Park Paradise

Sea World Orlando - Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin

SeaWorld Orlando has released its latest preview video for Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin, showing off the high-tech vehicles that will be used on the new ride.

The video, embedded above features the park’s Creative Director Brian Morrow and Corporate Ride Engineer Mike Denninger. It includes footage of the vehicles undergoing testing, showing how a “trackless” system will be employed to enable the ride to offer a different experience every time.

Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin, which will debut in 2013, is being billed by SeaWorld Orlando as “the world’s coldest theme park ride”.

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Disney World’s Epcot - Behind the Scenes at Test Track 2.0

The new test track at WDW’s Epcot has opened with major guest popularity, and Chevrolet has just released this brand new video showing off behind the scenes magic for the re-construction. Check it out!

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Universal Studios Orlando - Butterbeer Record

Universal Orlando is celebrating the sale of the 5 millionth Butterbeer at Islands of Adventure’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which opened in 2010.

The beverage, which features heavily in the Harry Potter books and movies, has proven to be one of the most popular elements of the Wizarding World, enabling guests to get a real life “taste” of life in the Potterverse. Universal has now expanded the number of locations selling Butterbeer to four, enabling it to achieve the stunning sales figures.

Butterbeer, which previously existed only in fiction. Their recipe has since been cloned at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in London, and will also be replicated at Wizarding Worlds at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Japan.

Rival Disney has made some attempts to recreate Universal’s success with Butterbeer, including the introduction of “Le Fou’s Brew” at Gaston’s Tavern in the expanded New Fantasyland at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.

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Universal Studio Parks - Harry Potter Footage

Stars of the Harry Potter movies have reportedly descended on the Warner Bros. Studio in the UK to begin filming footage for under-construction new rides at Universal Studios Florida.

The scenes are likely to be used as part of two new additions to the park, which will form part of a new area themed around London as seen in the Potter movies. The first of these will be a roller coaster themed around Gringotts Bank, while the second will be a recreation of the Hogwarts Express train, linking the area to the existing Wizarding World of Harry Potter at neighboring Islands of Adventure.

Among those who have been spied entering the studio, which now houses the behind-the-scenes Warner Bros. Studio Tour, are Helena Bonham Carter (who plays evil Bellatrix Lestrange) and Mark Williams (who portrays Arthur Weasley, a close ally of Harry Potter). Lestrange is likely to feature as a character in the Gringotts Bank coaster, while Weasley seems more likely to play a role in pre-show videos for one or both of the new attractions.

The new land at Universal Studios Florida will recreate Diagon Alley, the shadowy area of London seen in several of the Harry Potter movies. It will sit on the site of the former Jaws ride, which closed in January 2012.

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Disney World’s Magic Kingdom - Grand Opening of Fantasyland

Check out the grand opening ceremony show of the new Fantasyland from the Magic Kingdom yesterday. Jordin Sparks took the stage to sing a medley of all the classic Disney songs which make up the new Fantasyland!

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Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom - Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Simulator NEW

During the grand opening event for New Fantasyland yesterday at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom press and special guests were presented with a computer simulation of part of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Ride, which is set to open in the park in 2014. Check out the video above, it looks like a great addition to the new Fantasyland!

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Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom - Flying Dragon! NEW

Disney has finally unveiled its long-rumored flying, fire-breathing dragon, sending it soaring over the expanded New Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom.

The dragon, which is actually a micro-light aircraft, took to the skies above the park during the media preview event for the updated land. Disney described the stunt as a “special, one-night appearance” for the dragon, but it is expected that it will eventually become a regular fixture at the Magic Kingdom.

Disney has been teasing the new dragon effect via a special Tumblr blog at disneydragons.tumblr.com. The aircraft had previously been spotted undergoing testing, and was originally suspected to be in development for the planned Avatar Land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

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Disney’s California Adventure - Christmas with Cars

The holidays have come to Cars Land at Disney California Adventure park! If you haven’t seen all the automotive-themed decorations and Christmas trees that line Route 66 in Radiator Springs, make sure you check out this recently released video from the guys over at Disney Parks Blog! Amazing!

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Disney World’s Epcot - Test Track 2.0

It has been a week now since Test Track 2.0 was re-opened to staff members and soft openings to the public, and it was only a matter of time before we saw clips popping up on YouTube. The video above shows off a brief segment of the ride in action. The clip shows off what has been done to recreate the old Barrier Test room, that leads right into the start of the high speed outdoor track test. The video gives fans a good idea of the effects and the theme we can expect to see throughout the new ride when it opens in December.

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Disney World’s Hollywood Studios - Behind the Scenes

Disney World’s Hollywood Studios has just started soft opening rehearsals of their brand new Pirates of the Caribbean experience. The new attraction will have it’s official grand opening at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on December 6.

The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow is a walk-through attraction that will allow guests to follow in the footsteps of Jack Sparrow to see if they have what it takes to join his rowdy and daring pirate crew.

Walt Disney Imagineering just shared this amazing video with Disney fans this week, in which Imagineers Jason Surrell, Laura Mitchell, Charita Carter and Jason Roberts take us behind the scenes of the making of this new experience. According to them, creating an entirely new attraction based on the “Pirates of the Caribbean” film franchise was a dream come true, as was working with the film’s lead actor, Johnny Depp, who reprised his role as Captain Jack Sparrow for the attraction’s film elements.