#Pixar Place Hotel opening date

[samsdisneydiary]

Opening Date Revealed for Pixar Place Hotel at Disneyland Resort, Plus Sneak Peek of Great Maple Menu, Pixar-Themed Hotel Rooms and More

Playful Pixar elements have been coming to life over the past few months at Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel at Disneyland Resort, and we’re excited to share that the property will officially transform into Pixar Place Hotel on Jan. 30, 2024, becoming the first fully Pixar-themed hotel in the United States. Today, we’re giving you a glimpse of rooms inspired by Pixar stories, menu items to look…

[heydaytravelcompany]

Disneyland Resort Announces Event Dates and More for 2024

Get ready to mark your calendars and plan some trips to The Happiest Place on Earth in 2024! For the first time, we are giving dates and offering details early for some fan-favorite limited-time and seasonal events throughout the year. And along with the dates, we are sharing some exciting news too... like the return of the fan-favorite celebration of friendship and beyond... Pixar Fest – plus the arrival of Season of the Force this spring! You can book Disneyland Resort theme park reservations up to 180 days in advance with the expanded reservation calendar, and the slate of scheduled events can help plan visits earlier. Read on for all the exciting details, but first, let’s start with a look at the highlights: What’s Coming to Disneyland in 2024 Guests of all ages have so much to look forward to in 2024, no matter when they plan to visit. From the resort-wide Pixar Fest celebration to favorite festivals like the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival, the return of “Fantasmic!” and much more, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Plus, we’re investing in the development of even more guest experiences coming to Disneyland Resort, with Pixar Place Hotel opening Jan. 30; the upcoming attraction, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure; and the continued transformation of the Downtown Disney District. Here’s a bit more about the magic to come! Pixar Fest Returns This Spring Pixar Fest returns to the Disneyland Resort from April 26 through Aug. 4, 2024, bringing us together for a celebration of friendship and beyond. From colorful décor and themed menu items to commemorative merchandise, the Disneyland Resort theme parks, hotels and Downtown Disney District will have a Pixar twist of friendly fun for a limited time. This festival of friendship is highlighted by heartwarming entertainment featuring Pixar stories. An all-new daytime parade, “Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration!”, will debut at Disney California Adventure park, and at Disneyland park, the emotional “Together Forever – A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular” returns with some all-new scenes. During the celebration, you may encounter new characters such as Ember and Wade from “Elemental,” Red Panda Mei from “Turning Red” and more. Additional entertainment and offerings will be announced at a later date. Disney Festivals and Limited-Time Celebrations Lunar New Year at Disney California Adventure Park (Jan. 23-Feb. 18): A tribute to Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean traditions, this multicultural celebration rings in the Year of the Dragon with Asian-inspired food and beverages, vibrant décor and Mushu leading the way in “Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession.” Celebrate Gospel at Disneyland Park (Feb. 17 and 24): Performing at the Fantasyland Theatre, the 2024 “Celebrate Gospel” concerts will be headlined by Marvin Sapp (Feb. 17) and Tasha Cobbs Leonard (Feb. 24). “Celebrate Gospel” is an annual tribute to Gospel music that brings together award-winning music artists and community choirs from across Southern California. Anaheim Ducks Days at Disney California Adventure Park (Feb. 22-23): In celebration of the Anaheim Ducks Hockey Club’s 30th anniversary, Disneyland Resort and the Anaheim Ducks team up for a two-day event in Hollywood Land, including a celebratory cavalcade, fan zone with themed activities and photo opportunities, plus appearances by select current and legacy team players. Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival (March 1-April 22): The gastronomic extravaganza serves up creative foods and beverages, cooking demonstrations and family- friendly entertainment inspired by the diverse cultures and cuisines of the Golden State. The popular attraction, Soarin’ Over California, also returns for a limited time during the festival. Season of the Force at Disneyland Park (April 5-June 2): Season of the Force arrives at Disneyland park with Hyperspace Mountain and specially themed food and beverage, merchandise and more for a limited time. Debuting during the celebration, you’ll be able to embark on new adventures aboard Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will provide fresh perspective on the fireworks above Disneyland park, with galactic music sweeping through the spires. Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort (Aug. 23-Oct. 31): Wicked fun for all ages, this spellbinding season transforms the resort with autumn décor, characters dressed in hauntingly haute Halloween outfits and uniquely themed attractions. Plaza de la Familia at Disney California Adventure Park (Aug. 23-Nov. 2): The everlasting bonds of family and Mexican traditions of Día de los Muertos are honored through a cultural experience featuring storytelling and music from Pixar’s “Coco.” Holidays at the Disneyland Resort (Begins Nov. 15): Family and friends can celebrate the season with the lively Disney Festival of Holidays at Disney California Adventure, plus seasonal overlays on beloved attractions, cherished holiday spectaculars and dazzling wintry décor throughout the resort. Disney’s Separately Ticketed After-Hours Events You may also choose to attend a fan-favorite after-hours event scheduled in 2024. These themed, separately ticketed events include pre-party park mix-in, shorter wait times for select attractions, unlimited select Disney PhotoPass digital photo downloads from the event, and more. Disneyland After Dark (select nights from January through June): Disneyland park will host four themed soirées packed with unique entertainment, rare character encounters and distinctive menus of sweet treats and savory snacks. Specific details on this year’s Disneyland After Dark themes and events will be shared very soon – so be sure to check back to the Disney Parks Blog! Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party* (Returning in 2024): Disney California Adventure park will throw family-friendly Halloween parties including immersive treat trails, rare character sightings and unique entertainment. For this spirited occasion, you are invited to dress up in your favorite Halloween costume.* More Disney Magic in the Making The reimagined Pixar Place Hotel opens Jan. 30, 2024, marking the official transformation of Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel into the first fully Pixar-themed hotel in the United States. The 15- story hotel overlooking Disney California Adventure park will offer Pixar-themed guest rooms, new dining featuring Great Maple restaurant, a rooftop pool area, play court and more. Beginning May 24, the nighttime spectacular “Fantasmic!” will once again illuminate the Rivers of America in Disneyland park, featuring new special effects, a thrilling new battle scene between Sorcerer Mickey and Maleficent, plus the return of the iconic “Peter Pan” scene. In this treasured show, fantastic events and images from Disney stories come to life through soaring music, dozens of live performers, character appearances and state-of-the-art projections. When the new attraction Tiana’s Bayou Adventure debuts at Disneyland park later in 2024, you'll get to embark on a musical journey inspired by Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “The Princess and the Frog.” 2024. Shops and restaurants in the area will also continue to offer new must-have merchandise and menu items to discover. Musical entertainment, activities and events make the newly opened Downtown Disney LIVE! stage and lawn on the district’s west end an ideal location for gathering and relaxation. Disneyland Resort Special Ticket Offers A variety of ticket options and special offers throughout the year make it possible for many to visit Disneyland Resort. If you’re planning a trips for early in the new year, remember that families can get greater value with a special offer on Disneyland Resort theme park tickets for children ages 3-9.** Valid for visits between Jan. 8 and March 10, 2024 (no blockout dates, subject to park reservation availability), child tickets can be purchased for as low as $50 per child, per day. More information is available on Disneyland.com. And for Southern California residents, there are even more ways to save in the first part of the year. The Southern California resident ticket offer*** is back, where eligible guests may experience the magic of Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park for as low as $75 per day for a limited time with the purchase of a three-day, one-park per day ticket, subject to park reservations. These tickets, which are a terrific value, go on sale tomorrow, Dec. 5, 2023, for visits on select days Jan. 2 through June 2, 2024. With distinctly Disney experiences and exciting happenings all year long, no two visits are the same. We can’t wait to “see ya real soon” here at Disneyland Resort!  Read the full article

[excelsi-or]

21/12/19 - dance (woozi)

to a boy i love right now

w.c. 1.4k

A/N: Please forgive the Christmas fic in June L O L. I’m posting as I edit and this is just...... where we are. Also isn’t time an illusion? especially right now. Stay safe. Stay educated. xx

Black Lives Rec: Check out these IG illustrators and support their work! Amina Aly is a Muslim Somalian Canadian artist who works in gouache. Her pieces are so vibrant. Awuradwoa (pronounced uh-ra-ju-uh) Afful is a Ghana Canadian digital illustrator. She does a lot of character design. Her pieces remind me a lot of Pixar animation style or Carmen Sandiego. Abelle Hayford is a digital illustrator. Their designs range from character designs to background illustrations. I love the movement in their lines. Their characters have so much life. Bianca Xunise is a comic illustrator. Her comics are about black lives and what it’s like to be black. She has a very simplistic style, which is pleasing to the eye. Her words are also very powerful. Brie Henderson is currently a Netflix and DC colourist. I originally found her work through her Good Omens fan art. She’s currently running a character design mentorship for the month of July for black artist. 

December 3, 2019

December 21, 2019

“Ji!” she calls from the front door, slipping out of her heels. “Are you ready? We’re going to be late for this party!”

“I hate this idea.” Jihoon’s bedroom door opens to reveal the man in a three-piece black suit. He’s working on tying his tie, but keeps fumbling with it. “Do you know how to tie a tie?”

She snorts as she crosses the room over to him. “You’re hilarious. No. Let’s just find a video.”

Jihoon looks up, his eyes immediately skimming over her. 

She looks down at the forest green dress. “Nice, yes?”

He chuckles and pulls his phone out of his pocket. “Even if I said no, you wouldn’t care.”

She leans over to peck his cheek. “Good answer.”

Once his tie is tied and he tucks a stray piece of hair behind her ear, they head downstairs where the car she rented is parked out front. She tosses the keys to him and he stares at her, confused.

“I hate driving in heels.” She climbs in.

Jihoon rolls his eyes, a smile on his face, as he slides into the driver’s side. She has the venue already inputted into the GPS. Seatbelts on and after checking all the mirrors, he signals left and starts en route. “You know, when you asked me to meet your family, I didn’t expect to be wearing a suit.”

She shakes her head in dismay. “My family likes fancy Christmas parties. And while we have dressed fancy before,” she motions towards her dress, “this is over the top for us.” She reaches over to adjust a piece of his hair that’s fallen into his eyes. ”I honestly think it’s because you’re coming.”

“So they’re forcing me to look like I’m going to get married?”

Laughing, she looks out the window. “Maybe. They probably want you to be impressed with them. I wouldn’t put it past my dad.”

“You brought a change of clothes for the way back, right?” Jihoon glances over at her as he turns left.

She nods. “It’s in the trunk.”

“Good. Last thing I need is you sitting in the passenger seat in your underwear because you hate the dress.”

With a smirk, she rounds on him. “Really? You wouldn’t like that? For an hour and a half?”

“We’d get in a car crash,” he answers honestly.

While he is nervous, Jihoon wins over her parents in an instant. Her grandmother adores him after a first meeting, even more so when they start talking about old songs from when she was a teenager. She has to physically drag the man away from her grandmother, who likes to chat.

Her siblings are already seated at a table closest to the dance floor. There are two seats vacant for them and she sits Jihoon next to her younger brother’s girlfriend rather than right next to her older brother. As soon as he sits, the grilling starts.

She can’t do anything about it, but Jihoon takes it in stride. He tries his best to not give typical Jihoon answers, elaborating where he can. He doesn’t overshare, but she doesn’t want him to. She wants Jihoon to be as comfortable as possible. Her hand finds his under the table when her sister asks him if it was love at first sight.

Jihoon hates talking about sentimental moments like that with other people. Their first kiss, first time, first (proper) date, most of it has been locked away. She’d watched Jihoon tense as soon as her sister asked the question.

“No,” Jihoon answers slowly. His eyes dart towards her two brothers flanking him on either side. “It wasn’t at first sight,” Jihoon’s fingers wiggle nervously between hers, “but I fell in love pretty quickly.”

