Dateline Disneyland

Disneyland's popular Fantasmic! show ended its summer with a bang this weekend, but not in a good way. The show's giant dragon audio-animatronic collapsed mid-show on Saturday night, prompting the cancellation of the show's second performance and a flurry of Disney fan chatter on Twitter and the MiceChat discussion boards. Yet, as a major Disneyland show screeched to a halt this weekend, construction around the Resort continued in full force on numerous projects including California Adventure's major expansion and remodel and the Disneyland Hotel's multi-year renovation project. And as the final scorching hot, heat-wave stricken days of Disneyland's summer season passed, the first signs of Disneyland's annual Halloween and fall-time decorations began appearing along Main Street, U.S.A..

Many thanks to Fishbulb for his help with photos this week.

For more information on any of the construction projects featured in today's update, just look for a Project Tracker water mark and click that photo for more information on the project and to join the on-going discussion.

It's another busy week at Disneyland! Let's get going...

Inside Dateline Disneyland

Welcome to Disneyland! Indiana Jones gets some TLC, Halloween creeps into Disneyland Dragon Failtasmic! Fantasmic! dragon has major breakdown mid-show California Construction A look at the park's on-going $1 billion expansion and remodel. Red Car Trolley and Hollywood Backlot work The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure Mullholland Madness & Paradise Garden Dining Cars Land Disneywall Hotel Disneyland Hotel gets more construction walls This & That Board Factory removed, Glow Fest moves around, Star Tours construction Weekly News and Information Round-Up Weekly theme park hours, closures and refurbishments; Disney takes Muslim woman off schedule, GardenWalk hotels delayed, Disneyland's fall vacation deals

WELCOME TO DISNEYLAND!
In-the-know Disneyland fans will know that the big green building visible from the Downtown Disney Mickey and Friends tram stop is the giant Indiana Jones Adventure show building, but for the average guest the building has long been a sore thumb of peeling paint and faded camouflage that you see upon arriving in Downtown Disney.


Late last week Disney finally removed the faded camouflage decals on the building and began giving it some long-overdue TLC.


Now that the foliage surrounding the building has grown in after all these years, the camouflage wrap might not be entirely necessary anymore.






Inside Disneyland, Halloween decorations have started going up in Main Street window displays and shops are now stocked with Halloween merchandise.
















Marvel superhero and Star Wars character costumes on Main Street? Is it out-of-place or just fine being sold next to princess costumes in turn-of-the-century America?





DRAGON FAILTASMIC!
Saturday night the Disney Twittersphere erupted in news that the Fantasmic! dragon (also known as 'Murphy') had "collapsed" mid-show and broke in front of a packed audience. Reports came in that the Fantasmic mist screens were turned on at full power to obscure guest views of the broken dragon, and news that the second show of the night was cancelled soon came in. A Twitter account named "Murphytracker" quickly appeared, offering photos of the broken dragon.


Sunday's performances of Fantasmic played, as scheduled, but the dragon was not present in the show. The dragon's collapse is another mark of bad luck for the fire-breathing animatronic that debuted late last summer after months of technical issues that it forced the new dragon to be delayed numerous times. Performances of Fantasmic, which is now on a weekends-only schedule following the busy summer season, will continue as scheduled; but there is no word on when the dragon is expected to be fixed.





CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTION
A look at California Adventure's ongoing $1 billion remodel and expansion...

RED CAR TROLLEY & HOLLYWOOD BACKLOT
The end of the Hollywood Pictures Backlot's version of Hollywood Blvd is behind construction walls as work crews begin installing the new Red Car Trolley tracks in front of the huge Hyperion Theater.


Also worth noting, the Glow Fest decorations are now removed from the Backlot as the popular nighttime dance party is now confined within Sunshine Plaza as work gets underway in the Backlot and preparations for the upcoming Tron version of the after-dark dance party get started.


The painted sky backdrop on the side of the Hyperion Theatre building has been painted over in a bright blue.






With the end of Hollywood Blvd. closed off with construction walls, guests seeking Hyperion Theatre and Tower of Terror access must go around through A Bug's Land and use the newly-opened connector path.








THE LITTLE MERMAID: ARIEL'S UNDERSEA ADVENTURE
Construction continues at Ariel's Undersea Adventure...



















MULLHOLLAND MADNESS & PARADISE GARDEN DINING
Work has started at the former dining and smoking area near the closed Burger Invasion restaurant, next to Mullholland Madness







CARS LAND
And work continues on the massive recreation of the little Route 66 town of Radiator Springs from the movie Cars.












