Best Disney Links for August 2020
The parks are safe, the NBA Bubble has partially ended, Disney+ has exploded, and Disney stock value has soared.
I’ll explain what all this means with the latest batch of Disney links for August 2020.
News from the Parks
The Walt Disney Company has faced a devastating series of challenges during the pandemic, many of which involve the parks.
Only half of Disney’s theme parks remain open, and only one of them is available in the United States.
So, virtually all the park discussions this month involve Walt Disney World. Rolling Stone has published an inside look at what the parks are like for cast members.
This interview provides an honest perspective of the many challenges facing Disney employees right now.
Image Credit: Disney
Also, the piece adds some insights about potential social distancing violations. For example, guests stand too close together while looking at ride pictures.
Meanwhile, a journalist for the Tampa Bay Times journeyed out of her home to visit the parks for the first time since Coronavirus began.
Her report is extremely encouraging, as she indicates that she felt safer at Disney than at the store. I’ve heard this sentiment many times over the past month.
Photo: Disney
The person emphasizes the safety of Disney’s Coronavirus measures. However, she does mention that these protocols take away some of the magic, too.
We all knew that would happen, but it’s a price we’ll happily pay in exchange for reopened theme parks.
Photo: Disney
News from the Disney Bubble
Speaking of the bubble, the NBA has employed a real one. Journalists have understandably grown obsessed with this oddity.
NBA athletes live at Disney hotels and then play games at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports. Remarkably, the entire regular season has finished without a single positive COVID-19 test.
Photo: @Malika_Andrews Twitter
So, the rest of us have two reasons we want to live there. One is that it’s freakin’ Walt Disney World, and the other is that it’s safer than where we live.
Still, some players have gotten homesick…but not for the reason you’d expect.
The NBA Bubble games take place in empty stadiums, which means that home-court advantage doesn’t exist.
Photo: NBA
Sure, the NBA has done some things that pack the stadiums with digital projections of fans watching at home. It’s not the same, though.
Curiously, the NBA Bubble has turned the NBA Playoffs into something closer in nature to the NCAA Tournament, as anything could happen this year.
The playoffs have also drawn more attention to Disney. In fact, here’s a story that’s theoretically about the NBA Bubble.
Photo: NBA
Click this link and scroll to the bottom. As a Disney fan, you’ll get a special treat.
More about the Parks
Walt Disney loved architecture. He drew inspiration from classic structures for his stories.
Some of those classic Disney scenes that you love exist because of his fandom.
Photo: Disney
I think most Disney fans realize, at least subconsciously, that many of the park landmarks utilized architectural concepts from Uncle Walt’s world travel.
Well, Insider has published some of the most recognizable examples of Disney landmarks. It’s definitely worth a look.
Of course, one place at Walt Disney World features a more general inspiration.
Since 1971, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort has highlighted the beauty of the South Seas.
I’m devout on the point that it’s THE best Disney hotel in the world, and Mommy Points agrees with me. Here’s a recent hotel review from her.
Oh, and a grandmother is suing Disney after a CBD oil caused her arrest. We’ve covered this story before, but there’s a recent update.
Disney Business News
Even though Disney just finished its third-quarter earnings report last week, much mystery remains. Seemingly everyone on Wall Street owns an opinion about the state of Disney, as well as its future.
This article speculates about where Disney will stand in a year, which makes it worth a read.
As a confession, I haven’t yet because of a Word draft on my desktop right now with the same subject matter.
Overall, business analysts generally agree on two subjects.
The first is that something’s not right at Orlando theme parks at the moment. Attendance isn’t at the level many had projected.
Photo: Chesnot/Getty Images
Does that say more about poor projections or disappointing attendance? I believe the former, but you can read the article to form your own opinions.
The other involves Disney+, which has outperformed even the loftiest predictions. We’re running out of superlatives for the success of the service.
Subscriber numbers for the service impressed investors so much that Disney’s market cap increased by $21 billion!
Photo: AndroidCentral.com
Disney went so far as to cancel several international channels in anticipation of replacing them with Disney+ and Star.
Verizon loves the Disney+ product so much that it agreed to a long-term deal. Some lucky customers receive Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ for free!
Oh, and one other story you may have heard involves the end of 20th Century Fox.
Photo: Shuttershock
Disney has killed off one of the most famous names in show business.
The company had no choice due to perceived ties to other Fox products with low reputational scores. But the new name is unquestionably weird.
Disney Entertainment News
Let’s talk about some of the fun stuff from the wide world of Disney.
Our friends over at CNET have suggested 30 movies you should watch on Disney+.
This list gets massive bonus points from me for mentioning Millions, The Straight Story, and 10 Things I Hate About You.
Meanwhile, The Black Cauldron has received a great deal of attention recently. Here’s an oral history of the movie.
Believe it or not, there’s more! That article actually cribs from a longer piece at Collider.
In it, the author details how The Black Cauldron almost killed Disney animation. Forever.
Once you’re done stressing over that thought, take a look at this Buzzfeed quiz.
The writer underestimates you by claiming that you can’t name more than seven of Disney’s 14 live-action remakes. Prove her wrong.
Finally, my old friend Scott over at Forbes shares a strong opinion about Tron 3, aka Tron: Ares.
Suffice to say that my colleague doesn’t like the next Tron’s movies chances of succeeding. I’m not as pessimistic on the subject, but I see his point.
