Best Disney Links for September 2020
The Walt Disney Company has had a fascinating summer, but the season is winding down.
Now, the focus turns to fall and the strange holiday season waiting in the wings.
Obviously, a lot of questions have arisen about how Disney will handle the rest of this nightmare year.
I’ll look at some of the most interesting discussions in this month’s batch of Disney Links.
Best Theme Park Links
In a better world, Disneyland would have reopened on July 17th, the park’s 65th anniversary.
Alas, California experienced multiple outbreaks in July that prevented that from happening.
The state appears to be doing better, which has led to Disney and Universal officials asking California’s governor to allow the parks to reopen.
In Orlando, the situation has improved to the point that the parks are running smoothly once again.
In fact, Disney just switched over to its Halloween decorations.
The company’s so proud of its achievement that the Parks Blog has compiled all Halloween activities on one page.
Of course, nothing’s ever totally perfect. People has a funny clip of Splash Mountain riders getting stuck at the worst possible moment.
Meanwhile, one of the coolest things ever at Walt Disney World is nearly at an end.
The NBA playoffs only have a few weeks left, but several great stories have arisen during the event.
For example, the Miami Heat have advanced deeper into the playoffs than anyone had expected.
Amusingly, a Toy Story character may be the good luck charm that has made it possible.
Next, I have a suggestion for those of you with deep pockets and school-age children.
The pandemic has forced hotels to invent some creative new programs. And Four Seasons Orlando has come up with the best one.
How would your kids like to take a schoolcation? You better not ask them, or you will HAVE to do this.
The other theme park story of the month may come across as jarring.
Insider has published before and after photographs of Walt Disney World.
These images underscore the changes Disney has made to protect guests during the pandemic.
Perhaps these visuals explain why analysts believe 2021 could be “another lost year” for Disney theme parks.
Best Disney Business Links
The business side of The Walt Disney Company has grown more challenging in recent weeks.
As discussed ad nauseam, Coronavirus’s ripple effects have caused a tidal wave of problems for Disney.
Disney Cruise Line had suffered the most, as the company has canceled cruises through December.
The upcoming new fleet will likely receive significant delays due to Meyer Werft shipyard’s own pandemic-related issues.
Disney’s CFO has confirmed that the Disney Wish won’t arrive as scheduled in January of 2022.
We don’t know the exact date yet, but the delay could take a year or more.
Even when Disney Cruise Line returns, the company only aims for 70 percent occupancy rates.
Disney’s movie division has struggled through unprecedented times, with movie theaters closed around the world.
Mulan recently debuted on Disney+, albeit at a price tag of $29.99. Now, rumors persist that Pixar’s Soul may debut on Disney+, too.
The move would make sense, given that Pixar’s Onward got wiped out by the pandemic, becoming the least successful Pixar film ever.
Simultaneously, Disney+ qualifies as Disney’s success story of 2020.
Netflix’s CEO recently stated that Disney has at least tripled his subscriber expectations, reaching a total that his company needed 10 years (!) to match.
Disney+ is still expanding in Europe and other markets, and the service wants to add new features like Watch Parties to improve the user experience.
The other inevitable aspects are that Disney will add more park-related programming and eventually raise prices.
The company’s plans have gone so well that Disney+ should surpass Hulu in subscribers by 2024.
So, Disney may be in “survival mode” for now, but it’s doing so with an eye tomorrow a better tomorrow.
How much could Disney+ eventually earn? Netflix earned $20 billion in revenue last year!
Best Entertainment Links
Let’s end this month’s links with some fun stuff. Have you seen the new Disney Halloween decorations?
MickeyBlog was live on the scene on the first day for fall park festivities. We captured all the new Halloween Cavalcades and character costumes.
Meanwhile, Disney wants everyone at home to get into the spirit, too. So, the company is running an online contest for Best Costume.
Of course, you don’t need to wear a costume to feel like a character. You can wield a lightsaber, too.
I mention this because Savi’s Workshop is back in business after a pandemic-related change.
While we’re on the Disney character front, The Next Web examines Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, a story every true Disney fan should know.
The OC Register takes a different approach to how Disney should learn from struggles.
This article examines why a new Haunted Mansion movie will be better than the one Eddie Murphy did.
Speaking of which, I’d be remiss if I failed to mention an interview I did on MickeyBlog last year that discussed this subject.
One of the people who worked on Haunted Mansion’s development detailed why the film struggled to strike a chord with Disney fans.
Hey, how do you feel about live-action remakes of Disney movies? Personally, I’ve loved most of them, but this person disagrees.
Her Mad at Disney video has become a viral sensation and inspired several YouTube reaction clips. Here’s the original if you haven’t seen it:
Finally, let’s wrap up the month with a few Disney quizzes.
Which Disney Princess are you? I’m Cinderella.
How many classic Disney movie questions can you answer?
Do you know where these Disney Princesses are from?
If you want more, BuzzFeed has compiled a list of its 20 most popular 2020 quizzes to date.