MickeyBlog News for November 25, 2019
Once again, planet Earth caught Frozen Fever this weekend. So, Epcot rewarded Anna and Elsa with new outfits. The news at Space 220 wasn’t as splendid, but it’s a trivial change, really. You’ll learn about all of this plus a 12-story tower in the latest edition of MickeyBlog News. Let’s start Thanksgiving Week the right way, everybody!
Frozen 2 Heats Up the Box Office
The current year has puzzled many in the movie industry. The Walt Disney Company has shattered records several times. Simultaneously, every other major studio has suffered through historic struggles. This past weekend provided the perfect microcosm for the situation.
Disney claimed the top two spots at the box office. Second place went to last week’s winner, Ford v Ferrari, which grossed $16 million in North America. Suffice to say that there was a gap between that and the top spot.
Frozen 2 destroyed all comers with an opening weekend of $127 million. Yes, it finished in first place by more than $110 million! Along the way, it became the best opening ever for Walt Disney Animation Studios, which has existed since 1923.
The asterisk brigade may start talking about how Pixar films get excluded in these conversations, which is correct. However, Frozen 2 still beats everything else in the category that matters most. Globally, the sequel claimed $350.2 million. Friends, that’s the largest day-and-date opening weekend title in the history of animated cinema.
Frozen 2 is number one all-time.
The sequel will continue to dominate the box office throughout the holiday season. It earned a solid A- Cinemascore and has a current Rotten Tomatoes score of 75 percent (which I believe is shamefully low).
Frozen 2 is likely to become Disney’s sixth billion-dollar blockbuster of 2019, which would set a new record. Disney actually already holds the record, as they claimed it earlier this year with Toy Story 4. However, between Frozen 2 and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Disney will finish with seven of them. The previous record for a year had been four. That statement defines Disney’s 2019 dominance.
Speaking of Anna & Elsa…
The most popular Disney Princesses of the 21st century have held a special place at Epcot for a while now. The first character meeting at the World Showcase’s Norway pavilion proved so popular that Disney constructed a Royal Sommerhus especially for the women.
With the release of Frozen 2, park officials have updated this character greeting to line up with the new story. When guests visit here, they’ll see that Elsa has changed her hairstyle and her outfit. More importantly, Anna’s added a couple of accessories that could spoil some elements of Frozen 2. So, you might not want to visit Royal Sommerhus until you’ve seen the movie.
When you do visit, you’re in for a treat! Olaf is currently joining his human friends! And I must say that the Olaf outfit is really, really good. Everybody, watch Frozen 2 and then head straight to the Norway pavilion!
A New Disneyland Hotel
Okay, this story may sound familiar. It’s an example of history repeating itself. In August of 2018, Disney announced a new hotel at Downtown Disney. Insiders had expected the move since the company had already closed several stores and restaurants in anticipation of the project.
Then, the Anaheim City Council rescinded a $267 million tax credit. The approved plans were a couple of blocks away from where Disney intended to build. Believe it or not, this minor discrepancy blew up the entire construction plan.
Months later, Disney financed its own candidates for the City Council’s reelection because corporate officials recognized that they lacked political friends in Anaheim. After the election, the major takeaway was that Disney once again had the votes to build at Disneyland Resort. By this point, the company had decided that tax credits came with too many strings attached. So, moving forward, Disney wanted to skip them.
This past week, the company did exactly that. Disney has announced an upcoming 12-story tower next to Disneyland Hotel. This property will have a Disney Vacation Club focus, a logical choice given DVC’s current soft presence at Disneyland. These rooms are still available to non-DVC members, so frequent guests at the Happiest Place on Earth will soon have a new place to stay!
Disney’s plans call for a 350-room tower that meshes with the style and décor of the Disneyland Hotel. In that way, it may work similarly to Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. That standalone property sits on the grounds that were once the North Garden Wing of the Contemporary. And it’s a 15-story high rise, too.
The prevailing belief is that Disney will open the 12-story tower in 2023 or 2024. Imagineers had scheduled the prior project to open in 2021. So, the timeline fits, although delays are always possible.
An Expected Delay at Space 220
Disney finally confirmed the obvious this week. Space 220, the upcoming restaurant near Mission: SPACE won’t open as planned this year. Disney had projected a fall 2019 debut, but then word leaked about staffing problems.
The original executive chef and sous chef got poached by their former employer, Wynn Vegas. They’ve returned to work at Sinatra, one of the most recognizable fine dining restaurants in Las Vegas. This left The Patina Group, the operators of Space 220, in quite the bind.
So, the restaurant has had to reset. Patina must staff and train these positions before Space 220 may open. For this reason, the starting date has been pushed back until winter 2020. The current estimate is February, which seems like a reasonable timeframe.
A Different Tomorrow(land)
Disneyland continues to overhaul its traditional look and feel. As part of Project Stardust, Imagineers renovated Sleeping Beauty Castle and expanded pathways. Disney’s goal here is to improve the customer experience while traversing the parks.
Now, park officials are changing other park classics, starting with Tomorrowland. Yes, the themed land of the future will introduce a new entrance in 2020. Beyond that, Imagineers have expressed excitement about adding a new look to Tomorrowland, one that recaptures the optimism and style of the 1955 and 1967 versions of the themed land.
Given Disney’s triumph in modernizing Sleeping Beauty Castle, hopes for the new Tomorrowland are understandably high. And I’m confident that Disney will once again pleasantly surprise us by exceeding those lofty expectations. It’s what Imagineers do.