Amikoo, Mexico's Mega Theme Park Project at Riviera Maya !

Two weeks ago, Mexico's Riviera Maya, one of the most visited place in Latin America with its pristine beaches, adventure parks, and magnificent Mayan ruins unveiled a major theme park and resorts project titled "Amikoo" - "Amigos in Maya language - which will be located at Playa Maroma, approximately between Cancun and Playa del Carmen, and is scheduled to open in two phases, in 2018 and 2020, is there is no delays.

Twenty-four state-of-the-art rides will be split into four distinct zones: Park Maya Extreme (a lush jungle-themed area), Maya Adventure (a celebration of the "Maya City"), Maya Discovery (Mayan anthropology and archaeology museums), and Amikoo Land (a family-focused area with shopping and restaurants). While the development will occupy 300 acres total, more than 200 acres will be set aside as a preserve.


The project will include theme parks with roller coasters and water rides, resorts, an archaeology museum, an aquatic park, a "downtown" with shops and restaurants, and much more.





The parks will include high-tech attractions with "Fly Over Mexico", a flying theater like "Soaring"...


...with guests flying over Mexico famous landmarks and Mayan pyramids...


Another attraction titled "Mares de Mexico" will be a simulator of submarine expedition and the structure will dive into a show building with projections all around, at 360°.




No theme park without a "Pirates" attraction and there will be one titled "Piratas de Bacalar" which, if i trust the rendering below will not be an Audio-Animatronics ride but a pirates village with guests aboard a pirate ship with projections all around it.








Maya Discovery will be another land in which will be located a Maya archeology museum with interactive exhibits...

Maya Extreme, again another land will include others attractions with an exciting raft ride...






Maya Adventure, another land is where guests will find flume rides and inverted roller-coasters...






At Amikoo land, "El Origen" will be a ride apparently using the same technology than tUniversal Harriy Potter ride with robotic Kuka arms moving in a show building and facing screens.




"El Reino" will be an inverted roller coaster but i could not find if it will be locate din this Amikoo land or Maya Adventure.

The park will also include what is called "Amikoo Surf Spot", obviously a place for fans of surf.


No resort without hotels and Amikoo will have an hotel complex with 1,200 guest rooms as well as a "downtown" with shops and restaurants. During the presentation Mexico's president projected that Amikoo will attract around 4.5 million visitors every year. The first phase, a concert arena, convention center, and shopping mall is expected to be completed by 2018.




A video has been released - from where the above renderings are coming from - and you'll learn more about this interesting Amikoo project by watching it below!




Pictures: copyright Amikoo theme park

Awaking Beauty, The Art of Eyvind Earle Now Available on Amazon

There is a great book about the art of Disney Legend Eyvind Earle which has been released recently, and it's the catalogue of the exhibit at the Walt Disney Family Museum. It's available on Amazon for $29.95 HERE.

Graphic but mystical, vibrant yet enigmatic, the work of American artist Eyvind Earle is a treasure trove of subtle and shimmering contradictions. From fanciful backgrounds for Disney classics such as Sleeping Beauty to bold experiments in multimedia art, from ambitious commercial animations to lush and otherworldly oil landscapes, Earle's oeuvre never fails to please the eye and engage the imagination. And here, collected in Awaking Beauty—the official catalog for the 2017 Walt Disney Family Museum exhibition of the same name—is a definitive exploration of his life's full work.

Born in New York City in 1916, Earle showed early talent, hosting his first solo exhibition at the age of fourteen. After traveling in Mexico and Europe as a teenager, he bicycled across the United States, painting watercolors to pay his way. In the late 1930s, he began designing Christmas cards—which have sold more than 300 million copies over the years—while continuing to exhibit his fine art.

Earle's transformative moment, however, came in 1951, when he was hired at The Walt Disney Studios as a background painter. Again, he proved a quick study, lending his talents to the Academy Award-winning short Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom, beloved full-length feature Sleeping Beauty, and many other time-honored Disney animated films.











