A Couple Good Things

So just a couple of good things that have happened to me the past couple days. I received Meet the Robinsons for free on Blu-Ray from the Disney Movie Rewards for my birthday. That meant I needed to get a Blu-Ray player STAT. I ran into a good deal on a Sony Blu-Ray player so I made the leap. The first movie I watched was of course Meet the Robinsons. The color and detail on this Blu-Ray is simply amazing. If any of you have a Blu-Ray player and you don’t have this movie, you must go out and get it. It is well worth it and to think that Disney gave that movie to me for my birthday made me even happier. Anyways, I have Wall-E on Blu-Ray to watch next and I will review it as well as future Disney/Pixar Blu-Rays that I get. See ya all.

Fantasyland Audio Guide Review

Hey there everyone. Just wanted to pop in and give my two cents on the newly released Fantasyland Audio Guide presented by Lou Mongello. I must say that I am a huge fan of the Audio Guides for Main Street U.S.A. and Adventureland. I also must say that this is just as good as the past two if not better. I listened to it two times through the minute I got it. This along with the other two guides are a must have for any Disney fan. I caught myself making mental notes along the audio guide of things I had never experienced or little details that Lou points out that I want to see when I'm in WDW. I think it is great to listen to whether you are in the parks or not. If you have not gotten this audio guide to Fantasyland, I must incourage you to do so. Another great addition to an already stellar series. Kudos Lou.

Skyway

The Skyway, one of the original Walt Disney World attractions, present when the park first opened in 1971, was an aerial tram (cable car) type ride, which took guests between the Fantasyland and TomorrowLand parts of the Magic Kingdom, on a ride that lasted for around 5 minutes.
On the way the Skyway passed over the striped tented Cinderella's Golden Carousel, and also over the Grand Prix Speedway.
Due to the nature of the ride, it was difficult at times to acommodate guests with some disabilities, particularly from the Fantasyland boarding platform, however, providing it was possible for wheel-chair bound guests to leave their wheelchairs for a time, they could take a round trip from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland and back.
In Feb 1999 the Skyway was in the news when a part-time Disney employee who had been working in the loading area of the ride fell to his death. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration later fined Walt Disney World $4,500 for what it termed a "serious" violation of safety standards. OSHA said the employee lacked protective equipment, such as a safety harness. Two days later, Disney installed safety signs and enhanced safety procedures around the Skyway, a Disney spokesman said at the time. The ride's closing is not a result of any concerns about its safety.
However in keeping with a general wish to remove older attractions, and replace them with updated ones the Skyway was finally closed on 10th November 1999, joining it's Californian cousin at Disneyland in Anaheim, which closed in 1994, and the Disneyland Tokyo Skyway which was closed in November 1998.
The ride was known as Skyway to Tomorrowland from the Fantasyland terminus, and as the Skyway to Fantasyland from the Tomorrowland terminus.

Officially Announced - New lands at Hong Kong Disneyland

This is it, the Hong Kong Disneyland expansion plan is unveiled, three "lands" were announced today and you will see great artwork for each of them! Basically, the three new lands are located on the left side of the park , stick to the west of Adventureland as you can see on the expansion map above. No giant Pirates of Caribbean land, no snow-covered mountain, but a small Frontierland with a mine ride, a Haunted Mansion with a different theme, and a Toy Story Playland exactly like the one we will have at the WDS next year.

Also, you will notice that they still have a big space available for a future expansion on the left of the new Frontierland/Grizzly Trail.

Here are all the details with the official press release and click on each picture to see them in full size.

With the addition of more than 30 new attractions, play and entertainment experiences, Hong Kong Disneyland’s total number of rides and attractions will increase by almost 50 percent and top one hundred. When completed, the expansion will increase HKDL’s physical footprint by approximately 23 percent; broaden the park’s appeal by adding more experiences for young adults; and place increased focus on universally-understood stories. Using Guest feedback as a guide, these three new themed areas will create memorable guest experiences, drive strong word of mouth and repeat visitation, and offer many unique only-available-in-Hong-Kong attractions that feature Disney’s immersive storytelling and innovative technology.
Grizzly Trail
Grizzly Gulch, Frontier Gold-Mining Town

The path along Grizzly Trail offers high-spirited frontier fun in an abandoned mining town called Grizzly Gulch, set amidst mountains and woods. The town was founded August 8, 1888 – the luckiest day of the luckiest month of the luckiest year – by prospectors looking to discover gold. Bears have now started causing havoc at the Big Grizzly Mountain Mining Company.

Key Technology and Creative Elements
• Guests visiting Grizzly Gulch are part of the action, experiencing hands-on water features, massive geysers and various leaking structures in the abandoned town.
• Life-size Audio-Animatronic® bears set the story in motion on Big Grizzly Mountain Coaster, an adventure aboard a runaway mine train through town. Guests careen backward down an incline that propels them through twists and turns, before a launch sequence “blasts” the mine train out of the mountain.
• A Wild West stagecoach, an old time Jail House, and the world’s largest nugget of gold provide fun photo opportunities.
• Guests can relax with a Wild West refreshment at the old Saloon or shop for mining supplies and souvenirs at the Bear Necessities merchandise stand.
Mystic Point

Mystic Point is the site of mysterious forces and supernatural events in the heart of a dense, uncharted rain forest.

