Walt Disney Animation Studios has released a new clip for “Moana” featuring the original song “We Know the Way.” Written and performed by Opetaia Foa‘i and Lin-Manuel Miranda, “We Know the Way” showcases the rich and vibrant voyaging life of Moana’s ancestors.
From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes “Moana,” a sweeping, CG-animated feature film about an adventurous teenager who is inspired to leave the safety and security of her island on a daring journey to save her people. Inexplicably drawn to the ocean, Moana (voice of Auliʻi Cravalho) convinces the mighty demigod Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson) to join her mission, and he reluctantly helps her become a wayfinder like her ancestors who sailed before her. Together, they voyage across the open ocean on an action-packed adventure, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds, and along the way, Moana fulfills her quest and discovers the one thing she’s always sought: her own identity. Directed by the renowned filmmaking team of Ron Clements and John Musker (“The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” “The Princess & the Frog”), produced by Osnat Shurer (“Lifted,” “One Man Band”), and featuring music by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa‘i.
“Moana” sails into U.S. theaters on Nov. 23, 2016.
“Moana” filmmakers invite moviegoers to venture behind the scenes with “The Way to Moana.” Featuring commentary from filmmakers, voice talent, songwriters, and key advisors from the Pacific Islands, the new featurette dives into the research and collaboration that went into the film, helping to ensure the story celebrates the Pacific Island cultures that so deeply inspired it.
One of the most fun things about Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom is the endless servings of hot chocolate and snickerdoodle cookies guests have enjoyed with admission in years past. Starting tonight at the first party of the season, new complimentary treats are available as well:
Hot Chocolate and Snickerdoodle cookie, Tortuga Tavern, Adventureland
Eggnog and Gingersnap Molasses Cookie, Heritage House in Liberty Square
Snow Cone and Snowman Sugar Cookie, Friar’s Nook in Fantasyland
Spiced Apple Cider and Snowman Sugar Cookie, Pete’s Silly Sideshow Storybook Circus in Fantasyland
Hot Chocolate and Peppermint Bark Cookie, The Lunching Pad in Tomorrowland
In addition to new, free snacks, there are some special treats guests can purchase only during the party as well:
Peppermint Cupcake, with chocolate cake and peppermint frosting, and a Holiday Wish Cupcake, with vanilla cake and buttercream, Main Street Bakery.
Holiday Tree Cupcake, an adorable Holiday Tree Cupcake is made with spiced cake—infused with cinnamon, clove and star anise—topped with sprinkles, buttercream icing and an edible star, Gaston’s Tavern.
Pumpkin Spice Waffle, back by popular demand, this spiced waffle is topped with vanilla ice cream and dusted with cinnamon and holiday sprinkles, Sleepy Hollow.
Very Merry Strawberry Lemonade Slush, a holiday-inspired red and green slushy complete with Mickey straw, Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café.
Holiday Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich, Plaza Ice Cream Parlor.
Be sure to follow @WDWNT on twitter for live coverage of the new treats tonight, as well as much more from the first Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party of 2016.
ANAHEIM – Disney is moving one of its security checkpoints so that Downtown Disney is pulled inside its secured area.
The move was expected to be completed by year’s end.
“We are moving the location of our bag-check and metal detectors to the point where guests enter our property through Downtown Disney and the Mickey & Friends parking structure,” a Disneyland Resort spokeswoman said.
Guests would be checked as soon as they left the Mickey & Friends parking structure before boarding the tram toward Downtown Disney.
Two other checkpoints are set to be added: one of them will be between ESPN Zone and Rainforest Cafe and the other between ESPN Zone and Earl of Sandwich restaurant. Officials said these would likely service guests coming from the hotels.
Officials hope the change will make it easier for guests: They could leave Disneyland or Disney California Adventure for Downtown Disney, a shopping and restaurant district, and return to one of the parks without going through a checkpoint for a second time.
Guests can already pass from one park to the other without going through a checkpoint.
The checkpoint on the east side of the parks, near the Harbor Boulevard entrance, is not moving for now.
(HONG KONG, NOVEMBER 7, 2016) The much-awaited Disney Parks’ first Marvel-themed ride, Iron Man Experience – Presented by AIA, will launch at Hong Kong Disneyland on January 11, 2017. For the very first time, this new ride-through attraction is featuring a story based in Hong Kong. Guests will be able to soar through Hong Kong’s skies alongside Iron Man and battle the evil forces of Hydra in the multi-sensory immersive motion experience.
“Hong Kong Disneyland is excited to bring the first-ever Marvel-themed ride in a Disney Park to Hong Kong,” said Samuel Lau, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. “The Iron Man Experience is a unique immersive motion experience using Hong Kong as the story background for the very first time. We are proud to give local and overseas guests a different perspective and experience of Hong Kong while promoting our vibrant city to the world at the same time.”
