Mermaids Appear in WDW Pirates of Caribbean

The rumor was right: "On Strangers Tides" mermaids have appeared in WDW Magic Kingdom Pirates of Caribbean. Don't expect though to face half-naked sea creatures and make sure you look on the right side of the ride as these mermaids are introduced in the beloved attraction mostly thanks to lighting and water effects and a mermaid skeleton, the one you see on the picture above.

If you want to see ( if i can say, as it's pretty dark ) some moving images Orlando Attractions has posted a video that you can see HERE.

Screen Capture: copyright Orlando Attractions

Don't miss Disney and more contest ending October 25th, and be the lucky winner of Disneyland Paris book! It's RIGHT HERE.

New Imagineering Video Unveiled WDW New Fantasyland Maurice's Cottage

Walt Disney Imagineering released a new video showing Maurice’s Cottage at WDW New Fantasyland. The video shows the whimsical garden and cottage theming which includes inventions created by Belle’s father, Maurice as well as others items participating to the theming.



But the reason why you have to watch this video till the end is to see the magic mirror which magically becomes a portal into Beast’s Castle. There is a real good trick here and after watching the video several times i still can't totally guess how they do it. Sure the pixie dust, lights and projection effects are obvious but the mirror is getting bigger little by little until it apparently becomes a door - the portal to Beast's Castle - and it's really well done. Have a look!




Picture and video: copyright Disney

WDW New Fantasyland Construction Video

Here is a great video showing WDW New Fantasyland construction, and including shots of Belle Village, the exterior of the Little Mermaid ride. You'll also see the first tests on the Little Mermaid waterfalls, and more !




WDW Magic Kingdom New Fantasyland is, after DCA Cars Land and Buena Vista Street the next big WDI project in the U.S to open. The double Dumbo ride and the Story Book Circusare already open and the rest should open later this year, except the seven dwarves mine ride. On this next video filmed by DisneyByTheNumbers you'll see the new Casey Jr Splash'n Soak Station as well as the double Dumbo ride and the new interactive - read "playground" - queue.





Videos: copyright wesh.com, disneybythenumbers

WDW Magic Kingdom Dumbo "Interactive" Queue Video

Disney Parks just released a short video showing the supposed interactive queue of the new Dumbo attraction at WDW Magic Kingdom Storybook Circus. Interactive? Did i missed something? As you will see in the video below it looks more like a kids playground under a circus tent, with a great theming based on Dumbo final scene, i agree, but still, where are the interactivity elements in all this?

Sure, this indoor "interactive queue" - read: playground - will allow parents to sit on benches in air conditioning while kids " will burn off energy climbing through ropes, jumping, and running around", and considering how long a queue at Dumbo can be it's very welcome, but so far the only interactive element i noticed is a pager which will "bip" when it will be the "time to ride". Again, it's a very good idea which should help to make the Dumbo wait more agreable, but just don't call it "interactive" - or let me know where the interactivity is.








Pictures and video: copyright Disney

ThemeParkGPS, the first iPhone App that will guide you by GPS inside WDW Magic Kingdom !

Here is a great idea, specially for WDW guests coming for the first time at the Magic Kingdom... or for those of you who definitely don't have the sense of orientation. ThemeParkGPS is, simply, the first ever GPS iPhone App that actually helps you to navigate throughout the Magic Kingdom effortlessly and enjoyably. All you have to do is to follow the icon "Guide Guy" as he shows and tells you how to get from where you are in the Magic Kingdom to anywhere you want to go in the Park.

You know how works GPS for cars? This app works the same way, and the voice-guided, turn-by-turn GPS directions is only one of the many features that are offer in this ThemeParkGPS App. Here is a description of the others features, coming from the App description.



FAMILY & FRIEND TRACKER: Want to keep track of the kids while letting them explore the Park by themselves? With ThemeParkGPS you will have peace of mind, always knowing where the kids are in the Park while still giving them their independence. Note that each person you are tracking needs this App downloaded to their iPhone.



