Let’s see. Disneyland has mountain climbers that regularly clamber up the sides of its 147-foot-tall version of the Matterhorn. So you don’t suppose that DAK’s Expedition Everest will also have its own set of alpine adventurers that will scale the slopes of this 200-foot-tall attraction?
Well, based on the domain names that the Walt Disney Company registered earlier this week …
EVERESTCLIMBERGUY.COM
MOUNTAINCLIMBERGUY.COM
I’d say that we can expect to see specially trained WDW cast members daily making the trek to the top of Forbidden Mountain once Animal Kingdom’s new thrill ride officially opens to the public in April of next year. In fact, if the stories that I’ve been hearing about this proposed Expedition Everest promotional website prove to be true … Well, early next year, we might actually be able to view a first person video on-line which shows what it’s actually like to climb up the side of WDW’s newest “mountain.”
Meanwhile, over at Disney-MGM Studios … While there won’t be any new thrill rides opening at this theme park in 2006, it looks like the new year may bring a brand-new character dining experience to the studios. One that’s built around the characters from Pixar’s “Toy Story” movies.
How do I know this? Because the Walt Disney World Resort is currently ” … seeking actors to portray the role of Sarge from ‘Toy Story’ for an exciting, new character dining experience at the Disney-MGM Studios.” Sooo … If you’re good at barking orders and/or think you look good in green face paint, you might want to consider attending this audition. Which will be held January 10th at the Maingate Office Complex in Kissimmee, FL.
Speaking of Disney-MGM … Probably one of the saddest sights in this entire theme park is the old Disney Feature Animation building. Which has basically been standing vacant (except for a few artists from the Disney Design Group) since the last of the animators cleared out back in 2004.
Well, I’ve just learned that a large number of WDW employees will be moving into the old Feature Animation building next year. But they won’t be artists. At least not in the traditional sense, anyway.
No, the new occupants of the WDFA building will be members of Disney World’s payroll department. As part of the resort’s on-going efforts to streamline and consolidate its behind-the-scenes processes, cast members who used to call the Magic Kingdom home will now be moving over to MGM. Where four payroll reps will then be crammed into rooms that used to be occupied by a single animator.
That (to me) sums up perfectly what’s wrong with the Walt Disney Company today. Animators (I.E. Artists & technicians who know how to tell stories that actually move people) are being replaced by accountants (I.E. People who only know how to move money around).
Still, it’s not only bad news that’s coming out of MGM these days. Every now and then, there are a few rays of hope. Take — for example — what I’ve heard about Jim Henson’s daughter, Heather. Evidently, the youngest Henson has been working with the Imagineers on a fun new retail venue for the “Muppets Studios” area at the studio theme park. A shop that’s patterned after the “Build-a-Bear” stores where WDW guests can (by mixing eyes, ears, noses & hair) make their own Muppet.
Speaking of this section of Disney-MGM: Disneyana fans have long lamented the fact that — though the expansion pad for this proposed attraction was cleared & prepped back in the early 1990s — the Imagineers never actually went forward with construction of “The Great Muppet Movie Ride.” Opting instead to use this area for that outdoor stage where “The Spirit of Pocahontas” and “The Hunchback of Notre Dame: A Musical Adventure” shows were presented. At least until this venue closed down for good in September of 2002, that is.
Well, what with Disneyland visitors getting the chance this week to take part in the soft opening of DCA’s new “Mike & Sulley to the Rescue” attraction, I thought it might please WDW fans to hear that the “Monsters, Inc.” gang may soon be calling this corner of the “Muppets Studio” area home too. According to what I’ve been told, a number of folks at WDI would like to use this old MGM expansion pad as a possible location for the studio’s next indoor roller coaster. One that would be themed around the door-hangar sequence from that 2001 Pixar Animation Studios release.
Please understand, though, that this proposed “Monsters, Inc.” -themed indoor roller coaster is NOT a “go” project at this moment. It’s just something that the Imagineers are toying with adding to the studio theme park during the latter part of this decade. As to the immediate future of the Walt Disney World Resort … I’ve heard that — after “Expedition Everest” opens in April — there’s going to be a hold placed on the construction on any new rides, shows and attractions for WDW. Until Walt Disney Company officials determine what the real needs of the Central Florida resort are (I.E. Which theme park should be the top priority, etc. ).
Mind you, there are supposedly a couple of very-high-profile rehabs currently in the works for WDW’s Magic Kingdom. Space Mountain is reportedly slated for a pretty significant facelift and “Pirates of the Caribbean” will be getting its trio of Capt. Jack Sparrows. But beyond that … I guess the only bit of good news is that — given that Disney just spent $75,000 on new faces for the AA figures featured in the “Carousel of Progress” — that this Tomorrowland favorite is safe for another year.
Okay. That’s enough scuttlebutt about what’s in the works for Walt Disney World. Your thoughts?