©2011 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All Rights Reserved. For editorial news use only. MICKEY’S SOUNDSATIONAL PARADE – The sound of dynamic rhythms and bold percussion will accompany beloved Disney characters as they stomp and strut along Main Street, U.S.A., in the new “Mickey’s Soundsational Parade,” premiering Friday, May 27. The parade brings to life characters and melodies from Disney films with more than 90 performers, as Mickey Mouse and his pals get the Disneyland crowd into the beat of this giant jam session. “Mickey’s Soundsational Parade” features nine parade floats, each designed in the style of a children’s “pop-up” story book with eye-catching visuals and whimsical details. (Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland Resort) MICKEY’S SOUNDSATIONAL PARADE – The sound of dynamic rhythms and bold percussion will accompany beloved Disney characters as they stomp and strut along Main Street, U.S.A., in the new “Mickey’s Soundsational Parade,” premiering Friday, May 27. The parade brings to life characters and melodies from Disney films with more than 90 performers, as Mickey Mouse and his pals get the Disneyland crowd into the beat of this giant jam session. “Mickey’s Soundsational Parade” features nine parade floats, each designed in the style of a children’s “pop-up” story book with eye-catching visuals and whimsical details. (Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland Resort)

©2011 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All Rights Reserved. For editorial news use only. MICKEY’S SOUNDSATIONAL PARADE – The sound of dynamic rhythms and bold percussion will accompany beloved Disney characters as they stomp and strut along Main Street, U.S.A., in the new “Mickey’s Soundsational Parade,” premiering Friday, May 27. The parade brings to life characters and melodies from Disney films with more than 90 performers, as Mickey Mouse and his pals get the Disneyland crowd into the beat of this giant jam session. “Mickey’s Soundsational Parade” features nine parade floats, each designed in the style of a children’s “pop-up” story book with eye-catching visuals and whimsical details. (Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland Resort)

©2011 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All Rights Reserved. For editorial news use only. MICKEY’S SOUNDSATIONAL PARADE – The sound of dynamic rhythms and bold percussion will accompany beloved Disney characters as they stomp and strut along Main Street, U.S.A., in the new “Mickey’s Soundsational Parade,” premiering Friday, May 27. The parade brings to life characters and melodies from Disney films with more than 90 performers, as Mickey Mouse and his pals get the Disneyland crowd into the beat of this giant jam session. “Mickey’s Soundsational Parade” features nine parade floats, each designed in the style of a children’s “pop-up” story book with eye-catching visuals and whimsical details. (Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland Resort)

©2011 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All Rights Reserved. For editorial news use only. The sound of dynamic rhythms and bold percussion accompany beloved Disney characters as they stomp and strut along Main Street, U.S.A., in “Mickey’s Soundsational Parade.” The parade brings to life characters and melodies from Disney films with more than 90 performers, as Mickey Mouse and his pals get the Disneyland crowd into the beat of this giant jam session. “Mickey’s Soundsational Parade” features nine parade floats, each designed in the style of a children’s “pop-up” story book with eye-catching visuals and whimsical details. (Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland Resort)

©2011 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All Rights Reserved. For editorial news use only. “Star Wars” droids C-3PO and R2-D2 are two of the famous characters guests encounter in Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, a new 3-D attraction at Disneyland park in Anaheim, Calif. The attraction also is thrilling guests at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland Resort) “Star Wars” droids C-3PO and R2-D2 are two of the famous characters guests encounter in Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, a new 3-D attraction at Disneyland park in Anaheim, Calif. The attraction also is thrilling guests at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland Resort) “Star Wars” droids C-3PO and R2-D2 are two of the famous characters guests encounter in Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, a new 3-D attraction at Disneyland park in Anaheim, Calif. The attraction also is thrilling guests at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland Resort) HAPPILY EVER AFTER — In The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, Ariel’s story unfolds in colorful scenes filled with Audio-Animatronics characters and memorable music from the hit Disney animated motion picture, “The Little Mermaid.” The Disney California Adventure park attraction brings the popular motion picture to life in magnificent scenes where guests can sing along with Sebastian and friends, keep an eye out for the evil Ursula, and experience the romance of Ariel and Eric. Special effects transport guests “under the sea,” taking them into Ariel’s world in ways never before seen. (Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland Resort) C-3PO, the fussy protocol droid from the “Star Wars” film saga, is one of the famous characters guests encounter in Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, a new 3-D attraction at Disneyland park in Anaheim, Calif. The attraction also is thrilling guests at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland Resort) HAPPILY EVER AFTER — In The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, Ariel’s story unfolds in colorful scenes filled with Audio-Animatronics characters and memorable music from the hit Disney animated motion picture, “The Little Mermaid.” The Disney California Adventure park attraction brings the popular motion picture to life in magnificent scenes where guests can sing along with Sebastian and friends, keep an eye out for the evil Ursula, and experience the romance of Ariel and Eric. Special effects transport guests “under the sea,” taking them into Ariel’s world in ways never before seen. (Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland Resort)

©2011 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All Rights Reserved. For editorial news use only.
R2-D2, the adventurous droid from the “Star Wars” film saga, is one of the famous characters guests encounter in “Star Tours — The Adventures Continue,” a new 3-D attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The attraction also is thrilling guests at Disneyland park at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif. (Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland Resort) HAPPILY EVER AFTER — In The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, Ariel’s story unfolds in colorful scenes filled with Audio-Animatronics characters and memorable music from the hit Disney animated motion picture, “The Little Mermaid.” The Disney California Adventure park attraction brings the popular motion picture to life in magnificent scenes where guests can sing along with Sebastian and friends, keep an eye out for the evil Ursula, and experience the romance of Ariel and Eric. Special effects transport guests “under the sea,” taking them into Ariel’s world in ways never before seen. (Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland Resort)

©2011 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All Rights Reserved. For editorial news use only.
Droid “G2-4T” is in charge of the Thermal Scanner inside the Star Tours Spaceport in the new 3-D attraction, Star Tours – The Adventures Continue. Featured in the queue area, G2-4T interacts with Star Tours passengers before they board their flight through the “Star Wars” galaxy. (Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland Resort) “Star Wars” droids C-3PO and R2-D2 are two of the famous characters guests encounter in Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, a new 3-D attraction at Disneyland park in Anaheim, Calif. The attraction also is thrilling guests at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland Resort) RX-24, or “Rex,” is known to Disney Parks guests as the inexperienced-but-eager pilot featured in the original Star Tours attraction. In the new attraction, Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, Rex can be seen in the queue area with a shipping label that reads “Defective! Return to Factory.” (Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland Resort) BEGINNING THE ADVENTURE — Guests board their own clamshell vehicles as they embark on The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, in which Ariel’s story unfolds in colorful scenes filled with Audio-Animatronics characters and memorable music from the hit Disney animated motion picture, “The Little Mermaid.” The Disney California Adventure park attraction brings the popular motion picture to life in magnificent scenes where guests can sing along with Sebastian and friends, keep an eye out for the evil Ursula, and experience the romance of Ariel and Eric. Special effects transport guests “under the sea,” taking them into Ariel’s world in ways never before seen. (Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland Resort) Bridging that “long time ago’ between the two Star Wars trilogies, spectacular new Star Tours adventures in 3-D at Disneyland park in California take voyagers for the first time to Tatooine (pictured) and other destinations in the Stars Wars galaxy. © 2010 Lucasfilm Ltd.TM and Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved. “Star Wars” droids C-3PO and R2-D2 are two of the famous characters guests encounter in Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, a new 3-D attraction at Disneyland park in Anaheim, Calif. The attraction also is thrilling guests at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland Resort) DISNEYLAND HOTEL – The newly renovated Disneyland Hotel includes new décor in the rooms, a new pool-and-slide water play area, and the new poolside Tangaroa Terrace restaurant and Trader Sam’s bar, inspired by classic features found in Adventureland in Disneyland park. (Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland) DARTH VADER — Pictured in a scene from the attraction, “Star Wars” villain Darth Vader is one of the famous characters guests encounter in “Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, a new 3-D attraction at Disneyland park in Anaheim, Calif. The attraction also is thrilling guests at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Disney Enterprises, Inc./Lucasfilm Ltd.) The bustling metropolis of Coruscant is one of the “Star Wars” destinations Disney Parks guests can visit in Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, the new 3-D thrill attraction at Disneyland park in Anaheim, Calif. and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Disney Enterprises, Inc./Lucasfilm Ltd.) Little Mermaid Gallery Shoot The lush planet of Kashyyyk is one of the “Star Wars” destinations Disney Parks guests can visit in Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, the new 3-D thrill attraction at Disneyland park in Anaheim, Calif. and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Disney Enterprises, Inc./Lucasfilm Ltd.) The underwater world of Naboo is one of the “Star Wars” destinations Disney Parks guests can visit in Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, the new thrill attraction at Disneyland park in Anaheim, Calif. and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Disney Enterprises, Inc./Lucasfilm Ltd.) Pictured in a scene from the attraction, the icy planet of Hoth is one of the “Star Wars” destinations Disney Parks guests can visit in Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, the new 3-D thrill attraction at Disneyland park in Anaheim, Calif. and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Disney Enterprises, Inc./Lucasfilm Ltd.) Pictured in a scene from the attraction, “Star Wars” villain Boba Fett pursues Star Tours passengers through an asteroid field in Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, a new 3-D attraction at Disneyland park in Anaheim, Calif. and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Disney Enterprises, Inc./Lucasfilm Ltd.) Little Mermaid Gallery Shoot Little Mermaid Gallery Shoot Little Mermaid Gallery Shoot Little Mermaid Gallery Shoot Little Mermaid Gallery Shoot Little Mermaid Gallery Shoot Little Mermaid Gallery Shoot Little Mermaid Gallery Shoot Little Mermaid Gallery Shoot Little Mermaid Gallery Shoot

Tell Us About This Attraction

• “The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure is a classic Disney ‘dark ride’ that takes you through classic scenes from the movie.  It’s a wonderful ride-through experience of the film with everyone’s favorite animated characters and music.
• “This will be the first time that guests will actually be able to go under the sea with Ariel and her friends.
• ” ‘Dark rides’ are the hallmark of the Disney experience all around the world.  It’s a great way to immerse our guests in an environment and tell a story. I believe going under the sea with Ariel will be one of the best.”

Tell Us about the Guest Experience

“One of the great things guests are going to experience is the actual sensation of going under the water. Guests will start out on the shore with Scuttle but then quickly turn, go backwards and submerge.  We’ve got some great effects that are going to make you feel like you’re going underwater. One of the effects is actually on the ride vehicle in front of you. As you start to feel yourself go under, you’ll see the waterline rise up on the vehicle in front of you.  I know, you’re going to hold your breath in that moment.  You’re going to feel the cold around you, you’re going to see bubbles starting to swirl, and you’re going to feel that submersion.”

Tell us about the music

“The music in The Little Mermaid is fantastic. The songs you hear are the original songs from the film. But we also had Danny Troob, who has been Alan Menken’s arranger, write additional music for us that plays in between each of these scenes. That music is wonderful, and it’s evocative of all the different songs we have in the film.” (Alan Menken composed the film score. Danny Troob, who has collaborated with Menken on many theatrical scores, arranged and orchestrated  special music for the Little Mermaid attraction.)

Do you have a favorite scene in the attraction?

“My favorite scene is Ursula’s lair. That’s the first time, in this attraction, that we actually go into black light – from white light into black light. The mood changes and you see Flotsam and Jetsam and you know Ursula is around the corner singing that wonderful song ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls.’ She’s amazing.  She’s 7 ½  feet tall and 12 feet wide and you’re right up close to her and it’s my absolute favorite.”

Why build the attraction in Disney California Adventure park?

“We decided to put The Little Mermaid here in Disney California Adventure for a couple of reasons.  We picked Disney California Adventure because we are bringing more and more of the Disney characters into this park and she seemed like a perfect fit. The second reason is that, here in Paradise Pier, we’ve created a seaside amusement park.  So it felt right to have this under the sea adventure in this seaside environment.”

Why now for The Little Mermaid?

“We’ve been working a long time to bring this story to life. It’s been more than 20 years since the film was released.  And it just seemed perfect at this time because the technology we need to create and tell this story has caught up with us.”

What are some challenges you faced with this attraction?

• “The number-one challenge is creating an undersea environment. For instance, when Ariel is under the sea, her hair has to animate like she’s under the sea. We actually tried to think of Ariel’s hair as an additional character.  When she moves in the film, her hair reacts after she does.  We actually had to do a lot of extra work there to make guests feel like ‘Yes, we’re underwater and we’re with Ariel,’ and have the hair take on its own personality.”
• “Of course the star of ‘The Little Mermaid’ is Ariel, and we wanted to make sure she was as perfect in this attraction as she is in the film. For example, her skin has to be beautiful, without wrinkles. We can’t have any funny little things …she has to look amazing. You look at characters like those in Pirates of the Caribbean and they’re kind of scarred up, rough and tumble.  But this little gal has to be beautiful, so there was an extra challenge to get her just perfect.”
• “Another challenge is making characters that are tiny – like Sebastian – come alive. The components we have to work with are rather large so we had to work with the research and development team to figure out how to make tiny little characters come to life.”

Is there a surprise you’d like to share?

“Look for the Hidden Mickeys.  I challenge our guests to see if they can find them all!”

What’s it like to lead this kind of project?

• “Being involved in this attraction is a dream come true for me.  I watched the movie when it first came out.  I’ve seen the movie many, many, many times since.  To be able to create Ariel’s world and bring it to our guests and then get to watch the faces of the kids as they come through here is just going to be the best thing ever.”
• “To be in this environment, with what I think are some of the best songs we’ve ever written, it’s the best job in the world.”

What was the process for bringing this attraction to life?

“We start in a phase called ‘blue sky,’ where the sky is really the limit, and we think about all the things we can do to bring this movie to life.  We go through a concept phase and start to do design drawings before we can bring together people who will help us build all the different pieces.  As we produce the pieces, we bring everything together in the facility that will house the attraction.  From there we start to put the whole experience together for the guests.”

Media Contacts: Disneyland Resort Public Relations
(714) 781-4500
www.disneylandnews.com
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• This is the first Disney ride-through attraction that takes you “under the sea” with Ariel, Prince Eric, Sebastian and Ursula, with music and scenes from “The Little Mermaid” film.
• Nearly 200 Audio-Animatronics figures perform in the attraction. The Under the Sea scene alone has 128 figures, including 50 spinning starfish.
• Ursula is the largest Audio-Animatronics figure in the show at 7½-feet tall and 12-feet wide. She also has a squash-and-stretch function in her torso and flexible materials so she can bounce along with the music.
• An 86-foot long, hand-painted mural greets guests in the loading area of the attraction. The mural depicts many of the characters guests will see within the attraction including Prince Eric, King Triton, Sebastian, Flounder and, of course, Ariel.
• The attraction was created by a team of talented Imagineers and consultants including Senior Show Producer Lisa Girolami, Creative Director/Show Designer Larry Nikolai, and Frank Antonides, director of project management – all from Walt Disney Imagineering – along with Chris Crump, production and show designer, and Danny Troob, musical arranger and orchestrator.
• The attraction building was inspired by the Dragon Gorge scenic railway at the long-gone Ocean Park amusement zone in Southern California.
• The building’s façade features a statue of King Triton and relief carvings of six frolicking mermaids. The mermaids are Ariel’s older sisters: Aquata, Andrina, Arista, Attina, Adella, and Alana.
• The Palace of Fine Arts rotunda, originally the entrance to the former “Golden Dreams” attraction, has been incorporated into The Little Mermaid attraction architecture and is now part of the entrance façade.
• A special skin technology had to be incorporated into the Audio-Animatronics figures for Ariel, King Triton and Ursula since they have so much skin exposed.
• The attraction features an Omnimover ride system pioneered by Walt Disney Imagineers in the 1960s and used for the “Doom Buggies” of the Haunted Mansion, as well as in Adventures Through Inner Space, formerly in Tomorrowland.
• Attraction vehicles are sculpted multi-colored, pastel clamshells.
• The attraction experience is approximately 5½ minutes from the time guests load the clamshell to the time they exit the clamshell.
• Music in the queue features an orchestral medley of songs from the film.
• Songs from the original film written by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken are featured in the attraction: “Part of Your World,” “Kiss the Girl,” “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” and the Academy Award winning “Under the Sea.” Guests will recognize the voices of Jodi Benson (Ariel) and Pat Carroll (Ursula).
• The Little Mermaid feature film debuted November 15, 1989, and the film won Academy Awards for Best Song, “Under the Sea,” and Best Original Score.
• The Little Mermaid was the first Disney film based on a classic fairy tale since Sleeping Beauty three decades earlier.
• Imagineers working on the attraction consulted with Ariel’s animator in the film, Glen Keane, who recommended that her hair be treated as a character all its own.
• Each scene of the attraction was first built as a one-quarter-inch scale model and then as a one‑inch scale model, so Imagineers could “ride” through the attraction scene-by-scene before full construction began.
• The attraction concludes with a surprise ending that takes us beyond the ending of the film.
• A similar version of the attraction is scheduled to open in the new Fantasyland in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

Media Contacts: Disneyland Resort Public Relations
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The musical aspects of the experience begin in the Little Mermaid queue area, where guests waiting to board will hear an extended medley of songs from the original film, like the overture to a Broadway show.

Then, as they travel through the attraction, guests will see the familiar characters performing beloved musical numbers in exquisitely designed animated scenes, including “Part of Your World,” a rousing, spectacular “Under the Sea,” “Kiss the Girl,” and Ursula the Sea Witch’s darkly persuasive “Poor Unfortunate Souls.” Some original voice artists from “The Little Mermaid,” including Jodi Benson (Ariel) and Pat Carroll (Ursula), are featured on the attraction’s soundtrack.

The score for The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure was recorded by a 65-piece orchestra under the direction of Arranger and Orchestrator, Danny Troob, who has collaborated on many theatrical scores with Alan Menken, composer of the film score for “The Little Mermaid.” Troob’s arrangements were specially created for the Little Mermaid attraction.

“In film, the music withdraws and is supposed to be in the background,” Troob explains. “In a theme park (attraction), the music is supposed to be consistently entertaining, so your approach has to be a lot more proactive and even aggressive.”

Of the several musical highlights in The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, the largest scene is a full-scale musical “extravaganza” featuring 129 different characters performing “Under the Sea.” The sequence takes up approximately one-third of the area inside the attraction and has a scope similar to that of the final scene in “It’s a Small World.”

As in the motion picture, songs like “Part of Your World” and “Poor Unfortunate Souls” illuminate key “Little Mermaid” characters and drive the emotional content of the show. As Larry Nikolai, Imagineering creative director and show designer for the Little Mermaid attraction observes, “I like to think the characters are the heart of our attraction, but music is really the soul. It brings everything to life and makes the story so special.”

About the Disneyland Resort
The Disneyland Resort features two spectacular theme parks – Disneyland (the original Disney theme park) and Disney California Adventure park – plus the Downtown Disney District comprised of unique dining, entertainment and shopping experiences.  The Resort’s three hotels are the luxurious, 948-room Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, which also features 50 two-bedroom equivalent DVC units; the magical 969-room Disneyland Hotel and the 481-room Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel with its “day-at-the-beach” fun.  For information on new attractions and vacations at Disneyland Resort visit www.disneyland.com, call (866) 60-DISNEY or contact local travel agents.

Media Contacts: Disneyland Resort Public Relations

(714) 781-4500

www.disneylandnews.com

www.disneyparks.com/blog

www.twitter.com/disneyland

ANAHEIM, Calif. (June 3, 2011) – As Disney Soundsational Summer gets underway, even more excitement is coming to Disneyland Resort, where the premiere of the all-new The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure is just the latest milestone in the ongoing expansion of Disney California Adventure park. The distinctive peaks of the Cadillac Range are already visible on the horizon beyond Pacific Wharf, signaling the creation of Cars Land, the all-new 12-acre land set to open in 2012. And work on the newly themed Disney California Adventure entry gate into Buena Vista Street, complete with Red Car Trolleys and the distinctive Carthay Circle Theatre, will continue through 2011 for a 2012 opening.

GOOFY’S SKY SCHOOL, NEW RESTAURANTS MARK THE COMPLETION OF PARADISE PIER: On July 1, the newly refreshed Paradise Pier area of Disney California Adventure will be complete, with the opening of Goofy’s Sky School, the zany coaster attraction inspired by the classic Goofy “How-to” shorts of the 1940s and 1950s. New Paradise Pier dining locations opening July 1 are Paradise Garden Grill, featuring a Mediterranean-inspired menu;  Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta, featuring pasta dishes, garden salads and individual flatbread pizzas; and Bayside Brews, serving pretzels, beer and other beverages.

COMING IN 2012 AT DISNEYLAND RESORT – HIT THE ROAD WITH MATER AND LIGHTNING MCQUEEN!: Some of the biggest thrills in Disney California Adventure expansion may still be yet to come. Crowning the multi-year expansion project in 2012 will be the opening of Cars Land, inspired by the Disney•Pixar blockbuster “Cars.”  Cars Land will feature three immersive family attractions showcasing characters and settings from the movie, including one of the largest and most elaborate attractions ever created for a Disney park: Radiator Springs Racers, a twisting turning, high-speed adventure through the town and desert valleys of Radiator Springs. Other Cars Land attractions will include Luigi’s Flying Tires (striking a chord with anyone who remembers the Flying Saucers in Tomorrowland) and Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree, a spinning attraction with a musical, hoedown theme.

Guests in this land also will enjoy new, “Cars”-themed dining and shopping locations.

A NEW ENTRANCE – BUENA VISTA STREET WILL WELCOME GUESTS INTO DISNEY CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE: As work on the expansion of Disney California Adventure nears completion, guests will be welcomed through a new entrance gate and into Buena Vista Street. The transformation will immerse guests in the atmosphere Walt Disney experienced upon first arriving in Los Angeles in the 1920s. Buena Vista Street will feature Red Car Trolleys, inspired by the transportation system that once served Southern California, and the Carthay Circle Theatre, modeled on the site of the 1937 world premiere of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” Carthay Circle Theatre will become home to a new lounge and an elegant restaurant, designed to be the premiere dining location in Disney California Adventure.

Also ahead for Disney Destinations in the Western United States:

AULANI,  A DISNEY RESORT & SPA, KO OLINA, HAWAI’I, OPENS TO GUESTS: The first guests at Disney’s newest resort will arrive on August 29, 2011. Aulani will draw on the celebrated Disney magic, storytelling and service to create wonderful family vacation memories, complemented by the beauty, fun, enchantment and traditions of the islands. Each day of their stay, Aulani guests will be able to customize their experience – relaxing on the beach or in the spa, playing in the unique pools and water play areas, dining in the resort’s signature restaurants, discovering the island on specially planned excursions, gathering at the fire pit for storytelling, or spotting the statues of Menehune, the legendary island little people, hidden throughout the resort.

DISNEY CRUISE LINE ADDS NEW WESTERN PORTS, ITINERARIES IN 2012: Combining the magic of exciting locales and natural wonders with unparalleled guest service for every member of the family, Disney Cruise Line introduced its first Alaska cruises in 2011, along with cruises out of the Port of Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera, all on the Disney Wonder. In 2012, the Disney Wonder will add Pacific Coast cruises from Los Angeles, calling on San Francisco, San Diego and Ensenada, Mexico. Also new will be a 15-night voyage to Hawaii from Los Angeles, calling on Hilo; Kahului, Maui; Honolulu, Oahu; Nawiliwili, Kauai; and Ensenada, Mexico. And for the first time, Disney Cruise Line Alaska cruises will depart from Seattle in 2012, along with Vancouver.

Beginning in fall of 2012, the Disney Wonder’s sister ship, the Disney Magic, will sail 12 seven-night cruises from the Port of Galveston, Texas, to the Western Caribbean. Ports of Call will include Grand Cayman and Mexico’s Costa Maya and Cozumel. The Disney Magic will also sail out of Port Canaveral, Florida, on Caribbean and Bahamian itineraries and, for the first time, out of New York with cruises to the Bahamas and the along the New England coast.

At Port Canaveral, Florida, the newest ship in the Disney fleet, Disney Fantasy will depart March 31, 2012, on her maiden voyage – a seven-night Caribbean itinerary. The Disney Fantasy will offer many of the innovative features that the Disney Dream brought to the cruise industry in 2011, including AquaDuck, the world’s first shipboard water coaster. In addition, the Disney Fantasy will feature new design elements and guest experiences that will give the ship a unique identity.

About the Disneyland Resort
The Disneyland Resort features two spectacular theme parks – Disneyland (the original Disney theme park) and Disney California Adventure park – plus the Downtown Disney District comprised of unique dining, entertainment and shopping experiences.  The Resort’s three hotels are the luxurious, 948-room Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, which also features 50 two-bedroom equivalent DVC units; the magical 969-room Disneyland Hotel and the 481-room Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel with its “day-at-the-beach” fun.  For information on new attractions and vacations at Disneyland Resort visit www.disneyland.com, call (866) 60-DISNEY or contact local travel agents.

Media Contacts: Disneyland Resort Public Relations
(714) 781-4500

www.disneylandnews.com
www.disneyparks.com/blog
www.twitter.com/disneyland

That said, the Little Mermaid attraction incorporates several decades of advanced technology that has come into being since the original Fantasyland dark rides. With help from the attraction’s special effects, guests feel as if they’ve been taken underwater as they encounter characters from “The Little Mermaid” in amazing three-dimensional forms.

Technical and design highlights of the experience begin with the building housing the attraction. The architecture itself was designed using new digital 3-D modeling technology and the building, in its finished form, features the fanciful ornamentation and carvings typical of the pavilions that housed amusement rides along turn-of-the-20^th-century beachside boardwalks in places like Venice or Santa Cruz, California.

Guests ride through the attraction on board an Omnimover system familiar to fans of the Haunted Mansion. The Omnimover vehicles, which are designed to move and turn so they can direct riders’ attention to particular views and scenes, have been informally known as “clamshells” for years. In The Little Mermaid attraction, they actually are clamshells. These shells were created out of high-temperature plastic which incorporates the color and texture into the vehicle itself, requiring less painting and maintenance.

Although Disney theme park attractions often make ingenious use of modern special effects technology, technology is never an end in itself. For Walt Disney Imagineers, technology serves to enhance the magic and fun of the attraction’s story.

• Special lighting and projections are used to create the illusion of gradual submersion as guests travel “under the sea” for Ariel’s adventure.
• Special “skin technology” is used in the creation of Ariel, King Triton and Ursula, because they have so much skin exposed. (Imagineers were especially challenged to replicate the unblemished youthful smoothness of Ariel’s skin.)
• Ariel’s hair is animated to look like it is always in motion underwater. Imagineers consulted with Glen Keane, who animated Ariel in the film, and Keane recommended that her hair be treated as its own element, practically a character in itself.
• The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure features more than 180 Audio-Animatronics figures, ranging from simple to extremely complex.
• Among the more complex characters: Ursula the Sea Witch. She is the largest Audio-Animatronics character in the show – 12 feet wide and seven-and-a-half feet tall. She has been fitted with a torso that can stretch and squash as she sings “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” just as Ursula’s body does in the motion picture.
• Keep your eye on the eyes. Sebastian the crab, Ariel’s would-be guardian, is particularly expressive thanks to some digital technology used to animate his eye movements.

About the Disneyland Resort
The Disneyland Resort features two spectacular theme parks – Disneyland (the original Disney theme park) and Disney California Adventure park – plus the Downtown Disney District comprised of unique dining, entertainment and shopping experiences.  The Resort’s three hotels are the luxurious, 948-room Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, which also features 50 two-bedroom equivalent DVC units; the magical 969-room Disneyland Hotel and the 481-room Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel with its “day-at-the-beach” fun.  For information on new attractions and vacations at Disneyland Resort visit www.disneyland.com, call (866) 60-DISNEY or contact local travel agents.

Media Contacts: Disneyland Resort Public Relations
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©2011 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All Rights Reserved. For editorial news use only.
HAPPILY EVER AFTER — In The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, Ariel’s story unfolds in colorful scenes filled with Audio-Animatronics characters and memorable music from the hit Disney animated motion picture, “The Little Mermaid.” The Disney California Adventure park attraction brings the popular motion picture to life in magnificent scenes where guests can sing along with Sebastian and friends, keep an eye out for the evil Ursula, and experience the romance of Ariel and Eric. Special effects transport guests “under the sea,” taking them into Ariel’s world in ways never before seen. (Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland Resort) HAPPILY EVER AFTER — In The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, Ariel’s story unfolds in colorful scenes filled with Audio-Animatronics characters and memorable music from the hit Disney animated motion picture, “The Little Mermaid.” The Disney California Adventure park attraction brings the popular motion picture to life in magnificent scenes where guests can sing along with Sebastian and friends, keep an eye out for the evil Ursula, and experience the romance of Ariel and Eric. Special effects transport guests “under the sea,” taking them into Ariel’s world in ways never before seen. (Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland Resort)

©2011 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All Rights Reserved. For editorial news use only.
BEGINNING THE ADVENTURE — Guests board their own clamshell vehicles as they embark on The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, in which Ariel’s story unfolds in colorful scenes filled with Audio-Animatronics characters and memorable music from the hit Disney animated motion picture, “The Little Mermaid.” The Disney California Adventure park attraction brings the popular motion picture to life in magnificent scenes where guests can sing along with Sebastian and friends, keep an eye out for the evil Ursula, and experience the romance of Ariel and Eric. Special effects transport guests “under the sea,” taking them into Ariel’s world in ways never before seen. (Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland Resort) Little Mermaid Gallery Shoot Little Mermaid Gallery Shoot Little Mermaid Gallery Shoot Little Mermaid Gallery Shoot Little Mermaid Gallery Shoot Little Mermaid Gallery Shoot Little Mermaid Gallery Shoot Little Mermaid Gallery Shoot Little Mermaid Gallery Shoot