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Park News - (5/15/08) According to a posting at Original D, the popular new “Build You Own Mouse Ears” opportunity that has quickly proven popular in Florida’s Magic Kingdom may soon be on the way to Disneyland, possibly setting up shop in Toontown’s Gag Factory. In other news, remember how I mentioned to everyone about the real world Wall-E that was on the way? Now the first real-world Wall-E has make an appearance roaming the streets of LA that was caught on video. I’m not sure how they did it, but how can something so cute be so awesome at the same time? Wall-E just looks incredible in this video clip, like he just downloaded himself right out of the Pixar mainframe and into the real world. Simply amazing… and I’m sure this is just a test run. I can’t wait to see what he does when let loose in the parks.

Wall-E Spotted in LA! from Blink on Vimeo.

  (5/9/08) According to Original D, the newest version of the park map now mentions that the Indiana Jones: Summer of Hidden Mysteries show will begin on May 22nd, the same day that the film comes out.
  (5/8/08) Make the jump over to Original D to see pictures of a Prince Caspian “pre-parade” walk-through taking place at Disneyland as well as new pictures of Small World’s exterior which has been entirely covered up.
  (5/6/08) Disney Geek has posted a new update from the park over the weekend and sent in a couple of shots of Small World (see sidebar) where it seems the façade is being rehabbed. Make the jump over to their site to see the entire photo series showing off the rest of the park.
  (4/30/08) Screamscape sources tell us that the new Tinker Bell attraction coming in October is simply just another character Meet ‘n Greet area, which may be kind of odd since Tinker Bell is supposed to be… well… small. Tink will be setting up her new home in Ariel’s current Meet ‘n Greet location around the corner from Buzz Lightyear since she’ll be getting an all new Meet ‘n Greet across the street in California Adventure in a couple of years along with her new ride anyway.
  (4/29/08) According to a post at the OC Register, Disneyland is planning on adding some kind of Tinker Bell themed attraction to open this October along with the launch of the new Tinker Bell DVD. Anyone have a clue what this may be? Obviously it’s not going to be anything big.
  (4/25/08) While I’m not exactly sure about the location or even which park he will call home, Screamscape sources have confirmed that we will see a Wall-E mobile animatronic character running around just in time for the movie’s release. Wall-E is said to be quite cute and stands about 3 feet tall. Wall-E would be right at home in Tomorrowland of course, but it’s crowded streets could make California Adventure a more inviting home. Plus California Adventure also served as the testing grounds for the two previous characters, Lucky the Dinosaur and the Muppet Mobile Labs. More when we find out.
  (4/21/08) Disneyland fans will surely want to check out this link to a nearly 35 minute long film showing off Disneyland in July 1956 as shot by a family who won a trip to the park. The film also includes a brief stop at Knott’s Berry Farm as well before hitting Disneyland around the 13.5 minute mark. The Disneyland footage starts right at 19:00.
  (4/15/08) According to the LA Times, Disneyland will offer an all new Indiana Jones Stunt Show experience this summer to celebrate the release of the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull film. The new show at Disneyland will be called The Summer of Hidden Mysteries and actually take place on the balconies, rooftops and streets of Adventureland. This will be an interactive show as well as park guests will be drawn into the action by the cast’s characters who you can read about after the jump.
  (4/14/08) Disneyland honored actress Julie Andrews (see sidebar) for her service as the Honorary Ambassador of Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary with a unique dedication that will forever mark her place in Disney history. Jingles, the “lead and most popular” horse on King Arthur’s Carrousel which had previously been painted “gold” in 2005, has now been given another makeover and dedicated to Julie Andrews, which include her initials, the number 50 to represent the park’s 50th Anniversary, and images of Mary Poppin’s boots and a silhouette of the character. Julie was also presented with a miniature 2.5 foot tall replica of Jingles to take with her.
  (3/17/08) From what we’ve been told, Fantasmic reopened for the season over the last weekend and featured several new technical upgrades and some slight changes to the introduction and finale segments. You can see a video of the new finale here and you can compare it to a video shot last year here. Many discussions are underway on the various Disney fan forums about what has changed, what is new and what is old but just returned to service once again. The lighting towers that rise from the ground have also been replaced with new towers. It’s worth nothing that the show apparently received a substantial lighting package upgrade and show scenes are now brighter and easier to see. Some have also complained that some of the pyro hits have been replaced by bright flashing lights instead, but it’s also worth noting that it was fairly windy most of the weekend and wind conditions can cause the park to cut back on certain pyro segments.
  (3/3/08) Disneyland’s Innoventions is said to have just opened up a new Segway experience area allowing guests to take a test spin on a new Segway inside Innoventions. The Siemens area has also reopened with a new Power City Kiosk attraction identical to the ones added to Epcot.

