Disney Headlines for November 5th, 2021
Did you hear about the theme park visitors who didn’t get to leave? How about the Evil Queen, who is also arguably the most popular actress in the world?
These are strange times in the latest Disney Headlines.
A Bad Day in Shanghai
Every country has approached the pandemic differently. The various governments decide what’s safest for their citizens and go from there.
We’ve watched the same thing unfold with American city, state, and federal governments. So, it’s unsurprising. Of course, everyone has a different opinion on the subject.
In many parts of China, the government has prioritized the prevention of Coronavirus at all costs. Unfortunately, Shanghai Disneyland guests just learned this the hard way.
On October 30th, one person tested positive for COVID-19. After that, people in hazmat suits got involved. I’m not joking.
Yes, for the body of Halloween, Chinese officials quarantined 33,863 in the parks.
The unlikely series of events stemmed from a woman’s train ride from the province of Jiangxi.
During this fateful trip, she came into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
Due to contact tracing, health trackers recognized the woman’s risk and tested her the following day. She had COVID-19.
With tens of thousands of guests and workers in the parks she had visited, Shanghai Disneyland closed…and locked in everyone there.
All attendants had to take and pass a COVID-19 test before the park could reopen.
In fact, Chinese officials administered more than 66,000 nucleic acid tests. Thankfully, no other guests tested positive.
Still, Shanghai Disneyland remained closed on November 1st and 2nd as well. However, by November 3rd, the park had opened to the public once again.
In case you’re wondering what happened on Halloween, park officials explained the situation.
Shanghai Disneyland wasn’t quite the happiest place on Earth last night as over 34,000 people were stuck inside the park after 1 person tested positive for Covid-19. Police blocked the exits & tested every single person in the park before allowing them to leave (🎥: @chinadaily) pic.twitter.com/3DFd32Xm6H
— What's Trending (@WhatsTrending) November 1, 2021
Many guests stayed and watched the Halloween fireworks before entering the lines to take the nucleic acid tests.
Afterward, hundreds of buses shuttled people home, where they self-quarantined for 48 hours.
More than 100,000 other park guests from Halloween weekend also tested negative for COVID-19. They were easy to track down due to contact tracing.
Disney Entertainment News
My favorite headline this week involves The Simpsons, literally the best television show ever.
As part of Disney+ Day on November 12th, we’ll get a new Simpsons short. On its own, that’s not a big headline.
After all, Disney has hosted several of them over the past year, including the delightful Avengers knockoff.
However, this upcoming short matters more because Homer Simpson will interact with an actual Disney character for the first time.
Homer will hang out with Goofy in what will be a real meeting of the minds. Here’s a picture from the episode:
So @TheSimpsons threw us a party and things got… Goofy. Celebrate #DisneyPlusDay with the all-new short, The Simpsons in Plusaversary, streaming November 12 only on #DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/Xs8mAtBM7Y
— Disney+ UK (@DisneyPlusUK) November 2, 2021
Apparently, characters from the show host a Plusaversary party, but Homer doesn’t get an invite. It’s probably because he’s ruined so many parties over the years.
In news that makes much less sense, Disney has cast one of the most popular actresses in the history of Hollywood, Gal Gadot, in an upcoming project.
Which role will Gadot play? Yeah, she’s gonna be the Evil Queen in a live-action remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
I wish good luck to Rachel Zegler, the star of the West Side Story remake.
She will somehow convince a Magic Mirror that she’s the fairest of them all over Gal Gadot. That’s…not going to be a consensus opinion.
Still, I’m thrilled by this news, as it opens the door for the Wonder Woman actress to join the MCU at some point. And that really needs to happen.
The final Disney entertainment headline this week will warm your heart. Please watch this commercial:
That’s some gingerbread house right there, my friends. And it’s proof that love runs deeper than words.
You gotta love that Spider-Man and Frozen make appearances, too.
Disney Business Headlines for the Week
We’ve got some other Disney business stories to cover this week.
For starters, the 14-story Walt Disney World Swan Reserve Hotel has opened to the public.
Technically, this place isn’t an official Disney resort, as Marriott International owns and operates the Swan, Dolphin, and Swan Reserve.
This turn of events involves business negotiations from the earliest days of Walt Disney World, but it’s beside the point.
Guests who stay here receive standard Disney amenities and are only a ten-minute walk away from the entrances to EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
This hotel is the first new one on the Disney campus since Disney’s Riviera Resort.
Here’s a video from someone who stayed there during the hotel’s first few days:
In stranger Disney headlines, the company may gain a PGA event soon! Disney once regularly hosted PGA Tour contests at its golf courses.
In fact, such events all the way back to the 1970s, the olden days of Disney’s Golf Resort! However, the company hasn’t had one in nearly a decade.
Walt Disney World lost its event when the Children’s Miracle Network chose not to renew a sponsorship after the 2013-2014 season.
That appears likely to change soon, though. Reuters received a tip about a potential return of the PGA Tour to Walt Disney World.
Here’s a tour official’s response to the report: “”We enjoyed an incredibly successful partnership with Walt Disney World Resort from 1971-2012.”
The statement later adds:
“For a potential new event, if the necessary ingredients are in place – title sponsor, available date in Tour schedule that makes sense, player support, community support, charitable partner, successful long-term outlook — there would be consideration made.”
Nothing official has happened yet, but these rumors rarely leak unless something is in the offing.