Walt Disney World will be lifting block-out dates in August on annual passes that would not typically allow entry to the parks during this time so that guests may say goodbye to two classic attractions.
While we don’t have the exact dates yet, Disney should be distributing that information to guests later this week. The adjusted block-out will allow these guests to enter Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios to ride the Universe of Energy and the Great Movie Ride one last time. Of course, guests will get to experience other things in the parks as well, not limited to these rides.
UPDATE: Silver and Weekday Select Annual Pass will have access to all 4 Walt Disney World theme parks starting August 1st. Weekday Select passes still will not admit guests on weekends, however.
Junction Point was shut down by Disney after the commercial failure of Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, but the studio had many other concepts in development that never saw the light of day.
Project Goliath was one of those concepts. It was an ambitious project conceived from a group of eager college students. The game would have been one of Junction Points’ next projects had it not been for the company’s demise.
Following the release of the first Epic Mickey, games industry legend Warren Spector wanted to give the Epic Mickey series another go, due to his frustration with the game’s critical reception missing his personal expectations. Given the commercial success of the first game, Disney gave the team the green light to develop a sequel.
Meanwhile, a fresh team of college students was working on a new passion project, codenamed Project Goliath. The game was set to tell the story of a biogenetically enhanced gorilla named Tarek, and his human friend Ky. Project Goliath took inspiration from popular platformers like Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, and Banjo-Kazooie. Junction Point also aimed to bring an open scope to the game akin to Shadow of the Colossus, which at the time was uncommon, especially for platform adventure games.
After Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two released in 2012, Disney abruptly shuttered Junction Point due to the disappointing sales of the sequel, and the fact that Avalanche Software was already hard at work on the Disney Infinity series. Junction Point attempted to salvage the company by pitching ideas like an Epic Mickey-esqe Donald Duck game, and a Disney kart racer, but it was too late, and Project Goliath never got its chance to be pitched to Disney.
Not only that, but the team at Junction Point was later forced to remove themselves from the concept art created for the game, after it was discovered that one of the key artists had plagiarized some of the artwork for the game. For fear of being blacklisted, the team behind Project Goliath had to disassociate with the concept altogether.
For a more in-depth look behind the tragic story of Project Goliath, take a look at Unseen64‘s latest video below.
It looks like a second JW Marriott luxury hotel may be coming to the Orlando area in the near future.
Kimley Horn, a planning and engineering firm, submitted plans for the new hotel Monday on behalf of DCS Real Estate Investment, LLC. The property records show that DCS purchased the land in 2013 for $2.2 million.
The proposed plans for the land include a brand new luxurious JW Marriott hotel with 516-rooms, that span 16 stories, with 50,000 square feet of meeting space, a 1000-car garage, and a rooftop bar and signature restaurant. The submitted plan for the hotel refers to the building as the JW Marriott at Bonnet Creek. The location would be on Chelonia Parkway, just south Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park, and outlined in teal on the map below.
Source: Orlando Business Journal
The architect for the project is Huitt-Zollars, whose website contains this concept art:
Credit: Huitt-Zollars, Inc.
JW Marriott is a brand of luxury hotels owned by Marriott International and named after company founder, John Willard Marriott.
As of now, the project has yet to be officially announced.
On July 22nd, Disney released two brand new Dooney and Bourke patterns! Here is a closer look at the two new patterns:
Madame Leota – The Haunted Mansion
This new print is available in three handbag styles: Shopper, Lettercarrier, and Wristlet. There’s even an awesome MagicBand! You can pick up this new print at the parks or at DisneyStore.com.
Madame Leota MagicBand 2 by Dooney & Bourke – The Haunted Mansion – Limited Release. $48
Shopper $268 | Wristlet $98 | Carry Bag $198
Haunted Mansion Magicband Box
Princess Tiana – The Princess and the Frog
This is the second release for the Dooney and Bourke ‘Dream Big, Princess’ collection. The first release was the Beauty and the Beast bags that were released earlier this year. This print has not yet appeared online but we will keep you posted if it appears.
Yak & Yeti Local Food Cafes is now serving quick service breakfast at Animal Kingdom from 9:00am to 10:30am daily.
Located in the Asia area of Animal Kingdom, Yak & Yeti Local Food Cafes will now be serving a variety of breakfast sandwiches and tacos, as well as some kid favorites including french toast sticks and a pancake and sausage stick.
The Dress Shop returns to Cherry Tree Lane in the Marketplace Co-Op at Disney Springs on July 27. First introduced in spring, this whimsical collection is filled with nostalgia that fans of Disney Parks will love. Most of the dresses sold out very quickly after the store’s opening, so this will be the first time all of the designs have been in stock since then.
