Design Detail: Nine Dragons

The recent remodel of Epcot's Nine Dragons restaurant seemed to be long overdue. Honestly, we hadn't eaten there in two decades because our only meal previously was unsatisfying and highly expensive. Take-out quality food at banquet hall prices. On this recent trip, because of the overhaul, my curiosity got the best of me, and I had to step inside. Maybe it was the lighting, but this art glass dragon divider was stunning. Still not enough to make me eat there, but certainly beautiful!

(Photograph copyright Mark Taft.)

Keep Running

Popped this little flick into the player last night and didn't expect much. What a surprise! Simon Pegg and crew are so funny in this fast paced comedy directed by David Schwimmer, that you have to constantly rewind to catch what you just missed. Pegg's Dennis is a lovable lowlife and exboyfriend of Thandie Newton. She is her usual elegant and beautiful self. Hank Azaria, who seems to have quite the penchant for showing off his naked body in as many movies as he can, plays her seemingly perfect suitor. Run Fatboy Run isn't perfect, but it is good for a laugh. Trust me, you'll never view a particular sports training injury the same again.

No April Fool's Joke

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."

This famous quote is not attributed to Clopin from Hunchback of Notre Dame or from any other character out of the Disney movies. No, it is not from Victor Hugo and his excellent novel either. This real insight comes from Jim Elliot, a young Christian martyr of the 20th century who chose to give his life for the sake of the message of the gospel to the Waodani people of Ecuador. Chew on this one long enough until it changes your life, and you'll be no fool either.
(Artwork copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Disneyland Hotel Makeover

Rumors abound that a remodel or demolition and rebuild of the classic Disneyland Hotel is on its way. Recent photos have surfaced of "test rooms" with different paint schemes and window treatments. Of course, some of us are holding out for that classic "Mictorian" look to make its debut. Think Grand Floridian at Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland Hotel or the Disneyland Hotel in Paris. Certainly all are beautiful properties worthy of carrying the flagship Disney name.


However, the more I think about it, the more I see Disney suits choosing to revamp the 1950s era hotel into something very similar to what we find in Hong Kong Disneyland's Hollywood Hotel. As all three of these photos show, the style would easily fit the original architectural and structure of what currently sits on Anaheim's precious land. Moreover, the mid-century Americana look is stylistically back in vogue.

Thinking further, the current Neverland pool area could remain, as the movie Peter Pan made its debut in 1953, thus fitting in perfectly. Add in a trendy martini bar and some other retro touches. Maybe even a new version of Disney's Hollywood Studios' Prime Time Cafe. Mix carefully to a great result and a good complement to Disney's California Adventure. Bonus: Even the new monorail cars have a 50s era sensibility.

This hotel remake could be a very fun idea, resulting in an appealing classic look at much less expense than a full demolition and startover. In the minds of the Disney suits, this has to be the most appealing aspect of all.

Wanna place your bets?

Just Say No to a Single Global Currency!

It is clear that the actions of each person and those of each country effect others around them. If you've read this blog for long, you know how I feel about treating people well, caring for others, and "being Jesus" to those around you.

There is a clear and strong international movement toward creating a global currency, and the United States needs to refrain from becoming a part of it. (Just think the Euro goes intercontinental, and you get the idea. Something similar is going on in South America as well.) Don't believe me? Check out this website: Single Global Currency.

Or check out this recent article (below) from US News and World Report.

Here's one of the problems it creates: When the world goes this direction, a smaller and smaller group of people will be in charge of what happens to the majority of us living on the planet. We all know "money makes the world go round", and this is where it will all begin. Sounds like the Book of Revelation in the Bible.

One money, one government. Whose values will be embraced and whose politics enforced by this type of dictatorship? Do you want someone else deciding what is an acceptable way for you to live? Not me!

Global Economy -Yes; Global Currency- Just Say No!
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From US News and World Report:
March 25, 2009 10:34 AM ET by James Pethokoukis

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner says he is "quite open" to a massive reduction in the economic power and influence of the United States.

O.K, what Geithner actually said earlier today is that he is "quite open" to China's idea of a global currency system linked to the International Monetary Fund's Strategic Drawing Rights. But it might be pretty much the same thing since the whole point of the embryonic idea is to lessen the influence of the dollar. More from Geithner: "As I understand it, it's a proposal designed to increase the use of the IMF's Special Drawing Rights. I am actually quite open to that suggestion ...[though it should bee seen as an] evolutionary building on the current architecture rather than moving us to a global monetary union."

