Saturday, November 9, 2013

Fantastic Brand New Disneyland Paris Disney Dreams Christmas Show ! HD Video of the Full Show !

You'll find on the next post the video of DLP Christmas parade but the first video - filmed by Fabien Marliot - of DLP Disney Dreams show in its new and awaited Christmas version "Disney Dreams Fète Noel , and it is a totally brand new show!

But first, let me tell you that they did a fantastic job as the show is entirely made with new sequences, all about Christmas of course, and those of you who were delighted by the original Disney Dreams show will be happy to know that this Christmas version justify a new visit to Disneyland Paris during the Christmas season.

The show open with Olaf the snowman character from Frozen and a full sequence is dedicated to Disney's new animated movie soon to be released all over Europe...

...followed by one in which appear classic beloved characters, from Bambi to 101 Dalmatians.

There is then an absolutely charming tribute to the characters of It's a Small World.

In the second part the show includes a great and funny Toy Story "Nutcracker" sequence and chances are that the animation in this one is more or less the same than the one used in the new DCA World of Color Christmas show.

The next scene is all about Jingle Bells and guests are invited to join and sing all together the famous Christmas theme.

As usual fountains lighting and projections effect on the castle looks fantastic...

...and with the fireworks happening all along they deliver a brand new night show which deserves the applause from the guests!

O-Kay, on with the show now with the HD video of the full "Disney Dreams Fete Noel" show, don't forget to watch it full screen and in 1080p definition!

Looking for a fantastic Christmas present? The Disneyland Paris book couldn't be better and will delight any Disney Parks fan! Order your copy now as there is until Nov 31 a fantastic price of 55€ ( plus 15€ shipping) on the newly reprinted english version in its regular edition! Books will be shipped at the end of November but we also have a few of collector's edition copies available for immediate shipping. Click on the picture below to learn more about it and how to order your copy at the best price ever!

You can also pay for the book directly with your credit card through Paypal EVEN if you don't have a Paypal account! All you need to do is to send me an email with your order ( at: neverlandeditions@gmail.com ) and i will ask Paypal to send you a payment request. You will receive an email from Paypal and by clicking on the link you'll be able to pay with your credit card on the Paypal website with no need to open a Paypal account if you don't have one!

If you have a Paypal account you can also use the Paypal "one click" button below to order the book.

Never seen the book? Here below is a video showing you the full 320 pages!

Disney Dreams Video: copyright Fabien Marliot

Disneyland Paris 2013 Christmas Cavalcade Parade HD Video!

I'll have for you on Monday a full report on Disneyland Paris christmas season which start tomorrow Nov 10, but for now and in appetizer here is the HD video of the full Christmas Cavalcade parade, filmed by Max Fan! As usual, choose to watch it in 1080p definition!

Video: copyright Max Fan, Drlp Welcome

Friday, November 8, 2013

Brad Bird Awaited "Tomorrowland" Movie Won't be Released Before May 2015

Disney announced yesterday that Star Wars: Episode VII will be released on December 18th, 2015 and today the studio decided to move the awaited Brad Bird's sci-fi film "Tomorrowland" from December 12th, 2014 to May 22nd, 2015, so Disney will be sure to have a big summer blockbuster in place.

I remind you the synopsis of Tomorrowland, written by Damon Lindelof and with George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, and Britt Robertson playing in it: "Bound by a shared destiny, a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity and a former boy-genius inventor jaded by disillusionment embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space that exists in their collective memory as “Tomorrowland.”

Picture: copyright Disney

Shanghaî Disneyland: New Disney Store in Shanghaî Will Serve as SDL Preview Center, and more...

Shanghaî Disneyland will open at the end of 2015 and just like any Disney park visitors will be able to meet and greet with Disney characters. But it would be a good idea if they knew who-is-who before the park open, wouldn't it? And because Disney is aware that chinese don't know the characters as well as we do the company is going to focus to promote them in the next two years.

“In a conference call with Wall Street analysts on thursday Bob Iger announced: "We’ve been building the Disney brand over the years and we will continue to. Until the end of 2015, much of Disney’s activity in China will be focused on growing the theme park brand, not only to make sure people know it’s coming but also (to let them know) what will be in it. That will likely come in the form of TV or online programming that details the construction of the park and specials revolving around the specific attractions".

