Geek-End Update, Saturday, May 1, 2010

• Daveland presents an early look at the Storybook Land attraction.
• Michael Crawford at Progress City, USA takes us back to the past again, this time to Tokyo Disneyland! 
• Maxime at Designing Disney looks at the inspiration for some of the iconic buildings at Walt Disney Studios.
• Major Pepperidge from Gorilla's Don't Blog posts some images from the Ford Pavilion of the 1964 World's Fair.
• Ryan at the Main Street Gazette looks back in time to the Wilderness Swamp Trail.
• Samland begins a nine part series on Disney's America.
• Matt at Studios Central wades into the Fantasmic! Dinner Package debate.
• Shawn Slater at Disney Shawn talks about the Partners statues 
• Andy at the Backside of Water posts a great photo of the Kepple family sign.
• Cory at Voyages Extraordinaires presents a detailed look at Davy Crockett and American culture.
• Outside the Berm looks at Lifeboats at the Disneyland Hotel.
• Futureprobe looks at Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress and offers some thoughtful discourse.
  

Update

• The Art of Animation: The Story of the Disney Studio Contribution to a New Art by Bob Thomas (1958)
  I have had this one on my list for a fairly long time. Written in 1958, it was one of the first books to look at modern animation and it offered fantastic insight into the Walt Disney Studios. Just flipping through it offers some amazing images and text.

• Walt Disney World with Kids, 2001
  You might think it strange to collect older travel books, but they are a great source for historical information about shows, restaurants and attractions.

• The Black Hole [DVD]
  I haven't seen this in, oh, 20 years or so. Let's hope it holds up!

Retro Character Meet and Greet

A time before long lines for characters.

No handlers in sight.

Three characters right next to each other!

This photo is from a friend's Walt Disney World trip in 1985. Well before the Disney Decade.

Geek-End Update, Saturday, April 24, 2010

• Foxxfur at PAssport2Dreams presents a snapshot of the Great Southern Craft Company.
• Michael at Progress City, USA takes an in-depth look at the 5th Master Plan for EPCOT Center.
• Robert at Filmic Light shares details about a Marc Davis maquette reproduction.
• Major Pepperidge at Gorilla's Don't Blog posts some photos from Progressland at the World's Fair.
• Ryan at the Main Street Gazette files a report on a non-Disney tribute at Walt Disney World.
• It seems like AJ at the Disney Food Blog loves a good parade as much as a good meal!
• Vintage Disneyland Tickets offers a Progress City Snap Shot. 
• Donnie at I'm a Blogger, Dottie takes us back to 1988 for a look at 20,000 Leagues.

For a special treat this week, make sure to check out my guest appearance, with Jeff pepper, on Episode 100 of Those Darn Cats!We discuss Critical Discourse among the Disney Digerati!

Update!

Windows on Main Street was a surprise gift from Foxxfur at Passport2Dreams. It is a Theme Park Exclusive, but you can find copies on amazon and eBay.

• Windows on Main Street: Discover the Real Stories of the Talented People Featured on the Windows of Main Street, U.S.A.

• Walt Disney, magician of the movies (Pioneer books)

• Creators: From Chaucer to Walt Disney - This was a new title that I had not seen before. Looks very intriguing.

• Walt Disney, An American Original (1980)

• The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2003

• Walt Disney's Words of Wisdom

• Mickey Mouse: The Evolution, The Legend, The Phenomenon

Dream DVD Release!

Questar Entertainment is releasing a 6-DVD set of Disney Theme Parks specials produced my Lightship Entertainment on June 1, 2010.

Information from their press release follows:

The “Disney Parks: The Secrets, Stories and Magic Behind the Scenes” DVD 6-Pack (SRP $49.99, Program Length 5.5 hours) includes:

• Walt Disney World: Behind the Scenes—An exclusive look at the park that made Orlando the nation’s number one vacation destination.
• Disneyland Resort: Behind the Scenes— A journey through the incredible attractions and entertainment experiences at the original Disneyland Resort.
• Ultimate Walt Disney World—A close look at the exciting thrill rides that make Disney parks so exciting.
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom—A tour of Disney’s largest and most ambitious theme park to date!
• Disney Cruise Line—Exclusive access to Disney’s cruise ships and its private island, Castaway Cay.
• Undiscovered Disney Parks—A unique guide to Disney sites “off the beaten path” including properties and locations in Anaheim frequented by Walt Disney himself.

The “Disney Parks: The Secrets, Stories and Magic Behind the Scenes [Blu-ray]” Blu-ray Combo Pack, which gives consumers DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital copies of the program (SRP $34.99, Program Length 2.5 hours) includes:

• Disneyland Resort: Behind the Scenes
• Ultimate Walt Disney World
• Undiscovered Disney Parks

Finally, the “Disney Parks: The Secrets, Stories and Magic Behind the Scenes” Single DVD contains:

• Walt Disney World: Behind the Scenes
• Disneyland Resort: Behind the Scenes

“Disney granted us unprecedented access into their theme parks, resorts, and attractions which has allowed us to present over five hours of programming that reveals incredible information and imagery,” said Andy Perrott, President and Executive Producer of Lightship Entertainment. “Working closely with Disney Parks, we proudly present over five hours of the most definitive collection of insiders information and imagery on Disney's theme parks, resorts, and attractions.”

I have many of these on my DVR and I can't wait to get hold of a hi-definition copy!

Addendum:
I spoke to my contact at Questar and he related the following information to me concerning any new or additional footage from the Travel Channel shows:

The short answer is that ALL the footage from the Travel Channel airing is included, PLUS some extended scenes that were not on the Travel Channel, as well as some special bonus features that have never been seen before, such as “Stitch’s Great Escape” and “What’s New in the Haunted Mansion.”

