Disneyland Paris Release a Great 17 Min Documentary Telling the Story of Phantom Manor Renovation !

Disneyland Paris Phantom Manor attraction reopened last month and Disneyland Paris released today a great 17.33 min documentary about the beloved ride and its renovation. Have you always been intrigued by the special atmosphere that floats around Phantom Manor? In "Phantom Manor: A Spirited Attraction ...", you'll have a very private tour of this special place with WDI Imagineers who participated in the great refurbishment of the attraction.





The documentary also include the rare renderings below.









Mathias Dugoujon is the one who presents the Documentary and his team did a great job, so congrats to all of them as well as all Imaginers who did Phantom Manor renovation!

Pictures and video: copyright Disney

Imagineer and Beloved Disney Parks Attraction Posters Artist Jim Michaelson Passed Away

Very sad news as i’ve just been told that Imagineer and beloved Disney Parks attraction posters artist Jim Michaelson passed away ten days ago, apparently from a prostate cancer.

Jim Michaelson started to work at WED Enterprises in 1971. Along with Imagineers Rudy Lord and Ernie Prinzhorn, Jim Michaelson helped to re-imagine the poster art displayed at Disney Parks. He designed and co-designed posters for iconic Disney Parks attractions like Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, Country Bear Jamboree, Space Mountain, Disneyland and Walt Disney World Railroad. In addition Jim Michaelson designed projects for Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris.

Above, the Disneyland Paris Railroad poster.



Above, the Jungle Cruise attraction poster.



Above, the 20000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction poster.





Above, the Country Bear Jamboree attraction poster.



Above, the Discoveryland Orbitron attrcation poster, done with Imagineer Tim Delaney.

Jim Michaelson is also the one who did the great "Cities of the Future" posters that guests can see at Disneyland Paris Discovery Arcade, Main Street U.S.A.

Above, the New York poster. You have above the original scan and below the upscaled version. Please note that upscaled versions might take some time to appear on this page because of the file weight.

Next, the Baltimore poster.

The one below is the Washington D.C poster!

The next one is the Chicago poster and you have it in two versions. The original scan...

...and an upscaled version.

The Atlantic City poster.

The Denver poster.

The New Orleans poster.

The St Louis poster.

The Los Angeles poster.

And last but not least, the San Francisco poster in its original scan...

...and an upscaled version.

A lot of Jim Michaelson’s work can be seen in the Poster Art of the Disney Parks book, highly recommended. Disney and more send its warmest condolences to Jim Michaelson family.



Pictures: copyright Disney

D23 Announced the Lineup of the Most Highly Anticipated Presentations at D23 Expo 2019 - Disney Parks Presentation Will Happen August 25 at 10:30 a.m!

D23: The Official Disney Fan Club has announced the lineup of the most highly anticipated presentations at D23 Expo 2019, August 23–25!

The Disney Legends Awards Ceremony, hosted by Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger, will kick off the Expo on Friday morning, August 23. Later that same day, Disney+ will showcase its exciting slate of original films and series coming to the streaming service, set to launch in the U.S. on November 12. On Saturday morning, The Walt Disney Studios will give fans a sneak peek at their collection of world-class film labels, including Disney, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Studios, and Lucasfilm. And on Sunday morning, fans will get a preview of what’s in store at Disney Parks during a presentation hosted by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Bob Chapek.

These Expo favorites will take place in “Hall D23,” the 6,800-seat venue located in Hall D of the Anaheim Convention Center. The schedule of Hall D23 Events and Presentations is as follows (all events subject to change and additional events to be announced in the coming weeks):

The Disney Legends Awards Ceremony will take place at 10:30 a.m. Friday, August 23. The ceremony, hosted by Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger, will once again honor those visionaries and artists who have made significant contributions to the Disney legacy. This year’s recipients are: Wing Chao, Robert Downey Jr., Jon Favreau, James Earl Jones, Bette Midler, Kenny Ortega, Barnette Ricci, Robin Roberts, Diane Sawyer, Ming-Na Wen, and Hans Zimmer.

