News / Toon Studio

Well, here it is! Over eight years since concepts were first drawn up for a Sorcerer Mickey statue on this spot, the idea has finally become a reality. The statue, plinth and lettering looks almost perfectly like that seen on the concept art of February 2007, but keen-eyed fans will already notice one important change…

Mickey is presented full-colour! Not golden or bronze, but fully coloured in blue, red, yellow and more. With three other statues of the mouse that started it all already featured at the park (including one in almost the exact same pose at Front Lot), this detail at least gives the statue a unique appeal.  We can notice also that the star and detail on the plinth has been presented not in gold as expected from concepts, but instead in silver – hinting that the stars and sketch lines on the Sorcerer’s Hat itself won’t infact be repainted to a matching gold.

But don’t forget the rest of this work of Imagineering art – the stylised, gradient-painted plinth is also an impressive piece of beauty for the eyes, decorated as expected with a design mimicking the Sorcerer’s Hat and featuring golden ‘Toon Studio’ letters against blue and silver for a stunning effect. The exaggerated curves of the plinth are exaggerated even further with several extra outcrops behind the main blue base, painted in gradients of gold.

The actual size of the statue on these photos above is quite deceptive. Whilst Mickey appears as quaint and modest as you’d expect a little mouse to be, the following photo below shows the full scale of this impressive new entrance marquee. As seen in the ‘Tales from the Laughing Place’ magazine when the statue was being sculpted, Mickey infact measures taller than most humans. And when atop the large blue plinths, his marquee easily reaches over 15ft in height.

Currently, no sign of the golden spark due to arc across the parade route can be spotted. Mickey’s wand also appears as if it wouldn’t support such an addition, and no further preparations have been made at the spark’s landing spot on the opposite side. Whilst the Sorcerer’s Hat did welcome Wendy, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell last week, we now can’t be so certain that any of their friends (Ariel, Flounder, Dumbo and Winnie the Pooh were shown) have made it across the Atlantic. As it stands, we’ve got pixie dust and sorcery – already more than enough for a spot of Disney magic to happen!

In place for only around 4 hours, the statue is already providing a special detail for guests to point to, to stop and admire, and to pose for photos in front of. Positioned on its own separate planter at the entrance of Toon Studio, the Sorcerer’s Apprentice signals that the end is almost in sight on this well-thought out (and well-received) expansion and makeover of Animation Courtyard.

As the very first expansion of Walt Disney Studios Park since it opened in 2002, the Studio hasn’t half done badly from Walt Disney Imagineering this time around. And, since Sorcerer Mickey is the unmistakable icon of the Imagineering department, their work will now be rememered long after the construction walls finally fade…

All photos by Photos Magiques.

Entering the new Toon Studio, the Willy’s Butte rock formation is a classic Disney “weenie” (as it has been for months), drawing guests into this brand new themed area hidden by fir trees and planting which appears as if it has been growing at the Studios for centuries. You might even spot a cactus or two amonst the rocky desert floor!

For any guests not sure where they’re headed, a familiar sight from the film has been recreated in reality as you round the corner and get a first glimpse at the raceway – the bright turquoise, yellow and black billboard reading “Welcome to Radiator Springs – Gateway to Ornament Valley”.

Further along, a new planter with a ‘Now in Production’ sign splits the themes of Cars and Finding Nemo in two. The attraction is set up like a real-life movie set, including props, a backdrop and detailed foreground buildings.

Viewed from a distance as above, the entire ensemble of themeing and movie set clichés actually builds to a fairly convincing scene, the cadillac-shaped rocks of Cadillac Range in the background. Together with the newly redecorated Sorcerer’s Hat and the fast progressing Hollywood Tower Hotel, the icons of Cars help to build a real visual feast of recognisable icons and colourful details. Does Walt Disney Studios Park now have visual icons on the scale of Disneyland Park‘s Big Thunder Mountain, Sleeping Beauty Castle and Space Mountain? That’s for you to decide…

This morning, the Quatre Roues Rallye opened for business with the park’s other existing attractions! No fanfare, no special wristbands required – everyone has been getting the chance to join the spin-out with Lighting McQueen and Mater watching from the sidelines. The queue and ride will be featured in-depth in Part 2, but a great feature of the new mini Radiator Springs development is that guests can enjoy the film shoot without actually taking part. The photo above, for example, was taken from a new viewing position right next to the track, raised above the spinning cars thanks to the 1 metre “canyon” dug out early in the attraction’s construction.

