Disneyland Paris Walt Disney Studios Update : Awaited Ratatouille Merchandise Shop Finally Open !

I've got a new DLP pictorial update for you, always thanks to Max Fan, D&M contributor and DLPWelcome webmaster, and today we'll ahem a look at the long awaited Ratatouille merchandise shop "Chez Marianne, Souvenirs de Paris" which is at last open! But first, make sure to read this article till the end to enjoy the Christmas special offer on the Disneyland Paris book!

Let's start the tour by a walk from Walt Disney Studios entrance through the Studio 1 as Max also shot some pictures of the Christmas lighting inside it.

All-right, let's move now to the Ratatouille land and its new merchandise shop.

The theming inside the shop is very inspired by early last century "art-nouveau" style, and it seems that WDI Imagineers have rediscovered the art-nouveau as they will use it in others new projects, starting apparently by the Shanghaî Disneyland 5 stars hotel opening with the park late 2015, if there is no delay. Anyway, according to Max they did a real good job on this new shop, let's have a look in pictures as well as in video!

And the merchandise itself, you ask? Well, as the shop is called "Souvenirs de Paris" you'll find not only merch items inspired by ratatouille but also some by The Aristocats characters and Paris itself with plenty of Eiffel Tower packaging!

Outside, always at the WDS guests could meet Mickey and Minnie in Christmas costumes...

Let's move to the Disneyland Park next door as renovation works have ended on the Main Street Transportation Co building which now looks as new as it was on opening day!

At Disney Village the "Pause & Play" food cart has been repainted with a green color to promote the new Coca Cola life drink - DLP has a partnership with Coca Cola - a drink supposedly designed with an ecological spirit... well, that's what they say...

Christmas is two weeks from now and it's not too late to enjoy the great Christmas special offer on the Disneyland Paris From Sketch to Reality book which runs till January 5! I used to say that you won't find a better Christmas gift for a Disney fan, and... it's true! So, go ahead, read more details below and place your order now with the Paypal button below.

And for all orders please also send me an email with your shipping address at: neverlandeditions@gmail.com

From November 1st to January 5th the book Disneyland Paris, From Sketch to Reality in its english regular and updated edition OR in its french collector edition is on sale at the special Christmas price of 60 € (+ 15 € shipping worldwide ). And you can order a signed edition ( which will be dedicated at your name or the name of the person  you wish ) for 75 € instead of 100 € ( +15 €  shipping worldwide )! 
In addition, ALL buyers will receive a surprise gift that you will love! 
SPECIAL NOTE to buyers with a shipping address to ITALY or BELGIUM : For shipments to Belgium or Italy, the amount of shipping costs is 25 €. 

Do not miss this special Christmas offer, and place your order by email to: neverlandeditions@gmail.com  
Please let me know in your email if you want the english or french edition! ALSO, those who choose the autographed version please don't forget to mention in your email at what name the dedication must be done! 

You can pay by Paypal, credit card or bank transfer. 

Paypal payment must be sent to the same email address - neverlandeditions@gmail.com - or you can also use the Paypal button below or on the D&M right column by choosing between signed or unsigned copy, and how many copies you want. 
The Paypal button works for both french or english edition but confirm me by email or in your Paypal payment which edition you want ( english or french ).
Also note that the Paypal button includes an additional discount for those who want to order 2 or 3 copies instead of one. 

If you do NOT have a Paypal account you can pay by credit card, or bank transfer, please send me an email about it to: neverlandeditions@gmail.com
Note: For those of you who have never seen a copy of the book you'll find below a video presentation of the full book which will show you each of the 320 pages of the book.

Disneyland Paris From Sketch to Reality

One Copy Disneyland Paris From Sketch to Reality & Shipping €75.00 EUR One Signed Copy Disneyland Paris FromSketch toReality & Shipping €90.00 EUR 2 Copy Disneyland Paris From Sketch to Reality & Shipping €140.00 EUR 2 Signed Copy Disneyland Paris From Sketch to Reality & Shipping €170.00 EUR 3 Copy Disneyland Paris From Sketch to Reality & Shipping €200.00 EUR 3 Signed Copy Disneyland Paris From Sketch to Reality & Shipping €250.00 EUR

Although you've probably heard about this beautiful book, many of you may have never seen a copy of it. So we've done a video presentation of the full book which will show you each of the 320 pages of the book! The book includes 750 pictures of the park, including 250 gorgeous renderings of Walt Disney Imagineering and stunning pictures of the park seen from above. The book is so big that it took us seven and a half minutes to show you the full book, and that's without stopping turning each pages! So, if you want to have a closer look at a page don't hesitate to stop the video!





