Friday, September 5, 2014

HKDL Fantasyland and Toy Story Land Pictorial Update - Plus : 2015 HLDL 10th Anniversary Attraction Revealed !


We're back today at Hong Kong Disneyland for a new pictorial update, this time all around Fantasyland and Toy Story Land. And, yes, as promised, you'll know what is the mysterious new attraction coming in 2015!


Let's start our Fantasyland visit by walking through the castle and the two pics below will show you the different view that you have depending if you're entering or exiting Fantasyland. I also remind you that HKDL Sleeping Beauty castle is similar to the original one at Disneyland.



And just like in Disneyland you'll find Snow White Grotto on the right of the castle.


The Sword in the Stone show with Merlin is happening here near the Carousel.



On the right of the Carousel guests can find the Winnie the Pooh ride, and this is the U.S version , not the TDL version.


Cool theming for the Winnie the Pooh merchandise shop at the exit of the ride.


Three different kind of "turrets" on the same shot with the ones of the Winnie entrance, the one of the castle wall behind and in the background the ones of Space Mountain"


You'll find also in Fantasyland the Dumbo ride...


...as well as the Mad Hatter tea cups ride.


HKDL Fantasyland also include Mickey's Philarmagic, always popular...




...a lovely train station, inspired by the one of Casey Jr...


...the charming Fantasy Gardens where children can meet and greet Disney characters and see great topiaries. And, yes, the Mickey sorcerer sculpture at the entrance is identical to the one at the entrance of the Walt Disney Studios at Disneyland Paris.





One of my favorite HKDL restaurant is also in Fantasyland and it's the great Royal Banquet Hall with its wonderful theming which include murals painting, and sculptures.







Yes, the Beauty and the Beast sculpture above is the same one that WDW guests can find at the Be our Guests restaurant in the new Fantasyland.


It's a Small World was part of the new additions some years ago and it's one of my favorite version on the ride. Cool banners too on the walkway leading to the ride.






The Fantasyland sign below marks the entrance to the land when you're coming from Adventureland of Toy Story Land.


And it's also nearby that, until a few weeks ago, guests could meet and greet with Tinkerbell in a Pixie Hollow decor.


A lovely Tinkerbell indeed, by the way!


Now, have a closer look in the picture above to the land located behind Tink. Because it's on this land where, and up to the Fantasyland train station, works started recently for the new 2015 attraction. The Pixie Hollow decor has been removed on the left, closer to Adventureland, and the land is now surrounded by fences hiding the works, as usual.


So, what will be this new mysterious attraction, you ask? Well, Disney Princesses will receive their union attraction in Fantasyland and it will be a maze just like what they did with the Alice in Wonderland labyrinth at DLP, but of course with a totally different theming. Castles and famous scenes from Disney Princesses movies will be seen inside at every corner, and more than that, as HKDL Imagineers will add interactive elements to make these scenes to become alive.

Although they may change the date, so far the Princesses Labyrinth is scheduled to open on Sep 12, 2015, because it'll be the date of HKDL 10th Anniversary. "Princess Forest" is the working title, but i've been told that the final title should be very similar. Though this Princess labyrinth is in the plans since a while, considering the big hit of Frozen they might replace one of the originally envisioned scene with one with Queen Elsa and Anna.

As you may know it's not rare to have rain in Hong Kong, so most of the existing Meet-and-Greets take place in kiosks. HKDL is going to build more kiosks to meet the characters and we may expect this new Princess Labyrinth to eventually come with a princess meet and greet experience.

For Pixie Hollow and Tinkerbell, they apparently changed their plans. Tinkerbell appears already in Flights of Fantasy parade and soon will join the awaited Disney Paint the Night parade. Tink will be here at least during the five coming years and the temporary photo ops in Fantasyland that you've seen above needs a more permanent structure, so they'll build a permanent one for her, which makes sense.

You can expect the area to become a meet and greet area with the Disney female characters and also with props and scenes related to fairies and princesses. And with the introduction of Photo Pass, more characters will also make their appearances in Fantasyland to boost HKDL sales of photos!

Let's move now to Toy Story Land and the signs that you see below can be find too at the other end of Adventureland. They're here of course to direct the guests to the new lands.


