Saturday, November 8, 2014

Watch LIVE Disneyland Paris Christmas Season Launch, Today Sunday Nov 9 at 5 Pm !

The Christmas season starts today at Disneyland Paris and you can join in thanks to ED92 which is doing again ( after its Halloween party live last week ) a LIVE event that you can follow on your computer screen today Sunday December 9! It will start at 5 pm, Paris local time! Don't miss it!


Thursday, November 6, 2014

Is Disney Trying to Buy 2000 Acres of Land in India's Andhra Pradesh to Build There India Disneyland ?


Editing 11/10: Following the articles in the Indian press Disney released this statement: “Disney has no immediate plans to open a theme park in India. We continually look for opportunities to grow our business and while India is an attractive market, we currently have no plans for a theme park here. Disney India continues to build its brands through four core businesses, namely Media Networks (one of the largest TV networks with eight popular channels targeting kids, youth and families), Interactive (one of the leading players in the digital and games segment), Studios (one of the leading film producers and distributors in the country) and Consumer Products (one of the most prominent players in the Merchandising and Licensing industry). Our businesses are dedicated to creatively developing, marketing and distributing the best branded entertainment for Indian consumers across ages”, said a statement from the company."
So, what you will read below was probably only wishful thinking or someone trying to inflate land values by saying a big investor (Disney) is coming to town. So far we can consider that Disney have no theme park plans in India... for now.

Some big news was released today on several newspaper from India: Disney is supposedly trying to buy 2000 acres of land near Visakhapatnam, a port city in Andhra Pradesh, to build there the first Disney resort in India. What is the truth in all this, that is what we'll try to find but first here are some excerpts from different articles.

From The Hindu online article titled "India’s first Disneyland in AP likely": 

"A.P. seeks details on land and other requirements from a private investor interested in setting up Disneyland. Investors now pay five per cent of land’s market value per acre as lease rental every year. On Visakhapatnam outskirts the average rental amounts to Rs. 20 lakh per acre.

If the Andhra Pradesh government has its way, the State could become home to India’s first Disneyland.The State government has sought information on land and other requirements from a private investor who evinced interest in setting up Disneyland on the lines of the one in Paris. With talks still in initial stages, details are yet to emerge but the government is said to be actively pursuing the proposal.

A similar proposal was floated to the government of undivided Andhra Pradesh in the past without any development. If past land demands are any indication, as much as 2,000 acres may be sought. Disneyland is among the several novel initiatives AP government is planning, to tap its tourism potential. Others include water sports, theme parks, cruise tourism, spiritual tourism and beach tourism among others. Development of convention centres akin to Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), in Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Tirupati are on the anvil. The government’s tourism mission document, expected later this year, is expected to detail these initiatives. In the meantime, the AP government has received a final draft of tourism policy to regulate tourism investment."

And now, from South Report.com in an article titled "India's First Disneyland To Be Built in Vizag, Andhra Pradesh":

"Andhra Pradesh is buzzing in the Tourism Industry as the India’s first Disneyland is taking shape and is in proposal stage to be set up at Visakhapatnam (Vizag), the Financial and Tourism capital of Andhra Pradesh state.

Disneyland and Universal Studios are amongst the biggest tourism attractions around the world. They are both yet to set up their mega theme parks in India. Disney land is planning to enter India and investors choose Visakhapatnam, the beautiful beach city.

Disneyland would need almost 2000 Acres of land and govt is trying to figure out a land that best fits disney with a beach view making it one of the major tourism destinations of India.  Vizag was choose by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu as his dream financial and tourism capital, with Disney’s entry the tourism will grow multifold in already well established tourism cluster of Vizag-Araku. CM has reportedly ordered officials to offer best incentives to make sure that the Disneyland takes shape in Andhra Pradesh adding another Jewel.

Microsoft’s entry into Hyderabad facilitated by then united Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu naidu made all other leading players in IT industry to move to hyderabad with the policies and incentives offered by the govt. CM Chandrababu naidu is seen to follow the same method here to make Vizag a global tourism destination. Leading hotels around the world, many theme parks and water parks will set up their operations in Vizag once the Disney starts taking shape."



So, what can we think of all this, and will Disney build a theme park in India?  Here are the pro and the cons:

Pros:

There is no doubt that India and its 1,210,193,422 people - the second most populated country in the world - is an attractive market for Disney. Will Indians like the concept of a Disney theme park? Although India has plenty of myths, legends and gods and don't really need new ones the answer is "yes". Why? because the energetic plan of Indians  - i.e the way they think - can be playful and they will like to have fun the Disneyland way. 
Disneyland is also such an iconic figure of the Occidental world that having one on their own land is almost in itself a form of recognition of India's growing power, economically speaking. 

