Today is the 38th anniversary of Walt Disney World. They’ve released a tilt-shift stop motion video as a present to us all. It celebrates a day in the life of the Magic Kingdom. The tilt-shift technique makes the real look like miniature toys. Check it… Read More »A Tilt-shift Video from Walt Disney World to you
Today marks the next step for the Walt Disney Company’s parks and resorts division. They’re finally launching a blog. It’s about time, I’ve been advocating for this for years. Disney employs the best and brightest in their fields and now you’ll be able to hear… Read More »Disney Parks launches it’s own blog!
The leaked plans for the Magic Kingdom Fantasyland expansion appear to be mostly, if not totally, true. This based on announcements from Jay Rasulo at the D23 Expo today. There’s some good detail of the plans at my previous post looking at the blueprints. Now we also have some gorgeous concept art to go with it. (click for larger versions)
Update: download 2.5 mb larger version here.
This concept art shows the expanded area from the POV of above Cinderella Castle. In the front left you see the ‘castle walls’ from which you will travel through into the various Princess Realms. Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Ariel all have their own castles (aka meet and greet areas). The Beauty and the Beast realm will also have a new dinner show.
Ariel’s castle will contain the Little Mermaid attraction that’s also being installed at California Adventure.
At this point the Fantasyland Expansion concept art differs a bit from the blue prints we saw. Tinker Bell and the fairies still get their Pixie Hollow (which will be phase two of the expansion), but the Dumbo attraction (see concept drawing below) is moved to the other side where Goofy’s Barstormer and Donald’s boat is now. There is also a coaster in the back that is not on the blue prints. I’ll be curious to see how this all turns out in the final version.
The new Dumbo attraction will have two spinners and, apparently, more of a circus theme. The blue prints specify an ‘interactive queue’ which, based on this art, would appear to be more living character initiative animatronics. Think Mr. Potato Head in the Toy Story Midway Mania queue.
All this, Jay says, will be open in 2012. A year late for the 40th Anniversay of the MK. But not too shabby a schedule. I would like to have seen another solid ‘ride’ type attraction, something aimed at the whole family instead of another meet and greet/mini-show. But the dinner show and the themeing look pretty outstanding.
Follow below the jump for the full press release related to all of Jay’s park announcements:
Back in the early days of the internet Walt Disney World featured live Web Cams at the parks. Then sometime around the turn of the millennium they went off line and never came back. It was a big loss for theme park fans who used… Read More »Disney World Web Cam — Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?
Ever since Walt Disney’s Imagineers started working on EPCOT Center, they’ve purposely hidden Mickey Mouse’s iconic silhouette shape around the Walt Disney World resort both as a way to entertain themselves and to reward curious guests who pay attention to the details. Fast forward 30… Read More »Hidden Mickeys Book Updated Anew
A few years ago Disney Parks hired Annie Leibovitz to turn her photographers eye on Disney’s famous characters for use in an advertising campaign for the theme parks. Leibovitz took celebrities and put them in the role of those characters and a very popular campaign… Read More »Fallen Princesses
The Walt Disney Company revealed it has recently eliminated 1900 positions through a combination of layoffs, severance, and the closing of open positions at its Disney theme park locations (Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and a few other suppot locations). That works out to be about… Read More »Carnage Numbers Revealed for Disney Parks Layoffs
Apparently Disney is now in the business of making “official trailers” for their in park attractions. If they’re all like this, I hope they keep it up. Ladies and Gentlemen, The Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney World’s Official Trailer:
