Tomorrowland

Tomorrowland is one of the many "themed lands" at the many theme parks owned or licensed by The Walt Disney Company around the world. Each version of the land is different and features numerous classic and unique attractions that depict the numerous views of the future. All have the Tomorrowland name, except for Disneyland Paris, where this area is named Discoveryland.



Walt Disney was known for his futurist views and showed the American public, through his television shows, how the world was moving into the future, and Tomorrowland was the realistic culmination of his views. In his own words: "Tomorrow can be a wonderful age. Our scientists today are opening the doors of the Space Age to achievements that will benefit our children and generations to come. The Tomorrowland attractions have been designed to give you an opportunity to participate in adventures that are a living blueprint of our future."



Ironically, it is this movement into the future that has, on occasion, left Tomorrowland mired in the past. Disneyland's Tomorrowland is now in its third generation, and the Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland is on its second. Disney itself has mentioned that it wanted to keep Tomorrowland from becoming "Yesterdayland," and Disney's 2007 film ''Meet the Robinsons'' features an amusement park called "Todayland" that has rides that look remarkably like and Disneyland's original Rocket Jets.

Disneyland

Tomorrowland 1955-1967

The first Tomorrowland opened at Disneyland on July 17, 1955, with only a subset of its planned attractions due to budget cuts. Because the timeline in the first park's construction was rushed, Tomorrowland was the last land to be finished. Walt Disney was reluctant to turn his land into a corporate showcase, but when the time crunch came he accepted any offer he could. Monsanto Chemicals, American Motors, Richfield Oil, and Dutch Boy Paint were some of the many company showcases that were open in Tomorrowland in the first few years. Since the park was on a strict budget, one cost cutting idea was to use the sets from the 1954 movie '''' as a walk through attraction, which remained until 1966. For the first four years, most of Tomorrowland was generally open space and considered to be very corporate fueled.



However, it was not solely exhibits, and had many attractions which have since been retired. Tomorrowland's showpiece was the TWA Moonliner, derived from the "Man in Space" set of three television shows in the 1950s. It was the tallest structure in the park at the time. Autopia, an opening day attraction, gave visitors a view of the soon to come National Interstate System. The Attraction still remains open, though has received numerous updates.



1957 brought Monsanto's "House of the Future," a plastic house with four wings cantilevered from a central plinth. This too had its precursors at World's Fairs, though in those cases they were simply homes with modern conveniences and aimed at housewives. Aside from displaying "modern" conveniences such as picture phones and television remote controls, this house introduced many people to their first microwave oven.



In 1959, three major attractions, the park's first billed attractions opened. The addition of the ALWEG Monorail, Submarine Voyage, and , were so big it was televised as the second opening of Disneyland. New attractions came, as Walt Disney focused his efforts on the 1964-65 New York World's Fair. After the fair he turned his attention to a new Tomorrowland and his original Florida Project.

Tomorrowland 1967-1998

Unfortunately, Walt Disney died in December 1966, almost seven months before a vast new Tomorrowland opened. In 1967 the area was completely rebuilt with new rides and scenery. The original layout was demolished, and a new set of buildings was erected. The addition of the Carousel theater , Flight to the Moon building, the Adventure Thru Inner Space building, a new Circle-Vision building, and the PeopleMover/Rocket Jets platform, gave Tomorrowland the "World on the Move" theme.



In 1973 "The World On The Move" began to change, as General Electric decided to close their show, Carousel Progress. Which would reopen later at a new home in Walt Disney World.

With the American Bicentennial approaching, Disney designers seized the opportunity of a vacated carousel theater to present a mega musical extravaganza featuring 114 Audio Animatronics - America Sings, in 1974. The following year Flight to the Moon was updated to Mission To Mars. It was that year, 1975, Walt's 1965 idea "Space Port" would finally break land, and become a reality 2 years later. Space Mountain! In May of 1977 the expansive Space Mountain double-decked complex was complete with an amphitheater, 2 story arcade, a restaurant, and expanded Peoplemover.

Tomorrowland 2055

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the planning phase of Michael Eisner's "Disney Decade" called for both American Tomorrowlands to receive makeovers. "Tomorrowland 2055" was slated to be completed by the late 1990s. The back-story of this renovation would be that with mysterious alien relics having been excavated in Disneyland, aliens were given the signal that Earth was now ready for intergalactic tourism and a century after Disneyland's opening, Disneyland would have become a popular destination for aliens visiting Earth. Within the new land were proposed and classic attractions such as:



Astro Orbitor,

Timekeeper,

Star Tours,

Rocket Rods,

ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter,

Captain EO,

Space Mountain,

Plectu's Fantastic Intergalactic Revue,

The UFO Show,

Disneyland Railroad,

Disneyland Monorail, and

Submarine Voyage.



