Progress City, U.S.A.

Magic Kingdom

We’ve mentioned already several of the rumors regarding the next few years as Disney ramps up for the Magic Kingdom’s 40th anniversary in 2011. If planning continues along current lines, and management steps up with sufficient funding, the park will finally receive a series of refurbishments that will begin to restore it to its long-lost lustre.

First on our slate are the projects that have been confirmed by Disney - refurbishments of the Country Bear Jamboree and the Hall of Presidents. The Jamboree will go dark this fall for a month in order to upgrade the animatronics and give the entire show a well-deserved technical polish. The Hall of Presidents closure, which also begins this fall, will extend well into next year and result in more sweeping changes. While still unconfirmed by Disney, multiple online and personal sources agree that the rehab will not only result in the addition of a new animatronic Commander-in-Chief but also the installation of an entirely new show. The new show won’t feature a speaking role for the current president, but might possibly add a speech from another prominent founding father.

The next tier of projects are those that I feel will definitely appear in the parks barring any disastrous economic situation or major shift in management. These attractions have been confirmed by multiple sources and are generally agreed to be “in the pipeline.” While we know that even solid plans can change, I would wager that we eventually see these projects come to light.

The first of the projects pending announcement is a rehab of the Carousel of Progress. Much like the looming upgrades to the two previously mentioned shows, this rehab would bring new animatronics to the venerable Carousel theatre as well as providing a much-needed modernization of the final scene (no more laserdiscs for you, Grandpa!).

Next door to the Carousel, an extended and long-in-the-making refurbishment will be coming to Space Mountain. After a series of structural issues several years ago, Disneyland’s version of Space Mountain underwent a complete track rebuild. The new track, while retaining the original ride’s layout, provided a much smoother and safer ride experience while allowing the addition of new cars with ride-synced musical tracks. It’s long been known that WDI was working to bring these same changes to Florida, but lethargic and tight-fisted Magic Kingdom management have stymied the plans so far. Still, it appears that the rehab will actually happen next year, with a closing date of January 9, 2009, being bandied about by informed sources. Work has already begun in part - Martin Smith has posted pictures showing that marks have been spray-painted onto the track to tell demolition crews where to cut. The scope and length of the rehab still depend on management, who would rather have a short rehab period than a suitable refurbishment, and we might wind up with only rebuilt lift hills instead of an entirely restored attraction.

Across the park in Adventureland, look for The Enchanted Tiki Room - Under New Management to go the way of the dodo. As we’ve mentioned, it’s extremely likely that a new show will be installed here featuring Lilo and Stitch. Some of the concerns I had voiced here were in part answered by a post by Adam Roth on WDWMagic.

“Our version would be far more connected to our previous versions with songs from the original (and jokes at the expense of Iago and Zazu) as well as some Elvis added in there. The show would be a little longer, with a little less telling of what is happening and more singing. And yes, the Tiki Tiki Tiki Room song will start the show off as always.”

The final attraction that seems a lock for the Magic Kingdom is a new Fantasyland dark ride based on The Little Mermaid. The ride, originally intended for EuroDisney and then slated for the Magic Kingdom in the 1990’s, has been redesigned from the ground up for installation at California Adventure by 2011. Knowing Disney parks chief Jay Rasulo’s love of cloning attractions, fans quickly began to suspect that the new E-ticket would be bound for Florida’s Magic Kingdom as well. The story has gained credibility, and major rumor sites agree that The Little Mermaid is on its way to Orlando for the resort’s 40th anniversary.

Rendering of California Adventure’s planned Little Mermaid attraction

The last tier of rumors are those for which there is very little evidence. Of these, the most definite but also most nebulous concerns an upcoming rehab of Tomorrowland. Designed to right the wrongs of 1994’s unfinished remodel, the overhaul of Tomorrowland would bring the entire land under a unifying theme that would not end at Rockettower Plaza. We’ve mentioned rehabs for Space Mountain and the Carousel of Progress, but also look for something new to replace Stitch’s Great Escape when its namesake heads for Adventureland. I haven’t managed to find out what will happen to Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor, but it is my fervent and completely baseless hope that it would at the very least be moved to Hollywood Studios if not shuttered entirely. The new theme of the land remains unknown, but I sincerely hope that many messageboard mavens are incorrect in their assumption it will be based around Pixar’s WALL-E. I loved the film, but think that it has obvious and distinct incongruities with the supposed mission of Tomorrowland. Unlike many, I don’t have a problem with a somewhat fantastical look at the future, but WALL-E is no more suitable a model for Tomorrowland than Mad Max or Planet of the Apes.

Last on our list of possibilities for the Kingdom is a rehab of Fantasyland to bring it more in line with its more visually appealing Anaheim cousin. To accompany the Little Mermaid dark ride, Honor at Blue Sky Disney has suggested that plans are afoot for a rollercoaster-based attraction themed to the mine cars from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. He also predicts a new attraction based on Beauty and the Beast, although he doesn’t say if this will resemble the BATB show originally designed for EuroDisney.

EPCOT Center

Following a series of additions and changes, Disney has yet to confirm any upcoming attractions for EPCOT. One project, though, is continuing under the radar and without official mention. When Spaceship Earth re-opened late last year it was greeted with a wave of criticism for its lackluster touch-screen finale. The spectacular upgrades to the ride’s first half were often forgotten amongst complaints about the somewhat simplistic narration and anticlimactic descent. Disney and ride sponsor Siemens are well aware of the criticisms and the ride has undergone constant tweaking ever since. Without time to install a new finale before the ride was forced to open for 2007’s holiday season, Imagineering crews have been working third shift to slowly prepare the descent area for new and more engrossing show scenes that will finally give the attraction the finale it deserves.

EPCOT thankfully has several attractions that, although unannounced, seem certain to get the greenlight. The most obvious of these is a new film for Soarin’, which has been rumored since well before the attraction even debuted in Florida. LaughingPlace recently confirmed that the process of obtaining permits for the filming had begun.

Last year’s rumors about something being planned for the Japanese Showcase have burbled up again, emerging in some discussion on WDWMagic. While the old Mt. Fuji concept is definitely out, something has taken its place and it has to do with bullet trains. Old EPCOT fans might recall a concept from the mid-1970’s for the Japan pavilion which included a simulated trip aboard a bullet train, during which the train cars would be surrounded by a CircleVision travelogue of Japan. While this original concept is obviously far from what WDI is currently planning, I have strong reason to believe the new attraction at least has roots in this old design.

Concept for Japan pavilion bullet train attraction, circa 1974

The most anticipated of the upcoming EPCOT attractions is the fourth - and hopefully final - refurbishment of Journey into Imagination. Still trying to atone for the disaster of 1999’s Journey into YOUR Imagination, Imagineers have been putting together an elaborate plan to restore the pavilion to glory. While rumors of this restoration have been around for several years, it seems that we might finally see some movement on the project. As Martin Smith explained on WDWMagic, the process has been long for a reason:

Imag needs a rehab. Budget is a joke. WDI hold back. Imag still needs a rehab. Budget is a joke. Seas needs a rehab too. Seas budget is a joke. Seas borrows Imags refurb budget to supplement its own. Seas needs it. Seas is a success. Dark ride is a winner. Imag sees Seas (!) is a winner. Budget grows for Imag. WDI plus plans on the back of Seas and Mexico dark rides. WDI & Kodak know they need to get Imag v4 right. Imag budget grows some more. Ideas are moved around to make Imag ride v4 the best possible. Things finally fall into place.

While the final scope of the restoration has yet to be decided, it appears that the current designs range at least from “good” to “great” - Disney is putting some effort into this rehab and hopefully the Imagination pavilion will once more be a prime destination in Future World.

