Road To Paris...

A better park...




Wee, wee...
While I've always thought that Disneyland Paris is the most beautiful Magic Kingdom style park, its younger sister is the black lamb of Disney Parks...

Over at the Disney and More Blog, which you should check out quite often if don't btw, Alain has another post in his Toy Story Playland series. There are tons of great pics and videos to give you a sense as to what this new land looks and feels like at Walt Disney Studios Paris. If you've ever been to DCA, the new land in France is kind of like what A Bug's Land is here. It is nicely themed, but is lacking in terms of feeling "Disney." That should change with the addition of Midway Mania in the distant future. The time line for that attraction addition is ever changing and will depend on attendance at the park before it gets the green light.

That said, Alain's newest post gives you a sneak peak at something Disney hasn't announced yet: The Ratatouille attraction. Oh, it's not built yet, but the path leading from the Toy Story Playland goes directly toward where it will be in a couple years. Go over and take a look at some of the photos and dream of Remy.

Now, if only Iger would approve a makeover of the front entrance of this park like the one California Adventure is getting. The entrance to a Disney theme park should be a beautiful doorway, not an ugly cave.

Which is what the front of Walt Disney Studios is...

Sightlines & Timelines (Part One)...

The one thing that has always separated a Disney theme park from any other park has always been details...

Details, details, details. From the original Anaheim park to the one that's in planning for Shanghai; a park by the Mouse is one to set the standards for the other guys.

Well, it's supposed to be that way. Work that way in theory at least. Where Disney has had successes and failures is in planning and details have broken or made the difference.

Many people blame the extravagant details that were put into the design of Euro Disneyland for it's failure, but it wasn't the problem that resulted in the financial mess the this park became. It was the over building of hotel rooms that created the economic problems for Paris. Michael Eisner deserves praise and scorn for the opening of Disney's European resort. He did encourage the Imagineers to go all out on designs for what we now know as Disneyland Paris. Eisner deserves credit for that. But he also was the one that told WDI to build six hotels instead of starting with two or three. Will all these empty hotels the debt that the company held increased greatly and caused Disney to lose/sell almost twenty percent of its investment (from 49% controlling interest to 39%). For than he should have a very harsh critique. And sadly, he didn't learn from his mistake... instead he spread the blame around to everyone else and didn't look inward into that mirror that showed him an ever balding man.

He thought it was the details and so on many of the future projects, the details suffered. DCA being the prime example of this. Not that it didn't have lavish detailing. But with the budget, not quality being the high standard to go by, Paul Pressler cut a third of the money from the park with no conception of what he was doing. Is it any wonder this man has been fired twice since leaving Disney? But even inside the budget there were other design problems with that park and several others that have been created in the past decade.

Sightlines and Timelines.

These are the main reason for such harsh criticism over the the past decade. As Eisner got further into his insular state he brushed aside design elements that Imagineers had mastered over the past quarter of a century. Not only were the budget cuts in California Adventure bad, the design had major misdirections. One thing that Eisner forget and several at WDI managed not to address was making things throughout the areas of the park contemporary. There is nothing so dated as to put something in the present. Five years from now it will feel weathered and outdated. If you look back to the original Disneyland you see lands that evoke times and places that don't exist anymore, never existed or idyllically exist in our minds. That way there is no permanent point for the brain to fix on and be critical of.

Main Street U.S.A. is an idealized representation of Walt's childhood, but it's not a literal example of the time he lived. Imagineers build what people wanted to remember, not what they strive to forget. Adventureland and Frontierland draw upon mythic memories of a past that may have existed, but they're shown to us as something of a tall tale, not a realistic grim presentation. Fantasyland is exactly that. Tales of wonder that never existed, but in a place you would love to go. And Tomorrowland was the representation of what the future could hold. It was this land that WDI has had so much trouble with. Trying to keep it contemporary with people's views of what the future would be like is why Euro Disneyland chose to call this land Disneycoveryland so as to not date the area and make it easier to add and take away from it without disrupting the theming.

Look at DCA with a front entrance that is supposed to be a postcard from California, but winds up being nothing more than a pop-culture nightmare. A collection of stores and signs that mark no distinction from any mall you can find within a hundred mile radius of the park. Did the Suits really think people were going to be willing to fork over forty to fifty dollars to see what they can get in a mall for free? One of many reasons this park has failed to impress up till now. Even the parks best themed land, the Golden State is a compromise at best. Although it is lush in greenery and detail, it's overly theming to a contemporary white water rafting company is flawed. Again, you can find this in other areas. The original concepts of having it in a turn of the century "Yosemite National Park" styled land with animatronic animals would have worked much better. Even the more current plan for turning it into a mid-fifties national park style land with animatronic animals works much better than layering the attractions in the hear now.

