We had a chance to attend the NFFC/Disneyana Show and Sale at the Crowne Plaza Hotel today, and Olszewski Studios was at their usual place at the booth of Deckers Fine Gifts and Collectibles, and there was a lot to see - starting with the new Snow White's Scary Adventures miniature piece! As previously mentioned, the piece will have two scene inserts, one with the old hag brewing a poison apple and one with Snow White on the stairs from the beginning of the attraction. The piece is currently scheduled for release in November and will be $295.
A side view of the Snow White piece.
A front view of the Snow White piece.
Left side of scene insert with Snow White on the stairs.
I love that Dopey is in the ride vehicle.
Right side of scene insert where you can see Grumpy at the organ.
Scene insert with the old hag brewing up a poison apple.
I'm imagining Dopey being terrified as he rides by and sees her.
One of the details that I love about the piece is the hidden Evil Queen. Many people don't even know that the Evil Queen is visible from in front of the entrance to the ride. For those who don't know, if you're standing in front of the entrance to the attraction, look up to the second story window with the drapes. Periodically, the drapes will part, and the Evil Queen will look down at you. It's nice to see in the daytime, but it's even more dramatic at night. Olszewski Studios had previously indicated that the Evil Queen's appearance would be included in the piece, but I wasn't sure how that would work. When we looked at the piece, I looked at the window, and it just looked like lattice-work, so I didn't see her. I wondered if things had changed in development and that she couldn't be included after all. I asked Travis about her, and he indicated that she was indeed included. The trick is that you can't see her unless the internal light is on. Travis arranged to have the power source connected and when he turned the light on, there she was. She's actually behind the window, and it's not until the light is on that she is illuminated and can then be seen. You have to look pretty closely and from the right angle because she's not completely obvious, but I love that she's there subtly, just like in the attraction itself.
The second-story window without the internal light.
The second-story window with the internal light on, showing the Evil Queen.
The other thing I really love about the piece is that with the light turned on, the queue and loading portion of the attraction is visible, and the detail on that is wonderful. There's also an empty ride vehicle in the loading area. Unfortunately, it wasn't possible to get a good clear picture of that area, even with the piece lit, so it's something that you'll be able to appreciate and marvel at when you actually get the piece yourself.
One other thing I checked was to see if the golden apple at the very entrance was included in the piece, but unfortunately, it was not. It may have been a case that it was so small that it would have been impossible to include or at least that it would have been unrecognizable as more than just a drop of gold. On the attraction itself, the golden apple is in the little alcove right at the entrance, and if you touch the golden apple, you'll hear the old hag cackling.
The Monsanto House of the Future nostalgia piece is still scheduled for release in November along with the Snow White piece, and it will be $85. Since there's no scheduled event in Anaheim before its release, it's going to be another piece that we won't see for the first time until its release date.
Also on display was the Fantasyland platform (reservations for the platform are expected to start next summer - there is no current cost estimate), but rather than the stand-alone version which was seen at the release event last month at Disneyland, this version was attached to the Main Street platform, so collectors could get an idea of what it would look like to have the two platforms together. The platform will come as the stand-alone version (which will make shipping easier and also minimize any damage that could be caused by having the two separated sections), and collectors who want their Fantasyland platform attached to their Main Street platform would just need to unscrew the front section of the Fantasyland platform and then attach the main section directly to their Main Street platform. The Fantasyland platform will come with the necessary spacers and connectors to make the two platforms fit together. There will also be a separate tree pack available for purchase containing trees that would be needed for the different uses of the platform, either as a stand-alone or a connected platform. Rather than making people buy two different tree packs, only the one tree pack will be needed, no matter how a collector decides to set up the platform.
The Main Street platform with the Fantasyland platform attached behind Sleeping Beauty Castle.
A reverse view showing the Fantasyland platform section, adjacent to the Main Street platform next to Sleeping Beauty Castle.
The stand-alone version of the Fantasyland platform shown previously,
with the extra front section that includes Sleeping Beauty Castle, Carnation Plaza and
Snow White's Grotto/King Triton's Garden, as well as a truncated portion of Central Plaza.
A view showing the main section of the Fantasyland platform
(after the extra front section has been removed) attached directly to the Main Street platform.
The reverse view of the connection.
