Editor's Note: It's all about HKDL today, but there is also a good news from Shanghaî as Shanghaî mayor Han Zheng announced that SDL construction would begin in May, with hopes for completion in 2014 and a public opening in 2015. As announced previously, the Shanghai government will own 57% and Disney will own 43% of the £2.3 billion project.

Hong Kong Disneyland Update : New HKDL Preview Gallery, Flights of Fantasy Parade, and more...

Let's begin the week with a big Hong Kong Disneyland update! As you know, it's now HKDL 5th Anniversary and the financial results are better than ever, which is good. First, a great news for HKDL fans as HKDL have now its own "Blue Sky Cellar"! It's called "HKDL Expansion Preview Gallery" and just like at DCA guests can discover models and artworks of the new upcoming attractions!



On this next picture a Walt Disney Imagineer introduced the Expansion Preview Gallery to Philip Yung, Commissioner for Tourism. You might want to click on the picture - or to any pictures in this article as they are all high-res - to see in bigger size the never-seen-before artwork of Mystic Point's "Garden of Wonders", like this one below!





Talking about HKDL expansion, let's have a look at how the works are going on with this video - filmed by Imaginary Workshop - from the HKDL Railroad. And as you will see the land on which the new lands and attractions are built is reaaally huge.




But there is more, with the new "Flights of Fantasy Parade"! An opening ceremony for the “Celebration in the Air” 5th Anniversary was staged in front of the Castle with Bill Ernest, President and Managing Director, Andrew Kam, Managing Director of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Donald Tsang, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Philip Yung, Commissioner for Tourism AND Asia’s popular singers Kelly Chen and Hacken Lee who performed a duet on stage with Mickey in his celebratory costume, along with the first-ever appearance of Tinker Bell at HKDL and many other characters, creating a rousing launch to the celebration.



According to HKDL "The “Flights of Fantasy Parade” was an 18-month collaboration of world-class talent from Disney Parks around the world. Many are specialists of parade float development, scenic design, show actions, and developing the large inflatable elements used on the floats. The team has also invited renowned costume designer Mirena Rada from New York to work with the local costuming team on a series of dazzling costumes that are also practical enough for performers in the air". You'll see below some pictures of the parade.







Here is a Youtube video of the new parade filmed by Imaginary Workshop. The parade opens with a Winnie the Pooh float and ends by a Toy Story one, obviously there to announce the upcoming Toy Story Playland expected to open soon at HKDL. The floats are not bad at all and i'm sure you'll like the Buzz Lightyear "girls"!




During the 5th anniversary the HKDL castle is illuminated at night by Tinker Bell. To achieve this the castle has been slightly but elegantly transformed as you'll see on these two beautiful high-res pictures below.





Here is the video of the "Tinker Bell Castle Illumination" - filmed by wilsonshinkansen on opening night, and that's why you can see the "Dolly" camera filming everything for HKDL. I think they did a great lighting job, really. DLP might be inspired by how they did it for their upcoming 20th Anniversary...




There is also a new Fireworks called "Disney in the stars Fireworks Spectacular" and we will end this update with the video of the full show filmed by mondaysMorning!




All pictures: copyright Disney

Videos: copyright Imaginary Workshop, wilsonshinkansen, mondaysMorning. Thanks to all of them for their great videos!

Did Steve Jobs test the iPad with “The Incredibles” ?

Cult of Mac have an interesting article this week-end. According to Chris Noessel and Nathan Shedroff in their coming book called Make It So – Learning from SciFi interfaces, "if a device works on a movie audience, it’ll also work as a real-world product. That’s the “meta lesson” from who study how sci-fi interfaces in movies make it off the silver screen and vice versa.

Noessel and Shedroff believes that Steve Jobs may have used the 2004 Pixar movie “The Incredibles” to test whether audiences would accept the idea of a tablet computer. They aren’t the first ones to believe that Jobs may have inserted the iPad-like device in the “Incredibles,” but to assert that “users may already be predisposed to certain interface solutions solely based on what they’ve seen in the media.”



And it's true that the Incredibles iPad-like device looks like the real iPad that Apple launched six years later, so...

Your thoughts?

Pictures: copyright Disney

Vulcania Treasures

Next week, i'll have for you great pictures about 20000 Leagues under the Sea and the great Tom Scherman. As you know without Tom we wouldn't have Disneyland Paris Nautilus, but did you know that Tom did also great Nautilus paintings and "napkin" drawings - as they were done on "napkin" paper? In this article, you will see rare Tom Scherman artworks of the Nautilus AND artwork who inspired Tokyo Disney Sea Mysterious Island. And all the artworks below are limited editions available for purchase, printed on high quality "art paper".

Have a look at this great Nautilus art and if you wish to place an order, please send me an email to: lawrence55@wanadoo.fr and tell me precisely which artwork, which quantity and the country where the artwork has to be sent. I will send you a Paypal invoice, including shipping price, so you will be able to proceed to the Paypal payment. If you don't have a Paypal account, let us know in your email.


