jedimaster1227

The Oriental Land Company has announced plans for a new Toy Story-themed value hotel that will open at the Tokyo Disney Resort in 2021! http://www.olc.co.jp/en/news/news_olc/auto_20181128442391/pdfFile.pdf

https://www.marvel.com/articles/culture-lifestyle/spider-man-attraction-building-disney-california-adventure-concept-art

Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi has sent us a press release announcing the opening of Batman: Knight Flight at the park!

https://www.legolandfloridablog.com/2018/11/14/new-hotel-addition-of-third-on-site-accommodation-announced/

Following the Disney Parks and Resorts presentation at Destination D, we had the chance to experience a day full of presentations (some of which did not allow photography) ranging in focus from Disney animation to Mickey collectibles. The day concluded with an incredible sneak peek at the upcoming film Mary Poppins Returns with a significant focus on the music of the film. The duo behind the score and songs of the film, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman appeared live to share a first look at the work they'd done, with Marc Shaiman performing a few portions of the song live. It was a great way to close out the day! We had a chance to meet with Becky Cline (Director, Walt Disney Archives), Don Hahn (Producer), Mark Hehn (Disney animator) and John Pomeroy (Disney historian). There was a look back at the Mickey Mouse Revue... D23 will be offering member screenings of several classic Disney films in 2019! They'll also be hosting screenings of two new live-action remakes of classic Disney films... We had a chance to look back at the Mickey Mouse Club throughout the course of the event's two days. Ashley Eckstein (founder of Her Universe and voice of Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels) hosted a panel with the voice of Mickey Mouse, Bret Iwan, and the voice of Goofy and Pluto, Bill Farmer. Bill Farmer is actually a Disney Legend! Bret and Bill have lent their vocal talents to the upcoming game Kingdom Hearts III coming out next year. For those that didn't know, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was Walt's first major successful animated character... But it was this clause in the contract that lost him the rights to Oswald... And it was the loss of Oswald was the event that spurred Walt to come up with another animated character--Mickey Mouse. The Walt Disney Archives showed off a 3D scan of the Mickey Mouse animatronic from the Mickey Mouse Revue. Mickey's Birthdayland came up several times throughout the weekend. Mickey's Birthdayland became Mickey's Starland before it was updated to become Mickey's ToonTown Fair... Which was later replaced by Storybook Circus. Promo videos from River Country are an interesting thing... The water park definitely had a different set of standards at the time it was open... You could do things in water parks like slide with three on a body slide at a time... This was a unique animated short we were shown from 1942... Look at who distributed the short! The story of the short is that Minnie and Pluto are learning about the importance of saving meat grease and oil to be turned in for use in the war. It was at times very cute... But the imagery was at times a bit intense. The Mickey's Audition short that was shot for the opening of the Disney-MGM Studios was shown. There was actual working Red Car Trolleys on Hollywood Boulevard for the opening? This building looks very different! There were some very famous cameos in this short! Dom Deluise! Roy Disney even cameo playing the role of Walt Disney. And of course Michael Eisner made an appearance! I absolutely love this Michael Eisner phone! We had the chance to experience a private Chef's Table dinner in a special room in the Contemporay Resort... Before this evening I had no idea this space even existed! Our menu for the evening... The Verlasso Salmon was wonderful! And the beef short ribs were heavenly. The Chicken Pot Pie even featured hidden Mickey's in the pie crust... Our dessert was dipped in liquid nitrogen... The Mickey-filled Chocolate Sphere Explosion was named as such because when you tapped the sphere with the back of your spoon... The sphere cracked open to deliver some delicious treats! Here was the full schedule of events for Saturday, November 17th, 2018.

Margaritaville Resort Orlando has sent us a press release announcing that reservations are open for the new resort! This announcement also includes more information about the resort amenities that will be available for guests and visitors to enjoy!

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2018/11/new-nighttime-spectaculars-beauty-the-beast-sing-along-announced-for-epcot/

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2018/11/new-mickey-mouse-experiences-will-delight-guests-at-disney-parks-beyond/

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2018/11/exciting-star-wars-galaxys-edge-news-from-destination-d/

Two more Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge teasers have been added from today's event!

Along with the official photos seen in the post above, here are a ton of photos we captured from the presentation! Check them out below for more information on what was announced for the parks! Mickey's Soundsational Parade is returning to Disneyland with a new float leading the parade in honor of Mickey's 90th birthday celebration! Earlier this week it was announced that a new "storytelling coaster" had been designed for this ride experience. Mickey's Mix Magic is a new nighttime spectacular coming to Disneyland Park in 2019! The new "Wonderful World of Animation" nighttime spectacular will debut at Disney's Hollywood Studios in May 2019, in time for the park's 30th anniversary! This is new concept art for Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway. We'll learn more about this attraction later today! Epcot is undergoing a major transformation with much of the park seeing new additions or updates! The space restaurant has already been announced for Future World. The Ratatouille experience coming to the France pavilion will be called Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. Guardians of the Galaxy is coming to Epcot with one of the world's longest indoor roller coasters. Some test footage showed this new ride vehicle in action. In addition to using the previously announced seamless Circlevision camera for a new film for the China pavilion, it has been announced that a new Circlevision film will be created for the Canada pavilion at Epcot! In addition to the daily showings of Impressions de France at the France pavilion, a new Beauty and the Beast Sing Along experience will debut at the pavilion. A teaser reel for the new Epcot nighttime spectacular was shown... The show is designed around the concept that Disney movie cross international borders to bring us together... It looks like Disney animation will be featured heavily in the show. This centerpiece appears to be a prominent part of the show experience. Bob Chapek promised a series of floating set pieces including large LED screens, dancing fountains, lasers, lights and pyrotechnics. Notable Disney imagery shown throughout the reel... Brave could be spotted in the teaser! Looks great! That centerpiece appears to have the ability to transform throughout the show. Lots to see! Even more concept art. The main shot of the new show (no title was shared for this one)... Epcot Forever is limited time, nighttime spectacular that will follow temporarily replace Illuminations: Reflections of Earth and will run until the debut of the new permanent show that the previous concept art showed. The first Skyliner cabin has debuted at Destination D! The new Walt Disney World resort Disney Vacation Club proposed property is officially known as Reflections: A Disney Lakeside Lodge. The new Star Wars-themed resort will be a first class cruise experience aboard a luxury starship. The experience will be immersive from the time in which you arrive, taking a transport pod up to your luxury spaceliner. Guests will interact with new and recognizable characters from the Star Wars lore... Imagineering is redefining what the theme park experience will be when Star Wars Galaxy's Edge opens. Look at this squad of animatronic stormtroopers from Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance! Some aerial shots of Star Wars Galaxy's Edge, currently under construction at Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios. Look at this expansive land! The detail is insane! I can't wait to roam through this land on foot! It was announced that John Williams has produced new musical themes for Star Wars Galaxy's Edge that will be heard throughout the themed land! A look inside of the entrance of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance! Two full AT-ATs have been built inside of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. A look inside of Star Wars: Millennium Falcon Smugger's Run. Just like in the films! Amazing! Hondo Ohnaka, a character from Star Wars Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels will recruit guests as smugglers aboard the Millennium Falcon. A look inside of Smugger's Run's ride cockpit. And the ride's logo. Another look at the cockpit... It will have six seats total per cockpit. Here are some screen shots of live footage that was shot inside of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance! The detail is absolutely breathtaking... The film sets have been brought to life in 360 degree detail! Danger is imminent! And that ride's logo... The AT-AT's are built to scale! The Disney Play app will enable guests to experience their own Star Wars story while they visit Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. More attention to detail. Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge will open in the Summer of 2019 at Disneyland and the Fall of 2019 at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Walt Disney Studios Park Paris is undergoing a huge expansion that will bring new Star Wars and Frozen lands to the park, along with more to the rest of the resort. Tokyo DisneySea has a large expansion underway including a new land and a hotel. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Nano-Battle will debut soon at Hong Kong Disneyland. Followed next by a Frozen land at the park... Hong Kong Disneyland's castle will also be reimagined. Toy Story Land recently opened at Shanghai Disneyland. And Disney Cruise Line has three new ships planned to join the fleet. Disney is donating up to $3 million dollars as a part of the #ShareYourEars initiative. Guests that share photos of themselves with Mickey ears will trigger a donation of $5 per photo, up to that $3 million total. What an amazing presentation! Here’s a first look at the Disney Skyliner cabin that debuted today at the parks presentation!

The Disney Parks and Resorts presentation just concluded with tons of new announcements!

D23 has shared details about their 2019 slate of events! Take a look at the full details below:

On Friday, November 16th, select members of the media were given the chance to preview the Walt Disney Archives exhibit Mickey's Magical Kingdoms and the Mickey's of Glendale pop-up shop, both offerings exclusive to Destination D 2018 event guests this weekend! The new Archives exhibit features items and images of note in Disney history, some of which haven't been seen frequently by the public eye! Mickey's of Glendale is a satellite pop-up shop version of the Walt Disney Imagineering store found in Glendale, California. This shop sells unique merchandise designed for the Imagineers along with a few D23 exclusive items just for Destination D. This weekend D23 is hosting Destination D at Walt Disney World! We’ll be sharing photos and news from the event, so stay tuned! Lots of incredible pieces of history shared by the Walt Disney Archives! A video loop in the exhibit features footage of Mickey and friends found at each of the Disney parks around the world! This makes me miss Tokyo Disneyland so much! Shanghai Disneyland was also featured in the loop! I can't say I'd ever seen this poster art before! A photo from the time when Emperor Hirohito visited Disneyland Park in 1975. Annette Funicello at Disney's Hollywood Studios, then known as the Disney-MGM Studios. Check out this neat Toontown photo op! In case you were wondering, this is what this year's event logo looks like! There's a black and white Plane Crazy photo op! These are reproductions of the dedication day parade story sketches drawn by artist Ray Williams in 1959! This is an original print of the logo art produced for the Mickey Mouse Club Circus attraction that ran at Disneyland from November 24th, 1955 through January 8th, 1956. For more info on this former attraction visit: https://d23.com/mickey-mouse-club-circus-to-open-here/ Extremely rare to be seen by public eyes, is this one of a kind Engineer Mickey plush character. Many will recognize this Mickey as the one that Walt road the Disneyland Railroad with during the opening of Disneyland Park in 1955. The Walt Disney Archives has maintained this storied piece for many years and took great care in sending it to Florida for its display during the Destination D event. Mickey Ear Hats have taken on many forms over the years... For a full description of the Mickey's Magical Kingdoms exhibit... Some more recognizable moments from Walt Disney World's history... Some more international moments... Mickey's suit from the Happiest Celebration on Earth, the 50th anniversary of Disneyland. Here's a look at the footage where that plush Engineer Mickey was featured so famously with Walt on the opening day of Disneyland Park! There is plenty to see inside of the Mickey's Magical Kingdoms exhibit! Some more great photo ops outside of the event ballroom. The #ShareYourEars campaign is one in which if you share a photo of you with Mickey ears (of any sort) on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, the Walt Disney Company will donate $5 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation (up to $1 million). Time to head in to Mickey's of Glendale! The Mickey’s of Glendale shop at Destination D has a limited edition set of Mickey and Minnie plush characters dressed for Mickey’s 90th birthday celebration! There's plenty of other Mickey-themed merchandise to choose from! There are a ton of new items inspired by Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway available for purchase as well! A close look at a few of these options... There is Destination D-themed merchandise available for those that are interested as well. We also had the chance to learn about the new Disney Aspire program from two cast members actively participating in the program, as well as one leader that currently supports cast in the program. Disney Aspire is a new educational assistance program for hourly cast members that enables eligible cast to pursue their education dreams with up to one undergraduate degree and one master's degree paid for (along with school materials) by the Walt Disney Company. The program does not require the area of study to be related to the cast member's current role and there is no expected time commitment in which the cast member must remain working for Disney after completing their classes or degrees. It is a huge opportunity for personal growth and education to be fostered by the Walt Disney Company! Michael Vargo, vice president of D23, Special Events, and Disney Corporate Creative Resources, took the time to share more with us about the calendar of D23 events planned for 2019!

This weekend D23 (the official Disney Fan Club) is hosting their latest event at the Walt Disney World Resort, this time in honor of Mickey Mouse's 90th birthday celebration! For those not familiar with D23, this is the Disney-owned and operated branch of the company responsible for curating and sharing content from across the Walt Disney Company via the D23 website, the D23 magazine and events across the globe, including the bi-annual D23 Expo and the bi-annual Destination D events. The D23 Expo is a huge event (check out our coverage from the 2017 D23 Expo here) bringing the difference areas of the company together under one convention center roof for three days of Comic Con-style fun... A forward looking event with some reflection on Disney past. The Destination D events are described as the inverse, focusing more on Disney's past with a small look to the future. Be sure to follow along with this thread to see all of the content shared with us throughout the weekend, along with any exciting news that may be shared along the way! Follow us on Twitter for live coverage through the next two days and look to this thread for any major updates and end of day recaps as they are posted! To follow along with our full coverage, please see the links below, presented in chronological order: Mickey's Magical Kingdoms and Mickey's of Glendale media preview D23 2019 Event Schedule Announcement Disney Parks and Resorts Presentation Live Disney Parks Blog Coverage Disney Parks and Resorts Presentation Live Twitter Coverage Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge ride names released, new land details announced! “Wonderful World of Animation” Nighttime Show, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway details, Get Your Ears On: A Mickey and Minnie Celebration, Mickey’s Mix Magic, Mickey’s Soundsational Parade return, Mickey & Minnie’s Surprise Celebration and Mickey & Minnie’s Surprise Party at Sea announced! New Epcot fireworks shows, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, “Beauty and the Beast” sing-along and new O Canada! 360-degree show announced! Day 2 Presentation Report Day 3 Presentation and Pajama Party Report

It is definitely interesting to see Vekoma more openly being acknowledged as the supplier for these Disney attractions... They've updated their website to officially claim some notable Disney projects as those they've worked on: https://www.vekoma.com/custom-designed-coasters.