Easy pal - help is on the way

Beyond this, the future of EPCOT resides in the realm of speculation. It’s widely recognized that a replacement for Honey, I Shrunk the Audience is needed but plans for that are tied in with the mysteries surrounding the future of the Imagination pavilion as a whole. The former Wonders of Life pavilion has been gutted of its attractions, save for the Body Wars simulators that are still used for spare parts and - allegedly - as a testbed for Star Tours 2 testing. Yet this large, empty space is begging to be filled - it just remains to be seen what WDI will come up with to use it.

Hollywood Studios

The most sweeping changes over the next few years will likely come to this park as the Imagineers try to give it a coherent theme and look, while fleshing out its roster of attractions. As of now the only confirmed project for the Studios is the American Idol Experience which will open next year. Jim Hill recently reported that the opening date of the attraction had been pushed back into the Spring from its scheduled January debut.

Concept for the upcoming American Idol Experience

For those unenthused about American Idol, there is a roster of attractions that will follow on its heels. A prominent axis of expansion will be Pixar Place, which will first see a new rollercoaster based on Monsters, Inc. Reported widely, including at Blue Sky Disney and Jim Hill Media, the attraction will occupy a replica of the Monsters, Inc. headquarters located in its own “mini-land” of Monstropolis. This addition to the end of Pixar Place might possibly include another, smaller attraction. The Honey, I Shrunk the Kids playground adjacent to Pixar Place will be rethemed to a bug’s life. The Pixar Place expansions will result in the eventual closing of the Studio Tram Tour (by 2010, says Blue Sky Disney), and eventually Pixar Place will extend across the backlot all the way to World Drive. This expansion, whether a replica of California Adventure’s Carsland (please, no) or another idea entirely, will necessitate the demolition of Catastrophe Canyon.

The other most likely new candidate for Hollywood Studios is Star Tours 2 which, having been hinted at for at least a decade, now seems to be actually gathering real momentum.

There are other, vaguer possibilities for the Studios as well. The eventual scope of Pixar Place’s expansion is unknown, and there still exist real possibilities for another Indiana Jones-themed attraction near the Stunt Show and Star Tours. In addition, Blue Sky Disney has mentioned an upcoming update of the Great Movie Ride and, intriguingly, the possibility of a new E-Ticket “based on a very big film to combat Universal’s opening of Harry Potter.”

Animal Kingdom

Of the four parks, Animal Kingdom is the greatest cipher despite needing the most new attractions. Nothing has been announced concerning future additions, yet only recently did they close the Pocahontas animal show in Camp Minnie-Mickey. Still, it’s known that the park needs greater capacity and there’s still a great deal of unrealized potential in its concept.

Will Mount Prometheus rise at Animal Kingdom?

The most definite idea for Animal Kingdom alluded to recently by those in the know is an expansion based on stories and themes from the works of Jules Verne. This would occupy the niche of “fantastic creatures” once intended for the Beastly Kingdom expansion. Sources are vague, and I would suppose WDI’s plans are very fluid, but common hints allude to two attractions from Tokyo DisneySea’s Mysterious Island area - Journey to the Center of the Earth and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. While it would certainly be a kick to see Mount Prometheus rising from the Florida swamps, part of me would seriously lament the final death-blow to the Beastly Kingdom concept. It’s well known that a great deal of that land’s aesthetic was copied by former Imagineers for Islands of Adventure’s Lost Continent area, but as that segment of the Universal park is now being re-themed to the tales of Harry Potter it would be a great time to see the Dragon’s Tower rise as intended at Animal Kingdom.

Rendering for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea at Tokyo DisneySea

The only other credible rumor for Animal Kingdom involves the moving of the Festival of the Lion King show from Camp Minnie-Mickey to Africa, as necessitated by the transformation of Camp Minnie-Mickey to a new themed area.

The Fifth Gate

This is where things get dicey. We’ve talked before about what was then rumored to be called “Disney’s Night Kingdom”, a premium-priced adventure experience. I still tend to think this will be more of a premium-priced add-on to Animal Kingdom rather than an official “fifth gate”, but it’s clear the concept persists.

