Disneyland plans to incorporate stylized Disney characters into It’s a Small World in keeping with attraction creator Mary Blair’s original designs and color palette, Walt Disney Imagineering officials confirmed.
Cast your vote: Should Disneyland change It’s a Small World or keep it the same?
An “Alice in Wonderland” doll wearing a blue dress and a white rabbit in a playing card tunic based on illustrations created by Blair while working on the 1951 animated movie will be added to the England segment of the classic boat ride, officials said. The Alice and rabbit characters will be added near a chessboard and red rose tree already existing in the Small World attraction.
Officials confirmed that Alice is one of several Disney characters that will be added to Disneyland’s Small World in a controversial plan that has infuriated some purists. Officials have insisted that Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse will not appear in the Anaheim attraction.
The major rehab, which has been in the works for eight years, will “respect and honor the original creative intent” of Blair’s iconic work while adding “new richness, excitement and relevance,” according to an Imagineering official. The renovated ride will not be a “carbon copy” of the new Small World attraction at Hong Kong Disneyland, officials said.
— Brady MacDonald, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
Here’s a few of interesting pieces of news brought up in the latest MousePlanet Disneyland Park Update:
Disneyland has been conducting regular after-hours tests of Monorail Red, putting to rest persistent Internet chat room rumors that the new Mach VII would have to be sent back to the assembly plant for major modifications.Disney officials said that the new monorail has been cycling around the beamway under its own power and that sending the futuristic bullet-nosed train back to the Vancouver, Canada, assembly plant was “never considered.”
After the test-and-adjust phase, Monorail Red will undergo state inspections, and Disney employees will be trained in the operation of the five-car burgundy train before visitors get their first ride.
Monorail Blue, still under construction in Canada, is scheduled to arrive at Disneyland between mid-April and early May.
The monorail’s sleek iconic exterior features color-shifting paint with gray pinstriping that evokes the stainless-steel side panels of the 1959 original designed by Disney Imagineer Bob Gurr.
— Brady MacDonald, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
From TMZ.com:
No, not our world, the Small one. According to the LA Times, the family of the woman who helped create “It’s a Small World” is begging Disney not to screw up the iconic ride with “idiotic” changes.
The ride has been closed since January to upgrade its boats - which some think was needed in order to accommodate the ever increasing weight of the general population. But now other changes are being tossed around.
MiceAge.com is reporting that Disney Imagineers are considering adding Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Peter Pan, Nemo and other Disney characters to locations throughout the ride while replacing the Papua, New Guinea, rain forest scene with an American tribute.
In an open letter to Disney execs, the family writes, “The Disney characters of themselves are positive company icons, but they do NOT fit in with the original theme of the ride. They will do nothing except to marginalize the rightful stars of the ride ‘The Children of the World.’”
Disney officials say some additions will be made to Small World but that no decision has been made on specific creative changes to the ride despite the speculation.
I find it funny that about 90% of the readers of TMZ think adding Disney characters to It’s a Small World is a bad idea. And it’s not even a Disney related website!
I’ve got a couple of pictures, & one piece of news for you, that I thought I’d combine into one post.
According to Darkbeer of MiceChat, the “Monday, March 24th performance [of the Pixar Play Parade] has been canceled, & there is no known return date.”
Due to only having one monorail running, only one way trips from either station are allowed during this busy Spring Break season. Picture by David “Darkbeer” Michaels
Here’s a couple of pictures of the Toy Story Midway Mania sign lit up at night!
Both pictures courtesy of MintCrocodile
From the OC Register:
Some families changed their flights. One guest postponed a job interview. And others invited family and friends to gather on the balcony to watch Fantasmic.
As of last Friday, 17 parties had won overnight stays at the Disneyland Dream Suite, which opened Jan. 31, said Steve Arneson, manager of the Dream Squad at the Disneyland Resort, during sessions with reporters last week.
The suite gives winners, who are randomly selected at spots in Disney property, the chance to spend a night at a special apartment in Disneyland over the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.
The suite only has enough room for six people to sleep there. But guests have invited up to 16 people to watch the Fantasmic! show from the balcony. Overnight guests get a two-hour tour after the park closes and receive a gift basket, including a crystal bowls engraved with their names and the dates of their stay.
Disney has committed to 266 nights, but may extend the contest another year.
Super Bowl XLII MVP Eli Manning may soon make good on his postgame pronouncement: “I’m going to Disneyland.”Disneyland officials are working with representatives of the New York Giants quarterback to finalize plans for a visit to the Anaheim theme park, complete with a day parade. The event is expected to take place in early to mid-May; a firm date will be announced once scheduling conflicts are ironed out.
Disneyland was forced to postpone a hastily arranged parade on the day after the Super Bowl when Manning got stuck for hours at an Arizona airport waiting for the skies to clear of corporate jet getaway traffic.
The abrupt cancellation left disappointed Giants fans along Disneyland’s parade route as a team of forlorn Pop Warner football players rode a float sans the MVP down Main Street U.S.A.
After a ticker-tape parade down New York City’s “Canyon of Heroes” and an appearance on the “Late Show With David Letterman,” Manning opted for a sunny vacation in the Bahamas over a photo op with Mickey Mouse.
