Disneyland Paris Big Thunder Mountain Re-Open Today After 13 Months of Renovation - Full Pictorial Report and Ride HD Video !

After more than 13 months of renovation, Disneyland Paris Big Thunder Mountain was in soft opening this week and the "grand re-opening" is TODAY, Saturday December 17! The result of the renovation is stunning! All props, animated or not, are back. And the adventure is even more epic due to the explosive final of the ride. The cleaned, repainted and colourful mountain looks better than ever with new vegetation and effects fully reviewed. The theme of the whole ride has been strengthened for our biggest pleasure!

Max, D&M contributor and DLPWelcome webmaster shot pictures yesterday and here they are below, but before, something important for my FRENCH readers: Please don't miss the important message at the end of the article!













The great news is that all the antique machines and props found by the great Imagineer Pat Burke in the American West and that guests can see in the queue decor are completely renovated and look great and are working! It's really sad that Pat, who passed away exactly two years ago, is not anymore with us to see it...





































All aboard to discover the new explosive ride final!



Here is the video of the full renovated ride filmed by Max yesterday!




At the exit of the ride, guests can purchase a picture shot during the drop with the water effects, here is how it look.




Big Thunder Mountain won't be the only one to re-open today as the Molly brown resume its cruises on the Rivers of the Far-West! And, goes what, after an eternity the Geysers are back! Stay tuned to D&M for pictures of all this soon!




And now, here is the IMPORTANT MESSAGE for my french readers, and specifically those who don't own yet the Disneyland Paris book: 

NOTE IMPORTANTE A L'ATTENTION DE CEUX QUI NE POSSEDENT PAS ENCORE LE LIVRE "DE L'ESQUISSE A LA CREATION": Il reste environ 60 exemplaires de cette édition collector française du livre, qui ne sera pas rééditée car c'était une édition limitée à 2000 exemplaires. En conséquence et compte tenu que l'offre spéciale de Noel court toujours ( voir ci-dessous ) 30 exemplaires ( sur les 60 restant ) peuvent toujours bénéficier de l'offre spéciale de Noel à 60 euros, et les 30 derniers exemplaires seront vendus au prix normal du livre, 100 euros. Il n'y aura donc PAS de nouvelle promotion et je ne saurais que trop conseiller à ceux qui n'ont pas encore le livre de profiter de l'offre de Noel tant qu'il en reste!

Don't miss the Disneyland Paris book Christmas special offer as it's a chance for you to get this acclaimed 320 pages book at the best price ever! You'll hardly find a better Christmas gift for a Disneyland Paris fan so don't miss it as it is the last copies of the book which will not be reprinted! The Christmas offer is for both english update edition or the french collector's edition at 60€ ( + 15€ shipping worldwide ). And that include too a great additional surprise gift! 

Special note to buyers with a shipping address in Italy or Belgium : For shipments to Belgium or Italy, the shipping cost is 25 €.

To place your order please send an email to: neverlandeditions@gmail.com  - Please let me know in your email if you want the english or french edition!

Important note: shipping takes 3-4 days for France, 10-15 days to European countries, 2 to 3 weeks for countries outside Europe. To make sure you will receive the book on time for Christmas, if you buy it for a Christmas gift, please place your order in the next days, thanks!

You can pay with Paypal bus ending the full amount including shipping to: neverlandeditions@gmail.com or use the Paypal button below. The Paypal button works for both french or english edition but confirm me by email or in your Paypal payment which edition you want ( english or french ).
Also note that the Paypal button includes an additional discount for those who want to order 2 or 3 copies instead of one. 

If you do NOT have a Paypal account you can pay by credit card, or bank transfer, just send me an email about it at: neverlandeditions@gmail.com

Those of you who have never seen the book will find below a video presentation which will show you EACH of the 320 pages of the book AND you can see more pictures on the book website HERE

Disneyland Paris From Sketch to Reality Book

ONE Disneyland Paris Book English or French Edition €60.00 EUR TWO Disneyland Paris Book English or French Edition €125.00 EUR THREE Disneyland Paris Book English or French Edition €185.00 EUR

Although you've probably heard about this beautiful book, many of you may have never seen a copy of it. So we've done a video presentation of the full book which will show you each of the 320 pages of the book! The book includes 750 pictures of the park, including 250 gorgeous renderings of Walt Disney Imagineering and stunning pictures of the park seen from above. The book is so big that it took us seven and a half minutes to show you the full book, and that's without stopping turning each pages! So, if you want to have a closer look at a page don't hesitate to stop the video!




