Shanghaî Disneyland Update : Toy Box Café Opens Today, Bringing Guests an Early Taste of Disney-Pixar Toy Story Land

At Shanghaî Disneyland, Toy Box Café, located in Toy Story Land opens today, bringing to SDL guests an early taste of Toy Story Land, and just in time to bring more restaurant capacity to the park for the expected crowds coming for the Chinese new year happening Feb 15.  The location was existing at SDL opening but it has been entirely re-themed. Here is the full SDL press release.

Shanghai, February 9, 2018 – Toy Box Café, the first experience to open at the new Disney-Pixar Toy Story Land, welcomes its first official guests today, giving guests a taste of big toy fun as they dine on freshly inspired meals and beverages themed to the hit Disney-Pixar animated “Toy Story” film series. Toy Box Café is a playful outdoor restaurant in Shanghai Disneyland’s highly anticipated Disney-Pixar Toy Story Land, which will immerse guests in a world of toys.













The new Disney-Pixar Toy Story Land will be the seventh themed land at Shanghai Disneyland and the first major expansion of the park since its grand opening in 2016. The story of Toy Box Café is inspired by the imaginative play that Toy Story’s fun loving little boy, Andy, always enjoys. Andy was out in his backyard playing with his beloved toys, when he noticed he was hungry. Before going back into his house for a snack, he set up a café playset for his toys to enjoy, by arranging some of his favorite toy packages, and toy furniture into his very own Toy Box Café. These giant toy packages - for Buzz Lightyear, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, and Lotso - are the perfect serving areas for this playful restaurant offering a wide variety of meals. This brand new immersive dining experience will transport Shanghai Disneyland guests into a world of toys while they enjoy delicious delights in a picnic-like area dining at oversized toy tables and chairs.



The newly opened restaurant will offer a diverse menu with delightful tastes for guests. Upon arrival, guests will have the choice of four themed foods on the menu represented by characters from the beloved franchise: Buzz Lightyear, Mr. Potato Head, Mrs. Potato Head and Lotso. For example, guests can order the Alien Spicy Seafood Pizza at Mrs. Potato Head’s counter or have Lotso’s Financier Cake at Lotso’s “Toy Box”. Guests will also be able to choose from a mix of both traditional Chinese cuisine and western treats such as Gong Bao Chicken with Rice, Sichuan Spiced Chicken with Potato Chips, Braised Pork Rib, Baked Seafood with Rice and Sweet Potato with Marshmallows. Inspired by Lotso and his signature strawberry scent, guests can also enjoy special beverage and dessert, including Strawberry Milk and Bubble Waffle with Strawberry Ice-cream.



The opening of Toy Box Café brings guests an early taste of the theme park’s seventh themed land and makes the dining options in the park even more plentiful starting from the Chinese New Year holiday. Set to open on April 26, 2018, Disney-Pixar Toy Story Land will also feature three new attractions, Slinky Dog Spin, Rex’s Racer and Woody’s Round-Up, a uniquely themed character greeting area, Meeting Post, and a fun, immersive shopping location, Al’s Toy Barn. Get ready for playtime!

Pictures:copyright Disney - Shendi

Disney Historian Didier Ghez - and Co-Author of the Disneyland Paris, From Sketch to Reality Book - Receive the June Foray Award at 2018 Annie Awards !

My good friend and Disney historian Didier Ghez - who is co-author and has written the text of the Disneyland Paris , From Sketch to Reality book - was the recipient this week at the 2018 Annie Awards of the June Foray Award!



 Congratulations to Didier - on the pictures above at the Annie Awards with his wife Rita - for a fully deserved award and you can see him receiving the award in the video at the link below from 4.00 min after an introduction to Didier and the June Foray Award. If you don't know Didier's fantastic "Walt's People" book series - with dozens of interviews of Disney Animators and Imagineers who worked with Walt - you can find them HERE as well as his others books about Disney animation.




Pictures: copyright Didier Ghez

Have a look at these great Coco-style inspired posters by Mexican artist Gaby Zermeño!

Have a look at these great Coco-style inspired posters which were done by Mexican artist Gaby Zermeño! You can follow Gaby's work on Instagram HERE.

Artwork: copyright Gaby Zermeño

Universal Studios Hollywood Debuts New DreamWorks Theatre With Immersive Attraction “Kung Fu Panda: The Emperor’s Quest” Summer 2018

Universal Studios Hollywood will debut this Summer the all-new DreamWorks Theatre with the technologically-advanced, immersive attraction “Kung Fu Panda: The Emperor’s Quest”! Here is Universal full press release with more details.

Universal City, CA, February 8, 2018 – On the heels of the recent acquisition of DreamWorks Animation, Universal Studios Hollywood is setting the stage for the Summer 2018 debut of the all-new DreamWorks Theatre presenting the premier attraction, “Kung Fu Panda: The Emperor’s Quest.”

Inspired by the global blockbuster franchise, the attraction will take guests on a thrilling journey that fuses captivating storytelling with state-of-the art visual effects for a highly engaging experience.