Ride Rehabs - The following information is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate.
It’s A Small World – NOW CLOSED to November 2008
 

2008 - Disneyland Monorail - (4/29/08) According to this news article the new Mark VII Monorail Red will open up to take it’s first public riders on Friday. It also commented a bit on the colors of the monorails and their colored windows. Monorail Red has blue glass as we’ve seen, but they also mentioned that Monorail Blue has purple glass and that Monorail Orange will also have blue glass.
  (4/24/08) MouseTimes has posted some new pictures of Mark VII Monorail Red making some test runs through the park. Ooooooh…. pretty! Hit the next button a few times to see more pictures and a comparison to the old Mark V. It’s interesting to compare all the little things different about them both… like the blue tinted glass or the Xbox 360 style ring of light door buttons.
  (4/23/08) A Screamscape reader has sent us what appears to be the new official “Disneyland Monorail Mark VII” attraction poster artwork. Sweeeeeet! The style of the poster also serves as a nod to the old original Disneyland Monorail poster, which itself was copied for the Walt Disney World Monorail poster… and copied over and over again in other fan made dream creations (see gallery) like this create spoof of a Monsters, Inc. factory tour by Distant Creations.
  (4/16/08) According to the LA Times Monorail Red will begin a series of daytime rider-free test runs next week in the hopes of opening it by mid-May. Around this same time we may see night-time testing of the new Monorail Blue as well.
  (4/14/08) MiceChat has posted a new photo update showing off some close up pictures of the new Jingles horse on the carousel as well as the pieces of the new Monorail Blue all wrapped up in the parking lot.
  (3/26/08) According to the LA Times, Disneyland has been testing the new Mark VII Monorail Red on a frequent basis after dark. Disney officials have confirmed it as well and apparently Monorail Blue is expected to arrive sometime between mid April and May.
  (3/12/08) It looks like there may have been a huge improvement in the status of the new Mark VII Monorail Red. A Screamscape reader happened to be standing outside a restaurant across from Disneyland late on Monday night and noticed the new monorail making a slow run around the beam in the dark. They quickly grabbed their camera to shoot a little video of it and posted it to YouTube. It’s too dark to make out the details, but it is clear to see that the monorail is running on it’s own power and not being pushed by the Diesel powered maintenance cart.
  (2/27/08) The latest report from MiceAge confirms the rumor we’ve heard about the new Monorail being unable to navigate the turn between the maintenance shed and the switch track. While the exact cause of the problem is still to be determined, it apparently did come up that the specs taken from the ‘80s era blueprints from the last set of trains was actually different from what was actually in use on the existing trains when taken apart for inspection. Right now there is no timeline as to when the new monorail may go into service.
  (3/21/06) Sources have confirmed that the current budget only calls for 3 new monorails, though plans for a 4th monorail are on the back burner to be added in the budget a couple of years down the line.

2008 - Innoventions Updates and Dream Home - Confirmed - (4/25/08) Screamscape sources tell us that an AirScooter II unit has been delivered to Disneyland and placed inside Innovations as part of a new Transportation of the Future exhibit. The AirScooter is a small Personal Air Vehical, kind of like a mini one man helicopter.
  (2/19/08) Though I failed to mention it by name, you can probably expect Microsoft to show off Surface, their big tabletop innovation from last year. Microsoft has already shown off how you can place your phone, pda or camera on the Surface tabletop and it can access the data inside wirelessly (only from an appropriate device I’m sure…). It seems a sure match that the bit in the press release about placing groceries on the interactive countertop that would respond by giving menu suggestions would be a Surface device. Check out the videos about Surface though, they are very cool looking.
  (2/14/08) Disneyland is bringing back the old House of the Future attraction, but revamped for the 21st Century by Disney, Microsoft, Hewlette-Packard, LifeWare and homebuilder Taylor Morrison. The $15 million new 5,000 square-foot “Innoventions Dream Home” attraction will have the look of a normal home on the outside, but packed with the latest technology (current and future) in the inside. Guests will enter the home and travel room to room watching a short performance by live actors playing a family preparing for a trip to China. The home will feature an intelligent smart system that will identify when people enter rooms and adjust the lighting and temperature accordingly. Bedroom closets will help pick out your clothes and the kitchen countertop can identify the groceries you just bought and make menu suggestions. The Innoventions Dream Home is scheduled to open this May and is said to be part of a five-year agreement.

