Little Mermaid Attraction: Ariel Audio-Animatronic unveiled !

Two weeks ago WDI unveiled the impressive Ursula audio-animatronic and yesterday they released a video showing the one of Ariel. The Ariel AA is not the same size, of course, than the Ursula Animatronic but it looks really good as you will see in the video below!



Picture and video: copyright Disney

Introducing the new " Innoventions Blog "

Recently i had the idea to create a new blog which will serve also as a new section for the "Innoventions" tech articles i post the week-end on Disney and more. It is called the "Innoventions Blog" and you can discover it HERE.

The goal of the D&M Innoventions series is to let you know about amazing new technologies. If you like Epcot, Tomorrowland and WDI Audio-Animatronics, then the Innoventions Blog is for you!

As you'll see the blog layout is as pure as possible with lot of "air" thanks to the white color. All the previous tech articles posted on D&M are now on this new blog and if in the future i decide to post new tech articles, like for instance the one below, you will find them here.

Let's celebrate the opening of this new section with the video of an amazing "multi-touch plus stylus" technology developed by Microsoft called "Manual Deskterity". I posted previously articles about the Microsoft Courier Tablet project but what the video was showing was a CGI animation of the concept, not the real thing. Today, it's different as what is filmed is the real thing. There is little doubt that it will be part of the Courier project if Microsoft finally succeed to put it into production.

So what is this "Manual Deskterity"? Well, let's say that for some multi touch applications using your finger works well, and for others a stylus would be better. "Manual Deskterity" shows how using both in conjunction could be the best option of all to manipulate digital objects in different ways whether it's to copying them, stacking them, slicing them or even tearing them apart. Have a look, it's amazing!




Video: copyright Microsoft

Pirates of Caribbean Behind the Scenes - Part Two

Here is the part two of the Pirates of Caribbean Behind the Scenes article, and this one is a brand new one. All the pictures include in this article are rare Imagineering pictures which were reproduced in a hard to find Pirates of Caribbean brochure released in the 70's. In this 50 pages collector's, readers can see Marc Davis at work...



Or plenty of Marc Davis artwork like this one...



Also include, pictures of Walt Disney like this one with one of the POTC Audio-Animatronics.



The brochure also include great shots of the original Disneyland attraction and lot of pictures of WDI legendary Imagineers creating the ride.

We will begin by the sculpting of POTC figures, with, on the picture below, WDI sculptor Blaine Gibson with the pirates heads.



Again, Blaine Gibson, sculpting a figure for the POTC model.



Another pictures of a WDI sculptor named Joe Kaba.



On the picture below, Peter Kermode, WDI sculptor who took over after Blaine Gibson left Imagineering.



On the next picture Imagineers Blaine Gibson, George Snowden and Mark Davis with a pirate sculpture.



Then it was time to dressed the different figures. On the first picture below, Alice Davis is taking care of the "red hair".



On this next picture, Bob Sewell and another Imagineer take care of a dog who is part of the show...



While Leota Toombs is finishing the make-up on one of the pirates head...



And Imagineers Dave Schweninger (left), John Franke (center) and Roger Broggie, Jr (right) put in place one of the Audio-Animatronic figure.




Next step, the Animatronic animation. On the picture below, a WDI Imagineer working on a pirate's head.



Below, Imagineer Roger Broggie checking the metal structure of a pirate Audio-animatronics.



As we know, nothing could have been done without the big 1960's computers system, here is WDI Imagineer Legend Wathel Rogers in front of them.



Imagineer Ken O'Brien with a Pirate's animated head.



Meanwhile, X Atencio and George Bruns are finalizing the famous song "A Pirate's life for me"...



...and Imagineer Bill Justice studying prints from a film of an actor performing the auctioneer pirate that will be used for the animation of the Animatronic pirate.



But Pirates of Caribbean it's also fantastic decors. On the next picture, Imagineer Colin Campbell is working on the model of the "Wicked Wench".



Later, other Imagineers will build a real size "Wicked Wench"...



While another one gives the final touch on one of the cannon...



Or another paints on the parking lot the little boat on which drunken pirates will stand in a scene of the attraction.



On this last picture shoot when everything was put in place in the ride building, Disney Legends Claude Coats and Fred Joerger.



