Crews Begin Patching Holes Made in Splash Mountain Demolition. Disney World’s version of Splash Mountain has been closed since January, and crews are moving fast to remove old theming elements. Including the tree that graced the top. Also, some of the first demolition of the ride is already being patched up and fixed.
At the bottom of the drop, construction crews had made giant holes opening up internal conduits to work on. That works looks complete with Disney already building new rockwork and metal framing. Check out the images below.
The magic of the bayou is calling, so listen closely because we’re “digging a little deeper” into the experience guests can expect from the future attraction coming to Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure! The enchantment of the bayou will illuminate with a celebration during Mardi Gras season hosted by Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen.
Mama Odie will reprise her role as the catalyst to that magic. Mama Odie jokes with guests along their journey after a special display of her magic. The two-hundred-year-old Bayou Fairy Godmother, with her eccentric belongings and “seeing eye snake,” Juju, is comically eccentric, yet wise and all-knowing, throughout the adventure.
We’re so delighted that legendary actress Jenifer Lewis, who starred as the voice of Mama Odie in Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “The Princess and the Frog,” is once again returning to her role for the attraction.
Disney News Highlights: Disney100 Decorations at Magic Kingdom, Halfway to Halloween Foodie Guide, Disney College Program Pay Raise, Strange World Biggest Box Office Bomb of 2022.
Disney100 Replaces Disney World 50th Merchandise at the Emporium Disney100 Replaces Disney World 50th Merchandise at the Emporium. Join us throughout the year for Disney 100th Anniversary Celebration product releases and exciting new Collection drops. The largest gift and souvenir shop in Magic Kingdom park, the Emporium offers apparel, plush toys, pins, candy, and more.
Trails End Restaurant Officially Closing in April We now have the official closing date for the Trails End Restaurant at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. Back in January, we announced that this fan-favorite table service restaurant would be closing and thanks to the Disney World website we now know the official closing date.
Main Street USA Clock Returns to the Magic Kingdom Main Street USA Clock Returns to the Magic Kingdom. We recently got word from D23 saying Citizen Clocks would donate a Disney Clock from Main Street USA. This came right after the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary clock was removed from Disney’s Magic Kingdom.
Disney News Highlights
Disney College Program Cast Members to Receive Pay Increase Good news for college students seeking to participate in the Disney College Program: Disney College Program cast members are set to receive a pay bump! Currently, Disney College Program cast members are paid a salary of $14.00/hour. Beginning June 4, this salary will be increasing by $2.00/hour.
Strange World Biggest Box Office Bomb of 2022Deadline hosted its annual box office tournament but paused to reflect on 2022’s most notable theatrical bombs. Disney Animation is usually a sure-fire hit regarding earnings at the box office, but the studio isn’t immune to failure. Proof positive was Disney’s Strange World, which lost a staggering 197.4 million dollars.
Disney Celebrates Halfway to Halloween with Local Florida Theater Students It’s only April, but Disney is already gearing up for the fall with their “Halfway to Halloween” festivities. This year Disney surprised students from Neptune Middle School by offering them a chance to come backstage and learn from Disney’s costuming and cosmetology department.
The Vault store in the Main St. Cinema is now gone in Magic Kingdom. Now that the 50th anniversary celebration is over, the merchandise location has a new look!
During the 50th anniversary celebration, the Main St. Cinema housed the Vault Collection. Only a few items from that collection remain in the shop. There’s no more mention of the Vault Collection or the 50th anniversary in the shop.
It looks like the store now has general Walt Disney World merchandise. There are plenty of Mickey Mouse shirts, totes, hats, and sweaters throughout the store. The displays have been rearranged as well.
What do you think about the new merch in the Main St. Cinema shop?
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There are three different hand soap dispenser designs; Mickey Mouse, 2023, and the 50th anniversary. The Mickey Mouse dispenser is blue with Mickey’s smiling face. The 2023 dispenser features the year along with Mickey Mouse and pennants featuring some of our favorite characters. And the 50th anniversary dispenser features the 50th logo along with characters in their 50th anniversary outfits.
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Brother Bear Float Spotted in the Animal Kingdom for Earth Month Celebrations. It is rare character sighting time at Disney’s Animal Kingdom as they kick off the 25th Anniversary of the Park. We got a chance to see Tinkerbell & Fawn the Disney Fairies, along with Baloo and King Louie from Disney’s Jungle Book.
Not doing a Meet and Greet today, but seen on the Flotilla were Koda and Kenai from the Walt Disney Animated film Brother Bear. The last time we got to meet these two was on Earth Day 2022.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Entertainment – Discover the fun of watching Disney Characters and more romp around the Park!
Mickey, Minnie and Scrooge McDuck are just some of the Disney Characters to be found on flotillas along the Discovery River in Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park. Plus, from April 16 through 23, there will be unique Character appearances on the Discovery River Character Cruise—so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for these and additional Character experiences and sightings.
Brother Bear Float Spotted in the Animal Kingdom for Earth Month Celebrations
You also won’t want to miss a very special moment in front of the Tree of Life on April 22, honoring Earth Day and the 25th anniversary of Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park.
Crews Start Removing the Bunting from Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom. While waiting for the moat that surrounds Cinderella Castle to finish draining crews have removed some of the buntings from the back half of the Castle.
As of today the moat is dry and drained and now cranes and forklifts can drive safely towards the front of Cinderella Castle to remove the rest of the 50th-Anniversary banners, gold ribbon, and buntings.
Below you can see the difference a week makes. The left image is from 1 week ago, with the buntings still attached to the back side of Cinderella Castle and the water being drained from the moat. The right side is from yesterday at Disney’s Magic Kingdom, the buntings in the back are removed and the moat is dry.
Tinkerbell & Fawn Now Greeting Guests in the Animal Kingdom for the 25th Anniversary. Mickey and Minnie, and Scrooge McDuck are just some of the Disney Characters to be found on flotillas along the Discovery River in Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park.
Plus, from April 16 through 23, there will be unique Character appearances on the Discovery River Character Cruise—so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for these and additional Character experiences and sightings.
Some of the unique character experiences we have found so far are Baloo and King Louie from Disney’s Jungle Book. Furthermore, Tinkerbell and Fawn from the Disney Fairies are doing a character meet and greet. The four characters swap times just under the Tree of Life.
You also won’t want to miss a very special moment in front of the Tree of Life on April 22, honoring Earth Day and the 25th anniversary of Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park.
Tinkerbell & Fawn Now Greeting Guests in the Animal Kingdom for the 25th Anniversary
Celebrate Earth Day and the 25th anniversary of Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park! Join us throughout the month of April as we honor the magic of nature through family-friendly experiences and specialty offerings.
Authentic Animal-Inspired Adventures
Kilimanjaro Safaris — Take a guided tour of a savanna and see animals roaming free.
Mickey’s Premium Bars at Walt Disney World have received a new Disney100 wrapper! Those tasty Mickey Mouse-shaped vanilla ice cream bars covered in chocolate drizzle have received a wrapper makeover.
The Disney100 celebration has now arrived at Walt Disney World with decor and now specialty ice cream wrappers! The new Mickey’s Premium Bar wrappers feature Disney 100 Years of Wonder art and colors.
The wrapper is purple with the white words outlined in dark purple. Mickey Mouse is drawn in his vintage style wearing his Disney100 platinum outfit.
If you’d like to visit Disney World, contact me today to start planning your next trip! I am a travel agent with Destinations to Travel and my services are free.
Disney Celebrates Halfway to Halloween with Local Florida Theater Students
It’s only April, but Disney is already gearing up for the fall with their “Halfway to Halloween” festivities. This year Disney surprised students from Neptune Middle School by offering them a chance to come backstage and learn from Disney’s costuming and cosmetology department.
Director of External Affairs at Walt Disney World Resorts Tajiana Ancora-Brown said, “We know experiences like this with our cast have the power to deeply impact and change lives. These students are still dreaming up their futures, and if we help them identify passions and interests in fields they may one day pursue, we’ve done our job.” Cast members played ghost host to the students, teaching them all about make-up, and costume design, from stage to screen.