On Friday afternoon at 3:30 p.m., the highly anticipated streaming service Disney+ will give guests a first look at some of its original content including Lady and the Tramp, The Mandalorian, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, and many more during this star-studded presentation.

The Walt Disney Studios will present a behind-the-scenes look at its blockbuster collection of upcoming films on Saturday, August 24, at 10 a.m. Fans will see what’s on the drawing board for the acclaimed filmmakers at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios and get a peek at the exciting slate of live-action projects, from Disney to Marvel Studios to Star Wars. As always, attendees will be treated to exclusive footage, special guest appearances, and more!

On Sunday, August 25, at 10:30 a.m., step into the magical world of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products with Chairman Bob Chapek to find out what’s new and what’s next for resorts around the globe, including more about the transformational plans for Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

Single-day tickets for Friday and Sunday of D23 Expo 2019 are available for $89 for one-day adult admission and $69 for children 3–9. Gold Members of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club can purchase tickets for $77 for a one-day adult admission and $59 for children 3–9. Single-day Saturday tickets and three-day passes are sold out. For more information on tickets and D23 Expo 2019, visit D23Expo.com.



About D23 Expo 2019 D23 Expo—The Ultimate Disney Fan Event—brings together all the worlds of Disney under one roof for three packed days of presentations, pavilions, experiences, concerts, sneak peeks, shopping, and more. The event provides fans with unprecedented access to Disney films, television, games, theme parks, and celebrities. For the latest D23 Expo 2019 news, visit D23expo.com. Presentations, talent, and schedule subject to change. To join the D23 Expo conversation, be sure to follow DisneyD23 on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and use the hashtag #D23Expo.

Picture: copyright Disney

The Walt Disney Archives Returns to D23 Expo with an all-new exhibit, “Walt Disney Archives Presents Heroes and Villains: The Art of the Disney Costume”

BRAND-NEW WALT DISNEY ARCHIVES EXHIBIT CELEBRATING DISNEY’S MOST ICONIC HEROES AND VILLAINS TO OPEN AT D23 EXPO 2019

More than 70 Spectacular Costumes Spanning 55 Years—from Mary Poppins to this Summer’s Aladdin—Will Be on Display

BURBANK, Calif. (June 4, 2019) – The Walt Disney Archives returns to D23 Expo with an all-new exhibit, “Walt Disney Archives Presents Heroes and Villains: The Art of the Disney Costume.” From the classic Mary Poppins to this year’s live-action retelling of Aladdin, more than 70 costumes from 55 years of Disney movies and television shows will be on display from August 23–25 at the Anaheim Convention Center during the biennial event, presented by D23: The Official Disney Fan Club.

Guests entering the 12,000-square-foot exhibit will be greeted by “Cinderella’s Workshop,” a gallery featuring the beloved fairy-tale character’s dresses from her numerous Disney incarnations, including 1997’s Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella; the gown worn by Scarlett Johansson for Annie Leibovitz’s 2007 Disney Dream Portrait series; 2014’s Into the Woods; the 2015 live-action reimagining of the animated masterpiece Cinderella; and the ABC hit series Once Upon a Time.

The main gallery will be broken into three sections: “Disney Heroes,” “Disney Villains,” and “Spaces Between,” reserved for the antiheroes whose fascinating journeys make them among Disney’s most complex characters.

Among the costumes included in the “Disney Heroes” section are Belle’s village dress and ballgown from 2017’s Beauty and the Beast; creations worn by the Genie, Aladdin, and Jasmine in this year’s live-action Aladdin; and—for the first time ever displayed together—three iconic Mary Poppins “traveling dresses” worn in three Poppins productions: the 1964 original film, 2019’s Mary Poppins Returns, and the Broadway musical. “Disney Villains” ensembles include the trio of wonderfully wicked witches from 1993’s Hocus Pocus, the duo of dresses worn by the stepsisters in 2015’s Cinderella, and the dress worn by the incomparable Bette Davis in 1978’s Return from Witch Mountain. And “Spaces Between” includes Maleficent’s gown from the 2014 film, as well as the Evil Queen and Hook’s costumes from Once Upon a Time.

