DL@50

Well, hopefully by now, you will have all seen the images and video from the global announcement of the celebration of Disneyland’s golden jubilee at the ten theme parks and Disney Cruise Line. Now, it is time to put a little flesh on those bones...

Lindsay and I were privileged to be guests of the Disneyland Resort for last week’s festivities.

Therefore, we were able to see things a little differently from the rest of the media, including our good friends at Laughingplace.com. We were also able to talk at great lengths with many of the talented imagineers and park executives about the plans, provide some breaking news about events (like the itinerary for the Disney Magic in California) before anyone else and observe Disneyland rehearsing their plans. Anyhow, I digress and the logical approach is on a park-by-park basis.

Disneyland Resort
There were actually a few surprises in this extensive package of new attractions, parades and shows for the Resort. One of the worst kept secrets in history meant that Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters came as no surprise to any Disneyland fan. However, the attraction will join Mission:SPACE as a new generation of WDI projects with the unveiling of a brand-new interactive element that will allow gamers at home to play the ride on their own PC using webcams throughout the attraction.

Mission:SPACE Race Online has already been a huge success for EPCOT, and Jay Rasulo as President of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts had been keen to roll out the technology further. Therefore, Buzz will become the first attraction in Disney history to allow a real-time component with home play. The attraction itself will be more akin to Tokyo Disneyland’s version that debuted April 15 than Florida’s original, but the layout will be slightly different due to the constraints of the old Rocket Rods accommodation. The laser guns will be the more reliable kind found in Tokyo to limit breakdowns.

Space Mountain computer model
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When Space Mountain closed last April, guests were shocked at the lack of warning about the immediate shutdown of this classic E-ticket. However, significant maintenance and safety issues meant that the attraction would have to begin the painstaking process of rebuilding for the twenty-first century a little earlier than the original September 2003 closure date. On Wednesday, Jay Rasulo confirmed that the ride will return during the Happiest Celebration on Earth, although senior WDI executives close to us later acknowledged that the ride is unlikely to open before Labor Day 2005, some 4 months after the kick-off of the 18-month anniversary. The actual ride layout remains largely the same (although the queue area will be significantly different), but the Dick Dale soundtrack has been shelved permanently, in favour of a new melody that will not be part of the retro-Tomorrowland ‘98 concept created by WDI’s Tony Baxter. The new attraction will also feature all-new effects, such as shooting stars and orbiting satellites to enhance the thrill of this classic Disney coaster.

The logo for "Remember...Dreams Come True"
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The demise of Believe.... had been touted for several months, but on May 5, Jay Rasulo announced that Believe... will conclude this summer (although the holiday version is due to return with Haunted Mansion Holiday and it’s a small world holiday) to make way for a new Steve Davison fireworks spectacular entitled "Remember...Dreams Come True". The spectacle, the most elaborate in Disney theme park history, will also feature Jiminy Cricket, just as the current Wishes show does in the Magic Kingdom. In addition to a new score, sound effects, pyrotechnics and lighting effects, Tinker Bell will take on a whole new life, as Anne Hamburger excitedly told us, that it will look as if "she is really flying".