Since the original story dropped, it appears that the concept has been significantly scaled down. Currently called either “Disney’s Animal Trek” (according to Blue Sky Disney) or “Disney’s Jungle Trek” (according to Jim Hill Media), the experience will now operate during the day and will offer less exclusive amenities while retaining the exclusive price tag. I’ve no idea what’s really up with this project, but it’s clear there’s some “there” there, regardless of its eventual scope.

Next stop, Anaheim…

That ol’ Rumor Mill is a funny thing. Long, long droughts can occur and it seems like nothing new will ever come over the transom. Then, all of a sudden, there’s a flash flood of new speculation to sift through. Such is the case now, as the rumors concerning Walt Disney World’s impending 40th anniversary celebration have reached the boiling point. There are a whole slew of possibilities being discussed at this point, but precious few details of any of the planned changes.

What is intriguing about this celebration is the fact that, unlike recent anniversaries or resort-wide marketing events, the focus is not entirely on new park additions but also includes several legacy attractions. This is similar to Disneyland’s 50th anniversary, which focused a great deal on the restoration and revitalization of several classic Disney attractions that had fallen into disrepair under the shameful mismanagement of Paul Pressler. It seems at this point that the Magic Kingdom will receive a bit of much-needed TLC to revive it from its own current state of decay; the not-so-benign neglect of current management has left Florida’s park a poor shadow of the refurbished Anaheim original.

Thankfully, we’ve already seen some improvements come to the Magic Kingdom. The Pirates of the Caribbean rehab which added Jack Sparrow actually improved the attraction, something which couldn’t be said for the Disneyland iteration. Last year the Haunted Mansion received a massive overhaul which not only fixed its rickety audio system but actually plussed the attraction beyond all expectation. We’ve also reported on the Country Bear Jamboree, which goes down for a critically needed rehab this fall. After that, though, things start to get speculative.

One thing we do know is that the Hall of Presidents will be closing on the first of November for an incredibly long rehab. Disney’s public refurbishment calendar is only available up to February, but reputable message board sources report that the rehab will actually extend until early next July. With the presidential election looming in November of 2008, it was expected that the attraction would eventually go dark in order to mercifully remove the animatronic of the current child-king from his speaking role and to add the animatronic of our new commander-in-chief. What is unexpected is the apparent length of the upcoming rehab and the scope of the changes it indicates.

Ulytheth Eth. Grant

There has been a lot of speculation recently that the new president, no matter who wins, would not receive a speaking role like the current inhabitant or Bill Clinton before him. This would reduce the risk of polarization in the current political climate, as well as avoiding uncomfortable undertones due to things like marital infidelities or being a war criminal with a 20% approval rating. The predominant rumor is that the focus of the show will return to Abraham Lincoln himself, and while no one yet knows what the tone of this new presentation will be, one hopes that it will resemble the scope of the original 1971 show rather than the slavery-centric storyline that was tacked on in 1993 to appease historians critical of Disney’s efforts to build a theme park in Virginia. I could elaborate on what else needs to be done to restore this impressive attraction to its original status, but thankfully Foxx at Passport to Dreams has already done it for me. Hopefully we’ll find out more about this long and hopefully significant rehab soon.

This brings us to the final attraction currently rumored to be destined for rehab - the Enchanted Tiki Room. Unlike the two previously mentioned show upgrades, this refurbishment currently resides only in the realm of rumor and hearsay. Yet multiple sources continue to say that, at some point before 2011, something will happen to the Tiki Room. This stands to reason; after all, aside from Journey into YOUR Imagination, The Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management! has to be the most reviled attraction overhaul in Walt Disney World history. Disney fans have bemoaned the attraction since it opened in 1998, and mostly tend to stay away these days. Meanwhile, in California, the original Tropical Serenade show was fully restored for Disneyland’s 50th anniversary and plays daily to happy and entertained guests. So what’s to happen in Orlando after Iago and Zazu get the boot?

LOUD = FUNNY

Here opinions differ; so far there seem to be two versions of the story. The first says that for Walt Disney World’s 40th anniversary the show will be returned to its original program for a short time while preparations are made for the installation of an entirely new show. The other version omits this return of the Tropical Serenade and says that WDI will just skip to the new attraction. Both versions agree on what this new show will be - after all, it’s already playing in Tokyo.