Gently, she squeezes his hand as the girls all awe loudly around them. His hand has gone cold and she rubs it between both of hers. She glowers at her younger brother before he can roll his eyes, already knowing her older brother is smiling.

When the music comes on an hour later, their table gets up to join the rest of their family and friends on the dance floor. She and Jihoon twist in their seats to watch. 

“I think you did alright,” she chuckles.

Jihoon pulls her hand into his lap, toying with her fingers. “Thank god.”

One of her cousins comes over to them, laughing. “Come on! You can’t just sit here all night!” 

Sighing, she gets up. When she tugs on Jihoon’s hand, he shakes his head. Not wanting to push him any more tonight, she lets go.

The second a slow song comes on, she walks back towards the table where Jihoon has been sitting all night. She’d checked in on him between songs, worried he was bored. Luckily, a few members of her family had sat with him and everyone else twirled her around to tell her how great they thought he was.

She offers a hand out to him now.

Jihoon tugs her closer, his hands resting on her waist.

“I wanted you to come dance,” she says.

“Jagi, I don’t—”

“Please. You’ve been sitting all night. I feel bad.”

“Your family is nice and I want you to enjoy yourself. I’m happy watching.”

She shakes her head. “One dance with me, please?” She drops a hand from around his neck to one of his on her waist and tugs him towards the dance floor. Jihoon glances around at the other couples swaying to the music and then back at her.

Her hands are already playing with his hair. Smirking, she asks, “Do you not know how to slow dance?”

“I’ve never had to slow dance before,” he hisses.

Snorting, she takes his hands from his sides to place them on her hips. She then sets her hands on his shoulders. “This is how people dance their first dance.” 

They sway like this for a while and Jihoon naturally pulls her closer to him. 

“Fast learner,” she hums, her fingers once again toying with the hair at the base of his neck.

Jihoon taps out the rhythm of the music on the small of her back with his fingers. She can’t help but stare up at him, watching his facial expression change as he gets into the song. He’s on high alert though, aware that her entire family is likely watching them. Using his chin, she guides his gaze back down to her.

“Hi, remember me?” she teases.

Jihoon’s breath is shaky. “Sorry.”

“What?”

“Your dad is watching us.”

She sways them in a circle so that she can get a look at her parents. She catches her dad’s eye, her smile disappears and her gaze hardens. With a grin, her dad’s attention returns to her mother.

“My mom heard I was coming and she asked when she gets to meet you in person,” Jihoon says.

When Jihoon calls home, sometimes she’ll jump into the call briefly. His mother is always sharing recipes that Jihoon liked as a kid. 

“It definitely won’t be like this.” His eyes go around the elaborately decorated dining hall of a hotel. “Your family go all out.”

“Only for today,” she promises. “It’s not usually this extravagant.”

“Well, if we did go visit my parents, it would be just us. Likely dinner.”

She nods. “That sounds great.”

Jihoon leans down to rest his forehead against hers. “It really can’t just be us, can it?” he murmurs.

Their swaying has slowed a lot, as Jihoon has them nearly pressed together. But she can tell Jihoon’s getting tired. “Sorry, Ji, no. But back home, it’ll just be us. Gyu texted me and said he’ll be home in the morning.”

Jihoon’s eyes widen a little as he pulls away form her. “Why?”

She shrugs, pecking his lips. “I just asked if it’d be possible if he could stay at Wonwoo’s for a night.”

Jihoon smiles and hugs her around the waist as the song ends and spins her around. “You’re making breakfast then.”

She rolls her eyes with a smile. “Sure, Ji. Whatever you want.”

Jihoon’s eyes narrow as he pulls her towards the table. “Why are you being so nice?”

“I thought I’d say thank you for coming to this.”

A glint in his eye makes her want to take back her words, but he doesn’t often look smug. Normally, it’s her. She has to admit, it’s kinda hot.

Next: January 10, 2020

[weekendwarriorblog]

The Weekend Warrior Christmas - New Year’s Edition – WONDER WOMAN 1984, NEWS OF THE WORLD, PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI..., PIECES OF A WOMAN, HERSELF, SYLVIE’S LOVE and More!

Welcome to the VERY LAST Weekend Warrior of the WORST YEAR EVER!!! But hopefully not the last column forever, even though I already plan on taking much of January off from writing 8 to 10 reviews each week. It just got to be too much for a while there.

Because it’s the last week of the year, there are a lot of really good movies, some in theaters but also quite a few on streaming services. In fact, there are a good number of movies that appeared in my Top 10 for the yearover at Below the Line, as well as my extended Top 25 that I’ll share on this blog sometime next week. I was half-hoping to maybe write something about the box office prospects of some of the new movies, but after the last couple weeks, it’s obvious that box office is not something that will be something worth writing about until sometime next spring or summer.

(This column is brought to you by Paul McCartney’s new album “McCartney III” which I’m listening to as I finish this up… and then other solo Beatles ditties picked for me randomly by Tidal.)

First up is easily one of the most anticipated movies of the year, or at least one that actually didn’t move to 2021, and that’s WONDER WOMAN 1984 (Warner Bros.), Patty Jenkins’ sequel to the 2017 hit, once again starring Gal Gadot as Diana Prince. I reviewed it here, but basically the sequel introduces Wonder Woman arch-nemeses Barbara Minerva aka Cheetah, as played by Kristen Wiig, and Pedro Pascal’s Max Lord and how an ancient artifact gives them both their powers, as well as helps to bring Diana’s true love Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) back despite him having disappeared presumed dead in WWI. As you can see by reading my review, I thought it was just fine, not great and certainly not something I’d make an attempt to see a second time in a 25% capacity movie theater. Fortunately, besides debuting in around 2,100 movie theaters across the nation, it will also be on HBO Max day and date, which has caused quite a stir. Being Christmas weekend with no work/school on Monday, I can see it still making somewhere between $10 and 12 million, but I can’t imagine it doing nearly what it might have done with most theaters only 25-30% full at the maximum and that theater count being roughly half the number it might have gotten during the “normal times.”

Paul Greengrass’ Western NEWS OF THE WORLD (Universal) reteams him with his Captain Phillips star Tom Hanks, this time playing Captain Jefferson Kidd, a Civil War soldier who travels from town to town in the Old West reading from newspapers to anyone who has a dime and time to listen. After one such reading, he discovers a young girl (Helena Zengel) on her own, having spent the last few years with a family of Native Americans who were killed by soldiers. Together, they travel across America as Kidd hopes to bring the girl to her last surviving family members.

I already reviewed Greengrass’ movie for Below the Line, and I also  spoke to Mr. Greengrass, an interview you can read that right here (once it goes live), but I make no bones that this was one of my favorite movies I’ve seen this year, and it’s not just due to the fine work by Greengrass and his team. No, it’s just as much about the emotion inherent in the story, and the relationship between the characters played by Hanks and Zengel.  

I’ve watched the movie three times now, and I’m still blown away by every frame and moment, the tension that’s created on this difficult journey but also where it leaves the viewers at the end that promises that there can be hope and joy even in the most difficult and turbulent times. It’s a wonderful message that’s truly needed right now.

Listen, I’m not gonna recommend going to a movie theater if you don’t feel it’s safe – I’ve already spoken my peace on this at a time when COVID numbers were much lower – but this is a movie that I personally can’t wait to see in a movie theater. I honestly can’t see the movie making more than $3 or 4 million in the open theaters considering how few people are willing to go to movie theaters. Obviously, this isn’t as big a draw as Wonder Woman, but it is a fantastic big screen movie regardless.

Also opening in theaters this Friday is Emerald Fennell’s directorial debut PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN (Focus Features), starring the wonderful Oscar-nominated Carey Mulligan as Cassie Thomas, a woman who has revenge on her mind. Cassie spends her nights picking up guys in bars by pretending she’s so drunk she can barely walk, then humiliating them and presumably worse. When she encounters an acquaintance from med school in the form of Bo Burnham’s Ryan, the two begin dating, though he ends up awakening a darker side to Cassie that seeks revenge for something that happened back during their school days. (Honestly, if you’re already sold, just skip to the next movie. That’s all I want you to know before watching it.)

I was ready to love Fennell’s movie when it opened with a disgusting shot of gross stock market bros in loose-fitting suits gyrating in slow motion before one of them tries to pick up a totally soused Cassie at the club. It’s a scene that really plays itself out quite well, and then leads into Mulligan’s character allowing another clear scumbag (played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse, maybe as a slight-older McLovin?) before turning the tables on him as well.

There’s going to be a lot of talk about this movie after people see it, since it’s one of those great films that begins a lot of conversations. I imagine most women of a certain age will love it, but some men might see themselves in some of the characters (even Burnham’s) and wonder whether Cassie just won’t take crap from any man or if she’s a full-on misandrist. One thing we do know a lot is that she does this sort of thing a lot, and there’s something from her past that has driven her involving something that happened to her female friend in med school. I’m going to stop talking about the plot here, because I definitely don’t want to spoil anything who hasn’t seen the movie, but the second half of the movie is as deeply satisfying as Tarantino’s Kill Bill in terms of the surprises.

You’ll realize while watching what a treat you’re in for when you first watch Mulligan’s amazing transformation from pretending to be drunk to being completely cognizant and just all the emotions we see her go through after that. Of course, we never really know what she’s actually doing to the guys she lets pick her up -- she keeps a notebook with guy’s names and a quizzical counting system, so we can only imagine.

Fennell’s screenplay is fantastic but her work as a first-time director in maintaining the the tone and pacing of the movie is really what will keep you captivated, whether it’s the amazing musical choices or how Cassie dresses up to lure men. There’s also a great cast around Mulligan whether it’s comic Burnham in a relatively more serious role, but one that also allows him a musical number. (No joke.) Fennel’s amazing casting doesn’t just stop there from, Jennifer Coolidge as Cassie’s mother to Laverne Cox as Gail, her workmate/boss at the coffee shop – both of them add to the film’s subtle humor elements. Alfred Molina shows up to give a show-stopping performance, and Alison Brie also plays a more dramatic role as another one of Cassie’s classmates. I can totally understand why the Golden Globes might have deemed the movie a “comedy/musical” (for about two days before going back) , but putting so many funny people in dramatic roles helps give Promising Young Woman its own darkly humorous feel. All that darkness is contrasted by this sweet romance between Cassie and Ryan that’s always in danger of imploding due to Cassie’s troubled nature.

The biggest shocking surprise is saved for the third act, and boy, it’s going to be one that people will be talking about for a VERY long time, because it’s just one gut punch after another. I loved this movie, as it’s just absolutely brilliant – go back and see where it landed in my Top 10. As one of the best thrillers from the past decade, people will be talking about this for a very long time 

Promising Young Woman hits theaters on Christmas Day, and presumably, it will be available on VOD sometime in January, but this is not one you want to wait on. If you do go see it in theaters, just be safe, please. No making out with random men or women, please.

Regina King’s narrative feature debut, ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI... (Amazon Studios), will ALSO be in theaters on Christmas Day, and though I’ve reviewed it over at Below the Line, but I’ll talk a little more about it here just for my loyal Weekend Warrior readers.

Yet another movie that made my Top 10, this one stars a brilliant quartet of actors --  Kingsley Ben-Adir, Leslie Odom Jr., Aldis Hodge and Eli Goree—as four legendary black icons: Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, Jim Brown and Cassius Clay, on the night after the last of them wins the World Boxing Championship against Sonny Liston in February 1964. The four men meet in Malcolm X’s hotel room to discuss what’s happening in their lives and the world in general, as well as Clay’s decision to join the Nation of Islam, just as Malcolm X is getting ready to leave the brotherhood due to philosophical differences with the group. In fact, all four men have philosophical differences that are discussed both in good humor and in deep conflict as they disagree on their place in a white-dominated world in a year before the Civil Rights Act would be signed.

