Mousekingdom Blog

Going to the movies is something I love to do; the atmosphere, the BIG screen, the awesome sound effect… It is all part on the experience that makes seeing a movie in a cinema special. My last Disney movie was Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Man’s Chest (I guess that counts for a lot of us). I loved the movie, and also loved the new Walt Disney logo at the beginning of the movie. It makes me want to go to the parks. But isn’t this a missed opportunity? Could they not add, before the movie starts, a nice beautiful advertisement of the Disney Parks? Including information on how and where to book. If they would add this before every movie as an attachment would this not have a very positive effect on the people in the theatres? How many people went to see Pirates but have never been to a Disney park? Many for sure! (I talked to people who liked the movie but never seen the ride it was modeled after) So before the movie start they should show the park and get the people interested for a visit. Show the link even more as they did with the small intro before the movie starts.

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Disneyland Resort Paris has a new DVD released of the park. A little sad for me as I was shown on the previous DVD in the special called: “From one light bulb to another” (from MediaDreams). It was real fun to be part of this project as I got some real nice threats during the taping of it (I should tell that story one time). On this trip I got recognized by some Disney fans and they asked to be in a picture with them. I felt so special, like my own 15 minutes of fame….  (well, OK… 3 minutes)

If you haven’t been able to see this special try to find it. You’ll get some great info on the Main Street Electrical Light Parade and Fantillusion. At this time it is only to be found on the previous DVD of Disneyland Resort Paris, but it is worth finding a copy. And no, it is not because I am in it that I try to sell it here.

To be continued…
{Next: DLRP Paris Trip Report: Day 4… wet, wet, wet… (Highlights)}

The pirates are popular and Disney will be very happy about this for sure, especially when they see the $ sign with a big number behind it. With the movie released worldwide the $1 Billion target is getting closer, but will be reached very soon as the latest number is  $963.2 million. Not to bad for a movie filled with naughty people. With figures like that and Johnny Depp already mentioned that he would like to make more pirate movies there is a big chances we will get more after the 3rd one. They would not let a chance like that slip true their fingers… would they?

“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” the foreign box office champ for the past eight weekends, has helped Walt Disney Co. pass the $1 billion mark overseas for a 12th consecutive year.

You can find more info on the Reuters site: “Pirates” propels Disney to $1 billion overseas

On YouTube a video has been added from a Press event that included a song from the new Nemo show at Animal Kingdom. They are having a ‘workshop like performance’ where they share a song that will be used in the show.

The song “In the Big Blue World” is performed without any of the show elements but with the question to the press to “imagine” in their heads what happens during the song. The video is about 8 minutes long and well worth checking out if you like the songs from Nemo or if you can’t wait to see the new live show at the Animal Kingdom park.

It will be a little while before we get to see the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie. May 2007 to be specific, but until then we already have some pictures of the new movie to share… it’s Johnny Depp in full costume and his new black pearl on four wheels.

Actually it is a picture taken while Johnny goes to the set for the third movie. Not only does he use a modern car, but also a small transfer boat towards the “real” black pearl at the Disney Studios behind the Hollywood Hills in Burbank.

(source: www.tmz.com)

A very interesting read on the commercials made by the Disney company in the 50’s can be found at Animated World Magazine. Including some artwork and examples of the work Disney Studios did back then.

The ‘50s were also a time of renaissance at the Disney Studio that was still recovering from the financial hardships of World War II. While Cinderella had been a success, Walt was desperately in need of money to help maintain the studio and to finance his latest project, the world’s first theme park to be called Disneyland. (Animated World Magazine)

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nother early entry today in Fantasyland but without the Peter Pan marathon (just one ride). It is just nice to leisure during the non busy first hour of the day. The rest of the day became a real show day. Although I did try and failed to put record numbers on a Buzz visit, the show took out a lot of the time of this day. Once I met up with Dirk one of the things we went to see was the new Winnie the Pooh show. I loved it. So much better then the previous show. The new location at the Fantasy Festival Stage does the show justice and the story is real fun. The show is so good (I know, I’ll never grow up) that, once we met up with Stefan and his partner Sabine, we had to go again. Tarzan was also on the program. I love this show and is, by far, so much better then the now ended Tarzan show in Animal Kingdom. This show has more acrobatics with some really cool stuff done by the “monkeys”. Visiting DLRP, this is a show that cannot be missed.

