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Halloweentown in MK?!
- Thread starter Magicot
- Start date
speck76
Well-Known Member
MicBat said:
Halloween did not really exist in France prior to Disney, which is one reason why it is such a HUGE event in the parks
Bon Sang! Bikkuri! Halloween in Paris? Tokyo? Ask any native of those regions and they will tell you that less than 10 years ago, Halloween was non-existent. But that did not stop the Disney Imagineers and entertainment specialists from producing elaborate Halloween events in those countries that today are one of the biggest drivers of visitation to the Disney resorts.
"Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is committed to bringing the best of our entertainment to new audiences around the world," said Jay Rasulo, President of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. "The phenomenal success of Disney's Halloween celebrations across the portfolio of worldwide multi-park resorts shows why investment in 'memory-makers' beyond the traditional theme park entertainment offerings continues to be a top priority."
"Creating Halloween celebrations in Tokyo and Paris really gave us an opportunity to push the envelope creatively and offer new reasons for people to celebrate with us in the fall," says Steve Davison, creative director for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. "In Tokyo, where Disneyland is perceived of as a Western park and Americana is celebrated, we introduced elements of a traditional U.S. Halloween with 'trick-or-treating' and Guests dressing up in costumes. In Paris, we created a mythology - the `Mystery of the Pumpkin Men' - and the Guests really love it. It's humorous and interactive, and was invented completely from the imaginations of the Disneyland Resort Paris entertainment team."
So why create a holiday where it didn't exist before? In Japan, the only time Halloween was celebrated was reportedly on the American military bases in the 1970s, and although retailers tried to sell spooky merchandise and candy in the 1980s and 90s, Halloween did not take off in Japan until the Tokyo Disney Resort started to make waves with their celebration. Likewise, in France Halloween was considered "an American tradition" (although the original Celtic holiday was created in France centuries ago), and didn't really take off in the country until the late 1990s, thanks in part to Disneyland Resort Paris' efforts to make it popular again.
Despite these barriers, the Resorts were looking for ways to add new entertainment and storylines to delight Guests - which is part of the overall strategy of every Disney theme park. In Paris, the timing for a Halloween celebration worked well as it coincided with a two-week school holiday. In Tokyo, the entertainment team was charged with creating a unique event during the traditionally slower fall season that would resonate with a culture that craved new experiences.
At the time Tokyo and Paris were creating their Halloween line-up in the mid-1990s, the Disneyland Resort in California and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida were just beginning to offer their first-ever Halloween festivities. In 1995, Disneyland developed "Mickey's Halloween Treat" and since then, the Disney domestic parks have enhanced their Halloween activities with Disneyland's "Haunted Mansion Holiday" - a very popular Guest-pleaser now in its fourth year, and Walt Disney World's coveted "Mickey's Not-So-Scary-Halloween" - in its eighth year - which gives parents with young kids a "not-so-scary" alternative to the more edgy Halloween celebrations. In addition, the Disney Cruise Line started to offer their "spirited" activities with ship-board entertainment and 'trick-or-treating.'
All of the Disney theme parks and resorts are now looking to include Halloween in their fall/holiday activities with more entertainment than ever before - giving Guests another reason to return to the parks.
Tokyo Disneyland: Disney's Halloween
Six years ago, Halloween was a one-day event at Tokyo Disneyland - today, the holiday is called "Disney's Halloween" - a two-month long celebration that will include a whole new element beginning September 15, 2004 - "Haunted Mansion Holiday Nightmare," the popular attraction from Disneyland in Southern California. This attraction transforms the world-famous Haunted Mansion attraction with characters from "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas" and depicts a holiday season that is being taken over by Jack Skellington and his friends. To help create buzz for the new attraction, Buena Vista Home Video will release the Tim Burton film, as well as the "Haunted Mansion" movie, to coincide with the opening.
In addition, Tokyo Disneyland will feature a special Halloween parade, decorations, "trick or treating," a stamp rally, special merchandise and much more. The Disney Stores in Japan will support the park's Halloween efforts with spooky decor and merchandise to help spread the Halloween fun.
