5 Kingdoms

Alice ?

Published by CheriBibi on May 11, 2009

Where and How each and every Disney characters or Franchise are imagineered and exploited all around the 5 Kingdoms ?

Just a new modest section of 5 Kingdoms. Alice shall cut the ribbon.

The original Mad Tea Party cups...

Alice is present in all 5 Kingdoms through its world famous attraction. No matter which kingdom you stop by, guests are gonna spin under the charming theme of Alice in Wonderland, but some Kingdoms offer more than a few cups of Alice ! Actually 3 of them have something special from Walt Disney’s Classic Alice in Wonderland.

Since 1958 in the only Kingdom already opened that year, Alice welcomes guests to a unique dark ride located in Fantasyland. You climb on a 2 rows Caterpillar which before and after scrolling through Wonderland goes out of the building to give its riders a great view of Fantasyland. This darklighted masterpiece simply named ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is unique to its Kingdom and encounters quiet a success in Anaheim.

Facade of Alice in Wonderland ride.

Entrance to the Banquet

For long, across the pacific ocean the first Asian Kingdom only had its Mad Tea Party to enjoy, but since 1998, the Tokyo Disneyland got itself a treat. A treat for kids and adults in the form of an authentic Disney buffeteria. Imagineers decided to add a restaurant to Fantasyland and chose the always fresh Alice theme to dress it. Queen of Heart’s Banquet Hall facade works as one of the primary backdrop of the land toward which hungry guest rushes in for the Kingdoms’ only Alice’s culinary experience.

The Big hearted shaped edge welcomes you as in you were entering the maze. Instead you find yourselves seated in Queen of Heart’s castle !

On eside of the building presents the maze. By flickr user frikitiki

Tokyo's Queen of Hearts Banquet's interior.

This works as a great alice decor but another park, the ever “lucky” one got even better on its openning day.

In Disneyland Paris, Alice got a real labyrinth, a unique outdoor Walkthrough attraction whose climax (if you can find it) is the Queen of Heart’s very own Castle replicate. Once you’ve passed this other Heart shaped vegetal entrance you’ll find the maze is filled with Alice references and located right across the Cups by which you can have a tea or pastries in a recreated snack vendor version of the March Hare House.

Disneyland Paris' Alice's Curious Labyrinth by Flickr user joelforeman

Across the entrance of Alice’s Curious Labyrinth stands a March Hare refreshments, faithful replicate this Alice In Wonderland original character. March Hare Refreshments serves beverages and sweets.

: Disneyland Paris’ March Hare Refreshments

Needless to say in those 3 Alice enriched Kingdoms, those attractions/restaurants themed locations assembles into some Alice minilands that work perfectly with the them of Fantasyland in which they are all encompassed.

Hong Kong and Orlando didn’t get any extra bits of Alice, they left stranded with Mad Hatter Tea Cup for one and Mad Tea Party for the other. But Alice is not only in attractions, shops and restaurants. She always gets her own float in any major Disney Parade, and is out and about in every parks quiet often. Actually no matter which Kingdom you visit, you hve a fare chance of meeting her in person bouncing around her own little Wonderland.

cups_tokyo-5kingdomsblog

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March Hare Refreshments

Published by CheriBibi on May 5, 2009

Only in Disneyland Paris can you seat by the March Hare house and watch the everspinning Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups, rythmed by the very few apparitions of the Tea Pot dipping Dormouse.

This Alice themed area has been built with the park and openned in 1992 along with Alice Curious Labyrinth and Mad Hatter Tea Cups. It seats right in between the t-2 Alice attractions of this Kingdom making it the center of quiet a miniland inside Paris’ Fantasyland.

March Hare Refreshment serves sweets and beverages all year long and propose an outdoor seating area right by the cups. It is a unique recreation of the March Hare House exterior and shall not be missed by any guests stopping by the parisian Kingdom.

Concept Art by Dave Minichiello

March Hare Refreshment will be featured in an upcoming article that will try and showcase the different ways each Kingdom conveys the colorful universe of Alice in Wonderland.
Come back for the launch of this whole new section “Where in the Kingoms ? – Alice”

CREDITS & RESSOURCES

Concept art picture is from Disneyland Paris From Sketch to Reality. by Alain Littaye

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3 Fire Stations

Published by CheriBibi on April 15, 2009

They may not really secure any Kingdom they inhabit but each of them has a unique purpose and style, from the founder’s appartment Fire House, to the Firemen store… This article is about the 3 Fire Stations of the 5 Magic Kingdoms!

