Category: Theme Parks

Guide to Mickey Mouse 90th Anniversary Worldwide Celebrations
It was all started by a mouse. Now 90 years later, we are in party-prep mode for the birthday of the one and only Mickey Mouse and there are going to be celebrations all over the world.

With a milestone as big as 90 years, one party simply will not do! That’s why Mickey’s birthday celebration will span across the globe with a series of events at all Disney Parks sites around the world, including the previously announced World’s Biggest Mouse Party – a limited-time, global celebration of Mickey and Minnie.

Walt Disney World Resort in Florida will celebrate Mickey’s birthday from November 16-18 with special merchandise and food & beverage items as well as the chance for guests to celebrate. Sing “Happy Birthday” along with the Dapper Dans on Main Street, U.S.A., and join in a special birthday dance party at Rockettower Plaza Stage in Tomorrowland. Then in 2019, Walt Disney World will continue celebrating when World’s Biggest Mouse Party comes to the resort.
- Disneyland Resort in California will host a celebration cavalcade for Mickey Mouse on November 18, featuring some of his special friends and the Disneyland Band, starting at “it’s a small world” and pausing for a special moment at Sleeping Beauty Castle before continuing down Main Street, U.S.A., to Town Square. The party continues when World’s Biggest Mouse Party begins at Disneyland Resort in 2019.
- Disney Cruise Line will join the celebration when World’s Biggest Mouse Party takes to the seas in 2019.
- Shanghai Disney Resort will be the first to kick off World’s Biggest Mouse Party with a brand-new Mickey-themed float at the opening ceremony of the Shanghai Tourism Festival on September 15 to commemorate the Shanghai launch of World’s Biggest Mouse Party. At Shanghai Disneyland, a giant birthday card will be installed next to “Storytellers” statue, featuring birthday wishes from Mickey’s pals. From November 16-18, guests will enjoy themed food and merchandise offerings as well as the opportunity to sing “Happy Birthday” to Mickey just before the nighttime spectacular show each evening, all culminating with a special nighttime birthday spectacular at Enchanted Storybook Castle on November 18.
- Hong Kong Disneyland will begin its World’s Biggest Mouse Party activations on Mickey’s birthday, November 18, with commemorative park tickets, special food & beverage and merchandise, a hotel room overlay and “We Love Mickey” projection show through February 2019. And Hong Kong Disneyland guests will receive special birthday stickers, available only on November 18.
- Tokyo Disney Resort will join the celebration this fall with special decorations and merchandise.
- Disneyland Paris will celebrate the World’s Biggest Mouse Party this fall and into winter with new holiday season entertainment and special surprises.
“As Walt said, ‘I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing—that it was all started by a mouse’,” said Bob Chapek, Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Consumer Products. “From ‘The True Original Exhibition’ to a year-long celebration in our parks around the world, we are honoring the deep connection that families and fans have made with Mickey and Minnie Mouse for nearly a century.”

Mickey’s 90th is definitely a “mouse”-do this fall! With so many birthday parties to choose from, one question remains: which will you be a part of?
October 23, 2018
Crown Prince Discusses Disney’s Future in Saudi Arabia With Bob Iger

A delegation of Saudi officials, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, met with Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger on Wednesday to pitch his bold new plans to build an entertainment industry largely from the ground up to about 250 representatives from major Hollywood financiers and players.

Saudi Arabia has been undergoing a massive economic and social transformation under the ambitious Vision 2030 reform plan launched by the crown prince two years ago, according to a report from Arab News. A handful of deals have already been secured including one with AMC, the world’s largest movie theater company which as been granted the first licenses to operate movie theaters in the Middle Eastern country after the lifting of a 35-year-old ban on cinemas in the Middle Eastern country.

At the meeting they discussed potential cooperation in the entertainment, culture and film-making arenas. The meeting highlighted the massive opportunities which exist in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where a solid infrastructure and a massive demand for Disney products and services exist.

