Search Results:

This video gives us a tour inside Minion Park.

It looks like some areas in Animal Kingdom has also gone some changes in preparation for Pandora's opening next month.






Sources: http://www.orlandoparksnews.com/2017/04/animal-kingdom-update-discovery-island.html#more and http://www.orlandoparksnews.com/2017/04/animal-kingdom-update-discovery-island_22.html

Employees spotted testing the new slides at Universal Orlando's new water park.

More pics: http://www.behindthethrills.com/2017/04/universal-orlandos-volcano-bay-begins-testing/

Update as of 4/21.





More pics: https://blog.disneygeek.com/2017/04/21/disneyland-star-wars-construction-check-421-2/

Great photos from inside the park. The pictures were taken a few days after its opening.







Source: http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1786968#p1786968

With just a little over a month until the grand opening on May 25th, were in the final stretch of construction for Universal’s Volcano Bay. Since our last visit a tremendous amount of trees and foliage has been brought in. Decor and little touches are starting to show up everywhere you look. And entire areas are starting to come together now, like the kids area, Runamukka Reef, and the park entrance area as well.

Water Coaster load platform seen in foreground, Punga Racers in background

Walkway into base of volcano

Source: http://orlandoparkstop.com/news/construction-update/volcano-bay-construction-update-wave-pool-testing-slide-testing-new-scenery-trees-and-more/

MickeyXtreme posted the different ways theme park goers can enjoy Volcano Bay.

Sandy Beaches - Imagine warm sand sinking between your toes while you gaze out at crystal clear waters. This vacation dream becomes a reality at Waturi Beach, where you can relax by the waves of a sparkling lagoon that sits at the base of the mighty Krakatau. You can find Waturi Beach in Wave Village, the first of three villages you’ll encounter at Volcano Bay.

Leisure Pools - Make sure to check out the Puka Uli Lagoon in the Rainforest Village. In this leisure pool, you can relax while your little ones enjoy fun features like bongo drums and spraying water.

Watch the bravest Waturi take on the Ko’okiri Body Plunge from the comfort of The Reef, a peaceful leisure pool in the Wave Village. A clear plexi tube shoots straight through this 5.5-foot-deep pool, which features its own private waterfall perfect for frolicking.

Source: http://mickeyxtreme.net/blog/7-ways-to-relax-and-unwind-at-universal-s-volcano-bay

The government has said it would not rule out having a third-party investor in Hong Kong Disneyland if economic circumstances changed for the city and the theme park.

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Greg So Kam-leung made the comment at a four-hour Legislative Council finance committee meeting on Friday. The government was seeking approval for a HK$5.8 billion injection of taxpayers’ money into an expansion project for the park.

The six-year expansion will feature thematic zones based on the blockbuster Frozen and Marvel superhero films, as well as a transformation of the Sleeping Beauty Castle.

The expansion is due to start in 2018, but Legco meetings for approval have gone on since November, and Friday’s session ended without a vote.

Source: http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2089633/third-party-investor-disneyland-possible-under-right

The theme park started driving sales in the Travel Malaysia Fair 2017 being held in Singapore. However, some agents are still doubtful on the park's opening date in June.

MAPs will generate interest at the travel fair by offering freebies and having The Smurfs cartoon characters, Papa Smurf and Smurfette, greet visitors.

The launch of the attraction had been plagued by numerous delays. It was supposed to open in 1H2016 but was delayed to early 2017. And after months of silence surrounding the project, local publicity kicked off with a media site inspection on April 21. In Malaysia, some agents remain uncertain about the attraction's opening dates and saleability.

Source: http://ttgasia.com/article.php?article_id=29267

It’s possible that the outline of an s-curve of sorts is already visible. This would hide Star Wars Land from view until you’ve made it through the tunnel. A classic reveal technique like the one used for Main Street USA at Magic Kingdom.

Source: http://blogmickey.com/2017/04/photos-work-progresses-walling-off-star-wars-land-muppets-courtyard/

New pictures of the Beauty & the Beast construction area were uploaded on Twitter this week.







Source: http://www.screamscape.com/html/tokyo_disneyland.htm

In a new interview with Bloomberg, Scott Trowbridge, the leader of the Imagineering team on the Star Wars Land expansion taking place at both Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida, and Disneyland in Anaheim, California has revealed that when the park expansions open in 2019, visitors will have the chance to experience an anchor attraction that will include “a very epic battle” and incorporate elements of future films in the Lucasfilm franchise.

The new expansions featuring elements from future films comes as no great surprise but it is particularly interesting as it was revealed at Celebration that the park expansions will introduce fans to a never before seen outpost somewhere on the outskirts of wild space, separate from the galactic history we’re familiar with.

Trowbridge also opened up about the entrance to Star Wars Land as he revealed that guests will enter the Star Wars galaxy through a doorway in a surrounding berm, plunging into one of the saga’s familiar-looking desert outposts and emerging into an exotic market a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away:

Source: http://heroichollywood.com/star-wars-land-elements-future-films/

In a new interview with Bloomberg, Scott Trowbridge, the leader of the Imagineering team on the Star Wars Land expansion taking place at both Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida, and Disneyland in Anaheim, California has revealed that when the park expansions open in 2019, visitors will have the chance to experience an anchor attraction that will include “a very epic battle” and incorporate elements of future films in the Lucasfilm franchise.

