MickeyBlog News for May 6th, 2024
What happened in Disney news this week?
Star Wars fans had their day, Hollywood Studios reached a milestone, and *checks notes* elephants smelled?!
I dunno. We’ll figure it all out in MickeyBlog News.
Happy Birthday, Hollywood Studios!
Nearly three years ago, I wrote about the shaky early years of Disney-MGM Studios.
The park we now know as Disney’s Hollywood Studios started as humbly as any ever could.
After Disney and MGM agreed to the deal, they immediately started feuding, which made the opening awkward.
Imagine a divorcing couple trying to smile through their child’s graduation, and you get the gist.
Not coincidentally, Hollywood Studios struggled for years, never quite finding its niche.
As someone who enjoyed the core concept of “riding the movies,” a marketing strategy shared by Universal Studios Florida, I loved it.
Alas, Disney wasn’t making enough money on Hollywood Studios and eventually invested heavily to improve the park.
The recent offerings like Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Toy Story Land, and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway have leveled up the park.
So, this week’s 35th anniversary event felt like a victory lap inasmuch as a birthday party.
At this moment in time, Hollywood Studios is unquestionably the second-most popular Walt Disney World park.
The crowds tell the story, and they showed up early for the big day.
To commemorate the 35th anniversary, Disney offered exclusive merchandise and a guide map.
Park officials even threw in a poster for everyone who visited Disney-MGM Studios on its 35th birthday, a memento I adore.
The event proved popular, as you might expect. So, Disney offered a virtual queue for guests interested in the merchandise.
Perhaps the most unique piece of anniversary merchandise was the pressed penny, but…well, you can read the story here.
If you’d like to see pictures from the event, our wonderful park reporters have you covered. They were everywhere!
May the 4th – The Fakest Holiday
Okay, as a Star Wars non-believer, I’m resisting the temptation to write this section as a heel. But I’m not gonna do that.
The reality is that I want you all to love your things, even if it’s nonsense like country music (says the native Tennessean).
Also, I’ve had some lovely times at Walt Disney World on Star Wars Weekends, an event I desperately wish Disney would bring back.
Until that happens, the unofficial but ardently celebrated May the 4th holiday works as Disney’s in-park substitute.
What’s May the 4th? Here, I’ll let The Big Bang Theory explain to those who don’t know:
Obviously, fans want to embrace this event at the best place for it, which is Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Here are pictures of the lines to prove it. Disney pulled out all the stops, even bringing out Chopper!
The merchandise was where Disney went next level, though.
Like, did you see this Stormtrooper Helmet Popcorn Bucket? Somebody deserves a raise for that.
As usual, Disney inundated fans with high-quality merchandise like this, including a new Hoth collection.
Hoth’s like an ice planet or something. So, the merch looks like it’s from Expedition Everest.
We also got new Lightsabers as well, but Disney isn’t selling this one. Yet.
Anyway, Disney added the virtual queue for May the 4th merch a day early, which speaks to its demand.
Overall, Hollywood Studios had quite the week, honoring its 35th anniversary AND hosting all the Star Wars fanatics on their holiest of days.
Smellephants on Parade
Recently, I’ve heard the word “Smellephants” so much it’s lost all meaning.
While I hadn’t mentioned them in MickeyBlog News much lately, Disney announced this experience a while ago.
At Storybook Circus, kids can enjoy one of their favorite things: smelling weird stuff.
In this case, it’s theoretically elephants, but don’t worry! This isn’t like Soarin’ Around the World!
Instead, Scentsy has sponsored the new experience, which works somewhat similarly to the 50th anniversary gold statues.
On a timed interval, various Smellephants release aromatic fragrances. Disney installed the first one a few weeks ago.
Now, the experience is fully up and running, and kids love this opportunity to sniff elephants.
Hey, don’t judge them! You were young once, too! Anyway, we tracked the installation of several Smellephants, including a lemonade one.
Overall, kids will find eight different Smellephants, each of which will provide a different whiff.
These aromas appear to work on a timer rather than based on proximity, which adds a delightful bit of randomness.
As you might expect, Smellephants on Parade has already become a big hit with kids.
For adults, anything is better than smelling your child’s diaper, right?
Disney Miscellany
At the parks, the biggest news this week was a minor earthquake at Disneyland.
Registering 4.1 on the Richter scale, this rumble forced the short-term closure of many Disneyland attractions.
Thankfully, nothing serious came of it, and everything returned to normal soon afterward.
Also, while this admittedly seems like a poor segue, Disney Resort is also offering some summer ticket discounts.
Speak with a MickeyTravels agent to learn the best deal for your traveling party.
You can think of it this way. What are the odds of another earthquake of note happening again? It’d been like four years since the last one.
At Walt Disney World, Disney has updated the costumes of several Cast Members, many of them on Main Street, U.S.A.
Yes, that statement includes the Dapper Dans as well!
We also had some excitement during the V.I.PASSHOLDER Days, as the exclusive passholder lounge opened. It looks like this.
Also, the lounge proved decidedly popular, with long lines of guests waiting to enjoy the experience.
In response, Disney quickly introduced a virtual queue to save people time standing in line.
We also found a Mickey Bar photo op at EPCOT. You heard me.
More Disney Updates
At Hollywood Studios, Disney anticipated the crowds due to this week’s events.
Park officials returned something many of us had been missing: seating at the Tune-In Lounge! It’s about time!
In joyous news, management has also started casting for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.
We’re almost halfway to Halloween, my friends!
At Disney Springs, we’re tracking an odd story as well. The Friendship Boats have been offline for a very strange reason.
Finally, Disney provided new details about Lighthouse Cay.
We learned about the food and drinks you’ll find during your Disney Cruise Line excursion.
Also, Disney showed the entertainment you’ll find on the island. Let’s just say you’re gonna love it.
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