MickeyBlog News for December 9th, 2024
Friends, this past week turned into a sort of pre-holiday news dump.
Park officials wanted to get all their work done before the holidays.
Disney Villains Wickedpedia
So, Disney announced a slew of new park updates, including the entire 2025 schedule at Disneyland Resort.
We’ve got plenty to discuss in this week’s MickeyBlog News.
Walt Disney World Plans for 2025
Photo:visitorlando.com
Folks, you may be fantasizing about the holidays, but please remember this. We’re only 24 days away from the New Year!
Now is the time when Disney lines up all its plans for 2025, and it’s particularly important this time.
Photo: orlandoattractions.com
Walt Disney World has entered a transitional state as it prepares for massive expansion.
Meanwhile, Disneyland Park will turn 70 years old on July 17th, 2025.
So, Disney just announced as much new information as you’ll ever see outside of a D23-style event.
At Walt Disney World, we just learned that Zootopia: Better Zoogether! will debut in the winter of 2025.
Given the phrasing Disney used with other releases, it’s open for debate whether that means January/February or November/December.
As Justin Hermes notes, Disney hasn’t revealed the closing date for It’s Tough to Be a Bug!.
Photo: Disney
Since the conversion shouldn’t take long, many people expect the attraction sooner rather than later.
Personally, I’m holding off until Disney provides more clarity about It’s Tough to Be a Bug!’s closing date.
Photo: Disney
Disney also provided a more finite timeline regarding Test Track 3.0. The EPCOT reboot will arrive in “late summer.” I read that as July or August.
Meanwhile, the Spaceship Earth lounge will debut in late spring, and the Pirates of the Caribbean one arrives in late 2025.
Photo: Disney
Disney officials also confirmed the obvious. 2025 represents the final year to ride DINOSAUR. *sniffle*
I realize I just threw a lot of different dates at you. So, here’s a comprehensive list of everything coming to Disney World in 2025.
Remarkably, that’s only half the story…
Disneyland Turns 70
Photo: Disney
Remember how Disney World’s 50th-anniversary celebration lasted for 18 months?
Disneyland Resort will do something similar in 2025…and 2026! The birthday party starts on May 16th, 2025, and will last through the summer of 2026.
As expected, Disney will pull out all the stops for this party, but let’s start with the biggest story.
Photo: Disney
Walt Disney – A Magical Life will debut on May 16th, the opening date for the anniversary party. You can think of it as the headliner.
As a reminder, this show features a lifelike Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic that has the Disney family’s seal of approval.
Photo: Disney
Disney also provided several entertainment updates, including the casual news drop of an original Cavalcade.
Paint the Night will also make its triumphant return in 2025, although that does mean the Magic Happens parade is on hiatus next year.
Photo: Disney
Disney will unveil a modified new show in 2025 as well. It’s World of Color Happiness!.
It’ll celebrate Walt Disney’s opening day speech, “To all who come to this happy place…welcome!”
Photo: Disney
Somehow, these aren’t even the most impressive parts of Disney’s announcement.
The company also revealed the entire Disneyland After Dark schedule for 2025!
Photo: Disney
Similarly, Disney went ahead and announced all its seasonal schedules for next year.
So, you know all the important dates for 2025, which is borderline unprecedented in Disney theme park history.
Disneyland Holiday Decor
I sincerely hope this becomes the new strategy for Disney, as it helps with vacation planning.
Speaking of which, you surely want to visit Disneyland Resort for its 70th birthday.
Conveniently, Disney went ahead and announced some new discounts for 2025.
You can and should speak with a MickeyTravels to find the best deal for your family.
The Villas at Disneyland Hotel
Remember that MickeyTravels is free to use, and these experts are literally, not figuratively, the best in the world!
Disney Miscellany
New Haunted Mansion Queue
Last week, I mentioned that the new Haunted Mansion attraction queue has opened. We’ve got a detailed look at it here.
Disney California Adventure also showed off its new Moana character greeting, which is every bit as popular as you’d expect.
Photo: Disney
At Magic Kingdom, we learned that the name of the new nighttime parade is Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away.
Similarly, the new Villains show is officially entitled Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After, which I think is brilliant!
Photo: Disney
We’ve got several other park updates at Walt Disney World, starting with the cutest one.
A new pride of lions has arrived at Disney’s Animal Kingdom just in time for the release of Mufasa: The Lion King.
Mufasa: The Lion King
Technically, those two things aren’t related, but I refuse to view the timing as coincidental.
Presuming all goes well, these should be the lions you watch on Kilimanjaro Safaris for the next decade.
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror in Disney’s Hollywood Studios
At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Imagineers are always plussing Twilight Zone Tower of Terror to make it more terrifying.
The most recent addition is subtle, but our amazing park reporters were paying attention!
Solar-Powered Trash Can in EPCOT
Speaking of lovely updates, the final scene of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has gotten a bit better at Magic Kingdom. Here’s why!
At EPCOT, Disney has introduced solar-powered trashcans, another very clever idea that we didn’t…totally understand.
The other Disney World update of note is that Disney’s Blizzard Beach has closed several times recently due to cold weather.
When you plan to spend some time at the waterpark at this time of year, you should always keep an eye on the weather forecast!
Otherwise, you could show up at Blizzard Beach just to realize you’re the only one there. It happens.
Disney Miscellany Part II
Disney
The other American Disney story is that the company’s new headquarters in New York has finally opened.
That’s music to the ears of the Cast Members who no longer have to worry about the old building’s mouse problems!
Photo: Disney
Finally, we have a lovely story at Disneyland Paris. Park officials wanted to do something special to celebrate the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral.
So, Disney hosted a lovely nighttime spectacular to commemorate the uplifting event.
Photo: Disney
One of the happiest moments of my life occurred at Notre-Dame, and I was one of many deeply saddened by its fire.
The inspirational reopening deserves something as gorgeous as this:
Happy holidays, my many loves! I hope your December isn’t that stressful.
Please remember that you are loved, appreciated, and admired.
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Feature Photo: Disney
