Sunday, 6th July 2008

Rémy makes exclusive ‘Living Character’ debut

Does it sound a little far-fetched? The rumours certainly did when they appeared out of nowhere just a few weeks ago.

Proving Walt Disney Imagineering really can still throw us a curveball once in a while, when member La Rouquine on Disney Central Plaza announced that you could be enjoying your meal at Rendez-Vous Stars Restaurant only for an animatronic Rémy to pop out from under a serving platter and interact with you, he wasn’t wrong.

The set-up relates to the original teaser trailer for Pixar’s Oscar-winning film Ratatouille, in which a waiter stops at a table in the classy Gusteau’s restaurant and offers the diners some cheese — only to lift the lid on the platter and reveal Rémy the rat, chomping away on a piece of Emmental.

Though the rumours for this unexpected exclusive ‘Living Character’ suggested Rémy would be making appearances at Rendez-Vous des Stars — which recently took on the name of his film to attract more guests — and more particularly the restaurants of Disneyland Hotel, it was in the streets of Walt Disney Studios Park, outside that first restaurant, that he was first spotted just yesterday.

Here it is, the first video:

Rémy wears his miniature chef’s hat just like at the end of the film, sitting on a platter with some cheese and grapes, looking upwards in a slightly hesitant way to the guests around him. The accompanying human chef plays up to the crowds, uses little words and presents the rat to his public.

Though the video cuts away after a few seconds, you get the idea. You might also have a few new questions, such as — will he speak? Well, in the world of Ratatouille as imagined by the wizards at Pixar, no humans can understand the rats. The film handles this fact beautifully through the great interactions between Linguini and Rémy, introducing a squeak for Rémy only in a single scene. But, when you’ve got Rémy right there on a platter… shouldn’t he say something?

Secondly, as Maarten on our partner website magicforum questioned straight away — is he really an animatronic? Certainly his movements and the positioning above a covered trolley could suggest that this little rat is merely a puppet controlled by a human beneath the cloth.

Either way, this is now the park’s second ‘Living Character’ after Stitch Live! and thus far a complete world-exclusive — not to mention a more accurate depiction of the furry movie star than the slightly oversized Toon Studio version, which will continue to meet and greet fans.

So, when we said you won’t meet Rémy in any way other than that oversized character until the rumoured Walt Disney Studios Park attraction opens for the resort’s 20th Anniversary in 2012, we were wrong. DLRP Today eats humble pie. Or some cheese…

[Video: Novastarbuzz, YouTube]

Sunday, 6th July 2008

Inside the Empire State Club

Guarantee yourself a room at the top of the Hotel New York tower, get VIP FASTPASS for the length of your stay, enjoy an exclusive lounge with complimentary drinks and a buffet breakfast with characters every day.

The Empire State Club is certainly a tempting new addition to Disney’s Hotel New York, taking over 34 rooms and suites last month to finally provide the hotel with an exclusive upper-tier option in the same vein as Newport Bay Club’s Admiral’s Floor and Disneyland Hotel’s Castle Club.

Image

In fact, the hotel had such a “club” when it first opened back in 1992, but this fell by the wayside in the years that followed. For the new tier, the old check-in area has been reawakened, as seen above, giving Empire State Club guests a faster check-in and a more personal service.

That service extends to the upper floors of the hotel themselves, on which the rooms are located, where you’ll find a brand new lounge to relax with a complimentary refreshment or your continental breakfast each morning.

Image Image

Completely redecorated and built just for the Empire State Club, the area has plenty of neat touches — such as Mickey Mouse shapes in the art deco panels — and a very upmarket feel, darker than the other “clubs” but therefore very in-keeping with the New York’s more professional overall style.

Image

The rooms themselves have yet to be seen. Have you stayed there already? Why not send us a photo or post one on the magicforum?

So, at what price does all this exclusivity come?  Based on two adults sharing one room, you’ll be looking to pay between £26 (during the lowest season) and £41 (in the highest season) extra per person per night. On a stay of 4 nights starting today, for example, you’d pay an extra £288 between the two of you, bumping the regular £602 price up to £746 per person (£1492 total).

