DLR Photo Report - 7/17/09 :: Featuring Video of the Updated Blue Sky Cellar

I visited the Disneyland Resort yesterday for not only its 54th anniversary, but also for the D23 member only screening of “People and Places: Disneyland USA”. I had an amazing time, and got to see some pretty special stuff. So let’s get right into this photo report:

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My first stop was to check out the new exhibits in the Blue Sky Cellar

Concept art for the Pocahontas scene in World of Color

The Lucky Fortune Cookery returns this September, now to the old home of Cocina Cucamonga

Paradise Garden Grill and Boardwalk Pasta and Pizza look to be the replacements for Burger Invasion and Pizza Oom Mow Mow

They’d better start work on this area soon if they want to make their deadline!

Some leftover concepts for Mickey’s Fun Wheel and Paradise Pier. Also, the logo to the TV show from the 60s, Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, off which World of Color is based on

The Wall-E scene in World of Color

And the Alice in Wonderland scene

The original concept for the show, which we first saw way back in September 2007

Here you can see concept art for both The Lion King scene and the Finding Nemo scene

More from Alice in Wonderland

An overhead view of Paradise Pier as it should be come 2011

The World of Color viewing area will have a little water playground for kids, similar to how Cosmic Waves used to be. This must be an old concept for the park, as the the Sun Wheel, Maliboomer, and Orange Stinger are all in this concept art

In the Alice in Wonderland scene, Alice will run into paper cut-out versions of the characters in the film

The Paradise Pier model remains, with the addition of little sticks symbolizing the World of Color fountains

The fate of the parachute ride that may replace the Maliboomer is rather dim right now. Although the fact that they are building one as part of the Hong Kong Disneyland expansion leads me to believe a copy could be made for DCA

A model of the World of Color viewing area has been put in the Cellar

Here’s where the water play area will be located

Looks like the work they are doing in what used to be Golden State Park is not for a fountain, but rather a flower-bed with a statue

And to wrap up our coverage from the Blue Sky Cellar, here’s a video of the new exhibits and video

Construction on the Lucky Fortune Cookery

The Orange Stinger is now closed for its conversion to Silly Symphony Swings, and yet another great set of construction wall art has been put up

Scaffolding is up and work has already begun inside the orange

Demolition has begun on the Golden Dreams theater

Over at Downtown Disney, the sign for Kitson Kids has been put up

As part of our D23 event package, we got given a Fastpass that we could use on either Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin, Space Mountain, or Splash Mountain

I chose Space Mountain, but it goes and breaks down while I’m in line!

While it did take a while to get the attraction back up and running, I did finally get on with enough time for a snack before the D23 event

The crowd of people gathering by the Small World parade gate to go backstage for the event

Our schedule for the evening. A nice surprise was premium viewing for Magical after the film screening and panel discussion

A brochure that we got given, which I got Tony Baxter to sign!

Cameras weren’t allowed during any of the event, as we were backstage and it was basically of a film, but the panel members and hosts did pose for us at the end of the screening. From left to right: Dave Smith, Jack Lindquist, Ed Hobelman, Geri Bumpass, Tim O’Day, Tony Baxter, Bob Gurr, Mickey Mouse, and Steven Clark

Now for my little review… I was really amazed by this event. The panel members and the film itself were really entertaining. They gave us a bunch of free food, and it was just an overall good experience. Even before the main part of the event, we got taken back to where Disneyland shoots off fireworks every night, and a cast member there confirmed that the new Halloween fireworks show will in fact be an altered version of HalloWishes from Walt Disney World, and that Remember Dreams Come True will be back in the spring. Walking to the theater, we even got to see a bunch of performers from the Pixar Play Parade driving by in a tram with half of their costumes on, which was a very different view of things. After this event, I have no doubt that D23 is worth every penny, with the chance to go to amazing events like this for free, the magazine every 3 months, the freebies we get, and the D23 Expo, in my view, D23 can do no wrong!