PIXAR Fest Begins April 13th, 2018 at the Disneyland Resort, Paint the Night Returns, New Fireworks Debut

WDWNT on November 2, 2017

As Disney Parks Chairman Bob Chapek announced at the D23 Expo in August, Disneyland Resort guests are invited to celebrate their favorite Disney·Pixar stories during Pixar Fest. Beginning April 13, 2018, this limited-time celebration of friendship and beyond will feature the debut of an all-new fireworks spectacular and the return of two favorite parades as well as even more beloved Pixar characters, new décor, atmosphere entertainment, themed food and beverage and new merchandise items.

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“Together Forever – A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular” will light up Disneyland park beginning April 13. In addition to dazzling pyrotechnics and memorable music, the theme of friendship, ever-present in most Pixar films, is celebrated in this nighttime spectacular. Guests are invited to embark on an emotional journey that starts when unlikely Pixar characters first meet. As they set out on adventures and overcome obstacles together, “Together Forever” celebrates the everlasting friendships forged by beloved Pixar pals. The story comes to life through projections on iconic park locations: Sleeping Beauty Castle, the water screens of the Rivers of America, the facade of “it’s a small world” and the buildings of Main Street, U.S.A. This nighttime spectacular will even feature a special flyover by Buzz Lightyear at Sleeping Beauty Castle.

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Also on April 13th, the popular “Paint the Night” parade will return, this time to Disney California Adventure park. The parade features many Pixar stories, including characters from “Toy Story,” “Monsters, Inc.” and “Cars,” and another Pixar story will join “Paint the Night” parade later in the year.

With the launch of Pixar Fest, “Pixar Play Parade” will make its way through Disneyland park for the first time. The parade will begin as most Pixar films have, with an appearance by the iconic and adorable Pixar lamp. Other new parade elements will feature characters from “UP” and “Inside Out.”

The Pixar Shorts film festival will feature rotating favorites such as “For the Birds” and “Lava” at the Sunset Showcase Theater in Hollywood Land in Disney California Adventure park throughout most of Pixar Fest. The Paradise Gardens area will feature a new Pixar-themed musical troupe along with Pixar character greeting opportunities as well as crafts and activities for younger guests.

Guests can get into character and celebrate friendship with a host of new merchandise, including an exclusive Pixar Fest charm bracelet. With multiple bracelet options and a variety of charms with fun friendship messages and favorite Pixar characters, guests can mix and match for themselves, or friends and family!

All of these exciting new experiences come in addition to the many attractions and entertainment throughout the Disneyland Resort that includes favorite Pixar characters. Join the celebration when Pixar Fest begins April 13, 2018!

CONFIRMED: All RunDisney Races for 2018 and Beyond Cancelled for the Disneyland Resort

WDWNT on October 25, 2017

As we speculated over the weekend, Disney has now officially stated that all RunDisney race events in 2018 and beyond at the Disneyland Resort have been cancelled.

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A Disney spokesperson cited the multitude of construction projects we presented on Sunday as the reason, despite much speculation from outsiders as to the contrary.

“While construction for the next several years will impact our ability to deliver the runDisney experience our guests love, we are excited about our future as the Disneyland Resort continues one of its largest multi-year expansions. For fans who love to be part of runDisney events, we will continue to offer races at our other properties around the world in 2018.” – George Savvas, Disneyland spokesman.

While we stated it would be more than 2-3 years before a race returns to Anaheim, Disney is unwilling to mark a possible return date for any of these events at this time.

The Disneyland Resort will host its last runDisney event November 9th through 12th, 2017 (the Super Heroes Half Marathon weekend).

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Dates Announced for “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” Scene Coming to Star Tours at Disney Parks

WDWNT on October 25, 2017

Earlier this year, we told you about a new scene coming to Star Tours – The Adventures Continue at Disneyland park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios that will place guests in the middle of an epic battle. The action takes place on the planet of Crait, which we got our first glimpse of in the teaser trailer of Star Wars: The Last Jedi earlier this year.

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Today Disney announced that this exciting new sequence, inspired by the latest film in the Star Wars saga, will debut at Disneyland park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios on November 17th, at Disneyland Paris November 22nd, and, as previously announced, at Tokyo Disneyland December 15th.

No further details have been announced, but it is likely that this scene will be locked into every Star Tours ride profile for a while following its debut, just as was done for the Jakku sequence when The Force Awakens premiered.

PHOTOS: Haunted Mansion “Stretching Room Parasol Tightrope Girl” Dress Coming Soon to Disney Parks

WDWNT on October 25, 2017

The Dress Shop in the Marketplace Co-Op at Disney Springs is currently previewing a new dress from Her Universe inspired by The Haunted Mansion…

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The dress is inspired by the “Parasol Tightrope Girl” who appears in one of the stretching room portraits in the classic Disney Parks attraction. She famously walks a tightrope above a vicious crocodile in one of the four portraits in the ride. This dress, as well as another Mansion design and the Mad Tea Party tea cup dress, were announced previously at Star Wars Celebration 2017 in April of this year.

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The dress itself will retail for somewhere in the $190-200 range, while the cape will be sold separately at a yet to be disclosed price.

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The dress is set to be released sometime in November 2017.

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BREAKING: Disneyland Adding FastPass, MaxPass to “it’s a small world” Holiday in 2017

WDWNT on October 25, 2017

When “it’s a small world” Holiday returns to the Disneyland Resort on November 10th, 2017, it will offer both FastPass and MaxPass to allow guests to more quickly experience this very popular attraction.

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“it’s a small world” Holiday often proves quite popular, so it has been surprising to see FastPass not in use over all these years, despite that it was one of the first Disneyland attractions to ever use the service back in 1999. This year, it will offer MaxPass as well, allowing guests to book the ride reservations digitally on their phones via the Disneyland app.

Disney has stated that this will be a test of the service at the attraction, and should it prove popular, FastPass and MaxPass will become regular offerings at “it’s a small world” throughout the year.

PHOTOS REPORT: Disneyland Resort 10/23/17 (Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge Mountain Range Appears, Splitsville, New Dress Shop, ETC.)

WDWNT on October 25, 2017

WDWNT reporter Conner Purzycki brings us back to the Disneyland Resort for a long-overdue photo report from The Happiest Place on Earth.

Rockin’ Galaxy’s Edge

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The first pieces of sculpted metal rock-work on top of the show buildings in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge have appeared.

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From the Mickey and Friends parking structure, the two attraction buildings fill most of the skyline.

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Walls have sealed in most of the “Battle Escape” attraction at this point.

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Despite the height, the highest points will only be visible in the park from the back of Frontierland and Toontown, both of which surprisingly blend nicely with the mountain’s tallest peaks.

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This is probably our last look inside “Battle Escape” at the Disneyland Resort before the whole building is enclosed.

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Looking past “Battle Escape” towards the Millennium Falcon attraction.

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You Can Always Go… Downtown

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Tarps are on on Tortilla Joe’s facing the Disneyland Monorail station.

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Work continues on Splitsville, set to open before the end of 2017.

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Between Sprinkles and D-Street, the VR experience “Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire” will open on January 5th, 2018.

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I guess January 5th is technically still a day before the traditional holiday season ends…

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Not to be outdone by Orlando, Downtown Disney Anaheim now has the Disney Dress Shop, selling all of the very popular Disney Parks dresses released this year.

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Ridemakerz is operating with adjusted hours right now, for some reason.

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One of the former Disney information booths just outside of the esplanade is now a Haagen-Dazs location, because money.

Welcome to Disneyland

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A construction crane looms behind the Sailing Ship Columbia and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

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River Belle Terrace is being converted into a full-fledged table service restaurant, removing all of the leftover setup from when it was a quick service eatery.

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Livin’ on the Edge

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We now journey to the back of Frontierland and Critter Country to check out Galaxy’s Edge from the other side.

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Some of the rock-work will peek over, but none of it will look out of place, which is nice.

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The real question is where will Disneyland set up the queue to enter the land? Will it be here, or towards the center entrance behind Big Thunder Mountain Railroad? They have less than two years to figure it out.

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A peek through the walls gives us a great look at that newly installed mountain range.

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2019 can’t get here soon enough…

Today Marks the End of the Siemens & Disney Parks Sponsorship, Attractions Left Sponsor-less

WDWNT on October 13, 2017

Today, the “strategic partnership” between Siemens and the Walt Disney Company comes to an end officially. Siemens has released a statement summarizing the twelve years of the deal coming to a conclusion today:

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When Siemens and Disney began to explore the mutual benefits and opportunities of forming one of the largest marketing alliances in the technology sector for the entertainment space, it was a natural fit. The two organizations have many share values such as Innovation, Service, and Quality as well as a worldwide brand presence. Since 2005, the opportunities to leverage this technology alliance extended across The Walt Disney Company including theme parks and resorts, studios, networks, publishing, and digital. On October 10, 2017, the Siemens-Disney Alliance reached a mutually agreed upon conclusion.

