Latest news with #Imagineers
National Post
a day ago
- Entertainment
- National Post
Disney World getting rid of three beloved rides for new ‘Cars' attraction
A Cars -themed section is coming to Disney World — which means something has to go. Article content Rides and attractions inspired by the Lightning McQueen-loving franchise are coming to Magic Kingdom's Frontierland nearly 20 years after the first movie's release. Article content Article content To make room for Piston Peak National Park, three longtime attractions will be displaced, according to a Disney Parks Blog post. Article content Article content Say bon voyage to Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Square Riverboat, which will close prior to construction beginning on July 7, Disney said in a statement to the blog. Article content That said, Disney Parks is hoping the Piston Peak expanse will 'continue the sweeping storytelling tradition' of the areas where it will reside, with nods to the American Frontier nestled within the attractions. Article content The fictional Piston Peak National Park (which was introduced in the Cars offshoot Planes: Fire & Rescue) will feature rivers, waterfalls, geysers and 'snowcapped mountains,' according to Disney. Article content Imagineers said the natural flow of the landscape and thoughtful sightline management are key to ensuring the new area fits seamlessly between Liberty Square and Frontierland. Article content View this post on Instagram A post shared by Disney Parks (@disneyparks) Article content Article content View this post on Instagram A post shared by Stephanie (@pixiedustedsnaps)
Fox News
5 days ago
- Business
- Fox News
Disney's grandchildren divided over new animatronic of Walt as one calls it 'dehumanizing'
Disney's Imagineers are working on a new animatronic of iconic American visionary Walt Disney, but some members of his family have opposing views about whether it celebrates his legacy or dehumanizes him. Disney's Main Street Opera House plans to unveil a new theme park attraction called Walt Disney – A Magical Life, featuring an audio-animatronic of the company's founder. But Joanna Miller, one of Disney's grandchildren, slammed the idea of an animatronic as "dehumanizing" in a viral Facebook post. Among her claims, she suggested that her grandfather had told early Imagineer Sam McKim he never wanted to be commemorated with an animatronic. She went on to speak to the Los Angeles Times about why she believes it goes against her grandfather's wishes. Shortly after she wrote her post, she met with Disney CEO Bob Iger and Disney Imagineers to see the animatronic in production, crediting the current company head as being "very kind" and noting he listened to what she had to say. The robot itself, however, left her cold. "I think I started crying," Miller told the L.A. Times. "It didn't look like him, to me." She wrote in a separate letter to Iger, "I strongly feel the last two minutes with the robot will do much more harm than good to Grampa's legacy," and worried people "will remember the robot, and not the man." As for claims that Disney would not have wanted to be commemorated as an animatronic, Imagineer Jeff Shaver-Moskowitz said, "In all our research, we never found any documentation of Walt saying that. We know that it's anecdotal and we can't speak to what was told to people in private." After Miller's comments were published, The Walt Disney Family Museum shared a statement with Fox News Digital indicating other family members feel far more positively about the animatronic of the Disney family patriarch and were included in the process of its production. "Walt Disney Imagineering invited museum Board members—five of Walt Disney's grandchildren and three of his great-grandchildren—to view the progress of the attraction's development, which included a preview of the new Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt in its animated form," the statement said. "As part of their meticulous eVorts to produce a historically accurate likeness, Walt Disney Imagineering also reached out to the team at The Walt Disney Family Museum for guidance in identifying items that Walt Disney regularly wore," it added. Chris Miller, Disney's eldest grandson and a member of the museum's Board of Directors, said in the release, "I watched the show with my sisters Tammy and Jenny and the Imagineering team welcomed our feedback." He added further, "The level of innovation and technological advancement has exceeded anything that has been seen before in Audio-Animatronics. While our family has our own memories of Walt as our grampa, we left the presentation feeling confident that he will be depicted in the show as the public remembers him from his introductions on the "Disneyland and Wonderful World of Color TV" series." Tamara Miller, Disney's granddaughter and vice president of the museum's Board of Directors, offered similar praise. "It was an honor to be welcomed by Imagineering to preview the 'Walt Disney – A Magical Life' attraction. Having this representation at the park that grampa built is the right place for this, to educate people about who he was and introduce him to new audiences," she said in the release. "This attraction is a great opportunity for an audience to get a good representation of him. We believe that our grandfather would have been enthusiastic about the project. I look forward to having my children and grandchildren see this representation of my grandfather." Fox News Digital reached out to The Walt Disney Company for comment.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Disney set to close Tom Sawyer Island and the famed Riverboat to make way for new attractions
Disney World will close Tom Sawyer Island and its famed Liberty Square Riverboat to make way for new attractions. Millions of guests visit the Orlando resort a year, with the Magic Kingdom the most popular of its four parks. Located in Frontierland at Magic Kingdom, Tom Sawyer Island allows guests to experience a 'secret rustic hideaway inspired by the stories of Mark Twain,' according to the resort's website. Tom Sawyer Island has been a staple at Disney World, first opening in 1973, according to D23, the official Disney fan club. To reach the attraction, visitors glide through the Rivers of America on a log raft. But from July 7, the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island will permanently close, for Disney to build Piston Peak National Park, which it called 'the largest expansion in history at Magic Kingdom.' To make way for the Cars -themed expansion, Disney will also be getting rid of the Liberty Square Riverboat. The Riverboat has allowed guests to cruise down the Rivers of America in an 'authentic steam-powered paddle wheeler,' according to the resort's website. Park-goers for decades have hopped on the Riverboat at Liberty Square in Magic Kingdom to enjoy a half-mile tour around Tom Sawyer Island. Sights included 'the early days of the American frontier,' including Harper's Mill, Fort Langhorn and Wilson's Cave Inn. Disney's 'imagineers' will build Piston Peak National Park, an expansion inspired by the Rocky Mountains and the 'history and iconic sights of the American Frontier and its national parks,' the company announced in a blog post on Tuesday. 'Imagine an awe-inspiring wilderness filled with towering trees, snowcapped mountains, breathtaking waterfalls, roaring rivers and impressive geysers,' Disney said. The park will be set within the universe of Disney and Pixar's Cars trilogy and incorporate so-called 'Parkitecture,' which Disney said was 'developed by the National Park Service to create structures that harmonize with the natural environment.' Guests will be able to explore the visitor lodge, Ranger HQ, trails and other attractions once construction is complete. Disney has not yet announced a date for when it expects to reveal the new attractions.
