The Slinky Dog Dash will be the headlining attraction in Toy Story Land when it opens next Summer at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but today, we’re getting our first look at the physical coaster trains for the ride.
The above leaked photo reveals pieces of one of the Slinky Dog trains being delivered to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Disney is expected to release official images this week once they are loaded onto the track at the ride. Until then, we’ll just have to settle for this somewhat blurry phone pic…
Despite being announced as part of the merchandise lineup for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2017 at the Magic Kingdom, a line of Hocus Locus Villains Spelltacular merchandise (based on the show that is a staple of the party) was not released at the event.
Some sources claim the items were recalled due to some legal/copyright issue. Whatever the reason may be, the items are not expected to show up at any point unless the issue can somehow be resolved before the end of the Halloween season.
In addition to the “Eat to the Beat” Concert Series, featuring 11 new artists, guests will also want to look for new and returning acts in World Showcase at Epcot during this year’s Food and Wine Festival.
Suroît – New to Epcot, this renowned band hails from Canada’s Magdalen Islands in eastern Quebec. For four decades, their infectious sound has embraced influences from Cajun, Celtic, bluegrass and rock music. Join Suroît on the Mill Stage at the Canada pavilion, August 31 – October 1.
Margret Almer & The Bavarian Band – World-famous yodeler Margret Almer makes an encore appearance at Epcot this fall. She’ll be performing with The Bavarian Band at the Germany pavilion, beginning August 31 and continuing through the holiday season.
Musique Aramenco – Another returning favorite takes the stage at the Morocco pavilion September 1 – December 30. Musique Aramenco presents a fusion of traditional and modern Moroccan music.
Bodh’aktan – Back by popular demand, Bodh’aktan mixes Quebecois, folk and polka to make fantastic rock and dance music. After rocking stages across Quebec, the United States and Europe, this incredibly popular, kilted band is returning for an Epcot encore at the Canada pavilion October 2 – 22.
Raffy – This musical quartet makes their Epcot debut October 23 – November 26 on the Mill Stage. Raffy’s infectious energy has been embraced across Canada through a live tour, appearances on television and radio airplay of their first hit single.
One of our readers was recently evacuated from the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at the Magic Kingdom during a routine breakdown and sent us some video from their experience:
While this doesn’t happen every day, it is not uncommon either.
What do you think? Do you hope to get evacuated from Disney attractions for a peek backstage or do you prefer to keep the magic a secret?
Due to unplanned maintenance, Chef Mickey’s at Disney’s Contemporary Resort was supposed to temporarily move to the convention center for a few weeks this month, but that has now been moved to later this year.
The temporary location will operate from late-November-December 2017. No exact dates have been provided as of yet. With the exception of the location, nothing else about the experience will be different.
Join former Imagineer Brian Collins & WDWNT.com’s Tom Corless on Tuesday, August 8th at Disney’s Hollywood Studios to say farewell to The Great Movie Ride.
As an Imagineer, Brian worked on scripting & staging for The Great Movie Ride. You’ll hear about his work, the ride’s original concepts, & other behind-the-scenes stories. We’ll begin with dinner (Dutch treat), then hold a discussion/Q&A session, followed by a final journey through The Great Movie Ride. Attendees get a special signed keepsake & 25% of all ticket sales will be donated to Ryman Arts in Marty Sklar’s name.
Tickets are on sale now at this link and are $20 a person. Event starts at 6:30pm. Space is extremely limited.
American Idol will begin its search for hopefuls at Walt Disney World before debuting on ABC this Fall.
American Idol will kick off open auditions at Disney Springs at Walt Disney World. The iconic American Idol bus will roll into Disney Springs for auditions taking place on THURSDAY, AUGUST 17. Idol-winners Jordin Sparks, Kris Allen and Ruben Studdard will make a special appearance and greet lucky audition participants during the kickoff celebration of the search for America’s next superstar.
Think you could be the next American Idol and are interested in attending this open audition with American Idol producers? Here are some important details: Early arrival is encouraged. Parking will be available beginning at 4 a.m. at the surface parking lot on the West Side of Disney Springs, near House of Blues and Cirque du Soleil. (No overnight camping, please.) Registration begins at 6 a.m. and closes at 12 p.m. (or sooner, due to capacity). Due to venue capacity, Disney Springs can accommodate a total of 4,000 audition participants. The auditions will begin at 8 a.m. and will take place outdoors, therefore it’s advised to bring water, sunscreen, and a hat.
