Random Thread & the *insert topic here*

[AmandaSparks730]

INTERESTING FACTS

This attraction opened in June 5, 1999 and replaced Mr. Toad's Wild Ride which closed September 1998. A mural exists in the Pooh ride showing Mr. Toad handing over the deed of the place to Owl.

 

[AmandaSparks730]

ATTRACTION

Mickey's PhilharMagic is a "Don't Miss" attraction -- a feast for the eyes and ears. Everyone from 3 to 103 will enjoy it. It's fun! It's charming! It's happy! It's Disney animation at its 3D best! The whole experience takes about 12 minutes, but they are some of the best 12 minutes you'll spend at Walt Disney World.


Once you enter through the turnstiles you will find yourself in the dimly lit waiting area with a series of doors. If you look closely, you'll notice that the end of the steel railings curve very gracefully inward, like the ends of a spiraling music staff.

Once the doors open, proceed inside to the theater (which seats 486 guests and has space for 10 wheelchairs) for the show. As you enter the theater, you'll see a beautiful mural on the wall in front of you.

Inside you'll see a beautiful gold proscenium stage decorated with musical instruments in relief. Once everyone is seated, you hear Goofy running around backstage. Hmmm, there seems to be a problem. Uh, oh! What's that? You hear Goofy saying that it's time for the show and... "Gawrsh, where is everyone?" The orchestra is missing and Donald is sleeping. The curtains go up anyway and the fun begins!

When the movie begins, you'll meet some of Disney's most loved characters (Flounder, Ariel, Simba, Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Aladdin, Jasmine, Iago, Mickey, and, of course, Donald) and hear some of Disney’s most memorable songs. The 3D effects are brilliant, but it's the pairing of the 3D with other effects (scents, vibrations, wind, etc.) that make the whole experience so fantastic. Somewhere in the middle of the movie you'll suddenly realize that the proscenium is gone and the movie is being projected on an almost 180-degree screen, one of the widest in the world.

 

[AmandaSparks730]

INTERESTING FACTS

"Mickey's PhilharMagic" features the largest seamless projection screen in the world, representing the most immersive wrap-around image Disney has ever created. The screen measures 150 feet long and 28 feet high.

Donald's voice as heard in the show was created out of classic performance from the past by Clarence "Ducky" Nash, the original voice of Donald Duck. Tony Anselmo, the current voice of Donald, added a few lines that were not recorded by Ducky in the past, such as humming the melody to "Be Our Guest."

The show features the largest cast of classic Disney animated stars who have ever performed together in a single 3-D show.

Animator Nik Ranieri, who brought Lumiére to life for Disney's animated classic "Beauty and the Beast," returned to render him in 3-D for "Mickey's PhilharMagic." Animator Glen Keane, creator of the magical Ariel in "The Little Mermaid," also returned to develop her in 3-D.

The entire production of Mickey's PhilharMagic was created totally on computer, representing the first time the featured classic Disney characters were completely modeled and animated by computer.

The long mural that spans the lobby is a composite of imagery from animated classic Disney movies with musical themes: "Toot, Whistle, Plunk & Boom," "Melody Time" and "Fantasia."


Some of the songs you'll hear during the show include:

Mickey Mouse Club March - from television's "Mickey Mouse Club"
Be Our Guest - from 1991's "Beauty and the Beast"
The Sorcerer's Apprentice - from 1940's "Fantasia"
Part of Your World - from 1989's "The Little Mermaid"
I Just Can't Wait to be King - from 1994's "The Lion King"
You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly! - from 1953's "Peter Pan"
A Whole New World - from 1992's "Aladdin"

The interactive lighting system developed by Disney for the Tokyo DisneySea resort makes its U.S. debut in Mickey's PhilharMagic. The system runs on its own, with a series of cyber lights, while synchronized with the film through computerization. Smoke effects enable guests to see the lights, casting shadow elements that are integrated into the performance.

The show is in the same theater as the "Mickey Mouse Musical Revue" in which Mickey made his Magic Kingdom debut as an orchestra conductor in 1971. In 1980, the show moved to Tokyo Disneyland where it became an opening day attraction in 1983. It continues to play at Tokyo Disneyland today. The 3D film "Magic Journeys" and the live puppet show "Legend of The Lion King" occupied the theater until the installation of Mickey's PhilharMagic in October 2003.

