Brushing Out the Cobwebs

If you have checked the blog recently, you may have noticed a few new things. I felt is was time to mix it up a little and change some things around. First of all, I updated the blog's format to a layout called "Script." The dark theme was nice, but in the spirit of the New Year, I decided it was time to mix things up. I also have updated my RDQ (for Random Disney Quote), as well as added two new polls to the sidebar, now conveniently located on the other side of the page. I have set an email address, to be used exclusively for this blog. I can now be reached by leaving a comment or, for something more private, email me at disneyrikua@gmail.com. In addition, I have set up a Picasa Web albums account for the blog which can be found at http://picasaweb.google.com/DisneyRikua. I will be updating this regularly, so check back often, or even subscribe to the RSS feed in a feed program or online service. I use Bloglines personally, but there are many to choose from. That is about it for what I have accomplished at the moment. I will be trying to add more items over the next month or so. My next post will after I return from Disneyland, but feel free to leave a comment telling what you like, don't like, etc. and I'll try to use all the feedback I get. So long, folks!

Merry Christmas and a Happy Bah Humbug

Happy Holidays to all of my readers out there! Hope everyone is enjoyed a nice break from work or school and spending some time with the family. However, recent Disney news isn't so bright. After a few rumors, Disney has officially announced it will be cutting a number of entertainment in the new year at the Disneyland resort.

To start off, the Royal Coronation Ceremony and Disney Princess Storytelling will be performing for the last time on Sunday, January 4th. The meet and greet area, as well as the snack bar and retail/makeover areas will remain open for now. No word if anything new will come to the theater, but my favorite rumor for this area is to enclose it and install Mickey's Philharmagic, from the east coast Magic Kingdom. The "Remember, Dreams Come True" fireworks show will appear on January 17-19th and February 13th-16th for Martin Luther King Jr. and President's Day weekends, respectively. Fantasmic, however, will continue to run most days until the fireworks return in March. Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams will not return as well, but will be replaced in March by Celebrate! A Street Parade, set to debut on the 27th.

Moving along to California Adventure, Disney's Electrical Parade will not return until June 12th after the Holidays. Pixar Play Parade will not perform on Mondays and Tuesdays, High School Musical 3: Right Here! Right Now! will be dark on Fridays through Sundays, and Disney’s Aladdin - A Musical Spectacular will be dark on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Thanks to Disneyland News Today for this information.

That's about it for news as of right now. Disney has declined doing a third Narnia movie with Walden Media, who will likely find a new partner, and Tron 2.0, or TR2N has recently started casting and will be shot entirely in 3D with lots of real world sets. A trailer came out at Comic Con, and I will be posting that below. It's a little hard to see, but this looks very exciting. Can't wait to see what they do with this.

Other than that, I am heading to Disneyland from January 17th-21st, so I WILL be doing a report on the going-ons around Disneyland when I get back. I'm going to make myself do it because I didn't last time. As always, feel free to comment, especially with Disney-related quotes. So long, folks!

*Note: Sorry to those who are offended by the title of this post, but I thought it was appropriate.

Quick Tidbits

Hey everyone!

Sorry for the lack of posts in recent months, but It looks like I may have just a little bit more time to post in coming months, but we'll have to see. Certainly, if I can't get around to it, you aren't going to be hearing any more lame excuses from me. Moving on, I want to say I have updated our quote, feel free to check that out if you haven't already and help me out by sending in your favorite Disney Quote!

A quick park update here: Over at the original Magic Kingdom in Anaheim, both "it's a small world holiday" and the Sleeping Beauty Walkthrough have reopened over Thanksgiving week. "it's a small world holiday" is, from what I hear, about the same as it has been in years past, except for a shortened scene or two, possibly the Rainforest one. As of right now, no new Disney characters have been added and the American Scene is covered up until the unveiling of the ride after the holiday Season. The Sleeping Beauty Walkthrough has also reopened recently, and you should check out this report HERE if you want to see what it looks like. I think it was great for the Imagineers to bring back this classic for the anniversary of the movie. I also like the animated style of the new attraction more then the old Emporium style it had. If you have a chance to see it your yourself, please leave a comment and tell us what you think.

Moving to the east coast for a quick rumor, WDW News Today reports,
"It was made official on the Walt Disney World website that the Studio Backlot Tour at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be closed for a refurbishment from January 4th through February 28th, 2009. It is rumored that during this time they will be testing and installing an automated spiel to replace the Cast Members who actually narrate the attraction for guests and have been doing so since the tour opened back in 1989. This would not be a far cry from the changes that took place sometime ago over at Living with the Land, where the Cast Member guides were also replaced with an automated spiel. This would certainly mean a much smaller number of cast members would be staffing the attraction, and can certainly be looked at as a cost-cutting measure."