The location of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh might look too far from India's biggest city like New Delhi or Mumbai but not only it's the the largest city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and the third largest city on the east coast of India (after Chennai and Kolkata) but it's also a port city on the southeast coast of Bay of Bengal, often called "the Jewel of the East Coast" and "the City of Destiny", and as you can see on the picture above there is miles of beaches which makes this part of India a potential tourist destination in a near future. 

As of 2011, the population of Visakhapatnam was recorded as 2,091,811, and the city not only is one of the major cities on the east coast of India connected by NH5, a major highway and a part of the Golden Quadrilateral system of Indian highways connecting Chennai and Kolkata but also has an airport connected by daily flights with Dubai, Singapore, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kochi, Bhubaneshwar, Raipur and to Singapore. So the place in itself could be a much better location for Disney than huge cities like New Delhi or Mumbai, and probably more safe too. As if it happen a Disneyland India won't open before at least ten years from now it gives time to the place to grow up as a major tourist destination and be ready when Disney will arrive. 

Apparently Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is decided to make out of Visakhapatnam a major tourist destination, which for sure will help for the deal with Disney. That said, Disney will have the final word and may be they'll choose another location.


Click on the map to see where Visakhapatnam is located ( circled in white, on the East coast ) as well as others India major cities.

The location might seem a bit too far from the cities in India where live upper or middle class Indians, the ones who have money... but Visakhapatnam is not too far from great tech cities like Bangalore.

Although there is more than 1.2 Billion people living in India, not all of them are rich of course, and even most of them still very poor ( but wonderful people ). So, the "market" may not look developed enough ( financially speaking ) for Disney. This would be forgetting that a Disney theme park won't open there before ten years and India will be an even more powerful nation, with more potential customers for Disney.

Visakhapatnam is located on the Bay of Bengal, where potentially devastative typhoons happen regularly. But Hong Kong too has typhoons many time each year and it didn't stopped Disney to build a park there...

Is it a good idea to build a Disneyland in India? After all American and Indian traditional cultures are so far one from each other that it's almost like two different planets. But so was Japan too, and we know what happen...


In conclusion, although all this could be wishful thinking from Andhra Pradesh authorities i think we should keep an eye on what looks so far as only a rumor, as there might be something else more serious hidden behind it! And if it happen, just remember that you've read it here first, on Disney and more. As usual!


Disney Release Magical Trailer for "Into the Woods"


Disney has released a new trailer for "Into the Woods", and this one- if i cans ay - is the good one, meaning that it should awake in you the desire to see this movie, inspired by a musical with songs and music written by the great Stephen Sondheim.

"Into the Woods is a modern twist on the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales, intertwining the plots of a few choice stories and exploring the consequences of the characters’ wishes and quests. This humorous and heartfelt musical follows the classic tales of Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), Jack and the Beanstalk (Daniel Huttlestone), and Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy)—all tied together by an original story involving a baker and his wife (James Corden & Emily Blunt), their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the witch (Meryl Streep) who has put a curse on them."

The film was directed by Rob Marshall and features Meryl Streep as The Witch, James Corden as The Baker, Emily Blunt as The Baker’s Wife, Johnny Depp as The Wolf, Anna Kendrick as Cinderella, Chris Pine as Cinderella’s Prince, Billy Magnussen as Rapunzel’s Prince, Mackenzie Mauzy as Rapunzel, Lucy Punch as Lucinda, Tammy Blanchard as Florinda, Christine Baranskias Cinderella’s Stepmother, Tracey Ullman as Jack’s Mother, Lilla Crawford as Little Red Riding Hood, and Daniel Huttlestone as Jack.

The movie is released in the U.S theaters on December 25th and you can also see ten new posters - one for each character - on D&M Facebook page HERE.




Picture and video: copyright Disney

New Artwork for London Paramount Park Project !

