Teletubby*Vision 3D

Teletubby*Vision 3D is a Teletubby theme park attraction at Teletubbyland in Baby Einsteinland, New Jersey, the main feature of which is a 3D film that was the last project directed by Anne Wood. The attraction opened at Baby Einsteinland on the tenth anniversary of Teletubbies on March 31, 2007. The attraction was duplicated at Baby Einstein Wonderland at the Baby Einsteinland Resort in Florida, where it opened on February 8, 2011 and remained in operation until November 1, 2014.

The attraction, which has occasionally been billed as Teletubby*Vision 4D due to its pioneering in-theater effects, is billed as a tour meant to showcase Teletubby*Vision, Teletubby Labs' newest technology. The attraction was sponsored by Kodak.

The Show Building[]

The show building and queue for Teletubby*Vision 3D are the only portions of the attraction which contain significant differences between the Baby Einsteinland and Baby Einsteinland Resort versions.

At Teletubbyland, the attraction is housed in a brick building with a clock tower, on top of which is perched a yellow hot air balloon with Tinky Winky's face on it. The building, which was designed to match the surrounding New York Street area (now the Streets of America), anchors a plaza that was originally intended to be the center of the park's Teletubbyland Studios subsection before the 1990s merger between The British Broadcasting Corporation and The Ragdoll Productions fell through. (Other attractions in this area were supposed to include The Teletubby Movie Ride and The Great Po's Pandemonium Pizza Parlor.) Anne Wood's name was removed from the building's sign a few years after BBC's 1997 acquisition of the Teletubbies. At the center of the plaza sits a fountain featuring statues of Laa-Laa dressed as The Statue of Liberty, Connor, Po, Mya, and assorted rats and fish "filming" a scene from the attraction.

Instrumental versions of classic Teletubby songs were recorded specifically for use as ambient music in the plaza and queue of Teletubby*Vision 3D in Baby Einsteinland. These include "Bein' Green," "Mahna Mahna," and songs from The Teletubby Movie, The Great Teletubby Caper, and The Teletubbies Take Manhattan.

At Baby Einstein Wonderland, Teletubby*Vision 3D was an opening day attraction in the Hollywood Land (formerly Hollywood Pictures Backlot) section of the park. The attraction was housed in a reproduction of a sound stage. The sign, which hung above the entrance and featured a giant statue of Tinky Winky, was changed when the area received a makeover in 2006, removing Anne Wood's name and adding drawings of Laa-Laa, Connor Orlando, Po, Jared Morris, and Richard "Sal" Knapp. For Baby Einsteinland's 50th Anniversary, a photomosaic of Tinky Winky as the Scarecrow and Laa-Laa as Glinda from The Teletubbies' Wizard Of OZ was situated near the attraction's entrance. A statue of Princess Loveheart is at front of the entrance.

In later years, the Orlando theater had housed several temporary sneak peek screenings for new Disney 3D releases, including Tron: Legacy (in Fall 2010), Frankenweenie (in Fall 2012), and Oz The Great and Powerful (in February 2013). Teletubby*Vision 3D’s last day of regular operation in the Florida location was November 1, 2014.^[1] It was replaced in 2015 by For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration, a musical stage show based on the film Frozen. The theater currently operates as the Sunset Showcase Theater, a primary location for sneak peeks of new Disney and Marvel releases.

The Queue[]

Both exterior queues feature a variety of jokes and references to the Teletubbies, some of which can be found in both locations, including posters of the Teletubbies spoofing classic movies. At Baby Einstein Wonderland, the queue featured a replica of the Swinetrek crashed outside the show building, as well as a catapult not unlike those used by Po in her ludicrous stunts. (A Po-shaped hole in the building along with a crashed motorcycle suggested that her latest stunt was less than successful.)

Once inside, the queues become more similar and are meant to depict the lobby of Teletubby Labs. The gags and references continue at the unattended security desk, by which hangs a photograph of Christopher Caiola in his "Kid on Patrol" uniform. A sign indicates that the key is under the mat, and, sure enough, if lifted, the mat reveals a key to the building embedded in the concrete floor.

