MickeyBlog News for December 4th, 2023
This week, the Hatbox Ghost finally made his long-awaited appearance at Magic Kingdom.
Meanwhile, Dreamers Point prepared for its forever location, and Bob Iger said and did some stuff. We’ve had a full week of MickeyBlog News.
Haunted Mansion
A Grim Grinning Ghost Has Come Out to Socialize
More than a year ago, Disney promised that The Hatbox Ghost would appear at Magic Kingdom in 2024.
Since then, Disney has gone into radio silence on the topic, equal parts frustrating and worrying fans.
Photo: Disney
Did something change? We knew the answer was no when Disney doubled down on the Hatbox Ghost at Destination D23.
Even though we’d already reached September 2023 by that point, management indicated that the popular character would arrive.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by JUSTIN LANE/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Recently, Bob Iger held an earnings report, and we all breathlessly awaited an update about the character suffering from Schrodinger’s Head.
While Iger has had plenty to say over the past few weeks, this wasn’t a topic he broached.
Hatbox Ghost
So, we looked at the calendar and felt a growing sense of alarm, which is I guess the point of Haunted Mansion characters.
Sure enough, Disney didn’t let us down! On November 30th, MickeyBlog’s Instagram feed – soon to hit 30k followers! – lit up with the desired images.
Hatbox Ghost
Friends, the Hatbox Ghost has officially materialized at Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom.
Amusingly, Disney fans have argued over the character’s implementation.
Hatbox Ghost
While most of us expected this dapper dandy to appear in The Attic, Disney had a different plan.
You’ll find the Hatbox Ghost in a decidedly unexpected locale. Here, watch this video:
Did you catch him? If not, go to the 8:30 mark of the video and watch again!
Haunted Mansion
Yes, you’ll find the Hatbox Ghost at everyone’s favorite spot on the ride on a hot summer day. He’s right beside the spot that delivers a cold blast of air!
Imagineers picked the best spot on the ride to “frame the shot” and highlight the character, a tactic I love.
Iger’s Big Week
(Charley Gallay / Getty Images for Disney)
Disney hosted a Town Hall for employees this week. Then, on the next day, Bob Iger appeared at a New York Times event where he addressed investors.
Notably, Disney didn’t take questions from its own cast members the previous day, which didn’t sit well with some.
Photo: Getty
The explanation was that Iger had plenty of ground to cover and not much time to do it.
Specifically, Iger confirmed that Disney will emphasize quality over quantity with its upcoming releases, which makes sense in the wake of two recent failures.
Photo: Disney
Wish and The Marvels have delivered worst-case scenario performances at the box office, which has been a recurring theme with Disney this year. Something’s gotta change.
Of course, Iger said two things that mattered more. The first is that he will leave the company in 2026.
I realize that you’ll meet these comments with a fair amount of skepticism – I know I sure did – but he sounded like a man ready to win the game and go home.
Speaking of which, Iger confirmed that Disney will keep its Linear Networks, which he should have done at the Town Hall.
Photo: Natacha Rafalski on Instagram
This proclamation reassured cast members that their jobs are safe and they’ll remain employed by Disney. That’s what people really needed to hear.
Iger also restored Disney’s dividend. If you own the stock at the close of business on December 11th, Disney will pay you $0.30 per share on January 10th, 2024.
Photo: measureupgroup.com
That move reflects one of several Disney executives did to ward off activist investor Nelson Peltz, and his buddy, Isaac Perlmutter.
A stock dividend is not in any way, shape, or form a bride, but it kinda feels like one in this specific instance.
Photo: restorethemagic.com
Similarly, Disney added two new members to its Board of Directors. They will join next year.
Meanwhile, the company changed the rules for investors to nominate their own Board members. You can think of that as the Anti-Peltz Rule.
Disney Parks Get Better
For the sake of brevity, I’m going to group together park improvement stories from EPCOT and Shanghai Disneyland.
The two stories in combination reflect how Disney has nearly completed its last major initiative, but it’s on the cusp of starting another.
Photo: Disney
At EPCOT, we learned the opening date for Dreamers Point. It debuts on December 5th.
‼️BREAKING Disney NEWS!‼️
Disney has announced that World Celebration Gardens the new ‘Walt the Dreamer’ statue will debut at Dec. 5 at EPCOT!🌐✨
Are you excited?!?🥳🌐✨
Head to https://t.co/2DhVFsoNsS for more details!✨
📸: Disney Parks pic.twitter.com/QBcp7nAUyz
— MickeyBlog.com (@MickeyBlog_) November 28, 2023
The new statue at World Celebration and the grand opening of World Celebration Gardens will signify the completion of EPCOT’s modernization.
Photo: Disney
This reimagining of the park has taken more than six years to complete and has involved several changes, many of them related to the pandemic.
Still, EPCOT has accomplished its primary mission of splitting the former Future World into World Celebration, World Discovery, and World Nature.
These new Neighborhoods better reflect the modern spirit of EPCOT and the park’s communal nature.
Meanwhile, at Shanghai Disneyland, the new Zootopia themed land will open to the public on December 20th.
Photo: Disney
American Disney fans should pay close attention to this place, as it sounds likely to become a part of Disney’s Animal Kingdom at some point.
We posted a full guide to Zootopia, and the best part is undeniably its new attraction, Zootopia: Hot Pursuit.
You can watch a ride video of it here:
I’ve been giving this footage the Zapruder film treatment, and I’m in awe of it!
I need Disney to bring this to Animal Kingdom next week. Seriously, somebody hand Josh D’Amaro a shovel and tell him to break ground there.
Disney Miscellany
Our coverage of Disney Jollywood Nights and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP) has turned into a grand adventure.
First, we noted that all the dates for MVPCP had sold out. Soon afterward, a couple of them showed availability again.
Similarly, the inventory for Jollywood Nights has bounced around quite a bit.
Apparently, Disney is sporadically adding availability on certain dates.
So, if your preferred date is sold out, you should keep checking. You might get lucky!
Elsewhere at the parks, Disney is treating its annual passholders right.
If you’ve got an annual pass, you can snag a free Wish poster and a new magnet. Score!
Speaking of Wish, The Emporium on Main Street, U.S.A. at Magic Kingdom has added characters from the movie to its window displays.
Yes, Star is one of them! That’s reason enough for me to walk back and forth in front of the store window for 20 minutes.
You can get another free Wish perk if you’re so inclined and a Disney+ subscriber.
Photo: Disney
Disney has just introduced the first batch of Disney+ Perks.
Real talk: In reading the announcement email, I was surprised by how good some of these deals are. You can get a D23 membership for 50 percent off!
That’s only one of several deals. Please do more of this, Disney. It’s smart, and I feel valued as a fan.
In other, weirder park news, someone got stoned and dropped trou at pretty much the worst place on the planet to be impaired.
Blizzard Beach also suffered through multiple weather-related closures this week. If you’re visiting this winter, please be aware that this is a possibility.
Have a great week, everyone!
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Feature Photo: Disney
