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| Site News |
| March 19, 2008 A new episode guide for Lost has been added to the Entertainment section, and a new article on the history of Walt Disney World transportation has been added to the Insider section. Be sure to take a look! March 13, 2008 Over twenty new refurbishment dates were added to the calender. March 12, 2008 Be sure to go check out the Lost page over in the Entertainment section. Two new episode guides were added. A new refurbishment date has been added to the calender. March 7, 2008 After a security upgrade to the server, all of our php pages were offline. As of now, they are all functioning properly once again. We are sorry about the inconvenience. February 20, 2008 The Booking page has been updated with a new special for Disney Visa Card holders, and new refurbishment dates have been added to the Calender. February 17, 2008 Eli Stone has been added to the Entertainment area. The park map on the Animal Kingdom page is not working properly but will be fixed soon. February 16, 2008 Most of the site is back up and running, so thanks a lot for your patience. Three new episode reviews have been added to the Lost and Dance War pages, and a new special has been added to the Booking page. February 7, 2008 Be sure to take a look at our Booking page for a great new deal, and we've added some exciting news on a new show coming to Disney's Hollywood Studios. February 6, 2008 The Calender has been updated with the latest refurbishments. A lot of new additions have been added, so be sure to check it out. January 21, 2008 Please take the two minutes max nessessary to complete our site survey. By taking the survey, we'd be able to improve the site to your liking. Thanks for helping us out. Click here for the site survey. January 19, 2008 Ugly Betty and Dancing With the Stars have been upgrade to the new php format. Also, Lost (sporting new promotional pictures for the fourth season) and Dance Wars have been added to the Entertainment section. January 15, 2008 With the success of our php homepage, we are going to begin converting most of the other pages to this new format. Grey's Anatomy is the first page to be updated so far. We will now be able to post the episode reviews earlier as well as post episode reviews from previous seasons, all the while having the pages load faster. January 5, 2008 Kevin created an excellent 2008 Disney Reporter Calender as a new year's treat for people visiting the site. The calender, in Word Document form, can be downloaded at the following link. January 1, 2008 Our news area on the homepage has received a makeover. To allow for easier updating, the news area is now powered by Cutenews and php scripting. |
| Calendar |
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Magic Kingdom
April 1, 2008 - April 23, 2008 Minnie's Country House is closed. May 4, 2008 - May 24, 2008 Cinderella's Golden Carousel will be closed for a brief refurbishment. May 11, 2008 - May 24, 2008 The Jungle Cruise will be closed for a brief refurbishment to paint and repair the waterfall effect. June 5, 2008 - June 18, 2008 Pirates of the Caribbean will be closed for a general refurbishment. Early 2009 - Late 2009 Space Mountain is set for a long closuer - expect new lights, audio upgrade, updated stations, and possibly new cars. Epcot
April 6, 2008 - November 30, 2008 Nine Dragons Restaurant is closed for an extensive refurbishment consisting of a new exhibition kitchen. Spring 2008 Tutto Italia closes and is replaced by a new Italian restaurant. Disney's
Hollywood Studios
January 2, 2008 - May 23, 2008 Journey Into Narnia will be closed for a major refurbishment as it is updated to feature the next film installment. May 20, 2008 Toy Story Mania opens at Disney-MGM Studios and Disney's California Adventure. Animal Kingdom
No exciting refurbishments or events to report at this time. Walt Disney
World Resort
