Retro Reminders

Although the back story of Pleasure Island and Merriweather Adam Pleasure can be very interesting, and most likely be explained in a later post, here is just another reminder of an important year in Disney history.

1937- The premiere of Walt Disney’s first full-length animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Celebrate Today!

The theme seems nearly complete for this year’s Walt Disney World marketing campaign. Recently appearing in merchandise locations are new souvenir popcorn cups. Wondering if these containers might be a part of a series due to their similarity to Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland. Possibly more buckets to come later in the year…

Central Florida Attraction Lawsuits

The Orlando Sentinel published an article titled “Theme park ride lawsuits rarely answer safety questions” by Jason Garcia that covered a recent closure of a lawsuit against Universal Studios regarding its attraction Back to the Future: The Ride. Included in this article was a search database of all the lawsuits against the Big 3 theme parks in the Orlando area. Although this list is made up of sad circumstances, it is interesting to look at Walt Disney World’s track record of injuries.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-attractions-lawsuits-database,0,5014617.htmlpage

Vinylmation Revamped

Just found an awesome site belonging to an artist named Keith Lapinig. As a self proclaimed “Disney Trivia Guru”, Lapinig demonstrates the possible designs of a 9″ and 3″ blank Vinylmation with great accuracy and detail to its conceptual inspiration.

Toy Story's The Claw

Retro Reminders

For this series, I am going to try to focus on the numbers on different attractions and buildings within the Walt Disney World Resort that correlate to important dates in the parks’ history.  I am going to start was a big focus on 1971, the year the Magic Kingdom opened, and build from there.

The first in the series is Engine Co. 71 located on the right side of Main Street USA after you pass under the Walt Disney World Railroad.

Engine Co. 71

Main Street U.S.A. Firehouse

Characters in Flight

Many developments have been made recently on Aerophile S.A.’s Characters in Flight, the new attraction which will be located in Downtown Disney’s West Side.  According to their website, Aerophile S.A. was “founded in 1993 by two 25-year-old engineers, Matthieu Gobbi and Jerome Giacomoni, AEROPHILE S.A. reinvented the tethered gas balloon following an 80-year absence and become the world leader in tethered gas balloons through the development of three flagship products:

The AERO30NG since 1994, a big tethered balloon which can lift 30 passengers up to 500 feet every 10 minutes with 50 balloons sold in more than 20 countries in cities including Paris, Berlin, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Dubaï; the AERO2 since 2000, a mobile balloon for 2 passengers and the AEROPHARE since 2007, the first balloon which can fly up to 130 feet with 12 passengers up to 50 mph of wind. All products can be used as a totem, a billboard, and an amusement ride.”

Their site also includes press releases of their newest project with the Walt Disney World Resort.

Late March 23rd, the Aerophile S.A. operated balloon was inflated and is currently very visible from the other sides of the Sassagoula River. Trying to find it past Pleasure Island is a little more difficult because it’s restrained elevation just barely peaks over the stores.

The flight reflects another ride in Disneyland Paris by Aerophile S.A. called the PanoraMagique which flies 100 meters into the air over the foreign resort.  Once operating, Characters in Flight should be soaring 30 passengers about 300-400 feet in the air to show a breathtaking view of Downtown Disney and the nearby attractions. If the flight time of the PanoraMagique is of any comparison, this journey will be about 6 minutes long.   Set to open April 1, 2009, this massive balloon ride is still a sight to see before its take off.

Path Behind Portobello’s

Characters in Flight

Disneyland Paris PanoraMagique By Aerophile S.A.

Signage is up with price information.

$16.00 for adults

$10.00 for children 3-9

Including tax.

Get more information about Aerophile S.A. or the PanoraMagique by visiting their websites.

The Art of Vinylmation

After a clumsy beginning, it seems as though the Vinylmation series are continuing to be popular throughout the Disney Parks and with the online community.

Park Series #1

Park Series #1

Park Series #1

Park Series #1

Urban #1 Series

Urban Series #1

Urban Series #1

Urban Series #1

Cast Exclusive By Randy Nobel

Vinylmations were first released at the end of 2008. The whimsical characters are original vinyl collectibles that stand 3″ and 9″ tall. The base of the creation is a Mickey Mouse body which gets painted over with various designs.  These products are sold in blind packaging, with no guarantee of which animated figure you will receive. The 3″ Vinylmations are displayed in trays which contain 24 figures. Within the tray is one fully complete set which includes a mystery chaser while the other 12 figures consist of 11 different characters and one repeat.

This new collectible is fun for the frequent visitor with high Disney affinity along with a first time guest. If you plan on getting the full set, it is recommended that you purchase the Vinylmation tray and possibly split it with someone else (or sell the remainder). The randomness of the figures can get costly at $9.95 a piece for the 3” sets.  Be prepared to spend about $238.80 plus tax on a full tray.  The 9″ figures are fully displayed in their case and are around $40 a piece.

Currently, two Vinylmation series are on the market. The first was released in late 2008 and was called the Park  Series #1. This included figures inspired by the Disney Parks, such as Kermit the Frog and the Yeti from Expedition Everest. The second series was released more recently on March 17. This was titled Urban Series #1. Although filled with some interesting creatures, the Urban series might be a little harder to connect to because of its abstract creations. Following both releases was an artists’ signing over at the Art of Disney store located in Downtown Disney.

Along with the mainstream Vinylmation sets, the artists’ are also releasing Cast Exclusives. The first in the series was a Mickey Mouse which has an old time face with cut out pupils in his eyes, while wearing his colorful wardrobe.

The future of Vinylmation looks prosperous and after meeting with Randy Noble during a Cast Member signing, he said that he has currently designed between 30-40 Vinylmation figures that he plans to run through next year.

The current rumors throughout Walt Disney World about the release of new Vinylmation series include a Park Series #2 coming out in June, Holiday Series #1 in August, and the next Cast Exclusive, a Guest Relations Cast Member, to be released in the Fall.

Topless Mouse

"My Only Hope is We Never Lose Sight of One Thing, That it was All Started By a Mouse" -Walt Disney

Hot Dog, Hot Dog, Hot Diggity Dog…

To all who come to this happy place…

Welcome Home…

Jambo…

What Will You Celebrate?…

Aloha…

Welcome Aboard TTA Travelers…

Kungaloosh…

Just a warm welcome to our attempt at a new Walt Disney World information site.  Hopefully we plan to include reviews, tips and tricks for navigating

the parks, current events, and history.  And with support from other online Disney community members we hope to design a well developed and fun site that will be enjoyable and helpful for any type of Disney fan.