TOM SCHERMAN PAINTINGS: Color prints on Art Paper


Reference NO 1: Nautilus 1: Limited edition of 150. Paper size: 13"x19" Image size: Approximately 14" length. Price: $75 + shipping





Reference NO 2: Nautilus Underwater: Limited edition of 150. Paper size: 13"x19" Image size: Approximately 14" length. Price: $75 + shipping






Reference NO 3: Nautilus on Vulcania Island: Limited edition of 150. Paper size: 13"x19" Image size: Approximately 14" length. Price: $75 + shipping






Reference NO 4: Nautilus on the rocks: Limited edition of 150. Paper size: 13"x19" Image size: Approximately 14" length. Price: $75 + shipping






Reference NO 5: Nautilus TWO: Limited edition of 150. Paper size: 13"x19" Image size: Approximately 14" length. Price: $75 + shipping





VULCANIA ISLAND ARTWORK: B&W prints on Art Paper



Reference NO 6: Vulcania overview. Limited edition of 150. Paper size: 13"x19" Image size: Approximately 16" length. Price: $75 + shipping






Reference NO 7: Nautilus in Lagoon. Limited edition of 150. Paper size: 13"x19" Image size: Approximately 16" length. Price: $75 + shipping






Reference NO 8: Captain Nemo's Machines. Limited edition of 100. Paper size: 13"x19" Image size: Approximately 16" length. Price: $75 + shipping






Reference NO 9: Journey to the Center of the Earth. Limited edition of 100. Paper size: 13"x19" Image size: Approximately 16" length. Price: $75 + shipping






Reference NO 10: Journey to the Center of the Earth TWO. Limited edition of 100. Paper size: 13"x19" Image size: Approximately 16" length. Price: $75 + shipping





All artwork: copyright Tom Scherman Estate.

China's first Disney Store to open in 2012 - Plus Last News from Shanghaî Disneyland

Here is my (almost) weekly article about Shanghaî Disneyland last news. But first, another interesting news as Disney just announced they will open their first Disney Store in China in 2012. It's obviously part of Disney's strategy not only to sell Disney's merchandise to Chineses but also to introduce to them little by little the Disney characters which will be important for the opening of Shanghaî Disneyland, as they are less known in China than in occidental countries - except the characters from the latest Disney-Pixar animated features:javascript:void(0)

"Walt Disney Company said Thursday it planned to open its first store in mainland China by the middle of next year as it moves to further expand its presence in the fast-growing market.

The US entertainment giant said its strategy would be to secure locations in upscale shopping centres and department stores, where it will open Disney Stores similar to those in Europe and North America.

"The kids? branded retail market in China is growing and we are uniquely positioned to provide a family shopping environment," Stanley Cheung, Disney's Greater China executive vice president and managing director, said in a statement.

"Our Disney Stores aim to deliver the best 30 minutes of a child's day," he added.

The company did not say how many stores it aimed to open in China.

Outside China, Disney said it was on track to add more than 25 new and remodelled stores this year and ultimately planned to refresh its more than 350 locations worldwide."

About Shanghaî, now: "Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng said in his annual report earlier this month that the city would push to start work this year on a Disney Park that is reportedly scheduled to open in 2014.

However, Disney has said although its discussions with the Shanghai government were advancing, China's central government has yet to approve the joint venture companies and regulatory requirements for the project."

But, in another news called "Shanghai plans to avoid a 'Mickey Mouse' operation" we can read that the financial debate is not over yet and that political consultants wants "to try to lower the risk of building a money-losing park". Here is the full China Daily article:

"Political consultants to the Shanghai municipal government urged the city to get more deeply involved in its joint venture with Walt Disney Co before signing the final agreements on Shanghai Disneyland.

Tu Haiming, president and general manager of Shanghai Hodoor Real Estate Development Company and a member of Shanghai People's Political Consultative Conference, said the city should avoid a similar scenario to that which occurred at Hong Kong Disneyland, which took five years to turn a profit.

"We need to try to lower the risk of building a money-losing park and the solution lies in participating in more of Walt Disney's most profitable businesses such as the Disney Channel, the Disneyland Hotel and Disney's English teaching program in China," said Tu in a proposal to the city's political consultative body.

In the same proposal, Tu noted that Shanghai's upcoming Disneyland is 57 percent owned by Shanghai Shendi Group, a State-owned company specifically established for the project in August, and 43 percent owned by Walt Disney Co.

"The distribution ratio between US and Chinese investors (in the project) is exactly the same as it was with Hong Kong Disneyland," said Tu.

Hong Kong Disneyland, which opened in 2005, reported its first pre-tax profit on Tuesday, after more than five years of operation.

