Walt Disney Parks and Resorts: 'Open House' at D23 Expo

By D.Z. "Theme Park Specialist"

One of the most popular exhibits at the D23 Expo is the Parks and Resorts. Every expo, Imagineer's come out and talk with guests about upcoming projects. This year, they focused on Disney Springs, Avatar land/Pandora, Star Wars, and the Disney Magic remodel. We were able to exclusively talk with Disney's imagineers, to learn more About the future of Disney Parks. This video shows an overview of what and who we saw.  

    
While we were there, Tom Staggs and a few others appeared and walked around the Parks and Resorts floor. I was personally able to talk with Staggs, as I told him how excited I am for Disney Parks and its upcoming projects.
           

Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Tom Staggs and WDI Bruce Vaughn checking out the avatar section.
 

 

 

For the past two years, Disney has been working hard on a major project. In 2016, Avatar will be brought to life at Disney's Animal Kingdom. The imagineers working on the project attended the expo, so they could to talk about their recent trip to Pandora.

 

 

They were also teasing Star Wars, with a bunch of closed crates. All except one. Artoo came out and greeted with guests.

 

 

The same day this years expo opened was the 44th anniversary of the Haunted Mansion attraction at Disneyland! They actually brought out the Hatbox Ghost, to show how it works.

 







 

 

Disney Springs was also apart of this years exhibit. On display was a model of what the completion will look like!

 

 

Besides these main projects, they also had a lot more on display. This included a number of small booths, displaying many different things.

2014 in Amusement Parks

By Beemerboyz803
         Several amusement parks have already announced their plans for the 2014 season. Here are their plans:

In May 2012, Universal Studios Japan in Osaka unveiled their plans for 2014. In 2010, Universal Studios in Orlando opened The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a themed area dedicated to the popular franchise. Universal Studios Japan announced that they would be receiving a finished Wizarding World of Harry Potter, expected to open sometime in 2014. Universal Studios in Los Angeles announced their Harry Potter area in 2011, and is expected to start construction after the implosion of the park's amphitheater this coming September.

Photo credit from Google Images.
Information credit from The Los Angeles Times.

In 2007, Pixar introduced us to Remy, a rat who wasn't afraid to show off his amazing cooking to the world. In March 2013, Disneyland Paris announced their plans to build a Ratatouille attraction at the park, known as Ratatouille Kitchen Calamity. Rumored to have 3-D projections, the ride has an expected Summer 2014 opening.

Photo credit from Google Images.

Information credit from Wikipedia and The Los Angeles Times.

Sochi, Russia will be the home of the 2014 Winter Olympics. To go alongside the Winter Olympics, a new theme park, entitled Sochi Adventure Park, will open around the time of the 2014 Winter Olympics. 

Photo credit from Google Images.

Information credit from The Los Angeles Times.

Kings Island recently announced their newest coaster, Banshee, an inverted coaster, to replace the park's Thunder Alley ride and the popular wooden coaster, Son of Beast. Kings Island is expected to open Banshee in April 2014.

Photo credit from Google Images.

Information credit from Theme Park Review and Wikipedia.

*Tune in on August 29, 2013, when Jim Reid-Anderson, chairman, president, and CEO of Six Flags, will announce the 2014 lineup for Six Flags's 19 parks. 

Kings Island Announces New Rollercoaster

By Beemerboyz803
            Kings Island has announced their newest roller coaster, Banshee. It will be known as the longest B & M inverted coaster in existence, and the first female themed roller coaster in the Cedar Fair Entertainment company. Banshee will have riders screaming on 4124.1 feet of track and seven thrilling inversions along the way, while of course speeding at speeds of up to 68 mph!
            Banshee is said to have had been "specially made" for Kings Island, and is scheduled for opening April 2014. The ride will replace the famed Son of Beast, after its closure in 2009. It will also replace the Thunder Alley go-kart track.
            Kings Island says they will leave us more clues on what Banshee is as time goes by leading up to Banshee's opening date. It is currently under construction, and will be until Banshee is unleashed Spring 2014.

The picture was found off of Google Images, and the information was found off of multiple sources such as Theme Park Review and Wikipedia. 

The Optimist Takes Guests to The D23 Expo

By D.Z. "Theme Park Specialist"

The Optimist has been a fun game, going on over the last month. Wallace from Disney Cartography had a booth at the D23 expo. Guests were able to meet him, as Wallace filled them in on the last scavenger hunt for the game.
 

 

  Check out of video, as we sit down with him and talk.  
 

 

 

 We sadly dis not participate in the scavenger hunt, as it took guests into Disneyland, and we didn't have a ticket.
 

  

This video shows his booth and part of the scavenger hunt.

D23 Expo: Tony Baxter in "Undiscovered Disneyland"

By D.Z. "Theme Park Specialist"

On Friday afternoon, Stage 23 held  a presentation called "Undiscovered Disneyland." The presentation was hosted by soon-to-be Disney Legend Tony Baxter (Tony became a legend on August 10th.) and imagineer Josh Shipley. For one hour, the two shared never before seen footage from vintage Disneyland. This included many different attractions, gone and renovated. We videoed the whole event, with two video cameras, allowing you the best seat in the house.

(Video coming soon)

 

 

    At the end, surprisingly (unknown to Tony Baxter and guests) Tom Staggs, Chairman of Parks and Resorts came out onstage. Josh Shipley then left as Tom took over for the last 10 minutes. Tom talked about what Tony has done with the Walt Disney Company. Baxter began working at Disneyland as an ice cream maker and is now receiving a Disney Legend. To honor Tony, Staggs showed a 60 second video, outlining Tony's many accomplishments. Then Tom announced that Tony would be receiving a window display on Main Street. This is a very high honor. Then Tom had one more surprise. They randomly got lights to spot different seats. All those spotted guests will get the opportunity to attend Tony Baxter's window ceremony. That marked the end of "Undiscovered Disneyland." It truly was a great moment at the expo.
 

View our D23 Expo photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/99408172@N03/sets/72157635014039529/

The Smurfs 2 Movie Review

By Beemerboyz803

              Earlier today I got a chance to watch the wonderful Smurfs come back to the big-screen. Overall, the movie began great, but the only problem I have is that the movie's plot went by too fast. Overall, the ever joyous Smurfs brought laughter in the theater and had the audience laughing with delight. Even though the plot was fast, I still recommend watching it. I rate it a 7/10.

Harry Potter Receives Upcoming Celebration at Universal Studios Orlando

By Beemerboyz803
         It all started in 1997. British author J.K. Rowling was writing the first of seven world-famous Harry Potter novels: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Readers around the world were introduced to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Quidditch, Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley, and Lord Voldemort. After being rejected twelve times by local publishers, Rowling's book was finally published. The book quickly became a hit. Following the successful Philosopher's Stone, J.K. also penned Harry Potter's other six bestselling novels: Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince, and the Deathly Hallows. 
        In 1998, J.K. sold the rights to her series to Warner Bros., who then filmed and created eight movies to go along with the seven novels; each of which was a box office blockbuster.
        The legacy of Harry Potter is beyond compare. In 2010, Universal Studios announced their plans to open The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at their Orlando resort, as the seventh in a chain of "islands" at Islands of Adventure.
          In 2014, Universal Orlando Resort will have a celebration of this remarkable series, entitled "A Celebration of Harry Potter". The three-day celebration will celebrate and remember Harry, Ron, and Hermione's whimsical and crazy adventures in the halls of Hogwarts.
          The event will be held in Orlando from January 24-26, 2014. Universal has also announced their plans to add Diagon Alley to the island in June 2014, and build other versions of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at their Tokyo and Hollywood parks.