Disney also announced that production will begin on a new Punisher film, with Goofy slated to take the starring role.
Parasailing high above Bay Lake
If you’ve ever been on Soarin’, then we challenge you to do take it to the next level. In this week’s segment, Shontell visits Sammy Duvall’s Watersports, located at Disney’s Contemporary Resort for some high flyin good times as she goes parasailing.
Flying high above Bay Lake, this is extra video footage from Shontell’s Parasailing experience with Sammy Duvall’s Watersports located at Disney’s Contemporary.
Current Disneyland Refurbishments and Attraction Closures – Updated Sept 1st 2009
Disneyland:
- Bank of Main Street – closed through October 2 for renovation into the Disney Gallery.
- The Enchanted Cottage – closed through November 4 for refurbishment.
- Casey Jr. Circus Trains – closed through November 19 for refurbishment.
- Storybook Land Canal Boats – closed through November 19 for refurbishment.
- Mark Twain Riverboat – closed September 8 – 10 for refurbishment.
- Space Mountain – closed September 8 – 24 to install the Halloween overlay.
- Minnie’s House – closed September 9 for refurbishment.
- Haunted Mansion – closed September 10 – 24 to install the Halloween overlay.
- Celebration Ranch – closed September 14 – 24 to install the Halloween overlay.
- Gadget’s Go Coaster – closed September 14 – October 26 for refurbishment.
- Pirates of the Caribbean – closed September 28 – October 2 for refurbishment.
- Blue Bayou – closed September 28 – October 2 for refurbishment.
- Sailing Ship Columbia – closed October 5 – 7 for deck oiling.
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.
Disney Authors Head to D23 Expo in Anaheim
Steven Barrett and Lou Mongello, prominent authors of books about Disney parks in both Orlando and Anaheim, are heading West to the first ever get together for the membership of D23, the “official community for Disney fans.”
The D23 Expo (the name is a reference to the year Disney was founded) runs from September 10 through 13 and will feature a dizzying array of events along with opportunities for Disney buffs to meet each other and rub shoulders with prominent members of the community.
Barrett and Mongello will both have booths at the Collectors’ Forum, a marketplace for Disney memorabilia and assorted ephemera. The Forum is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily during the Expo for D23 members; members of the general public will not be admitted until 9:00 a.m.
Mongello will be holding forth from Booth C-120, greeting fans and offering his books for sale.
Mongello has built his following through his Walt Disney World Trivia Books, Vol 1 and Vol 2. In addition, he maintains a blistering pace producing video and podcasts for his site WDWRadio.com.
Lou also hopes to be able to cover the event on both audio and video, interviewing participants and, if Internet capability is available, offering a chance to chat with viewers who were unable to make it to Anaheim.
Steven Barrett, an emergency room physician in his Orlando home town, is the author of Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide To Walt Disney World’s Best Kept Secrets, just released in a fourth edition, and Disneyland’s Hidden Mickeys, just out in a second edition.
Barrett will be greeting fans and autographing copies of his Disneyland book, which is for sale in the parks and resort hotels. He hopes to meet some of the many people who helped him uncover new hidden Mickeys in Disneyland and who are acknowledged in the new edition.
Barrett’s booth number has not yet been released.
For more information about D23 Expo, visit the official site
http://d23.disney.go.com/expo/
For more information about Lou Mongello, visit http://www.wdwradio.com
For more information about Steven Barrett, visit
http://www.hiddenmickeysguide.com
For more information about the new editions of Steven Barrett’s Hidden
Mickeys books, visit http://www.theotherorlando.com/hm4.html
Disney buying Marvel..Good or Bad?
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Disney to acquire Marvel for $4 billion in cash and stock – Update w/ video
Disney has agreed to pay $4 billion in cash and stock deal for Marvel, which values the company’s shares at $50 a piece. That’s a 29% premium over Marvel’s $38.65-a-share price on Friday.
Some Highlight from the conference call can be read below…
Disney to acquire Marvel – listen to the webcast
Building on its strategy of delivering quality branded content to people around the world, The Walt Disney Company has agreed to acquire Marvel Entertainment, Inc. in a stock and cash transaction, the companies announced today.
Under the terms of the agreement and based on the closing price of Disney on August 28, 2009, Marvel shareholders would receive a total of $30 per share in cash plus approximately 0.745 Disney shares for each Marvel share they own. At closing, the amount of cash and stock will be adjusted if necessary so that the total value of the Disney stock issued as merger consideration based on its trading value at that time is not less than 40% of the total merger consideration.
