The OC Register has an interview up with Ed Grier, the president of the Disneyland Resort. In this interview, Ed talks about some of the expansion plans for the resort as a whole. Most of it is stuff we’ve all heard before… But this isn’t:

A Tinker Bell attraction will open at Disneyland in October. This was the first time Grier mentioned the attraction, and he was short on details. All he would say is that “we know how special she is to all our guests” and that she will be in Disneyland in October. That timing coincides with the Oct. 28 Disney DVD and Blu-ray release of “Tinker Bell,” the first in a new franchise of original movies that include the Peter Pan-movie character along with other fairies.

This new attraction will be a dark ride, & unfortunately or not, will replace either Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs or Pinocchio’s Daring Journey. Expect either one of those 2 to be announced to close soon, because if Ed says it, it’s gotta be true!

Of course these plans could change at anytime, so stay tuned to Disneyland News Today for further developments!

From the OC Register:

Just got word today that the new Monorail Red train will not open to the public this Friday.

Disney Spokesman John McClintock said the team working on the Monorail “has decided to take a few extra days for test and adjust so it will not open to guests on Friday.”

No date has been set for the Monorail’s public launch. We’ll keep you informed on this blog about a public opening date.

According to this blog post by Brady MacDonald at the LATimes, the new Monorail train has been testing since mid-March.

We would like to speak from our point of view as Mary Blair’s nieces.

We have been impressed and deeply touched by the eloquence and outpouring from the hearts of so many people who want to keep ‘Small World’ as it is. And now the Artists! Amazing. A HUGE thanks to all of you!

Our thoughts are the same. PLEASE keep the integrity of Small World–the children of all nations and its message of world peace. It is a completely unique experience, in and of itself. Our intention is not a ‘put down’ to the imagineers, who have made Disneyland a fabulous, magical place for children and adults—something for everyone. ‘Small World’ however, doesn’t need fixing. It isn’t broken. Bring back it’s original color and sparkle. Mary loved ’sparkle’. She also loved children.

We have enjoyed the ’special memories’ that many have written about Small World. We have one also. In 1978, several months before Mary died, my sister Maggie and I, along with my family, began planning a surprise 50th wedding anniversary party for our parents. Maggie and I met with Mary at a favorite restaurant of Mary’s near her home in Soquel, California to discuss the plans. She introduced us to the hostess saying, ‘these are my two nieces, whom I adore’. We adored her as well.

As part of the party plans, Lee put together a slide show, and we taped our parent’s favorite ‘old’ songs, putting the music from ‘It’s A Small World’ in several places. We did that to honor Mary, but also to make the party more fun. (And no, it didn’t make us crazy.)

When the party was over and most guests had gone, Maggie and I were doing ‘cleanup chores’. We looked up in time to see Mary, a lone figure in the middle of the dance floor. She had a gentle smile on her face, eyes closed, and was turning slowly around and around to the music from ‘It’s a Small World’. Two weeks later she was gone.

Again, our family appreciates very much your kind words and heartfelt feelings.

Our Best,
Jeanne Chamberlain & Maggie Richardson

From the OC Register:

ANAHEIM – What’s red, white and blue and glides through the air?

It’s not some superhero. It’s the new monorail opening to the public Friday at Disneyland.

The first new monorail car in two decades – called the Monorail Red or Mark VII – is expected to open to the public Friday morning.

“I think we’re always looking for ways to update and refresh classic attractions,” said Scot Drake, the monorail lead designer. “This is definitely an iconic attraction.”

The biggest change is the look of the train: The first electric cars have blue glass and red stripes that change color in the sunlight. The next two cars will be blue with purple glass and orange with blue glass.

Bench seats will face the windows, allowing visitors a full view of the parks, Downtown Disney and the Disneyland Hotel. The capacity and speed will remain the same.

The Monorail started in 1959 as part of Disneyland’s first expansion and the track was extended to the Disneyland Hotel in 1961 to a length of two and a half miles.

“For us, the monorail was an attraction in a family theme park. But for Walt (Disney), this was a teaching demonstration to solve a problem,” said Bob Gurr, Disney’s Monorail designer, about the attraction in 2004.

The current Monorail trains, called the Mark V design, debuted in 1987 with a fiberglass body, computer controls and 100 horsepower motors.

For three years, Disney Imagineers have been working on upgrades.

As reported yesterday, the Mark VII Monorail Red did begin daytime cast member previews. But we only just got in pictures, & here are some, courtesy of David “Darkbeer” Michaels:

The Mark VII Monorail Red finally began cast member previews today. And a little video of it circling the tracks is up on YouTube!

You know that 50th anniversary of Sleeping Beauty exhibit that was supposed to of gone into Disney Animation in DCA? Well, it looks like it wont be happening now, according to David Koenig:

“The Snow White exhibit in the lobby of DCA’s animation building is scheduled to vanish April 27, but don’t expect a replacement until the fall—if ever. The hope was that the 120-piece exhibit of rare animation art would increase attendance at the facility. Instead, according to one source, attendance actually dropped. The animation building’s biggest draw, you see, has never been its interactive displays, but rather its expansive, air-conditioned lobby. “Guests missed the open space, plush seats, and the collage of scenes projected on the multitude of screens,” the source said.

