Long Lines At D23 Expo

Long lines of fans waiting to get into D23 Expo.

Zz.

Donald's Great Adventure - At Disneyland

Greetings again, my great Friends! This is your lovable Donald Duck reporting from the Happiest Place on Earth! I am here enjoying sunny southern California, and having a great reunion with all my buddies from the "old country".

Here I am in the Disney Gallery. Hey, anyone knows the combination to the vault?

I think they are doing an exhibition of the work of my very good friend, Mary Blair. You could come on down and see it!

 

I had a craving for something sweet (what, you think that ice cream I had at the Soda Fountain was enough?). Went into the candy store, and I just HAD to get this chocolate!

 

Y'know, this view gets to me EVERY time. I'm home! I'm truly home!!

DD.

Random WDW Picture

From SpectroMagic at the Magic Kingdom.

Zz.

You Are Seeing A Movie NOT For Its Story

Yes folks. All these claims that the story is the most important factor in a movie, and that the audience really care more about the story are all, in the word of a Disney executive, "bullshit". This is what Disney Animation Studios chief technical officer Andy Hendrickson claimed.

Sadly, his comments, delivered at last weekend's Siggraph Conference, are not meant to be looked upon as a call to arms. If anything, he's advising fellow studio honchos to bankroll effects-driven eye-candy as opposed to films that have stories to sell. In Hendrickson's opinion most people would rather spend their entertainment dollars on "spectacle," not storytelling.

Besides the fact that the use of that word is rather inappropriate for a conference, and as a representative of the Walt Disney Company, he also appeared to not only dissed movies made by Disney, but also in some way, insulted the audience who paid to see those movies.

Hendrickson even went so far as to bite the hand that feeds him. He used Disney's recent Alice in Wonderland as a defense of his theory: “The story isn’t very good, but visual spectacle brought people in droves. And Johnny Depp didn’t hurt.”

Of course, this whole philosophy severely contradicts the philosophy at Pixar and John Lasseter, where story is the #1 element of their movies (with the exception of "Cars 2").

Maybe Hendrickson should just stick with the "technical" aspect of Disney animation. I wonder if there might be a fall-out out of this thing, such as no more public engagement for him.

Zz.

Donald's Great Adventure - At The Soda Fountain

Greeting my legions of fans! This is your idol Donald Duck reporting once again. This time, I am at Disney's Soda Fountain store in the land of tinsel. No, I am not here auditioning for a movie part. Big movie stars like me don't have to audition for anything ... well, maybe for Dancing with the Stars, but that's another story.


Here I am staring at the menu at the Soda Fountain trying to narrow down what I want. This is always a difficult decision because, to be honest, I am such a big ice cream addict. I love it. The only bad thing is that my bill gets covered in melted ice cream after one of these bouts. Do you remember having to take off your muddy boots before you can enter your house? Well, Daisy would make me take off my bill if I could before I could enter the house after I had some ice cream!

Of course, I always have plenty of fans around, especially cast members. This is cast member James, who took my order. He was really happy to finally get a picture with me, as you can tell.

So what did I end up eventually? Why, the pin traders Sundae, or course! ZapperZ always tells me never pass up something that has a free pin. So I didn't! Besides, can't you tell already that this is one yummy concoction?

BURP!


I was a stuffed duck by the end of that.


Your buddy,


DD.

Disney/Pixar Stamps To Go On Sale August 19, 2011

The US Post Office will have Disney/Pixar stamps on sale starting August 19, 2011.

This pane of 20 stamps includes five different designs featuring characters Lightning McQueen and Mater from Cars (2006); Remy the rat and Linguini from Ratatouille (2007); Buzz Lightyear and two of the green, three-eyed aliens from Toy Story (1995); Carl Fredricksen and Dug from Up (2009); and the robot WALL*E from WALL*E (2008). The back of the stamp pane shows seven blue-pencil sketches of the characters from these movies interspersed among text that discusses each film. Art directors Terrence W. McCaffrey and William J. Gicker worked with Disney•Pixar to design the stamp art.

 They will be the Forever stamps, so get them now to be used ... forever!

Zz.

Possible Reason Why DVC President Was Fired

We learn a little bit more on the unexpected firing of the Disney Vacation Club President Jim Lewis. It appears to be the debacle with the calculation on the annual dues for the Aulani resort.

