Seeing as Noe's Disney Infinity review got such a nice reaction on Wednesday, I thought that I'd share some shots that I took while I was down in New York City last week.
Mind you, I missed the official Disney Infinity launch event. Which was held in Times Square on Sunday, August 18th and was when thousands of gamers turned out …
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… to try this new Disney Interactive product on for size as well as catch live performances by Disney Channel favorites.
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
Sadly, I didn't make it down to the City 'til 48 hours after the official launch party had wrapped. But as you wandered around Times Square, there were still plenty of signs that something big had just gone down. Take — for example — how the front of the Toy R Us in Times Square was covered with Disney Infinity characters.
Photo by Jim Hill
But if you wanted to see the truly impressive stuff, you had to go two blocks south to 44th & Seventh Avenue. Where Disney Interactive had wrapped 3/4th of a full-sized city block with a stylistically fractured Disney Infinity billboard.
Photo by Jim Hill
Photo by Jim Hill
Photo by Jim Hill
Photo by Jim Hill
As you might expect, the Times Square Disney Store was also getting in this action.
Photo by Jim Hill
Though I have to admit that I was kind of surprised to see the Disney Store's Disney Infinity display (which was hidden up on the second floor of the Times Square store) …
Photo by Jim Hill
… was kind of on the modest side.
Photo by Jim Hill
On the other hand, I have to admit that I was pleased with the changes that have been made to the Times Square Disney Store since it first opened back in November of 2010. I especially enjoyed how the escalator leading to the store's upstairs retail space is now themed around "Tangled
" …
Photo by Jim Hill
… with the floating lanterns from that film's "I See the Light" sequence now recreated in three dimensions.
Photo by Jim Hill
And I love how they've changed up the displays at the front of the first floor of the Times Square store so that they now hype Disney & Pixar's latest releases. Which — in this case — was "Monsters University."
Photo by Jim Hill
While at the very back at the first floor there were all of these great Disney-themed tributes to the Big Apple. Like these Mickey & Minnie balloons that looked ready to float out the front door and join the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade …
Photo by Jim Hill
… or these great signs back by the cash wrap area which pay tribute to such Disney-centric events as the 1964 – 1965 New York Worlds Fair.
Photo by Jim Hill
And speaking about cool Disney-related stuff in New York … If you're a fan of those "Unofficial Guide Disney Dish" podcasts that I've been doing with Len Testa for the past year or so and/or those "Ask Jim Hill" video blogs that have recently begun popping up at the TouringPlans Blog … Well, Evan Levy and I are knocking around some ideas for a couple of NYC-based events where I'd come down to the City and then share some stories about the big part that the Big Apple played in Walt Disney Company history.
Evan & I will be sharing some details about these still-in-the-works live events in the coming weeks. But — for now — you folks enjoy the long Labor Day Weekend, okay?