The Resort today also announced a corporate alliance with AIA, which will be the presenting sponsor of the Iron Man Experience.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Hong Kong Disneyland in presenting Disney Parks’ first Marvel-themed ride, Iron Man Experience,” said Jacky Chan, Chief Executive Officer of AIA Hong Kong and Macau. “This initiative is in perfect alignment with the criteria of AIA Hong Kong’s sponsorship strategy. It is a popular world-class event that can be enjoyed by members of the public. The event will create happy memories with the community, it also strengthens our brand promise to be ‘The Real Life Company’ by bringing an exciting experience to people of all ages. Most importantly, it gives us the opportunity to make a positive difference by helping people live healthier, better and happier lives.”
Take flight with Iron Man above Hong Kong
The eminent innovator and pioneer, Tony Stark has selected Tomorrowland in Hong Kong Disneyland to host Stark Expo, where he will show off his latest high-tech creations in various exhibition halls – the Hall of Legacy, the Hall of Protection, the Hall of Energy and the Hall of Mobility. Guests will be among the first to explore Tony Stark’s latest innovations up close and fly in a gravity-defying Iron Wing flight vehicle in Iron Man Experience. He has also made Hong Kong the Asia headquarters of Stark Industries hereafter.
The park has spent over three years to design and create Iron Man Experience – complete with flight simulators, 3-D projection, surround sound and other special effects that immerse guests in the Marvel story of a battle with the evil forces of Hydra.
For the first time, the park has integrated strong Hong Kong elements into a park attraction by using Hong Kong and its skyline for the fly-through ride. After putting on a pair of StarkVision glasses and taking off on Stark Industries’ special Expo-edition Iron Wing, guests will make their way to the Hong Kong Stark Tower powered by the arc reactor and whizz alongside Iron Man through streets that resemble those in West Kowloon and downtown, and fly over iconic Hong Kong landmarks like Tsing Ma Bridge, Victoria Harbour and the city’s pristine mountain ranges.
More Iron Man-themed experiences to be discovered at Tomorrowland
The Iron Man Experience will be complemented by a range of Iron Man-themed experiences unveiling at Tomorrowland in the run up to the grand launch of the Stark Expo. The brand-new Expo Shop is already opened to greet guests with a tantalizing range of 70-plus Hong Kong Disneyland exclusive Iron Man merchandise items and more than 250 items of Marvel-themed memorabilia, among them collectibles and toys, glowing key chains, souvenirs as well as apparels and accessories. Some of the exclusive apparels feature Hong Kong’s postcard-perfect scenery or Stark Expo themes.
In the Expo Shop, Iron Man fans get to try on Iron Man’s armor suit in the interactive game Become Iron Man at The Stark Expo. Through interactive motion-sensing technology, guests can experience the various functions of the armor and feel what it is like to be a super hero as they fight the forces of evil while zipping through streets that closely resemble Hong Kong. Guests can also take home a memento package featuring a digital photo collage of their Become Iron Man adventure, as well as a digital download of an approximately 35-second video of their transformation.
The park and hotel restaurants have prepared more than 25 Iron Man-themed food and beverage choices to refuel during the intense Iron Man Experience. Among the delectable choices are an Iron Man Waffle, Iron Man stein, Iron Man desserts at Chef Mickey Buffet and Iron Man beverages served at the resort hotels.
At the Iron Man Tech Showcase presented by Stark Industries, guests will find various Iron Man armor suits. Iron Man will also make his first appearance at Hong Kong Disneyland to meet and interact with guests.
Guests may chance upon an opportunity of a sneak preview, when the Iron Man Experience Sneak Peek is held from December 23, 2016 to January 8, 2017. Starting from December 23, 2016*=, guests staying at the resort’s two hotels will receive a Priority Admission Pass of Iron Man Experience to shorten the wait for their turn on the Marvel-themed ride.
New Dooney & Bourke Bags Featuring Theme Park Icons, Disney Cats, & More Coming This Month
Disney today announced several new handbags by Dooney & Bourke will be released this month in select locations at Disney Parks and via the Shop Disney Parks mobile app. These Disney-inspired handbags were created especially for Disney Parks.
The Disney Villains Collection by Dooney & Bourke
The Disney Villains collection is currently available in select locations at Disney Parks. The three bag collection includes a Tote, a Letter Carrier, and a Wristlet.
On Friday, November 18, Disney will be holding a special release party at Cherry Tree Lane in the Marketplace Co-Op at Disney Springs Marketplace. At this event, they will release two handbag collections.
The Retro Sticker Collage Collection by Dooney & Bourke
The Walt Disney World Toile Collection by Dooney & Bourke
The Retro Sticker Collage collection includes three silhouettes – a Wristlet, a Large Letter Carrier, and a Tote. The Walt Disney World Toile collection will have a Large Letter Carrier, a Tote, and a Hobo Satchel.
During this special event, guests will have an opportunity to meet Ian Ray, Creative Director for Dooney & Bourke from 10:30am-12:00pm.
The Retro Sticker Collage collection will also be released on November 18 at Disneyland Resort.
The Princess Keys Collection by Dooney & Bourke
The Disney Cat Collection by Dooney & Bourke
There are two additional collections that will be released on the Shop Disney Parks app in November. The first collection – Princess Keys – will launch on November 14, while the Disney Cat-themed collection will be introduced on the app starting November 28.