In addition to re-opening cinemas, the country has announced it is lifting the ban on women driving and that it has curbed the powers of its religious police. Women now can also attend sporting events, and Saudi officials are loosening dress-code restrictions for women, who have traditionally been required to cover most of their bodies and faces and be accompanied by male chaperones. The country has established the General Authority for Entertainment (GEA), a government body empowered to meet the massive demand for entertainment in the Saudi kingdom

The Saudi kingdom, which boasts a population of 32 million and receives millions of Muslims every year for Hajj and Umra pilgrimage, is strengthening its non-religious tourism sector and has plans to issue new guidelines for visas which will open-up the country to visitors from around the world. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has just signed an agreement with Six Flags to develop and design an amusement park in Riyadh and one might wonder if Iger and the crown prince might be considering a Disney theme park for the country as well.

Feld Entertainment and the new GEA are entering a long-term relationship to produce international events, including “Disney on Ice,” “Disney Live,” “Marvel Experience,” and “Monster Jam.” This collaboration also gives Saudis an opportunity to receive training as professional performers.

The crown prince also met with a group of heads of US entertainment and media companies and discussed areas of cooperation and partnership in the media and entertainment sectors, and reviewed the latest technologies in this regard.

April 5, 2018
Disneyland Paris Is An Experience You Can’t Miss
If you always wanted to visit Disneyland Paris, now is a great time to do it!

If you’ve never been to Disneyland Paris—or maybe you even still call it EuroDisney—there’s plenty more at the French park than what you might realize. If you’re wondering if it is worth the trip? Let’s just say it’s the only place in the world you can eat dinner at a Mickey Mouse rodeo and experience “Ratatouille” in real life.

Photo: Tora Sirdorf

The two parks are so close together, you can easily visit both in one day, the tickets you can use all day, jumping from park to park, as you wish. I recommend at least three days though, two in Disneyland Park and one in Walt Disney Studios. The ideal vacation, if you want to see the shows, try most of the rides, and meet characters, is six days (In my opinion). If you are staying in a Disney hotel, you of course have the extra magic hours, which you should really use! You also want have time to see Disney Village, which is a lovely place to relax before and/or after going to the parks.

At Disneyland Paris transportation is a breeze and very accessible! There is a train that takes you from Paris, straight to the parks. If you are traveling by air then getting to the magic from Paris has never been easier with your choice of shuttle buses, rental cars, train services and private chauffeur. ‘Magical Shuttle’ Airport Bus takes you from the Paris airports straight to the heart of the magic. Magical Shuttle airport bus is only available as an option and is not included in a package.

The park, which is in the middle of celebrating its 25th anniversary keeps the celebration going strong. The celebration includes:

Disneyland Park:
- Disney characters in special anniversary outfits
- New parade, called “Stars on parade”, which is every day at 17:30
- New castle show at nighttime, called “Disney Illuminations”, which features new songs, pictures, and even has Live action Disney movies, Star Wars and Marvel included
- All new amazing merchandise featuring 25 anniversary, and stars on parade
- New decorations with 25 years anniversary theme
- A show at the Royal Castle stage called “Mickey presents: Happy Anniversary Disneyland Paris”
- A show at the Royal Castle stage called “The Starlit Princess Waltz”
In Walt Disney Studios:
- A new show called “Mickey and the magician”
- New decorations with 25 years anniversary
March 27, 2018
Disney Opens StudioLAB to build ‘Entertainment Experiences’ of the Future

For what seems like ‘Imagineers’ for movies, Disney has created a research and development lab that will drive entertainment experiences of the future. Accenture has been appointed by The Walt Disney Studios as a founding member and Innovation Partner of StudioLAB, an initiative dedicated to reimagining, designing and prototyping the entertainment experiences and production capabilities of the future using innovative technologies.

The Walt Disney Studios produces feature films from Disney, including Walt Disney Animation Studios; Pixar Animation Studios; Marvel Studios; and Lucasfilm. It also brings music and stage plays to consumers via The Disney Music Group and Disney Theatrical Group.

Accenture Interactive and its design and innovation unit, Fjord, will play a lead role in helping to establish StudioLAB, as well as define and develop cutting-edge entertainment technology. They will also draw upon the extensive R&D expertise of Accenture Labs to help Disney Studios apply emerging technologies in innovative ways. Initial areas of focus include: immersive entertainment; artificial intelligence; IoT; the future of movie production; and next-generation cinematic platforms.

