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Imagineering

Magic Kingdom – New Fantasyland Update

With Storybook Circus soft opening this week, it was a great time to get some unique shots of the New Fantasyland expansion construction. I didn’t get everything this trip, but there’s still a lot to see, so let’s get started:

Magic Kingdom - New Fantasyland Expansion
A great view from the top of the new Dumbo spinner. Obviously, there’s a lot of work to do on the other side.

New Fantasyland Expansion - Magic Kingdom
Zooming in a little bit, you see some of the support walls for the mountain that will presumably house the Seven Dwarves Mine Train roller coaster.

New Fantasyland Expansion - Magic Kingdom
A little night work going on atop the high wall on the right of the picture above.

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Avatar on Hold? Tomorrowland Rising?

WDI model for Plectu’s Galactic Theater in the 2055 concept of Disneyland’s Tomorrowland Of all the lands at Disneyland, Tomorrowland has always presented Imagineers the most trouble. Work began 6 months late, and it almost didn’t open with the rest of the park in 1955.… Read More »Avatar on Hold? Tomorrowland Rising?

A Special Preview of the “Be Our Guest” Restaurant in New Fantasyland

Conceived to help alleviate some of the stress on Cinderella’s Royal Table, the Be Our Guest restaurant will transport guests into the world of Beauty & The Beast, one of Walt Disney Animation’s most loved movies. In this video, provided by WDI, Senior Concept Designer… Read More »A Special Preview of the “Be Our Guest” Restaurant in New Fantasyland

Amazing Fan Tribute to Star Tours

There are fan tributes and there are fan tributes. This amazing video celebrates the 25th Anniversary of Star Tours better than any other tribute I’ve seen, which is saying a lot. “Star Tours Origins (ST-45 Project)” is not an exact recreation of that ride, but… Read More »Amazing Fan Tribute to Star Tours

Disneyland Hotel’s Renovation Finally Finished

Yesterday morning, hundreds of Disneyland Resort cast members posed in the courtyard of the reimagined Disneyland Hotel to mark the end of the historic hotel’s multiyear renovation. Final touches to the porte-cochere and tower lobbies were added this month, following more than two years of… Read More »Disneyland Hotel’s Renovation Finally Finished

Meet Jaime Ibanez, The Miniature Magical Castle Maker

Believe it or not, the above photo is a model done by Jaime Ibanez, a talented artist and sculptor living in the Philippines. But it could be a Disney theme park castle, perhaps in Shanghai. Here’s Ibanez working on a similar model: Ibanez’s work has… Read More »Meet Jaime Ibanez, The Miniature Magical Castle Maker

Test Track to get makeover, sponsor change

EPCOT’s popular Test Track attraction will be getting an updated theme to go with a new sponsor. Rather than General Motors sponsoring the ride, it will change to Chevrolet. Chevy is, of course, a GM brand, but the company wanted to focus the new experience on just one brand.

Plans call for closing the current GM Test Track in April 2012, with an anticipated opening of Test Track Presented by Chevrolet scheduled for fall 2012. A few months ago updated cars were spotted testing on the track, they’ve obviously been working on this for a while already.

With the credit crisis of 2007-08 sending GM into bankruptcy, there was a question if the 10 year #10 million sponsorship would continue. But Disney and GM worked out a series of arrangements that allowed them to keep their name on the ride until finances could be lined up to renew the arrangement.

The new theme reminds me a little of how the ‘Sum of all Thrills’ attraction works. But the execution will have to be different to keep the capacity of the attraction moving at a quick enough clip.

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