Iger also added that Disney’s plans in China include boosting the profile of its films and their characters that have attractions designed around them in the Shanghai park: “If there’s a themed attraction based on a certain movie, it’s likely the Chinese will see that movie in the marketplace in a variety of ways so they can better appreciate the story”.

As i also told you recently Disney announced they will build the largest Disney store on the planet in the Lujiazui district of Shanghai, a financial hub of the Asian city. The 53,000-square-foot retail destination will be the first to open in China and the only store in the world to include an outdoor plaza with Disney-themed landscaping.

And during this conference call Iger announced that the store will serve as a "quasi-vistor center" for the park when the store will open early 2015. In two words it means that in addition to a Disney-themed outdoor plaza "where families and kids will be able to interact with characters and stories from Disney , Pixar, Marvel or Star Wars" there will be very probably inside the store an area with pictures, WDI renderings and videos promoting Shanghaî Disneyland which will open at the end of that year.

Iger also added that the opening of SDK will provide Disney with "a halo effect on the brand, and appreciation of Disney stories and characters. We intend to explore all areas to take advantage of that? But first, we plan on building a great park so that when chinese will go they can appreciate the stories better".

Don't miss too my additional posts on the D&M Facebook page HERE!

Pictures: copyright Disney

Thursday, November 7, 2013

It's Official! Star Wars Episode 7 Will Be Released December 18, 2015 !

It's official! Wars Episode 7 will be released Dec 18, 2015! Here is the official release:

STAR WARS: EPISODE VII TO OPEN DECEMBER 18, 2015

November 07, 2013

With pre-production in full-swing, a confirmed release date of December 18, 2015, has been set for Lucasfilm's highly anticipated Star Wars: Episode VII.

"We're very excited to share the official 2015 release date for Star Wars: Episode VII, where it will not only anchor the popular holiday filmgoing season but also ensure our extraordinary filmmaking team has the time needed to deliver a sensational picture," said Alan Horn, chairman of The Walt Disney Studios.

Star Wars: Episode VII will be directed by J.J. Abrams (Super 8, Mission: Impossible III, Star Trek) and is being scripted by Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan (Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi). Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, with Tommy Harper (Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Jack Ryan, Star Trek Into Darkness) and Jason McGatlin (Tintin, War of the Worlds) serving as executive producers. John Williams is returning to score Star Wars: Episode VII.

Shooting is scheduled to begin spring 2014 at Pinewood Studios.

Ndr: Please note that the picture above is NOT the official Episode 7 poster.

Bad News From Disneyland Paris as 2013 Annual Results Reveal 1 Million less Visitors in Parks Attendance

Disneyland Paris released today its fiscal year 2013 results which reveal that between fall 2012 and the end of September 2013 the parks attendance has lost 1 million visitors. But, thanks to the new strategy - which seems to have eventually less visitors but more who spend money in hotels and the parks - the results are not as bad as one could expect. Below is the statement of DLP CEO Philippe Gas and you can read the full report on DLP corporate website HERE.

You'll also be interested to know that in an article from Attractions Magazine that you can read HERE DLP COO Joe Schott said that Disneyland Paris will spend in the next five years 440M € ( $606M ) in maintenance and development ( Ndr: he didn't specified, but hopefully this include new attractions ).

The hotels occupancy rate is down from 87.1% in 2011 to 79.3% in 2013 but the average spending per guest increased from 46.44€ to 48.14€ and the average spending per hotel room is also up from 218.80€ to 235.01€. So, even if the theme parks attendance went down from 16.0M in 2012 to 14.9M in 2013 DLP succeeded to reduce its net loss by 22% in 2013, thanks to the 2012 debt refinancing. What all this means is that DLP hotels rooms are slightly more expensive than before as well as food but the good news is that DLP parks entrance ticket remain - for now - at a much lower price than Disney parks in the U.S.

Next year will be the year of the opening of the Ratatouille ride so it should be a better one, or at least we can hope so.