Sponsorship Activation Timeline:

  • October 2005 Siemens US and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Sign 12-year agreement
  • October 2005 ABC SuperSign at Times Square, presented by Siemens
  • October 2005 IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth at Epcot, presented by Sylvania, A Siemens Company [July 2013, presented by Siemens]
  • November 2005 Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Disney Hollywood Studios, presented by Sylvania, A Siemens Company [November 2013 – 15, presented by Siemens]
  • January 2006 – April 2010 Disney’s Electrical Parade at Disney California Adventure, presented by Sylvania, a Siemens Company
  • January 2006 – November 2008 Walt Disney’s Parade of Dreams at Disneyland, presented by Sylvania, A Siemens Company
  • May 2007 Siemens VIP Center at Epcot Opens [private executive meeting and guest lounge]
  • February 2008 Spaceship Earth, presented by Siemens
  • March 2008 Project Tomorrow: Inventing the Wonders of the Future at Epcot, presented by Siemens
  • April 2008 – March 2015 Project Tomorrow: Inventing the Wonders of the Future at Disneyland Innoventions, presented by Siemens
  • November 2010 it’s a small world at Disneyland, presented by Sylvania, A Siemens Company [August 2013, presented by Siemens]

About Siemens USA

Siemens Corporation is a U.S. subsidiary of Siemens AG, a global powerhouse focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. One of the world’s largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is a leading supplier of systems for power generation and transmission as well as medical diagnosis. With approximately 351,000 employees in 190 countries, Siemens reported worldwide revenue of $88.1 billion in fiscal 2016. Siemens in the USA reported revenue of $23.7 billion, including $5.4 billion in exports, and employs approximately 50,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

Siemens technology was also used to create several new theme park attractions, including Radiator Springs Racers in Cars Land.

PHOTOS, VIDEO: Interactive Roaming Droid Character for Star Wars – Galaxy’s Edge Unleashed on Disneyland, and Children Unleashed Onto It

WDWNT on October 13, 2017

We have seen two separate tests to date of “Jake” the droid by Disney, inside Star Wars Launch Bay at Disneyland and at the Parks and Resort pavilion at the D23 Expo 2017, but now the roaming character developed for the upcoming “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” is going through some outdoor testing in Tomorrowland at Disneyland.

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Guests will also encounter some signs pertaining to Jake as they roam around Tomorrowland. The test is occurring on most days, and Jake is being attended to by a undercover Imagineer who is watching over him.

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This is good, because by the looks of the video below, Jake is going to need some protection…

The droid takes quite a beating during the short period where we watched him, getting kicked and pushed around by some children who he meets. Luckily, Jake was designed to handle such events, but one has to wonder just how much such a complicated piece of machinery can take. Well, this is why he is being tested years before his debut in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in 2019.

Disney has stated that multiple droids and alien creatures will be roaming Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge when it opens at both Disneyland Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

RUMOR: The Jingle Cruise Holiday Overlay Will Not Return to Magic Kingdom, Disneyland

WDWNT on October 7, 2017

For whatever reason, it appears that the Jingle Cruise, the holiday overlay of the Jungle Cruise attraction at Disneyland Park and the Magic Kingdom, will not return in 2017.

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Introduced in 2013, the Jingle Cruise would run from November to January at both parks. The Disneyland and Walt Disney World versions were similar concepts, but were actually quite different visually.

Disney has yet to confirm the end of the seasonal attraction, but it is not in any marketing materials for this holiday season on either coast.

UPDATE: Disney Confirms Jingle Cruise for Walt Disney World, Still Unknown for Disneyland 2017

WDWNT on October 7, 2017

A few days ago, we told you that it was being rumored that the Jingle Cruise seasonal overly of the Jungle Cruise would not return to either coast this year. Well, we now know it will at least be at one resort.

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Disney has informed us that the Jingle Cruise WILL return to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World for the 2017 holiday season. However, it remains unknown if it will return to Disneyland Park, but it at least sounds like, as of right now, that it will not be in Anaheim this year.

Despite not being promoted with all of the other seasonal offerings for this year, Magic Kingdom will add the holiday delight from November 2017 through January 2018. For whatever reason, California is looking to cut the offering, at least for this year. This is somewhat surprising as the Disneyland Resort relies on a mostly local audience who return every season for such overlays, as opposed to Walt Disney World where many guests are either first-timers or only return every few years.