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[Anthony]

The overlay of Tom Sawyer Island we've heard moaning about from across the Atlantic for so long has finally been confirmed:

The Year of a Million Dreams Means Fun & Adventures at Disneyland Resort

The Year of a Million Dreams" is bringing an array of exciting new adventures and encounters to guests at Disneyland Resort. In addition to surprise "dream-come-true" experiences – more than 300,000 in California and Florida since "The Year of a Million Dreams" began on October 1 – guests at Disneyland Resort in Southern California will discover a new pirate hideaway, plus amazing new attractions starring Disney•Pixar characters from Finding Nemo and, in 2008, from Toy Story. There are also newly remixed rock n' roll soundtracks added to the popular Space Mountain and California Screamin' experiences.
 
Extensive enhancements will bring a rousing "Pirate's Lair" to Tom Sawyer Island in Disneyland's Frontierland beginning in May. Building upon the hands-on play and exploration that have made the island a popular experience for children and adults for the past 50 years. "Pirate's Lair at Tom Sawyer Island" will take its inspiration from Tom and Huck's pirate games in the classic Mark Twain story, as well as from the renewed interest in pirates generated by the "Pirates of the Caribbean" attraction and motion pictures. The attraction's opening will coincide with the summer opening of Walt Disney Pictures' Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.
 
Fun and interactive surprises will be encountered throughout "Pirate's Lair at Tom Sawyer Island" and will include pirate details added to Tom & Huck's Treehouse and to the traditional Smuggler's Cove, with its fun and challenging rope and barrel bridges. Among the other adventures to be found on the island will be a "Dead Man's Grotto" in the island caverns, a "Pirate's Den" on the familiar Castle Rock, and opportunities to search for buried treasure while encountering live pirates.
 
The "Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage" will arrive in Tomorrowland on June 11, combining another classic Disneyland attraction - the Submarine Voyage which debuted in 1959 – with new special effects and storytelling techniques. With the seamless integration of Audio-Animatronics characters, all new sets, and innovative imaging technology, submarine voyagers will embark on an undersea journey to observe an underwater volcano, encountering Nemo and his friends, from the Disney•Pixar film Finding Nemo, along the way.
 
Disney•Pixar characters will also appear in a new Disney's California Adventure attraction, scheduled to open in 2008. Construction has already begun on "Toy Story Mania!" in the Paradise Pier district of the park. It will mark the first time an attraction has been designed and built simultaneously at Disneyland Resort and at Walt Disney World, where "Toy Story Mania!" will open at the Disney-MGM Studios. The attraction will have a 2008 opening at both the California and Florida parks.
 
"Toy Story Mania!" will set a new standard for the interactive ride/game technology pioneered in the "Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters" attraction. Guests of all ages will don 3-D glasses and hop into fancifully decorated "Toy Story Mania!" vehicles. While riding along a colorful, midway-themed route, they will shoot at animated targets using their own "toy cannons," scoring points in a series of energetic, fun gaming sequences featuring Woody, Bo Peep and the rest of the gang from Toy Story.
 
With "The Year of a Million Dreams" underway, two favorite Disneyland Resort attractions are already singing a different tune. Specially remixed rock n' roll soundtracks have been added to both Space Mountain in Disneyland and California Screamin' in Disney's California Adventure. The new audio will continue "Rockin' Both Parks" through April 26.
 
"Rockin' Both Parks," "Pirate's Lair at Tom Sawyer Island" and "Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage" are just some of the highlights of "The Year of a Million Dreams" celebration at Disneyland Resort in Southern California and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Disney Parks are celebrating dreams coming true, making literally millions of dreams, large and small, come to life for eligible guests through the Disney Dreams Giveaway. Many money-can't-buy experiences–from exclusive dream FASTPASSES for popular Disney attractions to around-the-world vacations or a stay in the special Mickey Mouse Penthouse at the Disneyland Hotel-are being awarded at random to eligible guests and mail-in participants. In addition to the Disney Dreams Giveaway, guests are enjoying all new immersive entertainment experiences at the resort. At Disneyland Park, guests are meeting, playing and learning their royal ways with Disney Princesses at Disney Princess Fantasy Faire, dueling with Darth Vader at Jedi Training Academy and creating mayhem with pirates in New Orleans Square. At Disney's California Adventure park, guests young and old are bopping to the beat and joining in the fun of the High School Musical Pep Rally. The Year of a Million Dreams celebration lasts through 2007.

I'm not sure how pleased DLR fans will be by that, but I quite like how they explain it as Tom and Huck's "pirate games".  It's still strange to put pirates in Frontierland, but at least they're trying to explain it.

[Kristof]

A concept art has been released for Pirates Lair!



Source: Screamscape

[Riebi]

what the hell are all that pirates doing in frontierland  :lol:
They must miss the right way!

