Papi Chulo's BLOG

D23 Expo :: "Imagineering Pixar for the Parks"

~Papi Chulo~

D23 Expo :: "The Making of World of Color"

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D23 Expo :: "The Future of Disney Parks and Resorts"

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D23 Expo :: Star Tours 2

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D23 Expo Recap

The first annual D23 Expo was held over the weekend and so much wonderful news came out of that four-day event. Disney geeks are still talking about all the phenomenal new television, film and theme park projects Disney will be working on in the next couple of years. Let us recap all the major news coming from the Expo.

Disney kicked off the Expo with a special screening of 30 minutes from The Princess and the Frog. Anika Noni Rose also sang one of the film's songs. Also on Thursday, guests were allowed to see large-scale models of Disney's California Adventure's Carsland. A model for Hong Kong Disneyland's Mystic Manor was also out. The annual Disney Legend Awards were held as well.

On Friday it was announced that the Disney Cruise Lines will start taking trips to Alaska in 2011. Timothy Dalton was announced to voice a character in Toy Story 3. Guillermo del Toro's "Disney Double Dare You" was announced as a new line of family-friendly horror films. The Muppets arrived on stage to sing and announce the title of their latest film, The Cheapest Muppet Movie Ever Made! And Johnny Depp arrived as Jack Sparrow to announce the title of the fourth Pirates film. Coming to theaters during the Summer of 2011 will be Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Disney also announced that they would be remaking The Beatles' animated classic Yellow Submarine. Tim Burton will create a feature-length version of his short film Frankenweenie.

On Saturday, Disney announced their first Disneynature 3-D film Ocean World. Disney also announced that the leaked Fantasyland blueprints were real. The Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland will double in size by 2013. In 2012, The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Adventure, a brand-new dark ride, will open. The Be Our Guest restaurant and Gaston's Tavern quick-service eatery, and Princess Aurora, Cinderella, Belle and Ariel meet-and-greets as well. In 2013, Dumbo's Circus and Pixie Hollow will open. Disney Parks also confirmed that Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios would receive a new version of Star Tours by 2011. The ride will be in 3-D.

On the final day of the Expo, Disney announced a new Winnie-the-Pooh film. Cars 2 was also confirmed. Ken (voiced by Michael Keaton) will join Barbie in Toy Story 3. Muppet Mobile Lab will return to EPCOT and Disney's Hollywood Studios. It was also announced Disney's Hollywood Studios' Muppet Vision 3D will be updated to Disney Digital 3-D.

~Papi Chulo~

Disney Parks Unveil Princess Tiana, Announce Tiana's Showboat Jubilee!

Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose appeared at the 2009 National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Convention in Tampa, FL on August 6, 2009 with the new Princess Tiana face character. Rose provides the voice of Disney's newest princess in The Princess and the Frog.

Starting October 26, Walt Disney World guests can see Princess Tiana in the colorful, jazz-filled live show Tiana's Showboat Jubilee! The same show will run in Disneyland starting November 6 to January 3, 2010.

Tiana's Showboat Jubilee! starts off as a Mardi Gras themed parade through the Magic Kingdom's Frontierland. Guests will be led to the Liberty Belle Riverboat dock. The festivities will move onto the Liberty Belle. Performers will sing and dance to songs from the film. The show will be performed 3-4 times daily.

Princess Tiana, Prince Naveen and other characters from the motion picture will also be available for meet and greets.

The Princess and the Frog opens in limited release in New York and Los Angeles on November 25, 2009. The film expands nationwide on December 11, 2009.

~Papi Chulo~

The Haunted Mansion Celebrates 40 Years of Happy Haunts!

The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland Park opened forty years ago today ... Its popularity today is a testament to Walt Disney and his vision ...

Here's a clip celebrating this wonderful theme park attraction ...

~Papi Chulo~

Disneyland Announces Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy, New Halloween Fireworks Show

Disneyland has announced a couple of new Halloween offerings for this year ...

The classic Tomorrowland attraction Space Mountain will get a special Halloween overlay called "Ghost Galaxy" ... The overlay originally premiered at Hong Kong Disneyland in 2007 ... The attraction will feature a new soundtrack, spooky projections throughout the ride and a much darker than usual experience ...