Thankfully, some of this is changing. And if all goes well then you'll more than likely see it continue. With the pier slowly evolving into a Victorian, seaside midway, a front entrance that brings to mind a late 20's/early 30's Los Angeles that Walt might have seen and a Hollywood Backlot that becomes more old Tinseltown, they're clearly on the right track. Turning all these areas into a throwback to times and places that most Californians don't even know is a great way to differentiate this park from the outside world. It's also a great place to show that it is Disney.

And hopefully in Disney's future we'll get more of Disney's past...

Toy Story Posterland...

I heard that you Hockey Puck!


I'm a married Spud! I'm a married Spud!
News and suprises don't always happen at the D23 Expo, I guess...

Strangely enough, one of the things Jay didn't mention was that Paris is getting it's own Toy Story Playland (like HKDL in Asia). Now, the company has released several posters of the attractions. Alain over at Disney and More has some great pics of them, take a look.

The Disney world slowly changes, one attraction at a time...

Buzz In Toyland...

Alain over at Disney and More has some more info about the new Toy Storyland that is being build at Walt Disney Studios in Paris for a tentative 2010 opening...

Go over and read about it and pray that the economy starts to get better, because even better things are planned than this.

But that's not a Toy Story, that's another story...

Happenstance (Part One)...

"The sky's the limit right now... We haven't had this kind of positive feeling around here in well over a decade." - A Bothan from deep inside the bowels of WDI


I thought I'd take a bit of time and go over(in summary) exactly how the Disney Empire of theme parks could/would look in a few years time...

If you're a regular reader of this blog then you'll have noticed I've mentioned a lot about 2011. "There goes that year again..." is a statement I've said in many of my updates that people have wondered about. Well, it's truthfully "2011/2012" because a lot of things won't be done when that year is done and over. But it is an important time for the Mouse and should the economy keep going some, if not most of what I say will come to pass...

Let's travel the globe, shay we? Starting in our own backyard...

America



In the place where it all started we'll find the most activity. Come 2012 the Disneyland Resort will still look much as it does today. There will be some changes that are obvious. Like the New hotel(not necessarily a Disneyland Hotel) that Disney is operating. There should be at least one other hotel under construction by then(maybe two). Downtown Disney will be almost twice as large if expansion plans have moved forward by next year. The Resort's Second Gate should look dramatically different in 2012. The small, little McPark that Eisner and Pressler put together will still have problems(which will start to be fixed in Phase 2 starting in 2013, economy upholding), but for the most part it's going to be a much more "Disney" experience. As everything keeps changing, one thing that has bothered Disney Fans all along will finally go down in 2011... Malibooomer. That's right, it's not leaving next year as some have thought. It's going to be one of the last things removed before construction finishes on this phase of the resort.

The new theming and attractions, particularly "The Little Mermaid" should be bringing them in creating long, long lines(the center room in Mermaid is almost as big as the entire Golden Dreams building!). But in 2012, when the Cars Land(please change that name!)opens up this park is going to see crowds like it has never, ever had. It will truly make this park a destination of its own. The fact that it's 20% of the park when it opens up alone will create a dramatic difference for those entering the gates. Most who showed up on DCA's opening day will find most of the park unrecognizable. All who show up will find everything more enjoyable.

The park that started it all should see the Star Tours update done in time for the anniversary in 2010, while plans for a remake of Tomorrowland won't be done by then, the plans should have already begun to be completed by the 2012 time frame. Another E-Ticket is in line to be built by then, but hasn't gotten to an approval phase so I don't know which ideas will make it through the Blue Sky phase yet. Rest assured, what is proposed will dazzle Disney Fans/Geeks far more than anything proposed during Pressler's tenure.

Once all this is done and the Resort is firing on all cylinders then, and only then, will the embryonic focus on a Third Gate move forward.



Across the country in that humid jungle known as Florida, the Walt Disney Resort will look somewhat different as well, just not as dramatic.

In the Magic Kingdom, work on the renovation of Fantasyland will have been completed. Should all the proposals get approved the area will look quite different from today. At the very least the addition of the Little Mermaid ride will have visitors to WDW experiencing something they haven't seen before and giving this park the most amount of new attractions it's had since opening in 1971.