Did we say a cactus or two? Make that almost a hundred – the quality of themeing here knows no boundaries. Little paths lead through the cacti landscape surrounded by ochre rocks, the path is bordered by a highway crash barrier and the welcoming magnolia entrance building has been adorned with two banners either side declaring “Welcome Travellers” from the Radiator Springs Chamber of Commerce.

The building – based on Ramone’s House of Body Art in the film – features a strong art deco design with detailed brickwork, large window frames and an iconic tower featuring the ‘Cars’ logo in shiny, metallic 3D form – also due to be illuminated when darkness falls. The attraction’s final in-park name – ‘Quatre Roues Rallye’ – is featured in large blue neons styled to the typeface of the ‘Cars’ logo itself.

Against the perpetual blue sky of the film set backdrop, the colour scheme is incredibly pleasing to the eye, and, in just over six months time, it should mix well with the similar art deco finish of The Hollywood Tower Hotel behind.

Walking further towards the entrance, the flooring changes to a fiery red and more props spring into sight. The telegraph poles present a unique themeing idea, and are joined by extra props of oil barrels (some featuring Lightning’s cherished ‘Rust-Eze’ brand) around their base. To the right of the main entrance is an authentic Route 66 phonebooth, complete with an old-fashioned telephone from the days of the Mother Road’s rule.

During rainshowers, it appears the phonebooth can double as a shelter for the Cast Member positioned at the attraction’s entrance, similar to Crush’s beach hut. But, for the rest of the time, it’s a neat detail for passers-by. Can you think of anything like this in the rest of the park? No, neither can we. Radiator Springs has brought the park its first true slice of real Disney detail…

…Showcased nowhere better than the following series of sets. To the right of the entrance is a generic (but well themed and weathered) brick wall façade, whilst next door is the unmissable Tow Mater garage. Since this is a Radiator Springs Visitor Centre rather than the real thing (which is – according to Pixar legend – located along the real Route 66), the façades aren’t meant to be accurate to the real town but rather a showcase of its themes, locations and people.

Notice again that more aged and crooked trees have been brought in to complete the scene, with a planting area in the scene above bordered by old tires sunken into the desert floor – which again goes through various colour and style changes depending on the themes above.

Therefore, Tow Mater has infact managed to get a real building for his showcase, rather than a flimsy wooden shack. His trademark sign is still in place, though, appearing identical to that in the film with an added “Welcome” sign on a rusted piece of scrap metal. Again, compared to the pristine yellow buildings elsewhere at Walt Disney Studios, this dirty and worn wooden façade is quite a break from the norm.

In the doorway of Mater’s shack are props relating to Fillmore, the hippie Volkswagon camper van hooked on converting the world to organic fuel. These colourful barrels all feature different ingredients for his organic fuel, written in typical 1970s typeface.

At the end of row of storefronts comes the best one yet. No, you’re not looking at a still from the CGI film, this is real – you can touch it! Luigi, who we saw being sculpted many months ago, has been finished off with a perfect Fiat yellow, a shiny gloss and a trademark wince of the eyes. Next to him, the ever-smiling Guido prepares to lift some tires, also appearing pixel-perfect to that seen in the film.

The façade itself is also perhaps the most impressive, coming complete with a Leaning Tower of Tires, strings of lights, tire carvings atop the building and the iconic neon signage of ‘Luigi’s Casa Della Tires’. Notice something in the neons? Yes, ‘Casa’ comes in green, ‘Della’ in white and ‘Tires’ in red… the Italian flag, of course!

