Why "The Edison" Will Become Instantly Disney Springs Favorite Place for WDW Guests

WDS released last week the rendering of The Edison, which will be one of the major additions to Disney Springs, the new shopping and dining entertainment area at DownTown Disney. Those of you who already know the original Edison at Los Angeles know how awesome the deco is but, as probably most of you don't know it, here are some pictures of The Edison in L.A, and according to the press release the one being built at WDW Disney Springs should have more or less the same kind of decor. 

WDW press release describe The Edison as "a lavish “Industrial Gothic”-style restaurant, bar and nighttime destination "that will feature exceptional classic American food, artisanal craft cocktails and unparalleled live entertainment". Similar to its sister location on the west coast, The Edison at Disney Springs will be dedicated to a resurgence of old-world style, sophistication and romance. Themed to a 1920s-period electric company, the space will recall an exuberant era of invention and imagination. With 35-foot ceilings and a range of themed areas to explore, The Edison will feature nightly entertainment including contortionists, palm readers, DJs and more."

The original Edison is a steampunk themed nightclub located inside the Higgins Building basement in Los Angeles, California, which opened in 2007. The Higgins Building basement was Los Angeles' first ever power plant, built by Thomas Higgins. After spending several years derelict and underwater, it was rescued by entrepreneurs Andrew Meieran and Marc Smith, who made a post-industrial steampunk venue for Los Angeles nightclubbers, now highly popular. As a picture worth a thousand words, let's have a look at them now!

I think you better understand now why you must await the opening of The Edison as, with its dim lighting, steampunk - Industrial Gothic decor and even a bit of Tower of Terror atmosphere it should become instantly one of Disney Springs favorite place for WDW guests! In the meantime discover the great website of the original The Edison HERE.

All pictures: copyright The Edison

Jurassic World : Building the Apatosaurus Audio-Animatronic

You, fans of Audio-Animatronics are gonna like this video showing the making of Jurassic World Apatosaurus Dinosaur! Legacy Effects is the company who did the "dying" Apatosaurus for Jurassic World production and they did this fantastic 7 min long video showing step by step how they rallied this fantastic Apatosaurus Audio-Animatronic. Don't miss it, and also check on the D&M Facebook page HERE for more awesomeness!




Video: copyright Legacy Effecst

Shanghai Disney Resort Unveils More Details About the Two SDL Themed Hotels

Shanghai Disney Resort unveiled more details about the two themed hotels as well as a new rendering showing the Toy Story Hotel lobby. Here is the full press release:

Disney Magic Extends from Shanghai Disneyland to Two Imaginatively Designed Hotels

June 10, 2015, Shanghai – Two hotels with imaginative Disney themes will invite guests to extend their visit to Shanghai Disneyland, creating a multi-day experience and providing even more fun and enchantment for friends and family who are discovering Shanghai Disney Resort. The highly anticipated resort is scheduled to open in spring, 2016, with the first Disney park in mainland China, a Disneytown shopping, dining and entertainment district, plus the two hotels.

The Shanghai Disneyland Hotel and Toy Story Hotel, conveniently located next to Shanghai Disneyland, keep the Disney magic alive from day into night. With themed designs rich in Disney storytelling and warm, welcoming service, the two hotels offer 420 and 800 guestrooms, respectively, with a range of entertainment, dining, shopping and other recreation options, providing “only at Disney” experiences with Chinese culture in mind.
As the signature hotel of Shanghai Disney Resort, Shanghai Disneyland Hotel is an elegant Art Nouveau-inspired hotel with a touch of Disney magic and imagination. Graphics, decorations, walls and window coverings, and even the furniture are accented with an overlay of Disney wonder. Offering a more playful experience, Toy Story Hotel transports guests into a toy-filled world inspired by the Disney-Pixar series of Toy Story animated films. Whichever hotel they choose, guests will be immersed in Disney stories and create lasting memories with beloved family and friends.


Disney storytelling begins the moment a guest arrives at the hotels. Seasonal gifts and magical moments are elaborately prepared to give guests a warm welcome. Whether they are passing the vivid bronze statues of Mickey and Minnie Mouse at the porte cochere of Shanghai Disneyland Hotel, or crossing the Woody and Buzz Lightyear Courtyards of Toy Story Hotel, guests will enjoy their Disney journey at the expansive properties. At the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel, they also will find Disney characters from such Disney animated classics as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella and The Lion King.

Delicious, Disney-themed items are on the menu at both Shanghai Disney Resort hotels. At Shanghai Disneyland Hotel, guests may dine with Disney Characters at the buffet-style Lumiere’s Kitchen, or enjoy a fine dining experience with breathtaking views of Shanghai Disney Resort at the Aurora Restaurant. At Sunnyside Café in the Toy Story Hotel, guests will enjoy tasty meals and also discover Chinese-style kites, featuring Toy Story characters, flying above them. The kites are inspired by traditional kite craftsmanship from Weifang in Shandong Province, the famous kite city in China.