Epcot will be receiving at least one new E-Ticket by 2012, but my Bothans say that the choice hasn't been finalized yet and we may see a couple smaller tickets as well. There are proposals to add at least one new Pavilions by this time should attendance at the parks continue to remain at current levels.

The park getting the most love and attention, of course will be Disney's Hollywood Studios. Although the amount of money is a little more than half of what DCA is getting it will be put to use giving this park a more definite theming change than any other. Gone will be the Studio Tram Tour(it leaves by 2010), and in its place will be an expanded "Monstrously Big" Pixar Place. The park should have it's own updated version of Disneyland's Star Tours revision up and running by then. There is at least one new E-Ticket that's slated for construction and several smaller attractions. An update is planned for the Great Movie Ride and at this time there is the possibility of a new E-Ticket based on a very big film to combat Universal's opening of Harry Potter. You didn't think they were sitting around twiddling their thumbs, did you? Alas, no news yet as to if/when they will remove the Hat from in front of the GMR. Not that I hate the hat, I hate the placement... it blocks view of the parks one true weenie. Here's hoping it gets moved by then to a, uhm.... more appropriate(new) location.

By 2012, Disney's Animal Kingdom should have the area for that the Pocahontas show replaced up and running, delighting many a fan with the new theming that's been put around this new attraction. Hopefully, by then plans will have gone forward with moving the Lion King show where it really belongs: Africa. There is supposed to be one new E-Ticket in addition to this and talk of a new land to buttress the current Asia and Africa is well, progressing...

All those rumors you've heard about a Fifth Gate are True. While I don't think this strategy would work at Disneyland, it should do well here where there are many more international travellers willing to fork over that kind of cash. When Disney's Jungle Trek(a name I don't like, btw) opens it will cater to a more discriminating clientele(read: loaded). Almost like a luxury extension of DAK, it will offer fans of this wild kingdom a little closer look at the uhm... well, wild.


Europe



Across the pond, Disney's European Kingdom will be experiencing a much needed growth as well. After the upswing in attendance and growth from the fifteenth anniversary of Disneyland Paris, things have never been brighter.

The original European Mouse park, Disneyland Paris is scheduled to receive it's own additions by 11/12 and it shows that the "If you build it, they will come" principle works. The Paris resort has had a great year and the additions to the WDS have really helped that. Four years from now we may no longer be talking about this park losing money, it may actually turn a profit for a change. I know that's a funny thing to say, isn't it? But people are asking about Disneyland Paris and when/if it will get a new attraction...

There are several proposals right now and it appears that there will be at least one D-Ticket or possibly an E-Ticket by the time it celebrates the twentieth anniversary. I know that many people are focused on getting a version of the Indiana Jones ride, but my Bothans don't see that happening(not impossible, just improbable). If it does wind up being Indy there's going to have to be a redressing of the Indiana Jones roller coaster as WDI and park management have no desire to have two attractions in one park focusing on the same theme. The most probable ticket would be in the expansion of Fantasyland with a certain clone of a clone that I'm selfishly against(remember?)... Should the good times keep rolling expect the E-Ticket to get the nod. There are several projects in the Blue Sky phase and nothing is permanent so we won't know for another year or so what they'll approve... so your "Guest" is as good as mine...

Most of the focus on the resort will be Paris' Second Gate because it is the Walt Disney Company's weakest park. Most of what we see over the next few years will be on bringing this park closer to the detail of Disneyland Paris. This is a hard problem since the DLP park is so rich in detail compared to its ugly sister park. WDI has several attractions planned for WDS, with at least two C/D Tickets definitely planned for the next few year and one really nice E-Ticket(possibly another).

The one ride I can tell you that the park is getting for sure is the one that's been most discussed. The "Ratatouille" attraction is coming. It's going to be a very nice ticket, with technology similar to the "Pooh's Huny Hunt" attraction's "trackless" vehicles in Tokyo. Guest will be involved in a chase right out of the film... many have talked about this being a clone of the Crush Coaster, but the attraction will not involve drops so much as it will twists and turns. And it will be a highly detailed attraction(The beautiful queue alone will be amazingly cool!), which used to be a rare thing to say about a Disney attraction in the late 90's, but will become common over the next four years. As well as this there is talk of expanding the Pixarification throughout the park, specifically an area of the park devoted exclusively to the Lamp's creations. I know this will please many of you that complain about that in the domestic parks, but you have to remember Pixar is now a part of Disney and it will reflect so in the attractions we see at the parks both here and abroad.