Those people said Disney concluded that Vacation Club executives had calculated dues amounts so low that they would not generate enough money to cover the cost of maintaining Aulani. The inadequate dues amounts were included in legal-disclosure documents submitted to the Hawaiian government.

Disney said Aulani's operating costs were underestimated, leading to the inadequate annual dues. It said the mistake was unintentional.

It appears that Jim Lewis wasn't the only one let go. Two other Disney executives involved also were fired.

For now, they have stopped all new sales to Aulani. It will be interesting to see how they plan to readjust the annual dues for this resort in their new filing with the Hawaiian government.

Zz.

Behind The Scenes At Enchanted Tiki Room

With the rehab of the Magic Kingdom's Enchanted Tiki Room back to its original show, here's a behind the scenes look at this attraction.

Zz.

Random WDW Picture

The Disney's Beach Club on a perfect, gorgeous day.

Zz.

Random WDW Picture

Meeeooowwwww!

Zz.

DVC President Fired?

Wow! More unexpected news and shake-up within the Walt Disney Company. We had a major reorganization of the company's theme park operations a while back, and now, reports are coming that Jim Lewis, President of the Disney Vacation Club, has been ousted.

The president of Walt Disney Co.'s time-share business was fired Friday, according to several people familiar with the move.

A spokeswoman for Disney confirmed late Friday night that Disney Vacation Club President Jim Lewis was no longer with the company. She declined to discuss further details.

Hum.. wonder what that's all about. Are they blaming him for the slow DVC business during the economic crisis? I guess in some sense, unless Jim Hill has an inside information, we'll never know.

Zz.

Disney Halts Production of "The Lone Ranger"

This certainly came out of nowhere.

This has halted the production of "The Lone Ranger" due to its ballooning cost.

Walt Disney Pictures have shut down the production of Johnny Depp-starring adventure film "The Lone Ranger" due to budgetary issue. It was said that director Gore Verbinski and the production team have tried to reduce the budget from $250 million to $232 million, but it is still far from the $200 million the studio wanted the project to spend.

Even with Johnny Depp in the movie, Disney can only stomach the production cost up to a certain point, obviously. And I don't blame them. Does Gore Verbinski know how to make a low-budget movie in the first place?

We shall see if this gets revived, or it is dead in the water.

Zz.

Video of Disney/Pixar's "Up" House For Sale

I mentioned more than a month ago of the replica house from Disney/Pixar's "Up" that's for sale in Utah. We now have a video of the property.

I wonder if the MLS listing of this property has this video? :)

Zz.

WDW Will Add A New Monorail Train

WDW will soon get back its full compliment of 12 monorail trains with the addition of one more.

Disney said the new train will begin testing during the next few weeks, though it will initially lack the colored stripe that is used to identify each of the resort's trains. It will eventually be painted with a peach-colored stripe.

Disney hasn't had 12 monorail trains in service since July 5, 2009, when two of its trains collided in a 2 a.m. cash that killed 21-year-old Austin Wuennenberg, a monorail driver and part-time Disney employee from Kissimmee.

 I just wish that start letting guests back into the front car. That was a highlight of any of our trip to WDW.

Zz.

Morocco Pavilion At Night

It is my opinion that the Morocco pavilion at Epcot's World Showcase has the most unique and fascinating architecture of all the countries there. One can argue that Japan and China also can make such a claim. But I think here in the US, we are more familiar with those two cultures. So in the sense of being less familiar in general, Morocco pavilion wins.

I've taken lots of photos of this pavilion. But this series of photos taken in one evening are, I think, some of my most favorite. So I'm sharing them with you. Enjoy!

Zz.

Random WDW Picture

This, to me, is the Happiest Sight On Earth. It means that I just arrived have several days to look forward to at the Most Magical Place On Earth!

Zz.

Disney Stocks Soar, and Iger Wants To Buy More

I suppose timing is everything. After a tremendous Tuesday rally on Wall Street, Disney released its 3rd quarter earnings after the market closed with better than expected earnings.