3 Fire Stations but only 2 design.

The first Fire Station ever build was of course in Disneyland.
Walt Disney had enclaved his privates appartements in there, just above the garage. They were to be used on the man’s ‘saturday’s' strolling and monitoring…
Then came along the second Kingdom to be build, and it naturaly came with a different Fire House to go along with that new kind of Main Street.
The 3rd Fire Station was built in 2005 when Hong Kong opened its Main Street as a faithful replicate of the Original.

firestation_anaheim_hongkong1

Both Fire Department share the red brick and pinnacle look as well as their disposition on Town Square, for those three are both attached to their respective City Hall.

firestation_orlandob

But none of the 3 Kingdoms equipped with a fire brigade use it the same way.

Magic Kingdom’s Engine Co. 71 shelters a store where young and adults can buy goods related to our beloved firefighters.

Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland’s share the same name and look but serve different purposes. The first Disneyland Fire Dept. 105 is a simple exhibition of a horse powered fire engine. Guest can pose for pictures and feel the different tools hung on the walls. The second Fire Dept. 105 is used as a stroller and wheelchair rental office idealy located right by the City Hall.

strollers

So 2 designs, 2 names, 3 functions but then again what about those 2 Kingdoms striving without fire protection ?

Tokyo Disneyland’s lacking doesn’t come as a surprise for its very own World Bazaar’s layout rules out any chance for stand alone structures.

The only mension of a Fire Dept. in Disnyeland Paris are painted on some Main Street windows. It may come as a shock to read in this article that the French Kingdom doesn’t have its own Fire Dept. Honestly most visitors could swear they’ve seen it ! What most Disney fans mistook for a Fire Dept. there is a piece of Imagineering dressed in red bricks, topped by a pinnacle, and proudly sitting right on Town Square.

It has everything of a Kingdom’s Fire House but the name. Main Street Transportation Co. serves as a counterpart for the other park’s Fire Houses but was themed differently. Obviously to better suit the automobile twist given to the European Main Street.

This is not a Fire House.

CREDITS & RESSOURCES

Magic Kingdom’s Engine Co. 71′s picture – unfairly cropped – is from Brian from www.bigbrian-nc.com, Flickr user bigbrian-nc.
Stroller & Wheelchair sign pictures is from Flickr user xWIZEx World Tour.
Thanks to Jorn for pointed out Paris’ window painting, check out his comment for more info !

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17 years !

Published by CheriBibi on April 12, 2009

Happy birthday Homepark ! Happy birthday dear Disneyland Paris !

It is so great to look back over the past 17 years. Disneyland really has gone from promise to strength, if you think about everything it has, accommodation as good as that you will find in a Britannia Hotel in the UK, an incredible Magic Kingdom, a sister park finally reaching toward Disney standards, and ever evolving daily parades. It’s no wonder really that Disneyland Paris is such a popular destination since opening.

Be ready to celebrate !

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What is your Homepark ?

Published by CheriBibi on April 4, 2009

What is your homepark, what is your Kingdom ?

It is not necessarily the Disney park you enjoy the most or the park you rate the highest. It is the Kingdom nearest to your home, the one your parents took you to the most willingly. It is the Disney park with the most memories. It is the Kingdom you grew up with.

Thing with our Homepark is we build on it our expectations for what a Disney venue should be.

Any other Kingdom is gonna be better or worse based on how it competes with the standards of our Homepark. That is why most Disney fans will almost systematically pick their Homepark as their favorite Disney park.

Because we always want people to know which park we feel to closer to, 5 Kingdoms designed those modest badges so that you can share it with everybody visiting your website, blog, social networking profiles anything.

All you need to do is add an HTML code and answer that simple question :

What is your Homepark?

Took you half a sec to answer, then Add your badge now !

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4 Kingdoms

Published by CheriBibi on April 1, 2009

That’s it. In an unexpected move the The Hong Kong government decided to buy back Disney’s share in its theme park Chinese venture. They must have felt fooled by the competing Shanghai negociations.

But the 1998 deal between Disney and Hong Kong stated they would not be able to use Disney’s name shall they choose to use their buyout option.

On the other hand China in an effort to warm tensed relations with Europe have for long work close with Belgian franchiser Moulinsart which owns the rights to comic hero Tintin. They’ve been trying to associate it with an entertainment project in the country for as far as before shaking hand with Disney.

Now with this buyout move, instead of building a new venture, various sources predicts they will use the now copyright free resort and hastily redisign it so it reflects the newly secured franchise. Think Skeeping Beauty Castle turned into Moulinsart !

oh My !

So without any legal response from Disney who cannot afford to upset the Chinese government while trying to secure the approving of their more profitable Shanghai project the park will be stripped of any Disney references.

