We’re Ready To Go

In just a few hours, most of the WDW News Today staff will be heading into the Walt Disney World resort for what should be a fun and exciting week. Of course, the big reason we’re all going is to be a part of WDWCelebration’s “A Wild Decade” event, celebrating ten years of Disney’s Animal Kingdom park. With over 400 people attending, it should be a spectacular gathering. We will also be at WDW beyond the event, providing you with daily coverage of everything happening at the World this week (hopefully coverage of Toy Story Mania). Be sure to stay tuned to WDWNT if you can’t get down there this week, but be sure to say hello if your there and spot us.

Disney

I found a rather funny press release put out by Disney earlier this week and felt I should share it with our readers. This is probably the first time Disney has acknowledged that they have a huge number of attractions based on Pixar films:

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — It’s a Pixar palooza at Disney Parks! In family-friendly attractions and immersive experiences on both coasts of the United States, guests can do it all — find Nemo, zap Zurg and meddle with Monsters.

But the fun doesn’t stop there. Coming this summer to Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., and Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., is a whole new interactive adventure: Toy Story Mania!

Celebrating Disney-Pixar classics “Toy Story” and “Toy Story 2,” this new ride-game experience combines delightful film characters with personality-matching games guests can play. Donning 3-D glasses, guests shrink to the size of a toy and hop fanciful ride vehicles following a midway-themed route. At each game booth, they aim for animated targets using special on-board spring-action shooters. And since games adapt to the skill level of each player, beginners and gamers alike have plenty of reasons to ride — and play — again and again.

Toy Story Mania! debuts at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida in late May and at Disney’s California Adventure in Anaheim in late June. It joins these other experiences inspired by favorite Disney-Pixar characters and films.

At Walt Disney World Resort:

  • Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor — Guests find the power of laughter in an engaging and interactive adventure inspired by “Monsters, Inc.” as they match wits with the one-eyed hero Mike Wazowski and his friends. As Monster-of-Ceremonies, Mike recruits comedian wanna-bes whose humor delights audiences at a 400-seat theater in Magic Kingdom.
  • Finding Nemo-The Musical — The undersea world that charmed audiences in “Finding Nemo” comes to life in a musical stage show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The 30-minute Broadway-style production immerses guests in the story of Marlin and Nemo, an overprotective clownfish father and his curious son, with imaginative puppetry, dazzling special effects and an original musical score.
  • The Seas with Nemo & Friends — This whimsical and visually stunning attraction at Epcot picks up where the film “Finding Nemo” left off. Riding aboard “clamobiles” in a colorful coral reef setting, guests meet Mr. Ray and learn that Nemo has wandered off. The journey continues as Dory, Bruce, Marlin, Squirt and Crush help with the search. These deep-sea friends inhabit a variety of vibrant vignettes, including a huge aquarium that contains more than 65 species of marine life.
  • Block Party Bash — This high-energy extravaganza at Disney’s Hollywood Studios cranks the music and excitement to the max, putting guests in the middle of the wildest Disney spectacle ever — a non-stop musical block party that doubles as a fun-filled interactive street spectacular. Featuring characters from “Toy Story,” “A Bug’s Life,” “Monster’s, Inc.” and “The Incredibles,” “Block Party Bash” combines dancers, acrobats, stilt performers and a caravan of electric scooters to fill the performance area with awe-inspiring visual and sound sensations.
  •           At Disneyland Resort:

  • Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage — Guests embark on an underwater expedition where they discover Nemo and his finned friends from “Finding Nemo.” Thanks to cutting-edge imaging technology, characters such as Dory, Marlin, Crush, Bruce and, of course, Nemo, come to life before guests’ eyes in a brilliantly colored lagoon at Disneyland Park. 
  • a bug’s land — Designed especially for kids, this land at Disney’s California Adventure features Flik’s Fun Fair, which is full of attractions inspired by the film “A Bug’s Life.” Children can experience the world from a bug’s point of view by visiting Flik’s Flyers, Francis’ Ladybug Boogie, Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train, Princess Dot Puddle Park, and Tuck and Roll Drive’Em Buggies. Families can then cap off their adventures with a screening of the 3-D spectacular “It’s Tough to be a Bug.”
  • Monster’s Inc., Mike and Sulley to the Rescue — Disney’s California Adventure guests are in for a ride of “monstrous” proportion as they climb aboard taxis and hit the streets of Monstropolis with Mike, Sulley and Boo. Along the way they’ll encounter the super-sneaky Randall Boggs, the yellow-suited agents of the Child Detection Agency and other characters from the film.
  • Pixar Play Parade — Characters from Disney-Pixar films “Toy Story,” “A Bug’s Life,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Finding Nemo,” “The Incredibles,” “Cars” and “Ratatouille” dance onto the parade route and invite guests of all ages to join in a whirling, spinning, fun-for-all animated playground. This daily spectacle at Disney’s California Adventure is brought to life in giant parade floats, puppetry, acrobatics and interactive surprises including bubble, fire and water effects.
  •           At both Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort:

