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Tag: Cars Land

Holidays at the Disneyland Resort

It’s Holiday time at the Disneyland resort!

My work commitments keep me rather busy durring the holidays, but one of my favorite Christmas time traditions is to see Billy Hill and the Holiday Hillbillies.

This year, following the opening of Cars Land across the plaza, Disney had decided to move the Billies out of the Golden Horseshoe and into the Frontierland festival area.

The move has upset some, but I must admit that they are certainly taking advantage of the opportunity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYTordsK-_8

What really impressed me was that they brought the Country Bears back!

Okay, so it’s not their old show, but it is still very cool to see Big Al and the gang back at Disneyland.

Meanwhile back over at DCA, Buena Vista St is all decked out for the holidays…

And the town center Christmas tree could not be any more perfect.

Cars land got a similar Christmas make over.

They did a really good job on it in my opinion.

And the make over looks especially good at night.

Of course, nothing compares to Sleeping Beauty castle after snowfall.

Except for possibly the Holiday Fireworks from the Astro Orbiter.

As always, you can click any photo above to see the full set of holiday photos from the resort.

December 1, 2012
First Impressions of Cars Land

On Saturday June 23rd I made my first visit to the newly opened Cars Land at Disney’s California Adventure park.

It’s a big place! We’ve been peaking in on it from this angle for years durring the construction…

… But to stand at the other end and look back really is something to see.

The view of Grizzly Peak from Cars Land is quite impressive. It never really stuck me as a park icon before but now it really seems to stand out.

I started with Luigi’s Flying Tires – a really great addition to the park.

The line was structured in such a way that you could observe several complete ride cycles before riding.

That made it a lot easier, I thought, to get the hand of it when actually riding.

This ride is a winner. I hope it lasts a lot longer than it’s predecessor.

Radiator Springs Racers has been described as a “Super E Ticket” and I think that description fits.

The line winds through Stanley’s Oasis – the orginal Radiator Springs and the line really adds a lot to the story of the ride itself.

I actually saw a certain redheaded Nickelodeon actress in line for this ride, but that’s another story for another site.

The ride starts as a slow to medium paced dark ride before going two cars wide for the race.

Here, just have a look for yourself…

And finally, there was Matter’s Junkyard Jamboree.

Definately the least impressive of the three rides, but that’s grading on a serious curve.

Those cars have some serious “whip” to them! I was trying to hold my camera still for the onride video, but it really threw me around quite a bit.

I’ll save my thoughts on the rest of the Park for another post, but I must say that they did a great job with this new addition.

I have 130 orginal photos from around Cars Land in the gallery. Please click on any still image in this post to see the rest of the set.

June 25, 2012
Car’s Land Grand Opening!

Watch as Bob Iger, Tom Staggs, and John Lasseter officially open Cars Land!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIJLlj8WK1c

So very exciting! Expect to see move coverage of all the new additions next week and continuing through the summer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhKR2g222-I

June 17, 2012
Disney’s California Adventure Nears Completion

More exciting happenings from Disney’s California Adventure in advance of it’s formal June 15th rededication! Even Kobe Bryant is getting in on the fun!

They’ve been putting the finishing touches on the Carthay Circle Theater in advance of it’s formal debuit.

It’s looking very nice – I knew there was something important missing last time I saw it.

The Mad T Party is in previews now ahead of it’s formal premiere.

Mad is definately the right term for it!

Although the flamingo stilt walker was pretty cool.

And the arcade was pretty cool.

Meanwhile, Cars Land is doing Cast Member and Passholder Paid Previews…

… and the Radiator Springs Racers fastpass machines are in place.

Next door, the new Ghiradelli’s Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop is now open.

… and attracting quite a crowd!

Meanwhile over at Disneyland, Alice Davis has a new window on main street next to her husband Marc Davis’s window.

I think that’s enough for this update. There are more new photos from the parks in the gallery, just click any picture above to see the rest.

June 10, 2012
Carthay Circle Revealed & More Updates

Exciting things are happening at the Disneyland resort!

The Carthay Circle theater, the icon of the new Disney’s California Adventure, has finally been revealed!

It looks like the resteraunt has a rather impressive (and expensive) menu.

The new fountain is beautiful as well.

I’m really excited to see the rest of the new Buena Vista street… just two weeks left!

We also have a first look at the new “Mad T Party” nightime entertainment.

We’ll have to wait and see how it’s recieved, but I like the concept more than ElecTRONica.

Meanwhile, Cars land looks all but finished…

… and the nearby Ghirardelli Soda Fountain is expected to open next Tuesday.

Over in Paridise Pier, the Cove Bar has reopened.

And the boardwalk banners have been redone as well.

Meanwhile at Disneyland, the Matterhorn renovation looks to be just about finished and they are running test trains with the new cars.

And the monorails have undergone a minor wrap adding eyes and a mouth to each tain in support of their four wheeled friends in Cars land.

The new DCA additions look rather spectacular at night as well, although it was difficult to get good nightime pictures without a tripod.

Oh, and the LEgo store renovations are finally completed!

I haven’t gotten to go inside yet, but the exterior sculpures are simply amazing.