Starting summer 2010 expect Hong Kong Disneyland to be renamed Hong Kong Tintinland with a six month head to the highly anticipated Tintin Spielberg/Jackson adaptation.

No doubt it will be massively promoted with the park opening.

Anyway untill Shanghai finaly makes it up for this disappointment: we’ve lost a Kingdom.

And I just changed my domain name weeks ago…

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4 Big Thunder Mountain

Published by CheriBibi on March 27, 2009

It is the jewel of most Magic Kingdoms and always its most popular attraction. Kids and Parents both enjoy one of the still longest roller coaster among every Disney Theme Parks, this article is about the 4 Big Thunder Mountain of the 5 Magic Kingdoms!

[audio:HowdyFolks.mp3]

The correct title should have been 2 Big Thunder Mountain and 2 Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The last two creations of this great park Franchise dropped the ‘railroad’ due to their non-anglophone audience.

But why a Railroad ? Here comes the modest history fix.

Thunder Mesa, as Big Thunder surroundings will be called 23 years later in Paris, was supposed to be a big part of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom Phase 2. This Marc Davis initiative called Western River Expedition was supposed to host a Pirates-like western themed attraction, a mine train ride, and other little pluses.

Thunder Mesa Concept Art

But when Florida visitors started asking why there wasn’t a Pirates of the Carribean in Walt Disney World, management hurrily added it to Phase 2 plans and rubbed out its then useless western-like counterpart.
Western River, along with its mine town Thunder Mesa was scrapped.
Years later Tony Baxter started working on a now stand-alone Mine Train ride and used Marc Davis’ Thunder Mesa concept to inspire the design we all now today. It was the first Disney attraction to use computer technologies and it openned in California in september 1979, in Florida the following year, in Tokyo in 1987 and on Disneyland’s Paris opening day in 1992.

Paris' Mountain is an Island (Disneyland Paris - From Sketch to Reality)

We could start by the similitudes in saying that the tracks are for the three first attractions somehow similar. The tracks have been lenghened a bit for the Magic Kingdom Park and then copied from it for Tokyo at the exception of the ending which, there, have the guest ride around the station before reaching it. In Disneyland Paris, due to the particularity of this one, it had to be rethought.

You see, In Paris, when it was decided that the Tom Sawyer Island climbing and treking experience, instead of sitting in the midle of Rivers of America would be relocated to Adventureland under a whole new themeing, the Imagineers had plenty of room for Big Thunder. They placed it right in the middle of Rivers of the Far West (as it is called there). Yep, in Paris, Big Thunder is more than a mountain, it’s a whole island. So the tracks had to be adjusted because the entrance and queue area could not be on the island, it had to be across the river, on the dry bank so guests could embark paddle-free.

The french ride starts with a long tunnel that goes below the river and on the mountain. When you’re out again, it is layed in a similar fashion that in the others parks. You climb up the track slope passing by the geiser down below, under the water fall and down with screamers !
Then what follows is pretty much the same in every Thunder Mountains, you stay outside for a few curves, then climb up in the outdoor passing a cabin and a goat, down again for some speedy tracking, high and down, and inside for a new climbing up underneath some threatening rocks. Then you’re out and waving at the people waiting in lines before all engine stops and you look at your partner in amazement.

That’s the universal story line of every Big Thunder Mountain.

The Parisian track configuration does make the ride longer though. It’s almost 4:00 in Disneyland Paris, against between 3:15 and 3:40 in the three other locations. Note that the famous Dinosaur ribs you fly through at the end is only absent in Disneyland Paris, because of its finale being “back to the dark tunnel (for what seems an eternity of black light streaking bats) and out for the station”.

In Anaheim the little scale tricking houses of Rainbow Ridge which used to theme the loading area of the defunct Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland area are still present but nowaday you ride pass them approaching the unloading station.

Rainbow Ridge in Disneyland by Flickr user Trader Sam

Another difference is the rockwork. It is inspired from the hoodoos of Utah as the three other mountains owe their look to the Monument Valley butes. This makes Disneyland’s a rounder and more cartoonesque mountain. General shape remain equivalent in every Kingdom. In Eastern or Western Kingdoms, Big Thunder Moutain shall always be a giant rocky peak to the sky from which rushes out toyish train cars.

Two train sets.

In the american and asian Kingdoms, they indeed bare this very familliar plastic looking, cheese sauce-yellow (more brownish in Tokyo and Orlando) wagon with a black railing for bracing and screaming. This design is to remind of the ‘Mine Train through Nature’s Wonderland’s. In Disneyland Paris, the Imagineers wanted the train to look more real, and chose darker color scheme of brown and green. The wood casting also serves realism.

