The Dragon finally debuts!, Unlucky Fortune Cookery, California Adventure work, MORE

Inside Dateline Disneyland

Welcome to Disneyland! Disney Gallery details, Fantasyland construction Finally Fantasmic! The impressive new Fantasmic! dragon kicks its stage fright. California Construction The latest Disney's California Adventure construction photos. The Lucky Fortune Cookery opens World of Color & Paradise Park Viewing Area The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure & Cars Land Silly Symphony Swings This and That Pushing Halloween, Disneyland Hotel remodel. Around the Parks Photos from around the parks Weekly News and Information Weekly theme park hours, closures and refurbishments, D23 Expo Guide, Captain EO testing, Tiana's Showboat Jubilee concept art, Disneyland Half-Marathon winners, Disney buys Marvel.

WELCOME TO DISNEYLAND!
Work continues at the former Bank of Main Street as it is turned into the new home of the Disney Gallery. At this point, all outer signage for the Bank is gone (except for one and the mural on the side of the building), including the "Annual Pass Center" sign that used to be in the window above the entrance.


It's been replaced with some scrollwork, similar to the Disney Gallery logo design.


But while the Bank loses it's identity, the Disney Rewards Visa kiosk that was added last year remains, even with the "Bank of Main Street" still on its signage.


Is it a bank or an art gallery?



Over in Fantasyland, the new structure that quickly started going up last week is showing some more progress.









IGNITING THE NIGHT — FINALLY
By now, the troubled tale of the new Fantasmic! dragon is a familiar story. But to recap, after three months of dragon drama, the new dragon who has come to be known as Murphy, has finally made her debut.


The dragon was supposed to debut early morning on Monday, August 31 at a special press event scheduled for 5 am. But again, stage fright got the best of Disneyland's reluctant dragon and the media preview was scrapped, prompting LA Times blogger Brady MacDonald to call the dragon debacle a "big black eye" for Disneyland. Disney went on to release publicity photos and video of the dragon later that morning, but gave no word on when the dragon would actually debut.


Finally, after months of anticipation, Disney officially announced the dragon would publicly debut Tuesday, September 1 at the 8:15 pm showing of Fantasmic!


Disneyland loyals turned out en masse and gave Fantasmic's new dragon a proper welcome.


But the menacing new dragon wasn't immune to first night jitters. The dragon failed to spew fire during its debut, but the effect functioned as intended the following night.








MiceChat's Fishbulb has amazing opening-night photos of the new dragon available in MiceChat's Fantasmic Dragon Photos, Videos, and Reviews thread.



CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTION
The latest photos and info on Disney's California Adventure's on-going $1 billion remodel and expansion.

THE UNLUCKY FORTUNE COOKERY
California Adventure opened its newest eatery on Friday, in the former location of Pacifc Wharf's Cocina Cucamonga. More accurately, the two restaurants switched places, but the process took months to complete, finally giving Cocina Cucamonga expanded options for its Mexican grill-style menu, and re-opening the Lucky Fortune Cookery after years of abandonment.


The Lucky Fortune Cookery's menu is pretty small, offering basic Asian rice bowls that guests can customize with their choice of protein and sauces.


The Disneyland press release explains the new menu:

Customize Your Asian Rice Bowl! Guests Select Ingredients at New Lucky Fortune Cookery in Disney’s California Adventure
The colorful new Lucky Fortune Cookery, debuting Friday, Sept. 4, 2009, is the newest addition to the variety of dining options at Disney’s California Adventure park. Located in the Pacific Wharf section of the park, Lucky Fortune Cookery offers guests the opportunity to create their own Asian Rice Bowl meals and enjoy them in an outdoor plaza.

• Lucky Fortune Cookery can be found in the location previously occupied by Cocina Cucamonga, which has relocated directly across the Pacific Wharf outdoor dining plaza
  
• The quick-service restaurant features colorful décor, paper lanterns, oversized pots filled with bamboo and iconic dragon designs.
  
• Guests are served at the quick-service windows of Lucky Fortune Cookery and they dine at tables under festive umbrellas in the outdoor plaza at Pacific Wharf. The environment allows for a pleasant and flavorful break in the day at Disneyland Resort.
  
• The Menu: Customized Asian Rice Bowls are the specialty of Lucky Fortune Cookery. It starts with a bowl of steamed white and brown rice and seared Asian vegetables. Guests select chicken, beef or tofu, plus a sauce of their choice: Mandarin orange, spicy Korean, Thai green curry or teriyaki.
  
