Interesting and rather exciting news emerged today that Hong Kong Disneyland’s $467 million expansion will be completed a year early. According to sources, Toy Story Playland (ugh) will open later this year, while the two other new areas – Grizzly Trail and Mystic Point – will open in 2012 and 2013. This early opening will allow the beleaguered park to build up some more steam before Shanghai Disneyland opens in (allegedly) 2015.
Perhaps the most exciting detail in the article is that Disney is already in negotiations with the local government for the next wave of expansion, which would begin in 2013. Considering how interminable negotiations for the current expansion were, it’s good that they’re starting early. It will also allow Imagineering time to develop some new expansion concepts, since many of the more elaborate attractions that Hong Kong refused in the last wave, such as the re-imagined Pirates of the Caribbean flume ride, are expected to now appear in Shanghai instead. Will the rejected Glacier Bay make a reappearance? Or Toontown? Or will Disney decide to in-fill the existing lands with some of the many, many staple attractions that are missing from the under-sized park? Time will tell, but it’s great to know that they’re starting to think about it now rather than later. Perhaps we’ll have a better idea about what might be next for Hong Kong if we get any clues about Shanghai’s attraction lineup during its unveiling tomorrow.
Nothing is set in stone – the article says that a park spokesperson “dismissed the report” – but if this is true it can only mean good things for Hong Kong parkgoers.
One of the greatest and most inexplicable mistakes in the annals of Disney management and Imagineering was the truly terrible, late-90s refurbishment of EPCOT’s Journey into Imagination pavilion. This wonderful attraction, full of artistry and atmosphere, was stripped down and repurposed into what became one of Disney’s all-time least popular attractions.
One result of the remodeling was the walling off of the translucent, beaux-arts stairway and elevator that led upstairs to the Imageworks, the “creative playground of the future.” This high-tech interactive play area seamlessly blended early digital technology with a great deal of flair and the results were often far more impressive than more high-tech attempts Disney has made in recent years. The showmanship present in the Imageworks more than compensated for its now-primitive underpinnings, and scenes like the Rainbow Corridor and Stepping Tones were standard fare for postcards and souvenir books for years.
The Imageworks has sat walled off for more than ten yeas now, but bizarrely remains greatly untouched. Much of the equipment is gone, no doubt, but the infrastructure remains. Remains in the hopes that Disney gets its act together and decides to do what is needed to restore this pavilion to its previous grandeur. Here’s a brief video of the Imageworks today. How bizarre to see the Rainbow Corridor still there, unused. Time to plug that sucker back in.
And for the Imageworks in happier times, you can always check Martin’s tribute:
It seems like everyone is talking about The Rocketeer lately. And by everyone, I guess I mean me.
There’s actually been a frisson of conversation recently about the 1991 Walt Disney Pictures production on Twitter, owing to the recent release of a rather snazzy trailer for this summer’s Captain America. Marvel’s latest film adaptation is directed by Joe Johnston, who directed The Rocketeer (and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids!) for Disney, and with its World War II setting and comic-inspired feel, many fans think it’s the closest thing we’ll ever get to a Rocketeer sequel. There had once been plans for two sequels starring the Rocketeer, but when the film failed to reach blockbuster status upon its initial release those plans were abandoned.
Anyway, although we might have given up plans for a revival, fans still hope for a remotely decent home theater release of the original film, and considering that this year is the film’s 20th (!!!) anniversary now might be the perfect time. Especially considering that those ever-eager folks in the marketing department can now bill it is “From the Director of Captain America: The First Avenger! ZOMG!”
This is a drum I intend to keep pounding throughout the year. I want my deluxe 20th Anniversary Special Edition Rocketeer on Blu-ray.
In the meantime, you can listen to this inaugural “Metro-Retro Historical Society” broadcast – featuring me! – from our pals at WEDway Radio. After the discussion on Twitter the other week, the guys asked me to come on, hang out, and reminisce about our love for this great little film. Take a listen, and enjoy!
News emerged overnight that the announcement we’ve long been waiting for is nearly here. We’ve known for a while that an announcement about Shanghai Disneyland could possibly arrive in early April, but as April rapidly approached the endless intractable red tape that has surrounded the years and years of negotiations with the Chinese government showed no sign of abating. Imagineering has continued to refine its plans for the new property, and work is actually underway on the ground, but it always seems like we’re just “one more approval” away from a clear announcement.
Well, now the New York Times and Wall Street Journal are reporting that media have been invited to a “special event” to be held at a Shanghai hotel on April 8th. Disney has yet to comment further on the event, which they’re throwing in conjunction with the Shanghai Shendi Group – the corporation set up by the Chinese government to help build the resort.
While the event could be anything – a mere announcement of final government approvals with a Mickey photo op, perhaps – we can cross our fingers and hope that we’ll finally, finally get some meaningful details (and renderings!) of the theme and composition of this mysterious new resort.
One of the first attractions to begin construction at EPCOT Center was the Universe of Energy. Exxon had been one of the first sponsors to sign on for Future World, and so the design of the pavilion had been locked fairly quickly. Renderings from 1977 show a concept fairly similar to the building’s final appearance in 1982; the only alternate concept that appears to have had any traction in those early days was an idea to make the pavilion a parabolic solar collection.
With its design determined so early in the process, there were few changes over the years to the pavilion’s angular appearance in park renderings. That doesn’t mean that there weren’t minor cosmetic tweaks.
This Imagineering model from 1981 shows an Energy pavilion with a very familiar shape and structure, but very different surroundings and a cool blue vibe that never made it into the actual park. There’s also a lot more water; while the final pavilion would have a triangular reflecting pool surrounding the front marquee, the pools on this model surround the pavilion and extend forward at an aggressive angle. The pools reflect the mirrored sides of the pavilion, which on the model are polished to a bright shine. On the actual building, much of the mirrored sides would be replaced by strips of colored siding.
All in all, while the show and building would be the same, the cool blues, rippling waters and polished mirrors would give this version of the pavilion a very different feeling. The lack of greenery surrounding and overwhelming the pavilion would also help get across the intent of the building’s design – the feeling of something geological, bursting from the ground. I bet it would have been awfully hot to be around on August days, though!
From the Progress City archives comes this collection of 33 tall tales and true from Disney history. Available in paperback, hardback, and ebook formats.
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