The new expansions featuring elements from future films comes as no great surprise but it is particularly interesting as it was revealed at Celebration that the park expansions will introduce fans to a never before seen outpost somewhere on the outskirts of wild space, separate from the galactic history we’re familiar with.

Trowbridge also opened up about the entrance to Star Wars Land as he revealed that guests will enter the Star Wars galaxy through a doorway in a surrounding berm, plunging into one of the saga’s familiar-looking desert outposts and emerging into an exotic market a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away:

Source: http://heroichollywood.com/star-wars-land-elements-future-films/

On Monday, reports began to surface that part of the Star Wars land will be a "Starship" luxury resort experience attached to Hollywood Studios. WDW News Today first reported on the possible new resort, saying the company has been using a contracted third party to survey guests about a Star Wars resort experience.

Of course, this is just a survey and not an announced concept, but it certainly points to some ideas Disney appears to be developing. After all, many theme park ideas began their lives as survey subjects. And the included concept art just looks super cool.

Sources: http://www.slashfilm.com/star-wars-hotel/ and https://www.thestreet.com/story/14093083/1/disney-preparing-to-take-on-theme-park-rivals-as-avatar-attraction-opens-soon.html

April 18 Update:

Our friends at Walt Disney Imagineering shared this video with us, in which members of the project team give us the first detailed look at the land’s interactive plants, tell us how you’ll be able to hear and sense different animals throughout the land, and interact with bioluminescence at night.

Source: http://mickeyxtreme.net/blog/populating-pandora-the-world-of-avatar

A video about the details shared during the Disney Parks Panel.

We'll be talking about the new concept art, drone footage over the construction site, images from a stunt workshop, and the possibility of an Legends of Frontierland style experience for Star Wars Land.

Scott Trowbridge, the driving force behind Star Wars Land, and really Story Engine as a whole, gave us quite a bit of insight as to how Star Wars Land fits into the Story Engine evolutionary timeline.

When asked why Disney didn’t just create Hoth, Tatooine, Naboo, or another planet that we’re already familiar with from the Star Wars movies, Trowbridge gave an insightful answer. He said those planets already have stories, and that those stories have characters that we already know. Just as important as knowing existing stories is knowing that we aren’t a part of those existing stories.

Instead, Imagineering and Lucasfilm set out to design a land with a great number of stories unknown to us and more stories yet to be told by us.

Source: http://blogmickey.com/2017/04/star-wars-land-pandora-story-engine-future-guest-experiences/

Construction update as of April 15.

New details have been revealed about what to expect in 2019.

The focus with Star Wars Land was immersion, which was repeated by many of the panelists. The idea was to put you into the middle of a Star Wars story and make you completely feel like you are there. You’ll see some familiar elements – including vehicles, aliens and droids, etc. – but also brand new environments and characters that all are meant to make you feel like you are experiencing a brand-new tale in the Star Wars universe.

Star Wars Land brings you to a planet we’ve never visited in previous stories, but one a lot of thought has been given to. It was described as a place that used to be a vibrant port, but has now fallen by the wayside, leaving it a “great place for smugglers, bounty hunters, rogue adventurers and people who don’t want to be found.”

Without being told how exactly yet, it was revealed that you will have “The opportunity to help out and assist the Resistance.” On the other hand, if you’re feeling like taking a darker path, “You can help the First Order too.”

We already knew one of the main rides in Star Wars land takes you onto the Millennium Falcon, but the team told us the idea is to not have you be simple a passenger. “You won’t just ride the Millennium Falcon, you will control the Millennium Falcon” said Disney imaginer Asa Kalama. It sounds like what happens on the ride could vary greatly, as we were told, “The experience is up to you and your flight crew.”

Source: http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/04/15/disneylands-star-wars-land-will-let-you-control-the-millennium-falcon-and-choose-to-help-the-resistance-or-first-order

Mr Percy’s big announcement for his trip to the county was that the application – known as a development consent order (DCO) – will be submitted to the government by November, with a decision expected by summer 2019.

To get the DCO over the finish line in November, Mr Percy has made two boardroom appointments. Mike Morrison, who has held senior positions at investment bank Morgan Stanley and WestLB AG, has been hired as chief financial officer and Kevin Doyle, who has worked on the project from the start, has been appointed DCO coordinator.

In an interview with the new boss, Humphrey Percy:

On relationship with Peninsula Management Group:

“Certain parametres have been set out, there has been a lot of discussion and that will continue. “I can’t say whether their demands are realistic or not at the moment because we are going to be having more detailed conversations in the next weeks and months.”

On relationship with Paramount Pictures:

“A week before last I had a very good meeting with them and we continue to talk to them about our plans,” said Mr Percy. “We have shared with them our intention to submit that DCO application in November.”

Source: http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent-business/county-news/paramount-resort-new-boss-interview-124033/

Adjustments of valves, diversions, and flows are in progress for the waterfall seen in front of Krakatau volcano in the soon-to-open Volcano Bay water park at Universal Orlando Resort.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6kBlE4U1mY

We made the last Building Journal from inside Ferrari Land to show what the theme park has become after following it for two years. In these two years, we have seen a park being born, we have seen the preparation of the land, the whole construction of the coaster Red Force and every detail of the thematic that we were able to capture with our camera.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogcdKcI7n2w