Today, Disney’s Epcot and Hollywood Studios park opened their doors to guests for the first time since they closed on March 15.
Disney World has been implementing important updates to promote enhanced cleaning, physical distancing and reduced contact.
Attendance is currently limited and managed via the Disney Parks Pass reservation system, face coverings are required for all guests (ages 2 and up) and temperature screenings are required for entry.
Hollywood Studios is the only one of the four parks to reach its reservation capacity for opening day in Disney’s new park reservation system. As of Thursday morning, it was booked and unavailable for the next eight days. None of the other parks have hit reservation capacity yet for any single day.
The reopening of Epcot and Hollywood Studios also comes at a busy time for the global entertainment giant: Disneyland Paris in France opened earlier today while Disneyland Hong Kong had to close just shy of a month after reopening because of a surge of Covid-19 cases there.
Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom opened on July 11.
Disney World received approval from the state of Florida to reopen it’s four Orlando theme parks and along with the the new saftey measures you may notice some staffing changes in World Showcase at EPCOT.
The cultural representatives who staff EPCOT’s World Showcase may not return to the parks right away, according to a reported agreement between labor unions representing Disney World employees and Walt Disney Company.
Until Disney World is able to resume normal staffing, Cast Members who “do not meet the culturally authentic theming at EPCOT may be temporarily assigned to work in positions which are otherwise reserved for Cultural Representatives,” according to the agreement.
Disney suspended it’s cultural representative program April 18 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as you can see in the tweet below:
Spaceship Earth is more than just the physical icon of EPCOT – it’s a symbol of how the park continues to evolve. The attraction is a crucial piece of the historic transformation already underway at EPCOT, and beginning May 26, Walt Disney Imagineering is getting ready to start implementing a new vision for Spaceship Earth.
The next iteration of Spaceship Earth will focus on the story of humanity, following the long journey from prehistoric humans to today brought to life with magic and depth that only Disney can deliver. Many of the moments you know and love will be updated in amazing ways, blended with brand-new scenes to tell a story about our human experience.
Tuesday, Disney shared a few additional details of what you can expect when this icon returns. You’ll visit Egypt, which is part of the current version of the attraction, but it will be an Egypt like you’ve never seen before, transformed through the power of light.
Throughout the attraction, you’ll hear new narration and see how light plays a central role in our shared human journey, coming to life in dynamic ways in a celebration of the magic that’s possible when we all come together.
Walt Disney once said EPCOT “would always be in a state of becoming,” and Spaceship Earth has lived up to that vision for generations. This will be the attraction’s fourth – and most ambitious – update since the park’s grand opening on Oct. 1, 1982.
If you love strolling along the cobblestone streets of the United Kingdom Pavilion at Epcot then you’ll love the new United Kingdom-inspired minnie ears just released by Disney.
Adorned with blue and white rose buds and a golden crown finish, these ears are fit for any royal. This Minnie headband is perfect for any photo opportunity throughout the pavilion or for simply enjoying fish and chips with friends at Yorkshire County Fish Shop.
Within the pavilion shops, exciting new treasures can be found in addition to these unique United Kingdom-inspired ears as you can see below:
In addition to these lovely ears, guests can also find other unique treasures at the pavilion including apparel, drinkware and accessories. Take a closer look below:
You can find these items at the Toy Soldier shop located in the United Kingdom Pavilion at Epcot. All merchandise available while supplies last. Keep checking the Disney Parks Blog for more World Showcase merchandise updates throughout the year!
Spring is a little over a month away, but Disney’s new Pink Peony Minnie Ears are already blooming!
These Minnie feature pink peonies with white tips. They’re double sided which makes them nice and poufy!
These Minnie Ears will make the perfect edition to your ensemble this year as new sights, sounds and flavors of spring will envelop Walt Disney World Resort guests beginning March 4 when the 27th Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival bursts into bloom.