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The planet Pluto is no more and while everybody is still waiting for a response from Pluto himself, the dwarfs already talked to the press and left the following statement.

“Although we think it’s DOPEY that Pluto has been downgraded to a dwarf planet, which has made some people GRUMPY and others just SLEEPY, we are not BASHFUL in saying we would be HAPPY if Disney’s Pluto would join us as an 8th dwarf. We think this is just what the DOC ordered and is nothing to SNEEZE at.”

If you want to have a look at the Tower Of Terror that will open at DisneySea on the 4th September check out this awesome on-ride preview video from Joe’s Tokyo Disney Resort Photo Site. While the fairly big file is loading you can check the big collection of pictures already gathered and shared on the site. From Concept art to a collection of close ups from around the ride.

Once the 16+ minutes movie start you will get to see a lot of Cast Members in and around the attraction, a fun Pre-Show where the window changes and tells part of the story, an awesome looking queue area, an elevator (really?), ghosts and freefalls with a lot of screams. After the ride you’re invited into the shop before exiting the beautiful building. It is well worth seeing this video if you’re a Tower of Terror fan, and if you’re not a fan… it is still worth seeing it. Enjoy

Characters are always a big part of a Disney adventure. While I do get to see many, sometimes I see one I do not know. Yes, I admit it, I do not know everything about Disney or in this case everybody.

I did like here interaction though. It was fun to see how she played with the crowd and the children. I guess she is related to Chip and Dale, but it was the first time that I saw here.

If you know here name, let me know.

To be continued…
{Next Disneyland Resort Paris trip report: Day 3 Showtime (Highlights)}

The best jokes and funny things are always something that you can relate to. While it would be hard to say anything bad about Disney myself I do appreciate some good jokes or funny lines about Disney. A little bit of humor can never hurt, even if they mock what I love the most.

The next little video I found on YouTube is such a mockery fun thing. A man, dressed as a Ninja is giving a review of “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”. He makes fun of the whole concept, the actors and the script, how the movie would have been if it would be called Ninjas of the Caribbean, and how to fight a kraken. Dark humor of a man dressed in black, looking like a ninja!

Have fun, have a laugh while watching the Ninja’s review… Ask A Ninja: Special Delivery 7 “Pirates of the Caribbean”

If you would like to know how it feels to be a stuntman put on fire in the Disney MGM Studios Lights, Motors, Action!™ Extreme Stunt Show read this fun interview with Mike Sydnor, a fire-fighter turned Stunt man who loves to be put on fire.

“I’m more nervous being interviewed than sliding through fire,” he said. “Basically, all you feel is walking from air conditioning to the bright sun on a Florida day.”

When the time comes for Sydnor’s 10 seconds of fame, he does his stunt and the flames are quickly extinguished by the safety crew. But his enthusiasm still burns long after his moment in the spotlight has faded.

One thing I am not is being an early bird, but for some reason Disneyland changes this for me. On my first full day I entered the parking lot as the 10th car. It was 7:40 am and the park does not open until 9:00 am. There is early admission for resort guests who will have breakfast in the park and for those that have a Dream annual pass. Fantasyland is open as from 8:00 am for the early birds with a dream pass, with 2 rides operating as from 8:30 am. I walked into the park at 8:01 am and enjoyed the Main Street empty, walked over to Fantasyland and enjoyed a walk around the land before going on a Peter Pan Marathon. I am always surprised how little this extra service is used by Dream pass holders as I can ride the attraction on my own. Some of the guests that finish their breakfast early notice that the some rides are open and start joining in about 15 minutes before the park open to the general public.