The expansive project would have not only welcomed fresh attractions and makeovers, but would include features found at Disneyland Paris' Discoveryland which was then in the designing phase. Unfortunately due to the heavy cost of the project and the financial disaster of Disneyland Resort Paris, Tomorrowland 2055 was never built.

Tomorrowland 1998

A new Tomorrowland opened in 1998, loosely based on Disneyland Paris' Discoveryland and a "" concept. In place of the slow-moving PeopleMover was the ill-fated Rocket Rods. Most of the rides remained the same, except for the removal of Circle-Vision 360, Captain EO, and Mission to Mars attraction theaters. The Rocket Jets were replaced by a similar attraction called the Astro Orbitor, placed at the entrance of the land, at ground level. The original Rocket Jets ride mechanism remained intact atop the Rocket Jets queue, converted into an unmanned show element dubbed the "Observatron". Two EPCOT attractions found their place in Tomorrowland, "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience!" & "Innoventions". The whole land, including Space Mountain, was painted in bronzes, golds, and dark browns, with emerald green trims on some attractions. Landscaping, with apparent vegetable plots being planted in some locations, made reference to "neo-agrarian" concepts.

Today

In late 2003, Matt Ouimet became president of the Disneyland Resort and sought to change some of the cost-cutting trends established by the former management. Space Mountain was closed for two full years, as the entire ride was refurbished and the track was completely replaced, albeit with the same track plan. The empty Rocket Rods queue, the old Circle-Vision theater, was converted into "", a new version of the popular attraction at the Tokyo & Florida Disney Resorts.



In February 2005, Walt Disney Imagineering approved a repaint of Tomorrowland for the Happiest Homecoming on Earth fiftieth anniversary celebration. The new paint scheme incorporates a mix of blue, white and silver while keeping a little of 1998's gold and bronze colors.

Attractions

*''Astro Orbitor''

*''Autopia''

*''''

*''''

*''Disneyland Railroad''

*''Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage''

*''Honey, I Shrunk the Audience''

*''''

*''''

*''Star Tours''

*''''

Restaurants

*''Redd Rockett's Pizza Port''

*''The Spirit of Refreshment''

*''Tomorrowland Terrace''

Shopping

*''Little Green Men Store Command''

*''Star Trader''

*''Tomorrowlanding''

Background music

Since 2004, both Disneyland's and the Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowlands have featured the same background area music, which includes updated instrumental versions of classic Tomorrowland attractions from both parks:



* "Miracles from Molecules"

* "Strange Things"

* "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow"

* "The Best Time of Your Life"

* "If You Had Wings"

* "The Timekeeper " from The Timekeeper

* "Seize the Future" from ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter

* "The Monorail Song"

Magic Kingdom

The second Tomorrowland opened on October 1, 1971 at the Magic Kingdom in the Walt Disney World Resort, Florida, and, like at Disneyland, opened unfinished. But by 1975, the entire land was completed, and was built much closer to Walt Disney's vision for Tomorrowland.



Some of the most popular Disney park attractions premiered here, such as Space Mountain which opened in 1975 and is now part of every Tomorrowland around the world. Some classic Tomorrowland attractions which have closed in Disneyland still live on at the Magic Kingdom Park: the PeopleMover is here under the name of the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, and the Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress was moved here from California.



For most of its history, this Tomorrowland's color scheme was predominantly white with soft blues. In 1994, using the just-completed Discoveryland at Disneyland Paris as its guide, Tomorrowland was renovated to resemble a galactic spaceport as it would have been envisioned by the science-fiction comic strips of the early 20th century, like Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. In essence, Tomorrowland would represent "the future that never was." Today's Tomorrowland has a much more metallic look, along with darker blues and purples, especially along its main concourse leading from the central hub.

Attractions

*''Astro Orbiter''

*''''

*''''

*''Galaxy Palace Theater''

*''Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor''

*''''

*''Stitch's Great Escape!''

