Tiffins Restaurant and Nomad Lounge to Open at Disney’s Animal Kingdom This Spring

WDWNT on January 27, 2016

A few months ago, Disney announced Tiffins, a new signature restaurant located adjacent to Pizzafari at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park. Toady, we have a few more details on the new restaurant, as well as a new lounge that will be a part of the experience.

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Tiffins will celebrate the art of traveling, featuring a diverse menu drawing from places that inspired the creation of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Open for both lunch and dinner, Tiffins will also include waterfront views from comfortable indoor and outdoor seating areas. And if you’re wondering about the story behind the name, “tiffin” is an Indian English word for a midday meal or a type of container used to carry food while traveling.

Adjacent to Tiffins, Nomad Lounge will feature hand-crafted cocktails using the art of mixology with African, Asian and South American flavors, beers and wines from those regions, and a selection of specialty non-alcoholic beverages in addition to small bites.

Both Tiffns and Nomad Lounge will open Spring 2016.

PHOTOS: New Disney Vacation Club Membership Cards on the Way

WDWNT on January 27, 2016

Starting the week of January 11th, all Disney Vacation Club members will begin receiving a direct mail piece containing an overview of the DVC 25th Anniversary Celebration, as well as these brand new membership cards:

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Previous membership cards will be accepted for discounts through April 3, 2016. Beginning April 4th, the new membership card will only be accepted for discounts on recreation, merchandise, and food & beverage.

Clarifying the Possible New “Star Wars Land” Details From CES 2016

WDWNT on January 27, 2016

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While at this year’s CES (Consumer Electronics Show), John Snoddy, Disney EVP of Imagineering, may have dropped some hints about the attractions that will be coming to Star Wars Land:

Thanks to the involvement of Industrial Lights and Magic, the legendary special effects firm that Disney acquired in its big 2013 purchase of “Star Wars” studio Lucasfilm, Snoddy says that one of the rides will be “unprecedented, in a way.”

While Snoddy didn’t share any details on which ride, exactly, this was in reference to, the description lines up with the previous announcement of an attraction that takes riders through a battle between the evil First Order and the heroic Resistance, inspired by the record-smashing movie “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

Snoddy hinted that one of the rides that Disney Imagineering is working on with ILM is a “boat ride,” with boats moving alongside a track, kind of like Disney park crowdpleaser “Pirates of the Carribean.”

Where ILM comes in, Snoddy says, is in helping Disney mix super-high-resolution projections with real-life physical sets and characters to create an immersive mix.

Thanks to Disney Imagineering’s robotics and ride know-how, they’ll know where the boats will be at any moment, down to the milimeter, meaning they can predict with almost guaranteed accuracy where a rider’s attention will be.

Indeed, Snoddy says that having ILM’s expertise on tap has made a huge difference in the already-complicated business of building a new Disney park attraction, let alone one that’s this immersive.

“When you build a theme park attraction, you’re building a building, you’re building a massive device,” Snoddy says.

Source: Business Insider

Unfortunately, the Business Insider stepped a bit outside of their area of expertise and likely made a bad call here. It sounds like the Imagineers were describing the new AVATAR and Pirates of the Caribbean boat rides coming to Animal Kingdom and Shanghai Disneyland respectively, not either of the rides for the Star Wars-themed land. The Millennium Falcon attraction is likely simulator based, while the attraction that “puts you in the middle of a battle between the Resistance and the First Order” gives no hints of being a boat ride based on the concept art provided so far. Maybe it is a boat ride and that was what Snoddy was talking about, but to quote Star Wars, “I have a bad feeling about this.” We shall see…

“The Lion Guard” Interactive Experience Debuts 2/7/16 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

WDWNT on January 27, 2016

Soon guests will be able to become honorary members of the Lion Guard in a brand new Animal Kingdom experience called The Lion Guard Adventure.

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This interactive experience, beginning February 7th, will allow young guests to explore the park in search of five main characters from “The Lion Guard” – Kion, Bunga, Fuli, Beshte, and Ono, who are represented as colorful statues that are perfect for photo-ops. The self-guided experience begins at select merchandise locations and culminates at Rafiki’s Planet Watch. Like the movie, the experience encourages interest in protecting animals and caring for nature. Once they complete the adventure, each child can take a special pledge to become an honorary member of “The Lion Guard” and receive a special button.

The experience will be offered in Disney’s Animal Kingdom through late March, as one of many activities celebrating the debut of “The Lion Guard” series on Disney Channel and Disney Junior.

Disney Artist Creates “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” & “Calvin And Hobbes” Mash-Up

WDWNT on January 27, 2016

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Brian Kesinger, an artist for both Walt Disney Animation Studios and Marvel Comics, put together a wonderful mashup of characters from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and Bill Watterson’s “Calvin And Hobbes”! Amazing work!

If you would like to see more of Brian Kesinger’s amazing art work you can follow him on Instagram: @briankesinger

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Source: Brian Kesinger via Instagram

RUMOR: Disney Files to Add Drones to Fireworks; Tangled Lanterns & New Epcot Show?

WDWNT on January 27, 2016

A few months ago, Disneyland tested autonomous flying lanterns high above the park to see if they would be a viable element for the new Disneyland Forever fireworks show. The lanterns were patterned after those seen in the animated film Tangled, and for whatever reason never made it into the show. The Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts are now filing for an exception to FAA rules so that similar show elements can be tied into new entertainment offerings.