Fascinating Pleasure: Walt Disney and the 1964 World's Fair

In a few words, a fascinating pleasure! Beautiful set- the artwork is terrific and the packaging is brilliant, but the music is spectacular. The behind the scenes demos and recordings are a treat. The music is timeless. Just goes to show that the great Disney Imagineers of old knew their stuff. Kudos- and thanks- to Randy Thornton and the late Bruce Gordon.

(Concept art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Beautiful Rat

Disney's concept art comes in many flavors and for many types of projects. Not all is for the Disneyland theme parks, Epcot, the Studios, or Animal Kingdom. Here is a stunning piece for the Pixar film Ratatouille. I'd say, it captures my beloved Paris beautifully.

(Concept art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Another Imagineering Art Mystery

Here's another mysterious piece of concept art. However, this one comes from the amazing blog: Vintage Disneyland Tickets. Don't let the name fool you- it's full of way more great things than the title suggests. Go there now to read the latest post on Imagineering. Anyone know what this is? (To me, it looks like a Space pavilion or Space Mountain Paris piece.)(Concept art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Hello Love

Chris Tomlin- Another great disc from a wonderful voice in spiritual music. Crisp, clean, surprising. Check it out: Amazon.com

Moscou Paris

The level of detail inside Disneyland Paris has to be seen to be believed. This photo is one of many mini murals painted inside the Cafe Hyperion restaurant. Discoveryland and all the lands in the park are stuffed with eye candy! Don't let the exchange rate or the long flight hinder you from visiting this gorgeous place.
(Photo copyright Mark Taft.)

Oldies but Goodies

Oldies for a not-so-snowy day in Denver...

1. Ordinary Fool- Carpenters 2. Nothing Bout Me- Sting 3. This Time I Know It's For Real- Donna Summer 4. House of Love- Amy Grant 5. I Only Have Eyes for You- Art Garfunkel 6. How Can I Fall? -Breathe 7. If We Were Lovers- Gloria Estefan 8. Have I Told You Lately- Rod Stewart 9. Someone Like You- Van Morrison 10. I Believe In You and Me- Whitney Houston 11. What's On Your Mind- Information Society 12. Freeway of Love- Aretha Franklin 13. Day Tripper- Beatles 14. Good Vibrations- Beach Boys 15. I'll Be There for You- Rembrandts 16. Friends- Michael W Smith 17. Deeper Than A River- Olivia Newton-John 18. Someday We'll Be Together- Supremes 19. We Must Be Loving Right- George Strait 20. When Love Finds You- Vince Gill 21. It's Impossible- Perry Como 22. Night and Day- Temptations 23. We Can Work it Out- Chaka Khan 24. If You Leave Me Now- Chicago 25. How Sweet It Is to be Loved By You- James Taylor 26- Rock with You- Michael Jackson 27. Home- Michael Buble 28. One Hundred Ways- James Ingram 29. Through the Years- Kenny Rogers 30. For All We Know- Barbra Streisand 31. Cry- Crystal Gayle 32. Sunday Kind of Love- Reba McEntire 33. What If I Loved You- Joey Gion 34. September- Earth Wind and Fire 35. Show Me the Way to Your Heart- Scott Grimes 36. Last One Singin the Blues- Karen Carpenter 37. The Very Thought of You- Aaron Neville and Linda Ronstadt 38. Beyond the Sea- George Benson 39. In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning- Chris Botti 40. Fly Me to the Moon- Frank Sinatra 41. Unforgettable- Natalie and Nat King Cole 42. Honky Cat- Elton John 43. What A Wonderful World- Louis Armstrong 44. It Takes Two- Marvin Gaye and Tammy Terrell 45. You Cant Hurry Love- Phil Collins 46. Hello Again- Neil Diamond 47. Come in From the Rain- Captain and Tennille 48. Rise- Herb Alpert 49. Poor Side of Town- Johnny Rivers 50. Cant Help Falling in Love with You- Elvis Presley 51. Biggest Part of Me- Ambrosia

Notable and Quotable: Glen Keane

On animating the Beast for the film Beauty and the Beast, Disney animator Glen Keane says,

"This is the moment- this is what I was born for...
As I started animating it, for me it's really an expression of my spiritual life.