Earlier this year WDI debuted the third show to play in Japan’s Tiki Room, The Enchanted Tiki Room: Stitch Presents “Aloha e Komo Mai”. The new show, which is completely different from the original, adds Stitch to the mix and incorporates music from his film Lilo and Stitch. Rather than have me tell you about it, take a look below:

As a fan of the original Tiki Room, I have several thoughts about this. First, it’s not all that bad. It’s definitely a darn sight better than the current Under New Management show. The addition of Stitch makes far more sense thematically than Zazu and Iago, and the music from the film is a nice match as well. Hopefully the English script would be punched up a bit; in the version above there’s a bit too much “saying what’s happening” going on. The dialogue is a tad redundant as well, and needs a bit of that original Tiki Room charm. I’d also dial down the confusion and loudness factor, and let things play out a little bit more. The current version of the show is way too in-your-face; after all, isn’t the tiki lifestyle all about relaxation? Most importantly, though, is the cardinal importance of returning the original theme song. People going to the Tiki Room expect to hear The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room and should be able to get it without Gilbert Gottfried screaming or Stitch blowing an airhorn. Throw in the Hawaiian War Chant from the original show as well, and I’ll be a happy camper.

Note to management: Build time machine ASAP!

Again, this is all hearsay at the moment but hopefully some change is on the way to Adventureland. Sources say that the addition of the Stitch show depends on its success in Tokyo, but that seems assured. Less certain is the supply of money or willpower from management, but we can always hope. Hopefully the Tiki Gods will smile on us and come 2011 the birds will sing words and the flowers will croon once more.

The recent flurry of discussion about future expansion of the new Pixar Place at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has borne some fruit. Message threads on prominent discussion boards have resulted in some very reliable sources confirming that WDI is, in fact, working on a new indoor coaster attraction themed to Monsters, Inc. Work seems to have progressed beyond the mere “Blue Sky” phase, with some saying that Disney has already started to contact contractors.

The above image, produced by Disney documentarian extraordinaire Martin Smith, shows the expansion area available to WDI for Pixar Place’s Phase 2. At the top of the image, in white, is the track layout for the recently opened Toy Story Mania! The area outlined in yellow is the current Pixar Place, and the area outlined in red is the former Soundstage One building which has been earmarked for the new attraction. To the left of the buildings is a backstage area which contains, among other things, the wardrobe department. The purple outline shows how far Soundstage One can be expanded without impacting the function of these buildings, while the blue outline shows a possible ride footprint which would affect the backstage areas. More accessible backstage areas are outlined in cyan, and this is where it is rumored that the attraction’s queue area would be set up.

This image, also from Martin Smith, compares the footprint of Disney Studios Paris’s Crush’s Coaster to that of Hollywood Studios’ Soundstage One. The Paris coaster is often mentioned as an example of what Orlando’s new attraction will resemble. While the plot size of the two attractions are roughly similar, Smith says that the Crush’s Coaster building is far taller that the available building in Florida.

In any case, it seems that help is on the way for the beleaguered Hollywood Studios. With the confirmation that this coaster will arrive around 2011 and the increasingly solid rumors of the Little Mermaid attraction for the Magic Kingdom, we now have two of the four speculated E-ticket attractions for the resort’s 40th anniversary. More nebulous rumors say that EPCOT Center might at last receive a worthy restoration of Journey Into Imagination by that time, and it’s anyone’s guess as to what’s coming to Animal Kingdom. At the very least, it seems that we east-coasters are finally feeling the love from Unca John.

UPDATE: Mention of the coaster seems to have crept into the somewhat-official media. The MTV Movies blog spoke to Monsters, Inc. director Pete Docter and asked him about the possibility of a sequel to that film. While Docter mentions that they’ve “thought about it” and have “got a couple of ideas”, he won’t confirm or deny any rumors. The article goes on to state that “in the moment, those ideas are being filtered into a “Monsters, Inc” roller-coaster at the Walt Disney Resorts, which should open in a couple of years.” Now I don’t know what MTV’s source on this was, but it seems like a pretty definitive statement on the issue. I’d say this project is a go.