Once The Dress Shop returns, guests will find the ten original dresses inspired by the Orange Bird, Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, the Haunted Mansion, and more. Disney is also introducing a new Cinderella-inspired dress that contains metallic embroidery.
Look for these items at Disney Springs starting July 27. Guests will also find The Dress Shop collection in Vault 28 at Downtown Disney District at Disneyland Resort.
The Ridemakerz, Build-A-Bear Workshop, and Chapel Hats stores at Downtown Disney Anaheim will be closing to make way for new dining in the coming months.
While the replacement for these shops has not been announced, the closures come at a time of rapid change for the district. Splitsville Luxury Lanes is currently under construction in the former home of the House of Blues, and more changes are expected to be on the way as part of the makeover of Downtown Disney.
It is unlikely that any of these closing stores will relocate to a new location within Downtown Disney, but Chapel Hats may receive an outdoor stand similar to one that they operate at Disney Springs, Walt Disney World.
The Heroes Assemble To Face Thanos In “Avengers: Infinity War”
Marvel made it’s presence know this year at San Diego Comic Con. And similar to this year’s D23, some trailers and images were made public, and some were not.
The same trailer that was shown at D23 for “Avengers: Infinity War”, was shown to participants at the Infinity War panel resulting in thunderous applause. Unfortunately, this amazing trailer was for participants of the panel only, and we still will have to wait until November before we get our first look at Infinity War. But, do a search on YouTube and you may be luck enough to find a leaked version floating around. Disney has been vigilant taking them down as quickly as they pop up but it hasn’t stopped those who were able to record the first leak to post it under different accounts.
Marvel did release three beautiful hand drawn posters for “Avengers: Infinity War” and when you put the three posters together they form one huge and amazing image.
Our heroes assemble to take on Thanos and The Infinity Gauntlet!
Rocket, Teenage Groot, Thor, Loki, Starlord, Drax, Falcon, a bearded Captain America (Nomad?), Vision, Scarlet Witch and a blonde Black Widow.
Thanos in possession of a fully assembled Infinity Gauntlet with his minions The Black Order consisting of The Black Dwarf, The Ebony Man, Proxima Midnight and Super Giant.
Hulk, Hawkeye, The Winter Soldier, War Machine, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, Mantis, Black Panther, Gamora, Iron Man and Nebula.
“Avengers: Infinity War” opens May 4, 2018.
New Poster Released For “Black Panther”
Marvel debuted a brand new poster for Black Panther where King T’Chala watches over his kingdom of Wakanda.
Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” follows T’Challa who, after the death of his father, the King of Wakanda, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation to succeed to the throne and take his rightful place as king. But when a powerful old enemy reappears, T’Challa’s mettle as king—and Black Panther—is tested when he is drawn into a formidable conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Faced with treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes and secure the safety of his people and their way of life.
“Black Panther” stars Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, with Angela Bassett, with Forest Whitaker, and Andy Serkis.
Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” hits U.S. theaters on February 16, 2018.
First Concept Art Shown For “Captain Marvel”; Samuel L Jackson Joins The Cast
Some information regarding Captain Marvel was announced. One thing that we learned is that the movie will take place in the 90’s, meaning that Captain Marvel existed before most of the characters in the MCU. She may not appear on The Infinity War poster shown in the first article, but Captain Marvel will make her debut in “Avengers: Infinity War:. It was also announced that Samuel L Jackson will portray Nick Fury and have an impact on Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (Brie Larson). And to make matters even more interesting, Captain Marvel will introduce The Skrulls to the MCU.
“Ant Man And The Wasp” Adds Michelle Pfeiffer, Lawrence Fishburne and Hannah John-Kamen To The Cast; New Poster Released
Here is another situation where Marvel showed a trailer to those present at the “Ant-Man And The Wasp” panel, but we wont be getting it for a long time. Marvel did announce that Michelle Pfeiffer will be playing Janet Van Dyne, Lawerence Fishburne will be playing Dr. Bill Foster (Goliath) and Hannah John-Kamen will be playing Ghost.
“Ant-Man And The Wasp” opens July 6, 2018.
Stan Lee Introduces Us To Netflix’s “The Defenders”
Stan Lee introduces The Defenders as only he can in this teaser for Netflix’s “The Defenders”.
Also check out the official trailer that debuted at SDCC for Netflix’s “The Defenders”.
Check out this awesome video of some amazing figures from Hot Toys that were shown at this year’s SDCC! Some Marvel, Star Wars, Disney, DC, Aliens, Back To The Future and much more!
The bird figure at the top of the mountain has been on-and-off for many years, but has probably been missing for a few years straight at this point. The bird pops up as you arrive at the summit, but then hides until your train begins rolling backwards.
There seems to be some correlation between the Yeti lighting test and this effect returning, likely gearing up for a larger refurbishment of the ride in the months ahead.