[Mansion Staff]

no!
that is just SO wrong.
ugg...

[Patrick]

All I can say is this is so Rasulo's doing :lol: , it looks ugly, awful and just out of place, are cowboys and indians not popular or fun, or for that matter part of the old west anymore   .  It really is sad to see they have resorted to such rubbish.  They could easily have come up with a better storyline for a renovation on the island than this.

[Anthony]

But this isn't the Old West, it's Tom Sawyer... sleepy Mississippi rivers and all that, where the boys go to play on their island, very different theme to DLRP's river.  And what did they think was cool to play? Pirate games!

I think Tom Sawyer Island has been left stagnant for far too long.  Is it a perfect theme? Hmm not really.  Is it cashing in on the pirates craze? Yes!  But I bet most of the people complaining about this on the internet haven't even been over there in the last 12 months (or would bother, if they visited DLR) until this news broke.  Will they go when this is done? Sure!

Those cannons with the synchronised water splashes look cool.  I have faith in them - this will hopefully be Tom Sawyer does pirates, not POTC vomited up on an island. (Though that drunken pirate from the ride in the concept worries me a little)  I think people should stop giving Disney a hard time about this and realise it's pretty much the only way they can make the Island interesting again.  The "boys playing at pirates" is a pretty good excuse, if you ask me.

If anything, it's good DLR is building something not themed to a Pixar film, and this will hopefully lead the way nicely to their Tomorrowland 2010 project.  When that's done, the park will be pretty much shipshape again.

Phew.

[Lordofthemightybeasts]

Those cannons with the synchronised water splashes look cool.  I have faith in them - this will hopefully be Tom Sawyer does pirates, not POTC vomited up on an island.

But that's what everyone says before a revamp- it'll have cool new features that will bring the attraction back to its original glory. But it always ends up a disappointment. An attraction like Tom Sawyer's Island may be considered more sacred than most others which have previously been massacred, but you just know that Disney are going to stick Jack Sparrow around every other corner so they can promote those awful Pirates films. Besides, sacred ground hasn't stopped Disney before (Enchanted Tiki Room anyone?) and they have yet to create a revamp that has improved on the original (please correct me if you can think of an exception  :wink: ). Baloo's acceptance that it's not really a perfect theme really makes you realise how much Disney's standards have dropped. Perfection is no longer necessary if it affects the budget. Just what would Walt think?

[Anthony]

Baloo's acceptance that it's not really a perfect theme really makes you realise how much Disney's standards have dropped. Perfection is no longer necessary if it affects the budget. Just what would Walt think?

I don't think it's a budget thing, it's more of a theme issue.  The Tom Sawyer theme and what they had on that island just obviously wasn't up to scratch anymore, people weren't interested.  The pirates theme is obviously the way the Imagineers have managed to secure some good money to bring back life here.  I think it's far closer to perfect than sticking Nemo and friends in the "Tomorrowland" Submarine Voyage, but everyone seems perfectly happy with that for some reason.

I just remember all the people who whined about the Pirates overlay last year, yet now proclaim it to be the best thing since sliced bread - it's getting really boring, project after project.

And Walt? He would have had this open years ago, when the first film premiered!  He knew what the public wanted, and he never missed such a good opportunity.

[penfold12]

The other thing you need to remeber also is that POTC faces the Island. Its not such a bad fit.

[Maarten]

The other thing you need to remeber also is that POTC faces the Island. Its not such a bad fit.

But you must also remember that the Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Frontierland and the Mark Twain also face/surround the island. Pirates is located in New Orleans Square, from the exterior you can't say that there's a Pirates attraction overthere. In my opinion its a shame that these kind of quick buck addition are even considered by Disney. I understand that the Tom Sawyer Island idea might be dead, but couldn't they come up with something different then Pirates? WDI is capable of doing so much more with the island while keeping it in theme with its surroudings. Disneyland is nothing more then a movie based park, while at least Disneyland Paris has some originality.

[Dlrpfan]

i have some pictures of currewnt construction but i am on my other computer at the minute so ill have them with in a few days

[Owain]

An Update of Pirates Lair.


Nice Advertisment and it opens this Friday.



































//http://www.disneygeek.com/updates/

[Dlrpfan]

wow looks very different to when i was there during construction they where ferying imagineers over with the rafts wich i really strangly found funny

[Anthony]

Yarr, it be a fine sunny day in Southern California and Pirates Lair at Tom Sawyer Island is now officially open for swashbuckling adventures!  Thar be lots of photos on micechat, even though it's only early afternoon over there:

http://www.micechat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65549



It looks like such good fun! And those maps you get are lovely.

[Dlrpfan]

i realy like the idea now and like you said baloo i really love the map too