A Halloween-themed fireworks show hosted by Jack Skellington will debut ... The show will include nods to popular Disney villains ...

At Disney's California Adventure, "Mickey's Trick-or-Treat Party" will run on October 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23 and 28-31

This year's "Halloween Time" event runs from September 25 to November 1 ...

~Papi Chulo~

FLASHBACK :: Captain EO

Do you remember Captain EO?

Captain EO was a 3-D film that debuted on September 12, 1986 at the Epcot theme park in the Walt Disney World Resort ... and September 18, 1986 at Disneyland's Tomorrowland ...

Captain EO was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, executive-produced by George Lucas and stars Michael Jackson ...

The 3-D film boasted high-tech (for its time) special effects that extended into the audience ... The effects were lasers, laser impacts, smoke effects and starfields that filled the theater ...

Captain EO included two songs ("We Are Here to Change the World" and "Another Part of Me") performed by Michael Jackson ...

Jackson starred as Captain EO ... The film followed Captain EO and his ragtag crew as they delivered a special gift to a wicked alien queen known as the Supreme Leader ... The Supreme Leader is played by Anjelica Houston ...

Captain EO closed at Epcot on July 6, 1994 ... and then on April 7, 1997 at Disneyland ...

Here is a peak back at yesterland ...

~Papi Chulo~

Disney Parks Plan Star Tours 2.0

Star Tours has been taking Disneyland Park and Walt Disney World Resort guests through the world of Star Wars for over two decades ... The Disney Parks are currently working on a major overhaul of the simulator attraction ...

The ride really hasn't been updated since it opened in 1987. It's not the total podracer reboot that was rumored a few years back, thank God. I'm hearing that it's essentially the same ride but updated. It sounds to me like they might be shooting the footage in 3D, but I'm not sure.

Our source reveals that the revamp will incorporate prequel characters (like Naboo citizens and Geonosians) along with many aliens from the original trilogy (Aqualish, Bith, Rodians, etc). In the action sequence, the Star Tours vehicle is now going to be chased by Boba Fett. C-3PO and R2-D2 are still the hosts, and Anthony Daniels will be recording his parts this week. Admiral Ackbar holographically communicates with the Star Tours vehicle. Right now they're shooting mostly green screen footage, as it is the middle part of the production timeline.

~Papi Chulo~

It's a Small World Opens After Character-infused Refurbishment

Disneyland's It's a Small World opened today after a massive (and somewhat controversial) refurbishment ...

The classic Fantasyland attraction has new ride vehicles, a new Americana section, a shortened rainforest section and the inclusion of classic Disney characters and melodies throughout the attraction ...

Here is a two-part ridethru video that showcases the new changes ...

~Papi Chulo~

In the News :: Flashers Prompt Jack Sparrow's Departure from Disneyland

Disneyland has removed the Pirates character Jack Sparrow from meet-and-greets because young female theme park patrons kept flashing the actors late at night ...

Brandon Pinto (former pirate castmember): "They lost control when they saw Jack Sparrow. This is a sexy, rock-star pirate."

Castmembers playing Jack Sparrow were told they were no longer needed ... this happened around the same time Disneyland debuted Tinkerbell's fairy friends ...

Disneyland denies published reports of Jack Sparrow's disappearance from the park is due to female flashers ...

I am sure Jack Sparrow will return when the next Pirates feature debuts in theaters ...

~Papi Chulo~

Mickey and Teri in Disney's "Dream Suite"

Disney park guests selected randomly will be given the chance to spend a night inside Disneyland during the "Year of a Million Dreams" celebration ... The contest started on January 31 ...

The "Dream Suite" includes a living room ... two bedrooms/two bathrooms ... an open-air patio ... and a private balcony overlooking New Orleans Square and the Rivers of America ...

Disney sent out some promotional photographs of the suite featuring Mickey Mouse and Desperate Housewives' Teri Hatcher ...

Here are a couple shots from the shoot ...

~Papi Chulo~