2008 - It’s A Small World Rehab - Rumor - (4/30/08) Small World purists opposed to the changes of adding in Disney characters to the ride should check out the slew of new videos showing off the Hong Kong Disneyland version of the ride before they slam the concept entirely.
  (4/16/08) According to the LA Times, Disney has responded to all the fuss over the proposed changes for Small World with a comment by Disney Archivist Dave Smith who has reminded fans that “Walt Disney never intended Disneyland to be static.” If you take a look at the poll on the LA Times, the votes are pretty close as of moment, with Save Small World holding a mild 56% lead over Change Small World’s 44%.
  (3/31/08) The big debate over it’s right or not to add new scenes and Disney characters to It’s A Small World is still raging all over the internet and while I think that typically change is almost always a good thing, there are still many who think that adding various Disney characters to Small World may alter the focus away from the message the ride is trying to convey. For a good well written argument about perhaps why these changes should not happen, take a read over at the Mouse Clubhouse.
  (3/26/08) The LA Times has dug a little deeper into the proposed changes being considered for It’s A Small World. While they have confirmed that Mickey and Minnie will not be added to the ride, a figure of Alice is planned to go into the England scene near an existing chessboard and red rose tree already in the ride.
  (3/20/08) While I wasn’t sure if Disney did plan on going through with the plan to add Mickey various other Disney characters into Small World before it reopened, apparently the rumor alone was enough for the surviving family members of Mary Blair (the major creator behind the look and style of the original ride) to write an open letter to Disney asking them not to do it.
  Now I can understand the point… this is the one and only original It’s A Small World ride we’re talking about… and not just the brand new Hong Kong version that was planned to be built with these characters added from the start. But when you think along those same lines… just look at how much better the new version of Space Mountain is over the original. I also enjoyed seeing how the characters from the Pirates films were added to the classic original Pirates ride. And while I’ve always been a huge fan of the original Haunted Mansion at Disneyland, I have nothing but praise for how Disney was able to seasonally add in the Nightmare Before Christmas characters to the ride.
  So with all that in mind… I have to admit I am interested in seeing how Disney can add in a few Disney characters into the mix on It’s A Small World. It’s not like the plan is to remove all the Mary Blair figures from the ride and replace them with Disney animatronics… they’re just going to add in a few extra characters into the mix. Of course, if Disney decided not to do it, my feeling wont be hurt either, since we’ll get to see how it all turns out in Hong Kong anyway. Thanks to the LA Times for the tip.
  (2/27/08) According to the latest news from MiceAge, Disneyland has asked Imagineering to add in several Disney characters to the scenes in It’s a Small World in much the same fashion that they will be added to the new version opening in Hong Kong later this year. They are also planning on adding an “American” themed section to the ride which previously did not have one.
  (11/6/07) It seems the ugly truth behind the 10 month long closure of It’s a Small World at Disneyland has gotten out and that Americans have just become too fat for the boats and flume to handle the load.
  (10/19/07) Screamscape sources have confirmed that the rumors of a 9-10 month closure of It’s A Small World (From January 2008 to November 2008) are right on the money. It seems that the time has finally come to replace the flume and fleet of boats that have been running around It’s A Small World for decades. This means that the last time you’ll be able to see the Classic version (not Holiday) of Small World before early 2009 would be this weekend.