Here’s hoping Mickey doesn’t hold a grudge.
— Brady MacDonald / Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
Event: Disneyland® Resort - Imagineering the Magic DVD Release & Signing
Special Guests: Walt Disney Imagineers, Tony Baxter, Dave Fisher, Kevin Rafferty and Michael Sprout
Date: April 5, 2008
Time: 9 AM – 11 AM
Purchasing Location: Disneyana Shop, Disneyland® park
Signing Location: Main Street Cinema, Disneyland® park
Product Information:
Join today’s Walt Disney Imagineers as they take you behind the scenes of the “Happiest Place on Earth.” Learn how your favorite attractions from opening day in 1955 to the newest attractions, including Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage – went from dreams, to sketches, to reality. Disneyland® Resort -Imagineering the Magic will be available for $24.95, plus tax. Walt Disney Imagineers, Tony Baxter, Dave Fisher, Kevin Rafferty and Michael Sprout will be on hand for a special appearance and signing from 9 AM - 11 AM on the day of release.
Online Ordering Opportunity:
Online sales for the Disneyland® Resort - Imagineering the Magic DVD will begin on Wednesday, April 2, 2008. Applicable shipping fee and tax will apply. Available while supplies last.
This 90 minute tribute also includes the following DVD bonus features:
Disc 1:
Disc 2:
Limit TWO (2) items signed per Artist, per Guest. Special Appearance Guests will only sign their respective merchandise. We ask that you bring no personal items to be signed. Artist appearances are subject to space and availability and are not guaranteed. Available while supplies last. Subject to change without notice.
© Disney
sir clinksalot on MiceChat has a picture of a new entrance sign to It’s Tough to be a Bug. Previously the sign was like any other 21st century Disney attraction sign, except it was stuck saying with a 9 minute wait time. Now the sign is just a normal sign saying “Continuous Shows”:
An interesting, yet blasphemous rumor that’s popping up now is the additon of music from Disney movies to It’s a Small World at Disneyland (for example, Hawaiian Rollercoaster Ride playing when you go past Lilo & Stitch). This is most likely going to happen in the new Hong Kong Disneyland version of It’s a Small World, but seeing as we may be getting Disney characters too, this might also be likely for us:
In addition to the four new languages, the team is making this it’s a small world unique by working with master music arranger George Wilkins to add a series of arrangements from classic Disney animated films that will play as “counterpoints” to the new character overlays. For example, as guests pass through the North America scene and see the doll dressed as Pocahontas, they’ll hear a subtle suggestion of “Colors of the Wind.”
“Because ’small world’ is such a simple song, we couldn’t take some of these grand arrangements and put them on top of it,” said John. “We’re being very sensitive to the existing song because [it's] so good and so universally loved.”
I don’t know how or why this is happening, but we’ve seemed to of lost a few posts from the last couple of days. I shall be working on restoring these posts, & I’m sorry if this causes any inconvenience to anybody.
UPDATE: Most of the important & up-to-date posts have been re-added, thanks to the help of a website called Technorati. Apparently our site has a page on Technorati, so I used it to put up all of the deleted posts. To read the deleted posts that have not been re-added, visit our Technorati page. You can also look to our Technorati page if we ever have any posts being deleted problems again.
- Luke Manning
The Toy Story logo has been added to the Toy Story Midway Mania sign, as seen in this picture by akfandisney on MiceChat:
Join host Luke Manning and a cast including Chuck Canzoneri, Tom Corless, Justin Heyman, and John Corigliano, for a show that brings you the Ideals, Dreams, and Hard Facts of the Disneyland Resort. So sit back, relax, and enjoy all of the Disneyland news, information, and fun we have to offer on the Disneyland News Today Podcast!
Episode #6 starts off with our weekly Disneyland News and Rumors. Among the things covered this week are an angry letter to Disneyland management, the replacement for Seasons of the Vine, many details on Toy Story Mania, and much more! Also in this week’s News and Rumors segment, we introduce a new member to the podcast, Chuck Canzoneri. Take a listen during the News and Rumors to find out a bit about him, and what he’ll be doing for DL News Today!
We then play audio of the latest Disneyland Resort Official Video Podcast, which features interviews with many Imagineers, choreographers, and puppeteers that have worked on the new Pixar Play Parade and the new Playhouse Disney: Live on Stage show.
John Corigliano of WDW News Today then joins me to introduce a new weekly segment to the show, Main Street Electrical Parade Musical Variations, where each week we’ll play a different DJ Digs version of the Main Street Electrical Parade for you to enjoy!
Coming to you live from the parks this week is a very welcome piece of character to Disney’s California Adventure, Monsters Inc- Mike and Sully to the Rescue!
And finally this week, the third installment in our brand new segment, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, in which we’ll take a look at each area in Disneyland, Disney’s California Adventure, and the whole resort each week, and see what’s good about it, what’s bad, and what’s just downright ugly. To figure out the Good, Bad, and Ugly of Hollywood Pictures Backlot, I’m joined with Chuck Canzoneri, Tom Corless, and Justin Heyman!
To download this episode of the DLNT Podcast, please visit our Podcast Download page. To just listen to the show (not download it) click on the little player attached to this post. Or you can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes.
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