Pictures: copyright Max Fan - DLPWelcome

Watch Hayao Miyazaki Animate The Last Shot of His Final Film

Animation master Hayao Miyazaki announced months ago that the Wind Rises was his last film and today i have a wonderful clip for you - coming from a documentary called The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness - featuring Miyazaki at work, animating the last shot of his final film, The Wind Rises!

The Shanghaî Disneyland That Never Was

I know, i know, it may look a bit odd to talk about the Shanghaî Disneyland "that never was" when the park is not yet open and still under construction, but as you will see there has been many changes - as well as good ideas sacrified  between the first concepts and the latest one, and we'll have a look at this in details.

The very first thing which won't be the same as envisioned three years ago is the park entrance. As you can see on the artwork above SDL was supposed to have a "grand entrance" and Mickey Avenue - the entrance street leading to SDL castle - would have been under a huge canopy. Both apparently don't exist anymore from what we can see in the latest bird eye view artwork released recently, see below. May be a part of the above concept will be in the final version but the canopy has definitely disappeared.

Note that this artwork, just like two others below, was shown by Bob Iger during an event in New York of the National Committee on U.S-China relations recognizing the WDC's long-term work and philanthropy in China, on October 17, 2011 that you can see in video HERE -  Also note that although i did my best to enlarge the screen captures it's not possible to have them sharper than what you see.



Now, let's have a look at the above early bird eye view of the park, also shown by Bob Iger in 2011. If we have a look at the entrance we can see the canopy over Mickey Avenue but if you look on the right you'll see a very different Treasure Cove land and most of all a huge Skull Rock with what seems ( but not sure ) to be a fall out of it. Most probably SDL Imagineers thought at that time to have an ending for the POTC ride like it was envisioned by Tim Delaney in the cancelled HKDL Pirates of Caribbean land.

Below is a view of this land from the latest rendering, and the Skull Rock has disappeared... unfortunately... but the POTC fortress is much more impressive. The big mountain in the foreground is the one for the Roaring Rapids raft ride, and you've seen an official construction picture of it last Saturday.

Always on the early bird eye view artwork we can see on the left of the castle SDL Tomorrowland. The building with a shape looking like a bicycle is the one for the TRON motorbike coaster...

...or i should say "was" as it won't have anymore this design as you can see below, from the latest bird eye view rendering, although what is called by SDL Imagineers "TRON Cover" - to cover the outdoor part of the track - will be in the final version. Personally, on a design point of view, i think that the first version looked better but it was also probably more expensive. It also look better because on the rendering it's painted as seen "from the sky", which wouldn't have been the case for SDL guests looking at it "from the ground". And by the way the building which is on the right, above, just a few meters below the TRON building is now relocated on the left - and Super Block as they call it will include the Buzz Lightyear ride as well as Stitch Encounter.

Another interesting rendering from the "first" version is the one below showing what was called at that time the "Gardens of Imagination".

Most of the elements are still in the final version although some have been moved a bit up, like the Dumbo ride and especially the long line of cherry blossom trees which are now located more on the right, probably to avoid that they hide the view on the castle. On the top left above you see the exit from Mickey Avenue and its canopy - now disappeared - and on the left and right of it these facades of different architectural styles should more or less remain in the final version. The water in front of the castle - bottom right above - has been moved up, and are now closer to the castle.

Now, if we go back again to the early bird eye view artwork and look at Disney Town - SDL shopping, dining and entertainment district - which is located on the left of SDL entrance, you'll see that at that time Disney Town was supposed to have some water here and there in its center...

...which is not anymore the case on the final version below, probably because SDL Imagineers changed their mind for a question of guests flow - and in this case i think they're right.

Plenty of others differences exist between the first and the last artwork, specially in Fantasyland but it  is so in the background of the artwork that it's hard to see what was envisioned at that time - although the Alice maze is already there, on the right of SDL castle.

So, do we have to have regrets with the cancelled elements? Personnally i regret the phenomenal grand entrance, the disappearing of Skull Rock and if there was one the outdoor fall for the POTC ride final and may be the shape of the Tron Lightcycles Power Run building, even if i know that we would have never seen it like on the rendering for a question of angle of view. I don't regret too much the canopy, although i'm sure it would have been precious during rainy days in Shanghaî . We'll check all this when the park will open and, talking about opening date, the good sources of Lance on Screamscape told him that the park - always supposed officially to open end 2015 - "isn’t expected to open until sometime between late Spring and mid Summer 2016 at this point". Disney said recently that the official opening date will be announced early 2015 so we won't have to wait too long to know the truth.

Pictures: copyright Disney - Shendi