Dateline Disneyland

Welcome to the October 24 edition of Dateline Disneyland!

First up this week I'd like to plug one of my other projects here on MiceChat, the Disney's California Adventure Project Tracker. Today, October 24, marks the One Year Anniversary for the DCA Project Tracker. The original Project Tracker thread has since been closed on the MiceChat forums after it reached over 2,000 replies and over 175,000 page views! But with so much that has yet to happen at DCA, the Project Tracker lives on!

Discussion and tracking of DCA's on-going $1.1 billion remodel continues in the Disney's California Adventure Project Tracker II. So if you have yet to join in on the fun, now is the perfect time! To check out the DCA Project Tracker (or its sister thread, the Disneyland Project Tracker) click on any of the photos in this column with the special Project Tracker watermark!


Also, you can now follow Dateline Disneyland on Twitter, where you'll be updated with the latest news, info, and links about the Disneyland Resort. You'll also be updated on new updates to the Disneyland and DCA Project Trackers as well as important Disneyland news from other MiceAge/MiceChat columns. twitter.com/DatelineDisney


Alright, with that said, let's get to the update, shall we?

WELCOME TO DISNEYLAND!
The walls are down at the secondary Fortuosity Shop entrance. The doorway was widened, combining the two small doors of the New Century Jewelry and the Fortuosity Shop to make one larger door way to accommodate the larger crowds coming to the new store.








FISH OUT OF WATER
Despite what it may look like, someone did not go fishing in Disneyland's Central Plaza and mistake the trees for fish. New Christmas light nets have been thrown up over the trees in the hub, surrounding the Partners statue.


It's assumed that the net lights will tie into the expanded Sleeping Beauty's Winter Castle snow lighting effects that will extend down Main Street this year, but nevertheless, once you notice the nets, its hard to ignore them. It's going to be even more difficult when nature takes its course and the trees lose the rest of their leaves as fall comes.


Meanwhile, around the Castle, the trees and bushes have been strung up with LED string lights.


These lights went up last year as well, but were never used. Hopefully they will be this year.



PIXIE PREMIERE
Los Angeles Times writer and Funland blogger Brady MacDonald reported earlier this week that the new Pixie Hollow meet-and-greet area would be soft opening today; Friday, October 24. The meet-and-greet is not scheduled to officially open until Tuesday, October 28.


Brady shared details on the new attraction:

Tinker Bell moves into new Disneyland home, giving Ariel the boot

Pixie Hollow, which takes the place of Ariel’s Grotto near the Matterhorn Bobsleds, is expected to soft open on Friday, Oct. 24, 2008 in advance of an official opening next week.

Visitors walking past an “enchanted” pond will feel as though they are shrinking to the size of a fairy through a series of visual and audio cues. Bronze statues of the five Disney fairies — Iradessa, Rosetta, Fawn, Silvermist and, of course, Tinker Bell — line the pathway. Along the way, whispers and echoes emanate from the fantasy fairy world. Tinker Bell, played by a 5-foot-tall face character, poses for photos in front of her home, an upside-down tea pot.

Construction chugged along on the project throughout the week.


We'll have a proper look at the new meet-and-greet in next week's column.




REPAVED AND REMOVED
The New Orleans Square and Frontierland Railroad station re-opened after a long closure in which much of the surrounding area was repaved and the station receieved some TLC.







Over in Frontierland, the Conestoga Fries wagon has been removed completely and walls are now down.


The grease stench will not be missed.




CASTLE PROGRESS
Down Big Thunder Trail and into Fantasyland, the Tinker Bell shop in the Castle has finally gotten a name and signage.







And the faux window display for the Three Fairy's Magic Crystals has been removed, but the shop's sign remains.


And construction on the Castle Walk-Through continues, with a rough open date sometime in mid-December.




DAMAGERAIL
Over in Tomorrowland, the Monorail track awning over on the side of the Tomorrowland Terrace seems to have taken on some damage, but nothing serious enough to cause the Monorail to close.








