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July 2008

Pleasure Island and Adventurer’s Club, some additional thoughts.

As we’ve covered before Disney has announced a change in plans for Pleasure Island. Goodbye to night clubs, hello to retail and dining. In the 19 years since Pleasure Island opened, a lot has changed in the habits of tourists and locals in terms of night time entertainment. Disney has done quite a bit of tweaking recently on the PI concept and apparently was unable to come up with a workable solution.

Never-the-less, there is a growing movement to save the Adventurer’s Club. It is the only attraction at Downtown Disney that was created solely by Disney Imagineers (Joe Rhode (of Disney’s Animal Kingdom fame, had a hand in it), it has a huge following, and some of the most unique 360 degree immersive theming found in a Disney attraction.

The bad news is, except for the original “Save Mr. Lincoln” letter writing campaign, I can’t think of a single Disney fan movement to save an attraction that has worked. (Okay, the mid-90s effort to keep Sleeping Beauty Castle Walk-Through open may qualify.) I think Disney is happy to see fans get all riled up as it shows a passion in their fan base, it also means free publicity for them. But these days Disney makes decisions based more on business needs than the needs of providing a quality show.

The good news, this time may be different. When Disney announced it would be closing the Adventurer’s Club this fall, along with the other Pleasure Island clubs, there was quick reaction to the news with a lot of chatter on Disney fan sites, a Facebook group, and a petition with more than 3000 signatures in just a few days. There’s also the possibility that Disney just plans on moving

That’s a good start, but not yet the huge outcry of the type that might make Disney re-focus its ideas to rip out the attraction. To make a real difference, a letter writing campaign to Disney corporate and Themepark executives will need to be launched.

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More WALL-E News

This film continues to stir up conversations. Here are a few of the best articles I’ve found recently. Jason Calacanis finds two possible inspirations for WALL-E. Yeah, the Short Circuit references has been done… but the other one is a doozy. Think Progress has a… Read More »More WALL-E News

New Baby Elephant Welcomed to Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Baby elephant calf nursing at Disney\'s Animal KingdomDisney’s Animal Kingdom recently welcomed a new baby elephant into the world. Isn’t he cute.

26-year old Moyo, the mother, gave birth to a 327-pound male elephant June 28 after 21 months gestation. 22 months is the average gestation period, and the longest of any land mammal. Both Mother and son, as yet unnamed, are reported in good condition and expected to survive.

This is the fourth elephant born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Tufani, who is Moyo’s first male calf, was born in 2003; Kianga, a female, was born in 2004; and Nadirah, the youngest female, joined the herd in 2005. All remain on the savannah at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Moyo herself came to DAK in 1997 from a zoo in Tacoma, WA after her capture in the wilds of Zimbabwe in 1983.

Having toured the facilities and met with the Animal Care team at Disney’s Animal Kingdom I can vouch for the amazing level of care they provide for the animals they supervise. The Animal Care program goes well above and beyond the AZA rules for care and breeding. So much that many of the AZA breeding program studbooks are run by DAK staff.

The full Press Release is below the cut:

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Shanghai, Disney both deny theme park to be built there

Okay. Can we put this rumor to rest now. Both the Shanghai Government and the Walt Disney Company have officially denied that a theme park will be opening there in 2012. But wait, what the story actually says is that talks have been going on… Read More »Shanghai, Disney both deny theme park to be built there

The Mole: Traveling in Chains

Before we get down to business, can I indulge in a bit of shameless self promotion? Thanks. If you’re interested in my take on WALL-E, follow that link for my review.

Okay, now to tonight’s episode of The Mole.

Now that Victoria has left the show, I am completely in the dark as to who The Mole could be. So I am back to where I was in week one. Well, I do have one advantage. Now I’m trying to guess who it is from seven players instead of twelve.Read More »The Mole: Traveling in Chains