New Orleans Open For Business...

No, we're not talking about the recovery after Hurricane Katrina.

We're talking about New Orleans Square. It opened on this day in 1966. This was the first new "land" added since the parks opening. While the area opened up, the attraction for which it is famous was still being constructed and wouldn't open till the following year.

Blue Sky Alert Asia (Hong Kong): A Dragon's Secrets...

I believe it's necessary to give a brief update as to HKDL's status based on the majority of the reactions Blue Sky has gotten to the Anaheim Alert posted last week.

It appears that Disney is working it's leverage with the Hong Kong government. There's a report coming out of China that Bill Ernest, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort has been stating the Walt Disney Company's intent to build a third hotel. This one is supposed to be located in between the current two resorts. This is most likely the hotel we mentioned in our previous HK Alert. The only reasons that this news would be released is to apply pressure on the local government for negotiations of the expansion of the park and to portray to the world that HKDL is a success.

Is it?

Yes...

And no.

While the Hong Kong resort has been a major disappointment, it is not a failure. Just as DCA is not a failure, but a disappointment of higher expectations for a lower investment. Under Bob Iger and John Lasseter, with a little encouragement from Steve Jobs, the plans for expansion over the next five years are incredibly robust. Although we don't expect the Walt Disney Company to start throwing around budgets like the Oriental Land Company, it will be comparably close in terms of costs and theming.

Now as we've said before... HKDL is a lovely park. Just under-built. Unlike Walt Disney Studios Paris which truly didn't deserve to have the Disney name upon it, Hong Kong has all the makings of a great park. But the days of Eisner's building small and then expanding out are over. With the history of disappointment behind it the current mantra from Burbank and Glendale will be elaborate theming and appropriate budgets to go along with them.

A compass that doesn't point north...


Development continues on the two E-Tickets that are being developed for the expansion into Adventureland. The POTC and Haunted Mansion rides will definitely be showcase pieces of entertainment that will expand the capacity of the park greatly. While the start date is still in question, the recent admission by Bill Ernest is an example of Disney trying to get out in front of the message and not play defense. Iger and company want to apply some pressure to government officials so as to have a better bargaining position for the upcoming projects.

The Downtown Disney projects are still in development but may or may not be called that. There are various groups fighting for prominence in WDI and no one knows which one will come out on top.


I've read several e-mails from people expressing worries about Paris and HK with the news that DCA will be getting such a large infusion of cash. While it is true Anaheim's Second Gate is going to be a busy place, it doesn't mean Hong Kong will be neglected. DCA getting a large amount of money doesn't mean it's being taken from HKDL's own budget. Bob Iger very much wants to expand in Asia and HKDL plays very much into those plans(along with Shanghai). Over the next year or so we'll be seeing a lot more posturing than building. Planning will still be going on behind the scenes, but Iger is trying to get the best deal for Disney.

Business is tough... but there is simply too much money to be made from the Chinese market for Disney to just sit around and hope that people will finally come into the park. To everyone that's feeling a bit disappointed I say be calm... be patient. Hong Kong Disneyland Resort will come into its own over the next few years. By the end of this decade you will finally start to see it begin to come to fruition. I would think that the beginning of the next Decade will find HKDL and almost every other park take on a much more positive outlook. The Mouse is trying to keep its secrets while dealing with Hong Kong, but slowly... the secrets are being revealed.

All you have to do is read between the lines...

Escape To Witch Mountain, All Over Again...

Walt Disney Pictures has signed Andy Fickman(The Game Plan) to direct the remake of "Escape To Witch Mountain", the re-imagined interpretation of the classic 1975 adventure movie. Andrew Gunn will produce through his Gunn Films banner which is shingled at the Disney lot. The movie is being put on the fast track for a 2008 release.

The original film was based on a science fiction novel by Alexander Key following a brother and sister with paranormal powers. The siblings go on the run after a sinister group discovers their abilities and attempts to capture them. I loved the film as a child. Although it's a little dated, the story is still very fun to watch and could be a great movie if handled properly.

Remy Attends Chuck & Larry's Wedding...

And now for our recap of the box office this weekend...

"I now pronounce you Chuck & Larry" came in first this weekend despite the critics. Harry Potter was in second showing surprisingly good staying power for such a young wizard. John Travolta was third place with "Hairspray" playing the ugliest woman I've ever seen. Michael Bay's summer fun film "Transformers" dropped to fourth. And "Ratatouille" took the fifth spot... the ironic thing is that it's been averaging 3 to 4 million a night consistently on the weekends. It's made a little more than $165 million domestically and almost $30 million overseas despite having a great deal of countries still to open in over the next two months. None of the figures for the international box office on Box Office Mojo are accurate though, as the foreign take hasn't been tallied since last week. We won't know the final figures till tomorrow. It's a numbers game for the rest of the summer for the Rat movie...

