Disney and more: 3/31/13

Saturday, April 6, 2013

A Closer Look at Radiator Springs Racer Cars Maintenance

Disney Parks has put online an interesting short video showing the maintenance of Radiator Springs Racer cars. Joe Shanahan, who helps maintain the ride vehicles will tell you more about his role as an electrician for the attraction... and how the cars gets their needed electricity for the ride.

Picture and video: copyright Disney

Friday, April 5, 2013

Disneyland Paris Full HD Video of New Version of Disney Dreams! Show

Disneyland Paris has uploaded on Youtube the FULL new version of the Disney Dreams! show, including the two new scenes from the Lion King and Brave! And the filming was done during the press event days with guests wearing the Disney Light Ears! Go ahead, watch it full screen, and enjoy the show just like if you were there!

For those of you who would like to compare with the first version which included Mary Poppins and Jungle Book sequences now unfortunately deleted, here is the video, you'll find the scenes at 10'15 min, and let me know which version you prefer!

Picture and videos: copyright Disney

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Disneyland Paris Pictorial Update Part Two

Here is the part two of the Disneyland Paris update with great pictures shot by Max Fan, D&M contributor and Dlrp Welcome webmaster. This time we'll have a look at great pictures of the Disneyland park and if the park looks like a ghost town its only because all pictures were shot at 8 a.m, the park opening hour, and considering it's around 0 degrees celsius in the morning that's why you'll see almost no guests on the photos. But Max who obviously is not afraid to face the 8 a.m cold temperatures was there, a perfect time to shoot good pictures thanks to the morning light "magic hour".

There we go, starting as usual by the entrance.

Good news, the cup of coffee on the billboard above Main Street Motors is back in place after refurbishment!

Apparently a Tangled tower has been added at Story Book Land...

A few more shots of Adventureland and Frontierland.

I remind those of you who don't own yet the great Disneyland Paris From Sketch to reality book that from now till April 15 I put on sale signed copies of the book in its collector edition and that both english and french editions are available. This is the very first time that collector's edition copies would be signed so they will be "double collector"!

Don't miss this great offer, signed copies are even with a 20€ discount on the normal price! You can have more infos about this gorgeous 320 pages book HERE and you can use the one-click Paypal button below if you wish.

Pictures: copyright Max Fan

Shanghai Disneyland to hire 5,000 cast-members as it opens in 2015

A short news about Shanghaî Disneyland coming from China's People's Daily newspaper:

"Shanghai Disney Resort has hired more than 300 Chinese professionals since it beganrecruiting one year ago, and plans to hire a total of 500 by year's end.

The resort is expected to employ at least 5,000 when it opens in 2015 in the Pudong New Area,theme park officials said.

Most of the current hires are highly skilled professionals specialized in engineering, creativedesign and other fields required for construction of the park.

Jobs are open to professionals from home and abroad, but most hires are expected to be fromChina due to the resorts' localization strategy.

Language proficiency in spoken and written English and Mandarin is required for most jobs."

Picture: copyright Disney

Editor's Note: I remind you that i post each day some cool news and pics on the Disney and more Facebook page so don't hesitate to do the jump and have a look, it's right HERE.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Pixar Studios Announces "Finding Dory" , to be released in 2015 !

Pixar Studios just announced today Finding Nemo sequel, and it's called "Finding Dory"! The movie will be released in 2015, and if you don't remember who Dory was in Finding Nemo here she is, and the character had the voice of Ellen De Generes.

And here is the press release which will tell you more about this sequel:

"When Dory said ‘just keep swimming’ in 2003’s Oscar®-winning film Finding Nemo, she could not have imagined what was in store for her (not that she could remember). Ellen DeGeneres, voice of the friendly-but-forgetful blue tang fish, revealed details today about Disney/Pixar’s Finding Dory — an all-new big-screen adventure diving into theaters on Nov. 25, 2015.

