Review: MainStreet Music Magic by Ragtime Robert Glenn ~ Geeks Corner ~ DAPs Magic

You may or may not realize this but John Williams wasn’t the guy who came in and arranged the music for Star Tours. A guy named Richard Bellis was actually the guy who pulled together the music and arranged it for the original Star Tours. There is an amazing interview with Bellis over at the Endor Express if you want to read more about him and some of his history working musically in the Disney Theme Parks. Part of the interview focuses on his work on Star Tours and Indiana Jones Adventure. Here is a brief excerpt:

Tell us about your work on Star Tours and Indiana Jones Adventure. Did you collaborate much with John Williams for either of these or did the Walt Disney Imagineers know exactly what cues they wanted and where?

Unfortunately I didn’t get to work with John Williams personally. I, like so many of my colleagues, am a huge fan of his work, so it was a special treat to be able to go through his scores and sketches to see exactly what he had done. He is a brilliant musician. None of the music was “temped” in when I came on board either of these projects. I am usually brought in early enough that things are still on paper or prototypes are being mocked-up in the workshop. It’s the perfect time to bring in the music person in my opinion. We did quite a bit of editing John’s music together to get it just right for Star Tours. The picture would keep changing and getting better and we would re-work the music. An evolutionary process. Then, only when we thought everything was “set in stone” did we commit to a recording session with an 86 piece orchestra in order to create a seamless score for the attraction.

The Indiana Jones attraction was the second time I had worked with John’s music from these movies. The first was the Indiana Jones Stunt Show for Florida. This was a particularly interesting project because the timing of the cues would continually change since the “action” was being performed live in each show. Unforeseen problems like the air in the tires of the revolving plane would heat up in the hot Florida afternoon and make the plane revolve faster than it did in the early morning or late evening hours. We used a truck in which we would edit the music on site as the stunt performers rehearsed and got up-to-speed.

There’s quite a bit of music for both Star Tours and Indiana Jones Adventure in the queue as well that doesn’t involve the music of John Williams. In Star Tours, there’s the classic chime, video segments, and the K-Droid radio station — Did you write all the music for these or did you collaborate with anyone else?

The “Announce Chime” is mine as is the “Status Board” music with descriptions of trips to the various other planets. The music in the boom box is a piece I wrote for an concept that never came to fruition. It was called the Droids Room (which is still the official title of the music). The music, I’m delighted to say, has shown up on a great number of Disney Parks CDs. While it sounds electronic, all of the instruments were played by live players on instruments that had electronic manipulations available. For example, an EWI (electronic woodwind instrument), drum pads, electric bass with phasing, etc. Remember, this was over 20 years ago. The one exception was the percussion, which consisted of (percussionist Steve Forman’s) a collection of oxygen bottles and a Mazda hubcap strung with springs (the Mazdaphone).

The Mazdaphone! I’d very much like to see that. Now, I have heard that the Announcement Chime was inspired by another John Williams score, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Is that true?

The IDEA of the announce chime being musically related to Star Tours music probably came from Close Encounters. I used those notes in the Status Board compositions as well. The idea for me was that while this was the future, somewhere along the way, an Ad agency guy (probably in New York) was involved in putting together an Ad campaign for the Star Tours Company, complete with their own “jingle” or theme song. I actually did the same thing for Alien Encounter with the song “We’re Seizing the Future” (“Grasping the Moment – Fleecing the Buyer”)

Talk about an incredible process! For me, this is actually one of the most exciting parts about attraction development. The music in both movies and attractions can make or break either. Never underestimate the power of musical storytelling. Now it is time to tell a new story at Star Tours as The Adventure Continues. John Williams as again declined to personally score the music for Star Tours. For whatever reason, Richard Bellis is not returning to score Star Tours II: The Adventure Continues. Instead, Disney has invited Michael Giacchino will be scoring Star Tours II: The Adventure Continues. It is said that he will be incorporating the original Star Tours theme song. It can michaelgiacchino_400 also be assumed that he will be using some original Star Wars music along with some of his own creation. Michael Giacchino has partnered with Disney Imagineering before. He scored Space Mountain: Mission 2 in Disneyland Paris, the current version of Space Mountain at Disneyland in California, and Space Mountain in Hong Kong Disneyland. He also has composed for Pixar, writing the scores for UP and Ratatouille. He also composed the score for J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie and LOST.