Based on the closing price of Disney stock on Friday, August 28, the transaction value is $50 per Marvel share or approximately $4 billion.
Thomas Kinkade – Newest Disney Dreams Series Paintings
“Cinderella Wishes Upon A Dream, fourth piece in my popular Disney Dreams Collection, has given me the chance to push the limits of my ability farther than I ever have. Hundreds of hours of detailing were required to capture a setting magical enough for a princess and her charming prince. On the towering mountain in the distance we see Cinderella’s castle, a vision inspired by the movie. Coming down from the castle road we see Cinderella’s horseman and coach, galloping towards the sleeping village below. As Cinderella and her prince cross the stone bridge over the lover’s reflecting pool, we pause to enjoy the numerous details that make this scene so inviting. Cinderella’s many friends are here. This is proof positive that for Cinderella’s deepest wishes to come true, she’ll need a little help from her friends!”
–Thomas Kinkade
Disney 50th Anniversary 600
Cinderella Wishes Upon a Dream 600
pinnochio 6001
Snow White 6001
Cinderella Castle 6001
Hong Kong Disneyland has big things on the horizon
Recent speculation that the “artifacts” from Downtown Disney’s Adventurers club would end up as part of the Hong Kong Disneyland expansion project has raised interest in what’s on the table for the Hong Kong park. Here are highlights of what has been announced for Disney’s youngest theme park.
There will be three new lands added to the park: Toy Story Land, Mystic Point and Grizzly Trail.
Toy Story Land: This area will be for small fry. Rides are shaped like giant toys. A shuttle coaster propels riders along a u-shaped track. A parachute drop (think Green Army Men) lets guests “plunge” (think gently descend) from a tower. Food kiosks, gift shops, you know the drill.
Mystic Point: An area of mysterious forces, it is located in the heart of an uncharted rain forest.
Mystic Manor is the primary attraction. It will use a trackless ride system so vehicles seem to move freely about the attraction. Audio-Animatronics and visual and audio effects will tell the story of a mischievious monkey who looses strange powers on the manor, stocked with exotic curios, by tampering with an enchanted music box. Hong Kong Disneyland does not have a Haunted Mansion, so this attraction will fill that bill nicely.
Also in Mystic Point is the Adventurer’s Club restaurant, perhaps the destination for the Pleasure Island props.
Grizzly Trail: This area will be set in an abandoned mining town called Grizzly Gulch. In a nod to Chinese beliefs, the back story of the town is it was founded on the 8-8-1888, the luckiest day of the luckiest month of the luckiest year.
Water will feature heavily in this land, with geysers and leaking buildings and structures around.
A roller coaster ride, Big Grizzly Mountain Coaster, will feature Audio-Animatronic bears (cousins to Big Al?) to set the scene. It will not be a clone of our Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, based on Disney’s description: “Guests careen backward down an incline that propels them through twists and turns before a launch sequence blasts the mine train out of the mountain.” Yikes! Sounds fun!
There will also be a Saloon for refreshments, shops and photo opportunites.
This all seems good to me … the Hong Kong park is in desperate need of more attractions. Better yet, the Grizzly Trail and Mystic Point areas and attractions are exclusive to the park, breaking Disney’s string of copycat attractions around the world.
Disney says the project cost is estimated to be $3.63 billion. And lest you think it’s just three small areas: The expansion will increase the size of the existing park by 23 percent.
The bad news? It’s going to take five years to get it all done. And as we know, anything and everything could change during that time. But at least, for Hong Kong Disneyland, it’s a step in the right direction.
Disney’s ‘Wizards of Waverly Movie’ casts spell over ratings
Nobody can corral a crowd of kids on Friday night quite like the Disney Channel.
Net’s debut of “Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie” drew a whopping average audience of 11.4 million viewers, according to Nielsen prelims, making it cable’s most-watched telecast of the year.
Disney Channel can now claim the top four entertainment telecasts on cable over the past two years with “High School Musical 2” (17.2 million in August 2007), Friday’s “Wizards” movie, an episode of “Hannah Montana” (10.7 million in August 2007) and crossover event “Wizards on Deck With Hannah Montana” (9.3 million on July 17).
And all four aired on Fridays, where the cabler — as well as rival Nickelodeon — has smartly tapped into a willing and available audience. It also helps that the broadcast networks no longer go after kids and teens on the night.
“Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie,” based on the family comedy about three young siblings who happen to be wizards, also ranks as television’s No. 1 entertainment telecast of 2009 in kids 6-11 (4.5 million) and tweens 9-14 (4.0 million), according to Nielsen.