Disney News

Category: News

  • Aulani Guests Evacuated From Resort After False Missile Alarm

    Aulani Guests Evacuated From Resort After False Missile Alarm

    Guests Staying at Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, on the white sandy shores of Ko Olina on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, got a real scare on Saturday when phones lit up around the island with an inbound Ballistic Missile Alert. Aulani guests evacuated, along with resort staff, as soon as the alert came through.

    On Saturday January 13, 2018, An emergency alert was sent to smart phones in Hawaii at 8:07 a.m. The alert simply read, “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.”

    false-alarm-missile-threat

     

    Fortunately the there was no threat and it was only a false alarm, but until the all clear was given it was a very frightening experience not only for Disney guests , but for every person on the island.

    According to witnesses at the resort, guests were evacuated to a nearby field. The move prompted many to wonder why they weren’t seeking shelter as the alert directed them to.

    Many guests took to social media during the emergency:

  • Another Movie Illegally Filmed on Disney World Property

    Another Movie Illegally Filmed on Disney World Property

    Walt Disney World property was chosen as the shooting location for yet another independent film with out Disney’s consent. This time in a Film called The Further Adventures of Walt’s Frozen Head.

    This one based on the urban legend that Walt Disney was frozen after his death.  It’s a quirky comedy about the unlikely friendship between the frozen head of Walt and Peter, a Magic Kingdom Cast Member.

    Check out the trailer below.

    During his yearly dethaw to oversee the direction of his company and guard his creative legacy, Walt demands to be allowed up to see his final dream, Walt Disney World. When management scoffs, he recruits Peter to kidnap him for a day in the Magic Kingdom.

    This is not the first time guerrilla style film makers have hit Disney Parks. The low-budget independent movie called Escape From Tomorrow made headlines in 2013 as the first feature film to shoot at Walt Disney World without getting permission in advance.

    The feature film was primarily shot in the Orlando area, including on location at Walt Disney World. The movie was made without the knowledge or permission of the Walt Disney Company or family.

  • Classic Hollywood Music Loops Replaced at Hollywood Studios

    Classic Hollywood Music Loops Replaced at Hollywood Studios

    Add another change to the list for Hollywood Studios as it reimagines itself right before our eyes. The music loops known throughout the park, often playing music from Hollywood’s Golden Age, have been replaced as of today.

    Change is hard and if you have loved Hollywood Studios since the day it opened in 1989 as Disney-MGM Studios, then this might be a hard one for you, but this is a change that is necessary for Disney’s vision of the park’s future.

    Walt Disney himself knew that his parks would continue to change and evolve. “As long as there is imagination left in the world”, said Walt.

    In a release from Disney they say, “Every great Hollywood story has a soundtrack that sets the tone and supports the narrative, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios is no exception.”

    They have now officially updated audio arrangements around the park and Disney says it will put a bounce in your step, and you’ll feel as if you’ve walked right into your own adventure.

    Here is what you can expect to hear:
    At the park’s Main Entrance, big band arrangements of familiar Disney tunes get your day started off right. As you enter the park, the music transitions to popular songs from the 30s and 40s, also in the big band style that comes to a crescendo as you approach the Chinese Theater. Throughout the park, the music complements each area’s setting and timeframe perfectly. From brassy horns near Echo Lake and jazz at the BaseLine Tap House, to the sounds of live performances outside Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, it’s music to your ears!

    Of course, music is just one part of your experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. There’s also the park’s unprecedented growth that features even more of what today’s Hollywood has to offer, whether it be in movies, music, television or theater.

    In 2018, Disney is rolling out the red carpet for Guests to experience the first part of the park’s blockbuster expansion with Toy Story Land where Guests will step right into Andy’s backyard and play alongside his toys. And in 2019, another out of this galaxy land will come to life when Guests will play a starring role in their own story at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in 2019.

    To quote Walt again, “We don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things”.

  • Disney’s Streaming Service Has New Details Revealed

    Disney’s Streaming Service Has New Details Revealed

    With Disney’s Streaming Service in the works and their integration of the recently acquired 20th century Fox assets on the horizon, big questions are left about what content the streaming service will provide. Well during Variety’s Entertainment Summit at CES 2018 on Thursday, Disney-ABC TV president Ben Sherwood was able to share some details.

    The streaming service is set to launch in 2019 and with the massive amount of titles Disney has acquired in recent years, including Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and now 20th Century Fox’s catalog, it seems Disney has put itself in a prime position to rival Netflix.

    Sherwood, said that his division will be the largest contributor to Disney’s subscription service and that the company overall is well poised to manage the transition to next-generation TV in his statement at the summit.

    “We’re going through this unbelievable moment of transformation in how we take television and distribute it,” said Sherwood.

    The exec explained that Disney-ABC TV will supply between seven and eight thousand episodes from its own library. He also confirmed they would be providing original content for the service that would include 3-4 feature-length films and 3-4 regular series and he also touted a “High School Musical” reboot, with the original producers on board.

    Walt Disney Company chairman and CEO Bob Iger already confirmed a live action Star Wars Series and a TV series based on the 2001 Pixar film Monsters Inc. were in the plans for the future streaming service, at a quarterly earnings call with investors.