Net income rose 11 percent to $1.48 billion, or 77 cents a share, from $1.33 billion, or 67 cents, a year ago, Burbank, California-based Disney said yesterday in a statement. Profit excluding some items was 78 cents, beating the 73-cent average of 22 analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

Cable-network earnings rose 10 percent, with ESPN enjoying gains in fees from pay-TV systems. Theme-park profit advanced 8.8 percent, fueled by higher admission prices at U.S. resorts and this year’s later Easter break. The consumer products unit boosted profit with sales of “Cars” and Marvel merchandise.

But what was more interesting during the conference call with Disney CEO Bob Iger was plan to buy more companies to acquire more characters and stories.

“We don’t have what I’d call a strategic hole,” Chief Executive Officer Robert Iger said yesterday on a conference call after the company’s third-quarter earnings release. “But we’ve looked expansively at opportunities across the world to buy either new characters or businesses that are capable of creating great characters and great stories.”

Iger didn’t specify any targets. He cited international as an area of interest, and India as “another example of a high- growth market. We think investing in it, at least in today’s world, is a smart move,” Iger said. 

It's hard to argue with that strategy considering the fact that he knows what he's doing so far and it has seems to work.

Zz.

Random WDW Picture

The voice (and teeth) of Liberty at the World Showcase's America Pavilion, Epcot.

Zz.

Disney Reports Its 3rd Quarter Earnings Tomorrow

Oh, what a week to report your earnings after the brutal day for stocks today. With the Dow plunging more than 500 points today, The Walt Disney Company is expected to report its 3rd Quarter earnings tomorrow after the market closes.

One would hope that a strong earning by the company would spur some sort of a recovery from this irrational reaction that has been very common with Wall Street.

Zz.

Random WDW Picture

Dusk at the Hub in front of Cindy's Castle, looking back at Main Street USA from behind the Partners statue. People are waiting for Wishes, and most of them sitting here don't know that they are sitting too close to the castle that part of the fireworks will be blocked by the castle itself.

Zz.

Random WDW Picture

You would have not seen this if you never had lunch or dinner at Marrakesh in the Morocco pavilion.

Zz.

2011 Passholder 40 Anniversary Sweepstakes

OK, here we go again with a very flimsy hope of winning a night's stay at Cinderella Castle. As part of the 40th Anniversary celebration, they are having a sweepstakes for WDW passholder to win a stay at Cindy's castle!

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Walt Disney World Resort, Passholders can enter for a chance to win a prize package fit for royalty. One lucky Passholder will win a trip for four to Walt Disney World Resort—including a stay at Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom Park!


Prize package includes:

• A one-night stay in Cinderella Castle Suite, a rare and privileged Resort experience
• Breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table
• A $250 Disney Gift Card
• One-day Magic Your Way tickets
• Transportation to and from Walt Disney World Resort (if winner lives more than 250 miles from the Resort)

No purchase necessary. For complete details, please see Official Rules

Enter between September 1, 2011 and October 1, 2011. To enter, complete the entry form and submit it at Uptown Jewelers merchandise location in Magic Kingdom Park or mail it to:

Disney Destinations, LLC
2011 Passholder 40th Anniversary Sweepstakes
P.O. Box 10000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830.

There ya go! Since we will be there for the Sept. pin celebration event at WDW, I think I'll print out a few of these and try to submit one per day while I'm there ("Only one Entry per Member per Day regardless of method of Entry ...").

Zz.

Random WDW Picture

The finale for HalloWishes during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.

Zz.

Darth Vader Goes To Disneyland

OK, this is just plain hysterical.

This appears to be part of a series of videos on "Darth Vader Goes to Disneyland". This one is his "strut" in front of the Castle.



There are more rather hilarious videos in this series, including his attempt at the Sword in the Stone.



He should come to Walt Disney World, and see if he can get a reservation at Le Cellier. :)

Zz.

Walt Disney's Former Home For Sale

If you have $3.65 million, you can own a piece of history in the form of a former home occupied by Walt Disney and his family.

Disney's gated home in Los Feliz was home to the cartoonist, his wife, Lillian, and two daughters Diane and Sharon until 1945, when he moved into another home in Holmby Hills. The home features a Mediterranean-style entry in a circular rotunda and painted ceilings in the foyer and dining room as well as vaulted beamed ceilings throughout the rest of the house. According to a listing photo, the Disney home was featured in the January 1940 issue of Better Homes and Gardens.

