News / Crush’s Coaster

Kyoto on Disney Magic Interactive forum brings us the latest photos of Toon Studio, showing off more progress with curbs and paths throughout the new area, plus more new paint for Art of Disney Animation.

The concrete curbs around the paths at the entrance to the new area of Toon Studio curve and wrap around the three key attractions in this area, giving us clues as to where more landscaping and trees are due to arrive. Scaffolding has receded further on the unique rockwork of Studio 5, revealing a clearer look at its detail, with the small tunnel for the attraction’s exit path now becoming more obvious.

Art of Disney Animation has also progressed further into the next phase of its recolouring, with pale blue paint spreading across much of the wall facing Cars Race Rally and a small strip of deeper paint, matching the final coat on the Disney Bros. Plaza side, also visible.

At Cars Race Rally, the most noticable progress is still with the desert landscaping being added to the ride’s exit slope and ride area, with more wire mesh and framework added to the teetering centrepiece canyon rock, which has also now been surrounded by scaffolding and tarp on one side.

Finally dude, the news we’ve been waiting for! Kyoto managed to catch on camera the first tests for the large billboard/mural covering that will eventually fill the entire front portion of what is widely dubbed the “dark ride showbuilding”, above and around the bright blue rockwork.

Since this is without doubt the first time the Disney Imagineers have themed a showbuilding in this way, they need to make sure they get it right, with the mural matching the colours and shape of the rockwork, piecing together correctly and passing the test of time in the Parisian climate.

A worker can be seen checking on the hanging banner from the roof of the lower showbuilding, giving a surprising sense of scale to what usually looks like a relatively average-sized project (at least compared to the Tower of Terror nearby). The final mural is likely still some way from its due date, especially given that the rockwork has yet to be finished and the bare concrete prepared. But until then dude, this is a totally awesome first preview!

All photos by Kyoto – you can see more by clicking here!

Dude! This Parisian climate is like totally cool, but totally not in a good way for my shell!

As Winter sets in, some welcome shelter has been given to the quickly progressing outside queue for Crush’s Coaster. Much like Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast, opened at Disneyland Park earlier this year, Crush will be given an extended outdoor queue in addition to a smaller, highly themed indoor queue space. Unlike Laser Blast, however, this one will thankfully be almost fully covered.

Grandmath at Disney Central Plaza forum has just posted the latest construction photo, showing the new corrugated metal roof. Sure, it doesn’t look glamorous yet, but this is a Hollywood attraction – all the beauty will be on the outside… well, sort of. Preliminary concept sketches showed a queue themed to a dried-up Australian fishing pier (you can see an image of this at WDSFans.com), but, as you can see the concept, the corrugated look is destined to still be there in the final design. Either this will be a way of explaining the attraction is only a filmset, or the fishing pier will be more industrial – the lights drawn on the roof appear similar to those at Armageddon: Special Effects.

The flooring of the queue has also progressed this week, with the outline of the path and some turquoise pieces now visible in the concrete foundations.

There has been a remarkable touch of progress at Cars Race Rally this week. Despite the ride system, vehicles and general attraction area still being a long way from ready, the first real signs of desert themeing have already arrived.

The brick wall WDSFans.com reported being built back in October was later given an extra layer of wire mesh and themed to a sandy desert rockface in a similar way to the rocks at Crush’s Coaster. Now, before the ride itself or any real infrastructure (paths, etc.) arrives, the sandy canyon-side has been given a quick blast of warm ochre red paint.

Grandmath again presents the first photos, which show not only how this red colour scheme bounces well off the blue of Crush, but also a large new block of formed concrete next to the attraction. The purpose of this is currently unknown and it does not appear on any plans. Therefore, it is likely to also be a part of the themeing work, perhaps as the base foundation for the further, much higher, canyon hills to be placed on this spot.

Finally, it’s interesting to note that the recently installed arabian-style lampposts around the new Flying Carpets Over Agrabah oasis have been packaged up in a protective plastic coat, suggesting that the construction fences around this area won’t be receding anytime soon.

News originally posted by WDSFans.com, all photos by Grandmath.

