Construction is scheduled to be completed in mid 2011 and will replace the current 1,100 square foot quiet pool. The new pool should be 3,300 square feet, with zero-depth-entry, a water slide and a wet play area. It is also planned to include a large pool deck as well as an on-site dining location.

n a magnanamous gesture, Lee Unkrich, Directory of Pixar’s Toy Story 3 is auctioning off some of his personal collection of rare memorabilia to benefit the victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti. The auction is being held on EBay and is a personal effort of the director himself, not by the company.

The board today approved a $1.3 million budget to address the needs of the Fantasyland expansion. This money will be used to service Fantasyland’s electrical and water needs, but also includes nearly $200 thousand in contingency funds, so the overall cost may be slightly less. The board also approved the first $60,000 of the $1.3 million fund, which will go towards the initial design work necessary for the project.

While you may not think that an IBM data center would be terribly interesting, Epcot thinks you might. The IBM center features prominently in Epcot’s new Smarter Planet exhibit in the Innoventions center. The exhibit is intended to show the increasing role of technology in our daily lives.

James Bobin has chosen to helm the next Muppet Movie. This apparently represents a choice preferring this opportunity to a Judd Apatow project entitled “Bridesmaids.”

Pixar’s “Up” was nominated for three Grammy awards and won two of them on Sunday night. The film won Best Score Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media and Best Instrumental Composition.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting Docter’s reactions: that he hopes that “Up’s” best picture nomination is part of a shift in the way that Hollywood sees animated films.

Few people get to see the inner-workings of the ride, including color-coded support beams, multiple structure systems, and the details that make the ride’s mascot — a massive Yeti — so picture-perfect.

Popular Mechanics got the ticket to see inside...