New Shanghai Disneyland Map

A new map for Shanghai Disneyland. Click it for the largest size.

More to come...

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Expedition to Atlantis at Disneyland

First Look: Shanghai Disneyland's Roaring Rapids

Hot off the press- the Walt Disney Company releases concept art for Shanghai Disneyland. Of notable interest is this first release of Imagineering concept art for Roaring Mountain and its Roaring Rapids dinosaur  (or is it a dragon) focused attraction.

Is it a dragon that menaces riders?

Or is it a dinosaur?

The mountain itself and the whole area looks incredible. Inside this rapid raft adventure (think California Adventure's Grizzly Rapids on a grander scale) guests will come face to face with this monster. Is it a dinosaur as was suggested earlier in the planning stage? Or is it a dragon, as the model above suggests, which would be more in line with Chinese legend and lore? Either way, the monster is huge!

The press release states: "Adventure Isle will immerse guests in a newly discovered lost world, filled with hidden treasures and a chance to explore its mysteries. The mighty Roaring Mountain will tower over guests and beckon them on their journey. Guests can blaze their own trails at Camp Discovery, travel around the world on Soaring over the Horizon, or embark on the thrilling rafting adventure Roaring Rapids, straight through the heart of Adventure Isle. There they discover the underworld realm of a mysterious, fearsome creature."

In looking at the concept art and the models over and over, Adventure Isle looks to be one exciting and memorable series of attractions for this very unique Magic Kingdom. Count me in as one who is very impressed by this presentation. Let's hope reality does not disappoint!

More to come!

(Concept art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Sweetness in Action

The joys of being a grandpa! Yeah, the down side is you cannot escape the fact you are old. The up side is the sweet cuddles you get when you least expect it...

A Taste of the Hawaiian Islands

From my good friend and fellow blogger Len Yokoyama comes this photograph of Hawaii. Breaking the stereotype images us mainlanders have of the state being only tropical beaches and blue lagoons, this image of the valley is quite striking. Even more so as you blow it up to its largest size. There's more to come from Len- he's quite a generous and amazing photographer!

(Photograph copyright Len Yokoyama.)

Sweet Girl Disarms Stranger

An atheist was seated next to a little girl on an airplane and he turned to her and said, "Do you want to talk? Flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger."

The little girl, who had just started to read her book, replied to the total stranger, "What would you want to talk about?"

"Oh, I don't know," said the atheist. "How about why there is no God, or no Heaven or Hell, or no life after death?" as he smiled smugly.

"Okay," she said. "Those could be interesting topics but let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff - grass. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty and a horse produces clumps. Why do you suppose that is?" 

The atheist, visibly surprised by the little girl's intelligence, thinks about it and says, "Hmmm, I have no idea." To which the little girl replies, "Do you really feel qualified to discuss God, Heaven and Hell, or life after death, when you don't know s**t?"

And then she went back to reading her book.
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You'll never find this joke on any other Disney blog- and please forgive the ending choice of words, but it is pretty funny!

New Shanghai Disneyland Art for Fantasyland

Want a first look at the art for Shanghai Disneyland's Fantasyland? Look no further!

This is a pretty sweet piece of Imagineering art for the first (and maybe only) Mainland China Magic Kingdom. The designers have clearly taken a slight more realistic approach than what they've done in the past. Perhaps this is because the look of Europe and its medieval villages is so far removed and thereby so exotic to the Chinese. 

Regardless, it's nice to see something. Rumor has it, more is coming soon. My bet is this piece is showing the entrance to Peter Pan's Flight on the far left end. (Did you happen to read my piece on the history of this great dark ride? It's filled with some great pieces and one of the never built Peter Pan area for Tokyo Disneyland. Take a look here.)

Ok, there's more art for Shanghai Fantasyland. Just go to the great Disney and More face book page or website (where I found this one!) for one more rendering. You just can't beat my friend Alain Littaye for getting us the scoop on so much so quickly!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Clowning Around

There's no Fantasyland in sight. No Magic Kingdom, no Storybook Circus, but this video packs a wallop. Worth your time and a challenge by these two clowns...turn on your sound.

First Ever Visit to Disneyland: Trip Report

As I mentioned a few days ago, my daughter took her husband to Disneyland for the first time. It fell during the 60th anniversary celebration, so I was curious to find out what he thought, knowing it would be crazy crowded.

It was a morning to night affair, where they covered just about every attraction that could- minus the ones that they would ride with their children. The focus would then be on those with height limitations- the "Mountains" etc.

My son-in-law is not a man of many words, therefore, this is presented in a positive / negative winners / losers response. Get ready for some surprises.

Winner:  Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Runner Ups: Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones Adventure, Splash Mountain.