No idea if this is going to happen or not, but I feel it would be really sad. One of the reasons people go back to narrated attractions like that, other than just to ride them, is because the personal touch that makes every ride different. You may be seeing the same thing as before, but you;re getting told something completely different. It would be a real shame if Disney wont through with this.

On a different note, I saw Bolt this past week, I thought it was really good. It was apparently popular, because it was put on the biggest screen at the theater we saw it at, but there was hardly anyone there! If you haven't seen it, GO SEE IT. NOW. Some parts were predictable cliches, but it is certainly not just a kids movie. It doesn't matter if you have lost all sorts of faith in Disney movies, go see it because it was practically a Pixar movie. Of course, that's just my opinion, but any movie that can get people coming back again and again to see it when the economy is this bad has to be good.

On the personal side of things, I participated in a book blog Christmas swap this year. I don't know if it is open to all bloggers, but they let me in, so maybe you don't actually have to have a book blog, but a love of reading would probably a good thing to have. Anyway, I got my present recently and, not knowing what it was, opened it. My person sent me The Disneyland Encyclopedia by Chris Strodder, and I have barely put it down since I got it. It is a great informational read on all things Disneyland past and present, and occasionally a rumor of things to come as well. Already, I have learned so much from my book, including finding out more about things I remember as a kid, but have gone away. Anyway, if you are reading this Kim, thank you very much, I cherish your gift.

Well that's all for now, but I hope to be back soon. No promises now! And as always, feel free to leave any sort of comment or question, and I'll try to mention you in my next post. Until next time!

Updates on Life

Let's see, I haven't blogged in what, over a month? I'm really sorry folks, but my life has been one heck of a whirlwind since the last update. Let me fill you in on what's been going on.

So I mentioned in my last post that I would be up in Idaho far a week. Well, after that I came home and immediately started band camp. I could have blogged after that, but I was too exhausted to try and catch up on Disney news after a day's work. Well band camp lasted a week and two days, and I had one day to then catch my breath before going off on a three-day camping trip. After that, my time was devoted to finishing my summer homework before a one-week trip to Disneyland! Upon retuning from that trip, I started school and have survived one week of it so far. At this point, I still have not caught up on my Disney news yet, so I hope to do that and then post something else this weekend, like maybe a Trip report from Disneyland. Other than that, I most just wanted to let all you guys out there know what I've been up to this past month.

I might mention that my sister has ended her internship at Walt Disney World, and is currently home before returning to college. She has me hooked on a TV series called Firefly currently. If you haven't heard of it, don't worry because it was cancelled after one season. It's a very funny and cool series, and about the best way to describe it is a Sci-fi Western. I know that sounds like the most oxymoronic thing you have ever heard, but if you watch it, you'll realize that that is the best way to describe it. It definitely has a Star Wars influence, and was written and directed by the writer of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. I recommend you go to Netflix or whatever and rent it.

Well, I guess that's all for now. I will try to post another thing this weekend, and after that, I'll try to post every weekend, or whenever I get the time. See ya all later!

Quick Disneyland Update

I just love how reality likes to play tricks on you, making you think you have all the time in the world to do something, and yet you can never find the time to do it. Anyway, I'm leaving to visit Idaho tomorrow (Monday) and I might or might not have internet while I'm away. If I happen to be able to get online, I will try to post, but no promises. I will be back around Saturday, but my time will be a bit restricted because of band camp after that. It's looking that I might just make this a weekly blog, and try to post something every weekend, but we'll just have to see. I may end up having more time to post than I think I will. Getting to the topic of this blog, I decided to post a few quick updates on the happenings at the Disneyland Resort.

Our first topic will be an update of an earlier post. You may remember the post I did a little bit ago about the possible return of the Sleeping Beauty Walkthrough Attraction. Well, that little rumor has been officially confirmed by the Disney Company! This past Thursday, July 17th, 2008 was Disneyland's 53rd birthday. In a press conference on that day, Disney confirmed the return of the walk through and gave us a few details. The new attraction will deviate from the 1980s and 90s attraction and return to the original style of the attraction when it first opened. The scenes will be made to reflect the movie's events and will use new lighting and special effects to illustrate the magic of the evil Maleficent and the good magic of Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather. The new attraction will also have a new opportunity for wheelchaired guests; a virtual tour from the ground floor. This will be located where the gift shop is now, which will be closed for this experience. This virtual tour thing is the same thing that Disney designed for the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage attraction. As I am not disabled, I have not seen this and I have nothing to really say, except that it is nice of Disney to be more mindful of the variety of guests they get at the parks, disabled or not.

