Post Free Dining MickeyBlog News for April 25, 2018
In the latest edition of MickeyBlog News, we have all the happenings at Disney California Adventure plus a lot of cool Walt Disney World information, too! Here’s everything you need to know.
Want a Pixar Pier Preview?
Are you anxiously anticipating the debut of Pixar Pier? Of course you are! What self-respecting Disney fan isn’t? For those of us who can’t wait a second longer for more information about this exciting new themed land, Disney has a stop-gap solution.
Head over to Disney California Adventure’s Blue Sky Cellar! Disney had closed this preview center for most of the past five years, but it’s open again as of this week. Here, you’ll see sneak peeks of several coming Disney attractions. The most famous ones are models and renderings of various Pixar Pier neighborhoods.
Disney says the following: “The space features early concept art, sketches, videos and models of the new land set to open along the southern shore of Paradise Bay.” You will also find a preview of Bing Bong’s Sweet Stuff, which sounds absolutely delightful…although it does sell something called Bing Bong’s Sweet Tears. I’m not sure I want to eat that. Anyway, drop by Disney California Adventure to get a sneak peek at the future, Pixar Pier!
Speaking of Pixar…
Pixar Fest ended the other day and was by all accounts a rousing success. Mickey Travelers relished the special fireworks show and newly updated parades, Paint the Night and Pixar Play Parade. The fireworks show entitled Together Forever isn’t inspired by a Rick Astley song despite the name. Instead, it’s a compilation of your favorite moments from 19 different Pixar movies!
You can watch a 12-minute video of the show here. You’ll notice 4:30 mark that it already includes sequences from Coco plus some unexpected building pop-ups! The Pixar Fest event runs through September 3rd, and it’ll get even better in a few weeks! The Pixar Pals Dance Party will debut at Disneyland’s Tomorrowland Terrace! Also, the Paint the Night parade will add a float based on The Incredibles and The Incredibles 2 in early June. Disney doesn’t want to reveal it too soon.
Then, Pixar Pier opens to the public for the first time on June 23rd. On this day, Disney fanatics finally get to see the Pixar neighborhoods in action. And that’s not all! The Incredicoaster also debuts this summer. Disney revealed the first image of the roller coaster cart the other day. It’s SO shiny! The vehicle features the signature team colors of Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl. Plus, it has the signature I on the hood of the car. The Incredicoaster is going to be, well, you know.
Over at Walt Disney World…
Lots of stuff is happening at the Most Magical Place on Earth. Let’s start with a stunning technological feat. The Walt Disney Company in partnership with Origis Energy USA has constructed a 270-acre solar farm. For perspective, Magic Kingdom is 107 acres in size. Yes, Disney’s built a solar farm that absolutely dwarfs the most popular theme park in the world.
Why did Disney do this? The new solar farm is capable of generating 50 megawatts. I don’t want to turn this into a discussion of Joules, as I’m sure you’re not over your high school Physics grade yet. What I will say is that 50 megawatts is enough power to operate TWO Walt Disney World theme parks all the time. In other words, Disney’s invested in renewable energy, with this solar farm ultimately doing the equivalent of reducing “greenhouse gas emissions by more than 57,000 tons per year.” The article I linked points out that the environmental impact is similar to taking 9,300 cars off the road!
Disney hasn’t broken ground on this solar farm yet. So, if you’re thinking about the solar farm that looks like a giant (not so) Hidden Mickey from above, it’s not that one. This one will be located in the area surrounding Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Despite the fact that Disney won’t begin construction for a couple of months, the current projection is that this massive solar farm will go online by the end of 2018! Combined with existing solar farms onsite, Disney will have enough sustainable energy to operate 25 percent of all operations at Walt Disney World. They’re not just talking the talk about being environmentally friendly. Disney is also leading by example.
Updates on Stuff We Know
In previous MickeyBlog updates, we’ve mentioned a couple of new attractions and features coming to Walt Disney World theme parks. Two of them have started over the last few days, and easy is available at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
UP! A Great Bird Adventure is the replacement for Flights of Wonder, the bird show attraction. The new version lasts 25 minutes and features Senior Wilderness Explorer Russell and his lovable talking dog, Dug. The two of them learn about various species of birds. You can watch Disney’s introductory video here. The full show is available for viewing here.
Also at Animal Kingdom, the previously mentioned Avatar mechs have arrived! The Pandora Utility Suit character meeting is now available. It’s…odd. A cast member suits up in a 10-foot tall robotic suit that looks like a lot like a Transformer.
The suit is a bit different from the ones in Avatar the movie. In the franchise, mankind is still warring with the natives of Pandora over the planet’s natural resources. The themed land is set centuries afterward, a time when guests from Earth visit peacefully and learn from the Pandoran locals. You can see how the character meeting works in this video.
VIKINGS!!!
No, this isn’t about the 2018 playoffs, although as a lifetime Atlanta Falcons fan, I love how Minnesota broke New Orleans’ heart on that Stefon Diggs game-winning TD. But I digress. What I am talking about is the Norway Pavilion at the World Showcase.
Yes, what is currently the most popular pavilion at Epcot is about to get even better. As of this week, the Stave Church Gallery features a breathtaking new inclusion. Called Gods of the Vikings, this exhibit includes breathtaking statues of icons of Norse mythology such as Freya, Loki, Odin, and (of course) Thor.
Since the Marvel Cinematic Universe has elevated the awareness of the Viking pantheon of deities, this exhibit seems remarkably well-timed with the impending release of Avengers: Infinity War. You can look at individual photos of a few statues on the Disney blog.
Disney Play
The final story today is kind of an odd one. Disney announced that they’re adding new functionality to the My Disney Experience app. This feature is apparently a game of some sort. Disney’s named it Play Disney Parks, and they’ve confirmed it will be available on the iTunes and Google Play stores this summer.
What does Play Disney Parks do? That’s hard to say. Disney wasn’t particularly forthcoming with the details. At this link, you can read the tea leaves for yourself. Here’s the most important bit:
“With the touch of a button, wait time turns into play time with family and friends at certain locations. And the more you explore in Disney parks, the more there is to discover on the app. This is just the latest way we are making a visit to our parks even more fun and memorable in new and innovative ways.”
My gut instinct is that Play Disney Parks is some sort of Pokémon Go! type of game. That is blind speculation, though. Whatever it is, Disney’s clearly getting ramped up for summer. If you haven’t booked a trip yet, speak with someone at Mickey Travels to get your vacation lined up. 2018 is poised to be one of the greatest ever at Disney theme parks. If you don’t believe me, just look at how much they’re hiring!
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