Archive for the 'Disneyland Paris' Category
Hong Kong Disneyland to add ‘Toy Story’ themed land
November 13, 2009 8:54am
Visitors stepping into Toy Story Land at Hong Kong Disneyland will feel like “Star Wars” action figures in a land of Barbie dolls — smaller-than-life interlopers in a land of larger-than-life toys.
Super-sized Tinker toys, Lincoln logs and dominoes line the walkways as towering “Toy Story” characters Rex the dinosaur and Woody the cowboy welcome visitors at the twin entrances to the lushly landscaped land.
Set to open as early as 2011, Toy Story Land is part of a nearly $500-million expansion at Hong Kong Disneyland that calls for the addition of three themed lands.
The three new rides include:
Hong Kong Disneyland expansion to add three new themed lands
November 12, 2009 8:54am
Disney brass and Chinese government officials hope a nearly half-billion-dollar investment over the next half-decade in Hong Kong Disneyland will boost attendance at the struggling theme park.
The ambitious expansion plan calls for three new themed lands featuring a mountain-range coaster, a Haunted Mansion dark ride and a “Toy Story” kiddie area.
A land-by-land look at the expansion:
Star Tours reboot coming to Disneyland and Disney World in 2011
September 12, 2009 12:01pm
The 1980s-era Star Tours attractions at Disneyland in California and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida will get a complete overhaul by 2011, Disney announced today.
In the new 3-D version of the venerable simulator ride, visitors board a Starspeeder and join a high-speed pod race through the desert canyons of Tatooine in a scene from the “Star Wars” movie series.
When, where and how: Marvel characters in Disney theme parks
September 9, 2009 9:13am
I’ve heard the same refrain for the last week or so: How will Disney ever incorporate the dark and edgy Marvel comic book characters into its family-friendly fairy tale theme parks?
While at first glance the task seems daunting, upon further reflection the opportunities appear endless. It’s certainly not a question of “if” but rather “when, where and how.”
It’s been fun to imagine the juxtaposition of Marvel’s assassins, terrorists, serial killers and vigilantes mixing on Main Street USA with Disney’s princesses, fairies and army of anthropomorphic animals. But Marvel also has a deep bench of heroes and villains in its 5,000-character catalog that would blend seamlessly into Disney’s theme parks.
The early contenders will almost certainly come from the ranks of Marvel’s past films (”Spider-Man,” “X-Men,” “Hulk,” “Iron Man,” “Fantastic Four”) and upcoming releases (”Thor,” “Captain America,” “Avengers,” “Silver Surfer,” “Ant Man”). There’s even a few minor characters that would fit perfectly in specific Disney attractions and themed lands.
Disney’s done it before with “Star Wars,” “Indiana Jones,” “The Muppets,” “Winnie the Pooh,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” and even Aerosmith.
And while Disneyland might not be the ideal match for Marvel characters, the superheroes fit like a skin-tight spandex suit in Disney’s “studio” theme parks.
So, keeping in mind that Mickey and Spidey have only been in-laws for less than a fortnight, lets take an unofficial and speculative look at how the marriage of Marvel and Disney might play out in the company’s theme parks around the world:
Get your mouse ears on for the opening of the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco
September 7, 2009 5:59am
Walt Disney, the man whose creativity spawned an international entertainment industry, will finally get his due Oct. 1 when the Walt Disney Family Museum opens in San Francisco.
The interactive museum is in San Francisco’s Presidio, a former U.S. military facility that is now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The museum will focus on the life and times of Disney, creator of Mickey Mouse, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and Disneyland, among other internationally known characters, films and businesses.
Highlights will include Disney’s successes and disappointments and the creation of characters that have become an indelible part of pop culture in the U.S.and abroad.
Theme park news: Another Disney World death, Dale Earnhardt coaster, Star Tours 2.0, Say No to B.O.