Disney storytelling continues at various themed hotel facilities, such as Mickey Mouse Playhouse, Hakuna Matata Oasis and King Triton Pool. Guests are totally steeped in the world of Disney with character-themed room keys, bath amenities, post cards, pens and more. The hotel gift shops offer an array of selected Disney merchandise, which guests can treasure as part of the unforgettable memories of their visit.

In line with the world-class standards of all Disney hotels, the Shanghai Disney Resort hotels also show great consideration for every guest with premier hospitality, cordial services and meticulous attention to detail. Benefitting from the proximity to Shanghai Disneyland and the Wishing Star Lake, both hotels offer special logistical services to assist guests, including merchandise package pickup, luggage service, the Disney Resort Shuttle and Disney Resort Ferry.

Merchandise package pickup: Merchandise purchased in the theme park can be delivered right to a guest’s hotel, at no extra charge.
Luggage service: Guests may drop off luggage at the main entrance of the theme park or at the hotels, to be held for their arrival.
Disney Resort Shuttle: Complimentary shuttle service is available between Toy Story Hotel and Shanghai Disneyland.
Disney Resort Ferry: Complimentary water taxi service is available between Shanghai Disneyland Hotel and Shanghai Disneyland.

After enjoying some time at Shanghai Disney Resort, or while resting in between meals, parents may bring their children to the Family Activity Centers, located at each hotel and filled with educationally inspired activities, crafts, games and story readings, all within a unique Disney and Disney•Pixar experience. With hospitality that only Disney can provide, guests will be entertained throughout their stay.

Both hotels blend the unique joy of Disney with Chinese cultural heritage to satisfy the needs of Chinese guests. One of the special Chinese features at Shanghai Disneyland Hotel will be a fountain with a large, unique centerpiece — a glass peony blossom with classic Disney fairies. The peony is a traditional flower of China, and this piece, produced in Shanghai, will be one of the largest sculpted, solid glass flowers in all of China. Special touches also include amenities that cater to Asian customs, such as slippers and high-quality tea bags.

Beyond any imagination, Shanghai Disneyland Hotel and Toy Story Hotel welcome people from all over the world to experience the best of Disney in China, all day and all night. A stay at the themed hotels creates an integrated, exciting and holistic tour of Shanghai Disney Resort. Fun moments continue to surprise and delight throughout the guest visit.

Pictures: copyright Disney - Shendi

All Six Star Wars Movies Simultaneously in One Video Creates an Unbelievable Psychedelic Experience.

Boy, this is pure GENIUS. YouTuber maurcs is a Star Wars fan, and had the idea to put all six films of the Star Wars saga on top of each other — sounds, image, everything!  Chances are that most of you will see the result as an unintelligible, cacophonous mess and i admit there is no way anyone can follow the six stories all together, so don't even try, if you want to avoid that your brain explode. But that's not the problem because what maurcs did is to create the most insane psychedelic experience i've ever seen in a movie since, well, may be the famous "journey through the stars" at the end of 2001 A Space Odyssey. Which, to be honest had more meaning as it was an important part of 2001 storyline. 

As a Youtuber said in its comment, watching these six Star Wars films all together is "for people who like to think they are on LSD while not actually taking LSD". It's exactly that. If your mind had the ability to be in six different places and be conscious of what was happening in the six places at the same time, it probably won't be different, except you'll be in trouble as your brain couldn't support this too much datas. But those who tried LSD during the good ol' days will tell you what it is to have the feeling that your consciousness is exploding. 

The other thing amazing here is how this idea to put the six Star Wars films one upon each other created something interesting, esthetically speaking. Kind of psychedelic pop art or so... 

Considering the weight of the file maurcs uploaded it on Youtube only in 360p but i'm sure that screened in Full HD on a giant screen it would be an awesome experience. That said, i don't know what maurcs had smoked when he did this, but it sure was some good one! And, to quote another Youtube comment, "Anyone who can watch through this entire thing must be high...". So, have a nice trip as this is the ultimate Star Wars experience for the mind!




Picture and video : copyright LucasFilm

Fast and Furious Supercharged Debut as Universal Hollywood Studios Tour Grand Finale

Fast and Furious Supercharged, the new and awaited Universal Hollywood Studios Tour Grand Finale had its preview this week-end, and here below is the video of the full ride filmed in HD by SoCal Attractions 360!

The most important thing to remember to dont be disappointed, as remind us Mice Age in their article HERE, is that it's not a ride and never intended to be one, even if Universal marketing try to sell it like a ride. But it's certainly the best finale that USH Studio Tour ever had. Personally, i think there is a good mix of real props, special effects, 3D projection and pepper ghost effects and i'm pretty sure it looks much better when you're inside the tram experiencing all the "physical effects".  The action don't seem too to go as "fast" as i thought but, here too, the sensation of speed is probably different when you're inside the tram. The acting, though, during the few minutes before the launch of the "fast and furious" sequence looks terrible, i'm sorry to say. But may be it's not a surprise. Here the actor are filmed without any cut, or close shot and without editing and i've always suspected - right or wrong - that some actors are not necessarily good actors, but the way they are filmed and the fast editing makes them look good, if you see what i mean... Last but not least, i wish the "fast and furious " part would have been one or two minute longer but just like it is the whole experience already last for six minutes. 