• The spicy Korean sauce is actually based on an old family recipe provided by Gloria Tae, chef de cuisine at the award-winning Napa Rose restaurant in Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. All the sauce options were researched and taste-tested by Disney chefs as well as by cast members from diverse cultural backgrounds so that the final products would appeal to the broad variety of guests dining at Lucky Fortune Cookery.
  
• The Price: Each customized Asian Rice Bowl, regardless of ingredients, will cost $9.49. A kid’s meal of teriyaki chicken and rice, including fruit cup and choice of beverage, is available for guests age 9 and under for $6.49.

The idea isn't bad. An Asian-style dining location with a simple and fresh menu. The problem is that the execution leaves much to be desired.

Sauces can be ordered on the side, and you can ask to try more than one for no additional cost, although, it'll be interesting to see if that courtesy will last for long. The Mandarin Orange sauce was overwhelmingly orange in flavor, so much so that it was inedible. The Spicy Korean sauce tasted more like a typical teriyaki sauce than it did Korean BBQ and the term "spicy" is used very loosely here, as it was quite hard to discern much of a kick at all. The teriyaki sauce was bold in flavor, so much so that a few drops of water were needed to make it less overpowering. The Thai Coconut Curry sauce was the surprise hit of the meal. It was the most mild of the sauces, and agreed with the rest of the bowl's ingredients. The sauce was saltier than it probably should have been, but it was flavorful and rich without being terribly overpowering like the rest of the sauces. Still, the curry wasn't enough to save the meal.

The chicken was mostly flavorless thigh meat, and the portion of chicken wasn't enough for the amount of rice, nor justifiable with the bowl's $10 price tag.

The seared vegetables varied in their success. My bowl had more carrots than anything else, all of which were undercooked, but the bok choy and onions were overcooked and not worth eating.

Furthering the trend of inedible ingredients was the rice. Perhaps in an effort to give you a sense of increased value for an otherwise overpriced meal, the rice is a combination of steamed white and brown rices. No, you cannot get one or the other; your only option is to get the mixture, which is mostly white rice anyway. Either way, the rice isn't worth eating. I'm hoping it was a fluke, but the rice was incredibly overcooked, to the point of nearly unrecognizable mushiness. It's a mystery why it was allowed to be served at all.

So is the Lucky Fortune Cookery a viable dining option? I daresay it has the potential to be. The sauces need to be reworked, and the cooks need to work on serving properly cooked rice. It could also just be the luck of the draw that I visited at the the wrong time, after all, there are a couple MiceChatters giving the place favorable early reviews. For me, I'll give the place a couple months to get its act together before giving it a second try. If anything, the Thai coconut curry sauce is worth tasting again.

Spare Mad Tea Party lanterns decorate the area.



WORLD OF COLOR & PARADISE PARK VIEWING AREA
Construction continues on the huge World of Color and Paradise Park viewing area projects. The new Paradise Park fountain/sculpture continues to take shape behind construction walls.




The new Paradise Park stage can be seen coming together...





Mickey's Fun Wheel gives great aerial views of park construction






The new stage:
















The exposed steel around the edge of the new Paradise Park boardwalk was painted green a a few weeks back, and now have these bronze rosetta accent pieces... I hope this isn't the extent of the themeing for this.













THE LITTLE MERMAID: ARIEL'S UNDERSEA ADVENTURE & CARS LAND
Work continues preparing the land for the upcoming Little Mermaid dark ride:









Similarly, the former Timon parking lot has a lot of groundwork to get through before Cars Land begins to take shape.








Backstage buildings are coming along...








SILLY SYMPHONY SWINGS
The concrete foundation of the new Silly Symphony Swings covered boardwalk queue has gotten a treatment to appear more like wood.













Nearby the Swings, walls have gone up near the Paradise Pier parade gates.







THIS AND THAT
Billboards at the Disneyland and Main Entrance Plaza exits are pushing the special-ticket Mickey's Trick-or-Treat Party event at California Adventure.





Outside of the parks, over at the Disneyland Hotel, work continues on the multi-year renovation.




Half of the Dreams Tower is now closed to guests.





AROUND THE PARK
We'll finish up our photo section this week with some shots from around the park.