In addition to Shop Disney Parks app, guests may find select styles on the Disney Parks online store.
When we broke the news that Celebrate the Magic at the Magic Kingdom was going away, a fair number of you went to social media and the comments section below and let the world know how upset you were and just how much you loved that show. While I wasn’t quite as heartbroken, I did love the Celebrate the Magic projection show, and certainly more than “The Magic, The Memories, and You” which preceded it. When we found out it would be a version of the Once Upon a Time show that performs at Tokyo Disneyland, I became a bit concerned that we were in for a downgrade. Let me explain…
I know I’ll have hell to pay from the Tokyo fanboys, but Once Upon a Time in Tokyo is boring. It is drawn out, has long segments that I refer to as the GTS portions (Go To Sleep), and can be a bit wonky at moments. It fits the preferences of guests there, but could never work in Orlando… unless you cut the boring parts, tighten up the show, put in some sensible pyro, and plop in segments developed for seasonal iterations of the program. Disney did all of this.
The Snow White and Tangled portions of the original version of the show were removed completely. While I lament not having the Tangled lantern scene in this style of show, it feels right. The Snow White portion absolutely needed to be cut as it just didn’t have the right pacing for a nighttime spectacular. They did keep the Cinderella portion, which was a concern of mine, but it was tightened up and comes early enough in the show where it doesn’t kill any of the momentum. You would be amazed how hard it is to keep children awake after 10pm, which for some reason is when they are running this show on most nights.
While the double-song FROZEN portion was unexpected, it works. The two times I have seen the show, the entire crowd was signing along to both “For the First Time in Forever” and “Let It Go”. Whether you love or hate Frozen, this segment is fantastic and is certainly a crowd pleaser.
The best scene, in my opinion, is the Peter Pan flight over London. All of the chills and warm feelings I got the first time I saw the Mickey’s Philharmagic segment of the same nature came back to me, and I dare say were amplified by the presentation style of the London flight in this show. Bursting through the Big Ben clock and out over the vast city skyline is amazing, and is in fact so good that it gets revisited again in the finale portion of Once Upon a Time.
The pyrotechnics in the show are spot on and only used when absolutely needed. That being said, there is a ton more pyro in this show than there ever was in any other Magic Kingdom projection show. The moments where fireworks erupt from the castle are overwhelming, and the addition of spotlights flanking the Castle throughout the show make for some truly jaw dropping effects. It reminds me in many ways of Disneyland Forever (look it up kids).
I want to have one negative about Once Upon a Time as not to seem like a “Pixie Duster” and I have a valid one: they didn’t reanimate Mrs. Potts and Chip. Despite being your hosts for the show and appearing on the Castle several times, the mouth movements and what the characters are saying never line up. It’s like watching an animated Godzilla movie that was translated to English. I suppose it is not a big deal, but it is really noticeable if you are standing in the front portion of the hub area.
Once Upon a Time delivers, despite being seemingly set up to fail. It replaces a beloved show, is presented once nightly, 30 minutes after the end of Wishes (supposedly the main nighttime attraction for the park), and park crowd control cast members don’t even really stick around to wrangle and direct guests in the time leading up to, during, and after this show, despite their being sizable crowds for it. With all of that being said, the show is quintessentially Disney, combing past and contemporary animated favorites with stunningly clear projections, awe-inspiring pyrotechnics and lighting, and a soundtrack that weaves together wonderful sing-along moments with a fantastic original score and theme.
Once Upon Time is a must see the next time you visit the Magic Kingdom (and it is actually playing, it does not perform nightly as of right now).
While many guests joked about the old Indian Butter Chicken Wings serving being only 3 wings in size, the last menu overhaul brought the serving portion up to 5. I always enjoyed these, so I was pretty surprised when I found new wings on the menu during a recent visit. The Indian wings have been replaced with “Asian Barbecue Chicken Wings”. If you know me by now, you know well enough that I had to order them and try them out. Let’s see how they stack up to the old…
Asian Barbecue Chicken Wings ($9)
Asian Barbecue Chicken Wings ($9), Nomad Lounge
Upon arriving at the table, all I can think about was how much they looked like the infamous “sticky wings” available at Disney’s Polynesian Resort. Once I picked one up to eat it, there were some noticeable flavor similarities between the two as well, but there was something more pleasant about these wings. There is definitely more of a barbecue sauce flavor to these than their rivals at the Polynesian, and I think it makes these a little better (in my opinion at least).
Asian Barbecue Chicken Wings ($9), Nomad Lounge
On their own, I don’t think that $9 for 5 wings is the end of the world, and these are quite good. You have to remember you are at Disney World, and on top of that, you are in a bar at a signature dining experience. The fact that Disney went and made the portions a little better is a nice effort and I find that I have enjoyed dining at Nomad Lounge much more since then.
Of course, Nomad Lounge still has my favorite drink menu at Walt Disney World, which is still reason enough to visit. So the next time you’re at Animal Kingdom and you want to take your friends or family (or maybe your favorite Disney blogger) somewhere for great drinks and good food, this would most certainly be the place to go.