In order to create such a successful celebration that resonates with the local culture, the American Disney team worked with their partners at Oriental Land Company (which owns and operates Tokyo Disney Resort) to educate their Japanese counterparts on a traditional U.S. Halloween. Even now, when Guests enter the celebration at the park, they can take a special tour which essentially provides them with a "Halloween 101" course.
"Disney's Halloween" was produced to allow the mostly Japanese Guests who frequent the Resort to participate in the activities. With this in mind, the entertainment team at the Tokyo Disney Resort created a concept that not only provides great shows, but also gives Guests an opportunity to dress-up as their favorite Disney character. Today, some of the Guests wear such elaborate creations, "They have to wear a sticker explaining they are Guests and not actual characters," said Forrest Bahruth, director of Entertainment at the Tokyo Disney Resort.
Painting the Town Orange in Disneyland Paris
"The Mystery of the Pumpkin Men" at Disneyland Paris plunges Guests into a storyline filled with orange-hued Pumpkin Men invading HalloweenLand inside the Disneyland park. "The Pumpkin Men are not scary at all, they are very funny," says Davison. "As a matter of fact they appeal very well to parents with young children."
This year, from October 1 through 31, 2004, new elements will be added as Guests come face to face with the Pumpkin Police, Pumpkin Postmen, and even discover the secret of their Pumpkin Men's orange pigment.
The Pumpkin Men were created to spur the imagination (and laughter) and give the mostly European Guests something completely different from what they were used to seeing at the popular Disney theme park and resort.
In addition to delighting Guests with these weird characters, Disneyland Resort Paris also will offer more traditional Halloween elements and beloved Disney characters such as pumpkins displayed playfully everywhere one looks, face painting sessions at Cinderella's Castle and a special parade featuring Disney villains wreaking havoc.
Celebrating Halloween at Walt Disney World, Disneyland Resorts and On the High Seas
As the Halloween holiday gains more popularity in America, Walt Disney World Resort in Florida has expanded its eight-year-old "Mickey's-Not-So-Scary Halloween Party" in the Magic Kingdom. Over the years, the celebration has emerged from a one-night party with 'trick-or- treating' to a full-blown, park-wide celebration that is now nearly two weeks long.
Linda Warren, executive vice president of marketing at Walt Disney World, says the Guest satisfaction ratings for the event have been excellent. "Guests are so excited to experience the event that many start booking their tickets in May so they don't miss out on the festivities," said Warren.
The night-time, special-ticketed Halloween party, which begins October 1, 2004, is geared to families with young children and comes complete with "Mickey's Boo-to-You Halloween Parade," Mickey's Mouse-Ka-Rade costume parties, Halloween storytelling, live shows, unique merchandise and a special Halloween-themed fireworks display lighting up the sky above Cinderella's Castle.
At the Disneyland Resort in Southern California, Halloween season is an inviting time to be scared and entertained - Disney-style. And that should be the case, since two popular attractions, "Haunted Mansion Holiday" and "The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror," will both humor and scare Guests - with a wry Disney twist. The Resort also will launch a Halloween specific advertising campaign.
"Haunted Mansion Holiday" at Disneyland delights guests by showing what happens when the traditions of Halloween and Christmas collide, resulting in holiday mayhem. "Haunted Mansion Holiday" has been a tremendous hit since it debuted in 2001 and its popularity stretches across the Halloween and Christmas seasons, October 1 through January 2, 2005.
Adding to the fun, the nearby French Market Restaurant is cleverly decorated to reflect the theme of "Haunted Mansion Holiday," and this venue and others serve an array of Nightmare-inspired desserts. The Le Bat en Rouge shop offers "Haunted Mansion Holiday" items, along with keepsakes and collectibles tied to Disney villains and "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas."
At Disney's California Adventure, "The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror," a thrilling journey into another dimension based on "a lost episode" of the classic "Twilight Zone"® television series, will mark its first Halloween since opening in May 2004. Halloween plays a role in the attraction's storyline, since it was on the night of October 31, 1939, that a mysterious occurrence forever transformed the Hollywood Tower Hotel into the attraction's eerie namesake.
