MickeyBlog News – Latest Disney Updates and Announcements
We’ve got the latest Disney updates on food, park and ride outages, movie schedule changes, and several fun activities this holiday season. Read on to learn everything we’ve got at MickeyBlog News this week.
The Night the Lights Went Out in Florida
Only a few days after the introduction of Toy Story Land, Disney’s Hollywood Studios experienced an unexpected outage. The cause of the power loss didn’t have anything to do with the new attractions, though. According to the Orlando Sentinel, problems with the park’s cooling system forced several rides to shut down. Some buildings even lost power.
Thankfully, the issues were relatively easy to diagnose and fix, but it did put a damper on the theme park’s recent momentum, at least for the day. More than anything, the situation reinforced just how many issues can cause an entire theme park to close. Disney’s remarkable uptime stats demonstrate just how forward-thinking that they are with their preventive maintenance. Speaking of which…
Sorry, Ladies. Prince Charming Is AFK.
Prince Charming Regal Carrousel at Magic Kingdom is one such attraction that’s in need of preventive maintenance. The oldest attraction in the theme park, this ride’s origins date all the way back to 1917! Folks, when you’re more than 100 years old, stuff’s going to break from time to time.
In order to keep the carousel spinning, Imagineers sometimes have to do a few small repairs. For the next two weeks, the ride is closed while undergoing renovations. Its current scheduled return date is July 31st. While Disney is generally quite good with such estimates, please check first before walking over to Fantasyland on the last day of July. There’s always a chance that repairs take a few days longer than projected.
Speaking of Toy Story Land…
Hey, are you watching Christmas in July on the Hallmark Channel? Be honest! I’ve seen the television ratings, so I know that some of you are. Well, Disney wants to capitalize on your premature holiday spirit. They’ve announced a few exciting events for the holiday season.
The most notable of them is the return of Sunset Seasons Greetings at Hollywood Studios. This fancy name signifies something simpler. It’s the digital projection overlay that Imagineers added to Twilight Zone Tower of Terror last year. Well, it will be back for 2018 holiday season! And it’ll have a new twist.
Toy Story Land will receive its own special celebratory offerings during the holidays. Since this themed land is still brank-spankin’-new, people can’t really speculate about what will be involved, at least not with any accuracy.
The only thing Disney has confirmed thus far is that Alien Swirling Saucers will play Christmas music during the ride, which is pretty awesome. The genius of the ride design is that the attraction offers random musical accompaniment from a playlist already. It should be a snap for Disney to slot Feliz Navidad into the mix. Realistically, the specifics of the holiday festivities at Toy Story Land aren’t important anyway. You’re going to want to go anyway, right?
Speaking of the Holidays…
Disney frequently hosts special events at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. This holiday season, you’ll have a pair of great options for your New Year’s Eve celebration. Well, you’ll have a wonderful way to ring in the holidays, and the other option will guarantee that your children are having fun, too.
The Contemporary will host two New Year’s Eve parties. Pixar Party: A New Year’s Eve Celebration is obviously aimed at kids. Technically, parents can come, too, but the activities are decidedly child-friendly. Boot Camp with Sarge from Toy Story is the featured entertainment here along with face painting, an extremely popular activity for kids vacationing at Disney World.
One of the latest Disney updates that I’m really excited about is that Pixar characters will be available for meet-and-greets, also. There’s even a buffet dinner that’s especially themed to Pixar’s movie library. Menu items include Sulley’s Beast White Cheddar Baked Mac & Cheese, Wall-E’s Pan Seared Mahi-Mahi, and Woody’s Favorite Lemon Thyme Chicken Breast. This presentation also includes a special showing of the New Year’s Eve fireworks. At $190 per person, tickets are not cheap, but it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The Contemporary will offer a second, more adult New Year’s Eve party as well. The Disney Countdown to Midnight is an evening of dancing and fun at the Fantasia Ballroom. You’ll groove to hits played by the “New Year’s Bash Band” as you eat, drink, and be merry.
The food at this event will be top notch, as Disney promises “a seasonal menu inspired by some Disney Signature Dining restaurants – with a touch of Disney magic.” As midnight approaches, you’ll receive a collectible champagne flute that you can use to drink in the New Year. This event is even costlier at $275 per person, but let’s be honest. Special New Year’s Events are going to be expensive everywhere. If you’re going to pay the upcharge, you might as well do it at Walt Disney World, right?
Disney’s 2019 Movie Schedule Is Shaping Up
This week, we learned a bit more about Disney’s upcoming film lineup. Probably the most important announcement was the anticipated delay of Indiana Jones 5. The studio has delayed the film until 2021, at which point Harrison Ford will be 79 years young. So, that particular project is in a bit of doubt at the moment.
For some perspective, Sean Connery was 59 (!) when Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade came out…and he played the father. Unless things break right, the last lingering memory of Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones will involve a nuclear refrigerator.
Still, there was a lot of good news about upcoming Disney projects. Mary Poppins Returns has moved up from December 25th to December 19th, which may not seem like much, but it probably adds another $50+ million to the movie’s domestic box office.
Meanwhile, the Jungle Cruise movie is getting real. Disney’s given it a firm date of October 11, 2019, which means it’s less than 15 months away! Its release could have an impact on the theme park attractions at Disney parks across the world, too. Finally, Maleficent 2 is scheduled for May 29, 2020. That’s four days after Memorial Day, so that date strikes me as a bit odd. Expect them to move it forward or back a week or two, depending on other May and June releases in 2020.
On a different movie note, Disney recently revealed the digital release date for Avengers: Infinity War. On July 31st, barely two weeks from now, fans can purchase a digital copy of the movie…and re-watch the ending a few more times. Two weeks later, the Blu-ray and 4K UHD will become available to purchase in stores. Whatever the format that you prefer, you’re going to want a copy of Avengers: Infinity War, the most important film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date.
Let’s End with Some Fireworks
I’m not speaking metaphorically here. I want to end this week’s edition of MickeyBlog News with a new fireworks show. Tokyo Disneyland is currently celebrating its 35th anniversary. As one of the tributes, they’ve introduced an entirely new fireworks display.
Celebrate! Tokyo Disneyland is the name of this exhibition. It’s truly spectacular. You don’t have to take my word for it. Simply watch this 4k video to appreciate the genius of Disney’s latest nighttime masterpiece. I especially love the tone shift at the four-minute mark. I did NOT see that one coming. At the 15-minute mark, it also has a kind of Pink Floyd/Planetarium vibe, too. There is a lot going on here, and you may need/want multiple viewings to appreciate it all.
I hope you enjoyed reading about the latest Disney updates. Are you ready to plan your next trip now?
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