After his tenure at Disney ended in 1958, Earle turned his attention to commercial animation and advertising, then returned ot fine art full-time in 1966. Here, in the last three decades of his life, Earle created an immense and impressively varied body of work. He became an expert at the silkscreen-printing process known as serigraphy, a painstaking art form that could require up to 200 individual screens. He also created dozens of graphic and arresting scratchboards—engravings carved into boards primed with white clay and black ink—for his autobiography, Horizon Bound on a Bicycle. In addition to his multimedia experiments, Earle painted dazzling oil works of the natural world, capturing the rolling hills, lacy and voluminous trees, and crashing blue waves of California in a nearly transcendental light. A moving and lyrical writer, he often accompanied his mesmerizing landscapes with equally meditative and intriguing poems.







After a long and esteemed career, Earle passed away in 2000 in Carmel-y-the-Sea, California, leaving behind a formidable legacy in animation and fine art. Today, his work is in the permanent collections of several prominent museums (including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York), while his memory continues to inspire new generations of aspiring creatives around the globe.

Pictures: copyright Disney

Disney and more Surveys Results : Here Are DLP Fans Favorite Choices of Lands and Attractions For DLP Future !

So, after two weeks during which each of you were free to place your choice and vote for future lands and attractions that you wish to see coming to Disneyland Paris or the Walt Disney Studios, the surveys have now ended and here are the results! First of all i wish to thanks all of you who took the time to participate and i'm happy to say that almost each survey - to which it was possible to answer only one time - had more than 1800 votes - except the "TOT or GoG" survey that i added later and which didn't had the same number of days to answer to it. 1800 answers and votes is enough to be a reliable "statistic sample", as they say, and i hope that the good folks at DLP Imagineering will have a closer look at these and take them in consideration for DLP or WDS future additions. So, let's have a look at these answers in details, shall we?

The question to the first survey was: "Choose ONE ride only for Disneyland Paris park" and had 1860 votes! And the ride which had the more votes was Indiana Jones Adventure with 29%, followed by Splash Mountain with 25% and a Beauty and the Beast ride with 25%.


Next survey question was "Choose THREE new rides for DLP park" and had 1834 votes. And the winning rides are: Indiana Jones Adventure ( again! ) with 65%, and Splash Mountain and a Beauty and the Beast ride with 65% also. It's interesting to see that in both surveys the three same rides got the three most votes. Although Splash Mountain is a long time favorite of DLP fans i wouldn't count on it - unfortunately as it's also one of my favorite - as the main reason why they're reluctant to build it is the weather issue, although it did't stopped Imagineers to build it at Tokyo Disneyland where the weather is just as cold as at DLP during winter... The other interesting result is to see how the Indiana Jones Adventure ride, a 20 years old ride, is still the most favorite for DLP fans. So, let's hope  that IJA will finally come in a near future, as they still have kept the land to build it at DLP Adventureland.



Let's have a look now to the next survey which had as question "Choose THREE rides for DLP or WDS" and had 1477 votes. The three most chosen rides were Journey to the Center of the Earth with 77%, Mystic Manor with 69% and Shanghaî Disneyland Pirates of Caribbean with 54%. I don't think any of these will be build in a near future at DLP or WDS, for Mystic Manor and SDL POTC because they are signature rides that they probably want to keep exclusive to HKDL and SDL as they know that overseas guests will come even only for these rides. Journey to the Center of the Earth is different. Although i didn't hear anything about having a "Journey..." ride coming to DLP, i wouldn't consider it as a no-no forever so we'll see...



Next survey was asking to "Choose TWO additions for DLPR", had 1782 votes, and the choices which had the more votes were "A World of Color show" with 74%, followed by "A new Budget Hotel" with 51%, and "A Disney Springs like at WDW" with 36% - with "A  Walt Disney Theatre playing musicals" not far behind with 27%. Obviously DLP fans would prefer a new themed budget hotel than a new 5 stars hotel ( which had only 5% ) so let's hope DLP will hear about this. World of Color show as the first choice with 74% is of course no big surprise.