A CLOSER LOOK
BLUE SKY CELLAR
Over at DCA, a closer look at some of the new models and video presentation the Walt Disney Imagineering Blue Sky Cellar, which is now open to all park guests.



The large Paradise Pier model is a treat to examine.


Ariel's Grotto will be renamed and rethemed Princess Palace






Horses instead of sea animals? It's a possibility, but remember this is "blue sky."




Mickey's Fun Wheel is coming early next year.


A new covered queue is in the plans.


As well as a covered boardwalk around the Fun Wheel, which should provide a great view across the bay.



The Games of the Boardwalk character overlays and re-theming should be a pleasant change from the current charmless games.


The Games should finally close to begin their re-theming project Monday, October 27.





A look at the new Red Car Trolleys...







The 7-minute video presentation features a lot more concept art, including some views of the Little Mermaid attraction models.












World of Color logo


Silly Symphony Swings model


And computer mock-up



The screening room is a rather nice, intimate area, with an amazing 103-inch high-definition plasma television. Concept art in high-def? Yes, please!


Theming in the room cleverly ties together Imagineering with wine.






Outside, real progress is already being made for a couple DCA projects. The Sun Wheel has lost all of its gondolas (the stragglers have since been removed since this shot was taken)


And a tarp-covered barge has appeared in Paradise Bay, presumably for further after-hours World of Color testing.


And nearby, all of the tables with McDonald's logos have been removed from the Burger Invasion dining area.

A few unthemed tables have been scattered about the two dining areas to accommodate folks bringing corn dogs over from Corn Dog Castle.





HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3
DCA's Performance Corridor has been free of the loud High School Musical 2: School's Out street show for several weeks now, but beginning today, the show returns, overhauled with High School Musical 3 songs and stage dressing.


Brady MacDonald at the LA Times detailed the new street show in his Funland blog:

‘High School Musical 3′ live show debuts at Disney’s California Adventure

Just like the similarly themed “High School Musical 2″ show it replaces, the new “HSM3″ production will make stops at the Sun Plaza near the main entrance and the Golden State Stage near the former Golden Dreams attraction. A 14-person cast will perform three shows daily from the late morning to early afternoon.

The live show replicates two iconic production numbers from the upcoming movie — “A Night to Remember” and the “High School Musical” theme song.

Audience members are encouraged to participate during two songs — busting out their own signature dance moves during “A Night to Remember” and donning top hats, canes and feather boas during “I Want It All.”

The songs performed in the California Adventure “HSM3″ show include:

• “Now or Never” (opening drum cadence)
• “I Want It All” (Broadway show tune)
• “A Night to Remember” (upbeat prom dance number)
• “The Boys Are Back” (urban R&B)
• “Just Wanna Be With You” (pop anthem)
• “High School Musical” (finale theme song)

SEASONAL SIGHTINGS
The new 2008 Disneyland Christmas tree can be seen backstage from the Mickey and Friends tram route, already fully decorated.


Reports are that the tree is fake this year, the first time that the Disneyland Christmas tree has been fake in the park's 53-year history.



THIS AND THAT
The new Fortuosity Shop on Main Street is selling a set of really cool Mickey and Minnie vintage-style plush dolls. $125/set.


Tink has set up shop in the back of the Crystal Arcade.




And a new Main Street trolley big fig is available at Disneyana for $225.



A few Disney jack-o-lanterns from Woody's Halloween Roundup













AROUND THE PARKS
And finally, some shots from around the parks. Click on any of these shots to be taken to their flickr page where you can download high-res versions.

Alright, that should wrap it up for this week's edition of Dateline Disneyland. Thanks, as always, for reading!

Be sure to visit the Disney's California Adventure Project Tracker in the MiceChat discussion boards, as it celebrates its 1 Year Anniversary today!

Also, follow Dateline Disneyland on Twitter, where you will get breaking news, updates, and links about the Disneyland Resort! twitter.com/DatelineDisney


See you again next week!
Andy