The Academy Awards last Sunday had all the glitz and glamour you would expect, but it also had some news coming off the red carpet that’s really stands out like a shiny gold statuette. La La Land and The Greatest Showman songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul announced before the show that they’re developing two new songs for Disney’s live-action Aladdin remake with longtime Disney composer and songwriter Alan Menken.
After losing an Oscar to a Disney movie, Benj Pasek and Justin are now working with the mouse. If you can’t beat ’em… join ’em. They came close though, with their Greatest Showman smash hit “This Is Me”, but ending up losing out to “Remember Me,” from Disney’s Coco. Beyond this year the songwriting duo is already quite accomplished having picked up an Oscar last year for writing lyrics to the La La Land tune “City of Stars.”
During their red carpet interview with Variety they talked about their excitement to be a part of the Disney Family and to get to work with Menken. “We’re really thrilled that we got to collaborate with one of our heroes, Alan Menken, and we collaborated with him and wrote the lyrics for two new songs for Aladdin that’s coming out next year,” Pasek said.
“The Greatest Showman” songwriters Benj Pasek & Justin Paul are working on new music for Disney’s #Aladdin (Watch) pic.twitter.com/ChjfFssMi6
Scoring several prominent Disney animated features, composer Alan Menken is best known for films including The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules and Tangled.
Based on a tale from The Arabian Nights, the film is a live-action adaptation of Disney’s 1992 animated hit. The Guy Ritchie film stars Egypt-born Canadian actor Mena Massoud as Aladdin, alongside Will Smith as the Genie. It hits theaters on May 24, 2019.
For what seems like ‘Imagineers’ for movies, Disney has created a research and development lab that will drive entertainment experiences of the future. Accenture has been appointed by The Walt Disney Studios as a founding member and Innovation Partner of StudioLAB, an initiative dedicated to reimagining, designing and prototyping the entertainment experiences and production capabilities of the future using innovative technologies.
The Walt Disney Studios produces feature films from Disney, including Walt Disney Animation Studios; Pixar Animation Studios; Marvel Studios; and Lucasfilm. It also brings music and stage plays to consumers via The Disney Music Group and Disney Theatrical Group.
Accenture Interactive and its design and innovation unit, Fjord, will play a lead role in helping to establish StudioLAB, as well as define and develop cutting-edge entertainment technology. They will also draw upon the extensive R&D expertise of Accenture Labs to help Disney Studios apply emerging technologies in innovative ways. Initial areas of focus include: immersive entertainment; artificial intelligence; IoT; the future of movie production; and next-generation cinematic platforms.
In addition to collaborating on R&D, Accenture will partner with the Studios to support the operations of the StudioLAB as part of a 3-year agreement. This includes co-crafting the StudioLAB’s charter and governance, physical lab design, and business operations. In a co-located setup, Accenture personnel will work alongside StudioLAB personnel to incubate and prototype new concepts expected to impact the entertainment industry, advancing the way stories are told.
“Accenture Interactive is thrilled to collaborate with the imaginative minds at The Walt Disney Studios on entertainment R&D to reimagine how people experience storytelling,” said Baiju Shah, chief strategist for Accenture Interactive and global lead, Fjord. “Our partnership demonstrates the true purpose of Accenture Interactive – to create truly remarkable experiences. Accenture is uniquely positioned to bring together the full set of diverse skills – from strategy, design and technology innovation, across emerging technologies like immersive entertainment, artificial intelligence, and IoT — needed to run a first-class innovation lab and deliver the next generation of entertainment experiences.”
“As we thought about key partners to deliver our vision for StudioLAB, the decision to collaborate with Accenture Interactive was clear,” said Jamie Voris, CTO of The Walt Disney Studios. “Their ability to combine the design and innovation capabilities of a leading digital agency with the applied R&D capabilities of the Accenture Labs and deep industry expertise in media and entertainment makes them an ideal partner to innovate on the future of entertainment experiences. Technology is an essential component of how we make characters, stories and worlds come alive at Disney, and we’re looking forward to the possibilities of what we can imagine and build together.”
StudioLAB teams will apply emerging technologies to create new entertainment experiences. The StudioLAB environment will also provide a unique space for Accenture to host tours and lead innovation workshops with clients to help inspire them on their own innovation journeys.
Accenture has a 25-year history working with The Walt Disney Company, supporting some of its most innovative initiatives – ranging from myMagic+, Disney Movies Anywhere and Marvel Unlimited to Disney’s Enterprise Cloud Program and advanced marketing analytics at ABC. For this initiative, Accenture Interactive will also tap into support from Accenture’s other main businesses — Accenture Consulting, Accenture Strategy and Accenture Technology – to bring a complete set of transformation skills to co-innovate with The Walt Disney Studios.