Next survey question was "Choose THREE rides for the WDS", had 1768 votes, and the winners are: Star Wars Land E-Ticket ride with 84%, Pandora Flight of Passage with 53% and an Avengers ride ( like the one coming to HKDL ) with 45%. But the most interesting in the survey are the ones which were the LESS chosen, i.e a Marvel Heroes Stunt Show which had only 9% and a Guardian of Galaxy ride replacing Tower of Terror with 8%, the less wished of all available choices.



Talking about a Guardians of Galaxy ride, i did a survey "only" to ask if DLP fans wish to have it replacing the Tower of Terror - with a "yes" or "no" answer. Because the survey was posted later and had less days for answering to it it had 1106 votes, which is still a significant number, and the votes are: "NO" at 86% and "YES" at 13%, which makes things pretty clear if it was needed. A vast majority of DLP fans ( 86% is the highest score for votes to ANY of all surveys choices ) are saying NO, we don't want the Tower of Terror to be changed for a Guardians of Galaxy ride. Lets hope that DLPI will hear this if they don't want to face infuriated fans...


Next survey was asking "Choose ONE favorite land for the WDS", had 1709 votes, and the land which had the more votes is "A Beauty and the Beast land" with 34%, followed by Star Wars land with 29% and an Avatar land with 12%. I remind you that only ONE choice was possible in this survey, contrary to the next one below.



The last survey asked to "Choose the THREE favorite lands you wish for the WDS", had 1715 votes, and this time it was possible to vote for three favorite choices. The most chosen are Star Wars land and a Beauty and the Beast land with exactly 60% each, followed by an Avatar land with 37%. Not far behind is a Marvel land in fourth position with 32%. Although the choice of a Star Wars land or Avatar land didn't surprised me, the one of a Beauty and the Beast land as the favorite did surprised me a bit more, specially for the WDS as it's a land that you expect to see coming more in DLP Fantasyland...


And that's it for the surveys! And now what, you ask? Well, now i'm going to make sure that these results will reach DLP Imagineering - even if i know they are following Disney and more - and hope that they will take your choices in consideration ...something that we will now when the big and highly awaited placemaking announcement will finally happen, hopefully before the end of the year, so you should not have too long to wait to see if your wishes will be fulfilled! Thanks again a LOT to all of you who took the time to answer to these surveys!

Pictures: copyright Disney and more

Disneyland Paris Announces Disney FanDaze Event !

At DLP the press event for "FanDaze" just happened and, is just like me, you wonder what's this "FanDaze" is about, here is DLP official press release ( in english and french )!

Disney FanDaze: The Ultimate Fan Event at Disneyland® Paris The inaugural festivities will take place during the first weekend in June 2018

Specially imagined for Disney fans everywhere, Disney FanDaze is launching its first ever event at Disneyland Paris for fans for one weekend only! The Disney FanDaze Inaugural Party will take place during the first weekend in June 2018 featuring one-of-a-kind shows, rare and never-seen-before Disney Character Encounters, live entertainment, iconic attractions, tasty treats, exclusive merchandise and the opportunity for fans to dress up and show their inner Disney to the world. It’s an experience sure to excite all of our Guest and Disney fans!

Imagine…living a real-life Disney dream that’s dazzling with delightful days, daring adventures, dancing and dressing up – all in an experience created to celebrate fans. This is the chance to catch a glimpse of Disney Characters around every corner – some for the first time ever at Disneyland Paris. Embark on a wild adventure with the stars of DuckTales, experience an extraordinary nighttime spectacular inspired by the 1995 classic A Goofy Movie and so much more.

It’s set to be an unbelievable event for fans from all over the world.

Here’s a sneak peek of what’s to come:

DANCE YOUR DUCKTALES PARADE

For the first time ever, fans will say hi to Duckburg’s favourite residents and shake their duck tails during the “Dance Your DuckTales Parade,” a special happening dreamed up just for the Disney FanDaze Inaugural Party. As usual, the stars of DuckTales are sure to create quite a hullaballoo all around Walt Disney Studios® Park.