Fall 2007 - Spring 2009 The Animal Kingdom Lodge DVC Wing is constructed - 458 vacation homes will open throughout this time period. March or April 2008 The Wave restaurant opens at the Contemporary Resort, replacing the Concourse Steakhouse. Fall 2008 The Josten Sports Center opens at Disney's Wide World of Sports - 44,800 sq ft. 2010 The first phase of the Four Seasons Luxury Resort opens. Disneyland
Resort
January 22, 2008 - November 2008 It's a Small World will be closed for a major rehab to replace the motor and tread systems. February 7, 2008 - April 4, 2008 King Arthur's Carousel is closed due to a mechanical malfunction. April 21, 2008 - April 24, 2008 Mr. Toad's Wild Ride is closed. April 28, 2008 - May 1, 2008 Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is closed briefly. May 12, 2008 - May 23, 2008 It's Tough to Be a Bug is closed for a brief refurb. Disneyland Resort Paris
March 31, 2008 -
April 4, 2008
Tokyo
Disneyland ResortBlache-Neige et les Sept Nains is closed. May 13, 2008 - May 23, 2008 Pocahontas's Indian Village is closed. May 20, 2008 - May 22, 2008 Space Mountain: Mission 2 is closed briefly. May 26, 2008 - May 30, 2008 Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril is closed. May 26, 2008 - June 6, 2008 Pirate's Beach is closed. June 2, 2008 - June 13, 2008 Phantom Manor is closed for rehab. Now - July 24, 2008 The Enchanted Tiki Room is closed as it receives a new makeover featuring Stitch. April 2008 Disneyland Hotel opens at Tokyo Disneyland Resort. April 8, 2008 - April 9, 2008 Gadget's Go Coaster is closed. April 8, 2008 - April 14, 2008 Blowfish Balloon Race is closed. April 12, 2008 - April 18, 2008 Goofy's Bounce House is closed. April 16, 2008 - April 25, 2008 Caravan Carousel is closed. April 19, 2008 - April 25, 2008 Minnie's House is closed. April 23, 2008 BraviSEAmo! is closed. May 7, 2008 - May 20, 2008 Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin is closed for a brief refurbishment. May 7, 2008 - June 4, 2008 Fortress Explorations is closed. May 21, 2008 - June 5, 2008 Pooh's Hunney Hunt is closed. June 1, 2008 - June 20, 2008 Journey to the Center of the Earth is closed for a refurbishment. June 10, 2008 - July 4, 2008 Space Mountain is closed. June 24, 2008 - July 3, 2008 The Magic Lamp Theater is closed. July 8, 2008 - July 16, 2008 The Mermaid Lagoon Theater is closed for improvements. July 12, 2008 - July 18, 2008 The Mark Twain Riverboat is closed. August 27 - September 11, 2008 The Haunted Mansion is closed. September 1 - September 12, '08 Raging Spirits is closed. September 1 - September 17, '08 Star Tours is closed. September 3 - October 22, 2008 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is closed. September 27 - December 5, 2008 Mystic Rhythmns is closed. October 1, 2008 Cirque du Soleil and the Walt Disney Company will open a 2000 seat permanent theater for an all-new original show in Tokyo. 2009 Monster's Inc. ride opens in Tomorrowland at Tokyo Disneyland.
Hong Kong
Disneyland Resort
April 28, 2008 It's a Small World will opens its doors to guests at Hong Kong Disneyland. |
| Site Stats |
| Admin:
disneyreporter Co-admins: jk92boy and Canada36 Launched: June 1, 2004 Layout: Version 5 Email: DisneyNavigator@gmail.com |
| Disclaimer |
| All materials found
on this website are copyright to Disney Reporter and its owner, unless
stated otherwise. No content may be taken without permission or posted
elsewhere under any circumstances. I, the owner, do not claim that I
have any contact with the Walt Disney Company, Disney Enterprises, etc.
I am merely a fan who wants to provide a place for the latest news and
guides on Disney related material. |
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Friday, March 28, 2008 |
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Here's what the new Cinderella and Prince Charming will look like in the Hong Kong Disneyland version of It's a Small World, opening on April 28, 2008. They, as well as the castle in the background, fit in really nicely with Mary Blair's original themes. They only modernize the experience as opposed to destroying the magic like most people thought they would.
