Tomorrowland 1965 Style

Grabbed this image and description from a 1965 Vacationland publication.

Tomorrowland

Here the world of 1980 is brought to life today. The Disneyland-Alweg Monorail System cruises twenty feet above the ground while the Submarine Voyage explores Earth's last frontier: the ocean. Here one also can take a journey to the moon, hop aboard a flying saucer and ride a freeway of the future. 

An interesting prognostication about the future, eh?

Marty called—wants changes!

Walt Disney World Information Guide

I posted an article at Mice Chat a few weeks ago about a 1984 Walt Disney Travel Company package that I ran across. I'm always interested in how Disney promoted themselves before Eisner and this package was a gem.

• 1984 Walt Disney Travel Company Vacation Package (part one)
• Walt Disney World 1984 Vacation Guide (part two)

The cover of the vacation package folder was pretty interesting because it highlighted 14 different aspects of a Walt Disney World vacation.

Right off the bat, the font choice for the cover is a more futuristic and EPCOT Center related.

The first box has three quadrants, all related to the Magic Kingdom.

• Jungle Cruise
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Cinderella's Castle (and flowers)

The second set has three images.

• it's a small world
• Big Thunder mountain Railroad
• Spaceship Earth

The third set has four images and does not have a park icon (of course, there were only two parks at the time).

• Golfing at the Lake Buena Vista Gold Course (is that the LBV Clubhouse in the background?)
• Camping at Fort Wilderness, which also includes eating and bike riding
• River Country. Good ole' River Country...
• The Contemporary Resort

The fourth image includes three photos.

• Journey into Imagination (and the monorail) at EPCOT Center
• The Canada Pavilion
• Frolicking at a beach near the monorail. My guess is that this is near the Polynesian (probably near the Transportation and Ticket Center). Like most every photgraph of water of the beach in the 1970s and 1980s, you will see one of the pontoon sailboats or smaller sailboats.
• Captain Jack's Oyster Bar at the Walt Disney World Village

So, what do you think about how Disney promoted the Vacation Kingdom of the World back in the 1970s and 1980s?

Win Stuff from Communicore Weekly!

There are still a few days left to buy our love and win fabulous prizes!

We're giving away a copy of My Neighbor Totoro, Howl's Moving Castle, Disney Parks and Disneynature Oceans on Blu-ray. That's one copy of each movie with four random winners.

There are two ways that you can enter the contest:

1. Leave us a review of Communicore Weekly on iTunes and then email us to tell us that you left a review (we need your iTunes name and a copy of the review): https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/communicore-weekly/id496333443
2. Send a friend to Like the Communicore Weekly Facebook page. Make sure they tell us that you sent them so both of you can be entered in the drawing.

The important detail is that the contest ENDS at midnight on Thursday, July 4, 2013.

Enter now and enter often!

Disney Book Kickstarter Update

Q. Bryce Randle sent out another Kickstarter update for the book project he's doing with his son about Disneyland.

You can visit the Kickstarter page, here.

We have about 80 hours left and a few dollars to go.

I'd love to hear from our backers on why they decided to back the project. What part of the project makes you most interested in it?

With this last week I hope we can get funded and create the book and eventually the library we envision for making memories at the happiest place on earth.

• 

I backed this project for a few reasons:

• It's a really fun idea for a book project about Disneyland and something that hasn't been attempted before in this fashion.
• I love that he's included his son. Besides being a memory that they both can treasure forever, it's also exposing his son to a creative outlet that most kids don't get.
• It's inspirational for other parents and children. There are some amazing opportunities to do something similar on most any subject.
• It's a Disney book!

I do urge you to head on over and offer some support. Just remember that the project only gets funded if it meets the goal. 

Map of the Marvelous Land of Oz

Jeff and I reviewed Oz the Great and Powerful at Mice Chat for the Disney Review. Head over and let us know what you thought about the Blu-ray release.

Part of the PR material released to reviewers was this map of the Land of Oz. I thought it was pretty cool and wanted to share it with the ImagiNERDing readers. Enjoy!

Disney Book Kickstarter

I was contacted by Q. Bryce Randall about a project that he was working on with his six year-old son. It's a an adventure guide, of sorts, to Disneyland for a father and son. Check out the following video for an overview.



The book will be split up into 12 missions with scavenger hunts and themes designed around a half-day visit.

The Kickstarter goal is $3,500 with an end date of June 24, 2013.

This looks to be a really neat title and I urge you to head over to the Kickstarter page and donate!

Blu-ray Giveaway from Communicore Weekly!

