Hub is back! In the season 4 premiere, Hub regulars Tom Corless, Ron D’Anna, and Eric Lancy welcome newcomer Joe Hogarty to the world of competitive Disney banter. Topics covered include Disney Springs, Star Wars, and so much more. PLUS, a new face off round that shows the cold doesn’t bother us anyway.
Listen in as our panelists discuss the latest from the World of Disney, this time joined by host Patrick’s wife, Shayna!
Members of the original Mickey Mouse Club will join the fun at D23 EXPO 2015 during a special presentation to commemorate the show’s 60th anniversary.
Mickey Mouse Club
Celebrating Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club—60 Magical YEARS, hosted by author Lorraine Santoli (The Official Mickey Mouse Club Book), will take place Sunday, August 16, at 5 p.m. in Stage 23. The panel, featuring original Mouseketeers Sherry Alberoni, Sharon Baird, Bobby Burgess, Tommy Cole, Darlene Gillespie, Cubby O’Brien, and Doreen Tracey, along with actors Tim Considine (Spin Evans) and David Stollery (Marty Markham), will include a one-of-a-kind performance filled with memories, music, and magic. D23 EXPO 2015 will take place August 14–16, 2015 at the Anaheim Convention Center.
The second “Star Wars” spin off movie will be about Han Solo during his early days as a smuggler. This movie, part of the “Star Wars Anthology” series of films, is the same one that Josh Trank was signed on to direct before being let go by Lucasfilm in May. Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, the directing team that brought us “The Lego Movie”, will now be directing the film.
The next adventure in the Anthology series of Star Wars films will be directed by Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, whose credits include the critically acclaimed The LEGO Movie, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, 21 Jump Street and 22 Jump Street. Among the most sought-after filmmakers working today, the two have proven a formidable duo in film and television and are looking forward to applying their unique sensibilities to the Star Wars Universe.
“This is the first film we’ve worked on that seems like a good idea to begin with. We promise to take risks, to give the audience a fresh experience, and we pledge ourselves to be faithful stewards of these characters who mean so much to us. This is a dream come true for us. And not the kind of dream where you’re late for work and all your clothes are made of pudding, but the kind of dream where you get to make a film with some of the greatest characters ever, in a film franchise you’ve loved since before you can remember having dreams at all” said Miller and Lord.
The screenplay is written by Lawrence Kasdan and Jon Kasdan. The story focuses on how young Han Solo became the smuggler, thief, and scoundrel whom Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi first encountered in the cantina at Mos Eisley.
Lawrence Kasdan, the writer and director known for Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Big Chill and Grand Canyon, is familiar to Star Wars fans for having co-written the screenplays for The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and The Force Awakens. His son Jon Kasdan wrote and directed The First Time, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and In the Land of Women, as well as writing for the television series Freaks and Geeks and Dawson’s Creek.
Tanabata (Star Festival) Days is a yearly tradition at Tokyo Disney Resort. For 2015, the celebration is held from June 24th to July 7th, 2015. Tanabata Festival is one of the many summer festivals held in Japan.
Tanabata is a Japanese Festival which is typically held on various days in July and August. Also known as the “Star Festival”, Tanabata (七夕, which means “Evening of the Seventh”) celebrates the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi. Legend says the Milky Way separates the two lovers and are only able to meet on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.
One of the shorter celebrations at the Resort (lasting only two weeks) it gives guests limited merchandise, food, and shows to enjoy. One of the highlights is seeing your favourite Disney Characters dressed in traditional Japanese Yukata (summer kimono) during the Tanabata Greeeting at both Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea.
Tanabata Days
To top off the celebration guests may purchase a 1 day ticket which includes a special viewing of Tanabata Wishing. Which is a live show in the Broadway Musical Theater in Tokyo DisneySea.
More information on Tanabata (and how to buy tickets) can be found on TDRExplorer.com. Also, be sure to read our Tanabata Mini Trip Report for more photos.
The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is looking a little empty today…
The bust celebrating Bill Cosby was removed overnight amid allegations and things to which Cosby admitted over the past few months (and more notably over the last 24 hours). It is worth nothing that the empty spot is not where the bust was located, but rather the bust from this spot was moved into Cosby’s spot as Disney found it more favorable to just have an empty pedestal towards the back of the area.
Cosby Bust at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Every year as this website grows older, we reflect upon the accomplishments, impact, and incredible growth of WDWNT. It has now been 8 years since WDW News Today launched on July 8th, 2007. What was founded on the website you see before you and built on the back of daily news and information about Walt Disney World is now a vibrant collection of websites, podcasts, radio programs, streaming original programming, & more. The last year in particular has been a memorable one, as we were the first to tell you about many important changes for Walt Disney World, including the closures of the Backlot Tour, Maelstrom, and the Magic of Disney Animation. We even set new records in traffic for our websites and podcasts this year, as well as brought you the best live coverage of many big events. Oh, and did I mention the $4,354.98 total we raised for Toys for Tots in the last year bringing our fundraising total to over $20,000.00?
