“it’s tough to be a bug”, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Maharajah Jungle Trek, & More Refurbishments Happening Over the Next Month at Animal Kingdom

WDWNT on April 19, 2017

Multiple areas of Animal Kingdom will be under construction in the coming weeks.

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Construction to enhance the Serka Zong Bazaar merchandise location at Expedition Everest began on April 17th  and will continue through May 12th. During construction, the location will remain open.

In addition to that, the FastPass+ touch points and entrance queue area at Kilimanjaro Safaris will undergo refurbishment from April 17 through May 12. A secondary queue will be used during the entire duration of this construction project.

“it’s tough to be a bug” will be closed April 24th through the 28th to accommodate work on the Tree of Life structure.

Finally, the tiger exhibit in the Maharajah Jungle Trek will undergo habitat enhancements through Friday, May 5. During this time, the tigers will be kept backstage and the viewing areas will be inaccessible to Guests.

Frozen Summer Games Returning to Blizzard Beach May 26th

WDWNT on April 19, 2017

Beginning May 26th, the Frozen Summer Games hosted at Blizzard Beach will be returning for their second year.

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The games are ‘games’ at Blizzard Beach (which are included in admission) where you can join Team Kristoff or Team Olaf to participate in a variety of activities, from Ice Pail Relays and a Snowball Toss to Ski Pole Limbo and Slide Races. Not only that, but there will be crafts, a live DJ, and for the first time in forever, a special Kristoff and Olaf character greeting location.

Frozen Summer Games begins May 26th at Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park. No end date has been announced.

VIDEO: Summer of Heroes Ad Brings MARVEL Heroes to Disneyland Resort

WDWNT on April 19, 2017

Today, Disneyland Resort released a TV spot for the Summer of Heroes event coming this summer to the Disneyland Resort, as well as making notice of the grand opening of the new Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout ride. Marvel’s greatest heroes swing, jump, and roll through Disneyland Resort in the ad, such as Captain America, Black Widow, and even Spider-Man. Take a look at the video right here from the Disneyland Blog:Yeah

Get prepared, Mission Breakout and Summer of Heroes starts May 27th.

CONFIRMED: Disneyland’s New Fantasmic! Features Scenes for The Lion King, Pirates of the Caribbean, Aladdin, and Tangled

WDWNT on April 19, 2017

Disney today accidentally announced that Fantasmic! at Disneyland will return with new scenes and magic this Summer.

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When it returns (expected just before the 4th of July holiday, but may be delayed now), new scenes will include Pirates of the Caribbean, Aladdin, The Lion King, and Tangled characters. Further details on these scenes were not provided as of yet. This was confirmed today in a post by D23.com that has since been taken down for being posted before a formal release was made by Disney Parks.

The Pirates of the Caribbean sequence was first rumored right here at WDWNT.com in August 2016.

VIDEO: Star Wars Takes Over Rock ‘ N’ Roller Coaster, Rogue One Joins Galactic Spectacular, Rey Appears, and More from Galactic Nights

WDWNT on April 19, 2017

Star Wars – Galactic Nights took over Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Friday, April 14th, 2017 during Star Wars Celebration Orlando, turning the park into a fanboy’s dream. While we are still formulating a review (as it is expected the event will return), please enjoy our videos of the various festivities:

Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster – Star Wars Edition

Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster drops Aerosmith and adds the magical musical core of John Williams in this attraction overlay. The ride portion is mostly dark except for some projections of stars, a nice upgrade over the last time this overlay was installed in December 2015 for the premiere of The Force Awakens.

Star Wars: A Galaxy Far, Far Away adds Rey

Rey from the new Star Wars trilogy joins the cast of this show for one night only.

Imperial March

Darth Vader and the stormtroopers march through Disney’s Hollywood Studios in this event exclusive offering.

Rogue One added to Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular

A Rogue One sequence replaces Both in Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular. You can see the Both version of the show below this one in case you are wondering what’s missing.