EURO DISNEY S.C.A.
Reports Fiscal Year 2013 Results

Despite the continued economic slowdown in France and Southern Europe, revenues only declined by 1% to
€1.3 billion, as guest spending increases, growth from the United Kingdom and higher real estate activity
partially offset declines in attendance and hotel occupancy
Costs and expenses increased 1% in line with inflation, consistent with the Group's continued focus to limit
cost growth
Net loss was reduced by €22 million to €78 million, reflecting the positive impact of the 2012 debt
refinancing
Higher guest spending reflects the Group's continued investments in the quality of the parks and hotels
Launch of the rehabilitation of Disney's Newport Bay Club hotel and debut of a Ratatouille-themed
attraction at the Walt Disney Studios Park® in 2014

Commenting on the results, Philippe Gas, Chief Executive Officer of Euro Disney S.A.S., said:

"2013 was a challenging year for Europe’s tourism and leisure industry. We felt this in theme park attendance and hotel occupancy, notably with fewer guests coming from France and Southern Europe. However, despite the economic crisis, our continued enhancement of Resort offerings allowed us to again drive guest satisfaction and guest spending increases, which helped mitigate the impact of lower visitation.
In 2014 we will continue our strategy to invest in the quality of our Resort offerings and our guest experience. This includes our multi-year hotel renovation program with work commencing on our 1,100 room Disney's Newport Bay Club hotel. We will also continue to push the bounds of our imagination with the summer opening of a unique new family attraction based on the hit Disney•Pixar movie Ratatouille, which will make 2014 an exciting year for us.
Disneyland Paris and its entire cast remain mobilized to surpass the current economic difficulties and we are confident that we are laying the foundation for a positive future."

Picture: copyright Max Fan

Sad news from Disneyland as Billy Hill and the Hillbillies will have their last performance on january 6, 2014

Sad news from Disneyland as Billy Hill and the Hillbillies who have been entertaining guests for more than 20 years will have their last performance on january 6, 2014. Don't know yet if it a lay off from the company to save money or if they simply retired. According to Disney Parks blog "future plans for Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree are to feature a variety of entertainment offerings during the seasonal and special celebrations" which so far is just a corporate statement which gives absolutely no indication at all about what will replace Billy Hill and the Hillbillies.

Their show was fun, they are excellent musicians and for me, listening to the music they're playing remind me intently Frontierland, even when i hear this kind of music out of Disneyland! If you've never seen Billy Hill and the Hillbillies here is a video of a full show filmed this year from the first row at the Golden Horseshoe saloon!

Video: copyright GabeandGarrett

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Disneyland Paris Halloween Party Report

Thanks to Max Fan, D&M contributor and Dlrp Welcome webmaster here is a pictorial report on the Halloween Party at DLP. So, DLP had organized a special evening for the Halloween night with multiple shows, and one of them was "Goofy and the mad drummers" near the Castle Festival stage. The word "near" and not "on" is important as Max is still wondering why they didn't put the musicians on the stage where they would have been more visible. for the guests..

The same problem happened in Adventureland where was another show - Captain Hook Pirate Academy...

According to Max the show was located at the worst place, and the show couldn't be seen correctly by any guests over the second row, and the limited angle of views didn't help the other guests to see it well, too. What was indicated on the program didn't help too as guests thought the show will happen on the ship itself when in fact the "stage" was between the pirate ship and the entrance of Adventure Isle caves.

In Frontierland, an Halloween lighting was in place on Big Thunder Mountain with the head of Dr Facilier projected on the top of the mountain as the Carnaval-oween of Dr Facilier show happened aboard the Molly Brown. The show was similar to the 2009 Tiana's showboat jubilee and according to Max was excellent. You can watch the video of it below.

Many guests had of course a Halloween costume but thanks to the Prince Fahd Al Saoud, a big fan of the park, who was there with his family, many rarely seen characters appeared in the park, including Kuzco, Aladdin, Mister Mask, Max, Picsou, Flagada Jones, the Mad Hatter, and more.

In Discoveryland, the special animation "Halloween Disco-Very Dance Party" electrified the guests with lasers, smoke effects, dancers robots, extraterrestrials or humans!

Last but not least the castle had also a special lighting and on the video below you'll be able to see a best-of of what happened during this Halloween party!