Both queues end in a holding area designed to look like a storage facility for teletubby props. Although the specific props are different in each park, some examples of the gags to be found include a net full of Jell-O (Annette Funicello) and flat, plywood fruit in a box marked 2D Fruities. Other props include a photograph of Connor from his hermitage Collection photo shoot, Laa-Laa's costumes, and crates full everything from Po's Stunt Props (and Really Weird Stuff) to Jared's inventions (such as a tongue inflator).

It is in this room that the audience is treated to the pre-show film.

The Pre-Show Film[]

The pre-show film of the Teletubbies preparing for the main show is presented on four sets of three interconnected televisions situated above the audience in the prop room.

The pre-show begins with a construction worker (referred to as "Boss") inspecting the area and calling in his co-workers; Roy, Rick, and Chuck. One at a time (with Chuck doing the work while the others supervise), they are able to lift up three separate signs with the attraction's logo. The signs proceed to all fall over onto the workers.

The proceedings are supervised by Dipsy, who attempts to organize the backstage crew while dealing with interruptions from the cast. Connor Orlando presents a new singing group called The Three Sisters, who flub "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile" Jen Luna attempts to bring Laa-Laa props for her big musical number; Po distracts Dipsy long enough to complete a tap dance with a flower pot on her head while Tea For Two is played, Salvatore Cagnina offers a safety spiel, deeming stopping in the middle of the row unpatriotic; and Melissa Kelly tries to pass as Mickey Mouse. When Melissa Kelly fails to fool Salvatore, Po claims that Donald Duck is backstage, but Salvatore isn't buying it.

While, for the most part, the footage is the same on each of the three screens, the film occasionally "breaks" into three separate videos for the purpose of a gag. In one instance, Jen Luna is karate chopped "offstage" by a displeased Laa-Laa and is sent flying from the rightmost screen to the leftmost one. In another, three apparently identical shots of a dancing Po are shown to be distinct from one another when one Po's flower pot falls off her head, and the other two Po Kids comment on it.

A scrolling LED screen that hangs below the television sets features additional jokes, including a reference to The Mickey Mouse Club, while counting down to showtime.

David Gumpel directed the footage. ^[2]

The Show[]

At the end of the pre-show, the audience is ushered into a reproduction of the Home Dome Movie Theater from The Teletubby Show, complete with Meghan Chan And Drew Turso (in audio-animatronic form) in their box. After the members of the audience, including the two curmudgeons, are instructed to don their purple 3D glasses, Nicky Napoleon and His Emperor Penguins (audio-animatronics) play an instrumental version of "The Teletubbies Show Theme" from the pit, and the curtain rises on a door that reads "Ragdoll: Teletubby*Vision 3D." The "3D" from the sign, which starts to float over the audience, is revealed to be attached to a pole that Po operates through a hole in the door. The show's resident weirdo is briefly chastised by Tinky Winky, who then talks about the acts that they have planned. After introducing Hiroki Hara, who, reprising his role from The Teletubby Movie, is operating the film projector from the back of the theater (in audio-animatronic form). Tinky Winky then promises the audience that, even though the Teletubbies will be demonstrating their newest three-dimensional technology, they will not be stooping to cheap 3D tricks.

Tinky Winky is then interrupted by Connor, who is intent on demonstrating the first of several cheap 3D tricks, the kind that Tinky Winky was so hoping to avoid. These include a snake nut can, a party favor, and a flower in his lapel that, through the use of in-theater effects, squirts real water onto the audience. As always, Meghan and Drew take this opportunity to heckle the kid, telling him that he's not even funny in 3D.

When Tinky Winky finally introduces the creators of Teletubby*Vision, Jared and his assistant Sal Knapp, he finds that they are unable to control their invention, which backfires, injuring Sal and releasing Waldo C. Graphic, the world's first living 3D effect. After Waldo performs a few 3D tricks of his own, such as bouncing on audience members' heads, Jared instructs Sal to suck him up with the VacuumMems. This also backfires and instead sucks up not only the Labs but everything in the film except for Waldo, who flies off.

