TMZ.com talks about Al's latest article - 10/3/06

**Darkbeer** · 10-03-2006, 02:49 PM

http://www.tmz.com/2006/10/03/so-lon...ira-knightley/

Disneyland's Tom Sawyer Island, one of the attractions personally designed and guided by Walt Disney himself 50 years ago in Anaheim, Calif., might be destined for the wrecking ball in favor of a "Pirates of the Caribbean"-themed area -- replete with an animatronic Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom replacing Becky Thatcher and Huck Finn. According to a report by Disney theme park-watchdog-site MiceAge, the Tom Sawyer Island attraction, full of treehouses, caves, and trails that refer to scenes in Mark Twain's beloved adventures, will be given a $28 million-plus makeover into a full pirate paradise. The original "Pirates" ride, by which the films were "inspired," have been tweaked to reflect Johnny Depp's portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow.

The opening of the new "Pirates" attraction will be timed, says MiceAge, to coincide with the release of the third "Pirates of the Caribbean" film next summer. A source with knowledge of the park's finances and operations tells TMZ that from a financial standpoint, the move is a no-brainer: "That's very valuable real estate [in the theme park], and if you ask a hundred kids who Jack Sparrow and Tom Sawyer are, what do you think they're going to say?" The two "Pirates" films have grossed more than $1.6 billion worldwide.

**MasterGracey** · 10-03-2006, 03:55 PM

Interesting...

I find it interesting that as they write their own article, they can't read Al's correctly...

Al's article said that Davy Jones and Barbossa would be found on the island:

The Burbank bigwigs have Tom Sawyer Island in their sights, and if the budget gets approved later this fall that 50 year old piece of Disneyland history will go the way of the Skyway and the House of the Future. What Burbank has proposed is an ambitious plan to restructure and retheme the island into a pirate playground, where Captain Barbossa and Davy Jones would displace the less than blockbuster Huck Finn and Becky Thatcher.

And later, he says that Elizabeth and Will would be found in animatronic form inside Pirates itself:

Add to all that the inclusion of Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly animatronics to Pirates itself, plus the massive Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage that promises to be the talk of Southern California next summer, and the rather corny Rockin' Space Mountain and Rockin' California Screamin' overlays for this winter and spring, and suddenly Disneyland's dance card for the next year is very full.

**Chernabog** · 10-03-2006, 04:08 PM

Just to reiterate:

Dear Lord, READING COMPREHENSION PEOPLE. Al took an entire paragraph to say:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Al Lutz
Now before you storm the MiceChat boards, just try to keep in mind that this still hasn't received the formal green light and funding from Burbank. But it's a project that is moving so quickly and with so much political muscle that it was important to bring to light now. It's also something that needs to be ready to open in just seven short months and there's plenty of work to do, so the formal decision will need to be made quickly, if it hasn't already been decided by the time you read this. We'll of course keep you informed if this gets the green light and we'll keep you in the loop as the endless details of the project get ironed out through the fall. (And yes I'm also wondering what'll happen to the Indian village out back, not to mention the itchy bear and every other river-side tableau.)

It has NOT BEEN GREENLIT. If it is not greenlit, then Al is not "wrong" that it is being discussed. Jesus H. Christ. I should post that paragraph in every thread discussing this topic.