Loser: Star Tours (and he's a HUGE Star Wars fan) 

The evening fireworks show and parade were well liked, but the crowds made it a less than great experience. 

The evening before the visit to the park, dinner was had at Ralph Brennan's. Verdict- good but very noisy and too expensive for the money. 

Now the Million Dollar Question- Would he go back, and would he bring the kids? Answer: Absolutely. Enough said.

(Photograph copyright Allison.)

Elvis and Karen

 Karen Carpenter meets Elvis Presley. Two superstars who met their end much too soon.

Reports suggest Karen met Elvis in 1973 and 1975. Certainly at the height of her popularity as part of Carpenters. 

Petula Clark, a beloved singer, recalls a meeting with the three of them where Elvis clearly wanted to take the relationship to a sexual level. Whether this is true or only her hunch is not to be known, but it does make for an interesting story.

Corrections as of August 9, 2015:

The top photo has been discovered to be a fraud. The original is below:

Keith Urban's Ode to the Johns in His Life

Gotta say I just heard the new single by Keith Urban, and it is an instant classic! The upbeat, playful tune is titled "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16". Not in the least bit preachy, in spite of the Biblical reference in the name. 

Keith's been away since 2013, and with his stint on American Idol coming to an end, it's time for him to focus solely on the music once again. 

For me, his 2009 album, Defying Gravity, was one incredible disc! Chock full of great songs- everything from "Kiss A Girl" to "Hit the Ground Runnin'" captured the fun of country music. I even found a bit of the Eagles and their California meets Arizona stylings in the underrated "Only You Can Love Me This Way".

Radio.com has this great but short interview with Keith about his new album and particularly his new single:

“It’s a great feeling to be back in the studio shaping a new album,” Urban said in a press release about the song. “‘John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16’ was sent to me a few months ago by one of the songwriters and I loved it immediately—loved it so much that right before I walked out on stage at the Ryman (Auditorium) for CRS a few months back, I thought I’d play the song solo acoustic to see what the audience thought.

“Flash forward and there’s no doubt that their response that day helped make it the first single from what will be my next album.”

“John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16″ was written by Shane McAnally, Ross Copperman and Josh Osborne and co-produced by Dann Huff and Urban. Urban said that the song “resonated deeply” with him the movement he heard it.

“It’s the poetic use of the three Johns and what each represents to me,” he said.

Kids, Kids, Kids

This summer has meant LOTS of time with the grandkids! Especially with my oldest daughter's kids as she and her husband take off for his very first trip to California- including Disneyland. 

Here at top, my youngest granddaughter enjoys a little pool break.

The second photo shows three of the cousins enjoying a little snack. It's so fun to see them get together- and we couldn't love any of them more than we do!

A Dinosaur for Hong Kong Lands in Shanghai

Over four years ago, I was "gifted" with this piece of very rare concept art for Hong Kong Disneyland. The concept was obviously never brought to fruition, as the park opened with no dinosaurs at all. Even the recent and very successful expansion - which brought us Mystic Manor and more- yielded not one single prehistoric creature. Not one. But as you can tell by this post  where I chronologically present all the dinosaurs in Disney theme parks through the years and the wild success of Jurassic World, dinosaurs never go out of style. With kids of all ages.

Was this unbuilt attraction scheduled to go into the outdoor jungles of Adventureland? Was it meant for an indoor weather-proofed warehouse a la Indiana Jones? Or perhaps a roller coaster through the jungle? Maybe even a combination like what was once proposed but abandoned for the dinosaur area at Animal Kingdom?  

This we know- dinosaurs will appear in China. An attraction is built in an entirely different form at Shanghai Disneyland as part of the Roaring Rapids attraction at Adventure Isle. Instead of a train or car, expect to see a creature such as this while plunging down a wild raging river in a rounded craft similar to those found on Grizzly River Run at California Adventure. 

If you're like me, you cannot wait to see more concept art... or the final result!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Dubai Disneyland - Yes, It Was Me

Websites around the globe are posting this - and many other- pieces of concept art I had found for the proposed Dubai Disneyland. 

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.

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

"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."

A Blessed Nation

The rarely sung last stanza from Scott Francis Key's classic song of America:

O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace,may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
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God blessed the United States of America from the very beginning when brave Christian men and women sought freedom to practice their faith in a new land. It wasn't freedom from faith, as we are so prone to believe today. It was freedom to love God with all their hearts and live it out without the bounds of the government determining what it should look like- which was the norm in Europe when politicians and too many ministers worked hand in hand to control the actions of the people.

Now we find ourselves in a position where we as a nation are moving farther and farther away from God. It's mockery of God, which is a very foolish thing in which to engage. May God have mercy on us even as we prepare for His judgment. His judgment which comes out of His righteousness and love. He longs for us to return to Him. And so we should.