    Sherwood, declined to comment on the pending acquisition by Disney of 20th Century Fox assets, including cable networks, in a report from Variety. Disney CEO Bob Iger has “laid out the strategic vision” for the deal, “and we’ll leave it at that”, he also told them.

    We’ll have to wait and see, but we’re sure you’ll end up seeing many of the various new properties Disney has acquired airing on their new streaming service in addition to their already existing massive library.

     

  • Buying Additional FastPass+ Being Tested at Disney World

    Buying Additional FastPass+ Being Tested at Disney World

    One of the many benefits of Disney World has always been their free FastPass+ system for their rides and attractions, but Disney may be testing out a pilot program that would allow guests to purchase additional FastPasses.

    WFTV’s Chip Skambis reports that, according to his sources, Club Level Guests at Disney’s Deluxe Resorts will be able to buy three additional FastPasses for $50 per day per person.

    According to multiple online reports Disney could be rolling out this pilot test program as early as this Friday for guests staying in eligible rooms at select Walt Disney World Resort hotels.

    Here are some of the details that have been reported so far on the possible new option.

    For $50 plus tax per guest per day, guests staying in eligible rooms with a minimum three-day stay will receive three additional FastPass+ selections per day, a booking window of up to 90 days in advance and preferred viewing location for nighttime spectaculars.

    This is a great option for those who are willing to pay for it, but where Disney guests who can’t afford the extra charge will suffer most, is when there are fewer fast passes available to them because they have all already been booked up.  A 90 day window is unprecedented, and with guest collecting as many as 6 fast passes, the people it will hurt the most is those who buy their tickets at the window with expectations of booking FastPasses once they enter the park.

    Free FastPasses aren’t much good when there isn’t any available. According to one media outlet, Disney had confirmed the information, but until Disney officially confirms it we’ll just keep this complied in the long list of rumors.

  • American Wins Disney Marathon For First Time Since 2004

    American Wins Disney Marathon For First Time Since 2004

    No one does marathons like Disney and this past weekend runners started out 2018 with a 26.2-mile run through all four Walt Disney World theme parks and the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex for the 25th Anniversary Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend presented by Cigna.

    It was an action-packed race weekend that included the Walt Disney World 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Goofy’s Race and Half Challenge, 5th Anniversary Dopey Challenge, runDisney Kids Races, and the runDisney Health and Fitness Expo.

    Victory was especially sweet for runner Nick Hilton, who not only became the first American to win the race since 2004, but also qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for the 2020 Summer Games.

    Crossing the finish line in 2 hours, 17 minutes, 52 seconds, Hilton is only the fourth American to win the race. The last American winner was 14 years ago. A Brazilian runner had won the race six of the past seven years.

    Celebrating 25 years of running magic with everyone’s favorite host, Mickey Mouse, at the most magical race on Earth, runners took on the exciting Walt Disney World Marathon. The marathon included plenty of surprises, entertainment, and Disney magic along the way.

    With special entertainment experiences every half mile along the course, from full marching bands to a 100-member choir to nostalgic Disney movie soundtracks and exciting meet & greet opportunities with beloved Disney characters, the four-park celebration was nothing short of spectacular.

    Disney Marathon

    Along with the adrenaline-charged feeling of triumph, every runner received a commemorative finisher’s medal and special 25th anniversary Mickey Mouse ears to wear after crossing the finish line at Epcot.

    Disney Marathon

    Congratulations, runners! Check out more race weekend highlights in our video below.

  • Disney Defends Darkening ‘Aladdin’ Extras Skin So They Could ‘Blend In’

    Disney Defends Darkening ‘Aladdin’ Extras Skin So They Could ‘Blend In’

    Disney has recently faced some harsh criticism over darkening the skin of some of the background extras in its upcoming Aladdin film.

    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.

    We just started shooting Aladdin and I wanted to intro you guys to our new family… Mena Massoud/Aladdin, Naomi Scott/Princess Jasmine, Marwan Kenzari/Jafar, and I’m over here gettin my Genie on. Here we go!

    Posted by Will Smith on Wednesday, September 6, 2017

    Disney said it brought in white actors to help fill the many background roles, stunt positions, dancers and “camel handlers” needed, according a report in the Sunday Times.

    Even with 400 of 500 background performers currently filming on Disney’s Aladdin are reportedly of Indian, Middle Eastern, African, Mediterranean or Asian descent, it’s the remaining 100 that have the British media outlets up in arms.

    Described as a stand in for one of the leads, the Times story quotes extra Kaushal Odedra as seeing as many as 20 “very fair skinned” actors lined up outside make-up tents “waiting to have their skin darkened.”

    Disney later released a statement which confirmed some actors were “made up to blend in” for crowd scenes, but only in a “handful of instances”.

    Disney defended their decision in a statement saying, “Great care was taken to put together one of the largest most diverse casts ever seen on screen.” The statements continues, “Diversity of our cast and background performers was a requirement and only in a handful of instances when it was a matter of specialty skills, safety and control (special effects rigs, stunt performers and handling of animals) were crew made up to blend in.”