 

[AmandaSparks730]

INTRODUCTION
An original Fantasyland attraction, Prince Charming Regal Carrousel (formerly Cinderella's Golden Carrousel)was built in 1917!


ATTRACTION

Approaching Fantasyland from Cinderella Castle, you will immediately see the Carrousel. Brightly colored horses -- 90 of them! -- and delightful Disney music will keep you smiling as you enjoy this gentle ride. The line circles around the carrousel, and your group can watch the riders enjoying themselves while they are waiting.

 

[AmandaSparks730]

INTERESTING FACTS

Prince Charming Regal Carrousel was originally known as Cinderella's Golden Carrousel. The name was changed as of June 1, 2010.

The Carrousel was built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company in 1917 for the Detroit Palace Garden Park. At that time, it was red, white and blue, symbolizing the patriotism of the era, with figures of Miss Liberty. In 1928, the carrousel was brought back to Philadelphia for rehab. After rehab, its home for the next 39 years was Olympic Park in Maplewood, New Jersey.

It was discovered there by Disney when Maplewood closed in 1967. It was fully restored, with a new look celebrating the story of Cinderella in 18 hand-painted scenes on the canopy. The hard-maple horses are in five sizes -- arranged from the largest on the outside to the smallest on the inside -- 18 rows of five horses each. The band organ that adds music to the ride is part of the antique masterpiece. The carrousel restoration was completed in time for the opening of Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971.

Each horse is completely unique, with its own pattern and color scheme and a number on the bridle.

There are 2,325 lights on the Carrousel!

 

[AmandaSparks730]

ATTRACTION

Peter Pan's Flight -- As you wind your way through the exterior (but covered) queue, you will watch folks loading onto their pirate galleon, suspended from the ceiling. Once aboard, Tinker Bell will sprinkle pixie dust your way and you swoop high above London in the moonlight -- right into the animated movie Peter Pan! For two minutes and 45 seconds you'll glide through the skies in the dark, cleverly illuminated by the Disney Imagineers with black lights and fiber optics.

You'll revisit scenes like Old London Town, Big Ben, Never Land, Mermaid Lagoon, and Skull Rock. As you listen to music from the movie, you'll watch the story unfold below. Of course, Captain Hook and Mr. Smee are around... as well as the ever-present ticking Crocodile, still hungry for another taste of the pirate captain!

 

[AmandaSparks730]

INTRODUCTION

Snow White's Adventures, as the attraction was originally called, opened with the Magic Kingdom in October 1971. It's located in Fantasyland.
ATTRACTION

SNOW WHITE'S SCARY ADVENTURES -- Board the wooden diamond mine cars and follow Snow White as she wanders through the Enchanted Forest, meets the Seven Dwarfs, and encounters the Wicked Witch.

Yes, the ride is themed to Snow White, but the Wicked Witch is featured and appears throughout the 2.5 minute ride. See notes below in the Kids' Section!

The ending is a happy one as Snow White and the Prince live happily ever after.

 

[AmandaSparks730]

ATTRACTION

Astro Orbiter -- Look up in the sky and watch the silvery rockets circle around the colorful sculpture of "Tomorrowland." To reach the ride you must first enter a small elevator that takes you up to the loading area of the rocket ships. Then, step into the rocket for a one-and-a-half minute spin way above the sights and sounds of the Magic Kingdom. Use your joystick to raise and lower your rocket as it goes round and round. Two people can fit in one ship, one behind the other.


Mini-Review: Astro Orbiter isn't on our list of recommended attractions; it's basically Dumbo with rockets instead of flying elephants. However we must be in the minority because there always seems to be a long line here. Perhaps it's just folks killing time until their Buzz Lightyear or Space Mountain FastPass is ready!

 

[AmandaSparks730]

BUZZ LIGHTYEAR'S SPACE RANGER SPIN

To Infinity and Beyond!

Become one of Buzz Lightyear's Junior Space Rangers and enter into battle with the evil Emperor Zurg! This is a great interactive ride that is fun for the whole family. Located in Tomorrowland, the entrance to Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin is opposite the Tomorrowland Transit Authority.

