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 Imagineering. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Imagineering. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
'Little Mermaid' animators tour upcoming DCA attraction
Friday, January 7, 2011
UPDATED: So long, C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-A
I hope you took lotsa pictures, folks, because, the large "C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-A" letters that used to grace the entrance to Disney's California Adventure are officially closed from the 
public starting today (Tuesday, January 4). They are being removed, along with the rest of the "Sunshine Plaza," which includes the entrance turnstiles, those godawful bathroom tiles, shops like you'd find at your local mall, and all of the other generic and un-Disney things wrong with that area.
In their stead will be a bustling Buena Vista Street from the 1920s when Walt first ventured to the 
big city in pursuit of his dreams, complete with Red Trolley cars and a Carthay Circle Theater. Alternate entrances will be used and will be a huge pain for everyone, but it's all for a good cause--the park will finally be where it should have started all along . . . and all it took was more power to the creatives taken from the cold-hearted and soul-less suited minions of one Michael Eisner...
UPDATE: Below you will find a photo of the construction barriers placed in front of the park. This would hardly be worth an update, were it not for the presence of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit's (and other previously-unknown characters') pronounced positions on the construction wall. Very cool. Let's hope they can integrate the wonderful character of Oswald into the revamped park itself... See more pictures of the construction wall here.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
A Great Interview with Lasseter
Briefly: I just finished reading one of the best interviews with Lasseter I've come across. While the title says it's all about The Princess and the Frog, Lasseter covers everything from his inspirations to his Hawaiian shirts to his current workload. It is a terrific read, and I'd highly recommend heading over to The Disney Blog to take a look.
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.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
The Lasseter Family Winery
Briefly: John Lasseter is my hero. He is the head of Walt Disney Imagineering, the head of Walt Disney Animation Studios, and he is, and has been, very influential at Pixar. Everyone knows that Lasseter never does anything halfway, especially when it comes to films and their stories. Well, Mr. Lasseter isn't necessarily moving on from these dream positions at Disney, but he is starting something new that has nothing to do with film or story, but it does have to with quality . . .
Let's cut to the chase: The Lasseter Family Winery is now open for business in Glen Ellen, California. According to the official site, "the story of Lasseter Family Winery began in 1992 when John and Nancy Lasseter moved to the town of Sonoma and discovered the art of winemaking through a group of amateur winemaking friends. For them, it was a leap from appreciating wine to immersing themselves in the winemaking process."
Their winery "meets one simple goal: to produce the highest quality wine possible."
And, the best part of all, Wally B. has made an appearance in Lasseter's winery's logo!
You can order wine right this second from John Lasseter himself!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sunday Link Roundup
It has been a fairly slow week when it comes to news, but there are still various tidbits that are worth mentioning:
Thursday, February 5, 2009
"It's a Small World" Receives Renovations
One of the most beloved attractions at Disneyland, "it's a small world", reopened today after a series of renovations. The ride has always been a symbol of peace and unity for the rest of the world. It is a delightful journey around the world with an upbeat, catchy tune playing all the while. Up until now, the attraction was not cloaked in Disney characters--this was a good thing because it allowed the park visitor to be transported to other places and times and worlds, but with the Disney characters, it becomes a constant reminder that you are at Disneyland.
The new pieces of the attraction consist of Pinocchio dolls in the Italian section, Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan dolls in the England section, Ariel, Nemo, and Aladdin, among many other popular Disney characters laden throughout the attraction. Also, the rainforest section has supposedly been replaced with an American section.
I do not believe these renovations to be too extreme, but I think that the original attraction was much better. The other one was genuine--it didn't contain any marketing ploys made by Disney, and it was a completely "transforming experience", there were no connections to Disney so you could get lost in the ride and not be reminded of your current location in the real world. When Walt Disney developed the ride for the 1964 World's Fair in New York as a benefit to the United Nations Children's Fund, he intended for those who experienced the attraction to be transported to another world where he could get his message of peace and unity across.
I am not sure when these changes took place, however. I visited the park at the end of December/beginning of January and "it's a small world" had just opened up after a series of renovations, and it was no different (besides new plastic boats and a fresh coat of paint). I did not see one trace of any added dolls, and I would have noticed it. So, these must be very, very new additions to the classic attraction. I am not too disgusted at these new additions, but I'd rather that they didn't meddle too much with the classics that make Disneyland great. Although, Walt himself always said the park would always be changing as long as there was imagination in the world. . .
You can watch a video of the new attraction here.
Source: LA Times, Yahoo! News
Monday, January 12, 2009
Exciting New Things at Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure
I just visited Disneyland for New Year's Eve. Despite the park being the most crowded I've ever seen it, the park has also experienced some recent additions (besides the Christmas decorations around the park and in several rides).
One of the new excting additions can be found in Disney's California Advenure. There is a new, small room next to the vinery called Blue Sky Imagineering. It is a room with dioramas, signs, information, and videos all about what the imagineers plan to do with DCA in the near future. Here are some pictures (They were all taken on the iPhone's low quality camera in less than desirable lighting, so I apologize for the picture quality):
The entrance to Blue Sky Imagineering
An introduction to the room that you see upon walking in the entrance.
