Well, we are in the middle of Comic Con 2010, and I'd thought I would share with you a few tidbits that have gone on. Longer Comic Con articles will be posted depending on when they become avaliable on YouTube.
First, I'm sure you've all heasrd the buzz on the new Haunted Mansion Movie. Guillermo del Toro announced plans to reboot The Haunted Mansion film, sans Eddie Murphy. This time, the movie will be much scary, and will not be a comedy. For more info, click here!
Fans were also treated to a teaser trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. I know I speak for many when I say welcome back, Capitain Jack!!
For more complete Comic Con coverage, visit EW.com's special page for everything Comic Con!
Showing posts with label The Haunted Mansion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Haunted Mansion. Show all posts
Monday, July 26, 2010
Monday, September 21, 2009
Disneyland: One Man's Dream- Various Controversies over in Disneyland
Recently, whether it was do towards the emergence of Disney fan boards or radical Disney "Purists" there have been outcries for some things happening at Disneyland. This most notably can be found in the enhances at various rides throughout the park that have been labled to be "controversial". Are they? Have they done any damage? Well, let's take a look and see!
First, let's start with it's a small world. At various times during the attraction's history, the facade was painted different colors. It went from white and gold to shades of blue to a bright multi-color pattern and finally back to white and gold.
In 1997, it's a small world holiday debuted. The ride was decorated with Christmas decorations inside and outside, with a fantastic array of lights on the exterior. The "children" also add "Jingle Bells" and "Deck the Halls" to their repitore. This has been more popular then the original ride that it has been coming back year after year. For many, it's the only time they ride the ride.
The real controversial additions came in 2009, when Disney characters were added. For all of 2008, it's a small world was shut while the flumes were replaced. Contrary to what Al Lutz may have said, they were not replaced due to overweight guests (like he should talk... sorry for that;). The flumes needed replacement after years of wear and tear. In conjunction with this, Disneyland took a page out of Hong Kong Disneyland's book and added in a few Disney characters in their respective countries (Snow White in Germany, Pinnochio in Italy, etc.). The rainforest scene was also to be relocated to allow for a scene detecated to America. This caused some people to go up in arms, and some people still hate this today. Why? Well, it's supposedly ruins the "theme" of the ride. Um... it still shows how people from all over the world are connected, and what better way for kids to understand this then to see thier favorite Disney charatcers (who are hardly noticable) to help them understand. It actually looks as if the dolls are dressed in Alice or Cinderella's clothing.
Haunted Mansion did a few changes in recent years as well. In 2001, Haunted Mansion Holiday opened. The change over was orgiginally going to be about A Christmas Carlol, but was not fesible. So they looked for another character to celebrate Christmas in the Mansion, and The Nightmare Before Christmas' Jack Skellington won that. So every year around Halloween, the ride is decorated and new characters are added. It is so popular, that Fastpass is utilized during this time.
Another changeover happened in the Attic. In 2006, after a refurbihment, a new scene was added in the attic. The old bride was taken out, and the widow Constance Hatchaway was put in. Her story is a simple, but gruesome tale: Constance married rich men for their money, then killd them and got their money. This is a far cry from the original story, where the bride was murdered by Captain Gore who was actually a Pirate.
In 2001, The Country Bear Jamboree closed after 30 years of being in the park due to low popularity. It was going to be replaced by a new darkride, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. When the latter attraction opened up in 2003, it was critized for being cheap. But to this day kids really love it. Not to mention the outdoor theme area is a really great atmosphere to start the ride, better then the attractions in Fanatsyland.
Pirates of the Caribbean has gone through a few modifications due to politcal correctness in the past. The women now chase the pirates with brooms, the "pooped pirate" who was holding underweard while looking for a lady, and a few other scenes were deleated and/or changed. But that's small compared to what was instore for the boat ride. With the success of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Disney was going to make 2 more sequels. And they also decided to add some aspects from the movie into the classic attraction that inspired the movie. And when I mean "aspects", I mean the "c" word that Purists hate to hear... gulp... characters.