Bright blue skies one day, fog the next. Thousands of local French guests one day, scores of Brits the next. At Toon Studio, you see painting here, painting there, and endless games of scaffolding moving around all over the place. With more time, you can also appreciate more how the new construction fits into the park, such as from the arena of Moteurs Action or the backlot route of Studio Tram Tour…

Wednesday, 1st November 2006

Where else to begin than with that obligatory shot over the Art of Disney Animation fence? We have a lot to thank emergency exits for. Three trees have already been planted next to the dark ride building of Crush’s Coaster, and you can see even the metal surround waiting to be added.

Flying Carpets Over Agrabah, on the other hand, has an added advantage to its short waiting times compared to Dumbo next door – a great view over the construction site. Last week, the metal framework of the attraction’s outdoor queue canopy was added, which will eventually be themed to a fishing pier, with guests queueing underneath on the dried-up seabed.

Looking across to Art of Disney, you can see not only the new Arabian lamposts (similar but certainly not identical to Adventureland’s) but also the queue buildings and boarding area canopy of Cars Race Rally, which faces directly towards the Flying Carpets to create a reassuringly designed space.

Thursday, 2nd November 2006

No changes today, but a funny look towards Toon Studio from Disney Bros. Plaza to celebrate the Art of Disney Construction Fences. The time change earlier in the week also allows us to finally get a good view of Toon Studio in the dark.

Friday, 3rd November 2006

Before you even enter the park, the new construction is very noticable. And I don’t mean Tower of Terror – Studio 5’s height and vibrant blue colour really attracts your attention from the resort hub.

Inside the park, finishing touches were being made to the paintwork on Studio 5’s façade, whilst the deserted (no pun intended) Flying Carpets, hidden behind the sea of construction walls, are probably hoping more popular times are ahead.

The changing colours of Art of Disney Animation will be featured in an article all of its own, but for now this new unifying Toon colour scheme is already working well. From the top of the Moteurs… Action! arena, Studio 5 is a new icon on the surprisingly impressive Walt Disney Studios skyline.

Jumping onboard Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic, fans can now ignore Jeremy Iron’s increasingly frigid commentary and instead enjoy panoramic views from the lesser-seen side of Toon Studio. The left-hand side wall of Studio 5 was being painted last week and is now complete, leaving only the back wall of the coaster building without paint.

After enjoying Jeremy Irons in a jester outfit, the tram pulls out of costuming to give guests a great view of the new queue buildings for Cars. The curved façade is likely Luigi and Guido’s store, whilst the circular building is the entrance to Doc Hudson’s new driving school, with the large metal pole eventually holding a huge 3D neon version of the Cars logo high into the air – another new icon for the park. Back at the fan-favourite view, and some of the scaffolding and tarp on the rockwork has been removed to reveal over half is now painted in the final, deep blue colour.

In the mean time, more work continues on the revamped Animation Courtyard. Arabian light posts have been installed in the new Aladdin oasis planters and the Art of Disney Animation continues receiving new paint as the brickwall to the left of the entrance has been painted pink.

First, an up-close look at the new queue buildings for Cars Race Rally. Disney Central Plaza forum moderator Grandmath posted new photos today showing the current status of Toon Studio, including one shot from Art of Disney Animation towards the future Cars attraction that gives a good close-up view of progress here (photo 2).

The section of this series of buildings seen above is the circular main entrance and the long, thin, double-back section. You can see the circular centre of the entrance above, as well as the tall metal structure already in place to hold the large “Cars” logo seen on concept art. The thin rectangular building extending from this into the distance will also feature a “storefront” with Guido and Luigi, likely where the curved section of concrete can be seen extending from the building.

The thin metal supports in the foreground of the picture are for the queue section just before the boarding pens, which will be themed to Flo’s V8 Café.