We've got two new renderings plus the park logo for the always going on London Paramount project: "London Resort Company Holdings (LRCH) is bringing forward plans for London Paramount, a world-class entertainment resort on the Swanscombe Peninsula.
The resort will include an entertainment street, water park, theme park, events space, sporting facilities, creative space, service buildings and staff training academy, as well as approximately 5,000 hotel rooms alongside a wealth of improvements to the transport infrastructure including a monorail linking Ebbsfleet International Station with the resort."
Above: London Paramount park entrance.
From kentnews.co: "Further details on the £2billion London Paramount park in north Kent have been unveiled ahead of the first round of public consultations on the ambitious project.
And one of the senior executives behind the scheme say the meetings will bring “some of the fizz” for what it intends will ultimately become Europe’s best entertainment destination.
The project, which has a licence to use well known branding from movies emerging from the Paramount studios in the US, is promising to create 27,000 local jobs - some 17,000 directly - in a major development to be build on the site of a former cement works on the Swanscombe Peninsula, close to Ebbsfleet.
Comprising a major theme park, entertainment complex and 5,000 hotel rooms, plus exhibition arenas, the project will rival Disneyland Paris in terms of size and number of visitors.
And in the coming weeks, the public will get the chance to finally get a peek at some of the plans.
The working logo has also been unveiled this week (pictured).
Above: what looks to be the "Tomorrowland" section fo the park, with Star Trek attractions.

Initial public meetings earlier this year - designed to identify how local residents wanted to be consulted going forward, attracted more than 2,000 visitors.
Now a series of events are going to take place as pace picks up ahead of submission of a planning application next August.
If all goes to plan, the park should be open by Easter 2020 - slightly later than originally planned, but in order to ensure the planning process has sufficient time to meet required guidelines.
It was the first project to be designated a ‘Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project’ by the Government, which means the decision over its progress is made directly by the secretary of state rather than through traditional local channels.
However, the company behind London Paramount - London Resort Company Holdings - says this means it has to have an even more thorough consultation process and needs those living near the site to engage in the process."

Above, the land on which the Paramount Resort and Park is envisioned to be built.

Pictures: copyright London resort company Holdings, Paramount Parks

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Watch How Disneyland Paris Frontierland Rivers of the Far West Geysers Looked 17 Years Ago... and How They Should Look Now if DLP Had Done the Right Maintenance


As you know, here on Disney and more we do our best to alert Disneyland Paris fans on the terrible condition of Frontierland Geysers, the main show element of the Rivers of the Far West, in the hope that the park will finally do the right thing. The geysers are not working since so many years that some of you probably have never seen them in action or don’t remember anymore how the geysers « show » looked in the early years of the park. 

Thanks to some 1997 footage you will see on this 2 minutes only video how the geysers of Disneyland Paris Frontierland Rivers of the Far West looked at that time and SHOULD look right now if the park had done the maintenance job correctly. Instead, the geysers are not working anymore since years and guests sailing on the Molly Brown can see them in the worst possible condition, a real embarrassing shame for the park. Ask DLP to restore the geysers of Rivers of the Far West!

The video sequence is coming from a wonderful Christmas 1997 one hour home movie posted by Kris Van de Sande that i strongly suggest you to watch HERE as it shows the entire park, back almost 20 years ago.

Here is the short video, please watch it full screen!


Watch Marvel Studios Full ABC Documentary "Marvel: 75 Years, From Pulp to Pop!" On Line !

       


ABC aired the Marvel Studios' documentary Marvel: 75 Years, From Pulp to Pop! and i'm pleased to let you know that the full documentary is now available to watch online, thanks to ABC. The documentary gives fans a little history on the comic book company, taking us through how it was started, the challenges it has had over the years, and where it is going:

"The special takes a look at Marvel’s roots, beginning in 1939 as Timely Comics with Martin Goodman and Stan Lee emerging as key figures in Marvel’s history in the 1940s along with the creation of Captain America, the impact of World War II and the decline of super hero stories and the subsequent downfall of the comic book industry in the 1950s. After a decade of decline, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the modern super hero team in 1961 with the Fantastic Four, helping to bring back superhero stories and ushering in “The Marvel Age,” which saw the creation of the Hulk,Iron Man, The X-Men and Spider-Man. A shift in the character paradigm in the 1970s also brought culturally relevant characters such as the Black Panther, Falcon, Black Widow, Luke Cage and Ms. Marvel to the forefront . But the mid-1990s were not so kind to Marvel as the company fell into bankruptcy. However, a new batch of creative visionaries brought about a modern day renaissance, revitalizing publishing. Soon after Marvel saw its characters and stories take over the silver screen, and Marvel Studios was born, leading into today’s successes on the big screen and television."

 Jump HERE to see the full Marvel documentary and below is a sneak peek that include the Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man!




Also,  Marvel revealed the International release dates for Marvel Movies Phase 3! And, guess what, those of us who are living in international territories, outside U.S, will be in luck because we'll get to see all the upcoming Phase 3 Marvel movies before they do in the United States! The main reason is because international audiences are much bigger than the US, and of course International box office money is important to Marvel and Disney.

