Electric Screams of Color: The Musical, This Christmas

WDWNT Author on August 4, 2008

Screamscape have posted a few interesting rumors from through-out the Resort, some of which we have already reported, but they give extra backing to what we have already said:

Some improvements are slated to be made to the Electrical Parade for Summer 2009. First off it seems that the California parade will import a couple of floats from the old Paris parade, namely a new Pinnochio float and the Diamond Mine float. Meanwhile we’ve heard that the Blue Fairy float is likely to be on the way out and will be replaced with a brand spankin’ new Tinker Bell float that will serve as the new lead float for the parade. Apparently the float itself will still use the old-school style lights like the rest of the parade, but Tink herself will be covered in new LED lights instead. Speaking of LEDs… apparently the plan is to install a few new LED effects in all the floats so that Tink can create some kind of magic effect at the start that will travel back through the rest of the floats in the parade.

While the improvements to the parade are likely to happen, the only question is if it will be in DCA or Disneyland.

In a disappointing twist, it seems that the real world Wall-E may not be coming to California Adventure after all. If the rumors are true something may have gone amiss with the first robot that we’ve all seen clips of already, that may be caused them to drop or delay plans to bring one to the park. Also due to construction on the Little Mermaid ride, there will not be another Golden Screams show held this fall. They may come up with some kind of replacement Villains concept in the Hollywood Backlot instead. And the fun news is that the new DCA Preview Center that will show off all the proposed changed coming to the park may be ready to open sometime this fall.

I have been hearing that they will actually close Golden Dreams as Golden Screams as soon as Halloween is over & then they will start work on the Little Mermaid. Although if you look at Disneyland’s official page for Halloween Time 2008, Golden Screams doesn’t appear to be listed. Time will have to tell on this one.

Early 2010 – Toy Story: The Musical – Rumor – (8/3/08) While I don’t know what the short-term plan is for the Aladdin show, we’ve heard that Toy Story: The Musical is now scheduled to open in early 2010 as a replacement. So I guess the question remains as to when exactly the current Aladdin show will close down.

2010 – Wonderful World of Color – Confirmed – (8/2/08) Sometime in very early 2009 I’ve heard that we may see the park drain the lagoon to do some of the extensive work needed for the upcoming World of Color night show.

And moving quickly over to Disneyland…

For the Holiday season we’ve heard that the park may add the “light up” snow effect to cover the front and back of the castle this year as well as expand it into the trees and garland in the hub and main street areas as well as the Town Square Christmas Tree. I’ve also been told that a new Toy Factory float will be added to the Christmas Parade to replace the old float.

I did once hear that what Screamscape is talking about might even be expanded to the Matterhorn, but I highly doubt that would happen. However, if the lighting effects do expand to the back of the Castle, that will make the whole thing look even nicer, & more complete!

The next few years at the Resort are going to be really exciting, & if even one of these rumors come true, I’ll be happy!

Disney Thrives In Less Than Magic Economy

WDWNT Author on July 25, 2008

Here’s an interesting article from Forbes.com:

With the Walt Disney Co.’s dependence on consumers’ travel and entertainment budgets, many on Wall Street expected the company to fall victim to weak consumer spending. Disney has proved skeptics wrong over the last six months, beating consensus profit estimates by more than 13% in the December and March quarters and showing healthy sales growth at its amusement parks.

But concerns about consumer spending have worsened, reflecting high energy prices and troubles in the labor and housing markets. Disney (nyse: DIS – news – people ) shares have retreated close to the two-year low reached in January, presenting a buying opportunity for patient investors.

While near-term profit growth will likely be sluggish. Disney is well positioned to deliver double-digit yearly growth over the long haul. Disney, a long-term buy, offers superior total-return potential over the next 24 to 36 months.

Park Performance

Disney’s parks and resorts performed well in the year ended in March, with quarterly revenue growth ranging from 5% to 9%, including an 8% increase in the March quarter. Attendance rose at least 3% in each of the four quarters, and occupancy rates have averaged 89%.

Theme parks and resorts provided roughly 29% of revenue and 19% of profits in the six months ended in March. Disney credits the segment’s 28% profit growth to interest in popular themes featured at the park, such as tie-ins to the Hannah Montana and High School Musical franchises

Also contributing to growth is a focus on value-conscious travelers: 79% of Disney’s rooms are now considered midpriced or low-priced, compared with less than half of the rooms in 1991. In addition, international parks, new vacation-club sales and a weak dollar have contributed to resort growth. The dollar’s weakness attracts foreign tourists to the U.S. and keeps American vacationers in the country.

