Tickets On Sale Now; Entertainment Line-Up Revealed for “Villains Unleashed” Event at Hollywood Studios

WDWNT on June 29, 2014

As we reported yesterday, the “Villains Unleashed” party at Disney’s Hollywood Studios did indeed have tickets for annual passholders and Disney Vacation Club members go on sale today, even though the event has still not been formally announced by Disney at this point. Today, we got some details on the event offerings that will take place during the party on August 23rd from 8PM until 1AM:

  • Special Fantasmic! pre-show
  • Star Wars villains character zone
  • Hades Hangout and Dance Party
  • Themed variety show in the Theater of the Stars
  • Villainy in the Sky fireworks
  • Appearances by over 50 villains, some in meet & greets
  • Specialty merchandise, food, and beverage

Tickets are on-sale now at this link, but you must be logged in as a Walt Disney World passholder to do so.

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One-Night-Only “Villains Unleashed” Hard Ticket Event To Be Announced

WDWNT on June 29, 2014

We told you in 2013 that the Limited Time Magic Friday the 13th “Unleash the Villains” event was a test for a possible hard-ticket event to be added to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in the not-too-distant future. Well, Walt Disney World is expected to begin ticket sales for annual passholders and Disney Vacation Club members tomorrow, June 5th, for the very first “Villains Unleashed” after hours party to be held on August 23, 2014 from 8PM-1AM. Tickets will be sold to the general public starting June 9th.

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Ticket prices for APs and DVC members will be $67 adult/$62 child in advance, $71 adult/$66 child day of.

No further details are available at this time as the event has not been officially announced yet. We expect the event to carry over some of the more popular offerings from Friday the 13th, 2013, which you can watch below:

Joe Hogarty’s 5/30/14 Disney Springs Photo Report (Double Shot of Starbucks, The Landing, Marketplace Bridge, ETC.)

WDWNT on June 29, 2014

WDWNT Reporter Joe Hogarty visited Downtown Disney (soon to be Disney Springs) on Friday and has a ton of great newsworthy photos to share with us, so let’s take a look:

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THE CRANE! THE CRANE!

Work continues on the West Side parking structure for Disney Springs

The Disney Springs logo is starting to pop up…

For now, you can find the logo only on some parking signs

Looks like they are up to the 7th level on the parking structure which should be completed in 3-4 months

Walls still up where Food Truck Park will be located

The West Side Starbucks has opened

Along with the Downtown Disney Anaheim location, this is one of the very first locations with the new store look

It looks great inside

Touch-screen allows guests at other Starbucks locations to interact with guests in Orlando… for now it’s just Anaheim

They seem happy to finally be open 🙂

Not much change to see on the bridge to what’s left of Pleasure Island

BET Soundstage Club signage remains

Vertical construction in The Landing section is progressing nicely, but there isn’t much time left before it opens in early 2015

The backside of Portobello is being worked on as it will soon be visible to guests via a new walkway to the Marketplace from The Landing

Some new façade also going on the back of Raglan Road

Some pavement work happening outside of Fulton’s

Looks like the first pieces of the Marketplace bridge have arrived

A large concrete island is now floating out in the water, probably the location where the bridge will turn

The small Starbucks location in the Marketplace by World of Disney has also opened

Don’t forget, Car Masters Weekend is coming up fast! Get it, FAST?!?

Cameron Speaks – Pandora: The Land of AVATAR? Most Advanced Audio-Animatronics Ever?

WDWNT on June 29, 2014

“It’s going to be called, I believe, Pandora: The Land of Avatar”

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James Cameron recently spoke to the media at the Los Angeles Times Hero Complex Film Festival about the upcoming “AVATAR Land” project for Disney’s Animal Kingdom. According to /Film, he had the following to say:

It’s going to have floating mountains. It’s pretty cool. I’ve seen the model and the design work the Imagineering people have done is spectacular. They’ve got a quarter inch to the foot scale model of the whole park and I’ve looked at all the sight lines…it’s not a park, it’s a land within the park but a land is not just a ride. There will be several rides and a number of other attractions. It’s really just a place you’re gonna wanna go and hang out. It’s gonna be gorgeous. Of course it’s gonna be gorgeous at night and they’re using every new trick, every new bit of technology that they’ve created.

The animatronics for the Na’vi characters are gonna be fantastic. For example, their early animatronics would use 12 axis of motion and I think the most they’ve ever done was 32 axis recently. I think they’re up to 64 just in the face of the Na’vi characters. So it’s gonna be remarkable. They really see it as a major, major attraction.

If what Cameron says is to be believed, we may be in for something really special…

The AVATAR area at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is scheduled to open in early 2017.

VIDEO: Festival of the Lion King “Roars” Into New Harambe Theatre at Animal Kingdom

WDWNT on June 29, 2014

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On June 1st, 2014, Festival of the Lion King at Disney’s Animal Kingdom returned in a brand new venue, the Harambe Theatre in Africa, behind the Dawa Bar and Tusker House Restaurant. WDWNT Reporter John Corigliano was on the scene to get video of the show:

Not much has changed in the show, but the new lighting and such makes a big difference. Festival of the Lion King was moved to accommodate the construction of the AVATAR themed land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, set to open in early 2017.