Stars in Cars Celebrity Motorcade

A celebrity motorcade welcomes the stars to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Galactic Nights Epilogue and Lanyard Reveal Moment

Right before the fireworks show, the event is recapped and the guest lanyards come to life with some Disney magic…

The Seventh Sister Reveals Her Face in Jedi Training

Just for this event, the Seventh Sister is turned into a face character in Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple.

Planetary Projections

The Chinese Theater is turned into a living canvas as tableaus of Star Wars planets come to life.

Celebrate the Saga 

Alright, they can’t all be winners. Witness this strange and almost useless stage show/powerpoint presentation on the history of Star Wars.

Photo-Ops

6 unique photo-ops were offered to guests during this event.

VIDEO: Learn More About Star Wars Land’s Reputation System, Attractions, and More with Full Celebration Orlando Panel

WDWNT on April 19, 2017

Yesterday, a special panel at Star Wars Celebration Orlando was presented celebrating “Disney Parks and Star Wars –  A Galaxy in the Making”. The presentation includes 40 minutes of talk about the Star Wars Land project for both Disneyland and Walt Disney World, revealing new details we have not heard before. Learn all about building a reputation, helping bounty hunters, joining the First Order or the Resistance, piloting the Millennium Falcon, and more in the video below:

Due to copyright issues, Disney would not allow us to upload the behind the scenes video they stop to play in the panel, but you can watch it in all of its glory here:

The panel also began with the story of Star Tours and an announcement of a new destination from The Last Jedi, which you can watch below:

The new destination in Star Tours will debut in late 2017. The Star Wars themed land at Disney Parks will open in 2019.

VIDEO: Disney Imagineering Shares Behind the Scenes Look at the Making of Star Wars Land at Celebration Orlando

WDWNT on April 19, 2017

At a panel discussion today at Star Wars Celebration in Orlando entitled Star Wars and Disney Parks: A Galaxy in the Making, creative minds from Lucasfilm and Walt Disney Imagineering discussed their unique partnership and shared additional details about the new galactic lands being created at Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts. Everyone in the room got to experience the excitement and commitment this team is bringing to this project.

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Here’s an exclusive look at a video shared at today’s event which gives some insight into this incredible collaboration.

The team shared exciting new details about the story behind this mysterious destination somewhere on the Outer Rim — lying on the edge of the Unknown Regions. The remote village was once a busy crossroads along the old sub-lightspeed trade routes, but the prominence of the outpost has been bypassed with the rise of hyperspace travel. Now home to those who prefer less attention, it has become a thriving port for smugglers, rogue traders and adventurers traveling between the frontier and uncharted space. It’s also a convenient safe-haven for others intent on avoiding the expanding reach of the First Order.

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Unusual characters from across the galaxy have landed here, preferring the “no questions asked” environment as well as easy access to exotic supplies and an abundant supply of ready rogues looking to join a crew for their next adventure.

As Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger announced last month, our Star Wars-themed lands are scheduled to open in 2019.

VIDEO: First Full ‘Star Wars: Battlefront II’ Trailer Shows First Look at Story

WDWNT on April 19, 2017

Following a teaser that leaked earlier in the week, the full trailer for Star Wars: Battlefront II has officially dropped.

The trailer focuses mainly on the game’s campaign, which seemingly tells the story of a crew from the Galactic Empire fighting the Rebel Alliance after the events of Return of the Jedi.

http://https://youtu.be/Kae-JjbLsgA

Star Wars: Battlefront II is set to release on November 17, 2017 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

VIDEO: A Look at the Projection Mapping for Happily Ever After, Magic Kingdom’s New Nighttime Spectacle

WDWNT on April 19, 2017

Disney recently gave us another inside look at the process of creating Happily Ever After, the new nighttime spectacular coming to Magic Kingdom May 12th. In this video, they talk about how the show will use cutting-edge technology involving the state-of the art projection mapping. Projections are just one of the many methods of storytelling being used, in addition to new hand-drawn animation, an original score and the latest in lasers and pyrotechnics. Here is that video below from the Disney Parks Blog:

Happily Ever After will be debuting May 12th at Magic Kingdom.