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☆ These supersized clownfish robots could be coming to waterways in the Middle East
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Amy Gunia | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Without better data to understand the health of increasingly stressed waterways, the fight to save these most precious of resources will be ineffective, says Simeon Pieterkosky, co-founder of the technology company Aquaai. The technology could also find a use in the Middle East, a region that is battling water scarcity. Aquaai co-founder and CEO Liane Thompson. Aquaai is currently upgrading its underwater drones and is in discussions with various government agencies about trials to put the newest version to work. There are a smattering of other agencies and companies developing underwater drones for a variety of purposes.

Persons: Simeon Pieterkosky, ”, Aquaai, Pieterkosky, Liane Thompson, Aquaai Thompson, Thompson, Robert C, Brears, “ Organizations: CNN, United Arab, Abu Locations: California, Norway, East, North Africa, Thompson, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi’s, Beijing

☆ Disney's parks are its top money maker — and it plans to spend $60 billion to keep it that way
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-07 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

It had been more than a year since the Covid pandemic had forced Disney's domestic parks to shutter, but D'Amaro, chair of Disney's experiences division, was confident guests would flood back in when the gates reopened. Revenues fell 35% in 2020, a nearly $10 billion decrease from the $26.2 billion the experiences division had tallied in the year before the pandemic. The experiences division posted record revenue of $32.5 billion in fiscal 2023, a 16% increase from the prior year. Its innovations, from ride mechanics and animatronics to creature design and immersive architecture, have made Disney's parks a standout in the industry. Storytelling is at the heart of everything across Disney's experiences division.

Persons: Mickey Mouse, Ian Langsdon, Josh D'Amaro, D'Amaro, Bob Chapek, D'Amaro —, Walt Disney, King Arthur Carousel, Christian Thompson, you've, it's, Bob Iger, Nelson, Walt Disney Imagineering, Rey, Kylo Ren, Judy Hopps, Imagineers, CNBC —, Lewis, Disney, Imagineering, Matt Stroshane, Alan Bergman Organizations: Paris, Afp, Getty, Gibson, Disney, Walt Disney Imagineering, Hong Kong Disneyland, Walt Disney, Guardians, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Star Wars, California Disneyland's, Walt Disney Imagineering's, Disney Engineers, Force, Southwest, CNBC, Galactic, Marvel Locations: California, Burbank, Disneyland, Hong Kong, Shanghai Disneyland, Florida, Epcot, Magic, Wharf, Disneyland's, Disney's, Edge

☆ Disney reveals more on huge Magic Kingdom expansion, one part of a $60 billion investment
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Natasha Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Glendale, California CNN —Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, the “wildest ride in the wilderness,” sits at one edge of Disney World’s Magic Kingdom park, the most visited theme park in the world. “It’s probably the largest expansion ever at Magic Kingdom,” Michael Hundgen, Walt Disney World site portfolio executive, said Tuesday during a rare media event previewing new Disney attraction designs and technology at its Walt Disney Imagineering facility in California. Disney’s 10-year investment planThe Magic Kingdom expansion is one part of a $60 billion investment Disney has said it’s planning for its parks, cruises and experiences over the next decade. But any plans for expanding the theme park footprint at the Disneyland resort would need Anaheim city approval because of zoning issues. This is really a wild experience.”Charita Carter, executive creative producer at Walt Disney Imagineering, worked on the project from its inception about four years ago.

Persons: “ It’s, ” Michael Hundgen, Walt, Walt Disney, Bob Iger, Josh D'Amaro, Iger, “ it’s, Disney, ” Iger, ”, Mike Pucher, Walt Disney Imagineering Iger, Imagineers, Darth Vader, Imagineer Lanny Smoot, ” Smoot, Smoot, Christian Thompson, Stella Reese Chase, Leah Chase, Chase, “ I’m, I’ve, ” Charita Carter, Walt Disney Imagineering, Carter, “ Organizations: California CNN, Railroad, Disney, Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney, Walt, CNN, Universal Orlando Resort, Universal, Comcast, Anaheim City Council, National Inventors Hall of Fame, Research, Walt Disney Imagineering Research, Disneyland’s Locations: Glendale, California, ”, Central Florida, Disney’s Florida, Florida, Anaheim, New Orleans

☆ Japan launches bullet train service to a region that 'guidebooks rarely mention'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Rob Goss | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Japan is launching a new high-speed bullet train, or shinkansen, extension on Saturday that will make an under-the-radar prefecture far more accessible to travelers. The new train will pass through the city of Fukui, the town of Awara and other places guidebooks rarely mention, before reaching the port town of Tsuruga, adding some 78 miles to the Hokuriku Shinkansen's existing Tokyo-to-Kanazawa service. A Geisha walks through a performance hall in Awara, Japan. The end of the lineThe new shinkansen service ends in the town of Tsuruga. Kehi-no-Matsubara in Tsuruga, Japan.