By the time we see the twentieth anniversary of this park comes around the complaints we have about the Paris Resort will be mostly answered... mostly.

Later this week I'll have part two of this report focusing on Asia. It's an interesting time for the Mouse and its world... Stay tuned.

Blue Sky Alert-Europe (Paris): Sleeping Beauty Awakens...

Bonjour.

Lots of exciting things are happening to Europe's Disneyland...

The fifteenth anniversary of the Resort is going great for Disney and its millions of visitors. In fact, the Disneyland Paris Resort finally seems to be moving out of the shadow of financial troubles... Even in bad times the Resort has always been European's favorite vacation destination and the numbers have always showed it. Despite Michael Eisner's desire to build more hotels than he can fill the resort has always had great turnout for the parks... but most would usually go home at the end of the day since DLP was so close to Paris or other(read: cheaper) hotels. While Disneyland in Anaheim seems to have the highest occupancy rates, the hotels in France are starting to fill enough beds to make the accountants a little less worried. Possibly happy, even.

Before we begin, remember that we're in the early stages of these proposals and what is being proposed will not nesarrily be what the resort winds up with. All these plans have to be assembled into cohesive packages that will get presented to Iger and the Board either late this year or sometime in the first half of 2008. With that out of the way...

The blue sky plans that WDI is putting together involve proposals for several additional venues to the Disney Village near the end of the decade. Walt Disney Creative Entertainment is hard at work on numerous proposals involving the resort and parks that should be ready for Iger to mull over early next year. There seems to be an emphasis on making the Disney Village and the surrounding area as much of an entertainment magnet at the actual parks themselves.

While no new hotels are planned there are several proposals, all in early stages of course, for Disneyland Paris to get its own DVC units. There are even proposals planned for DVC units in other parts of Europe, but that's a different story for another day(stay tuned for posts on that!). Don't expect to see any of these until the end of this decade at the earliest... although one Bothan expects the openings to correspond to the 20th anniversary if plans go well and the European economy doesn't tank.

With things looking brighter for EuroDisney, the company that runs the resort, you would think plans would go forward concerning a third gate, right? Wrong. There have been various proposals that the Mouse has entertained putting in it's parks, but Paris isn't one of them. This doesn't mean that DLPR will never get a third gate... it just means that the Resort will have to mature over the next decade before we can expect any proposals to make it from the Glendale Kingdom to a presentation room for Iger to see. Should the Resort keep growing and the dept be paid down you can expect blue sky plans to heat up in the early part of the next decade. So realistically you can expect any new gate to not show up any earlier than DLPR's 25th. More realistically it would be between that and the 30th.

Now, about those parks...




First, as always... let me state my bias. I love the look of Disneyland Paris. Disneyland Paris is lovely... truly lovely. The detail is incredible and all the little extras that the Imagineers are a wonderful find for any Disney Geek that knows where to find them. It also is home to my favorite Disney castle. Now that we have that statement out of the way... All the "plussed" areas have really helped put the shine back on areas like Main Street that were starting to look a little worn. As we said before, the proposals for DLP are not as grand as the ones Uncle John, Iger and the others have planned for DCA, but truthfully they're not really needed as much. The theming of DLP is light years ahead of DCA. The plans for the Park are to add layers and elaborate on what is already there. The problem with DCA has always been the opposite.

There is a proposal for an "E" Ticket that involves a classic Disney character that could make it into the Park by the end of the decade. Adventureland and Tomorrowland's proposals will involve major attractions that will likely turn into a "D" Ticket. The plans right now involve several characters from Pixar's stable. This ride is still in the early stages and is not ready for presentation so the plans will not likely start to gel until next year sometime.

There are plans for adding "C" Tickets sprinkled throughout the area. By this time next year these will have narrowed to a possible two "C" Tickets from the lists so far. At least one will make to the final stages by the end of the decade, possibly both if the guest keep passing through the turnstiles. Any plans wouldn't be announced until after the 15th anniversary is over. So we can look forward to an construction of these projects to happen sometime in late 2008/early 2009.

The Pirate craze could still make the final cut as there are plans to propose a Pirate theming to be extended through Adventureland if the plans for a fourth Pirate film come to fruition. That film would not likely happen before 2010 or more likely 2011(there comes that year again).



