Magic truly is coming to life when ABC airs The Wonderful World of Disney: Disneyland 60 on Sunday night. The special celebrates Disneyland’s 60th anniversary, showcasing the influence that the park and Walt Disney’s company have had for the last six decades.
A company born out of ink and paint is going a little thinner on the paint. Disney laid off 100 to 140 of its Disney World resort painters, a union rep is telling the Orlando Sentinel.
With the ongoing Diamond Celebration, there’s no better time for guests to enjoy special moments with their friends and families at the Disneyland Resort. Three new nighttime spectaculars, immersive attractions and entertainment offer countless ways for guests to make the most of their vacations at the Happiest Place on Earth. There are plenty of tips for guests as they plan to stay and play at Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure Park, the three on-site hotels and Downtown Disney.
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The world may not need a Mary Poppins sequel any more than they needed a Sleeping Beauty prequel or a straight-ahead retelling of Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast.
Following the extraordinary popularity of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Walt Disney World Resort is unveiling even more Star Wars-themed entertainment at Disney’s Hollywood Studios starting this spring – including one of the most elaborate fireworks and projection shows in the park’s history.
Just in time for spring, that “galaxy far, far away” will be closer than ever with the April 4th arrival of the new Star Wars live entertainment experience Star Wars: A Galaxy Far, Far Away and a menacing First Order stormtrooper procession at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. And to kick off summer, the park is launching a new nightly fireworks and projection show called Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular that will eclipse anything of its kind in the park’s history.
These new Star Wars entertainment elements, coupled with other recently-added Star Wars experiences, make Disney’s Hollywood Studios the place for fans to celebrate their Star Wars passion.
Here are details on these latest entertainment features coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios this spring and summer:
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Through these state-of-the-art special effects that project onto the nearby Chinese Theatre and other surrounding buildings, guests will gaze at the twin suns of Tatooine, push through a field of battle droids, navigate through an asteroid field, soar down the trench of the Death Star and deliver the final blow to destroy Starkiller Base. The show, which will unfold through a series of acts, will be punctuated by a tower of fire as well as powerful spotlight beams that create lightsabers in the sky.
These latest Star Wars experiences join other new Star Wars elements recently launched at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, such as Star Wars Launch Bay. Since its debut in December, Star Wars Launch Bay has become a popular and central location where guests immerse themselves in the Star Wars saga through themed galleries, large-scale artifacts and Star Wars character encounters, including recently-added Kylo Ren, the menacing character from Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Other recent additions that have attracted legions of fans since their December debut include:
With these new entertainment elements, Walt Disney World Resort guests can enjoy even more extensions of the record-setting movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens and further immerse themselves into the Star Wars galaxy like never before. Each entertainment element offers guests a uniquely immersive Star Wars experience, all adding to an unforgettable day and night at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
And more Star Wars experiences are on the way with the upcoming Star Wars-themed lands planned for Walt Disney World Resortand Disneyland Resort in California.
For more information about Walt Disney World Resort, visit www.wdwnews.com or visit www.DisneyParksBlog.com. Join the conversation online using #StarWars.
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The Perfect Adventure for the Whole Family Stampedes Home On Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere February 23 |
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Extensive Bonus Features Include:
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Last time I talked about some interesting details about the birth of the original Star Tours attraction in California. Today we will embark on a journey on how Star Tours came to Florida at the Disney MGM Studios. But first, a little side trip about what Imagineers originally were thinking for a thrill ride based on the famous space saga.
Originally, even before George Lucas came into the picture, Imagineers were quietly brainstorming on thrill ride ideas based in the Star Wars universe. When Lucas was finally approached by Disney to co-develop a Star Wars attraction, Imagineers pitched their original idea to the film director. Originally designers had an idea for hybrid rollercoaster attraction. It is very possible that in California this would’ve replaced the fan-fan-favorite Space Mountain. The attraction’s main feature, aside from hair-raising thrills, was that the ride’s ending would be customizable. Guests would get to either choose, or be given a random selection of a destination in the Star Wars universe. This would provide guests with a different experience every time. However, this type of technology was no where near possible in the mid 1980s. Lucas would eventually help Disney develop a tracked simulator attraction with Indiana Jones, but that’s another story.