There's a verse in the Bible that says 'If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away and all things have become new...'

Because it is really about an inner spiritual transformation that's taking place with the Beast. I saw it as a parable of my life."

If you want to see Glen's great artwork in various forms, here's the place to go:The Art of Glen Keane .

"Bargain Basement" Imagineering- California Adventure 1.5

Once the Grand Opening of Disney's California Adventure was behind them, the executives of The Walt Disney Company waited for the crowds to come- and waited and waited and waited.

Early renderings, models and posters of the park communicated poorly- or maybe accurately, prominently featuring the carnival side of California Adventure and the film making aspects, things that could be found at other southland amusement parks.

Bad weather, the economy, misunderstanding of the park- all these reasons were given as to why the crowds didn't materialize. Why didn't the public appreciate groundbreaking attractions like a small area of crops and a tractor display? What was wrong with carnival attractions that could be found at state fairs? Eventually, reality set in: Disney had tried to sell the park as the peak of Imagineering efforts, but the public saw through all the hype and advertising.

The original Magic Kingdom, Disneyland, was doing just fine, thank you, but its newer sister park was clearly the less favored ugly duckling. The numbers were dimsal. Park managers and sponsors were less than delighted.

From the guest standpoint, surveys seemed to indicate that Disney had forgotten much about what made a beloved park. There were too few attractions for families, too many film-based theater shows, clones of secondary draws from Walt Disney World, and overall very little magic and theme.

The most oft criticized area was Paradise Pier, a modern version of an old seaside amusement park. Unfortunately, this area was executed as a cheap version of a Six Flags park- full of iron rides with little originality or dressing. The park entrance, dubbed the Sunshine Plaza, was said to create a "hip and edgy" vibe for the park, but more excitement was to be found at the very places it emulated: Southern California shopping malls.

The only true new and winning area seemed to be the Golden State, an area that most celebrated the California theme. Even that district was not without it problems, as fans realized the park's icon was a beautifully designed mountain that held a mundane and off the shelf raft ride. Adjacent was an imaginative children's play area themed to California's mountain landscapes. The raft ride, what should have been an incredible attraction, was just passable- much like most of the park. There was one bright spot- Soarin' Over California, and that soon made its way to Epcot, stripping this struggling park of its one jewel.

Something had to be fast as the park was quickly becoming the laughingstock of the theme park and entertainment industry. When it became impossible to change public opinion, the next best plan of attack was to add to the park and add to it quickly. So now, here is a compilation of concept art for the next stage of this poorly executed second theme park at the Disneyland Resort.

A quick addition was made to the Hollywood Pictures Backlot area: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Play It! This guest experience was based on the over exposed television show. It was a fun attaction, but really did nothing to bring in the crowds. Once the television show lost its audience, so did the attraction, closing quickly thereafter.

This rush to bring in guests had another down side. Once proposed attractions for the Backlot area were now abandoned. This included the immensely fun Armageddon special effects show built at Walt Disney Studios Paris.

In an effort to bring more Disney to the park, characters were added and the unique California flavors were decreased. The wonderful Eureka parade gave way, and Disney announced that Flik's Fun Fair, a kid oriented play area, and a reworked (but less impressive) Twilight Zone Tower of Terror would soon be added.

One of the odder choices for an attraction in Disney theme park history was Superstar Limo. This journey through Hollywood streets was so unpopular that it was shuttered in 2002. Speculation on a replacement ranged from a reworking of the original theme to a classic Disney character filled excursion to appeal to children.

The characters did end up inhabiting the stopping ground of Superstar Limo, however, they were Pixar characters from the popular Monsters Inc. film. Making its debut in 2006, this attraction made great use of its previous work on a fairly reasonable budget. Certainly, the attraction was as good as any smaller dark ride in Disneyland, but all these changes were not enough. Additionally, this choice signed a new change in strategy- California seemed to be on its way out, characters, and Pixar chracters in particular, were on its way in. This trend would start with the earlier inclusion of A Bug's Land in 2002.

