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WDW News Today Live! Tonight
July 6, 2008
We will once again present WDW News Today Live! this evening from 8:00pm to 10:00pm EST, and we hope you will join us for yet another fun live program. For those of you who do not know what this is, it is a show broadcasted live over the internet using an application called Talkshoe. By using this application, listeners can hear and interact with hosts, and even dial in by phone to be heard on the program. During the program, we will be answering trip planning questions, as well as discussing the Disney parks in general. This is a great opportunity for everyone at WDW News Today, Disneyland News Today, and The Disney Pincast to interact live with our listeners and we hope you will be a part of it. In order to join us, just do the following:
-If you will be joining us by computer, go to http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/20663 anytime near 8:00pm EST this evening and enter the community call. (Note: You may want to head over here earlier and open a Talkshoe account, just in case you want the best experience this evening. Remember you don’t need to register to join in, we just suggest it.)
-If you can not use a computer, you can even join by telephone. To do this, just dial (724) 444-7444, then enter 20663 and # as the Call ID Number, and then just enter 1 and # or your Talkshoe Pin Number (if you have a Talkshoe pin number, not required)
We hope to see you at WDW News Today Live! this evening as we continue our 1 year anniversary celebration here at WDW News Today. Please feel free to email us at wdwnewstoday@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail message at (206) 666-2982 if you have any questions or concerns.
Topics: Site News, WDWNT Podcast |
Pure Enchantment Goes Dark
July 4, 2008
When major construction begins on the Liberty Square bridge this August, Spectromagic will be getting a two week vacation. While Spectromagic will not be performing at the Magic Kingdom from August 15 to the 29, there will be two showings of the park’s daytime parade. The Disney Dreams Come True Parade will be running two performancesduring this time, one at 3:00pm and another at 7:00pm, on a new parade route while Spectromagic sits in the parade warehouse and awaits the completion of the work on the bridge that connects Liberty Square and Main Street. Stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information on these changes becomes available.
Topics: The Magic Kingdom |
Anniversary Messages Needed!!!
July 4, 2008
Those voicemail anniversary messages that will be played on Episode 50 of the WDW News Today Podcast are due tonight at 11:59pm EDT, so get them in as quickly as possible if you want them to air on the show. For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, let me explain. Our 1 year anniversary show of the WDW News Today Podcast is going to be released on Tuesday, July 8, and we are inviting our readers and listeners to send in a voicemail message with a 1 year anniversary message of any kind. To leave your messages, just call our voicemail line at (206) 666-2982. As long as your voicemail message makes it in by the deadline, you will hear it played on the WDW News Today Podcast’s Episode 50 special. This is an excellent way to thank the hard working staff here at WDWNT, WDWNTube, Disneyland News Today, the WDW News Today Community Forums and the Disney Pincast. Thank you for helping us out, and please have a happy and safe 4th of July.
Topics: Site News, WDWNT Podcast |
A History Lesson
July 4, 2008
Here is a short time line explaining the history and many developments in audio-animatronics technology over the years:
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Early 1950s
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Walt Disney purchases a mechanical bird while vacationing in Europe. The souvenir becomes the inspiration for Audio-Animatronics technology.
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1951
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Work begins on “Project Little Man.” Roger Broggie and Wathel Rogers, pioneers in Audio-Animatronicstechnology, create a miniature figure that is programmed with cams, cables and tubes to mimic tap-dancing routines performed by the late Buddy Ebsen.
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1963
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Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room opens at Disneyland. It’s the first show to feature Audio-Animatronics technology.
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1964
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The world’s first fully animated human figure, Abraham Lincoln, debuts at the New York World’s Fair in Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. The figure causes a sensation, not just with the audience, but with Disney Imagineers, who were able to complete the figure in half the time they anticipated.
Audio-Animatronics figures are also in three other World’s Fair shows designed and produced by Disney: Carousel of Progress (featuring figures animated using a programming harness, a precursor of today’s motion capture systems), Magic Skyway and it’s a small world.
