Farming Corn Dogs

WDWNT Author on May 31, 2009

According to D23:

Bountiful Valley Farmer’s Market in Disney’s California Adventure Park will begin serving corn dogs on June 1 due to the temporary closure of Corn Dog Castle to make way for the upcoming attraction based on the movie The Little Mermaid.

DCA’s Premiere New Attraction…

WDWNT Author on May 9, 2009

According to D23:

New Guest restrooms across from Golden Dreams in Disney’s California Adventure will open May 16 after a scheduled reconstruction. The restrooms adjacent to Golden Dreams will close as work continues on one of the premiere attractions in the Paradise Pier area, which is based on the movie The Little Mermaid.

New DCA Refurb Project Dates

WDWNT Author on May 6, 2009

The DCA Project Tracker has some new information on upcoming refurbishments at Disney’s California Adventure:

  • Construction walls will go up around Golden Dreams on May 26th, as work finally begins on The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Adventure. On June 1st, those walls will spread down to Souvenir 66, Corn Dog Castle, and Dinosaur Jack’s Sunglass Shack, the last of which closes on May 26th and will become an extended queue for Goofy’s Sky School.
  • After the Orange Stinger closes for its refurbishment on July 27th, the next re-do will be for Mulholland Madness, which is scheduled to close in January 2010. Also scheduled for January 2010 is work finally beginning on Buena Vista Street.

These dates are far from official and are always scheduled to change, so stay tuned to Disneyland News Today and our Refurbishments page for the latest.

TLT Renovation

WDWNT Author on May 1, 2009

D23 has put up a couple of interesting things today that I want to share with everyone. First up, a great look at the Disney’s California Adventure renovation is provided in the Summer issue of Disney twenty-three magazine:

In the summer issue of twenty-three, Steven Clark and Jeffrey Epstein take readers on an exciting walk into the future of Disney’s California Adventure, revealing what Imagineers have in mind for park over the next four years. As you might expect, spectacular plans are unfolding — everything from a brand-new entryway and the majestic Carthay Circle Theatre to the spectacular World of Color nighttime extravaganza, the calypso under-the-sea beat of the new Little Mermaid attraction and an entirely new themed land that will be home to Lightning McQueen and his four-wheeled friends! Happy browsing!

Secondly, they have an interview with Disneyland Entertainment Productions Senior Show Director John Addis about the upcoming TLT Dance Club coming to the Tomorrowland Terrace this summer as part of Summer Nightastic:

If a hot nightspot inside Disneyland featuring today’s most popular music sounds like a familiar concept, you have something in common with Disneyland Entertainment Productions Senior Show Director John Addis.

“I opened Videopolis back in ’85,” John says, referring to the vibrant video dance club that once stood where the Princess Fantasy Faire now resides. “They packed the place. Kids would go and learn dances together.” John says they wanted to bring the concept into 2009, and the Tomorrowland Terrace, which has frequently featured contemporary performances throughout the years, was the perfect spot for the new TLT Dance Club (skywalkers-in-training, have no fear, Jedi Training Academy will continue during the day — TLT will heat up nightly from 7–11 p.m. starting June 12). “We’re going to have plasma screens in the venue, and you can actually text and your text messages will go up on the screen… I’m not quite sure how they’re going to police that,” he says with a laugh. Guests will also be able to text in their favorite song to a posted number. “At 8 o’clock at night they do ‘Celebrate at 8,’ and they will take all of the songs that everyone wants to hear and they’ll do a countdown to the No. 1 song.”

John also notes there will be a host who will keep the night grooving with games, trivia and trademarked Disney fun. Music, of course, will be the heart of TLT, with DJs from Southern California radio stations and local bands keeping things lively. “The asks are out, as they say,” jokes John about possible performers and DJs. “But I haven’t heard anything definite. I’m excited about the live music. Friday through Sunday we’re going to have live bands.”

The bands, notes Disney Entertainment Productions Producer Ray Coble, may be familiar to Disneyland-ers. “We’re welcoming bands that we use and know are very successful like the 80z All Stars and also looking at some new ones.”

Adds John, “I’d love to expose people to new groups. It’s great to have a new group come in, people follow them and suddenly… they’re Rascal Flatts!”

Does that mean Miley may turn up at TLT? “We’re looking into Hollywood Records and Disney Channel emerging artists — and maybe even some established recording artists — coming down during that Friday to Sunday time,” John hints. “What we’ve done is taken an area that needed to have some fun, and I think it’s going to!”

D23 News Round-up

WDWNT Author on March 18, 2009

D23’s website has so far proven to be a great source for news and information for the Disneyland Resort, posting some tidbits we haven’t even heard mentioned elsewhere. Here’s a round-up news from the last 2 days:

  • 03.18.09 — Golden Farewell
    Golden Dreams, one of the original attractions at Disney’s California Adventure, is closing to make way for a brand-new attraction themed after The Little Mermaid. The final showing will take place at a special event for Cast Members on March 22.
  • 03.18.09 — It’s a Round-up!
    Celebration Round-up & BBQ is set to open April 2! Guests can book priority seating now.
  • 03.17.09 — Easter Bunny Arrives Early At Fantasyland!
    In addition to happy passengers, the Storybook Land Canal Boats are carrying Easter/Spring flowers and, if you look closely, you can see baskets of pastel eggs in front of some of the homes along the canal.
  • 03.17.09 — Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique Accepting Reservations
    Beginning yesterday, Guests can book reservations for Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Disneyland. The boutique, which transforms little girls into princesses and boys into knights, will be nestled inside Fantasyland next to Sleeping Beauty Castle and is set to open April 17.