Its pre-tax profit for the 2010 fiscal year, which ended on Oct 2, was HK$221 million ($28.4 million), compared with a loss of HK$70 million in the previous fiscal year, the company said in a statement.

"The concept of cost-control should be built into the Shanghai project right from the initial stage," said Tu. "Shanghai Disneyland should be a good compromise between the needs of its Chinese customers and being pure American.

Chang Qing, another member of Shanghai People's Political Consultative Conference, said: "We don't need to import an American theme park to Shanghai - if Disney wants to stay here, it needs to be creative in terms of including Chinese culture".

Compared with Hong Kong's Disneyland, the Tokyo Disneyland model has instead proven to be a winner.

Oriental Land Company, Walt Disney Co's Japanese partner, has entered into a licensing agreement with the US-based company at a cost of $51 million a year.

Disney licensed its names and characters and acted as a consultant in the park's construction and operation. It is also involved in the associated hotels.

Qi Xiaozhai, director of Shanghai Commercial Economic Research Center, said Tu's proposal provides valuable insights.

Facilities for meetings, conferences and exhibitions in the nearby area will be promoted in Shanghai's southeast corner as the upcoming theme park finds its home in Pudong, said Qi.

Shanghai Disneyland, which will be finished in 2014, will be the US entertainment giant's third theme park in Asia after Tokyo and Hong Kong."

And one last news for the road: "Plans for Shanghai Disneyland could include a major media agreement between Walt Disney Co and the Shanghai government that could give the company unrivalled access to the market, documents obtained by Reuters show.

The joint venture agreement would give Disney a huge advantage over U.S. media rivals by allowing it to bypass foreign film import quotas and summer and holiday blackout periods, as well as television censorship, both imposed by the central government."

See you soon for more SDL news!

Text: copyright AFP and China Daily

Beautiful Disneyland Fantasyland Pirate Ship Replica to be released January 29

Disneyland will release on January 29 a new great collectible item, a replica of the legendary - and unfortunately extinct since a long time - Fantasyland Pirate Ship! And, as it is Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily - the two great artists who always design more than perfect collectibles - no need to say that this Fantasyland Pirate Ship will be beautiful.

For those of you who were too young to know the Fantasyland Pirate Ship and his "Chicken of the Sea" Restaurant here is a picture of it found on the excellent Disneyland postcards.com web site.



The replica will be in Metal and Resin on Wood Base, the dimensions of the item are 14" long x 12-1/2" tall x 5-3/4" wide and of course it's a limited edition of 500 with a retail price of $250. Here is some closer shots to see more details and the presentation text:

"A Pirate Ship with a front door? This isn't your normal pirate ship! For over 25 years, Captain Hook's galleon was one of the most imaginative restaurants in Disneyland. Guests entered its hold over a gangway and (after ordering lunch!) could explore the three-masted vessel from stem to stern. The Fantasyland Pirate Ship was one of Disneyland's finest creations, from the cannons lining the forecastle, to the intricate mermaid figurehead on the bow.

Studying the drafting's and hundreds of photographs, Kevin & Jody bring you a scale replica with all the color and wonderful details of the original. The ship's wheel stands ready on the poop-deck, and the boat's anchor hangs from a length of metal chain.

The galleon rests on a special wooden display base with a classic "Disneyland" brass plaque. Included is a separate special bonus: a replica of the restaurant's original sign - only 2-1/2" tall!"



This collectible item might also interest Disneyland Paris fans as, although the Pirate Ship is no longer at Disneyland, we do have the same one at DLP's Adventureland!

Online sales began January 11 and those of you interested might go at this link HERE and to place your order you have to go HERE.

Now, as this is an article about collectibles i'd like to let you know - and especially fans of SHAG artwork - that on Monday January 31st SHAG will be at WDW Magic Kingdom Main Street Gallery to sign his new Walt Disney World 40th Anniversary artwork. "Showcasing the original icons of the Magic Kingdom, Disney's Contemporary Resort, Disney's Polynesian Resort, and Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground - SHAG has captured the essence of fun and wonder that has comprised this magical kingdom since it opened its gates on October 1, 1971".



Deluxe Print dimensions are 16x20 inches, complete with double mat and the retail price is $35. This event will be the first time the Walt Disney World Resort has hosted the Artist SHAG and you'll be able to meet and greet the artist at this premier artist signing. At the conclusion of this event the original artwork will go back into the vaults not to be released until the full SHAG Walt Disney World 40th Anniversary collection is unveiled in the Summer of this year.

Pictures: copyright Disney

New Paradise Pier Attraction Posters

Just in case you've missed these new Paradise Pier attraction posters... I wish i could have find them in higher-res...but Disney released them only in very low-res. They're going to sell them in the park anytime soon and, hey, the Mouse just want to make sure you'll buy them!



Thanks to nonob88 from Mice Chat for the Silly Symphony Swings picture!

Pictures: copyright Disney