*''Tomorrowland Arcade''

*''Tomorrowland Stage''

*''Tomorrowland Transit Authority''

*''Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress''

Tokyo Disneyland

At Tokyo Disneyland, Tomorrowland opened on April 15, 1983 after the Imagineers set out to create an urban Tomorrowland, much more like a working community than a showcase of future technology. The rides are much more technology-specific, and effects are much more expensive, due to a much larger budget from The Oriental Land Company.



The entrance and front area are similar to WDW's Magic Kingdom Tomorrowland, while the Space Mountain area is similar to Disneyland's Space Mountain area. The paint scheme of the Tomorrowland at Tokyo Disneyland is also mostly white.

Attractions

*''''

*''''

*''''

*''MicroAdventure!''

*''''

*''Showbase''

*''''

*''Star Tours''

Restaurants

*''Lite Bite Satellite''

*''Pan Galactic Pizza Port''

*''Plaza Restaurant''

*''Soft Landing''

*''Space Place FoodPort''

*''The Popping Pod''

*''Tomorrowland Terrace''

Shopping

*''Cosmic Encounter''

*''ImageWorks''

*''Planet M''

*''Solar Ray's Light Sopplies''

*''Stellar Sweets''

Closed Attractions

*''Captain EO''

*''Circle-Vision 360°''

*''Eternal Seas''

*''Magic Journeys''

*''Meet the World''

*''Starcade''

Disneyland Park Paris

Disneyland Resort Paris realizes Tomorrowland with an entirely new concept, Discoveryland. European culture was used distinctively in the park and Discoveryland uses the ideas of famed European thinkers and explorers, with Jules Verne featured most prominently.



Architecturally designed using Jules Verne's vision of the future as inspiration, the land is laid out very differently. The major Tomorrowland classics are there, such as Autopia and Star Tours, but Space Mountain is significantly changed. Originally conceived as "Discovery Mountain" it was to hold more than one attraction and a restaurant. But due to budget cuts, it was finished in 1995 as an improved version of the classic, but named Space Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune .



Bordering the Space Mountain show building is Lake Nautilus, with a walk-through recreation of the Nautilus from ''''. Also in Tomorrowland is Autopia and "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience". The showcase attraction on opening day was a Circle-Vision 360 film, titled Le Visionarium. The attraction featured two time-travelling robots that take Jules Verne into the world of the today, which was the future he dreamed and came true.



Parts of Discoveryland have been heavily inspired by the abandoned Disneyland expansion concept, Discovery Bay, which was to have sat on the north bay of the Rivers of America in the Californian park.



Space Mountain was completely refurbished in 2005 for the Happiest Celebration on Earth event, with a new soundtrack and special effects. opened April 8, 2006, in the former building of the Le Visionarium attraction, which closed in September 2004.

Attractions

*''Arcade Alpha & Arcade Bêta''

*''Autopia''

*''''

*''Disneyland Railroad''- Discoveryland Station

*''Honey, I Shrunk the Audience''

*''L'Astroport Services Interstellaires''

*''Les Mystères du Nautilus''

*''Orbitron, Machines Volantes''

*''''

*''Star Tours''

*''Videopolis''

Restaurants

*''Buzz Lightyear's Pizza Planet Restaurant''

*''Café Hyperion''

*''Cool Station''

*''Rocket Café''

Shopping

*''Constellations''

*''Light Speed Photography''

*''Star Traders''

Closed Attractions

*''Arcade Omega''

*''Captain EO''

*''Le Visionarium''

Hong Kong Disneyland

The newest Tomorrowland opened on September 12, 2005 at Hong Kong Disneyland. Like the newer generations of the American Tomorrowlands, Hong Kong's version features an emphasis on metallic trim, with lots of blue and purple hues.



Since the opening of the park, some unique attractions have been added into the Hong Kong's Tomorrowland, such as a newer version of Autopia and Stitch Encounter.

Attractions

*''Autopia''

*''''

*''Orbitron''

*''''

*''Stitch Encounter''

*''UFO Zone''

Restaurants

*''Comet Café''

*''Starliner Diner''

Shopping

*''Space Traders''

*''Star Command Suppliers''

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (attraction)

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is a dark ride based upon the film ''The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh'', itself based on the Winnie-the-Pooh books by A. A. Milne. The attraction exists in slightly different forms at the Magic Kingdom in the Walt Disney World Resort; Disneyland Park; and Hong Kong Disneyland. Pooh's Hunny Hunt, located in Tokyo Disneyland, is an entirely different "E-ticket class" attraction, featuring full audio animatronics and an innovative 'trackless' ride system.

