jedimaster1227

More comments have been answered in regards to the security and customization of the MagicBands on the Disney Parks Blog entry.

^That logo's a joke, right?

Tom Staggs, Chairman, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts took the time to answer additional questions posted in the comments section of the original announcement post on the Disney Parks Blog.

^NEVER!

^I have no idea what BOAS stands for, but there was never any kind of snow leopard animatronic in Expedition Everest as far as I know.

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/01/taking-the-disney-guest-experience-to-the-next-level/ Tom Staggs, Chairman, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts took the time to answer additional questions posted in the comments section of the original announcement post on the Disney Parks Blog. MagicBands will function as a room key, ticket and more. A young guest tapping her MagicBand at a sensor to get into an attraction at Walt Disney World.

I'd totally be okay with a Gollum musical, provided this is included: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84zZPUYimWU

I actually believe that the WB/Tolkien Estate stuff is plausible. The Tolkien Estate has been known to be extremely rigid with their property and how it is handled, on par with if not even more so than JK Rowling on Harry Potter. Rowling would likely serve as a great reference for Universal on such talks, because she can easily affirm that she's had creative control, gotten everything she wanted and more out of her work with Universal and the projects have all racked in serious cash despite being very faithful to the intellectual property it is based on. I see this acquisition as a win for Universal (if it happens), but not as big of one as Harry Potter was. While the Lord of the Rings franchise has time on its side and a huge following, it has never be as accessible as Potter was. I read The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings in elementary school in addition to the first five Harry Potter books, and the difference in difficulty and accessibility were clear--I preferred the latter reading, despite liking the content of the Tolkien books more. The movies have certainly helped with that more, but the books haven't helped the franchise in the same way that the paper version of Potter did as compared to the movies (in the case of Potter, both were insanely successful and continue to be). I personally would be thrilled to see the world of Middle Earth brought to life somewhere in Orlando. I'm not the biggest fan of the franchise enough to know the difference between Erebor and Moria, but I have enjoyed the movies and feel like another immersive realm can be formed from this property. I think that the franchise has legs beneath it because of the time behind it, as well as the continued exposure ahead of it in the form of the two additional Hobbit movies, along with the rumored additional films based on The Silmarillion and other stories from within the Tolkien Estate.

Those contracts can always be worked around. Cinderellabration was originally a Tokyo Disneyland exclusive, but the exclusivity was worked around through negotiation so that it could be brought over to the Magic Kingdom for the Happiest Celebration on Earth. It isn't like Disney is trying to move a concept from SeaWorld to one of its parks... If it is in the company, it really isn't THAT hard to get their hands on it, if they really want it.

^I'm pretty sure Universal holds exclusivity rights through Warner Bros. that prevent this property from being used in any other theme parks... But copyright certainly hasn't stopped these parks from moving forward, has it?

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-sea-world-files-to-sell-stock-20121227,0,5925649.story

It is expected that the ride will be slowly be retracked in sections each year until the whole ride has been fully retracked.

^Well, that seems more solid.

Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves... Anyone hearing it on the internet is far from confirmation. I love to see classic rides saved just as much as the next, but I think it is far too soon to be praising Anton just yet.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-20/jersey-shore-amusements-race-time-to-rebuild-for-summer.html

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/m/guangxi/liuzhou/2012-12/20/content_16034985.htm

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=fr&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.midilibre.fr%2F2012%2F12%2F22%2Ffuturoscope-le-dj-martin-solveig-compose-une-nouvelle-attraction%2C616334.php (Translated via Google Translate) [youtube2] [/youtube2] (This is just a screenshot.)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/dec/18/euro-disney-union-staff-bonus

http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/Dreamland-appeal-hearing-date-set-March/story-17648821-detail/story.html

http://www.whatsonxiamen.com/news28682.html

Fun Spot has sent us some great aerial construction photos taken this week that show off the latest progress in their development of the park's huge expansion.

S&S Worldwide has sent us a press release regarding the addition of Tim Timco to their team.

Fixed.

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/12/new-stories-coming-to-disney-junior-live-on-stage-in-2013-at-disneys-hollywood-studios-and-disney-california-adventure-park/

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/12/new-stories-coming-to-disney-junior-live-on-stage-in-2013-at-disneys-hollywood-studios-and-disney-california-adventure-park/