2016 Epcot Eat to the Beat Concert Line-Up Announced; Several New Acts

WDWNT on July 20, 2016

Eight new acts join the Eat to the Beat concert series this fall during the 2016 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival.

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Festival newbie Wang Chung kicks off the first two nights. The other festival first-timers include BoDeans, Plain White T’s, Jeffrey Osborne, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Living Colour, Soul Asylum and Delta Rae.

Here’s the full lineup:

  • Sept. 14-15 – Wang Chung NEW! “Everybody Have Fun Tonight”
  • Sept. 16-18 – STARSHIP featuring Mickey Thomas “We Built This City”
  • Sept. 19-20 – Air Supply “All Out of Love”
  • Sept. 21-23 – BoDeans NEW! “Closer to Free”
  • Sept. 24-25 – Fuel “Hemorrhage (In My Hands)”
  • Sept. 26-28 – Sugar Ray “Fly”
  • Sept. 29-30 – Los Lobos “La Bamba”
  • Oct. 1-2 – David Cook “Light On”
  • Oct. 3-4 – Wilson Phillips “Hold On”
  • Oct. 5-6 – Blues Traveler “Run-Around”
  • Oct. 7-9 – Plain White T’s NEW! “Hey There Delilah”
  • Oct. 10-11 – 38 Special “Hold On Loosely”
  • Oct. 12-13 – Jeffrey Osborne NEW! “On the Wings of Love”
  • Oct. 14-16 – Tiffany “I Think We’re Alone Now”
  • Oct. 17-19 – Dennis DeYoung: The Music of Styx “Lady”
  • Oct. 20-21 – Christopher Cross “Sailing”
  • Oct. 22-23 – Toad The Wet Sprocket NEW! “Walk on the Ocean”
  • Oct. 24-25 – Chaka Khan “I Feel for You”
  • Oct. 26-27 – Billy Ocean “Caribbean Queen”
  • Oct. 28-29 – Living Colour NEW! “Cult of Personality”
  • Oct. 30-Nov. 1 – Hanson “Get the Girl Back”
  • Nov. 2-3 – Soul Asylum NEW! “Runaway Train”
  • Nov. 4-6 – Delta Rae NEW! “Bottom of the River”
  • Nov. 7-9 – Boyz II Men “Motownphilly”
  • Nov. 10-11 – Sister Hazel “All For You”
  • Nov. 12-14 – Big Bad Voodoo Daddy “Go Daddy-O”

Performances are 5:30, 6:45 and 8:00 p.m. daily, and included in Epcot admission. (Lineup is subject to change; songs listed are for artist recognition only and may not be included in the concert play list.) The 2016 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival runs September 14-November 14 at Walt Disney World Resort.

“WDWNT: The App” Now Available on iOS, Android; Get News, Videos, Parks Hours, & More On The Go

WDWNT on July 20, 2016

On Friday night, WDWNT had a live 3-hour broadcast to celebrate its 9th anniversary. During that time, some major announcements were made, including WDWNT: The App! If you missed the show and all of our announcements, you can watch them here:

Here’s a quick rundown of what WDWNT: The App can do:

– All the latest news from WDWNT at your fingertips, including push notifications
– Listen to all of the WDWNT.com podcasts (WDW News Today Podcast, Around the Hub, WDW News Tonight, Radio Free Disneyland, “See Ya’ Real Late”, Nerd Alert, ETC.) streamed to your device
– Listen to continuous Disney Parks music & audio from WDWNT: On the Air streamed to your device (with the ability to run in background for the first time on iOS)
– Watch the latest videos and shows on the WDWNT YouTube Channel
– Accurate park hours for the Disney Theme Parks from our WDWNT Now! service
– See the latest tweets from the WDWNT Twitter feed without leaving the app
– Shop for WDWNT gear at WDWNT: The Store

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The Android app includes a few extra things, including an Android TV version and push notifications of new WDWNT blog posts.

iOS

The iOS app includes the ability to join the WDWNT: On the Air chat right from the “On the Air” screen. This feature will come to Android soon. Push notifications for iOS is in the works and we hope to have that soon.

