PHOTOS: Some Recent Merchandise Releases Including More Park Icon Mugs

There always seems to be something new to buy at Walt Disney World, so here are a few recently released items we found interesting around the resort:

4 new women’s shirts available

Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug

There is an Oswald the Lucky Rabbit print for sale at most Art of Disney locations

In the same vein as the Spaceship Earth mug, Tree of Life and Cinderella Castle sculpted mugs have been released

Both mugs retail for $18.95 each

Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug

You can bring home a “stained glass” window from Beauty and the Beast at Art of Disney for $150.00

PHOTOS: New Super-Realistic Character Topiaries Make Early Debut for 2014 Epcot Flower & Garden Festival

If you have visited the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival before, you’ve undoubtedly seen the famous character topiaries that are the highlight of the annual event. Well, prepare to see them in an entirely new way in 2014…

Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug

Unlike years past, the details of the character will not only be made completely from greenery, but they will be incredibly accurate to every character detail. We were anxious to see the changes to the topiaries when Disney promised they would have a “computer generated look” this year, but I can honestly say, we were not expecting anything like what we saw at Epcot yesterday. These Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs topiaries arrived a little early and give us a great look at what to expect from all of the characters this year.

Just look at the detail in Snow White’s shoe!

Here is what the display looked like last year:

Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug


Lady and the Tramp also debuted early and were looking much better this year

So, what do you think of the new look for the character topiaries in 2014?

WATCH NOW: Guardians of the Galaxy Premiere Trailer

As reported yesterday, the world premiere trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy made its debut on TV last night and now we’ve got it here for your enjoyment. Check out the trailer below and leave your thoughts in the comments below. You can instantly tell that this movie is going to kick some serious tail.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTZ2Tp9yXyM

Hong Kong Disneyland Announces New Hotel and Nighttime Show

Hong Kong Disneyland recently announced plans to open a third hotel as the popularity of the resort grows following the completion of the park’s expansion project

hkd823721

Hong Kong Disneyland Proposed Third Hotel Concept Art

The park’s two existing hotels reported occupancy increasing to 94%. Following advice from the Hong Kong government, park management announced plans to open a third hotel in 2017. The just-announced hotel still has to receive final approval, but with its planned 750 rooms, total available rooms for the park will increase by 75%.

The estimated $550 million (US) hotel will be funded by a cash injection from Disney, the Hong Kong government and partial conversion of an existing loan from the government. The Hong Kong government currently is the majority owner of Hong Kong Disneyland at 52% with 48% owned by the Walt Disney Company.

HK Disneyland 2

Hong Kong Disneyland Proposed Third Hotel Concept Art

The new, as yet unnamed hotel, which will be built between the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel and the Hong Kong Disneyland Hollywood Hotel, is being positioned as luxury hotel themed around “exotic locations from around the world”. It will occupy almost 16 acres, feature almost 603,00 square feet of floor area and an outdoor exotic adventure themed area to continue and extend the theme of the hotel, as well as 3 restaurants.

At the event announcing the third hotel, Hong Kong Disneyland also reported their financials. For their financial year ending September 2013, the park, which opened in 2005, experienced profits climbing to $31.2 million (US) due to a revenue increase of 15% to $631 million (US). Park attendance also increased by 10% to 7.4 million, with spending per head increasing by 6%.

“Steady growth was registered across the three main sources of guests from the local community, mainland China and international markets, with the latter two accounting for about two-thirds of total guests,” said Andrew Kam, HKDL managing director.

Three new themed areas – Toy Story Land, Grizzly Gulch and Mystic Point, as well as special entertainment such as “Disney’s Haunted Halloween”, “Disney’s Sparkling Christmas”, “Golden Chinese New Year Celebration”, “Star Guest Program” and “Monsters University” programs drove the 10% park attendance growth.

Several new entertainment offerings are being planned over the next 2 years such as a nighttime spectacular called “Disney Paint the Night” in 2014, 10th anniversary celebrations in 2015, and a new attraction based on Marvel’s “Iron Man” in late 2016.

Say “Aloha” to the Polynesian Resort Lobby, Closes in March 2014 for Renovations

A few weeks ago, rumors began circulating that the lobby of Disney’s Polynesian Resort would be forever changed from the look it has now, one it has sported since it opened back in 1971. The huge water feature and somewhat of a mildew smell in the lobby have been staples of Walt Disney World for almost 43 years, but starting next month, it will be erased.

Polywaterfall

The project is part of a remodeling of the entire resort taking place between now and the opening of the Disney Vacation Club wing of the resort that will open in 2015. The Wyland Gallery downstairs in the Great Ceremonial House has already closed to make way for expanded dining options (which may include a new restaurant, expanded Captain Cook’s, and maybe even a Dole Whip bar depending on who you ask). The Captain Cook’s counter service restaurant is also set to be closed from March until June of 2014 for major modifications. The Neverland Club, which closed a few weeks ago will reopen in late-April, may re-open as a new food service location as well.

The lobby will be the latest victim, currently slated to go behind work walls sometime in March. in area desks should resemble the podiums at Art of Animation where cast members can walk out from behind them to easily assist guests.

Only time will tell what actually happens and what remains a rumor. We will keep you posted as more becomes available over the coming weeks.

What do you think? Are you sad to see the old lobby go?