THEME PARK HOURS SEPTEMBER 7 - 13
For a complete listing of theme park hours, please visit the Disneyland.com Theme Park Calendar

Disneyland Park
Monday: 8 am - 12 midnight
Tuesday - Thursday: 10 am - 8 pm
Friday: 9 am - 12 midnight
Saturday: 8 am - 12 midnight
Sunday: 9 am - 11 pm

Disney's California Adventure Park
Monday: 10 am - 9 pm
Tuesday - Thursday: 10 am - 6 pm
Friday - Sunday: 10 am - 8 pm

CURRENT ATTRACTION CLOSURES & REFURBISHMENTS

Disneyland Park

• The Enchanted Cottage: Closed through November 17.
• Casey Jr. Circus Train: Closed through November 19.
• Storybook Land Canal Boats: Closed through November 19.
• Mark Twain Riverboat: Closed September 8 - 10.
• Space Mountain: Closed September 8 - 24 to install "Ghost Galaxy" Halloween overlay.
• Minnie's House: Closed September 9
• The Haunted Mansion: Closed September 10 - 24 to install Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay
• Big Thunder Ranch: Closed September 14 - 24 to install Halloween overlay
• Gadget's Go Coaster: Closed September 14 through October 26
• The Disney Gallery: Opens October 3, 2009 in the Bank of Main Street
• Pirates of the Caribbean & Blue Bayou Restaurant: Closed September 28 through October 2.
• Sailing Ship Columbia: Closed October 5 - 7.
• Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years/Main Street Opera House: Closed. Reopens as The Disneyland Story: Featuring Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln December 17, 2009.

Disney's California Adventure Park

• Orange Stinger: Closed for retheming. Reopens Spring 2010
• Jumpin' Jellyfish: Attraction remains open while towers rotate through refurbishment. West tower currently closed.
• The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure: Under construction.
• Souvenir 66 and Corn Dog Castle: Store and dining location closed for remodeling through May 2011.
• Paradise Bay: Drained for construction of upcoming Disney's World of Color show.
• Disney's World of Color Nighttime Spectacular: New show under construction. Debuts Spring 2010.
• Golden State Park and Amphitheater: Closed. New, larger amphitheater for Disney's World of Color viewing under construction in same location. The new amphitheater will open December 2009.

D23 EXPO COMES TO ANAHEIM THIS WEEKEND!
Disney's huge D23 Expo comes to Anaheim this weekend! The event is bringing out every segment of the Disney company so there's something for every kind of Disney fan. Here are some helpful and interesting links to plan your visit to the D23 Expo:

• D23 Expo Official Website
  The official D23 Expo web site has all the info you need to get ready for the big event!
• Buy Tickets!
  Tickets are still available, so if you still need your four-day D23 Expo pass, now's the time to buy!
• D23 Expo Schedule
  A complete listing of all four days of events. Includes link to downloadable and printable D23 Expo Guidebook.
• Map of D23 Expo
  This Expo is going to be huge! Acquaint yourself with the layout of the convention before getting there.
• Disney Legends Awards Ceremony Honorees
  The 2009 Disney Legends Awards ceremony will be open to the public for the first time ever at the D23 Expo. Here is a complete list of this year's honorees, including actor/comedian Robin Williams, Golden Girls actress Beatrice Arthur, and Imagineer Leota Toombs Thomas.
• D23 Expo Live Auction
  The D23 Live Auction will offer an array of unique Disney collectibles up for auction. Interested bidders must purchase a $40 Auctioneers Package, tickets are limited. More information and a complete auction guide can be found at the link.
• D23 Expo Attendee Discounts: Downtown Disney — Anaheim area
  D23 Expo attendees will have exclusive discounts available to them at area merchants and dining throughout the four day convention.
• Visit MiceAge/MiceChat at the D23 Expo!
  Your favorite Disney site will be at the Expo, so stop on by and say hello, see some friends, get some swag, and meet some of your favorite MiceAge columnists!

The D23 team begins expo set-up last week at the Anaheim Convention Center
in this MiceChat exclusive first-look photo. Join the discussion HERE.

CAPTAIN EO PREPARATION SET FOR LATER THIS WEEK
Al Lutz shared news of a temporary "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience" closure to allow WDI to install effects for a Captain EO test run with Disney execs this week before the big D23 Expo.