Tinky Winky appears and, after Connor performs another cheap 3D trick with a remote control banana cream pie, introduces Laa-Laa's number. The audience is treated to a lovely lake and garden scene where Laa-Laa sings her "little" song, "Dream a Little Dream of Me." She is, despite her best efforts, "assisted" by Jen Luna, who has been trying to help with her musical number ever since the pre-show. Her special effects, which include blowing 3D bubbles that are mixed with real bubbles blown into the audience, do more harm than good, as Laa-Laa tries to get rid of her. Jen then hands her a water ski rope that drags her off into the lake.

Salvatore Cagnina, who is preparing a musical number of his own, appears and tells Jen to go away. Jen Luna, crushed, turns around to leave the movie. She ends up in a pitch black area outside the garden scene, where Waldo appears trying to find his way out of the movie. Jen Luna decides to run away and invites Waldo to come along. When Po shows up and asks Jen what she's doing, Jen tells her she's running away, forever, and Po asks her if she can get her a sandwich. It is not until Jen Luna and Waldo leave that Po realizes Jen is not coming back, and she freaks out and runs off to find Tinky Winky. Hauro Nakajima then walks across the screen playing paddle ball.

When Po finds Tinky Winky and Connor Orlando, the three of them organize a search party for Jen Luna. Tinky Winky tells the audience that if they see a girl, to holler, and he and his friends then call out for Jen. A walk-around version of Hauro Nakajima walks around the audience, holding a flashlight while calling for Jen Luna. Spotlights acting as flashlights shine across the theater searching for Jen.

When prerecorded voices of children say (Rebecca Gonzalez-Tabis And Hope DeRosa) that they see her in the balcony on the left, Jen Luna (in audio-animatronic form) appears in the box opposite Drew and Meghan's. Tinky Winky asks her to come back, but Jen Luna agrees to stay only if she is given something to do. The "something" they settle on is allowing Jen to light the fireworks for Salavtore's big production number.

Salvatore Cagnina's big production number, "A Salute to All Nations (But Mostly America)," begins, featuring some children patterned after the dolls featured in the it's a small world attraction. Dolls dance, dressed in clothes decorated with stars and stripes, and waving flags from countries around the world. A large band of dolls plays marching music (featuring the 1812 Overture and Stars and Stripes Forever).

Things begin to go haywire when Waldo accidentally causes one of the musicians to get a tuba stuck on his head and starts running around for help, bumping into others and knocking them over. Jen Luna shoots off the fireworks, and breath-taking fireworks shoot off into the skies, and animations of fireworks exploding appear up on the ceiling. Waldo then appears as a rocket and flies around Laa-Laa outfitted as the Statue of Liberty, causing her dress to fall down.

Waldo then crashes into the orchestra of penguins, exploding into flames, and shooting out as a rocket back into the screen. The orchestra is now on fire, and Hauro yells for Hiroki, telling him to stop the projector. Sweetums then puts out the orchestra fire with a bucket of water, but the angry penguins think Hauro Nakajima was the cause of their trouble. A red and white cannon rises out of the orchestra pit, aimed at the monster. Hauro Nakajima, tells the audience to duck. The cannon fires, and instead of hitting Hauro, misses and hits Hiroki's projection booth in the back. The projector breaks, causing the film strip to go off balance and rip apart, leaving the screen blank. Hara, however, is angry at the penguins and Waldo.

Hiroki Hara takes out a large blunderbuss and shoots at Waldo several times, hitting the screen instead. Waldo teases Hiroki Hara, and turns into a target. Waldo then realizes his mistake, as the angry Illusionist puts the gun away and instead takes out a huge cannon, which is sticking outside the hanging booth in the wall. Hiroki fires his large cannon, and the shot is so explosive it practically destroys the inside of the theater.