MAX LIVE! GETTIN’ GOOFY WITH IT

For his first-ever concert at Disneyland® Paris, Max is psyched and ready to rock! Anticipation will be in the air at Production Courtyard when Goofy’s son and his talented Disney pals put on a madcap show complete with pop beats inspired by A Goofy Movie. Watch out for the hilarious hiccups during the live broadcast. Fans won’t believe their eyes – or ears.

CHARACTER ENCOUNTERS

For fans, there is nothing more magical or exciting than meeting and greeting the Disney stars of their dreams, and the Disney FanDaze Inaugural Party is the place where those dreams come true. From the rarest to the fairest, more than 50 Disney Characters including favourites from TaleSpin, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Bolt, and more will be on hand to delight their greatest fans! Fans can expect the unexpected never knowing who they might just encounter. From the classic Characters including Clarabelle Cow and Clarice, to new additions such as Joy and Sadness, one thing’s for sure…Fans won’t want to leave their camera at home!

ENCHANTING NEW OUTFITS

Mickey, Minnie, Duffy, ShellieMay, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, and Pluto will greet fans dressed in the most extravagant outfits – created specially for Disney FanDaze, the biggest fan event of the year! These colourful new outfits will be familiar…with a twist. Innovative both in design and material, they'll speak to the fans’ inner fashionista and quickly become the latest in Character couture!!

NEW INTRODUCTIONS

Mickey is expanding his Disney FanDaze VIP (Very Important Pals) family to include two rare Disney Characters who have previously never appeared together in the history of Disney Parks. More information is still to come, but this is sure to be a popular Disney duo.

AN EVENING OF ATTRACTIONS OPEN FOR FANS ONLY

Walt Disney Studios Park will open its gates exclusively for fans during the Disney FanDaze Inaugural Party. From an epic 13-floor plunge on the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror to being shrunk down to the size of a rat in Ratatouille: The Ride, this is a privatized evening no fan will ever forget.

TASTY TREATS AND EXCLUSIVE SOUVENIRS

Guests will be able to savour unique flavors with special menus created just for Disney FanDaze, while exclusive limited edition merchandise is sure to delight the most dedicated of Disney collectors.

SHOW YOUR INNER DISNEY!

Every fan has a unique Disney style they can’t wait to show off, and Disney FanDaze Inaugural Party will invite fans to do just that! Disney pins, hats, ears and other accessories will bring the Disney fantasy to life, inspired by a favourite Character or even an unforgettable Disney attraction. Each DisneyBound original and eccentric look is sure to be one of the evening’s major attractions!

This is only the beginning of the surprises in store. @DisneyFanDaze Twitter feed will be posting more information about the #DisneyFanDaze event. So stay tuned!



Disney FanDaze : l'Evénement Fans ultime à Disneyland® Paris Les festivités d’inauguration auront lieu le premier weekend de juin 2018.

Conçu spécialement pour les fans Disney du monde entier, Disney FanDaze lance son tout premier événement au sein de Disneyland® Paris ! La Disney FanDaze Inaugural Party aura lieu le premier weekend de juin 2018 et proposera des spectacles sans précédent, des rencontres avec des Personnages Disney inédites et exceptionnelles, des animations de rue, des attractions emblématiques, des mets savoureux, des produits exclusifs et l'occasion pour les fans de se déguiser et d'afficher leur propre style Disney. C'est une expérience de rêve qui plaira à tous visiteurs et fans inconditionnels de Disney !

Imaginez...vous vivez un rêve Disney mais dans la vraie vie ! Un rêve qui saura vous enchanter avec ses programmes exceptionnels, ses danses, ses costumes et ses aventures audacieuses – le tout lors d’une expérience unique, un véritable hommage aux fans Disney. C'est l'occasion de rencontrer des personnages Disney à tous les coins de rue - certains pour la première fois dans l'enceinte de Disneyland Paris, d'embarquer dans une aventure trépidante avec les stars de La Bande à Picsou, de vivre un concert incroyable inspiré par le célèbre long-métrage d'animation Dingo et Max sorti en 1995, et bien plus encore !