Editor's Note 9/4-5: Captain EO Update - Honey I Shrunk The Audience will be closed next week, Tues thru Thurs. WDI will be installing the Captain EO special effects to prepare the theater for Thur's private performance of the old show for Jay Rasulo and other bigwigs in Anaheim for the D23 Expo. Assuming Rasulo can find Tomorrowland (turn right in front of the castle) and no one in the audience has any objections to the show, Rasulo should then announce EO's Jan return during his Expo presentation on the 12th. - Al Lutz

For more information keep an eye on the MiceAge.com homepage

DISNEYLAND ANNOUNCES HALF-MARATHON WINNERS
The Disneyland half-marathon took place over the weekend. Disney issued a press release announcing winners late Sunday afternoon.

Jaeyung Hyung, of Las Cruces, N.M., Wins Fourth Annual Disneyland Half Marathon
ANAHEIM, Calif. (Sept. 6, 2009) – Jaeyung Hyung, 38, of Las Cruces, N.M., celebrated his first-place finish at the fourth annual Disneyland Half Marathon Sunday, crossing the finish line with a time of 1:10:44 to lead the estimated field of nearly 12,000 participants.

“I really enjoyed running the race here,“ Hyung said. “There were so many people, and Disney made it a lot of fun.”

Placing overall second was Benjamin Gomez-Gutierrez, 32, of Jalos, Mexico, with a time of 1:12:46. Dennis Hong, 17, of Chino Hills, Calif., finished third with a time of 1:13:10.

Mandy Grantz, 23, of Pasadena, Calif., celebrated as the women’s champion with a time of 1:26:00. Grantz, a second-year graduate student at California Institute of Technology, was running her first Disneyland Half Marathon.

“I’ve never been the winner of any race before,” Grantz said. “And I’ve never been to Disneyland before, so running through the parks was so much fun.”

For the full press release, visit Disneyland News: Jaeyung Hyung, of Las Cruces, N.M., Wins Fourth Annual Disneyland Half Marathon

TIANA'S SHOWBOAT JUBILEE ART RELEASED
A Photoshop rendering of the upcoming Tiana's Showboat Jubilee!, which will run daily along the Rivers of America this fall has found its way online. The piece is actual Disney concept art, and boy, it kind of makes you wonder what happened to the real artists and show designers at Disneyland. MiceAge's Al Lutz first broke news of the New Orleans Square-based show back on May 19.

To join discussion and see a full-size version of this image, visit MiceChat: Tiana's Showboat Jubilee Concept Art!

DISNEY BUYS MARVEL COMICS FOR $4 BILLION
Disney shook up the entertainment world on Monday when it announced the acquisition of Marvel Entertainment for an estimated $4 billion. The move opens a lot of doors for Disney in film, television, consumer products, and even theme parks with over 5,000 established characters to add to the Disney fold.

Disney to buy comic book powerhouse Marvel Entertainment
The Walt Disney Co. today announced that it had agreed to acquire comic-book giant Marvel Entertainment, creator of such characters as Iron Man and Spider-Man, in a cash-and-stock deal worth an estimated $4 billion.

The acquisition would give Disney access to a library of more than 5,000 characters -- several of whom have inspired major films for other Hollywood studios. Marvel, meanwhile, gains the clout of Disney's ability to take a popular character and make money on it through films, television and licensed merchandise.

"We believe that adding Marvel to Disney's unique portfolio of brands provides significant opportunities for long-term growth and value creation," said Disney President and Chief Executive Robert A. Iger.

Under the deal, Disney will acquire ownership of Marvel, including its more than 5,000 characters. Ike Perlmutter, the comic-book company's chief executive officer, will oversee the properties and work directly with Disney to build and integrate Marvel's properties.

For the full article, visit LA Times: Disney to buy comic book powerhouse Marvel Entertainment




Marvel creative mastermind Stan Lee called the deal "a very pleasant surprise" and expects the companies to "integrate perfectly" in a phone interview on Fox Business:

Stan Lee on Disney-Marvel Deal

For more, visit Fox Business: Stan Lee on Disney-Marvel Deal





LA Times Funland blogger Brady MacDonald cleared up the news on how the Disney-Marvel deal will impact Universal Orlando theme parks, which currently feature Marvel characters:

How the Disney-Marvel deal affects Universal Studios theme parks
Disney’s acquisition of Marvel is expected to have no effect on Universal Studios Florida, where visitors ride on attractions themed to Spider-Man and pose for photos with the Incredible Hulk at the Islands of Adventure theme park.