A picture of Walt up on the wall, acknowledging that he is the great man that started everything.
An example of what DCA's "Main Street" will be like. (I can't wait!)
DCA's soon-to-come-true map.
Artists' Renditions of the new DCA.
Basically just what the room looks like.
A model of the red cars that will run up and down Buena Vista Street in Disney's California Adventure.
A model of the soon-to-be-renovated Paradise Pier with new shops and boardwalk games.
A model of the soon-to-be-renovated Paradise Pier with new shops and boardwalk games.
A model of the soon-to-be-renovated Paradise Pier with new shops and boardwalk games.
A model of the soon-to-be-renovated Paradise Pier with new shops and boardwalk games.
A model of the soon-to-be-renovated Paradise Pier with new shops and boardwalk games.
A diorama of California Screamin' which will be renovated to fit the theme of California in the 1920s.
A diorama of California Screamin' which will be renovated to fit the theme of California in the 1920s.A diorama of California Screamin' which will be renovated to fit the theme of California in the 1920s.
A diorama of California Screamin' which will be renovated to fit the theme of California in the 1920s.A diorama of California Screamin' which will be renovated to fit the theme of California in the 1920s.
Artists' renderings of an upcoming attraction. It will be a renovation of the swings which currently reside in an orange. The swings will be themed as The Band Concert, the Silly Symphonies cartoon and riders will be conducted by Mickey Mouse as they get caught up in a storm.
Artists' renderings of an upcoming attraction. It will be a renovation of the swings which currently reside in an orange. The swings will be themed as The Band Concert, the Silly Symphonies cartoon and riders will be conducted by Mickey Mouse as they get caught up in a storm.Artists' renderings of an upcoming attraction. It will be a renovation of the swings which currently reside in an orange. The swings will be themed as The Band Concert, the Silly Symphonies cartoon.
A close-up the previous image where an iPhone is cleverly hidden.
Artists' renderings of the upcoming dark ride attraction based on The Little Mermaid.
Artists' renderings of an upcoming attraction. It will be a renovation of the swings which currently reside in an orange. The swings will be themed as The Band Concert, the Silly Symphonies cartoon.
Artists' renderings of DCA's try at a Fantasmic. I personally dislike Fantasmic, but hopefully this light and fountain spectacle will be more impressive.
Artists' renderings of DCA's try at a Fantasmic. I personally dislike Fantasmic, but hopefully this light and fountain spectacle will be more impressive.
Artists' renderings of DCA's try at a Fantasmic. I personally dislike Fantasmic, but hopefully this light and fountain spectacle will be more impressive.
Some of the developmental materials for my favorite ride in California Adventure--Toy Story Midway Mania.
Some more artists' renderings of the renovated park in general and how it will look like California as it was in the 1920s.
Some more artists' renderings and a mention of a 12-acre Cars land which will be coming in 2012.
A neat desk-type set-up with interesting curios and a cartoon-like map of the new DCA.
A neat desk-type set-up with interesting curios and a cartoon-like map of the new DCA.
A neat desk-type set-up with interesting curios and a cartoon-like map of the new DCA.
A neat desk-type set-up with interesting curios and a cartoon-like map of the new DCA.
Some more artists' renderings of the renovated park in general and how it will look like California as it was in the 1920s.
Some more artists' renderings of the renovated park in general and how it will look like California as it was in the 1920s.
Some artistic renderings of what the new and improved boardwalk games will look like.
Some artistic renderings of what the new and improved boardwalk games will look like.
A neat desk-type set-up with interesting curios and a cartoon-like map of the new DCA.
A neat desk-type set-up with interesting curios and a cartoon-like map of the new DCA.
A close-up on one of the drawings found on the desk.
They have a little quiz you can take about the history of Disney in the 1920s, and this is one of the various screens you see during the course of play, but I found something very interesting and very exciting. Look at the logo near the top that is "engraved" in the metal. It is the WED logo for Walt Disney's first Imagineering division! (It stood for Walter Elias Disney) The name changed during Eisner's reign to Walt Disney Imagineering, but it appears that Lasseter may be bringing it back! One can only hope...And there is even more news from Disneyland park in California! In Disneyland, a new addition is Sleeping Beauty's Castle Walkthrough. Here are some pictures I took while walking through the new attraction (these pictures were taken on an iPhone, so they are only 2.0 megapixels with less than desirable light). You walk up to an entrance on the side of the iconic castle, Then you walk through the story of Sleeping Beauty. It is told through a "storybook", lighting effects, models with forced perspective, and some of the Imagineers other fantastic techniques. Here are most of the items found in the walkthrough:
And there is Sleeping Beauty's Walkthrough! It is now open in Sleeping Beauty's Castle at Disneyland in California.
Well there's all of the new things happening at Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure.
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