According to WDWNT we could have a possible closing date for Ellen’s Energy Adventure…or Universe of Energy…or Energy Encounter. According to their sources, the ride could be closing as soon as January of 2017. The ride would make it through the busy holiday season, and then be shuttered before being immediately dismantled. The rumor is that the entire building will be demolished to make room for an all new Guardians of the Galaxy attraction, which could be a new coaster. There has been no official word from Disney, but there has been height balloons spotted around the attraction in the past few months. More as this develops.
Speaking of Marvel, Dr. Strange is about to hit theaters in November. In preparation, it looks like Disney is rolling out all the stops to get guests amped. At Disney’s California Adventure the Sunset Showcase Theater will hold a special 3D preview of Dr. Strange. At Walt Disney World…shockingly… Dr. Strange will get a preview at Hollywood Studios as part of One Man’s Dream. Kind of a big deal, because many Marvel Movies don’t get previews at Walt Disney World, due to the contract between Marvel and Universal. It either means that there’s a loophole, or that Disney and Universal have come to an agreement….which leads us to this tweet.
.@WaltDisneyWorld casting for #DoctorStrange appearance for limited time in fall. @slashfilm pic.twitter.com/jWRS4LfIgO
— Stitch Kingdom (@stitchkingdom) September 16, 2016
If you couldn’t see the tweet, there is a casting call for Dr. Strange at Walt Disney World. The character will be making a limited appearance this fall. No word on where, if it will be in park, or at Disney Springs, but this is kind of a big deal for Disney. They are bringing a Marvel Character to the Florida parks. This is the second time, as the first had Guardians of the Galaxy characters appearing at a special Villains Party a few years back.
According to a new patent filed with Disney, they are looking to bring immersive entertainment to hotel rooms, as they have filed for a new interactive projection system.
Here’s details from the patent:
The goal of the projector with its camera and audio attachments of the display systems described herein is to allow a room, where ever the room is located, to become as immersive as any screen environment or even more so.
To this end, the display system is a device that can be both an input and an output device. On the output side, the display system is a projector of still or animated visual imagery, and the display system may include a speaker or otherwise be capable of sending audio signals to speakers elsewhere in the room. In this way, the display system may provide an audio track to projected imagery to enhance the display and/or gaming experience.For instance, right now if one plays a car racing game on a computer, they not only drive the cars, they also hear them, hear other cars, hear the crowd, see fiery crashes, hear the explosions, and the game play is back-grounded by emotional music and the like. If they play with a slot car, they only get to drive a car. There are few sounds, certainly no background music to amp up the emotions. When they play on a screen, the world is completely surrounding and immersive, they only have to move by brain through the frame of the screen bezel and they are into another world. If they play in their room, none of this is true. The goal of the projector with its camera and audio attachments of the display systems described herein is to allow a room, where ever the room is located, to become as immersive as any screen environment or even more so.
To this end, the display system is a device that can be both an input and an output device. On the output side, the display system is a projector of still or animated visual imagery, and the display system may include a speaker or otherwise be capable of sending audio signals to speakers elsewhere in the room. In this way, the display system may provide an audio track to projected imagery to enhance the display and/or gaming experience.
Broken down, a new light bulb will be installed, and it could be used to project not only different images, but animation as well. It could, in theory, be used in conjunction with mobile devices, and your MagicBands. MagicBands are already used in a huge variety of things at both the parks and the resorts, so this is just a natural extension. Disney has a huge number of patents already which include drones, lightsabers, and tracking your feet.
Stay tuned for more from Disney, and be sure to get social with us on Facebook and follow along with us on Twitter @BehindThrills for the latest updates!
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