WDW Cast Members Vote Down Proposed Contract

Orlando Sentinel:

The proposed contract would have guaranteed a one-time $550 bonus plus three 3 percent raises during the course of the 42-month contract for full-time workers not already at the top of their pay scale.

If you are a full-time Cast Member in a front-lines job like merchandise or attractions, and you are at the top of your pay scale, you are bringing in at most ~$25,000 a year. You would not be eligible for the proposed raises.

Lost Disney Laugh-O-Grams at Museum of Modern Art

Cartoon Brew:

Cole Johnson located Goldie Locks and The Three Bears at MoMA under a 1929 sound reissue title “The Peroxide Kid” and Gerstein recently identified the lost Jack The Giant Killer, which the Museum had under the name “The K-O Kid”.

In addition to the two new discoveries, newly preserved and restored prints of Little Red Riding Hood, Puss In Boots and The Four Musicians Of Bremen will be screened at MoMA along with Disney’s original 1921 Laugh-O-Gram sample reel and several Ub Iwerks cartoons – Flip the Frog in Techno-Cracked (1933) and the ComicColor Don Quixote (1934).

For Disney enthusiasts, this is a huge find.

This means that all seven 1922 Disney Laugh-O-Grams fairy tales – Holy Grails to Disney historians – are now known to exist.

The Telegraph Interviews Euro Disney Chief Philippe Gas

Some highlights:

“We still have 26 years of payments, but I don’t think it matters to have everything paid off. I think you want to be able to look at the sustained profitability – for me, this is the goal.”

Euro Disney plans to be debt free in 2036 but they will pay down 25% of the current debt by 2013.

High on Mr Gas’s agenda are the development of the Disney Studios, where he plans more attractions and restaurants with the intention of turning it into a “one-day experience”. New Disney characters he is keen to feature at the park include Disney’s Cars and Ratatouille.

“Ratatouille is perfect, as it is set in Paris,” he said, pointing to a large wall poster of the film in his office.

Wink.

Pirates of the Caribbean Video Game Scheduled for 2011 Cancelled; Developer Hit With Layoffs

Bold moves by the new management team at Disney Interactive.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned was in development at Propaganda Games. The entire team working on the game has been laid off.

You can watch a trailer released last June for the now-cancelled game here.

WDWMagic.com: Panoramic Photo of Fantasyland Construction Work

Massive.

That's the Little Mermaid show building rising back on the right by the indestructible Toontown Fair tents. The Beast's castle and the Be Our Guest restaurant are rising on the left.

The plans have been significantly improved since the original "color with the Princesses" announcement, but it's still no Harry Potter-killer.

(56k internet connections will weep.)

Disney and More: Disneyland Paris - The 20th Anniversary Projects

Updated effects for Big Thunder Mountain, finally adding the movie tie-in to Pirates of the Caribbean and updated effects (and story changes?) for Phantom Manor.

And if I were a betting man, I'd put money on Star Tours 2.

On the Set of Star Tours 2 With C-3PO

New post from Imagineer Tom Fitzgerald on the official Disney Parks Blog.

Al Lutz on Cars Land Master Planning

Over at MiceAge, Al Lutz gives a detailed rundown of the shops and restaurants coming to Cars Land. A few of the finer points are still in flux, but for the most part you can count on what he details.

But what I found the most informative was what he has to say about master planning the mix of offerings in the new land:

The huge mistake that DCA's original planners and executives made (most of whom have since left Disney and are not on the invite list for any of the DCA grand opening ceremonies in 2011 and 2012) back when the park was in final design and construction in 1998-2001 are still fresh in people's minds. After TDA took a second look at the plans, WDI purposely scaled back the dining and merchandise from Phase One of Cars Land. Sarge's Surplus Hut, for instance, will sit empty on opening day, and the walkways leading in and out of Cars Land are designed to lead to future park expansion pads.

There's a lot more and it's well worth reading.

Meet the People Behind the Pixels

Not your typical behind-the-scenes look at the making of Tangled. Made by the animation department for the animation department.

Seems like a fun place to work.

Michael Giacchino Scoring Cars 2

Variety (Subscription required):

He's already begun work on "Cars 2" for Pixar founder John Lasseter; he will finish in the spring. Abrams' "Super 8," "Mission: Impossible IV" and the sci-fi epic "John Carter of Mars" (directed by another Pixar vet, Andrew Stanton) will follow.

In the meantime, he is adapting John Williams' themes for the refreshed "Star Tours" ride at Disneyland and has a commission for an original piece for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for next fall.

He's the new Randy Newman!

I Come To Bury Mulholland Madness, Not To Praise It

Today is the last day to ride Mulholland Madness. Tomorrow the ride will be shuttered and await its transformation into Goofy's Flight School.

Goofy's Flight School is not going to be highly themed or immersive. But it will be considerably more attractive than Mulholland Madness.

Tim Delaney was the lead Imagineer overseeing the design of Paradise Pier. An immensely talented designer responsible for Discoveryland at Disneyland Paris among others, his expertise was completely wasted on the California Adventure project.

The Imagineers working on Paradise Pier pulled no punches. They knew what a disappointment it was. But they did the best they could with the extremely limited resources available to them and a creative mandate that stifled their best work.

Disney Announces Tron Night, Revs Up Marketing Machine

NYTimes.com:

Borrowing a marketing ploy from 20th Century Fox and “Avatar,” the Walt Disney Company said it would preview more than 20 minutes of its forthcoming “Tron: Legacy”free at Imax theaters around the world. Fox and Imax created this model by showing about 15 minutes of “Avatar” a few months before that movie’s release.

The screenings will take place Thursday, 28 October. Tickets will be available on a first-come basis starting tomorrow. You can find more information at facebook.com/tron.

Secretariat Opens #3 For the Weekend

Why can't Disney get a film to open?

Deadline.com:

All weekend, rival studio execs snarked to me about how the Secretariat marketing campaign was "horrid," in the words of one. "The only audience interested was old females, but the print and the spots made it look like an action movie. Where was The Blind Side's spunky female empowerment, the comedy, the romance?" Criticized another, "I think when you take the beautiful Diane Lane and turn her into a frumpy aged-up woman, you're flirting with danger. Then there's the whole horse thing, which is probably second only to boxing in moviegoing 'who cares?'.

Another miss for the Studios' embattled marketing department.

TheWrap has an interview with marketing chief MT Carney. She's candid, but what happens if Tangled underperforms?