Like almost the entire attraction complex, the two vehicles have been given a spot of dirt and weathering already, to add to the rustic realism of the Route 66 setting. Above the scene is an ornate metal framework for the fabric canopy seen in the ‘Casa Della Tires’ of the film. It remains to be seen if a similar canopy will arrive to complete the scene in Paris.

Never one to miss a good sales opportunity, Luigi haseven brought over a selection of tires to showcase to passing guests. In the windows of the store, atop tire-shaped plinths, you can find such novelties as “Creama”, “Latte” and “Blanco Maximo” – Luigi’s famous white-rimmed tires which Lighting McQueen himself adopts halfway into the film.

With our tour of the Radiator Springs exteriors complete, it’s time to head back along Route 66 to the attraction entrance. The yellow stripes lead the way along a special stretch of black asphalt bordering the Visitor Centre complex, filled with worn-out cracks and crinkles as if it has supported weary Route 66 travellers for countless decades.

Back at the attraction entrance, we can find the wait time indicator cleverly positioned on a road sign beside Route 66, the ‘Cars’ logo embossed and given a silver shine, the sign itself presented in a particularly classic and well-designed style. The sign doesn’t just give useful information, it adds to the theme of the attraction. And, like everything else, it already has its fair share of dirt and grime.

For a modest little spin-out like Quatre Roues Rallye, those Radiator Springs folk sure know how to give a warm welcome! Now that we’ve toured the town from outside the race track, get ready on the starting line for Part 2, where we step inside the Visitor Centre and discover even more details from this real “dark horse” of Walt Disney Imagineering.

All photos by Photos Magiques.

You can hop over to Photos Magiques now and see all 40+ photos of the new land, or stay with us for a guided commentary of the area – the themes, the details and even a few in-jokes…

No Race Rally for guests yet… or proper English

First things first – the attractions aren’t officially open yet. Unless you’re part of a special preview group invited to the park, chances of getting a ride on either Cars Quatre Roues Rallye or Crush’s Coaster are pretty hit and miss. Signs featuring the new Toon Studio logo have been placed at the entrances, similar to those used outside Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast last year.

The entire street between Disney Bros Plaza and Studio Tram Tour has now been enclosed by construction fences for Hollywood Boulevard, and so Toon Studio is currently simply the main through-route to the Studios’ current most popular attraction behind.

Looking through the cosy pathways to Toon Town

But that’s not to say Disneyland Resort Paris aren’t already using Toon Studio to its full advantage – the Toon Studio entrance gate area was already populated by some Disney Characters today, not to mention an impressive crowd of – what look like – fairly impressed guests. Heading toward the gate from the entrance of Cars, the planters and twisted lampposts surround the paths and give plenty of new walkways around the area – very different to the wide open spaces of the ‘old’ Studios.

Characters, scenery, lampposts, planting, speakers, railings and bins…
All the Disney trademarks are covered.

The area currently features two simple photo locations, with backdrops attached to steel frames and canopies over the characters dotted with toon-style lighting. The Incredibles on the left, and a backdrop featuring Mickey’s Toon Town house on the right, both surrounded by permanent orange fences. You can also spot smaller details such as the new blue lamps installed either side of the Toon Studio gates and a familiar abode up in the Toon Town hills – just above Mr Incredible’s canopy, it’s Mickey’s house!

Toon Studio gate and Toon Town street, featuring an out-of-control Goofy

Walking around to the gate itself, we can see the forcd perspective in full effect. This is infact more than a flat backdrop – characters enter the park here for their meet ‘n’ greets – but with some clever design of the 2D buildings either side, it really messes with your eyes to give the effect of a road stretching toward the hills. Off in “the distance” then is Goofy, driving out of control along the street towards us. You can also see details like “Toon Town Skool”.

One detail that seems to bug fans already is that the ‘Toon Studio’ letters point inwards rather than toward the street as would be logical and was shown in the concept art. Remember, though, that the secuirty booth in front also technically faces the wrong direction – this entrance is clearly all for the cameras.