August 22, 2009 6:02am
A roundup of my theme park Twitter updates for the last week:
* Walt Disney World actor dies during rehearsals for Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Investigators searching for “any pattern” in three Disney World employee deaths this summer. (Orlando Sentinel)
* Video: Kings Dominion in Virginia announces $25-million Dale Earnhardt-themed Intimidator 305 coaster for 2010.
* Katrina-battered Six Flags New Orleans to reopen as Nickelodeon Universe-New Orleans theme and water park by late 2010. Theme Park Insider: Why it won’t work.
* Dollywood’s Splash Country water park in Tennessee announces Slide Rock Racer side-by-side mat racer slide for 2010. (Screamscape)
* Disney dispatches Star Wars storm troopers to guard “imperial dignitaries” at D23 Expo. Is Star Tours 2.0 coming to Disneyland?
Legoland California gets the Google Street View treatment
August 18, 2009 4:56pm
Legoland California became the first U.S. theme park mapped by Google Street View, the Web giant’s interactive walk-through mapping application.
To view the virtual Legoland, go to Google Maps, type “Legoland California” into the search field and drag the little yellow pegman onto the aerial photo of the Carlsbad kiddie park.
Google employed a camera-mounted three-wheeled cycle to photograph Legoland during park hours back in May 2008.
Visitors’ faces, and even some T-shirt logos, have been blurred for privacy reasons — giving some of the images the surreal feel of a top-secret trip inside a totalitarian state. (See photo after the jump.)
Theme park news: Wildebeest water coaster, Kennywood launch coaster, Epcot tequila bar, water park Speedo ban
August 15, 2009 9:34am
A roundup of my theme park Twitter updates for the last week:
* Holiday World announces the $5.5 million Wildebeest, the world’s longest water coaster, for May 2010 at Splashin’ Safari water park in Indiana. Photos. (Coaster Warriors)
* Kennywood in Pennsylvania announces an as-yet-unnamed $5.5 million launch coaster with a 90-degree drop and three inversions for 2010. Video. (News Plus Notes)
* D23 Expo announces dates and times for keynote speakers Iger (CEO), Cook (Studio), Rasulo (Parks) and Lasseter (Pixar).
* Photos: “Princess and the Frog“ movie exhibit opens in Animation attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. (Laughing Place)
* Princess Tiana (”Princess and the Frog”) to join finale float in Once Upon a Dream parade at Disneyland Paris. (DLRP Magic)
Theme park news: Return of Captain EO? Ratatouille E-Ticket ride? Casper the Friendly Ghost theme park?
August 1, 2009 7:29am
A roundup of my theme park Twitter updates for the last week:
— Former Dreamland amusement park to reopen as a heritage attraction with the oldest roller coaster in the UK and other vintage rides.
— Why? $1 billion Casper the Friendly Ghost theme park with monorail and coaster opening in Dubai.
— Epcot releases celebrity reader lineup for Christmas Candlelight Processional. Newcomers: Vanessa Williams, Isabella Rossellini & Whoopi Goldberg. (Orlando Sentinel)
Poll: Would you pay for FastPass perks at Disney theme parks?
July 22, 2009 11:19am
Disneyland issues VIP FastPasses to celebrities, fights the sale of the line-cutting tickets online and dreams of a day when visitors can reserve ride times via cellphone.
So that raises the obvious question: Would visitors pay to use the theme park giant’s currently free FastPass system?
Disney theme parks around the world offer variations on the FastPass ride reservation system, which allows visitors to return to an attraction at a designated time and enter via a shorter line.
* Hong Kong Disneyland sells a $25 Star Pass booklet that offers “priority entrance” to six of the theme park’s most popular attractions.
* Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Fla., is testing a new centralized FastPass distribution system in which visitors pick up all their line-hopper passes at a single location, according to Mice Age.
* Disneyland Paris provides VIP FastPasses to visitors staying at on-property hotels that offer “immediate access” to nine attractions at the resort’s two theme parks.
Vote: Would you pay for FastPass perks at Disney theme parks?
