We have an incredible update for you today . . . or should I say “Incredibles?!” We happened upon coaster testing and have photos and video of it for you. There was another passholder craze this week . . . Little Green Men popcorn buckets, which appear to have sold out after swarms of APs waited up to two hours to buy them all – though there are likely many more on their way. And there’s a little surprise from Star Wars land for you as well. Excited?
Pixar Pier
Welcome to the Pier, where the Pixar pals are taking over. We got word this week that the Fun Wheel has a new name, It will become the “Pal-a-Round.” That name is going to take a bit of getting used to.
For the moment the wheel looks like this:
Mickey appears to have lost his face.
And in the lagoon below it all . . .
The World of Color fountains are taking the Pixar Pier construction as an opportunity to do a little refurbishing of their own. The show is expected to return for the grand opening of Pier on May 23rd.
While looking at the Pixar Pal-A-Round, we heard a sudden familiar sound . . . the coaster launched! They were testing two trains back to back. One with water jug test dummies and another without. I’ve got some video for you as well.
As long as we are on the subject, Disney has released an image of what the front of the coaster will look like:
Elsewhere on the pier, things are progressing as well. Color schemes are changing, signs are being prepped . . .
the Abominadorable Snowman is soon to be complete as well.
And just across from that, a VERY popular Cove Bar remains open through the end of next month. Then it closes to complete its transition into the Lamplight Lounge (which opens on June 23rd)
And just across from that is the newly opened Knick’s Knacks shop.
Need a Pixar shirt, hat, purse, or wall art? This is your spot.
An art-on-demand kiosk is available at the back of the store.
But there’s one thing they don’t sell . . .
Blue Sky Cellar
We showed you the Blue Sky Cellar’s Pixar Pier highlights last week. But there were a few little details I wanted to chat about. . .
I like the following image a lot. It’s the early concept for Pixar Pier. Note the spinner in the helix near the load/unload of the coaster. This element was cut shortly after we first wrote about it on MiceChat. The helix on the right shows an attraction which might be similar to Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train. It was cut and replaced by at least two other attractions.
In the next version of the land, the spinner in the helix to the left is gone. But the carousel has been moved to the spot where the Silly Symphony Swings is located now. It also appears that Bing Bong is in the spot on the helix to the right. The Fun Wheel sports the Pixar ball. Water spouts are also visible throughout the design and Bullseye and Mr. Potato Head are featured near Toy Story Mania.
In the final version, a Flik’s Flyers type Inside Out ride has moved into the helix at right and some of the water features have been removed.
The point of the entire installation is that the design process is difficult and goes through a lot of change from first inception to final design. Take the Incredicoaster station for example:
There was also a good bit of research done. Imagineers were inspired by classic California boardwalk parks.
And there was news in here too:
And concept art shows the new Lamplight Lounge (which we have previously shared images of).
And there’s an Avengers teaser as you exit the building . . .
Popcorn Panic 2018
You’d have thought that rare jewels were being given away from the up to 2 hour lines to buy the Passholder exclusive Green Alien popcorn buckets at Disneyland and California Adventure. In a matter of a day and a half, the initial allotment was sold out. Don’t panic yet, there are likely more on the way.
The comments on our Instagram post about the bucket range from “I’ve got to have one now,” to “I’m not waiting 2 hours for anything.”
These crazes don’t last forever. Just last week we were talking about Dole Whip doughnuts and Millennial Pink ears. And judging from the abundance of pink ears and spirit jerseys . . . Millennial Pink did not turn out to be Rose Gold for the Disney accountants.
And now it appears that the Rose Gold are dead as well. They can’t get rid of all this pink. 
Think Disney was the first to make Millennial Pink a fad? Check out this amazing clip from the 1957 Audrey Hepburn musical, Funny Face:
What should be a craze are these beautiful new bows, which are really works of art. So much thought and detail go into these.
There are quite a few in the series. Each bow is inspired by a different character.
But these new Pixar-inspired ears stole my heart. Too bad there isn’t a mens version of some of these designs.
And check this Jessie bow out:
What’s the next fad going to be folks? It’s hard to tell. But when the passholders catch a whiff of a cute limited edition something-or-other, poof, lines to get into longer lines.