Where there’s good publicity, The Incredibles are never far away

As are the characters themselves, populating the studio throughout the day…

Toon Studio even has its share of irony amongst the in-jokes

…And when they’re done filming for the day, they head off back to Toon Town. A sign on the gate warns of the strange divide between Toon Town and the normal world – “Toons Only Beyond This Point – No Funny Business”. The Imagineers aren’t listening, though, there’s plenty of funny details to be found here…

Toon Studio Security – they mean business!

The security booth is one of them, one of very few theme elements at the Studios that serves no real purpose other than a wonderful piece of placemaking. “Toons check in here – No admittance without pass” the notice reads, with a special ‘Toon Studio Security’ logo and a motorised barrier.

…Although it seems they like their lunch breaks

Inside the booth are even more details, including a new Cast Member costume that looks to be a funny spin on the familiar ones seen at CinéMagique, with brightly coloured buttons and a Donald Duck-styled shade on the hat. It remains to be seen if Cast Members will be lucky (or unlucky) enough to wear these somewhere else in Toon Studio.

No more Studio Catering Co. for the old Ice Cream van?

To the left of all this area development, nearing the exit gate toward Studio Tram Tour, we can now find the old Studio Catering Co. van positioned next to Art of Disney Animation for the past five years. Its old ice cream-themed signage has been removed, however, so might be lucky enough to get a small spin on the Studio Catering Co. concept afterall.

Shooting Shedule – are they teasing us with the empty slots?

And finally, a detail from the very first Toon Studio concept seen up-close in reality, over two years later. The new signage is themed as if painted wood, with a silver bolt on the corner. The Toon-styled hands holding the clapper didn’t make it from the latest concept, but the sign does help to build the idea in guests’ minds that this is meant to be a real Toon backlot, each corner filled with filmsets.

Beyond, Cars Race Rally sticks out of the desert canyon at an angle – an entirely different theme yet perfectly fitting in its surroundings. This area must not only be our dream but an Imagineering dream – anything is possible here. No wonder they left two empty slots on the shooting schedule!

All photos by Photos Magiques. You can see many more right here.

Being a Saturday, many local fans were already at the park, and got a first-hand look at the soft-opening previews. Like magic, the blue fences were pushed aside with rows of new Toon Studio Cast Members waiting to greet guests – and inform them of no photography, no filming, merci! The invited guests were all families and workers of Imagineering, construction and vendors – though later hours did see a few regular guests allowed entry.

A view to the new Toon Studio, no Flying Carpet required! 

The day also marked the first official use of the new Toon Studio costumes, seen above, made up of khaki trousers, a red jumper underneath a white shirt decorated with sketches of Disney characters, a red baseball cap and finally the all-important Toon Studio jacket – blue in colour, with the new Toon Studio logo loud and clear. Underneath, logos for Crush’s Coaster, Cars Quatre Roues Rallye and Flying Carpets Over Agrabah. The Crush logo appears like that at the attraction itself – a blue and green warning sign – whilst the Flying Carpets logo is also brand new.

Surrounding the area are several signs indicating that the previews are for invited guests only. WDSFans.com got a high-quality capture of one, so we can see the land’s new logo up-close…

New logo revealed 

‘Official opening 9th June 2007’ of course, but tha’s not the case for the Toon Studio themed area itself – which has infact just opened to the public TODAY, 21st May 2007, for the very first time. Not only does this give guests a better preview of the new area before its two major attractions open, but it’s now an important route through to Studio Tram Tour.

New path gives a true ‘backstage’ experience

Grandmath on Disney Central Plaza forum captured this photo from next to the Tram Tour last week, showing current progress on the new path which will take visitors from the back of Toon Studio to Studio Tram Tour’s temporary entrance. This now allows work to fully begin on the second – and far larger – placemaking project: Hollywood Boulevard. Tomorrow really is becoming today!

Opening photo by nos77 on DCP; Logos captured by WDSFans.com; New path photo by Grandmath.