Pictures: copyright DLP Welcome

Disneyland Paris Big Thunder Mountain Now In Soft-Opening After Months of Renovation - Full Ride Video !

Big Thunder Mountain is now in soft-opening at Disneyland Paris and here is the video from Max, D&M contributor, of the awaited renovated ride with the explosive final!

Video: copyright DLPWelcome

Is Shanghaî Disneyland Really Doing That Well ?

Asia Nikkei.com has posted an interesting article about Shanghaî Disneyland titled "Shanghai Disney buzz turns sour over food costs, service..."  Well, according to Disney the park is doing very well and even beyond their expectations with 4 Million visitors in the first 5 months and SDL even hope to break the record of 10 millions visitors in the first year. But we also know that theme park revenues are not coming only from ticket sales but also - if not mostly - with food, merchandise, etc... sold in the parks or hotels. And, apparently, may be that's where SDL problem is.

Excerpts from the Asia Nikkei article who says that "theme park's dissatisfied visitors present a challenge for SDL after just six months":

Half a year after its much-hyped debut, Shanghai Disneyland is struggling to keep the turnstiles spinning as visitors' complaints about high prices and disappointing services have spread through social networking sites.

A clear day in early December reveals a lethargy that contrasts with the fever seen during the park's June 16 opening. Entry lines at the core property of Shanghai Disney Resort are almost nonexistent at 9 a.m. as gates open. In the afternoon, electronic signboards show only a short wait -- five to 50 minutes -- for all but the most popular attractions. Workers kill time chatting at deserted gift shops across the park.

Many of those who made the trip carried in packed lunches and drinks from nearby convenience stores, including thriving locations inside the subway station used by Disneyland visitors. Come lunchtime, patrons spread out on benches to eat. I heard everything in the park was expensive, so I bought lunch ahead of time," a college student from Jiangxi Province said, adding that she did not plan to pick up souvenirs or gifts.

Shanghai Disneyland drew 4 million visitors in its first four months, and the park is on track to reach its initial-year target of 10 million visitors. But business is less brisk than expected, said an official for the city of Shanghai, which holds a majority stake in the park's operator.

A team from The Nikkei asked 20 visitors in late November and early December about Shanghai Disneyland's highs and lows. Of that group, 45% praised the attractions, while 40% said they appreciated the park's atmosphere. One in five spoke of convenient transportation to the park. The state-of-the-art computer graphics in various attractions, as well as the venue's appeal to both adults and children, drew particular praise.

When the lights turn on at night, it's almost like a fairy tale," said a 22-year-old woman visiting from Beijing. She called the Shanghai park "a clear winner" over its siblings in Hong Kong and Paris. A 36-year-old Shanghai man with his family in tow said the venue is "very convenient" to reach, with a parking lot nearby.

But high prices are the most common complaint among the visitors. Admission runs 370 yuan ($53.50) on weekdays and 499 yuan on weekends and holidays -- a sizable figure given the average monthly wage is just under 6,000 yuan even in Shanghai, where people tend to earn more than in other areas. Tokyo Disneyland, by comparison, charges 7,400 yen ($64.30) for a day's admission.

A 26-year-old Dalian woman visiting with friends said she spent over 2,000 yuan, or half a month's wages, on the two-day trip, including lodging and airfare. The group initially intended to stay at a "Toy Story"-themed hotel run by Disney, she said, but the 1,000-yuan nightly rate led them to opt for a youth hostel nearby instead. Poor transportation in the area still left the travelers shelling out for pricey private cars to and from the park.

Food or merchandise in the park costs 100 yuan or so -- it's pretty expensive," the visitor said. The woman even passed up bottled water and made do with a small 30-yuan hot dog although she was hungry. To "enjoy the atmosphere," she visited a gift shop, but all she did was don a hat topped with "Mickey Mouse" ears and take photos.

