Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Thor " The Dark World " First Trailer !

A first trailer for Thor "The Dark World" has been released and it looks not that bad. May be this new Thor movie will be better than the first one, after all. Have a look!

Picture and video: copyright Marvel - Disney

Monday, April 22, 2013

More About HKDL Mystic Point and Mystic Manor ! New Videos of the Queue Decor and Pre-Show !

I've got more HKDL Mystic Point and Mystic Manor pics and videos for you, including
new official pictures and others who were shot by different people who were last week at Mystic Point preview. Let's start by this great aerial view above of Mystic Manor. Below, the Mystic Manor plaque, at the entrance.

The picture below - in better definition than the one posted previously - shows a scene of the queue decor.

Next picture below is one showing the pre-show room in which guests watch a slide
show with comments from Lord Mystic. An Audio-Animatronic of Albert the monkey is
also part of the pre-show. By the way, to understand why the pre-show is a slide show ( and not a movie, for instance ) you have to understand that, in the attraction, guests are supposed to be in 1896 or so. Lord Mystic is still alive - as we can see in the ride and contrary to the character of the TDS TOT, also an adventurer, but dead since a long time - and Lord Mystic is the one presenting the pre-show... and the presentation is supposed to be in 1896 or so. With this in mind there is a logic to have a slide show and not a movie in the pre-show, even if cinema already existed in 1896 but screening were not available yet in every home, specially far away countries.

Two new pictures from the ride itself and one of the cataloguing room in better definition than the one posted previously.

There is more to show of Mystic Point as it also include the Explorer Club restaurant, the Gardens of Wonders, and more, but for those of you who can't wait to see the ride here is three videos and the first one posted here for the first time shows the queue decor, before you enter the pre-show room.

This new one shows the pre-show in a different way than on the previous video posted before, it's filmed directly in front of the screen, you'll see much better Albert the monkey Audio-Animatronic, and you'll see also the exit hallway leading to the loading room.

The next one, posted saturday, shows the full ride itself.

When HKDL guests exit the ride they can be amazed with the optical illusions of the Garden of Wonders, here is some pictures of it.

Apparently there is a little show at Mystic Point Freight Depot. I wonder if it's also a new train station for the HKDL railroad... probably.

Not so far from the Manor is the Explorer's Club restaurant...

And ,close to it, The beautiful Archive Shop with a pretty well themed decor.

No surprise, you can find the character of Albert the monkey on many merchandise items.

One last look, but always an element to not forget in a land theming, the Mystic Point bins!

Pictures: copyright Disney, and many others people who were at Mystic Point preview recently and whom i thanks a lot for their pictures!

Videos: copyright Benson Lok and Alex Yeung

It's Disney's Animal Kingdom 15th Anniversary !

It's Disney's Animal Kingdom 15th Anniversary today - the park opened on April 22, 1998 - and in tribute to this wonderful park, one of my favorite, i've posted on D&m Facebook page - that you can access even if you don't have a Facebook account - a selection of the best WDI artwork done for the different lands of DAK! So, go ahead and do the jump HERE!

And also have a look at this Disney video celebrating DAK 15th!

Picture and video: copyright Disney

TWO New Mystic Manor Videos, Including Attraction Pre-Show !

TWO new Mystic Manor full ride videos were uploaded on Youtube, and the first one below includes the attraction pre-show! As there is often more than one vehicles in the same room you will also see the ride decor from a different point of view, and there is even a scene that was not visible in the previous video, which confirms that riders won't see necessarily exactly the same scenes when they will ride.

Videos: by alex young, Benson Lok

Sunday, April 21, 2013

HKDL Mystic Manor Full Ride Video !

That's it, folks, the very first video showing the FULL Mystic Manor ride appeared on Youtube, and the video is in HD and pretty good all along. Major Warning: you will see the whole ride on the video so need to say that it's spoilers from the beginning to the end. If you intend to go to HKDL and do the ride, the best is to do NOT watch the video. You'll also find my feelings about the ride after the video.

So, from this first video what we can say is that the ride looks pretty damn' good and, for me, exactly like i thought it would be, i.e not a "haunted" house but an enchanted one with a "eerie" atmosphere, a place where each artifact becomes alive when Albert the monkey open the box that he shouldn't open.