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1964
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Two Audio-Animatronics birds, Robin and Umbrella, appear in “Mary Poppins.” Walt Disney reinvests profits from the film to create MAPO, an organization within Walt Disney Imagineering dedicated to creating and innovating Audio-Animatronics figures.
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1965
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Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln – featuring the Audio-Animatronics figure of Abraham Lincoln (actually, a duplicate since the original was still performing at the World’s Fair) – opens at Disneyland.
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1970
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Audio-Animatronics technology enters the computer age with the use of DACS (Digital Animation Control System), a computer-controlled playback system for Disney shows and attractions. Imagineers also begin using the Anicon-Animation Console – for animating and programming figures.
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1989
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The first A-100 Audio-Animatronics figure, the Wicked Witch of the West, debuts as part of The Great Movie Ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (then known as Disney-MGM Studios) in Walt Disney World Resort. A-100 figures incorporate compliance technology that gives the characters more fluid and realistic movements.
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1992
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Pirates of the Caribbean opens at Disneyland Paris. Attraction features sword-fighting pirates figures.
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1998
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Hopper, the grasshopper from the Disney•Pixar film “A Bug’s Life,” is the most sophisticated Audio-Animatronics figure produced to date. Featuring 74 functions, the character appears in “It’s Tough to be a Bug!”
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2002
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The first portable, all-electric Audio-Animatronics figure, Meeko, the raccoon from the Disney animated film “Pocahontas,” appears. He’s in a basket carried by Pocahontas.
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2003
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The first totally autonomous Audio-Animatronics figure, Lucky the Dinosaur, makes his debut, at Disney’s California Adventure.
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2006
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The yeti, a major element of Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, is the largest and most powerful Audio-Animatronics figure ever created by Walt Disney Imagineering. Standing more than 18 feet tall, the thrust of the yeti’s arm has the equivalent amount of force as a 747 jumbo jet.
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2007
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The Muppet Mobile Lab, featuring Muppets Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his assistant Beaker, marks the first time that free-roaming Audio-Animatronics characters can interact and converse with each other, as well as with guests they encounter along their way.
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2008
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Mr. Potato Head in Toy Story Mania! at both Disney’s California Adventure and Disney’s Hollywood Studios marks the first time that anAudio-Animatronics figure features lips with such a wide range of lifelike movements, can remove and re-attach a body part (his ear) and has digitally animated eyes that can look directly at the particular guest with whom he is conversing. Also, since Mr. Potato Head has more lines of dialogue than any Audio-Animatronics figure ever created by Walt Disney Imagineering, it has required more programming hours than any other figure.
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Topics: General Resort News |
WDW-Tube??? Sounds Familiar….
July 2, 2008
The Disney Parks have now launched their own Youtube channel, and are already running a contest to promote the new venture:
Who: Walt Disney Parks & Resorts just launched The Disney Parks Channel on YouTube.
What: The “My Favorite Disney Parks Memory Contest” kicks-off the channel’s launch, giving families a chance to win a once in a lifetime Disney dream vacation, including a night in the exclusive Disneyland Dream Suite. To enter the contest, guests simply submit a creative video that captures their all-time favorite memory of visiting Disney Parks.Ten finalists will be chosen by Disney, and then YouTube visitors will vote on the Grand Prize Winner of the Disney dream vacation. The remaining nine finalists will receive an annual pass to the Disney Park of their choice.
When: The Disney Parks Channel on YouTube launches on June 25, 2008, with official Disney videos and the “My Favorite Disney Parks Memory Contest.”Mark your calendar with these key contest dates:
Contest Submissions: June 25, 2008 – August 5, 2008
Disney Judging: August 6, 2008 – August 12, 2008
YouTube Voting: August 13, 2008 – September 9, 2008
Grand Prize Winner Announced on or around September 20, 2008
Where: The Disney Parks Channel and contest rules are available on YouTube at www.youtube.com/disneyparks
Why: Disney is always looking for ways to spread the magic of Disney and to connect fans. Now passionate guests have a chance to share their most cherished Disney Parks memory with other fans around the world and to win a dream vacation for the entire family.