First of all, there’s no way to talk about this movie without discussing the Kemp Powers play on which it’s based, and we can’t mention that without mentioning that Powers also co-wrote and co-directed Pixar’s Soul, which will be available on Disney+ this Friday. It’s a fantastic script and King put together a fantastic cast of actors who really give their all to every scene. In the case of Leslie Odom, Jr., you really can believe him as Cooke, especially in a number of fantastic performances pieces. Likewise, Goree looks a lot like Clay both in the ring and out, carrying all of the swagger for which he would become more famous as Ali.

I’ve seen the movie twice already and if you’ve looked at my Top 10, then you already know this is another one that made my cut, so I don’t think I need to give it a much harder sell. I’m sure you’ll be hearing a lot about this one on its journey to Oscar night when hopefully, King becomes the first woman of color to be nominated in the directing category. Or rather, she’ll probably tie for that honor with Nomadland director Chloé Zhao.

If you don’t feel like going to theaters for this one, you’ll be able to catch it on Amazon Prime Video on January 15, too… you’ll just have to wait a little longer.

Also, the new Pixar animation movie, SOUL, directed by Pete Docter (Up, Inside Out) and co-directed by Kemp Powers (remember him?), will hit Disney+ on Christmas Day, and I reviewed it here, so I probably don’t have  lot more to say about it, but it’s great, and if you have Disney+, I’m sure you’ll be watching it.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a screener for Matteo Garrone’s PINNOCHIO (Roadside Attractions), which also opens in about 700 theaters on Christmas Day. This adaptation stars Robert Benigni as Geppeto, who famously starred as Pinocchio in his own version of the classic fairy tale from 2002. That other movie was “Weinsteined” at a time when that just meant that a movie was ruined by Harvey Weinstein’s meddling, rather than anything involving sexual assault.

Another great movie hitting streaming this week is Eugene Ashe’s SYLVIE’S LOVE, which streams on Amazon Prime Video today. It stars Tessa Thompson as Sylvie and Nnamdi Asomugha (also a producer on the film) as Robert, who meet one summer in the late 50s while working at Sylvie’s father’s record store. He is a jazz musician who is on the rise, but their romance is cut short when he gets a gig in Paris but she refuses to go with him. Also, she’s pregnant with his child. Years later, they reconnect with her now being married with a young daughter (clearly Robert’s) and they realize that the love between them is still very real and true.

This is the first of three movies I watched this week where I went in with very little knowledge and absolute zero expectations. Like everyone else on earth, I am an avid fan of Ms. Thompson’s work both in movies like Thor: Ragnarok and smaller indies. She’s just a fantastic presence that lights up a screen. While I wasn’t as familiar with Asomugha’s acting work – he’s produced some great films and acted in a few I liked, included Crown Heights – there’s no denying the chemistry between the two.

What’s kind of interesting about the movie is that it combines a few elements from other great movies released this week, including Soul and A Night in Miami, but in my opinion, handles the music business aspect to the story better than the much-lauded Netflix movie, Ma Raimey’s Black Bottom. Frankly, I also think the performances by the two leads are as good as those by Boseman and Davis in that movie, but unfortunately, Amazon is submitting this to the Emmys as as “TV movie” rather than to the Oscars, so that’s kind of a shame.

This is a movie that’s a little hard to discuss why I enjoyed it so much without talking about certain scenes or moments, or just go through the entire story, but I think part of the joy of appreciating what Ashe has done in his second original feature film is to tell the story of these two characters over the course of a decade or so in a way that hasn’t been done before. That alone is quite an achievement, because we’ve seen many of those types of movies over the years (When Harry Met Sally, for instance).

What I really liked about Sylvie’s Love over some of the other “black movies” this year is that it literally creates its own world and just deals with the characters within it, rather than trying to make a big statement about the world at the time. Maybe you can say the same about Soul in that sense, but you would be absolutely amazed by how much bigger an audience you can get by telling a grounded story in a relatable world, and then throw in a bit of music, as both those movies do.

So that’s all I’ll say except that this will is now on Amazon Prime Video , so you have no excuse not to check it out while you wait for Regina King’s equally great One Night in Miami to join it in mid-January.

Hitting Netflix on Christmas day is Robert Rodriguez’s WE CAN BE HEROES, his sequel to his 2005 family film The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl – not his best moment -- which follows the kids of the Heroics, a Justice League-like super group. They’re all in a special school for kids with powers but they have to step up when the Heroics are captured by aliens. Want to know what will happen? Well, you’ll just have to wait for Christmas Day for when my review drops to find out whether I liked it more or less than Rodriguez’s earlier film which SPOILER!! I hated.)

The first thing you need to get past is that Shark Boy and Lava Girl are now man and wife, and just that fact might be tough for anyone who only discovered the movie sometime more recently. There are other familiar faces in the Heroics like Pedro Pascal, Sung Kang, Christian Slater, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and more, so clearly, Rodriguez is still able to pull together a cast.

The movie actually focuses on YaYa Goselin’s Missy Moreno, daughter of the Heroic’s leader (Pascal) who has also retired. Just as aliens are invading the earth, Missy is put into a school of kids with superpowers, all kids of various Heroic members. Sure, it’s derived directly from The X-Men and/or Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, so yeah… basically also the X-Men. We meet all of the kids in a great scene where we see them using their powers and learn their personalities, and honestly, they really are the best part of the movie.Probably the most adorable is Guppy, the very young daughter of Shark Boy and Lava Girl, played by Viven Blair. Oddly, Missy doesn’t have any powers so she feels a bit fish-out-of-water in the group even though, like her father, she proves to be a good leader.

As much as I really detested Rodriguez’s Shark Boy and Lava Girl movie, I feel like he does a lot better by having a variety of kids in this one, basically something for everyone, but also not a bad group of child actors. (There’s also a fun role for Adriana Barraza​.) There are definitely aspects that are silly, but Rodriguez never loses sight of his audience, and wisely, Netflix is offering this as a Christmas Day release which should be fun for families with younger kids who might see this as their first superhero movie.

More discerning viewers may not be particularly crazy about visual FX, all done as usual in Rodriguez’s own studio but some of them look particularly hoaky and cheap compared to others. (I mean, that’s probably the appeal for hiring Rodriguez because he’s able to do so much in-house. In this case, he got all four of his own kids involved in various capacities of making the film.)

We Can Be Heroes is clearly a movie made for kids, so anyone expecting anything on part with Amazon’s The Boys will be quite disappointed. It’s probably Rodriguez getting slightly closer to Spy Kids than he has with any of his other family-friendly movies, but one shouldn’t go in with the expectations that come with any of the much bigger blockbusters released these days. Personally, I enjoyed that fact, and I totally would watch another movie with this superteam.

Michel Stasko’s BOYS VS. GIRLS (Gravitas Ventures) is a fun retro-comedy that follows a war between the male and female counselors at Camp Kindlewood, which has just gone co-ed. At the center of it all is Dale (Eric Osborne) and Amber (Rachel Dagenais) as two teens who are in the middle of a meet-cute romance in the middle of a inter-gender competition called “Lumberman vs. Voyagers,” which I have no idea whether it’s a real thing or not.

I probably should have known I’d like this one from the catchy New Order-ish song in the opening credits, but listen, Wet Hot American Summer is one of my all-time favorite movies, and that was basically made to satirize ‘80s movies like Meatballs. This one falls more towards to the latter in terms of humor, but it also feels authentic to the ‘80s summer camp experience.

It helps that the grown-ups at the camp are played by the likes of Kevin McDonald from New Kids on the Block, Colin Mochrie from Whose Line is It Anyway and others, but it’s really about the younger cast playing teen boys and girls in the throes of puberty, something we all can in some way relate to. The young cast play a series of stereotypical young but there are a lot of funny tropes within them, as each of the cast is given a chance to deliver some of the funnier gags. This isn’t necessarily high-brow humor, mind you, but I love the fact that you can still make a movie about a time where you could still make fun of girl’s periods in school. (I’m kidding. I just put that in there cause I feel like I need to throw things like that into this column just to see if anyone is ACTUALLY reading it.)

The presumably Canadian Stasko is another great example of an independently-spirited filmmaker who has an idea for a fun movie and then just goes about making it, regardless of having big stars or anything to sell it besides many funny moments that can be featured a trailer, so that those who like this kind of movie will find it. Listen, Wet Hot American Summer wasn’t a huge hit when it was released. I still remember it having trouble getting a single screening at the multiplex in Times Square when it was released but over the years since it became sort of a cult hit (kind of due to Netflix having it to rent on DVD, I think).

Besides a fun script and cast, Stasko also find a way to include tunes that sound so much like real ‘80s songs we would have heard on the radio but aren’t quite the big hits that would have cost him thousands of dollars, but I really just enjoyed the heck out of the tone and overall fun attitude that went into making this movie.

Also on VOD now is Ian Cheney and Martha Shane’s fascinating and funny doc, THE EMOJI STORY (Utopia), which I saw at the Tribeca Film Festival when it was called “Picture Character.” (That’s what “emoji” in Japanese means, just FYI.) As you can guess it’s about the origins and rise of the emoji as a form of communication from its humble beginning in Japan to becoming one of the biggest trending crazes on the globe. I’m not that big an Emoji guy myself – I tend to use the thumbs up just for ease, but I do marvel at those who can put together full thoughts using a string of these symbols, and if you want to know more about them, this is the movie you should watch.

Now let’s cut ahead to some of the movies that will be opening and streaming NEXT week…

Hitting select theaters on Wednesday, December 30 and what really is my “FEATURED FLICK” for this column is Hungarian filmmaker Kornél (White God) Mundruczó’s PIECES OF A WOMAN (Netflix) before its streaming premiere on Netflix January 7.

Written by Kata Wéber, who also wrote Mundruczó’s earlier film, it stars Vanessa Kirby (The Crown) and Shia Labeouf as Martha and Sean Weiss, a Boston couple who lose their baby during a particularly difficult home birth and follows the next year in their lives and how that tragic loss affects their relationship with each other and those around them.

As you can imagine, Pieces of a Woman is a pretty heavy drama, one that reminded me of the films of Todd Field (Little Children, In the Bedroom) in terms of the intensity of the drama and the emotions on screen from the brilliant cast Mundruczó put together for his English language debut. I’m not sure I could use the general plot to sell anyone on seeing this because it is very likely the worst possible date movie of the year after Netflix’s 2019 release, Marriage Story, but it’s just as good in terms of the writing and performances.

At the center of it is Kirby – and yeah, I still haven’t watched The Crown, so shut up! I’ll get to it!!! – who most of us fell in love with for her role in Mission: Impossible - Fallout, but what we see her go through as an actress here really shows the degree of her abilities. But it also shows what Mundruczó can do with material that (like many movies) started out as a play. For instance, one of the first big jaw-dropping moments is the home birth scene that goes on for a long time, seemingly all in one shot, and Kirby is so believable in terms of a woman going through a difficult birth, you’d believe she has had children herself. (She hasn’t.)  I also don’t want to throw Shia Labeouf under the bus right now just because that seems like the trendy thing to do. (Without getting it, I believe FKA Twigs… but that doesn’t deny the fact that Labeouf is just the latest great actor that everyone wants to cancel.)

Anyway, to change the subject, we have to talk about Ellen Burstyn, who plays Martha’s meddling mother, who is quite clingy and overbearing, so when the couple lose their baby, she steps in to take to task the midwife she deems responsible (played by the highly-underrated Molly Parker). Or rather, she hires a family lawyer (Sarah Snook) to take her to court to get compensation for the loss of her daughter’s baby. The film’s last act culminates as their case goes to court.

Again, the film covers roughly a year after the tragedy and deals not only with how Martha and Sean’s relationship is affected and how it emotionally affects Martha in particular, but also how others around them start behaving towards them. It feels so authentic and real that you wonder where the screenwriter was drawing from, but Mundruczó has more than prove himself as as filmmaker by creating something that is visually compelling and even artsy while still doing everything to help promote the story and performances over his own abilities as a director. Doesn’t hurt that he has composer Howard Shore scoring the film in a way that’s subtle but effective.