Pirates was closed for a few months. The infamous Cursed Aztec Gold was added to the grotto scene and so was an impressive projection of the ghostly Dvay Jones in a waterfall. Barbossa now helmed the Wicked Wench, and was attacking the port. And of course, Captain Jack Sparrow made several appearances in the ride, first hiding behind a maniquin, then hiding in a barrel, then celebrating at the end with his treasure.
Some people saw this revamp as trashing the original ride. Others saw it as making the story odd. But most people, including myself, saw it as a great improvement to an already flawless ride. Will it remain? Only time will tell...
So, what do you think?
First, let's start with it's a small world. At various times during the attraction's history, the facade was painted different colors. It went from white and gold to shades of blue to a bright multi-color pattern and finally back to white and gold.
In 1997, it's a small world holiday debuted. The ride was decorated with Christmas decorations inside and outside, with a fantastic array of lights on the exterior. The "children" also add "Jingle Bells" and "Deck the Halls" to their repitore. This has been more popular then the original ride that it has been coming back year after year. For many, it's the only time they ride the ride.
The real controversial additions came in 2009, when Disney characters were added. For all of 2008, it's a small world was shut while the flumes were replaced. Contrary to what Al Lutz may have said, they were not replaced due to overweight guests (like he should talk... sorry for that;). The flumes needed replacement after years of wear and tear. In conjunction with this, Disneyland took a page out of Hong Kong Disneyland's book and added in a few Disney characters in their respective countries (Snow White in Germany, Pinnochio in Italy, etc.). The rainforest scene was also to be relocated to allow for a scene detecated to America. This caused some people to go up in arms, and some people still hate this today. Why? Well, it's supposedly ruins the "theme" of the ride. Um... it still shows how people from all over the world are connected, and what better way for kids to understand this then to see thier favorite Disney charatcers (who are hardly noticable) to help them understand. It actually looks as if the dolls are dressed in Alice or Cinderella's clothing.
Haunted Mansion did a few changes in recent years as well. In 2001, Haunted Mansion Holiday opened. The change over was orgiginally going to be about A Christmas Carlol, but was not fesible. So they looked for another character to celebrate Christmas in the Mansion, and The Nightmare Before Christmas' Jack Skellington won that. So every year around Halloween, the ride is decorated and new characters are added. It is so popular, that Fastpass is utilized during this time.
Another changeover happened in the Attic. In 2006, after a refurbihment, a new scene was added in the attic. The old bride was taken out, and the widow Constance Hatchaway was put in. Her story is a simple, but gruesome tale: Constance married rich men for their money, then killd them and got their money. This is a far cry from the original story, where the bride was murdered by Captain Gore who was actually a Pirate.
In 2001, The Country Bear Jamboree closed after 30 years of being in the park due to low popularity. It was going to be replaced by a new darkride, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. When the latter attraction opened up in 2003, it was critized for being cheap. But to this day kids really love it. Not to mention the outdoor theme area is a really great atmosphere to start the ride, better then the attractions in Fanatsyland.
Pirates of the Caribbean has gone through a few modifications due to politcal correctness in the past. The women now chase the pirates with brooms, the "pooped pirate" who was holding underweard while looking for a lady, and a few other scenes were deleated and/or changed. But that's small compared to what was instore for the boat ride. With the success of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Disney was going to make 2 more sequels. And they also decided to add some aspects from the movie into the classic attraction that inspired the movie. And when I mean "aspects", I mean the "c" word that Purists hate to hear... gulp... characters.
Pirates was closed for a few months. The infamous Cursed Aztec Gold was added to the grotto scene and so was an impressive projection of the ghostly Dvay Jones in a waterfall. Barbossa now helmed the Wicked Wench, and was attacking the port. And of course, Captain Jack Sparrow made several appearances in the ride, first hiding behind a maniquin, then hiding in a barrel, then celebrating at the end with his treasure.
Some people saw this revamp as trashing the original ride. Others saw it as making the story odd. But most people, including myself, saw it as a great improvement to an already flawless ride. Will it remain? Only time will tell...