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Friday, March 28, 2008 |
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HONG KONG -- (March 27, 2008) In a colorful presentation reminiscent of childhood days, Hong Kong Disneyland announced the countdown to the launch of the “it’s a small world” attraction today, an exciting milestone in the Resort’s history. The attraction will be officially open to the public on April 28, 2008 and is part of the all-new immersive and exciting experiences the Park will offer in 2008.  “‘it’s a small world’ is a timeless attraction that has delighted generations of adults and children alike across the world, and has deep roots in the Hong Kong community,” said Maple Lee, Vice President, Marketing, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. “The Cantonese version of the theme song has lived in the hearts and minds of Hong Kong citizens for over 30 years because of its simple yet powerful verses composed by legendary lyricist James Wong. The opening of the attraction will be a significant step for the Resort, continuing Walt Disney’s vision of uniting all nationalities through the universal languages of music and laughter.” Created by Walt Disney and first appearing at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York, “it’s a small world” was one of the earliest attractions in history to make use of revolutionary Audio-Animatronics® technology created by the Walt Disney Company at the time. The original artistic designs were created by Mary Blair, a veteran Disney artist, along with Marc Davis an original Disney film animator and Imagineer and the catchy theme song was composed by the Sherman Brothers. Hong Kong Disneyland’s version of “it’s a small world” builds upon the classic attraction with exciting new additions.  “With Hong Kong Disneyland’s version of ‘it’s a small world’, we had the unprecedented opportunity to expand on a classic attraction and seamlessly blend local, regional and international elements,” said David Minichiello, Art Director, Walt Disney Imagineering. “Four new languages, Cantonese, Putonghua, Korean and Tagalog, have been added to the classic theme song. Combined with expanded sections, all-new scenes and the incorporation of familiar Disney melodies with the theme song, we have brought a truly unique offering to Hong Kong.” Disney Characters & Artistic Design For the first time ever, in addition to the hundreds of dazzling and brightly decorated figures of children, the attraction will feature 38 Disney characters in their countries of origin. These dolls, toys and animated props will offer a fresh new perspective on the classic attraction, while remaining true to the artistic style created by Mary Blair and the original Walt Disney Imagineering team.  Expanded Sections, New Scenes & Sets The expanded Asia scene will feature famous landmarks such as the Great Wall of China and the Temple of Heaven. The Middle East has its own scene and new sets have also been added to the Americas scene. Guests will see Aladdin and Jasmine on their magic carpet in the Middle East scene and meet Woody and Jessie from the Disney/Pixar Toy Story films while sailing by New York’s Empire State Building and San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge in the Americas scene. A Classic Re-recorded Complementing the dazzling and colorful scenes will be the “it’s a small world” theme song. Walt Disney tasked the Sherman Brothers with making the “it’s a small world” theme song ‘simple, catchy, and able to be sung in many different languages’. The duo far exceeded this goal and to this day, generations of adults and children enjoy this tune about friendship and mutual understanding. Hong Kong Disneyland has re-recorded the classic song in four new languages, Cantonese, Putonghua, Korean and Tagalog. In total, “it’s a small world” will be sung in nine different languages at Hong Kong Disneyland. In addition, the theme songs of several Disney animated features have been interwoven into the attraction’s soundtrack.  A Unique Facade One of the defining elements of Hong Kong Disneyland’s version of “it’s a small world” is the facade. Inspired by the facades at Disneyland, California, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris, a unique color palette was specially created to match the attraction’s surroundings. The facade itself will have an extensive and stunning LED lighting system that will sparkle and glitter each evening. At the centerpiece of the facade is the Small World Clock Tower. Just like its brothers and sisters across the globe, the clock will chime at the appointed hours and will feature a classic toy parade, with a newly added Chinese Opera character. |
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Wednesday, March 26, 2008 |
| New details have surfaced about the refurbishment occuring over at It's a Small World. Disney officials made an announcement to the LA Times stating that Mickey and Minnine will not be added to the Disneyland attraction, so Disney purists can give a small sigh of relief. But the news doesn't stop there. Alice and the White Rabbit are now confirmed additions to the revised version of the attraction. They will be added to the England section of the boat ride near an already existing chessboard and rosebush. Disney has assured the media that a lot of concideration has gone into this refurbishment, which has been in the planning stages for eight years. They will be sticking to a strick guideline when creating the characters, using the same whimsical touchs and color palettes Mary Blair used in the original. According to Disney, they are not destroying any of the magic Mrs. Blair created. Instead, they are only enhancing it. We'll just have to wait and see the final product before we make any real opinions. |
