Disney News

Author: Nate

  • Disney Announces D23 Expo 2019 Full Schedule

    Disney Announces D23 Expo 2019 Full Schedule

    The D23 Expo 2019 in Anaheim is the ultimate Disney fan event where all the details emerge for what’s to come at Disney Parks and Disney has released the schedule for this years event.

    An immersive pavilion will provide an insider’s look at new themed lands, attractions, shows, and more, in addition to a jam-packed schedule of entertaining presentations and a number of exclusive shopping opportunities for every Disney fan.

    Showcasing an array of new experiences for guests around the world to enjoy for years to come, the Disney Parks “Imagining Tomorrow, Today” pavilion will give fans a unique look at the exciting developments underway at Disney parks around the world. Attendees will see a dedicated space showcasing the historic transformation of Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort. They will also see Tony Stark’s latest plans to recruit guests to join alongside the Avengers in fully immersive areas filled with action and adventure in Hong Kong, Paris, and California.

    The fan-favorite Hall D23 presentation with Bob Chapek, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, will take place Sunday, August 25, at 10:30 a.m. Guests will be treated to more details on much-anticipated attractions, experiences, and transformative storytelling that set Disney apart.

    During the three-day event, fans can scoop up never-before-seen collectibles across the Disney Parks, Experiences and Products-operated retail shops on the Expo floor: shopDisney.com | Disney Store, Disney DreamStore, Mickey’s of Glendale, and Mickey’s of Glendale Pin Store. Attendees will be introduced to new collections that celebrate milestone anniversaries and favorite characters across Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel, along with must-have official D23 Expo 2019 gear and accessories, nostalgic Disney Parks-inspired items, and limited-edition collectibles celebrating Walt Disney Imagineering’s heritage.

    There are many other exciting offerings to discover, including several special panel presentations:

    The Music and Sounds of Star Wars:Galaxy’s Edge

    Friday, August 23, 12:30 p.m., D23 Expo Arena 

    Sound design is an instrumental layer of storytelling found throughout every Disney park, resort, and cruise ship. Join Imagineering Music Studio lead Matt Walker in discussing the creative process behind the original music and sound design heard throughout Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Join Imagineers and collaborators who will share how they developed all-new iconic soundscapes while taking inspiration from the rich legacy of Star Wars music and sound design, from the land’s epic John Williams-composed musical score to the sounds of low-flying starships.

    Behind the Art of Disney Costuming: Heroes, Villains, and Spaces Between

    Friday, August 23, 4 p.m., Stage 28

    Celebrate the imagination, passion, and attention to detail in creating Disney costumes. Go behind the scenes with the team that crafted the dazzling new Walt Disney Archives exhibit on the D23 Expo show floor and its accompanying coffee table book.

    Haunted Mansion: Celebrating 50 Years

    Saturday, August 24, 12:30 p.m., D23 Expo Arena 

    Celebrate Disney’s famed home of 999 happy haunts. The attraction’s rich history has generated global fandom from both the living and the unliving. Our ghost host has assembled a procession of bodies you will be dying to meet!

    Immersive Worlds: Bringing Stories to Life in Disney Parks
    Saturday, August 24, 3:30 p.m., Stage 28
    Disney Imagineers continue Walt Disney’s legacy in creating themed environments where beloved stories and characters come to life. Join Imagineers Joe Rohde and Scott Trowbridge to learn about the creative process for dreaming up and developing new Disney experiences as we invite guests to enter authentic worlds previously seen only in a film, a book, or one’s imagination.

    Travels with Marty: A Conversation with the Sklars and Imagineers

    Saturday, August 24, 6 p.m., Walt Disney Archives Stage

    Celebrate the legacy of Disney Legend Marty Sklar as his colleagues, mentees, and family recount the journey of publishing his last book and discuss his lasting impact on The Walt Disney Company.

    Inspiring Women Behind Star Wars:Galaxy’s Edge

    Sunday, August 25, 2 p.m., Stage 28

    Meet some of the talented women from across Disney Parks, Experiences and Products responsible for bringing Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge to life. Hear stories about their roles and experiences in developing everything from the original backstories of the land and its inhabitants, to the themed merchandise, galactic fare, and the interactive elements found throughout Black Spire Outpost.

    Magic Journey: My Fantastical Walt Disney Imagineering Career with Kevin Rafferty

    Sunday, August 25, 4 p.m., Walt Disney Archives Stage

    Join veteran Imagineer Kevin Rafferty as he reminisces about a career spanning 40-plus years, from a dishwasher at Disneyland to builder of immersive worlds. Kevin explains his path to Imagineering and talks about his new book.