The new gateway to Pixar Place. Photo nabbed from EpcotServo.

These are odd times for Disney theme park fans. After a decade of escalating affronts to the legacy of quality and good taste they had long taken for granted, relief came in the form of new CEO Bob Iger and the John Lasseter-led Pixar braintrust. While some would see Lasseter as the White Knight by whose hands all positive change would be affected, his efforts will hopefully result instead in a wide variety of Imagineers who could be equally trusted with large-scale, E-ticket projects. As the most highly-placed creative staffer in the company, Lasseter has the ear of individuals that the average Imagineer or animator could only dream of calling for a lunch meeting. After so many years in the wilderness, Disney fans thought that they finally had an advocate at the highest levels of the corporate ladder.

The problem, however, with surviving the reign of a tyrant is that any small kindness is viewed as loving and magnanimous. Things in the parks were so bad for so long, that just getting a fresh coat of paint on anything seemed like the theming achievement of the century. After having been so grateful to see the bleeding staunched, it would seem ungrateful to criticize the new wave of attractions emerging from WDI.

For many of us, though, the last decade of Eisner’s rule left us uneasy and suspicious of change. After decades of gladly giving WDI the benefit of the doubt, trusting fans would now be burned time and time again with each new attraction. The first few years of the new leadership have indeed been far from critic-proof; concerns about the “toonification” of areas formerly themed to exciting “real-world” adventures have combined with worries over the fairly obvious Pixar-centric drift of new development.

It’s not that Pixar has no place in the parks; as the most uniformly popular output of Walt Disney Pictures in the last decade they’re obviously meant for inclusion. While fans might hope that WDI would some day give heed to the huge back-catalog of Disney films and shows without attractions - or even build some completely new attractions without licensing tie-ins, it’s fairly reasonable to expect that the average Disney guest would look to find Buzz, Remy and WALL-E on their Disney vacations.

So while neither unexpected nor unwarranted, the arrival of Pixar in the parks has been a bit overwhelming, and at times redundant and out-of-place. From a Walt Disney World standpoint, it’s definitely been noticeable. In recent years we’ve had Finding Nemo attractions open in two separate parks - one of which placed a cute and pleasant Nemo dark ride into a location that unfortunately stripped EPCOT’s Seas pavilion of its informative nature and overshadowed the real-life thrill of undersea exploration. Tomorrowland now plays host to a Monsters, Inc. attraction which, aside from being absolutely tragic, is woefully out of place thematically (Tokyo Disneyland will soon be getting an out-of-place Monsters, Inc. attraction in their Tomorrowland, but that is at least guaranteed to be a budget-busting E-ticket affair). Last but not least, Walt Disney World is now home to two attractions themed to Toy Story that differ in technological complexity but feature the exact same game mechanic.

This is not to say that the new management has failed, but rather underlines that work remains to be done. While both WDI and Feature Animation are home to an array of great talent, there still needs to be a “scouring of the Shire” at the upper levels of management to clear out those who forced through so many embarrassments in the past. Prime amongst these offenders is Disney Parks head Jay Rasulo, whose disastrous global branding initiative is designed to make Disney’s parks as unique from each other as five slices of stale white bread. It was Rasulo’s visionary leadership that led to the cloning of Toy Story Mania - an attraction designed for Anaheim’s California Adventure - to Florida’s Hollywood Studios. While this fine attraction was a much needed and well-themed addition to the California park, it is completely out of place in Florida’s Studios park.

Pixar Place, home of Toy Story Mania! Photo from WDWMagic.com.