Go ahead, watch the video - if you don't mind of spoilers, of course - and let us know whet you think!





Video : copyright Universal and SoCal Attractions 360

Jurassic World Review - With No Spoilers

So, i’ve seen Jurassic World and here is what i think about it. But first, please note that the movie did worldwide in five days $500M! Yes: Five hundred million, and it already broke quite a lot of records as you’ll see on Box Office Mojo. Now, about the movie itself. To quote someone whom i don’t remember the name « when  the popcorn is better than the movie, you know you have a problem ». So, if you’re looking for a movie which looks like a ride and include amazing CGI dinosaurs then you’ll get it - and on this point Industrial Light and Magic wizards did a stunning job, really. The final scene - i don’t tell you what happen - is an absolute perfection in terms of CGI effects and the scene alone justify to watch the movie. Like almost all the dinos scenes, there is nothing bad to say about them. You’ll probably also like the « park » sequences as they give the feeling of what a real Jurassic Park could be, though i would have like more of these scenes. 

But the main problem is that Colin Trevorrow, the director, is not Steven Spielberg and even in the action scenes you realize what a God of action scenes Spielberg really is because, here, you’re not really terrified. « Something » which makes the genius of a director is missing. It’s perfectly storyboarded, for sure, but the acting is terrible, very very bad. One thing is sure, Colin Trevorrow is not gifted for directing actors. When the characters you feel the most sympathy for are the dinosaurs rather than the humans, you realize there is a real problem of characters development. The casting itself was not done properly. Actors play their role okay, but really just okay. Chris Pratt is probably the best because he has the most interesting role, the others characters are living in a corporate logic and there is nothing less interesting than corporate guys. Pratt plays his character with its « Indy » style but after seeing Jurassic World i’m not even sure anymore he would be the best choice to play Indiana Jones in the new Indy movies. I think he’s still too « fresh », humanly speaking. He's still miss something which comes from the inside, with age and life experience. 

And although there are some few "wow" moments, the film fails to give us a single awe-filled moment like we had in the original Jurassic Park. Here, awe has been replaced by gigantism and cruelty, or, as a critic put it in his Jurassic World review "If you enjoy a dinosaur making a meal out of men in 3D ad infinitum ad nauseam, be my guest". In two words, where Spielberg's original Jurassic Park had some meaning, Jurassic World is « empty » and it’s hard to don’t feel it. So, if you’re looking for a ride-popcorn-movie, Jurassic world should make it, but if you’re looking for a really good movie, you certainly won’t find it with Jurassic World.





And what's next after this Jurassic World movie ( see review below ) you may ask? Well, if you've watched the movie you know already that they've left an "open door" for a future sequel, and considering the huge hit that the movie is it's a no-brainer to understand that there will be a sequel. Two of the actors of Jurassic World - Chris Pratt and Ty Simpkings - the younger of the two boys - are already signed on for future films. But let's have a bit more infos with what they say on Wikipedia about future sequels:

"During early conversations on Jurassic World, Spielberg told Trevorrow that he was interested in having several more films made. In April 2014, Trevorrow announced that sequels had been discussed: "We wanted to create something that would be a little bit less arbitrary and episodic, and something that could potentially arc into a series that would feel like a complete story." Trevorrow hinted that Pratt and Sy could reprise their roles for the next film, and said he would direct the film if asked.

Trevorrow later told Spielberg that he would only focus on directing one film in the series. In May 2015, Trevorrow announced that he would not direct another film in the series: "I would be involved in some way, but not as director." Trevorrow felt that different directors could bring different qualities to future films.

In June 2015, Trevorrow stated that Jurassic World left story possibilities open for the sequel's director that could potentially allow the film to take place in a different location, rather than on an island. Trevorrow hinted that the next film could involve dinosaurs being used by other companies for non-entertainment purposes, possibly in agriculture, medicine, and war: "I really like the idea that this group of geneticists aren't the only people who can make a dinosaur [...] when you think of the differences between Apple and PC – the minute something goes open-source, there are all kinds of entities and interests that may be able to utilise that technology."

Later that month, Trevorrow said the series is "not always gonna be about a Jurassic Park," saying he felt that future films could explore the idea of dinosaurs and humans co-existing together. That same month, Trevorrow also hinted that the next film may not involve the Jurassic World theme park. "

Picture and video: copyright Universal - Amblin

Disneyland 60th Anniversary Shows and Parades HD Videos !

Max, from DLPWelcome and D&M contributor is back from his trip to Disneyland California where he filmed plenty of HD videos, and today we'll have a selection of all the videos linked to Disneyland 60th Anniversary shows and parades!

Let's start by the new Paint the Night Parade that Max has filmed from two different stand point, this first one showing it from DL Central Plaza.




And this second one shows the parade as seen from Town Square.




Next is a video of the new and great Disneyland Forever fireworks and night time spectacular.




This next video will show you the new World of Color - Celebrate! at Disney California Adventure.




Last but not least this last video from Max will show you the Mickey's Soundsational Parade filmed from the VIP zone at Disneyland Town Square.




All videos : copyright Max Fan - DLP Welcome