‘I have waited for this day for a long, long, long, long, long, long time,’ said DeGeneres. ‘I’m not mad it took this long. I know the people at Pixar were busy creating Toy Story 16. But the time they took was worth it. The script is fantastic. And it has everything I loved about the first one: It’s got a lot of heart, it’s really funny, and the best part is — it’s got a lot more Dory.’

Director and Pixar veteran Andrew Stanton takes audiences back to the extraordinary underwater world created in the original film. ‘There is no Dory without Ellen,’ said Stanton. ‘She won the hearts of moviegoers all over the world—not to mention our team here at Pixar. One thing we couldn’t stop thinking about was why she was all alone in the ocean on the day she met Marlin. In Finding Dory, she will be reunited with her loved ones, learning a few things about the meaning of family along the way.’

According to Stanton, Finding Dory takes place about a year after the first film, and features returning favorites Marlin, Nemo and the Tank Gang, among others. Set in part along the California coastline, the story also welcomes a host of new characters, including a few who will prove to be a very important part of Dory’s life".

Pictures: copyright Disney - Pixar

First Picture of WDS Ratatouille Ride Vehicle !

Except if it was an April Fools - and i don't think it is - the Disney Central Plaza forum has posted yesterday April 1st a very interesting picture of the WDS Ratatouille ride vehicle model. The picture was found at Chessy City Hall where DLP, according to the french law, must file some documents related to any new construction on site. The picture above and below shows the ride vehicle designed for disabled guests but what is interesting is of course its design.

As you can see the vehicle looks like a rat - with the face in the front and the tail in the back - and this confirmed what we have heard before, i.e that Ratatouille guests will have the illusion to be reduced at the size of a rat - and that probably the ride decors will be in proportions. The vehicle platform also confirm that the vehicle will use a trackless LPS system, probably like the Winnie the Pooh ride at TDL. Although WDI has still some time to change the vehicle design my feeling is that the final design should be close to this one, with eventually a change in the vehicle colors.

Edited: I've been told that this vehicle design concept is probably from 2010 so at least three years old, so chances are that the final design might have changed.

Thanks a lot to Disney Central Plaza forum!

Picture: copyright Disney

Monday, April 1, 2013

DLP Update : Theming Begins on WDS Ratatouille Ride Show Building Facade !

Hope you all had a great Easter Sunday! We will start the week with a two parts Disneyland Paris update with great pictures shot by Max Fan, D&M contributor and Dlrp Welcome webmaster. All pictures were shot at park opening hour, that's why you'll see almost no guests on the photos and its probably due to the fact that it's so bloody cold right now in Paris with O degrees celsius in the morning that guests probably wait a few hours more before rushing in the parks. But Max who obviously is not afraid to face the harsh cold temperatures came at the parks very early, which is also a good time to shoot good pictures as it is the morning "magic hour" and the light is fantastic at that time.

In this part one we'll have a look at the Walt Disney Studios as well as the works on the Ratatouille ride as theming has began on the show building facade!

There we go, starting by the Walt Disney Studios entrance.

Let's move to Backlot!

There is a small cafe near the Moteurs Action Stunt Show which i like a lot - specially the inside - and it's a Diner called "Cafe des Cascadeurs". I've rarely posted pictures of it so i'm glad that Max did and here it is. Unfortunately it's often closed, specially in low season.

Back to Toon Studio where the Magic Carpet ride is apparently under maintenance.

And here comes the latest pictures of the Ratatouille ride site. As you will see theming has obviously began on the right side of the show building where WDS Imagineers must create the look of parisian facades.

Don't miss tomorrow the part two of Max pictorial report with great pictures of the Disneyland park, also shot early morning and in the meantime I remind those of you who don't own yet the great Disneyland Paris From Sketch to reality book that from now till April 15 I put on sale signed copies of the book in its collector edition and that both english and french editions are available. This is the very first time that collector's edition copies would be signed so they will be "double collector"!
Don't miss this great offer, signed copies are even with a 20€ discount on the normal price! You can have more infos about this gorgeous 320 pages book HERE and you can use the one-click Paypal button below if you wish.