Captain America: Civil War - April 29, 2016 in some territories (May 6, 2016 in the U.S)

Doctor Strange - October 26, 2016 (November 4, 2016)
Guardians of the Galaxy 2 - April 28, 2017 (May 5, 2017)
Thor: Ragnarok – July 28, 2017 international and U.S
Black Panther - October 27, 2017 (November 2, 2017)
Avengers: Infinity War Part I - April 27, 2018 (May 4, 2018)
Captain Marvel – July 6, 2018 both
Inhumans - October 26, 2018 (November 2, 2018)
Avengers: Infinity War Part II - April 26, 2019 (May 3, 2019)


Picture and video: copyright Marvel

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Shanghaî Disneyland Enchanted Storybook Castle Digital Artwork


Some months ago a digital brochure presentation for the AIA TAP BIM awards leaked with dozens of digital renderings of Shanghaî Disneyland Enchanted Storybook Castle, as they call it. You've seen some of the pics on the web and, surprisingly, i hadn't posted any pics from it. Above and below you'll find four of them showing of course SDL castle, in the bigger size available yet, but there is many more that i've posted on the D&M Facebook page on which you can have a direct access HERE. 

Talking about the D&M Facebook page and the SDL castle, once on Facebook HERE , scroll down to don't miss others pictures showing a part of the castle built in a huge mock-up, and more.







Pictures: copyright Disney - Shendi

Monday, November 3, 2014

Disneyland Paris Book Special Christmas Offer Starts Today , And At The Best Price Ever !


I know a lot of you were waiting for it, so here it is, the special Christmas offer on the Disneyland Paris book "From Sketch to Reality" , at the best price ever! You won't find a better Christmas gift for a Disney theme parks fan than the DLP book ( really! ) BUT if you definitely need the book to arrive for Christmas day please read with attention the lines below as, considering the shipping time, there is a deadline to place your order depending if you live in france or in the rest of the world!!!

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 €. 

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: Prices of this Christmas special offer are valid from November 1st to January 5th BUT ANY ORDER THAT YOU NEED TO GET FOR CHRISTMAS DAY SHOULD BE DONE - AND PAID - NO LATER THAN DECEMBER 5th FOR A SHIPPING ADDRESS OUTSIDE OF FRANCE. IF THE SHIPPING ADRESS IS IN FRANCE THE LAST DAY TO PLACE YOUR ORDER TO MAKE SURE YOU'll GET IT FOR CHRISTMAS IS DEC 15. 


IF YOU DON'T NEED THE BOOK SPECIALLY FOR CHRISTMAS, THEN FEEL FREE TO PLACE YOUR ORDER UNTIL JANUARY 5TH. ALSO NOTE THAT  NO SHIPPING WILL BE DONE BETWEEN December 18 AND January 5. In other words, if you really need to get the book for Christmas because it's for a gift, place your order as soon as possible, do not wait until the last moment because your order and the payment must be received no later than December 5 ( foreign orders ) or December 15 ( french orders ). 

ALSO, Those who choose the autographed version please don't forget to mention in your email at what name the dedication must be done! 

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!

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 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

Below you'll find a description of the book as well as visuals of the inside pages ( click on the mosaic pictures to see them in larger scale ).

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.

Alain Littaye



Description of the book:



The book is a gorgeous "coffee table book" with 320 pages and 750 pictures - of which 500 are park and attractions photos and 250 are Walt Disney Imagineering renderings!

The size is 9 x 12 inches, all pages are in color and it's hardbound with a glossy dust jacket. The text (by Disney historian Didier Ghez), was written after more than 75 interviews he conducted with all the Imagineers who created the park. He goes into just about everything you wanted to know about this unique place that many describe as the best "Magic Kingdom" ever created by WDI.

It took five years to create the book, but it was worth all the time we spent on it, and the book looks just as good as we had hoped for at the beginning - in fact Imagineer Bruce Gordon told us that it was "probably the best book ever done on a Disney theme park". Coming from Bruce who did with David Mumford the great "Disneyland, The Nickel Tour" book, it was more than a compliment.

The first chapter about Main Street has 52 pages and introduces the reader to the "legend" of Main Street, USA. You'll learn all about the Disneyland Paris Railroad, the unique "Discovery" and "Liberty" Arcades; find out about the architecture, the restaurants (like "Walt's," a tribute to Walt Disney, but also inspired by Club 33 in Anaheim) and the shops; with dozens of photos, renderings, models, and reproduced for the first time here, all the "cities of the future" posters located in "Discovery Arcade."



The second chapter on Frontierland discusses the park's western side with extensive sections about its major attractions, "Big Thunder Mountain" and "Phantom Manor." In fact the book has the longest sections ever put together in a book on all the major attractions. The Pirates of Caribbean section in the Adventureland chapter is 26 pages, Phantom Manor has 16 pages devoted to it, as does Space Mountain, it's a small world, etc. The photo material was so great that we kept adding more pages to the book, which was supposed to have only 240 pages when we started... we ended up with 320 upon completion!



The Frontierland chapter also covers the Mark Twain, the River Rogue Keelboats, Fort Comstock, all the restaurants, the shops and Cottonwood Creek Ranch.and featuring stunning photos of Disneyland Paris from the air by Yann Arthus Bertrand, author of The Earth from Above that make spectacular "double-pages," and allow the reader to discover the park from a whole different angle.



The Adventureland chapter is even more interesting, as many elements of the land exist only in Paris - such as the Bazaar and Aladdin to Africa and the ex-"Explorer's Club." Plus there's a long section about "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril," "Adventure Isle" and "The Swiss Robinson Treehouse" and, of course, "Pirates of Caribbean" the land's major attraction and featuring its amazing Audio-Animatronics! All in all there are 56 full pages about Adventureland, and as in the previous chapters, there are dozens of photos, lots of concept art, and many shots of Imagineers at work. There's even a great bonus here, with the Marc Davis artwork for "Pirates" also included.



56 full pages are also dedicated to Fantasyland. There's an extensive look at Sleeping Beauty Castle, sections on all the dark rides (Snow White, Peter Pan and Pinocchio), as well as a look at "Alice's Curious Labyrinth," the "Mad Hatter's Tea Cups," "Storybookland," and "Casey Jr." There are even 14 pages about "it's a small world" with stunning photos of nearly all the scenes in it. Here the reader can discover a new attraction that exists only at Disneyland Paris, with a great view from above of Alice's Labyrinth.

Discoveryland also gets 52 pages of special treatment, with sections on the Visionarium, the Nautilus, Star Tours, Space Mountain, and everything you wanted to know about the other attractions in this land – Autopia and Orbitron. In fact the Nautilus chapter takes you on a visit with photos of every room of this detailed walk-through and two double page photo spreads, one which makes you feel you're inside Captain Nemo's grand salon, and the other showing you a unique view of Discoveyland featuring the Nautilus and Space Mountain in a kind of "CinemaScope" view.



When the book was released in early 2002, the Walt Disney Studios didn't exist, so you won't see them in the book. But there's still one last chapter about the hotels of the park, and Disney Village too, with the great Buffalo Bill Wild West show that entertains hundreds each evening.

And because every day in a Magic Kingdom should end with a parade and fireworks, we have the Main Street Electrical Parade that close the book, with also an Herb Ryman gorgeous painting in the very last pages!



Order the book directly from this page and proceed to the payment with Paypal by clicking on the "Buy it Now" Paypal button below! Don't forget to let us know your shipping address and to confirm your order and payment by sending us an email at: neverlandeditions@gmail.com

NEW! : You can now pay for the book directly with your credit card through Paypal EVEN if you don't have a Paypal account! All you need to do is to send me an email with your order ( at: neverlandeditions@gmail.com ) and i will ask Paypal to send you a payment request. You will receive an email from Paypal and by clicking on the link you'll be able to pay with your credit card on the Paypal website with no need to open a Paypal account if you don't have one!



Disneyland Paris From Sketch to Reality

Pictures: copyright Disney

Video: copyright Alain Littaye 2012

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Catches Fire at Walt Disney World !


Seven Dwarfs Mine Train catches fire at Walt Disney World !!!... but thanks God, no injuries.
From the Huffington Post : "A small portion of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train attraction at Walt Disney World caught fire on Saturday night, according to multiple reports. The fire was first reported on social media around 10:20 p.m.
Reedy Creek Fire Department responded and extinguished the fire within minutes, according to eyewitnesses. An aerial ladder was used to put out the fire. As of 11 p.m., multiple eyewitnesses said the fire was out.
Reedy Creek fire officials told WKMG the fire may have started when fallout fireworks landed on top of the attraction and ignited decorative materials on the outside of the structure. Fire officials said the fire was difficult to access due to its location.
The fire occurred during regular park hours. Park guests riding the attraction were evacuated from the ride shortly after the fire ignited. No injuries or major damage was reported to the structure."