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Tag Archives: Haunted Mansion

Journey of the Little Mermaid Characters Come to Life with Classic Storytelling and Innovative Technology

Saturday, December 1, 2012 Chip 4 Comments

Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid debuts in a few days at Magic Kingdom, advancing the great tradition of the “dark ride” – a theme park classic that transports riders in guided vehicles through specially lit scenes often featuring animation sound, music, and special effects.

That said, the Little Mermaid attraction incorporates advanced technology and special effects to make guests feel as if they’ve been taken underwater as they encounter characters from “The Little Mermaid” in amazing three-dimensional forms.

Technical and design highlights begin with the building housing the attraction. The architecture itself was designed using new digital 3-D modeling technology and the façade, in its finished form, features Prince Eric’s castle from the film. Guests will arrive at the sandy beach line and descend into the caverns below Prince Eric’s castle to board their clam shell and journey under the sea with Ariel.

The painstaking attention to detail that is a hallmark of Walt Disney Imagineering is evident in an “underwater” grotto that appears to be a room inside the prince’s castle, with a beautiful domed ceiling, light penetrating from the sky above water to reveal artifacts of Prince Eric’s world.

In Ariel’s world, where sea creatures talk and sing, mischievous little crabs engage guests in games of ‘trash or treasure” to help the crabs fill their treasure chests. This is the latest example of how Imagineers use technology to create interactive queues that allow the fun to start almost immediately.

Disney Theme Park in St. Louis? Well Almost!

Friday, November 23, 2012 MickeyMom No comments

Alright, Disney fans, store this in the back of your head for that Jeopardy Daily Double question. Back in 1962, Walt Disney himself was in the process of negotiating a Disney Theme Park in St. Louis, MO. What could have been?

Walt Disney was approached by the organizers of the St. Louis Bicentennial. Their request was that he produce a film about the city. So impressed was Walt with the newly expanding downtown area and the almost complete Arch, he had a better idea.

With inspiration from his Missouri roots, Walt began plans for Riverfront Square. The location was planned about two blocks from Busch stadium. The five-story all indoor attraction would be topped off with an atrium ceiling. Complete with simulated weather and time of day. The project was on the table from 1963 to 1965 and Disney Imagineers got pretty far in their planning.

For Blueprints and Computer animations, watch the video in the St. Louis News (KSDK) article by clicking here.

‘Big Thunder Mountain’ Set To Become a TV Series on ABC

Tuesday, November 13, 2012 Patrick No comments

It looks like the wildest ride in the wilderness is about to become the wildest ride on your television. ABC is currently developing a new series, titled ‘Big Thunder Mountain’, based around the popular Disney attraction, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Details about the project are being kept tight-lipped at this time, but the show is set to be supervised and produced by Chris Morgan (‘Fast and Furious’, ‘Fast Five’) and written by Jason Fuchs (‘Ice Age: Continental Drift’). This isn’t the first time a Disney attraction has had the Hollywood treatment, including the incredible success of the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ film franchise starring Johnny Depp, as well as films based on ‘The Haunted Mansion’ with Eddie Murphy, ‘The Country Bears’, and ‘Mission to Mars’. Disney is also developing films based around ‘The Jungle Cruise’, ‘Matterhorn’, and ‘Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride’ at this time, as well as Jon Favreau’s ‘Magic Kingdom’.

There’s no date currently set for when, or if, the show will premiere, but if ABC likes the pilot and moves forward, there’s a good chance we could see it as early as next year. What’s very interesting about this is this development is happening hot on the heels of the announcement of a massive Big Thunder Mountain refurbishment at the Disneyland Resort, so could changes in the ride clue us in to the potential stories in the show? Time will tell. I’m excited about the idea of having a new western TV show on a weekly basis, so I’ll be keeping a close on this production. Are you excited to see ‘Big Thunder Mountain’, or would you rather the Disney attractions were left as attractions? Let me know in the comments below, only here on Chip and Company!

Disney World’s Guest Assistance Card Details (chipandco.com)
One Day in the Magic Kingdom (tipsfromthedisneydiva.com)

Big Thunder Mountain Set To Become a TV Series on ABC

Disney World And Disneyland Testing New Attraction Policy

Tuesday, November 6, 2012 Tara 2 Comments

This week two attractions at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom and Disneyland will test a new seating policy for the remainder of the month and see how guests feel about it.

Both Toy Story Midway Manias and Haunted Mansions will test a new policy where children under the age of 7 must ride with a guest over the age of 14 in the same row. Previous policy dictated that there be an adult in the same vehicle as children under 7. A sign is near the entrance informing guests of the new policy and cast members are at the exit of the attractions surveying guests.

Do you think this policy is a good change or not? Let us know!

If You Want to Live in the Haunted Mansion Today is Your Lucky Day! (chipandco.com)
The differences between Disneyland and Disney World (chipandco.com)

Create Your Own Disney Magic at Home this Halloween

Wednesday, October 31, 2012 Chip 1 Comment

Between carved pumpkins, after-hours parties and tasty treats, Halloween is one of my favorite times of year. Wouldn’t you like to bring some of that Disney magic into your home this Halloween? How about conjuring up the 999 happy haunts that inhabit the Haunted Mansion?

Our friends at Spoonful.com have hundreds of fun, Disney-inspired craft ideas – including tons for Halloween. Two of my favorites are these Haunted Mansion Ghost Masks and Haunted Mansion Cupcake Tombstones. They’re so easy – you just print them and cut them out. Add the mask to an old suit and the tombstones to some delicious cupcakes and you’ve got your Haunted Mansion-inspired Halloween costume and snacks!

Check out Spoonful.com for more ideas and Happy Halloween!