Persons: dino, Juratic, Dogen, it's, Buddhika Weerasinghe, Arief, Sugihara Chiune, Sugihara, Matsuo Basho Organizations: Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, Zen, Getty, Humanity Museum, Mixa Locations: Japan, Fukui Prefecture, Tokyo, Fukui, Awara, Tsuruga, Kanazawa, Katsuyama, Kanaz, Suishouhama, Poland, Lithuania, Nazi

☆ We ranked the best holiday store windows on Fifth Avenue. See the winners.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Fifth Avenue is known for its elaborate store windows during the holiday season. We ranked the best windows based on how creative, festive, and elaborate they were. Retailers began investing in holiday window displays in the late 19th century to attract shoppers during the year's busiest shopping season . Macy's is credited as the first department store to decorate its windows — at its previous 14th Street outpost between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Business Insider took a stroll along Fifth Avenue to see the holiday windows and ranked each store based on how creative, festive, and elaborate they were.

Persons: —, Macy's, Frank Baum, Oz, Taylor, Lucie Levine, Salvador Dalí, Andy Warhol Organizations: Service, York, New York Times, Retailers, Sixth, New Yorkers Locations: Fifth, New York, Chicago

☆ Chuck E. Cheese is retiring its robots and it's probably not because of a horror movie
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Chuck E. Cheese has officially retired Munch's Make Believe Band. The change was made as part of an update to all Chuck E. Cheese locations. AdvertisementIt's lights out for the unlively characters of Chuck E. Cheese's nostalgic animatronic band, and it probably has nothing to do with "Five Nights at Freddy's." So did Chuck E. Cheese remove the animatronics to avoid scaring the kids? Representatives for Chuck E. Cheese did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

Persons: Chuck E, —, WTHR, Chuck, Freddy Fazbear's Organizations: Service, Representatives Locations: Northridge, Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley

Keep reading to see where to watch the Five Nights at Freddy's movie online. Five Nights at Freddy's is best described as the lifelike reimagination of your inner child's worst Chuck E. Cheese nightmare. Where to watch Five Nights at Freddy's onlineFive Nights at Freddy's is streaming through the Peacock app in the United States. How to watch Five Nights at Freddy's with a VPNSign up for a VPN if you don't have one. Watch Five Nights at Freddy's.

Persons: Chuck E, Jason Blum, they've, ExpressVPN, Insider's Organizations: Peacock, animatronics, Universal Pictures Locations: United States

☆ Here's how to see Disney's new 'Frozen' park area before it opens to the public
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Quek Jie Ann | Morgan Awyong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

In this article DIS Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTHong Kong Disneyland Resort is opening a new land inspired by Disney's blockbuster "Frozen" movie franchise. World of Frozen is a recreation of Arendelle — a fictional village featured in the "Frozen" movies that is home to the Disney sisters, Elsa and Anna. Disney's Elsa and Anna at World of Frozen in Hong Kong Disneyland. Getting in earlyGuests who book packages through the travel company Klook can experience World of Frozen before it opens to the public. Source: MSL SingaporeThe company is selling a "First Look at Arendelle" package, which comes with two park tickets and a one-night hotel stay, for $880.

Persons: Disney, Elsa, Anna, Disney's Elsa, Walt Disney, Walt, Disney's Olaf, Sven Organizations: Hong Kong Disneyland, Walt Disney World's Hall, Presidents, Tokyo, Tokyo DisneySea's Indiana Jones, CNBC Travel, Singapore Locations: Hong Kong, Singapore, Hong, Tokyo DisneySea's Indiana, Arendelle, Norway

Hyperrealistic baby dolls can cost upwards of 15,000 euros. Babyclon, a doll producer, uses medical-grade silicone, alpaca hair, and nail resin, which contribute to the high price point. But the months of painstaking manual labor required to achieve a lifelike doll are what account for most of that price. And with added features such as animatronics and artificial intelligence, the possibilities are endless. Babyclon website: https://babyclon.com/en/home/

☆ The conspiracy theory involving a creepy Donald Trump animatronic at Walt Disney World explained — and why people are talking about it once again
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In 2017, Walt Disney World unveiled an animatronic of then-President Donald Trump. It just looks wrong in a way that doesn't make any sense to my brain," Goldman told Insider. Goldman said the appeal of the Clinton-Trump animatronic conspiracy lies partially in its harmlessness but also its humor. I don't imagine that there's much more that people are willing to tell, but who knows," Goldman told Insider. Walt Disney World and Disney Imagineers did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Persons: Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, —, Trump, Clinton, Alex Goldman, Disney, Goldman, it's, Hillary, Imagineer, Ellen DeGeneres animatronics, he's, Ellen DeGeneres, Disney Imagineers Organizations: Walt Disney World, Service, Walt Disney, Presidents, Disney, Twitter, Trump, Hall, Clinton, Star Wars Locations: Orlando, Epcot, Pirates, Caribbean

