Disney projects of movies that didn't become hits

With movies and theme park attractions, it can be hit and miss. Especially with Disney. When a movie is a hit, Disney makes attractions but sometimes they put their eggs in a basket and include them in theme parks or projects and the movie fails. Now maybe the movie was good but it wasn't a hit. 

 Return of Oz

Return of Oz was made by Disney in the 80's. I love the film but it was not a hit.

 The Disneyland Paris version of the Storyland Canal Ride is the only one to have a model of the Emerald city  from Return to Oz.

 Atlantis: The Lost Empire 

It came out in 2001 and Disney was planning big on this. Due to the film's poorer-than-expected box-office performance, Disney quietly canceled both a spin-off television series and an underwater attraction at its Disneyland theme park.

 

Dinosaur

Disney's Dinosaur came out in 2000. The Countdown to Extinction attraction at the Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park, was renamed and re-themed to the movie. It is now known as Dinosaur. It was a hit but I rarely remember it and not much people talk about it. Adam Fendelman of HollywoodChicago says: " Films like “Dinosaur,” “Treasure Planet,” and “Brother Bear” won’t be getting theme park ride revivals any day soon." http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/22464/blu-ray-review-disney-pulls-atlantis-lilo-stitch-from-vaults

 Disney's Lone Ranger

 The recent Lone Ranger film with Johnny Depp failed but they are still included in the new Disney Infinity game in which you put the toys into the video game.

Third employee death in Disney World this year

A Walt Disney World stunt performer (Anislav Varbanov) died Monday night after a fall during a rehearsal for the Indiana Jones show at the Hollywood Studios theme park. He was taken to the hospital and passed away there. Last month, the 21-year-old pilot of Monorail Purple passed away during a failed track switchover from the Epcot line onto the Magic Kingdom express line. And earlier this month, a 47-year-old employee playing the role of a pirate in the Pirate Training Academy show slipped on a puddle of water on the stage, hitting his head against the scenery. He was taken to the hospital with a broken vertebra in his neck and a cut that required 55 stitches. Due to complications, he died on August 10, 2009.

Sources:
DailyNews
Incidents at Disney Parks

The newest member to the Disney Rangers

I have been covering the Power Rangers at the newly dubbed Disney's Hollywood Studios, there are rumors Power Rangers will end its 15-year run this year, so this might be the end of this. For those who don't know, Power Rangers have their own car part of a Motor Cars Parade and one ranger from different teams pose and then sign autographs. For those wondering, most of the regular teams include red, blue and yellow, while black interchanges with green and pink interchanges with white. Sometimes teams have started with three, and if they do, there is no pink ranger.

2001 - Power Rangers Wild Force - Lunar Wolf Ranger
2002 - Power Rangers Ninja Storm - Green Samurai Star Ranger
2003 - Power Rangers Dino Thunder - White Ranger
2004 - Power Rangers SPD - Red Ranger
2005 - Power Rangers Mystic Force - Pink Ranger
2006 - Power Rangers Operation Overdrive - Yellow Ranger
2007 - Power Rangers Jungle Fury - Blue Jaguar Ranger

This year has a purple ranger (Wolf Ranger) and I was hoping he would be picked but he hasn't appeared on the show yet. But it makes sense they picked the Blue Jaguar Ranger since they haven't ever repeated a color. Expect for the Pink Ranger, but when they introduced the Pink Mystic Force Ranger, they retired the Pink Time Force Ranger. When they introduced the Yellow Ranger, they retired the Lunar Wolf Ranger--but it seems he is back.

Blue Jaguar Ranger versus Ron Stoppable from Kim Possible.

Related Topic: Update on Disney World Power Rangers | Power Rangers at the Disney Resorts

Update on Disney World Power Rangers

Since the Power Rangers joined the Lights Motors Action Parade at Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly Disney-MGM Studios) back in 2005, each year a ranger gets replaced to accommodate for the newest series. The Pink Time Force Ranger got replaced last year with the Pink Mystic Force Ranger. But since most of the rangers were 'Other Rangers,' like the Lunar Wolf Ranger, Green Samurai Ranger and the White Dino Ranger--I was wondering who they would choose to replace the Lunar Wolf Ranger, since he was the oldest ranger there. And after searching today, sure enough--they did replace the Lunar Wolf Ranger, but not with an 'additional' ranger but with the Yellow Operation Overdrive Ranger. Good for them! One more female, awesome. Plus, her Japanese counterpart Natsuki is a fan favorite.

Disney Ranger profile on wdwautographs.com

What is really curious that I found is this...
The people who are/were in the ranger costumes call themselves 'Disney Force.' They had their own MySpace profiles. But now I can't find them. Maybe Disney asked them to take it off. Very strange. Well, their videos are still on youtube. Picture above from The Callaghan Family
Walt Disney World Photo Album. Thank you thank you thank you to them for the picture. I guess I will be doing this every year. My guess is that the color that will replace the Green Samurai Ranger will be blue, I wish it would be purple.