So, what do you think?
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Disneyland: One Man's Dream- The New Orleans Square Story
In the 10th Anniversary show, we were given sneak peeks at New Orleans Square, which was the first new land to be added to Disneyland since opening day. Today, it is the home to two of the most popular Disneyland Attractions. It's also the location of one of Disney's greatest entertainment venues. And for these reasons, it remains as the favorite land for many Disneyland-goers not to mention exclusive to Disneyland, only.
But it's evolution is almost as interesting as the evolution of Disneyland itself.
First, let's take a trip to Adventureland. In 1963, Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room opened. Inside, Audio-Animatronic birds, flowers, and tiki gods entertained guests. For the time, it was very hightech. This innovation would be used highly in New Orleans Square.
Around this time, a majestic New Orleans-type house was constructed in Disneyland. This mansion had a sign on the front of it's gates- a want ad for ghosts. Little did Disneyland park-goers know what was happening inside. And Walt didn't know either.
Soon, this part of Frontierland was gutted and the railroad tracks were moved to allow for constuction of the brand new land to begin. Foundations were layed but worked stopped. This was due to the World's Fair, reported in a previous update. And for 2 years, this construction area sat empty and closed of to the public. Inquistive minds climbed the Swiss Family Treehouse to see what was going on.
!)
But really, the ideas for New Orleans Square dated back to when DIsneyland was first invisioned. Walt wanted a Haunted House, and planned one for Main Street. This idea was eventually scrapped but never totally disappeared.
The Haunted Mansion went through various stages. It was initially concieved to be a walk-through tour, but the ideas grew bigger and bigger. The Haunted Mansion would still sit dormant while Walt worked on other things, like Tomorrowland and Pirates of the Caribbean.
In the late 50s, Walt wanted to do a Pirate Wax Museum. So when he wanted to build New Orleans Square, he saw it as the perfect location for the walk-through. Construction stopped during the Worlds Fair with the rest of New Orleans Square. After the Fair Walt came bak and decided to do a pirate boat ride with Audio-Animatronic pirates wrecking havoc on a Caribbean seaport. Design started, however the ride was to big. So WED planned to have the majority of the ride outside the railroad tracks in a building. Therefore, guests would have to travel under the tracks to get to and from the showbuilding. They would do this by plunging down a waterfall, then climbing up one. Pirates would also be the home to the Blue Bayou, which would be a great restaurant in the actual pirates ride overlooking the Bayou.
While construction on Pirates of the Caribbean began, planning for the Huanted Mansion started back up. Stories included a muderous pirate who moved here, killed his bride, then hung himself. There was also talks about doing a "Museum of the Wierd". Many aspects from each story were incorperated into the mansion, where guests would tour a "retirement home" of sorts for ghosts.
New Orleans Square officialy opened on July 24, 1966. Though the 2 big rides were not opened, and neither was the Blue Bayou, people strolled through the streets and felt as though they were actually in New Orleans.
There was one last roadblock- on December 15, 1966, just a few months before Pirates opened to the public. Therefore, it was the last attraction Walt Disney exclusively worked on. Pirates would open to the Public in March of 1967, and from Day One is a hit. Not to mention my personal favorite attraction in any Disney theme park.
The Haunted Mansion would not open unti, 1969, three years after Walt Disney's death. It was the first attraction completed without the help of Walt, and helped prove to the Imagineers that Disneyland could still succede even without the man who dreamed it up. The opening of the Haunted Mansion spiked attendence incredibly high, probably because most people wanted to see what was inside it ever since they saw it 6 years ago.
Today, New Orleans Square is one of the most renowed lands in Disney theme park history. And the Dream Suite as well as Club 33 are also pretty cool, too! Both were designed to be used by Walt Disney, but after he died, the front part, which was to be Walt Disney's own apartment was office space while the back part became Club 33, an exclusive membership area for people. Later, the front area became the Disney Gallery, later to be replaced by the Dream Suite, where Walt vision of the Suite could finally be realised- special guests could stay there during th Year of A Million Dreams. (I actually had the privelege of eating in both Club 33 and staying a night in the Dream Suite. It was Fantastic!)
