Pixar has released the first trailer for Lightyear, the Toy Story spinoff that focuses on the in-universe astronaut that inspired the character of Buzz Lightyear.
The movie, which is set to release summer 2022, follows the journey of Buzz Lightyear (this time voiced by Chris Evans) as he progresses from a test pilot to a full-blown Space Ranger in Star Command.
In the trailer, we see the real Lightyear suit up for what will surely be a dangerous and daring space mission. He boards a space shuttle, with a ground control crew anxiously watching, as it blasts off into the unknown cosmos. To the tune of David Bowie’s “Starman,” Lightyear explores alien planets, learns about space travel from an instructional robot and, finally, gazes up on his iconic green-and-white space suit in the final moments of the trailer. Take a look at the trailer below:
Annie Award-winning director and veteran Pixar animator Angus MacLane steps into the director’s chair for “Lightyear.” The filmmaker was a co-director on “Finding Dory” but is now making his solo Pixar directorial debut with the “Toy Story” prequel. Galyn Susman (the “Toy Story That Time Forgot” short) is producing.
Danny DeVito has joined the star-studded cast of ‘Haunted Mansion,’ Disney’s ghostly family adventure based on one of the company’s signature theme park rides.
The movie will follow a mother and son who stumble across a mysterious mansion — and an ensemble of characters that have something to do with it.
In the movie, Danny DeVito will play a “smug professor,” and that’s all that’s been divulged about his character at this time. Full plot details haven’t been revealed for Haunted Mansion, but per THR, the movie “follows a mother and her son who come across a mansion that is more than it seems while being orbited by various characters key to undressing the spooky mystery.”
DeVito will be joining LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, and Rosario Dawson for the “Haunted Mansion” film from director Justin Simien (“Bad Hair,” “Dear White People”)
The film is Disney’s second attempt to adapt the iconic attraction for film, after an unsuccessful attempt starring Eddie Murphy, Nathaniel Parker, and Jennifer Tilly was released in 2003.
Chase Disney VISA is now offering a new 50th anniversary design for cardholders in honor of The World’s Most Magical Celebration at Walt Disney World.
All you have to do is log into your Chase account and search “Card Design.” From there, you’ll be able to click “Change My Card Design” and you’ll be led to a page with all the design options where you can select the new Walt Disney World 50th design.
It’s free and easy to change your Disney Visa Credit Card design anytime. Just click here to get started.
Disney Visa Cardmembers receive limited-time offers and year-round perks. Take advantage of offers for travel, entertainment and shopping including collectibles, limited-edition pins, special events and much more. New offers become available often, so be sure to check back frequently!
Happy Meals at McDonald’s are getting a magical update. To celebrate Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary, McDonald’s will release limited-edition Happy Meal toys.
Starting Sept. 14, the fast food restaurant giant is getting in helping celebrate Walt Disney World Resort’s upcoming 50th anniversary with with custom Happy Meal toys and a chance to win a vacation to Disney’s big milestone event in Orlando.
A few of the toys will even be dressed in sparkly “EARidescent” outfits, perfect for Disney World’s “The World’s Most Magical Celebration,” an 18-month celebration running from Oct. 1, 2021 through April 1, 2023 at Walt Disney World Resort to celebrate the resort’s 50th anniversary. Take a closer look at the toys below:
The event is for a limited time, and only at participating McDonald’s nationwide, but the gifts will be big for Disney fans. The home of the Golden Arches will be dolling out never-before-seen figurines — 50 in total — each featuring different fan favorite figurines of Disney characters over the years.
Now you can design your very own theme park in a fun new mobile game! Join Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, and other classic Disney & Pixar characters this fall in the latest Disney Parks-inspired, Match-3 mobile puzzle game, Disney Wonderful Worlds.
Players can wipe and match colorful gameboards to win prizes and unlock Disney & Pixar attractions from around the globe to place in your park. Level up by completing fun and challenging puzzles while earning exclusive decorations and landmarks to personalize your unique park. Grant wishes for your Disney park guests in exciting missions. Watch your park come to life from morning to night with the Mid-Day Parade and Evening Fireworks Show!