Related Post: Power Rangers at Disney Resorts

Disney actually invited a Sentai castmember to DisneyWorld!

Let me catch all of you to speed...

Disney owns Power Rangers.
Power Rangers originally comes from Japan, a 30 year old enterprise known as 'Super Sentai.'

The current series in the U.S. Power Rangers Mystic Force was Magiranger in 2005, while this year's Boukenger will become Power Rangers Operation Overdrive in 2007.

Magiranger (2005) = Mystic Force (2006)
Boukenger (2006) = Operations Overdrive (2007)

Now, you would think Disney would not give a flying Dumbo about the series of origin or the former stars of said series. But to my surprise, one of the former stars of Magiranger, Ayumi Beppu (Who portrayed Houka Ozu/Magi Pink) was invited to Disneyworld to participate in a parade (unknown which one or the significance) and got to be with the costumed Power Rangers of MGM studios and her counterpart the Pink Mystic Force Ranger. Unfortunately she couldn't take pics. What makes one wonder is why they invited her and what for.

Click to see her blog that is in Japanese Kanji.

Bascially here is a rough translation:
"pawaa renjaa
Do you guys know what this is? I'm sending a post from Disney World. I posed alongside Magi Pink, Mickey, Ariel and Stitch. Like do you guys wonder why? That's righ, even overseas the glory of Magiranger is shown on TV screens as a remake. This remake is not airing in Japan but I had chances of seeing it on video several times. There's many differences between Magiranger and PRMF, after all it's just a remake but I think it's very interesting. Power Rangers seems to be extremely popular and active here overseas. It's a shame there wasn't a chance of me being photographed.. me along side costumed Deka Red (Red SPD Ranger), Abare Killer (White Dino Ranger). So I felt like a princess (as you can tell by her animation). I must return home so soon in 3 days... the top photo is me trying to imitate Mickey with Apple ears hehe."

Related Topic: Power Rangers at Disney Resorts

Power Rangers at the Disney Resorts

For you that don't know, Disney acquired the Power Rangers in 2002 due to a package deal in buying Fox Family from Saban Entertainment. Disney now films the Power Rangers in New Zealand along with Village Roadshow. Then in 2005, Disney added the Power Rangers to the car parade in DisneyWorld's MGM Studios (which soon will be renamed as Disney's Hollywood Studios due to copyright with MGM). Instead of having one Ranger team of one series, they selected one ranger from each series. Which I admit is clever is that three of the rangers are not normal colored rangers but 'sixth' or 'special' rangers. Red SPD Ranger from the 2005 series Power Rangers S.P.D., White Ranger from Dino Thunder, Green Samurai Star Ranger from Ninja Storm, Lunar Wolf Ranger from Wild Force, and the Pink Time Force Ranger.

Disney fans don't like the inclusion of the Power Rangers at all. While Power Ranger fans feel they are getting the short stick. There is a rumor that Disney wanted to make a full-fledged attraction where the 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire?' attraction in the same park. Disney fans got upset. I think that discouraged them.

In 2006, to introduce the new Power Rangers Mystic Force, they replaced the Time Force Ranger with the Pink Mystic Force Ranger. The five players have their own myspace accounts and call themselves the 'Power Rangers Disney Force.' Some fans criticize how they don't do the poses right and don't know Martial Arts. I wonder what will happen to them when Power Rangers Operation Overdrive comes on. Bandai America (toy company) consider it the 15th anniversary because it is the 15th season.

Meanwhile, Disney is having good relations with Toei Productions which produces the original Japanese series Power Rangers is adapted from, Super Sentai. Super Sentai has been around since 1975 and since 1979, series change every year. Disney even produced footage for Toei's 2005 Magiranger in New Zealand which now is Power Rangers Mystic Force. For some strange reason, the episode order was shorten for Mystic Force. Even though people didn't know the Power Rangers were still around since 1993, it still has been number one Boys product. Now, the public se dio cuenta que (realized that) Power Rangers still exists thanks to Disney. Everyone now is like 'Its still around?'

I, being a Super Sentai and Power Rangers fan, feel Disney should embrace the Power Rangers because kids love it so much, there are a lot of testimonies online of Parents saying how much it has effected their kids in a positive way. Toei, which is a big company in Japan, of course love Disney and Disney has gained a lot of property thanks to having them. In 2004, the Red Dino Thunder Ranger costume was the number one costume. I'm sure they always are since then. Click this link to a video on YouTube dedicated to a little boy who has passed on.

Also... lots of Power Ranger fans have been making a big deal about Disney taking over the show and how its not as good but actually a lot of Sentai elements have been used more which I consider a good thing but what I don't like that a lot strange things have been edited from the original like fire has been changed to 'magical fire' really screwing up a sequence with real fire that looked real cool.

Related Topics: Presenting Bouken Silver