Mousekingdom Blog

Yesterday, another tragedy took place at Walt Disney world when a 12 year old boy died after riding the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.

A boy from Kentucky riding Walt Disney World’s Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster slumped over during the ride and later died though his Army Green Beret father attempted to resuscitate him.

Disney closed the ride and asked the Florida Bureau of Fair Rides Inspection to assist in an inquiry. There was no indication Thursday that any equipment on the ride malfunctioned.

The death is the seventh in 18 months involving people stricken at Walt Disney World attractions, compared with two such deaths in the previous 18 months, according to state records. (Source: Orlando Sentinel)

No words will be able to take away the grief of the family but Our thoughts are with them.

Many people (like myself) are probably glued to the World Cup, following every game live on TV (unless they are fortunate enough to be in Germany for a game or two). Being in Orlando for much of the tournament so far has been a fun experience, as much for all the different places (some of them, perhaps, unexpected) we have found to watch games. Being around Walt Disney World (and other Orlando venues!) has meant a real variety of fun options, with many bars and restaurants opening early (because of the time difference), and creating a lively atmosphere.

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Johnny Depp had no time for the press when he visited Disneyland for the Pirates of the Caribbean; Dead Man’s Chest premier. He had only time for his fans when he walked down the red carpet.

He talked and signed pictures for two hours, having the press wait until they where notified Johnny Depp would have no time to talk to them.

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The ride that was an inspiration for a movie,… that became a ride inspired by the movie!

Jack has made his entrance at the Disneyland Park in Anaheim and visitors like what they see as first reports are very positive.

Visit Coaster Realms for some pictures of Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction.

What boy doesn’t like to play with cars? There will not be many. So with Cars out in the cinema, and merchandise being sold out at many location (so it seems when people talk about it) it proofs that cars is a real “toys for boys” hit. I must admit, I did check on those Cars toys myself and I’ll be getting something related to it on my next planned Disney visit. I hope I can choose from all the goodies (if not sold out)

If you like remote controlled Cars check out RadioShack Corporation. They just released a collection of Limited edition 1:16 scale RCs and 1:64 scale ZipZaps micro Radio Controlled Cars from the Disney/Pixar production. I am sure many boys’ hearts would beat a little faster when seeing those toys. And I am not talking about those children’s hearts only, I am sure some dad’s might be skipping a heartbeat to…

Well… I’ve finally got a laptop back (not my old laptop, but a shiny brand new one thats better than my old one.. hooray!!) And I have had some time to write another 2 days reports, so here I finally have another installment for you all.. Sorry for the Delay It’s time consuming doing this hehe!

Thursday 1st June 2006

Today Jon and myself were heading down to San Diego Zoo. We got up at about 8:10 and were ready to leave at 8:40.

After getting a little lost on the way (read as missing the junction we had to come off at and not realising it) we arrived in the car park for the Zoo at about 10:40am. We headed over to admissions and purchased our tickets into the Zoo and then went in.

At this point neither of us had eaten or had anything to drink today so we headed to the first place we could find to eat. I had a Veggie Burger and Fries with a refillable drink. The veggie burger was awful and the Fries weren’t much better if I am going to be honest, but the drink certainly came in handy, I had it refilled 3 or 4 times that day at a cost of $1 a refill, not a bad deal

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Here is a real nice exclusive Pirates of the Caribbean special including information on the film’s many locations, how to get to the most unreachable places with all the film equipment, The most amazing Islands, interviews and quoits from Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Jerry Bruckheimer and others, modern ships transporting all the goods needed on the set and a whole lot more…

Enjoy this awesome “Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man’s Chest” Sets & Locations Featurette

A battle for the Winnie the Pooh copyright has gone on for a dozen years. Clare Milne, the granddaughter of A.A. Milne, the creature of Winnie the Pooh, wants to recapture ownership of the copyright. But an agreement made in 1983 between the Pooh Properties Trust, Disney and Slesinger (who got the copyrights in 1930) states that the Milne family cannot claim for the rights.

The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Milne had no termination right to exercise. The court said the parties — the trust, Disney and Slesinger — entered into an agreement in 1983 designed to block the family from ever regaining control of the copyright. (CNN Law Center)

A couple of days ago I placed my request for a small DVC contract with the Timeshare Store. I wanted a small contract for several reasons. First of all a 150 minimum contract is not something I need now or want to do at this time. If I wanted to go for a 150 point contract I would have to go and have a talk to my bank. Instead of taking out a big loan I will start with a small contract I can afford for now. Once I am a member I can add on when I want or when I am ready. The first year (or even two years) the 50 points will do for me and my family.

I also decided Saratoga Springs is the right place for me. Although I love the BoardWalk Villas as a location I just can’t convince myself spending the same amount of money for a location that has 12 years less on its contract. With my plan to buy add on points during several years I feel this is the best option for me.

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While everybody is looking at the newest PIXAR development and their merge with Disney many thought the traditional hand drawn animation is on its way out completely. This might be more wrong then ever as two new productions now might get the hand drawn animation that made Disney famous. The Frog Princess could be one of the next productions as John Lasseter is 100% for this approach of the development team; Ron Clements and John Musker.

Imagine this, a studio creative chief who not only has brought back into the fold the creative team that single handedly revived the art of great storytelling with The Little Mermaid, but gave them free reign to craft the story on their own without bringing in a screenwriter from outside, and then offered them a choice, repeat – a choice of what look they thought was best for their film. At this stage John Lasseter could all but insist on a revival of Snow White in live action starring Demi Moore and he’d still go down in recent history as the greatest visionary leader feature animation has had since Walt! (Source: Laughingplace.com)

Disneyland Shanghai,… or something like that might be the name of the next Disney park. This news for a second park in China has been floating around the web for a time now, but according to this article at modbee.com Disney chairman George Mitchell has been quoted saying in a Chinese state-run newspaper that Shanghai city officials are now in talks with the central government about a Disney theme park in the Chinese financial center.