    Marc Davis in His Own Words – Imagineering the Disney Theme Park

    Sunday, August 25, 5:30 p.m., Stage 28

    Authors Pete Docter and Christopher Merritt reveal their magnificent two-volume tribute to the artwork and career of Disney Legend Marc Davis. Featuring artwork from Marc for the creation of the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland, the presentation will also highlight the 50th anniversary of the storied attraction.

    Disney Store Artist Signing Schedule

    Friday, August 23 – Saturday, August 24, Talent Central

    Come meet the artists and designers behind some of our amazing D23 Expo product ranges:

    • Disney Pixar Tiki Mug Signing with Jerome Ranft – Friday, August 23, 4 – 5 p.m., Talent Central
    • Midnight Masquerade and Animator Villains Collections with Steve Thompson and Courtney Watkinson – Saturday, August 24, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., Talent Central
    • The Little Mermaid 30th Anniversary Collection withSteve Thompson, Bryan Mon, Daria Vinogradova, Diana Tran, and Cathy Clark-Ramirez – Saturday, August 24, 4 – 5 p.m., Talent Central  

    Disney Parks Designer Collection Artist Signing Schedule

    Friday, August 23 – Sunday, August 25, Talent Central

    Meet the artists behind the latest releases from this exclusive, limited-release collection of Mickey ear hats and Minnie ear headbands:

    • Jerrod Maruyama – Friday, August 23, 4 – 5:30 p.m., Talent Central; Saturday, August 24, 12:30 – 2 p.m., Talent Central  
    • SHAG – Saturday, August 24, 2  – 3:30 p.m., Talent Central  
    • Noah Fine Art – Saturday, August 24, 2  – 3:30 p.m., Talent Central  
    • Ashley Eckstein for Her Universe – Saturday, August 24, 9:30  – 11 a.m., Talent Central; Sunday, August 25, 5 – 6:45 p.m., Talent Central

    Single-day tickets for Friday and Sunday of D23 Expo 2019 are available for $89 for one-day adult admission and $69 for children ages 3–9. Gold Members of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club can purchase tickets for $79 for a one-day adult admission and $59 for children ages 3–9. Single-day Saturday tickets and three-day passes are sold out. For more information on tickets and D23 Expo 2019, visit D23Expo.com.

  • New Duffy Inspired Loungefly Collection Now Available at Aulani Resort

    New Duffy Inspired Loungefly Collection Now Available at Aulani Resort

    Loungefly has released the new Aloha Sunny Days collection, Inspired by Duffy and his friends and it’s now available exclusively at Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa.

    The new Loungefly mini backpack and fanny pack are joyful and stylish. Scenes depicted on the handy travel bags show the friends in Hawaii, enjoying some of the things they love best. StellaLou and ShellieMay make flower leis, ʻOlu strums his ukulele, and Duffy and Geletoni join in the tropical activities with their friends.

    Also appearing in this colorful collection are Duffy, StellaLou and ‘Olu, all dressed for a day in paradise. But they won’t be caught just hanging around. Duffy is ready for white sandy beaches, StellaLou is dressed to dance and ‘Olu entertains everyone with his musical talents.

  • DescenDANCE Party Coming to Disney World this Summer

    DescenDANCE Party Coming to Disney World this Summer

    To celebrate the release of Descendants 3, Disney World is hosting a DescenDANCE Party which will be rocking the Marketplace Stage at Disney Springs for a limited time July 26 – August 11, 2019.

    At the Disney DescenDANCE Party, you can hit the dance floor to some wickedly good beats, snap and share great pics at a pair of cool photo ops, and catch on-screen shout-outs from some of the stars of the movie.

    And if you can’t make it to Disney Springs for this limited run, fear not! The DescenDANCE Party fun will carry on, taking over the stage at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café as an added feature during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, offered select nights at Magic Kingdom Park starting August 16.

    In “Descendants 3,” after a barrier breach threatens the safety of Auradon during the VKs’ departure off the Isle, Mal decides to permanently close the magical barrier, fearing Uma and Hades will do irreparable damage. But an unfathomable, unforeseen dark force threatens the people of Auradon, and it’s up to Mal and the VKs to save everyone in the kingdom before it’s too late.

    You can catch “Descendants 3” on August 2 at 8 p.m. on Disney Channel!

  • Darth Vader Replacing Kylo Ren Meet-and-Greet at Hollywood Studios This Fall

    Darth Vader Replacing Kylo Ren Meet-and-Greet at Hollywood Studios This Fall

    For those who though that Darth Vader wouldn’t be returning to his meet & greet location in Hollywood Studios, “I find your lack of faith disturbing.” Today, Disney announced Vader will indeed begin meeting guests again in the Launch Bay beginning this fall.

