Disney Announces Dates for Star Wars IX, Indiana Jones, Frozen 2, Delays Wreck-It Ralph, Gigantic

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In a shocking move, Disney has released official dates for “Star Wars: Episode IX” and the live action “Lion King” but has switched around several big titles from their original release dates.

  • “Star Wars: Episode IX” will open on May 24, 2019.
  • “The Lion King” will open on July 19, 2019
  • “Indiana Jones 5” was set to open on July 19, 2019 but will now open July 10, 2020.
  • “Ralph Breaks The Internet: Wreck-It-Ralph 2” was set to open March 9, 2018 but will now open November 21, 2018.
  • “A Wrinkle In Time” was set to open on April 6, 2018 but will now open on March 9, 2018.
  • “Magic Camp” was set to open on August 3, 2018 but will not open on April 6, 2018.
  • “Gigantic” was set to open on November 21, 2018 but will now open on November 25, 2020.
  • “Frozen 2” is set to open on November 27, 2019.

Donald Glover To Voice “Simba” And James Earl Jones Will Voice “Mufasa” In Jon Favreau’s “The Lion King”

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Acclaimed actors James Earl Jones and Donald Glover have joined the voice cast of Disney and director Jon Favreau’s live-action reimagining of The Lion King. Donald Glover will voice adult Simba, while James Earl Jones will reprise the role of Mufasa, which he made famous in the 1994 animated film.  

The Lion King follows in the footsteps of Disney’s contemporary re-envisioning of some of its most beloved classics with films like MaleficentCinderella, and the upcoming Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson and debuting in theaters on March 17. In addition, Disney recently collaborated with Favreau on the Oscar-nominated smash hit The Jungle Book. 

For The Lion King, Disney and Favreau will build on the groundbreaking technology used in The Jungle Book to bring the story of Simba to photorealistic life. The film’s release date has not been announced.

Jon Favreau was also very happy to announce the news on Twitter:

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Source: Jon Favreau

PHOTO REPORT: Hollywood Studios 10/18/16 (Star Wars, Toy Story, PizzeRizzo, Parking Expansion, ETC.)

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.

Welcome to Hollywood

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Construction on the roadways around the park has expanded greatly, even beyond the main Walt Disney World Resort entrance on World Drive.

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Entering Hollywood Studios from World Drive is quite the disaster currently as Disney prepares to move the entrance in the not-too-distant future.

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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.

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The construction as seen from the World Drive road entrance.

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AOTAS Hall of Fame Removal?

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Rumor has it that the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame is being removed outside of the Hyperion Theater.

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This and That

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To make sure everyone knows they are back, a large sign was placed on the top of Oasis Canteen advertising the menu.

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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.

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Star Wars Land Construction

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Two facades are all that remains of the Streets of America as land clearing is full speed ahead for Star Wars land.

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For a better look, check out this week’s expansion video update:

PizzeRizzo and Gonzo’s Royal Flush

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Gonzo’s Royal Flush opens a few weeks ago, but some signage was recently added to the exterior.

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Work continues on PizzeRizzo which should be opening soon.

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Some flags were recently hung, including the PizzeRizzo logo.

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Tables and some wall art were recently installed inside.

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Gone are the old planters, railings now separate the outside dining area from the walkway.

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Some new lamps were installed by the staircase.

Dr. Strange and the Mystery in One Man’s Dream

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The Doctor Strange sneak peek has finally begun inside the One Man’s Dream theater.

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Walls are still up in The Legacy Continues area of the exhibit. It is still unknown exactly what the work is for.

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The model of the fortress from Tokyo DisneySea is now gone. This model had been in the exhibit for a number of years.

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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.

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The Doctor Strange preview is not much more than two of the film trailers put together, but the film looks interesting enough.

Toy Story Land

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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.

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Land clearing continues back by Toy Story Midway Mania.

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Raiders of the Lost Ark

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As discussed in an earlier post, the ark from Raiders of the Lost Ark is now on display at the Great Movie Ride.

New Merchandise

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Some new ladies shirts are available in the Disney Boutique collection.

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The Disney Parks Attraction Poster Calendar for 2017 is now available, $24.99 each.

