Disneyland Paris Update! New Show The Forest of Enchantment Full HD Video, Park Renovations Updates, and more

Here is a new pictorial Disneyland Paris update thanks to Max, D&M contributor and DLP Welcome webmaster. I also remind you that it's the last day to enjoy the special "Valentine's Day" offer on the Disneyland Paris book, ending this Sunday, so don't miss it - see all infos to order at the end of the article! 

This time, Max takes us all around the park with a special review - AND HD video! - about DLP new show "The Forest of Enchantment"! Here we go! At the entrance of the park and the Disneyland hotel, the ground of the central part of Fantasia Gardens is always in renovation...

On Town Square, first surprise, lampposts are now decorated . You'll also notice the return of the Mary Poppins topiaries and new Spring season banners.

Like at Tokyo Disneyland the Park has now Easter eggs themed with the Disney characters in different lands!

Main Street :

Frontierland :

At Fantasyland, in front of Peter Pan's Flight closed until July 8, 2016.

Central Plaza topiaries are back with a new one starring Tinker Bell installed near the Castle Stage.

In Adventureland, the refurbishment of Adventure Isle and Swiss Robinson Tree going on from January 11 till September 9 continues with the setting up of scaffoldings.

At Frontierland, the works continue on Big Thunder Mountain with the cleaning of the rocks, the closure will last until December 16, 2016.

The map below help to see the importance of the closures. A blessing in disguise for the preparation of DLP 25 years anniversary in 2017… hoping that the guests have checked the attractions open before coming to avoid any bad surprises.

With the arrival of the new show « The Forest of Enchantment » at Chaparral Stage, Cottonwood Creek Ranch was transformed into a forest area with many new planted trees.Renovations of the surroundings as Cowboy Cookout Barbecue restaurant or even DLP Railroad Thunder Mesa Depot are now covered with scaffoldings with camouflage .  

The forest of Enchantment: A Disney musical Adventure 

The awaited new show surprises right at the first entry into the theater, with its particular forest decorations. Although the space where the dancers move onstage is relatively restricted, because the of the Frozen Sing-Along show decors played in summer and winter which are just behind, the staging and lights are enough to make us forget this.

The first thing you notice is the sung music  and the presence of a master of ceremonies accompanied by a group of dynamic dancers.

That said, the introduction of the show is too long and before the start of the show, where in fact it should be an opening spiel explanatory in french and English to arrive directly to the beginning of the show with the theme song and the arrival of the actors.
The selected Disney characters are in a theme that is familiar to them which is a good choice.

The return of Pocahontas after 17 years is simple and recall a little nostalgia. A nostalgia that is here too with the sequence of Tarzan, recalling the show ‘The Tarzan Encounter’ played here from1998 to 2012. The use of the central podium is interesting but the multiple actions of the dancers on the latter are too large and visible.
The colourful costumes evoke elements of nature and support the show theme, the forest. The costumes are very beautiful.

You’ll understand here, Disneyland Paris offers a show unique in Disney theme parks world, created by Disneyland Paris for Disneyland Paris and clearly the best scenic show created by the parc since a decade, which is too a very qualitative show for a mature audience. Unfortunately, this show follows the line of the ‘Garden party of Dingo »created last year where the creative part is too present, limiting the expected dynamism.

That is why changes in the introduction part of the show is necessary to help guests to be "in" the show right from the start. Will this artistic side be understood by younger visitors? Not sure...

And now, here is the full show filmed by Max in HD video!

At the end of the show, the cottages used for the village of Arendelle offer too themed delicacies.

Max will be back soon with a new DLP update but it's this week-end that ends the Valentine's Day special offer on the Disneyland Paris book, so it's the right time to place your order for a copy of this gorgeous book! You won't find a better gift for the one you love than the Disneyland Paris "From Sketch to reality" book! I'm doing a limited special offer this year with a signed copy - English updated edition or French collector's edition - at 75€ ( + 15€ shipping ) and the first eight orders will receive an adorable 20“ high (  50cm ) Pixar's Inside out "Joy" character! AND there is as always the additional surprise gift!

