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New Fantasyland Introduction From Tom Staggs

Tom Staggs

Last night, the media was invited to get acquainted with New Fantasyland expansion at the Magic Kingdom at a special party. When Tom Staggs moved from Disney CFO to Chairman of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts he played an important role in moving the expansion away from a princess and pixie dominated attraction mix and into the more balanced mix of attractions it will become when the Mine Train opens in 2014. So it was great to have him give an introduction to the expansion, even if reading off the teleprompter isn’t quite second nature to him yet.

The presentation featured a few clips of Imagineers sharing their excitement for the land and a special new computer simulation of what riding the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train roller coaster would be like.

Here is the presentation given to the media in its entirety. If you just want to see the new version of the virtual Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Ride, I’ve highlighted that in it’s own video below the jump

That was it. The media will get a larger presentation on what’s new and what’s next on Friday morning. So stay tuned.
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Outside the Berm – News from Beyond Disney via THRLLD

Even from the very beginning of The Disney Blog, we’ve always included news from other theme parks and entertainment companies in our coverage; particularly when they’re doing something that encroaches on Disney’s domain. However, there is much more to these topics than just what relates… Read More »Outside the Berm – News from Beyond Disney via THRLLD

Tour Main Street U.S.A. at Disneyland with Imagineer Kim Irvine

Imagineer Kim Irvine hosts a new video that takes us through some of the changes brought by recent remodeling along Main Street U.S.A. at Disneyland. I can almost taste the delicious decor in the Candy Palace and am impressed with what they’ve done with the… Read More »Tour Main Street U.S.A. at Disneyland with Imagineer Kim Irvine

Imagineers Dish on Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow and working with Johnny Depp

The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow is the new walk-through attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios where guests follow in the footsteps of Jack Sparrow to see if they have what it takes to join his rowdy and daring pirate crew. In this video from Walt… Read More »Imagineers Dish on Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow and working with Johnny Depp

House of the Future

House of the Future Video

House of the Future

There was a time when Disneyland’s Tomorrowland positively reeked of futurism. Mass transportation, space exploration, and the benefits of scientific research were all put on a pedestal for the American public. One of the most famous examples of this was a partnership with Monsanto, MIT, and Imagineering to build a home made of plastics.

The home sat at the entrance to Tomorrowland, where the Pixie Hollow meet & greet is now, from 1957 to 1967. Touring inside the “House of the Future”, you would find a variety of innovations each with the promise of making living easier and more comfortable. From plastic furnishings to a microwave oven or electric dishwasher guests were wowed with what the future would bring. At least for a few years before these things actually did start to make it into the common household.

This film features the home of the future as part of Monsanto’s efforts to promote the use of plastics in everything. It’s a great look inside the structure for those who never had a chance to see it first hand:

Part two is below the jump:

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Believe in Fantasy Speculation

The official opening of New Fantasyland is just around the corner. As Disney is wont to do, they have arranged a press event around the opening and announced a special look at what’s next for the Walt Disney World Resort coming toward the end that… Read More »Believe in Fantasy Speculation

Splitsville facade

Splitsville Construction and Downtown Disney Update

Splitsville facade

I was at Downtown Disney last night to catch the latest James Bond flick (finally, the reboot the franchise deserved) and was impressed with the progress made on Splitsville in the last week or so. The tarps are down from the facade and the bowling lanes have been installed. But there are many areas where walls need to be finished, railings added in, not to mention furniture loaded in and the kitchen finished and tested.

Workers were still going at it at 9:30pm when I left last night. That tells me they’re working in overdrive to get the place open as soon as they can. I just doubt they’ll make the early December date they had originally projected. I’d love to be proven wrong though.

Splitsville Progress

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Pirates Walk-Through Attraction Soft Opens

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow has started limited soft openings at Disney’s Hollywood Studios! The grand opening is scheduled for December 6th. The team at MouseSteps managed to grab this video featuring the complete experience: This is about what I… Read More »Pirates Walk-Through Attraction Soft Opens