Mouse Extra

So what is Disney is planning now that they have announced that Pleasure Island will close for good in September. Disney has released some hints as to whats coming with this concept art. There is not a lot of big spoilers there but some interesting things can be gleamed from it. First of all, we can see some of changes planned to the places not being replaced such as Fulton’s and a renamed Portobello. There will be a new T-shirt shop operated by Hanes.

Perhaps most intersting is the observation balloon called the Aerophile. It is an apparent copy of a similiar attraction at Disney’s Paris parks. I have long maintained that Disney should have a ferris wheel at Disney’s Boardwalk. To me, it would be perfect for the theme and, placed where the Atlantic Dance Hall is, would provide terrific views of Epcot and the Stuidos. I would assume that is no accident that a few days before Disney’s Pleasure Island announcement, a developer unveiled plans for a huge ferris wheel in Orlando. It usually takes something like this to get Disney to respond.

I still would prefer a wheel at the Boardwalk. Its a better spot for an observation attraction but the balloon will be interesting and will take a lot of the appeal away from the ferris wheel that was announced. After all, that wheel will be a distance from the parks. As dribs and drabs of the new offerings at Pleasure Island do come out, I hope they are at least as interesting as the balloon.

Today’s report is from Mike, contributing writer to Mouse Extra.

Today, June 26th, Disney has finally annouced one of the worst kept secrets they had going in a long time. As reported in this article at the Orlando Sentinel, Pleasure Island will be no more. Disney has announced the information on their FAQ page here.

BET SoundStage Club, Mannequins Dance Palace, 8Trax  and other clubs, 6 in total, will be closing permanently on September 27th it what Disney has termed a “bold new” vision. Disney will be keeping open the shops, cigar shop and restaurants, but not the night clubs. That includes the Adventurers Club and the Comedy Club as well

As I said, this has been a longtime coming. Pleasure Island was initially a great success and very much responsible for the dwindling night life in other parts of Orlando. But as time has come and gone (the Island has been around for nearly 20 years), its popularity has waned. Disney is leaning more and more to place such as Raglan Road (one of the restraurants that will surely survive this). Similiar in concept but different in theme is the coming South American eatery and tequila bar that will replace one of the current clubs. This is the future of the area: food and drinks with entertainment and no cover charge.

I do hope the Adventurers’ Club survives in some form somewhere. It was the only truly Disney experience on Pleasure Island. One rumor is the club will become the port of entry to the Night Kingdom park. I wouldn’t mind seeing the club moved to the Animal Kingdom as long as that park begins to increase its hours (an unlikely scenario for sure) or perhaps it will return to Pleasure Island someday as the last bastion of the old girl.

It appears Disney and Pixar have quite a good film on their hands as “Wall-E” opened to rave reviews this morning.  The film, which many industry experts feared might be a little too intellectual for the average cartoon fan, has obviously hit a perfectly in tune chord with many critics.

As an example, here is part of this morning’s review in the New York Times…

The first 40 minutes or so of “Wall-E” — in which barely any dialogue is spoken, and almost no human figures appear on screen — is a cinematic poem of such wit and beauty that its darker implications may take a while to sink in.

And then there is this from the Chicago Tribune…

While I may argue with the little guy’s taste in musicals, it’s remarkable to see any film, in any genre, blend honest sentiment with genuine wit and a visual landscape unlike any other.

Good for Pixar! And good for us.

And just to add one more cherry to the top of this sundae, here is what the Boston Globe had to say…

With “WALL-E,” Pixar at last takes the great leap forward many of us knew the company had in it. A “family movie” in name and MPAA rating only, it’s a major visionary work, a sci-fi parable of astonishing scope and depth that is anchored by an adorable bucket of bolts and yoked to a sensibility that is - there’s no other word for it - furious. It’s also, by a substantial margin, the best American film of the year to date.