In Mystic Manor, home to an eccentric world traveler and adventurer and his collection of exotic international artifacts, strange things are afoot as an enchanted music box releases its magical powers, thanks to a mischievous monkey.

Key Technology and Creative Elements
• Inside Mystic Manor, a trackless ride system enables vehicles to move “freely” about the attraction as the story unfolds. Audio-Animatronic® figures and special visual and audio effects help tell the story of mystical phenomena.
• Within Mystic Point lies a beautiful garden full of relics and mythological figures, where guests discover a hidden world of illusions and mysteries that trick the eye.
• Guests can dine at the Adventurer’s Club amid a vast collection of unusual artifacts from around the world or purchase exclusive curiosities and collectibles at the Archive Shop.

Toy Story Land
Disney·Pixar-themed Play Area for Kids of All Ages

Andy, the young boy from the Disney·Pixar Toy Story films, has left his toys unattended in this immersive and highly themed environment, based on one of Disney·Pixar’s most popular film series. While Andy is away, the toys come to life and play...and Guests are invited to join!

Key Technology and Creative Elements
• Oversized outdoor rides and photo opportunities allow Guests to experience the different perceptions of scale, and shrink to the size of a toy.
• One attraction includes a shuttle coaster which propels Guests along a U-shaped style track.
• A drop-style parachute attraction lets Guests join a “training mission,” plunging from a 25m tall tower.
• Guests will enjoy fun, immersive and interactive environments with life-size toys.
• A themed food kiosk provides a barrel of fun snacks and refreshments and Guests can shop for Toy Story inspired collectibles at the merchandise location.

Finally saw Up

So how's everyone been doing? I just got back from seeing Up today, finally. We saw in it 3D of course and I must say that Pixar has done it again. It reminded me a lot Ratouille in the way it tried to tug at the heart strings. I found that there was plenty of good old Pixar comedy in the movie as well. I have always been a fan of the color in amination and this film delivers. The color of the balloons really seemed to stand out and contrast against everything. All of the characters in the movie I thought were well done. I would definitely suggest this movie to any Disney/Pixar fan or pretty much anyone. It's a great movie for any age. Kudos Pixar.

Tapestry of Nations

The Tapestry of Nations was a parade at the Epcot theme park in Walt Disney World, Florida, USA, that ran around the World Showcase Lagoon from 1999 to 2001, after which it was rethemed as Tapestry of Dreams. The parade had a unity and world peace theme and featured a variety of large puppets and massive rotating drum units. The puppets were designed by Michael Curry who also designed the puppets for The Lion King on Broadway and a variety of Disney theme park shows. The leader of the parade was the Sage of Time, who was represented as a stilt walker in an elaborate costume featuring alchemy symbols, gold trim on a white robe, a staff, and a headpiece resembling a sun with a face.

The Puppets included:

• Reverse Marionette, a large multicolored puppet with a little marionette being held in its arms.
• Disc Man, a large character with discs within the body and dreadlocks. This was the heaviest and tallest of all the puppets.
• Hammer Man, a humanoid character made of pieces of sheet metal.
• The Sprite, a winged character with a three tiered tail.
• Angel Girl, a feminine figure with a massive wingspan and human face.
• Wiggle Girl, similar to Angel Girl, but had a smaller wingspan and lacked a face, also had movement in the hips.
• Bird Man, with a large wingspan and a crane-like face. This puppet was the hardest to control.
• Aztec Man, with an Aztec-style head, small wingspan and several flaps at its end, similar to kite tails.

The parade (or a variant of this) was also the theme for the halftime show at Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000. Both the parade and the halftime show were directed by Gary Paben.

Tapestry of Dreams

In 2001, the parade became Tapestry of Dreams. Wishes from children around the world were heard throughout the parade's soundtrack. The middle of the parade had a tribute to Walt Disney, "...the greatest and most wonderful dreamer of all!". In this version, the Sage of Time was replaced with the Dreamseekers, a trio of elf like characters that would open and close the parade and collect Dreamtale coins that children would receive at the Epcot Kidcot stations. These three included:

• Leonardo Columbus, who represented discovery, invention and genius
• Elfin, who represented nature, magic and emotion
• Cosmo, who represented space and the unknown

It ran nightly, although in a reduced fashion compared to Tapestry of Nations and was canceled in March 2003 as a result of its waning popularity.

Variations

Besides the Tapestry of Dreams version, there were three versions of Tapestry of Nations, each having differences in audio. The original version, with a much more serious sounding Sage of Time, ran from the parade's debut in October 1999 to the middle of December 1999.

The narration was changed as to give the Sage a more gentle tone in his voice, this version running to the Millennium Celebration's conclusion in the spring of 2001.

After this, changes to the script brought in the theme of human dreams, which would carry on to the Tapestry of Dreams version, though still retaining the character of the Sage of Time. This version ran to the middle of the summer of 2001 when the Tapestry of Dreams version finally debuted.

Outside of Epcot, Tapestry of Nations served as the theme of the Super Bowl XXXIV halftime show and featured a massive sized Sage of Time as a backdrop in addition to an appearance by the parade's walkaround version.