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Jon Favreau Will Direct A Live Action Version Of “The Lion King”

 

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It looks like director Jon Favreau is about to venture into the jungle again! Hot off the success of directing “The Jungle Book”, Jon Favreau will now be working with the likes of Mufasa, Simba, Scar, Timone and Pumba as he will helm the live action adaption of the Disney animated classic, “The Lion King”.

Jon Favreau posted a cryptic tweet to his followers and it didn’t take them  long to guess what his newest project will be:

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Soon after Favreau’s tweet, Disney officially confirmed that Favreau will indeed be directing a live action version of “The Lion King”:

We can officially confirm that The Walt Disney Studios and director Jon Favreau are putting a new reimagining of The Lion King on the fast track to production. The project follows the technologically groundbreaking smash hit The Jungle Book, directed by Favreau, which debuted in April and has earned $965.8 million worldwide. 

The Lion King builds on Disney’s success of reimagining its classics for a contemporary audience with films like Maleficent, Cinderella, and The Jungle Book. The upcoming Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson as Belle, is already one of the most anticipated movies of 2017. Like Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King will include songs from the animated film. Disney and Favreau are also in development on a sequel to The Jungle Book. No release date has been announced for either film. 

The Lion King (1994) is one of the biggest animated films of all time with a lifetime global box office gross of $968.8 million, including $422.8 million domestically. It won Academy Awards for the original song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” (Elton John, Tim Rice) and original score (Hans Zimmer), plus two Grammy Awards, with the soundtrack selling over 14 million copies. In 1997, the stage production The Lion King made its Broadway debut, winning six Tony Awards; 19 years later, it remains one of Broadway’s biggest hits alongside several other productions running around the world, including London, Hamburg, Tokyo, Madrid, Mexico City, Shanghai, and North America. Translated into eight different languages, its 23 global productions have been seen by more than 85 million people across every continent except Antarctica. The Lion King’s worldwide gross exceeds that of any film, Broadway show or other entertainment title in box office history.  

Although no official date was released, we can make a guess that this will be released sometime in 2018.

Source: Jon Favreau, The Walt Disney Company

6/16/14 Walt Disney World Photo Report (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Disney Springs)

In an effort to best keep you updated with what is going on at Walt Disney World, we will be providing a comprehensive photo report every Monday. Should we attend anything of note during the week, we will of course continue to post videos and smaller photo reports on other weekdays, but Monday will offer the largest and most detailed on a weekly basis. With that being said, let’s dive in and see what’s new as of June 16th, 2014:

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Avatar construcvtion is in full swing at Animal Kingdom and you can clearly see the cranes over the tree-line from the parking lot

A Lion King musical “ocarina” mug is now for sale at the Harambe Popcorn cart

It comes with sheet music to show you how to play a few Disney songs

Some work happening by this gate between Africa and Asia

Walls also up by Creature Comforts on Discovery Island

Moving on to Disney Springs, work continues on Food Truck Park on the West Side

More of the elevated area that is supposed to be abandoned train tracks has appeared in the park area

A soccer store called United World Soccer has opened on the West Side, just in time for the World Cup

The store was quite busy on Saturday, but it was Car Masters Weekend

Pleasure Island continues its conversion into The Landing

Construction finally happening in the old Harley-Davidson location

The waterway between Pleasure Island and Marketplace is behind walls, also, one of the old PI train ticket booths is gone

Work continues outside of Fulton’s and Portobello

The latest progress on the new Marketplace bridge

The area between T-Rex and the LEGO store is a mess right now

Reminds me of 2010 at Disney California Adventure

The former site of Pollo Campero

Looking towards World of Disney

If you go this way, you will be funneled into LEGO

A look at the lake from the LEGO area

I hit Marketplace Co-Op to pick up some things and also tried my hand at creating a phone case. The process is fairly simple…

Moving over to Epcot, removal of the Flower and Garden Festival is still taking place… more on that later…

The Odyssey is actually open and hosting World Cup viewing all-day long

Come on in!

The interior is nicely decorated

There’s even a physical board they will update through the rounds of the World Cup

Tables and chairs are set-up inside, but there are also some cushy leather chairs in the first two rows in front of the big screen

The side pockets of the room are also filled with chairs and smaller screens

Some modest food offerings inside as well

There’s even a store filled with Epcot World Cup merchandise!

