Guests in town for the Pandora – The World of Avatar media event were in for a special treat this morning as President of Walt Disney World, George Kalogridis gave a special Summer Blockbuster Preview highlighting many of the amazing new attractions and developments coming to Walt Disney World resort in 2017 and beyond.
Here’s a clip of the entire presentation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV0WoaR1fxw
Some of the highlights mentioned during this 20 minute talk include:
The Opening of Pandora – The World of Avatar – The creation of this new land has brought over 1500 new jobs to the Orlando area. In addition a new Connect to Protect initiative will allow guests who engage with Disney via Facebook while at Pandora to raise funds for conservation efforts. Finally, in the parks ongoing commitment to support charities, the Boys and Girls Club will be treated to a special Pandora preview on March 26, 2017.
Toy Story Land – This exciting new expansion at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is already taking shape and will include 11 delightful acres designed to scale to make guests feel toy-sized. The setting for this new land is Andy’s backyard and will feature the Slinky Dog Dash family coaster as well as an attraction devoted to everyone’s favorite little green aliens.
Star Wars-themed Land – The second fantastic expansion destined to wow guests at Hollywood Studios in years ahead is also under construction and will be 14 acres in size meaning Star Wars and Toy Story lands combined will bring an additional 25 acres of fun to this theme park.
Happily Ever After – Magic Kingdom’s new nighttime spectacular is already winning over crowds with its amazing blend of castle projections, special effects and pyrotechnics. But, did you know that when it came to coming up with the footage for the movie projections that many of the original animators for the films had to be brought back in to create bespoke clips for the show?
Cruz Ramirez from Cars 3 to Appear at Disney’s Hollywood Studios – A special treat for Cars fans, one of the stars of the upcoming Cars 3 film will be appearing for a meet-and-greets at Hollywood Studios starting this Summer. Locations and times have yet to be announced.
2017 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival – The Summer will end on a delicious note with the August 31st start of the Food & Wine Festival which will be bigger than every with a whopping 75 days of culinary delights.
Epcot International Festival of the Arts to Return in 2018 – Early in 2017, guests at Epcot were treated to the newest festival on Epcot’s line-up. The International Festival of the Arts was a full-of-life celebration of the magic and artistry of Disney including musical theater, cinema and the visual arts. Disney was pleased to announce that the Festival will be continued with new dates soon to be released for 2018.
Upgrades to Themed Resort Hotels – This year will also see the re-vamping of two of Disney’s much-love Moderate Resorts, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort and Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. Changes to the Caribbean include new waterfront dining options as well as shops. The Coronado Springs project includes the construction of at hotel tower which will feature a wide array of stunning amenities including rooftop dining. The rooms at the Coronado will also be refurbished.
Exciting Openings at Disney Springs – In the months ahead, Disney Springs will mark the opening of the Wine Bar George as well as steampunk-themed nightclub The Edison. In addition the United World of Soccer is undergoing a re-brand to Pele’s World of Soccer.
The Music of Pixar Live! A Symphony of Characters – Opening at Hollywood Studios this weekend is a limited-time Summer concert that pairs the much-loved scores from favorite Disney • Pixar films including: The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc. Up and Toy Story with a live symphony orchestra for an experience like no other. The production will run in tandem with Beauty and the Beast at the Theater of the Stars.
What an exciting time for Disney fans! If all of this has you wanting to visit Walt Disney World then fill out our for below to receive your FREE quote.
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