To place your order send me an email at: neverlandeditions@gmail.com

Paypal or credit card payment are accepted. Paypal payments can be sent directly to: neverlandeditions@gmail.com 

You can watch below the video showing each of the 320 pages of the book!

Pictures and video: copyright DLP Welcome

Walt Disney World Water Permit Shows the Layout of Animal Kingdom Avatar Land Na'vi River Journey Boat Ride

A new Walt Disney World water permit filed with the South Florida Water Management District shows the layout of the Na'vi River Journey boat ride of Disney's Animal Kingdom Avatar land.

The permit say that it is for a "indoor water system" ride has been filed to have the approval to discharge water to a stormwater pond nearby the construction site of Avatar land. And a map included with the documents shows the blueprint of what is most probably the location for Pandora's Na'vi River Journey boat ride.
 

Last November the Disney Parks Blog described Na'vi River Journey as "a family-friendly attraction called Na’vi River Journey. The adventure begins as guests set out in canoes and venture down a mysterious, sacred river hidden within the bioluminescent rainforest. The full beauty of Pandora reveals itself as the canoes pass by exotic glowing plants and amazing creatures. The journey culminates in an encounter with a Na’vi shaman, who has a deep connection to the life force of Pandora and sends positive energy out into the forest through her music. Na’vi River Journey will open with Pandora – The World of Avatar in 2017"
 

Pictures: copyright Disney

Disney Wants to Use Drones to Project Images During Theme Parks Shows

We learned last month that Disney intend to use drones to create large Disney characters during night shows at WDW and Disneyland theme parks. Disney even filed with the Federal Aviation Administration indicating as many as 50 drones could be in the air at one time. But how WDI Imagineers intended to do with these drones and how was so far a mystery. A new patent application - see rendering above - discovered by Geek Wire provides a few more clues.

According to Geek Wire article: "The assembly will have the ability to project still photographs or video images, according to the application. The assembly contains a rear-projection screen that is a “sheet of porous material such as polypropylene mesh’ that will allow airflow through ” while also having adequate opaqueness to function as an RP screen.”

Also included is a wide angle reflector, such as a parabolic mirror, Disney said in its application. This is designed to reflect light from the projector onto the “rear surface of the rear-projection screen and this will generate a displayed image.”

Disney said the projection assembly “is configured to provide a way of radically expanding the palette of the aerial display” to include “all manner of imagery and effects.” In addition to “pure entertainment uses, Disney wrote the projection assembly has the potential to “open new frontiers for aerial advertising capabilities and for other applications such as rapid dissemination of emergency information to large numbers of people.”

In the first drone patent application, Disney inventors said “that presently there are no mechanisms for creating very large aerial displays, such as a display that is reusable/repeatable, dynamic, and interactive. To address that need, Disney’s R&D department is working to create a multi-drone aerial display system and a ground control station that could choreograph repeatable movements.”

Something pretty incredible could come out of Disney R&D with these drones so we'll keep an eye on this, okay?

Star Wars Land Ride Unveiled in ABC Wonderful World of Disney Disneyland 60th Trailer ?

Did the ABC Wonderful World of Disney Disneyland 60th Special trailer posted a few days ago by Entertainment Weekly gave us our first look at one of Star Wars Land’s rides?

Well, it might be the case as if you look well at the promo video - that you can see on EW HERE - right after the announcer says “Star Wars Land” and Millennium Falcon previously released concept-art appear - the one above - we get a quick two-second clip of this image below showing what could be a CGI WDI video for the ride aboard the Millenium Falcon cockpit. AND, considering that it's Harrison Ford himself who will present this segment of the show no need to be a genius to understand that Han Solo himself is the best one to introduce a ride based on "his" Millenium Falcon, right?

SO, i put my bets on this one and think that we will learn a bit more about the Millenium Falcon ride which, as announced by Bob Iger himself at D23 Expo 2015, will be a ride which "would give guests the ability to take the controls of the Millennium Falcon on a “customized secret mission” ...right in the cockpit.