History

After the rise in popularity of Walt Disney's film adaptation of Winnie the Pooh, Disney Imagineers made plans in the late 1970s for a Winnie the Pooh attraction at Disneyland's soon-to-be renovated Fantasyland. However in 1983, when the renovated Fantasyland reopened, a Winnie the Pooh attraction was notably absent.





Following the success of the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, plans were made for a new section of the park located behind Fantasyland. Called Mickey's Toontown, this section of the park would recreate the Toontown that was seen in the film. One of the rides that would have gone on the east side of this land was a Winnie the Pooh dark ride in which guests would ride in "spinnable" honey pots through what was conceptualized as the best scenes from the three Winnie the Pooh featurettes. The ride fell through before it could be made, though, and the space that this ride was to have taken up and vehicle design of this ride were worked into Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin.



Seven years later, during a period when the character was undergoing a resurgence in popularity, plans for a Winnie the Pooh attraction were approved at a different park: Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. That park's Fantasyland, much larger than the original Disneyland's, had the space to easily accommodate a new attraction. However, planners instead decided to utilize an existing structure, that of the Fantasyland attraction Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.



When some fans found out that Mr. Toad's Wild Ride was being shuttered for a Pooh attraction, they protested against its closure, organizing mass ridings along with peaceful protests. Despite cries from fans, the Walt Disney Company went ahead with its plans and the first The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh attraction opened in June 1999, proving popular with younger crowds.



The next version of the attraction, considerably different in configuration, was Pooh's Hunny Hunt, which opened in Tokyo Disneyland. Due to a closure of most of the Skyways at Disney Parks across the world, including Tokyo, a space was left in its place. With a budget of over $130 million, and featuring a never-before-used 'trackless' ride technology, Pooh's Hunny Hunt opened in late 2000 to large crowds and praise by many Disney internet fansites. To date, the attraction continues to have some of the longest wait times of any attraction at the Tokyo Disney Resort.



The only solution to complete the growing roster was to bring the Winnie the Pooh attraction to Disneyland. An original plan from the mid 1990s had an indoor and outdoor light boat ride featuring a Winnie the Pooh theme, which was shelved by 1999. So, a new dark ride was planned. However, Disneyland is the only resort of all five Disney Resorts to have little room for expansion. The only solution to open an attraction in the park was to utilize a current attraction.



Fantasyland was ruled out because it contained the least amount of available space and because of the age of its buildings; park managers anticipated that the attraction would be popular and decided to place it in an area that could better accommodate the crowds. Critter Country, a small parcel between New Orleans Square and Frontierland was ultimately chosen, since Winnie the Pooh already had his own greeting area in that land. The area already featured two popular attractions, Splash Mountain and Country Bear Jamboree. The latter being the first attraction to open in the land in 1972.



Imagineers chose to replace the Country Bear Playhouse with Pooh due to its lack of popularity, which would require major excavation for space and leveling for the ride. When news of the former attraction's demise broke, many fans were once more upset at the loss of another classic attraction and again sought to change the park managers' minds. However, then-managers Paul Pressler and Cynthia Harris, both unpopular with Disneyland enthusiasts, ignored this and continued.





The budget for the attraction was set at a reported $30,000,000, most of it dedicated to reformatting the Country Bear Playhouse show building. When it finally opened in 2003, it received large promotions by park management and lines were somewhat long at first, but quickly dropped off. Its turnover rate with guests was low compared to older dark rides in Fantasyland.



Some Disneyland enthusiast websites are generally critical of the attraction, considering it cheap and a bad reminder of the Paul Pressler/Cynthia Harris era of Disneyland's management. However, for younger and other guests, the ride is considered fun and another addition to the park. Some columnists still poke fun at it by posting images of the attraction's average wait times of 2 or 5 minutes while other similar rides might have 30, 75 or even 90 minute waits, even on days when the park might be at full capacity.



Some of the ride's advocates have commented that the ride has low waits because it is hidden in the northwest corner of the park, yet said location is adjacent to Splash Mountain, one of the most visited attractions in the park, and near the Haunted Mansion, another popular classic attraction. However, amongst all four versions of the attraction, this one is the least popular.





Hong Kong Disneyland, which opened in September 2005, opened with The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is the only dark ride in Fantasyland . It was based on a variety of versions of the attraction, but is most similar to the first version at the Magic Kingdom. It remains one of the most visited attractions in Fantasyland, with a usual occasion of running out of fastpasses and waits for over 120 minutes on peak days.

