Disney News

Category: News

  • Refillable Mug Price Increases at Disney World

    Refillable Mug Price Increases at Disney World

    $18.99. That’s right, your favorite Walt Disney World Resort Rapid Fill refillable mug has just gone up in price… Again. Okay, so it only went up a dollar, but it’s a pretty steep price at nearly twenty bucks.

    Originally they had pricing tiers depending on how many days you were staying, which was nice for guest who were only staying a day or two, but since May 2015 only a “length of stay” option has been available.

    As the name implies, the Length of Stay price is the same regardless of whether your Resort stay is one night, two weeks, or any length of time in between. Guests are entitled to unlimited free refills on fountain drinks, coffee, and tea from self-service beverage locations at Disney resorts for their length of stay.

    Refillable mugs are provided to guests that have purchased one of the Disney Dining Plans, but for other guests the price for a refillable mug is now $18.99 for the length of stay.

    The mugs can be refilled with fountain beverages, coffee, and tea at any resort self-service beverage location. The refillable mugs are purchased or redeemed at the quick service location at each Disney resort. You will find different colors to choose from. The cast member will activate the mug and then you are able to use it at the Rapid Fill location, which is also usually also located inside the quick service location, or in some cases the resort gift shop. You hold your cup under your drink selection of choice and it will fill up the cup.

    Comment below if you remember the days before the RFID chip when people would just bring their favorite mug and fill it up as they pleased?

  • Disney Music Exec Suspended For Child Sex Abuse Charges

    Disney Music Exec Suspended For Child Sex Abuse Charges

    Disney suspended, 58-year-old Jon Heely, the director of music publishing late on Friday, The move came after the company was informed he has been charged with three felony counts of child sexual abuse.

    “Immediately upon learning of this situation tonight, he has been suspended without pay until the matter is resolved by the courts,” a Disney spokesperson said.

    He was arrested and charged with three counts of lewd and lascivious acts on a child, Variety reported. Heeley is accused of abusing two underage girls approximately ten years ago. One alleged victim was 15. The other was abused for four years starting at the age of 11, according to the charges.

    He was arrested on Nov. 16 and six days later he was released on $150,000 bail. Heely pleaded not guilty at his arraignment at the San Fernando courthouse on Thursday. He is due back in court on Jan. 10. If convicted, he faces up to nine years and three months in prison.

    Heely’s attorney, Robert Helfend, denied the charges. “He vehemently denies these allegations and we will be fighting until the end to clear his name,” Helfend said. “It’s a shame, that’s all I’ve got to say.”

    Heely, who oversees the licensing of music from Disney films, pleaded not guilty on Thursday. He faces up to nine years and three months in prison if convicted.
    He was suspended from Disney late Friday, with a spokesperson telling Variety, “Immediately upon learning of this situation tonight, he has been suspended without pay until the matter is resolved by the courts.”

    Heely’s Twitter bio reads, “Disney Concerts and living to glorify God in all things.”

  • PHOTO: Guests Attempt to Climb Disney’s ‘Tree of Life’ at Animal Kingdom

    PHOTO: Guests Attempt to Climb Disney’s ‘Tree of Life’ at Animal Kingdom

    So some park guests got it in their head that it would be a good idea to climb the “Tree of Life”, the iconic symbol in Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  Gonna go out on a limb here and say this is on the list of things to not do at Disney World.

    Onlookers hoped the trespassers would just make like a tree and leave. The Four guests were caught quickly after the shenanigans, but according to reports they were up there for a good twenty minutes.  Plenty of time for guests to see the whole thing and even snap a few photos.

    The incident took place on Sunday around 2 p.m. and is slightly reminiscent of when a park guest tried climbing The Mexico Pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase. The Tree of Life stands 145-foot-high and has numerous animals that “appear to magically emerge” from it, but no one though people would end up emerging from it.

    Luckily no one was injured and security got them to come down rather quickly.

    There has been no word on if there were any repercussions for the guests, but this is the type of behavior that can easily get you banned for life.