It is a little amusing to me to see Michael Giacchino writing the music for Star Tours II: The Adventure Continues after so recently writing the score for Star Trek. I have to wonder what the hard core Star Trek or Star Wars fan think about him playing both sides. However, from a musical standpoint. I think Giacchino will do an excellent job scoring this attraction. I personally can’t wait to see what he comes up with! I really like the two out of three Space Mountain scores of his I have experienced.

What do you think? Is Michael Giacchino the right guy to score Star Tours II: The Adventure Continues? Should efforts have been made to bring Richard Bellis back? Are you excited about Star Tours II: The Adventure Continues?

Make it a GREAT day!

-Mr. DAPs

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2010

New Star Tours Video!

POSTED BY MRDAPS AT 02:53 PM

Star Tours: The Adventures Continue

Over at the Disney Parks Blog they have posted a new video for the return of Star Tours. It is formatted as a travel advertisement for Star Tours. It actually is rather clever and well done. It reminds me much of the video that used to be played in the entrance queue for Star Tours before it was closed. According to the Disney Parks Blog, this video will be showed in place of the old one in the queue. This video was shown at Star Wars Celebration V. The Disney Parks Blog also makes sure to say that when Star Tours returns it may or may not include destinations to any of the destinations in the video.

So what do you think of the video? I’m looking forward to seeing it in context next year!

Make it a GREAT day!

-Mr. DAPs

LABELS: DISNEY PARKS BLOG, DISNEYLAND, DISNEYLAND RESORT, HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS, STAR TOURS, STAR TOURS: THE ADVENTURES CONTINUE, STAR WARS, STAR WARS CELEBRATION V, TOMORROWLAND, WALT DISNEY WORLD, MR. DAPS

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2010

A Look at the Vader Project

POSTED BY MRDAPS AT 12:59 PM

The Vader Project

Today I wrote a bit about the Vader Project over at www.mrdaps.com for your enjoyment. It really is an incredible endeavor and definitely worth checking out. I also included a gallery of some of the various creations. I hope you enjoy them! You can see both the blog post and photos by clicking here . Or you can just copy and paste this url into your browser: http://mrdaps.com/?p=678

Make it a GREAT day!

-Mr. DAPs

LABELS: THE VADER PROJECT, MR. DAPS, STAR WARS

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 2010

Darth Vader on a Subway?

POSTED BY MRDAPS AT 12:33 PM

Improv Everywhere - Star Wars - Darth Vader Confronts Princess Leia

They've done it again, Improv Everywhere has created a youtube video that is absolutely brilliant. Just putting Star Wars and Improv Everywhere together is enough to guarantee some entertainment. Basically what they did this time was recreate the original confrontation by Darth Vader of Princess Leia from the beginning of Star Wars: A New Hope. As the title suggests, this was all done aboard a subway. It is short but funny. I especially enjoyed watching people's reactions for this one when Darth Vader boarded the "ship."

Hope you enjoy this video!

Make it a GREAT day!

-Mr. DAPs

LABELS: DARTH VADER, IMPROV EVERYWHERE, PRINCESS LEIA, STAR WARS, STORM TROOPERS, SUBWAY, VIDEO, YOUTUBE, MR. DAPS

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THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2010

6th Annual Star Wars Day at Disneyland!

POSTED BY MRDAPS AT 11:50 AM

The sixth annual Star Wars Day at Disneyland is coming THIS Sunday June 27, 2010. The event will include a group picture at 2:oo PM (SHARP!) in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. Lunch will also be at Pizza Port at noon for Star Wars Fan Clubs. All Fan Force, 501st, and Rebel Legion members are invited. While costumes are not permitted, Star Wars apparel is definitely appropriate. The website www.starwarsdisneyland.com sells shirts annually as well. Proceeds from the shirts go to the American Cancer Society.

: Disneyland Star Wars Day Fan Photo 2009 by Britt Dietz

Star Wars Day at Disneyland was started by a group of Star Wars fans who lamented that there are no Star Wars weekends at the Disneyland Resort as can be found at Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World. It has grown from a few fans dedicating a day to Star Wars at the Disneyland Resort to hundreds of fans sharing their mutual love for Star Wars and Disneyland!

If you are at the park on Sunday, stop by around two and hop into the picture! Generally one photo is taken by a Disneyland photographer and can be purchased via photopass; another is taken by photographer Britt Dietz and is posted on the website after the event.

This is a fun annual event that has been growing yearly, help it continue to grow! Let’s help them make this year bigger and better than ever and fill the entire area in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle! Please share details of the 6th Annual Star Wars Day at Disneyland with your friends and bring as many people to the castle as you can at 2:00PM SHARP for this fun photo!

