Disneyland Resort, California: General Discussion

[Benzin]

How typical really, why can't Merlin put money into fixing up their....


Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

 

[Alastair]

Seems like Disney are getting a little complacent! Bet they'll get a savaging on TripAdvisor in the next few days.

 

[Sam]

2013 - Big Thunder Rehab - NOW CLOSED - (5/10/13) Westcoaster has a good update from Disneyland this week as they check out the progress over at Big Thunder Mountain. The big crane has been removed, which seems to indicate that all the heavy lifting to replace the track pieces has been completed. For those keeping “track” (get it!) the new track pieces were created by Dynamic Structures (part of Empire Ind.), the same group who rebuilt Space Mountain from scratch a few years ago, and also the group behind the Soarin’ ride system and the Radiator Springs Racers track system. (Fun Note: They were also the ones behind the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey system for Universal, now being cloned in Japan and soon in Hollywood, with the heavy lifting done by KUKA of course...)
(3/18/13) A quick construction update showing off the work underway at Big Thunder Mountain this past week was posted to YouTube. Check it out below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrEzPPjZq1M#ws

 

[Niques]

Yeah, Disney are still a little bit bitter about the 'OSHA' thing, understandably.

I filmed this whilst at Disneyland in California, last week. It's a clip from one of their small street shows.

 

[Sam]

Monsters Inc. news from Screamscape:

2015-2017 - Monstropolis / Door Coaster - Rumor - (6/17/13) With all the focus on what may be coming to Walt Disney World in the next 5 years (Avatar, Cars Land, Star Wars Land, etc…) it seems the proposed Monsters Inc. “Door Coaster” attraction concept is still said to be in development as the next big custom E-Ticket ride for California Adventure. From the sound of things Disney may only be waiting for the initial box-office results from the new Monster’s University film to come out before giving the final green light for the project. I don’t have a timeline for it yet, but with a rumored new Soarin’ over the Horizon film expected to replace Soarin’ over California sometime in 2016, the Monster’s ride would likely try to open a year before or after it… so 2015 or 2017 perhaps. Of course, is the movie’s box office is disappointing or a better idea comes to light, the Monster’s attraction could simply be filed away once again for another time, as Disney seems to be juggling a lot of potential projects right now, including ideas for the long proposed 3rd Park down the street.

A reminder of the door scene...

 

[Sam]

General Park News - (8/15/13) Big news from Disneyland today as a new set of special effects were added to the Indiana Jones ride that brings projection mapping effects to bring the evil diety Mara to life a bit more. While the visual effect is cool and a bit unsettling, the unfortunate side effect of this new effect (as seen in a shaky video below shot by TouringPlans) is that the once cool evil voice of Mara has been neutered compared to the original voice of Mara. To put it bluntly… it just isn’t scary at all. I can only hope that the new voice is maybe a temporary track and that they will return the old voice to the ride once again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cEvWu59jqA#ws

For comparison with the old audio, 1 minute in on this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dchjIXF3XJs#noexternalembed-ws

Hopefully they're just touching up the old voice, and this is a stop-gap. The new lighting effects are very impressive though! My favourite dark ride, really incredible, and resists the use of dratted screens everywhere.

 

[Sam]

General Park News - (9/16/13) Remember those rumors claiming that Disney would somehow add a little bit of Planes themeing to the Soarin’ ride in the future? Looks like they did it… as several of the characters from Planes are now seen buzzing through the clouds in the pre-ride queue video footage. You can check it out below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ6aN5YY3cA#

Some of those 'fly-bys' look hilariously rubbish. Does anyone actually care about 'Planes'?

 

[Ted]

Planes is a awful awful film. It's clearly a cash cow franchise that Disney created to earn more money.

This was completely unnecessary.

 

[Sazzle]

I don't really understand the hate for Planes - it seems to be getting an absolute ribbing!

Surely if kids who love airplanes can get their fix from a Disney film, what's the big hoohar? It's not aimed at the likes of 20+ year olds!

Cash cow or not, Disney exist to make money (shock, horror), and so Cars in the sky makes sense...

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[Benzin]

I think the hate is there because it literally only exists to boost sales of toys and whatever other assorted stuff surrounds it...

There is no need for such a film, like there was no need for Cars 2...

 

[Sazzle]

(Aware I'm on the edge of the topic..) But surely that's the same for anything? Any sequels, any spin offs? Was there any need for the Final Destination sequels, the endless Saw follow ups? Nope, they obviously generated money for their makers!