This brings us, at last, to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and the new Pixar Place. The recently opened area, formerly known as Mickey Avenue, has been completely and elaborately rethemed to resemble Pixar’s Emeryville studios. While the area is ostensibly intended to house a variety of Pixar’s creations, at the moment its only inhabitant is the new Toy Story Mania. With the former Disney-MGM Studios rumored to be the site of several new attractions and re-themings over the next decade, it’s certain that Pixar Place will see a great deal of welcome new development. But what’s on the way?

The site in question, circa 1989. At this point, Mickey Avenue was off-limits to guests as it was still part of the working Backlot. Guests were only allowed in this area via the Backlot Tour, which then departed from the current Magic of Disney Animation queue.

One persistent rumor over the last year is that Pixar Place will be the site of a new roller coaster, which would be the park’s marketable new attraction for Walt Disney World’s big 40th anniversary celebration in 2011. This speculation derives from last year’s Pixar-based “Toon Studios” expansion at Disney Studios Paris, which contained Crush’s Coaster, an indoor spinning coaster based on Finding Nemo. While many expected the attraction to be cloned in Florida’s Pixar Place, other rumors held that the coaster would instead be based on 2007’s Ratatouille. The latest speculation stems from a recent Jim Hill article, which claims that the new coaster will be themed to Monsters, Inc.

The pre-millennial Mickey Avenue. The area was by now open to the public, as production had ceased in most of the facilities and the space was now used to preview upcoming Disney films. The entrance to the now-shortened Backlot Tour was now housed at the end of Mickey Avenue.

Since its release in 2001, Disney fans have anticipated the creation of a Monster’s, Inc. coaster themed to the film’s Door Hangar sequence. Hill claims that just such an attraction is being designed for installation into the former Soundstage One building on Pixar Place. The building would be rethemed to resemble the Monsters, Inc. facility from the film, with the conceit that guests are attending an open house to see how the titular monsters collect laughter to fuel Monstropolis. As they careen through the building in their coaster vehicles, guests’ screams and laughter will be collected in canisters which will fill to explosive levels.

A behatted Disney-MGM Studios. Mickey Avenue gained the Walt Disney tribute One Man’s Dream (yay) as well as Who Wants To Be A Millionaire - Play It! (boo) in 2001.

How plausible is this rumor? While the pricey and well-themed attraction would no doubt be a hit, there’s been no hint of it from Disney. Or has there?

This won’t be the end of the additions to Pixar Place. Hill continues to say that the former Honey, I Shrunk the Kids playground will be rethemed to Pixar’s a bug’s life, and floats the possibility of Lights, Motors, Action receiving its own Pixar overlay when Cars 2 debuts in 2012. He also mentions the rumor, reported elsewhere, that a great deal of the remaining backlot area will be leveled to make way for a clone of the Carsland area that’s coming to California Adventure. This depends, of course, on how popular that new attraction proves to be when it opens around 2012. Hopefully, though, Disney’s cloning trend will by then be wholly purged from the company and we Florida-goers will have unique new E-tickets to call our own.

Pixar Place today. If rumors hold true, this area will expand to the left and top of the map in upcoming years.

Maybe, just maybe, Disney’s Hollywood Studios will get something new and unique that suits and enhances the park’s own themes. It would just go to show you, anything can happen in the movies…

Greetings, Programs!

My TRON poster has an added bonus at the bottom: “The 21st Century begins October 1st, 1982 at EPCOT Center in Florida”

The film, Disney and nerd blogospheres collided recently with a widely publicized story that Disney is planning to release its long-gestating sequel to the film TRON in 2011. Furthermore, and perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s to be produced in 3D.

For the uninitiated, TRON depicted a world inside computers where programs appear as electronic avatars of their real-world users. Jeff Bridges starred as Flynn, a down on his luck videogame programmer who is enlisted by Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner) and his girlfriend Lora (Cindy Morgan) to hack into the mainframe of their employer ENCOM. ENCOM has been taken over by sinister middle-manager Ed Dillinger (David Warner), a bureaucrat who rose to power on the profits of game designs stolen from Flynn. Dillinger is using the MCP - his Master Control Program - to lock down access to the ENCOM systems and appropriate the work of others.