See you soon soon with a new DLP update and as usual don't miss my additional posts on the D&M Facebook page that you can see even if you don't have a Facebook account. In the meantime, i remind to those of you who don't on't own yet the great Disneyland Paris book that the book is being reprinted in its english "normal" edition and that you can pre-order it for the amazing price of 55€ ( plus 15€ shipping ).
Books will be shipped at the end of November but we still have also a few of the collector's edition available for immediate shipping. Click on the picture below to learn more about it and how to order your copy at the best price ever!

You can also now pay for the book directly with your credit card through Paypal EVEN if you don't have a Paypal account! All you need to do is to send me an email with your order ( at: neverlandeditions@gmail.com ) and i will ask Paypal to send you a payment request. You will receive an email from Paypal and by clicking on the link you'll be able to pay with your credit card on the Paypal website with no need to open a Paypal account if you don't have one!

If you have a Paypal account you can also use the Paypal "one click" button below to order the book.

" Jingle Cruise " Attraction Poster

A Christmas version of the Jungle Cruise - called "Jingle Cruise" - will debut at Disneyland and Disney Parks just released this special version of the original attraction poster! More about this on the Disney Parks blog HERE.

Picture: copyright Disney

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Hong Kong Disneyland: Farewell to "Glow in the Park" Halloween Parade as New Interactive "Animazement Electrical Night Parade" Will Debut in 2014

Those of you who went to HKDL for Halloween have been also the last one to have seen the "Glow in the Park Halloween Parade" as it last performed on Oct31 after running for 7 years. So, it won't come back next year and i've been told that a new parade called Animazement Electrical Night Parade will debut in the second half of next year.

Interestingly, The new "Animazement electrical night parade" will have a new concept for interacting with guests. As you know the glowing ears in Disney parks are receiving signals and change color. With HKDL new parade there will be new devices to enable guests to send signals for changing colors on the parade floats or costumes. So far, it seems that HKDL "Animazement electrical night parade" will be the first one to introduce this new interactivity with the guests which looks to me as an interesting idea, isn't it?

One of the reason why HKDL decides to discontinue the Halloween Parade seems to be that they don't want to be too busy on Main Street at night. Instead they prefer to have guests enjoying the attractions in back-lands during the Halloween season.

Picture: copyright Disney, HKDL

Brian Rechenmacher "Walt Disney at Disneyland" Artwork

Here is a series of artwork named "Walt Disney at Disneyland". The style will remind you the artwork of SHAG, but they're not done by SHAG! The artist is Brian Rechenmacher who is a great fan of SHAG and i think he did a real good work, didn't he? Brian website is HERE and after the pics i tell you more.

Now, yes, SHAG artwork is great undoubtedly - and a fantastic colorist - but if you Brian was inspired by SHAG, from who SHAG was inspired? I'm going to tell you a little secret and i'm almost 100% sure that SHAG know his work. I'm talking about an artist named Miroslav Sasek. Sasek did a series of book for children in the 1950- 60's about many cities of the world called "This is... New York or London, or Paris, Rome, etc..." which were immensely popular in the 1960's-70's. You MUST discover Sasek work as he was a GENIUS. When you will see his books you will probably think "it looks really like the 60's style" except that nobody was drawing like Sasek before him. I mean: he invented this artwork style.

The good news is that Sasek books are currently being republished and are just as popular as before. The bad news is they didn't did the scans for the reprinting rfrom the original artwork but from scans from the previously published books pages. Which means that the colors are not as good and vibrant as in the original books. Although SHAG is great i find Sasek superior to him as there is more humor in his artwork.
I always wished to be able to meet SHAG to ask him the question if he knows Sasek work as it is impossible that he don't know him, you'll see why.

Here is the link where to find the newly published books on Amazon. But if you can afford it try to buy instead the original editions which are treasures! Look at THIS ebay page, the first versions are the ones copyrighted in the 1960's, not the years 2000. If you must buy only three of them, choose "This is..." London, or New York, or Paris, or Rome, or Hong Kong, or San Francisco. But don't miss "This is London" which is great.
Also have a look HERE to see pictures from Sasek books.

Pictures: copyright Brian Rechenmacher