Dirk Wallen’s 2/17/14 Epcot & Disney Springs Photo Report

WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited Epcot and Downtown Disney this week and has some newsworthy photos of Walt Disney World to share with us, so let’s take a look:

Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug

The Flower and Garden Festival is just a few weeks away

The butterfly garden is starting to rise

The playground near Imagination! is also being set up

Moving to Downtown Disney, work continues on the parking structure

The latest progress on the West Side Starbucks

This crane and construction materials are still mysteriously sitting out by the West Side parking lot and the construction trailers

Not much to see here

It appears that the back of Portobello is being themed to fit in once the new walkway to The Landing (Pleasure Island) opens

Some work happening where the stage is between Fulton’s and Portobello

The latest progress on the Marketplace bridge


Finally we can see some of the framework for the Starbucks in the Marketplace

Get Your First Look at Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” Trailer February 18 On “Jimmy Kimmel Live”

The world premiere of the trailer for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy will be on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC Tuesday, February 18 at 11:35p.m. Eastern Time.

Guardians Logo

The movie’s star, Chris Pratt, will help debut the premiere which will also be posted exclusively for 24 hours on on Jimmy Kimmel Live’s YouTube channel. This will be the first opportunity that Marvel fans will have to see the official trailer for the highly-anticipated film, which will be released in theaters on August 1.

Directed by James Gunn and starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel and Benicio Del Toro, Guardians of the Galaxy will expand the Marvel film universe into space, where adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of a bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a group of misfits—Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. When Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand—with the galaxy’s fate in the balance.

ft_comicon_s_t_grd09_wt06_080613.090260_R

Keep checking WDWNT.com for more Guardians of the Universe news and details.

“Disney twenty-three” Spring Issue To Celebrate Disney at the 1964 World’s Fair

The Spring 2014 issue of Disney twenty-three, the official magazine of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club, will celebrate Disney’s contributions to the 1964 World’s Fair in New York.  The Fair, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, celebrated a time of optimism, growth, and progress, and marked the creation of landmark Disney technology, music, and attractions including it’s a small world, Audio-Animatronics® technology, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, and the Carousel of Progress—with its memorable theme song “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.” The magazine’s writers sat down with several Disney legends responsible for these iconic landmarks including Marty Sklar, Alice Davis, and Bob Gurr. Stunning concept art and rarely seen photography from the Fair complement the stories in this issue, available exclusively to Gold Members of D23.

Disneytwenty-three_6.1-spring-2014_cover-sm-copyright

 The Spring issue will also include a look ahead at some of the latest entertainment coming from Disney. Ty Burrell, Tina Fey, Kermit the Frog, and Miss Piggy give readers a peek “behind the felt” at Muppets Most Wanted, which opens in March. Chris Evans talks about suiting up once again for April’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Plus, Jonathan Freeman discusses taking his characterization of the villainous Jafar from screen to stage, as Disney Theatrical Productions prepares to open Aladdin on Broadway this March.

Also included in the Spring issue of Disney twenty-three:

  • We celebrate D23’s fifth anniversary with a look at some of the club’s most memorable events
  • “Ask Dave” with Disney Legend and Chief Archivist Emeritus Dave Smith returns to print in the U.S. for the first time in nearly a decade
  • Disney trendsetters are all the rage—and on the page—in “The Hippest Place on Earth”
  • Regular columns including A Walk with Walt, PHOTOfiles, D Society, and more

All D23 Members are invited to visit www.D23.com for additional members-only content, including extended Q&As with Kermit, Fey, Burrell, and the irrepressible Miss Piggy from Muppets Most Wanted.

Other features coming to D23.com include:

  • A closer look at the artwork from it’s a small world’s Tower of the Four Winds at the New York World’s Fair
  • Details on which parts of the World’s Fair attractions made their way to Disneyland
  • A drive though the Ford Magic Skyway, with an extensive photo gallery

Also, D23 Gold Members will receive a reproduction of the “Souvenir Map and Small World Guide” from the centerfold of the commemorative it’s a small world, guide book in the Spring issue

Disney twenty-three is offered exclusively to D23 Gold Members as a benefit of their membership.

D23_Logo_Stack-Lg

CONFIRMED: Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade to End in June

mickeys-jammin-jungle-parade-00

Walt Disney World’s only afternoon parade currently running is going away soon. Entertainers in Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade have been informed that the 13-year-old parade will conclude in June of 2014. Waiting until June would allow time for the new Festival of the Lion King theater to open in Africa, reinstating some of the much needed attraction capacity for the park in preparation for the Summer. We can only assume that either the parade warehouse in the way of construction staging for the AVATAR project or that the parade route will be altered to accommodate the new nighttime show on the way to the park.

The removal of the parade was confirmed by a Disney spokesperson since this story was first run.

PHOTOS: Construction Walls Come Down Revealing Beautiful Scenery of Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited the Magic Kingdom last night and found that the walls surrounding the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train attraction along the bridge to Belle’s Village had come down…

IMG_8832

A look at the track

IMG_8830
A beautiful waterfall near the bridge that trains will run across

IMG_8803
As you can see, trains were running as well

IMG_8800

IMG_8793

A train speeding by on a banked turn past a waterfall and over a river… I think everyone should be excited about this by now…