DISNEYWALL HOTEL
And large portions of the Disneyland Hotel continues to be surrounded by construction walls during the Hotel's major remodeling.


With the restrooms across the walkway near the pool closing soon for construction, some temporary restrooms were needed.
















THIS & THAT
The structure for The Board Factory, the recently-closed build-your-own skateboard stand, has been removed from Downtown Disney.


It was near the Disney Pin Trading stand.



Inside DCA, Glow Fest has been downsized to fit within Sunshine Plaza through Labor Day.


The food trucks are gone, but one of the portable bars has taken its place.





And in Disneyland, work continues at Star Tours.

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WEEKLY NEWS AND INFORMATION ROUND-UP

Weekly Theme Park Hours AUGUST 30 — SEPTEMBER 5, 2010
Disneyland Park	Disney California Adventure
Monday - Thursday: 9 am - 11 pm Friday: 8 am - 12 midnight Saturday - Sunday: 9 am - 12 midnight	Monday - Sunday: 10 am - 11 pm
For a complete listing of theme park hours, visit the Disneyland.com Theme Park Calendar
Closures and Refurbishment Schedule
Disneyland Park
Haunted Mansion: Closed through September 16 to install Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay Village Haus Restaurant: Closed until December 19 for refurbishment. Minnie's House: Closed September 7 - 23 for refurbishment. Main Street Vehicles: Closed September 7 - 30 for refurbishment. Space Mountain: Closed September 12 - 16 to install Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy overlay. The French Market: Closed September 13 - 17 for refurbishment. Roger Rabbit Car Toon Spin: Closed September 20 - December 16 Indiana Jones Adventure: Closed for one day September 22. Mark Twain Riverboat: Closed September 27-30. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: Closed September 27-30. Mickey's House: Closed September 27 - October 14. "it's a small world": Closed October 25 - November 11 to install holiday overlay. Star Tours: Closed Star Tours 2 revamp. Reopens May 2011.
Disney California Adventure
Toy Story Midway Mania!: Closed through October 10 to install safety gates in load station. Catch-A-Flave Ice Cream: Closed September 7 - 16 for refurbishment. Hyperion Theater / Disney's Aladdin — A Musical Spectacular: Closed September 7 - October 7 for nearby Red Car Trolley construction. It's Tough to Be a Bug!: Closed through October 25 - 29 for refurbishment. Muppet*Vision 3D: Closed September 15 - 16 and 20 - 24 Bountiful Valley Farm area: Closes permanently September 7 for Cars Land construction. Maliboomer: Closes permanently September 7 for removal. Pizza Oom Mow Mow: Closes September 7 to begin retheme to Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta. Reopens May 2011. Mullholland Madness: Closes October 12 to begin re-theme. Reopens May 2011 as Goofy's Sky School. Burger Invasion: Closed for retheme to Paradise Garden Grill. Reopens May 2011. The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure: Under construction. Opens Spring 2011. Souvenir 66 and Corn Dog Castle: Store and dining location closed for remodeling through May 2011. Red Car Trolley: Track under construction in Hollywood Pictures Backlot. Attraction set to open spring 2012.
Downtown Disney & Hotels of the Disneyland Resort
Arcade (Disneyland Hotel) Closed permanently July 30 as part of Disneyland Hotel remodel Jungle Cruise Remote Control Boats (Disneyland Hotel) Closed permanently July 31 as part of Disneyland Hotel remodel The Lost Bar (Disneyland Hotel) Closed permanently August 1 as part of Disneyland Hotel remodel Croc's Bits & Bites (Disneyland Hotel): Closed permanently August 1 as part of Disneyland Hotel remodel

DISNEY TAKES MUSLIM EMPLOYEE OFF SCHEDULE FOLLOWING CONTROVERSY Disney started playing hardball with a Muslim employee who launched a discrimination case against Disney after she was not allowed to wear a religious headscarf at her job.

