A new app, called Shop Disney Parks, is slated to be released in the coming weeks to help you in your quest to find elusive (and not-so-elusive) merchandise at Disney-operated stores across Walt Disney World. Shop Disney Parks will allow guests to search for a particular item, and the app will tell you where to find it at the parks and/or resorts, as well as an estimate of the quantity remaining at the location. [ 120 more words. ]
Tomorrow, on WDWNT: The Radio show, we will play Disney Parks Pursuit and give out some great prizes from Theme Park Connection. We are looking for some contestants to play. Here are the details:
Hosted by radio veterans and life-long Disney fans Tom Corless and Nick LoCicero, the live radio talk show on AM 1520 WBZW in Orlando focuses on the latest news and current trending topics at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. WDW News Today: The Radio Show can also be streamed live at http://www.1520wbzw.com or on your TuneIn and iHeartRadio apps, just search for WBZW. WDW News Today the Radio Show debuted in August of 2013 as a 1 hour broadcast on Saturday evenings and has grown into a 2-hour program by popular demand.
To interact with the hosts during the show, listeners can call in at (407) 774-8255, tweet @WDWNT using #WDWNTRadio, or use the new LIVE chat that will be available at Listen.WDWNT.com.
The show begins at 8PM EDT Thursday night, don’t miss it!
A few months back, we told you that the Disneyland Resort had purchased the Carousel Inn across the street from the resort. Well, it seems Disney has now purchased two plots of land located behind the Carousel Inn, 1515 and 1585 South Manchester Avenue. Disney will reportedly use the land for new “backstage facilities”, replacing facilities currently located behind Disneyland Park, due north of Mickey’s Toontown.
Mickey’s Toontown would close after 23 years if rumors are true, taking away Roger Rabbit’s Cartoon Spin and Gadget’s-Go-Coaster from the park.
Rumors have circulated that Mickey’s Toontown would be bulldozed to make way for part of the rumored Star Wars themed land at Disneyland Park. If these rumors are true, the new land would have entrances at the northern end of Critter Country/Frontierland (just north of the Rivers of America), and next door to “it’s a small world” (where the Toontown entrance exists today). The land would stretch across the entire north end of the Disneyland Resort property, making it one of the larger areas in the park.
If there is to be an announcement soon, we expect it to be made next week at the D23 Expo. Star Wars Land should also be announced for Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World whenever it is announced for California.
We warned you that FastPass+ tests are coming to California, but now a new mobile app shows that Disneyland is getting ready to follow Walt Disney World into the future of the theme park experience with digital tickets, mobile wait times, and the ability to make advance dining reservations.
Yes, you can get wait times and attraction and dining information (and much more) pretty easily by scrolling through a map of the resort.
One of the coolest functions comes with buying or linking tickets. Guests can then have a digital version of their park ticket to open and scan at park entrances, never having to reach for their purse or wallet. Similar functionality should come down the road when FastPass+ is rolled out at the Disneyland Resort. Premier Passports are not yet supported in the system.
With icons from your MyDisneyExperience account carrying over, it is clear Disneyland is using the same system as Walt Disney World’s system and app.
The maps are also styled just like those currently distributed at Walt Disney World and on the WDW website and app
While the app is loading, you’ll even find the familiar Mickey symbol with the light circling it, something any guest who has been to Disney World over the last 2 years is very familiar with.
And yes, dining reservations can be made through the app as well.
With the launch of this app and rumors of FastPass+ type system test coming soon, it is clear that some version of MyMagic+ is rolling out at the Disneyland Resort in the not-too-distant future. When that might happen, we are not certain, but this new Disneyland app is certainly the first piece of the next-gen puzzle in Anaheim.
Update: Another fun thing to note is that our WDWNT Now! site (located here) has been able to display the same information for months. We also have menus for the restaurants which the new app does not include!
The new Disneyland app can be downloaded for Android devices here and iOS devices at this link.
Let’s get this jungle jumping! Watch the Muppets cover the hit song “Jungle Boogie,” by Kool & the Gang. Putting their own twist on the tune, Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem create such a fun jam that even Sam Eagle can’t resist booging-down.
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When Disney released the schedule for this year’s D23 Expo, it stated that we would get a look at several movies, including “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”.