Over at Crush’s Coaster, the side wall of the coaster building is now totally blue, whilst the dark ride section has been given a tester strip of blue paint along its rim. Blue paint has also recently spread to Art of Disney Animation. La Rouquine on Disney Central Plaza forum reported a few days ago that the section of this large building nearest Studio Tram Tour, including the tall toilets building at the rear, has been given a new coat of paint to welcome it into the new Toon Studio. It remains to be seen where else in the existing land will be given a spot of blue paint, such as Animagique or the remaining sections of Art of Disney.

Finally, WDS Fans confirmed some interesting new details about Crush’s Coaster yesterday. It appears that although the coaster section of the ride is an “off-the-shelf” design by its manufacturer Maurer Söhne, the track has been tweaked at almost every turn by the Imagineers and designers, to make sure it perfectly fulfills the requirements of their design. Whilst most of the changes to this section won’t be noticed by guests, one major change has been confirmed. Unlike normal models of this roller coaster, which feature the “spinning unlock” section (a track section which unlocks the vehicle’s free-spinning design) after the first drop, Crush’s Coaster will feature this section before the drop, giving extra “spin time” as well as a more exciting experience as guests spin whilst swooping down the 40ft drop.

WDS Fans also confirms that the submarine spanning the length of the lift hill will indeed be present, with the Bruce animatronic measuring 4 metres from head to tail!

Photos by Grandmath, Disney Central Plaza. Other images copyright Disney and Maurer Söhne.

Starting at Toon Studio, after a modest start with the paint tests one week ago, the painters have truly splashed out. Since the photos below were taken, one entire wall of the massive showbuilding has been given its first coat of vibrant blue paint, which does indeed appear to be almost the same shade as the iconic Sorcerer’s Hat and definitely a deeper and more intense colour than that seen on the original concept model.

The curved edging around the building’s Studio 5 placard has also been given a spot of paint, the pale yellow colour obviously chosen to contrast less with the deep blue soon to appear below and blend nicely with the very vibrant yellow on the placard itself. The Disney-style number 5 itself has even been included, gaining a sky blue colour. It is still unknown whether Studio 3, Animagique, will follow Studio 5 and replace its current placard with a Walt Disney Script version.

A ray of sunshine from high above The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror gives us a good glipse through the netting on its towering scaffolding rigs. What was previously a bare concrete shell has been quietly gaining more and more detail.

Indented edging around the top of the building supplies the essentials for its terracotta tiled Pueblo Deco style, whilst right-angled blocks either side of the windows already give a discomforting, foreboding, Hollywood edge to the design.

All photos by Joel, more available here.

Step 1: Characters

We reported on Monday that the Toon Studio construction fence is now home to some of Pixar’s finest creations, giving us a tantalising glimpse at the plethora of characters that await beyond. Earlier this year, of course, we already welcomed Mike, Sulley and the CDA to Animation Courtyard at a new character location next to Disney Studio 1, and The Incredibles have been outside Art of Disney Animation for quite some time. Disney park guests are incredibly keen on the characters these days, and Disney knows it. They add colour, life and guaranteed photo opportunities.

The expansion area of Toon Studio is confirmed to feature at least two character locations, shown on concept art as The Incredibles and Mickey Mouse, though this is subject to change. WDS Fans reported last week, however, that another meet ‘n’ greet opportunity will be available over at Cars Race Rally, with European automobiles Luigi and Guido outside their Radiator Springs store.
Step 2: Attractions

You know them by now – Crush’s Coaster and Cars Race Rally, a spinning indoor/outdoor coaster with dark ride scenes and a tea cups-style ride respectively. Whilst the effects of Crush’s towering Studio 5 have been felt for many months already, the lonely queue buildings of Cars Quatre Roues Rallye (the French name of the attraction, which will be the official in-park title) have now progressed quickly, already adding more features and varied architecture styles to the Studios (photo 2).

So far, they look similar to most concept art, with a circular central building and a long, thin, offshoot for the double-back queue. A large canopied building based on Flo’s V8 Café (the gas station in the movie) is also on plans, and should finally rid the Studios of its “warehouseland” critics. In the future “canyon” (photo 1), the foundations for the two pairs of turntables which make up the Cars ride have visibly progressed much further, with thick concrete walls and dividers lining the surprisingly deep pits.