As Tom mentioned during the broadcast, we know these apps have been requested for a while and we made them just for you. We hope you enjoy them! If you would, please stop by the appropriate app store and leave us a rating. Also, please let us know what you think of it after you get to play around with it for a while.

I want to give a quick shout out to Michael V. Battista and Nick Turpchinoff for their help in creating these. Thanks guys!

BREAKING: Disneyland Releases New Star Wars Land Concept Art

WDWNT on July 20, 2016

Disney today released the first Disneyland-specific concept art for the Star Wars themed land coming to the park. The art depicts the land in a slightly different layout, nestled just behind the shores of the Rivers of America.

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We can now assume that the original art was a depiction of the Hollywood Studios version of the land for the Walt Disney World Resort.

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Original art

PHOTOS: Cancelled Disney Infinity 12-Inch Figures Revealed

WDWNT on July 20, 2016

As reported by Kotaku last month, the Disney Infinity team had a lot of figures and Play Sets that were set to release this year.

Among the many plans for the game was a set of premium 12-inch figures. The list of planned characters included Elsa, Darth Vadar, Buzz Lightyear, Hulk, Hulkbuster, and Jack Skellington. The figures would have been sold at $45 a piece, lit up, and have different features that their standard figure counterparts did not.

Thanks to Twitter user Infinite Adventures, we now have concept images for both the premium Hulkbuster and Jack Skellington figures. Check them out below!

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(Photo Credits: Infinity Inquirer)

According to the Kotaku article, the premium figures would have multiple light up pieces. Just imagine how those jack-o’-lanterns would have looked glowing on a Disney Infinity base.

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(Photo Credits: Infinity Inquirer)

The Hulkbuster figure appears to have been more in the pre-planning stage, but still looks really neat. Hulkbuster would have been massive as a 12-inch figure, despite the regular Hulkbuster figure already being huge.

Although it is sad that we will never get our hands on these figures, at least we can get an idea of what they would have looked like.

PHOTOS: Lego to Release Official Cinderella Castle Model at Disney Parks

WDWNT on July 20, 2016

What may be the single most desired Disney Parks item of all time is finally on the way…
 imageLego will be releasing an official Cinderella Castle set at sometime in the near future. It will reportedly retail at $349.99 and clock in at 4080 pieces. Release date is set for September 1st, 2016.

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The set will be released onlien adn at LEGO retail locations. It is not known if it will be available at Disney Parks locations other than LEGO stores.

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Pretty cool huh? I’d ask if you’re going to buy one, but I already know the answer…

PHOTOS, REVIEW: Revolutionary FuelRod Phone Charging Comes to Disney World; Is It Worth $30.00?

WDWNT on July 20, 2016

A few weeks ago, we broke the news of the addition of FuelRod to the Walt Disney World Resort. The kiosks were rolled out over the holiday weekend, so we decided it might be a good idea to try them out and see how they work.

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Kiosks can be found in all 4 theme parks, Disney Springs, and ESPN Wide World of Sports currently. Here are the locations:

  • Magic Kingdom
    • Tomorrowland Light and Power Co.
    • Big Top Souvenirs
    • Pecos Bill’s
    • Curtain Call Collectibles
  • Epcot
    • Disney Traders
    • Camera Center (Future World)
    • World Traveler (International Gateway)
  • Disney’s Hollywood Studios
    • Celebrity 5 & 10
    • Rock Around the Shop (exit of Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster)
    • PizzeRizzo
  • Disney’s Animal Kingdom
    • Island Mercantile
  • Disney Springs
    • Marketplace Disney Photo Imaging
    • DisneyQuest
  • ESPN Wide World of Sports
    • ESPN Clubhouse Shop
  • Resort Hotels
    • Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
    • Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
    • Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
    • Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
    • Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
    • Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
    • Disney’s Contemporary Resort
    • Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
    • Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
    • Disney’s Boardwalk Resort
    • Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
    • Disney’s Pop Century Resort

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FuelRod kiosks dispense portable charging batteries for $30.00 each, which includes:

  • A portable charging battery
  • 6″ USB Type A to micro-USB cable (for most Android devices)
  • One Apple 30-pin to USB cable
  • One Apple Lightning to USB cable

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This iPhone’s battery life was depleted to 20% when the FuelRod was purchased. While the phone was being used for a good portion of the time, the FuelRod managed toi get the battery up to about 90%. Now, this might not be the best phone charging battery on the market, but it is fairly small and let’s not for get you can simply trade it in at a kiosk for a fully charged one.