This… Is American Idol! The iconic series that revolutionized the television landscape by pioneering the music-competition genre, will return to airwaves on This Sunday, March 11th at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, at its new home on the ABC Television Network. Ryan Seacrest will return as host along with a panel of new judges.
The nationwide search for the next superstar kicked off in August, as the Idol Bus traveled from Portland, Oregon, to Orlando, Florida in its pursuit for talent, covering 23 cities across the country. Auditioning was made easier than ever as hopefuls also had the opportunity to submit audition videos online, as well as via select social media platforms using an official tag, #TheNextIdol, cultivating over 300,000 posts. Also, for the first time in American Idol history, hopefuls had the opportunity to audition through a livestream platform.
Back in August thousands descended upon Disney Springs to audition to become the next American Idol. Former Idol-winners Jordin Sparks, Kris Allen and Ruben Studdard were on hand to greet lucky audition participants during the kickoff celebration and we have been anticipating the start of the show ever since.
Helping to determine who America will ultimately vote for to become the next singing sensation are music industry forces and superstar judges, Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. Award-winning host and producer Ryan Seacrest will return as host of the beloved series.
American Idol judge Katy Perry recently visited Walt Disney World Resort in between her concerts during Witness: The Tour, and gave us a little preview on how amazing this season will be. Check out the video below:
We can’t wait to see how some of the Disney Springs auditioners do with Katy and her fellow judges.
Follow American Idol’s Facebook and #AmericanIdol on Instagram and Twitter to be a part of the journey.
If you have been wondering about the progress of construction over at Galaxy’s Edge, Disney has just released some absolutely stunning flyover video of the area and you can see, up close and personal, exactly what there up to behind those construction walls.
While the highly anticipated Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge lands won’t debut to Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort guests until 2019 this new video shows just how much progress they have made and how huge the scope of the project really is.
At Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, guests will be transported to the planet of Batuu, a remote outpost on the galaxy’s edge that was once a busy crossroads along the old sub-lightspeed trade routes. Here, guests will find themselves in the middle of the action at two attractions that take detail and immersion to the next level: one that lets guests take the controls of Millennium Falcon on a customized secret mission, and an epic Star Wars adventure that puts guests in the middle of a climactic battle between the First Order and the Resistance.
As you can see in this video, which Bob Iger shared this morning during the 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is shaping up to be one of the most detailed and immersive lands ever created in Disney Parks history. Take a look at the video above for construction flyover footage that shows the expansive scale of this thrilling addition.
Take a look back below at some of the other constructions updates we have made along the way. Like the video, the progress they have made is truly stunning.
Disney Cruise Line has the most fleet beautiful ships at sea, and the three newest vessels setting sail in 2021, 2022 and 2023 will be no exception. A first rendering was revealed today by Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger at The Walt Disney Company’s annual shareholders meeting and the early look depicts the magnificent exterior of the new Disney ships, which will elevate family cruise vacations to a whole new level.
In keeping with the distinct Disney Cruise Line style, the new ships will embody the elegance and romance of the golden age of ocean cruising with unique touches all their own. The three new vessels will offer more innovation, new technologies, spectacular entertainment and more Disney stories and characters than ever before. Ingenuity and innovation from stem to stern will amaze and delight Disney Cruise Line guests of all ages.
On our new ships, we will bring Disney’s iconic stories and franchises to life in thrilling and surprising ways, building on the creativity we’ve introduced across our existing fleet. Just over the past several years we have added innovations such as Marvel and Star Wars themed spaces in our kids’ clubs…dazzling stage shows like “Beauty and the Beast” that are unrivaled in their originality and visual presentation…and an entirely new genre of dining experience combining live entertainment, storytelling and interactive moments at our Tiana’s Place and Rapunzel’s Royal Table restaurants.
Each new ship will be approximately 140,000 gross tons – slightly larger than the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy – and each is currently planned to include about 1,250 guest staterooms. While design plans, ship names and itineraries are still in development, we are already dreaming up exciting new ways to create the world’s most magical oceangoing adventures.
These new vessels will be powered by one of the cleanest-burning fuels available, liquefied natural gas, or LNG.
You might say Disney Cruise Line is on the threshold of reimagining the cruise industry once again, just like we did in 1998 with our very first ship. I couldn’t be more excited about the expansion of our fleet, and I know our guests will be, too.
Over the next five years, The Walt Disney Company will be investing more than $100 Million to help reinvent the experience for children’s hospitals around the globe. The plan is to completely transform the patient and family stay at children’s hospitals around the world with the creation of personalized, distinctly “Disney” experiences featuring beloved Disney characters and stories. And Walt Disney Imagineers will be leading the creative design work at each hospital!
