Disney World has been taken over by the red shirts this last week. No, it’s not some Trekkie convention of sacrificed ensigns, nor is it a star wars fest (although those overlapped some). It is the 2005 Gay Days event; an annual event that brings 130,000-150,000 fine and well funded gay and lesbian tourists to… Read More »I get email!
The Orlando Sentinel has a story recounting Marineland’s tale of woe. Once the pride of the Florida Marine Animal Attractions, the park has suffered for the last few decades. Finally, Hurricane Frances dealt it a death blow. Or so it seems. Now new investors are hoping to turn the park around and make it a… Read More »Send a dolphin some love
Today is a big day of events at Disney themeparks around the world. The kickoff of the 18 month long celebration of Disneyland’s 50th anniversary begins today. If you can’t be there yourself, I suggest keeping a close eye on LaughingPlace.com‘s coverage. They have live photos from the parks including celebrities from yesterday’s invitation only… Read More »Big day at Disney Themeparks
Luxo, the Pixar animation fan blog, has a indepth look at the Pixar presence in Disney themeparks. The story includes some great concept art for rides that are still on the drawing board and some that are rumored to have a greenlight. There’s even more Pixar domination; "Block Party" will be the new summer parade… Read More »Pixar attractions at Disney themeparks
As the Imagineers see it, Walt Disney was the original gamer. When he created Disneyland in 1955, he wanted it to transcend the carnival-type rides already familiar to consumers. Instead, he sought to marry technology and storytelling to take children and their parents, too, into virtual worlds. With the trend toward tech-savvy kids Disney is… Read More »Disney fights to keep kids attention
Alright here’s a Star Wars story. I know it’s not the Star Wars Blog, but there are Star Tours attractions. If you haven’t been reading Darthside: the blog of Star Wars uber-overload Darth Vader then you’re missing out on some of the funniest writing this side of Hoth. Who new little Annie would could be… Read More »Darth Vader as you’ve never seen him before
CNN picks up the story of Jim Hill’s booting from Disneyland as a result of his rogue tours. More bad publicity for Disney. (Update: btw, just thought I’d point out that Jim Hill is technically not a blogger but is in fact online magazine. CNN calling Jim a blogger has erked some people.) Meanwhile Jim… Read More »Roundup
Despite improved attendance numbers, apples to apples profit numbers reveal that the parks are having their worst years since the 80s. I’m sure the number crunchers up in Burbank have better models than me, but since you asked… the company is now reaping what it has sowed. The 90s were supposed to be the Disney Decade at the Themeparks. Instead we saw cuts in attraction budgets, a reliance on the cheaper (sometimes! remember the expensive mistake that was Light Magic) entertainment, cuts in training, and an across the board slashing of maintenance budgets. Not only has this resulted in death and injury at the theme parks, but it affected Disney brand as the top quality family entertainment vacation destination.