All singers must be at least 15 years old to audition. Pre-registration is encouraged. To pre-register and for more information, audition details, locations, full eligibility requirements, submission forms, and terms and conditions, visit americanidol.com. Those auditioning can bring one guest to accompany them and the guest must be over five years old.
When the bus rolls away at the end of the day, Central Florida hopefuls will still have the chance to become a part of Idol history by auditioning via the American Idol pop-up audition kiosk, which will be at Disney Springs on FRIDAY, AUGUST 18 through FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15. During regular Disney Springs operating hours, visitors can create and submit their very own audition video at the kiosk.
The Void announced today that their newest hyper-reality experience, Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire, is coming to Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts later this year.
This first-of-its kind Star Wars experience is being produced by the world-class teams at Lucasfilm and ILMxLAB in collaboration with the team at The VOID. Soon you’ll have the opportunity to step beyond reality into a galaxy far, far away!
Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire will plunge guests directly into the iconic Star Wars galaxy. They will move freely throughout the untethered, social, and multi-sensory Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire experience in a way that allows them to interact and engage with friends, family and Star Wars characters. This ground-breaking experience will open to the public at two new VOID Experience Centers at Downtown Disney at Disneyland Resort and Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resort beginning this holiday season.
“At The VOID, we combine the magic of illusion, advanced technology and virtual reality to create fully immersive social experiences that take guests to new worlds,” said Curtis Hickman, co-founder and chief creative officer at The VOID. “A truly transformative experience is so much more than what you see with your eyes; it’s what you hear, feel, touch, and even smell. Through the power of The VOID, guests who step into Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire won’t just see this world, they’ll know that they are part of this amazing story.”
Vicki Dobbs Beck, executive in charge of ILMxLab, said, “At ILMxLAB, we want people to step inside the worlds of our stories. Through our collaboration with The VOID, we can make this happen as guests become active participants in an unfolding Star Wars adventure. By combining Lucasfilm’s storytelling expertise with cutting-edge imagery, and immersive sound from the team at Skywalker Sound, while invoking all the senses, we hope to truly transport all those who experience Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire to a galaxy far, far away.”
“Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire marks an important milestone in the continued expansion of The VOID, which also joined the 2017 Disney Accelerator earlier this year,” said Cliff Plumer, CEO of The VOID. “Through the power of The VOID, guests can now experience the magic of Star Wars firsthand.”
Our latest photo report brings us to Epcot as we countdown to the extinction of the Universe of Energy, the start of the Food and Wine Festival, and the relaunch of Mission: Space…
If you open the front door to the space, you are greeted by a screen telling you that it is closed and will not reopen.
We have a video and photo tour in case you never were able to experience the Siemens VIP Center:
VIPs of course could get “back-doored” onto Spaceship Earth.
The Siemens and Disney contract is set to expire September 30th, 2017, so expect the references to the company to vanish and Project Tomorrow to close by then.
Feel The Flow, Here We Go…
With the Universe of Energy closing forever on August 13th to make way for the Guardians of the Galaxy roller coaster ride, Disney has stationed a PhotoPass photographer outside of the building.
As we near the closing, guests are certainly showing up in larger numbers to say goodbye…
The bridge from Odyssey to Mexico has seen better days…
The repainting of the exterior of the Mexico pavilion continues, but apparently Disney isn’t happy with what they did. Above, you see blue paint starting to ascend the structure last week.
This week, the blue paint moving upwards on the structure vanished.
Work continues on Choza Tequila, now set to open during the Food and Wine Festival.
Some lovely new booths for the festival have popped up, like this one in Africa.
This new Italy booth is rather nice as well. Don’t forget that the Festival kicks off August 31st. And no, that’s not a typo… and I’m upset that it’s not (I don’t want to stand outside and eat hot food in August).
Club 33 preparations have moved into the lobby of the American Adventure.
The Chat Lounge will not return to the Food and Wine Festival this year as a result (also, it appears Chase is no longer a sponsor anyway).
The Torii Gate in Japan was repainted recently and is looking great!
The remodeling of the Mitsukoshi Department Store in Japan continues…
The pearl jewelry area in the store was moved to a new location that is quite nice.
A new jewelry area has opened further into the store.
They were sold out of Yunker, probably because we ate it on the last WDW News Tonight.
Over in MouseGear, there is some new apparel to be found.
The Electric Umbrella has begun to offer mobile ordering.
Push and Pull
In what is becoming a more regular occurrence, we witnessed monorail teal getting towed through Epcot a few days ago…