This new video features two Imagineers working on the project talking about the ride experience and describing their intentions with its design and construction. Behind them, you might spot one or two props soon to appear at the attraction itself in Paris, such as a stop light, cans of motor oil, a poster for Fillmore’s organic fuel and newspaper cut-outs describing the triumphs of the Famous Hudson Hornet, Doc Hudson!

Michael Sprout (Senior Show Writer) / Debbie Hofman (Graphic Designer)

First, Senior Show Writer Michael Sprout, confirms that the queue buildings are set up like a “visitor centre” for Radiator Springs, showcasing each of the stores and locales owned by the motor vehicle inhabitants. He also mentions “wild race music” and that Lightning and Mater will be positioned at the edge of the race area (rather than outside the entrance as expected before) shouting encouragements to guests on the spinning ride.

“The guest experience for the Cars attraction is that first you’re going to visit the town, see the sights, go through the visitor centre, and then you’re going to go out to the race course. Lightning and Mater are there to welcome you to the race. You go out to your new rookie car, get in the car and at a signal, your car starts up, doing this wild spinning race through the desert.

“As you race, Lightning and Mater are off to the side of the racetrack shouting encouragement to you. There’s this wild race music that will get your blood going and you spin around in this crazy figure-eight spinning course for about a minute and half, which is quite a bit of time in those conditions!”

Circular entrance lobby, featuring various advertisements and the famous Piston Cup!

The second half of the video features graphic designer Debbie Hofman speaking briefly about how the Imagineers attempted to capture the feel of Route 66 for Europeans and “show what it means for Americans”, whilst a camera pans across a never-before-seen concept model depicting the full visitor centre complex from behind (imagine yourself stood on the spot of Art of Disney Animation looking towards Crush), the walls decorated in large posters featuring local brands such as Lightning McQueen’s Rust-Eze medicated bumper ointment and Tow Mater’s pick-up service.

When we developed the queue for the attraction we wanted to start with the outside as you’re walking in and the exteriors are featuring Route 66 and the kind of architecture you would see. And then walking into it, we really wanted to bring in that world of Route 66, some of the businesses you’d find, the cars, and really get that feel for the guests. Especially being in Europe, we wanted to really capture Route 66 for them and what that is for Americans.

‘Backstage’ area of the queue under outdoor canopy, featuring more local advertisements.

Video

The work of Debbie Hofman and the graphic design team has now made it to the attraction itself in Paris. We got a glimpse at a poster advertising Ramone’s House of Body Art back in April, and now a much more noticable banner has filled one side of the entrance lobby building.

Graphic design work completed and in place in Paris!

The large blue banner appears to proclaim “Welcome Travellers!” in typically Route 66-style – a part of America famed for its hospitality – with the route logo of the famous road also featured. As they head toward the checkered flag, representing what Route 66 means to Americans as well as recreating the Pixar impression, they’re certainly getting a kick out of it. And speaking of checkered flags, latest rumours are that Cast Members will come equipped with special race accessories – each and every Race Rally spinout will be finished with a wave of the famous race flag!

Concept images © Disney; Latest photo by Photos Magiques.

Those lines in question would be the new flooring. A distracting checkerboard of black tarmac and grey tiles, the idea seems to have been to break the vast expanse of tarmac in the old land, highlight routes between the attractions and generally give a more campus/courtyard feel. Like the Ink of “Ink & Paint”, it’s all dark colours so far and appears to be staying that way – the same design has now reached right across from Flying Carpets Over Agrabah to Disney Bros. Plaza.

The full extent of the finished makeover was revealed this past Tuesday, when 9-month old fences were finally removed from the area between Disney Studio 1 and the Monsters Inc Scream Scene.

The removal of the fences must have been a breath of fresh air for the park – finally a little room to breathe and the first step of the final touches for Toon Studio. The next steps were all made clear behind the fences, such as the Sorcerer Mickey entrance statue due in the new planter above. The portion which will house the statue is actually separate to the existing section, allowing another small route through to the current Animation Courtyard without stepping under Mickey’s spark of golden pixie dust. Either the Imagineers are planning for people with superstitions, or they realised the entrance could become totally blocked in the lead-up to parades!