 I'm guessing that this isn't a short sale. :)

Zz.

Random WDW Picture

Sometime, having fun can be awfully tiring.

Zz.

Original Tiki Room Show Opens Aug. 15

The "New Management" is out. The Tiki Room at the Magic Kingdom will have the original show back starting Aug. 15.

Now the “new management” has been let go and the future of the Adventureland landmark is in the wings and wit of José, Fritz, Michael and Pierre – four crooning parrot hosts who have been entertaining guests at California’s Disneyland since 1963 in The Enchanted Tiki Room. Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, as the Magic Kingdom attraction now will be called, is being prepared for the premiere (tentatively on Aug. 15, 2011) of a show that will pay tribute to the Disneyland original - notable in theme park history for ushering in sophisticated Audio-Animatronics technology.

I guess they had good reasons to do this after the Tiki Room had a minor fire. So that was a good excuse to rethink the attraction.

Zz.

Cast Canoe Race

A while back, there was a video of a cast canoe race around the Rivers of America at Disneyland. Well, it is not just the Disneyland cast members that get to do this fun thing. There's a video now of the Disney World cast members having their own canoe race at The Magic Kingdom.



Nice to see them having such fun, and all before the rest of us guests show up! :)

Zz.

"Cars" Lawsuit Dismissed

A UK screenwriter who filed a lawsuit against Disney claiming "Cars" and Cars 2" were copies of his original work will not get anything out of it. A judge has thrown out the lawsuit.

In March, Jake Mandeville-Anthony sued claiming the Pixar films infringed the copyright on a three-part screenplay titled "Cookie & Co.," about the true-life adventure race-car driver Michael Owen Perkins, who won a 1988 race, and a second work titled "Cars," which included a treatment, sample screenplay, 46 animated car character descriptions, 10 cars character sketches, and a marketing and merchandising plan.

But in a short summary judgment issued on Thursday, California federal judge Valerie Baker Fairbank found the works were dissimilar and the claims were barred because the statute of limitations had expired.

Considering how bad "Cars 2" were, I wouldn't want to claim ownership of the screenplay. :)

Zz.

Random WDW Picture

"Welcome, welcome, welcome...."

Dancing to the "Trolley" song on Main Street, USA, Magic Kingdom.

Zz.

Hidden Mickey Author Steven Barrett

Here's a short article on one of the ultimate Disney fans, and author of the definitive book on Hidden Mickeys, Steven Barrett.

Emergency medicine has long been one of Barrett’s passions, but out of his growing love of Disney came a second career as an author. During his many visits to Disney World, Barrett kept track when he spotted Hidden Mickeys — partial or complete images of Mickey Mouse that have been hidden by Disney’s Imagineers and artists in the designs of attractions, hotels and restaurants. And when the folks at The Intrepid Traveler, the publisher of Barrett’s “The Hassle Free Walt Disney World Vacation,” found out, they suggested the Hidden Mickeys guidebooks.

I try to spot at least one hidden Mickey on each trip. It just adds a extra, small dimension to that trip. Of course, if you followed the trip report on my last trip, I found more than just one! :)

Zz.

We're In For "Room For One More"!!

Holy cow! We got tickets for "Room For One More" event! How lucky is that?

So now we are definitely planning on going. And not only that, they have updated the merchandise list for this event, and boy oh boy! I'm going to be poor after this one. There are some really amazing stuff they've put up for sale at this event. But towards the end of the catalog, it looks like they are including some generic WDW 40th Anniversary merchandise! I mean, Main Street Electrical Parade? The Shooting Arcade? What do those have anything to do with Haunted Mansion?

Looking at the itinerary, I'm a bit disappointed that there is no provision to give attendees a special ride-through of the Haunted Mansion itself during the event. Maybe they'll update the activities as the event gets closer, but if this is it, I'll be a bit disappointed.

Zz.

Where in Walt Disney World

OK, this one should be utterly easy that, if you don't know this, your Disney fan card should be revoked! :)

Where in Walt Disney World can you find these lovable "creatures"?

Zz.

Select DCL Merchandise Available Off Ships

Certain Disney Cruise Line merchandise will be available for sale off Disney ships, starting on Aug. 1. It appears that some are already being carried by the online Disney Stores.