At the entrance elf Toy Story Land the giant Woody is really cool!


The rides are similar to the ones at DLP Walt Disney Studios - but Shanghaî Disneyland will not have the Parachute Drop.



I like this Jessie's Snack Roundup, i think they should add it at WDS Toy Story Playland...


Rex is here too, but kids can't climb on it as they could at DLP WDS when they opened the land. They probably learned from the damages which happened at the one at DLP soon after the TSPL opening.


And that's all for today's HKDL update, the next ones will  take us to Adventureland or the new Grizzly Gulch and Mystic Point lands! Let's end with picture of HKDL castle at sunset and tell us in the comments what you think of the new upcoming attraction!


Pictures: copyright Disney and more

DISNEY LEGEND TONY BAXTER AND A TOMORROWLAND SNEAK PEEK ADDED TO DESTINATION D: ATTRACTION REWIND AT WDW RESORT NOVEMBER 22–23 !


Here is a great news for those of you planning to attend the Destination D event at WDW Nov 22-23 as Disney announced that legendary imagineer Tony Baxter will be there and "will take guests on an in-depth tour of the never-built themed expansion for Disneyland through rarely seen concept artwork and models that he worked on during his time at Walt Disney Imagineering, including Discovery Bay." Here is the full press release:

DISNEY LEGEND TONY BAXTER AND A TOMORROWLAND SNEAK PEEK ADDED TO DESTINATION D: ATTRACTION REWIND AT WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT NOVEMBER 22–23 !

GUESTS WILL ENJOY A BEHIND-THE-SCENES LOOK AT DISNEY’S UPCOMING FILM TOMORROWLAND, A DIVE INTO THE NEVER-BUILT DISCOVERY BAY EXPANSION AT DISNEYLAND, AND MUCH MORE DURING THE TWO-DAY MEMBER EVENT.

Exclusive event-themed merchandise and new panels are revealed.

 BURBANK, Calif. – September 4, 2014 – D23: The Official Disney Fan Club has unveiled more of the experiences in store for members at what is sure to be the can’t-miss Disney event of the year—D23 Destination D: Attraction Rewind presented by H2O Plus. Taking place November 22 and 23 at Walt Disney World Resort, the event will bring Disney Legends, archivists, Imagineers, and luminaries together to celebrate fan-favorite attractions of years past, including Adventure Thru Inner Space, If You Had Wings, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, with rarely seen concept art and images, vintage video clips, and hours of revealing stories. In addition, there will be a full day of presentations showcasing Disney’s contributions to the 1964–65 New York World’s Fair.

Tomorrowland supervising art director Ramsey Avery (Star Trek Into Darkness, Minority Report) will give members a behind-the-scenes sneak peek at the making of the upcoming release from Walt Disney Pictures. Avery will detail how the production team reconstructed elements of the World’s Fair for the upcoming film, which stars George Clooney. “I had a great experience working on Tomorrowland and recreating some of the very iconic environments from the 1964 World’s Fair, especially it’s a small world, and am excited to share some of that behind-the-scenes process with Disney fans,” says Avery.

During the panel “Rediscovering Discovery Bay,” Disney Legend Tony Baxter will take guests on an in-depth tour of the never-built themed expansion for Disneyland through rarely seen concept artwork and models that he worked on during his time at Walt Disney Imagineering. Discovery Bay, as an early press release stated, was intended to “bring to life a time and place that climaxed an age of discovery and expansion.”

Additional panels have just been announced.* More information may be found at D23.com/Events.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22
·        Disney Goes to the World’s Fair: Historian Bill Cotter looks at Disney’s massive influence on the 1964–65 New York World’s Fair.
·        A World’s Fair of Disney Legends: Marty Sklar, Alice Davis, and Bob Gurr discuss their contributions to the Fair.
·        Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln: Historian Michael Kelley and Disney Legend Bob Matheison take a behind-the-scenes look at the groundbreaking attraction.
·        Ford’s Magic Skyway: Bill Cotter and Disney Legends Bob Gurr and Bill Sullivan reveal some of the secrets behind one of the Fair’s most innovative attractions.
·        Carousel of Progress: Disney Legend Marty Sklar and Imagineer Gary Landrum talk about the creation of this one-of-a-kind show.
·        it’s a small world: Disney Legend Alice Davis discusses working on the beloved attraction with her husband Marc and artist Mary Blair.
·        Lost on the Way to the World’s Fair: Walt Disney Archives Director Becky Cline reveals some of the proposed creations that didn’t make it to New York.
·        A Sneak Peek at Disney’s Tomorrowland (see above).