Some kids like cars, others prefer planes.. I really don't see the fuss .

As I look back at the topic, is there any news on the refurbishment of Big Thunder? There was the loose term "fall" used to suggest a completion date, but I wonder if those safety issues have had any impact.

Also, Oz?! I think it was a success at the cinemas but I really can't say I'd be enthused at a whole new area based on it :-/

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[EuroSatch]

Disney in cashing in on franchise shock... clearly there is a market for it, it may not be the most popular franchise but Disney is for everybody to enjoy.

Oz would perhaps give a better landscape than Avatar though?

 

[Maelstrom]

Officially Disney are still saying 30th oct for Big Thunder to reopen. Their has been rumours for about a month now saying it was delayed until feb 2014. Disney regularly update their ride refurb list and so far it has stayed as 30th oct.

I have been keeping a close eye as I will be visiting their in about 4 weeks for the first time. I am not too bothered that its down as unless something drastic happens in next few weeks its the only major ride down at Disney during the visit and visiting outside of summer and Xmas you can always expect atleast one major attraction to be down just glad it's not Indiana jones or any of the DCA major rides. X2 has however gone down at magic mountain due to snapped chain and have said wont be back up until after fright fest, initially gutted but with 29 other coasters on the trip across Disney, universal, knotts and magic mountain I am ok with missing it!

Will report back on the parks and experience compared to Florida.

 

[Sam]

The Disney Parks Blog confirms that the re-opening date for BTM has been pushed back to winter 2014 (slightly baffling for UK people who would presume that means November/December 2014, that apparently means January/February). Also, new trains!

Behind the Walls: Update on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Refurbishment at Disneyland Park

I’ve got an exciting photo to share with you today from Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland park. Paul Hiffmeyer, our chief photographer, was recently able to witness a major milestone in the attraction’s refurbishment – the first new train testing the brand-new track that was just installed at the attraction! Check out this photo he brought back for me to share here on the Disney Parks Blog:

And there’s another Big Thunder Mountain Railroad update to share with you today: the wildest ride in the wilderness is now scheduled to reopen in Winter 2014. So hold onto your hats and glasses until then, and keep an eye on the Disney Parks Blog for more sneak peeks and refurbishment details.

Old train for comparison, very similar but the new one looks of a higher build quality:

Top notch stuff, keep up the good work Disney!

 

[Sam]

2015/2016 - Tomorrowland / Star Wars Land - (10/14/13) Honestly, I’m not sure how legit this report is, but MiceAge claims that the next big makeover for Tomorrowland will bring in a heavy Star Wars themed overlay to much of the landscape. Star Tours 2 will fit right in of course and popular Disney rides like Space Mountain and Buzz Light Year will remain untouched, but the rest of Tomorrowland may be up for grabs by the Rebels or Empire.
The Astro Orbiter is said to be removed from it’s currently location near the hub, opening up the entrance to Tomorrowland once again, but a replacement version of the ride will likely be placed in the current location of the Magic Eye theater, or on top of it if the opt to rebuild the theater structure below to withstand the extra weight. Loading of this ride will likely be through the second floor area of the Starcade if they go through with this plan. Space Mountain will also have a new entrance path created for it, which will be a good thing since it’s never quite felt “right” to be after the removed the old speedramp entrance.
The Innoventions building will likely be repurposed or demolished to make way for a long rumored Speeder Bikes high speed thrill ride coaster, with indoor and outdoor sections, which sounds almost just like that last rumored proposal for an indoor/outdoor Tron Lightcycle coaster that leaked out many months ago. Could be the same kind of ride (Vekoma Boosterbike coaster) just with a different theme. The problem here is that the MiceAge rumor claims that the Speeder Bikes will head outside and also replace the current Autopia attraction to make room for the coaster track section of the ride. While this sounds good on the surface, a good portion of the Autopia is built out on top of the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage indoor caverns, making it difficult, if not impossible in some cases, to put down those massive roller coaster support beams and giant concrete footers that would be required. There is also the issue of the monorail track that also moves through this area as well… so I guess we’ll have to wait and see how this rumor shapes up before we know more.
Other new additions may see a lifesized recreation of the Millennium Falcon docked on top of the old Rocket Rods podium building in the heart of Tomorrowland, and the chance to eat inside a copy of the Tatooine Cantina restaurant where the current Tomorrowland Terrace is now.
As for my take… this sounds quite exciting to me as the Star Wars Universe will play a heavy roll in the future of Disney’s film and themed entertainment and bringing an overall Star Wars theme to Tomorrowland will also “fix” the long running problem of Tomorrowland always looking outdated a decade or so after they revamp it. Much like what they have managed to do with the more fantasy-fun Tomorrowland in Walt Disney World, a heavily Star Wars themed Tomorrowland will serve the park as a Sci-Fi version of Fantasyland. While I’m glad to see the Astro Orbiter removed from the entrance to the park, I don’t think dropping a new one on the roof of the Magic Eye theater in front of Space Mountain is a good idea. I’d much rather see them rebuild it on the site of the old Rocket Jet tower… even if that means demolishing the current tower with the former Rocket Rods station and building a new one just for the new attraction. This would open up the roof of the Magic Eye theater location as a great place to put a lifesized Millennium Falcon, where guests walking the Space Mountain queue can get up close and enjoy the view of one of Sci-Fi’s most well known spaceships while they wait in line.