A bevy of special guests will be on hand to offer a look at an unparalleled slate that includes Alice Through the Looking Glass, The Jungle Book, Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War, Star Wars: The Force Awakens—and much, much more.
When that schedule was released, Disney was still not allowed to talk about Star Wars: Rogue One. Due to an agreement with the MPAA, Disney couldn’t talk about that movie until after Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation released, which happened this past weekend.
Disney just released the official D23 Expo App for this year’s convention, and the Saturday schedule wording has been modified to encompass all of the Star Wars live action projects and not just The Force Awakens:
The above image havs been floating around on the internet and some sites are saying that this could be what Spider-Man will look like in “Civil War”. I definitely have my doubts as do other sites. So what are we looking at? The rumors for a few months is that in “Civil War” we will see a Spider-Man costume that we have never seen before. Also it will be very classic Spider-Man. Most people believe that we will see a red and black costume as opposed to the familiar red and blue costume. Spider-Man’s first costume was red and black so I could definitely see that.
But there are a bunch of red flags with these images. First people are saying that this image was done by an artist back in 2012 and found on Deviantart. I really cant see an established Spider-Man being introduced with toe-less socks. I dont think that would go over well with the masses.
A few weeks ago, an account from the Russo Brothers appeared and posted an image (above) apparently giving hints to the new Spider-Man costume. You can see that in the above image that it seems to hint at goggles for Spider-Man, maybe. This kind of looks like it connects to the drawn image that was leaked above. The problem is that the Russo Brothers have not confirmed that this is their actual Twitter account and even director James Gunn has come out and said that this account is fake.
The First Appearance Of Spider-Man In Amazing Fantasy #15
We will definitely be seeing a new Spider-Man costume in “Civil War” and I would even bet that we will see two. The big question is Spider-Man going to just have a small cameo or be an active participant? I’m really hoping for the later.
Source: Latino Review
While at the Fox Panel at the San Diego Comic Con, Hugh Jackman made the following announcement, “I’ve got three words for you guys: Old Man Logan!” Hugh Jackman also posted the above photo this week on Twitter asking the fans,
Most of the responses were there words: “Old Man Logan”. The fans want it, seems like Hugh wants it and it since this will be Hugh Jackman’s last film where he will play Wolverine, I’d expect “Old Man Logan” to be officially announced soon. Hopefully this will open the door where Fox and Marvel can agree on a deal that is similar to the Sony and Marvel deal. Old Man Logan really needs the Hulk in this because his character and family are very prominent in the comic book. It would be nice if Marvel could get the Fantastic Four and X-Men for “Infinity War” and Fox get the Marvel characters they need for “Old Man Logan.” Let’s see how “Fantastic Four does at the box office and if that bombs it could open the door for an agreement.
Source: Hugh Jackman on Twitter
During the after credit scene that played in “Ant-Man”, we got our first look at Hope Van Dyne’s (Evangeline Lilly) Wasp suit and now we get our first clear look. Rumors have been floating around that she will play a role in future Phase 3 movies. It could be “Captain America: Civil War” but more than likely we will see her in “Avengers: Infinity War”.
The original Wasp/Janet Van Dyne’s costume:
Source: io9
Jeremy Renner was seen wearing a baseball cap that read, “Team Captain America”, so it seems pretty obvious that he will be no fan of Iron Man in “Civil War”. Iron Man is definitely being set up to look like the bad guy in this and it does make me wonder, who will be on Iron Man’s side? Maybe a newcomer dressed in a spider suit?
Source: Comic Book Movie
To celebrate the release of this new film, Sideshow Collectibles and Hot Toys are excited to present Ant-Man Sixth Scale Collectible Figure! The movie-accurate Ant-Man Collectible Figure is specially crafted based on the film and features a newly developed helmeted head sculpt with an authentic likeness of Paul Rudd as Scott Lang. When closed, the helmet features LED light-up eyes. The Ant-Man also includes a specially tailored Ant-Man suit, an Ant-Man miniature figure, detailed accessories and a specially designed figure stand.
“Ant-Man” is available for pre-order exclusively through Sideshow Collectibles at a price of $234.99 and will ship during the first quarter of 2016.