Pat Burke recalls a story from Fred Joerger: "I often met Fred at Barone's Pizza after work with another co worker and Fred would tell stories about Walt. He said Walt's death was a "Great" shock back in 1966 as they were trying to get the new Disneyland Pirates of the Carribean attraction done and open. Walt always came around for the final walk abouts for adjustments and changes, but he was not able to do this due to his sickness and death. So Fred said he and Claude Coats, the field Art Directors, would have to go ahead and fill in for Walt and look at the ride as he would have done. As they say the show had to go on. So Pirates became the first show opened after Walt's passing."

We will end with a picture of this double-page from the brochure showing the famous Pirates of Carribean fun map showing the different scenes of the ride.




Thanks to leave a comment or discuss this article on D&M english forum on Mice Chat

All pictures: copyright Disney Enterprises Inc.

Pirates of Caribbean Behind the Scenes - Part One

Let's have a look back at the origin of one of the best E-Ticket ever made, which, just like the Haunted Mansion, is an attraction we can ride forever...So, here is a special POTC "behind the scenes" article, with artwork, photos, and great videos where Walt Disney will introduce you to this beloved attraction. And on monday i will post the part two of this "POTC behind the scenes", a brand new article including rare pictures of Imagineers creating the ride!

You probably have already heard about it, but some of the early concept of the attraction had it designed as a walk-through instead of a flume-ride, as you can see on the rendering below



As everybody knows Marc Davis designed most of the scenes of "Pirates" and here is a selection some of his great renderings.



























Here is Walt with Marc Davis, Blaine Gibson and one of the first Audio-animatronics...



And here he is with Claude Coats who created the fantastic settings of the attraction.



Some great pictures of the attraction, the Disneyland version.









This two part Youtube video is from a 1960's Disney TV show for Disneyland 10th Anniversary and Walt introduces the future Pirates of Caribbean attraction to a young Disney ambassador.







Let's end with this great painting done by John Horny for the Disneyland Paris Blue Lagoon restaurant.




You can find much more renderings in the great Jason Surell book - the best book ever written on "Pirates of Caribbean" - a "must have" if you don't have it yet!



Artwork, photos and videos: copyright Disney

All my thanks to freedogshampoo and MegaRob64 for the youtube videos

D&M Innoventions : Special Audio Animatronics

D&M Innoventions series are each week-end on Disney and more and the goal is to introduce some amazing technologies. If you like Epcot, Tomorrowland and Audio-Animatronics, then this article is for you!

We begin with RoboThespian which is a great Audio Animatronic created by Engineered Arts. This first video showing RoboThespian having a check-up you will learn the secrets of its making.



In this next video RoboThespian demonstrates how his movement routines can be created using Blender, the open source 3D animation application. The virtual robot drives the movements of the real robot hardware.




In this last video RoboThespian demonstrates content playback and control using a touch screen interface.








The Japanese as we know love robots, and this next one is coming from Japan. Yotaro, the Baby Robot was created to be a Baby Simulator. As you'll guess when you will see Yotaro’s oversized head, Yotaro is not only made of robotic elements but also have a projector behind his head to simulate a face. Yotaro reacts to the user through a sophisticated emotion-control system that watches and senses what they are doing and provides an accompanying reaction. This baby simulator can do a variety of things that make it much more sophisticated than the standard baby training dolls, like crying real tears on its 2-d face.

As someone said in a comment about the video: "It's almost comforting to know that the Japanese will always be there to come up with something even more bizarre every day as if the universe would end if they suddenly stopped!"








Audio Animatronics may also leave the Earth soon and go on the Moon with NASA JSC's "Project M". The NASA video below depicts a Robonaut-based, tele-operated mission to the Moon - one that JSC claims could be accomplished in 1000 days once the go-ahead will be given. The robot will be controlled from the Earth using motion capture. Hope we will see this for real soon!




But how this future NASA robot will work using motion capture? Well, let's come back to RoboThespian which can use the same technique. The video below show a demonstration of the prototype motion capture device, more or less the same technique that will be used for the NASA robot on the moon and almost the same one that WED Imagineers used for the Carousel of Progress Audio Animatronics 45 years ago!




Videos: copyright NASA, Engineered Arts Ltd.