Topics: General Resort News |
No More in “Water Parks and More”
July 1, 2008
Disney will be changing some of the rules that apply to the Water Parks and More option on Walt Disney World tickets in response to the closing of the Pleasure Island clubs on September 27:
Beginning September 28, 2008, the Water Park Fun & More ticket option will no longer include admission to Pleasure Island nightclubs.
Guests who purchased or will purchase the Water Park Fun & More Option will still receive a certain number of visits to their choice of Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park, Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park, DisneyQuest® Indoor Interactive Theme Park or Disney’s Wide World of Sports® Complex. Beginning June 28, 2008, your Clients can also choose to use a visit to play a round of golf at Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course, a nine-hole walking course designed for the entire family. Tee times are required and subject to availability. For tee times, call (407) WDW-GOLF ( 407-939-4653 ) or visit disneyworldgolf.com.
Excludes activities/events separately priced. Water Park Fun & More visits must be used within 14 days of first use of ticket. Water Parks subject to closures for rehab and seasonal and weather closures.
Topics: General Resort News |
“How To” Help Guests
July 1, 2008
In case the WDW News Today Podcast hasn’t helped you prepare for your Walt Disney World vacation over the last year it has existed (doubtful), Disney might be able to help you now:
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Families planning a vacation to Walt Disney World Resort now have access to a new online resource at disneyworldmoms.com: Moms Panel “How-To” videos.
The Walt Disney World Moms Panelists share quick, step-by-step visual tips about everything from planning a girlfriends getaway without the kids to figuring out how Disney’s Magical Express really works.
“How-To” Videos Preview:
- “Packing for the Park” – Heather Roberts-Nault, Louisville, Ky., with a little help from her daughter, shares tips and personal favorites on what to pack when headed to a Disney theme park for the day, especially with little ones in tow.
- “Fast Pass” – Bret Caldwell, Evanston, Ill., takes the guest inside Walt Disney World Resort to uncover the magic of FASTPASS, including where to find FASTPASS, how to get one and the best ways to use it.
- “Make Flying Fun” – Beth Choisez, Floral Park, N.Y., shares her ‘secret to sanity’ when traveling by plane – Beth provides tactics for dealing with the luggage, strollers, diaper bags, and the kids, so that everyone stays calm and happy.
- “Disney for All Ages” – Laura Spencer, Boston, Mass., and her girlfriends, Julie, Dot and Carolyn, provide some ideas for enjoying Disney without the kids – suggestions include a visit to the Art of Disney in Epcot concluded by a champagne toast in France.
- “Make the Switch” – Michelle May, Lebanon, N.J., and her husband take on an attraction using the Rider Switch Pass – specifically, how families with young children can experience the rides without having to stand in line twice.
The Walt Disney World Moms Panel experts conceived the “How-To” videos as a fun way to provide original and innovative content designed to help alleviate the pressure of planning a memorable Disney vacation – so families can focus more on making memories of a lifetime.
To view the Walt Disney World Moms Panel “How-To” videos or find additional vacation planning tips from experts, visit disneyworldmoms.com.
Topics: General Resort News |
Create Your Own Mania
June 30, 2008
If you head on over to the official Toy Story Mania website, you’ll now find four games you can play that are very similar to the games in the real Toy Story Midway Mania. While the four games (themed to Rex, Weezy, Slinky Dog, and Jesse) feature slightly different themes from the games in the attractions, they feature secret targets and ammunition multipliers, giving hints to the existence of similar targets in the ride-through version. You can also create your own wacky midway game by using the game creator on the site. Now what are you waiting for, go play Toy Story Mania online!!!
Topics: General Resort News |
Hollywood Studios Update
June 30, 2008
Our friends over at Studios Central have another great park update from Disney’s Hollywood Studios, this time capturing changes on Pixar Place, Wall-E appearing in the Art of Disney Animation, and the final Star Wars Weekend. You can see all of the great photos HERE.