Shaun Rein, founder and managing director of China Market Research Group, said visitors complain most about the cost of food and souvenirs rather than ticket prices. Chinese consumers tend to hesitate on these types of costs, he said, adding, "I would actually raise ticket prices and lower prices for food.

Poor service and operations were also an issue for 40% of respondents. A 30-year-old woman from Suzhou visiting with five other family members complained of staff doing nothing about line-jumpers, as well as the "coarse" manner of speech by workers. Given how close they are to Shanghai, the family members would like to keep coming, she said, but they will not return unless park operations change.

There are plenty of staff around, but they can't even give clear directions," a college student from Hangzhou said, having asked two separate workers for navigational help to no avail.

Did Shanghaî Disneyland did the usual mistake to be too greedy from the start with high prices on food and merchandise - or at least prices not adapted fro the Chinese market? Well, it looks like, and if it's the case Disney is gonna learn the hard way that this don't work with the Chinese...

More from Asia Nikkei:

Two in five of those surveyed by The Nikkei said they expected the park to be more crowded than it was. Disney faced substantial opening-day issues in Shanghai, Rein said, as the park was "too packed, and so they had people waiting in line for three hours for one ride." Pictures of these long lines and complaints from those waiting flew across Chinese social media, giving the park a reputation that will take a good deal of time to counter.

A high number of repeat visitors is key to a theme park's success. Shanghai Disneyland has begun offering 100-yuan gift certificates, usable at facilities such as restaurants inside the park, to get potential customers in the door. It has also started selling season passes through March 2017. These passes are invalid during the Lunar New Year holiday, though the ones applicable on weekdays only are relatively cheap, paying off after just three trips to the park.

Expansions in progress could burnish the venue's appeal. But large-scale renovations are also in store for Disney parks in Tokyo and Hong Kong, creating competition for visitors. If Shanghai Disneyland cannot solve its customer service problem, cultivating repeat customers will remain challenging, limiting growth in admissions.

When A theme park start to offer coupons of "gift certificates", or any kind of promotion, it's never a good sign. Or it is a sign they've already identified the problem and their original mistake. Not sure, though, that it will be enough to make Chinese guests spending more Yuans in the park...

Text: copyright AsiaNikkei.com

Fifty Years Ago, Walt Disney Passed Away on Dec 15, 1966 - Disney Parks Around the World Commemorate Walt's Legacy

Exactly Fifty years ago, Walt Disney passed away on Dec 15, 1966 at Burbank, California. All Disney Parks today, including Disneyland Paris will be celebrating Walt Disney’s legacy of imagination, creativity and innovation. Below, the famous Paris Match cover from the magazine issue announcing Walt death, with the colors restored by yours truly, and DLP official press release in english and french:

WALT DISNEY CELEBRATION AT DISNEY THEME PARKS
Memory Board Procedures
“Walt Week: Celebrating a Legacy of Imagination, Creativity, and Innovation”

The Walt Disney Company and D23, The Official Disney Fan Club, will be celebrating Walt Disney’s legacy of imagination, creativity and innovation with a variety of initiatives and homages throughout the  company during “Walt Week”, December 5 – 15, 2016, 50 years after Walt Disney’s passing.

Disney Theme Parks around the world are invited to take part in the celebration with a special “Walt Disney Message Board” that will be available to Guests visiting our Parks in Anaheim, Orlando, Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Our message board will serve as a platform for Guests to write a special message and / or memory to share with others (Message examples might include: a special Disney memory or a “thank you” to Walt Disne). This message board, located inside the gates of the each Park, will be available only on December 15, 201. At Disneyland Paris, it will be installed in Liberty Arcade, near Statue of Liberty Tableau.

How does it work?  Guests will write special messages on magnetic Mickey-­shaped icons and place them on  the  memory  board  for  all  to  see.   Think  of  a  giant  autograph  wall  with  lots  of  Post-­It  notes.   The memory board is three-­dimensional and the Mickey-­shaped icons can be placed throughout the board. After December 15th, the boards from each Park will be packed away and shipped to the D23 offices in Burbank where they will be reconditioned to be on display at the D23 Expo in Anaheim in July 2017.