Beginning Monday, Aug. 1 — the official launch date of the program — customers will be able to search disneycruise.com/store to find a variety of goods, a DCL spokesperson confirmed. The current line includes T-shirts, sweatshirts, hats and mouse ears for children and adults; a photo album, frames and a scrapbooking kit; a tote bags and a compact umbrella; a Christmas ornament; a couple of plush characters; and more.

Previously, only discontinued DCL merchandise could be found off the ships at Walt Disney World’s two outlet stores, Disney ’s Character Warehouse and Disney’s Character Warehouse.

Oh well, I will just have to search for stuff they don't sell elsewhere but the ships when I go on the cruise in December.

Zz.

Slow Changes At Pleasure Island

I reported a while back about changes to Pleasure Island being stalled while they "rethink" some of the plans. This news article expanded that a little bit more and described some of the changes that was done, those that were planned, and those that might no longer come through.

To me, there still isn't a flow between Marketplace into Pleasure Island. It doesn't feel as if it is one continuous walking area that you just want to stroll along. There is almost an abrupt transition, and it makes me want to stop and turn around. In Marketplace, as you walk from one end to the next, there's always something just ahead of you that always makes you want to move forward to see more. There's hardly any area where you don't quite see what's ahead of you that makes you want to continue to walk forward. This isn't the case with the transition from Marketplace and Pleasure Island. While this transition is necessary when Pleasure Island was either charging admission, or when it was completely an adult entertainment area, this abrupt discontinuity is a flaw if they want to increase foot traffic from either Marketplace or West Side.

Zz.

A Dropped Backpack Stopped California Screamin'

Oy vey! I would be royally pissed if this happened to me.

A dropped backpack onto the tracks of California Screamin' at DCA stopped the roller coaster in its tracks, literally!

A dropped backpack has brought a roller coaster to a halt at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, prompting the rescue of 24 people from the ride.


Disneyland Resort spokeswoman Suzi Brown says the California Screamin’ ride came to an automatic stop around 6:30 p.m. Friday when someone’s backpack fell onto the track.

The question is, where exactly can a guest accidentally drop a backpack onto the tracks of California Screamin'? The only place that I remember where guests can actually look DOWN onto the tracks is right at the launching area. Here's a picture to illustrate my point.

But dropping a backpack on here doesn't require that much of an effort to "rescue" the guests. Besides, one can just not start the ride. So my guess is that this dropped backpack happened elsewhere, but where? Does anyone else know where, along the ride, can a guest drop something like a backpack onto the tracks?

Zz.

Donald Great Adventure - The Wanyama Safari

Hello there my wonderful fans! I'm sure you've missed hearing from me. It has been a while since ZapperZ brought me out of his bag and let me wonder on my own to the various interesting places around. In any case, I just came back from a wonderful time at WDW. While I was there, I was invited to go on the amazing Wanyama Safari at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. If you haven't done so, I strongly recommend you do it. Even for a duck like me, it was a fun thing to do to see how the rest of the animal kingdom live.


Now, if you've never done the Wanyama Safari before, this is a tour of the safari at Animal Kingdom Lodge, followed by a special dinner at Jiko. This safari is available only to guest of the Animal Kingdom Lodge, of which I was at that time. Just make sure you try to book it way in advance, it is a very popular tour.


The safari tour started out in the late afternoon. They put us on this converted truck, which was surprisingly quite comfortable. Of course, with my lush feathers, a few rough bumps here and there didn't bother me.

  

This was our tour guide. She was very nice, and he liked me!

And now, on with the tour. We did quite a long, slow drive around the AKL safari grounds. I saw lots of giraffes.

I also saw a few zebras crossing....

Hum.. I wonder what he tastes like... Oh, not for me, of course. I'm a vegetarian!

It was HOT. A lot of the animals were under shades. Too bad they could not get a nice, cool bath that I would get later on back in my suite.

It was a fun safari! But I was starving towards the end, and was glad when we moved to Jiko for our dinner. I've always liked Jiko. It is such a unique place to eat. Even though it was sweltering outside, it was nice and cool inside, and they had a nice fire going in this huge "oven".

Here I am looking at the special Wanyama Safari menu. I'm glad they don't have roast duck!

The chef made quite an amazing, special dinner for us. Of course, he was honored to have me as one of his guests. He was one of my biggest fans!

