Saturday, January 23, 2010

Sneak peek at HKDL expansion with new Imagineering video !



Hong Kong Disneyland just released an "Imagineering" video about Hong Kong Disneyland expansion. Short but very interesting, almost all the Imagineering scenes were filmed at Glendale, close-up on the three new lands models, etc...



Although HKDL Toy Story Land will be slightly different than the WDS version opening later this year, DLP fans will be very interested by this video showing more of the Toy Story (Play)Land model, whether it's the "Slinky Dog Zig-Zag Spin" ride...



...the giant Rex figure...



...or the "RC Racer" half-pipe coaster.



Also, more pictures of the Toy Story Playland model HERE!

Don't miss this great video!




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

All my thanks to Bennett for the Youtube link!

Video: copyright Disney

19 comments:

Juanpa said...

OMG! The giant T-rex photo seems like a Robot Chicken video capture. Toy Story Land is gonna be even uglier that in my worst nightmares XD

Alain Littaye said...

You must remember that they are toys, and so the giant T-Rex in TSP is a huge toy, it must look like the toy character from the movie...

Tim said...

This looks amazing, but I'm guessing not a lot of people will be able to get on RC Racers - looks to have a very low capacity.

Anonymous said...

I see John Lasseter in the video, so that is a plus and push for Toy Story Land.

Anonymous said...

Now I know where DCA's Jumping Jellyfish will go

Anonymous said...

OUI! This looks dreadful. I used to get excited about the work WDI used to do . . . now I simply roll my eyes. I agree with Juan, Toy Story Land is uglier than I thought it would be.

OTPN Administrator said...

I have to say that Toy Story Playland looks horrible!! Toy Story Mania, even if it's only a single attractions, blows out that entire area!! Those are NOT real Disney attractions in my opinion..

Anonymous said...

If TSPL is supposed to have a theming of a garden with toys, why the hell will trees be planted in this area. It should be modelled more like the "Hunny I Shrunk the Kids" playground in the Disney/MGM Studios with huge grass and a lot of details. Were did the Disney magic go?

Anonymous said...

Grizzly Trail and Mystic Point at HKDL look so stunning. It's a pitty we're getting this Toy Story crap. I've totaly had it with this theme. Enough is enhough. Can Buzz Lightyear and that Pizza planet of his be removed from the Disneyland Park, please.
This Toy Story Playland looks like a fair! Ever since Lasseter is a big guy at Disney, he is realy pushing his 'Toy Story baby' to our resort (and Pixar themed rides for that matter). I think the Pixar movies are brilliant, but I don't want to see a Disney park full of Pixar stuff.

Anonymous said...

Okay, is my perception of the activity in this poorly conceived video correct? Are they using store-bought Toy Story toys to model these 'amazing new attractions' for DHK at WDI?

Here Disney goes again: 'Do everything poorly planned and on the cheap. Raise all of our prices then throw a mountain of cash at our bloated marketing department and PR departments to "work their magic" and spin the perception that these new projects were planned with meticulous detail without sparing any expense. This way we can justify our inflated salaries, perks and our mis-managed budgets.'

How stupid does WDI think people are, anyway?

Anonymous said...

Has anyone else noticed that ever since Lasseter took over, it seems like almost everything being planned for the parks are from his (and only his) Pixar properties, or some kind of re-hash of older disney properties.

Furthermore, Nothing in this video it even remotely interesting. None of it is the least bit original or impressive. Even the enthusiasm espoused by the videos participants seems prefabricated.

Imagineering is over-stuffed with bland, old school ideas and functionality. All of the parks are just recycling the same old stuff and anything new is either poorly conceived or only half-done.

"Imagineering" needs to be torn down to its foundation and completely rebuilt with fresh ideas and the kind of creative minds that will actually start innovative new projects again.

Anonymous said...

I agree, these do look dreadful... downright lame, actually. And the enthusiasm by the "imagineers" does look manufactured. Maybe they are not imagineers at all. Maybe they are animatronic figures. LOL!

Jarvis Morant said...

You people kill me. How is that you guys are attacking toy story's land and saying how unoriginal the imagineers are but neglect the fact that they are 2 more straight up original lands also opening at the park, thats right ORIGINAL LANDS with original attractions...

Anonymous said...

History has shown in Design, be it Music, Fashion, or Theme Park Attractions, in moving forward, sometimes a wall is hit where nothing seems right or stimulating to our Medulla Ablongata's. A shift in reverse and going back to a time and place when things were fresh and exciting but built still upon Walt foundations is necessary. There are plenty of "True and Seassoned Imagineers" who "did it right" out there who could again pull it together on the right path. "Give a little whistle!

Juanpa said...

Sorry for focusing on Toy Story Punishment; in my case it's just because we're gonna get the same thing at Paris, and I'm still horrified for that.

I see Mystic Manor and Grizzly Ride more than interesting attractions. I would have prefered them in a same, unified whole area and not those little tiny corners but sadly no one asked me ;-)

I honestly think it's not a question about the imagineers. When they have a budget to spend, they plan interesting things. For me, I see two main investments being done by Disney right now. The first, the Fantasyland (we-have-to-desperately-fight-against-Potter) rehab. Even having too much meet-and-greet areas for me (I see them useless, but it's my opinion), it would transform and give an interesting twist to a classic area.
The second, the rescue plan for DCA, wich is giving the park a background story (at least for the entry; the arrival of Disney to CAL). My complain? yes; I think it's too much Pixar all around us. I'm sure Lasseter will earn lots of money in royalties XP

Nicholas Tucker said...

What's that first model a picture of? At first glance it looked like Radiator Springs Racers.

Anonymous said...

I used to work for an Architect whose work at a smaller 1/4 inch scale was great, but blown up to full size had many problems and needed corrections. I hope Toy Story one day meets Frank Baum and his OZ Kingdom characters which Walt Disney purchased the rights to. Maybe Pixar could do something with those stories, which would lead to more classic Fantasyland themed attractions?

Anonymous said...

I wish they would have used this Grizzly Trail and Grizzly Mountain idea at California Adventure. This land is just an obvious extension of what they have there.

Too bad to think what DCA could have been...the theme was always very good IMO, they just needed more. Now it's becoming a smaller version of Disneyland and thats what a lot of the online fans seem to want.

Anonymous said...

Are you kidding me, people. The Grizzly Mountain attraction is a rehashing of DCA's awful Grizzly river run, only with another roller coaster; and the Mystic Manor will probably go the way of the original Tower of Terror.

They will most likely cut back on that planned attraction to the point where what the guest is left with is some minor pre-show an off-the-shelf ride system with a few more minor SFX systems thrown in as a consolation in place of the "wow" that was originally promised in these conceptual designs.

I've seen some of the original plans for the ToT and knew some of the imagineers who designed it. They were all but disgusted with how much that attraction was cut back in the final budgets. But that's okay because they will get they're overpaid PR firms on it to gloss over the fact that they didn't deliver on their promise and that it is "even better" for it.

This is how they do business at mouschwitz and people are finally starting to wake up to the it.