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…that Michelle Pfeiffer’s first job as a performer was…

…Alice from Alice in Wonderland at Disneyland in the Main Street Electrical Parade in the mid 1970’s?

Venice might become the very first city to ask a fee from the tourist visiting it. The idea came from British economist John Kay whose idea has now been picked up by the city’s mayor, Massimo Cacciari.

Mr. Massimo Cacciari is now considering doing this so the visitors will generate extra income to help to maintain the beautiful Italian city.

Might be a good idea,… although John Kay might have to do his homework a little better as he used a very strange and incorrect example to sell his idea.

“12 million people a year pay 50 euros a year to visit Eurodisney,” he said, “If the Disney Corporation owned Venice, Venice would no longer be in peril”

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Rumors are fun, at least I think so. It is always some good fuel for chats, forums and blogs. Some rumors will see the day of light while others are so unbelievable they never come thru, or if they do we’re all very surprised. One rumor that has been posted on the VMK.forums is, although hard to believe, very interesting and something worth talking about.

Bob Iger wrote a mail, that was only intended for the top Disney executives, but looks like it also landed in the inbox from an intern. 3 nice rumors, of what would be a growth in Walt Disney World, that will fire up some nice talks or thoughts. While the first two might still sound believable, the third one might be a little bit of an overkill. I cannot stress “rumor” hard enough on this, but it was still something I wanted to blog about.

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I have a fascination with the evil side of live. I am a good boy, not evil myself, honestly, but the evil things are just appealing to me. I like creepy and scary movies, enjoy the evil games and it isn’t any different when it comes to Disney.

Halloween at Disney is one of my favorite times and celebrations, absolutely loving “Mickey’s not so Scary Halloween party” at Walt Disney World. On my trip to Disneyland Resort Paris I looked for the evil parts in the park and loved them like I always do. Phantom Manor is, for obvious reasons, my all time favorite ride; even if I am a real Roller Coaster fan it still wins from any coaster in the park. I love to walk around the graveyard that is so often forgotten about many guests. I look at the graves and their funny inscriptions, enjoy the sounds and views and it is a place where I can really relax and breathe in the atmosFEAR.

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“Who Wants to be a Millionaire-Play It!” is closing today. The show has been in the park for only 5 years (it opened in April 7, 2001). Although not a big fan of the show I must admit I am happy that I experienced it live at the MGM studios before it closed.

“Midway Mania”, a dark ride featuring Pixar characters, is rumored to replace the show. Giving the MGM studios renaming rumor to Disney/PIXAR Studios another reason to become reality – although I still think it will not happen, but I could be wrong.

Here is my first part of my trip report. I will not go for the regular report but will bring you some highlights and other stories related to this visit. I’ll make it a fun read so stick with me and enjoy.

The first day of a Disneyland Resort Paris trip is always special. You enter the place you love and you feel like you’re coming home. My family is not surprised when I send them an “I am Home” text message. Normally I feel like home once I enter the gates of the resort but this time I could not feel it right away. The cause for this was that I didn’t have an annual pass and with the queues at the ticket booths it was going to be a while before I would have be able to buy the ticket. I opted to go to the Studios to purchase it as lines are always shorter there, but I must have been in a queue for a good 30 minutes there too. With the time it took to get a ticket I was afraid that exchanging it at the Annual Pass Bureau inside the park would have me in another big queue. Luckily this wasn’t the case and after 15 minutes at the annual pass bureau I had my “Dream” pass and could finally felt like I returned home.

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Ups, that headline kind of shows that DLRP is my “home park” even so I love Walt Disney World. Anyway, turns out the Orlando Sentinel did not hear the right rumors (see yesterday’s post) and the Disneyland Resort Paris will keep Karl Holz (at least for the moment), allowing him to continue his drive to bring back the resort to its former glory and hopefully finally to a more sound financial basis.

But who then got the job as president of Walt Disney World? (more…)