One thing there hasn’t been a crazy line for, but which I know a lot of you, including myself, collect are the Starbucks “You are here” mugs. The ones for Disneyland and California Adventure were very popular with passholders and regular guests alike. A new Disneyland mug has appeared at Starbucks on Main Street:
More Passholder Exclusives
During the Food and Wine Festival, they set up a small Passholder shop on Buena Vista Street at Kingswell Cameras. The festival may be over, but the passholder merchandise remains. While I’m certainly not against special merchandise for passholders, I’m not sure how I feel about wearing merchandise that specifically calls me out as a passholder. So that Pixar Hawaiian shirt is kind of awesome, but the “Passholder” text shirt . . . not so much.
Downtown Disney
Disneyland’s shopping district is in a rapid state of change. And the trend is clear – big chains are being pushed out in favor of smaller and hipper options. It’s a welcome change.
The next domino to fall is another chain. If you love Haagen-Dazs, time to get a final scoop. The chain will be replaced with a mom and pop craft ice cream shop called Salt and Straw later this year. Construction is set to start fairly soon.
Salt and Straw is a small Portland-based company with a really interesting story:
“Our story is part luck, part strategy and part love (for ice cream, family, local foods, and other stuff we can’t mention here). I (Kim) have been wanting to open an ice cream scoop shop since 1996. I thought it would be nice to have a local spot where you could run into your neighbors, celebrate with your family, reward yourself…whatever! And I love exploring fun, interesting new flavors. After toiling away in safe mode working for several amazing Fortune 500 businesses, I moved back to Portland for love and found the window of opportunity and support that I’d been lacking to jump start my idea.
In the meantime, my cousin Tyler had been studying in China and traveling in Asia. He completed his business degree and had just announced to the family that he was going to enroll in Culinary School. I actually saw a posting on Facebook that he was considering moving to Portland and phoned him up…not even knowing about his plans! We traded stories and updated each other – coming to realize we are on similar paths by coincidence. Next thing I knew, I was getting reports from Tyler regarding ice cream tests he was running with his friends and family as tasters. He had a million ideas and wanted to join me in this crazy idea. How could I resist? He literally dropped what he was doing, loaded up his car and drove to Portland from Seattle to start work as our head ice cream maker the very next day. I would probably be somewhere rocking back and forth in a corner without him. He’s amazingly talented, super smart, hard working, and quite possibly the nicest person ever.
So…I cashed in my 401K, signed a lease, created a custom pushcart, and spent days and days in Sarah Masoni’s kitchen (head of R &D at the Oregon Food Innovation Center) creating ice cream recipes. And now, here we are.
We’re hoping to create the kind of company that’s fun to support, work for, and partner with. We’re about building strong local community – both in the neighborhoods where we do business and by purchasing as many local products as possible (to keep our money in Oregon and help create stronger local economies).
But at the end of the day, we just really hope you enjoy the ice cream.”
Parking Expansion
Hard to imagine, but this big dirt lot should be a completed structure by next year.
Meanwhile, the tram loading area inside Mickey and Friends has been dressed up a bit. Bright colored banners have been festooned to the concrete beams. There’s also a bit of information which has been posted.
Note the concept art below, with a forest of palms and escalator banks on either side of the image.
Star Wars Land Construction and Video
Every time I head to the top of the parking structure to shoot photos for you I see something different.
The first thing you’ll note is all the ornamentation on the exterior of the show buildings. Those reddish boxes affixed to the outside of the buildings have a sort of window shutter look to them. Their size helps make the buildings feel smaller than they really are. Since these buildings are highly noticeable as you drive to the parking structure, they had to be dressed up a bit more from outside the berm than the usual show building.
And above it all, rock mountains. . .
And here’s my video of the Star Wars construction. I caught a magical little surprise for you at the end:
Did you feel the disturbance in the force? Excited about the Incredicoaster? Did you see hints and clues in the Blue Sky images? And what about the change in direction for Downtown Disney? It isn’t ambitious structurally, but the new direction in offerings is certainly fresh and a complete sea change in the type of offering Disney is looking for in a tenant. Lots to discuss in the comments below!
Thank you for joining us today. Be sure to follow along on social so you don’t miss out on all the fun.
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