Happy Thanksgiving

The Archimedes Report is taking a brief respite and will return Monday.

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:

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.

50 Disney Spoilers in 3 Minutes

The Fine Brothers spoil all 50 Disney animated films in 3 minutes.

Limited Posting

I am traveling out of the country and currently with limited internet connectivity.

Regular posting will resume Monday. Thanks for your patience.

Disney Teams Up With Gowalla

Does anyone use Gowalla? Is this enough to get you involved?

Mashable:

Disney has decided to partner with location service Gowalla — rather than Facebook or Foursquare — for an immersive location-based campaign to help people explore its flagship Disneyworld and Disneyland parks.

The Gowalla/Disney partnership focuses around custom Passport pages that not only show off Disney-branded stamps (Gowalla’s version of Badges), but also a photo and check-in stream. Gowalla’s Disney page also offers Disney-branded pins that users can earn by completing specific trips within Disneyworld and Disneyland.

This isn’t just a few stamps and a check-in stream, though; Gowalla and Disney have created literally hundreds of stamps for rides and locales within the two parks. Everything from the fireworks show to “Finding Nemo-The Music” offers a stamp or pin that can be earned by checking in.

What's the benefit for Disney? I wonder if they get cash money.

Disney Announces Conversion of Pleasure Island to Hyperion Wharf

Disney fans are complaining that it's not Pleasure Island. Do people not remember how terrible Pleasure Island was in it's last five painful years of life?

It'll be interesting to see what restaurant operators they get involved. Hopefully it's not more Landry restaurants, but don't be surprised.

UPDATE: Can we all agree that the most exciting part of the upgrades are an improved movie theater? My local megaplex offers a nicer experience than the Downtown Disney AMC.

WSJ: Disney Junior and Nick Jr. Square Off in the Fight for Preschoolers' TV Viewing

From the article (subscription required):

Executives at Walt Disney Co., preparing their latest push for this audience, say that some TV for tots favors curriculum over storytelling. They argue that it's sometimes too much work, not enough play.

They're offering themselves as an alternative to Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. channel, which emphasizes learning. Disney says that today's parents are ready for a change. In an age of video games and iPads, kids can learn their ABCs anywhere. What's missing are good, old-fashioned stories that kids can repeat to others, pretend to be the characters, and watch again and again.

Disney Junior replaces Playhouse Disney on the Disney Channel and in the theme parks in February and gets its own 24-hour channel in 2012 replacing SOAPnet.

As the article states, this is serious business for Disney. Last year advertisers spent more than $276 million during children's TV shows and merchandise sales can equal billions more.

But this is what really caught my eye:

Following the death of the broadcast networks' Saturday morning cartoon tradition, preschoolers have been watching at all hours. Forty percent more of them now watch Nick Jr. from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. than during the rest of the day, according to the network.

Making Mickey Mouse Act For the Talkies

via Cartoon Brew:

The article, by Gordon S. Mitchell of Universal’s sound department – who includes ample references to Lantz’s Oswald Rabbit – is a pretty poorly written explanation of how cartoons are produced. However, it does feature several unique behind-the-scenes photos and drawings, and well worth a look for how animation production was explained to the public in those long ago days before DVD bonus features.

Pyongyang Fun Fairs

The Theme Park Guy had a rare opportunity to visit the North Korean capital of Pyongyang and visit the local fun fairs.

North Korea is one of the most isolated countries in the world. Incredible photographs.

Photo Updates From the IAAPA 2010 Trade Show

The Theme Park Review forum has updates from the 2010 International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions expo happening now in Orlando, Florida.

Every year ride manufacturers, designers and vendors show off their new designs and try to solicit sales. It's an exciting place to be for a theme park enthusiast.

UPDATE: All of TPR's day one coverage in one place. If you want to follow along as the updates go live, the forum is the place.

Filming 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

A 1954 photo report from Life magazine, via Disney and More.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is one of my favorite Disney films of all time.

Cars 2 Teaser Trailer

Looks uninspired, but the Cars franchise is big business and I have no doubt this will do well at the box office.

World of Color Receives Thea Award

World of Color received the Thea award for Outstanding Achievement - Nighttime Spectacular.

Disney Imagineer Kim Irvine was also recognized with the Buzz Price Award, Thea's lifetime achievement honor.

From the press release:

To date, Walt Disney Imagineering has received a total of 34 awards throughout the Thea Awards’ 17-year history. Some of Disney’s past recipients of Awards for Outstanding Achievement include Toy Story Midway Mania! at Disney California Adventure and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, “Finding Nemo- The Musical” and Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Soarin’ Over California at Disney California Adventure, Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland Park, Space Mountain, From the Earth to the Moon at Disneyland Paris, CineMagique at Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris and ‘The Legend of Mythica’ at Tokyo DisneySea.

Guillermo Del Toro and David Eick to Create ABC's New Hulk

Deadline.com:

Del Toro and Eick will break the story for the pilot script together, sharing story and created by credit. Eick will write the script, with del Toro attached to direct subject to his availability. Del Toro will also oversee the designing of the Hulk character...

Seriously cool news for fans of the Hulk.

Only Three Animated Features to Receive Oscar Nominations

Cartoon Brew:

Under Academy rules, “in any year when 8 to 15 animated features are released in Los Angeles County, a maximum of 3 motion pictures may be nominated.” Had one more feature qualified, the number of nominees would have expanded to five features.

The biggest losers in this scenario are the indies like Bill Plympton’s Idiots and Angels, Sylvain Chomet’s The Illusionist and Paul and Sandra Fierlinger’s My Dog Tulip, as well as the sleeper anime hit, Mamoru Hosoda’s Summer Wars. A field of five nominees would virtually guarantee one or two of them a nomination, but they face an uphill battle now.

Disney is pushing hard for a Best Picture nomination for Toy Story 3. With the Academy expanding the Best Picture nominations to ten films beginning last year, there's a good chance they'll get it.

But they'll have to settle for, at most, a Best Animated Feature win. The Academy would be loathe to deliver Best Picture to an animated film.

Growing Backlash Against TSA Body Scanners, Pat-Downs

"We certainly understand the challenges that DHS confronts, but the question remains, 'where do we draw the line'? Our country desperately needs a long-term vision for aviation security screening, rather than an endless reaction to yesterday's threat," the statement said. "At the same time, fundamental American values must be protected."

If you're planning on flying this holiday, might I direct you here.

UPDATE: Also, here.

Disneyland Fantasmic! Dragon Returns

"Murphy" returned to the show last Friday.

Glad to see him back.