In other news, the new Mark VII have now been taking guests. The new monorails arrived in 2007, right before Christmas, and were planned to debut early the next year. Late night guests could watch the new monorail circle the Highway in the Sky after hours, but no sign of the monorail appeared the next year. The monorails finally started running during park hours in late spring, and ran without guests for many months. The monorails encountered a multitude of problems, including a soaring internal temperature in the middle cars that ran without AC, a chassis so bulky it barely fit on the beam and couldn't fit in the station, and heavy cars that didn't allow for AC to be installed. The station corners were cut off to allow room for the monorail to fit, but there were other problems that couldn't be fixed that easily. The new windows of the monorail were designed like a minivan's side windows; a big sheet of glass that could be pushed open at the bottom to allow for a few inches of opening. This did little to cool off the middle cars of the train. When summer came, the glue holding the windows in place began to fail, requiring the windows to be bolted into place. New air scoops were installed on the monorail's roof to scoop air into the train as it moves. The Monorail finally took it's first guests on July 3rd of this year, with strict limitations. Only 15 guests were let in each car, 7 away from it's 22-guest capacity, and the monorail was to be taken off the rails if the temperature outside rose above 80 degrees. As soon as some people found out, they flocked to the park only to be turned away. The monorail ran off and on for a few weeks, only to settle into somewhat of a schedule. The monorail usually runs in the mornings and evenings, but can go days without appearing at all. If you really want to ride the new monorail, I would suggest planning to go for a few days and check both in the mornings and later in the evening. We'll see if restrictions will be lifted in the near future.

A newer, softer side of Indy is set to debut in the parks. In the new Secrets of the Stone Tiger show, a small fight scene occurs between Indy and his female costar. Fake contacts are thrown out left and right, but a few real contacts were written into the show. The crowd cheers for the female when she hits Indy in the groin, but boos when Indy hits her back. Disney has opted to change the fight routine to include less hitting and more "pushing and shoving" from the feedback they received. I haven't seen the show live, though in the video I saw, as soon as I saw one fake punch, I assumed they were all fake and just looked at how convincing they were. These real contacts might be more noticeable in person, but I certainly didn't notice them in the video. I'm not so sure when these changes to the show will occur, but it sounds like they are changing the show right away.

Our final piece of news for Disneyland is on the opening of the Innoventions Dream Home. The house opened on June 16th, one day before the opening of Toy Story Midway Mania. However, the home was less than ready to open, and many guests encountered a sign that read something along the lines of "The Elias family is still moving into their new dream home. Please visit our exhibits upstairs". When the dream home was open, and touch screen s throughout the house ran Windows Vista and were not usually working. The five previous little shows that guests encounter on the outside of the first floor were torn down and redesigned. Currently only one exhibit is running, a game show without any prizes. Disney said that they are debuting two more games this fall, with two more coming next year. The Dream Home is finally running regularly, though some of the technology can still fail at times. Disney Imagineers has said that the Dream Home is not a new House of the Future, but instead a showcase of current technology that people can go out and buy these days, though many people online are commenting that the theme of the attraction is those digital picture frames. There is also a rumor going around that the dream home is very temporary, and that in about five years when sponsor contracts run out, Innoventions will be finally moving out of Tommorowland and the real estate it occupies will be used to build a new E-Ticket. If this is true, I am both sad and overjoyed. I enjoy Innoventions, and love to go in and explore for a bit on each trip. However, I would be glad for a new E-ticket attractions too. My concern is if the area of land occupied by Innoventions is big enough for an E-ticket. I would like to see America Sings come back, though that is unlikely to happen.

A quick bit of news from across the esplanade, the Sun Wheel is set to close in September for it to be transformed into Mickey's Fun Wheel. The concrete queue will be ditched for a Victorian style entrance, and the sun will be removed to place a giant Mickey Head in it's place while adding thousands of new LED lights for nighttime effects and a fresh coat of paint. It seems that costs have not delayed the project too much, and we will likely see the closure of the Maliboomer in upcoming months. It seems that there still is no replacement for the Maliboomer, though the area might be incorporated into the planned beer garden.

Over in WDW, the Hollywood Studios version for Fantasmic! has been limited to just two shows a week for 2009. IT is unknown at this point how long this will last of if the limitations will make their way across the states here to Disneyland. Very little is know as to why the shows were limited, but it seems that Disney is expecting other entertainment to bring in guests to the park, such as the new High School Musical 3 Pep Rally.

And that's all for today! I will probably post a bunch of pictures to go with this article in the upcoming week, or next Sunday at the latest. See ya real soon!