Boxleitner as TRON

When Flynn breaks into ENCOM to hack its system, the MCP digitizes him and downloads him into the mainframe. There, he meets TRON (also played by Boxleitner), an electronic gladiator who is forced to battle other free programs on the game grid. You know, the typical sort of thing. Anyway, Flynn finds himself in an electronic version of Spartacus complete with disc battles and the iconic lightcycle races. Flynn and TRON must find a way to escape the grid, defeat the MCP and make the system safe for free programs once more.

Lightcycles. Teh awesum.

TRON was brought to Disney by director Steven Lisberger, who had previously attempted to find funding for the film as an independent feature. Lisberger secured funding from Disney after providing a test reel demonstrating his intended techniques with a mockup of the disc sequence. The film remains significant for its combination of live action, backlit animation and an unprecedented amount of computer generated imagery. Its designs are iconic, benefiting from the contributions of legendary designers Syd Mead and Jean “Moebius” Giraud.

The Solar Sailer

Disney has toyed with the idea of sequelizing TRON for several years; despite the fact that the original film made only marginal profits and received mixed reviews, time has made it a cult favorite and it remains a seminal inspiration for a generation of artists in the computer and entertainment industries. It’s usually acknowledged that the film was ahead of its time, and despite its flaws - its script needed a bit of polishing, it needed a touch more humor and personality and a smidge of tightening - it’s a fascinating film that deserves revisiting.

It was reported last Fall that Joseph Kosinski was in final talks to direct the new film, which would be produced by Sean Bailey and original TRON director Steven Lisberger and scripted by Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. Kosinski, a commercial director, has also been signed to direct the Logan’s Run remake for Warner Brothers. Those concerned about an untested director taking over the reins on the film might be somewhat assuaged by a look at his previous work; he certainly shows a talent for creating mood and atmosphere, and his Nike promo might as well be an audition for TRON. In any case, I’d rather have him in the director’s chair than some hacky journeyman or - even worse - Michael Bay.

Hopefully negotiations will pan out this time; in 2005 it was announced that screenwriters Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal would be writing a remake of TRON, and prior to that Lisberger himself intended to film a sequel. Widely reported to be called TRON 2.0, Lisberger’s film was much talked about between 2001 and 2004 and had gone through several script drafts despite Disney’s cold feet in greenlighting it. Progress on the project allegedly accelerated due to the success of the original film’s 20th anniversary DVD release and the fantastic 2003 videogame sequel. Sadly, Disney never went forward with the project.

The TRON videogame actually outgrossed the film - through partial contributions from yours truly

So now that production seems to be going forward again, will it actually pan out this time? Here’s hoping. But if it does, I have some suggestions. If you’re listening, oh wise ones in Burbank, this is what I would do to make TRON 2 a success:

• - Get Lisberger involved. TRON is his baby, and his credit needs to mean more than just a check in the mail. The studio apparently liked his sequel script, so have him active in the process. Get the visual designers from the original involved, as well.
• - Wendy Carlos must do the score. Carlos, the electronic music pioneer, created the iconic score for the first film. Don’t go cheesy techno, don’t go cheesy alt-rock. Don’t go with any of the generic staples of the genre. It must be Carlos.
• - Keep the vibe. It seems that Kosinski gets the moody, spartan aesthetic of the original. If this were to turn into a quick-cut, rapid-fire action fest it would totally ruin the weird and otherworldy feel of the first film. Don’t go Michael Bay. Don’t pander. Make a film to last, not a spastic regurgitation of the latest hacky trends.
• - I cannot emphasize this enough. Get Jeff Bridges. He has already indicated his willingness to take part in the project, which would be a fantastic tie to the original. Rumors about Lisberger’s film hinted at a storyline involving a programmer going into the mainframe to track down Flynn, who was living in the machine as a ersatz electronic Colonel Kurtz. One assumes this plot, if even accurate, has been abandoned, but Flynn must return. One would not object to seeing Boxleitner or Warner either; just don’t make the film about angsty, trendy tween offspring of the original characters.

End of line.