“Our agreement with Marvel stands for as long as we follow the terms of our existing contract and for as long as we want there to be a Marvel Super Hero Island,” said Universal Studios Florida spokesman Tom Schroder.

Marvel Super Hero Island at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, across town from Walt Disney World in Orlando, includes the Incredible Hulk roller-coaster and the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man simulator ride as well walk-around characters such as Wolverine and Captain America.

Universal Studios Hollywood, which in the past featured a Marvel stage show, themed restaurant and walk-around characters, ended its relationship with the comic book company in 2007.

Around the world, Universal theme parks planned for Singapore (2010) and Dubai (2012) have no plans for Marvel attractions or characters, officials said. Universal Studios Japan has a Spider-Man ride similar to the Orlando attraction. Universal’s intellectual property rights are limited geographically to the use of the Marvel brand in Orlando and the Spider-Man brand in Japan.

Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger promised to honor existing agreements between rival theme parks and the comic book giant, but expects to “use Marvel where we can on Disney platforms and in Disney places.”

For the full article, visit LA Times: How the Disney-Marvel deal affects Universal Studios theme parks





MiceAge's Kevin Yee chimed in on the acquisition and how it could affect theme parks as well:

Spider-Mouse: Disney buys Marvel, Marvel-ous opportunity?
[ . . . ] The question on almost every theme park fan's lips, including my own, is what this all means for the existing theme park Marvel properties, presently situated at Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure: the phenomenal Spider-Man simulator ride, the sublime Hulk roller-coaster, the Doctor Doom freefall ride, and smaller locations such as the Fantastic Four restaurant and an eatery dedicated to Captain America.

The answer? Probably not much. Iger has said that Disney will honor existing Marvel contracts, and Universal's original filings indicate it has a long-term lock on using the Marvel characters in theme park attractions. It's still early in the game, but Universal has already issued a statement that its rides are not going anywhere: "Marvel Super Hero Island at Universal's Islands of Adventure and the Marvel characters are an important part of the Universal Orlando experience. They will remain so. Our agreement with Marvel stands for as long as we follow the terms of our existing contract and for as long as we want there to be a Marvel Super Hero Island."

Then, Universal sent this missive to their own employees: "You may have seen reports this morning that Disney intends to acquire Marvel Entertainment. Naturally, Team Members and guests may wonder how this will impact Islands of Adventure. Marvel Super Hero Island and the Marvel characters are a beloved and important part of the Universal Orlando experience and will remain so. Our guests are still going to be able to meet Spider-Man and all our other Marvel characters. We believe our agreement with Marvel stands and that the Disney/Marvel deal will have no impact on our guest experience."

In other words, the Hulk and Spider-Man rides get to remain there, at least for the time being. Some online reports indicate Universal may have essentially perpetual rights to use those characters in the theme park rides, so long as the same rides remain open. That having been said, it's a sure bet that the lawyers on both sides of the equation are about to go over everything with a very fine-toothed comb. One is especially struck with the less-than-certain phrase "we believe" that the agreement will stand. [ . . . ]

For the full article, visit MiceAge: Spider-Mouse — Disney buys Marvel, Marvel-ous opportunity?

Alright, that wraps it up for this week's Dateline Disneyland. Now, time to get ready for the D23 Expo! Many thanks to all of you for reading. Be sure to discuss this week's update in the comments section below! Your help is integral in keeping these updates coming! Without you they couldn't happen. We all know times are tough, so any amount of support helps. If you can donate to Dateline Disneyland please consider doing so via a safe and quick PayPal donation. To donate, click here. Don't forget that MiceAge and MiceChat has loads of new content weekly! If Dateline Disneyland isn't enough to satisfy your Disneyland itch, then don't miss David "Darkbeer" Michael's In the Parks column which runs here every Friday and is packed full of Southern California theme park news, photos, and gossip. And if you want even more Disney theme park goodness, don't miss MiceChat's Weekend Update, which takes a look at Disney theme parks and other international landmarks, curiosities, and oddities every Saturday! Don't forget - Dateline Disneyland is on Twitter! If you still haven't checked us out on Twitter, head over there today and see why 4,500 other Disneyland fans have already started following Dateline Disneyland! The Dateline Disneyland Twitter is updated throughout the week with links to breaking news, mini updates, photos, and links to newsworthy MiceChat discussions. Head over to Twitter.com/DatelineDisney, or check out the widget to the right to follow us! See you here again soon! -Andy

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