Ride walkthroughs

Florida and Hong Kong

The ride vehicles go out of the load area, and arrive near a giant story-book showing Winnie-the-Pooh and Christopher Robin. The vehicles arrive in the Hundred Acre Wood during a rather blustery day, with holding onto a broom while being spun around. Pooh is holding onto a balloon while trying to reach for some honey, while Eeyore patronizes him. Meanwhile Roo begins to be blown away as holds onto him. In 's home, everything is scattered about, including a rather curious picture of J. Thaddeus Toad himself handing a deed over to owl. There is also a picture of Winnie the Pooh greeting Moley , which is flat on the floor to the right. These were placed as a tribute to Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, the ride that Winnie the Pooh replaced.



The ride then passes a second giant storybook page, where suddenly Tigger bounces out, whilst the ride vehicles begin to bounce like Tigger. The ride follows Tigger through the Hundred Acre Wood, where he randomly pops up. Tigger bounces upside down at one point, before the ride moves on to Pooh's home. It transpires that Tigger has pinned Pooh to the floor as he tells him about Heffalumps and Woozles. Once in Pooh's house, Pooh falls asleep, and magically floats up into the sky, as the room blackens and is lit up by fibre optics .



The ride vehicles then move into a strange room as Pooh floats through. There are objects with eyes and mouths, while giant woozles with jack-in-the-box necks move in front of the guests. The ride moves round some very strange objects: a purple woozle lights a heffalump, causing a giant smoke ring to come from its trunk , and a giant heffalump has holes that reveal the way out of the heffalump scene. Other funhouse effects are seen as the vehicles make an escape out of the heffalump scene, indicated by an umbrella and a watering can pouring rain over a pot of honey.



After this the vehicles arrive in a room painted with rain and cloud patterns, as thunder and lightning go off, and then reenters the Hundred Acre Wood, which is experiencing the rainstorm. The ride vehicles begin to "float", although this is achieved by moving the vehicles at a steady speed. Eeyore complains about the wind and then about the rain. Gopher squirts water out of his mouth. Roo, Rabbit, Tigger and Owl attempt to save Piglet from floating away, and the ride vehicles move to find Pooh flying around owing to the wind.



The vehicles move into the final scene, where everyone apart from Pooh is celebrating that the rain has gone away. Piglet was a sculpted figure with movement, while Tigger, Rabbit, Eeyore, Owl, Kanga and Roo are illustrations on the wall behind. The vehicles move past Pooh enjoying a load of honey, before arriving back in the load area.

California

Upon leaving the outdoor load area, the ride vehicles arrive indoors into the Hundred Acre Wood where Pooh is again trying to get the honey with the balloon. With Eeyore and the other characters is Gopher who appears out of his hole to greet the guests. The ride vehicles move into the rain scene, moved from the second to last scene in Florida's to the second scene in California's. Most of the things at this point are identical to Florida's. The ride vehicles move into the shortened Tigger scene, before moving to Pooh's bedroom where a similar part to that in Florida's concurs.



The ride vehicles move into the Heffalump and Woozles dream sequence where the woozles with jack-in-the-box necks watch the guests. This version of the Heffalumps and Woozles scene focuses on the Heffalump and Woozle characters, with the absence of the objects with human eyes and mouths. A pink Tigger pins Pooh to the floor near some honey. Some of the effects at this part of the ride are similar to those at Florida's, minus a large balloon carrying Pooh above the guests. Instead, Pooh bobs up and down in a balloon suspended above a swirling whirlpool of honey. The mechanism was the one which once lowered "Teddi Barra" from the ceiling in Country Bear Jamboree, the Audio-Animatronic theater presentation previously housed in the show building.



As the ride vehicles leave this scene, a subtle tribute to Country Bear Jamboree is suspended above the archway. The trophy heads of Max the buck, Buff the buffalo and Melvin the moose, audio-animatronics from Country Bear Jamboree, may be spotted if one looks up and backwards while leaving the Heffalump/Woozle room. The heads were taken from theatre 2 of the Country Bear Playhouse. The vehicles enter the start of the finale scene where Pooh is enjoying a ''smackerel'' of honey. The Heffalumps can be seen flying off into Pooh's dreamland, prior to several of Pooh's friends tell him to wake up. Proceeding on, the ride passes Pooh's bed, before moving on to show Pooh's friends celebrating his birthday. As the vehicles move to the load area, several of the gifts Pooh received for his party are shown, and are moved back as the vehicles continue until they finally reach the load area.