The Fantasyland platform shown previously, which truncates just after Sleeping Beauty Castle.
The Fantasyland platform, connected to the Main Street platform, with Sleeping Beauty Castle and the rest of Main Street beyond.
An overview of the connected platforms.
A closer view of the connection.
The close-up of the connection.
You can see the representation of a section of trees that will be included in the Fantasyland platform tree pack.
The platforms are connected, with a spacer in the middle.
You can also see more representations of trees that will be part of the Fantasyland platform tree pack.
If you follow the trail of the Electrical Parade floats, you can see how the platforms are connected together.
Another view of the connected platforms, with the trail of the Electrical Parade floats visible.
As previously mentioned, the Fantasyland platform will be made so that the Dumbo piece can be moved to its former location. That location will normally be occupied by a park area, and a placeholder piece currently takes up that area. The location of King Arthur Carrousel has been moved slightly to better align with the sightlines through Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Placeholder piece for park at former location of Dumbo.
Dumbo is designed to fit where the park will be.
In this prior picture, you can see that the Carrousel doesn't quite align with the Castle.
This picture of the current layout shows a much better alignment.
I've made no secret of the fact that I've been wanting the Storybook piece for some time now, and I was excited when it was announced that the piece was indeed going to become a reality. A very rough mockup was on display at last month's release event in Disneyland but much progress has been made on the piece. The new version on display today gives you a much better idea of what the finished version will look like. We've never had the chance to see the development of a miniatures piece like this before, so it's a rare opportunity indeed to see the changes that have happened so far, but with the piece at least a year away from release, many more changes and refinements are sure to come down the line. But it's no surprise that like with all of these pieces, the beauty is in the details.
Storybook as it looked a month ago.
Front view of the current version of Storybook.
Side view of Storybook.
A mockup of Monstro is to the left, the loading and unloading area for the attraction are on the right.
The same area as it looked a month ago.
After seeing King Triton's underground kingdom, you exit to the unloading area.
The arches of a whole new world, right next to the loading area for Casey Jr., before you enter the cave of wonders.
Overview of the Casey Jr. loading area.
The queue area to load Casey Jr. and the adjacent area where there are tables and chairs.
A closeup of a cave, rockwork and landscape.
The patchwork quilt section.
The front section of the new train, actually sculpted. The detail is amazing.
The back section of the train. We usually like to ride in the last car, facing forward.
On the Walt Disney World miniatures front, the release of the next miniatures pieces has been pushed back to November, and Olszewski Studios has indicated that the miniature of the Magic Kingdom version of the Haunted Mansion is expected to be released in 2011. That should be a fairly spectacular piece, so I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of it. They have also indicated that the Walt Disney World/Magic Kingdom Main Street platform will be available next summer.
In the Gallery of Light line, the previously announced pieces of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (A Gift for Timmy), "Fantasia" (Sorcerer Mickey on a mountain) and "Cinderella" (romantic bridge) are expected to be available in the next couple of weeks and will be $85 each.
The new "Cinderella" Gallery of Light.
The new "Cinderella" Gallery of Light, with flash to show additional details.
Four new Gallery of Light pieces will be available through Olszewski Studios' partnership with Enesco, expected in November or December. A scene from "Finding Nemo" depicts Marlin and Nemo and will cost $90. A scene from "Sleeping Beauty" shows Prince Philip fighting Maleficent in her dragon form and will cost $125. A scene from "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" features Jessica Rabbit on the stage at the Ink and Paint Club and will cost $75. A scene from "Peter Pan" shows Tinkerbell in the drawer and will cost $85. The pieces themselves were not available, so the four photos below are pictures of the pictures of the pieces that were available.
Gallery of Light with Marlin and Nemo.
Gallery of Light with Prince Philip and Maleficent.
Gallery of Light with Jessica Rabbit.
Gallery of Light with Tinkerbell.
Olszewski Studios has been working on Star Wars-themed Gallery of Light and Pokitpal pieces, originally in conjunction with this year's Star Wars Weekends at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World. Some items are now expected to be available in November of this year, and others will be released exclusively for next year's Star Wars Weekends.
Olszewski Studios has indicated that a number of new Disney-themed pokitpals will be released in October and December of this year. More information is available in the updated release schedule. Detailed descriptions and pictures will be forthcoming when available.
See you in November.
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