With the Fantasia hippos now residing along the Studio Tram Tour route, what’s to be found at their old home? Currently, not a lot. But the colourful planting does mix well with the sea of blue, whilst cleverly following the checkerboard pattern of the flooring around it.

As for Animagique, the Studio 3 theatre of the backlight show is still in post production, with fences covering the edges of its waiting area roof as more areas are repainted in the Toon Studio colours of blue, navy blue, pink and purple. No other improvements have been spotted yet, but the fences do encroach quite a way onto the path – more than might be necessary if they’re simply repainting. Can we hope beyond hope those flower beds from the concept art make it to reality, rather than going the way of the quickly-forgotten fountain?

The clean-up animation department has also been at work recently, adding a few extra touches to a project everyone assumed was complete. Whilst every concept showed the huge billboard façade of Crush’s Coaster with straight, cropped edges, the deep and light blue tones have now been extended across its bordering walls, allowing them to fade out. Unlike animation, the Imagineers could make this change very quickly, and the mural now appears better integrated than before.

All of this is essentially the work of background artists, with the placemaking creating a better environment for guests to experience the attractions themselves. The background work is clearer nowhere more than at the Toon Studio entrance gate – the one to be used only by Toons of course – which continues to receive more details such as two photolocations, various props for the security booth and finally the “Toon Town” letters in the hills beyond. Unlike the papier-mâché 3D versions at Disneyland in California, their flat 2D design recessed into the “hillside” is also illuminated throughout the day.

Two basic photo backdrops have appeared either side of the gate – The Incredibles on the left (similar to the old podium but with simply a red backdrop) and Mickey’s Toon Town house on the right. A strange backdrop choice for sure, but in Imagineering legend the only “real” Toon Town is that in California. For this reason the Floridian version is “Mickey’s Toon Town Fair” and our (invisible) Parisian version wouldn’t feature his real house. So when Mickey is in Paris and needs the house for a spot of filming, this is his answer. It saves on airplane fuel at least…

So with all this background work almost complete, the Imagineers next need to start laying on the character animation cells for the final frame-by-frame production. Preparing for the characters of Disney Cinema Parade, the land’s conserved parade route path has now been outlined with small metal studs. Not as noticable as the previous filmstrip or the real sidewalks of Disneyland Park, Guest Flow are going to have fun here when the parade is finally re-routed back to its original path…

And finally, more characters are soon to arrive. Maybe a cheap way of fulfilling the resort’s pledge of “More Disney characters than ever before”, the lighting rigs along the parade route are about to have their posters returned following the storms late last year. A Cast Member sent a photo into our partner site WDSFans.com taken from the other side of the parade access gate, showing the first poster to be fixed in place, facing away from the park.

Does it look familiar? Yes, the esplanade posters of Hong Kong Disneyland have made it almost half-way around the world to Paris, albeit in a slightly cropped format to fit the lighting rigs. Expect all of the on-stage rigs to be given their own characters – from Bambi to Mowgli, Lilo & Stitch to… Lumière! Well, when there’s a banner at Disneyland Resort Paris, you can be sure that candlestick won’t be far away! You can see the full set of Hong Kong banners at LaughingPlace.com here.

The only thing left to do soon will be to run the reel, and for this Walt Disney Studios has another small trick up its Sorcerer’s Apprentice sleeve. As confirmed by Kinoo on magicforum, a “Toon Train” will arrive on the Toon Studio lot each morning, with rumours also of special musicians on a small float as the animation stars arrive at work!

Lighting rig photo by P.T.; Hong Kong Disneyland photo by LaughingPlace.com;
All other photos by Photos Magiques – you can see even more here.

Launched on 20th February with the official Disneyland15.com, the official anniversary blog has come from modest beginnings to present a series of unique videos and articles delving into the backstage talent of the 15th Anniversary Celebration. Our host, Tristane, has introduced us to the scent creator, costume designer and director of Disney’s Once Upon a Dream Parade, and now attention has switched dramatically to Toon Studio, particularly Crush’s Coaster.

