The Archimedes Report is taking a brief respite and will return Monday.
24 November 2010
22 November 2010
LATimes: Disney Animation is Closing the Book on Fairy Tales
This article published in the Los Angeles Times has the Disney fan community buzzing, with an appreciable number rending their clothing in anguish.
Ed Catmull took to Facebook in response:
Ed Catmull took to Facebook in response:
A headline in today’s LA Times erroneously reported that the Disney fairy tale is a thing of the past, but I feel it is important to set the record straight that they are alive and well at Disney and continue this week with Tangled, a contemporary retelling of a much loved story. We have a number of projects in development with new twists that audiences will be able to enjoy for many years to come.
It is true that none of the projects currently in the works at Feature Animation are fairy tales.
But this is really not the story Disney wants to be making news the week Tangled opens.
Chinese Theme Park Operators Hope Shanghai Disneyland Means Boom Times
China Daily:
Disney has been fortunate in not only capturing the hearts of many young Chinese Mickey Mouse fans but also being surprisingly welcomed by its Chinese competitors.
In the eyes of Liu Pingchun, chief executive officer of China's top theme park developer, Shenzhen OCT Holding Company, the cartoon mouse may help Chinese theme park operators to cultivate a much bigger market.
A few years ago, Liu visited 12 theme parks in Japan within nine days to make a survey of the influence that Tokyo Disneyland had on the local industry. He found the Disney resort promoted the development of other local parks.
"In the theme park field, the market is always created by park builders," Liu told China Daily.Will the rising tide lift all boats?
At present, China has around 2,500 theme parks with a total investment of 300 billion yuan, but only a quarter make a profit, according to Chinese media reports.Wow. I wonder what they're counting as "theme parks," though.
Beijing Review: Mickey Finds a New Home
Beijing Review, China's English weekly news magazine, has details on the planned infrastructure for Shanghai Disneyland:
The whole project, which is to cover 1.16 square km, will be the largest Disneyland in the world, said He Jianmin, Director of the Tourism Department of the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, which participated in the appraisal of the project.
The construction will be divided into three phases. The first phase, including a nearly 1-square-km theme park area, is to involve an investment about 25 billion yuan ($3.68 billion) and is planned for completion around 2014. After it opens, the number of tourists is expected to add up to 10 million every year, while the total tourists visiting the whole park will be 30 million annually, He said.
Water will be one of the main features of the first phase of the Shanghai Disneyland. A 0.39-square-km lake will be built in the first phase, which will take up a sizeable proportion of the entire park. It will be used as a base for water recreation activities and transportation.
In the northeast of the lake, a 7,000-square-meter artificial island will be built. On the north side of the lake are spaces for the construction of a public transportation hub, entertainment facilities and hotels. A river which will surround the park has been under construction since October. As a whole, the park will present to tourists an impression of a water world.
The section to be built in the first phase will focus on the theme of a magic kingdom. It will include five different theme areas.
A 20-square-km Shanghai International Tourism Resort will be built to surround the theme park. A joint venture set up in August by Disney and the SSG will be in charge of operating the Shanghai theme park.
A special Disneyland subway line is to be built to link the fun park with the urban area of Shanghai.So far, Disney has been very mum on their plans but that hasn't stopped details from leaking.
New Queue Open at Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
What a drastic improvement over what was there before.
The "interactive" elements haven't been activated yet, but are supposed to being rolling sometime this week.
UPDATE: Here's a more complete look at the changes, including the interactive elements in operation.
The "interactive" elements haven't been activated yet, but are supposed to being rolling sometime this week.
UPDATE: Here's a more complete look at the changes, including the interactive elements in operation.
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