Topics: Disney's Hollywood Studios |
Downtown Disney Update
June 28, 2008
Orlando Attractions Magazine has gained possession of some of the concept art for the new stores and restaurants coming soon to Downtown Disney. Some interesting notes from the photos:
-Mickey’s T-Shirt Factory will replace or take up most of the Wonderful World of Memories store next to the Art of Disney in the Downtown Disney Marketplace.
-The new restaurant replacing the Rock N’ Roll Beach Club on Pleasure Island will most likely be named “El Dolbe”.
-Portobello Yacht Club will make a minor name change, menu changes, and an interior renovation when its changes occur.
You can see all of the concept art HERE.
Topics: General Resort News |
Up, Up, and Away Over The Closed Clubs
June 28, 2008
From the Orlando Sentinel:
Disney World also is sprucing up Downtown Disney’s other two areas, adding restaurants, expanding and updating a band shell, refurbishing and updating other businesses, and bringing in a giant tethered-balloon attraction that visitors will be able to ride in, going up more than 300 feet above Village Lake.
This will be similar to the one that can be found in The Disney Village at Disneyland Resort Paris, you can see it HERE.
Topics: General Resort News |
More Downtown Disney Details
June 28, 2008
Here are some more details on the changes coming to Downtown Disney, including the replacements for some of the Pleasure Island clubs:
Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (June 27, 2008)– Walt Disney World Resort today unveiled a new vision for Downtown Disney, with extraordinary new shopping, dining and other experiences including a completely re-imagined Pleasure Island. Also planned are numerous enhancements to popular Downtown Disney locations, as well as additional theming and storytelling brought to life by Walt Disney Imagineers.
“We are committed to offering guests new and exciting experiences they can only have at Walt Disney World Resort,” said Downtown Disney Vice President Kevin Lansberry. “Our bold new vision for Downtown Disney reflects the feedback we receive from our guests each and every day and will enable us to continue to offer the high-quality entertainment that is our hallmark.”
Over the next year, the 120-acre entertainment-shopping-dining complex will add a number of one-of-a-kind, immersive experiences for guests. Downtown Disney will even get its own iconic attraction, in the form of a giant, tethered balloon that will take guests 300 feet into the air to view the amazing vistas of Walt Disney World Resort. Other new experiences include:
· In fall 2008, guests will enter a world of prehistoric creatures at T-Rex: A Prehistoric Family Adventure. The dinosaur-themed family eatery will serve up pizzas, pastas, seafood and more, and will feature life-size animated dinosaurs that dwell among bubbling geysers, waterfalls and a fossil dig site.
· Also this fall, a design-your-own t-shirt store from Hanes will add to the growing collection of merchandise guests can personalize at Downtown Disney.
· E-brands Restaurants, an Orlando-based, multi-concept restaurant group, will premier its newest concept at Downtown Disney in spring 2009. The high-energy, casual eatery will feature authentic Central and South American cuisine, specialty drinks and live music along the waterfront.
Guests also will enjoy a brand new mix of shopping and dining experiences at Pleasure Island as it is transformed over the next two years.
“Our guests tell us they want additional shopping and dining experiences at Downtown Disney,” added Lansberry. “We are currently considering a number of unique concepts from around the globe as we re-imagine Pleasure Island and look forward to sharing our progress over the coming months.”
To make way for the new offerings, all of the clubs currently on Pleasure Island will close on Sept. 27. Other locations on Pleasure Island , including Raglan Road , Fuego by Sosa Cigars, Curl by Sammy Duval, Orlando Harley-Davidson and outdoor food and beverage locations, will remain open during the transition.
To complement these new experiences, many popular Downtown Disney locations will undergo enhancements.
· Beginning this summer, Portobello Yacht Club will be transformed into a Tuscan Country Trattoria. The refreshed menu features authentic Italian dishes and signature favorites and a re-designed interior along with an outdoor dining space.
· This fall, Goofy’s Candy Company will add a special new room that will enable families to host one-of-a-kind birthday parties at Downtown Disney.
· The Marketplace Stage will be completely replaced with a larger, covered stage this fall to welcome even more entertainment to Downtown Disney and serve as a new premier venue for Disney Magic Music Days.