The rockwork of Crush’s Coaster hasn’t noticeably progressed since our last report, however an arched curve of concrete has now been place above its future entrance doors (see paint tests photo below).
Step 3: Colour

It’s amazing what a little colour can do – it can set dark moods, create excitement or let you feel warmth with just the slightest change of tone. It’s the lifeblood of animation, and so it’s ironic that it’s the lack of colour currently adding more magic to the walls of Studio 5. The white basecoat has now covered the entire front of the building (photo 1) and much of the right side, turning the dull, murky concrete into a clean, crisp piece of Imagineering.

Of course, this is only for the time being – soon, the entire building will be a nice shade of sea blue. But which shade? That seems to be the question for the Imagineers right now, as you can see by the various paint tests on the walls next to the building’s entrance (photo 2). From this photo, the colours appear more vibrant than “true” sky blue yet lighter than a full blue – matching, perhaps, the shade of the Sorcerer’s Hat.
Step 4: Detail

“Detail” previously appeared to be some kind of profanity in the exterior design of Animation Courtyard (at least for those pulling the purse strings), yet now a healthy helping of this Disney delight is being spread right across the land. Take a look at the curbs bordering the Cars Race Rally area, for example – not a straight line in sight, entirely customised to the park and the attraction.

Some wavy curbs are a drop in the ocean compared to the rockwork of Crush’s Coaster, though, which juts up across the front of the attraction as if the Great Barrier Reef itself is about to explode out into Toon Studio. Now that the construction site has thankfully become much busier, the comparison of a worker to the size of the rockwork gives an incredible view of the true scale of this themeing project compared to the rest of the park. And, that we can already see such pleasant details as these with seven months still to go has to surely be a very good sign.
Step 5: Greenery

Without doubt the pièce de résistance of Kyoto’s latest photos is this excellent shot from on board Flying Carpets Over Agrabah. As you can see, the new “oasis” planting areas in front of the attraction have finally received tall, luscious palm trees, and the impact of these can be seen already. Now, the Flying Carpets are fully hidden away in this corner of the land, existing within their own tropical mini-land and providing something for guests to “discover” as they walk around the park.

It’s no more showbuilding-to-showbuilding – the curved paths (currently covered in protective wooden boards whilst construction work continues) and rounded planting areas will send guests in all directions, finally allowing them to “explore” in Walt Disney Studios Park.

So there you have it – 5 Steps to transform a Studio! And the best part? They’re all actually being followed, right now, in Paris. Excited about June 2007 yet?

Photos by Kyoto on Disney Magic Interactive forum. You can see more here.

In a similar style to the Little Green Men of Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast’s walls, the deep blue expanse in Animation Courtyard has now been filled to bursting with characters, logos, visuals… even concept art! Beginning at Art of Disney Animation, the display first announces “Toon Studio : Ouverture Juin 2007” against a background of spotlights, confirming once and for all that the new name of the land will be “Toon Studio” rather than “Toon Studios”.

Next, Cars Race Rally takes centre stage, right in front of the attraction’s actual construction site. Either side of a new, brighter logo for the attraction are images of roads snaking off into the distance. The first features Lightning McQueen and Fillmore, the second Mater, Sally and Ramone.

After a sign pointing the way to Flying Carpets Over Agrabah, guests are next introduced to Crush’s Coaster, with the logo of the attraction on a large water splash underneath three seagulls perched on the fence (luckily without sound effects). The three sharks, Bruce, Anchor and Chum, follow next, and then a large version of the attraction’s key visual.

At both ends of the fence, the latest concept art to be released is featured, looking down from an aerial perspective to the new area of Toon Studio. Whilst appearing as nothing new for fans, this new supersize version does, at least, give us a better look at the Imagineer’s creation – as it was in the planning stages, at least.

Want to look beyond the fence again? Well, it seems work is progressing well on painting Studio 5 with white primer, whilst a small crane is now in use at the Cars Race Rally site as the Radiator Springs queue buildings progress further – unfortunately at an angle hard to photograph from Animation Courtyard.

Photos from Dlrp.fr