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You don’t have to go back to the kiosk where you bought the FuelRod to exchange it, just go to any of them.

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Simply insert the FuelRod as pictured. If it si rejected, it will simply come back out of the slot underneath, meaning you won’t simply lose your FuelRod should it not scan correctly.

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Upon a successful scan of the depleted FuelRod, a different fully-charged FuelRod will be distributed to the guest. You of course keep the cord and attachments you received upon your initial purchase.

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The other nice thing is the kiosks are fairly small, so no one is going to have a problem reaching them.

I have a hard time trying to find the downside of FuelRod service for frequent Walt Disney World visitors. While the battery is small and the cost is $30, it does offer you the ability to constantly get a new one without worrying about having to recharge it, and even if you should need to charge it on your own, you can. The kiosks are well themed and it really is an invaluable service for those who need to keep their electronic devices going. FuelRod is a brilliant addition to Walt Disney World that I think most guests will find very helpful.

WDWNT Celebrates 9 Years Online Today; 3-Hour Special LIVE Tonight!

WDWNT on July 20, 2016

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Every year as this website grows older, we reflect upon the accomplishments, impact, and incredible growth of WDWNT. It has now been 9 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 blog posts, videos, podcasts, radio programs, streaming original programming, & more. The last year in particular has been a memorable one, as we introduced WDW News Tonight blending the most popular aspects of many of our past programs, and provided the best coverage possible of all of the new attractions that debuted at the Walt Disney World Resort. We even set incredible new records in traffic for our websites and podcasts this year, as we continue our fight to be the first and best source for Disney fans. Oh, and did I mention the $6255.42 total we raised for Toys for Tots in the last year bringing our fundraising total to $25,805.24 over the past nine years?

In the world of Disney, our site has covered huge stories such as the 2015 D23 Expo, the financial cutbacks at the domestic parks, the introduction of new seasonal ticket pricing at the theme parks, the Disney After Hours event at the Magic Kingdom, the opening of Frozen Ever after at Epcot, the delay of Rivers of Light at Animal Kingdom, and much more. We also said goodbye to the original Soarin’, Dream Along with Mickey, the Lights, Motors Action, Extreme Stunt Show, the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure, the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, and the Earfful Tower. We even celebrated the 60th anniversary of Disneyland with fascinating podcast & radio show segments celebrating 6 decades of the very first Disney theme park.

Tonight, we will continue our annual tradition of presenting a special anniversary program on WDW News Today: On The Air, and as well for the first time ever on AM 1520 WBZW in Orlando. The show begins at 9PM ET and will last until 12AM ET. During this show, we will be making several earth-shattering announcements about the future of WDWNT. We’ll 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. Unlike years past, we have a few special segments we will present as well, such as a visit from Cornac the Magnificent, WDWNT: The Match Game, and a few surprises! We hope you will join us for that tonight as it is always a very fun event!

On a personal note, the 9 year journey of this website, the podcast, and the entire family that makes up WDWNT continues to be the greatest experience of my life. I’d like to thank the incredible volunteer staff of over 30 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 9 years and amazed at where it has taken me today, moving me across the country to my new home just minutes away from Walt Disney World. I’m looking forward to living up to our tagline, continuing to be the worldwide leader in Disney Parks news. As a great song once said, “We’ve just begun to dream!”

Tom Corless
CEO & Founder of WDW News Today

PHOTOS: Disney Water Parks Now Offering Preferred Parking

WDWNT on July 20, 2016

Preferred parking is available at 3 of the 4 Walt Disney World theme parks these days, but now it is available (at a cheaper price) for those visiting the Walt Disney World water parks.

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The cost is $15.00, but can be paid in cash only.

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A few cars were parked in the spaces, but not many.

Photos by Chris Chatron

PHOTO REPORT: Disneyland Resort 7/7/16 (Star Wars Land Wreckage, Marvel in DCA, ETC.)