Wow, that’s a lot of photos in this update, but we’ve got over 90 new pictures from around the parks in the gallery, so be sure to click any picture above to see the rest!

June 1, 2012
Behind the Scenes at Walt Disney Imagineering & More

In this new video from Disneyyou’ll get a behind the scenes at Walt Disney Imagineering in Glendale, CA.

Imagineers are using a tool called the Digital Immersive Showroom or “The Dish.” This virtual-reality technology assists Imagineers in spotting potential design issues before construction. It also helps them to figure out timing, audio cues and special effects. It’s actually quite amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lKysU6Ian0

It’s also been announced that the Pixar Play Parade will be returning to Disney California Adventure this summer after taking a break due to the ongoing construction work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKPxe56Dk1A

And finally, she’s a short video outlining some of the recent Environmental Enhancements to the Disneyland Hotel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvSZEe3kqlw

April 16, 2012
Cars Land (& More) Photo Update

Disney has revamped the Blue Sky Cellar with new photos, concept art, schmantics, and a very impressive model of Cars Land!

It’s a great model that really shows how the whole project fits together.

Add that the new are and concept art to get a full look at the new land…

… plus some great new atraction posters.

And there’s a lot more about the three new rides as well!

Besides Cars Land, there was also a look at the new ride vechicles coming to the Matterhorn.

And a little bit about Buena Vista Street.

The Carthaway Circle is coming along very nicely!

As is the rest of Buena Vista Street.

Be sure to click on any picture above to see the full gallery of photos from my trip to the updated Blue Sky Cellar and of the park construction updates.

April 8, 2012
A Cars Land Video Update

Disney is really teasing us with these three new behind the scenes looks at the making of Cars land at Disney’s California Adventure. Radiator Springs Racers is looking phenomenal – you can already see it’s going to be a great ride. And I love that they’re bringing in Disneyland favorites Billy Hill and the Hillbillies for some of the background music of Radiator Springs!

A camera was mounted on the driver’s side of a Radiator Springs Racers car during a recent test run in Cars Land at Disney California Adventure park for a unique point of view. Here’s sneak peek of what to expect inside the mountain range!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIV4bFHE4FA

In this video, Billy Hill and the Hillbillies are recording a variation of one of these songs — one that will be heard as background music throughout the town of Radiator Springs. Guests will be able to enjoy this in person as they explore the exciting new Cars Land when it opens June 15.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqyJ-o8acUo

We love time-lapse cameras here at the Disneyland Resort. We have one in Cars Land that captured the installation of the neon sign at Flo’s V8 Café back in January. Watch it transform from day to night and make sure to hang around until the end of the video. The payoff is worth it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjvrLYOWv8o

That’s it for now… June 15, opening day, is fast approaching!

March 30, 2012
Disney’s California Adventure Photo Update

On Thursday Febuarry 23rd 2012 I ventured back to Anaheim to see the lovely Miss Ariana Grande at the House of Blues Anaheim.

For those who may not be aware, Ariana is one of the stars of Nickelodeon’s hit series “Victorious.”

And I have a lot more from her show posted on my Nickelodeon Blog for those interested.

Of course, the Anaheim House of Blues is convently located in the downtown Disney district so before the show I went to check out the construction progress at DCA.

The Carthay Circle Theater is looking great peaking above the construction walls.

The Theater stands 89’6″ – that’s taller than Disneyland’s 77′ tall Sleeping Beauty Castle!

The trees are seriously obscuring the view into cars land, which looks to be coming together nicely.

Also of note, Grizzly River Run was drained for repairs and maintance.

And the new Minne’s Fly Girls show had permiered as well.

I’m also looking forward to the new Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop, between that and the Boudin Bakery I’ll never have to go to Sab Francisco ever again! LOL

And just ’cause, here’s an awesome picture of Sleeping Beauty Castle in the afternoon.

Click any pic for the fullsize view. 🙂

March 9, 2012
This week at Disneyland…

Tuesday was a very good day to go to Disneyland.

As you can see, the park was nearly empty at mid-day and lines were very short. The new Star Tours 3D was only 20 minutes! I waited three hours just last month.

They also have the halloween decorations up already, just check out these cute little pumpkins on main street.

Of course, with Halloween means that Jack Skellington and his friends are back at the Haunted Mansion.

This year’s gingerbread house was pretty cool. Be sure to get down there and check it out!

Speaking of new things at the parks, here’s a few illistrations of the new Buena Vista street…

… the temporary entrance to Disney’s California Adventure …

… the Carthay Circle Theater under construction …

… the Red Car Trolley …

… and Cars Land.

Disney also updated the Blue Sky Cellar on Monday with new attraction posters…

… some schematics from the Red Car Trolley…

… a look at the new Adventureland Tower of the Disneyland Hotel…

… the Carthay Circle Theater…

… and new cast member uniforms.

In the main exhibit floor they brought in a model of Buena Vista street that they had on exhibit at last month’s D23 Expo.

And they also had a table with a look at some of the interior design work for the new Buena Vista street shops.

Finally, on the way out the door, a little bit about the new Aulani resort.

Click any pic for the fullsize view. 🙂

September 30, 2011

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