    Starting August 29 at Star Wars Launch Bay, you can even have a personal face-to-face encounter with Darth Vader himself.

    Kylo Ren replaced Darth Vader back in 2016 and has been meeting guests ever since, but his grandfather has decided it’s time to reclaim his rightful place in the park. In the words of Vader, “The circle is now complete.”

    Star Wars Launch Bay is a multi-sensory space for Star Wars fans of all ages with the “Meet the Makers” short film, galleries featuring treasured memorabilia and authentic replicas of Star Warsartifacts, special Star Warsmerchandise and also other character opportunities where you can meet favorite Star Wars characters like Chewbacca and BB-8. 

  • Harry Styles in Talks to Play Prince Eric in Disney’s ‘Little Mermaid’

    Harry Styles in Talks to Play Prince Eric in Disney’s ‘Little Mermaid’

    Disney has cast yet another actor to go under the sea in Disney’s live-action Remake of “The Little Mermaid.” Singer turned actor, Harry Styles is in early talks to play Prince Eric in Disney’s reamke of the 1998 animated classic.

    Halle Bailey will portray the Ariel, a mermaid princess who dreams of being a human, while Melissa McCarthy is playing her evil aunt Ursula.

    Styles was famously a member of boy band One Direction who then struck out on a successful solo career. He made his acting debut with Dunkirk, Christopher Nolan’s World War II drama that grossed over $526 million worldwide and collected several Oscars.

    Eric is the human prince who catches Ariel’s eye. The mermaid saves the prince from drowning and then makes a deal with the sea witch Ursula to exchange her voice for legs in order for a chance to make him love her. He is key in the final battle against Ursula.

    “Mary Poppins Returns” director Rob Marshall is helming. The film will incorporate the original songs from the 1989 animated hit as well as new tunes from Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Miranda is also producing the film along with Marshall, Marc Platt and John DeLuca. David Magee wrote the script.

  • Disney World Monorail Stalls With Guests on Board Headed to Magic Kingdom

    Disney World Monorail Stalls With Guests on Board Headed to Magic Kingdom

    A Walt Disney World Monorail stalled enroute to Magic Kingdom today trapping several guests including infants on board.

    One guest took to Twitter stating that she and others were “trapped” on a hot monorail for 30 minutes and had to open the emergency windows.

    Take a look at the post below witch includes a picture of what appears to be rescue workers below:

    Only one monorail was stuck on the line, according to a Disney spokesperson. Magic Kingdom’s monorail service was closed while Disney’s transportation team worked to fix the issue.

    The spokesperson would only confirm that the monorails experienced “down time.” Disney did not say what caused the monorail to stall or how long the monorails were down.

    All guests who were stuck on the stalled monorail train are no longer on it, according to Disney, and the monorails have since resumed normal operations.

  • Disney World Skyliner Gondolas Opening Date Announced

    Disney World Skyliner Gondolas Opening Date Announced

    Magic is definitely in the air as testing of Disney Skyliner cabins and other elements is well underway, and today Disney announced the opening date for Disney World’s newest form of transportation.

    On September 29, Disney Skyliner gondolas will take flight and officially begin transporting guests around Walt Disney World Resort.

    As many of you have seen, this state-of-the-art transportation system offers a new way to experience the resort with amazing views only available from the sky. Disney Skyliner connects Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot to four resort hotels- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort and the new Disney’s Riviera Resort scheduled to open in December 2019. Take. Look at the video below:

    Some Disney Skyliner cabins feature graphics based on Disney films, attractions and characters. We previously featured a few of the character cabins on Disney Dorks, including those with Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pluto and Chip & Dale. Other Disney stories taking flight with guests include:

    • “Coco”
    • Goofy, Pete, Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow
    • “Finding Dory”
    • Haunted Mansion
    • “Monsters, Inc.”
    • Pirates of the Caribbean
    • “Ratatouille”

    Before you know it, Disney Skyliner will be floating guests across Walt Disney World Resort!

  • New Concept Art and Details Released for Disney’s Riviera Resort Opening in December

    New Concept Art and Details Released for Disney’s Riviera Resort Opening in December

    As we previously reported, Disney’s Riviera Resort is coming to Walt Disney World Resort in Florida as the 15th Disney Vacation Club property and today Disney has released some beautiful new concept art and some exciting new details.