News & Rumor Round-up

WDWNT Author on December 20, 2008

I have been informed of some very interesting news & rumors of what could be happening (or is going to happen) at the Disneyland Resort in the very near future:

  • Construction should be beginning on World of Color sometime during the upcoming week, weather permitting of course. The first signs of work will be near the California Screamin’ launch area. Along with that, the change-over from the Orange Stinger to Silly Symphony Swings should start in January 2009, & construction on the The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Adventure will finally begin in April 2009. Also, the Maliboomer will now be removed next year, with nothing replacing it at the moment, except for a nicely designed seating area on the current tower platforms. The “refurbishment” of Burger Invasion seems to be of been pushed along a whole another year, with it supposedly lasting through May 26th, 2011. The building will sit dormant for a while, until work begins on the Beer Garden.
  • Originally the plans for a new parade route in DCA called for it to go through Cars Land, & then up onto the parade route as it is today. Well now the plan is for parades to start at the gate right by the Tower of Terror, go through the Hollywood Pictures Backlot, through Buena Vista Street, & up along the rest of the regular parade route, which would make it the longest parade route in Disney history! This would prompt the removal of the Hollywood Pictures Backlot arch, however the two giant elephants would stay.
  • New restrooms will be installed opposite the current ones next to Golden Dreams in the San Francisco style buildings, with work beginning on January 5th 2009, to allow for the current ones to be removed for extra space needed for The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Adventure. The supposed completion day is March 30th 2009, which makes sense if Little Mermaid construction is expected to begin in April.
  • It’s rumored that a fruit cart will be installed in the former home of the Conestoga Wagon McDonalds fry cart in Frontierland. The only concrete details we have is that it should be opened by late May 2009.
  • In a rather interesting turn of events, it seems the Royal Coronation Ceremony & Disney Princess Storytelling Shows at the Princess Fantasy Faire will no longer be performed after January 4th 2009. This is yet another sign of how bad the New Year could end up being for Disney. Of course, the Princess Meet ‘n Greets, Princess merchandise area, & Enchanted Cottage food stand will remain open.
  • Finally, rumors keep persisting that Disney’s Electrical Parade will be returning to Disneyland. But now it seems that a return would cause for quite a few changes. The parade is going to have to get an entirely new name for it to be able to move back to Disneyland, due to the marketing campaign they had in 1996, legally saying that the Main Street Electrical Parade would never return to Disneyland. We however have no idea on what the new name could be just yet. A new version of the Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade: Dreamlights soundtrack could be replacing the classic Electrical Parade soundtrack we know & love. And as we’ve said before, the Pinocchio & Snow White Dwarf Mine floats will be returning to the parade. In fact, we have proof…

The black sort of curtain like structure is the Snow White Dwarf Mine. The Pinocchio Cigar Factory is in the blue draped crate next to the parade storage warehouse. The Pleasure Island float has reportedly already been pieced together.

Well that wraps up this interesting news & rumor report. Stay tuned to Disneyland News Today for the latest developments on these, & all other news & rumors.

PS) Posts may be a little sporadic over the week week, as I’ll be in England from tomorrow through the 29th. I will try to get some stuff to you guys though. Definitely don’t forget to tune into the Christmas Podcast Parade, being released Christmas Day on all WDWNT Podcast feeds!

MiceAge Disneyland Update

WDWNT Author on October 8, 2008

A treat I look forward to every other month is a Disneyland Update from MiceAge‘s Al Lutz. Al knows his stuff very well, & the articles always feature interesting information that usually comes to pass. Let’s take a look through some of the things spoken about in today’s update:

  • DCA’s upcoming re-do has been split in to 4 phases of sorts. Here’s how the phases pan out:

    World of Color, Paradise Pier     makeover, completed spring 2010
    Main Entrance     makeover, Red Car trolley, initial Hollywood work, completed mid 2011
    Little Mermaid     pavilion and E-Ticket attraction, completed late 2011
    Cars Land     attractions, shops, restaurants, completed mid 2012

    Al says that the current financial crisis in this country shouldn’t have any affect on DCA’s re-do. The first phase will actually start in just 2 weeks, with the closing of the Sun Wheel. Around Thanksgiving, the Paradise Pier lagoon will be drained in preparation for the World of Color nighttime show.

  • Plans just keep expanding for The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Adventure. This attraction is going to be so extravagant, that Ariel’s hair will actually be a seperate animatronic from Ariel herself, due to her hair flowing, as we are supposed to be “Under the Sea”. The various Ariel animatronics in the attraction are said to be some of the most sosphicated ever produced by WDI.
  • While it’s too much to explain in a short recap, Al does have a complete listing of what you will be able to find in the Blue Sky Cellar once it officially opens on October 20th. Check the second page of the linked article for that.
  • Get ready for the controversy to start. The Disney characters & the American scene (this scene replaces the old Rainforest scene before the Grand Finale scene)have both been installed in It’s a Small World. But don’t expect to see them when the attraction re-opens as It’s a Small World Holiday on November 21st. For they will both be hidden from view until the original version of the attraction debuts sometime in February (yes, there will be a 1 month long refurbishment in January, beginning January 5th).
  • Sometime this winter, all 3 Mark VII Monorails will go under the knife to fix the horrible problems that they are currently faced with. The windows will be completely ripped out, & replaced with windows like those seen on the Mark V’s.
  • An idea being thrown around for next year’s What Will You Celebrate? campaign is to “plus” a couple of attractions in the Resort, with some Celebration themed things. One such idea is for some new elements added to the Many Adventure of Winnie the Pooh attraction, with similar decor around Critter Country.

There’s plenty more to be found in this article, including Disney possibly buying both the Anaheim GardenWalk & SeaWorld San Diego (of all places). Be sure to check it out.