As a final salute to Disneyland’s 50th anniversary, a new project has been added: a 1974 Disneyland Dial Guide. This large dial toy also doubles as a very large postcard.
It took a few days to clean up and restore the images, but it was well worth it! I’d like to thank MasterGracey (MiceChat member) for graciously providing the high-quality scans.
It’s been a little slow with the news here, but believe me, there’s certainly been a lot of work going on as well as a little bit of creative mud-flinging.
The folks at Magical Memories are trying to get together a last-minute re-issue of their Haunted Mansion Holiday fanzine to celebrate the attraction’s 5th anniversary as well as the Nightmare Before Christmas’ release in Disney Digital 3-D. I almost . . . almost . . . got to design a new freebie item for that issue, but the powers-that-be decided to go with an idea that they had already started. Their freebie sounds like fun, and should be very customizable.
Now that I don’t have to work on a project for Magical Memories, I’m free to work on other things . . . Halloween things . . . trick-or-treat kind of things. There’s one idea, pitched to Magical Memories for their HMH issue, that I really fell in love with. And since they’re not going to use it, I’m free to persue it. I’ve also been inspired by some of the paper toys at RavensBlight. I have so many ideas bouncing around in my head right now!
In the meantime, I’ve been working on the paper model CDs: finishing artwork and beginning production.
-EDIT-
Thanks to a kind soul over at MiceChat, I’ve gotten my mitts on scans of a vintage 1974 Disneyland item. The images have been cleaned up, and look brand-new. All that’s left is to figure a way to assemble the pieces and add some instructions. Since this is the last month for Disneyland’s 50th celebration (decorations are already being taken down), I might release the item as soon as it’s finished.
As far as the Halloween treat(s) go, I’ve finished. Although, I’m not sure it will be up everyone’s alley. Hmmm . . .
I’ve finished listening to the two audio discs, plus quickly flipping through the bonus CD-ROM content. I was so wrapped up in listening to the audio that it doesn’t seem like over 2 hours of content.
The two best interviews, in my opinion, are the ones about Cast Member life on the WDW attraction and the design of the Tokyo Disney Sea ride. In both instances, I could almost imagine being there. There’s a lot of interesting information there that will have any Disney theme park geek busting at the seams.
The audio quality is occasionally shaky, but it’s pretty darn good considering that they recorded all of their interviews over the telephone. The tracks are lightly woven together with a storyline about the Nemo family in hiding. It’s corny and silly, but that’s part of the charm of this 2-disc set.
The CD-ROM content is mainly a series of photos and a couple minor videos. It’s nothing to really get all hyped up about, but it is a nice jot through memory lane.
Blemishes aside, the key attributes of the issue is an air of light-hearted fun and a wealth of information. Boy-howdy, there’s a wealth of information! The issue isn’t perfect, but you have to remember that it’s produced by fans using whatever they have at their disposal. In my opinion, it’s worth both the money and the time to listen to the whole set. I honestly didn’t think I’d be able to get into it, because I’ve never been on anything other than the Submarine Voyage at Disneyland, and I didn’t care for it too much.
Thumbs up!
I received my copy of the Magical Memories Issue #3.
The package is well done, especially the booklet. There are a lot of nice photos and graphics inside. One thing that surprised me were the CDs. The CD artwork lines up with the front and back inner covers, but when you take out the CDs, different art is revealed. Remove disc 1 to reveal an open iris and a squid tentacle. Remove disc 2, a helmet, to reveal the diver’s head.
The first and last pages of the booklet are designed like an old newspaper. The front displays the track listings, while the back disguises the fanzine credits as an advertising page.
Presales for paper model CDs are now being taken. In the coming days, new CDs will be added, including brand-new models. Be on the look-out for:
Shipping begins October 1.