Disney Chairman and CEO Robert A. Iger and Mark A. Wallace, President and CEO of Texas Children’s Hospital were joined by Mickey Mouse for the big announcement at Texas Children’s Hospital – the first hospital to work us and this new approach.
Imagineers will be working with patient care experts to help create a supportive atmosphere that’s personal, warm and entertaining at the hospitals. The combination of customized experiences with favorite Disney characters and our legendary creativity will help inspire young patients and their family and ease the stress of a hospital stay.
How will it happen? Here are a few concepts:
Addition of a new RFID-based system allowing patients to customize their hospital visit by choosing their favorite Disney stories and characters. The system will also unlock special elements to further personalize and enhance the experience, such as “enchanted” artwork that comes alive.
Themed treatment and patient rooms featuring interactive murals of Disney stories, bed linens and gowns featuring each child’s favorite characters, and personalized in-room entertainment. Also, well stocked mobile “play carts” will include Disney-themed games and activities to give families something to do together to help alleviate stress and boredom.
Disney first-run movies and television shows, available both in-room and in themed pop up movie theaters in the hospital, along with other Disney entertainment options.
Disney customer-experience training for doctors, nurses and staff. Disney Institute will create a customized program for healthcare professionals designed to foster a less stressful, patient and family-centric hospital experience.
Disney teams are already working with a panel of medical experts, including doctors, nurses, hospital administrators, parents and child life professionals from around the world, to advise on the best ways to help hospitals create a more personalized and comforting experience for patients and families.
This new patient-focused initiative will expand the Company’s rich legacy of supporting children’s hospitals, which dates back to Walt Disney.
Mickey Mouse and Ray-Ban have teamed again to make a super cool pair of sun glasses that feature Mickey Mouse himself.
The new Mickey Ray-Ban Limited-Edition Sunglasses are available exclusively at Sunglass Icon by Sunglass Hut at Disney Springs and Downtown Disney.
You may recall that Sunglass Hut released a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses featuring Mickey Mouse back in December. The product was such a hit that the company has developed a NEW design, set to debut to the general public this month on March 15, 2018.
Early access to the limited-Edition Ray-Ban Sunglasses is available to D23 members from March 7–14, 2018. This early access offer is only available for D23 Gold and Gold Family Members and you will be required to show your D23 Membership card.
The Limited-Edition glasses feature Mickey Mouse on the Ray-Ban New Wayfarer, have a retail price of $193, and are etched with “M18” to commemorate their release date. No discounts apply and there is a purchase limit of five pairs per guest.
Spring time is here and as the sun gets brighter each day you may want to sport some Mickey Mouse inspired sunglasses. Luckily you can, as once again, Mickey Mouse and Ray-Ban have teamed up to throw some shade on your eyes.
The new Mickey Ray-Ban Limited-Edition Sunglasses are available exclusively at Sunglass Icon by Sunglass Hut at Disney Springs and Downtown Disney.
You may recall that Sunglass Hut released a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses featuring Mickey Mouse back in December. The product was such a hit that the company has developed a NEW design, set to debut to the general public this month on March 15, 2018.
Early access to the limited-Edition Ray-Ban Sunglasses is available to D23 members from March 7–14, 2018. This early access offer is only available for D23 Gold and Gold Family Members and you will be required to show your D23 Membership card.
The Limited-Edition glasses feature Mickey Mouse on the Ray-Ban New Wayfarer, have a retail price of $193, and are etched with “M18” to commemorate their release date. No discounts apply and there is a purchase limit of five pairs per guest
It seems like Disney may finally be looking to do something with the area near Ft. Wilderness which is still home to the former rustic waterpark — now abandoned — known as River Country. According to permits filed Monday they are looking to do some geotechnical borings in the area which could indicate new development for the area. What could it be!?
According to the new permits filed with the South Florida Water Management District, Disney is looking to “Conduct geotechnical investigation to assess the suitability of subsurface soils”. In layman’s terms, they are asking for permission from the state to drill and evaluate the soil conditions at the River Country site.
Specifically, the applicant is evaluating current conditions in Wetlands 7.1G, 7.1K and 7.22. and they are requesting the ability to permit temporary wetland impacts to allow for entry by sub-aqueous geotechnical drill rigs to collect data and assess the suitability of subsurface soils, documents state.
Known as Project 89, the documents also say the type of authorization being requested is “Construction or operation of new works, activities and/or a stormwater management system; or a new Conceptual Approval”.
This process is usually used to find out if an area is suitable for a new construction project. This could be anything from a new theme park to a new resort, but at this point there is no telling what Disney is up to. However these types of permits often indicate the first stages of future development and since Disney probably isn’t considering any type of new theme park anytime soon, the most likely answer could be a new Magic Kingdom area resort.