After winding through a brightly lit queue that sets up the premise of the attraction (an animated Buzz Lightyear explains your mission to stop the evil Emperor Zurg from stealing the Universe's cystollic fusion cell supply (batteries), you'll climb aboard your own XP-38 Space Cruiser and spin through 10 interactive scenes (scaled to the size of toys).


As a Junior Space Ranger you find yourself battling huge robots for 4 1/2 minutes, while exploring planets and even hijacking a flying saucer.

To save the universe and become a Space Ranger you must collect points. Throughout the ride, locate the orange colored Emperor Zurg insignias (lightning bolt-type Z's), target them with your laser cannons and fire! You'll know if you successfully hit the target by your score on the dashboard.

At the end of the mission, you can compare your score against the Space Ranger chart to find your rank.

Each vehicle has a central joystick for spinning and two laser cannons, each with its own score board.

Read about the similar Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters at Disneyland in California HERE.

 

[AmandaSparks730]

Tips for Scoring Big on Buzz:

In general, aim for targets far away for the most points. Also, things that are moving are worth more points than things that are stationary, and things that are down low, at hard-to-reach angles are worth more, too. NOTE: Target values change periodically, but we have found:

As you approach the orange robot on your left (the Rock'em Sock'em type Robot), try to hit the Z on the inside of the robot's left hand -- that's 100,000 points.

There is also a claw hanging from the ceiling -- the Z on it is supposedly worth 100,000 points, too.

The top of the volcano is worth 25,000 points and it will erupt when you hit it.

In the battery room, try to hit the batteries on the bottom -- they'll fall over when you do, and some are worth 50,000 points. Also aim for the tiny batteries -- the smaller they are, the more points they're worth.

If you hit the moving wormlike creature that sways left to right that's on your right in the next room, it's worth at least 50,000 points.

On the right side of the next scene, you'll see Zurg sitting in a device with a meter on the bottom of it, rating your shot from "pitiful" on up. If you hit the target at the very bottom of the meter, that should also be worth 100,000 points.

It turns out if you hold the trigger of your laser down, you'll occasionally get 1,000 points even if you don't hit anything. When you're going through the red spiral light room, hold your thumb down for a few extra points.

In the room after that, the one with the animated rockets, follow the spaceships until they pause and aim for the Z on them -- if you look closely, you'll see a metal plate on the wall (there's one on each side) under the animation. Hitting those scores a significant number of points, too.

 

[AmandaSparks730]

INTERESTING FACTS

In case you were wondering about the lasers, Disney says,"They are a Class II laser product certified by the Food and Drug Administration for this type of application, which includes exposure to Space Rangers of all ages. These lasers are very similar to those that you come into contact with on a daily basis, such as bar code scanners at your grocery store."

Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, presented by Mattel, opened on October 7, 1998. Previously in that location were the following attractions: If You Had Wings (6/5/1972), Dreamflight (6/26/1989), and Take Flight! (1/5/1996).

Ride Photo Opportunity was added September 2003.

 

[AmandaSparks730]

ATTRACTION

Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress -- Through a rotating carousel theater, this attraction carries seated guests into the homes of four generations of the same family from the days before electricity to the present day.

After a brief introduction, your theater rotates to reveal Act I, set around Valentine's Day around the turn of the century. After our host, John, tells the audience about the current state of modern conveniences -- all pre-electricity -- the theme music, "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow," plays as the theater rotates again. Act II brings us to the 1920s, and we see the family preparing for the Fourth of July celebration. The father shows off all the new electric powered conveniences, including the vacuum, electric lights, oven, and refrigerator (subsequently blowing all the fuses out in the neighborhood). Among the many other inventions spotlighted, we also see the son, Jimmy, listening to radio, on which we hear a John Philip Sousa march, and we hear about "air cooling", a fan blowing over a block of ice.

In Act III, the John of the 1940s tells us that he's entered the "Rat Race" by commuting to work, and we see the benefits of his new refrigerator and, most importantly, indoor plumbing. The theater turns one more time to reveal Act IV, with the family celebrating Christmas on the eve of the new century. The family's automated oven manages to burn the Christmas turkey to a crisp and the show concludes with a final rotation into the Finale, from which the audience is dismissed. (For a transcript of the show's script, visit A Tribute to Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress, at
http://carouselofprogress.tripod.com/dscript1.html )

Mini-Review: Although there are no thrills or chills, this attraction holds a lot of charm -- both for its historical value and the well-designed Animatronics. It's long been one of my 13-year-old's favorite shows -- definitely worth visiting. And be sure to check out our Carousel of Progress Photo Gallery HERE.