In comparison, the Castle Club at Disneyland Hotel, arguably a much more exclusive club, costs around £66 extra per night per person, based on two adults sharing. Stay there in the height of Summer for four nights with a friend and you’d pay £472 extra between you, bringing the regular £1021 price per person up to £1257.

At the other end of the scale, the Admiral’s Floor at Disney’s Newport Bay Club — which provides merely a guaranteed room near the top of the building and a dedicated check-in — costs between just £9 and £16 extra per person per night for a one-night stay. The Empire State Club does, therefore, seem well-placed and fairly priced at least within the structure of the overall Disney Hotels pricing.

Whether the pricing — and the offering — is fair in the real world is up to you.

— More about the Empire State Club and its advantages here.

[Photo credit: Photos Magiques]

Sunday, 6th July 2008

Rendez-Vous for a Nescafé

It’s strange how rumours come and go in the world of Disneyland. Sometimes things fade into nothing, but most of the time — as in this case — a very early sign eventually turns into something real.

Cast your mind back to March this year and you’ll remember we reported on the rumours of a new Nestlé snack stand right next to the windows of Rendez-Vous des Stars Restaurant in Production Courtyard at Walt Disney Studios Park. A strange position? Well indeed.

Eventually, the construction fences came and went leaving just a small patio. A terrace instead, perhaps? Well, when Photos Magiques visited the location back in June, that’s what it looked like:

Image

But, this rumour came around to reality in the end. One of the large windows in the front of the restaurant’s circular art deco-inspired building has now been completely removed.

Image

The logos on the new canopies give it away — Nescafé. This will indeed be the serving hatch for a new coffee kiosk, strangely located within part of the restaurant.

Image Image
Photos: Mousy.be

Like the similar recent food retail kiosks from other partners like Coca-Cola, this is financed in full by the partner. Compared to those exact locations (among which L’Arbre Enchanté and Hollywood & Lime), it does seem Nescafé are a little less willing to invest.

Image

Inside, there are little clues as to how the kiosk will be run and whether this circular area is now completely closed for use by the restaurant — the park’s only buffet service location and growing in popularity since the addition of a faint Ratatouille theme. Just a few metres away to the left, another, larger patio left behind by a now-departed Studio Catering Co van remains empty.

The work continues…

[Photo credits: Photos Magiques, Mousy.be]

Sunday, 6th July 2008

Bye bye Buffalo Trading Co.?

When we first reported two rumours of new dining establishments opening up at Disney Village, it seemed certain that a Starbucks coffeehouse would be one of them. The reliable insiders could even pinpoint a location: near Rainforest Cafe.

That initial thought wasn’t too far from what now looks to be the reality, but there’s one important difference: the addition of a Starbucks could now be a replacement for an existing location, rather than a new build replacing that out-of-place rainforest carousel.

The unlucky trader? Buffalo Trading Company, that exceptionally well-themed little store joining onto Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Popular amongst fans, even more so amongst Western aficionados, it is one of the few venues in Disney Village left mostly untouched since 1992. Whilst almost every other boutique had has themeing removed or priorities shifted, Buffalo Trading Co. has stayed on the straight and narrow.

Image
Photo: william_tropico, Flickr.

The news that Starbucks Coffee will replace the store was shared by member Kinoo on magicforum. Can it be taken as concrete? Well, let’s say the concrete has indeed been poured but is yet to dry — the way things change at Disneyland Resort Paris, nothing can be guaranteed until you actually see it.

Introducing a Starbucks Coffeehouse to Disney Village, however, now seems more certain than ever. Another member on magicforum, penfold12, shared the information from a recent article which stated that whilst Starbucks continue to have worldwide success, they were having a hard time getting a foothold on France and were looking for new locations to improve awareness and acceptance of their brand.

Image

New locations? Awareness and acceptance of their brand? Disney Village seems to fit their requirements perfectly, and equally Starbucks to Disney Village. The nearest competitor would be New York Style Sandwiches, which focuses — as you’d expect — on the sandwiches and not on its regular Nescafé instant variety of hot drinks. Amongst the dining and drinking locations at Disney Village, there are few with this kind of informal, relaxed café style.