Should the spike in attendance continue, we can look forward to a wonderful period of growth in the Gallic Kingdom of Disney. These plans would wind down after several projects were done sometime around 2012-13... ironically, just in time for it's 20th anniversary. Coincidence? One never knows... but if we don't have some form of depression happen in Western Europe the planned phases that could happen over the next five years could make DLP even lovelier.

Now, speaking of lovely... let's talk about the Park that's not.





Now, speaking of lovely... let's talk about the Park that's not.

The park has seen a sizable increase in attendance for the 15th and this is a very, very good thing. Let's just say the Suits are happy and the Imagineers are eager to show what they can do to make this quarter-day park, a full day park. They're not in the approval phase yet, but several blue sky projects are underway. Come 2012/13 the front of the resort will not be as bland as what we see now... a "Plussed", more period styling could be overlaid to the existing entrance giving it a borrowed sense of the Hollywood that never was. The expansion of the Park will also give the area a center that it definitely doesn't have right now.

A version of the Great Movie Ride could be playing in the new expansion area by then, but it's not certain if the iconic front entrance will look like Grumman's Chinese Theater or another stylized form of Tinsel Town magic. There are plans for at least two new "E" Tickets to be put in WDSP by the tenth anniversary if all goes well... you can bet that one of the proposals for an "E" Ticket ride involves a certain Parisian Rat as well. He's a big hit in the Gallic nation right now and the Mouse is keen on exploiting the Rat. The other attraction has not been decided on but the ride will definitely be a Disney property as opposed to another of the Lamp's creations. Expect the rides to be lavished in much more layered theming than the attractions that premiered when the Park opened. Sprinkled around these areas would be a collection of "C" and "D" Tickets... at least one "D" and likely two "C" tickets could make the cut. There is plent of room for expansion at WDSP and not all of it will be done by 2012/13, but by then guests will be walking through the gates of a park they should have gotten a decade earlier.



Also, WDCE is working on two shows that will most likely show up by the end of the decade, giving the Studio a great deal of live entertainment for guest to enjoy. Giving guest a reason to stay in the Park and spend more of those hard earned Euros is a top goal of Iger and his European team. They realize that WDSP, like HKDL was built way too small and hope to not make the same mistakes of the last regime. Another example of the refreshing difference a couple years and a new management team can make when examining the Mouse.

That's it for this update. Stay tuned for future Blue Sky Alerts later in the month. The Bothans are excited about what is happening but nervous because of the NDA's everyone is forced to sign. Imagineers are in a very upbeat mood right now... and they want Disney Geeks to know about it. They just don't want to get fired in the process... stay patient, calm and expect better... not the worst, my friends. This is a new era we're in.

Till next time...

Blue Sky Alert-Europe (Paris)...

Bonjour.

Welcome to the first Blue Sky Alert dealing with Disneyland's beautiful, younger, European sister...

Disneyland Paris Resort.

Having just opened two of it's three new attractions at the starting point of it's fifteenth anniversary, the Resort has seen a sizeable increase in attendance over the past year. In fact, the Disneyland Paris Resort could be on in for the best year of attendance it has ever had. For the first time in a half a decade things are looking up for this troubled Disney resort.

Despite having the financial woes that it does, EuroDisneyland, err... Disneyland Paris is still the number one vacation destination in Europe. Much to the consternation of the French that once branded it a "cultural Chernobyl". Many of the French have embraced it as their own and although there are still squabbles from time to time... it appears the future ahead could be quite bright indeed.

There have been rumors about an F1 racing competition being held at Disneyland or directly across from the Resort. My contacts haven't received any concrete word about this proposal and I'm suspect to believe that it's a ploy by Bernie Ecclestone to use as a bargaining chip for another venue. It would make an interesting event, but there is no solid information I can come up with at the moment to cooberate it.

As far as Disney Village is concerned there is a proposal to expand it beyond it's current boundaries, including a theater show venue and new shops and restaurants. These are said to corrispond and enhance future "additions" to the Resort. The plans are for expanding the Resort as a vacation destination that doesn't just rely on the parks.

There are no current plans for hotels, although there are designs for hotels that were intended to be build as a Phase Two of the original EuroDisney which could be pulled out of mothballs should the parks attendance keep rising. Presuming the "heads in beds" continue to rise, that is.