Sailing along the Caribbean aboard the Disney Cruise Line, Guests get into the "spirit" of Halloween with a costume parade for adults and children alike, special Halloween activities and a decorated atrium that may make Guests wonder whether they are actually on a ghost ship.
I haven't heard anything. Sorry I couldn't be of more help. I imagine they're just going to do what they normally do... Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. I've heard they're going to do a special Wishes! with perimeters. That's the only change I've heard.Magicot said:C'mon guys, back to the original thread: Will Nightmare Before Christmas's Halloweentown be in MK? Anyone know what I'm talking about?
shoppingnut
Active Member
MicBat said:
BigNorm said:
I completely agree! Can you imagine what the buildings would look like and what kind of rides would be there!? Having a villians area where the old 20k land is would be perfect. It would be a good transition from one land to the next since the disney villians are part fantasy. Sigh, if only this would actually happen...
chancellor
Member
Magicot said:C'mon guys, back to the original thread: Will Nightmare Before Christmas's Halloweentown be in MK? Anyone know what I'm talking about?
Are you talking about the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay that they do on the Haunted Mansion in California and Tokyo? The rumor surfaces every year that they'll do this at WDW, but it never happens.
LSUxStitch
Well-Known Member
speck76 said:MicBat said:
Dementia
New Member
marlaymike
New Member
I would love to see them at MK.
Do you have more pics?
Do you have more pics?
speck76
Well-Known Member
Magicot said:
I have not ever heard that rumor.......I would have a hard time thinking that WDC would want to do something like this.
#1 It does not have any relation to any popular line of merchandise
#2 To a minority of people, Halloween is not an acceptable holiday
#3 With all of the other possibilities out there for a new land that would be more popular, why would this concept get the green light?
eddiemcgarrigle
Well-Known Member
This is Halloween, this is Halloween
Pumpkins scream in the dead of night
This is Halloween, everybody make a scene
Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright
It's our town, everybody scream
In this town of Halloween
My favourite Disney film, how I would love to see Halloweentown represented at WDW. Plenty of characters apart from Jack and Sally (the little mummy is my favourite) and an easy way to draw more visitors from Asia, they absolutely adore the movie. To top it off, there is an absolutely huge toy market already in place and it would be a simple thing for WDW to tap into this.
Not sure about Jack being a villain though, I've always seen him as a good guy (albeit slightly mis-guided).
Eddie
Pumpkins scream in the dead of night
This is Halloween, everybody make a scene
Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright
It's our town, everybody scream
In this town of Halloween
My favourite Disney film, how I would love to see Halloweentown represented at WDW. Plenty of characters apart from Jack and Sally (the little mummy is my favourite) and an easy way to draw more visitors from Asia, they absolutely adore the movie. To top it off, there is an absolutely huge toy market already in place and it would be a simple thing for WDW to tap into this.
Not sure about Jack being a villain though, I've always seen him as a good guy (albeit slightly mis-guided).
Eddie
chancellor
Member
Magicot said:
This sounds vaguely like the villian land/bald mountain rumors for the 20K lagoon. In your original post, you mentioned your friend saw a "sign" at the MK that indicated there would be a "Halloweentown." I'm sure if there were such a sign, somebody on these boards would have seen it and posted a photo. Can you find out from your friend exactly where this sign is, so that somebody local can investigate with a camera?
(P.S. - they do sell Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise at the villian shop in MGM, and Disney already does the HM overlay, so it's not inconceivable to me that this could be the theme for the new villian land, if it exists.)
chancellor said:
My friend is definetly not a huge disney fan unlike us, so he isn't as enthusiastic about specific locations in the parks. I asked him where exactly did he see the sign and he couldn't remember.
It's somewhere in the MK he said. I don't really think that he would make this up out of nowhere too... I dunno, I just thought that I'd mention it to see if anyone here can back me up.