Gizmodo
7 days ago
- Business
- Gizmodo
Disney Pulls Back the Curtain on Its New ‘Cars' Land
Piston Peak National Park is coming to Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. If all goes according to plan, when the new Cars-inspired land opens at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, you won't even see it. Back at the D23 Expo last year, Disney announced it was adding a Cars-themed land to its signature Orlando park, and now, the company has revealed a ton of additional info. There's a map of what it'll look like, an explanation of its theming, and the news that even though it'll be sitting in the middle of the theme park, it'll be carefully designed to make sure it doesn't stand out. Oh, and it's got a name too. The land is called Piston Peak National Park (though fans are sure to just call it 'Piston Peak' or 'Cars Land'), and though it's fully set in the world of Cars, it's being conceived as a national park in that franchise. The idea being, a national park—even if it's filled with sentient talking vehicles—is a more seamless fit into the land's location, which is near Liberty Square and Frontierland. You can see the full map above, though it's just an artist's interpretation and won't be exactly that. So, unlike the decidedly city-based theming in Radiator Springs, Disney's first Cars land at California Adventure, here everything will be much more natural. More earthy. Imagineers are even calling it 'Parkitecture.' That's a key too because, as Disney explains in its news release, 'From the outside, trees will provide a natural barrier between the off-road rally and other parts of Frontierland and Liberty Square. Rugged mountains with dramatic peaks will be nestled along a calming waterway across from Grizzly Hall and soaring geysers from the famed Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will stretch into the trails of our off-road rally.' Previously, it was announced that the land now known as Piston Peak will have two rides in it, one geared at families and another, more exciting 'race rally through the mountains' which will see your vehicle 'climb mountain trails, dodge geysers and… splash through mudholes.' To make this land into a reality, the park will close Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and the Liberty Square Riverboat beginning July 7. Plus, as we already knew, on the other side of Big Thunder, a land focused exclusively on Disney Villains is coming too. But no word on specifics for that quite yet. For more on Piston Peak check out the new post on the Disney Parks Blog and revisit that initial news right here.
Express Tribune
08-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Disney theme park to open in Abu Dhabi
Walt Disney announced plans on Wednesday to open a Disney theme park in United Arab Emirates' capital Abu Dhabi in collaboration with regional developer Miral Group, representing its first major new theme park in nearly a decade and its first in the Middle East, reported Reuters. The planned Disney waterfront resort will be located on Yas Island, a popular tourist destination that is home to other family-friendly attractions, including Warner Bros World Yas Island, SeaWorld Yas Island, and Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi. "We've always been interested in this part of the world - to bring our Disney stories to new, younger fans," Disney's Experiences unit Chairman Josh D'Amaro told Reuters, adding, "Abu Dhabi was an ideal location for us." Miral, the Abu Dhabi-based leisure and entertainment group responsible for developing Yas Island, will finance, build and operate the resort. The creative and technical professionals who design Disney's theme parks, known as Imagineers, will lead creative design and provide operational oversight. The Disney park "will be authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati - an oasis of extraordinary Disney entertainment that is at the crossroads of the world," Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a statement on Wednesday. Disney did not announce the opening date for the new park, though D'Amaro said a project of this scale could take a year or two to design, and another four to six years to build. Once complete, the resort will offer Disney-themed attractions, dining and retail experiences, in a way that blends the Burbank entertainment company's storytelling and Abu Dhabi's heritage, D'Amaro said. The Abu Dhabi park, Disney's first since Shanghai Disneyland opened in 2016, represents a continuation of the company's plans to "turbocharge" its Experiences unit, which includes its six global theme park resorts, a cruise ship line, and a family resort in Hawaii.