Geek-End Update, Saturday, April 17, 2010

• Foxxfur at Passport 2 Dreams discusses a very interesting portrait.
• Daveland shares an amazing and one-of-a-kind collectible!
• futureprobe takes a look at Project Gemini.
• Samland posts about Shrunken Ned. 
• Disney Shawn takes us to our Laughing Place.
• Cory at Voyages Extraordinaires offers an essay on Disney's obsession with the gay '90s.
• Robert at A Filmic-Light shares a 1955 scan of the Snow White attraction layout.
• Ryan at Main Street Gazette gives us a tour of the recently re-opened Adventureland Veranda.
• Michael Crawford at Progress City, USA posts a review of Waking Sleeping Beauty, a film that we all must see. He also takes a ROUND-about look at the France pavilion.
• John at Super Punch links to some great Tron-inspired propaganda posters.
• Have some spare time? AJ at the Disney Food Blog has released the Squeakquel for her Disney Food Photo Quiz!
  

Freeze Frame: The Great Mouse Detective

I ran across a few interesting tidbits in the recent release of The Great Mouse Detective (Mystery in the Mist Edition) DVD. One is documented at a few other sites and the other might be nothing more than an interesting coincidence.

When Basil and Dr. Dawson are searching the Toy Shop, Olivia turns the corner to chase a bubble. The bubbles emanate from a Dumbo bubble blower with a rotating head. Notice the circus drum that Dumbo is sitting on and the circus-like tent with the large D.

During the final chase scene, Ratigan boards his dirigible to make his escape. When I first saw the airship, I immediately thought of theAirship Hyperion from the 1974 film, The Island at the Top of the World. It might be just a coincidence, though!

Cory at Voyages Extraordinaires looks at Discovery Bay and its connection to 1970s Disneyland.

The Game's Afoot!

The Great Mouse Detective (Mystery in the Mist Edition)

Walt Disney Studios has released the Mystery in the Mist Edition of their 1986 theatrical film, The Great Mouse Detective. If you do not already own a copy of the film on DVD, this is a great opportunity to add it to your collection.This is the fourth release of the film (laserdisc, videocassette and DVD) and Disney has added a featurette about Sleuthing. Included is The Making of the Great Mouse Detective, that was included on the previous DVD release. The documentary does not age very well, but it is an interesting look at the characters behind the voices. Plus, you do get to see two of the animators with awesome 1980s hair!

The Great Mouse Detective is lauded for several reasons. They claim on the Making of documentary, that it is the first animated feature to use computer when The Black Cauldron actually is (is this another attempt to hide The Black Cauldron?). The technique that was used involved the backgrounds being layed out on the computer. The backgrounds were printed and then colored. Still pretty labor-intensive! It is also a feature that was worked on by the team of Ron Clements and John Musker; you know, they did The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and The Princess and The Frog!

Overall, this is a very cute film that clearly shows the direction that Disney Animation was heading before the second golden age of animation. Ratigan, voiced by Vincent Price, is the villain that you love to hate; he is perfectly evil and charming nonetheless. The Great Mouse Detective is a very charming and light-hearted film. It is not Disney's Masterpice, but it is a film that can be enjoyed by the whole family. It might be one to inspire some sleuthing of your own!

Geek-End Update, Saturday, April 10, 2010

• Shawn Slater at DisneyShawn looks at some of the wildest details in the wilderness!
• Michael at Progress City has finally returned from vacation: he shares one of my favorite planning videos and a  1978 dessert delicacy, 
• Cory at Voyages Extraordinaires posts about the Mark Twain Riverboat.
•  Greg at the Disney Obsession shares one of his neater collectibles.
• Zannaland interviews our favorite Disney foodie AJ!
•  Jack Spencer takes us on a historical look at Horizons: Part One, Part Two

Don't forget our first North Carolina Disney meet!

Everyone is welcome and we will have some fantastic giveaways from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (FREE DVDs)!

http://www.2719hyperion.com/p/sweatbox-was-used-as-both-noun-and-verb.html

Are You Buddy?

Are you Buddy?

Sort of like asking if you are D23.

The answers will be revealed this Saturday, and we hope you will be both informed and entertained by our presentation.

In addition, we will be welcoming our very first Sweatbox special guests, Michael Crawford and Jeff Crawford, best known as the authors of Progress City, U.S.A. and the podcasters behind the recently launched and already popular Progress City Radio Hour.

The Sweatbox will be held this Saturday, April 10th at 6:00PM at the Archdale Public Library in Archdale, North Carolina.

For more information and directions, check our special Sweatbox page.  We hope to see you there!

Geek-End Update, Saturday, April 03, 2010

• DisneyShawn leads us of with a detailed look at Westward Ho Refreshments.
• FutureProbe spies some older EPCOT Center details. 
• Chris Jepsen at the OC History Blog starts a new series called Disneyland Before & After. 
• Donnie at I'm a Blogger, Dottie takes a look at a very important street address.
• Cory at Voyages Extraordinaires has three excellent posts this week: The Mechanical Kingdom,  Tokyo DisneySea's Mysterious Island Concept Art and Discovery Bay.

Foxxfur (at Passport 2 Dreams and 2719 Hyperion) has posted an incredibly detailed and in-depth look at the Lake Buena Vista resort area as part of her Buena Vista Obscura series at 2719 Hyperion. You will not find a better researched history of the LBV area anywhere. Spend some time and devour her posts.

• Lake Buena Vista: Part One  
• Lake Buena Vista: Part Two  
• Lake Buena Vista: Part Three   
• Lake Buena Vista: Part Four