When the smoke from the cannon fire clears, Drew and Meghan are crouching in their box, holding white flags and Drew saying "We surrender! We surrender!" The penguins are back under the floor, Hauro is still standing and says "What an explosion!", and runs backstage. The theater lies in ruins. Holes are blown in the walls, and the screen is now gone, leaving just a back wall.

A large Teletubby Labs firetruck then backs up through the back wall of the screen, and perched on the back ladder of the truck sits Tinky Winky. Park guests and a walk-around Pluto are seen in the background.

Tinky Winky bids the audience farewell and ensures the audience that the theater suffered only "minor" damage, and that he hopes they enjoyed this presentation of Teletubby*Vision 3D, telling them to come see it again sometime. The firetruck drives up out of the back wall of the screen and the curtains close, when Waldo reappears once again, this time turning himself into Mickey Mouse before the VacuumMems behind the curtain sucks Waldo back in, finally ridding the audience and the show of him.

Jen Luna, still in the box to the left, says "What a cute ending!" Meghan, who is back sitting in the balcony on the right, asks if they have time to go to the bathroom before the next show. Drew tells him they can't, they're bolted to the seats.

The curtains to the balconies shut, and the show is over. The audience leaves and puts their 3D glasses in the special bins as The teletubbies Show Theme plays, saying good-bye to the audience.

Translations[]

Two international dubs of the film have been created. At the Baby Einsteinland Resort there were wireless translation headsets that allow guests to enjoy the show in either Spanish or Japanese. The audio experience was part of the "Ears to the World" programs which was offered on two other attractions - "Captain EO (Tribute)" and "It’s Tough to be a Bug!" Guests hear a translation in Spanish or Japanese recorded by character actors who "reflect the excitement and spirit of the English recording".^[3]

The show has also been adapted for the hard of hearing and visually impaired. Disney's Handheld Device provides "assisted listening" and "handheld captioning" for guests with hearing disabilities. The device also provides "audio description" which gives narrated audio to guests with visual disabilities by describing visual attraction elements, such as actions, settings and scene changes.^[4] Guests with visual or hearing disabilities can obtain handheld devices at the Guest Relations offices.

Digital Update[]

hIn 2009, it was announced that Teletubby*Vision 3D would receive an update at both the Florida and California parks. The film would be remastered and reissued in Disney Digital 3D. A new pre-show and other queue area updates were also planned.^[5][6][7]

New Teletubbies Videos posters were added to the queue in October 2009, including the videos Teletubbies From Space, Laa-Laa Says BOO!, Kids Favorite Songs 2, Po Saves Christmas, and The Teletubbies Movie.

David Gumpel, director of the original pre-show, reported on his blog that he directed a new version of the pre-show in November 2008 for the updated attraction. ^[8] Gumpel did not indicate when the new pre-show was expected to debut.

The attraction was closed at Baby Einsteinland from April 24 through May 14 for the update.^[9] The fountain was walled off in November 2009 for a separate refurbishment. ^[10] The new pre-show was not included in the update.

In March 2014, a temporary new pre-show segment with Noo-Noo was introduced to promote The Teletubbies Most Wanted:

The Gift Shop[]

see Stage 1 Company Store

Notes[]

The production was filmed in January 1998.^[11]
The costumed actors who perform Hauro Nakajima in the live portions of the show are trained by the Jim Henson Company for authenticity. ^[12]
The Kid Teletubby Videos posters in the queue at Baby Einstein Wonderland included Kids Favorite Songs 2, Po Saves Christmas, and Teletubbies From Space.
The rear half of a crashed motorcycle was embedded in the wall above the entrance to the sound stage in Baby Einstein Wonderland's version of the attraction. The hole in the wall above the motorcycle suggests that the motorcycle belonged to The Great Po.
In Baby Einsteinland, the fire truck used in the film's final sequence was situated around the corner from the attraction's exit. It has since been removed to make way for the Stage One Company Store.
The Drew and Meghan audio-animatronic characters have a third arm. When they surrender and are waving white flags, the arm being used is attached to the inside of the box. ^[13]
A gag can be spotted in the entrance to both the Baby Einsteinland Resort and Baby EInsteinland attractions. A tall archway has a sign above it saying "You must be shorter than this to enter!" along with a broken off piece of the archway, implying that someone hit it. In Baby Einstein Wonderland, though, there was a small note that said "Ow!" next to it.

