LPWire: Walt Disney World Welcomes Stitch, Mr. Incredible, and Crush, Announces Water Attraction - LaughingPlace.com: Disney World, Disneyland and More

LPWire: Walt Disney World Welcomes Stitch, Mr. Incredible, and Crush, Announces Water Attraction

New Generation of Animated Motion Picture Characters Makes Theme Park Debut at Walt Disney World Resort

New Generation of Animated Motion Picture Characters Makes Theme Park Debut at Walt Disney World Resort

A new generation of animated motion picture stars has jumped from the big screen into the theme parks of Walt Disney World Resort.

Stitch ... Crush ... Elastigirl -- they were among the cinematic creations of the new millennium unveiled Monday and Tuesday in new attractions, shows and theme park features in Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Disney-MGM Studios.

In addition, the resort announced plans for a "water coaster" at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon water park. The ride, called Crush 'N' Gusher, marks a technological first among Central Florida water park attractions, combining steep drops and gravity-defying, coaster-like inclines, with screaming jets of water propelling riders back uphill.

While Crush 'N' Gusher is under construction for a spring opening, here's what's new now -- just in time for the holidays:

  • Stitch -- of Walt Disney Pictures' animated feature hit "Lilo & Stitch" -- has arrived at Magic Kingdom in the theme park attraction Stitch's Great Escape! The Tomorrowland area of the park will never be the same as guests gain multi-sensory familiarity with the six-limbed alien inside the Galactic Federation Prisoner Teleport Center. It's pure pandemonium of the innocent sort with sights, sounds, and -- ewwww! -- smells. Stitch has rapidly become one of the most popular Disney characters of the last decade, especially with boys and girls 3-11.

    Tuesday's coming-out party in Magic Kingdom was not without a few Stitch shenanigans.

    Against bright blue skies, Cinderella Castle, revered icon of the park, was laced top to bottom in toilet paper while a cherished Disney stage show was crashed by Stitch and a dancing, hip-swaying bevy of Elvis look-alikes (Click here for LaughingPlace.com's coverage)

  • Crush -- from the Disney presentation of Pixar's "Finding Nemo" -- has made a different kind of screen debut in The Living Seas at Epcot: as a chatting, joking quipster who engages guests in conversation from his movie-screen undersea environment in a new interactive show. "Turtle Talk With Crush" is a breakthrough experience into real-time animation using digital projection and sophisticated, voice-activated animation. (Click here for LaughingPlace.com's article on Turtle Talk With Crush.

  • Elastigirl plus Mr. Incredible and Frozone -- the superheroes from the Disney presentation of Pixar's "The Incredibles" -- have made their theme park debut greeting guests inside the newly reopened The Magic of Disney Animation at Disney-MGM Studios. (Click here for LaughingPlace.com's article on the new Animation Tour)
  • Another animated figure -- the yet-to-be-hatched Chicken Little -- also debuted in the parks: on a limited-edition Disney Dollar and on a gigantic new mural. The bespectacled cluck -- due in theaters next summer as a Walt Disney Pictures release -- is featured on the front of the Series 2005 one-dollar bills that are individually serialized and accepted as legal tender at most locations throughout Walt Disney World Resort. Currency isn't the only place Chicken Little is turning up. A soundstage wall at Disney-MGM Studios is the new canvas for a mammoth mural, complete with an inflatable Chicken Little.

In other Walt Disney World news:

  • "What's Next" for fans of the Chicago Cubs? Walt Disney World, that's what! Current and former members of the Cubs baseball team will be on hand for meet-and-greets, a breakfast welcome reception, question-and-answer sessions, a playing field experience at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex and more, Dec. 2-6. It's all part of the Chicago Cubs Magical Gathering treating Cubs fans to the ultimate in fan appreciation. Callers to 1-866-4AAA-CUBS can get all the details. Marking its first anniversary this fall, Magical Gatherings is an exciting Walt Disney World vacation concept geared to family and friends to vacation together as a group, capitalizing on the trend toward "togethering."

  • Just in time for the holidays, ships of Disney Cruise Line are sporting new venues and new programming. Fresh from a drydock makeover, new teen- and adult-appealing venues are in place aboard Disney Wonder. Sister ship Disney Magic features a new "Pirates IN the Caribbean" party, transforming guests into buccaneers for a dinner feast and themed deck party.
  • Just like that magical moment when a Christmas tree twinkles for the first time, anticipation is sky-high for the return of The Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights at Disney-MGM Studios. After a one-year hiatus, the holiday display will once again dazzle guests with millions and millions of sparkling holiday bulbs, spinning carousels and flying angels. Dates: Nov. 24, 2004, through Jan. 2, 2005.

--Posted November 16, 2004
Source: Walt Disney World
Images: (c) Disney