The show boasts an astounding 1,200 active fountain cues, 280 lighting cues, and 1,600 video cues.
Like many Disney fans, we are always thrilled for any revelations about what’s coming next to Disney parks and resorts. Last week, we had the opportunity to hear more details about all the new attractions, enhancements, and happenings headed to the West Coast including Cars Land, Star Tours, and the West Coast voyages of the Disney Cruise Line (and some new details on the Disney Fantasy). Plus, we learned even more about the nighttime spectacular World of Color, which just opened at Disney California Adventure. Ready for the highlights? Here we go!
Disney or Disney’s?
A big topic on people’s minds was the park name change from Disney’s California Adventure to Disney California Adventure, which Disneyland President George Kalogridis eloquently explained to D23. “I don’t know that it’s a lot of science. In the transformation process, we believe it’s better to talk about California as more of a state of mind. So California Adventure is an ongoing adventure, and it’s presented by Disney. That’s why it’s not possessive in terms of ‘this is our interpretation of California.’ It’s more [than that]. We are presenting a story about the adventure of life in California, which is ever-evolving, as is Disneyland. Which is why Disneyland is called Disneyland, not Disney’s Land.”
World of Color
After nearly five years of planning, World of Color premiered last week. We thought we knew everything there was to know about the amazing experience, which combines water, lights, lasers, fire, music and movies to create a sensational symphony of sights and sounds. But we were wrong! Here are a few things we were excited to learn.
- Technical Producer Chuck Davis says the most challenging aspect of the show was the water. “Keeping dry stuff dry and wet stuff wet is our primary challenge of the show.”
- The show boasts an astounding 1,200 active fountain cues, 280 lighting cues, and 1,600 video cues. <br
- Wonder which characters are easier to project on water: traditional two-dimensional or computer-generated? “The Pixar characters that are rendered in computer animation, the layers are easier to manipulate,” explains Chuck.
- A significant amount of the animation in World of Color was created specifically for the show. With The Little Mermaid, the team created all new animation of Sebastian singing “Under the Sea.” And the scene from Toy Story — where Woody and Buzz butt heads for the first time — may seem familiar, “but in the movie there are more than a dozen cuts as you go from a closeup to a wide shot,” explains Roger Gould, Creative Director, Theme Parks, Pixar Animation Studios. “We wanted you to feel like you were in that moment, so we pulled the camera back and reanimated that entire moment into one shot so that Buzz and Woody are there together.”
- Rotoscoping — the process in which characters are removed from their backdrops, a technique heavily utilized in Fantasmic! — played a large part in the world of World of Color.
“We did do some new animation on the classic and we also did some digital enhancements,” says Dave Bossert, Creative Director and head of Special Projects, Walt Disney Animation Studios. “A good example of that is the Chernobog animation from the original Fantasia. We roto-ed Chernobog off his background and the top of his wings were clipped off in the movie. We extended those and finished those out.” - While they may both be nighttime extravaganzas on the water, don’t compare World of Color to Fantasmic! “They are just two different worlds,” says World of Color creator Steve Davison. “World of Color is triple the size of Fantasmic! It’s a massive show compared to Fantasmic! We both project on water, but we wanted to do different things with it — multi-plane effects. To go digital in ways that are ever-flexible. And we didn’t want any performers [in World of Color] because the minute you put any performer in that water, you have this massive surface and this tiny, little person. People have asked if Mickey was going to bring in the show and conduct and I have said, ‘You will never see Mickey.’”
- The score is enchanting — this is Steven’s second show (Magical was the first) to utilize a song from Enchanted (here it’s “So Close”). “I always love the collaboration between [composer and lyricist] Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. I think when those two get together, like they did with Pocahontas and Hunchback of Notre Dame, you get some of the best music. When I saw Enchanted, it’s some of the most delightful music they have written in a long time. I love “So Close,” and it fit perfectly into that beat of the show. When we got to the end. It was so emotional. It was a twist on the song. It’s really fun to use songs in the Disney canon that people may not have heard before.
For general information about World of Color, please call (714) 781-7290; to book a World of Color dining package, please call (714) 781-DINE.
Cars Land
Some exciting news about Cars Land — opening in 2012 — was unveiled including:
- Kathy Mangum, Executive Producer and Vice President, Walt Disney Imagineering, let us know that Cars Land architecture closely resembles that in the film on which it is based. In fact Imagineers have “laid out the street exactly the same” as in the movie, Kathy said.