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23
·        Widen Your World: Tony Baxter, Imagineer Jason Grandt, and Disney Legend Charlie Ridgway revisit popular attractions from the early years of Walt Disney World.
·        Disneyland: Fond Memories of the Past: Becky Cline and historian Stacia Martin journey through some of Disneyland’s most beloved attractions of yesteryear.
·        Retro Rewind References: Imagineers Wyatt Winter and Jason Grandt reveal some of the hidden references to past attractions in today’s theme park creations.
·        Rediscovering Discovery Bay: (see above).
·        An Evolution of Make Believe Made Real: Imagineers Dave Minichiello and Pam Rawlins detail the creation of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and explore its roots, which began in 1937.
·        That Was Entertainment!: Disney Legend Ron Logan lifts the curtain on some of the most fondly remembered events and entertainment from Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

Plus, Mickey’s of Glendale, the famed Walt Disney Imagineering store, is setting up a pop-up shop, which will open Friday, November 21 and run through the weekend, offering a selection of exclusive Imagineering merchandise as well as limited-edition pins, T-shirts, and collectibles themed to the event. Mickey’s of Glendale will also carry an exclusive collection of items themed to Pleasure Island, including pins, pin sets, T-shirts, and glassware.

In addition to more than a dozen panels and presentations, the weekend will include:
·        A special weeklong exhibit designed by the Walt Disney Archives in honor of the event.
·        Pleasure Island: Rewind presented by Twinings of London, a closing-night celebration themed around the former Downtown Disney nightlife district.

The weekend event will take place in the convention center at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Tickets are currently available to all D23 Members, and D23 Gold and Silver Members receive special ticket pricing. All guests will receive a gift created just for the event.

More details about the program and tickets for D23 DESTINATION D: ATTRACTION REWIND presented by H2O Plus, as well as a special offer just for members of D23, can be found at D23.com/Events.

Thursday, September 4, 2014

New HKDL Disney Paint the Night Parade Artwork


HKDL Disney Paint the Night interactive night parade will start officially on Oct 1 and here are two artworks for the Little Mermaid and Toy Story units. They were released previously, but in smaller size so i thought you'll enjoy these new files!


Pictures: copyright Disney

Iron Man's Armor Designed Leonardo Da Vinci Style


Here is some great artwork showing what Iron Man's armor would have looked like if it had been designed by Leonardo Da Vinci. The artwork was created by comic artist Axel Medellin for CBR's The Line is Drawn art challenge and he did a great work as it looks like something Leonardo Da Vinci would have come up with!



Artwork: copyright Axel Medellin

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

" Jungle Cruise Wildlife Expeditions " Starts at Tokyo Disneyland With Stunning Night Lighting and Amazing Visuals Effects


The new "Jungle Cruise Wildlife Expeditions" has started at Tokyo Disneyland and TDL Imagineers did a fantastic job with new music, new lighting and specially new amazing visual effects inside the lost temple! Let's have a look at all this with screen captures coming from the full night ride video that you'll find at the bottom of the article! Click on each to see them in bigger size!



Departure with a Jungle Cruise skipper in a forest illuminated by hundred of lights...


Arrival at the explorers camp savaged by monkeys and gorillas...



The Lion King music is now heard when you arrive at the jungle animals scene...




The explorers always try to escape to the Rhino...


Arrival at the natives village...



The natives attack sequence...


Approaching the lost temple...



Entering inside the temple...



This is the not-to-be-missed scene in the video as it's where new visual effects awaits you as suddenly, in an explosion of lights, the murals are magically transformed by probably projection effects. I predict that U.S fans will be jealous of that scene! May be it will come to DL and WDW Jungle Cruise versions...





Magical lighting for the elephants bath sequence...




Trader Sam is always here!


End of the expedition!


Here is the day video of the new version...




And here is the night video new version, from where are coming the screen captures above.




Videos: copyright Duffy Channel and mon3channel