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention. This event isn’t officially associated with either Disney or Star Wars in any way! It’s just a group of dedicated fans who want to celebrate something they love.

LABELS: 2010, 501ST, 6TH ANNUAL STAR WARS DAY AT DISNEYLAND, AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY, DISNEYLAND, DISNEYLAND RESORT, FAN FORCE, HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS, PIZZA PORT, REBEL LEGION, STAR WARS, STAR WARS DAY, STAR WARS FAN CLUBS, WALT DISNEY WORLD, MR. DAPS

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THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2010

Star Tours Departure Date Set

POSTED BY MRDAPS AT 11:25 AM

As I'm sure all of you are aware, Star Tours as you have known and loved it will be saying goodbye soon in favor of a new Star Tour. The Disney Parks Blog has officially announced that on July 27, 2010 Star Tours will give its last tour from Tomorrowland in Disneyland. In Florida, the final tour will be blasting away from Hollywood Studios on September 8, 2010. When Star Tours returns to both parks it will include a new 3-D immersive adventure through space. Of course on these adventures guests will experience some classic Star Wars moments.

If things go as planned, Star Tours 2.0 should be opening in a galaxy near you sometime next year.

LABELS: STAR TOURS, TOMORROWLAND, STAR TOURS 2.0, HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS, TOMORROWLAND, FLORIDA, STAR WARS, MR. DAPS

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MONDAY, APRIL 19, 2010

Star Wars Coming to BluRay!

POSTED BY MRDAPS AT 11:21 AM

It’s been finally confirmed by someone who actually might know something, Star Wars is being released on BluRay. Steve Sansweet has said that a “very full set” of Star Wars BluRay discs (all six movies) will be coming to your home entertainment system in the “not too-distant future.” Sansweet also promised that there will be a ton of new bonus features included with this release saying, "We have been at work for a couple of years working on - I won't call it the Ultimate Set because we keep finding stuff - but, a very full set of all six movies on Blu-ray with lots of extra material. We're finding all kinds of scenes from dailies that have never been seen before. Beyond all of those things that you know about... there are some real treasures."

What isn’t known is exactly which version of the original trilogy will be released. Will it be the original release? Will it be the revamped version? Will it be revamped again? Will all six be tweaked? We just don’t know at this point. Whatever does end up being released I’m sure will be making fans happy and sad all around the world, depending on their level of geekdom and how much of purists they are. Now… we wait.

LABELS: STAR WARS, BLURAY, MR. DAPS, STEVE SANSWEET

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THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2010

The Lord of the Rings BluRay

POSTED BY MRDAPS AT 11:59 AM

Every so often a movie (or trilogy) comes along that absolutely captivates an audience. It takes them completely away from sitting in a theater and carries them somewhere else. I think in the last decade that The Lord of the Rings trilogy was one of the most effective demonstrations of just that. I absolutely LOVED The Lord of the Rings! I think that Peter Jackson did a phenomenal job at recreating J.R.R. Tolkien's world known as Middle Earth and recreating the characters and stories that inhabit it. For me, it was probably one of the most imagination inspiring movies since the original Star Wars trilogy. I intentional did not include that second set of Star Wars

movie that they called a trilogy.

The Lord of the Rings has been released for home viewership several times now. If memory serves, it was released first individually as it was seen in theaters. Then they released it as a box set. Then there was extended release box set with all those amazing extras. That, for me, set the bar VERY high for extras on a DVD. I think that I still haven't found a better set of extras on a DVD or BluRay release to date. They shared everything you could ever want to know about the movies but at the same time made it interesting, if not entertaining!

On April 6, The Lord of the Rings was released on BluRay. I can't wait to see how Middle Earth looks in HD. From the reviews I've been reading, the difference between the DVD and BluRay is absolutely phenomenal. My own personal experience reviewing the technology has definitely confirmed this to be true as well. Here is where the real quandary begins. Is it worth the money to buy The Lord of the Rings in BluRay just to see it in HD? There aren't any new features which is a bit of a disappointment. They also probably will be releasing the extended versions on BluRay in the next year or so. And there my friends is where I stand stuck. Has anyone purchased this yet? What did you think? Worth it? If I find an amazing deal on Amazon or something, I most likely will get it. For now, I'll sit here stuck on the fence.

LABELS: THE LORD OF THE RINGS, BLURAY, STAR WARS, MIDDLE EARTH, MR. DAPS, DVD, HD, J.R.R. TOLKIEN, PETER JACKSON

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MONDAY, MARCH 15, 2010

Yellow Submarine Sunk?