In addition to collaborating on R&D, Accenture will partner with the Studios to support the operations of the StudioLAB as part of a 3-year agreement. This includes co-crafting the StudioLAB’s charter and governance, physical lab design, and business operations. In a co-located setup, Accenture personnel will work alongside StudioLAB personnel to incubate and prototype new concepts expected to impact the entertainment industry, advancing the way stories are told.

“Accenture Interactive is thrilled to collaborate with the imaginative minds at The Walt Disney Studios on entertainment R&D to reimagine how people experience storytelling,” said Baiju Shah, chief strategist for Accenture Interactive and global lead, Fjord. “Our partnership demonstrates the true purpose of Accenture Interactive – to create truly remarkable experiences. Accenture is uniquely positioned to bring together the full set of diverse skills – from strategy, design and technology innovation, across emerging technologies like immersive entertainment, artificial intelligence, and IoT — needed to run a first-class innovation lab and deliver the next generation of entertainment experiences.”

“As we thought about key partners to deliver our vision for StudioLAB, the decision to collaborate with Accenture Interactive was clear,” said Jamie Voris, CTO of The Walt Disney Studios. “Their ability to combine the design and innovation capabilities of a leading digital agency with the applied R&D capabilities of the Accenture Labs and deep industry expertise in media and entertainment makes them an ideal partner to innovate on the future of entertainment experiences. Technology is an essential component of how we make characters, stories and worlds come alive at Disney, and we’re looking forward to the possibilities of what we can imagine and build together.”

StudioLAB teams will apply emerging technologies to create new entertainment experiences. The StudioLAB environment will also provide a unique space for Accenture to host tours and lead innovation workshops with clients to help inspire them on their own innovation journeys.

Accenture has a 25-year history working with The Walt Disney Company, supporting some of its most innovative initiatives – ranging from myMagic+, Disney Movies Anywhere and Marvel Unlimited to Disney’s Enterprise Cloud Program and advanced marketing analytics at ABC. For this initiative, Accenture Interactive will also tap into support from Accenture’s other main businesses — Accenture Consulting, Accenture Strategy and Accenture Technology – to bring a complete set of transformation skills to co-innovate with The Walt Disney Studios.

March 9, 2018
New Epcot Resort Planned Inside Park Could Land In Front of Spaceship Earth

Walt Disney World is getting a new resort that could be located inside Epcot and would give guests a direct entrance into the park according to multiple online reports. Depending on where it ends up being located it might even be connected to Epcot’s monorail loop.

Wouldn’t it be amazing to roll out of bed and just stroll into the park, or call it a night early and watch Illumination from your balcony. If rumours prove to be true it just might happen.

Disney has recently announced a massive overhaul of Future World including the upcoming addition of the new Guardians of the Galaxy Roller Coaster which will replace the Universe of Energy and this might be the perfect time for such an addition to the park. If Disney was looking for sure way to increase attendance to Epcot then adding a Resort inside the park isn’t a bad idea.

There are two possible locations Disney is considering. The first location would be right at the main gate and would be the easiest to connect to existing monorail lines. Having a resort right in front of Spaceship Earth would be amazing, but how it might affect the park aesthetically immediately comes to mind. Disney is the best when it comes to design so there is no doubt they will find a way to incorporate it without detracting from the park’s famous icon.

The second proposed location would be on the west side of future world in the area between The Seas and The land. This also would make for a convenient entrance and still not be an eyesore in any way. It might not be as easy to connect to the monorail there, but there would probably be much better views of World Showcase Lagoon and Illuminations.

While a hotel in an actual park would be new to Walt Disney World, the company already has two such hotels at Disney’s California Adventure and Disneyland Paris.

The plans are still in the early stages of development so things could easily change. But the possibility of a hotel in a Walt Disney World theme has fans really excited.

December 16, 2017
Toy Story Land Concept Art for Shanghai Disneyland Released

Disney’s Hollywood Studios isn’t the only park getting in on the Toy Story action. Shanghai Disneyland has released concept art for its Toy Story expansion and it looks amazing. When it opens in 2018 it will be quite different from the one in Walt Disney World.

Disney started the expansion even before opening Shanghai Disneyland in anticipation of its immense popularity in Mainland China. The characters from Toy Story have been well liked in China ever since the release of the first film in the franchise back in 1995, and Shanghai Disney Resort already has the only resort hotel in the world dedicated to the characters and stories from Toy Story. Guests can’t get enough of Buzz, Woody and all of their pals, which made Toy Story an obvious choice for Shanghai Disneyland’s first expansion.