With the capabilities of developing the Imagineers’ ultimate Star Wars dream lightyears away, Eisner sent the team back to the drawing board. The Disney company was in a bad place when Eisner was hired as CEO. The company had nearly been sold off into pieces, so it was up to Eisner to rejuvenate the company, and fast. Eisner, along with Lucas and Imagineers, came to the conclusion that they needed a Star Wars attraction that could be built with cutting-edge technology, but readily available. Eisner knew that Lucas’ story and characters would draw crowds in. But what type of ride would they build?
Disney had first developed plans for a simulator attraction based on the little known sci-fi film, The Black Hole. The film was produced by Walt Disney Pictures in 1979, just a few years after the first Star Wars film. Once again, designers were tinkering with the idea that guests would get to choose their destination on the ride. But since the budgeted cost was astronomical at a point when the company wasn’t financially flush, and the film was a box-office bomb, Imagineers shelved the idea. Elsewhere in 1977, while film fans were lining up to watch Lucas’ hit film, Joseph Strick, another filmmaker, began expanding is own ideas of multi sensory entertainment system. He invented the six-axis motion simulator. Once he was confident with his system, he approached Disney about using this ride model for an attraction. So by the time Eisner was looking for a new piece of technology for Lucas’ thrill ride, Disney revisited Stick’s new invention which was specifically geared to be used for entertainment, and began adapted a ride simulator attraction for Star Wars. Disney purchased four military-grade flight simulators, each costing $500,000.
During the early days if the Disney Studios, Walt used the short films he produced as a way to experiment with the possibilities of what animation could do. Some of the technological advancements made during this time, including the introduction of synchronized sound and three-strip Technicolor, helped set Disney’s output apart from his competitors and led the way to more ambitious feature-length projects.
In the 10 years since John Lasseter and Ed Catmull took over the reins of what is now Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disney has enjoyed incredible creative and box office success with such films as Tangled, Wreck-It Ralph, Big Hero 6, and, of course, Frozen. The spring 2016 issue of Disney twenty-three looks at the creative talents—from writers and directors to producers and animators—who have driven this wave of superior filmmaking that has resulted in two Academy Awards® for Best Animated Feature for the studio.
Disney twenty-three, available exclusively to D23 Gold Members, includes exclusive interviews with Lasseter and Catmull, as well as the teams behind Walt Disney Animation Studios’ run of hits, discussing the secrets behind their work and how a Disney animated film goes from concept to creation. Plus,Disney twenty-three unveils rarely seen visual development art created for the Studio’s most recent films. There are also advance looks at the upcoming animated films Zootopia—including a revealing one-on-one with star Ginnifer Goodwin—and Moana.
In addition to the animation celebration, the issue offers a sneak peek of Captain America: Civil War, featuring exclusive interviews with star Chris Evans and one of the film’s directors, Joe Russo. And director Jon Favreau details the incredible work behind crafting the stunning live-action adaptation of The Jungle Book, including how he snared Bill Murray to voice Baloo the bear.
Also included in the spring issue of Disney twenty-three:
Disney twenty-three, which is delivered directly to fans’ doorsteps, is offered exclusively to D23 Gold and Gold Family Members as a benefit of their membership. The latest issue will begin arriving in late February.
About D23
The name “D23” pays homage to the exciting journey that began in 1923 when Walt Disney opened his first studio in Hollywood. D23 is the first official club for fans in Disney’s 90-plus-year history. It gives its members a greater connection to the entire world of Disney by placing them in the middle of the magic through its quarterly publication, Disney twenty-three; a rich website at D23.com with members-only content; member-exclusive discounts; and special events for D23 Members throughout the year.
Fans can join D23 at Gold Membership ($74.99), Gold Family Membership ($99.99), and General Membership (complimentary) levels atD23.com and at DisneyStore.com/D23. To keep up with all the latest D23 news and events, follow DisneyD23 on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube.