Also of note, "POTC: AWE" has made $950 million world-wide with final figures not yet in it appears this Johnny Depp film will make close to the second film, but not quite as much. Still a very impressive numbers if I say so myself. We'll see if Disney can keep up the hit streak when it premiers "Underdog" on August 3rd. Personally, I don't think this movie will do good, but I've been wrong before...

The Goldielocks Economy...

Being positive has many reactions...

Some people on the web tend to believe you're a Lemming. That you go through life with a bias refusing to look at something from a clear perspective. I've had quite a few e-mails accuse me of this. That I'm a shill for the Disney company talking only about the good news, never addressing the underlying problems the Mouse has.

But what I've learned in life is...

Being positive is hard. Being negative is easy. It all depends on the perspective you view it from. Sometimes it's difficult to be positive... but I believe it helps when you go through life to try and find a reason to believe. It certainly helps you get through the hard times and really enjoy the good times.

Now for a confession.

I will admit I am a huge Disney fan... if you read this blog I don't think that will come as a surprise to you. I am not though, a Lemming. I do not intend to give people false hope when talking about the coming attractions that the Mouse House has in store for us. I will fully admit that Blue Sky Disney would have a lot harder time filling a weeks worth of news with a positive spin if it had been started three or four years ago. Let's face it... right now the Walt Disney Company is having a banner year. A couple even... and to be truthful, Michael Eisner would be having a banner year were he in charge. Though were that the case, we wouldn't be getting as many fun gifts.

But I will say that it's not just the Disney company that's having a grand time. The global markets are booming and it has an effect on practically everything, including Bob Iger's company.

What this economy is known as is "The Goldielocks Economy". This is an economy that is running on all cylinders, full steam ahead but not too hot and not too cold. Hence the name... We're going through a very profitable time for America and the world. The Dow Jones hit a record 14,000 yesterday and had a minor correction today. The Nasdaq is at a six year high. We've had 41 records on Wall Street since January 1st of this year. This economy is doing very, very well. This is having the affect of creating a great amount of profits that corporations are sitting on. Now the Street doesn't like to see that money just setting around. It wants it to be invested in something substantial... that's why we see Bob Iger so willing to spend money to expand the resorts... he can't just let it sit there and do nothing. If he does the analyst will punish him by reducing the stock price and therefore the value of the company would go down.

We are living in grand times... this is a moment when the economy has combined with focused leadership to very promising results. There is such a thing as having good management and prosperous times colliding to give us what could turn out to be the true "Disney Decade". Let's hope that the economy keeps on chugging along. If we don't have another terrorist attack like 911 or a unforeseen downturn in a foreign market then we could see an incredible spurt of growth, creatively and economically for the Walt Disney Company. This doesn't mean there's nothing wrong with the economy... but no economy has everything run perfect. There will still be companies that go bankrupt and people that get too greedy. But for a Disney Geek, the view almost looks like you're living in Fantasyland.

Life Under The Sea...

The stage version of "The Little Mermaid" which will open in November in New York at the Lunt-Fontanne(former home of "Beauty & the Beast") has got theater insiders wondering if Disney can still create its magic on Broadway. Expectations are high for this production directed by Francesca Zambello, which bows with previews in Denver starting July 26th. With the disappointment of "Tarzan" and the closing of "Beauty & the Beast", many say that Walt Disney Theatrical Productions needs to create a good deal of buzz for this stage version of the Disney classic. Next week, Denver audiences will get their first chance to see what the Mouse has in store for them. Keep in mind that these are essentially rehersals and what happens in Denver may not be what winds up in New York.

Of Mice And Yen...

The Japanese love all things Disney, this is true... but now comes word that "Pirates of the Caribbean: World's End" has become the first foreign movie to gross 10 billion yen ($82 million) at the Japanese box office this year, Walt Disney Japan announced yesterday.

It took "POTC: AWE" 53 days to reach this mark and it'll wind up making more than "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," which came in with 10.02 billion yen ($82.1 million) in 2006.

Another country falls under the spell of Johnny Depp's Sparrow, it appears. The Cap'n will rule the Land of the Rising Sun until a certain wizard magically appears...