In the world of Disney, our site has covered some huge stories in the last 12 months (mostly revolving around Frozen additions and the ongoing overhaul of Disney’s Hollywood Studios). We also said goodbye to long-running attractions such as Maelstrom, the Studio Backlot Tour, many World Showcase entertainers, and the infamous Sorcerer’s Hat at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Tonight, we will continue our annual tradition of presenting a special anniversary edition of the WDWNT Live! show at Listen.WDWNT.com. The show begins at 9PM EST and will last until 12AM EST. During this show, we will be interacting with you live through our live chat-room, taking any questions you may have about the Disney Parks, the Walt Disney Company, or about what we do at WDWNT. We hope you will join us for that tonight as it is always a very fun event!
On a personal note, the 8 year journey of this website, the podcast, and the entire family that makes up WDWNT has been the greatest experience of my life. I’d like to thank the incredible volunteer staff of hundreds of people that have worked tirelessly to get us where we are today and the loyal readers & listeners who are to thank for our great success. I am very proud of what we have accomplished in the last 8 years and amazed at where it has taken me today. I’m looking forward to many more years of “Bridging the Gaps Between You and the Disney World”. As a great song once said, “We’ve just begun to dream!”
Tom Corless
CEO & Founder of WDW News Today
At 1 am Wednesday morning, a 3 to 2 vote in the packed city council chambers nixed the levying of an admission tax on theme park tickets at the Disneyland Resort for the next 30 years. The Walt Disney Company had dangled a $1 billion carrot in opposition to the tax, in the form of improvements to the two theme parks, a new 5000 space parking structure, and street improvements in the resort area.
After 5 1/2 hours of public comments, the City Council voted 3-2 to approve the deal, which requires Disney to begin construction by the end of 2017 and complete the theme park expansion within seven years. If Disney doesn’t hit the deadline or meet the spending threshold, the admission tax moratorium would expire.
That vote was actually taken to extend an exemption for Disney that started in 1996 and expires June 30, 2016. No Disney park in the world currently has an admission tax. A further agreement was reached to extend the pact another 15 years if Disney later proceeds on a separate $500 million project.
“We are excited about what the future holds for Anaheim and the Disneyland Resort as we work together to ensure our city continues to thrive and grow,” Michael Colglazier, President of the Disneyland Resort said after the vote.
No specifics have been offered as to the exact nature of the park improvements, or which park or parks they will be added to.
This special behind the scenes video of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” was shown to the fans at the Star Wars Panel at Comic Con. It’s great to see that so much focus has been made on incorporating practical effects and not just relying on CGI.
Fans at San Diego Comic-Con’s Hall H were treated to a special look behind the scenes of Star Wars:The Force Awakens by director J.J. Abrams, producer and Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy and writer Lawrence Kasdan. The filmmakers were joined on stage by cast members Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Gwendoline Christie, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford to the surprise and delight of fans.
At the end of the Hall H presentation, the entire Hall H audience of more than 6,000 fans were all invited to continue the celebration and join cast and filmmakers at a surprise Star Wars Fan Concert. The San Diego Symphony performed the classic Star Wars music from John Williams at the Embarcadero Marina Park South.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is in theaters December 18th, 2015!
Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition, Star Wars™Battlefront™ and KINGDOM HEARTS III To Headline Disney Interactive’s Hall D23 Presentation and Expo Pavilion
BURBANK, CA – July 13, 2015 –D23 EXPO 2015 will feature the biggest Star Wars™ and Disney video games in a special presentation in the signature 7,500-seat Hall D23 theater and in Disney Interactive’s pavilion on the show floor.
In the Hall D23 presentation on Sunday, August 16 at 11 a.m., fans won’t want to miss never-before-seen gameplay, trailers, new reveals and surprises from Disney Interactive’s most anticipated games. Among the games participating in the presentation are: Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition, Star Wars™ Battlefront™ from Electronic Arts and KINGDOM HEARTS III from Square Enix. Disney Interactive will showcase more Star Wars characters and Play Sets new to Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition and provide the entire audience with limited-edition giveaways exclusively for Hall D23. Electronic Arts will give guests an in-depth look at Star Wars Battlefront, the authentic Star Wars gaming experience coming November 17. Square Enix will also bring special guests and surprises to Hall D23 to reveal new information from KINGDOM HEARTS III.
In the Disney Interactive pavilion on the show floor, players can experience the latest and upcoming titles through hands-on demos, innovative interactive experiences and premium giveaways for all guests.
Tickets for D23 EXPO 2015 are $74 for a one-day adult admission and $54 for children 3–12. Tickets for members of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club are $65 for a one-day adult admission and $48 for children. Multi-day money-saving tickets are also available. D23 Members can save as much as $112 off the price of admission, based on the purchase of four three-day tickets at the D23 Member rate. For more information on tickets and the ticket pricing structure for D23 Members and general admission, visit D23EXPO.com.