Tokyo Disneyland

Attraction facts

Magic Kingdom

* Attraction name: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

* Grand opening: June 5, 1999

* Creative Design: Walt Disney Imagineering

* Themed Systems Design: Walt Disney & Ride & Show Engineering, Inc.

* Vehicle theme: Honey Pot

* Former attraction: Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

* Ride system: Dark ride / "D" Ticket class

Tokyo Disneyland

* Attraction name: Pooh's Hunny Hunt

* Grand opening: September 4, 2000

* Designer: Walt Disney Imagineering

* Vehicle theme: Honey Pot

* Former attraction: Skyway

* Ride system: Trackless LPS System Dark ride / "E" Ticket class

Disneyland

* Attraction name: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

* Grand opening: April 11, 2003

* Designer: Walt Disney Imagineering

* Vehicle theme: Beehive

* Former attraction: Country Bear Jamboree

* Ride system: Dark ride / "C" Ticket class

* Ride Duration 3:10 minutes

Hong Kong Disneyland

* Attraction name: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

* Grand opening: September 12, 2005

* Designer: Walt Disney Imagineering

* Vehicle theme: Honey Pot

* Ride system: Dark ride / "D" Ticket class

* '''Location:hong kong disneyland

The Golden Mickeys

The Golden Mickeys is a musical revue-style stage show presented in the style of an awards ceremony with characters from Disney films being nominated for awards including heroism and romance. The show originated on the Disney Cruise Line as a replacement for Morty the Magician's show. The show was first introduced in September 2003 aboard the Disney Wonder. Later in the fall of 2004, the show was brought to the Disney Magic while in dry dock. The show is performed in the premiere theater on the ship, the Walt Disney Theater on Deck 4.



On the cruise ships, the show features "Ensign Benson", a timid crew member who finds herself thrust into the role of "host" when the scheduled host is missing at show time. Shy Ensign Benson , not feeling confident in her role as host, receives encouragement from various celebrities in the form of interactive video clips. She is also involved in several of the song and dance routines. These feature cast members in the costumes of characters from the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Pocahantas, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs , Mulan, Toy Story, Toy Story 2, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, Lady and the Tramp, , and The Lion King performing songs from these films.



One particularly fun aspect of this show is the pre-show area outside of the Walt Disney Theater. As guests enter the hallway towards the Walt Disney Theater, they walk down the red carpet with paparazzi on both sides furiously snapping photos of the "celebrities" . Outside of the theater doors, "Rona Rivers" conducts interviews with some of the "celebrities" as they come up the red carpet to enter the show, all the while a live video feed of the "celebrity interviews" is being shown on the two large screens in the front of the theater. Most people break out the fancy clothes to attend this event on the ship. It is truly an "event" and one of this highlights of the Disney Cruise experience.



Additional original cast members included Mark Baratelli, Jeremiah James, Joshua Carlson, Danny Calvert, Tony Wichowski, Erik McEwen, Emma Green, and Michelle Kaye. The Golden Mickeys was directed by Diane Paulus, who also directed The Donkey Show in New York City.

Hong Kong Disneyland version

A version of the show is performed at the Storybook Theatre in the Fantasyland area of Hong Kong Disneyland. The show is narrated in Cantonese, with simplified Chinese and English subtitles. All of the songs are performed in English. Here, the show begins with a performance of the title song including a dance performance based around cast members preparing costumes and taking press photos of arriving celebrities. “Live” film footage of Disney characters arriving by limousine and entering the theater along a red carpet is then projected on screens to the two sides of the stage before the characters enter through the auditorium aisle.



This version of the show has a running commentary from the host Bebe who conducts interviews with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse and is also involved in several of the song and dance routines. These feature cast members in the costumes of characters from the Hunchback of Notre Dame, , Mulan, Lilo and Stitch, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast performing songs from these films. The show also includes aerial acrobatics, martial arts, puppetry and fireworks.

The Dapper Dans

The Dapper Dans are a barbershop quartet that performs at Disneyland in Anaheim, California , at the Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort , and at Hong Kong Disneyland in Lantau Island, Hong Kong . The Dans have been tested at Disneyland Paris in the past, but were cut due to cost management at the struggling theme park.