IN-APP MESSAGING: Want to meet your friends for lunch in the Magic Kingdom? Need to remind them of your next FASTPASS time? Use this convenient App feature to send and receive messages...especially time-sensitive messages!



REAL-TIME MAP VIEW: Johnny needs to go to the bathroom...now! You are out of cash and you need to find the closest ATM. No worries! GUIDE GUY will locate you on the GPS Map, pinpointing everything that is around you, and lead you to your destination quickly and directly.

FUN FOODFINDER: Craving something special to eat? Want to find a restaurant in the Magic Kingdom that serves Chicken Tenders, Pizza, Carrot Cake or Baked Ziti, for example? With this unique feature, you can search for a place to eat based on any combination of 5 categories!



GPS VEHICLE LOCATOR: Ok, you've had a long, tiring day. Both you and the kids are getting cranky. Its dark and all you want to do is get the kids back to the hotel...and fast! Suddenly you find yourself wandering aimlessly in the parking lot looking for your vehicle. No worries. Follow our dependable GUIDE GUY and he will lead you directly to your vehicle!

In addition ThemeParkGPS gives you much more: You also get the latest information on Magic Kingdom's Attractions, Dining, Shopping, Special Events and Entertainment.

Sounds like a good app for someone who don't know well the park, isn't it? And the good news is that this GPS app cost $0.99 only on the iTunes Appstore! If you have an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, go ahead, you can download the App HERE.

AND, talking about iPhone Apps, i remind you the two great Tokyo Disney Sea and Hong Kong Disneyland Apps which include hundred of gorgeous pictures of the parks and that you can download HERE and HERE.

D&M Archives : A Special Alien Encounter - Stitch's Great Escape Tribute

When the ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter attraction opened at WDW some years ago it was quite an event. Not only it was part of a new re-themed Tomorrowland, but "Alien" was supposed to be a real frightening attraction, the first of its kind in a Magic Kingdom. Well, for the adult audience, it was really fun, and not-so-scary. But for the 12 years old young girls, the 3D sound ,the darkness and in-theatre effects were may be a little bit too scary!

No need to say that WDW executives didn't like at all to see these young girls exiting the attraction theatre crying, and this is probably why this brand new WDI attraction - that was supposed to be built in other Disney parks - remain the only one of its kind... Mind you, still in 1994, Tim Delaney, DLP Discoveryland show producer was still expecting to built it right at the entrance of the land where the room has been kept , on the little hill on the right, between the "Constellations" shop and Autopia.

Let's begin by some rare WDI artwork as well as official pictures of Alien Encounter.



















We all know what happened next: the attraction was re-themed around the Stitch character and is supposed now to be less scary than before. On the pictures above and below, the difference between the two pictures of the same scene is interesting: on the Alien Encounter one the boys are yelling, but on the Stitch one, the boys are younger and smiling. The message is clear: no need to be afraid of this attraction any more, come on in!

Also, note the difference between the two photos of the pre-show sequence , with the small teleportation experiment. On the Stitch version, the S.I.R robot - one of the best programmed Audio-Animatronic i've ever seen - is now dressed in a more cartoonish look. But the really interesting shot above is the sixth from the top, as this rendering show a kind of pre-show "laboratory" scene that finally was never built...

And, last but not least, you may have noticed on the Alien encounter marquee that the attraction was supposed to be a " Sensory thriller from Disney AND Georges Lucas ". Why Georges Lucas was involved in Alien Encounter, you ask? Well, apparently, and if i'm right , it seems that the concept/idea of the attraction came from him during a meeting, and when Lucas have an idea, you better not forget that it came from him...which, i must agree is perfectly legitimate.















And now, on with the show, as below are the Youtube videos of the two versions. The two first videos show the pre-show and the show of Alien encounter and the two last one show the pre-show and the show of Stitch's great escape.














Photos and Artwork: copyright Disney

Videos: Copyright Martin Smith or SaveTheLastRide