disney

• From Beverly Hills to The Jungle Cruise Ancient Shrine DaveLand discusses the development of the Jungle Cruise.
• DREAMS OF WONDERLAND Brian Sibley celebrates the 180th birthday of Lewis Carroll.
• 20 Feet Under The Sea Donnie shares some great shots from Castaway Cay of a sunken detail.
• Souvenir Friday- Gifts From Disneyland Catalog Looking for a gift for the Disneyland fan in your life?

Please excuse the lack of posts this week, I’ve been on Jury Duty all week; let me tell you all about it… Oh wait, it’s not over yet!  Moving ahead 10 years from Monday’s post, here is the entire Summer/Fall 1979 Disneyland Guide Book. I’ll post the PDF version this weekend.

We’ve all seen the reeds being pounded flat to make papyrus, an early form of paper, in Spaceship Earth. Across the globe there are similar scenes that have played out during the creation of materials which were suitable for writing, artwork and fabric. One such art took hold in Polynesia and can be seen near the elevators at the Polynesian.The Polynesian art form known as tapa was created out of the necessity for clothing for several centuries. The arduous task of creating the material starts with scraping the inner bark of the mulberry and breadfruit trees from the outer bark with a shell. The bark is placed on hardwood and pounded flat by another piece of wood, often a club like tool, all the while being kept wet and malleable. Layer upon layer of the bark is added into the fabric with the same application of force. After the desired length of material is completed, it is moved out into the sun to dry. It is then that natural pigments, mostly blacks and browns, are applied. The once common cloth was used a regular clothing, with designs crafted to denote status and rank, but it is more commonly used today for ceremonial affairs. Outside of attire, works of tapa can also be found as curtains and drapes, blankets, room dividers or as ornamental tapestries. The art has been declining, in practice, not in quality, for quite some time. Luckily for guests of Walt Disney World there is still a fine example of the beautiful art form to be observed in the Polynesian.

This gift catalog is from 1959 and features some great souvenir items. Most people will fixate upon the animation cels available for sale. However my eyes go to some of the more obscure souvenirs like the Skyway Chalet weather predictor and the Submarine Voyage charm bracelet. Now to go back in time and do a little shopping.

Wr already knew that Tokyo Disney resort have a perfect park maintenance but now we know they also have amazingly perfect cast-members as you will see on this short and definitely hilarious video filmed at the exit of the Snow White dark ride at Tokyo Disneyland. As you know there is always a cast-member to greet the guests when the Snow White vehicle arrive at the end of the ride. Now at TDL they have a cast-member who is greeting the guests on each vehicle arrival, again and again, with an incredible perfection that normally only Audio-Animatronics are able to do when they repeat programmed movements. Here, of course, it is not an audio-animatronic but just a real human being doing an amazing job! Video: copyright nextfive

I hope today's photos make you as happy as they make me! Of all of the "lands", the pre-1959 Tomorrowland fascinates me the most. So much of Tomorrowland's history is poory documented, leaving us only with intriguing titles like "The World Beneath Us", "Space Station X-1", and the "Color Gallery" (though one or two photos have sprung up to whet my appetite even more).

• Disney Storyboards for Kelvinator, 1955 Kevin Kidney shares some amazing storyboards.
• Disney: Equal Opportunity Employers (unless you are a hairy Asian) Parkeology finally weighs in on the new policy changes.
• WALT DISNEY FAMILY MUSEUM EVENT SNAPSHOTS SamLand shares more photos from his event at the Walt Disney Family Museum.

Episode 2 of Communicore Weekly was released late Tuesday evening and the next day we had a mention from Cory Doctorow on Boing Boing. Here is the link for the video: http://youtu.be/zodsLoLCSoE We introduce a new segment this week and we have some fantastic musical segments by Steve Williard and Andrew Taylor from Amplify This Music. Communicore Weekly Episode 2 topics:

• This Day in Disney History
• George's Book of the Week
• News Round Up
• Bathroom Break! (Special thanks to Melissa from Disney On Wheels for the photo help!)
• The Five Legged Goat

Three images of one of the beloved lost areas of Disneyland, the parking lot. Two of the views show the lovely Matterhorn, a sight I remember as being magical and the sign that we had arrived at Disneyland. First up a shot of one of the couples with the Matterhorn in the background.

Next up the two couples who had just enjoyed a day at the park walking back to their vehicles.

Another shot of both couples with one of the gentleman holding ticket books in his pocket and his wife holding a 1959 Guidebook. They are standing in front of a Pontiac Station Wagon.

If there’s one thing a roadside attraction needs, it is noisy advertisements that draw a driver’s attention away from the road and toward the gaudy sideshow. More often than not these billboards are brightly colored, have quirky wording, and have something special to draw attention to them, something along the lines of reflectors, lights, or moving pieces. Another angle would be to put up a ton of showy signs. Luckily for guests who choose to acknowledge Chester and Hester’s in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the roof and surroundings are filled with kitschy signage!

With this column, just for the fun of it I have decided to challenge myself and to ask the question, “If I were king of the North American Disney theme parks and I could do just about anything I wanted. I didn’t have to worry about politics or budgets. I just have to do the right thing as I see it. What would I do?” 
This column is my response. I challenge to you with the same question. What would you do? 
Let’s start with the Mothership – Disneyland.

It's time for another visit to the Fair!

Here is a new Disneyland Paris update thanks to pictures shot recently by a good friend of mine and we begin by the fountains installation all around Sleeping Beauty castle for the awaited 20th anniversary Disney Dreams! fountain show. Little by little the fountains mechanism are being installed in the castle ditches and, as the show is supposed to have its premiere at the beginning of April or the very last days of March, rehearsals should begin anytime soon. Below, pictures of some of the already installed fountains. The World of Disney store located at the entrance of the Disney Village area is also part of what will be new at DLP this year. The scaffoldings that were still all around the building last month are down and we can now have a better look at the World of Disney art-deco sculptures and architecture. Note that the art-deco style will fit well with the backside of the Gaumont movie theaters but not the front side which will be partly hidden by the WOD store as you can see on the first picture below. In the Disneyland Paris park, a small refurbishment can be seen on the Mark Twain - Molly Brown pier in Frontierland... ...but what each DLP fans is waiting for are the beginning of the works on the Ratatouille attraction at the Walt Disney Studios. On this picture shot by a member of the Disney Central Plaza forum you can see the area located behind the Costuming building where DLPI Imagineers will build the ride. All trees have been removed so the land is clear and works should begin anytime soon. Talking about its construction it's more official than ever now as we can see on all official notice boards like the one below. But if you have a closer look at it you'll note that is written "construction of an attraction AND a restaurant.." as it is now also official, thanks to a new construction permit, that a restaurant will be build in the Ratatouille area. Its name will be "La Ratatouille" and it's supposed to be a table service restaurant which will be more than logical if they want to stay in the theme of the movie. Finally, as you might know we're preparing the re-print of the beloved Disneyland Paris book "From Sketch to Reality" - the printing should happen next march - and if you didn't came on Disney and more last week you might have missed a great video showing you each page of the book. You can watch it below and, as it is not too late to place your pre-order and have a 20% discount on the final price, please go HERE to learn how to pre-order and send your payment for a collector's edition copy! Note that the pre-order period will stop in February so don't wait too much to order your collector's copy to make sure you'll get it at the pre-order special price. Pictures and video: copyright Disney and more

Once upon a time at Universal Studios there was a prop plaza featuring large objects from Land of the Giants as well as vehicles you could pose in with a rolling screen and also styrofoam rocks you could pick up. It was a fun place to hang out and play, as well as many a souvenir photograph was taken at the site. First up is the Stagecoach with the scrim rolling behind it.

Next up are a set of books featuring recent movies released by Universal. Such classics as Jaws, the Hindenburg and Earthquake.

You have a small group, or know someone who could devour half of a buffet on their own, in Walt Disney World and everyone is craving ice cream. What do you do? I’m willing to bet your mind immediately drifted to the grand-daddy of all sundaes, the Kitchen Sink at Beaches and Cream. But what if I told you there was a second option in the colossal ice cream category? Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop, located in the Downtown Disney Marketplace, is well known for its hot beverages infused with chocolate and even their individual sundaes are mentioned now and again. However, when it comes to ridiculously over the top ice cream, the have a dish that steals the show. Known as the Earthquake, it is most certainly enough to rock your world!The foundation of this silver platter is eight scoops of ice cream, with choices including: Vanilla, Ghirardelli Chocolate, Strawberry, Espresso Chip, Cookies & Cream, Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Strawberry Cheesecake, Ghirardelli Rocky Road, Kona Coffee, Mint Chocolate Chip and Butter Pecan. Another assortment of eight comes from the catalog of toppings: Milk Hot Fudge, Dark Hot Fudge, Chocolate Syrup, Warm Caramel, Crushed Pineapple, Sliced Strawberry, Warm Peanut Butter, Marshmallow Cream, Blueberry and Butterscotch. Piled on and around the mountain of ice cream and toppings are freshly cut bananas, decadent chocolate chips, chopped almonds and whipped cream. I would say it comes topped with a cherry, but that would be slighting the no less than seven cherries which crown this beauty. You would think, as we did when we ordered it, that this may make for some rather odd combinations, such as Cookies & Cream topped with Blueberry. Such arrangements would seem unappetizing, but they aren’t. Clearly, the hands that craft this massive sundae have been well educated in the art of blending flavors. The true joy of this dessert comes from the interactions amongst all the people eating it. Whether it’s sharing a favorite flavor or arguing over who’s eaten too much of a specific scoop, there are sure to be laughs aplenty as you dig in the Ghirardelli’s Earthquake and I promise it will be gone before you want it to be. Clearly we didn’t have much of problem polishing this dish off…