The exhibit includes costumes from some of Hollywood’s preeminent designers, past and present, including Academy Award®-winners Colleen Atwood, Sandy Powell, and Tony Walton, as well as Emmy winner Ellen Mirojnick and Emmy nominees Eduardo Castro and Penny Rose.

Many of the costumes on exhibit will be featured in The Art of Disney Costuming: Heroes, Villains, and Spaces Between, a dazzling new book out this September from Disney Editions. The book will also be available in advance exclusively at D23 Expo.

Single-day tickets for Friday and Sunday of D23 Expo 2019 are available for $89 for one-day adult admission and $69 for children 3–9. Gold Members of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club can purchase tickets for $77 for a one-day adult admission and $59 for children 3–9. Single-day Saturday tickets and three-day passes are sold out. For more information on tickets and D23 Expo 2019, visit D23Expo.com.

Pictures: copyright Disney

2019 GDC : Playing with Magic: Interactive Worlds and Walt Disney Imagineering

There is more about Imagneering today as in this just released video of the 2019 GDC talk - Game Developper Conference - Walt Disney Imagineering's Brent D. Strong and Sara Thacher talk about the opportunities and challenges of building physical, interactive worlds and explore the overlap between designing theme parks and video games.




Video: copyright GDC

How Did They Do That? Top 10 of Disney Illusions & Tricks Explained

Like everyone enjoying Disney theme parks attractions and their stunning visual effects, it probably happened that on your way out of a ride you asked yourself, thinking about one of the ride special effects: "but how did they do that?" - the Hatbox Ghost trick is a good example.

Well, the video below posted by TPM Vids will bring you answers to some of the Top 100 of these  how-did-they-do-that visual effects created by WDI wizards. I have to warn you that the video include spoilers, so if you want to keep the magic, of course don't watch it.




Picture: copyright Disney

Video: copyright Disney -  TPM Vids

Star Wars Galaxy's Edge Oga's Cantina DJ R3X Videos + Droid Depot DJ R3X Droid Unboxing

Star Tours Captain Rex has found a new life at Star Wars Galaxy's Edge Oga's Cantina as DJ R3X and the Audio-Animatronic is now amazed the guests while they party and enjoy their drink in the Cantina.

Let's have a look at some vidoes of it and the first video below was released by Disney D23.

Next is a short video filmed by The DIS during which DJ R3X plays the famous original Cantina theme. 

Did you know that you can actually buy at Galaxy's Edge a remote controlled DJ R3X with bluetooh speakers? Here is a video showing the unpacking and demo of the animated DJ R3X which looks to be between 15" and 18" high and cost $150 at the Droid Depot shop. The toy look fun but it's just a pity that his head don't move in rythm with the music played as does the Audio-Animatronic. Well, may be it was not feasible technically for this price...

Video: copyright D23, The DIS, Creation Caravan

Editor's Note: It has been a great ( and for me exhausting ) week on D&M with three BIG articles, about the past, present and future! The one about the present is of course the article about Galaxy's Edge opening - scroll down below, the one about the past was about unknown attractions which were envisioned for Disneyland Paris and the one about the future was about what's coming to Shanghaî Disneyland. If you've not read them yet don't miss them at the two links below!

D&M Exclusive: Shanghaî Disneyland Update: Zootopia Land, Marvel Land, Star Wars Land, and more: https://disneyandmore.blogspot.com/2019/05/d-exclusive-shanghai-disneyland-update.html

Disneyland Paris That Never Was : Secrets Revealed of the First DLP Site Plan: https://disneyandmore.blogspot.com/2019/05/disneyland-paris-that-never-was-secrets.html