So, where the butterfly garden was located, apparently the workers hit a water main and now the entire area is being excavated…

No Figment comics remaining at Imagination!, they sold out pretty quick

As a result of the damaged water main, the Imagination! waterfall is off

Some ponds in the area have been drained as well

Olaf carrot cake cupcake for sale at the Main Street Bakery

There’s also a Frozen cupcake

We had dinner at the Be Our Guest Restaurant last night…

It had been a little while since we had been here, but the menu again had some new additions and price hikes

The current kid’s menu

The grey stuff is now offered as a dessert, served on top of a chocolate cake. It was still delicious!

Harambe Nights Announced for Disney’s Animal Kingdom

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Harambe Nights will be a hard ticketed event taking place at Disney’s Animal Kingdom starting June 7 through August 9. It all begins with a Welcome Reception in the park’s Harambe Village, including mouth-watering appetizers and African-inspired wine and beer. Then it’s time for the ‘mane’ event! Take your seat inside the newly built Harambe Theatre for an unforgettable performance of “The Lion King – Concert in the Wild.” This all-new, never-before-seen theatrical experience features a live orchestra and choir, dancers, digitally projected movie moments, and dramatic lighting and scenic elements – all hosted by a celebrity guest narrator. The show brings to life the humor, heart, and stirring emotional power of Simba’s journey to find his place as the Lion King. The lineup for “The Lion King – Concert in the Wild” will include:

  • June 7 – Viola Davis: “The Help,” “Ender’s Game”
  • June 14 – TBD
  • June 21 – Montego Glover: “The Following,” “Memphis”
  • June 28 – David Alan Grier: “Porgy & Bess,” “In Living Color”
  • July 5 – Michael Beach: “ER,” “Third Watch,” “Sons of Anarchy”
  • July 12 – Harry Lennix: “The Blacklist,” “The Five Heartbeats”
  • July 19 – Joe Morton: “Scandal,” “American Gangster,” “The Good Wife”
  • July 26 – Alfre Woodard: “Desperate Housewives,” “Miss Evers Boys”
  • August 2 – Patina Miller: “Pippin,” “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1”
  • August 9 – Brian Stokes Mitchell: “Ragtime,” “Trapper John, M.D.,” “Glee”

After the show, the celebration continues with the Harambe Nights Street Party, filled with music, characters, and live performers, encouraging everyone to join in and “Go wild!” You can enjoy an all-inclusive buffet of sophisticated and flavorful African cuisine and gourmet desserts. Exclusive Lion King merchandise and collectibles will be available for purchase during the event, and you’ll want to stick around for a special finale to bid “kwaherini” to a magical evening that could only happen at Disney’s Animal Kingdom!

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Harambe Nights takes place every Saturday from June 7 – August 9, 2014, with the Welcome Reception starting at 7 p.m. and a 7:30 p.m. show time. Tickets are $119 for adults, $79 for ages 3-9, plus tax. Tickets with premium floor seating are $134 for adults, $94 for ages 3-9, plus tax. Capacity is limited, so you’ll want to go ahead and get your tickets by visiting Disneyworld.com/HarambeNights.

A Preview of the Lion King and Little Mermaid Wings at Art of Animation Resort

The Lion King wing at Disney’s Art of animation Resort may not open until August 10th, but guests are being allowed to walk-through the new wing now. WDWNT Reporter Taylor Martina was on the scene yesterday and has some photos to share with us:

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All of the characters look great

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Wall art in the hallways

The elevator

Timon, Pumbaa, and Simba left tracks on the carpet

There they are

They all lead to the middle of the hallway

We can clearly see The Little Mermaid wing now

A look down the path

Back to Lion King

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Rafiki!

We’ll have more photos and video from this new wing coming up soon, so stay tuned!

All Art of Animation Resort Opening Dates Announced

While we knew that the Finding Nemo wing of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort was opening May 31st, we really could only guess when the other wings might open. Well, we now have the official dates:

  • Finding Nemo (Grand opening) – Opens May 31
  • Cars – Opens June 18
  • Lion King – Opens August 10
  • Little Mermaid – Opens September 15

Guests can begin booking all of these tomorrow, March 23rd.

Disney also released a second preview video for the resort a few weeks ago, now seems like a good time to share that with you: