PHOTO REPORT: Epcot 2/28/17 (Goodbye Art Fest, Hello Topiaries, Bonjour Belle, Figment is Back, Etc.)
Our latest photo report brings us to Epcot between events, as the Festival of the Arts moves out for the topiaries and food booths of the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival 2017…
Welcome to Epcot
The rumored gondola station site sits and waits at the International Gateway entrance to Epcot.
The security procedures here were improved, adding a second metal detector, so now there is one for each line.
A monorail ride in shows the departure of the Festival of the Arts and the arrival of the Flower and Garden Festival.
A moral stand just above the flower beds, marking the quick transition between the two seasonal events.
It also isn’t often that you see one hour lines for the attraction…
MouseGear
A lot of merchandise in MouseGear has moved around again. Candy and snacks have mostly moved to the Innoventions side of the store.
Some new summer housewares.
Some new mugs for sale inside MouseGear.
These gian Winnie the Pooh character mugs retail at $19.99 each.
Candy Peal Pinwheels can now be found for sale at most locations. Several different versions are available including Toy Story, Dumbo, Cars, and Mickey Mouse.
While visiting Disney Springs over the weekend, I couldn’t help but notice that it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas… It’s almost Halloween, but it’s now full speed towards the Christmas holiday season at the Walt Disney World Resort. Apparently, an entire, HUGE Christmas store in Disney’s Days of Christmas just isn’t enough for Disney Springs, so holiday merchandise has now taken over what was the Wonderful World of Memories shop (located between Hanes Design-A-Tee and The Art of Disney). This is located literally right across the path from Days of Christmas as well. Now, we already previewed all off the great new ornaments for 2016 in our last Disney Springs photo report, including the Pluto reindeer ear hat seen above, so go check that out if you haven’t. The continued growth in the popularity of some of the older films in the Disney library is showcased this year, with Bambi taking center stage with an entire ceramic kitchen collection. Even friend Owl is in on the fun. He is $16.99. The Thumper gravy boat is $26.99. Bambi and Flower retail at $19.99 each. The teapot features Mickey and Minnie Mouse on the front, but… Some of the animal characters from Sleeping Beauty can be found on the back. Some of the shirts feature a few more obscure characters in plush form on a tree. Keep this in mind for later… Remember those plush characters on the tree in some of the merchandise? Well, Disney made those plush as ornaments you can buy. They feel a bit pricey at $16.99 each, but it is a rather fun assembly of characters, including Meeko from Pocahontas above. The rather cute collection includes Chip, Dale, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, Flower, Thumper, Bambi, Meeko, Robin Hood, Olaf, Sven, and the three bear brothers from Brave. This tin Countdown to Christmas sign is pretty neat as well. So, what do you think? Will you be buying any of the 2016 holiday merchandise at the parks? Our latest photo report brings us back to Disney’s Hollywood Studios to see the latest progress on the park’s expansion, PizzeRizzo, Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream, and more. Construction on the roadways around the park has expanded greatly, even beyond the main Walt Disney World Resort entrance on World Drive. Entering Hollywood Studios from World Drive is quite the disaster currently as Disney prepares to move the entrance in the not-too-distant future. There are currently two exit ramps to Animal Kingdom as the new one recently opened. No word yet on when the old one will close, but for now you can take two exits in a row to the same place. The construction as seen from the World Drive road entrance. Rumor has it that the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame is being removed outside of the Hyperion Theater. To make sure everyone knows they are back, a large sign was placed on the top of Oasis Canteen advertising the menu. Celebrity Spotlight was averaging about an 11 minute wait, so Disney cut the capacity in half and now waits have been double the length at least. Two facades are all that remains of the Streets of America as land clearing is full speed ahead for Star Wars land. For a better look, check out this week’s expansion video update: Gonzo’s Royal Flush opens a few weeks ago, but some signage was recently added to the exterior. Work continues on PizzeRizzo which should be opening soon. Some flags were recently hung, including the PizzeRizzo logo. Tables and some wall art were recently installed inside. Gone are the old planters, railings now separate the outside dining area from the walkway. Some new lamps were installed by the staircase. The Doctor Strange sneak peek has finally begun inside the One Man’s Dream theater. Walls are still up in The Legacy Continues area of the exhibit. It is still unknown exactly what the work is for. The model of the fortress from Tokyo DisneySea is now gone. This model had been in the exhibit for a number of years. More permanent walls are now up. The door was left open at one point, so I peeked in. There is literally nothing there except some ladders and other work tools. The Doctor Strange preview is not much more than two of the film trailers put together, but the film looks interesting enough. The tarps are back up over by the former Jack Sparrow location, so we no longer have a clear view of construction down on this side. Land clearing continues back by Toy Story Midway Mania. As discussed in an earlier post, the ark from Raiders of the Lost Ark is now on display at the Great Movie Ride. Some new ladies shirts are available in the Disney Boutique collection. The Disney Parks Attraction Poster Calendar for 2017 is now available, $24.99 each. It has been way too long since we have had a photo report to share with you, but luckily Zach Larson has broken the dry-spell with some photos taken at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot over the last two days. Enjoy: The Speederbike photo-op is behind walls I was visiting Walt Disney World for the premiere of PIXAR Pals: Countdown to Fun and “Let the Memories Begin” last week and managed to find some time to take some newsworthy photos, so let’s take a look at what’s new around the parks: We begin at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Gnomio & Juliet was going to be a Disney movie, now it’s just a Disney promoted movie…
PHOTOS: Christmas 2016 Merchandise Featuring Obscure & Rare Disney Characters Hits Shelves at Disney Parks
PHOTO REPORT: Hollywood Studios 10/18/16 (Star Wars, Toy Story, PizzeRizzo, Parking Expansion, ETC.)
Welcome to Hollywood
AOTAS Hall of Fame Removal?
This and That
Star Wars Land Construction
PizzeRizzo and Gonzo’s Royal Flush
Dr. Strange and the Mystery in One Man’s Dream
Toy Story Land
Raiders of the Lost Ark
New Merchandise
Zach Larson’s 3/7-8/11 WDW Photo Report
Tom Corless’ 1/15-1/18/11 WDW Photo Report