Costuming staff helped the students learn new tricks and shared the magic of Disney costuming in this private session. For Disney, it was all about exposing the kids to a new career path and sparking their imagination and creativity never thought possible.
This program exemplifies how Disney gives back to the local schools. Disney recently announced a 100,000 grant for STEM education in Orange County Schools. You can learn more about their philanthropic endeavors by visiting DisneyFlorida.com.
Deadline hosted its annual box office tournament but paused to reflect on 2022’s most notable theatrical bombs. Disney Animation is usually a sure-fire hit regarding earnings at the box office, but the studio isn’t immune to failure. Proof positive was Disney’s Strange World, which lost a staggering 197.4 million dollars.
A closer analysis of the failure could point to any number of factors. Disney indeed failed to market the film in its usual aggressive manner. Many on social media didn’t even realize the movie had been released, while others were unaware of its existence. Deadline cited a “failure to connect with red-state America” because of the inclusion of an openly gay character. Others cited a stale, retro animation style and a tired and confusing storyline.
Regardless, Strange World was an Epic failure for the usually sure-footed Disney. Disney CEO Bob Iger announced a return to proven intellectual property with sequels for Frozen, Moana, Toy Story, and Zootopia in the near future.
It should be noted that Pixar took a 106 million dollar loss with Lightyear, based upon the character that inspired the toy in the Toy Story Franchise. Lightyear was the second Disney film to be mired in controversy in 2022. Even before the film’s release, devotees took to the internet to lambasted everything from casting to social issues.
Must Have The Three Caballeros T-Shirt For Your Next Visit To Epcot!
Visiting Epcot soon and plan to stop by the Mexico pavilion to get your favorite drink? Then you need this The Three Caballeros t-shirt created by CutieCakesStudio on Etsy for $26.99! You can order yours here.
The shirt is available in 5 different colors and features Donald, Panchito and Jose Carioca with big sombreros and text that says “Margaritas Por Favor”! A phrase that anyone understand. So get your friend group together and get matching shirts for your World Showcase adventure!
Candy Palace and Candy Kitchen and Pooh Corner (Available April 20 through 23)
Minnie Witch Apple: Granny Smith Apple dipped in caramel with marshmallow ears enrobed in milk chocolate and dipped in white chocolate and orange M&M’S chocolate candies placed all over and rolled in purple sugar
Oogie Boogie Crisped Rice Treat: Oogie Boogie-shaped crisped rice treat dipped in green, white chocolate with a dark chocolate face
Jack Skellington Cake Pop: Vanilla cake pop dipped in white chocolate with dark chocolate face
Disney California Adventure Park
Trolley Treats and Bing Bong’s Sweet Stuff (Available April 20 through 23)
Minnie Witch Apple: Granny Smith Apple dipped in caramel with marshmallow ears enrobed in milk chocolate and dipped in white chocolate and orange M&M’S chocolate candies placed all over and rolled in purple sugar
Oogie Boogie Crisped Rice Treat: Oogie Boogie-shaped crisped rice treat dipped in green, white chocolate with a dark chocolate face
Jack Skellington Cake Pop: Vanilla cake pop dipped in white chocolate with dark chocolate face
Downtown Disney District
California Churro (Available April 20 through 23)
Halloween Churro: A churro rolled in cinnamon sugar, drizzled with peanut butter and chocolate sauce, and topped with peanut butter candy pieces
Marceline’s Confectionery (Available April 20 through 23)
Minnie Witch Apple: Granny Smith Apple dipped in caramel with marshmallow ears enrobed in milk chocolate and dipped in white chocolate and orange M&M’S chocolate candies placed all over and rolled in purple sugar
Oogie Boogie Crisped Rice Treat: Oogie Boogie-shaped crisped rice treat dipped in green, white chocolate with a dark chocolate face
Jack Skellington Cake Pop: Vanilla cake pop dipped in white chocolate with dark chocolate face
As you can see, the Halloween happenings aren’t just limited to the fall!
Want to celebrate Halloween at the Disneyland Resort? Contact me today to start planning your next trip! I’m a travel agent with Destinations to Travel and my services are free.