The first surprise on the French version of the blog today was the following photo, showing a painter at work on murals inside the key “dark ride” scenes of this unique new spinning roller coaster:

We’ve seen glimpses into the dark ride scenes before, but this more recent image shows some of the final, vibrant colours of the scenes and the talent at work. The scenes are much smaller, the route much thinner, than a usual dark ride, which might seem strange considering the theme of “the big blue”, but the paintwork completed here shows how the Imagineers have designed tricks of the eye to give the effect of real undersea depth. With blurred, faded background coral behind vibrant, crisp detail, a flat wall suddenly becomes a window into the depths of the Great Barrier Reef, with 3D sculpted coral in front adding another depth.

A good news day for Crush’s Coaster, then. But they weren’t done yet – a little later, and suddenly a brand new video has been uploaded to the blog, presenting even more backstage previews. Presented as a simple slide show with just a few seconds of actual footage, the video serves to present a series of never-before-seen images: concept models, detailed, sculpted coral and more…

A look at each and every shot of the video:

(1) Front elevation of Studio 5, shows some interior detail of the boarding area, such as steps over the track to its platform and a studio-style lighting rail above the action.

(2) A fantastic scale model of the entire attraction. The entrance path is chopped in half in the foreground – notice the warnings and wait times sign recently added in reality. The full 3D marquee featuring Crush is seen as a piece white card on guests’ left, a little further into the queue and yet to be modelled here.

(3) A close-up of the model, showing the outside drop and its jagged, diagonal rockwork surround. Notice the steel fences recently added, which here are shown to cut through a large chunk of blue rock, home to Nemo and Squirt amongst a small crop of green plants.

(4) The camera pans right to left, showing the route of the outside drop, its track almost entirely concealed by the rocks and shown to be filled with several plants.

(5) The lowest point of the drop and a close-up of Nemo and Squirt. These figures will be similar to those at the old Finding Nemo photo location, now lost to the Hollywood Boulevard project.

(6) We move onwards to the first scene of the dark ride, seen as if you were above the building looking toward Cars and Art of Disney Animation. The entrance from the outside drop is top-left, the two state-of-the-art digital projection screens lower-right and top-right. The coral is filled with a rainbow of colours.

(7) The next scene, this model shows only the Angler Fish attack, with the previous scene depicted as a flat floorplan. The colour and light has disappeared for a much more uncertain tone.

(8) A zoom-in on this corner of the track. One angler fish faces toward oncoming turtle shells on the corner, whilst another hides around the bend pointing toward shells as they continue past. Like the digital projections before, these are two identical effects doubled-up to ensure guests in both sides of the back-to-back ride vehicles see the same experience.

(9) Another close look at these impressive Audio-Animatronics, also due to be found at Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage (California).

(10) An impressive example of coral sculpted for the attraction. Though no commentary is provided with these images, the coral appears to be in a tent backstage at Walt Disney Studios Park. Interesting, since it would be assumed the coral would be sculpted on-site at its final location. Several reference photos and concepts are pinned to a board above the décor.

(11) The lower portion of the coral shows even more variety in the undersea life, matching that seen full-coloured in the concept models above.

(12) A close-up of the coral. Impressive detail, and certainly like nothing else at Walt Disney Studios Park.

(13) Another close-up shows even more variety, all referenced from real coral and reproduced to be entirely accurate to undersea life.

(14) Finally, a noticeboard with the concept model of the attraction next to two real-life reference photos used to design its jagged rockwork façade, similar in design – if not unnatural blue colour – to that over in Adventureland.

After all this work, it might actually seem like 154 years for some of the Imagineers involved!

Video, photo and all video caps Copyright Disney.

The idea Walt Disney Imagineering calls “Area Development” has gone to play in every corner of Toon Studio. Whilst Disneyland Park has been the king of area development for over 15 years – everywhere from Boot Hill to Discovery Lagoon – Walt Disney Studios Park is finally beginning to join in with its three Toon Studio filmsets and the wacky studio entrance gate at the back of the land. Today, it’s all about signs – and they’re all pointing to the Toons.