At the end of the evening, I ate like Miss Piggy! The food and the wine were just outstanding. I'd fly to Orlando just to do the tour again.

That's all for now. This is Donald Duck signing off till my next Great Adventure.

DD.

Disney's "Gargoyles"

Oy!

First we had gnomes. Now its on to gargoyles?

Writing duo David Elliot and Paul Lovett ("G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra") are the latest scribes to tackle a project that explores the world of gargoyles at Disney.

Project is not tied to "Gargoyles," the popular animated TV series that Disney produced in the 1990s. Instead, it centers on a world in which the stone statues on buildings come to life. Elliot and Lovett would portray them as guardian angels for the cities in which they are located.

Let's see. I'm expecting a movie on pink flamingos to be next!

:)

Zz.

Random WDW Picture

The old Dumbo ride at the Magic Kingdom. I can't wait to see the new transformation and, hopefully, shorter wait times.

Zz.

Pooh Returns To The Hundred Acre Woods

This is a rather pleasant article from the NY Times on the evolution of Disney's version of Winnie the Pooh, commemorating in the release of the movie this past weekend. There certainly is a more in-depth look at the "philosophy" behind decision to give this new film a more nostalgic feel to it.

Stephen J. Anderson and Don Hall, the directors of the new movie, said they labored to distill the characters to what made them superstars in the first place. “A touch of cynicism is certainly prominent in movies today, and we were adamant that absolutely none of that could creep in,” said Mr. Anderson.

Mr. Hall added, “People want these characters to be who they are and not grow and change, which is a real difference.”

 I'd probably see the new Pooh movie this coming weekend and will have more to say about it after that.


Zz.

Diane Disney Miller Reminisces Life With Walt

This is a nostalgic trip down memory lane by Diane Disney Miller about life with her father, Walt Disney. It includes the reason why she opened the Disney Family Museum far away from LA and the theme parks.

Through the Walt Disney Family Foundation, Miller and the family decided to build a museum about her father. It sits in San Francisco's Presidio, relatively close to her home in Napa Valley. Miller and her children decided they did not want to put the museum in Los Angeles or near the theme parks in Anaheim.

"It's so saturated with Disney that we felt we needed to be away from there," she said.

 This certainly is an appropriate piece at this time with yesterday (July 17) being the 56th Anniversary of the opening of Disneyland.

Zz.

Random WDW Picture

Taken during a Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot.

Zz.

John Carter Official Trailer

Disney has released the official trailer for John Carter, which has a scheduled movie premier in 2012.



Obviously, they decided to drop the "of Mars" for this movie. Maybe they're hoping this will have a sequel (franchise?) so that the next movie will be "John Carter of Mars"?

One can only hope that the live-action movie will be a hit, since Disney really needs one in this genre. It will also be interesting to see how Andrew Stanton of Pixar's "Finding Nemo" and "Wall-E" tackles this.

Zz.

"Room For One More" Haunted Mansion Event

I just got wind of this 1-day event at WDW on September 30, 2011 as part of the WDW 40th Anniversary celebration. And it's a good one! A Haunted Mansion themed "Room For One More".

This doesn't look like it is of the same scale as the one held at Disneyland a couple of years ago (or was it last year?) and reported by Patti in this blog (see here, here, and here). Certainly, the amount of merchandise isn't as extensive. They also seem to have learned the debacle in the online ticket purchasing process that left many guests unhappy. This time, you make a request for tickets, and a random selection will be done.

I'm still debating if I want to go, or even make the ticket request. I will already be there in early Sept. for the yearly pin event. Do I want to go back 2 weeks later for this?

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Zz.

A Day in the Life of John Lasseter

Oh, this is a wonderful video that has quite a private look at John Lasseter.



I'm just shocked at his collection of Hawaiian shirts! :)

Edit: OK, I don't know what the story is, but the video is no longer available. Maybe it wasn't meant for public consumption, but it somehow got released? Hum... well, I hope you got to see it while it was still available.

Zz.

Pleasure Island Makeover Stalls

Hum.. looks like we have to tolerate the state of the current Pleasure Island for a little bit longer. Orlando Sentinel is reporting that the current makeover of Pleasure Island into Hyperion Wharf will be put on hold while they reevaluate.

