Disney's California Adventure - Pun Central

Outsourcing various creative elements in theme park design is not a new development, but the extent to which it was utilized in creating Disney's California Adventure was unprecedented in Disney history.

Yesterland.com:

The captions and the names of most of the games were outsourced by Disney to Karma Creative (now World Creative Supply), a company whose business is to “name products, create slogans, write tag lines, and proofread text.” Karma Creative was responsible for many the original attraction, restaurant, and shop names at Disney’s California Adventure—their specialty was puns.

MaliBOOMer, Malibu-Ritos, Baker's Field Bakery, Taste Pilot's Grill and on and on.

Of course, Shanghai Disneyland is being designed almost wholly by outside creative companies. Their work is being overseen by WDI. It's similar to the way Universal Creative operates and, if successful in Shanghai, will be the new operating procedure at Imagineering moving forward.

Disney Research Developing TeslaTouch

CNN:

"It's kind of like a buzzing or a vibration. It has the same effect as a buzz," said Chris Harrison, one of the Disney researchers and a Ph.D. student at Carnegie Mellon University. "But if you carefully tune the frequency and the vibration of the panel you can actually create things that feel like sandpaper or rubber or a wall."

In the case of a touch screen keyboard -- like those on the Apple iPhone, for example -- users would be able to feel the location of the keys, and could learn to "touch type" without looking at their hands, he said. 

Sounds interesting, but what's the application for Disney? Another patent that reaps large licensing fees.

1956 Guide to Disneyland, Compliments of Bank of America

Via Twitter user otisney.

A 56k connection will weep.

Lost Disneylandia

Art and commentary from last month's Destination D event, presented by Progress City, U.S.A.

Some amazing art for never-realized attractions like a Fantasyland boat ride for The Black Cauldron or an interactive dark ride for The Black Hole.

The Life of Walt Disney

BBC Radio 4 program "Great Lives" discusses the life of Walt Disney.

Guests include cartoonist Gerald Scarfe and Richard Williams, creator of Roger Rabbit.

Major Restructuring at Disney Theatrical Group

How does Group head Thomas Schumacher still have a job?

Deadline.com:

The Disney Theatrical Group has always and still does report to the Walt Disney Studios chairman who is Rich Ross of course. Yet Schumacher likes to think he's running a boutique business that's not under Ross's direction. (Hmm.) So here is what's really going on: Word is that Schumacher's contract is up for renewal. And [David] Schrader, a former finance manager for American Airlines whose rapid ascension at Disney has caused some raised eyebrows, is positioning himself as the new executive leader with studio brass. Meanwhile, Schumacher recently had his personal deal to produce live-action features for Walt Disney Studios, with a focus on movie musicals, cancelled by Ross.

Mary Poppins is a steady performer but DTG has failed to replicate its early success. The division relies almost entirely on the ridiculous amounts of cash generated by The Lion King.

Sam Raimi Commits to Disney Oz Take

Deadline.com:

The studio has received a commitment from director Sam Raimi to Oz: The Great And Powerful as his next film. Raimi had become attached to Oz in June, with the hope of landing Robert Downey Jr to play the title character.

Pulitzer Prize-winner David Lindsay-Abaire is rewriting the script. He previously worked with Raimi on the now-canned Spider Man 4.

Interactive Graveyard Coming to WDW Haunted Mansion

Inside The Magic:

Though Disney has not officially announced what is coming to the graveyard, reports suggest that the recent interactive play-test that took place in April is a sign of what’s in the works for this location. In addition to rerouting the attraction’s queue to better accommodate handicapped/wheelchair access (guests needing assistance currently enter via the exit), a new graveyard is reportedly being installed that will replace the former (at least in part), adding a level of interactivity to the area.

The entire queue is being reworked and will wind its way closer to the waterfront. The graveyard is going to be a much more central part of it.

The entire attraction is going down for refurbishment in January. I've heard rumors that they are looking to add more of a New Orleans flair to the mansion (and a hatbox ghost?). It doesn't make any sense but they've done weirder things.

Beautiful New Silly Symphony Swings Attraction Poster

Via Twitter user Fiyero88.

"It Was Actually, Frankly Too Crowded"

The Orange County Register:

Some Disney fans, especially annual passholders, were angered by the company’s decision to limit the Halloween fireworks show to after-hours parties. But Disney officials said they had a good reason: The viewing areas were too packed.

Is anyone buying that?

Former Yahoo! VP & John Pleasants Named Disney Interactive Co-Presidents

Deadline.com:

Yahoo VP of Media Jimmy Pitaro will Co-President the Disney Interactive Media Group with John Pleasants who also continues as CEO of Playdom, the fast-growing social games publishing company recently acquired by Disney earlier this year for up to $763 million. 

Donald Duck Meets Glenn Beck

Via Roger Ebert.

Goofy Trooper

Former Disney animator Michael Peraza writes about his time developing the series that would eventually be known as Goof Troop.