I’m sad to say that today is the last day of the Disney Experience. No, I’m not kidding. I’ll post an explanation tomorrow, and you can leave your comments on that post. That way, you can all make a better-informed opinion. Until then, try not to panic. I know many of you will.

The new Fantasmic! dragon was supposed to debut today, but that may not be so. The early-morning press performance was canceled, and there’s no word if the dragon will debut for the public in tonight’s performance. In the meantime, there is an awesome video of the new animatronic that is WAY better than the old version. I suggest watching the vid in high-def if you can.

What a way to start the Halloween season!

With the end of the war, Walt and Roy found inventive new outlets for animation and ventured into live-action production. They developed new package films for theaters that combined shorts and feature-length animated films, as well as movies that combined live action and animation. In addition, the Studio produced the enormously successful Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and Lady and the Tramp, the studio’s first wide-screen animated feature. Disney also produced his first live-action features, including Treasure Island and 20,000 Leagues under the Sea.

Concept and animation art from Disney’s films of the period will be prominently featured in this gallery, as well as artifacts from live-action movies, including an underwater camera used in the filming of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and works from Walt’s extensive personal collection of miniatures.

If I ever see another tower again, it’ll be too soon! The Disneyland® Paris Sleeping Beauty Castle paper model is finished . . . sans any final corrections and the illustrated instructions. There are so many towers on this sucker. There are also many windows, so it’ll be a challenge for any of you to light it internally.

On Monday, I will submit the photos to the Disney Interactive Media Group for approval. I will also be inquiring (yet again) about the Sleeping Beauty Castle Holiday Pop-Up Card, which I submitted almost a year ago.

In the meantime, I am looking forward to a short break before I begin work on the model’s illustrated text instructions. With Halloween sneaking up, I think I’ll use the time to create more props for my real-world trick-or-treating decorations.

This difficult period in Walt’s life included the deaths of his parents, a studio strike that threatened the company’s viability, and a period when the U.S. military used part of the studio as a base.  The company released Dumbo and produced training films for the military, public service shorts, and morale-boosting films, and Walt embarked on a goodwill tour of South America to strengthen ties between the U.S. and Latin American countries. He later produced two Latin American-themed animated movies based on the trip.

Photos and union flyers from the 1941 Disney animators’ strike as well as samples of Disney films in support of the war effort will be among the gallery highlights.  Also on view will be original art from Dumbo and insignias that the Studios created for numerous regiments and squadrons.

This is just a quick update.

The second half of Becky’s station platform is now available for download.

The worldwide success of Snow White let Disney Studios create new studio buildings in Burbank, CA, and produce even more ambitious features, such as Bambi, Pinocchio and Fantasia. The last film featured classical music and an orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski. Although well regarded by critics, none of the films was immediately financially successful, in part because overseas revenues were affected by World War II.

Highlights of the gallery will include one of the studio’s original multiplane camera cranes, an animator’s desk and rare production art.

The fine folks at the Iconfactory have more wonderful wallpapers. This set is based on movie poster art from Disney’s upcoming Alice in Wonderland film.

Alice wallpaper designed by Louie Mantia.

The Mad Hatter wallpaper designed by Louie Mantia.

The Red Queen wallpaper designed by Louie Mantia.

Tweedledee and Tweedledum wallpaper designed by Louie Mantia.

I wish I had an iPhone!

Wishing Stars is a new iPhone game that you play inside Disneyland. Using the built-in GPS feature of the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, you wander around the park looking for wishing stars that are broken into several pieces. I first heard about this game on an episode of Mousetalgia.

Clues are given, of course, and the quests are broken into easy, medium, and hard levels. Some quests are performed out in the open, while others are played while you wait in line at an attraction.

The game already has planned expansions for other parks and resort areas. Ultimate quests, which take days to complete, will satisfy hard-core Disney theme park fans. I really wish I had an iPhone just to play this game. Check out the Wishing Stars website for more information and a demo video. Read More

I found several new Internet finds today. Here’s the first group, based on The Emperor’s New Groove . . .

This set contains 18 icons designed by Gedeon Maheux: Bird Glyph, Cat Glyph, Fish Glyph, Kingdom Glyph, Llama Glyph, Pelican Glyph, Snake Glyph, Spider Glyph, Crazy Kitty, Imperial Crown, Kronk, secret Lab Kronk, Yzma, Potion, Meat Hut Lizard, Kuzco, Kuzco Llama, Pacha.

Kuzcotopia wallpaper designed by Louie Mantia.

The Name Is Kuzco wallpaper designed by Louie Mantia.

A Diabolical Dinner wallpaper designed by Louie Mantia.