MickeyBlog News – Star Wars Land, Bibbidi Bobbidi 3 and More
The past few days seemed like bombshell after bombshell for Disney fans. Their favorite company has officially fired up the Star Wars Land marketing machine. Meanwhile, Disney’s added a show, a ride, a character meeting, and the third location of everyone’s favorite salon. You’ll really want to read the latest edition of MickeyBlog News.
Jessie Is a Friend…to Many Critters
Disney’s overhaul of Pixar Pier continues this month with the arrival of a new attraction. The former location of King Triton’s Carousel of the Sea has received a Pixar-based re-theming. The popular Jessie character from the Toy Story franchise will bring all of her critter friends with her on this carousel spin.
Called Jessie’s Critter Carousel, this attraction is the latest attempt to make people forget about the shaky early years of Disney California Adventure (DCA). As you may know, the King Triton carousel was one of the original rides on opening day. While Disney officials have added carousels as a tribute to Walt Disney, this one solidified many online opinions that DCA consisted of cheap rides.
The newly re-themed version won’t change anyone’s mind on the topic, but it will be extremely kid-friendly, with nine different critters involved. And the gigantic Jessie statue went up the other day. Its placement is what forced Disney to acknowledge the opening month…because there is no hiding that thing.
Fancy Nancy Coming to Disney parks
Popular Disney Junior television series generally receive a park presence at some point. It’s a wonderful way for small children to associate the characters from their favorite shows with Disney theme parks. And one of the best recent programs is coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios soon.
Fancy Nancy debuted on Disney Junior last July. Based on the popular children’s book series by Jane O’Connor, it tells the story of a six-year-old girl with a taste for the finer things in life. Frustrated by her ordinary family’s (lack of) fashion sensibilities, she tries to teach them how to be fancy. Disney loves the show so much that they renewed it before a single episode ever aired.
With two seasons now broadcast, Disney will bring Fancy Dancy to a character meeting at Animation Courtyard later this spring. The Orlando Sentinel suggests that she will eventually become part of the Disney Junior Play ‘n Dine character breakfast at Hollywood & Vine as well. Fans on the West Coast shouldn’t feel left out, though. The same article indicates that Fancy Nancy will show up at DCA at some point, too.
Dance to the Bollywood Beats
Shows have always been an enormous part of Epcot’s World Showcase. Since Disney’s Animal Kingdom is somewhat of a kindred spirit with some of its theming, park planners have recently made a concerted effort to bring more presentations here. Pandora – The World of Avatar has utility mechs roaming the grounds, Dug and Russell from Up now host an infotainment performance, and the Rivers of Light area just got its own thing, also.
An entirely new dance program debuted on March 3rd. Bollywood Beats is a celebration of the global sensation that is Bollywood dancing. In recent years, some of the most popular global movie releases have come from India’s Bollywood, and America’s gotten into the act, too. Slumdog Millionaire won Best Picture at the Oscars 10 years ago and was a huge box office sensation.
The appeal of Bollywood cinema is its thrilling combination of synchronized group dance movements and hypnotically colorful outfits. Both aspects are now on display during the Bollywood Beats show. It’s presented several times daily near Anandapur Theater in the Asia themed land. Here’s video from one of the first performances if you’re interested.
The Latest on Disney’s Fox Purchase
Toward the end of last year, Disney received approval from several important countries. The complex nature of multinational corporations forces them to obtain authorization anywhere that they do business. For Disney, that’s pretty much everywhere.
Once the company had the approval of the United States and China, the deal seemed nearly complete. Then, something unexpected happened. Brazil and Mexico became sticking points, which is why Disney hasn’t taken control of all of the announced Fox assets.
Why did the Brazilian government in particular sound the alarm? The answer is soccer or, as the locals call it, futbol. As part of the deal, Disney would have gained control of the largest futbol broadcast vendor in the country. The people of Brazil simply weren’t having it, and so Disney was forced to make several concessions.
(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
In fact, CEO Robert Iger flew down to the country to meet with local officials personally. Thanks to his reassurances, Brazil has conditionally agreed to the acquisition, and Mexico is expected to follow suit. Due to Brazil’s laws on such matters, Disney is currently in a 10-day waiting period. The official approval should come in mid-March. At that point, the acquisition could be finalized anytime, giving Disney much of the Fox content library.
Bibbidi Bobbidi 3: The Hotel Boutique
I don’t have to sell you on the pleasures of Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. It’s one of the best upsells in the history of Disney theme parks. Young girls and boys go to this salon and receive the royal treatment. They get dressed up like knights or princesses, simultaneously giving parents Insta-moments that will last a lifetime.
Disney recently announced a couple of huge details about Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. One is that the Magic Kingdom store will expand soon to meet heightened demand. Disney has promised more seating and “a very special Magic Mirror” as part of the upgrades.
More importantly, the company will add a third location soon. Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa will relocate Ivy Trellis Salon to a more sensible place inside Senses, the onsite spa. Then, they’ll turn the old salon space into a Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, one that I’m confident will do tremendous business.
Finally, Here’s Some Star Wars News
In recent days, an almost comical amount of Star Wars news hit the presses. Some of it came from the official Parks Blog, which started a new Building Batuu series. Other parts came from members of the media. Disney executives invited a slew of publications to tour the grounds of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. More than a dozen different articles came out in a 48-hour period, and I read them all. I’ll aggregate the highlights in an article this week, but here are a few quick hits for you.
Neither Star Wars attraction is operational yet, but the size of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is officially record-setting. Some writers indicated that it’s as big as an airport hangar, and that part of the ride experience will require you to exit your vehicle and walk.
The huge announcements weren’t about the rides, though. Park officials showed off the three sections of Batuu, the home planet for the themed land. One section is where members of The Resistance hole up in the forest. On the opposite end of Star Wars Land is where The First Order does its business.
They recently landed on the planet after hearing tips about the location of The Resistance. The middle area is the bazaar at Black Spire Outpost, the place where both groups do business with the unaffiliated space pirates that visit Batuu.
Disney unveiled details about the various dining options at Batuu. One of the headline-grabbing reveals is that all of the food here is themed a la Satu’li Canteen. Whether you dine at Ronto Roasters, grab some Blue or Green Milk at the Milk Stand, or snack on crunchy stuff at Kat Saka’s Kettle, you’re eating something that you won’t find on Earth.
As for the toys, one report suggests that almost every Star Wars toy you’ve ever imagined is available here. You can specially build your own Light Saber, purchase a high-end knickknack, or tinker with your droid. Batuu sounds like the place where credit card credit limits go to die, and I for one can’t wait.
Look for more details in the coming days here at MickeyBlog, your best news source for all things Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