Take a closer look below:
You still have time to pre-register since Disney Wonderful Worlds has hit its 100% pre-registration goal! All players have unlocked the Limited Rose Gold Minnie statue! It’s not too late to sign up! If you sign up before October, you will receive a variety of exciting gifts including your very own Minnie Statue! Pre-register today at www.disneywonderfulworlds.com and help us get to 150% before launch!
Disney Wonderful Worlds is a free-to-play mobile game with in-app purchases coming soon in Fall 2021 on the App Store and Google Play.
Prepare for liftoff, because Space 220 restaurant at EPCOT is scheduled to begin service in mid-September as part of the transformation of EPCOT underway at Walt Disney World Resort.
The Space 220 restaurant is located adjacent to the Mission: SPACE attraction, and takes fine dining to a whole new level. Your immersive experience begins as you check in to the Space 220 Departure Lounge in Future World. From here, you’ll board one of two “Space Elevators” that will transport you in what seems like 220 miles above Earth to Centauri Space Station. As you begin your ascent, you’ll look down through a viewport to see EPCOT shrink away; looking up you’ll see the Space Station come into view.
Once you’ve docked, you’ll head through the Centauri Space Station-themed dining area. Inside the dining area, you’ll experience a panoramic view of Earth below, and a variety of work and leisure activities taking place beyond the windows of the Space Station-themed restaurant.
And the views are just part of the experience. Our Disney Imagineers are excited to have created this experience for Executive Chef Marc Kusche to showcase his culinary wonders. The Space 220 restaurant menu will feature stellar dishes and gourmet recipes, with a two-course prix fixe menu for lunch, and a three-course prix fixe menu for dinner. The upscale, contemporary fare will bring new meaning to “the height of dining!” Rounding out the meal will be unique beverages – from fine wine to atmospheric cocktails and more.
EPCOT is defined by original stories that inspire. The Space 220 restaurant is another big milestone in the ongoing and historic transformation happening now at EPCOT, and will be a part of the celebration of the Walt Disney World Resort 50th Anniversary.
Disney fans LOVE a good recipe so Delish and Disney have teamed up to create a special magazine featuring iconic Disney recipes!
Available only on Amazon, Delish Loves Disney is 100 glossy pages specifically created and curated by the editors at Delish, who have been writing and producing content about Disney Parks Food & Beverage for almost a decade.
Delish Loves Disney features more than 50 recipes from our parks and resorts around the world – including 15 never-before-published – with a mix of scrumptious entrees, iconic Disney Parks’ snacks and some of our most beloved items that feature a variety of healthful ingredients.
It showcases how food and beverage is an integral part of the experience at our parks and resorts and we constantly strive to surprise and delight our guests with food and beverages that celebrate a variety of nutritious ingredients – such as seafood, legumes, and veggies – in a delicious way.
Disney chefs and Disney Parks Food & Beverage professionals around the world chose all the best dishes to spotlight, including Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup from Le Cellier at EPCOT at Walt Disney World, Ratatouille from Bistrot Chez Remy at Disneyland Paris and Filmore’s Pot Pie from Disney California Adventure at Disneyland Resort.
The editors of Delish filled Delish Loves Disney with memories, anecdotes and feature stories about their experiences visiting and reporting on Disney Parks. There are pages featuring home-inspired Disney products that readers can use to make their favorite recipes from the book and a ton of “fun facts” about the recipes.
To accompany the book, the Delish team also has created a special landing page on their website which provides a sneak peek at the book, with links to videos and articles from their years covering yummy food & beverage offerings at Disney parks around the world.
Disney World has added new “Rainbow Magic Shots” to help you celebrate PRIDE this June! When I read about the new Magic Shots online I decided I wanted to capture a rainbow in each park. So, last week I did all four parks in two days. Keep reading to see them all and find out where and how you can get them.
The Details
Each of the four parks has two Magic Shots. I initially thought that each park had two unique Magic Shots, making it a total of 8, but there’s really only two total. That means you can pick your favorite park and get them both there if you want! The official Disney names are “Rainbow Magic Swirl” and “Floating Rainbow Magic Shot.” But, the Cast Members I spoke to had their own names. I heard them referred to as “Rainbow Swirl” and “Rainbow in Your Hands.”