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Autonomous lanterns floating on the water will make their debut in Rivers of Light this Spring at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, but it seems flying versions of these show pieces are on the way to a new show  at the Vacation Kingdom, most likely at Epcot. The rumored lanterns from Tangled may also finally debut in Disneyland Forever if the exception is made by the FAA.

For guest safety, the drones would never go within 100 feet of active guest areas, with flight paths sticking to water elements and restricted areas. The drones would reach a max height of 150 feet as well, making it more likely we will see such technology in Florida over World Showcase Lagoon rather than around Cinderella Castle or the Chinese Theater.

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The drones, which Disney is calling a Flixel, would weigh less than 10 pounds and Its airspace would be no more than 600 feet in diameter, remaining in use for roughly 10 minutes. The Flexels would only fly if wind speeds are less than 10 mph and gusts are less than 15 mph.

Will these drones soon be joining Tinker Bell in the skies above the Disney Parks? Well, we’ll have to wait on an FAA decision to find out.

RUMOR: Star Wars Fireworks Show to Add Projection Mapping Effects and Flamethrowers?

WDWNT on January 27, 2016

This rumor is a bit out there, but it comes from some good sources, so I believe it has some truth to it. If it is to be believed, the Star Wars fireworks will become a very permanent addition to the nighttime show lineup at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

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Apparently there has been some late night testing in the park to see if projection-mapping of the Chinese Theater and the facades of Hollywood Boulevard would be feasible. If so, expect to see full street-wide projections just like those in the Disneyland Forever fireworks show that debuted in May 2015. One downside to this addition would be the probable removal of the tall palm trees along Hollywood Boulevard, but that is still up for debate among the cast members working on this project.

Another possible item being added to the show would be flamethrowers on the rooftop of the Chinese Theater, much like the ones used during the Finding Nemo sequence in the Disneyland Forever fireworks show.

If approved, we expect the additions to be made to the show sometime in the Spring/Summer of this year.

CONCEPT ART: Beautiful Waterfalls, Peaks, and Train Trestle to Grace the New North Banks of Rivers of America

WDWNT on January 27, 2016

RIVERS OF AMERICA -- As part of an ongoing, planned expansion at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., the Rivers of America at Disneyland Park will receive a brand-new waterfront, just outside the location of the new Star Wars-themed land. The new riverbank will also feature an elevated trestle over which the iconic Disneyland Resort Railroad will travel. (Disney Parks)

RIVERS OF AMERICA — As part of an ongoing, planned expansion at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., the Rivers of America at Disneyland Park will receive a brand-new waterfront, just outside the location of the new Star Wars-themed land. The new riverbank will also feature an elevated trestle over which the iconic Disneyland Resort Railroad will travel. (Disney Parks)

When the Rivers of America return to Disneyland Park shortened in 2017, they will feature an incredible nod to the park’s past. A new elevated train trestle will take guests aboard the Disneyland Railroad over the water as beautiful waterfalls run off the nearby rockwork and mountains of the new north shores. In many ways, this will be a nod to the now lost vistas of the Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland attraction:

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The new, shortened Rivers of America project is part of the expansion of the park, namely the 14-acre addition of a Star Wars-themed land.

The Rivers of America is now closed at Disneyland Park and will return in 2017.

PHOTO: Walt Disney World, Disneyland Resort Updating Guest Celebration Buttons

WDWNT on January 27, 2016

If you enjoy any of the current designs used for the guest celebration buttons at the U.S. Disney Parks, I suggest you grab some soon because new designs are on the way. As the inventories of the old buttons begin to run out, new designs will be introduced.

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To streamline the process, the current “Just Married”, “Happy Anniversary”, and “Happily Ever After” buttons will be condensed into one new “Happily Ever After” button.

These buttons can be found at Disneyland Resort guest relations locations, while Walt Disney World is now urging guests to obtain theirs at retail locations rather than wait in a line at guest relations.

Princess Leia Will Make Her “Star Wars Rebels” Debut

WDWNT on January 27, 2016

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We have seen Star Wars Original Trilogy character such as Darth Vader, Yoda, R2D2 and C3PO and Lando Calrissian make guest appearances on Star Wars Rebels, now the latest to make an appearance will be Princess Leia Organa. The Episode, A Princess In Lotahal, will air on January 20th at 9PM EST on Disney XD:

From TV Insider:

Before Season 2 of  Star Wars Rebels began, executive producer Dave Filoni teased that he was bringing another major legacy character from the films to his animated series. We can now reveal that guest star is Princess Leia Organa (who is going by General Organa in the current blockbuster Star Wars: The Force Awakens).

The iconic character—who was introduced in the very first scene of the first Star Wars movie back in 1977 (aka A New Hope)—will be featured in the January 20 episode of the Disney XD series, which is set prior to that film, just as the Galactic Empire is beginning its ruthless oppression. The teenage princess is sent to Lothal—the base planet for the series’ main characters, a group of rebel fighters—on a secret mission to bring ships for the rebel fleet. Unfortunately an Imperial lockdown throws that plan into chaos.

“We thought we had an opportunity to show her learning to be a leader, experimenting with the personality that becomes the stronger more resolute character you see in A New Hope,” Filoni says. “One of the complex challenges of depicting Leia in Rebels is that we have to remind the audience that at this point she is part of the Empire. She doesn’t believe in the Empire, but she is acting the part, almost a double agent.”

This will be Leia’s only appearance this season, and it is unknown yet if she will appear again on the series. The voice will not be provided by Carrie Fisher (the live-action actress who created the role), but instead is by Julie Dolan, who also played Leia in the video game Star Wars: Uprising.

Source: TV Insider