Here is a new DLP update and we will begin by the Walt Disney Studios as the park released yesterday a great high-res Toy Story Playland rendering. It's the one above and click on it to see it in big size. My Disney and more readers living in Asia will also be interested by it as a Toy Story Land will come to HKDL in 2011 and will look almost the same although the three TSP rides will have a different location in the land.
On this great rendering you can see more clearly the theming of each attractions whether it is the Slinky Dog Zig Zag Spin ride and the RC Racer half pipe coaster...
...or the Green Army Men parachute drop with its "army camp" theming.
By the way, talking about the Green Army Men, they will of course be part of Toy Story 3 and a very short clip from the awaited movie appeared on the official Toy Story 3 Swedish web site. On this 12 seconds clip Sarge and his Green Army Men send a warning to Woody and his friends, have a look at it below.
Let's come back to the Walt Disney Studios and its Toy Story Playland. At the entrance of the land you can see the four meters high Buzz Lightyear and on the very right of the artwork the blue barrels will be another exit of the land leading on the little path on the right handside.
This same path will be the one that DLP guests will take in two years from now when the highly awaited Ratatouille dark ride will finally open for what will be DLP's 20th anniversary and WDS 10th anniversary. In my previous update i told you that the park did a financial plan which was sent to the banks and that everybody was waiting for its approval. Although nothing official has been announced yet it seems that the attraction is on good tracks and Glendale and DLPI Imagineers should begin to work soon on the project for a 2012 opening. A Paris themed area is expected and may be a Ratatouille restaurant which would be perfectly logical as the restaurant is almost a character in the movie.
But for now the construction of Toy Story Playland is still going on and the land should open this summer. However i have to say that there will be a real problem of visual intrusion, more specifically from the Parachute Drop tower and probably from the RC Racer track. Right now the Parachute Drop Tower can be seen from almost anywhere in the park whether it is from the little street in front of Tower of Terror, or from the Moteurs, Action stunt show arena (located at the very end of the park!) or even before you enter the WDS. Thanks god, the tower can't be seen when you enter the park or even when you exit Studio 1 looking towards the Tram Tour Station, but guests who will walk 30 meters in the Hollywood boulevard will be surprised to see this big tower with kaki colours which obviously will not fit with the art-deco style of the Hollywood Boulevard buildings.
Imagineers will be able to hide the tower when there will be an expansion of the Hollywood Boulevard but for now - and probably years to come - i'm afraid the visual intrusion problem will remain. As a matter of fact the Parachute Drop tower can even be seen from the other park, in Frontierland, but to be honest you will see it only from the top of Big Thunder Mountain second lift and during a few seconds which is no big drama. Still, solutions exist to resolve the problem like to plant new trees on the top of the hill behind Boot Hill graveyard and the geysers which will hide this damn' Parachute tower, but i doubt that the park will agree to give the budget for this.
Meanwhile, at DLP Magic Kingdom, the New Generation festival will start on April 2.
The festival will put Disney newest stars in the spotlight and Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen will join the "Once Upon a Dream Parade" while Ratatouille characters Remy and Emile will ride in an all-new car during the "Disney’s Stars ‘n’ Cars" cavalcade at the Walt Disney Studios.
At the WDS everyone will get permission to be as loud as monster-possible and screams will fill the air several times daily at the "Monsters Inc. Scream Academy" where Sulley will encourage guests to break the decibel meter! Don't be too excited though as the "Monsters Inc. Scream Academy" will be a happening located at the Monsters Inc photo location and definitely not a new attraction.
Outside the parks, at Disney Village, new shops and restaurants should appear in the next two years. The long awaited World of Disney shop which will be located at the right of Disney Village entrance should finally have the budget for its construction and works for a new "Earl of Sandwich" restaurant - located near the Cafe Mickey and stick to the Rain Forest Cafe - are expected to begin in March.
The renderings above and below found on the Disney Central Plaza forum will give you an idea of how will look this new Disney Village addition but don't expect an opening before summer 2011 as i've been told that works could take up to 15 months. It may seem a long time for a simple restaurant but the main reason is probably that part of the building will be build where currently is water coming from the lake nearby and they need to have a ground perfectly dry which as everybody know always takes a long time.
That's all for today, see you soon for a new DLP update with pictures of the park!
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Pictures and artwork: copyright Disney
Video: copyright Disney-Pixar