To replace the most popular boutique amongst fans will be a hard pill to swallow for many, though. Inside, Buffalo Trading Co. has sunset dioramas, western storefronts and even a giant window looking into the pre-show area of the Wild West Show, for which it serves as a merchandise store. Against the watered-down offerings of the other stores, replacing this shop will lower the benchmark for boutiques significantly when — or if — Euro Disney SCA decide to expand the Village for real.

Image

It would be accurate, however, to guess that Buffalo Trading Company is one of the least profitable stores in Disney Village, taking on quite a niche area of souvenirs — not least one that is already well-served by the stores of Frontierland and Disney’s Hotel Cheyenne. Undoubtedly the ideal size for a coffeehouse, the only problem with this unit could be the lack of space to join the craze for outside terraces.

As for the second rumour of a new sandwich shop in Disney Village, all remains quiet…

[Photo credits: Flickr, Starbucks, Photos Magiques]

Saturday, 5th July 2008

Planning permission for Playhouse Disney

Quietly announced by Operations, talked about by Cast Members and introduced to the sales teams, the opening of a new Playhouse Disney: Live on Stage show alongside Stitch Live! inside the Walt Disney Television Studios building has so far not been allowed as anything more than a strong rumour amongst fans.

Will a Marne-la-Vallée authorities construction notification change that?

Image

The sign is now posted along the road at the backstage of Walt Disney Studios Park, near the town of Val d’Europe, and reads:

“DISNEYLAND RESORT PARIS
Modification to studios 2, 3 and 4 of “Walt Disney International” building for use by the “Playhouse Disney” attraction”

Yes, curiously three studios will be affected by the Playhouse Disney attraction. Since Stitch Live! already uses one room, that leaves the former space of Disney Channel CyberSpace post-show arcade, a huge, long studio and a smaller room toward the back which may not be classed as a “studio”.

Image

The important thing to note here is that the area occupied by Disney Channel CyberSpace was actually built as two separate studios before being joined together for use by park guests as the channel began to disown the building. However, the listing of three studios must at least mean that the long, thin studio well within the building will be involved — almost certainly as the show theatre itself, being the ideal shape and size.

Our plan of the building has been updated to reflect the new information:

Image

The show-based attraction, which uses puppets along with a live host, is still officially pencilled in for March 2009, after the 15th Anniversary has ended. Nothing is yet known about languages or the design of the exterior entrance, where construction activity has now increased to include a small digger.

Image

Playhouse Disney: Live on Stage will be the park’s fifth new attraction in just under two years.

[Photos: WDSfans.com]

Saturday, 5th July 2008

Disney Village turns over a new leaf for Summer

You might be rubbing your eyes in disbelief (or at least hayfever) as you stroll toward Disney Village this Summer. Because, this once famously dank and industrial entertainment district has turned a new leaf. We saw the work begin and progress start to be made, and now we can see it in bloom for the first time…

Image

At least 8 new planters and over 30 large new trees have suddenly transformed the space into a welcoming, green, human environment. Each planter automatically serves as a new place to sit and watch the bustle of the Village pass by, whilst breaking up the expanse of buildings and that unforgiving, minimal industrial architecture of the original build.

Image

Most thankful for the changes is sure to be Billy Bob’s Country Western Saloon, now surrounded by customised planters with stylised, pruned trees and a fully-covered terrace complete with heavy wooden furniture. Suddenly, the bar is modern and appealing — but not without a little Western charm.

Image Image

Equally transformed by a new terrace is the other side of the street, outside Sports Bar and New York Style Sandwiches. Here, a fantastic thin, curved planter encloses a wooden-decked terrace complete with trees and shrubs. The red Coca-Cola chairs add a splash of colour outside the Sports Bar, whilst trendy wooden parasols on the customised New York Style Sandwiches-branded tables make the space ever more modern and human.

Image

At the far end of Disney Village, Café Mickey now has an increased capacity for the Summer thanks to its fully-enclosed terrace, functioning as a full extension to this, the most popular restaurant. The curved glazing wraps around the front of the building with several regular doors and several patio-style doors which slide open, all decorated with white and silver branding with red Café Mickey logos.