Listen, if you’re looking for a comedy riot that will entertain you with funny one-liners and pratfalls than Pieces of a Woman is not for you. This is a devastating movie that really throws the viewer down a deep spiral along with its characters. The first time I watched it, I was left quite broken, and maybe even more so on second viewing.  (As we get closer to Oscar season… in four months … I hope this film will be recognized and not just thrown under the table due to Labeouf’s involvement. That would be as big a tragedy and misjustice as much of what happens in the movie.)

So yeah, in case you wondered why this also made it into my prestigious Top 10 for the year, that is why. :)

Also in theaters on Wednesday, December 30 is another terrific drama, the Phyllida Lloyd-directed HERSELF (Amazon Studios), co-written and starring Clare Dunne, as Sandra, a mother of two young girls, trying to get out of an abusive marriage, while making ends meet and providing shelter for her kids. One day, she learns about a way that she can build her own home, and one of the women she cares for offers a plot of land

Another movie that I really didn’t know much about going into, other than Phyllida Lloyd being a talented filmmaker whose movie The Iron Maiden, which won Meryl Streep her 500th Oscar, I enjoyed much more than the popular blockbuster hit musical, Mamma Mia! This is a far more personal story that reminded me of Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake, a smaller and more intimate character piece that shines a light on British actor Clare Dunne, who as with some of the best and most personal movie projects, co-wrote this screenplay for herself to act in.

There are aspects to the film that reminds me of many other quaint Britcoms in terms of creating a story where one person’s challenge is taken up by others who are willing to help, and in this case, it’s Sandra’s desire to build a house for her two quite adorable daughters while also trying to keep it secret from her abusive ex.

Dunne’s performance isn’t as showy as some of the other dramatic performances mentioned in this very column, but she and Lloyd do a fine job creating an authenticity that really makes you believe and push for her character, Sandra, surrounding her with characters who can help keep the movie on the lighter side despite very serious nature of spousal abuse (which also rears its ugly head in Pieces of a Woman). Oh, and don’t get too comfortable, because this, too, leads to an absolutely shocking and devastating climax you won’t see coming. (Well, now you will… but you’ll still be shocked. Trust me.)

Still, it’s a really nice movie with the house being built clearly a metaphor.  I know there’s a lot of truly fantastic movies discussed in this week’s column but don’t let this wonderful British drama pass you by, because you can tell it’s a labor of love for everyone who made it.

Herself will be in theaters for roughly a week starting December 30 before streaming on Prime Video on January 8.

In select theaters and on VOD on New Year’s Day is Roseanne Liang’s WWII thriller SHADOW IN THE CLOUD (Vertical/Redbox Entertainment), starring Chloë Grace Moretz as Flight Officer Maude Garrett, who is assigned to deliver a top-secret package on the B-17 bomber “The Fool’s Errand” with an all-male crew that throws her into a turret “for her own safety.” She ends up getting trapped down there as the plane is attacked by a creature that no one believes is out there, as they fight back against the unseen enemy, many secrets are revealed.

This is yet another movie I didn’t know that much about other than it has Moretz on an airplane, but there’s so much about the movie that both had me scratching my head but also has me quite deliriously amused that filmmakers could get away with some of the craziness that we witness. Maybe it’s not a surprise that the movie was co-written by Max Landis -- not exactly the most beloved screenwriter in Hollywood these days, and certainly not a critical favorite.

Again I really didn’t know what to expect so after Moretz’s character gets on the plane and is trapped in the turret under the plane, I thought that maybe I was seeing something similar to the one-location thriller 7500, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, which I wasn’t too big a fan of even though the actor was good. Moretz continues to be quite a phenomenal actor, but the mix of Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper’s music, which borrows as much from Soulwax (look ‘em up on Spotify) as John Carpenter, and the sexist attitude by the male crew towards Garrett made me unsure of what the movie was meant to say.

Much of the movie just has Moretz on her own with the men’s voices over the comms, which is not something that could possibly sustain a whole movie. Part of it is borrowed from a very well-known episode of “The Twilight Zone,” in fact.

but fortunately, it breaks from out of that deceit but then just starts getting crazier and crazier. I’m not even gonna tell you about what happens or what’s in the box Garrett is carrying or where things go, because honestly, I don’t think you would believe me.

I haven’t seen any of Ms. Liang’s previous films but when you realize how much crazy stuff she’s able to get way with, I’ll be really interested what she does next. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen any movie that’s quite as crazy as Shadow in the Cloud or one that makes me want to watch it again for that very reason.

Oscar-winning Icarus director Bryan Fogel’s doc THE DISSIDENT (Briarcliff), which opens in theaters Friday then will be On Demand January 8, follows the horrific assassination of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in September 2018, thought to be the work of the Saudi kingdom and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman aka MBS.

I’m really fascinated by movies like this one and Ryan White’s recent Assassins – both which could be in the Best Documentary race at the Oscars in April, by the detective and investigative work done by both filmmakers to get to the bottom of murders that shouldn’t be possible and find those that are responsible. I’ll admit that I didn’t really pay much attention to this story when it was happening a few years back, so I don’t know how much of the details are new and exclusive to Fogel’s doc. He does get access to Kashouggi’s fiancé Hatice who had gone with Jamal to the Saudi embassy in Turkey to get proof that he was single and could marry when he vanished for days and then turne up dead.

Fogel also meets with another Saudi dissident now living in Quebec who goes through the events that led up to Kashouggi’s murder that involved a social media campaign against the journalist within a country where 80% of the population is on Twitter (!).

This is another fascinating doc by Fogel that I’m sure some will be more interested in due to its subject, but when it comes to investigative pieces that really take a deep dive into news from the headlines, Fogel has created another unforgettable doc.  (Also, it was absolutely little surprise to me that Fogel’s film is co-written by Mark Monroe, who has been involved with some of the best docs I’ve seen over the past 15 years or so…  just look up his IMDB credits!)

Opening at the Film Forum Virtual Cinema in New York for a one-week qualifying run is Russia’s movie for Oscar consideration, Andrei Kochalovsky’s DEAR COMRADES! (NEON), a black and white dark dramedy set in 1960s Kruschchev-era Russia. It involves a strike by locomotive workers when the government raises food prices, leading to chaos and a massacre that leaves a Communist party loyalist,  Lyuda (played by Julia Vysotskaya) who the film then follows. Unfortunately, I had a choice of either writing this column or watching this two-hour movie. I opted for the former (obviously) but I do hope to get to this later in the week and should be adding more on this movie once I do.

Also streaming in Film Forum’s Virtual Cinema starting next Wednesday, December 30, is Mario Monicelli’s 1960 film, The Passionate Thief.

Unfortunately, I also wasn’t able to get to Two Ways Home (Gravitas Ventures), In Corpore or Fire Will Come, which will open in Metrograph’s digital ticketing system.

Metrograph will also continue showing Tsia Ming-Liang’s Goodbye, Dragon Inn, Fruit Chan’s Made in Hong Kong, and lots of great programming over the holidays. It would be a great time to get yourself or a loved one a digital membership for just $50! (James Gray is also programming some of his own films like Little Odesssa and other favorites, like Richard Quine’s Strangers When We Meet, over the holidays.)

By the way, if you read this week’s column and have bothered to read this far down, feel free to drop me some thoughts at Edward dot Douglas at Gmail dot Com or drop me a note or tweet on Twitter. I love hearing from readers … honest! 

[cetaceanhandiwork]

Disneyland Reloaded

So a week ago, give or take, I replied to a post on another website which basically asked “if you were given the job of rebuilding Disneyland, would you change anything?” The question got me thinking a fair bit about the Anaheim Disney resort’s overarching themes, and where they work or don’t work, resulting in a giant three-part comment to fully explain my redesign.

Today, I feel like sharing those ideas with y'all over here, too!

Let's begin with the assumptions that...

we can get permits in Anaheim but no new land...

we have a budget that could theoretically rebuild the whole park if it had to but not too much beyond that, and...

original Walt-era Disneyland stuff may be difficult to move without damaging or destroying, and deliberately destroying and rebuilding it, while allowed, may not be desirable for reasons of preserving park history.

Given that, my high-level approach would be a refocusing of each park's experience on its core concept. I envision three parks:

Disneyland - worlds of "yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy" - embodied by the genres Walt himself grew up with.

A reimagining of California Adventure that synthesizes the original idea of "Califorina, the real place you are visiting right now, presented as a fictional place to explore" with the running Pixar theme of "secret peoples and communities that live alongside humanity, in the here and now, just outside our line of sight".

A new third gate that focuses on stories of larger-than-life heroism and villainy - the native park of Star Wars, MCU, Pirates-the-movie-series, and other similar properties.

This effort, as I see it, would have to start with some Tetris-ing, in an attempt to make the most of the limited Anaheim acreage:

Utilidors. This Disney World system - of putting backstage and CM areas underground - was invented precisely because WED wished they’d done it in Anaheim. If we’re starting from scratch, we can backport this design and immediately unlock a lot of space.

Drop Disneyland Drive north of Cerritos underground as well.

Consolidate remaining parking. At worst, this is a third Mickey & Friends that encompasses all other resort parking. At best, we get permits to put underground levels on parking structures and reduce the footprint further. Put this in the southeast corner of the resort; get rid of the Paradise Pier Hotel for now.

Strip Avengers Campus off of DCA, strip Galaxy's Edge and the Fantasyland Theatre off of Disneyland. This will free up enough space to put DCA and the GCH east of Disneyland, with its gate on the other end of a rerouted Downtown Disney.

That done, we can move on to the main event.

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Of these, Disneyland itself would see the fewest changes, both in the interests of preserving the history and because it's already fairly close to what we want. The paradigm is as it always was: each "land" represents a genre in microcosm, matched not against any particular IP, but presented as a... prototypical or archetypical space in which all those stories might occur.

This is a good framing device and a solid core concept, and I'm not gonna mess with it. However, there are still a few things I'd rearrange.

For instance: Critter Country would move to the eastern side of the Rivers of America, placed between the rural American Frontierland, the funny animals of Toontown, and the fable-laden Fantasyland. I imagine it taking up sort of the same space as the old Big Thunder Ranch and Fairgrounds, connected with Frontierland on one side (with Splash Mountain still bordering the Rivers of America) and Toontown (bordering Winnie the Pooh) and Fantasyland (bordering a new indoor/outdoor Robin Hood darkride) on the other.

Toontown would need few changes, other than a careful touching up of the effects to match modern standards. I would like to squeeze in one minor expansion, though, if possible, by moving the Monorail wheelhouse: a small Disney Villains themed area - perhaps a seedy watering hole? - nestled away in Downtown Toontown.

Fantasyland, meanwhile, would reclaim the Theater and some backlot space (thanks Utilidoors!) and use that room for a couple new rides - particularly, a Beauty and the Beast attraction and a Frozen attraction. I resist here the impulse to put Frozen next to the Matterhorn mainly because that Fantasyland real estate has another important purpose: the Fantasia and Tomorrowland lagoons get rejoined, and become the show area for a Little Mermaid ride, boarding near Small World, that actually takes place "unda da sea". (The technology for underwater, low-occupancy-vehicle ride systems does exist in the current state of the art, although it'd need some iteration to theme as properly Fantasyland.) As much as I would personally regret seeing the submarines go, I can't deny that their ride system is claustrophobic, stuffy, and poorly accessible, and that guests deserve something with lower "minimum requirements" to ride.

Compared to those, Tomorrowland would get a more comprehensive refocusing. I've posted before about my take on Tomorrowland's DNA: that isn't just "the future", but "the challenge and promise of the future". People talk a lot about how it's a Land that's perpetually out of date - that our vision of the future changes too fast for the Park to keep up. Aesthetically, that's a fair point. But on an attraction level... we don't have to aim a mere five minutes into the future to talk about its challenge and promise - to talk about the future optimistically, as as better world we can reach towards today and eventually grab onto.

Space is, of course, an easy example; space has been an "unreasonable but longed-for future" since Walt's days. Bring back the mission to Mars. Add a space elevator that you can ride as an observation tower, or take the "express" and make it a droptower that uses its drop to simulate zero gravity. On a more terrestrial side... put in a dinosaur or giant animal dark ride - fantastical experiments in biology, at once excited for the potential there, and cautious about how important it is to get right. Maybe do something with Inside Out as a "fantastic psychology" concept. Give the Land an AI caretaker character, puppeteered by several CMs behind the scenes to create the illusion that it's a single person multiplexing.

You can keep Star Tours - the galaxy of Star Wars may be a gritty and cynical world, but Star Tours is a lighthearted and hopeful take on it. You can keep the monorail, too - it's still futuristic to Americans - and route it through the Land's rides the same way the PeopleMover once did, and the same way the boats and trains do in other Lands. Maybe you can even fit in a Wall-E based attraction - now that's a story that's an emulsion of the future's "challenges" and its "promise" if ever there was one in Disney's catalogue.

As for Adventureland? It's got a different obsolescence problem than Tomorrowland: not that the world has left a particular vision behind, but that the world has left the whole genre it represents behind. Walt grew up with the "Adventure" genre, of pith helmet explorers in the Southeast Asian jungle or the African veldt, but we don't really have that genre anymore. And with Disneyland as a worldwide tourist destination, it becomes... strange to have people coming from the places that genre was based on, only to see this caricature of the places they know reflected back as it was seen by clueless Brits a century ago. I want to believe there's something sensible to do with this Land, something that can preserve its essence and history while still making it meaningful to the stories we tell today and the people who were on the other side of the old stories, but I honestly don't know how to do it, or what it would even look like when we were done. All I know is that if nothing else I need to stick a giant bookmark here, because I'd have to do something.

Main Street, finally, would remain mostly unchanged by the advancing years, except for one upgrade: its illusory second floor would at last become a real one - not as shops, but as Dream Suite-esque prestige accomodations. On any given night, roughly half of these would be booked like on-property hotel suites, at rates befitting the rare magic of spending the night inside the Magic Kingdom's pomerium. The other half would be handed out at random to guests who bought resort/GNH packages, or otherwise booked their trip such that Disney knows they're staying overnight, to put that magic, in theory, within every guest's reach.

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So for Disneyland, the changes have been less structural, and more focused on rearranging an existing structure to update and future-proof it.

California Adventure, on the other hand, needs something deeper, because at the moment, its theming is... confused. When it first opened, it was designed single-mindedly as a pastiche of California as a whole: Hollywood, San Francisco, Yosemite, Sonoma, Monterey, the Central Valley, and Santa Monica Pier. Over time, this theming - which proved less compelling than the Imagineers had hoped it would be - has eroded to make room for Intellectual Properties that could find no space on the other side of the Esplanade.

Today it's a hodgepodge of the old California theming, skin-deep Pixar references, and an increasing amount of Marvel stuff. There's no central idea like there is at Disneyland, or at Epcot and Animal Kingdom down in Florida.

Where I see the potential here is in Pixar's long-running theme: "what if [fill in the blank] were people", often imagined as those people secretly existing in our modern everyday world, which just so happens to be paired with a park that's themed to a real place, in the present day.

In other words, what if we made that pairing of themes explicit? What if we lean into the idea that you're "exploring" California, both to discover what's prosaically there, and what's fantastically there? What if we present that sort of Californian adventure?

I'm imagining a park pomerium based on the concept of the "road trip", inasmuch as it is the classical way to explore California. No miniature rail here; you'll pile into a trailer towed by Goofy and Max in their (now window-tinted) car, or by the Onward boys' van, or so forth. (I'd love to get the Cars cars in on towing duty but I don't know if the animatronics are good enough yet.)

You'll still pass through places like Grizzly Peak (where e.g. Bugs might also Live), a Pacific Wharf that's annexed some of Paradise Pier (where we can Find Nemo now that the submarines are closed), and the Hollywood Backlot (where city-dwelling nonhumans - like Monsters and Muppets - might lurk). Radiator Springs would be easily reconciled to this Park concept - melding it with the old Route 66 and I-5 travellers' towns, building it about half for humans and half for cars.

I would need external advice, at this point, to figure out how far this theme can go. I see... some potential in making explicit room to pay homage to Mexican heritage of California (with its hidden world being Coco's fantastical take on the Land of the Dead). But it'd have to be done respectfully, and would be easy to screw up without guidance on what exactly qualifies as respectful or not respectful.

From another angle, I'm also not sure yet quite where Toy Story fits into the picture, but every element of the park's Pixarish theming points to that headline IP needing to fit in somewhere.

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And with that taken care of, comes the question of the third gate. We position it across from Disneyland proper, in California Adventure's old real estate. Pragmatically, this mystery Park must support stories like MCU or Star Wars - the new additions to Disney's IP stable, set in soft sci-fi universes chock full of larger-than-life heroism and villainy. It would have more strict, single-setting-per-Land theming, to support Galaxy's Edge, the Avengers Campus, the new Artemis Fowl series, and so forth. Perhaps Tortuga as well - the cinema vision of Pirates is popular enough that it should be able to support a home, and building one for it here will ease pressure off of its Disneyland predecessor to be flagbearer for an IP it was never designed to host.

How does one support this with a gateway/hub Land? How does one define a pomerium around it? Strict set construction as a principle of the park implies that we have to invent a new IP for this purpose, something Kingdom-Hearts-like but less... cartoonish, to match the less cartoonish worlds it lets you visit. A futuristic mode of transportation seems called for to ferry guests from Land to Land. Perhaps this is where the iconic Disneyland Monorail design finally finds its place in Disney fiction and not just history: to be - within this new setting - a vehicle for interdimensional travel. The park's hub would then have platforms for two Monorail lines: one bound for "Earth 1313: Tomorrowland, Hollywood, and the Disneyland Hotel" (for we would expand the resort-wide monorail track to support park hopper travel), and the other bound for this new park's immersive Lands.

The third gate's position across from Disneyland proper, combined with the increased use of underground tunnels and infrastructure, adds another potentially useful gimmick: the ability to link it to Disneyland in a manner similar to Universal Orlando's Hogwarts Express. Imagine park-hopper-only lines where your Star Tour will land on Batuu, or your Pirate cruise will end in Tortuga.

There would, of course, be a new hotel attached to this park, just like the Grand Californian was attached to DCA on its opening. I'll leave the specifics of this up in the air; it could be another Galactic Starcruiser, but it could just as easily be based on some other property.

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And what of the rest of the resort?

As mentioned, Downtown Disney shifts north, encroaching slightly into what's currently the backstage area of New Orleans Square, to better link up with the new position of DCA. So as not to "isolate" DCA, the third gate's entrance would be halfway along this new route.

Trams would use underground infrastructure to cross from the southeast unified parking area into the DTD/Esplanade corridor at the appropriate places for different Parks.

The Disneyland Hotel would remain, as a nod to its historical status, but against two park-adjoining hotels, it's clearly the farthest from the action after all this rearranging - hence hooking it up to the Monorail as a way to give it connectivity.

[samsdisneydiary]

Now Open! Pixar Place Hotel Celebrates Pixar Stories at Disneyland Resort

Now Open! Pixar Place Hotel Celebrates Pixar Stories at Disneyland Resort

Today, we’re celebrating the grand opening of Pixar Place Hotel at the Disneyland Resort, the first fully Pixar-themed hotel in the United States! Inspired by the artistry and innovative storytelling of Pixar Animation Studios, the 479-room hotel is filled with nods to beloved films from “Toy Story” to “Ratatouille” and “Elemental.” In fact, there is a nod to every Pixar feature film to date! At…

[parksaversnews]

Disneyland Early Entry Rides

Early entry is a perk allowing guests staying at one of the Disneyland Resort hotels to enter a designated Disneyland Resort theme park 30 minutes before the scheduled park opening time every day of their stay. It grants access to select attractions, dining locations, and shopping venues in the park. To take advantage of early entry, guests must have a valid park ticket, theme park reservation for the same park on the same date, and be staying at an eligible Disneyland Resort hotel (Disneyland Hotel, Disney's Pixar Place Hotel, or Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa). Disneyland Park: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday Disney California Adventure Park: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday

Disneyland Early Entry Rides Alice in Wonderland - Dark ride, based on the animated Disney film that takes riders through the topsy-turvy world of Wonderland. Astro Orbitor - Rocket-spinner ride with views of Tomorrowland and beyond. Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters - Interactive dark ride based on Toy Story, allowing riders to shoot at targets and rack up points. Disneyland Monorail - Narrated transportation ride circling the park on an elevated track with views into the park and surrounding area. Dumbo the Flying Elephant - Classic carnival-style ride with flying elephants that riders can control up and down. King Arthur Carrousel - Intricately decorated merry-go-round with hand-painted horses. Mad Tea Party - Spinning teacup ride inspired by the Mad Hatter's unbirthday party. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride - Dark ride based on The Wind in the Willows, with several scenes following Mr. Toad's motorcar adventures. Peter Pan's Flight - Suspended dark ride retelling the story of Peter Pan with riders "flying" over London and Neverland scenes. Pinocchio’s Daring Journey - Dark ride retelling the story of Pinocchio, with riders whisked through scenes from the classic animated film. Snow White’s Enchanted Wish - Dark ride retelling Snow White's story through the Evil Queen's perspective, with the poisoned apple scene. Space Mountain - Indoor rollercoaster ride in the dark with sharp turns and drops. Star Tours – The Adventures Continue - Motion simulator ride based on the Star Wars films, taking passengers on a wild intergalactic flight. Shops - Esplanade Stroller Shop - Little Green Men Store Command - The Star Trader - Market House Dining - Little Red Wagon - Main Street Fruit Cart - Galactic Grill

California Adventure Early Entry Rides Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! - Enclosed drop tower dark ride with randomized ride experiences as riders help Rocket the Raccoon rescue the Guardians of the Galaxy. Incredicoaster - High-speed outdoor rollercoaster with sharp twists, turns and loops themed around The Incredibles. The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel's Undersea Adventure - Dark ride retelling the Little Mermaid story through scenes and songs from the animated film. Mater's Junkyard Jamboree - Whip ride with tractor trailers swinging and spinning to country music inspired by the Cars films. Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! - Dark ride that picks riders up in taxi cabs to help Mike and Sulley return Boo safely home. Soarin' Around the World - Flight motion simulator ride with riders lifted into a giant projection dome to experience a virtual hang glider tour around the world. WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure - 3D interactive dark ride, allowing riders to sling webs from onboard "WEB Slinger" vehicles. Shops - Esplanade Stroller Shop - The Collector's Warehouse - Seaside Souvenirs - WEB Suppliers Dining - Cappuccino Cart - Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe - Fillmore's Taste-In - Mortimer's Market

History of Early Entry and Who Can Use It Early entry replaced previous early admission offerings at Disneyland Resort in 2022, including Extra Magic Hour and Magic Morning. Previously, early admission was offered periodically on certain days of the week and alternated between parks. The updated early entry perk allows access every morning to one designated park for eligible hotel guests. To utilize early entry, guests must be staying at one of the three Disneyland Resort hotels - the Disneyland Hotel, Disney's Pixar Place Hotel, or Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. Valid park admission and a reservation for the same park on the same date is also required. Early entry can only be used on the mornings following each night stayed at an eligible hotel.

Conclusion Early entry allows eligible guests to experience popular attractions with little-to-no wait time before the parks officially open. It's an excellent perk, granting access to over a dozen top rides across both parks. Guests who strategize and prioritize the most in-demand attractions can significantly cut down on wait times and pack more into the early park hours. Read the full article

[caustic-light]

This is also at a point where honestly cg animation was moving along in a very stagnant fashion. You had the big boys gradually doing more and more crazy shit in terms raw technical prowess, but really that was kind of all that was happening almost. Disney had spent way too much time trying to get into cg (only to never make something that wouldn’t have looked better in hand drawn till today) and kind of removed the biggest non cg animation studio from the market in the process. Pixar kept pushing technical limits and made crazy looking shit. Dreamworks was incredibly mixed with some great feats in there, but nothing that significantly changed how cg could look.

Hotel Transylvania was a much needed step into something completely new at the time. And it opened the doors for a lot of the looks and kinds of stylized deigns we take for granted now. Right now there has been a little bit of a boom of very stylized cg, with movies like Spiderverse and Mitchells vs the Machines pushing this kind of comic book style and doing some really cool shit with that both in very different ways, Klaus messing with the boundary between cg and hand drawn animation to amazing effects, Luca pushing forward heavily in integrating very stylized deigns into incredibly detailed environments without making it look weird by fucking with the way basic textures and things look a lot (something the movie doesn’t get enough credit for imo), and the Lion King remake revolutionized how dated, out of place and terribly aged a photorealistic model can look immediately upon release.

But back then it was kind of dire. Cg had gotten pretty by the books over time. There were some standouts, but none of them was this far away from the current standards of the time and had this much lasting impact.

One of the things that sucks about being an animation nerd is having to live with the fact that, from a technical standpoint, the Hotel Transylvania movies are absolutely ground-breakingly staggeringly incredible.

[onthegoinmco]

Make sure you tune into Orlando’s Evening News on WDBO tonight at 6:38 pm ET to hear about what you can enjoy as you are On the Go in the Parks!

Being on the Go in the Parks has been a ride this week full of new announcements at Walt Disney World, fan favorites returning to Disney Springs, and the return of Halloween Horror Nights at the Universal Orlando Resort.

©Disney, ©Disney/Pixar

Before we dive into the parks, I would be remiss if I didn’t remind you that Disney On Ice presents Mickey’s Search Party will be bringing its magic to Orlando’s Amway Center September 3-5, 2021! You can find out more information about the show here.

With so much to go over, what are we waiting for????

On the Go in the Parks: September 3-5, 2021

Halloween Horror Nights

Halloween Horror Nights has returned to the Universal Studios Resort Orlando daring guests and celebrating 30 years of fear on select nights through October 31.

For its highly-anticipated return, Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights is unleashing a legion of horror legends, pop culture greats, and haunting original stories – many from the event’s esteemed history – in 10 disturbingly realistic haunted houses, five nightmarish scare zones, and outrageous live entertainment, with diabolical surprises lurking around every corner…

Halloween Horror Nights is a separately ticketed event you won’t want to miss. This is my #1 Halloween event in Central Florida!!!!!

Great Irish Hooley Returns to Raglan Road

Central Florida’s only authentic Irish and roots music festival, the Re-plugged Great Irish Hooley, will return for the long Labor Day weekend at Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant in Disney Springs. 

Never heard of a “Hooley?” It’s a Gaelic term for a lively party with music, entertainment, and fun for the whole family, and from September 3-6 guests can enjoy performances from top Irish bands alongside food and beverage offerings.

** LAST WEEKEND ** Electric Ocean at SeaWorld Orlando

SeaWorld Orlando’s award-winning summer event, Electric Ocean has returned until September 6th with more hours of fun featuring new daytime experiences and nighttime favorites. 

Electric Ocean brings longer park hours and allows guests to voyage into an exotic underwater world filled with dazzling lights, electrifying dance music, and brilliant evening energy that sparks as the sunsets. (Cause who doesn’t love fireworks???)

There are new shows, entertainment, food, and returning favorites to enjoy!

Visit Orlando Magical Dining

Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining is back to showcase some of Orlando’s best cuisine while supporting local restaurants and charities from August 27 to October 3.

During this year’s Foodie dream, more than 80 of Orlando’s fine dining restaurants will offer a $37 three-course, prix-fixe dinner menu.

On the Go in the Parks, you can find Magical Dining goodness at:

Universal Orlando Resort

Amatista Cookhouse – Loess Sapphire Falls Resort at Universal Orlando Resort

The Kitchen – Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando

Mama Della’s Ristorante – Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando Resort

Islands Dining Room – Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando Resort

Walt Disney World Resort Area

Il Mulino New York Trattoria – Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort

Todd English’s Bluezoo – Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort

Terralina Crafted Italian – Disney Springs

Paddlefish – Disney Springs

Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill – Disney Springs

Jaleo – Disney Springs

Deep Blu Seafood Grille – Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek

La Luce – Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek

The Venetian Chop House – Caribe Royale

Reservations are encouraged, and when you arrive at the dining location make sure to ask for the Magical Dining Menu as you are seated.

Halloween Horror Night Tribute Store

Halloween Horror Nights is returning next weekend, but you can get hyped with the Tribute Store that is now open at Universal Studios Florida!

Disney After Hours Boo Bash

This weekend’s Disney After Hours Boo Bash Dates:

Friday, September 10, 2021

Sunday, September 12, 2021

Disney’s After Hours Boo Bash is a special ticketed event that takes place at the Magic Kingdom on select nights until October 31, 2021, and like any new event, and I am sharing what you should know before you go to make the most of your Halloween fun!

SeaWorld Orlando Craft Beer Festival

The SeaWorld Orlando Craft Beer Festival is returning with more than 100 crafts brews, wines, seltzers, and cocktails Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays, plus Labor Day until September 12.

Guests can sample an unbeatable mix of domestic and local Florida favorites, plus savor more than 20 food items expertly paired to match their preferred brew.

And to top it all off, festive entertainment will keep the party going all day long. This is the one craft beer celebration guests won’t want to miss. 

Busch Gardens Bier Fest

During the fourth year of Bier Fest at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, guests can sip seasonal beverage offerings and savor new recipes featuring fan-favorite breweries.

Beer flows through the park on an all-new beer trail, weaving between iconic coasters, local live music, and fascinating animal habitats while incorporating fan-favorite restaurants and outdoor culinary stations, including the new Giraffe Bar.

This year, park guests can toast to new adventures each Friday through Sunday until October 31.

Food and Wine Festival is underway at Walt Disney World 

The EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival is underway at Walt Disney World with delicious dishes, fun for families, and entertainment for the entire family until November 20th!

The festival celebrates the best of food and drink with more than 20 festival-exclusive global marketplaces open now and even more coming in the fall!

In addition to all the classics and fan favorites, there are SEVEN new marketplaces:

The Noodle Exchange (Near Traveler’s Café)

Tangierine Café: Flavors of the Medina

The Rotunda Bistro (American Adventure Rotunda)

The Swanky Saucy Swine (Near Disney Traders)

Brew-Wing at the EPCOT Experience

Lobster Landing (Near Mission: SPACE) – Opening Oct. 1

Mac & Eats (Near Mission: SPACE) – Opening Oct. 1

Don’t forget to see EPCOT Forever fireworks at the close of every day!

Theme Park Reservation & Mask Policies

Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World has updated their mask policy for guests ages 2 and up

– Masks are required regardless of vaccination status – Masks must be worn while indoors – Masks must be worn on Disney buses, monorails, and Disney Skyliner – The new policy includes attractions & their queues – Masks remain optional in outdoor common areas

Walt Disney World has opened up more Park Pass availability for summer visits to the park. So while you still need a reservation to enter the parks, it is now easier to snag one.

SeaWorld Orlando

In accordance with updated guidance from the Centers for Disease and Control (CDC) and the recommendations of local officials, face coverings are recommended to be worn in designated, indoor spaces regardless of the vaccination status of SeaWorld Orlando guests and employees.

The CDC has indicated that fully vaccinated people can be in outdoor areas without the need for a face covering.

The CDC still recommends that people get fully vaccinated and that unvaccinated people use preventative measures such as face coverings and social distancing.

For special interactions with certain animals, unvaccinated people will be required to wear a face covering.

SeaWorld Orlando and Aquatica are both no longer requiring reservations…if you are planning on going to Aquatica during the weekend GET THERE EARLY as parking is running out before noon each day!

Universal Orlando

The Universal Orlando Resort encourages all guests to follow CDC guidelines and local directives to wear face coverings while indoors across Universal Orlando Resort.

Face coverings are optional while outdoors.

All guests are ecouraged to keep a safe distance between travel parties.

Universal Orlando Resort hasn’t required reservations, but you’ll want to keep an eye one their official twitter – @UniversalORL – for any capacity or operational updates

Don’t forget you can keep up with us as we are On the Go in the Parks and more by following @onthegoinmco on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube! 

Follow us for more updates:

The post On the Go in the Parks: September 3-5, 2021 appeared first on On the Go in MCO.

[heonyz]

hello m'love! melaco and calico kitten! -jihooms

hey hey zu!! i just answered calico kitten here auhjkgwsvdhkj you can send another!!

melaco: how would you describe a perfect date? 

ok here we go!! so, as you may know, i love disney with my whole hort. like disneyland is my favorite place in the world. therefore!! my perfect date would be there. (with jihoon). we would go as early as possible which is usually 8 am! we would start at California Adventure and get fast passes for Radiator Springs Racers. after that we would check wait times to see if it’s worth it to go on Soarin’ first or head over to Toy Story Midway Mania on Pixar Pier. say we do Soarin first and Toy Story second, after that we would stay in that area and do the newly refurbished (and not open yet) Incredicoaster! depending on timing we could do lunch and then make our way over to Guardians of the Galazy: Mission Break Out. oh look! it’s time to go over to Radiator Springs Racers for our fast pass time. we get fast passes for Space Mountain because we’ll be going to Disneyland after a few more rides in DCA. Off to Disneyland we go! so our fast pass time for Space Mountain will probably be at around 5 pm and its only 1:30 so we’ll go to the other side of the park and get dole whip!! we’ll walk and eat and go on Haunted Mansion, Pirates, Big Thunder Mountain, and Jungle Cruise! I like to save Indiana Jones for the last moment, so after those rides itll be closer to 5 so we’ll make our way to Tomorrowland. to pass the time a bit we stop by the cream cheese pretzel cart because i needed it. before we go on Space Mountain we grab fast passes for Star Tours that we can use right after, so we go on those two rides! after that it’s dinner time so we go eat. Fantasyland is our next stop with the Matterhorn and it’s a small world, and then we go on Main Street to shop for a bit before the fireworks start!! they’re beautiful as always and signify the magic of the whole day. Many families leave after that so we would spend the rest of our time in the newly developed Star Wars land before going to Indiana Jones at 11:45 to round out the night! we would get off the ride after midnight so the park would be close to empty as they start to shove people out. Jihoon and i would take our time enjoying the sights and lights as we hold hands and walk to the gate. after we left the parks we’d go to the big disney store and buy a lot of stuff!! we would leave at around 1 am to go back to The Grand Californian Hotel and Spa. and then we would sleepily get ready for bed and cuddle until we fell asleep!! THIS IS SO LONG AUHIJKGREFS IM SORRY I JUST KNOW DISNEYLAND VERY WELL

send me the succ!

[architectnews]

Williamsburg Apple Store Brooklyn, New York

Apple Store Williamsburg, Brooklyn Retail Building, New York Shop Development, Architect, Images

Williamsburg Apple Store Brooklyn

Updated 5 Feb 2021 + Sep 20, 2016

Williamsburg Apple Store Brooklyn in New York

Design: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Architects Architect of Record: Marin Architects

Location: 247 Bedford Ave, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY, USA

Williamsburg Apple Store Brooklyn, New York Building

Apple’s first Brooklyn retail store, designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, recently opened to thousands of customers eager to experience the new space. Located at the corner of North 3rd Street and Bedford Avenue, the store is in the heart of the popular and evolving Williamsburg neighborhood, just three blocks from the nearest subway station.

Bohlin Cywinski Jackson designed the 13,700-square-foot retail space to complement the borough’s historic industrial past, drawing inspiration from the brick façade and arched openings of the preexisting building. This store has a distinct look and feel compared to Apple’s other New York locations, including a new retail program meant to draw in the street’s public life and serve as a community gathering space.

The interiors include polished concrete floors, brick walls, and acoustical wood ceilings. Exposed structural steel and mechanical systems add to the raw, unadorned feel of the store, which is lit by dozens of custom-built pendant lights made by a local fabricator. The store’s back wall features a massive video screen accompanied by a set of movable cube seats for product demos, entertainment, and lounging. Storefront windows allow daylight to fill the space and passersby to peek in while walking through the busy neighborhood.

The Williamsburg store marks Apple’s sixth New York retail space designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson-the architecture firm responsible for many of the company’s most notable stores designed in the past 15 years.

New York retail stores designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson

Apple Store, SoHo (2002, 2012) Apple Store, Fifth Avenue (2006, 2011) Apple Store, West 14th Street (2007) Apple Store, Upper West Side (2009) Apple Store, Upper East Side (2015) Apple Store, Williamsburg (2016) Apple Store, World Trade Center (2016)

Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, founded in 1965, is a national architecture practice noted for elegant and humane design, ranging from modest houses to large academic, civic, cultural and corporate buildings. To date, the firm has received more than 650 regional, national and international awards for design, including three AIA Top Ten Green Project Awards and the AIA Architecture Firm Award.

Founding Principal Peter Bohlin was also awarded the AIA Gold Medal, the highest honor an individual architect can receive. The firm is well known for its work with Apple, designing stores such as the iconic Fifth Avenue cube in New York City and flagship stores worldwide. The practice has also created headquarters for Pixar, Adobe and Square, and city halls in Seattle and Newport Beach, CA. For more information please visit BCJ.com.

Design: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Architects Architect of Record: Marin Architects

Photography: Nick Lehoux

Williamsburg Apple Store in Brooklyn image / information from Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Architects

Bohlin Cywinski Jackson

Address: 247 Bedford Ave, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY 11211, United States

New York City, USA

New York City Architecture

Contemporary New York Buildings

Manhattan Architecture Designs – chronological list

New York City Architecture Tours by e-architect

New York Architecture News

Brooklyn Buildings

New York Architecture

Another Apple Store in New York design by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Architects on e-architect:

Apple Store World Trade Center Oculus, Manhattan, NY, USA photo : Peter Aaron Apple Store World Trade Center by BCJ

Retail Buildings

Apple Store Architecture

Apple Stores – Retail Interior Design

Contemporary Apple Store Architectural Projects

Apple Store Upper East Side, New York City, NY, USA Design: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson photo : Peter Aaron Apple Store, Upper East Side, New York City

Apple Retail Store, Carnegie Library, Washington D.C., USA Design: Foster + Partners Architects image Courtesy of architects Apple Store in Carnegie Library Building

Apple on Michigan Avenue

Williamsburg Hotel Building Brooklyn

Brooklyn Buildings

270 Richards Street, Red Hook Design: Foster + Partners architects with Adamson Associates Architects image courtesy architects Red Hook Complex Brooklyn

Irving Place Carriage House Design: LOT-EK, Architects image from architect Irving Place Carriage House in Brooklyn

Holiday Inn, 300 Schermerhorn Street, Downtown Brooklyn Architecture: Escobar Design by Lemay picture : Inessa Photography Holiday Inn in Downtown Brooklyn

YCHA Red Hook Houses Design: KPF architects image from architects NYCHA Red Hook Houses New York

Townhome in Red Hook Brooklyn Design: AA Studio image from architects Townhome in Red Hook Brooklyn

Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn Childrens Museum

Brooklyn College

New York Architects Offices

Comments / photos for the Williamsburg Apple Store Brooklyn Architecture page welcome

Website: Williamsburg Brooklyn

The post Williamsburg Apple Store Brooklyn, New York appeared first on e-architect.

[sorcererpaigey]

20/05/18 Round-Up

First weekly round-up, this is exciting! Very full of park announcements this week, so bear with me. Sources this week came from WDW News Today, Tea Connect and All Ears.

 Interesting news coming from Walt Disney World this week, first of which is that there is going to be a new signature dining location in the Japan pavilion in Epcot. This unnamed restaurant will be situated along with the already existing Teppan Edo and Tokyo Dining and will be operated by the same company as them, Mitsukoshi USA. It is said it will draw inspiration from Japan’s natural beauty and will give off an authentic feel. No word as of yet on an opening date either but it has already become a highly anticipated addition to the already great pavilion.

Next item of news from WDW. There is to be an After Fireworks Dessert Party at the Magic Kingdom. Taking place at the Tomorrowland Terrace restaurant, starting from May 28th, after you’ve watched the fireworks display, Happily Ever After, from your special viewing location at the Plaza Garden you will be treated to various sweet delicacies from around the Magic Kingdom’s different lands. There will also be savoury snacks as well as different beverages to satisfy your tastes. At $69 for adults and $41 for kids it definitely has an appeal with the different snacks from around the park pulling people in as well as offering prime viewing location for the fireworks. It will still be offered on select nights during Halloween and Christmas offering different snacks on top of these at those times.

Over in Casey’s Corner, this month’s hot dog has been released. Named the Aztec Hot-Diggity Dog. It features a beef hot dog topped with elote, sweet and spicy ground beef along with spicy lime mayo and grated parmesan cheese. Unfortunately there’s not been too many positive reviews on this month’s but we’ll have to see if it becomes a favourite to some.

Heading over to Disney’s California Adventure in Anaheim, California, and a premiere event has been announced for the opening of Pixar Pier on June 22nd. This VIP event will see the guests shown to every new/rethemed ride and snack location on the premise from 3pm until 9pm. The rethemed rides are the Incredicoaster, Pixar Pal-around and the Games of the Boardwalk. The only ride that has remained the same is Toy Story Mania, mainly because it’s already Pixar themed and is probably a major reason why this area got renovated. Walk-around characters will also be present as well as the opportunity to get Pixar Pier merchandise first. Tickets have already gone on sale and are likely sold out but at $299 apiece it’s quite a steep price to pay, but people will still pay it to be the first.

Across the pond to Disneyland Paris and special event at the Disney’s Hotel New York which took bloggers and vloggers and gathered them together to announce new plans for the resort. First was that DLP will receive its own version of Mickey’s Philharmagic named “Mickey et son Orchestre PhilharMagique”. Their main Disneyland Hotel will receive a major re-theming hopefully to be complete by 2020. They will celebrate by Mickey’s 90th birthday by celebrating for 90 days, along with other various festivities there will be a special cupcake on sale. There will be a new float during their Halloween night-time parade themed to Phantom Manor, which is undergoing a major renovation right now to tweak and improve the story. No news on the Marvel as of yet. These are just the main headliners, head to the DLP website to find out more.

Some non-park news now, Disney released a new mobile game called Disney Hero’s: Battle Mode in relation with PerBlue. Players can battle (as the name entails) with characters from various Disney and Pixar. The game is free, but it does allow in app purchases. The game has been given praise in its reviews, especially with the characters they are using and the different kind of gameplay that Disney never normally offers. I downloaded the game myself however I personally didn’t enjoy it just because I felt the gameplay was a tad juvenile but if I played it more I would probably get into it more, might have just been the tutorial.

Last, but definitely not least, the annual attendance records for 2017 have been released and it’s no understatement to say that Disney has trounced the lot. According to information released by Tea Connect, 160,014,000 attendees across all the Disney locations the nearest came Merlin Entertainment Group with a mere 66,000,000. With the top 3 spots being taken by Magic Kingdom (WDW), Disneyland in California, and Tokyo Disneyland and the rest of the Disney parks coming in the 25 and all WDW’s coming in top 10. Also, for the first time, Animal Kingdom’s numbers overtook Epcot’s. This is due in part to Pandora opening at Animal Kingdom giving guests a new immersive land with new experiences the likes most parks haven’t seen. Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon also received recognition coming in top 3 water parks across the globe along with Chimelong Water Park in China coming in 1st.

AND THAT’S ALL! Most week’s probably won’t be as jam-packed as this but it’s a nice way to ease into it. This week’s recommendation is the film, Lilo and Stitch. Having just recently re-watched it, I had forgotten how amazing it is. During a time where the Disney films were facing box office letdowns, Lilo and Stitch was one of the only ones to get the recognition it deserves. It features a great story of friendship and the importance of family involving a community that hasn’t been represented much by Disney or in the film industry and breathes life into it. Stitch became a beloved character because of this and is still seen in the parks today and he also inspired 2 spin-off films as well as a successful TV series. BYE Y’ALL!

[vacationsoup]

New Post has been published on https://vacationsoup.com/even-more-magic-planned-for-disney-in-2019__trashed/

Even More Magic Planned For Disney In 2019

Is it possible for the most magical place on Earth to become even more magical? Yes!

If you’re thinking about visiting Disney, and just haven’t decided when yet then this year may be the time to do so.  Disney has already released the 2019 dates for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and I’m sure we can expect more release dates for upcoming events within the next few months.  There will be even more magic at Walt Disney World this year as Disney unveils several great new attractions for 2019 and we’ve got the scoop right here for you.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

A new Star Wars themed area is set to open at Hollywood Studios later this fall.  Disney recently released artist renderings of what Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will look like and it looks out of this world.

A New Disney Studios Nighttime Show

A new show is set to take the stage at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Wonderful World of Animation, the new nighttime experience will debut in May 2019 using Laser projection technology taking viewers through more than 90 years of animation.

Mickey & Minnie Runaway Railway

Mickey & Minnie will celebrate a whopping 90 years in 2019. This beloved cartoon is transformed into a real-world experience in what is the park’s first ride-through attraction for Mickey. It will be a new, original story and theme song, drawing inspiration from the world of Disney’s Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts.

Pixar Attractions

Early 2019 guests will see a transformed Pixar Place to include a new area for the Incredibles where visitors will encounter Edna Mode, Mike & Sulley from Monsters Inc. In the spring 2019, Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy will open where guests can meet Lightning himself along with his friend Cruz Ramirez.

Lion King Dance Party

The Lion King movie will celebrate 25 years in 2019 and with that guests can enjoy a special party at Discovery Land and party with Timon & Rafiki every day from January 18-September 30, 2019.

A New Disney Epcot Nighttime Show

Illuminations nighttime show will be ending 2019 and replaced with a new show that will celebrate Disney Music around the world.  If you’re visiting in the latter part of 2019 you will get a taste of the two experiences in a show titled “Epcot Forever” which includes familiar music with new fireworks and special effects kites.

Mickey & Minnie’s Surprise Celebration

Starting January 18th, Disney is honouring the pair with new entertainment, merchandise and food. Throughout the year there will be an array of specialty food, beverage and novelty offerings inspired by the famous couple. The Mickey sipper cup is absolutely adorable!   The celebration runs through September at Magic Kingdom.

  New Disney Skyliner

Disney guests will now be able to travel overhead in the fall of 2019 thanks to a gondola system called the Disney Skyliner.  It will connect Hollywood Studios and Epcot to four resort hotels. It is rumoured that this new mode of transportation will not have air conditioning.  If you’re travelling in the summer months, be sure to check out our blog 4 ways to beat the Orlando heat.

First timer to Disney? Don’t miss our quick guide to Walt Disney World here along with our 5 tips to planning your vacation here.

[pilawforhire-archived]

"...A date, then?"

[ sms ] Yes. I’ll pick you 1930.

