WDWNT Videographer Jose Eber has provided us with a picture of what we may be seeing the cast members wearing at the upcoming American Idol Experience attraction in Disney’s Hollywood Studios:
Jose has also provided us with a short video of the exterior of the Superstar Television Theater he took a few days ago in both normal definition below and high definition at this link:
I just received the 2009 Disney Parks Vacation Planning DVD in the mail yesterday and here are some notes on what I found inside:
-The package and DVD is littered with balloons, it looks like a seasonal overlay of the 2008 DVD, very similar:
-The WDW brochure inside has also been updated for the celebration:
-More interestingly, this brochure features a map of the Magic Kingdom missing one of its signature attractions…
Notice there is no mention of Space Mountain, it simply sits there as a mystery structure
As many of you who follow this site are well aware, Space Mountain is scheduled for a still “unannounced” refurbishment in 2009, and the fact that the attraction is missing from this pamphlet and the DVD itself should remove the doubt from anyone’s mind about upcoming changes over at Space Mountain next year. Stay tuned to WDW News Today as we gather more information on this rumored refurbishment.
Even though we are just about three weeks away from the beginning of the “What Will You Celebrate?” campaign at the Walt Disney World Resort, we have already had a major change in plans. Now don’t panic just yet, it’s actually quite a positive one. Instead of taking the same exact concept that Disneyland park is going to use for what they are calling “Celebrate! A Street Party” on Main Street U.S.A. like was originally planned, the Magic Kingdom will be receiving a larger and more extensive version of this mini-parade/show beginning Spring 2009. Here is a release on the new offering:
At the Walt Disney World® Resort, the “Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party” will come to life in early spring 2009 at the Magic Kingdom® Park. It will feature multiple floats (in this case, “party boxes”) each hosted by a Disney Character with fantastic upbeat music that will have you dancing and celebrating in front of Cinderella Castle. Hosts include Genie (from Aladdin), Lumiere (from Beauty and the Beast), Timon (The Lion King), Sebastian (The Little Mermaid) and the Mad Hatter (Alice in Wonderland ).
The concept sounds much stronger than the Disneyland version, as you can see here:
Beginning in spring 2009, the heart of Disneyland® Park will rock to the beat of some of the best party tunes of all time during “Celebrate! A Street Party.” Balloons and streamers fill the air on Main Street, U.S.A.®, while crazy conga lines, swing dancers and Disney Characters take to the street to celebrate with you!
It should be interesting to see how this “Main Street Family Fun Day Parade” replacement does when it debuts next year at the Magic Kingdom. Stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information on this new entertainment offering becomes available.
Along with the upcoming closure of Club Libby Lu, Department 56 in Downtown Disney will be closing after the holiday season. The closing is due to the filing for bankruptcy of the store’s parent company, Lenox Group. This comes after the store recently cut itself in half, now creating space for 2 new tenants. Due to the closing, & the holiday rush, merchandise is currently 20-50% off.
Stay tuned to Disneyland News Today as we get in more info on when these 2 stores will indeed close.
Not only did the “Sounds Dangerous starring Drew Carey” show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios close for an unannounced refurbishment yesterday that will span through the 13th of December, it now seems the attraction will only be operating seasonally at the park. The most recent closure of the attraction is to allow some finishing touches on the American Idol Experience attraction that will be giving tours of its studio to Annual Passholders in just a few days.
The Sounds Dangerous show has garnered horrible reviews and low attendance since it opened back in 1999, making it very surprising that it has lasted until now. However, it is expected that the attraction will not remain seasonal for long and will most likely be replaced with a Disney Channel themed sound-show within the next year or two. The attraction will close again in January and will remain closed until crowd levels allow it to re-open. Stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information on this story becomes available.
Our very own Matt Paul attended this weekend’s Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade tapings, and reports back to us with these photos:
This Friday and Saturday were days for Walt Disney World Christmas Day parade taping
Dream Along With Mickey performed on a slightly modified stage for the later performances
These red curtains were put in just for the parade taping.
It was made official on the Walt Disney World website that the Studio Backlot Tour at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be closed for a refurbishment from January 4th through February 28th, 2009. It is rumored that during this time they will be testing and installing an automated spiel to replace the Cast Members who actually narrate the attraction for guests and have been doing so since the tour opened back in 1989. This would not be a far cry from the changes that took place sometime ago over at Living with the Land, where the Cast Member guides were also replaced with an automated spiel. This would certainly mean a much smaller number of cast members would be staffing the attraction, and can certainly be looked at as a cost-cutting measure. Be sure to stay tuned to WDW News Today as we get more information on these changes over at the Studio Backlot Tour.
On much smaller note, the Voyage of the Little Mermaid show will not be performing from January 27th to the 29th, 2009. For an up-to-date list of refurbishments and such, be sure to check out our “Attraction Updates” page regularly.
Here is the final part of Jose Castillo’s photo update from his latest trip to the Walt Disney World Resort. On his last day, Jose visited two of the WDW parks with plenty to report:
Beginning at Disney’s Animal Kingdom for the day
The tree outside the park
Some more decorations
The Tree of Life
Just thought we would take a moment to look at some recent commercials the Walt Disney World Resort has put together for a variety of topics:
Holidays at WDW
A more recent “What Will You Celebrate?” commercial
3-D Theaters on the Disney Cruise Line
Here are pictures from the second day of Jose Castillo’s trip to the Walt Disney World Resort. On Friday, Jose visited Epcot:
Another day dawns aboard Spaceship Earth…
With rather long lines
Jose got his funny photo posted somewhere in the middle of the ocean
Over at the exit of Test Track, we’ll take another look at the updated Fuel for Thought