This year’s festival will be chock-full of lush new topiary whimsy, edible delights, gardens to play in and an expanded lineup for the Garden Rocks Concert Series.
The 90-day event continues through June 1, featuring dozens of Disney-crafted topiaries and beds of multi-colored blooms that will transform the Epcot landscape into a floral extravaganza.
As part of Epcot’s historic, multi-year transformation, “Harmonious” — one of the largest nighttime spectaculars ever created for a Disney Park — is set to debut later this year and several barges for the show have just arrived.
Walt Disney Imagineering and Disney Parks Live Entertainment teams recently passed a major milestone in the development of the show, with the delivery of several floating platforms that will provide a base for the technology used to create “Harmonious.”
Take a look at the arrival of the massive barges in the video below:
“Harmonious” will bring to World Showcase Lagoon an innovative toolkit of massive floating set pieces that house a variety of show effects, including custom-built LED panels, choreographed moving fountains, colorful lights, lasers, pyrotechnics and more.
The show is a beautifully crafted nighttime dreamscape of Disney music and images, reimagined by diverse cultural musicians and artists from around the world. It’s a transformative experience, where we can discover how Disney music has the power to inspire and unite us all. You can catch an early glimpse of concepts for the show now by visiting Walt Disney Imagineering Presents the Epcot Experience, located in the Odyssey Events Pavilion.
Over the coming months, with development and infrastructure work for “Harmonious” ramping up both behind the scenes and in the center of the lagoon, we’re pleased to present the limited-time spectacular “Epcot Forever.”
“Epcot Forever” has been described as a “love letter” to the park. The show tells the story of Epcot, beginning with the first spark of inspiration and the opening day anthem, “We’ve Just Begun to Dream,” and continuing through chapters dedicated to the thematic pillars of innovation, exploration, imagination and celebration. It concludes with an all-new verse of the classic song, “One Little Spark,” leading into a spectacular grand finale promising “A Whole New World” of magical possibilities to come.
On Jan. 24, Disney is releasing the newest set of Minnie ears from the Disney Parks Designer Collection, this time created by John Coulter and they are being released exclusively at Epcot International Festival of the Arts where you can meet the artist who designed the ears.
Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse aficionados will love John Coulter’s floral, elegant, turn of the century Minnie Mouse ear headband design, launching exclusively at the Epcot International Festival of the Arts ahead of its March release.
The design will be released exclusively at the Epcot International Festival of the Arts WonderGround Gallery tent and then will come to Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort and online at shopDisney.com in March. Take a look below for meeting times:
Fans of John Coulter can meet him at the Epcot International Festival of the Arts in the WonderGround Gallery tent from Jan. 24 through 26. John will be signing on Jan. 24 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. then again on Jan. 25 and 26 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Once released broadly in March, the headband will be available to purchase at the following locations:
Walt Disney World Resort:
Art of Disney (Epcot)
Ever After Jewelry Co. & Accessories (Disney Springs)
Legends of Hollywood (Disney’s Hollywood Studios)
Uptown Jewelers (Magic Kingdom Park)
Discovery Trading Company (Disney’s Animal Kingdom)
It’s national pop corn day and Disney has released a new Disney Skyliner pop corn bucket that is sure to by flying of the popcorn carts!
The front of the Skyliner inspired popcorn bucket shows Mickey and Minnie flying high and it features Pluto enjoying the view on one side and the other has Chip and Dale.
It comes with a detachable strap that says Inaugural Year and has the Disney Skyliner logo on it as you can see in the pics below:
The 2020 Epcot International Festival of the Arts began on Friday and on the same day, as part of the ongoing transformation of Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort, three new films debuted as well.
These new films provide more ways for guests to experience Disney magic and celebrate the world around them during a day at Epcot.