While the group usually performs as a quartet, they actually have up to twelve singers at each park, plus occasional substitutes. This allows them to have multiple quartets performing separately or to combine and form a larger ensemble. Membership has changed over the years as various singers have retired or died and new ones have been brought in to succeed them. Several of the Dapper Dans are members of the Barbershop Harmony Society.



You can be serenaded by the Dans at the Magic Kingdom in Florida while having your hair cut in a real, working barbershop on Main Street there. The Dans at Hong Kong Disneyland stroll up and down Main Street from Town Square. The Dans at Disneyland can be seen on their Schwinn custom 4-seater bicycle and in various locations around Main Street.



In the Magic Kingdom, Disney World, the Dapper Dans perform nine sets a day, seven days a week. They can be found on the horse-drawn trolley in the morning, and all over Main Street USA during the afternoon. At 5pm, the Dans join the Main Street Philharmonic and the Magic Kingdom Security Color Guard for the Flag Retreat Ceremony.



Another unique part of Dapper Dans lore is the fact that they use Deagan Organ Chimes as part of the act. Each of the eight chimes has three octaves of a single note, comprising a C scale. The Organ Chimes were made by the J.C. Deagan Company in Chicago, IL around 1901.

History

As of early 2006 the Dapper Dans at the Disneyland Resort consisted of Shelby Grimm , Bob Hartley , Jim Campbell , and Bill Lewis . In 2006 it was announced that a new group of Dapper Dans would be cast, to make their debut in May 2006. David Marchesano , Robbie Banner , Frank Romeo , and Steven Arlen can now be seen Tuesday through Saturday at Disneyland on Main Street, USA.

Film and Television Appearances

* "The Bell Telephone Hour", airdate February 17, 1961. .

* "", 7 episodes in 1966 . .

* "Tony Orlando and Dawn", airdate January 7, 1976 . .

* "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson", May 16, 1974 . .

* "Children's Miracle Network Telethon", airdate May 31, 1986 . .

* "" episode titled "Of Mice and Men", airdate February 8, 1993 .

* "The Simpsons" episode titled "Homer's Barbershop Quartet", airdate September 30, 1993 , as the singing voices of 'The Be Sharps'. .

* "Home Improvement" episode titled "Adios", airdate September 29, 1998 as 'The Flannels'. .

* "", released in November 2003, as 'The Singing Busts'. .

Personnel

The Dapper Dans lineup has changed over the years as various singers have retired or died and new performers have been brought in to succeed them.

* The Dapper Dans of Disneyland as of Fall 1995: Jim Campbell , Bill Lewis , Shelby Grimm , and John Heffron .

* The Dapper Dans of Disneyland, Summer, 2006: Brandon Brigham, David Marchesano, Steven Arlen, Frank Romeo.

* The first Dapper Dans of the Magic Kingdom at Disney World, Florida, in 1971: Dick Kneeland, Bub Thomas, Jerry Siggins, Bob Mathis.

* As of early 2008, The Dapper Dans of Main Street USA, Disney World, had two full-time quartets consisting of: Tenors Dan Bullock and Rob Cygan, Leads Ken Thiboult and Steve Culpepper, Basses Aaron Stratton and Kevin Miles, and Baritones Neel Tyree and Chad Bennett

Swiss Family Treehouse

Swiss Family Treehouse is an attraction at several of the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. It was re-opened as Tarzan's Treehouse at Disneyland and opened under the name at Hong Kong Disneyland. The walk-through attraction is centered around a giant treehouse where children can hear and see various scenes based on the Disney movie ''''.

Swiss Family Treehouse

Almost two years after the film ''Swiss Family Robinson'' was released to theaters, Disneyland introduced the ''Swiss Family Treehouse'' to Adventureland. The attraction opened on November 18, 1962.



When the Magic Kingdom opened at Walt Disney World on October 1, 1971, the ''Swiss Family Treehouse'' was one of the original attractions of Adventureland. Similarly, when Tokyo Disneyland opened on April 15, 1983 and Disneyland Resort Paris opened as ''Euro Disneyland'' on April 12, 1992, the ''Swiss Family Treehouse'' was part of Adventureland. All three parks retain the original theme. The Paris version is called ''La Cabane Des Robinsons'' in .

