Epcot's CommuniCore East and West close. Originally the hub of EPCOT Center, both geographically and conceptually, it brought together nearly all of the ideas and concepts explored in Future World and complemented the experiences offered by the park's other pavilions. Dedicated to technological advance, Communicore occupied two buildings behind Spaceship Earth. In an effort to keep Epcot updated and vital, CommuniCore will be replaced with Innoventions (which will officially open to guests the following September).
0 Comments
Walt Disney World's EPCOT debuts IllumiNations. The nightly show includes 13 special-effects projectors, theme music, 12 wire/mesh grids, 180 nozzles which create the fountains and 783 fireworks pieces. Over the next 24 years there will be three different versions of IllumiNations. Using most of the arrangements from the previous "A New World Fantasy" and "Laserphonic Fantasy" shows, IllumiNations is a precursor to IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth.
Disney's animated feature film "Sleeping Beauty" premieres at the Fox Wilshire Theater in Los Angeles. The story is based on the fairy tale "La Belle au bois dormant" by Charles Perrault, while much of the musical score is based on Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet "Sleeping Beauty." (It will be nominated for an Oscar for Best Music/Scoring of a Musical Picture.) The voice cast includes Mary Costa (as Princess Aurora/Sleeping Beauty), Eleanor Audley (as Maleficent), Barbara Jo Allen (as Fauna), Verna Felton (as Flora), Bill Shirley (as Prince Phillip) and in his last role - Taylor Holmes (as Stefan). The film is directed by Les Clark, Eric Larson, and Wolfgang Reitherman, under the supervision of Clyde Geronimi. "Sleeping Beauty" is also the first animated feature to be photographed in the Technirama widescreen process (an alternative to CinemaScope) and the last Disney feature to use hand-inked cels.
At Epcot, the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure debuts. A treasure hunt with high-tech spy gadgetry, the interactive game is based on the Disney animated TV series Kim Possible. Using a hand-held “Kimmunicator” device, Epcot visitors receive clues and trigger hidden surprises on a series of missions in seven World Showcase pavilions: Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Japan, France and the United Kingdom.
The Walt Disney World Resort hosts the inaugural Indy 200 race in the new, state-of-the-art Walt Disney World Speedway. The race is put together by the Resort's new sports department and the Indy Racing League. With a sell-out crowd of 51,000 spectators, driver Buzz Calkins wins the event in 1:33:30.748. Today, Guests visiting the Walt Disney World Speedway won’t find any more official racing events, but they can try their hand at driving a race car during the Richard Petty Driving Experience and the Indy Racing Experience.
Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin debuts in Disneyland's Mickey's Toontown. The dark ride (inspired by the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit) contains 16 Audio-Animatronics, 59 animated props, and 20 special effects. It is the first ride-thru attraction which allows guests to take control of their vehicles while following a track.
Disney's 17th animated feature film 101 Dalmatians, featuring the voice of Rod Taylor, premieres. When a litter of dalmatian puppies are abducted by the minions of Cruella De Vil, the parents must find them before she uses them for a diabolical fashion statement. It is the first Disney feature to solely use the Xerox process for transferring the animators' drawings to cels. Prior to this, each one of the animators' drawings had to be hand-traced in ink onto a cel. The new process has sped up production greatly and given 101 Dalmatians a different look than Disney's previous animated features. It is directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, Hamilton Luske, and Clyde Geronimi. The film will be generally released the following month.
Mickey's Toontown opens at Disneyland in California. A small-scale recreation of the Mickey Mouse universe, visitors can meet the characters and visit their homes which are constructed in a vibrant cartoon-style. Inspired by "Toontown" from the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the themed land features such attractions as Gadget's Go Coaster, Goofy's Bounce House, Gag Warehouse and Jolly Trolley. Opening festivities for Toontownwill continue over the next 3 days.
The new Mark V monorails debut at Disneyland. The Mark V monorails are the second of the "Learjet" styled monorails used for Disney and are based on the design of the Bombardier Mark IVs in service at Walt Disney World. Built by Ride & Show Engineering, Inc., the 5-train Mark V monorails can carry 145 passengers. The Mark V monorail will be used until 2008 when they will be completely replaced by the Mark VII monorail.
A celebrity-attended premiere for Disney's newest attraction Monster's, Inc.: Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! takes place at Disney's California Adventure. A dark ride that replaced Superstar Limo, it follows the story of the 2001 animated feature. In soft-openings since December 2005, Monster's, Inc. will officially open the following day.
|