Disney’s River Country was the first water park at Walt Disney World. It opened on June 20, 1976, and closed indefinitely on November 2, 2001. On January 20, 2005, The Walt Disney Company announced that River Country would remain closed permanently.
Along with Discovery Island, it is one of only two Disney parks in their history to close permanently. Both were left to deteriorate rather than be demolished. Take a look at the video below to get a sense of what it looks like today. Keep in mind that it’s in a restricted area and trespassing is strictly prohibited. It can also get you banned and it’s not a bright idea to go exploring if you want to be able to keep going to Disney World.
You can still catch few glimpses of the old park from non restricted areas of Ft. Wilderness and you can see some of it when traveling by boat on Bay Lake. It’s a bit of an eye sore, but even in its current state it’s still hidden jewel for Disney history buffs.
One rumor for the closure was that it closed down due to rare but deadly disease, amoebic meningoencephalitis, caused by an amoeba which lived Florida’s fresh-water lakes.
In 1980, a child died while swimming at River Country. The amoeba entered his nose, traveled through his naval passage and attacked the nervous system. There were no other deaths from amoebic meningoencephalitis linked to River Country and it remained open for another 21 years!
Health officials stated that there was no reason to blame Disney World for the tragedy, because the amoeba can breed in almost any freshwater lake during hot weather.
The real reason the park didn’t reopen was because of low attendance and two new bigger water parks that had opened on Disney World Property. In 1989, Disney opened a second water park, Typhoon Lagoon. It had much more parking, many more slides, newer amenities, and was much larger. In 1995, Disney opened a third water park, Blizzard Beach, which was also much bigger than River Country.
As it did every year, River Country closed at the end of the warm-weather season in November 2001, with the expectation that it would reopen in spring of 2002. That never happened.
On April 11, 2002, the Orlando Sentinel reported that “Walt Disney World’s first water park, River Country, has closed and may not reopen.” Disney World spokesman Bill Warren stated that River Country could be reopened if there’s enough guest demand.
The attraction may also have been affected by a change in Florida laws, which prohibited unchlorinated natural water bodies from being used for water park attractions. River Country never reopened.
Although it’s mostly out of sight from the public, it was only a matter of time before Disney decided to start exploring its options and imagining a new future for the area is really exciting. Whatever Disney is planning for the area, we can’t wait to find out, so keep checking back because we will be following this one closely.
You can now take a self-guided tour of Disney World and Disneyland right from the comfort of your smart phone and with out all of the long lines. Beginning today, you can now explore Disney Parks on Google Street View. Disney just launched a series of 360-degree panoramas featuring Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort locations you’ll want to check out to help plan your next vacation.
The new Disney Parks imagery on Google Street View includes Disney’s theme parks, water parks as well as a variety of areas at Downtown Disney and Disney Springs. Take a look below at Epcot from every angle.
To create the 360-degree imagery at Disney Parks, Google used Street View Trekker, a wearable backpack with a camera system on top. The Trekker is worn by an operator and is moved through walkways and structures, automatically gathering images. Imagery is then stitched together to create the 360-degree panoramas you see today.
Here’s a list of the locations that the Trekker’s captured:
Disneyland park, Disneyland Resort
Disney California Adventure park
Downtown Disney District
Magic Kingdom Park, Walt Disney World Resort
Disney Springs – Dining, Retail Locations
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Pandora – The World of Avatar
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Epcot
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park
Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park
Disney Parks imagery is also being featured on Google’s Street View gallery page along with breathtaking natural wonders of the world. Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments below.
We still have no official announcement from Disney about Club 33 coming to Walt Disney World, but it certainly seems that it’s inevitable at this point. Today there is some more conformation that not only is it coming, but the posh club will most certainly have a location in all four parks. Recently some new clues may have tipped off the location of the club planned for Hollywood Studios.
It has been rumored that the location for Disney’s Hollywood Studios Club 33 will be the former Catwalk Bar located behind The Hollywood Brown Derby and now after WDW News Today posted a picture on Twitter showing a speaker system next to the entrance it seems that inevitability is getting closer and closer.
The speaker is used to communicate with guests coming in and it is a very similar system set up outside Club 33 at Disneyland. This intercom set up with a doorbell is also very similar to one just found installed at The American adventure in Epcot. That setup had a MagicBand reader and even though there doesn’t appear to be one here, you can clearly see where one might go in the further.
There is no official word on where the various locations will be, but in addition to this location at Hollywood Studios and the one at Epcot, other rumored locations include; the Adventureland Veranda at the Magic Kingdom and a back room at Tiffins at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
So far the rumors have been pretty accurate if the rather obvious assumptions for speaker systems turn out to be true.