POSTED BY MRDAPS AT 12:02 PM

With the closure of Robert Zemeckis’ motion capture studio one has to wonder what the future of Yellow Submarine is. While the Walt Disney Company has announced that ImageMovers, Zemeckis’ studio, is closing it also seems that they are going to keep moving forward with Yellow Submarine. It seems that it will also still use 3-D performance capture technology. I’m not sure how all this works or how this will be done but I’m sure Disney will announce this in the near future. It doesn’t surprise me at all that this project is not being dumped as recent projects like LOVE (in Vegas), Across the Universe, and The Beatles: Rock Band have all garnered a lot of attention and success.

If things move forward on the current course it looks like the following people will be playing The Beatles. Paul McCartney will be played by Peter Serafinowicz. Interestingly enough, he voiced Darth Maul in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. It will be quite an interesting difference to hear the voice change from Darth Maul to Paul McCartney. Dean Lennox Kelly, who is currently starring in the BBC’s Robin Hood series will be performing the role of John Lennon. Carry Ewes of Robin Hood: Men in Tights and The Princess Bride will be George Harrison. Lastly, Adam Campbell will be Ringo Starr. He has previously been seen in Epic Movie and Date Movie.

I honestly have no clue what I think about this cast. I’m sure after seeing a first preview I’ll have fairly strong feelings about it. They will either be able to be The Beatles or they won’t. It’s just like many Beatles cover bands, they can either do it and make it believable or they can’t. In this case, they won’t have their looks to add to the illusion but with motion capture technology they will have their movements. The issue I foresee really is can the technology render their performance and can it really can portray these actors as the people they will portray in a believable way? We’ll see.

While I’m not sold on the technology at all, I’m personally quite excited to see and hear this project. Let’s hope the sale of Zemeckis’ studios doesn’t slow things down too much!

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2010

Abbey Road Studios For Sale?

POSTED BY MRDAPS AT 12:14 PM

First it wasn’t for sale, then it was, and now it appears that Abbey Road Studios once again is not for sale. Last week, it was reported that EMI was looking to sell the venerable studios. Located in St. Johns Wood in London, Abbey Road Studios has housed such great artists like The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, and even the London Symphony Orchestra as it recorded soundtracks for movies like Star Wars (from Episode V on), The Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter. With all of these different honors, it is perhaps the most recognizable from the cover of The Beatles album entitled Abbey Road where The Beatles photographed the cover in the crosswalk just steps from the studios.

Mr. DAPs at Abbey Road Studios The talk of a potential $45 million sale price immediately drew negative reaction from around the globe, but especially in Great Britain. This led to talk about the National Trust stepping in. There also have been rumors swirling of other buyers hopping into the fray. Perhaps Paul McCartney could be one of these? Maybe he will partner up with Ringo and help save this important piece of musical history.

Right now there are a lot of unknowns about the future of Abbey Road Studios but things don’t look quite as bleak. EMI has reversed itself and said they will not sell the studios. They also have said that they are working towards potentially having a backer help keep the studios open and operating. If they can make good on that is yet to be seen. Currently, EMI is in a bit of a financial pickle and needs to raise around $165 million to avoid defaulting on loans.

My guess is that Abbey Road Studios will be saved and taken care of. It has too much history for it to end up being sold and lived in again (it originally was a private residence till the early 1930’s). While EMI’s outlook might be bleak, there are people who will step in and protect Abbey Road Studios. Perhaps the National Trust will turn it into a museum. Or perhaps a conglomerate of people connected with the studios will step in and buy it. Paul McCartney is quoted as saying, "few people who have been associated with Abbey Road for a long time" were interested in making a bid in saving it. Does this include McCartney? Perhaps. It could also be Andrew Lloyd Webber who has expressed interest in purchasing the studios as well. Only time will tell.

Mr. DAPs crosses Abbey Road Having visited Abbey Road I must say, it is a magical experience. There is something surreal about walking across the street knowing that John, Paul, George, and Ringo did the same thing. How they did it without being hit by all the traffic, I have no clue! It must not have been quite as busy back then! I do hope that the studios are saved though and continue to operate and provide the world with great music as it has done for almost 80 years!

Oh, and slightly off topic. For those of you who weren’t aware, Paul McCartney will be playing in L.A. at the Hollywood Bowl and tickets go on sale tomorrow. Anyone want to buy me one?

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