"During the course of this site work, we identified opportunities to further refine our master plan and are pausing to evaluate them," Disney wrote in an update to its company-run blog. "What does this mean for you? While we're moving quickly, it will admittedly cause a delay in construction. But we're willing to bet that any delay will be worth the wait once we're able to share details about the exciting work we've been doing."

This makeover has been going on long enough, but I still don't get a feeling of it being a place that I would like to hang around. But we'll see how it turns out in the end, I suppose.

Zz.

Disney Cuts WDW Monorail Operating Hours

Starting Aug 1st, Disney will reduce the operating hours of the WDW monorail, from 1 1/2 hours after park closes to only 1 hour after. So if you need transportation beyond 1 hour after MK or Epcot closes, you will have to use either buses, or a ferry/boat.

Disney plans to start shutting down monorail service one hour after regularly scheduled park closings.


The monorail had previously run for about one and a half hours after closing and during any extended late night hours.

The changes are expected to go into effect August 1 and only affect the Magic Kingdom and Epcot.

 I love riding the monorail, even nowadays when they no longer allow guests to sit up front. However, I wish they move faster. The fact that one can often hear the spiel at the Transportation and Ticket Center that it takes almost the same amount of time to get to and from MK using either the monoral or ferry is NOT a positive image for a monorail, considering that the express monorail should make no stop between the two stations AND the ferry moves slower on average. So if it takes roughly the same amount of time, then the monorail most either be moving very slow, or is rather inefficient, or both.

Zz.

Disney Dream Is Sailing To Full Capacity

It appears that the Disney Dream, Disney's newest ship till early next year, has been a wonderful success so far.

Occupancy aboard the ship, which has been sailing, three-, four- and five-night itineraries to the Bahamas, averaged 150.7 percent, far higher than on ships operated by industry giants Carnival Corp. and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., which do not carry nearly as many families with children. Two people per cabin is considered 100 percent occupancy, and the Disney Dream is averaging just more than three people per cabin.

 It's probably due to the AquaDuck! :)

In any case, I'm looking forward to our first Disney Cruise on the Dream this coming December. Can't wait!

Zz.

Random WDW Picture

The viewing area off the main lobby of Kidani Village.

Zz.

Hidden Mickey On Princess Catherine's Dress?

Some time, being a big Disney fan can be so distracting. Case in point, I some time see Hidden Mickey in the darndest thing!

This news article talks about the newly-wed Prince William and Princess Catherine arriving in LA for the last leg of their North American tour. It includes a video of their last day in Calgary. But look at the video, and the still image representing the video. The light-colored dress that the Duchess of Cambridge is wearing appears to be dotted with .... HIDDEN MICKEYS!

 Could it be that Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, is a big Disney fan? :)

Zz.

For $399,000, You Can Buy Replica Of "Up" House In Utah

I'm not kidding. It appears that a builder has built a replica of Carl and Ellie's house from "Up" in Herriman, Utah. And it is for sale for $399,000.

The outside of the house is painted in vibrant sherbet shades, and comes complete with Carl and Ellie’s hand-printed mailbox and custom-made garden hose reel. Builders had to make some small modifications, Bangerter explained, as the laws of physics don’t apply to cartoon buildings. The chimney and fireplace have been tweaked in the real version so they actually match up, and the house is a narrow rectangle, rather than a square. With an upper story and a finished basement, it comes in at a roomy 2,800 square feet. Asking price is expected to be $399,000.

The details continue inside, with a painting of fictional Paradise Falls over the mantle and a custom-built fireplace. The upstairs nursery has the same mural Ellie paints in the film, and Carl and Ellie’s armchairs have been custom ordered. The house is being built as it appears early in the movie, when the couple first married, Bangerter said.

 OK, this is bad, because I'd rather have the stuff they put in the house rather than the house itself! :)

Now, how may balloons, do you reckon, it would take to life this house?

Anyway, it might be nice to take a look at the house, especially before it is sold.

Zz.

Johnny Depp Plundering In The Big Bucks For "Pirates"

Johnny Depp is raking in the big bucks for the "Pirates" franchise. Some reports are indicating that he made $280 to $350 million for the entire "Pirates" series.

He’s earned close to $350 million from the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced franchise, according to an individual with knowledge of his deals.