Created and produced by DreamWorks Animation and Universal Creative, “Kung Fu Panda: The Emperor’s Quest” recounts a plot-filled story whereby on the morning of The Emperor’s Great Feast of Heroes, dragon warrior Po embarks on a wild and perilous mission to deliver the rare and precious Liquid of Limitless Power to the Palace, while enlisting guests to join him on the exciting adventure filled with raging rapids, river pirates, awesome magic and Kung Fu.

With cutting-edge technology at the forefront of the multi-sensory attraction, “Kung Fu Panda: The Emperor’s Quest” will introduce the first-ever integration of interior projection mapping designed to engulf guests in 180 degrees of immersive adventure. Developed by the innovative team at Universal Creative, this never-before-adapted technique will depict a series of immersive and visually dynamic scenic designs that will transform within the interior space and enhance the story. With detailing that is so precise, it will be near impossible to realize the projected imagery is a mere illusion.

Coupled with seven Christie 4K Boxer Cinema Projectors and 360 degree surround sound audio, sweeping physical effects from water to wind will empower guests to feel more like participants than spectators in the adrenaline-spiked adventure.

Featuring an original score by composer Germaine Franco, the storyline begins as guests enter the pre-show area of the theatre where they meet an array of DreamWorks characters who kick-off the attraction’s narrative. From there, guests will enter the main theatre, complete with new ultra-plush, fully articulated seats that pivot and swivel in tandem with the 180-degree action.

The newly constructed building that houses the DreamWorks Theatre is inspired by Mission revival architecture and harkens back to the Golden Age of Hollywood’s Art Deco period of the 1920s, including a box office ticket seller booth, reminiscent of the time period and staffed by a three-dimensional Pinocchio character asleep on the job.

As guests navigate past the ticket booth, through the flourishing outdoor garden and into the theatre queue, they will encounter a series of 36 movie posters that pay homage to DreamWorks Animation films. Within the lobby, a selection of over 20 award statuettes will be on display, representing a sampling of the Golden Globe, Emmy, People’s Choice, Critic’s Choice, National Board of Review and Annie awards DreamWorks Animation has amassed from 2008 to 2015. A collection of original sculpted maquettes of the “Kung Fu Panda: The Emperor’s Quest” characters will also be on display along with artifacts embodying magical powers that Po brought back from the Spirit Realm.

Picture: copyright Universal Studios

Disneyland Paris More Magical Than Ever Covered by a Heavy Blanket of Snow !

If you follow the news you probably know that France and Paris had heavy snow falls the last three days and this of course include snow at Disneyland Paris. A LOT of snow, may be more than the park ever had, and cast-members did their best so the show could go on, and guests even had a parade at the end of the afternoon!

Thanks to Max, D&M and DLP Welcome photographer we have a fantastic video - filmed in 4K and uploaded in Full HD - and you'll have a walkthrough the park just like if you were there! In addition you'll find below more than one hundred pics showing each area of the park covered by a magical blanket of snow! Enjoy the tour!

Here is the video of Disneyland Paris parade filmed by Max on that snowy day!





Don't miss the Part Two of this article about Disneyland Paris covered by snow HERE, this time with pictures with a clear blue sky! A new DLP pictorial update will come soon, and in the meantime if you don't own it yet order your copy of the acclaimed Disneyland Paris book while is still available in its English edition. The French edition is now out of stock but if you're French, and wish to purchase the book in its english edition a PDF file of the full French text of the French edition will be sent to you.

Lecteurs Français: Etant donné que l'édition française est épuisée, un fichier du texte complet original en Français sera envoyé aux acheteurs Français ne comprenant pas l'anglais.
Egalement, Il me reste trois exemplaires de l'édition collector française, état neufs, 250€ pièce, si intéressé me contacter à l'adresse email ci-dessous.

Also, each order will receive two surprise gifts - actually there is more than two - and these are GREAT gifts that each DLP fan love!

Here is all you need to know to order a copy of the "Disneyland Paris From Sketch to Reality" book for those who have never seen the book. First, it's a gorgeous 320 pages coffee table book with 750 pictures of the park including 250 WDI artworks, all DLP attraction posters, and dozens more of sumptuous artworks! The text by Disney historian Didier Ghez tell the story of the creation of the park from dozens of interviews of WDI Imagineers who built the park. It's also probably the best gift you can find for a Disney Parks fan - and it is true! Have a look below to the mosaic pictures showing a selection of pages of the book.







To place your order for the DLP book, please send me an email at: amplittaye@gmail.com with your shipping address. The price during the  special offer is 75€ ( instead of 100€ ) and shipping worldwide is 22€ ( except Belgium and Italy for which it is 29€ ).

You can pay with Paypal, credit card or bank transfer. For Paypal payments please send directly the full amount  including shipping ( 97€ worldwide, except for Belgium and Italy for which it is 104€ ) at: nme4@wanadoo.fr  If you wish to pay by credit card and bank transfer, let me know in your email and i'll tell you how to do.

If you've never seen the book before, don't miss the video below showing the full 320 pages of the book!




Pictures and video: copyright DLP Welcome