Automotive Imagineer appears in GayWheels.com

That Bob Gurr is a design and automotive engineering genius there is no doubt. That he is a number one class act when it comes to his role in Walt Disney Imagineering and his part in the Disney legacy there is also no doubt. But, to those who did not know him closely, there has been a little doubt as to his sexual orientation.

With this article in GayWheels.com that is no longer in doubt.

First there is the picture with Charro. Then there is a very lovely interview where Bob talks about his love of cars and provides more than a few bon mots.

I’ve enjoyed a long career, received many honors, and grew up before and thru the Stonewall Age. Today, being gay is just one more human inherited characteristic. Folks should see that they can they can have a wonderful life no matter what.

Thank you Bob for your amazing contributes to themed entertainment. I look forward to seeing you at the next Disney fan event.

Tags: disney, imagineering, wdi, legend, design

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Disney still hammering out details of "boutique park" a.k.a. Night Kingdom

Remember when news of a boutique experience aimed at attracting 2000 or so wealthy adult visitors to a new wild adventure concept called "Night Kingdom" was leaked to the Disney fan community? Well that was a trial balloon. Forces on both sides of the project were interested in seeing if the results they were getting in their $200 a head focus group were represented in the general public.

Guess what? The focus group was right. The idea was weak and quickly went on life-support. But a good idea never dies at Walt Disney Imagineering. It just gets tinkered with incessantly until it either changes completely from the original idea, or someone on the top shelves it.

I think we can all see what Disney wants to do with the "boutique park" experience. Catch some money from the deep pockets of those who expect a certain type of luxury when the travel, "whales" as they are known to the casinos. Five to Ten years ago, "Night Kingdom" as we first heard it, probably would have been enough. But since then the quality of luxury travel has been elevated to a new level. In part this is due to places like The Wynn Resort where guests are immersed in luxury from the moment they enter the resort to the moment they leave.

The new luxury for Walt Disney World would be a resort that does the same thing, immerses the guest in the show from the moment they enter to the moment they leave. And it has to do it on a new level. And it has to do it as part of the Disney brand (possibly the Indiana Jones or Star Wars brand).

Pick a theme, let's say Jungle Adventure. Put a waterfall, hidden treasure, secret map, and wild animals outside every bungalow. Provide adventure experiences (dining, water park, exploration events, full immersion dinner shows, etc) throughout the week, so that the guest never has to leave this boutique experience if they don't want to. And if they do, well the whole world of WDW is just a short luxury private people mover ride away.

The fact that Disney could provide something like this is why I've always thought that letting Four Seasons build on property was a bad idea. But I understand they owed an old friend (you know the Saudi Prince that bailed them out in Paris) a favor.

So, the idea of a "boutique experience" at Walt Disney World for those who can afford it hasn't died. "Night Kingdom" may emerge again, but it will only resemble its old self in name and location.

Tags: disney, imagineering, wdw, disney+world, wdi, night+kingdom, themepark, theme+park, boutique+park, whales, luxury

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Narnia: A trilogy it shall be

Although nothing is ever written in stone in Hollywood, it looks like three movies will be it for the Narnia series. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was first and successful enough to spawn Prince Caspian. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader makes a natural trilogy with most of the main characters from Caspian repeating.

The Prince of Persia series is expected to be the next major 'tent pole' trilogy for Walt Disney Pictures.

(via)

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Get your Pleasure in Now, Pleasure Island to close

Making official what has been reality in practice for over a year, Walt Disney World is expected to formally do away with the Pleasure Island concept later this year. It started New Years Eve 2005 when the last of the nightly New Years Eve celebrations happened and general admission tickets were phased out. Then it kicked into high gear in 2006 when a new pedestrian bridge brought the end of the West End Stage and the Hub Stage.

This year will see replacement of Rock'n'Roll Beach Club with a new restaurant concept. This will reduce the number of venues that require admission tickets to four. Add that to Raglan Road and T-Rex and slowly the night club focus of Pleasure Island is shifting to branded family entertainment.

This will have the affect of turning Downtown Disney into just another branded entertainment complex, much like City Walk just up I-4. at Universal Studios. I suppose that's the direction that will bring in the most money, but it doesn't seem very Disney.

Update: just to clarify, I don't feel that going more family friendly is un-Disney. I feel that bringing in lots of outside brands to occupy the space is un-Disney. I'd rather see more creative stuff from the mind of the mouse. Some sort of modern take on the Adventurer's Club would be great.

As for my source... well, obviously there is nothing official from Disney yet. But one walk through PI and it's obvious they've already effectively ended the concept of PI. It's now just a few night clubs. My sources are just confirming the target date of sometime this year.

Tags: disney, downtown+disney, walt+disney+world, wdw, travel, entertainment, orlando

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