Dubai Disneyland - A Decade in the Making

It was ten years ago that I first stumbled upon the concept art for Dubai Disneyland. It was such a large discovery that I even surprised fellow blogger and friend Alain Littaye of the Disney and More blog. (May he rest in peace.) He leaked my find on his site and received a much wider response. Websites around the globe began posting these - and many other- pieces of concept art I had found for the proposed park. It's been a decade, and it is time to consider the future of the project. 

Let's recap further-

I published these pieces immediately, perhaps seven or eight total, much to the delight of Disney Park fans. I continue to receive inquiries and questions, with some even doubting I had the art. I do, and the most popular piece- to prove so- is above. A couple of weeks after I first posted it, I was contacted by the firm and asked to remove it all, as the client was upset they had even made it relatively public. I did so. But now, I feel at liberty to repost one image to prove it all. One image that, by now, can be found on too many websites and blogs to track...so I have no qualms posting it now.

Immediately below is what I posted in November 2014, and I repeat it here for your understanding:

"Yes, once more,  this post by The Disney Times is 100% correct. As are others who reported something similar. I did post a series of pieces of concept art on the proposed Dubai Disneyland, and yes, I was contacted by Favilli Studio. A very nice request was made by the Director of Operations, Linus Sora, a very kind man, to have me take down the pieces- which I did as a courtesy. 

Why did they ask me to take them down? Easy, the proposed project is very real and very sensitive. The clients were upset the pieces made their way to the public  Imagine a Disneyland in the Middle East and everything that could mean and everything that could lead to. The area is already a world power, and we all know Disney is solely in the market to make money. Win / Win. 

Favilli also took their pieces down off the web, but you can still find a concept for Glacier Bay, a land once proposed for Tokyo Disney Sea."

With the first stage of Dubai Parks and Resorts opening October 31, can a version of Disneyland Dubai be far behind? The concept art for it is all over the web (and I should know as I first shared it in 2014). 

My guess to the question is "No". Why? First, with Legoland there and the inevitable Six Flags and Universal Studios, I can't imagine Disney will offer their product in a place that puts them at the same level as their competitors in the minds of travelers. Which is exactly what would happen if they do go there. 

Secondly, Shanghai Disneyland has just premiered, and my bet is the suits and the public are finding there is much more work behind the scenes in making this really work in addition to what's needed to keep it going. Including necessary expansion straight away.

Lastly, with Star Wars Land and Pandora World of Avatar- not to mention upcoming projects based on Marvel and Frozen, Disney is finally taking an active role in the competition for the buck. Their parks will soon once again offer compelling reasons to "do Disney". And just in the nick of time."

Below are most all the pieces of concept art I found. Saving some for future posts.

With official branding.

Look at the above piece again- The larger park view may be the best. It includes a different version of Cars Land as well as a Star Wars based version of Tomorrowland. There's even a much earlier proposed version of Main Street U.S.A. which is more like a Fantasyland styled avenue. Not quite Mickey Avenue in Shanghai, but a European styled village with dark ride attractions, shops and restaurants. Just imagine!

Even a bit of California Adventure here.

As of this date, world events and tensions in the region seem to have placed this project on hold. Maybe indefinitely. No, we won't get an announcement for this at D23, as things will have to cool. But you never know what the suits will pull out of the sleeves. Money talks, and be it China, Dubai, India or anywhere else, Disney always succumbs to the lure of the buck over anything else.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Imagineering Celebrates the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave

For Independence Day, it only seems fitting to look at some Disney attractions that celebrate being from the United States of America. Walt Disney was proud to be a citizen of our great country, and the parks built on U.S. soil present attractions befitting a look at our history and our future. 

When it comes to celebrating the American spirit, the crown jewel in Walt Disney World is Epcot's American Adventure. But its roots are truly in the first park in Florida and before that in California.

Liberty Square is an achievement in taking guests to another place and time. During my first visit in 1975, I was taken aback by the "sense of place" which created the warmth and charm in this area. Little details were to be found just about everywhere I glanced. With great attractions in a spectacular setting, period appropriate merchandise, and a strong sense of patriotism in all that is good in a Young America, this land is a winner. 