- The Cozy Cones, Sally’s motel in the film, will be full-sized structures, and each will feature a unique snack shop offering tantalizing treats like “Chile Con Cone” and “Cone on the Cob.”
- Radiator Springs Racers — the land’s E-ticket attraction — will have 22 six-passenger cars on the ride system, which is reminiscent of Epcot’s Test Track. The attraction will utilize 3 million pounds of steel. Over the next 14 months the “mountain” landscape will be completed. The attraction will also offer different experiences for guests; in preparation for the day’s big race, in which all riders participate, some will receive new tires from Luigi, while others will get a fresh paint job from Ramone.
- Guests visiting Luigi’s Roamin’ Tires in Cars Land will get to walk through his office and garage in the attraction’s queue.
The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure
A couple sen-sea-tional reveals were made about this mega-attraction sprouting up now along the side of Paradise Bay.
- As guests descend into the water, a cool blast of air will give them the sensation of headed under the sea.
- Scuttle the seagull will be the first character guests will meet once they have loaded into their “clam-mobiles.” And there will be several places you will see him along you way as he helps weave Ariel’s story together.
Disneyland Hotel
A few weeks ago, some big changes were announced for the Disneyland Hotel, including a dramatic re-envisioning of the central pool and restaurant areas.
- Two new suites have just opened in the Dreams Tower (soon to be renamed the Adventure Tower) at the Disneyland Hotel, the Fairy Tale Suite and the Big Thunder Suite. The Fairy Tale Suite is a very “upscale, elegant version of maybe where one of our prince and princesses might stay on their honeymoon,” says Walt Disney Imagineering Development manager John Mauro. “It overlooks the park so it gets fireworks at night.” Inside the Big Thunder Suite, all the wood flooring is made from recycled materials from a barn in the Midwest.
- The transition of the Never Land pool area into a monorail-themed pool has received a lot of attention. “Walt always said Disneyland will always be changing and evolving, and certainly it’s hard for people to let go of some of their favorite elements,” John acknowledges. “But we think these new offerings will really help put us over the edge. For me, the Disneyland Hotel is made up of so many different elements that over the years were added, this will really bring the storyline together for guests.”
Star Tours: The Adventures Continue
While it may not open until the fall of 2011, a few exciting elements of the reimagined Star Tours were announced.
The enhanced attraction --- featuring multiple destinations --- takes place in between the two Star Wars trilogies, which will enable Imagineers to utilize characters from both sets of films.
- The enhanced attraction — featuring multiple destinations — takes place in between the two Star Wars trilogies, which will enable Imagineers to utilize characters from both sets of films.
- While the planet of Tatooine was unveiled as a destination at last year’s D23 Expo, Walt Disney Imagineering Senior Show Producer Kathy Rogers announced that the bustling urban environment of Coruscant will be another.
- “There’s an incredible number of different variations,” explains Al Weiss, President, Worldwide Operations, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “You will rarely, if ever, see the same show twice. And it’s all in 3D.”
Disney Cruise Line
As most of you probably know, the Disney Cruise Line is headed west next January, and we learned a few more exciting tidbits about their Mexican and Alaskan itineraries!
- During their 7-night Mexican Riviera cruises, the Disney Wonder will once again feature Minnie’s Fiesta Grande Deck Party — but “we’ve added to it for when we come back out,” explains Cruise Director Rachel Quinn. The Alaskan cruises will have their own themed shows as well. “Rest assured, it will be themed to where we’re going. We try to bring the destination to life.” And expect to see some of your favorite Disney characters decked out in their South-of-the-Border best — costumes infused with a colorful, Latin flavor.
- Children under 17 can sail for free on the Mexican Riviera cruises, if they are staying in the same room as two additional full-fare guests (check out the Disney Cruise Line Web site for complete details).
- Currently the steel for the Disney Fantasy is being cut to create the fourth ship in the Disney fleet. “It’s going to be a sister ship to the Disney Dream so you’re going to see a lot of the spaces that will have similar looks but will have different themes and different names to them, Al Weiss says. “It will have an AquaDuck [waterslide] and virtual portholes on the inside cabins. It will have an enhanced, wonderful Animators Palate for a dining experience. The Palate may feature a different theme than the Finding Nemo theme currently planned for the Disney Dream.
By D23′s Jeffrey Epstein.