The expansion will give of one of the The Walt Disney Company’s most popular franchises an even bigger presence at the park and will be its 7th themed land. Take a look at some of the attractions below.

Slinky Dog Spin: Slinky Dog has been amusing the toys all day long by chasing his own tail round-and-round a giant dog dish filled with toy bones – and soon Shanghai Disneyland guests will be invited to become the “honorary toys” in Disney Toy Story Land, where they will be able to take a seat inside Slinky Dog’s springy spirals and race around a wavy roundabout.

Rex’s Racer: Rex, Andy’s insecure Tyrannosaurus Rex toy enjoys playing with RC Racer almost as much as he likes playing video games. With help from his Triceratops friend Trixie, Rex will invite guests to climb into RC for a thrilling ride on the U-shaped track. With Rex at the controls, RC Racer, with guests aboard, zips forward and backward at ever-increasing heights and exhilarating speed.

Woody’s Round-Up: Sheriff Woody has rounded up a herd of ponies, each one pulling a cart, in a ranch set up by Andy. Guests can climb aboard the carts as the ponies start a little square dance swinging their carts to and fro in time to the lively music.

Toy Story Land at Shanghai Disneyland will be both authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese, making it a one-of-a-kind experience for our guests. Everyone’s favorite toys from one of the most popular franchises ever will come to life and play in a fully immersive land with three attractions and a themed character greeting area.

Shanghai Disneyland’s new Toy Story Land will be an experience guests can only have in Mainland China. It will be the perfect setting for all toys – old and new – to gather together for a day that’s more fun than a Barrel of Monkeys!

December 2, 2017
A Brand New Disney Theme Park Is in the Works

Another new Disney theme park is again in the works. With all of the new lands and coming attractions there are so many reasons to travel to Disneyland and Walt Disney World in the next few years, but if you want to experience this completely new park, get ready for a long flight. Tokyo Disney Resort complex which includes the Disneyland and DisneySea theme parks, has revealed plans for a massive expansion.

Nearly 35 years ago, Disney expanded its international reach with Tokyo Disneyland, later adding Tokyo DisneySea in 2001 as a second theme park in Japan. Oriental Land Company licenses the rights from Walt Disney Co. to operate the Tokyo resort that includes Disneyland, DisneySea, hotels and shopping malls, but Disney still has full creative control.

The park will feature new attractions and new characters with a massive 300 billion yen ($2.7 billion) investment plan. Disney and its partners in the Oriental Land Company have revealed the Japanese theme park that will shift the focus to its host country with new characters and attractions.

More details should be announced by May 2018, but the newly announced park, could bring rides and experiences that touch upon the history, art, and unique terrain of the country. The Japanese company is in talks Disney on the expansion, which may include an area dedicated to Disney’s hit movie “Frozen” and other attractions that are not featured at other Disney theme parks. Construction is expected to begin in 2025 and this will be the biggest expansion since DisneySea opened in 2001. All this according to the official release (via Mainichi News)

This comes as Osaka’s Universal Studios Japan has surged in popularity, thanks to Harry Potter and Minions attractions. Universal Studios Japan is also getting a Mario-themed expansion, which should further the park’s popularity.

Tokyo Disney Resort has also received some upgrades with more on the way. Tokyo DisneySea, which recently opened Nemo and Friends SeaRider will bring Soarin’ to the park in the next few years, and Tokyo Disneyland will add a new “Big Hero 6” themed ride to Tomorrowland as well as a “Beauty and the Beast” section to its Fantasyland area. The expansion will host a theatre for stage performances as well as an immersive attraction, which is said to utilize the park’s famed trackless ride system pioneered on its popular Pooh’s Hunny Hunt attraction. The expansions, which were announced last spring, are set to open by 2020.

Although this new park is still several years away from fruition, Disney fans will likely keep a close eye on it because any new rides that are built for this resort may eventually come to Walt Disney World or Disneyland. Shanghai Disneyland’s popular Tron ride is already slated to come to Disney World, and we’re eager to see what comes out of Disney’s newest creations.

Are you excited about the new Disney theme park coming to Tokyo? Let us know in the comment section below!

December 1, 2017