Over the years, much of both has changed, but the Hall of Presidents continues to stir me. The Liberty Tree Tavern and the Columbia Harbour House are among my first choices when I want to dine in the Kingdom. Last, but certainly not least, I find the chill factor of the gothic flavored Haunted Mansion to be superior than the California one due to the choice of design and location. Loving our heritage, Liberty Square is the one area of the park that I wish were expanded with new attractions, streets to explore, and discoveries to be found.

This piece of concept art by Imagineer Herb Ryman captures it all perfectly. As designed by Walt Disney himself, his original park celebrated and honored our great country. When it came time to build the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, the Imagineers had more freedom and space to create something that would further tell the stories behind our country's rich history.  Liberty Square's Concord Bridge, shown above, is the gateway to life as it was centuries ago. 

It's unfortunate that in the rush to visit the 999 Happy Haunts of the Haunted Mansion, guests bypass The Hall of Presidents. It's a show rich in history, showcasing our freedoms and the costs to have have them. The Audio-Animatronic show deserves respect for being an incredible tribute to what makes America strong instead of childish booing if guests least favorite Commander in Chief is announced. 

 

From the earliest days of Disneyland in Anaheim and Walt's Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln to the Magic Kingdom's still beautiful The Hall of Presidents, onto Epcot's breathtaking The American Adventure, these attractions by the Imagineering greats remind of us our past, look to the future, and tell a story of how clearly we are blessed by God with our freedom. Are we perfect? No. We are made up of imperfect people that need to be saved from ourselves by Jesus Christ and His free gift of eternal; salvation for all who would give their lives over to Him. After traveling all over the world, I can heartily say, there is not a better place to live. Millions worldwide see us for who we are. We should take a deeper look and be grateful. "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!" so says Psalm 33:12.

 

Happy Independence Day, America! The United States remains the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, and people are still streaming in to be part of it.  Even with a pretty messed up political scene right now, we are still the most free nation on earth. May God's grace rest upon us, and may we once again turn to Him as in days of old!

(Concept art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

The Beauty of Ancient Mexico Inspired the Disney Imagineers Working on Epcot

Visiting World Showcase at Epcot? The Mexico pavilion is one of my favorites! From my first visit, I was totally taken by the mystery and beauty of El Rio Del Tiempo, the boat ride through the history and heritage of the country. The Imagineers took the best of the ancient and newer cultures to represent. We loved eating at the Blue Bayou inspired San Angel Inn Restaurante and its queso fundido. Visiting Walt Disney World took on a whole new angle because of Epcot.

It seemed it would be such an easy life in Ancient Mexico, but alas, there was "Death by strangulation, decapitation, exsanguination. Buried alive, burned on pyres, crushed by stones, thrown off cliffs. 

Homo sapiens in nearly every part of the world has practiced human sacrifice at some point over at least five millennia, often killing females in fertility rites or for burial alongside powerful males.  

But new research enabled by DNA analysis and other scientific advances has challenged assumptions about the identity of sacrificial victims, at least among the Maya of Central America. 

Between 900 and 1,400 years ago, the Maya regularly sacrificed boys—particularly twins or close male relatives—according to a study published in June in the journal Nature. 

The findings are based on the ancient DNA of 64 children who had been deposited in an underground cistern at the site of Chichén Itzá, a city built on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.

For the ancient Maya, being sacrificed was considered a privilege, so these boys—most of whom were between the ages of 3 and 6—were likely given up willingly by their families, according to Rodrigo Barquera, an immunogeneticist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany and co-author of the recent study."

WOW- I was taken aback when I read this. Children sacrificed to gods.  How barbaric! How sad. Are we any better with our abortion on demand and constant abuse of children by those in authority? No. There is nothing new under the sun said King Solomon. Nothing.

The whole article from the Wall Street Journal is here.

(Photograph by J. Krause. Text by Wall Street Journal.)

Charlie Puth to the Rescue

Charlie Puth delivered something I did not expect. I was in a drought of sorts. Nothing sounded good to me. It's not too often I experience a season like that when music doesn't appeal to me and everything sounds a bit tired, flat and uninspired. And then something changed. Browsing around, I found a jazz version of Done for Me. I liked the original a lot, so I gave it a listen. It was so fresh, so unexpected, so fun. And like that in an instant, everything began to sound good again. Now, Charlie, how about a whole album of jazz?

(Photograph from Entertainment Weekly.)