This would be a second park in China, but there is no concern the Hong Kong Park would suffer from a park in Shanghai

Mitchell was also quoted as saying in the report Saturday he doesn’t think a Shanghai park will hurt Hong Kong Disneyland, which opened in September.

“There has been very careful analysis from us and Chinese government officials,” he said.

“There are a very large number of people in the Shanghai area and we don’t think that this will have any more of a negative effect on Hong Kong than say having a park both in California and Orlando, Florida,” Mitchell reportedly said.

(At Studio 1, Walt Disney Studios Paris)

Any regulars would have noted the news of the new Disneyland Resort Paris and 15th anniversary logo that was released on Monday. As this up-coming birthday is so close to my heart, I thought I’d share with you a little extra information that came to light just yesterday about what we can expect during the new dreamy celebrations. (Note that the official press-release seems to have been withdrawn without notice)

“Disney’s Once Upon A Dream Parade” WILL be debuting in Disneyland Park to begin the party, states one of the official press releases. While the information hints at the character line-up (from Mickey, Minnie and Baloo to Cinderella) we’ll have to wait until the parade’s own press release (due shortly) tells us more about the float line-up… we hope anyway! 

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If you can’t go to the premiere of “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” you can still follow the red carpet celebrations online via a live webcast; MSN and Disneyland Resort to Webcast the “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” Red Carpet World Premiere Live From Southern California

The webcast will be hosted by the MSN “Dish Diva” Taylor Johnson along with a Disneyland historian and Disney Imagineer who will go live at remote locations along the red carpet at the premiere. The 90-minute webcast will include interviews from the A-list celebrities on the red carpet along with information about the fun and exciting history of Disney’s beloved attraction that inspired the movies.

The live broadcast will take place June 24, from 7–8:30 p.m. PDT to a worldwide audience on MSN Video

Not so long ago I added some info on the Volvo Pirates Treasure hunt. It didn’t take long before we had a Volvo Dealer offering to send some maps out. (I warned them they’ll be getting more requests). The Volvo Dealer was so nice to also send us a picture of the map for those who wanted to have a look at it, and now we have visitors giving away some of the clues in the original first blog entry.

How much do you know about the ladders, barrels, St Helena, codes, coordinates and the rest pirate Volvo hunt game? Close to the hidden location already? The hunt is on and it looks like there are many pirates out there that want to find that treasure!

We may have just reached Summer Solstice, typically the longest the longest day of the year, but Disneyland “Resort” Paris is already thinking about next year’s birthday celebrations.

April 12th 1992 was when the magic began in Europe, so the resort can expect a 15th anniversary to remember… and the logo for this special time has just been released. It takes after the Happiest Celebration on Earth emblem that is still in use for Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort, yet has a contemporary twist which is quite apt for one of the most stylish cities on the planet.

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Brittany Murphy will be the Voice of Disney’s Tinker Bell in a new spin off, staring the beloved character of the Peter Pan Movie.

The direct to Video production will be released in 2007.

The Tinker Bell movie will be the first in a new line of Disney Fairies animation productions

(Source: Reuters)

Walt Disney World newest evening event could be the rumored Disney’s Pirate & Princess evenings at the Magic Kingdom. The event would start in January and might go on into the month of March. Tickets might even start to go on sale starting as soon as from July 10th. Looks like Disney, if the rumor is indeed correct, wants to fill up the park on more nights and earn some extra by doing so.

Not sure if this event will be popular as Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party event (I LOVE this event), but it will be hard for parents to say “NO” to all the future “little Pirates” and “little princesses”. To be honest, if I would be there during the time, it would be hard to keep me out of the “pirates” fun too.

Adventures planned for the special event include a search through the park for Treasure, pit stops at Pirate Adventure Coves or Princess Royal Courts spread out throughout the park for specialized training sessions like character meet and greets, scimitar training, dance parties, princess image consulting, learn to speak like a pirate, make up make over and more. (Screamscape)

If it’s Johnny Depp’s choice we will get a Pirates 4, 5 and even a 6th part as it looks like he has to much fun playing the pirate’s life. He expresses his love for the franchise on the third page of the article about his career in Newsweek

Depp’s not ready to let go of Captain Jack just yet. “He’s a blast to play,” he says. “I’ll be in a deep, dark depression saying goodbye to him.” He laughs. “I’ll keep the costume and just prance around the house, entertain the kids.” Or the rest of the world. “Maybe ‘Pirates 4, 5 and 6′,” he says. “If they had a good script, why not? I mean, at a certain point, the madness must stop, but for the moment, I can’t say that he’s done.”

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Tuesday 30th May 2006

Today I got up at 9am, the plan for the morning was to head over to Hollywood. By the time I had showered and got ready etc. it was 10am. I headed off towards Hollywood, and with traffic not being too bad I arrived at 11am.

The main thing I wanted to get out of my trip to Hollywood was a trip to Disney’s El Capitan theatre. I went to the Box Office but it had not opened yet, so I went next door into Disney’s Soda Fountain and Studio store. I had a look around here and bought some Limited Edition Pins, some limited to as few as 300, I’ve never purchased a pin that limited before now

I left the store and headed back to the Box Office which was now open. I purchased a ticket to see Dumbo (all they were screening) at I believe it was 12:30pm. I headed off to look around some of the Hollywood shops, and looked around the Hollywood and Highland shopping centre.

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