Best Disney Links for December 2019
The Walt Disney Company receives countless headlines throughout the year, but December is especially busy this year. You may have missed stories about the parks, various forms of entertainment, and the overall business. So, I’ve compiled a list of the most interesting Disney links for December 2019. Here goes…
At the Parks – Imagineering Stuff
With Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance open, Walt Disney World has reached a crossroads of sorts. Imagineers built three entirely new themed lands in three years.
Now, that expansion phase has ended with Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge’s completion. Disney will still introduce several unique rides over the next two years, but Orlando Weekly wonders what’s next.
Speaking of Imagineers, have you ever wondered what their workspace looks like? LAist recently took a tour of the facilities. Disney rarely allows video of the Glendale building.
This detailed description is just about the best information that you’ll ever find about the Imagineering offices short of a visit there…which actually is possible with specific Disney vacation packages. You might want to speak with a MickeyTravels agent about what’s available.
At the Parks – Park Stuff
Speaking of your favorite cast members, The Imagineering Story recently revealed details about the inner workings of Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. While I’d recommend that you watch the episode, the OC Register has collated some details for those who can’t.
On a different park note, a wheelchair user has voiced his opinion about some Disney park changes. This editorial circles back to 2013. At the time, the abuse of disabled guest access by some unsavory individuals forced Disney to modify its rules. The writer discusses how these changes have lessened his park enjoyment.
Changing topics to something more frivolous, let’s talk about the best Disney theme parks in the world. I’m an avid reader of The Points Guy, a website that details the best ways to maximize credit cards for vacation travel.
One of the contributors there has visited every Disney park and ranked them accordingly. Actually, that’s not entirely true. This person has chosen the various “best of” parks and attractions around the world. It’s a very engaging, quick read.
Finally, this last link proves that you can take the parks with you when you return home. A father of a young daughter felt so inspired by Happily Ever After at Magic Kingdom that he built a Disney presentation of his own.
You’ll want to watch the entire 12-minute video, which features scenes from Disney animated classics projected on the garage door.
The Business of Disney
I started with the parks, aka dessert, this week. Now, it’s time for you to eat your vegetables. Let’s learn how Disney’s moneymaking ventures are going.
The most interesting business story of the month falls apart with some analysis, but let’s talk about it anyway. According to Variety, 24 million people have already signed up for Disney+ service.
I believe that this number is in the ballpark of what has actually happened. However, Variety employed some shaky methodology. The publication is basing the estimate off of a survey of 2,500 people rather than any actual stats. As such, it’s a pure guess, albeit an exciting one.
The Motley Fool has contributed a more factual article. This contributor has just noticed that Disney could have seven $1 billion films this year. I think that the first time I noted this on MickeyBlog was in March, but it might have been as early as December of last year. All of Disney’s billion-dollar winners were readily apparent several months ahead of time.
All Kinds of Money Articles
The same site upped its game with a more fascinating article. This piece evaluates how much money you’d have earned by buying DIS stock at IPO. The author pays attention to stock splits, a rare demonstration of attention to detail. For this reason, there’s a discrepancy of $100 million (!) between purchase dates.
Just for fun, I’ll play the Fool yet again with this article. It ponders Disney’s strategy behind the new Target store initiative. The report focuses more on Target’s side of the equation. Still, it includes some eyebrow-raising stats about Disney merchandise and holiday sales. For that reason alone, it’s worth a glance.
Moving away from Motley Fool, The Daily Beast has published a depressing article about the residents of Celebration, Florida. It recounts how Disney sold some of its lands to a real estate/equity firm.
The citizens of Celebration have lived a nightmare since then, due to the ethical failures of this company. It’s devolved into lawsuits and tenants forced to move. It’s EPCOT land, but the people who live there now bitterly regret their version of the Florida Project.
Okay, I didn’t intend for this to happen, but Motley Fool had the most intriguing articles this month. Here’s the last one. It contends that Disney has made a critical error in judgment with Star Wars. The writer maintains that the franchise shouldn’t end with its ninth installment but rather extend it to Episode Ten instead.
Let’s Talk Disney Entertainment
While we’re on the subject of Star Wars, be careful watching the latest moment. Disney’s issued an epilepsy warning! Speaking of that dreadful disease, the late Cameron Boyce’s family is grateful for charity work that fans have done in his memory.
On a different note, have you wondered what Disney+ viewers are watching? Here’s a wildly unscientific poll that returns reasonable results. Short answer: Star Wars, The Simpsons, and classic Disney movies!
While we’re on the subject of Disney+, I should mention that an epic romantic anthology is coming to the service. The producers of Once Upon a Time are working on this project, which will…well, it sounds a lot like that show, really.
As the decade ends, you’ll notice a ton of 10-year lists, even on MickeyBlog! I’m currently writing a couple, but here’s one to help you pass the time until then. It’s a list of the best 10 Disney movies according to IMDB ratings. And here’s one about where Frozen 2 ranks among Disney sequels. The Annie Awards clearly likes the movie.
Speaking of Frozen 2, Disney’s getting sued. Not to sound all clickbait-y, but you’ll never guess which three words they shouldn’t have used in the marketing campaign. Oh, and Bill Nye, the Science Guy, is suing Disney, too. It’s like watching your two best friends have a very public break-up.
On a different movie note, here’s an evaluation of why Black Hole failed back in the day as Disney’s first attempt at a Star Wars-esque movie. Along those lines, Wired takes the daring position that some animated Disney classics haven’t stood the test of time.
Finally, just because, here’s a bunch of Belle merchandise that you can and totally should buy. You deserve a treat, right?