Today, Disney is sharing the first details about an all-new show coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Spring 2018 featuring Russell and Dug from Disney•Pixar’s “UP.”
Beginning just in time for the 20th anniversary of Disney’s Animal Kingdom next year, this new experience will offer guests the chance to see Senior Wilderness Explorer Russell and his furry friend Dug as they discover species of birds from around the world in their newest adventure at the Caravan Theater in Anandapur village.
As previously reported here, December 31, 2017 will be the final showing of Flights of Wonder. Until the end of this month, you can still experience Flights of Wonder at the park.
Until January 6th, guests at Epcot can enjoy El Mariachi Coco de Santa Cecilia in Mexico at Epcot. The group is performing songs from Coco including the beautiful ‘Remember Me’ and the heartwarming ‘The World Es Mi Familia’ at the outdoor character greeting location.
Our latest photo report brings us back to Disney’s Hollywood Studios to see the latest progress on this park in transition.
Welcome to Construction
The new sections of parking lot were completed some time ago, removing greenery and palm trees in favor of more parking spaces that will be needed sorely come 2019.
This expansion of the lot took place on both sides.
Work continues on the Disney Skyliner station for Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which you can see the concept art for here.
Welcome to Hollywood
More stuff was thrown onto the left projection tower in the Center Stage area as Disney tries to make this thing look like it belongs there.
It’s certainly better than it was, but these things still look completely out of place.
For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration now features Olaf and music from the Olaf’s Frozen Adventure short. They might want to change the sign that says it is playing in theaters with Coco.
Guests can now sit and eat in the former AOTAS Hall of Fame area, while Disney hopes the vines around the former sign grow in at some point…
Nearby, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is taking shape. For a better look at this, be sure to check out our latest Disney’s Hollywood Studios Expansion Update video:
Some palm trees were planted off to the side of the tunnel.
This and That
The “Muppet Babies” section of Stage 1 Company Store has been closed for a while now, and sadly looks like it will not return. Why must Grand Avenue take everything Muppets away from us?
Not only is it sealed off from inside, but there is a fairly permanent looking Cast Member access door now visible.
A brick wall now separates Muppets Courtyard, I mean Grand Park from Star Tours. This will make for the most terrible crowd flow when Galaxy’s Edge opens.
A new backstage gate has been constructed near the exit of MuppetVision 3-D. This was once a path through the Backlot, but now it will be a dead end.
Work continues on the entrance to Toy Story Land, set to open next Summer.
The corner of the Toy Story Mania building (where the catwalk was ripped off) is now being patched up.
Mousecellaneous
Both of the billboards behind the Chinese Theater are for The Last Jedi. I guess this movie needs to be advertised heavily…
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge looms in the distance from PIXAR Place.
The highest point in the land was topped off with a flag and a tree.
To help guests visiting Toy Story Mania, Disney added these rope signs. This is somewhat helpful as the average guest never seems to know where to go.
iPhone X cases are now available from D-Tech on Demand at the Star Wars Launch Bay Cargo Bay store.
The store was also shaken up quite a bit, removing the onstage counter where the D-Tech devices were made. Now they are just made offstage and brought to the checkout counters when they are done.
Guests can now partake in the Droid Factory here as well.
More 2018 pins have hit shelves at the parks.
Despite debuting over a month ago, they are still not finished building the projection booth for Sunset Seasons Greetings…
Each night, a celebrity narrator tells the biblical tale of a savior born to a virgin in Bethlehem at the Epcot Candlelight Processional. All the while, gorgeous choral pieces are woven into the production as an orchestra and choir provide an inspirational backdrop with songs of hope and joy. While the event is always quite special, it was extra so special this weekend as Disney Legend Kurt Russell narrated the amazing offering. Russell has appeared in films such as Sky High and Stargate (as well as some live-action Disney classics) and recent features including The Hateful Eight, Fast and Furious 8, and Guardians of the Galaxy 2. You can enjoy Sunday’s 5pm show in its entirety (with multiple angles) below:
Sony Pictures has released the first trailer for the upcoming movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
This fully animated movie has no relation to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and tells the Spidey story of Miles Morales instead of Peter Parker.
The movie is being overseen and co-written by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the ex writers of the upcoming Han Solo spin-off movie Solo: A Star Wars Story. Bob Perischetti and Peter Ramsey are directing with Shameik Moore taking the lead role as Miles Morales/Spider-Man.
The movie is set to release in theaters Christmas 2018.
A series of “ear hat” ornaments that were originally part of the Park Pack subscription-based service are now available individually on the Shop Disney Parks app, and they’re on sale too!
The following ornaments, originally priced at $29.99, are now on sale for $23.99. Because they are only on the Shop Disney Parks app, we can’t provide direct links, but if you search on the app for “ear hat ornament” you should get all of them except the Orange Bird ornament. Search “Orange Bird ornament” to get that one. Annual Passholder discounts also apply to these items!
According to CNBC, the Disney-Fox deal is essentially done, and the parties are planning a formal announcement on Thursday, December 14, 2017.
Yesterday, Comcast dropped out of the bidding, leaving Disney as the sole suitor. That left Disney and Fox to just work out financial details, which apparently will be substantially finished by Thursday’s planned announcement.
No additional details have been released regarding exactly which Fox properties will be part of the deal, but our post late last week has all the details and there is no indication that anything has changed.
Fox shareholders will retain ownership of the remaining Fox assets, in a new company valued at around $10 per share. Based on Fox’s share price today of around $34, that means the assets being sold to Disney are valued at $24 per share, or a total of $44.5 billion. Disney will of course pay a premium to that valuation, so we expect the deal to be in the $60+ billion range.
Formerly only available at Star Wars Launch Bay, Guests at Disney’s Hollywood Studios can now make their own MagicBands and phone cases with more than just Star Wars characters.
Inside of The Darkroom on Hollywood Boulevard, Guests will find the new D-Tech on Demand kiosks. While it only advertises MagicBands, phone cases are available.
Phone case categories include characters, parks, movies, featured artists, and Star Wars.
MagicBands are simplified to Disney and Star Wars categories.
The featured artist category had some designs we had not seen elsewhere.
With D-Tech on Demand, Guests can design an item, pay for it, and pick up the finished product a short while later.
At the 2017 D23 Expo, Bob Chapek announced a new broadway-style theater was coming to the Magic Kingdom. The theater, inspired by the Willis Theater as it looked in 1920’s Kansas City, is expected to host broadway-style shows once it opens. It will be located just behind Main Street U.S.A. in an area that was cast member parking. Today, we here at WDWNT are revealing some new details on the project internally known as “MK-1”.
Walt Disney Parks & Resorts Chairman Bob Chapek unveiled plans to build a new entertainment venue, inspired by the iconic Willis Theater as it looked in 1920s Kansas City, at Magic Kingdom Park. The theater is set to bring world-class entertainment to the Walt Disney World Resort.
The theater will hold around 2000 guests, with 1500 of them seated on the main floor, and another roughly 500 on a mezzanine level. It will be very similar in size to the Hyperion Theater at Disney California Adventure, but not nearly as tall and steep. To accommodate all of these guests, two new sets of restrooms will be a part of the structure, with one set located outside and another within (meaning guests won’t have to leave the building if they have to use the facilities while a show is taking place). The entrance to one of the outside restrooms is visible in the concept art above, located all the way to the left by the popcorn cart.
Sadly, we still don’t know what production the theater will house when it opens, but that’s probably because the opening is still very far away. Should all go according to plan, the theater will be completed by May 2020, with a show debuting inside of it around that time, if not slightly later.