So it sounds like if you were on the fence about seeing this movie it is time to hop off and get to the nearest theater.  I have yet to see a Pixar produced film I did not like.  Last year’s “Ratatouille” blew me away and I raved about it.  Can “Wall-E” actually be better than my beloved Little Chef? 

I hope to see it this weekend and get you my review as soon as possible.  Please feel free to post your own review in the comments section of this posting.  I can’t wait to hear what my fellow Disney addicts think of this new blockbuster.

The next big attraction to open at Walt Disney World is slated to be the American Idol Experience which is set debut in early 2009.  This morning, Jim Hill has an outstanding behind the scenes story of what this attraction will be like and what it will take to pass the auditions and be on the stage.

The most fascinating part of this report is what people winning at this attraction will received for their victory…

The last “American Idol Experience” show of the day will have all of the finalists onstage competing against one another. With the winner then being awarded a Dream Ticket. Which will then give this performer a guaranteed reservation at some future regional audition for the “American Idol” TV show.

If this is true, and this “Dream Ticket” is the reward, I must say I am surprised.  I was certain the winner would get a “golden fastpass” or something along those lines.  But this is an honest chance to make it to “American Idol”.  I would imagine that if someone could win this contest, they would at least have a reasonable shot at making it far in the real auditions.

I must be honest.  I can not tolerate more than three minutes of “American Idol”.  But I do understand it is a big hit and many people truly are addicted to it.  So you need to tell me this, is this attraction really something that excites you?  Or are you like me, disappointed that we get a television show copy instead of the real imagination of Imagineers at work?

Sometimes I report or write about something on this website that makes me want to go out and by a plane ticket to Orlando right now.  This is one of those times.  Disney announced yesterday that some of the stars of one of my favorite television shows, “The Deadliest Catch” on the Discovery Channel, will be appearing inside the Norway pavilion in Epcot in mid-July.

Here is part of the press release…

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Norway pavilion at Epcot will host Sig Hansen — one of the featured stars on the popular reality series on The Discovery Channel, “The Deadliest Catch” — for an in-park appearance July 10-13, 2008. Hansen will appear inside The Puffin’s Roost, the pavilion’s merchandise location, each day. He will be joined by his brothers, Edgar and Norman Hansen, who also appear on the show.

A fourth-generation Norwegian fisherman, Sig Hansen is the captain of the Northwestern, one of the crab-catching vessels on “The Deadliest Catch.” He, Edgar and Norman own and operate the Northwestern. Based in Seattle, Wash., the Hansens have fished together for nearly 20 years.

Yes, I am a “Deadliest Catch” junky.  I can’t get enough of it and can’t stand that it only airs about a dozen times a year.  The visuals from this show are mind blowing and the work these guys do is downright crazy.  New episodes air Tuesdays at 9pm ET, but re-runs seem to be on every day while the show is in season.

Why couldn’t they make this appearance when I am there??

Disney World is usually not able to do much building in secret.  When new attractions or even resorts go up, there can be thousands of watchful eyes with cameras documenting the progress of the project and splashing it all over the internet.  But thanks to a relatively remote location, Disney’s biggest current expansion, the project along the Western Beltway, has been able to proceed almost completely unnoticed by guests.  Only the occasional internet reporter ventures out there.

But make no mistake about it, even though we are all focused on the Contemporary Resort project for the Disney Vacation Club and the new Pixar Place, Flamingo Crossing, as it is known, will be Disney’s biggest expansion in years.  It is also Disney World’s most unusual expansion and the first of its kind at the Mouse.  When it opens Flamingo Crossing will be home to “value” level third party shopping and hotels.  As an example of what we will find, I am hearing now that Red Roof Inn will be one of the hotels.

To me, this news is good news.  Yes, I appreciate the incredibly themed hotels Disney World offers.   Nobody loves them more than I do, but I am not one who thinks allowing more affordable units like Red Roof Inn somehow takes away from that.  In fact, with economy going south and airfares going very north, cheap rooms can only be considered a net positive for those who will really start to struggle to afford a plane ticket.