History (from Official Walt Disney World information): Walt Disney's original concept for the World's Fair was "a show that would interpret, in an educational and entertaining way, the role electricity has played in bettering man's living conditions." By 1959, General Electric was sponsor of the proposed attraction, which would consist of a series of stages depicting electrical history through which people would walk.

1964-65 New York World's Fair: The result of the collaboration with GE was "Progressland," one of the most successful and exciting exhibits at the 1964 World’s Fair. At the New York World’s Fair in 1964, as many as 4,500 people per day enjoyed the Progressland show. The widespread enthusiasm for it was astounding, for almost 16 million visitors saw the show. After viewing the show inside, Guests went upstairs to view Progress City. This 160 foot, scaled model was built at 1/8 inch to the foot. It occupied 6,900 square feet of space, using 22,000 scale trees and shrubs, 4,500 structures lit from within, and 1,400 working streetlights about one inch tall each. Progress City was Walt Disney’s model for EPCOT (renamed to Epcot). Progress City can be viewed from the Tomorrowland Transit Authority at the Magic Kingdom. When the New York World Fair closed, the Carousel of Progress was moved to Disneyland where it, and the original music, played from 1967 thru 1973.

Disneyland: In order to extend and preserve the show permanently, GE brought it to Disneyland in 1967. The G.E. Carousel of Progress in Disneyland was a two-level pavilion which could be seen by up to 3,600 people per hour. The first level contained the same basic acts. However, at the end of Act IV, guests stepped onto a "speedramp" that carried them to the pavilion’s second level. There they viewed Progress City, Walt’s model of EPCOT (renamed to Epcot). During its six year run at Disneyland Park, more than 31 million people saw the show.

Walt Disney World: In 1973, it was then moved to a new theater at Walt Disney World, opening in 1975 with a new theme song, "The Best Time of Your Life." A 1993 rehab returned the original show music, "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow," which still plays.

Timeline:
1964 Created for the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair, as General Electric's Progressland

July 1967 until 1973 Relocated to Disneyland and named 'Carousel of Progress'

January 15, 1975 Opens at the Magic Kingdom in WDW, with new final scene and new song, "The Best Time of Your Life"

March 10, 1985 General Electric's last day as corporate sponsor of the attraction

1994 The attraction was refurbished to its original state and renamed "Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress." At this time, it was redone as a tribute to the original attraction. The theme song was changed back to "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow," and the story recreated as a tribute to the nostalgia of the past.

 

[DisGirlAllie]

 

[DisGirlAllie]

 

[AmandaSparks730]

INTERESTING FACTS

The Carousel of Progress opened in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom on January 15, 1975.

The attraction was originally called Carousel of Progress, but was renamed to Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress following refurbishment in 1994.


Audio-Animatronics: 8 characters, 4 scenes (total 32 figures)

Designed and Manufactured by: WED (now known as Walt Disney Imagineering or WDI) and MAPO (previously known as the manufacturing division of WDI)

Number of Animated Acts: 4
Number of Stages: 6
Theater Capacity: 240 guests
Theaters: 6
Weight of Carousel: 375 tons

General Electric served as the corporate sponsor from 1964 until March 10, 1985.


Building Exterior: At both Disneyland in California and at the Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World, the exterior was originally painted in white and deep blue stripes that grew larger and then smaller as the carousel rotated. There were 276 stripes of each color. In 1993, with the rejuvenation of Tomorrowland, Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress was given a covering of large and colorful sprockets and bolts to fit in with the theming of Tomorrowland.

Music: The following two theme songs were featured in the attraction and were both written by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman, who composed the music for many
favorite Disney films such as Mary Poppins:

“The Best Time of Your Life” - Featured as the theme song with the opening of the attraction at the MAGIC KINGDOM® Park in 1975.

“There’s A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow”- Current attraction theme song at Magic Kingdom (Featured as the theme song for the original attraction at the 1964 World's Fair and the Disneyland attraction).