WDWNT on July 20, 2016

Disneyland Reporter Conner Purzycki is back to bring us the very latest from the Disneyland Resort in our first photo report from the west coast in some time. Let’s see what’s new and exciting:

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We begin by looking at the continuing work on Star Wars land

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The Fort on Tom Sawyer Island is in the construction zone

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Foundation work has begun

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Toontown in the distance

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The Fantasyland Skyway station was finally removed recently

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Walt seems excited about it… *ducks to avoid projectiles*

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In Downtown Disney, work continues on the second Starbucks location near Earl of Sandwich

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The House of Blues closed and moved to Garden Walk nearby, no announcement yet on what will replace it

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Chapel Hats, which has a store at Disney Springs, now has a shop at Downtown Disney Anaheim

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New recycling bins have appeared around the resort, allowing guests to dump out the liquid first and then throw away the cup or bottle

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The Star Trader is now selling rubber Star Wars weaponry…

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No visible changes to be seen inside Star Wars Launch Bay since Super Hero HQ was closed

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Autopia reopened a while ago, but more changes are still expected over the coming months

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Star Wars construction has made a visible dent in the treeline near the Fantasyland Theater

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Where trees and the Skyway station once were is now nothing

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The Big Thunder Trail will remain closed until the completion of the project

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The construction is quite visible while riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

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The view from just outside Big Thunder

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The tunnel lives…

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Looking out at the Rivers of America

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The Mark Twain isn’t moving, but you can still enjoy it

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A deserted Tom Sawyer Island

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Moving over to DCA, Soarin’ Around the World is now open

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Lines have been noticeably longer for the new attraction

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You can now get a bacon mac and cheese cone at the Cozy Cone Motel in Cars Land

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Big crowds still showing up for Frozen: Live at the Hyperion

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Spider-Man and Captain America enjoying their new home in Hollywood Land

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If you don’t get here early, this is a pretty common sight

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The ads for the Stark Expo are a nice touch given the New York backdrop for both characters

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Rather than bring back Mad T Party or tear this down, Disneyland Resort opted to turn the backlot area into “Jammin’ on the Backlot”

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There’s still a fountain under this stage…

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The sneak peek of Pete’s Dragon is happening now in Sunset Showcase, former home of Muppetvision 3-D

Emma Watson Reveals The Official Teaser Poster For Disney’s “Beauty And The Beast”

WDWNT on July 20, 2016

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Emma Watson, through Facebook, has given us our first look at the teaser poster for Disney’s “Beauty And The Beast”.

Emma Watson via Facebook:

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Source: Emma Watson

Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” is a live-action re-telling of the studio’s animated classic which refashions the classic characters from the tale as old as time for a contemporary audience, staying true to the original music while updating the score with several new songs. “Beauty and the Beast” is the fantastic journey of Belle, a bright, beautiful and independent young woman who is taken prisoner by a beast in his castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle’s enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the Beast’s hideous exterior and realize the kind heart and soul of the true Prince within. The film stars: Emma Watson as Belle; Dan Stevens as the Beast; Luke Evans as Gaston, the handsome, but shallow villager who woos Belle; Oscar® winner Kevin Kline as Maurice, Belle’s eccentric, but lovable father; Josh Gad as Lefou, Gaston’s long-suffering aide-de-camp; Golden Globe® nominee Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, the candelabra; Oscar nominee Stanley Tucci as Maestro Cadenza, the harpsichord; Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette, the feather duster; six-time Tony Award® winner Audra McDonald as Madame Garderobe, the wardrobe; Oscar nominee Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, the mantel clock; and two-time Academy Award® winner Emma Thompson as the teapot, Mrs. Potts.

Directed by Oscar® winner Bill Condon from a screenplay by TBD based on the 1991 animated film, the film is produced by Mandeville Films’ David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman with eight-time Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken, who won two Academy Awards® (Best Original Score and Best Song) for the 1991 animated film, providing the score, which will include new recordings of the original songs written by Menken and Howard Ashman, as well as several new songs written by Menken and three-time Oscar winner Tim Rice. “Beauty and the Beast” will be released in U.S. theaters on March 17, 2017.