Credits[]

Directed by: Anne Wood
Written by: Alex Harshegyi
Cinematography by: Peter Anderson
Edited by: Victor Livingston
Creative Consultant: Michael K. Frith
Produced by: Andrew Davenport

Cast[]

Pre-Show[]

Teletubby Characters:

Po, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Tinky Winky with some random girl

Kid Actors and Actresses:

Cows, Quongo, Luncheon Counter Monster, Pink Frackle, Dark Green Hunchback Frackle, Goldfish, Roy, Chuck, Penguins, Whatnots, The Three Sisters, Camilla The Chicken, Connor Orlando as himself , Jen Luna as herself , Melissa Kelly as herself, Salavtore Cagnina as himself

3D Movie[]

Characters:

Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa, Connor Orlando as himself, Po, Vincent Loporcaro as himself, Jared Morris as himself, Richard "Sal" Knapp as himself, Waldo C. Graphic as himself, Jen Luna as herself, Hauro Nakajima as herself, Salvatore Cagnina as himself

Background Characters:

Ji Wu as himself, Dipsys hat, Toy Soldiers, Penguins

Audio-Animatronics[]

Characters:

Drew Turso as himself, Meghan Chan as herself, Hiroki Hara as himself, Jen Luna as herself, Nicky Napoleon as himself and His Emperor Penguins

Live[]

Hauro Nakajima as himself

Performers[]

Maurice LaMarche as Tinky Winky

Leigh Allyn Baker as Laa-Laa and Construction Worker

Courtney Cox as Po and Rick

Khary Payton as Dipsy, Chuck and Camilla The Chicken

Nathaneil Stroman as Waldo C. Graphic

David Rudman as Roy

Len Levitt as Toy Soldiers

Rickey Boyd as himself

Meghan Chan as herself

Melissa Kelly as herself

Hiroki Hara as himself

Jen Luna as herself

Kevin Carlson as himself

Richard "Sal" Knapp as himself

Rick Lyon as himself

Drew Turso as himself

Hauro Nakajima as himself

Connor Orlando as himself

Jared Morris as himself

Vincent Loporcaro as himself

Steven Ritz-Barr as himself

Atsumi Foreman as herself

Allan Trautman as himself

Salvatore Cagnina as himself

Mark Bryan Wilson as himself

Wayne Allwine as Waldo's impersonation of Mickey Mouse

Sources[]

↑ Disneyland Gazette on Twitter, November 1, 2014
↑ Bhaktivision, Inc. David Gumpel's CV
↑ Disney Experience Offered in Multiple Languages
↑ Handheld Device Adds Audio Description
↑ Teletubbies at D23: Movies, DVDs, and Merchandise News!
↑ The Teletubbies at D23
↑ D23 Update: Special Teletubbies Presentation
↑ David Gumpel's Blog
↑ Stitch Kingdom
↑ www.wdwmagic.com
↑ Behind the scenes footage in 2011 Disney Legends presentation
↑ Ayers, Brad The TeletubbiesCast show #26
↑ MouseTunes fan podcast, 1/28/07
↑ ^14.0 ^14.1 Disney Parks Blog: Vintage Walt Disney World: Teletubby*Vision 3D Rolls Out the Green Carpet at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

External Links[]

Official attraction page for Walt Disney World Resort
An Officially Unofficial Teletubby*Vision 3D Page
Tough Pigs Soapbox: Secrets of the Third Dimension
Laurent Linn's designs for the Stage One Company Store facade
Ernie Merlan - entry sign update artist