I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving Holiday. In this week's article I have news, news, and more news for you. WDW expansion, video and book releases, the Imagineer and the Olympics, and much more! Questions or comments can be sent to me at
MegaDisney@intercotwest.com So, without further delay, on with the show!
The incredibly carved Tree of Life at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
There are a lot of things happening over at WDW. In the Animal Kingdom, it looks like December 1st is the opening date for a whole new area and two new attractions. TriceraTop Spin is a hub-and-spoke attraction with 16 of the dino-vehicles carrying four guests each. Primeval Whirl is a wild mouse coaster. The track is a carbon copy of Mulholland Madness at DCA, but with a twist, literally. The cars spin! These attractions are contained in a whole new area: Chester and Hester's Dino-Rama, a Disney take on a traveling roadside carnival. Also in the works is the Space attraction at Epcot. This state-of-the-art, high-tech attraction is scheduled to open in 2003. A firm opening date has finally been set for WDW's much-delayed new budget resort, where you can check out of the present and into the past! Disney's Pop Century Resort will open to guests on March 8th 2002. This comes as the Disney Institute and Port Orleans Resorts announced that more of their rooms will be shuttered. Florida residents will enjoy annual passes with 465 days of admission, with a 100-day bonus feature being added to boosts sales.
On the home video horizon is the much-anticipated Walt Disney Treasures DVD collection, which premieres on December 4th, just in time for the Holidays. Each is a treasury of fully restored classics in 2-disc sets that include never-before-seen footage and all-new interviews. "Mickey Mouse in Living Color" is the first 26 original Mickey Mouse cartoons. Other complete collections include Davy Crockett and Silly Symphonies, and "Disneyland USA", which is four vintage television specials and footage from opening day at Disneyland. Are you listening, Santa?
Speaking of gifts, there are some new Disney books for the bookworm in your family.
The Little Big Book of Disney is crammed with little-known and odd facts about the company, family, parks, and films we love so much.
Mickey Mouse: The Evolution, the Legend, the Phenomenon! is a detailed History of the growth of the Mouse from a black-and-white rodent to international icon!
It's a Small World Holiday, just one of Steven Davidson's fantastic Disney creations.
Steven Davison needs a vacation! The creative mind behind It's A Small World Holiday, Believe…In Holiday Magic, Haunted Mansion Holiday, and LuminAria has been working non-stop for three years. Besides two Broadway Musicals he is developing, he has also been hired to do the six-minute firework finale for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Steven gives new meaning to the term "Imagineer", and we look forward to more of his delightfully creative work with the Walt Disney Company.
Word has come from ABC that Who Wants to be a Millionaire's future is "uncertain." Due to declining ratings, the show may be cancelled as early as next fall. Which begs the question: Will a theme park attraction based on a cancelled TV show survive? Time will tell.
Sully from Disney's "Monster" hit.
Monsters, Inc. keeps scaring up big numbers. The monster hit made another $33 million over the five-day Thanksgiving holiday, bringing the total box office to date to about $192.3 million. Look for Monsters, Inc. to be up against Shrek for the new Oscar for Best Full Length Animated Feature. Mike and Sulley have also been added to the Stars and Motor Cars Parade at Disney/MGM Studios in Orlando, and Disney announced they will be adding fake outtakes and bloopers to Monsters as early as next week! Looks like I will have to see it for a third time!
Disney stock continues to climb amid the announcement of a dividend of 21 cents a share! The stock seems to be holding around 20-22 dollars a share, after a low of near $15.00 a share.
In DCA news, Disney's Cynthia Harriss confirmed the addition of a Tower of Terror attraction for what looks to be a 2003/4 opening. Construction is well underway for a Bug's Life themed "Toontown" for the park. This will include "Kiddie" rides and a children's play area, which should squelch some of the "there isn't anything for my kids to do" complaints the park has received.
I want to take a moment and give a big "Thank You" out to icegrrl for her invaluable help with copy editing, and helping me with my horrible spelling and grammar! I hope she has a fantastic time at DL in the coming week! Also thanks to Burgirl for the photo and content help, and Courtney for getting this thing posted each week. I hope all the readers are enjoying the information, drop me an e-mail and let me know what you think.
Have a Disney Week!
Bryant "MegaDisney" McVey
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