In the distance is how a decent Disney mountain should shine. In term of disposition inside the parks, Big Thunder usually sits by the bank, and act as a magical Frontierland background. Only Paris, where it was designed along with its whole Kingdom, was it given the role of Frontierland centerpiece.

In matter of crowds in every 4 locations, this is one of the most popular rides of its Kingdom. Lines can easily reach the 3 figures ‘from this point’ sign on busy days. Understand it’s a mild coaster that evey member of the family bold and less bold can ride with not too many butterfly in the stomach. It’s longer than any other Disney coaster and it’s always as fun !

As a result queue have been a thourough concern. Among the 4 there are two types of queueing area, the california weather one and the precipitation/burning sun weather ones. In Anaheim the queue are for most of its part uncovered and consists of walking through rocks and western props along with trekking underneath the tracks until you walk the stairs up to an elevated station. In Orlando, Tokyo and Paris, large barracks have been joined together so you can spend most of the line protected from those 3 locations’ continental weather. Along the queue you can spot the train not so distant in Tokyo but very far in Disneyland Paris through those square openair windows.

Then in those 3 locations you have to walk down the stairs as the trains depart from beneath the main building.

No matter where is encountered the most famous Disney mountain, Big Thunder is always welcomed as the most successful attraction of its Kingdom ! It has the greatest length, the greatest outdoor theming and a thrill perfectly tuned for guests of all ages, even coaster-shy.

Their surrounding vista make each riding unique and worth the line. Now change the location, and disposition inside the park : a whole different Big Thunder experience !

So next time you visit a new Kingdom, make this line, for this is sure gonna be a whole new Big Thunder Mountain !

CREDITS & RESSOURCES

Disneyland Paris – From Sketch to Reality : The book is currently unavailable but check out its author’s Blog Disney and More.

The Great Widen Your World where you can learn more on the Western River Expedition and Walt Disney World history.

Best on ride video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwoJR5t2WTc

Amazin Big Thunder Simulator: http://www.sims.themagical.nl/

(check their other simulators)

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Where Toontown is not.

Published by CheriBibi on March 22, 2009

Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland are the only Kingdoms without their Toon area.
[update] Since February 2011, Orlando’s Magic Kingdom has joined them for their Toontown Fair has been scrapped to make way for the Fantasyland Expansion.

A Toontown was supposed to land during Phase 3 of the french Kingdom but due to the financial disappointment of the venue, no Toon ever came to dwell in Le Parc Disneyland.

Plans were to put it out of the bern so guest would have passed under a tunnel between It’s A Small World and the also scrapped Phase 2′s Little Mermaid ride.

Where Paris’ Toontown should have been

For now the only Toon presence in the Parisian resort is across Fantasia Gardens in Walt Disney Studio’s Toon Studio. It is not where they live, but rather where they work.

More like a backdrop though…

As for Hong Kong, it is not even rumored…

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Welcome to D23…

Published by CheriBibi on March 10, 2009

The Press Release is out, much more information on the official website… but it looks like Disney is launching a chargeable all thing Disney official Fan Club. Theme Parks, Movies, Collectibles, everything shall be adressed through this 74.99$ a year channel.

Package includes exclusive 4 issues a year magazine, certificate, a collectible, coupons and benefits. Will follow a D23 Expo coming this september to Anaheim Convention Center (no membership required, 35$ entry).

The conference did talk about the eventuality of having D23 events in oversee Theme Parks but until then… not sure how foreign fans will be reached out. But this initiative, if successful, should really delight the US fans until it spreads out to the subjects of the other 3 Kingdoms.

Good luck to Steven Clark and his team !

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Naked Main Street

Published by CheriBibi on March 1, 2009

For more than 3 years now, Le Parc Disneyland’s Main Street perspective has been inhabited by the Disney Princess/15th Anniversary Poles. But one month ago, they’ve been put away for an overhaul that would deck Disneyland Paris upcoming celebration : Mickey’s Magical Party !

So is the french Main Street finally naked ?

Yes ! But only for a time being ! The new posts spoted below will osbtruct this unique vista again once their third makeoever is complete.

Courtesy of Disney Central Plaza

It’s sure sad this Main Street is not allowed to work its Wow like the Imagineers and Disney before them wanted it to.
But the poles only come back late March, so if you can visit the park before then, make sure to see a Disney wonder no other Kingdom has ever dared altere : Main Street Perspective

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5 Kingdoms

Alice ?

March Hare Refreshments

3 Fire Stations

17 years !

What is your Homepark ?

4 Kingdoms

4 Big Thunder Mountain

Where Toontown is not.

Welcome to D23…

Naked Main Street

Search 5 Kingdoms

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