Disney disputed the sum, calling it "highly inaccurate" but declined to provide any details.

Another individual close to the franchise said the number was closer to $280 million for the four Pirates combined.

Whatever the actual figure is, it is more than what most of us can comprehend. But then again, he's supporting his agent, lawyer, press agent, etc.. etc. After those and taxes, I'm sure he's only taking home $12 and some change.

:)

Zz.

Random WDW Picture

Sunset at World Showcase, Epcot.

Zz.

Major Reorganization of Disney Parks and Resorts

Following the retirement of Al Weiss, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Tom Staggs has reorganized the responsibilities of top Disney executives responsible for theme parks, resorts, cruise, merchandise, and even DVC. The most significant of which is the appointment of Walt Disney World President Meg Crofton to overseas Disney theme parks in North American and in France.

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Tom Staggs appointed Walt Disney World President Meg Crofton to the new post of president of operations in the U.S. and France. Crofton will maintain her current responsibilities as president of Disney's Orlando resort — a position she has held since 2006 — but she will also assume oversight of Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., and Disneyland Paris.

Not sure how this will directly affect the current operations and decisions. I would guess that not much will change.

Zz.

4th of July Fireworks

If you weren't lucky enough (like me) to catch the 4th of July Concert in the Sky firework show at WDW yesterday, here's a video of it from the Polynesian. It looks spectacular. It also appears that if you were to see this from inside the Magic Kingdom, you'd miss quite a bit of the fireworks.



Zz.

Disney and Pixar - A Collision Of Creativity And Cash?

A rather interesting commentary on the marriage between Pixar and Disney, and the tug-of-war on the movies being produced by Pixar.

This isn't the first time such an issue has been brought up. Plenty of things were said when Disney bought Pixar a while back. Still, we know for a fact that the purchase did not dull the creativity out of Pixar. Wall-E, Up, and Toy Story 3 were some of the best films the studio ever made, all ofter being purchased by Disney.

However, this new commentary was written in the aftermath of "Cars 2" critical disappointment. The consideration here is towards the obvious reference to merchandising of the movie, and how the "Cars 2" feels like a " ... a movie created solely to drive merchandise ... "

I'm guessing that Pixar and John Lasseter has no to little control over how the movie is marketed, the amount of merchandising being done, and what commercial the characters from the movie are being used in. Seeing all of these, one certainly can't be blamed for thinking that this movie was being created to sell stuff, especially when the storyline isn't one of the strongest that has come out of Pixar.

Will and should there be a "Cars 3"? I dunno. I hope they stop the "franchise" here because I don't see how I would have any kind of emotional connection to the characters in this movie. However, if I have to pick a guess, the lure of merchandising from the movie is too strong to simply kill the goose that's laying the golden egg.

Zz.

"Pirates 4" Reaches $1 Billion Worldwide

It may not do as well as expected in the US, but the worldwide box office take for "Pirates of the Caribbean - On Stranger Tides" has crossed the $1 billion mark.

The news article listed some of the "fun facts" about "On Stranger Tides":

* Eighth film in history to reach the $1 billion threshold.

* Third Disney film in less than 18 months to gross $1 billion globally ("Alice in Wonderland" was the other).

* The Walt Disney Studios' fourth title to earn $1 billion.

* No. 3 film of all time at the international box office.

* Crossed the $500 million international threshold in a record-setting 14 days.

* Crossed the $800 million global threshold in only 20 days, the second fastest ever to reach this milestone.

* Set a new industry speed record by crossing the $700 million global threshold in only 16 days.

* Disney's biggest international release ever.

* The biggest "Pirates of the Caribbean" installment in 58 territories.

* Highest-grossing Disney film ever released in China and Russia.

* Nearing $100 million in Japan, where it's been No. 1 for all six weeks of release.

It certainly will make a boatload (pun unintended) of money for Disney. The question is, will it be able to reinvent itself into its critical acclaim, is it going to be a giant disappointment the same way the Star Wars franchise had become with its last 3 movies?

Zz.

The Star-Spangled Banner

Since this is the 4th of July weekend, it is appropriate to show the video of the Voices of Liberty singing the National Anthem.



Happy 4th of July holidays!

Zz.

Random WDW Picture

One of my most favorite shot that I took of The Hat and DHS.

Zz.