VIDEO: Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade Emotionally Closes 13 Year Run at Animal Kingdom

WDWNT on June 29, 2014

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On Saturday, May 31st, Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park concluded 13 years of daily entertaining guests at the park. The parade is going away to accommodate a fair amount of construction around the park, both for infrastructure guests won’t really see and for the Rivers of Light nighttime spectacular that will debut before AVATAR opens in early 2017.

We recorded 2 angles of the parade, when it first stepped-off and began its final performance and again when the parade concluded and returned backstage for the very last time. Enjoy:

Show Times Released for Festival of the Lion King in the New Harambe Theatre

WDWNT on June 29, 2014

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Festival of the Lion King will be reopening on Sunday June 1, 2014 in the newly built Harambe Theatre in Africa at Animal Kingdom. Just like in it’s previous location, shows will run every hour on the hour beginning at 10:00 am.

Shows will run until 7:00 pm on all nights except for Saturdays when they close early to prepare for the hard ticket event Harambe Nights. On Saturdays the last performance will be at 4:00 pm. On Thursday June 5th shows will also end early (last performance at 4:00 pm) for a final dress rehearsal.

WDW News Today: The Radio Show Moves to Thursday Nights Beginning 5/29!

WDWNT on June 29, 2014

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WDW NEWS TODAY: THE RADIO SHOW MOVES TO PRIMETIME THURSDAYS

ORLANDO, FL – WDW News Today: The Radio Show is on the move to Thursday nights. The world’s only weekly radio show about Walt Disney World will now broadcast live from 8-10pm EST on 1520 WBZW in Orlando, FL. The show will retain its previous Saturday 7-9pm EST time slot for repeat broadcasts and original content on select weeks.

Hosted by radio veterans and life-long Disney fans Tom Corless and Nick LoCicero, the live radio talk show focuses on the latest news and current trending topics at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. WDW News Today: The Radio Show can also be streamed live at www.1520wbzw.com. WDW News Today the Radio Show debuted in August of 2013 as a 1hour broadcast on Saturday evenings and has grown into a 2-hour program by popular demand.

Listeners from across the country call in weekly to talk about Walt Disney World and take part in on-air contests for prizes from sponsor Theme Park Connection (www.ThemeParkConnection.com). Popular segments on the show include:

  • “2, 5, and 7” Seconds – Each host asks the other a question and they have 2, 5, or 7 seconds to respond.
  • Flashback to the Future – Tom Corless must give the entire history of a Walt Disney World attraction in 2 minutes, a shortened version of the popular segment from the WDW News Today Podcast.
  • WDWNT: The Price is Right – Contestants play various games using actual prices of merchandise and food found at Disney Parks.

To interact with the hosts during the show, listeners can call in at (407) 774-8255, tweet @WDWNT using #WDWNTRadio, or use the new LIVE chat that will be available at Radio.WDWNT.com. Past episodes of the show will also be available via iTunes and at Radio.WDWNT.com starting this week.

Tom Corless is the founder of WDWNT.com. He has hosted and produced the WDWNT Podcast for over 7 years. Nick LoCicero has over a decade experience in the Orlando radio market. He has hosted and produced numerous Disney related podcasts and radio segments.

About WDW News Today
WDW News Today (WDWNT) is a daily-updated resource for news and information on the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida and the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. Through pictures, video, and articles no other fan site brings you closer to the U.S. Disney Parks.

SPECIAL FEATURE: Ratatouille – The Ride Construction Report from Disneyland Paris

WDWNT on June 29, 2014

As we informed you a few weeks ago, Disneyland Paris will be unveiling an entire realm of Ratatouille themed fun this summer with Ratatouille The Ride and “Le Bistrot de Remy” restaurant. The area will open inside Walt Disney Studios Paris park near the recently added Toy Story Land and Toon Studio. The attraction’s official name is “Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy” and it allow guests to ride in a rat on a trackless ride system similar to Mystic Manor at Hong Kong Disneyland. Guests will enter all of the offerings through “La Place de Remy”, the courtyard area replicating the streets of Paris as seen in the PIXAR film.

WDWNT’s own Ron D’Anna recently visited Disneyland Paris and took some construction pictures of “La Place de Remy” as construction is wrapping up on the project:

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Being in France, it’s a good thing they are building a convincing Parisian cityscape

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Bistrot Chez Remy will be a table service location

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The entrance to the area from Toy Story Playland

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The area and Ratatouille: The Ride are set to open on July 10th!

VIDEO: Heroes & Villains Take Over the Magic Kingdom for “Rock Your Disney Side” 24-Hour Party

WDWNT on June 29, 2014

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During the Rock Your Disney Side 24-hour party at the Magic Kingdom, guests were treated to some very special entertainment. The day started with the Magic Kingdom welcome show featuring some of everyone’s favorite Disney heroes and Villains:

Several heroes & villains then appeared in the “Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It!” Street Party:

And of course, there was the wonderful Villains pre-parade before the Main Street Electrical Parade featuring baddies such as Oogie Boogie, the Big Bad Wolf, Hades, and many more:

Videos by John Corigliano