As noted /Film: "The brief clip seems to show a motion simulator attraction that takes place in the Millennium Falcon cockpit, out-maneuvering TIE Fighters on a desert planet. We see some structure burning as we fly over, but it still doesn’t clue us in to whether this is Jakku, Tatooine or some new planet on the Outer Rim. It also looks like there is an animatronic co-pilot sitting in the second seat."

Yes, the cockpit will be probably based over a simulator platform but this time you'll be the pilot of the Millenium Falcon, meaning that riders should be able to have the control of the simulator instead to be only spectators of a pre-programmed simulator ride, like Star Tours. Which should make a big difference... IF what i'm saying is right, of course. Anyway, it'll be probably the "D" ticket of the land, the big E-Ticket remain to be more clearly explained and we'll have to wait a bit for that.

Can't wait for this Disneyland 60th special to learn more!

Pictures: copyright Disney

New Shanghaî Disneyland "Crystal Clear" Aerial Pictures !

We're back at Shanghaî Disneyland today with "crystal clear" aerial pictures of the park and resort, posted on Chinese websites. And we'll start the tour by the one above showing the Shanghaî Disneyland hotel. As you can see the garden in the front will be soon finished and the outside of the hotel itself is ready.

The great picture below shows almost everything, i.e the whole park, part of the lake, Disney Town, the buses parking lot and even the Toy Story hotel in the background on the top left.



Next aerial picture shows the Lakeshore building near the lake with a perfect vertical shot.

The picture below is another perfectly vertical shot over Disney Town.

Even the bus and taxis parking lot near Disney Town looks great on the picture below!



Of course you're awaiting a closer aerial shot of the park only, and here it is. Interesting one showing that works on the Gardens of Imagination - SDL "Central Plaza" in front of the castle are going on and everything should be ready in four months.



And that's it for today SDL aerial shots - not a lot for once, i agree, but these were great ones and shots with a better light than all the others we saw previously!

Pictures: copyright news.cn

Hong Kong Disneyland Explorers Lodge Hotel Update

Hong Kong Disneyland new hotel - the Explorers Lodge - is scheduled to open in 2017 and it's been a while since we had a look at what's happening on the construction site. Thanks to Google Maps we can see that the main buildings of the hotel are built - although plenty remain to be done and it'll take them at least one year to complete. On the picture below the hotel on the left is the Hollywood Hotel.

The Explorers Lodge is located on the right of HKDL Hollywood Hotel - the one on the top left - and on the left of the HKDL Hotel. It will be also right behind Mystic Point and the other picture below show you more about all this. 

As it happen often for Disney's hotels the Disney Explorers' Lodge has a background story and in this case it's an "explorers" background story: in 1920 four explorers built together 
the hotel, to show the crafts and collected specimens they've bring back from around the world.

Dedicated to the spirit of exploration, Disney Explorers Lodge will invite HKDL guests to leave the everyday world behind and enter into a new world full of discovery, nature and exotic cultures. The hotel will feature four distinct gardens based on exotic cultures from around the globe, along with new themed restaurants, a shop and a large outdoor swimming pool.


I remind you that the hotel will be divided into four "regions", which will include the African savannah, the tropical rain forests of South America, the Pacific Islands, and Asia. Each region will also have a link with different Disney characters like the Africa area where there is the story of The Lion King baboon, the South America zone with the Guyun birds, the Pacific Islands with Finding Nemo Turtle, the Jungle Book baby elephant for Asia, etc... Four new renderings showing each of these areas have been released today.

Finally, if some of you find in the hotel design some reminiscences of the Animal Kingdom Lodge it's may be not a coincidence as it seems that this new Disney Explorers Lodge will borrow part of his architecture to Animal Kingdom's beloved hotel, and probably also a bit to the Hawaii Aulani Resort. And why not? The HKDL Disney Explorers Lodge looks promising and should have an exciting theming, and i can't wait for his opening in 2017!

Pictures: copyright Disney - HKDL