Adam Roth’s 11/8/08 WDW Photo Report

WDWNT on November 9, 2008

WDWNT Reporter Adam Roth of WDWCelebrations has provided us with another fantastic photo update from around the Walt Disney World Resort during his latest trip. Let’s see what’s new around the world:

The display in the window of the Toy Soldier store over at the United Kingdom pavilion has some new decorations 

If you look at the blocks, they spell out Kim Possible

This is another element the country’s shops have added for the upcoming Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure game

Adam ran into a familiar face to those of you who used to visit the Adventurer’s Club at Pleasure Island. Most of the former PI entertainers have already been moved to other roles throughout the Resort.

Tarps are still up in Japan, always seems to be up in this pavilion

A quick look at the old Body Wars attraction exit inside the Festival Center, which closes again today until the beginning of the Flower and Garden Festival in 2009

The Kim Possible game displays are waiting for use inside Innoventions East and West and feature some new wanted posters of Villains from the show

Adam found something rather funny at one of the Food and Wine Festival kiosks

Hosted by Anheuser-Bush

Serving InBev’s (the new owners of the company) signature Stella Artois

Another piece that will be part of the Kim Possible Adventure for the China pavilion

On his way to the Magic Kingdom, Adam snapped some quick shots of continuing work on Disney’s Contemporary Resort

The Bay Lake Tower continues to take shape

The construction site is starting to get pretty clean

Over to the Magic Kingdom

The final strands of the Cinderella Castle Dreamlights have been put in place

The Hall of Presidents….

still closed until July 🙂

We’ll end this report with Adam’s best score to date on Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (I didn’t have the heart to tell him how many times I’ve gotten the perfect score)

Thanks Adam!!!

More Details on Disney World’s 40th Anniversary

WDWNT on August 12, 2008

While we are still a little more than 3 years away from the 40th anniversary of the Walt Disney World Resort on October 1, 2011, there are many rumors of new additions to the Disney theme parks that are becoming more and more likely. We have already told you about the plan to renew classic attractions at the Magic Kingdom such as Space Mountain, Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress, The Enchanted Tiki Room, The Country Bear Jamboree, and the Hall of Presidents, as well as add a few new attractions such as a Little Mermaid dark-ride and some new nighttime entertainment offerings. Now details are emerging on some planned projects for Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios during the celebration.

By now, you are all aware of the world’s worst kept secret of Star Tours receiving its new story, queue, film, and store sometime in 2011, but you may not be aware of another film change that is now making the rounds. It appears that filming for the proposed “Soarin’ Around The World” film is set to begin soon and we can plan on seeing the updated Epcot and California Adventure E-Ticket debut sometime in late 2009/early 2010 if all goes according to plan. Epcot is also expected to be replacing Illuminations Reflections of Earth with a new show sometime in the 2009 and who can forget the still unofficial Monsters Inc. roller coaster that’s coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. With all these big-budget projects and the expected financial downturn that WDW is about to go through, it will be interesting to see what from this list actually makes it off the blueprints and into the parks.

Be sure to stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information becomes available on these rumors as we get closer to Walt Disney World’s 40th anniversary.

Hall of Presidents Changing Again

WDWNT on August 4, 2008

It appears that one way or the other, some big changes are coming to the Hall of Presidents Attraction at the Magic Kingdom. It was just made official that the attraction will be closed for some major show changes from November 2008 until July of 2009. Despite that this refurbishment is now public information, what changes are going to occur remains a mystery. While we would expect the addition of an Audio-Animatronics figure of the new president of the United States (whether it be John McCain or Barack Obama) with a speaking part, it has been rumored that the new version of the show would simply add the latest president to the line-up on stage and give Abraham Lincoln a longer speaking part in the show. 

This refurbishment is now set to begin on November 1, 2008 and end on July 1, 2009. Be sure to stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information on the future of the Hall of Presidents becomes available.