Disney News

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  • Sneak Peek Epic Disney Family Singalong Coming to ABC

    Sneak Peek Epic Disney Family Singalong Coming to ABC

    Disney is committed to bringing magic into homes right now during these uncertain times and now they are bringing more musical magic to your household with The Disney Family Singalong, an all-star variety event that sees celebrities and their families singing classics from their homes.

    This hour-long television special, hosted by Ryan Seacrest, will air Thursday, April 16, at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC. It’s going to be a nationwide event featuring celebrities and their families singing their favorite Disney tunes from home … and encouraging you to join in the fun with them.

    Take a look below of a preview of what you can expect:

    Special guests will be singing plenty of songs that will make you feel as if you magically transported into a Disney park, including:

    • “I Won’t Say I’m In Love,” Ariana Grande
    • “A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes,” Demi Lovato and Michael Bublé
    • “Be Our Guest,” Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert, with a special appearance by Julianne Hough
    • “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” Christina Aguilera
    • “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?,” Thomas Rhett
    • “Friend Like Me,” James Monroe Iglehart with Broadway Company of Disney’s “ALADDIN”
    • “Gaston,” Josh Gad, Luke Evans and Alan Menken
    • ‘it’s a small world,” John Stamos
    • “Let It Go,” Amber Riley
    • “Under the Sea,” Jordan Fisher
    • “I Wan’na Be Like You,” Darren Criss
    • “You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” Josh Groban
    • An epic performance of “We’re All in This Together” with Kenny Ortega and his friends from “High School Musical,” “Descendants,” “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” “Zombies” and more including Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, Lucas Grabeel, KayCee Stroh, Raven-Symoné, Dove Cameron, Sofia Carson, Booboo Stewart, Sarah Jeffery, Meg Donelly, Milo Manheim, Joshua Bassett, Olivia Rodrigo, Sofia Wylie, Matt Cornett, Dara Reneé, Julia Lester, Larry Saperstein, Frankie Rodriguez, Joe Serafini, TikTok Sensations Charli D’Amelio and Dixie D’Amelio, Chucky Klapow, Jared Murillo, Ro Malaga, Britt Stewart, Kim Klapow and Bayli Baker Thompson.
    • And many more from across The Walt Disney Company and beyond! 

    An animated character will be your guide as you sing along with well-known melodies from these beloved Disney stories. The broadcast will also feature special messages from Walt Disney Television, sharing information about the United States’ largest domestic hunger-relief organization, Feeding America, and how to support those experiencing hunger in these unprecedented times.

  • Disney Cruise Line extends suspension of Disney Magic departures through June 7

    Disney Cruise Line extends suspension of Disney Magic departures through June 7

    With the wellbeing of its guests and team members as its top priority and in line with direction from health experts and government officials, Disney Cruise Line has decided to extend the suspension of Disney Magic departures through Sunday, June 7, 2020. 

    In light of this cancellation, Disney Cruise Line is offering the choice of a 125% future cruise credit to be used for a future sailing within 15 months of your original sail date, or a full refund.

    The credit is automatically added to your account. You may place a reservation on hold by applying it as a payment option when booking a new reservation online. Take a look below at the departures affected:

    This affects Disney Cruise Line departures for:

    • May 23 – 7-night Mediterranean
    • May 30 – 7-night Mediterranean
    • June 6 – 7-night Mediterranean

    If you need to speak to someone directly, please contact a member of the Disney Cruise Line reservation team at 1-866-325-6685 or 407-566-7797.

  • PHOTO: Disney+ Worker Fired for Using Foul Language with Customer Online

    PHOTO: Disney+ Worker Fired for Using Foul Language with Customer Online

    A Disney+ customer services employee has been fired after telling a British user to ‘suck my d***’ and ‘eat s***, w****’ on the company’s live chat function.

    Subscriber Reece Scott, 23, from Woking, Surrey, had contacted the Disney help desk online after receiving an error message when trying to watch Brother Bear.

    But he was horrified to receive foul-mouthed reply, and quickly ended the chat, before taking a screenshot and complaining to the new streaming service. Take a look at the exchange below:

    Disney+ confirmed its employee had been dismissed and said a full investigation is underway to ensure this doesn’t happen again. 

    The exchange will raise fears among parents that any children using the help feature may also receive insulting responses.

  • You Can Make $1000 Comparing Disney Originals To Their Remakes

    You Can Make $1000 Comparing Disney Originals To Their Remakes

    UpgradedPoints.com has a deal for Disney fans, offering $1,000 and some other goodies to one lucky binger to review and compare 12 classic films to their live-action reboots.

    The winner will be asked to keep track through a spreadsheet and post to social media. Sound like something you could do over the course of 30 days?

    Take a look below the requirements and how to sign up:

    To apply, you have to be at least 18 and a US resident. They are looking for a Disney lover has time to watch 12 classic Disney movies and their respective remakes.

    Take a look at the list of 12 movies that you’ll be asked to binge-watch over 1 month’s time:

    • 101 Dalmatians
    • Alice in Wonderland
    • Sleeping Beauty (Remake: Maleficent)
    • Cinderella
    • The Jungle Book
    • Beauty and the Beast
    • The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (Remake: Christopher Robin)
    • Dumbo
    • Aladdin
    • The Lion King
    • Lady and the Tramp
    • Mulan

    The ideal applicant will have:

    • Overall enthusiasm for Disney – you’re the type of person who has Disney soundtracks on your Spotify and immediately signed up for Disney+
    • A love for movies, especially the Disney classics
    • Strong attention to detail – nothing gets past you!
    • The ability and availability to binge-watch 12 movies and their remakes in a short amount of time
    • Active social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter

    In addition to a worksheet, they’re asking the selected binger to share their experience on social media. You’ll have to prove to them you’re a big Disney fan by the deadline of April 20. The winner will be notified just a few days later.

  • Bob Iger Reasserts Control at Disney as Company Navigates Coronavirus Impact

    Bob Iger Reasserts Control at Disney as Company Navigates Coronavirus Impact

    Bob Iger stepped down from his role of Disney CEO in February, but he has now postponed semi-retirement to retake control of the company as it braces for changes caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

    Iger transitioned into a new role at Disney as executive chairman to focus on the company’s “creative endeavors” after exiting as CEO. But he has “effectively returned to running the company” in recent weeks amid the coronavirus crisis and has “smoothly reasserted control,” according to The New York Times.

    “A crisis of this magnitude and its impact on Disney would necessarily result in my actively helping Bob [Chapek] and the company contend with it, particularly since I ran the company for 15 years,” he told the NYT’s Media Columnist Ben Smith in an email.

    Smith wrote that Iger is also discussing what the company will look like post-pandemic, beyond figuring out how to get the parks back on line, including the possibility of temperature checks. He has asked associates to explore permanent changes across businesses that might include ending expensive upfront advertiser presentations and no longer producing costly pilots for shows that might not air.

  • Live action ‘Robin Hood, Remake in the Works at Disney

    Live action ‘Robin Hood, Remake in the Works at Disney

    Disney has been turning out live-action remakes like a machine and now the company has announced that it is the early production phase of making a live-action version of the 1973 movie-musical version of ‘Robin Hood’ which is to be released on Disney+.

    The new version is being developed with the animals in a CGI/live-action hybrid format, similar to Disney remakes of “The Jungle Book” and “Dumbo.” The deals for Estrada and Granlund were signed early last month prior to the coronavirus pandemic.

    The 1973 “Robin Hood” — produced and directed by Wolfgang Reitherman — was centered on the classic story of Robin Hood, Little John, Friar Tuck, Maid Marian and the Sheriff of Nottingham. Hood, portrayed as a fox, led the fight against Prince John’s excessive taxation. Little John was depicted as a bear, Friar Tuck as a badger, Prince John as a lion, the sheriff of Nottingham as a wolf and Maid Marian as a vixen.

    Carlos Lopez Estrada, perhaps best known for directing the 2018 crime movie Blindspotting, is on board to helm the project, which is being written by Kari Granlund. Granlund already is in the Disney fold after having written the studio’s recent remake of Lady and the Tramp.

    Justin Springer, who counts the studio’s Dumbo and Tron Legacy among his credits, is producing the feature being developed for the studio’s Disney+ streaming service. 

  • 43,000 more Disney World workers will be furloughed April 19

    43,000 more Disney World workers will be furloughed April 19

    Starting April 19, about 43,000 unionized Disney World workers will be furloughed in the wake of the closure of the park due to the coronavirus pandemic.

    The announcement was made during a Facebook Live stream by the Service Trades Council Union. This furlough is the largest wave of Disney employees at the resort to be sent home without pay because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

    “This is a decision that the union doesn’t like, however, it is within the company’s right to lay off and furlough employees in this situation,” a union representative said.

    The union coalition said that Disney had agreed to provide free health care benefits for a year and extend other benefits, including its Aspire education program.

    The union said about 200 union workers are deemed essential employees will stay on the job.

    Walt Disney World recently announced that they would begin furloughs of park employees at its parks in California and Florida beginning on April 19 because of the coronavirus pandemic. For those employees, the company will continue to pay for health insurance and a program that gives free education to hourly employees. 

    “The COVID-19 pandemic is having a devastating impact on our world with untold suffering and loss, and has required all of us to make sacrifices. Over the last few weeks, mandatory decrees from government officials have shut down a majority of our businesses,” the company said in a statement.

  • How to make Disney’s Dole Whip at home

    How to make Disney’s Dole Whip at home

    Disney parks are temporarily closed, but you can still bring home the Magic of Disney with this delicious Disney Dole Whip recipe!

    After sharing their churro bites recipe earlier this week, Disney is now delighted fans by sharing the recipes for making Dole Whips at home.

    The park released the recipe for its famous Dole Whip on its app on Wednesday. Take a look below:

    Recipe:

    • 1 big scoop of ice cream
    • 4 oz of pineapple juice
    • 2 cups of frozen pineapple
    • Add all ingredients to a blender until it’s a thick drink.
    • Add your swirl and then you’re done.
  • Disney World Operations Could Take Years to Return to Normal

    Disney World Operations Could Take Years to Return to Normal

    A securities analyst from Wells Fargo said it could take years for theme-park operations to get back to normal.

    Analyst Steven Cahall has downgraded the Walt Disney company mostly because of the impact COVID-19 has had on theme parks.

    He said this is not a demand-driven downturn like the parks saw in 2008 and 2009. However, the impact will still be big, according to WFTV.

    He said he expects no attendance for the rest of the fiscal year, and parks working at a 50% capacity in fiscal 2021.

    “Until the time at which there is significantly improved testing and/or a widely available vaccine it’s tough for us to imagine long lines for Rise of the Resistance, no matter how much folks might want to go to [Walt Disney World] deep down,” Cahall wrote.

    He also said that with no attendance at the parks, that means significantly lower occupancy at hotels and resorts, and almost no revenue coming in for the cruise line industry in the foreseeable future.

  • Disneyland and My Disney Experience Mobile Apps New Features Can Be Enjoyed at Home

    Disneyland and My Disney Experience Mobile Apps New Features Can Be Enjoyed at Home

    You may have noticed some new notifications and featurettes in the Disneyland or My Disney Experience mobile apps recently – like Disney Parks Artist Studio or Magic Moments in History, where you can learn how to draw your favorite Disney characters like Mickey Mouse, discover fun facts about Disney Parks, or play games and trivia through the Play Disney Parks mobile app. Disney announced there’s even more to come from these series and others within the Disneyland or My Disney Experience app – and they can all be enjoyed from home! 

    From fun recipes inspired by Disney Parks foods and animated stories, to highlights from your favorite shows and parades, PhotoPass wallpapers and more, there are videos, games and fun facts on the way, bringing some Disney Parks magic to you. In the coming weeks, you’ll even be able to enjoy the Jungle Cruise joke-of-the-day or experience Wilderness Explorers at home through a series of short-form videos, too. 

    To discover new features like these, users simply need to be logged into either (or both) of the apps and have push notifications turned on. 

    Whether you’re learning to make frozen pineapple treats or how to draw the famed feathered friends from Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, there will be something for everyone to enjoy! 

    If you haven’t already, be sure to download the Disneyland and My Disney Experience apps from the App Store or Google Play to check out new videos and episodes in these series and more.

    Available for iPhone® and AndroidTM smartphones.