insult by the way, I happen to have several shirts from this thing as well.

I figured we would take this opportunity to show you that haven't seen it, some (but not all) of the items you can spend some green to show some color. Or, show the world that you've seen the world.




Last night, a group of friends and I spent the evening watching the 4th of July fireworks at Disneyland and then went over to DCA for that new swanky, water show. If you were there, you would have seen me. I was wearing this...







It comes in light blue and pink as well. I don't own a pink one, btw.

Not enough info? Well, my lovely date was wearing this...







And a good friend tagging along happened to be wearing this...









And his lady-friend was wearing this...







When she wanted this...







When it got a little chillier, I put on this...







Because this would have been too spot on for me...








And after watching the show from the shower that is the front section, I dried off with this...





Of course, they offer several items exclusively for Annual Passholders as well, like this pin...






I don't know why anyone, even a kid would one of these goofy, useless things...





I mean, one of those rainbow lightsabers would've been better.

Then there were the people I saw walking around wearing bracelets like these...



I was hungry, but we decided to wait until later. Flavored popcorn is not my thing...




But those drinks were tasty, once alcohol was added, I mean...



And this glass was magical. Literally, because it changes colors depending on what you put in it. If you put orange juice, it turns orange. If you put grape juice it turns purple. If you put water in it, it miraculously turns transparent...



And those balloons that glow are interesting, but I'd hate to be the kid that wakes up the next day to find it flat. I swear it was glowing and floating last night, dad...






And that's only some of the things you can buy while there. But I think Disney has done a great job of creating interest in the show and watching these things fly off the shelves shows that guest really like it. It's nice to see people coming into the resorts sister park for something only it has. Instead of people coming simply because they have one more day on their pass and they haven't checked out the other park yet.

Change is coming and this is only the beginning and it's good to see some fruit of the TLC that this part of the Disney Empire is getting. It's slow, but it is happening.

I can't wait till they start working on that new front entrance that is going to give the park it's own version of what Main Street is to Disneyland. It now has it's own version of "Fantasmic!" to get guests into the park.

It's going to be interesting to see what becomes this park's "Pirates of the Caribbean" attraction as we move into the second decade of this second gate...

Blue Sky Buzz: Try All & Era...

Wow...





Wonderful...

Friday a whole new era begins for the Disneyland Resort...

Those that have seen World of Color know what I'm talking about. Having seen it three times now, I can tell you that it's a game changer for the resort and the theme park. Starting this week, DCA will make its first, bold step toward becoming a Disney destination, not a Disney abomination. You can already see some of the changes in how the park is being marketed in the new commercials and billboards for the event. It truly crosses the line that ends the Pressler Era for good and moves forward into a bright future for Disney Parks the world over.

So, what is it that is so different? First off, scale. The scale of this endeavor is big. Really big. More than any project so far seen in this park. When this show is seen by the public it will give them a sense that things have changed. Things are different in Disney's Second Gate in California. There's now a reason to come through those turnstiles. I've seen the show three times myself and it's incredibly beautiful with one of my first reactions to it as how different it feels from anything else that the Mouse has tried to pull off there since the 2001 park opening. It doesn't feel like a stopgap measure, as many other "events" have. This feels amazing and spectacular, an entertainment show that you would see in a park like Disneyland itself were it to have the real estate to actually pull it off. That is going to be one of the great benefits of the bay at Paradise Pier. And it's going to be a great alternative to those that have seen entertainment over in the Rivers of America and are looking for something else.

The one thing that some people will be critical of is the narrative of the show. There is none. Being as almost everything that Disney does from attractions to films, a storyline is usually involved, but WOC is a string of beautiful scenes combined with powerful, cutting edge technology that are connected by nothing else. And no, Disney wasn't trying to be lazy. There actually was a storyline in the beginning of the concept and it survived all the way through much of the testing phase. But it didn't work, so bits were replaced and changed as the show was worked on. If you've seen some of the videos on YouTube and think you've seen it then realize that you probably haven't. There have been at least five versions on display during late night testing and this is the final version for the opening. Missing is the little character known as "Squirt" that was supposed to be making an appearance throughout the scenes as a water creature that was going to tie certain scenes together. All of the scenes of paper mache animation as well. The Cheshire Cat scenes may have looked good on the small screen, but spread out over three hundred feet they didn't look near as attractive and so they were cut. It will probably have little tweaks made over the coming years and add/drop scenes just as "Fantasmic!" has done. There is even early, blue sky talk of having customized shows for specific events, like Christmas or perhaps Halloween as time goes by. But that won't likely happen the first few year, just like "Toy Story Midway Mania" was designed so programs could be switched out and new things added in little time, so will this show do/be eventually.