    For centuries, the European Riviera has inspired visitors to relax, rejuvenate and play along the Mediterranean. At Disney’s Riviera Resort, projected to open December 2019, the history and charm that enchanted Walt and Lillian Disney, and so many others, will be yours to experience.

    In each meticulous detail and around every turn, you’ll see how Imagineers are creating a resort that celebrates the elegance of a modern European retreat blended with a touch of old-world glamour and a uniquely Disney twist. Here’s a closer look at the careful planning and thoughtful features that make Disney’s Riviera Resort so special. Take a look at some more of the new concept art below:

    The overall design of Disney’s Riviera Resort is inspired by the elegant, early 20th century hotels situated along Europe’s Mediterranean coast. Like the region itself, Disney’s Riviera Resort will convey classic European designs mixed with modern expressions.

    Its articulated stone base and smooth stucco façades will be accented with decorative metalwork and colorful awnings. French mansard roofs and Italian style arches and loggias will intermingle with other architectural styles found along the coastal region.

    The center building, or tower, with expressive roofs and ornamental details, will be at the heart of the resort. Adjacent wings are designed as if added progressively to accommodate more travelers. The resort itself is a layered story, inspired by the buildings and architecture in Europe that grew and evolved over time.

    Each wing of the resort will grow in height, from eight to 10 stories, allowing for sweeping views of the resort to be seen from the rooftop restaurant, Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera. If this sounds tantalizing, I should mention that bookings are now open for Topolino’s Terrace, with reservations available beginning on December 16.

    Porticos, towers and terraces, as well as a unique, coastal-inspired color palette, will give each resort wing an exterior style all its own – a visual representation of the changes in design styles that influenced regional resorts throughout the century.

    The window styles will vary across the façade of the resort, with variations in size, shape and mullion designs. Continuing the inspired architectural details, the iconic window awnings of the region will be married with shutters of varying colors and arrangements. A variety of decorative railings throughout the resort will feature a subtle Disney twist, with motifs of Mickey Mouse and his leading lady, Minnie.

    By incorporating these detailed differences into the design, Imagineers captured the progressive feeling of European architecture, imparting a sense of history and story that developed over time.

    Under construction and projected to open December 2019, Disney’s Riviera Resort at Walt Disney World Resort will be inspired by Europe and imagined by Disney. From the resort, you will be able to stay just a gondola ride away from all the excitement and experiences via the new Disney Skyliner system when it opens this fall.

    If you need help booking your magical vacation, contact Enchanted Kingdom Vacations with Vikki for help. My services are completely free and I will always find you the lowest rates. Let me do all the work so you don’t have to!

  • Woman Orders ‘Moana’ Cake for Her Daughter but Baker Hears ‘Marijuana’

    Woman Orders ‘Moana’ Cake for Her Daughter but Baker Hears ‘Marijuana’

    The stakes are “high” in the cake making business. A Georgia woman tried to order a “Moana”-themed cake for her daughter’s 25th birthday, but the local cake maker mistakenly heard “marijuana” instead.

    The green-and-white decorated cake Davis received included a “My Little Pony” horse with blood-shot eyes and a puff of smoke next to her, as well as a cannabis leaf tattooed on her haunch. There was also a larger cannabis leaf on the cake. Both photos were outlined in icing and sandwiched between “Happy 25th Birthday Kensli.”

    Kensli Davis took to social media and was rather blunt about the twist to her special day. Davis found the situation humourous and the cake was still the “High” light of the party as you can see in her post below:

    Kensli Davis’ mom said workers apologized and offered to make another cake, but she stuck with the first one because it was just too funny.

    Cassandra Walker, the Georgia mother of two who made the cake, isn’t laughing. She told USA TODAY she made the cake after her manager, who she says she misheard Davis’ mother, told her it was OK.

    Walker said Dairy Queen fired her for the mistake on Monday, which was her birthday. 

  • Rabies Alert for Epcot Area Issued by Florida Department of Health

    Rabies Alert for Epcot Area Issued by Florida Department of Health

    The Florida Department of Health in Orange County issued a rabies alert Tuesday after a cat that was found near the Epcot theme park tested positive for the disease.

    The feral animal was discovered near Epcot Center Drive and Interstate 4, just east of the park. The alert covers a two-mile radius around the intersection and expires in 60 days.

    This alert should not give a false sense of security to areas that have not been named under this alert,” the statement warned. Hollywood Studios and multiple resorts are also in the area.

    Other animals in the area may also be infected and officials urge the public to avoid contact with all wildlife, including “raccoons, bats, foxes, skunks, otters, bobcats and coyotes.”

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that rabies can be fatal, but it is preventable. The viral disease is passed through saliva, and early symptoms can resemble the flu.