Where to Find Them
The easiest way to find the location of a Rainbow Magic Shot is to head to the landmark of each park and look for a PhotoPass Photographer (They’re Cast Members in Khaki Vests). In some cases I was only able to find one, because even the Cast Members didn’t know exact locations.
Hollywood Studios: Hollywood Blvd. leading to the Chinese Theater, and Sunset Blvd. leading to Tower of Terror. Epcot: Has two entrances, so it makes sense that you’ll find one at each. There’s one in front of Spaceship Earth, and one at the International Gateway in front of a large topiary butterfly. International Gateway is the back entrance to Epcot between the UK and France. You can get there by parking at Hollywood Studios and taking a Friendship Boat or the Skyliner. Animal Kingdom: the first one is front of the Tree of Life at the park entrance. I asked around at other PhotoPass locations was didn’t find the second one. Magic Kingdom: One of the locations is of course Cinderella Castle! There are several spots to get photos along Main Street. I chose to walk as close as I could to the castle. While waiting in a line in the middle of Main Street I noticed a PhotoPass Photographer to the left, between the two patches of Hub Grass standing by himself. So, I asked if he could do the Rainbow Shot for me. He said yes!
The Results
Here are my Rainbow Magic Shots! I did use Lightroom on my phone to brighten these images.
EPCOT International Gateway
Magic Kingdom
Animal Kingdom
Hollywood Studios
How to Make Sure You Get A Rainbow Magic Shot
Here are a few tips if you want to get a Rainbow Magic Shot for yourself. First, make sure you’re in front of a park icon like Cinderella Castle, The Tree of Life, Spaceship Earth, or Tower of Terror. Second, ASK! Don’t be afraid to politely ask a Photopass Photographer if they can do the Rainbow MagicShot for you. Third, make sure you visit during the month of June. Happy PRIDE to all my LGBTQ+ friends!
If you’re planning a future trip to Disney World why don’t you reach out to me at Enchanted Kingdom Vacations with Kimberly? I’m full of useful tips and tricks for planning the BEST DAY EVER at Disney World.
“Cruella” is entering its second week in theaters and streaming services, and already there are plans for a sequel.
The studio behind the film starring Emma Stone as the evil Cruella de Vil is in early development on a sequel, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety reported. “Cruella” director Greg Gillespie and screenwriter Tony McNamara are expected to return for the sequel, according to THR.
“Cruella” debuted May 28 in theaters and on Disney+ under the streaming service’s Premier Access tier. The film has already earning $32.4 million domestically and $48.5 million globally.
It is unclear whether Stone will reprise her role as the fur-loving villain, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“We are very pleased with Cruella’s box office success, in conjunction with its strong Disney+ Premier Access performance to date,” a Disney spokesperson said in a statement. “The film has been incredibly well received by audiences around the world, with a 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes in addition to A’s in every demographic from CinemaScore on opening weekend, ranking it among the most popular of our live-action reimaginings. We look forward to a long run as audiences continue to enjoy this fantastic film.”
Disney has found success transforming its archive of animated classics for live-action features, beginning with “Alice in Wonderland” in 2010. Other films include “Maleficent” (2014), “Cinderella” (2015), “Beauty and the Beast” (2017), “Aladdin” (2019) and “The Lion King” (2019).
The studio has live-action versions of “Pinocchio,” “Peter Pan & Wendy” and “The Little Mermaid” in various stages of development.
Disney+ announced the Sanderson Sisters will be reuniting for “Hocus Pocus 2.”
Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy are set to reprise their roles in the sequel which follows the 1993 cult classic film.
In a release, Disney described the plot of the film: “Three young women accidentally bring the Sanderson Sisters back to modern day Salem and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on the world.”
It’s all just a bunch of Hocus Pocus 2️⃣
Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy will reprise their roles as the delightfully wicked Sanderson Sisters in #HocusPocus2, coming fall 2022 to #DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/gr3B0Z1JcA
“Hocus Pocus 2” will begin production this fall with Anne Fletcher directing and Lynn Harris producing. Adam Shankman, who originally signed on to direct the sequel, will serve as an executive producer due to scheduling conflicts.
“Now more than ever, people need to laugh. We should be laughing every day, and there is so much fun to be had with these three unbelievable women playing delicious characters from such a beloved film,” said Fletcher.