“Awesome Planet” in The Land pavilion explores the spectacular beauty, diversity and dynamic story of Earth.In collaboration with the Disney Conservation Fund, the 10-minute film uses in-theater effects (including wind, scents and water) to tell the story of life on this planet and why it’s vitally important to care for it. “Awesome Planet” features narration by Ty Burrell, star of ABC’s “Modern Family,” andan original musical score from Academy Award-winning® composerSteven
“Canada Far and Wide in Circle-Vision 360” in the Canada pavilion is an update to the previous “O Canada!” film with new scenes, a new musical score by Canadian composer Andrew Lockington and new narration by award-winning actors Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy.
“Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along” in the France pavilion’s Palais du Cinémais directed and produced by Don Hahn, producer of the animated and live-action “Beauty and the Beast” films, and invites guests to participate in a twist on a tale as old as time. It also features narration from Angela Lansbury, who played Mrs. Potts in the original film. The new sing-along will run in rotation with “Impressions de France,” which will receive an upgrade to 4K projection.
Along with the sing-along is a new exhibit inside Palais du Cinéma. “Tales as Old as Time: French Storytelling on Stage and Screen” invites guests to explore six distinct gallery cases featuring a collection of costumes, music, artwork and more, all dedicated to the adaptation of French literature in cinema, theater, ballet and opera. The exhibit reinforces how French literature has inspired artists from around the globe, including those who created timeless Disney classics such as “Sleeping Beauty,” “Cinderella” and, of course, “Beauty and the Beast.” Items on display from the Walt Disney Archives include a glass slipper from the live-action “Cinderella” film and Belle’s costume from the live-action “Beauty and the Beast.” Community arts organizations from Florida also contributed pieces to the exhibit.
I hope you like purple, because Figment has started his own painting company; Figment Color Co., and is spreading his favorite color all over Epcot! Let’s start with Passholder exclusive items.
This year’s Passholder merchandise all feature Figment sitting on top of a paint can with a gleeful look on his face. There’s a uni-sex t-shirt, an insulated metal Tervis mug, and a Limited Edition pin with only 4000 available. The t-shirt comes packaged in a cute souvenir paint can. Next, let’s look at more shirts, including those super popular Spirit Jerseys!
Figment wants guests of all ages to enjoy the festival, so on the right you’ll see this years youth shirt! In the middle is a brand new Spirit Jersey where you can catch Figment in the act of paining the perfect shade of yellow. Lastly, you’ll see the uni-sex t-shirt option this year. Now, how about more details on the other items you can see in this picture?!
There’s an adorable purse shaped like a paint can that’s covered in silver glitter and stripes of vintage Epcot colors. And let’s talk about those Minnie Ears! They’re decorated with a paint roller and have reversible sequins that can be worn in stripes of color or solid purple. So many ways to style these!
There are several more Limited Release pins, including these two. The first pin has 5 Mickey outlines in varying shades of purple and yellow, and a dangling placard with the Festival information. The second pin looks like Figment is giving the Imagination Building a new paint job!
It wouldn’t be a Festival if Disney didn’t release a Limited Edition Magicband and they did not disappoint! This year’s band is Limited to only 2000 due to the Festival only running about 5 weeks. My favorite item this year is the Alex and Ani bracelet. It has 2 charms – a messy Figment dripping with yellow paint and a tiny paintbrush.
Figment’s Brush with the Masters Scavenger Hunt has been re-vamped this year! The map is now shaped like an artists palette with the stickers attached to the back. To play along purchase a map and then find Figment hiding inside famous works of art at each World Showcase pavilion. After you complete the map, bring it back to claim your prize. This year there are four puzzles to choose from, each one coming in it’s own mini paint can.
The Color Co.’s slogan is, ‘Find the Perfect Pigment with your Pal Figment’ and you can definitely do that with this Tervis, which is labeled with 5 shades of purple. The coffee cup features a silicon lid shaped like dripping paint to keep your coffee nice and hot!
Finally, let’s now forget what this Festival is all about – ART! Epcot will be filled with galleries overflowing with Disney artwork and familiar characters. I’m on the lookout for some Star Wars art this year. Let us know which character you’re looking for!
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