Posted on Friday, April 27th, 2012 by Germain Lussier
They already have the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral and now they might get their very own Mos Eisley Cantina. A rumor has begun to circle that Disney Imagineers are looking to convert a section of Disneyland Paris into a Star Wars themed land complete with updated Star Tours, new stores and Mos Eisley Cantina restaurant. Read more after the jump. Read More »
Earlier today we ran an exclusive preview of Universal Studios Hollywood’s new Transformers: The Ride, which will have its grand opening on May 25th 2012. Universal has just released a three minute behind the scenes featurette showing the development and construction of this new theme park attraction. Watch it now embedded after the jump.
Posted on Friday, April 20th, 2012 by Peter Sciretta
Yesterday at noon, a text message popped up on my phone: “TF has soft opened. Wanna go?” And with that, I put all of my scheduled work on hold. I jumped in a car and was off to Universal City. Transformers: The Ride doesn’t open at Universal Studios Hollywood until May 25th 2012, but yesterday the theme park was running a technical rehearsal.
Theme parks usually hold grand opening celebrations, complete a red carpet with celebrities and the usual group of press folk. And after that, on an advertised date, the masses go at it. But before any of that can happen, theme parks hold “soft launches”. This usually begins with employee nights, allowing workers at the theme park to test out the new attraction. After that, they open the ride on select days and hours to annual pass-holders, and sometimes later, the general public. The point of these previews are to test the rides against large groups, to fine tune the technology and hopefully spot problems before the real advertised grand opening.
After the jump you can read my reaction and watch a video blog I recorded after experiencing the ride alongside /Film correspondent and theme park expert Reza Lackey. I have also included an image gallery featuring photos from outside the attraction and inside the queue.
Posted on Wednesday, April 18th, 2012 by Germain Lussier
When the character of Brodie in Kevin Smith’s Mallrats said “Everyone wants Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride,” turns out Disney executives were listening. They’re now developing a live-action/computer generated hybrid movie based on the classic attraction that’s been at Disneyland since the park opened in 1955. Commercial and music video director Pete Candeland has been attached to oversee the project, Justin Springer (Tron: Legacy) will produce and the search for a writer has begun. Read more after the jump. Read More »
Posted on Thursday, March 22nd, 2012 by Peter Sciretta
Update: Disney blogger InsideTheMagic informs us that: “That sculpt has been around for years. It has nothing to do with the film. It was inspired by HBG but isn’t related to del Toro. Here’s a commercially-available version of that sculpt. Nothing new. (Still cool though…)” Original post follows.
At Comic Con 2010, Guillermo del Toro surprised the crowd at the Disney panel in Hall H by announcing that he would be producing (and probably directing) a new big screen adaptation of the classic Disneyland attraction The Haunted Mansion. The center of his plan is the reintroduction of the Hatbox Ghost, a character that appeared originally in The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland but was removed shortly after the attraction’s debut.
Illusion Industries has been creating concept designs for del Toro’s Haunted Mansion, and AICN found an image on their website which looks very much like a reimagining of the Hatbox Ghost. Hit the jump to check it out.
Posted on Thursday, March 8th, 2012 by Angie Han
The two Cars films may be Pixar’s worst-reviewed films to date, but the scorn of critics certainly doesn’t stop kids from loving the hell out of Lightning McQueen, Mater, and company. There are Cars-themed lunchboxes, t-shirts, games, even beds — and starting in June, there’ll be a Cars Land as well. Disney has just announced the opening date for the 12-acre attraction, an expansion of Disney California Adventure in Anaheim. Hit the jump for details on the grand opening, as well as pictures and video offering glimpses of the new Cars Land.
Posted on Tuesday, March 6th, 2012 by Germain Lussier
Whether you’re a Disney superfan like our own Peter Sciretta or more a casual admirer like myself, it’s hard not to get extremely excited when a whole new world is opening up at one of their theme parks. The next one up is Cars Land, based on the popular Pixar films, which is scheduled to open this June at Disney California Adventure. Though plenty of information has been released about some of the rides and other attractions, a video has now come online featuring Disney Imagineers discussing the creation of this whole new world.
After the jump with a 12-minute making of video for Cars Land. Read More »
Posted on Friday, March 2nd, 2012 by Germain Lussier
Before Disney bought Marvel, the main place to find superheros like Hulk and Spider-Man in a theme park was Island of Adventure at Universal Studios Orlando. Doctor Doom’s Freefall, the Incredible Hulk Coaster and The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man 3D Experience were among the most popular rides at the park. However, advances in digital projection and 3D technology had left the latter looking dated in recent years and last year it was announced the ride would get a substantial upgrade.
That upgrade goes into full effect March 8 with a grand reopening including enhancements to the film portion of the ride as well as huge technical upgrades. Read about them all after the jump. Read More »