Currently there are no plans to add a third gate to the Resort. The current economic climate just isn't suitable for it. If the park maintains substantial growth over the next few years and the European economy doesn't take another downturn, I'm sure there will be proposals within WDI that will peak Bob Iger's interest, but all signs now look toward improving existing venues and not building a new park that would require massive amounts of capital. Again, as I've said before... this is a good thing because it means the Resort will be getting more immersive and better attractions. And that's saying alot for a Resort that includes the "most" beautiful Disneyland park. WDI's new leadership has mounted an aggressive overview of all new projects. These projects include the plans that Imagineers have been toying with for implementation at DLRP over the next decade. Good times could lie ahead...

Like I was saying, the "most" beautiful park has been "plussed" for the fifteenth anniversary and looks marvelous. Disneyland Paris hasn't really had a major addition in quite a while. While the proposals for DLP aren't as bold or expensive as the ones for Walt Disney Studios they are still exciting plans. Unlike WDSP though, there isn't as much needed to be done to the original European Disney park. There have been proposals for the addition of a new land but so far they haven't made it very far in the blue sky phase. The most probable proposal are the addition of a new "E" ticket attraction in one of the current lands. Adventureland and Tomorrowland both have proposals that involve major attractions, although it is likely only one will be approved. The current Pirate craze has also had it's effect on some of the proposals and could affect Adventureland should some of the enhancements be approved.

There are plans for adding between two and three "C" or "D" attractions throughout the park over the next decade which could make the final cut. It won't be for at least a year, possibly more before plans are approved and 2009 before any really see the light of day.

There are plans to "plus" several areas throughout the park, but being as DLP is already richly layered, it won't be as extensive as WDLP or DCA. Plans include additional restaurants and a new proposal for a night show has been mentioned but final plans are nowhere near complete. Time will tell what makes the final cut.

It's not known yet if Walt Disney Studios Paris will get a name change like whatever they rename it's bigger, Orlando sister. It's possible if the current line-up of proposals goes forward a new name could happen by it's tenth anniversary but that's a decision that won't happen for a while.

No decision will be made on WDSP expansion and one won't be made until the anniversary is over... that being said, if the clicks going into the park keep moving up we can expect the Studio to appear dramatically different on it's tenth anniversary. The expansion of WDSP into a full day park, from the current half-day park it is will most likely not be complete by 2012, but the atmosphere would be quite different. The expansion would likely continue into 2013, like the way the fifth's will continue into next year with Tower of Terror's opening.

Anyone that's seen pictures of the new additions will note the quality of the theming. The new Toon Studio area is a much needed "plussing" of a park that was built short on rides and theming. With the opening of TOT and it's surrounding area the WDSP will get a much needed boost in appearance when it comes to representing what Disney fans expect when they go past the turnstiles. The entrance areas are getting a modest improvement in terms of theming as well. So far, the move appears to be working. The Suits are pleasantly surprised at the attendance so far...

There are several proposals that are on the table right now. WDI's leadership is evaluating each and everyone, not as a way to find what to cut but what can be added or enhanced. The final plans for this expansion wouldn't happen for years to be truthful. One has only to look at DCA to see how plans change.

The most logical proposal to move forward is for the Studio Tram Tour to be moved back for the construction of a new "E" ticket attraction. It's likely to not come about till early 2010 or 2011. It's not known if it will be an update of the Great Movie Ride or one of several other projects. A couple of proposals involve a major Disney character and one proposal is an import from another Disney theme park. The evolving plans right now involve the addition of two "E" tickets and at least four to six "D" or "C" tickets by the time WDSP ends it's tenth anniversary sometime in 2013. Cross yer fingers that the good times keep rolling and the European economy doesn't tank.

One of the proposals for the "E" ticket is based on a major movie franchise and fits in with Lasseter and the new regime's philosophy in branding the future of the Studio with a more family friendly theme. The possible addition of a new land has also been proposed in the blue sky phase. The Studio will have a more enhanced theme if most of the proposals go forward. The evoking of a more "stylized" Hollywood will be implemented and layered "plussing" of the front entrance is also under consideration with a couple blue sky ideas involving the "Golden Era" of Tinsel Town.

All in all, Disney's park outside the City of Lights is in for a good future... so long as Disney's European fans continue to rush through the turnstiles. So buy your tickets now, and keep buying and buying and buying them... Disney executives are watching. WDI is planning some pretty amazing stuff that could see the light of day if the clicks keep going up.

That's it for this update. Stay tuned for future Blue Sky Alerts in July, so long as my paranoid contacts(read: Bothans) don't get fired...