She said that Snow White’s disappointing reception jeopardizes the exhibit originally planned to replace it—a 50th anniversary tribute to Sleeping Beauty. The insider explained, “The costs of framing the artwork, reinstalling the security systems, and the extra cast members to patrol it might prevent it from happening.”

The Quinceanera Dream Come True event that is going to be held at Disneyland this week will have major impact on the parks this week. A stage will be put up in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle from Tuesday through Friday blocking access through the Castle. The Horse Drawn Streetcars wont be running Wednesday through Friday so the tracks can be blocked for the event.

Aladdin’s Oasis will be closed for the event on Wednesday & Thursday, as well as Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years. But expect the latter to re-open sometime Friday afternoon. The Princess Fantasy Faire will also be closing early on both Wednesday & Thursday. Finally, Thursday’s second performance of Walt Disney’s Parade of Dreams will be pushed forward to 5:30PM.

Here’s a little more information on the event:

Tune into “El Show de Cristina” on the Univision Network for a one-hour special highlighting the enchanted Dream Come True Quinceañera event at the Disneyland® Resort — check your local listing for day and time.

As part of The Year of a Million Dreams celebration, 15 very lucky girls had their Quinceañera dreams come true. They won an enchanted Quinceañera celebration hosted by Cristina Saralegui — the star of the popular television program “El Show de Cristina” — featuring dancing, music, celebrity performances, Disney magic and a few very special surprises!

Head’s up to Monday in the Parks for information on the attraction closures!

If you want to know what’ll be happening around the Disneyland Resort in the next decade or so (or at least the current plans), check out the latest Blue-Sky Alert over on Blue Sky Disney!

Trust me, it’s a really good read.

Join host Luke Manning and a cast including Lee Scott and Kenny Siegel, 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 this extended edition of the Disneyland News Today Podcast!

Episode 9 starts off with our weekly Disneyland News and Rumors. Among the things covered this week are Disney characters in It’s a Small World, testing of the Mark VII Monorail Red, the 2008 California Food and Wine Festival, and much more! Also in this week’s News and Rumors segment, we introduce 2 new members to the podcast, Lee Scott and Kenny Siegel. Take a listen during the News and Rumors to find out a bit about them, and what they’ll be doing for Disneyland News Today!

Coming to you live from the parks this week is Disney’s Aladdin - A Musical Spectacular, and spectacular is just the word, as this show is one of the best stage shows in Disney’s history!

Then it’s the fifth installment of 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 Sunshine Plaza, I am again joined with Lee & Kenny!

Next, we have another source audio tribute to another Disneyland Park attraction that will be having a very special golden anniversary, and that is Alice in Wonderland’s 50th anniversary!

And finally this week, audio of a KCRW 89.9FM radio report talking with Disney Imagineer Kim Irvine on the planned It’s a Small World changes!

If you would like to contact us with any questions, suggestions, comments, or concerns you can email us at wdwnewstoday@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail message at (206)-666-2982. Enjoy the show!!! See Ya Next Week!!!

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.

 

 DLNT Episode 9 (4/20/08) [110:36m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

Now looking all the way ahead to July 4th… In previous years, Disneyland just did a little July 4th tag on the end of whatever fireworks show may be showing. Well it appears this year a full fledged 4th of July fireworks show will be shown instead of Remember Dreams Come True!

Celebrate America! A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky
9:25pm

Cast previews for Monorail Red will begin tomorrow & last through-out the rest of the week. Here are the exact times:

Monday, April 21
6:45 - 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. - 12:15 a.m.

Tuesday, April 22
6:45 - 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. - 12:15 a.m.

Wednesday, April 23
6:45 - 8:30 a.m.

Thursday, April 24
6:45 - 8:30 a.m.

So if anyone’s at the park tomorrow, be sure to have your camera at the ready! We all should be riding Monorail Red very soon!

Thanks to Year45 for sending in this information!

Let’s pop over to Hong Kong Disneyland once again… A complete video has surfaced of their new It’s a Small World attraction. As you watch the video, be sure to look closely for the Disney characters, & listen closely for interspersed Disney music. We’ve also found video of their clock ceremony, which is pretty much the same as ours. But man, I wish we’d get their facade color scheme!

We’re hearing that the new Indiana Jones & Summer of Mysteries show could start showing at Disneyland, in the streets of Adventureland, on May 22nd. It’s also been rumored that the show may go into Aladdin’s Oasis, but seeing as there is no refurbishment planed for that theater, it’s highly unlikely.

Stay tuned to Disneyland News Today for further developments in this, the Summer of Mysteries!

It looks like the Bugs are back in town! The Bug’s Life float in the Pixar Play Parade has returned to the parade! However only the front half of the float has returned which has one single swing holding Flik and Atta..