WDI Imagineers brilliantly use special effects that we saw previously in others famous rides like the Haunted Mansion or Indiana Jones Adventure, and added smart projection effects and plenty of others, as well as a great final climax scene with an effect that, personally, i didn't see coming. The two Audio-Animatronics figure will be welcome by AAs lovers and the whole thing makes a great 5 minutes long ride which, if not as scary or frightening as the Haunted Mansion or Phantom Manor, will be enjoyable for sure by everyone, even young kids. A new classic is born, all my congrats to all Imagineers who worked on Mystic Manor!

Let me know in your comments what you think of the ride!

Video: by Hk Mr Chui

HKDL Mystic Point First Video !

Here is a first video showing more of Mystic Manor and Mystic Point "Garden of Wonders" - as there is not only the ride itself at Mystic Point but also in front of the Manor several "archeological" artifacts including optical illusions that guests can enjoy. This is not a full ride video, so, limited spoilers, but you'll note that the two main characters Lord Mystic and the monkey Albert appear in the ride as Audio-Animatronics.

Picture: copyright Disney

Friday, April 19, 2013

Hong Kong Disneyland Mystic Manor : First Ride Pictures! Open on May 17 ! AP Previews Start April 26 !

I'm happy to share with you the very first "inside the ride" pictures of the highly awaited Hong Kong Disneyland Mystic Manor ride! But, first, it's official: Mystic Manor and the new Mystic Point land will open for "everyone" on May 17! If i say for "everyone" it's because there will be HKDL Annual Passholders previews on April 26 and 30 as well as on May 3 and 4!

In the meantime let's have a look at these first HKDL official pics and, below, a glorious picture showing the Manor in all its pre-opening day beauty. As we know, Mystic Point and Mystic Manor will be based around the life of an eccentric explorer named Lord Henry Mystic and his travel companion, a monkey called Albert. The two characters will appear in Mystic Manor and its 32-cars "Mystic Magneto-Electric Carriage" ride, and Mystic Point will also include the Explorer’s Club Restaurant and The Archive Shop.

The picture below shows what is probably a scene of the inside queue decor - or it might be in the Explorer's Club restaurant...

The next picture below shows a cast member in what surely is Mystic Manor boarding room.

The next pic is probably showing the beginning of the ride itself.

In Mystic Manor pre-show Henry Mystic will appear and warn the guests that a new artifact - a box that he just bring back from one of his expeditions is supposedly enchanted and must be open very carefully. I think that the next photo shows the scene in which Albert the Monkey open the box-that-shouldn't-be-open... and just like the box of "Pandora", the forces inside the box will be unleashed!

On this vertical version of the picture you can see better the lighting effects that probably happen when Albert is opening the box...

The picture below shows the music room scene in which music instruments are supposed "to come to life", or at least to play by themselves.

As i didn't did the ride yet i may do some mistakes but i think that the next picture is showing what is called the "cataloguing room" , the room in which Albert open the box and in which Mystic Manor vehicles come back at the end of the ride.

More pictures of the ride will probably come soon but i have two more pics for you, one showing the inside of the merchandise shop - no surprise, HKDL guests will find plenty of merch related to Albert the monkey...

...and also this great picture showing Mystic Manor with its night lighting.

That's all for now, but it already looks pretty exciting, doesn't it? More pics and as the AP preview will start in one week it means that we shouldn't have to wait too long before the first videos appear on Youtube. Which i strongly recommend to don't watch if you're planning a trip to HKDL in a near future. probably a video coming soon!

One more thing: I'm looking for a HKDL annual passholder who intend to go at the April 26 preview. If you are a HKDL AP and if you're planning to go at the April 26 preview please send me an email at: lawrence55@wanadoo.fr , thanks!

I also remind your that until April 30 i put on sale signed copies of the great Disneyland Paris book in its collector edition, in which you have the whole park in 320 pages with 750 photos including 250 WDI renderings! Both english and french editions are available. This is the very first time that collector's edition copies would be signed so they will be "double collector"! have a look below at the video showing the whole book!

Don't miss this great offer, the signed copies have even a 20€ discount on the normal price! You can have more infos about this gorgeous 320 pages book HERE and you can use the one-click Paypal button below if you wish.