2009 - Matterhorn w/ New Cars - In Development - (5/7/08) One of our readers sent in a picture of the new prototype Matterhorn car design.
  (5/6/08) You know this may just be crazy talk but I’ve been thinking about the whole idea of buying new cars for The Matterhorn. With the latest buzz claiming that the conversion to the new train style most likely to happen in early 2009, this also coincides with the rumored timeline of when Walt Disney World is supposed to be shutting down their Space Mountain for an extended make-over, possibly just as extensive as the one done to Disneyland’s own Space Mountain not too long ago. With an audio system rumored to be in the works as well for the Florida makeover, it would seem that they would need a new fleet of trains as well. Now the current fleet of cars running in Florida aren’t that old (as far as coaster cars go), as the entire ride received new trains back during the whole Millennium Celebration, switching over sometime in mid-1999 as I recall.
  I bet you know where I’m heading with this. I don’t think it would be entirely unheard of for Disneyland to make a cheap purchase agreement to buy those old 2nd Gen Space Mountain trains from Florida, apply a new coat of paint and rehab them to work as your new California bobsleds. Now unfortunately it looks like that old picture of the one prototype train that was spotted months ago has disappeared, so does anyone else have their own picture of that prototype train that we could post?
  (4/29/08) It has been awhile since we’ve heard a peep about adding a new fleet of Matterhorn cars, but the latest rumors claim that the new 3-seat cars are still on the way. We’ve been told we can expect to see them show up most likely during the next major Matterhorn rehab that is set to take place somewhere between the end of 2008 to early 2009. Anyone know more?
  (11/19/07) A reader pointed out a little bit of information to me about the new 3 seat Matterhorn cars in the works. While it is true that the current cars hold 4 adults at once (8 per train), they point out most trains only go out with anywhere form 4 to 6 riders right now because so many people don’t want to sit on someone’s lap. Add in the extra “weight” factor that has become a reason for the nearly year-long rehab coming up at Small World, and often it can be a bit uncomfortable for two “full sized” adults to sit together, so the new trains that will offer six individual seats may actually increase the ride’s true capacity in the end.
  (11/14/07) I had no idea this was in the works, but as you can see in the photos here, all new trains are being built for the Matterhorn based on the individual seat designs used on Florida’s Space Mountain. While this will likely make the ride a more comfortable experience, it will also likely increase the length of the line and raise the height limit for the ride. The old cars would usually hold four riders and the new cars can only hold three, and since you can’t hold your small children on your lap anymore, expect to see the height limit raised to at least 40 inches… or maybe even 44 inches since that is what they use on Space Mountain in Florida. The current height limit on Matterhorn is just 35 inches.

Late 2009 or Early 2010 - Star Tours 2 - Rumor - (4/25/08) Screamscape sources tell us that we should finally expect to see Star Tours shut down by late 2008 or early 2009 in order to begin work on the massive overhaul it will receive for the Star Tours 2 concept rebirth. Apparently we shouldn’t expect to see it reopen for close to a year or more since this is said to be a complete overhaul and not just Disney dropping in a new ride-film.
  (2/25/08) News updates about Star Tours 2 are few and far between but a source has heard an interesting new development rumor for the project. Our source tell us that while currently one of the pods (#3?) at the Disneyland attraction is “down for maintenance”, the truth is that WDI has been playing around inside the cabin after hours and playing It’s Tough To Be a Bug footage of all things. While this seems odd at first, apparently they are doing it to test a new 3D projection system they are working on for the cabins for the new Star Tours. The good news is that they may be working on the idea of finally opening the new Star Tours 2 ride as part of the Tomorrowland 2010 project that may see the entire land refurbished once again for the park’s 55th Anniversary.
  (6/6/07) New rumors have surfaced about new plans and developments for the long awaited Star Tours 2 project. For the latest information posted this week, read the entry at the Disney-MGM Studios page.
  (3/9/07) Screamscape has heard some early work is being done again on the Star Tours 2 project. Park management has been inspired by the success and popularity of the Star Wars themed Jedi Academy show how playing in the park and is interested in updating Star Tours once again.
  (6/15/05) A local spy tells us that they were informed that a new Star Tours adventure is pretty much locked in as the next major attraction to hit Disneyland after the new Subs open.
  (4/25/05) I think one of the oldest rumors that I had when I started this website years ago was that Star Tours would someday be updated to have a new ride film. This rumor evolved over the years to the Pod Racer concept from Episode I when the multiple ending idea and at Disney World they even went so far as to retheme the outside of their gift shop to an Episode I themed Tatooine building. But still no new ride... and after years of delays and rumors that Lucas and Eisner had just had it out with each other and the ride would never happen, I gave up on it. Now George Lucas himself made a statement at the Star Wars Celebration III event, reported on ComingSoon.net, that Star Tours “will be getting an overhaul soon”.