It was a formal business dinner function in one of the most upscale hotels in the country, and although it had been rather last minute, he had managed to obtain an invite, albeit through unlawful means. Since he needed a plus one to blend in, and to fake attempts at being social and amiable, after some consideration, in which he asked himself, who would hate being there as much as he, Law settled on Shikamaru as his ‘date’ for the night—and he wouldn’t have taken no for an answer. He had based his decision on two key factors: a) Shikamaru would suffer as much as he would by being there, and b) Shikamaru wouldn’t piss him off at the same time. Their cover was as potential business partners who were looking to invest in new companies.

It didn’t matter what Shikamaru thought of the ‘date’—it would have been even more entertaining if the contractor had different thoughts about Law’s intentions. Either way, he wasn’t going to give Shikamaru any finer details, unless it was asked of him. There was, however, to be a lot of mingling with the crowd, while he kept an eye on his target. A buffet spread, music, dancing…the dinner party was already sounding like a huge inconvenience.

Who asks for it:

[x] Your muse asks mine

[x] My muse asks yours [ A case? A favor? Tips or intel? Who knows for sure? ]((Definitely, only when he needs Shikamaru’s help or expertise. Or when he wants to kill him, frame him.. [I guess I understand Shikamaru’s paranoia now.] Unless it’s impromptu…a ’stuck in the wrong place together at the wrong time’ kind of situation. Fast forward two years later, if they’re both still alive and on a…’friendly’ as ‘friendly’ can get basis, hey, why not! A date is a date without any ulterior motives except the want for company!!! Or a place to crash while on the run from bad company.))

Type of date:

[x] [‘You want an actual rematch?’ Date] “I don’t know what you mean by ‘actual’, but if you think I’m going to concede to defeat before having tried a hundred times, you’ve got another thing coming, Nara.”

[x] [‘Whose bike goes faster, I know a scenic route’ Date] YES. Cruising through scenic / deserted routes would be cool. “Yours might be bigger, but size isn’t everything.”

[x] [‘There’s an Arms Trade Expo I’m infiltrating and I need a Plus One….’ Date] So is this! “…only if you’re paying for my purchases.”

[x] ‘Things always have a funny way of spiraling out of control when I’m with you’ Date — mishaps involving ending up in the A&E, chased down by wild dogs/animals, on the run from the police, waking up with no knowledge of where they are or what happened just before, ending up as volunteers for some freak circus show/magic show, locked in a room with a bomb, stuck in the elevator, stealing a cop car, stealing a fire truck……. “…how did this happen? I thought I was cursed, but I think this time it’s you who’s bringing about all the bad luck.”

[x] ‘Let’s see how long the peace can last’ Date “Place your bets. I’m giving it an hour, tops.”

[x] A normal, platonic(?) date in your alt!verse, probably a coffee date, which stays pretty chill and all, after having visited the cafe, where Shikamaru works, on a daily basis for a while because they play pretty good music and serve gluten-free snacks, and it’s not overcrowded, the decor is pleasing

Location for the date:

[ ] Movies• [ ] Romantic Comedy• [ ] Adventure Movie• [ ] Animation (Pixar/Disney)• [ ] Horror• [ ] Drama• [ ] Buddy Movie• [ ] ___ (other options)

[x] Restaurant / Clubs / Bars ((mostly for info gathering, I’d presume?))• [x] Expensive/High Class [ I want to see this happen only because it’d be great to have them undercover and eating fancy ] –> ((absolutely..!))• [x] Small and familiar ((after the Jaffal case though…nowhere is safe. probably somewhere with a crowd could be less dangerous. i don’t think they ought to eat at the same place twice.))• [x] Fast Food ((sucks, but can’t be helped, I guess))

[x] Nature ((anywhere in nature would be cool, but I guess they wouldn’t go anywhere like that if it weren’t for a job. then again, what job would take one up to the mountains or to a cottage by the lake, or anywhere scenic? I suppose if they’re both free, somewhere down the road, this could happen, hopefully before they turn 90 and aren’t able to walk well anymore. can’t appreciate nature if you can’t walk on your own two feet—can’t appreciate it as much.))• [x] Beach [ Okay but imagine them running intel in the summer ] –> ((and having to act normal on the beach? being surrounded by the sweltering heat and children screaming and running about. Shikamaru catching beach balls with his head. watching people be happy all around them. getting sand everywhere..))• [x] Park ((tailing someone, attempting to abduct someone, playing Shogi in the park….?))• [x] Forest ((burying dead bodies that need to be hidden, excavating dead bodies that were hidden, following a trail of clues, lost in the forest because…reasons/bad luck, camping to watch/surveil a house in the woods, just taking a jog))   • [x] …and having a picnic

[ ] Visiting a Museum/Galleries/Aquariums/Zoos/Planetariums ((yes to all of these below tbh. wherever the job takes them))

[ ] Visiting an amusement park ((maybe not this…although it’s easy to kidnap people from crowded places))

[ ] Visiting a haunted location ((abandoned places would be cool to discover and explore. abandoned ruins…hospitals, etc.))

[x] Staying at home• [x] Chilling with music• [x] Playing Shogi• [x] Reading

[x] Casinos are great!! ((I think they could make a good deal of money from this.))

[x] Lmao I like the stuck in the hospital idea although they probably can’t do much there

[x] Also, stuck on an island far out with no means of leaving, with several others invited and a murderer on the lose ala ‘And then there were none’ style

[x] Some festival(s)

[x] Just having a drink, somewhere quiet. roof of a deserted building, in a quiet park, past midnight, if they can’t sleep – i think they’d only get the chance to talk then.

[x] Some vacation island, invited to a party, to kill someone there or to find someone. Someone dies. A battle royale between others of similar careers. I’m just rambling now, haha, sorry.

The date might hopefully end with…

[ ] …holding hands [ This would throw Shika off his game, unless that was the intention ] –> ((definitely to throw him off balance. otherwise, it’d only happen if someone falls off the roof, or some high ledge/off a boat/train, and the other saves him on a whim.))

[ ] …a kiss [ ‘Oh look a distraction’ ] –> ((too obvious? well shit. but it worked, didn’t it?))

[ ] …in bed [ without the risk of the other dying? It’s a tricky situation ] –> ((being in each other’s company is a risk on its own. but yeah, too risky. both would only be pretending to be asleep. ‘I promise not to kill you if you’ll give me all the blankets.’))

[x] …knowing each other better ((I’m sure they would have dug up info on each other. Whatever there is to find, at least. I guess this would take a long while, otherwise.))

[x] …trusting each other more would be great! ((it might take amnesia for this to happen though. I guess in their nature of work, trust is easily broken as well. can you imagine, if 2 years later, somehow they’re still alive and keeping in touch, and Law shows up at Shikamaru’s doorstep for no reason, I bet, even if they have established some trust, the first thing to go to Shikamaru’s head might be, ‘Is he here to kill me (again)?’ Similarly, every time they hear from each other, or meet, alarm bells are ringing somewhere, no matter how much trust has been established. I don’t know, though. It could work out.

It would be interesting to see how they could break through that. It might be tough, since both are wary by nature, and the job makes things worse. Unless, it comes to the point where they reach a mutual understanding of— Hey, we can be ‘friends’(?) or buddies, acquaintances. I respect that you do your job well, and I do mine well. However, SO THAT WE BOTH DON’T GO BALD BEFORE 30, if ever we get a job to target the other, we’ll be 100% honest and upfront about it. When that happens, no grudges are to be held. What’s fair is fair. When that happens that one of us is to target the other, we’ll approach the situation like mature adults and professionals. Basically, whoever manages to outmatch and kill the other, “wins”. Until then, let’s drop all this hostility and tip-toeing around each other, having to be so suspicious all the time because that gets tiring.

But I don’t know if that could work! I think they could certainly reach a point one day, one fine day, where they have that mutual understanding and trust. That if there’s a hit ordered on the other, no sneaky biz. Be upfront about it. It’s even more fun that way if both parties know. Because, then, the mind games get more challenging?

This reminds me of Mr & Mrs Smith for some reason))

[ ] …a marriage proposal

[ ] ___ (other options)

With no trouble, annoying clients, or outliers that could otherwise bother their company, how would conversation unfold between them? At what starting point would they begin to talk about themselves? For men married to their work, engrossed with their own inner demons and routines, what would it mean to get involved? It could start with building trust, a simple idea untarnished by bullets, blood, or double cross.  And even then, whose mind holds more mazes? Will it matter?

I think it would take a long while before they opened up to each other about themselves. In the first place, both would have to be receptive to allowing the trust to build. If they close themselves off and bury themselves in work and their daily routines, being similar in that sense, it’s hard to crack through anything. They could likely make it ten years as business contacts without getting to know the other well at all. Will it matter? It would be nice to find the thing that gets them to connect on a more personal level. I would like for them to be able to talk about themselves or their pasts, but I feel like that may not be something they would share with each other. Neither would feel open to sharing, because that would be taken as a sign of weakness. Even if their pasts are similar, I suppose sharing about it would do nothing useful for the present or future, so neither would talk about it in that sense. However, if they found out by some other method, they could end up discussing it in brief.

Talking about present matters…neither would comment on their feelings or their inner demons. The only way either of them would see any glimpse of the other’s would be if somehow, something bad enough happens that they break down. Even then, that would be hard to stumble upon. I don’t think it takes words to understand each other? Maybe after a long while of ‘working’(?) together.

To be honest, this is hard! Thinking about what they would talk about. I would say…nothing really, other than comments about their cases, spur of the moment quips thrown here and there… But I do think it starts with trust, and then being able to relax in each other’s company.

Alternatively, here’s what I think could help them break past the being unable to trust each other part. If they both saw each other in a moment of weakness (in which some emotion from within seeps through the cracks of their masks), I think it could be easier to build that trust. Maybe. Haha. Sorry, this was long.

[latesthollywoodnews]

Why Hollywood STILL Won't Cast Taylor Lautner

Why Hollywood STILL Won't Cast Taylor Lautner

Jeremy Brown - Latest News - My Hollywood News

Why Hollywood STILL Won’t Cast Taylor Lautner, Hollywood News 2018.

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Once upon a time, Taylor Lautner’s face was everywhere you looked, thanks to his leading role in the iconic supernatural movie series Twilight. But what appeared to be a red hot career quickly cooled off, leading us to wonder why Hollywood seemed to suddenly stop casting him. And while you might be familiar with our previous video from 2017 talking about Taylor Lautner’s disappearance from the spotlight, we have some new juicy deets as to what the Jacob Black actor has been up to lately.

Although Lautner’s Twilight co-stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson have gone on to somewhat successfully distance themselves from their vampire-and-werewolf days, Lautner hasn’t been as lucky. Case in point: The internet went into a frenzy when Stewart showed up to his 27th birthday party in February 2019, with her attendance spurring a ton of headlines. W Magazine, for one, made it clear what everyone was thinking about by noting,

“Kristen Stewart Had a Twilight Reunion With Taylor Lautner at His Birthday Party.”

Clearly, Lautner is still very much attached to the franchise whether he likes it or not. He can’t even turn another year older without it stirring up press about his time as Jacob Black, whom he last played way back in 2012. And to be perfectly honest, we can understand why studio execs might be hesitant to give Lautner a shot considering that he hasn’t done much to shed the character. It would be one thing if he managed to snag other notable roles like Stewart and Pattinson have, but for now his most popular work to date still very much remains Twilight.

Watch the video for more about Why Hollywood STILL Won’t Cast Taylor Lautner!

#TaylorLautner #Twilight

No escaping Twilight | 0:28 Not worth the trouble? | 1:29 Bigger concerns | 2:17 Shifting priorities | 3:15 New work on the horizon | 4:03

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https://www.myhollywoodnews.com/why-hollywood-still-wont-cast-taylor-lautner/

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