Starbucks to Open at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2015, Replacing L.A. Cinema Storage Shop

WDWNT on June 29, 2014

The L.A. Prop Cinema Storage shop at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is closing on June 16th for what is expected to be a conversion into a Starbucks location. The store is scheduled to be closed until March 2015, which would be about 8 months until we would see the Starbucks location completed, but it may be done a few weeks earlier than that. There’s no word of if the exterior Red Car Trolley Barn theme of the building will remain, but we are hopeful.

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Starring Rolls was rumored to be the new Starbucks location for the park, but the space was deemed too small to handle the amount of guests expected daily. L.A. Cinema Storage is a fairly large location and is conveniently placed at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard, which should be a easy-to-find location for guests especially when entering the park.

Disney has not confirmed Starbucks will be taking over this space, but it seems highly likely at this time. This would be the 5th Starbucks to open at Walt Disney World with locations at Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and 2 at Downtown Disney/Disney Springs.

“Guardians of the Galaxy” Preview Coming to Disneyland, Walt Disney World

WDWNT on June 29, 2014

Starting July 4, “Guardians of the Galaxy” is coming to Disney Parks with an exclusive sneak peek, offering guests an extended look at the film before it opens in theaters.

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At Disneyland park in California, you can catch this limited time intergalactic preview in 3D with special in-theater effects at the Magic Eye Theater in Tomorrowland, where Captain EO is typically shown. Captain EO is expected to return in August.

For those visiting Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, you’ll be able to experience the cosmic adventure of “Guardians of the Galaxy” at the ABC Sound Studio at Disney’s Hollywood Studios presented in RealD 3D. This will be replacing the current Maleficent sneak peek attraction in that space.

It’s no accident that there is no Marvel logo in the image Disney is using for this preview, the logo and all mention of the company will be missing at Walt Disney World thanks to the existing theme park rights deal Universal has in place with Marvel.

“Guardians of the Galaxy” finds space adventurer Peter Quill the object of a bounty hunt after stealing an orb coveted by a treacherous villain, but when Quill discovers the power it holds, he must find a way to rally the quartet of ragtag rivals hot on his trail to save the universe.

“Guardians of the Galaxy,” releases in U.S. theaters on August 1, 2014.

VIDEO: Mark Hamill Recalls Memories of Playing Luke Skywalker & The Joker at Star Wars Weekends 2014

WDWNT on June 29, 2014

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For one weekend only, a bit of Star Wars royalty dropped-by Star Wars Weekends 2014 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. A special “Conversation with Mark Hamill” was held in the Premier Theater on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and we were lucky enough to catch the very last presentation of the show yesterday afternoon. Please enjoy our video of the entire presentation:

Pretty cool, huh?

PHOTOS & VIDEO: Highly Anticipated Marketplace Co-Op Store Opens at Downtown Disney

WDWNT on June 29, 2014

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Earlier today, the Marketplace Co-Op store at Downtown Disney we have been reporting about anxiously for several months finally opened to the public:

Our first stop inside is Centerpiece

Plenty of Polynesian and Adventureland inspired pieces

So much glassware

There’s an entire rack of Little Orange Bird merchandise

Plates

Some new, smaller signs were introduced

Tiki Room coasters

Trophy Room is pretty much the remains of Team Mickey

D-Tech on demand features pre-packaged electronics and cases, as well as 125 pieces of art that you can make into a new phone case

So many choices

Seems easy enough

On to Beautifully Disney…

Plenty of spa products, including some previously only available at Aulani

Zoey and Pickles is items focusing on tweens

Our last stop is Cherry Tree Lane

If all of this wasn’t enough to excite you about the Marketplace Co-Op, we also have a full video walk-through:

PHOTOS & VIDEO: Tinker Bell Moves to Town Square Theater at the Magic Kingdom

WDWNT on June 29, 2014

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A few weeks ago, Tinker Bell’s Nook in the former Adventureland Veranda restaurant at the Magic Kingdom was closed and Tinker Bell has now flown on over to Town Square Theater on Main Street U.S.A.. Tinker Bell’s new home replaces the Princess meet and greet area in Town Square Theater which was shuttered in the Summer of 2013 when Princess Fairytale Hall opened in New Fantasyland.

The journey begins with a cast member initiating a magical Pixie Dust effect, shrinking you down to the size of a pixie…

It’s nothing groundbreaking, but it doesn’t appear to be a permanent home for Tinker Bell either. If there are plans to move the meet and greet again at some future time, it is unclear where or when that would be,

Rumors indicate that the meet and greet was moved so that the Adventureland Veranda could once again become a restaurant (since the Magic Kingdom constantly has table service restaurants that are completely booked for reservations at busy dinner times). Only time will tell if this rumor comes to fruition.

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.