Happy 17th Anniversary , Disneyland Paris !

Today is Disneyland Paris 17th Anniversary! Yes, already 17 years since the park opened in 1992, unbelievable how the time goes fast...

To celebrate this, here is a series of high-res wallpaper pictures shoot during the Mickey's Magical Party grand opening last month. All the pictures show the new Mickey and friends show on Central Plaza. Enjoy, and Happy Birthday DLP!













At the end of the party, Mickey was on the top of Main Street Station to salute each guest leaving the park!



All pictures: copyright Disney

High School Musical - The Ice Tour - Exclusive Report !

It's Easter week-end, and as always on D&M the week-end here is an "entertainment" article.

DLP guests can watch each day at Walt Disney Studios the High School Musical show, but in France - and all over Europe - another HSM show was "touring" and it's an "ice" show!

Htgh School Musical - "The Ice Show" was recently in Lyon where Maureen Chaffurin D&M photographer contributor saw it, and she did an exclusive report on the show.

I think it's unnecessary that i tell you the storyline of HSM - everybody knows it - but for the HSM fans i must add that Zac Efron or Vanessa Hudgens were of coures NOT playing in this "ice" tour.

Enjoy the great pictures!






















All pictures: copyright Maureen Chaffurin whom i thanks a lot!

Discover Oktapodi, a short animated jewel and 2009 Academy Awards nominee

Did you heard about "Oktapodi"? No? Well, this short animated was created by animators of the french Ecole des Gobelins - a little bit like CalArts in California. And some talented animators from that school directed and produced this short animated jewel which was nominated for "best short animated" academy award two months ago, along with Pixar "Presto" and others. Oktapodi didn't won the award, but it's fun, cute, and most of all wonderfully animated, so discover it below! If you love it, this short is on sale on the ITunes Store in high-res quality for $1.99. Enjoy!



Picture and Video: copyright Ecole des Gobelins

WDW Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure - Video

Disney Parks released this short video showing a young girl and her Mom playing "secret agents" in "Kim Possible Adventure", the new interactive game at World Showcase. I remember you the pitch: "Guests embark on this international adventure, they receive an official “Kimmunicator,” at kiosks throughout Epcot World Showcase. The interactive, handheld device is designed to help them maneuver through the mission. Using state-of-the-art technology, the interactive device connects guests with a variety of Kim Possible characters who provide clues to stop villains from taking over the world. The highly interactive devices also allow guests to control top-secret equipment hidden inside the World Showcase pavilions, creating an ultra-interactive adventure jam-packed with mystery and excitement."

It's not the attraction of the century - in fact it's not even an attraction but a game, but you can have a look at the video below.



Picture and video: copyright Disney

When WDI Legendary Imagineers designed Landmark Entertainment projects

As you know it's Disney and more 2nd anniversary this week, so i have a new gift for you with another great artwork article! I know, as Randy Savage have said on Mice Chat, that it's going to be difficult to top the Journey to the Center of the Earth article, but, hey, i can try!, and this one have some good surprises with never seen before artwork created not for WDI but for Landmark Entertainment projects by former Disney Imagineers like Herb Ryman, Marc Davis, Jim Michaelson and many others! Also, it don't happen everyday to discover new Herb Ryman or Marc Davis artwork!

Let's begin by this painting above by Legendary imagineer Herb Ryman showing a “Boat Overview Exterior” of the "S.S ADMIRAL", the "largest inland steamer ever built in America". Located in St. Louis, it once toured the Mississippi daily.

Back twenty four years ago, Landmark Entertainment worked on a Six Flags theme park project called "Phineas T. Flagg's Power Plant", located at Baltimore, Maryland. It was called Phineas T. Flagg's Power Plant as the theme park location was a historic power plant, near the the waterfront. Marc Davis - who retired from Walt Disney Imagineering in 1978 - and Herb Ryman worked on the project design. The main character, Phineas T. Flagg, was a fictitious magician and Herb Ryman did his design, the one you can see below.



Marc Davis worked on different attraction projects for this Phineas T. Flagg's Power Plant. Among them a great "Home of the Future Show""...



...including the design of a great spinning robot...




...a Power House show "tribute to the all american girl"...



...and a great Toy Circus Parade also planned for the same Power Plant park.





As told you the main character of this park, Phineas T. Flagg, was a magician and the park had a "magic" show. The artist who did this next rendering is unknown but i add it as this Crystal Ball "magic" Show concept looks interesting. I only wish i could tell you more about it...



Herb Ryman worked also on other Landmark Entertainment concepts. He did this bird's eye view painting below for what was - believe it or not - a "Monopoly" theme park project!



Marc Davis too worked on another Landmark concept. This "Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" project was supposed to be build at Valencia, California, near the Six Flags park but unfortunately the project was never realised. The model below still exist and who knows, may be it will be realised one day...



The "Jumping Frog" designed by Marc Davis would have been the main "character" of the park and Disney fans will recognize in the drawings below Marc's distinctive style.




Another artist - who did beautiful renderings for DLP Main Stret U.S.A - and also worked on a Landmark project is Jim Michaelson. Jim did this artwork for the "Dixie Landings" project, "the good time of the riverboat showplace" and below you will see his exterior view and the theatre entrance concepts.




Dan Goozee another artist who did some spectacular artwork for WDI - like the first and famous Expedition Everest official rendering - did this Sands hotel "Casino Lodge interior" artwork. Hmmm, it reminds be a bit of the Wilderness Lodge lobby at WDW, but it's true that the Wilderness Lodge was itself inspired by the Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone Park, Wyoming as we saw in a previous Disney and more article.



Dan worked also a long time ago on "Dream Home" a Science Fiction Fantasy simulator attraction for an Asian theme park...



Good ideas may never die at WDI, but also may inspire other projects...This last artwork by Claudio Mazzoli was done in 1981 for the Haunted Graveyard of Niagara attraction at Niagara Falls and is called "Spirits Emerge From Crystal Ball in Haunted Mansion"!



I will end with good news as, if you wish, you can own some of the paintings above. The ORIGINALS paintings, not prints, and at amazing prices that, believe me, you will never see again in your lifetime! Landmark Entertainment actually put on sale most of their old artwork on two sites. The first one is the Landmark Selections site and the other one is on EBay.com where they have their own Landmark artwork store. Most of the above artwork is available. On Ebay they are not listed as auction but in "buy it now", so if you like some of these beautiful paintings, don't miss them!

All artwork: copyright Landmark Entertainment. Many thanks to Landmark for the high-res files of the artwork you saw in this article.