*Note: All concept art in this column are Copyright Disney. No copyright infringement intended.
But it's evolution is almost as interesting as the evolution of Disneyland itself.
First, let's take a trip to Adventureland. In 1963, Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room opened. Inside, Audio-Animatronic birds, flowers, and tiki gods entertained guests. For the time, it was very hightech. This innovation would be used highly in New Orleans Square.
Around this time, a majestic New Orleans-type house was constructed in Disneyland. This mansion had a sign on the front of it's gates- a want ad for ghosts. Little did Disneyland park-goers know what was happening inside. And Walt didn't know either.
Soon, this part of Frontierland was gutted and the railroad tracks were moved to allow for constuction of the brand new land to begin. Foundations were layed but worked stopped. This was due to the World's Fair, reported in a previous update. And for 2 years, this construction area sat empty and closed of to the public. Inquistive minds climbed the Swiss Family Treehouse to see what was going on.
!)
But really, the ideas for New Orleans Square dated back to when DIsneyland was first invisioned. Walt wanted a Haunted House, and planned one for Main Street. This idea was eventually scrapped but never totally disappeared.
The Haunted Mansion went through various stages. It was initially concieved to be a walk-through tour, but the ideas grew bigger and bigger. The Haunted Mansion would still sit dormant while Walt worked on other things, like Tomorrowland and Pirates of the Caribbean.
In the late 50s, Walt wanted to do a Pirate Wax Museum. So when he wanted to build New Orleans Square, he saw it as the perfect location for the walk-through. Construction stopped during the Worlds Fair with the rest of New Orleans Square. After the Fair Walt came bak and decided to do a pirate boat ride with Audio-Animatronic pirates wrecking havoc on a Caribbean seaport. Design started, however the ride was to big. So WED planned to have the majority of the ride outside the railroad tracks in a building. Therefore, guests would have to travel under the tracks to get to and from the showbuilding. They would do this by plunging down a waterfall, then climbing up one. Pirates would also be the home to the Blue Bayou, which would be a great restaurant in the actual pirates ride overlooking the Bayou.
While construction on Pirates of the Caribbean began, planning for the Huanted Mansion started back up. Stories included a muderous pirate who moved here, killed his bride, then hung himself. There was also talks about doing a "Museum of the Wierd". Many aspects from each story were incorperated into the mansion, where guests would tour a "retirement home" of sorts for ghosts.
New Orleans Square officialy opened on July 24, 1966. Though the 2 big rides were not opened, and neither was the Blue Bayou, people strolled through the streets and felt as though they were actually in New Orleans.
There was one last roadblock- on December 15, 1966, just a few months before Pirates opened to the public. Therefore, it was the last attraction Walt Disney exclusively worked on. Pirates would open to the Public in March of 1967, and from Day One is a hit. Not to mention my personal favorite attraction in any Disney theme park.
The Haunted Mansion would not open unti, 1969, three years after Walt Disney's death. It was the first attraction completed without the help of Walt, and helped prove to the Imagineers that Disneyland could still succede even without the man who dreamed it up. The opening of the Haunted Mansion spiked attendence incredibly high, probably because most people wanted to see what was inside it ever since they saw it 6 years ago.
Today, New Orleans Square is one of the most renowed lands in Disney theme park history. And the Dream Suite as well as Club 33 are also pretty cool, too! Both were designed to be used by Walt Disney, but after he died, the front part, which was to be Walt Disney's own apartment was office space while the back part became Club 33, an exclusive membership area for people. Later, the front area became the Disney Gallery, later to be replaced by the Dream Suite, where Walt vision of the Suite could finally be realised- special guests could stay there during th Year of A Million Dreams. (I actually had the privelege of eating in both Club 33 and staying a night in the Dream Suite. It was Fantastic!)
*Note: All concept art in this column are Copyright Disney. No copyright infringement intended.
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