Rover (dog) has gone through many changes in the history of the attraction. His color has changed from white (at the World's Fair) to light brown and dark brown. His name has even changed, and has been Buster, Sport, Queenie, and Rover. When the attraction reopened at the MAGIC KINGDOM at the WALT DISNEY WORLD Resort, his name was different for every scene. Today, the dog’s name is Rover throughout the entire show. In this most recent version, Rover has been given new life and is the most realistic version ever seen.

Sign: The sign outside the attraction, is constructed of three large cogs and features a spinning year. The year is constantly changing, to represent the different eras depicted inside the attraction.

Voices: The following Audio-Animatronics characters, along with their voice credits, appear in Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress attraction:

Audio-Animatronics characters Current Cast:

Father: Jean Shepherd *
Mother: B.J. Ward
Daughter: Debbi Deryberry
Young son: Peter Nelson
Teenage son: Paul Osterhout
Grandfather: Rex Allen *
Grandmother: Mary Cervantes
Grandmother (Act IV): Janet Waldo *
Cousin Orville: Mel Blanc *
Radio Personalities: Noel Blanc *

* NOTE:

Jean Shepherd, Father's current voice, is a contemporary American humorist. Guests may recognize him as the narrator from "A Christmas Story." Shepherd also provides the opening and closing remarks of the current attraction.

Rex Allen, the current voice of Grandpa, was the original voice of Father in the 1964 World's Fair version.

Janet Waldo, Grandma in Act IV, previously served as the voice of Judy Jetson on the popular 1960s television cartoon, "The Jetsons."

Debi Deryberry is currently the voice of Jimmy Neutron on Nickelodeon.

Mel Blanc is also known as the voice of Warner Brothers' cartoon character Bugs Bunny. Noel Blanc is the son of Mel Blanc.

 

[DisGirlAllie]

 

[DisGirlAllie]

 

[AmandaSparks730]

ATTRACTION

Preshow -- There is a short preshow movie that runs while guests wait to enter the theater. There is also an opportunity for anyone waiting in the preshow to text their favorite joke to a special number. The joke may be used in the performance when they do jokes by humans at the end.

Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor -- "Laughter gives us power. If you humans don't laugh loud enough, we may not have enough power to open the exit doors." That's the premise behind the Laugh Floor show, which is kicked off by Roz, the creepy secretary-type character from Monsters Inc. Roz is the first image seen on-screen, and she oversees the crowd entering the theater, then introduces Mike Wazowski, the one-eyed monster from the film, who serves as host of the show.

Several cameras planted in the ceiling over the audience spotlight members on the big screens at the front of the theater, with silly captions underneath. One camera finds an adult male, who then becomes the object of several running jokes for the remainder of the show. As the show progresses, Mike introduces a number of monster "acts," in the hope of generating laughter that will be stored in the giant canister on the side of the stage. (Note that the other monsters, the last of whom is Mike's nephew, Marty, were not in the Monsters, Inc. movie.) During each act, a camera picks out a person at random (could be adult or child) and a cast member rushes over so they can answer questions asked by the character onscreen like "what's your name?" or "where are you from?" Using technology similar to that employed by "Turtle Talk with Crush" over at Epcot, the characters can "see" the audience member, and use the audience responses to tell jokes.

By the end of the show, the canister is full and Roz appears to dismiss the audience.

 

[DisGirlAllie]

 

[AmandaSparks730]

INTRODUCTION


...or as some of us fondly remember it, the WEDway People Mover. Look up as you make your way through the Tomorrowland area that includes Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Space Mountain, and Astro Orbiter, and those blue cars you see gliding by are part of the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover.

ATTRACTION

Take a 10-minute journey around and through Tomorrowland, seated in a revolutionary transportation system. At least that's how it was thought of when it opened in the Magic Kingdom in 1975. Using linear induction motors, the vehicles glide with ease in an environmentally safe manner. Each section has five cars that travel at 10 feet per second except at the loading and unloading station where it travels at 2.7 feet per second.

To reach the loading platform you will step onto a moving conveyor belt that is at a steep incline. The loading platform moves at the same speed as the vehicles, so you can step inside easily. Each vehicle can seat four, two riding forward and two riding backward.

Although the taking of photos is difficult, since you're constantly moving, the view is exceptional.