· Fulton’s Crab House will update its interior fixtures and furnishing and exterior in Spring 2009. The enhancements include a refreshed third floor deck dining area to offer additional Disney guests and larger private parties the traditional Fulton’s experience.
· Next year, Wolfgang Puck Café will update its interior fixtures and furnishings and will feature an enclosed glass patio offering guests a year-round outdoor dining experience.
These efforts come on the heels of recent enhancements at World of Disney, Wolfgang Puck Express, Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop, Earl of Sandwich and Cap’n Jack’s Restaurant.
Topics: General Resort News |
Character Dining Changes
June 28, 2008
Some interesting rumors about dining changes to Walt Disney World are making the rounds this weekend, claiming that the Magic Kingdom’s Liberty Tree Tavern restaurant will be removing its character dinner as an option in January 2009 and that Epcot’s Garden Grill Restaurant inside The Land pavilion will remove the lunch option and only offer a character dinner starting this October. While we can-not deny or verify these rumors at this time, we will keep you informed on the subject as information becomes available.
Topics: Epcot, The Magic Kingdom |
No More Pleasure On This Island
June 27, 2008
From the Orlando Sentinel:
The six nightclubs at Pleasure Island will soon shut down, as Walt Disney World redevelops the adult-focused district at Downtown Disney.
BET SoundStage Club, Mannequins Dance Palace, 8Trax and three other nightclubs that have for years catered largely to young, single adults — rather than to Disney’s bread-and-butter family market — will close after Sept. 27. Over the next couple of years Disney will reopen the Pleasure Island area with a broader mix of restaurants and shops.
Though Pleasure Island’s possible demise has been the subject of rumors for awhile, the announcement surprised many in the Orlando nightclub business. Pleasure Island, now 19 years old, may have seemed an odd venture for Disney but it appeared to thrive — so much so that some in the industry have blamed it for accelerating the decline of the nightlife district in Downtown Orlando during the 1990s.
In announcing what they called “a bold new vision” for all of Downtown Disney on Friday, Disney officials framed the Pleasure Island nightclub closures as a response to their customers, who say they want more broad-based dining and retail opportunities throughout the 120-acre district.
“Our bold new vision for Downtown Disney reflects the feedback we receive from our guests each and every day and will enable us to continue to offer the high-quality entertainment that is our hallmark,” said Downtown Disney Vice President Kevin Lansberry.
Pleasure Island is the middle section of Disney World’s 120-acre dining, shopping and entertainment district, called Downtown Disney. While the two flanking areas, MarketPlace and the West Side, also have nightclubs, they are parts of restaurants, appealing to broad crowds. In general, those areas appealed to families. Until recently, Pleasure Island has been mostly about nightclubs, and it created an awkward bridge between MarketPlace and West Side.
Other businesses on Pleasure Island, including a couple of restaurants, a cigar bar and a couple of clothing shops, will remain open. They already offer the broad appeal that Lansberry said Disney’s patrons want from the rest of Pleasure Island. He did not offer specifics about what might replace the clubs, but said Disney was looking worldwide for restaurant and shopping concepts.
In addition, Disney is sprucing up the other two areas, adding new restaurants, expanding and updating a band shell, and bringing in a giant, tethered balloon attraction, which visitors can ride in, going up 300 feet above Village Lake.
Be sure to stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information on this breaking development becomes available.
Topics: General Resort News |
American Idol Experienced
June 26, 2008
I’M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!: Singer David Cook, who was recently crowned “American Idol” champion on the popular television show, poses during a break in shooting June 26, 2008 in a Los Angeles recording studio. A crew from Walt Disney World in Florida taped video segments with Cook to utilize in “The American Idol Experience” attraction, scheduled to open in January 2009 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Currently under construction, “The American Idol Experience” is the first theme park attraction to be based on the television series, through an agreement with FremantleMedia Enterprises and 19 Entertainment. This summer, Cook and other finalists from the 2008 season of “American Idol” will begin a nationwide concert tour. The “American Idol Live Tour 2008″ will be presented in 50+ cities across the United States.
Topics: Disney's Hollywood Studios |