  • Disney Sues Redbox’s Over Digital Movie Sales

    Disney Sues Redbox’s Over Digital Movie Sales

    In October, Redbox launched a service offering “digital codes” for customers to be able to purchase Disney movies at from its nationwide network of kiosks. The kiosks dispense a printed code with information on how to stream or download them to various devices from Disney’s services or affiliated sites.

    Seeking injunctions and various damages starting at $150,000 per statutory award, Disney cites a slew of top titles including Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Frozen and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales as being included in the unbundlable “Combo Packs” that Redbox offers customers.

    “Plaintiffs have lost and will continue to lose sales as a direct result of Redbox’s unlawful, unfair, and fraudulent conduct,” Disney says in the jury trial-seeking suit alleging copyright infringement and breach of contract.

    In response, a Redbox spokeswoman said, “While we don’t comment on pending litigation, we feel very confident in our pro-consumer position.” The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

    Redbox is only offering digital copies of Disney movies because it doesn’t have a distribution arrangement with the studio and buys retail copies of its discs to rent to customers. Those retail DVDs come with digital download codes. Redbox receives special copies of DVDs and Blu-ray discs from other studios with which it has deals that don’t contain digital codes.

    Disney filed suit against Redbox in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Western Division, in Los Angeles. The case number is 2:17-cv-08655.

  • Starbucks Now Offering Delivery Service at Disney Springs

    Starbucks Now Offering Delivery Service at Disney Springs

    On the go and no time to stop for that cup of joe? For anyone shopping at Disney Springs in Walt Disney World there’s now no need to stop or take a break if you fancy a Starbucks! The Starbucks (Market Place) is now offering a new service where they will deliver your Starbucks order to you wherever you are in Disney Springs.

     

    Starbucks at Disney Springs

    Here’s how it works:
    Download the Starbucks App, connect a debit/credit card to the account, select the order tab, and select location.

    Starbucks starbucks

    Starbucks drinksDelivery service is available daily between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.
    It’s not been revealed if the service is temporary just for the busy holiday season or if it will be a permanent offering.

  • Disney Parks Chief Might Be Bob Iger’s Successor

    Disney Parks Chief Might Be Bob Iger’s Successor

    If experts are right, it would seem that Bob’s still your uncle in the quest to find a new leader of the band for The Disney Company. Disney Parks Chief, Bob Chapek, Might Be Bob Iger’s Successor. After what seemed like an obvious succession plan failed last year when heir apparent Tom Staggs left the company, Disney was left with the difficult task of finding a new chief.

    Staggs was seen as the likely successor after being given his promotion to COO in February 2015, more than two years in advance of Iger’s then-scheduled retirement. But last year he stepped down after being told the board had lost confidence in him.

    There are quite a few options out there, but it seems Disney may be focusing on a business-unit strength — the Parks division — in picking Bob Iger’s CEO replacement. Bob Chapek has delivered steady returns at the helm of Parks and Resorts, the only one of four units to post an increase in sales and profits for the past fiscal year.

    Chapek joined Disney after working in marketing at H.J. Heinz Co., the food-processing company, and at agency J. Walter Thompson. At Disney, Chapek reorganized the consumer-products division, cutting jobs and focusing the business on brands rather than lines of merchandise.

    Chapek’s also worked in the film studio and in consumer products and has emerged as a key contender to take over when Iger departs in July 2019. Iger extended his contract in March) Iger’s postponed his retirement three times with contract extensions but says the latest is the last.

    At the parks division, Chapek has focused on pricing, introducing a tiered system of tickets that cost more during peak times and eliminating some annual passes. He’s searched for ways to get patrons to pay extra for perks such as nighttime events and passes to get to the head of the line in the company’s California parks.

  • Pixar’s John Lasseter Takes Leave Of Absence After Harassment Allegations

    Pixar’s John Lasseter Takes Leave Of Absence After Harassment Allegations

    John Lasseter, the chief creative officer of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, says he’s taking a six month leave of absence amid sexual harassment allegations.

    Lasseter announced his sabbatical Tuesday.

    That same day, The Hollywood Reporter published allegations that the Pixar co-founder is known for “grabbing, kissing, and making comments about physical attributes.”

