Editor's Report
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Before I begin this Editor's Report, I wanted to thank everyone for the feedback I received about my last one on the Big Thunder accident. Thank you - it means a lot.
John Ritter
Unfortunately, another very sad event occurred the following week. It's hard to
believe that on September 7th I was only 10 feet away from John Ritter at
DCA's Primetime Preview Weekend. My brother and sister got their picture taken with
him and the cast of 8 Simple Rules... Then Friday morning I turn on the
TV and am immediately greeted by a news alert saying he had died. I loved
Three's Company growing up (even though I now realize I didn't get half the
jokes). I'd even say John Ritter was my favorite actor growing up. He was
absolutely hilarious at Primetime Preview Weekend. Wherever he was, he was the
center of the show. It's so hard to believe someone so alive can be gone so
quickly. Orange Coast Magazine
profiled John Ritter in its September issue. It came out right after his death.
I was at the Paradise Pier Hotel yesterday and saw it on the newsstand with his
smiling face on the cover. So far, it's been a pretty sad September.
Stitch!
Yesterday I was at DCA when I got a call from Rebekah say there's a rumor Stitch
would be testing at Drawn to Animation. I checked it out - and it was true! And
it's pretty fun. We'll have more in tomorrow's Disneyland Resort Update, but -
in short - Stitch takes over the planned show and turns it into a talk show
where audience members ask the questions. Stitch is animated but the show is
done live. If you've seen the Meet Stitch exhibit at Innoventions, you know what
to expect. I think it's very cool. Again, we'll have more tomorrow.
Innovation
I was absolutely wowed by Lucky the Dinosaur a few weeks ago. Stitch, while not
as amazing, is still a great achievement. People can actually hold a
conversation with an animated character. Imagine the possibilities. Like many
great ideas, the result is something that seems very simple, but actually is
probably very complicated. With the technologies demonstrated by Lucky and
Stitch as well as the Meeko that was shown months ago at Redwood Creek Challenge
Trail, the future of character experiences looks very bright. I think Walt
Disney World's Pal Mickey, while not a character experience, also promises to
change how we visit the parks. Attractions are great, and ultimately, that's
what most people visit the park for, but Disney has always been about more than
attractions. It's been about the entire experience of visiting the park. And
these new innovations promise to take that experience to a new level in the next
few years blending cutting edge technology with (hopefully) great storytelling
to brings guests something they can't get anywhere else. And isn't that what
Disney has always been about?
Discuss It
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-- Doobie Moseley
-- Posted September 18, 2003