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Saturday, March 22, 2008 |
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Pictures of the new Disney characters being added to It's a Small World in Hong Kong Disneyland have finally been released. I think they look pretty good, fitting in nicely with the traditional character look. If I didn't know they were Disney characters, I would have thought they were just like the other dolls. While these characters are for the Hong Kong Disneyland version, replicas of these will end up in the Disneyland version if Disney does go through with their characterization plan.  Lilo and Stitch  Peter Pan and Wendy  Mulan |
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Thursday, March 20, 2008 |
| After years of discussion, Disney finally came to an agreement yesterday with Port Canaveral, assuring cruise line goers that Disney will be keeping Port Canaveral as its home port until 2023. Under this new agreement, Disney's newest ships, rumored to be named Disney Dream and Disney Celebration, must be stationed at Port Canaveral for at least three years once they start voyaging in 2011 and 2012. After that point, Disney can station any combination of its four ships at Port Canaveral for the remaining years up until 2023. As a result of the two new ships being much larger -- three decks tall, 150ft longer, and 15ft wider to be exact -- Port Canaveral will be spending $10 million to build Disney a 1,000 spot parking garage to accomidate for all of the additional travelers as well as an additional $22 million on upgrading Disney's custom-built terminal. Some of those upgrades include extending the dock, expanding check-in service areas, and adding environmentally sensitive technology. Disney is still looking at possible locations to build a new port for the Disney Magic and one of the new ships once they arrive; however, they have yet to make a decision on where to build the port, though somewhere on the West Coast is the best guess. |
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Wednesday, March 19, 2008 |
| The latest news suggests that the Parade of Dreams may not be the only parade coming to the Magic Kingdom in 2010. Around the time Disneyland gives Disney World the Parade of Dreams, Disney World might be giving SpectroMagic to Disneyland Paris in exchange for their Fantillusion parade. Fantillusion is an evolved version of the beloved SpectroMagic, and it was originally created for Tokyo Disneyland. The parade has a similar atmosphere to SpectroMagic; however, its storyline is similiar to Fantasmic's. It seems like the Magic Kingdom will be getting a lot of attention for its 40th anniversary. |
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Tuesday, March 18, 2008 |
| Another axe has been sent crashing upon some of the beloved characters at Epcot. Figment's Place, a meet and greet area for Figment, closed its doors last Saturday, March 15, 2008, causing tears to drip down the faces of many Figment fans. To make matters worse, the walkaround Figment and Dreamfinder have also been removed from the park. Figment and Dreamfinder are not the only characters without a home now. Kenai and Koda, characters from the movie Brother Bear, are no longer found around the queue area of O Canada! Apparently Epcot's goal is to focus character encounters to the Innoventions West Character Spot. Could this be another hint at Epcot returning to its former EPCOT Center days? As of now, the characters are no longer available for guest interaction, but it is rumored they could be returning after the summer season. |
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Tuesday, March 18, 2008 |
| New reports suggest the Parade of Dreams at Disneyland may not be retiring after all. From what we understand, the improvements to the Liberty Square bridge are being made to strengthen it enough to bear the weight from the heavier floats in the Parade of Dreams. As of now, Disneyland is keeping the Parade of Dreams until fall/winter 2009 because the replacement parade is not expected to be ready until the 55th anniversary in 2010. This means the Parade of Dreams should be on the east coast for the Magic Kingdom's 40th anniversary in 2011. |
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Sunday, March 16, 2008 |
| Wall-E will be Disney's newest project in its Living Character Initiative. Much like Push the Trashcan, Lucky the Dinosaur, and the Muppet Mobile, Wall-E will be a sophisticated animatronic, operated by a cast member using a remote control hiding amongst the crowd. Nothing has been released on what Wall-E's functions in the little show will be, but he should be starting his rounds at Disney's Hollywood Studios sometime this summer. We'll be sure to let you know more details when they come our way. |
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Sunday, March 16, 2008 |
| The Tomorrowland Indy Speedway has finally been renamed. Disney's contract with the Indy 500 has now expired, and Disney has been hard at work removing an Indy references from the attraction. The attraction's name has now been shortened to the Tomorrowland Speedway. |
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