The long-awaited ‘Cars’ neon was installed a couple of weeks ago atop the Ramone’s House of Body Art-inspired queue entrance. With a shiny red finish and a sleek metallic surround, it looks like a perfect slice of Route 66 Americana. Elsewhere, the neons and studio lighting glow throughout the day, ready to draw people in, whilst more trees have been added just in front of the Cadillac Range backdrop. Because – unlike the rest of the Studios and its loud billboards – this area likes to keep things a bit more hidden, give guests something to discover as they turn each corner…

Turning the corner towards Cars Quatre Roues Rallye, they will be confronted with a billboard – but smaller, more colourful and a key part of the area development. The ‘Welcome to Radiator Springs’ sign looks like it was copied and pasted right out of Pixar’s computers. In the distance, you can see the entrance sign for the attraction has also been installed, reading ‘Cars Quatre Roues Rallye’ in customised, bright blue neons.

As for the electricity pylons, theyve now been littered with studio lighting also pointing towards a Toon – the giant undersea backdrop of Crush’s filmset, so perhaps those electricity wires are almost real?

Sticking with Cars, and the photo below – from Disneytheque.com – again shows another new sign, but maybe not what we expected. With its dark, rotting wooden facade, the middle storefront always seemed to be a sure location for Lizzie’s Radiator Springs Curios. As the lopsided sign shows, though, Tow Mater has taken this spot! The photo also shows the large collection of new conifer trees in the area behind the land, as well as a brand new gate between Route 66 and the Studio Tram Tour route.

Crush’s Coaster has been receiving a last minute touch-up to its paintwork this week, helping the dark blue rockwork blend better with the brighter side wall thanks to an air-blown gradient.

Here too there are new signs pointing to the Toons. The all-important entrance sign was installed last week, with a small logo and wait time indicator at the top then two pairs of warnings signs below, one in French, the other in English. The information board clearly uses the same style as those at Epcot’s ‘The Seas with Nemo & Friends’.

It’s a small sign for the towering Studio 5 behind, but sources including La Rouquine on Disney Central Plaza forum have confirmed that the much larger marquee featuring Crush himself will still appear, positioned along the queue line just before guests step under the canopy at the side of the studio.

The previously pale yellow building of Animagique doesn’t have any new signage but it does have a blinding new blue colour scheme to point guests toward itself – now with an extra touch of purple to replace the dull red bricks around the top of its waiting area roof. Later photos on Disneytheque.com show the pillars either side of the entrance (here being painted with a white primer) have actually been repainted in the very same blue as before, where a more contrasting colour might have been expected.

Also strange to note – the Fantasia hippos previously positioned in the flower beds on the right of the building, toward the Monsters Inc photo location, have now been moved to the lawn behind Art of Disney Animation, along the Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic route. The move doesn’t look temporary, so it remains to be seen if they will be returned to Animation Courtyard once the flooring has been completed, let alone what remains of their former flower beds…

But whilst the hippos are gone, something else returns. The look-out tower next to Flying Carpets Over Agrabah – which was recently repainted purple from dark blue – has now regained its fabric canopy and walls.

Finally, we end with the biggest pointer to the Toons of them all – the land’s brand new Sorcerer Mickey statue. We first saw a glimpse of the statue being sculpted in February, and now that the latest issue of Tales from the Laughing Place has shipped, we can get a closer look at the Studios’ fourth Mickey statue.

The Imagineer at work is Valerie Edwards, and the statue should finally appear in its full, golden form later this month, along with a spark of magic flying across the parade route and the host of other golden Disney characters on the Sorcerer’s Hat. So if it looks like everything’s pointing to the Toons right now, just wait ’till June!

Photos 5 & 6 by Disneytheque.com; Photos 7 & 8 by Kyoto, Disney Magic Interactive; Photo 12 taken from Tales from the Laughing Place; All other photos by Photos Magiques.