Once Disneyland's 50th anniversary was complete, the focus would reshift to its smaller, less charming sibling. It seems the Disney executives finally understood they couldn't fool the consumer with a second rate park. With a new Chief Executive came a big announcement and much money accompanied with it. Did the company really understand? Time will tell. They have one last chance to convince the public that California Adventure is a real Disney quality park. Will they follow through with the eleborate plans, concepts and models in the Blue Sky Cellar? Stay tuned...

(All concept art copyright The Walt Disney Company. Special thanks to Brett Garrett from Visions Fantastic for his photo of the first piece.)

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As my computer has recently crashed and I lost a lot of files, feel free to send me pieces of concept art YOU have. I will gladly add them to this or future posts! Thanks.

What's Going On Here?

Do you ever look around you and think, "What's going on here?" Boy, that seems to be my life these days. Without going into too much detail, I think all I am seeing is pain, sorrow, and suffering. Friends and family in crisis, most waiting patiently for God to seemingly step into the picture and make his presence known.

Yet I know deep in my soul and believe it with my life that He is very aware and active in the midst of life's pain as well as its pleasure. Jesus told us He would be with his believers until the end of time- that He's never leave us or forsake us. So, whether I recognize Him or not in any given situation, I know He is there. Isn't that was faith is all about?

Some may scoff, but I have personally witnessed God do the things others say doesn't happen: miraculous healings both physical and emotional. Restored marriages, renewed lives, and giving people sweet joy and peace in the middle of difficult life circumstances. Therefore, in the middle of my own struggles- and we all have them- I can say "What's going on here?" and choose to look for God taking care of me and the ones I love in the midst regardless of the outcome. What about you?

Bad News in Little China

The South China Morning Post reports Disney has halted work on the expansion of Hong Kong Disneyland, laying off approximately 30 employees:

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Walt Disney Company has put the long-delayed expansion of its Hong Kong theme park on hold after failing to agree with the city's government on a cash infusion, the company said on Tuesday.

Disney and the government have been embroiled in protracted discussions over financing a second phase of the world’s smallest Disneyland and the first on Chinese soil.

But Hong Kong Disneyland’s visitor number projections failed to reach initial bullish predictions with the key Chinese tourist market now bogged down by a worldwide credit crunch and a decelerating economy that is discouraging travel.

Disney said it would fire about 30 Hong Kong-based employees dubbed “Imagineers” that had helped conceptualise and plan the expansion.

Some jobs might also go at Disney’s home-turf of Burbank, California, as a result of the work stoppage, a source familiar with the situation told reporters.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Disney had already been funding creative efforts – designing and envisioning the look of rides – but decided to pull financing when it became clear that a deal with the government on expanding Disneyland was not imminent.

“The uncertainty of the outcome requires us to immediately suspend all creative and design work on the project,” the US firm said in a statement.

The source however did not rule out a resumption of that effort should Disney eventually strike a deal with the city. Disney has also signed a framework agreement with the local government in Shangai to kick off a project, and said in January it intended to submit a proper plan for the park.

The Hong Kong government expressed “grave concern” about the decision and urged Disney to reconsider. “We consider that [Disney’s] laying off of Walt Disney Imagineers who have been working on the design of Hong Kong Disneyland’s expansion will not be conducive to the discussions and are puzzled by the company’s decision,” a spokesperson for the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau said in a statement.

Opened in 2005, Hong Kong Disneyland has been criticised for being far too small to attract repeat visitors despite its proximity to the mainland. “Despite this setback, The Walt Disney Company remains confident and committed to the long-term success of Hong Kong Disneyland,” Disney said.

An expansion could cost as much as HK$3 billion, local media have reported. In December, the Sing Tao Daily newspaper reported that Disney – in what was deemed an unusual concession – may give the government a greater share in the project in repayment of a cash loan of nearly US$800 million (HK$6,202 million) that the city had extended previously to the theme park.
Hong Kong residents and lawmakers, for their part, have queried the financial viability of pumping more public money into the struggling park, on top of the hundreds of millions of dollars already loaned to the project.

Disney has borrowed more than US$1 billion (HK$7.78 billion) for the project, including HK$6.1 billion it owed the city’s government, due to be repaid over 25 years. In last year, the theme park was forced to amend loan agreements after it failed to meet performance targets. That amended pact abolished targets but decreased the amount of a revolving credit facility.