Nightmare Ride

Disney and More, one of the fifty-four million Disney fan blogs, have today scooped the other fifty-three million, nine hundred and ninety nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety nine in fine style.

From somewhere, they've managed to acquire some sketches by Disney Imagineer Christopher Merrit of a Nightmare Before Christmas ride that looks suitably terrifying. There's a couple of samples below.

I went on a Peter Pan ride out in Disney Anaheim (Land? World?) and it scared me almost to death. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride actually killed me. Just for a second, but I swear: my heart stopped.

I kept my eyes closed throught much of the Nightmare-themed Haunted Mansion, but I did see the spindly, lip-synching anamatronic Jack Skellington and it was beautiful.

The Nightmare ride in these sketches was never going to be, the images come from Merritt's student portfolio. But he is now an Imagineer, toiling under Supreme Animation World Leader John Lassetter and doing good work that is going to get seen.

Not by, me, mind. My heart can't take it.

Peter Pan Gets Tidelanded

Seems that Peter Pan has been Tidelanded. Oscar Grillo's warning about the new 'special edition' release has been posted by Cartoon Brew.

[EDIT: The link was bust, but now it's fixed. Silly me]

Aunty Beeb In Scarlet

Variety have announced that the movie rights to Geraldine McCaughrean's Barrie-add-on, Peter Pan in Scarlet, have been snapped up by the BBC, in partnership with Headline Films and the UK Film Council. This sequel will keep making money for Great Ormond's street long after the original cannot, so, for that alone, it's a project to support. I havent read the book so I can't comment on it's quality - if anybody could chime in with a mini-review in the comments, it would be very much appreciated.

Wendy and her brothers have all grown up Scarlet - but not Peter, of course. That would be silly. They all return to Neverland and, unsurprisingly, much derring-do is the order of the day. Will there be an intertnet campaign to get PJ Hogan the directing gig, like there has been for Peter Jackson over The Hobbit?

I think that's only slightly less likely than Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie being hired to produce the comic book adaptaion - though I, for one, am something of a PJ Hogan fan, particularly when it comes to Muriel's Wedding and Peter Pan.