2010/2011 - PeopleMover v3 / Tomorrowland 2010 - Rumor - (4/25/08) From what I’ve been told, a new future for Tomorrowland is finally on the way. The new Star Tours 2 concept is apparently just the first phase of a larger makeover for Tomorrowland. Once the new version of Star Tours opens the plan is to demolish the old Rocket Jet Tower to make way for an all new tower that will once again house a next generation Peoplemover ride station as well as the base unit to return the Astro-Orbiter back to it’s rightful place high in the sky on top of this new tower.
  (2/25/08) Screamscape sources tell us that there has been some activity along the old Peoplemover / Rocket Rods tracks after hours in anticipation of reinventing the ride once again for the Tomorrowland 2010 project. If the rumors are true people have been seen poking around the track areas in various locations, though most commonly in the old loading station area. Apparently there is some debate about if they should try to reuse the old Rocket Tower location as the loading station once again or if perhaps they may be better off loading from a new location, such as the enclosed tunnel areas near that travel next to the upper floor of the arcade. With the end near for the run of Honey, I Shrunk The Audience, it seems there is talk about reusing the area for the new project as well. As for the theme… no one seems to know right now, though we have heard that The IncrediPod concept may have been tossed out in favor something new. Makes me wonder if the rumor about having all of the Tomorrowland 2010 projects themed to Star Wars may have actually come to pass.
  (12/4/07) With the Submarine Voyage successfully launched not everyone is focused entirely on the future of California Adventure it seems. I’ve been told for quite some time that the next big project for Disneyland itself would most likely be to fix the rest of Tomorrowland, namely creating a new attraction to take over the old Peoplemover / Rocket Rods track that winds throughout the entire land. While no theme has been given, the details leaking out do sound like they would fit that IncrediPod concept we had previously heard about. Guests would be able to ride inside a four passenger “pods” unit, with controls to make the pod spin in a circle (ie: Buzz Lightyear) to control their own viewing angle. Now what is really interesting is a new rumor claiming that every couple of weeks a mysterious blue temporary wall has been going up on the roof of Honey I Shrunk the Audience in the upper Space Mountain queue blocking the view of the PeopleMover track that runs over the Pizza Port building. The popular rumor going around is that this is where they are keeping some kind of prototype car unit to conduct tests. Stay tuned, and if you see this blue wall show up, send in a picture.
  (9/5/07) According to a report last week at Jim Hill Media, George Lucas and Disney execs will be meeting soon to not only go over the progress of Star Tours 2 but to talk about the possibility of turning the the Tomorrowland 2010 project into a Star Wars themed project. The Star Wars theme wouldn’t touch most of the classic attractions like Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, the Autopia or the Submarine Voyage but could be applied to just about everything else. I applaud this if true, and I only have this one wish: “Please let there be Speeder Bikes on the PeopeleMover tracks! PLEASE!”
  (6/7/07) Screamscape sources have confirmed only that the old PeopleMover / Rocket Rods tracks will return to life once again in the next few years, likely for the planned 2010 Tomorrowland update. Sorry to beat a dead horse, but I’ve got to say how much I’d love to see this transformed into a Star Wars themed Speederbike ride around Tomorrowland. This time around, I think they could use the Vekoma Booster Bike launched coaster system but retheme to bikes to look like Star Wars Speederbikes, replacing some of the track layout sections around the Autopia and Submarine Lagoon with more thrilling and twisted track sections of the final run of the ride. It just sounds more fun than the IncrediPods.
  (3/12/07) If the latest rumors are true there are huge plans in development to fix the Tomorrowland 1998 disaster left behind by the Pressler era. The plan right now is to not only “fix” Tomorrowland, but give it the true facelift it needs to carry it through the next couple of decades at least. All the little rumors we’ve been hearing about for years (Star Tours 2, IncrediPods, etc...) are all apparently going to come together as part of this massive overhaul to one of Disneyland’s most popular lands. All the planets are aligning once again to make this happen, and Disney’s new successful relationships with players like Steve Jobs and John Lasseter and even Roy Disney is said to have had enough effect to restore George Lucas’ faith in Disney quality once aga