Long-Term Value

In the past, Disney’s parks have tended to suffer more toward the end of recessions, as families put off travel until their finances looked better. The company expects a slowdown in park growth over the next year.

While, investors may need patience with Disney, the company still has plenty going for it. Media networks (41% of revenue, 50% of profits) are delivering strong results on healthy advertising sales, particularly at Disney’s cable-TV stations. Despite disappointing results from this year’s Prince Caspian release, studio entertainment (23% of revenue, 21% of profits) should perform well in coming quarters, thanks in part to the popularity of Wall-E. Disney plans to release 10 animated films over the next four years.

Finally, Disney’s consumer products division (7% of revenue, 10% of profits) delivered revenue and profit growth of at least 20% in the six months ended March, helped by videogame launches.

Disney shares trade at 13 times estimated per-share earnings over the next 12 months, well below the five-year average forward price-to-earnings ratio of 17. Consensus estimates project per-share-profit growth of 21% in fiscal 2008, ending in September, and 6% in fiscal 2009. Disney’s valuation and modest 2009 profit target reflect downbeat expectations for consumer spending, and leave plenty of room for upside surprises.

Jim Hill Goes Off the Wall-E

WDWNT Author on July 14, 2008

Our good friend Jim Hill over at Jim Hill Media has a great article up today about the rooms currently being re-decorated to Pirates of the Caribbean and Finding Nemo over at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort. While the new movie themed rooms are very news-worthy, there is something towards the end of the article that is far more interesting and exciting.

When mentioning tomorrow’s article for the site, Jim brought up the rumor that plans for Shanghai Disneyland’s Tomorrowland area have it completely themed to Disney-Pixar’s Wall-E film. I found this pretty exciting since I had been told about a month ago that the Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland may be getting the same treatment. Current plans include having the fictional “Buy N Large” corporation from the film Wall-E taking over tomorrowland, in order to give the land a cohesive storyline after years of mass-confusion. The Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Space Mountain, and Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress would most likely only be touched up to reflect the new theme, but major changes would be happening to the remainder of Tomorrowlandunder the current plan. A Wall-E themed show is currently in the works in Imagineering and would most likely replace Stitch’s Great Escape (while Stitch moves over to the Enchanted Tiki Room), although there is also talk of the show replacing The Laugh Floor. Other plans include major refurbishments of Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and the Astro Orbiter. While all of this is still rumor for now, there is a very strong possibility that most of the changes in this plan will take shape by 2012. Be sure to stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information on the future of Tomorrowland becomes available.

Dateline Disneyland Picture Update

WDWNT Author on July 4, 2008

Let’s take a look at some various things going on through-out the Disneyland Resort from this week’s Dateline Disneyland on MiceAge:


All of Innoventions, including the new Innoventions Dream Home, is now finally open!


Would you believe that Innoventions actually has a line!?


Tom Morrow still greets guests on video & as an animatronic…


… Not sure how this will work with all the new stuff


From Tom, you apparently go on to a mini-game show about ABC TV shows (no prizes awarded, of course)


The inner walls are lined with various murals featuring past & present Tomorrowland icons


From there you finally enter the Innoventions Dream Home! Check the Dateline Disneyland article for a full photo guide of the new Dream home (way too many pictures to share here). The link is at the top of this post


You exit the Dream Home through the Elias Family Party Tent…


… And then you go up the stairs that take you to the Segway Experience on the 2nd floor


Here’s a look at the placing of the new Wall-E meet ‘n greet in Hollywood Pictures Backlot


These sponsor themed ads are apparently new

Be sure to check the Dateline Disneyland article for, as I said, many more pictures of the Innoventions Dream Home, as well as a look at Toy Story Midway Mania, the Grand Californian Expansion, & new posters inside the Disneyland Hotel! The link is at the top of the post.

