In the above video just released by the official Disney Parks blog, animation veterans Andreas Deja, Glen Keane, and Mark Henn walk through the upcoming California Adventure attraction Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure.
In addition to showcasing the awesome effects and audio-animatronics of the ride as well as a behind-the-scenes look at the Imagineers' magical work, the video features the film's three animators discussing what the classic movie meant for the rebirth of Disney's fairytales and also how amazingly the Imagineers translated the film to theme park ride.
The attraction opens on June 3 in just under a month . . . So exciting! I'll be there later in August and I'll tell you all about it.
Showing posts with label Attraction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Attraction. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
'Little Mermaid' animators tour upcoming DCA attraction
Monday, March 8, 2010
Toy Story Mania's Secret
This summer, a lot is happening for Disney and Pixar. Mainly, Disney's California Adventure will be in the middle of its huge expansion and Toy Story 3 will come out. These two events may not seem like they're attached to each other, but they are.
When the Imagineers created the Toy Story Mania! attraction, they knew that it would be incredibly easy to replace the existing games with newer ones. Unlike The Haunted Mansion and other attractions that need to be closed for weeks for renovations or decorating, Toy Story Mania! could be closed for only a day or two while they update the software projected on the ride's many screens.
And this is exactly what the Imagineers are planning to do. When Toy Story 3 is released in theaters, park guests will get an unexpected surprise during their ride of Toy Story Mania! when completely new games (presumably with the new characters) are present.
But that's not all. They also plan to dress up the attraction for holiday seasons. The Imagineers could put in new games involving snow and Santa Claus, etc. Also, did you know that ol' Don Rickles recorded hours and hours of his voice for the Potato Head Barker? What you hear now is merely a fraction of what the amazing, life-size figurine has to offer. Among the yet-to-be-heard audio is Christmas carols, that they would program the spud to sing if and when they dress up the entire attraction for the yuletide.
If you didn't love Toy Story Mania! already, here's another reason to: it will constantly be updated to keep the attraction fresh, seasonal, and updated to match the film franchise. The attraction will be always changing, and you'll never know what to expect once you go through the doors of Andy's toy box.
Source: Blue Sky Disney
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Fascinating List of Never Built Disney Attractions, Lands, Resorts, and More
Wikipedia is a wonderful wealth of knowledge that can be utilized to both entertain and inform on almost any subject. And Disney Parks are no exception. Wikipedia has a page entitled "List of never built Disney attractions." It is a gigantic list, with details, names, and, occasionally, links, of Disney rides, lands, restaurants, etc. that were once in their planning phases but never made it to their final building stages. The list, of course, is nowhere near exhaustive since there are thousands upon thousands of projects that the public will never even know about. That doesn't mean that this list is meaningless, however, this list makes a great read and makes you wonder about the rides and attractions that could have been. It also makes you feel sorry for the hundreds of Imagineers who slaved away for countless hours on their visions to only have them tossed in the trash can. I recommend heading over to Wikipedia and reading everything from WestCOT to Dick Tracy's Crime Stoppers and Mythia to Beastly Kingdom. The above image is concept art for the never-realized Disney park Port Disney, an American version of the Tokyo DisneySea park to be located in Long Beach, California.
Source: Disney and More
Monday, September 21, 2009
Pixar at the Parks: D23 Panel Discussion
Below you'll find a panel discussion with John Lasseter and other Imagineering/Pixar executives and creative chiefs who do nothing but discuss Pixar at the Disney parks for over an hour. The panel was at the D23 Expo in Anaheim recently. A very interesting and worthwhile watch that I recommend for any Disney, Disneyland, or Pixar fan. Here are the links to all eight parts:
Part One.
Part Two.
Part Three.
Part Four.
Part Five.
Part Six.
Part Seven.
Part Eight.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Star Tours 2.0 is Official
Briefly: The long-rumored Star Tours renovation has been announced today. The attraction, which debuted in 1987, will be re-created in 3D (blech), and will now take take guests through a high-speed pod race in Tatooine. The renovations will be done in Disneyland and Walt Disney World by 2011.
Source: LA Times
Monday, August 3, 2009
Behind the Scenes of the Haunted Mansion
DavelandWeb, a wonderful Disney blog, has some great behind-the-scenes photos from one of my favorite Disneyland attractions: The Haunted Mansion. The photos are of a scene which I have known the mechanics behind for awhile, but am still very interested to see the photos. The above is one of a few and the last is the behind-the-scenes photo; you can see the rest here. I recommend you see it--especially if you appreciate the attraction and the classic illusionary techniques it employs.
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