Tarzan's Treehouse

In February 1999, Disneyland closed the ''Swiss Family Treehouse'', and Imagineers re-themed the attraction to coincide with the soon to be released '''' film. The giant artificial tree received a massive makeover, including thousands of replacement vinyl leaves and a new suspension bridge entrance from a new neighboring tree. On June 23, 1999, Tarzan’s Treehouse began welcoming park guests, just as Disney’s animated Tarzan premiered in movie theaters. The attraction also included new hands-on interactivity.



When Hong Kong Disneyland opened on September 12, 2005 it included ''Tarzan’s Treehouse'' built on ''Tarzan’s Island'' which is encircled by the Jungle Cruise.



The one within Paris was originally supposed to or was later on going to become a Tarzan's Treehouse but with a coaster around it. It is unknown why this project was cancelled.

Stitch Encounter

Stitch Encounter is an interactive show located in Tomorrowland at Hong Kong Disneyland. A similar attraction, under the name "Stitch Live!", is located inside Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Resort Paris. Another attraction similar to Stitch Encounter, Turtle Talk with Crush, is located in both Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort and Disney's California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort.



The attraction consists of an unscripted, real-time conversation between Stitch, Experiment 626 from Disney's Lilo & Stitch movies and TV series, and park guests. The attraction, which opened in July 2006, was part of a three attraction expansion to Tomorrowland. It is located adjacent to the entrance of . The attraction offers shows in three different languages , to accommodate the variety of languages guests of Hong Kong Disneyland speak. Show times are available at the entrance of the attraction and each show has a length of approximately 20 minutes.

Attraction description

Guests are seated in a movie theater-like room, The "Space Traffic Control" room, and children are encouraged to sit up front, on the floor, so that Stitch can see them during the show. When the host of the "Space Traffic Control" requests the computer to search for an available spacecraft captain to talk to, the computer connects to Stitch's spacecraft. After that, guests in the "Space Traffic Control" room are chosen to chat with Stitch. Stitch can both interact with guests and take their pictures. A hidden cast member supplies Stitch's voice and controls his animation, allowing the character to talk and interact with guests. The "animated" character looks and moves much like he does in the movie, complete with corresponding facial expressions and gestures. The conclusion of the show occurs when the audience aids Stitch in his escape from Captain Gantu.

Space Mountain (Hong Kong Disneyland)

Space Mountain at Hong Kong Disneyland in Hong Kong is the fourth version of the outer space-themed enclosed roller coaster in Disney parks. The newest Space Mountain is based on the refurbished Space Mountain at Disneyland, with a similar soundtrack and the same layout. It also features new show elements not presented in the refurbished California version . It will not feature the Rockin' Space Mountain configuration that is featured in Disneyland's Space Mountain.



Unlike most Space Mountains, the boarding area for the attraction is quite small. Not present is a Space Station of its two most similar counterparts at Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland. Instead a dark queue featuring neon earth-tone colored planets along with star patterns decorate the area. Lining the walls of the station are colored neon light bars that are used for lighting and decoration.



It is the only Space Mountain to feature Single-Rider alongside its regular standby line. Also different than most Space Mountains, whose buildings pretty much stand alone, this incarnation features a building attached to it hosting a smaller attraction, but not visible from the ride itself.

Space Mountain - Ghost Galaxy

As part of Hong Kong Disneyland's Haunted Halloween event in 2007, Space Mountain went under a Halloween overlay, similar to Disneyland's Rockin' Space Mountain overlay. The new overlay appiled some of the same effects that Rockin' Space Mountain used, but instead of a rock 'n' roll concert, the ride was themed appropriately to the Halloween season. A new soundtrack was used as well for the overlay.

Attraction facts

* Grand opening: September 12, 2005

* Designers: Walt Disney Imagineering, Vekoma

* Vehicles: 14

** Vehicle theme: Rocket

** Total Cars Per Train: 2

** Seating: 3 rows of 2 people seated side by side.

** Total Riders: 6 People Per Car / 12 Per Train

* Building diameter: 200 feet

* Track Height: 75 feet

* Largest drop: 17 feet

* Building Height: 118 feet

* Track length: 3,450 feet

* Volume: 1.8 million cubic feet

* Top speed: 32 miles per hour

* Height requirement: 40 inches

* Ride duration: 2:45

** Space Mountain - Ghost Galaxy Version: 2:28

* Ticket required: "E"

* Music: ''Space Mountain'', composed by Michael Giacchino

** Space Mountain - Ghost Galaxy Music: Unknown

* Ride system: Roller coaster