    People across social media criticized Disney for the move, with some, including actor Kal Penn, labeling the company’s actions as “brownface.”

    Controversy surrounding the live-action Aladdin comes as nothing new to Disney. The production has previously sparked criticism over the casting the role of Princess Jasmine’s with British-Indian actress Naomi Scott and later they were also chastised for the introducing a new character into the story played by a white actor.

    While casting the film, the studio reportedly saw more than 2,000 actors in London, Abu Dhabi, India and Egypt. The company claimed to have trouble finding actors to fill the roles of Aladdin and Jasmine because they couldn’t easily find young actors with backgrounds in singing.

    Navid Negahban the actor who plays the sultan recently dismissed outcries that the film was being ‘whitewashed’.

    “It’s not whitewashing,” he told The Huffington Post. Aladdin needs variety like a garden, otherwise it’s going to be boring, he said. “You’re gonna go and see this beautiful garden with colorful flowers, and I just hope that you enjoy the journey.”

    “You will definitely love the film,” he added. “It doesn’t matter how old you are, the film has something for you to take away from it.”

    Aladdin is not due in theaters until May 24, 2019

     

  • Monorail Doors Open While In Motion With Guests On Board

    Monorail Doors Open While In Motion With Guests On Board

    Please stand clear of the doors…  In this case, that’s a warning that shouldn’t be taken lightly as Monorail Red took off with passengers inside and the doors still open. Several days ago the monorail doors malfunctioned on its way to Epcot at Walt Disney World.

    We all know that love is an open door, of course that’s only as long as it’s not a monorail door. A video posted to social media recently is quite concerning as a door on one of the Disney World monorails was open while the train was in motion.

    As you can see in the video, guests were on board the monorail at the time of the incident and though they may be giggling at the mishap this was clearly an unsafe situation.

    The person who posted the video wrote in the post, “Monorail red is not having a good day and I’m having a panic attack.”

    A second video uploaded by the same user showed the door remained open as it arrived at the Epcot station.

    I need a drink. @disney, guys, you gotta get on this, what if somebody had fallen?

    A post shared by abbieprimeknits (@abbieprimeknits) on

     

    It’s unclear, at this point, how the doors opened in the first place, but no injuries were reported.

    To make sure this doesn’t happen the doors of each monorail car are equipped with sensors that alert the driver if any doors are still open before they depart.  Obviously this system must have malfunctioned in this case.  Lucky no one was hurt during the incident.

    Stickers were recently placed on the monorail doors by Disney that read: “Caution: Do not lean against door.” It’s not clear if the warning signs were in response to the incident.

  • LEAKED: Slinky Dog Coaster Test Video in Toy Story Land

    LEAKED: Slinky Dog Coaster Test Video in Toy Story Land

    We’ve brought you several construction updates on the developments of Toy Story Land and the toy box is filling up nicely. Now we can do you one better with some really neat video that surfaced Saturday and gives us a great look at The Slinky Dog Dash attraction in action as they test it out.

    In the video, uploaded by Mickey Views, we see the full train racing up a fairly steep incline and then gliding down around the corner as it traveled the track. It finishes up by seemingly springing up and down, like a slinky dog might do, as it fades out of sight.

    Slinky Dog Dash is a family coaster themed as if Andy built it in his backyard using his Mega Coaster Play Kit and some of his other favorite toys. The attraction’s ride vehicles, inspired by the character of Slinky in the film, will send riders dipping, dodging and dashing around turns and drops Andy has created to stretch Slinky’s coils to the max.

    In this new land guests will shrink to the size of a toy so they are able to explore Andy’s backyard, which is filled with toys from the “Toy Story” films.

    The 11-acre land will be themed around toys from the “Toy Story” movie series, like the Slinky Dog Dash roller coaster and Woody’s Lunch Box, a quick-service window serving soda floats and more. Another ride will be Alien Swirling Saucers, where aliens circling in flying saucers pull along rocket ships full of guests. Toy Story Land is expected to open summer of 2018.

  • Photos: Star Wars Land Construction Update

    Photos: Star Wars Land Construction Update

    Last week we brought your some construction updates on Toy Story Land, and this week we wanted to show you some of the latest construction progress on Star Wars Land known as Galaxy’s Edge.

    Set to open in 2019, we have we have long time to go, but these pictures give us some real perspective on how the new land is developing.

    These awesome photos from bioreconstruct show how fencing blocks off the land from the rest of the park.

    These are some really great aerial photos showing us the newest work in Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, near the transition with Toy Story Land.

    Galaxy's Edge Construction
    Photo: @bioreconstruct
    Galaxy's Edge Construction
    Photo: @bioreconstruct

    And here we get to peer into the Millennium Falcon attraction at Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge.

    Galaxy's Edge Construction
    Photo: @bioreconstruct
    Galaxy's Edge Construction
    Photo: @bioreconstruct

    Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will be opening at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disneyland park in 2019. The new land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is just one element of the multi-year transformation of the park, which also includes Toy Story Land, set to open in the summer of 2018.