So, we're trying to buy your love and your iTunes reviews over at Communicore Weekly (the Greatest Online Show™).

We're running a contest and giving away one of FOUR Blu-ray discs to four lucky Communicore Cadets.

You can win a copy of:

• My Neighbor Totoro
• Howl's Moving Castle
• Disney Parks, or
• Disneynature Oceans

Leave a review on the show at iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/communicore-weekly/id496333443

Then email communicoreweekly@gmail.com and tell us your iTunes name, the date you posted and the review. Even if you already left a review, you can still email us!

You can also get an entry by referring a friend to the Communicore Weekly Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/communicoreweekly) and having them like us. We also want them to leave a comment on the page telling us that you sent them. We'll even enter them in the contest, too!

Head over to the giveaway page to see all the fine print: http://www.communicoreweekly.com/communicore-blu-ray-giveaway/

Communicore Weekly Television Theme

Jeff and I have another themed episode of Communicore Weekly (the Greatest Online Show™) and we're very excited about the new theme song. It's inspired by the general theme of the show.

Enjoy!



My book of the week is The Wonderful World of Disney Television: A Complete History by Bill Cotter.

So, what do you think about Disney's Hollywood Studios? Half-day park?

My Neighbor Totoro and Howl's Moving Castle

My Neighbor Totoro and Howl's Moving Castle have just been released on Blu-ray.

Both films are fast-favorites at the Imaginerding household. Hands down, My Neighbor Totoro is one of our favorite films of all time and it's one we watch over and over. I was excited for the Blu-ray release of both films for the hi-definition transfer. What I wasn't prepared for was how good My Neighbor Totoro sounded. It was like watching a new film.

This is one of our favorite scenes:



Howl's Moving Castle is pretty spectacular, too!



Have you seen these two films? Are you going to add these Blu-ray to your collection?

Disney Infinity Pirates of the Caribbean Play Set

My youngest is a huge fan of the Skylanders series, mainly for the collectible nature of the figures. Disney Infinity follows a similar path but it looks like there is a larger and more involved gaming feature. Disney has just released images and figures for the Pirates of the Caribbean Play Set.

Is this something you're going to pick up?

Within the Pirates of the Caribbean play set, gamers can take on the role of Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain Barbossa and Davy Jones as they set sail to new lands in search of adventure and gold.  Key highlights include:

·         Combat and Customization: Players will be able to explore new lands while battling via water and land to become the king of the sea. Additionally, players can customize their ship, by choosing everything from the overall décor of the vessel to the cannons on board.  

·         Play Set: The Pirates of the Caribbean play set adds its own specialized game play mechanics and pieces to the Disney Infinity world such as unique weaponry that when activated in Toy Box mode allows players to create all-new combat challenges, build and customize worlds and much more.

·         Toy Box mode: The pirate trio of Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain Barbossa  and Davy Jones are able to interact with all of the previously revealed Disney Infinity characters from The Incredibles, Monsters University and Cars to create new and exciting adventures on the high seas and beyond.

About Disney Infinity

Disney Infinity is an all-new video game initiative starring the beloved characters from Walt Disney and Pixar Studios’ most popular franchises. Players can place real-world toy versions of their favorite Disney characters onto a device called the Infinity Base and transport them into the virtual game worlds of Monsters University, the Incredibles, Cars and Pirates of the Caribbean, as well as into a giant Toy Box.

For additional information on the Disney Infinity Toy Box mode, visit https://infinity.disney.com/toy-box, join the Disney Infinity Facebook Community (Facebook.com/disneyinfinity), and follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/disneyinfinity) and Instagram (instagram.com/disneyinfinity).

Theme Park Books Update

It's been a while since I've posted some of the new books that we've added to my collection. I ran across a lot over the past few weeks that looked into theme parks.

• Hatch: Brainstorming Secrets of a Theme Park Designer by C. McNair Wilson (former Disney Imagineer)

• The Immersive Worlds Handbook: Designing Theme Parks and Consumer Spaces by Scott A Lukas

• Theme Parkby Scott A Lukas

• The Theming of Americaby Mark Gottdiener

• Theme Park Design: Behind The Scenes With An Engineerby Steve Alcorn  (check out my review, here.)

• Walt's Revolution!: By the Numbersby Harrison "Buzz" Price

Have you read any of these books?

Kingdom Keepers Interview

Last year, Jeff and I interviewed Ridley Pearson, author of the Kingdom Keepers series, for Communicore Weekly. With the release of Kingdom Keepers 6 Dark Passage, I thought it would be fun to revisit this great interview.