Source: Sideshow Collectibles
That’s it for this time!
First previewed last year, Disney is finally getting around to the release of “Park Pack”, a monthly mystery box of Disney Parks merchandise. The first edition being released, called Trading Edition, will go on sale May 14th through the Disney Parks online store. This box will focus on Disney pins and include an exclusive Limited Edition 500 pin, as well as 2 open edition pins guests can not yet purchase at Disney Parks. The limited edition pins are part of a series and may include characters from animated features or attractions at Disney Parks. The limited edition pins will also have two embellishments (like pin-on-pin or special fills).
The boxes will retail for $39.95 including shipping and subsequently be released on the first Thursday of every month.
“Park Packs” containing other types of items are expected to come at a later date, but no announcement has been made yet.
For as long as I can remember, people have asked why Disney or Universal didn’t have or try to obtain the theme park rights for the Nintendo video game library, and there are a lot of stories out there as to why. For whatever reason, it just seemed like park-goers would never see Mario or Zelda themed rides, shops, and restaurants. That was until today…
KYOTO, Japan & ORLANDO, Fla.–Nintendo and Universal Parks & Resorts today announced plans to bring the world of Nintendo to life at Universal theme parks – creating spectacular, dedicated experiences based on Nintendo’s wildly popular games, characters and worlds.
The agreement brings two icons of entertainment together and represents a significant partnership for Nintendo as it expands the reach and popularity of its characters and intellectual property.
While I know our focus is usually just the Disney Parks, today is a landmark moment in theme park history that is sure to affect Disney should Nintendo-themed attractions come to the U.S. parks. There is a small chance that this deal will just affect the Universal park in Japan, but I can’t imagine that the two companies wouldn’t want to see Mario and the gang taking over the now-booming Orlando and Los Angeles area parks.
The magnitude of this deal is yet to be seen and will depend on what kind of investment Universal makes with the giant Nintendo character library. If the Nintendo characters end-up as just an overlay replacement of Marvel Super-Hero Island, Toon Lagoon, or the Woody Woodpecker’s Kid Zone area, then this probably will not be anything to write home about, but should Universal start from scratch and build attractions and environments on the scale and quality-level of the first Harry Potter endeavor, then Disney will have something to contend with, even with a HUGE Star Wars land on the horizon.
Regardless of what the future holds, this is another fascinating chapter in the theme park wars between Disney and Universal.
Surely by now you have heard about the Disney Channel original movie coming out called Disney Descendants. The live-action made-for-tv film follows the children of some of the most infamous Disney villains of all-time and has been quite a hot topic amongst Disney fans over the last few weeks. Well, there is a prequel novel, called The Isle of the Lost, which will tell you everything you need to know about the events before the movie, and you can pick-it up now to prepare yourself for this movie event which will air this summer:
ABOUT THE ISLE OF THE LOST
The spellbinding prequel to the Disney Channel movie event!
Evil tree. Bad Apple?
Twenty years ago, all the evil villains were banished from the kingdom of Auradon to the Isle of the Lost–a dark and dreary place protected by a force field that makes it impossible for them to leave. Stripped of their magical powers, the villains now live in total isolation, forgotten by the world.
Mal learns from her mother, Maleficent, that the key to true darkness, the Dragon’s Eye, is located inside her scepter in the forbidden fortress on the far side of the island. The eye is cursed, and whoever retrieves it will be knocked into a deep sleep for a thousand years. But Mal has a plan to capture it. She’ll just need a little help from her “friends.” In their quest for the Dragon’s Eye, these four kids begin to realize that just because you come from an evil family tree, being good ain’t so bad.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Melissa de la Cruz is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for teens and adults including The Au Pairs series, the Blue Bloods series, the Ashleys series, the Witches of East End series, and The Ring and the Crown.
Disney Publishing was nice enough to send us a review copy of the book (which we’ll be reviewing at a later date), but they also are going to give out a “Meet the Descendants” prize pack to the winner of our contest!
The prize pack includes:
To win, just comment below and tell us who is your favorite Disney villain and why. Our favorite choice and comment will be chosen by the end of Friday May 8th at midnight EST. The winner will be contacted via email.