That MiceAge report here. Although I'm a bit concerned about the retheme of a classic theme park area to an IP, there's very few more classy IPs that Star Wars. It's almost more than an IP - it's simply a cultural benchmark. And if Disneyland gets a new thrill coaster out if it, I wouldn't be complaining at all. I don't understand why all Disney parks don't just rip out that absolute land-vampire that is Autopia and do something decent with the space!

Sounds top-notch if this is true.

 

[Sam]

There's been STRONG rumours floating around the Disney forums recently that Disney planned to shut Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage forever using a Disney trick called a 'fake refurb' (shut a ride for a short refurb, then quietly announce it'll never re-open).

However, it does seem like those rumours have proved unfounded, and the elderly Submarine Voyage's refurb is a real refurb. From the Disney Parks Blog:

Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at Disneyland Park to Close for Refurbishment January 6

On January 6, 2014, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage will close for an extended refurbishment, to reopen in late 2014. During this time, the 5 million gallons of water in the lagoon will be drained, allowing our teams to perform the refurbishment. The 5 million gallons of water from the lagoon will be treated by the Orange County Sanitation District before going into the local groundwater aquifer.

Draining and refilling a body of water this size is quite an undertaking. It took approximately 50 hours to fill the lagoon in January 2007, at a rate of approximately 12,000 gallons per hour.

When the attraction reopens in late 2014, guests will notice the colorful, more vibrant underwater rockwork and coral. When the attraction was being prepared for its 2007 opening, the rockwork and coral were “painted” with recycled glass, a new technique developed by Imagineers to enhance the undersea environment. More than 30 tons of recycled glass were used in the creation of the lagoon. Imagineers also created more than 40 unique colors for the lagoon area including, Yamber (a cross between yam and amber), Mango Mud, Aqua Jazz, Swamp (dark green and amber), Burning Coal, Phantom and Peritwinkle.

Good news for fans of Disneyland heritage I guess! Maybe they wanted to replace it, but with all the recent cuts caused by the MyMagic+ debacle, they've decided to hold off for a decade or so?

 

[Sam]

2014 - Big Thunder Rehab - NOW CLOSED - (1/16/14) For anyone who had been thinking that the new Big Thunder Mountain track was from Vekoma, it seems that is not the case. Dynamic Attractions, the same group who rebuilt Space Mountain back in 2005, are the ones behind the re-engineering and fabrication of the new Big Thunder Mountain experience opening in the next few weeks. If the new Big Thunder rides as smooth as Space Mountain did, this should be a real treat.

Oooh, alternative. Haven't really heard of Dynamic Attractions doing any big projects elsewhere. Are they one of those niche manufacturers who'll do really bespoke projects for Disney if they ask for it?

 

[Wilsy]

I believe these were the guys behind Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. (and are involved with the new Harry Potter stuff too)

They are quality manufacturers, but I can't imagine their services are cheap.

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[James]

http://www.dynamicattractions.com/

They've done quite a bit and seem to be a bunch of people that have very unique ideas. Probably not the cheapest around. But the quality is certainly there!

 

[Sam]

2014 - Big Thunder Rehab - NOW CLOSED - (2/5/14) Sorry to disappoint everyone, but it seems the already overdue reopening of Big Thunder Mountain has been pushed back from Feb. 14th until April 1st. I’ve heard that they have been testing trains, so an unknown issue of some kind may have come up during testing.

Oh dear! Having BTM down is a big loss in California.