The B-Side

Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort

Famous villains from classic Disney movies join the festivities and add a frightfully delightful twist to Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort.

With special attractions and entertainment, in addition to familiar favorites, Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort is wicked fun for everyone!

Witness the terrifying transformation as everyone’s favorite deep space thrill-ride becomes Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy and throttles through the outer reaches of an uncannily creepy cosmos at breakneck speeds!

Venture into the revamped Haunted Mansion Holiday, courtesy of the diabolically delightful Jack Skellington and his cohorts from Halloweentown.

Get ready for ghostly encounters with phantom patrons on The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror^TM, and relive the horrific Halloween night in 1939 that has haunted the hotel ever since.

Both Parks and many of your Favorite Disney Characters will dress up in the spooky spirit of Halloween! Read the rest of this entry �

Greetings, Users! Kick ass concept art has been released for ElecTRONica which is coming to Disney California Adventure park. Set to burn up the game grid on October 8, part of the marketing for  “TRON: Legacy” will neon it up in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot for the release of the film on December 17. This also will be exclusive to Disney’s California Adventure.

“TRON: Legacy!” will be featuring a recreation of Flynn’s Arcade with some rad gaming! Bring on Space Paranoids, Miss Pac-Man and Centipede! Hopefully the gaming will free as well? To get an idea what this will look like check out pics here from our San Diego Comic Con 2009 report: http://drunkrockers.com/BSIDE/?p=321

Also the streets will feature live entertainers errr go go dancers, complete with lasers, glow accessories and music here’s hoping lot’s of kick ass Daft Punk. So check list of awesome: Flynn’s Video Arcade, face painting, dancing, neon drinks, go go dancers and the TRON: Evolution video game area.

ElecTRONica will be at Disney California Adventure park on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays this Fall. TRON fans and families can also enjoy the party seven days a week during Thanksgiving week and Christmas week.

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/09/first-look-at-electronica/

By Rick A Mortis

Sandy Graham was an amazing woman that worked at Knott’s Berry Farm from the 1990’s to last year. She is best known for being the legendary and iconic Vampire Queen for Halloween Haunt for many years and then as the Fairy Queen for the Labyrinth maze. Sandy brought a sweet sexy sassy appeal to her two iconic creations, you may have even been tickled by her feather on the back of the neck or perhaps knighted as you entered her lair.

Sandy had surgery in 1996 to remove a brain tumor, in 2009 it was discovered that it was back. Surgery was done but sadly her condition got worse and she passed away peacefully this morning.

Sandy the Queen of Haunt….an amazing woman and a great friend will be greatly missed. Somewhere from above this sweet woman is on a purple colored cloud showering glitter down on us. My love, good vibes and support goes out to her family, Haunt family and fans.

A complete list of what’s coming to Knott’s Berry Farm Halloween Haunt.

Freshly dug up for 2010:

Sleepy Hollow Mountain

Virus Z

Fallout Shelter

Rising from the dead of 2009:

Lockdown: The Asylum

Slaughterhouse

Uncle Bobo’s Big Top of the Bizarre (in 3-D)

The Doll Factory

Terror of London

Dia de los Muertos (in 3-D)

The Labyrinth

Black Widow’s Cavern

Club Blood

Cornstalkers

Halloween Haunt will once again feature three spooky and creepy scare zones, including:

The Necropolis, with Victorian Steampunk vampires which is awesome for fans of steampunk will be haunting a city of the dead, replaces The Gauntlet scare zone in Camp Snoopy (New for 2010).

Carnevil featuring those happy mad zany clowns (in the Boardwalk area)

Ghost Town (in the Wild West aka Ghost Town kind redundant eh?)

Shows for 2010:

Ed Alonzo, presents magic and comedy in the Charles Shultz Theater.

“Bang” by Street Drum Corps makes music with ordinary found objects in the Camp Snoopy Theater.

“The Hanging” pop-culture comedy revue returns to the Calico Square Stage with a “Power to the People” theme that will likely be heavy on BP jokes. The annual show has satirized, skewered and sacrificed more than 1,500 celebrities since its 1976 debut. The question of course is who will be hanged this year?

De’Anna Nunez the Hypnochick offers a comedic hypnosis show in the Boardwalk Ballroom.

Hacks comedy improv takes the stage in the Birdcage Theater with “Die, Die, Die!”

The hot and fiery theatrics of “Inferno” returns to the Wagon Camp Theater.

Zamora the Torture King brings his “Sideshow of the Bizarre” to the Carnevil scare zone stage in the Boardwalk area of the park.

http://haunt.knotts.com/

Halloween Horror Nights: Universal has announced all of their mazes and scare zones for 2010

Here is the list of the Mazes, pretty much all new stuff which is cool:

A Nightmare on Elm Street: Never Sleep Again All New!
Friday the 13th: Kill, Jason, Kill. All New!
Rob Zombie’s House of 1000 Corpses in Zombievision! (3-D) All New!
Saw: Game Over New traps!
Vampyre: Castle of the Undead All New!
All-new Terror Tram: Chucky’s Revenge

Scare Zones and apparently ending everything with a “z” which is either to be super extreme or someone with a bad French accent:

La Llorona
Klownz
Freakz
Nightmarez
Lunaticz
Pigz

http://www.halloweenhorrornights.com/

As long as Eddie Murphy doesn’t show up boils and ghouls we’ll be fine…

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - July 22, 2010 -Guillermo del Toro surprised the 6,500 fans gathered today at Comic-Con with the announcement that he is currently developing a new film for The Walt Disney Studios based on the classic Disney theme park attraction, The Haunted Mansion.