Il s’agira d’une expérience incroyable et inoubliable pour les fans du monde entier.

Voici un avant-goût de ce qui vous attend :

DANCE YOUR DUCKTALES PARADE

Pour la première fois, les fans pourront échanger avec leurs habitants préférés de Canardville et approcher de très près tous les personnages lors de la Dance your DuckTales Parade, un événement incroyable spécialement organisé pour la Disney FanDaze Inaugural Party. Comme à chaque fois, les stars plumées de la Bande à Picsou feront du bruit au sein du Parc Walt Disney Studios®.

MAX LIVE! GETTIN’ GOOFY WITH IT

Pour son tout premier concert à Disneyland Paris, Max est déchaîné et prêt à mettre le feu ! Il y aura de l'excitation dans l'air tout autour de la scène lorsque le fils de Dingo et ses amis Disney les plus talentueux se donneront en spectacle sur des rythmes enjoués entièrement inspirés du film Dingo et Max. Attendez-vous à de nombreux imprévus pendant le direct. Les fans n'en croiront pas leurs yeux - ni leurs oreilles !

RENCONTRE AVEC LES PERSONNAGES

Pour les fans, il n'y a rien de plus magique ou d’exceptionnel que de rencontrer les stars Disney de leurs rêves, et la soirée de lancement Disney FanDaze permettra de réaliser ces rêves les plus fous. Plus de 50 personnages Disney, des plus rares aux plus féériques, comme les héros de Super Baloo ou Qui veut la peau de Roger Rabbit, Volt et bien d'autres encore, se feront un réel plaisir d'être présents pour rencontrer leurs plus grands fans ! Ceux-ci pourront s'attendre à des surprises car ils ne sauront jamais les personnages qu'ils rencontreront. Des classiques comme la vache Clarabelle ou Clarice, aux personnages plus récents tels que Joie et Tristesse, une chose est sûre... les fans ne voudront pas oublier leurs appareils photo chez eux !

DES NOUVEAUX COSTUMES ÉBLOUISSANTS

Mickey, Minnie, Duffy, ShellieMay, Donald, Daisy, Dingo et Pluto accueilleront les fans dans leurs nouveaux costumes extravagants – créés spécialement pour Disney FanDaze, le plus grand événement fan de l'année ! Même s'ils restent familiers, ces nouveaux costumes très colorés présenteront une touche de nouveauté. Innovants en termes de design et de matières, ils éblouiront les visiteurs par leur sens de la mode !

DE NOUVEAUX PERSONNAGES

Mickey agrandit la famille des acolytes de Disney FanDaze en incluant deux Personnages Disney rares qui n'ont encore jamais été vus ensemble dans toute l'histoire des Parcs Disney ! Il faudra patienter pour en savoir plus, mais ce duo inédit connaîtra à coup sûr le succès !

DES ATTRACTIONS RÉSERVÉES AUX FANS

Le Parc Walt Disney Studios ouvrira ses portes juste pour les fans à l'occasion de la Disney FanDaze Inaugural Party. D'un plongeon héroïque du treizième étage de la Tour de la Terreur à l’aventure trépidante à la taille d'un rat dans Ratatouille : L'Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy, il s'agit d'une soirée totalement privatisée que les fans ne sont pas prêts d'oublier.

DES METS SAVOUREUX ET DES SOUVENIRS EXCLUSIFS

Les fans pourront profiter de menus spécialement élaborés pour Disney FanDaze, tandis que des produits exclusifs raviront les plus collectionneurs des fans Disney.

AFFICHEZ VOTRE STYLE DISNEY !