COMMÉMORATION DE WALT DISNEY DANS LES PARCS DISNEY
« Semaine Walt : célébration d’un héritage d’imagination, de créativité et d’innovation »

The Walt Disney Company et D23, Le fan club officiel de Disney, célébrent l’héritage d’imagination, de créativité et d’innovation de Walt Disney par le biais d’une série d’initiatives et d’hommages organisés au sein de la société durant la « Walt Week » qui se tient du 5 au 15 décembre 2016, 50 ans après la disparition de Walt Disney.

Les Parcs Disney du monde entier sont invités à prendre part à cette commémoration avec un  «Tableau de messages Walt Disney» qui sera mis à  la disposition des visiteurs visitant nos parcs d’Anaheim, d’Orlando, de Tokyo, de Paris, de Hong Kong et de Shanghai.  Notre tableau servira de plateforme pour que les visiteurs puissent écrire un message spécial ou un souvenir à partager (par exemple, un souvenir particulier de Disney ou un « remerciement » à Walt Disney). Ce tableau de messages, sera installé dans l’enceinte de chaque parc le 15 décembre 2016 uniquement. A Disneyland Paris, il se situera dans Liberty Arcade, au niveau de Statue of Liberty Tableau.

Les visiteurs pourront écrire leurs messages sur des icônes magnétiques en forme de Mickey et les placer sur le tableau afin que tout le monde puisse les voir. Imaginez un mur de dédicaces géant rempli de petits mots. Après le 15 décembre, les tableaux de chaque parc seront désinstallés et envoyés aux bureaux de D23 de Burbank où ils seront reconditionnés pour être exposés lors de l’exposition D23 d’Anaheim en juillet 2017.

Hong Kong Disneyland Iron Man Experience Soft-Openings Begins! HD Videos - Now Edited With Full Ride Video !

The soft-openings of the awaited  Iron Man Experience attraction at Hong Kong Disneyland began and the folks of Disney Magic Kingdom blog have uploaded on Youtube a series of great HD videos showing everything, except the ride itself (so far ). We can't thank them enough to have filmed the whole thing.



Let's start with this short video which in fact is an official HKDL video.


Next is the first video filmed by Disney Magic Kingdom blog showing the "Iron Man Tech showcase by Stark Industries"




Next, another video showing the iron Man meet and greet. By the way, for all videos don't forget to choose the higher HD definition to watch them!




The next video shows all the different "halls" that HKDL guests go through during the highly themed queue areas before doing the ride itself. The video shows everything in details and ends at the boarding room!




During the pre-show Iron Man Experience guests can see a great movie which introduce the visitors to Stark Expo and here is the video of the full film - again, watch it in HD!




Time for guests to do the ride and here are some pictures of the boarding area, where they don't forget to take too 3D glasses, and the inside of the simulator!















We don't have yet an on-ride video - it should come soon - but here is a a screen capture of footage shot during the ride itself.



Personally i think that the whole thing is a "Top WDI" work and i can't wait to see a ride video. We'll end by the Iron Man Experience simulator ride boarding videos - and don't miss the special guest in his cameo! Make sure to subscribe to the videos of Disney Magic Kingdom blog on Youtube HERE!





Editing: the full ride video is now available! Watch it below in full screen mode and choose the HD Definition!




All videos: copyright Disney Magical Blog, Theme Park Review

Pictures: copyright Disney

Discover Pegase Express, Parc Asterix Newest Attraction Opening Spring 2017 !

Disneyland Paris will face serious competition next year as, in addition to the Futuroscope which is opening soon a flying theater "Soaring" ride, the Parc Asterix theme park - Disneyland Paris main competitor near Paris - will open a new attraction next Spring titled "Pegase Express"!

Pegase Express will be a roller coaster with a storyline based on the Greek mythological legend in which Zeus decided to move Pegase - the horse with wings - to a new constellation so he will stay forever in the sky. It's with Pegase that Parc Asterix guests will have the luck to do the ride, though a quite turbulent one.



Located in the Greek area of the park the ride will run at high speed on a track almost one kilometer long! The full length of the Pegase Express track will be exactly 928m for a ride which will last 3 minutes at a maximum speed of 52 km/h.



Guests will load in the Montparnassos station - a nod to Paris famous Gare Montparnasse - and the train launched by a catapult system will run around the park, passing twice over the Romus and Rapidus attraction.