Come this fall, the front entrance will start to become a mess of walls and construction like many other parts of the park and a little more than a year later, Disney fans' eyes will drink in an incredibly detailed, lovingly crafted and themed new front entrance that evokes the idealized version of the Los Angeles Walt saw when he stepped off that train looking for his American dream. This Christmas will not likely be very themed in DCA as the room/space that could be used in very limited, but once the front area is turned into something far better than a gaudy extension of The Block in Orange, you can expect something during the holiday season to rival Disneyland's Main Street decorations. A very California Christmas I would say/imagine. With themed entertainment that the park is working on making guest feel like they've gone back in time to what it must have been like in an earlier part of the Golden State's holiday history. Events that park goers experience during Holidays 2012/13 are going to have them looking back on what was DCA when it opened as a faint, drifting bad dream. The young ones that first enter the park then will have to be told that all this wonder as a far better sight than what they remember a decade ago. They won't believe you.

And about that time, as the first phase of the Extreme Makeover comes to a close, people will start to see the improvements coming to the original park start to take place as well as the announcement of an addition Disney hotel if attendance and spending continue to rise from current levels. But that's another story for another posts (just like the beginning of the second phase of expansion at DCA which won't start till probably 2014 or so).

The future is bright for Southern California over the coming decade and we Disney Fans/Geeks can look forward to the evolving plans finally turning what was said to be a resort into an actual one...

The Past & Future Worlds Of Tron...

All Tron, all the time...

With each passing day there seems to be more TRON news, more billboards, more pictures released, more trailers (summer will be glorious!), and more interviews with fictional characters.

Henry Jenkins has done an interview with a real person. The creator of Tron himself, Steven Lisberger, the quasi-founder/Yoda of this cult. A very interesting dialog and revealing conversation that I highly recommend you take a look at.

With all this hype, let's cross our fingers that it lives up to the expectations and the box office lives up to the Suit's desires. If so, you ain't gonna believe what will follow at the Happiest Place on Earth a couple years later.

Dream on, programs...

Hat Tip to Ain't It Cool News.

A Fantasmic First...

Tokyo DisneySEA has released the first artwork from the Japanese version of "Fantasmic!" today...

When we first reported about the nighttime show back in October, it was confirmation of a new show that we reported back in February. Originally, the OLC was going to bring in a clone of "World of Color," but eventually decided that Disneyland's show was a better fit for their Second Gate.

Naturally there'll be differences...

New and different animation will be used, the building structures used near the Rivers of America aren't available in TDS so an entirely different structure will be used. If you notice the artwork there is a mountainous facade in the bay with the walking brooms from "Fantasia" dancing around it. An similar electronic version of Maleficent will be used and water effect will be used more across the more spacious water-filled area. It'll be interesting to see this when it debuts in April of next year.

The tenth anniversary celebration of DisneySEA will a sight to see. DCA on the other hand will be a construction site. In Tokyo they just keep expanding and here we just keep rebuilding. I'll be glad when we can start again on firm footing. Once 2012 comes around we'll be back to square one.

Right where the Tokyo Disney Resort was a decade ago...

Rain Check...

If you've noticed the pier in DCA isn't exactly full...

In fact it looks pretty dry, doesn't it? It was supposed to start being refilled last week, but a combination of minor technical errors and a little seen thing known as rain put a damper on the wetness happenings.

Fear not, should everything go according to plan, it shouldn't be too long before you see a steady stream of water trickling into the giant concrete swimming pool. But remember, it'll take close to three weeks to fill, so the rising will come slowly. Very slowly. But late November will come round and the sight of that mass of wire, pipe and beams should be a fading memory.

Weather permitting and the creak don't rise; only the pier...