Tous les fans ont un style Disney unique qu'ils ont hâte de montrer ! Ils pourront le faire lors de la Disney FanDaze Inaugural Party ! Grâce aux pins, aux chapeaux, aux oreilles et aux autres accessoires Disney, ils pourront laisser libre cours et donner vie à l'imagination Disney, inspirés par leur personnage Disney préféré voire même par une attraction Disney inoubliable. Chaque style Disney original et excentrique à coup sûr partie des attractions de la soirée !

Nous avons d’autres surprises à dévoiler… Suivez-vous sur notre compte Twitter @DisneyFanDaze pour tout savoir en avant-première sur l’événement #DisneyFanDaze. Restez connectés !

Disneyland Paris Update: "Rendez-Vous Gourmands" at the Walt Disney Studios !

Here is a new Disneyland Paris update thanks to Max, D&M contributor and DLP Welcome webmaster! During two weeks, visitors of the Walt Disney Studios Park had the chance to have a tasting of products and dishes from French regions. This small event lasted until September 24th.

For two weeks, the « Rendez-Vous Gourmand » of Disneyland Paris was set up for its first edition at the Walt Disney Studios Park to offer a new experience at Place of Rémy. Here is the video of the opening with the cut of the ribbon!




In fact, six booths highlighted the specialties and wines of France regions. They were placed along the path and the plaza leading to WDS most delightful ride, Ratatouille!



The booths were a real opportunity for visitors and especially foreigners to discover French specialties including wines, cheeses and delicatessens labeled and certified. So you were able to discover a burgundy beef in its delicious juice for €4.50 , a sauerkraut at €3.50 or a pancake with ham cheese and mushrooms at €5. But if you preferred desserts, the Kouign-Amann was at €3, the blueberry tart at €4 or the 3 mini-Tropéziennes at €9.









As you will have understood, whether it was from the west or the east or he south of France with the plates of charcuterie and Corsican cheese, there was delicious French food available for all tastes.

The Rue de Paris, leading to the Place de Rémy, with its stands offering the best recipes of the French regions with their specialties to the visitors in a pleasant setting of village place giving a new dimension to this neighborhood. And it is the musicians, dancers and dancing at 3 pm, 4 pm and 5 pm that this market square, its stands and the attraction Ratatouille will give you a glimpse of the French provinces.








But besides tasting a multitude of flavors characteristic of these regions, the red, white, rosé wines and even champagne regions were also served to go along with the dozen of typical products that each booths offered to visitors.



Our feeling for this two-week event is that it was a very good idea from Disneyland Paris to organize at this season. The proposed products were of quality with small prices for small portions in order to offer a culinary insight of France.











This choice of « tasting » service also makes possible to stir visitors’ curiosity about French gastronomy and allow them to choose certain foods.

In addition, this offer also give the possibility to change the usual booths with popcorns which are everywhere in the parks and offer little diversity, surprise and envy in the choice of snacks. Finally, don't take this event as an opportunity to have a full meal as restaurants like the « Bistrot chez Remy » is here for that. Anyway, it was nice to see the diversity in choices, products and quality proposed in a theme park. This gourmet season, happened from September 8 to 24 from 10 am to 6 pm during the week and from 10 am to 8 pm on weekends, let's hope it will be back next year!

Let's end with his video of Max showing the whole thing!




One more thing, and it's about the Disneyland Paris book as the publishing company has ended and many of you asked me if there were still copies available. I could saved a few copies in English, perfect condition, but for the french edition there is only a few damaged copies, some with a serious hit on the cover, but the dust jackets will be changed for a new one so it will hide the damages on the cover.

The English edition are in perfect condition and will cost you 75€ + 22€ shipping worldwide, except Belgium or Italy, 29€. The damaged French collector edition copies are at 65€, always + 22€ shipping worldwide, except Belgium or Italy, 29€. Payment is possible by Paypal or credit card and if you wish to order one of these last copies you need to send me an email at: nme4@wanadoo.fr

It's a fantastic book, so if you've missed it, don't let go this last chance to get your own copy!

Pictures: copyright DLPWelcome