Image Image

The blue, white and red decoration around the roof still appears to be as flimsy and creased as when we thought it was a temporary decoration during construction. Against the yellow of the actual building, it all adds up to looking like a circus tent or a poor ‘Dizneeland’ imitation of the original Café. Not great when you see the prices on the menu that apply equally here.

Inside, you might think the primary colours and modern furnishing look like something straight from IKEA, but don’t judge just yet. Look a little closer and you’ll see there is actually a nice attention to detail here. Tables are decorated with dalmatian spots, Minnie Mouse polkadots and contrasting Café Mickey logos. Portraits of Mickey Mouse body parts on the walls are illuminated from behind.

Image Image

Tiles surround the bottom of the old exterior wall, dotted with several red, yellow and blue colours. From here, you get a great view across the lakeside of Disney Village and PanoraMagique.

Image Image

Admittedly, the terrace doesn’t quite have the same warm feel or spacious round tables as the original restaurant area. You might feel a little cheated if you were seated here and paid the same price for your meal. But, as a Summertime overflow area, it already seems to be serving its purpose well. And, once Chef Mickey arrives, no-one cares about anything else.

Image

Similar expansion plans now also appear to be afoot over at King Ludwig’s Castle. Designed and built by EDLI (the Paris branch of Imagineering) for the German beer firm which owns and operates it, the restaurant appears to be building a more permanent terrace of its own. The space which used to simply host a few tables and chairs — plus the red carpet leading into the restaurant — has been surrounded by construction fences for several weeks now.

Image

Behind, movement is slow and no visible progress has yet been seen, even in the latest photos from the past few days. Foundations and a new brick wall were certainly spotted by Photos Magiques on 22nd June, however.

Image Image

The restaurant of course remains open throughout the works, with the entrance instead through the medieval boutique — as highlighted on the sign (above). Notice the background there? That’s Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, from which Le Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant took much inspiration.

Image Image
Photos: Disneytheque.com

Finally, the erasing of the past. When Frank Gehry envisaged a giant “open air warehouse”, held up by giant steel pylons made out of scaffolding, did he know they’d be erased so brutally? The concrete bases of the old pylons have been lying around for several years now, serving no purpose other than to have their paint worn away within a few months, and so it’s a real pleasure to see the money finally spent on removing them for good:

Image
Photo: Scrooge, Disney Magic Interactive forum.

At least three have now been replaced by appropriately-coloured concrete flooring, whilst a couple which fall inside one of the new planters have actually been kept for use as small performance stages during special events.

In fact, it transpires that these trees and planters were intended to be implemented as early as 2005, when Karl Holz joined the resort and was apparently quite horrified by what he saw here. Alas, money did not allow it — until now. Thanks Karl & co, we no longer have to pretend Disney Village doesn’t exist when we dream of the magic. In fact, on a warm Summer’s day, those cafés and terraces suddenly seem quite tempting.

Now, about replacing the rest of that concrete floor…

[Photos: Photos Magiques (more), Disneytheque.com, Scrooge]

Saturday, 5th July 2008

Studio 1: Scaffolding climbs…

Step into Walt Disney Studios Park today and you won’t see 2/3 of Disney Studio 1 covered by a billboard. No, instead you’ll see almost the entire façade covered with scaffolding.

Progress? Actually, yes!

As far as most reliable sources have indicated, the scaffolding has actually repositioned itself and grown to allow not for a new billboard — at least, not yet — but for a full refurbishment of the soundstage façade — it’s first since opening in 2002!

The following two photos, taken yesterday by dlrp team on Disney Central Plaza, show how scaffolding has been removed from the green windows and instead begun to climb either side of the area previously covered by the billboard:

Image

The columns either side of the entrance doors remain visible and scaffolding has yet to reach as high as the number ‘1’ plaque atop the building, which does have some visible dirt.

Image

At the end of yesterday, Friday 4th July, scaffolding was also clearly ready to begin climbing the left side of the building, just visible in this photo from mouetto on the same French forum:

Image

To begin such a large-scale refurbishment now, just as one of the resort’s two busiest seasons is beginning, seems an odd planning move to say the least. For all the months of advertising The Celebration Continues’ and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, those guests who booked earlier this year won’t get the ideal introduction to the new, improved Walt Disney Studios Park.

