Saturday, September 12, 2009

D23 EXPO Special Report by Andy Castro : Disney's Hawai Ko Olina model

The Disney Ko Olina is scheduled to open in 2011, but thanks to the huge model displayed at D23 EXPO and the great picyures of Andy, we will have a closer look to it today.

As you know, the expansive family resort will be located in the Ko Olina area on the western side of Oahu and will include 350 hotel rooms and 480 villas for Disney Vacation Club, Disney's growing timeshare business.

Disney theme park fans will specially appreciate the theming of the water park and the lush tropical garden. We may never have the Lava Lagoon water park and his volcano at Disneyland Paris, but for sure there will be soon one more volcano in Hawai! And with a bit of luck, may be the hotel will have a "Tiki" restaurant!

Thanks to leave a comment or discuss this article on D&M english forum on Mice Chat

Here are the links to previous D23 Expo articles: Hawai Ko Olina Resort model, New Pictures of Cars Land and Radiator Springs Racer models, The LOST Exhibit, The Gorgeous Nautilus Limited Edition by EFX, Disney Parks and Resorts area and Cars Land, Hong Kong Disneyland Expansion Preview, An Afternoon with Imagineering Legends, The Live Auction Preview. Don't miss them!

All pictures: copyright Andy Castro and Disney and more

D23 EXPO Special Report by Andy Castro : New Pictures of Cars Land and Radiator Springs Racer models

Andy Castro is back with new pictures of the Cars Land and Radiator Springs Racer model! Actually guests can see two models, a big one and a smaller one. We will begin by pictures of the small - but charming - model, different than the one i show you yesterday, but before, here is above a Radiator Springs Racer rendering from the great Imagineer Tom Morris, as well as another early concept below.

Now, this next picture is highly interesting as it shows the "Radiator Springs Drive-In Theatre". This was supposed to be a restaurant - like the Sci-Fi Diner at the DHS and it is cancelled for now. They will probably build it in the future, though.

If you want to know where it will be located, look at the top left of this next picture, in the blurred part of the image, you'll see it.

Let's have a look now to Andy's new pictures of the big model!

Let's end with a series of gorgeous pictures of Radiator Springs Racer!

Here are the links to previous D23 Expo articles: Hawai Ko Olina Resort model, New Pictures of Cars Land and Radiator Springs Racer models, The LOST Exhibit, The Gorgeous Nautilus Limited Edition by EFX, Disney Parks and Resorts area and Cars Land, Hong Kong Disneyland Expansion Preview, An Afternoon with Imagineering Legends, The Live Auction Preview. Don't miss them!

Thanks to leave a comment or discuss this article on D&M english forum on Mice Chat

All pictures: copyright Andy Castro and Disney and more

D23 EXPO Special Report by Andy Castro : The Gorgeous Nautilus Limited Edition by EFX

At the D23 EXPO there is an area called "collectors forum" where Disney fans can find great collectibles or pre-order really fantastic one that will be released very soon.

As i told you in my "Nautilus Two" article, 2010 will be a great year for die-hard fans of the 20000 Leagues under the sea Nautilus. EFX collectibles is producing what will be the most amazing Nautilus model ever released in limited edition. Here is more about it from the press release:

"At an incredible four feet long (1,20 m), the approximately 1/45th scale of the original Nautilus, the one from EFX will offer extraordinary details, including internal and external lighting and re-creations of both the lush salon and the all-important wheelhouse, providing collectors with the opportunity to peer into the inner sanctum of this enormous underwater vessel.

Inspired by the remarkable, unforgettable designs of legendary Disney designer Harper Goff, the Nautilus from EFX combines the graceful elegance of the submarine’s riveted exterior with incredibly accurate interior details never before offered in a high-end collectible of this type.

“20000 Leagues Under the Sea is truly one of the all-time classic adventure movies, and was a milestone for the Disney creative team,” said Bryan Ono, president of EFX Inc. “The Nautilus is a Disney icon, and our artisans and engineers have been working overtime to develop this extraordinary re-creation.”

Disney’s interpretation of the Nautilus has attracted an enthusiastic fan base since the original release of the Walt Disney Pictures film version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in 1954. This groundbreaking film presented the craft, described in Verne’s novel as a “masterpiece containing masterpieces,” as an exquisite piece of design, Victorian yet futuristic – and instantly recognizable. The Disney version of the Nautilus has inspired theme park attractions around the globe, and the original, restored model used in the making of the film will be seen at the D23 Expo in the “Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives” exhibition.

The Nautilus from EFX is being hand-crafted from resin with machined and die-cast metal, and injection-molded ABS details. The edition size will be limited to no more than 500 pieces, and each Nautilus replica will come with a specially designed display base, numbered plaque and Certificate of Authenticity.

More details about eFX’s current and upcoming collectibles can be found at www.efxcollectibles.com.

The details are incredible and the price of this 4 feet long Nautilus is 1600$ (1100 euros). Very probably they will offer the possibility to pay it in four times, as EFX generally do on their other collectibles products. The EFX Nautilus is supposed to be released February 2010.

But there is more from EFX as they're also planning to release other Disney collectibles like this Snow White Wicked Queen's Heart Box...