    In an internal memo sent to Disney employees, Lasseter said “It’s been brought to my attention that I have made some of you feel disrespected or uncomfortable,” he wrote in an email. “That was never my intent. ”

    In the statement, Lasseter also acknowledged “painful” conversations and unspecified “missteps,” and apologized to those who may have been “on the receiving end of an unwanted hug or any other gesture they felt crossed the line.”

    A spokesperson for Disney wrote: “We appreciate John’s candor and sincere apology and fully support his sabbatical.”

    Disney bought Pixar in 2006 in roughly a $7 billion deal that made Lasseter the chief creative officer for the company’s two animation studios.

    Lasseter is credited with a resurgence for Disney’s Animation, which has seen recent hits like “Frozen” and “Moana.”

    He’s also an executive producer for “Coco,” Pixar’s latest film scheduled to hit theaters on Wednesday.

  • VIDEO: Disney sued by singer who claims Frozen hit ‘Let It Go’ RIPPED OFF his song

    VIDEO: Disney sued by singer who claims Frozen hit ‘Let It Go’ RIPPED OFF his song

    Chilean singer Jaime Ciero is suing everyone connected to “Let It Go,” alleging that the track copied his Spanish-language track “Volar.” Jaime Ciero claims in a new lawsuit that the smash hit from “Frozen” was inspired by his 2008 song “Volar” and wants royalties from Disney, Idina Menzel and Demi Lovato.

    According to TMZ, Ciero said his single was “a huge international success reaching millions of listeners and landing on numerous charts of the most popular, top-performing songs.”

    Jaime Ciero claims in a new lawsuit “Let It Go” was obviously inspired by his song, “Volar.”  Ciero recorded the song in 2008 and it was played globally.  Ciero calls the song “a huge international success reaching millions of listeners and landing on numerous charts of the most popular, top-performing songs.”

    This is not the first time “Frozen,” the highest-grossing animated film of all time, has been sued. In 2014, A woman in Kuwait claimed that the story for Disney’s animated mega-hit “Frozen” was lifted from her book.  In the end the judge iced here case.

    Listen to both (below).  Not so sure … even though “Volar” is recorded in Spanish, there are similarities though.  Maybe?  The question … are there enough to make a case?

    Listen, and judge for yourself. Are there enough similarities to make a case?

  • Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Opening Date RUMOR

    Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Opening Date RUMOR

    The mouse house has so many new attractions and lands coming up that it’s hard to keep track of all of the opening dates, but we may have just gotten another one.  Set to replace The Great Movie Ride, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway is coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World and we may have a date to look forward to.

    Imagineering is planning to complete the new attraction’s development and turn it over to the operations side of Disney in April, 2019 according to a report by WDWNT, and the attraction could then open in April or May.

    On this new attraction, guests step through the movie screen and join Mickey and friends on a railway adventure as they take part in the wacky and unpredictable world of a Mickey Mouse Cartoon Short.

    Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway

    Walt Disney Imagineer Kevin Rafferty came on stage during the Walt Disney Parks & Resorts panel during the D23 Expo and described Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway as a zany, out-of-control adventure with unpredictable twists and turns, dazzling visual effects, and mind-boggling transformations that happen during the scenes.

    Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway is inspired by the Mickey Shorts on the Disney Channel, with a visual style matching those cartoons. Imagineering has partnered with Disney Television Animation to help bring the attraction to life.  Though nothing is official yet this is still great news for those looking forward to the first attraction to ever feature Mickey himself.

  • Disneyland Discontinues SoCal Annual Pass

    Disneyland Discontinues SoCal Annual Pass

    With new attractions planned at the Anaheim park, it appears Disneyland may be taking some crowd control measures. Disneyland is discontinuing its popular SoCal annual pass.

    The annual pass that allows people to visit Disneyland and Disney California Adventure on certain days year round will not be available to new customers for the time being, a spokesperson confirms.

    The $469 pass, which gives visitors access to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure for about 215 days a year, will not be available to new customers, though current passholders will have the option to renew. People with recently-expired passes will get a letter on how to renew the pass.

    As of Monday, November 20 the $469 pass- which is one of the park’s least expensive annual pass options- is no longer available on Disneyland’s website.

    The Southern California annual pass was available to residents living in ZIP codes 90000 to 93599, which is from San Diego to north of San Luis Obispo.