The removal of the billboard, surprising in itself after all this time, also brought another surprise — the façade actually isn’t looking too bad at all. At least not compared to the awful state of the façade on the opposite end of the soundstage, or that of Studio 3 (Animagique) facing onto Front Lot.

Though perhaps badly timed, this is hopefully just the first step in one of the greatest outpourings of yellow paint witnessed since 2002.

[Photos: dlrp team, mouetto, Disney Central Plaza forum]

Tuesday, 1st July 2008

Studio 1: The Billboard is GONE!

We’ve moaned, we’ve groaned, we’ve complained. We even wrote a sarcastic birthday message when it turned one year old and a hugely popular (count: over 3,000 hits) Wish List article pleading for it to be removed.

Now, the advertisement billboard that has plagued Disney Studio 1 for almost three — count them, THREE — years is finally in the process of being removed as you read this.

The proof came out of the blue, from Disney Central Plaza forum member mouetto last night:

Image

The cameraphone image, taken close to 11pm last night, shows that the giant poster advertising Pixar’s 2006 release Cars had already, finally been removed for good. The poster was a giant matte PVC-type construction, wrapped around a tower of temporary scaffolding behind.

This morning, the sight is even more beautiful — helped by the bright blue skies over Marne-la-Vallée today. Grandmath continues the coverage with these two photos:

Image

Image

There, isn’t that better? Like the wand being removed from Epcot’s Spaceship Earth, this Disney park landmark can now be seen in a whole new light. Actually, it can now simply be seen.

From the photos above, the billboard also appears to have had minimal damage to the building itself. Though much of it still requires extensive refurbishment and repainting — particularly on the park-side facing Hollywood Boulevard, where the sun hits it spot-on, from a distance the area covered by the billboard does not appear as dirty or as dark (compared to the rest of the façade) as was expected.

Is this the end of the story? Unfortunately, as much as DLRP Today hates to be the bearer of bad news, probably not. The strong rumours of a 15th Anniversary follow-up year based around Mickey Mouse continue — key amongst them, decorations which include a brand new proposal for this space. IE: Another tacky billboard.

We can, however, reveal that only one of three main proposals calls for an obstruction as overpowering as the previous Cars billboard. Two others would slot neatly into the building’s glass area, more alike the Ratatouille, Enchanted and Prince Caspian posters that have been featured on the other end of the soundstage.

For more about the history of the billboard and why protecting the image of Disney Studio 1 matters more than you might think, click here.

Tuesday, 1st July 2008

Pin Trading July 2008 releases

Saturday 12th July 2008

Bastille Day 2008 (Rémy in Paris)
Limited Edition x900
Price 11.90 Euros

Stitch Europe Invasion No.5: Spain
Reference number 209501008037
Limited Edition x900
Price 10.90 Euros

Walt Disney Series No.3: The Band Concert (Mickey in Technicolor)
Reference number 209501008024
Limited Edition x900
Price 11.90 Euros

Wall-E (Pack of 4 pins)
Reference number 209501008066
Price 18.00 Euros

Mickey Summer of Champions 2008 Flags
Reference number 209401008068
Price 6.00 Euros

Mickey Summer of Champions 2008 Logo
Reference number 209401008069
Price 6.00 Euros

Pin Trading July 2008

Sunday, 29th June 2008

Secrets and surprises of ‘The Enchanted Fireworks’ revealed!

Since February this year, DLRP Today has had an exclusive relationship with the popular French backstage blog Media Magic. Sharing rare and fascinating interviews with the people behind the magic of Disneyland Resort Paris, the blog’s author, Jérémie Noyer, offered to provide us with full English translations of all the interviews, bringing the interviews about everything from Candleabration to The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror to a whole new audience.

Imagine the surprise, though, when the latest interview with backstage star Christophe Leclercq is sent over — all about directing Disneyland Park’s newest — and as yet, totally unseen — firework spectacular, The Enchanted Fireworks! From the music to the projections, to those all-important first and final blasts of fireworks, the interview gives a tantalising preview of what is to premiere next weekend.