  • Turtle Talk With Crush — Crush from “Finding Nemo” has made a different kind of screen debut at Epcot and Disneyland Park — as a chatting, joking quipster who engages guests in conversation from his movie-screen undersea environment. The interactive show is a breakthrough experience in real-time animation using digital projection and sophisticated, voice-activated animation.
  • It’s Tough to be a Bug — Inside the massive trunk of Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s Tree of Life, and at the heart of Disney’s California Adventure’s “a bug’s land,” is “It’s Tough to be a Bug,” a humorous 3-D film and special effects show starring Earth’s least-known wild creatures — and a few familiar faces from “A Bug’s Life.” Guests will recognize friendly Flik and the villainous Hopper, but the rest of the show promises some “stingingly” surprising antics.
  • Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (WDW) / Buzz Lightyear Astroblasters (DLR) — Armed with infrared lasers, guests join forces with Buzz Lightyear to defend Earth’s supply of batteries from the evil Emperor Zurg in a spinning, brought-to-life spin-off of the movie “Toy Story.” The shoot-’em-up fun at both Magic Kingdom and Disneyland Park triggers sight and sound gags, while a lighted display inside toy-spaceship vehicles allows guests to keep score.
  • For more information about Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort visit disneyworld.com and www.disneyland.com.

    Animal Kingdom Anniversary Details

    Here is a list of the special events that are scheduled for Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s tenth anniversary on April 22, 2008:

    -A rededication ceremony for the park will be held in front of the Tree of Life from 8:45-9:00am

    -Imagineer Joe Rohde will be giving a talk/question & answer session in the Theater in the Wild starting at 9:45am and lasting for about an hour. This will be very similar to the talk session that Imagineer Marty Sklar gave at Epcot’s 25th Anniversary back in October 2007.

    WDW News Today will have full coverage of Animal Kingdom’s 10th anniversary on April 22, as we will be part of WDWCelebrations “A Wild Decade” commemorative event. Stay tuned for coverage in just two weeks!!!

    Primeval Whirl Update

    Scott Powers | Orlando Sentinel Staff Writer

    Walt Disney World is tinkering with a roller coaster at Animal Kingdom to improve overall safety after the accidental death of an employee there last fall. Changes are being made in the entry and exit areas of Primeval Whirl — including the installation of sensor mats in a restricted-access area where a Disney worker was reportedly struck by a roller-coaster car Nov. 24. Karen Price, 63, fell and hit her head, and died of her injuries a few days later. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is still investigating the death. The accident, said Disney World spokeswoman Kim Prunty, led the company “to consider additional safety enhancements.” “We are always looking at ways to enhance safety,” she said.

    On the off-limits area of the ride platform beyond the passenger loading and unloading zones, Disney is installing sensor mats that will shut down the ride if someone sets foot there, Prunty said. Also, bold striping is being added to delineate the loading and unloading zones. The work, which is being done after hours, should take a few weeks and should not disrupt ride operations, Prunty said.

    Primeval Whirl is an old ride design known in the trade as a “wild mouse,” featuring cars that travel independently through a series of close, tight curves. There are dozens of such rides all over the world, some dating back more than 50 years. It is considered a relatively mild roller-coaster design, with a good safety record for riders. Since Primeval Whirl opened in April 2002, there has never been a reported case of a rider hurt seriously enough to require inpatient hospital treatment, though Disney currently faces a lawsuit from a man who alleges he seriously injured his knee while getting off the ride in 2005.

    Primeval Whirl, in Animal Kingdom’s Dinoland U.S.A. carnival area, is actually two coasters woven together. According to the independent Web site rollercoasterdatabase.com, each of the two tracks is 1,377 feet long and rises 42 feet in the air, and the cars reach a maximum speed of 29 mph.

    Weekend Update

    Here are some Disney news updates to brighten your weekend:

    -A correction on news we reported yesterday: the tarps surrounding the Animation Courtyard archway at Disney’s Hollywood Studios have indeed been removed, but a temporary sign saying ESPN the Weekend has been put over where the new park logo will be placed.

    -At 9am on April 22, 2008, there will be a re-dedication of Disney’s Animal Kingdom for it’s tenth anniversary celebration. Of course, the same group that brought you Epcot’s famous Celebration 25 in October will be putting on “A Wild Decade”, a commemorative event featuring one of a kind fan opportunities at celebrating this special occasion. For more information on this event, head on over to WDWCelebrations today.

    -I made my way over to a meet for the Central Jersey Disney Pin Traders today and have to say I had a great time trading and talking with all of the attendees. Our co-host of the upcoming Disney Pincast, John Rick, is the founder of the group and once again put on a great Disney pin trading meet. Next month, the CJDPT will be hosting its huge “Trade till’ You Fade” event from April 11-13. For more information on this upcoming opportunity to trade with hundreds of Disney pin traders and take part in numerous Disney activities at this event, head on over to www.cjdpt.com. A special note, I will be attending this event along with staff members Jason Diffendal and John Rick and we will be recording a special edition of the Disney Pincast.

    Yak and Yeti Restaurant Behind Schedule

    Over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, work on the Yak and Yeti restaurant is picking up as the rush is on to be finished by the original October deadline. Don’t be surprised if the restaurant doesn’t open until November/December of this year.