Muslim employee is taken off Disney’s schedule Disney stopped scheduling work for a Muslim employee who has gone home eight times when managers forbade her from wearing her own head scarf in a public job. The hotel workers’ union contends that Imane Boudlal, a restaurant hostess at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel, was suspended without pay, said Leigh Shelton, a union spokeswoman. Disney officials deny that Boudlal was suspended, saying that they stopped putting her on the schedule while the matter is ongoing, said Suzi Brown, a Disneyland Resort spokeswoman. On Tuesday, Boudlal rejected a third, alternative head covering that Disney provided and went home for the eighth time. Disney previously offered Boudlal four other assignments that would allow her to wear her own head scarf, called a hijab, which some Muslim women wear as a form of modesty. The job and costume options remain available to Boudlal, if she wants to come back to work, Brown said. Disney is known for its strict dress code, called the Disney Look. “Over the last four days, we have made every attempt to provide Ms. Boudlal with several different costuming options which we believe would accommodate her religious beliefs and meet our costuming guidelines,” Brown said. “We also offered her four different roles that would allow her to wear her own hijab. She’s chosen to reject over and over again all the options presented to her.” Boudlal, through the union, described the most recent head covering as an over-sized chef’s hat. She previously rejected a hat over a bonnet.

For the full article visit: Around Disney: Muslim employee is taken off Disney’s schedule

UPSCALE GARDENWALK HOTELS GET DELAYED — AGAIN From the OC Register:

Disneyland-area hotels win construction delay ANAHEIM – Construction of two luxury hotels at the troubled GardenWalk outdoor mall has been delayed – again. The City Council this week granted developers a one-year delay so that construction is not required to start now until summer 2012. Developers said that the stalled economy and tight credit market have made financing the project infeasible – for now. The city also extended a financial agreement, so that the developers can still get tax incentives to build a more upscale hotel. The hotel project would cost an estimated $242 million – with developers getting roughly $40 million in tax incentives from the city to build a four-star luxury hotel instead of a more common three-star ranking. In March, developers asked for a delay in building 500 time-share units set to be built atop the existing GardenWalk parking structure, citing economic woes. But developers said at the time they still planned to move forward with the hotels. GardenWalk shop owners have said that hotel guests would boost business and increase mall night life. GardenWalk opened in 2008 and went into foreclosure earlier this year when mall developers defaulted on a $210-million loan. Several shops have closed, and a 14-theater movieplex changed operators last week after a bankruptcy. Steel rods protrude from the top of the parking structure where the time-shares were set to be built. There's no guarantee developers won't seek further delays. "We'll have to see what happens with the economy," said Sheri Vander Dussen, the city's planning director. The City Council vote 4-0 to grant the construction delay.

For the full article visit: Around Disney: Disneyland-area hotels win construction delay

DISNEY ROLLS OUT FALL VACATION DEALS Disneyland released details for its fall vacation packages last week, but they aren't as good a deal as they were last year. From the OC Register's Around Disney blog:

Disneyland Resort offers fall vacation discounts Disneyland Resort visitors can get up to $300 off of vacation packages or up to 40 percent off of hotel stays this fall, even as the company plans to scale back on theme-park discounts. Disney recently announced its deals for the fall season, which includes Halloween Time starting Sept. 17. Jay Rasulo, chief financial officer for the Walt Disney Co., has said that he plans to phase out most discounts by the end of the year. The company began offering steep discounts, especially at Walt Disney World in Florida, at the end of 2008 as a way to keep the flow of tourists in parks as the economy soured. Disney World, for example, is offering free meal packages. See a recent story about Disney World’s free meals. This fall’s promotion offers less of a savings to visitors. Last year, Disney reduced four-day vacation packages by $400. This year, four-day vacation packages are cut by $300 for a family of four.

For the full article visit: Around Disney: Disneyland Resort offers fall vacation discounts

Okay, that wraps up this week's edition of Dateline Disneyland! Thanks for reading, and please join in and discuss the column in the comments section below! Thanks again to Fishbulb for his great photos this week! Dateline Disneyland is now on Facebook! Be sure to become a fan of Dateline Disneyland on Facebook where you can get the latest news and info from Dateline Disneyland right on Facebook! Click here! We're only here because of your support and donations. If you read and enjoy Dateline Disneyland every week be sure to tell a friend or consider helping us out and donating a buck or two so we can pay the bills and keep the updates coming. Without your support, these updates could not happen! You can donate safely and securely with PayPal by clicking here. Thank you so much! Also, remember that MiceChat has loads of new content all week long! For even more Disneyland news, photos and information check out the In the Parks column on Fridays. And MiceChat's Weekend Update, tours the world of Disney theme parks and other worldly sights and landmarks! Don't forget to join us on Twitter! There are nearly 7,300 other Dateline Disneylanders who follow us on Twitter, and recieve updates throughout the week with links to breaking news, mini updates, photos, and links to newsworthy MiceChat discussions. Visit Twitter.com/DatelineDisney now! See you here next week! - Andy

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