“Dark imagery is an integral part of the Walt Disney legacy. After all, Disney himself was the father of some really chilling moments and characters - think Chernabog from Fantasia or Maleficent as the Dragon or the Evil Queen in Snow White,” said del Toro. “I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of my own adaptation of the original theme park attraction Walt envisioned and that remains- for me- the most desirable piece of real estate in the whole world!”

“Millions of people from around the world visit The Haunted Mansion each year, but no one has ever had a tour guide like Guillermo del Toro,” said Rich Ross, Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios. “Guillermo is one of the most gifted and innovative filmmakers working today and he is going to take audiences on a visually-thrilling journey like they’ve never experienced before.”

Since August 1969, foolish mortals have dared to trespass on the macabre grounds of Disney’s Haunted Mansion. A hallowed landmark in Disneyland’s New Orleans square, it’s the dwelling place of 999 happy haunts dying to meet new visitors each day. The plantation-style of the mansion’s facade is a sweet deception for visitors. Inside, ghostly doom buggies line the hallways. Since its construction, the mysteries of the mansion have transcended the attraction with stories surfacing about horrifying encounters with the supernatural. Versions of the daunting edifice have been built at other Disney theme parks in Orlando, Tokyo and Paris.

Disney’s Celebrate America! A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky The Skies will be fired off at Disneyland on Thurday July 1 to Sunday July 4 at 9:30 PM.

http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/en_US/home/home?name=HomePage&bhcp=1

By Rick A Mortis

On Sunday June 20, 2010, I decided to go to Disney’s California Adventure and check out the new World of Color. This show is part of the Disneyland Resort’s Summer Nightastic offerings. World of Color has been toted as the next big thing for the struggling park. There a few options to see the show, but all require a Fastpass. The first option is to get to the opening of the park and pick up a Fastpass at Grizzly Rapids. The other option is to do a meal which includes a Fastpass for the show. The three options are:

Ariel’s Grotto World of Color Dining which is for $36.99 adults and $20.99 children ages 3-9.

Wine Country Trattoria World of Color Dining which is for $39.99 adults and $20.99 children ages 3-9.

World of Color Picnic Meal with Reserved Viewing, all Picnic meals are $14.99.

I went with the World of Color Picnic Meal. I did not buy the meals online since the online site was sold out and hoped for the best that I would maybe be able to purchase tickets on Sunday. I walked up at park opening and was told that these meals would maybe be available at 2 PM. I came back 10 minutes before that time and found that I could walk up and purchase the meal. Keep in mind that when you do this, you have to take the meal with you. I purchased these two meals (Food pics are from the Disney site):

All American option which includes: Cold-honey stung fried chicken, Green and red cabbage cole slaw with apple cider dressing, Old fashioned potato salad with sweet onions and dill relish, Apple pie and choice of bottled Coca-Cola product or Dasani water.

Mediterranean Vegetarian option which includes: Marinated grilled vegetables in a whole wheat wrap with roasted garlic hummus, Raw zucchini and squash spaghettini with first-press lemon-infused olive oil, Vegetable couscous with toasted coriander vinaigrette, Lemon layer cake and choice of bottled Coca-Cola product or Dasani water.

I had the Mediterranean Vegetarian and found the wrap to be rather tasty, the veggies where cooked just right, the hummus was good but needed another container. The couscous was good and was even better in the wrap, which is what I did with the spaghettini as well which was a bit bland. The lemon cake was very tart but worked well with the meal. I went with the water option. My friend had the All American meal and said he found the chicken a bit dry and stringy, and the cole slaw and potato salad just were ok. He said the apple pie would have better if the mayo from the potato salad hadn’t got on it. He had the Coke option for his drink. This meal also comes with a recyclable World of Color tote bag.

Our showtime was at 10:15 PM so we decided to go hit some rides until our wait time lineup over at Grizzly Rapids for the Yellow section which was at 9 PM.  About 8 PM we decided to check out the Glowfest which is over at the Hollywood Backlot. There is a small stage set up under the mostly hated metal sun icon by Hollywood Backlot. When do you get Bollywood and Daft Punk all in the same show? Here and yeah it was epic in a cheesy way. The entertainment from this show lead guests into the backlot for Glowfest. Glowfest is for guests that are waiting for World of  Color as well as regular guests. My overall impression is it looks great at night and would describe it as if gay pride had a baby with a rave. Read the rest of this entry �

Info has been compiled from Twitter, Theme Park Adventure and The Los Angeles Times:

So far the following mazes from 2009 are slated to return:

Dia De Los Muerto

Terror of London

Lockdown

New scare zone to replace Gauntlet will be Necropolis: The City of the Dead an vampire steam punk theme. Concept art seen above.

New mazes to raise the dead and shake the nerves of terrified guests:

Fallout Shelter - The denizens are insane and they haven’t seen the sun in decades. True terror in the atomic age.” - Designing your fears by Daniel Miller (Lockdown)!

Sleepy Hollow Mountain - Log Ride

Ghosts and ghouls, witches and goblins, long-legged beasts and things that go bump in the night…take a dark ride through haunted Sleepy Hollow. The witching hour is at hand and the legends of long ago haunt the living. Specters and witches are on your heels as you try to out run The Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow. Can you keep your wits? Or will you lose your head?
Brought to you by Haunt Designer, David Ortiz (Dia De Los Muertos)!

Virus Z - Fiesta Plaza explodes with a brand new zombie nightmare. The virus is out and the end is near…Virus Z - enter the barricaded town of Pleasanton where the virus has turned the entire population into ravenous zombies. Fiesta Village Virus Z - from the insane mind of Brooke Walters - designer of Doll Factory and Terror of London!