☆ 'Jurassic Park' still has bite at 30, and here's why
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Dan Heching | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —It’s been 30 years since Steven Spielberg’s dinosaurs stampeded across the screen in the first “Jurassic Park,” but it feels more recent. Admittedly, I was the exact target audience for this creature feature, and even though I was already somewhat of a self-taught critic (note the aforementioned mouthiness), I was awed by what I saw that summer three decades ago, and my impressions of “Jurassic Park” remain to this day. Joseph Mazzello in "Jurassic Park." Laura Dern, Sam Neill and Joseph Mazzello in "Jurassic Park." Add to that the amazing and meme-worthy smaller performances from Samuel L. Jackson (“Hold onto your butts!”), Wayne Knight (“Ah ah ah!

Persons: CNN — It’s, Steven Spielberg’s, Rex, Martin Ferrero, ”, Joseph Mazzello, dino, Kong ”, Ian Malcolm, Jeff Goldblum, Michael Crichton’s, Spielberg, John Williams, Laura Dern, Sam Neill, Goldblum, there’s Laura Dern, Sigourney Weaver, Sam Neill –, Samuel L, Jackson, Wayne Knight, Bob Peck, “, you’ve Organizations: CNN, Titans, Marvel

☆ At Theme Parks, You Must Be This Tall—and This Thin—to Ride
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Jacob Passy | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The newest ride at Universal Studios Hollywood, Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, takes visitors into the classic Nintendo game using augmented reality and animatronics. It also warns that they might not be allowed to ride if their waistline measures 40 inches or more. The ride, one of several at the California park with that admonition, illustrates how navigating theme parks has grown tougher for plus-size visitors as parks balance accessibility with heightened safety requirements.

☆ 'M3GAN' is an internet star thanks to her TikTok-esque dance. Director Gerard Johnstone calls the viral reaction 'unbelievable.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Kahlan-Rosenblatt.Jpg | Kalhan Rosenblatt | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Before she ever hit the big screen, M3GAN was a social media icon. The killer android doll is the star of the film "M3GAN," which released nationwide Friday. Models perform the viral dance at a special screening of "M3GAN" in New York on Wednesday. Like other viral phenomena before it, M3GAN’s social media success was a happy accident — something Johnstone didn't see coming. "That’s incredible”He credits some of the film's early praise to social media buzz.

The most chilling moment in Gerard Johnstone’s new horror film, “M3GAN,” comes early. Its wildly popular — and immediately viral — trailer seems to give away the entire story, beat by beat, but what it can’t convey is the picture’s delightfully oddball tone, which is poised at a peculiar juncture of slasher horror and self-aware satire. Gemma, dressed in flannels, so you know she’s an antisocial nerd, has developed M3GAN, short for Model 3 Generative ANdroid. As a character, M3GAN is a marvel of design, combining body actor (Amie Donald), voice (Jenna Davis), animatronics, makeup and special effects. (“Humanity kills every day, just to make its existence more bearable,” M3GAN cackles, presumably after doing some online reading about Apple and Foxconn’s Longhua facility.)

☆ Shadow puppet enthusiasts hope robotics can save ancient art
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Malaysian college lecturer Ahnaf Hakimi Ahmad hopes to save the ancient tradition of shadow puppetry using 3D-printed figures controlled by robotics instead of people. Ahnaf, 33, hopes his invention, which is funded by a 20,000 Malaysian ringgit ($4,244) grant, can allow people to enjoy the rapidly fading artform "whenever and wherever". So, with this animatronic shadow puppet show, it will be a new phenomenon for these youths," he said at a performance at a mall in Penang island. Wayang usually depicts epic Hindu tales such as the Ramayana in hours-long theatrical and musical performances, but some in Muslim-majority Malaysia consider them un-Islamic. ($1 = 4.7120 ringgit)Reporting by Ebrahim Harris; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor and Gerry DoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Retailers trot out 12-foot skeletons, haunted house cookie sets to boost Halloween sales
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-09 | by ( Melissa Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

At the Target department store in Exeter Township Tuesday afternoon for a story on halloween costumes. Cislo, 43, of Dallas, plans to spend about $700 for Halloween to step up his family's front yard decorations. As retailers brace for a lackluster holiday season, many are planning to pump up sales early by dangling a wider assortment of Halloween merchandise. Target executives expressed high hopes for sales of costumes, haunted house cookie building sets and other Halloween merchandise, even after cutting the company's profit outlook twice. That's expected to lift total Halloween spending to a record $10.6 billion, a jump from last year's $10.1 billion, the survey found.

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