Disney-Pixar’s Wall-E

WDWNT Author on June 26, 2008

Besides loving the Disney Parks, most of the staff here at WDW News Today are big fans of all the Disney and Pixar animated films. As most of you know, Disney and Pixar’s newest film, Wall-E, opens in theaters everywhere June 27. In honor of this release, we have assembled a number of videos to watch for those of you who can’t wait to see the film this weekend. Remember, whether or not your looking forward to this film, it will most likely play a huge role in the future of the Disney parks. There is also a video here of the Wall-E interactive character is already slated to debut at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s California Adventure this week. Enjoy the videos, and go see Wall-E!!!

 

Pixar Place Update

WDWNT Author on June 9, 2008

With Toy Story Mania now operating, bigger plans for the entire Pixar Place area of Disney’s Hollywood Studios are firming up. Imagineering is already beginning to work on upgrades for Toy Story Mania, with holiday version of the ride planned to debut in 2011 and an updated Toy Story 3 inspired version coming Summer 2010.

Across the street, the new shop, small-scale food service area, and the “top secret” Toy Story meet and greet spot are all nearing completion. According to Disney, the waiting area for the meet and greet will feature something they “have never done before”, to quote an Imagineer. Also slated to debut on the street, around the same time in June as the other Pixar Place offerings, is the Wall-E interactive living character animatronic. Plans are to have the “living” character roam the street now through January 2009, where he will be put away until work is completed on the second phase of the Pixar Place project.

Already rumored for the next phase of the project is a Monsters Inc. roller-coaster to fill in soundstage 1 and a smaller-scale version of the Car’s inspired Radiator Springs Racers attraction debuting Disney’s at California Adventure park in a few years, replacing the Studio Backlot Tour. By the end of the project, Pixar Place will extend from the Narnia exhibit to New York Street, wrapping around the northeast end of the Great Movie Ride. Other minor changes include some minor theme changes, including changing the Honey I Shrunk The Kids Movie Set into a set from “It’s Tough To Be a Bug”, changing the Backlot Caterers food location into a Monsters Inc. or Ratatouille themed eatery, and changing the theme of the small store that used to be “The Loony Bin” to a Monsters Inc. themed shop.

While most of these points are still completely rumor, many of these plans should eventually be executed. The current plan has the final pieces of Pixar Place (the Cars E-Ticket attraction and Monsters Inc. roller-coaster) being put into place by 2015, with the minor pieces all completed by 2011. Be sure to stay tuned to WDW News Today as more info on Pixar Place progress becomes available.

Animatronic Wall-E Coming to Disney’s California Adventure

WDWNT Author on June 8, 2008

A real-world mobile audio-animatronic Wall-E robot will roam around Disney’s California Adventure and interact with theme park visitors later this year, according to the monthly newsletter mailed to Disneyland Annual Passholders.

“Be sure to keep your Visual Input Devices (also known as ‘eyes’) peeled as you play in the park this summer,” reported the Backstage Pass newsletter. “You might just catch a glimpse of the newest Pixar pal mingling with our human guests. Of course, Wall-E’s in-park appearances are subject to change without notice.”

The adorable remote-controlled, 3-foot-tall robot built by Walt Disney Imagineering has been spotted on the streets of Los Angeles and at a Philadelphia science center, but the Mouse House has remained mum on future theme park visits by Wall-E.

According to video of the real-world robot, the animatronic Wall-E rolls on his tread feet, moves his arms and hands, tilts his head, blinks his eyes and responds to questions in his own E.T.-like language.

Don’t expect to see Wall-E at California Adventure until long after the Disney-Pixar computer-animated movie opens in theaters June 27. The animatronic robot’s schedule becomes more booked every day with television interviews and a planned world tour.

— Brady MacDonald, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

Waaaalllll Eeeeee!

WDWNT Author on May 14, 2008

The latest character in the Living Character Initiative is going to be Wall-E. He should start appearing in Tomorrowland later this year, but a little video from an event in LA has surfaced, & one word sums up this walk-around animatronic… AMAZING!


Wall-E Spotted in LA! from Blink on Vimeo.

Living Robot Initiative

WDWNT Author on March 17, 2008

The latest in the line of “living characters” at Walt Disney World (Such as Muppet Mobile Labs, Lucky the Dinosaur, and Mr. Potato Head) will be debuting soon at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Rumors are swirling that a living character of Wall-E from the upcoming Disney-Pixar film of the same name will begin roaming the streets of Pixar Place within a few weeks. Stay tuned to WDW News Today as more info becomes available on this story.