Image

You can read the interview in full here, but, since this also fits neatly into our News category, we’re also providing a full, concise run-through of everything it divulges right here:

The Theme

‘¢ Love! Love will be the overriding theme of The Enchanted Fireworks. Surprisingly, we won’t be seeing simple movie projections of Giselle, Robert or Prince Edward on Sleeping Beauty Castle. Instead, since Enchanted tells how fairytale love can exist in the real world, the fireworks and projections will depict the stages of Love, set to the music of the film.

The Story & The Projections

‘¢ The fireworks will tell the stages of Love through 6 clear acts, each dealing with an aspect of romance. There will be projections, somewhat like Wishes, but using two TP6 projectors rather than four, since images won’t be overlayed on top of each other.

‘¢ Beauty. From the Overture comes an explosion of white flowers and projections of lace, like Calais lace — fine and delicate. The flowers evolve upwards from the base of the Castle and then all the towers are covered with lace. This section lasts 45 seconds.

‘¢ Seduction. Feathers caress the towers and turrets of the Castle. This section lasts 35 seconds.

‘¢ Charm. The idea of wooing someone leads to a dinner theme — the candles of the 15th Anniversary decorations glow as extra, spinning candles are projected onto the Castle. This section lasts 1 minute.

‘¢ Passion. Suddenly, your heart explodes! A rainbow and a fan of yellow colours opens outwards across the Castle, symmetrical and powerful, combined with the opening-out of giant spotlights behind the Castle.

‘¢ Love. Intertwined hearts, in colours from pink to yellow, going from the top to bottom of the Castle.

‘¢ Happy Ending. The dizzy feeling love gives leads to a spirally galaxy and starfield, before the “bouquet finale” is launched with fireworks exploding in the sky and sparkling outwards like cauliflowers.

‘¢ The show ends with all these words, which describe the show just seen, caressing the Castle from side-to-side.

Fireworks & Effects

‘¢ The lights mentioned will be like those used for the Disney’s Halloween Soirée Fireworks last year, bright spotlights shining up into the sky that can both move and change colour. Following their success at that event, some were bought for permanent use by the park, and will be positioned on the roofs of Fantasyland.

‘¢ A new, world-famous company has been chosen to put Christophe’s ideas for the fireworks into reality, led by artistic director David Proteau. The company not only puts the firework ideas into a workable design, but manufactures the shells and rockets itself.

‘¢ A “fan of fire” going from left-to-right and back at “incredible speed” across the Castle’s horizon will launch the show. The finale will be what is known as a “cauliflower effect”, which first explodes in the sky and is then followed by the actual detonation sound — the “boom!”.

The Music

‘¢ As rumoured earlier, the largest part of the soundtrack will be the ‘Enchanted Suite’ as found on the Enchanted soundtrack album. In addition, Christophe mentions that a more pop-style cue from the ‘Girls Go Shopping’ track will be used as a small finale.

…And Candleabration?

‘¢ Here’s something guests will go nuts for, a real surprise addition: Mickey… and Minnie… standing on the Castle balcony. Yes, you read that correctly! The daily Candleabration ceremony leads directly into The Enchanted Fireworks with the happy couple standing on the first balcony at the front of Sleeping Beauty Castle, either side of the giant ’15’ medallion, to announce the start of the fireworks.

Image

In fact, work has already taken place to prepare their spot. As seen above in the photo by Scrooge on French fan forum Disney Magic Interactive, the two smaller Mickey and Minnie statues have been removed and replaced with a small golden support for the medallion.

Finally, the show had its first test performance on 24th June with another just two days later on 26th, allowing for any minor alterations to be made in between. The Enchanted Fireworks officially premieres this Saturday, 5th July 2008!

Oh Mickey, ce sera magnifique!

— You can find the entire archive of 10 Media Magic Interviews here.

Subscribe to the Magic!

Ad: Disneyland Paris 30th Anniversary Offers and Deals

Tags & Archives

Twitter Updates

Ad: Disneyland Paris 30th Anniversary Offers and Deals