I was able to attend a program at the Eva Perry Regional Library in Apex, NC (close to Raleigh) last Saturday. Len Testa from Touringplans.com was the speaker and he spent over an hour discussing how to make the most out of your vacation at Walt Disney World. In addition to sharing great advice, he spent time answering questions and autographing copies of the Unofficial Guide. He tried to sign my copy of the Lines app on my phone, but it just didn't work out. If you ever get the chance to see Len Testa live, do it. He is a great speaker and will answer any question!

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There is another Disney event scheduled for Saturday, February 18 at the Cameron Village Library in Raleigh and it is being co-hosted by Ryan Wilson of the MainStGazette. This should be an all-out geekfest, so make sure to put it on your calendar right now!

A Disney Documentary and A History of the Parks 

A screening of the film Disneyland Dream about a family winning a trip to Disneyland in 1956 with Marsha Orgeron, head of N.C. State's Film Studies Dept. 

Plus, Disney theme Park history with (the awesome) Ryan Wilson of MainStGazette.com. 

Saturday, Feb. 18 @ 2 p.m. Cameron Village Library 1930 Clark Avenue, Raleigh 919.856.6710

Here are four more photos from somebody who really loved "It's a Small World"!

• New Collection of Disney-related Interviews Didier hips us to a new book.
• Bear all Ryan looks back at the beginnings of a great show.
• The 626 – Secrets of the Haunted Mansion part 1 Jeff Heimbuch shares the stories behind the tombstones at the Haunted Mansion at the Magic Kingdom.
• THE WALT DISNEY FAMILY MUSEUM INTERIOR SamLand shares some wonderful photos of the Walt Disney Family Museum.

The nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards were announced earlier this morning in Beverly Hills, California. There are some surprises, but overall they're fairly predictable. Cars 2 has no chance of seeing any Oscar glory, without a nomination in the Animated Feature category. I'm not very surprised by this, since Pixar really hit a doozy on that picture. However, Pixar can redeem itself with Enrico Casarosa's short La Luna, which has a nomination in the Animated Shorts category. From what I've heard of this elusive short, it is a stunning shoe-in for the prize. Surprisingly, Kung Fu Panda 2 and Puss in Boots both got a nomination, but Tintin didn't, perhaps as a result of the impassioned debates surrounding motion capture's place among the world of animation. I was very glad that Tintin won the Golden Globe for Animated Feature--it tells a great story with eye-catching visuals, and really shows what the future of mo-cap holds. My biggest beef this year is with Hugo. It has the most nominations at 11. It is beautifully nostalgic with stunning visuals, but the story of Selznick's original The Invention of Hugo Cabret is sucked dry by Scorsese's ignorance of character depth. The film is pretty to look at, but it does not tell a compelling story. Scorsese won the Golden Globe for Directing, and I think it is egregious. I did not like the film one bit, if you couldn't tell. However, I am ecstatic about the attention that The Artist is getting. It is a true film--a crowning achievement of the modern filmmaking world. It is funny, emotional, and musical with great acting and set pieces that you can't help but get lost in...all without a spoken word. Another thing I'm ecstatic about? The Muppets' "Man or Muppet" not only being nominated for Best Original Song, but also being a surefire winner in the sparse category. It is a bang-up song from the most outstanding film of last year. Below, find the full list of nominations. My predictions for who will win are in red, but who I want to win is in bold. I didn't make predictions in every category, since I don't even pretend to be qualified to do that. There's also the occasional commentary on my selections. You'll notice a lot of things are bolded and red. This is just because I, perhaps naively, think that the Academy will be just this year. Enjoy . . . Best Picture "The Artist" Thomas Langmann, Producer "The Descendants" Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" Scott Rudin, Producer "The Help" Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers "Hugo" Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers "Midnight in Paris" Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers "Moneyball" Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers "The Tree of Life" Nominees to be determined "War Horse" Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers Actor in a Leading Role Demián Bichir in "A Better Life" George Clooney in "The Descendants" Jean Dujardin in "The Artist" Gary Oldman in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Brad Pitt in "Moneyball" Actor in a Supporting RoleKenneth Branagh in "My Week with Marilyn" Jonah Hill in "Moneyball" Nick Nolte in "Warrior" Christopher Plummer in "Beginners" Max von Sydow in "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" -- Not a great film, but Plummer was fantastic. -- Actress in a Leading Role Glenn Close in "Albert Nobbs" Viola Davis in "The Help" Rooney Mara in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady" Michelle Williams in "My Week with Marilyn" -- Same as with Beginners, the film left a lot to be desired. However, Meryl Streep owned the role of Thatcher. She was phenomenal. -- Actress in a Supporting Role Bérénice Bejo in "The Artist" Jessica Chastain in "The Help" Melissa McCarthy in "Bridesmaids" Janet McTeer in "Albert Nobbs" Octavia Spencer in "The Help" Animated Feature Film "A Cat in Paris" Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli "Chico & Rita" Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal "Kung Fu Panda 2" Jennifer Yuh Nelson "Puss in Boots" Chris Miller "Rango" Gore Verbinski Art Direction "The Artist" Production Design: Laurence Bennett; Set Decoration: Robert Gould "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan "Hugo" Production Design: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo "Midnight in Paris" Production Design: Anne Seibel; Set Decoration: Hélène Dubreuil "War Horse" Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales Cinematography "The Artist" Guillaume Schiffman "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Jeff Cronenweth "Hugo" Robert Richardson "The Tree of Life" Emmanuel Lubezki "War Horse" Janusz Kaminski Costume Design "Anonymous" Lisy Christl "The Artist" Mark Bridges "Hugo" Sandy Powell "Jane Eyre" Michael O'Connor "W.E." Arianne Phillips Directing "The Artist" Michel Hazanavicius "The Descendants" Alexander Payne "Hugo" Martin Scorsese "Midnight in Paris" Woody Allen "The Tree of Life" Terrence Malick Documentary (Feature) "Hell and Back Again" Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner "If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front" Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman "Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory" Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs "Pina" Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel "Undefeated" TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas Documentary (Short Subject) "The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement" Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin "God Is the Bigger Elvis" Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson "Incident in New Baghdad"James Spione "Saving Face" Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy "The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom" Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen Film Editing "The Artist" Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius "The Descendants" Kevin Tent "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall "Hugo" Thelma Schoonmaker "Moneyball" Christopher Tellefsen Foreign Language Film "Bullhead" Belgium "Footnote" "In Darkness" Poland "Monsieur Lazhar" Canada "A Separation" Iran Makeup "Albert Nobbs" Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng "The Iron Lady" Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland Music (Original Score) "The Adventures of Tintin" John Williams "The Artist" Ludovic Bource "Hugo" Howard Shore "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Alberto Iglesias "War Horse" John Williams Music (Original Song) "Man or Muppet" from "The Muppets" Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie "Real in Rio" from "Rio" Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown Lyric by Siedah Garrett Short Film (Animated) "Dimanche/Sunday" Patrick Doyon "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg "La Luna" Enrico Casarosa "A Morning Stroll" Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe "Wild Life" Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby Short Film (Live Action) "Pentecost" Peter McDonald and Eimear O'Kane "Raju" Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren "The Shore" Terry George and Oorlagh George "Time Freak" Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey "Tuba Atlantic" Hallvar Witzø Sound Editing "Drive" Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Ren Klyce "Hugo" Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl "War Horse" Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom Sound Mixing "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson "Hugo" Tom Fleischman and John Midgley "Moneyball" Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco and Ed Novick "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin "War Horse" Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson Visual Effects "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson "Hugo" Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning "Real Steel" Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier Writing (Adapted Screenplay) "The Descendants" Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash "Hugo" Screenplay by John Logan "The Ides of March" Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon "Moneyball" Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin. Story by Stan Chervin "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Screenplay by Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan Writing (Original Screenplay) "The Artist" Written by Michel Hazanavicius "Bridesmaids" Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig "Margin Call" Written by J.C. Chandor "Midnight in Paris" Written by Woody Allen "A Separation" Written by Asghar Farhadi -- (I couldn't pick between these two! I identify so well with Midnight in Paris that I am probably very bias towards it's screenplay, but I think it deserves to win. But so does The Artist. Hmm...) -- The 84th annual Academy Awards will air live from Hollywood's Kodak Theatre on February 26. Stay tuned for more up-to-date, exciting awards season news and opinion! Only at Disney, etc.