During the ride guests in the Pegase Express train will go through a giant billboard...

...enter a tunnel and reach an antique temple...


...in which they will come face to face with Medusa, the dreadful mythological creature!
Awaken, Medusa will threaten guests to petrify them and they won't have any other solution than to escape ...by moving backwards!


Thrilling voyage with many nods to Greek mythology Pegase Express will be a family ride for all ages with a requested minimum height of 1 meter, and will open at Parc Asterix in 2017, most probably next Spring!

Pictures: copyright Parc Asterix - Uderzo

Nintendo of America Release First Concept-Art of Super Nintendo World to Open AT Universal Studios Japan and Later at Universal Studios Hollywood and Orlando !

Nintendo of America revealed today  the first concept-art for the Nintendo Land and the Mario-themed attraction! 

Visitors to Universal Studios Japan will soon be able to immerse themselves in the world of Super Mario Bros. and other Nintendo franchises at Super Nintendo World which will feature “attractions based on many Nintendo titles” according to Nintendo. Nintendo’s theme park strategy will begin with Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan, in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the companies announced today and Universal Studios also have plans to bring the Nintendo land with Mario and friends to Universal Studios Hollywood and Orlando as announced a couple of weeks ago by Nintendo and Universal Parks & Resorts. 

Nintendo’s artwork for Universal Studios Japan leans heavily on Mario and Luigi, with versions of Princess Peach and Bowser’s castles and what appear to be theme park character versions of Peach and Toad. 



Super Nintendo World will be comprised of expansive and multilevel environments filled with unprecedented, state-of-the-art rides, interactive areas, shops and restaurants — all featuring Nintendo’s most popular characters and games. 

Development cost at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, Japan, is currently expected to exceed 50 billion yen, or $433 million. Super Nintendo World will be developed mainly using the park’s current parking area and part of an area designated for future expansion. Super Nintendo World will feature characters and themes from the “Super Mario” series, which has continued over the years to win the hearts of devoted fans around the world. 

The attraction area will also feature a variety of other globally popular Nintendo characters. Nintendo characters and the worlds they inhabit will be re-created at the highest level of quality through the strong partnership between Shigeru Minamoto, creative at Nintendo, - see interview of him HERE - and Mark Woodbury, president of Universal Creative. 

Pictures: copyright Universal Studios - Nintendo

Christmas is in Two Weeks, 'Time to Order Your Copy of The Disneyland Paris, From Sketch To Reality Book - English or French Edition - With the Christmas Offer Special Price !

Christmas is in two weeks from now I remind you the Disneyland Paris book Christmas has a special offer and it's a chance for you to get this gorgeous 320 pages book at the best price ever! You'll hardly find a better Christmas gift for a Disneyland Paris fan, believe me, so don't miss it as it is the last copies of the book which will not be reprinted! The Christmas offer is for both english update edition or the french collector's edition at 60€ ( + 15€ shipping worldwide ) and that include too a great additional surprise gift! 

Also, important note to french readers: this is most probably the last time the french edition of the book will have a special offer as we're entering the last copies, and this collector edition which was limited will NOT be reprinted, so don't miss it while there is copies available!

Special note to buyers with a shipping address in Italy or Belgium : For shipments to Belgium or Italy, the shipping cost is 25 €.

To place your order please send an email to: neverlandeditions@gmail.com  - Please let me know in your email if you want the english or french edition!

Important note: shipping takes 3-4 days for France, 10-15 days to European countries, 2 to 3 weeks for countries outside Europe. To make sure you will receive the book on time for Christmas, if you buy it for a Christmas gift, please place your order as soon as possible, thanks.

You can pay with Paypal bus ending the full amount including shipping to: neverlandeditions@gmail.com  Please confirm me then by email or in your Paypal payment which edition you want ( english or french ). Also note that the Paypal button includes an additional discount for those who want to order 2 or 3 copies instead of one.

If you do NOT have a Paypal account you can pay by credit card, or bank transfer, just send me an email about it at: neverlandeditions@gmail.com
Those of you who have never seen the book will find on Youtube at the link below a video presentation of the full book which will show you all the 320 pages of the book AND you can see more pictures on the book website HERE.