The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts has sent us a press release announcing procedures for the purchasing of single tickets for Hamilton, as they will go on sale to the public tomorrow morning!

Last night TPR was invited to attend a media preview of this year's Holidays at Universal Orlando offerings! Across both parks, Universal puts their own spin on the holidays, offering extra entertainment, decor and delicious treats for all guests to enjoy. At Universal's Islands of Adventure, guests can experience Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter which includes holiday decor, a special holiday set for the Frog Choir and The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle, a nighttime projection show on Hogwarts Castle itself... And in time for the season, Warm Butterbeer makes its delicious return! The Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular returns this year for guests at Islands of Adventure. This classic show debuts a new set this year, which looks fantastic--and the Grinch is as terribly fun as usual! Over at Universal Studios Florida, Christmas in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter carries over to London and Diagon Alley with additional decor and a holiday show for Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees. Universal's Holiday Parade featuring Macy's returns after its debut last year, running on select nights throughout the season. Mannheim Steamroller also returns for live performances of the holiday classics on select evenings. Even at the resort hotels across property, you'll find special holiday decor, photo opportunities and some special moments! And don't forget, if you're looking to experience New Year's Eve at Universal, EVE at Universal CityWalk is definitely the way to go! There's plenty to experience this year for the Holidays at Universal Orlando--I highly recommend you plan to visit to soak in the holidays! We’re experiencing a bit of a snow flurry tonight for the holidays media preview event! Time to see one of the first showings of this awesome holiday parade! The characters from the Despicable Me films are the first you see in the parade. Float Bob! The Minions certainly know how to celebrate the holidays! The Penguins of Madagascar lead the pack for the next group of floats and balloons. King Julien enjoys a moving throne that rolls down the parade route with a giant pineapple in tow. Some savory options for the season... Voodoo Doughnut has debuted a new Grinch-inspired doughnut for the holidays and it is easily my favorite creation of theirs so far (it had a tart pineapple filling)! There are a bunch of new holiday treats to enjoy this year across the Universal Orlando Resort! Which would you want? Dig in! King Julien from the Madagascar films gave us a little taste of Universal’s Holiday Parade Featuring Macy’s! The incredible Mannheim Steamroller returns to Universal Studios Florida for live performances of their holiday classics on select nights throughout the season! This huge Christmas tree is a centerpiece of the holiday decor in Universal Studios Florida and lights up as a part of Universal's Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s. Your favorite Madagascar characters make their appearance on the parade route too. Gingy from Shrek looks awesome! Pretty awesome! What's not to love about Shrek? Some more iconic imagery from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade marks the beginning of the end of the parade... Santa's little helpers bring a flurry of snow with them! The arrival of Santa Claus marks the finale of Universal’s Holiday Parade Featuring Macy’s! The Whos of Whoville welcomed us to the new set of The Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular! We got the chance to spend some more time with the Grinch! He even took the time to answer a few questions--and his responses were very honest! Christmas in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter sees Hogsmeade dressed up for the holidays... The additions are subtle and charming. New magic is headed to Hogsmeade next year where Dragon Challenge/Dueling Dragons used to be. That's right folks! Hot Butterbeer is back for the season! The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle returns to Hogsmeade to enchant guests in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! The show really brings out a unique beauty in Hogwarts Castle. The color really pops during this show! I love the spotlight effect too... There are even a few fireworks! Thanks to Universal Orlando for hosting us for this preview event! We'll definitely be visiting the resort again soon to check out all of the Holidays at Universal Orlando offerings again!

Sometimes the cost of the disassembling of a coaster (looking more towards the Zierer coaster at Bowcraft), transportation and re-installation presents more costly challenges than ordering a new coaster from scratch. I believe it would be in Alabama Adventure's best interest to invest in things to draw guests to the park for longer periods of time (like they've been doing for the last few years) while saving up for a big investment that would be a larger, more unique draw for them in the long run.

I'm hoping this fares better than some of the other recent attempts at family attractions in Times Square... The NFL Experience died out pretty quickly (we looked at going a few months ago just to check it out but the price was insanely high for the experience).

I loved Busch Gardens Williamsburg during the normal season when I visited years ago... I'd love to experience their Christmas Town event at some point, knowing how beautiful the park is on a regular day, that it's natural beauty lends to such a great decor-filled event.

Ever been on an Intamin stand up?

This looks like an awesome park! Thanks for sharing!

Virgin Voyages has been incredibly busy announcing new details about their first ship, Scarlet Lady. These new details include their dining setup onboard (20 choices!), their first confirmed port they'll be visiting (Havana!) and something unique to cruising, an onboard tattoo parlor! Check out all of the new details and the concept art that goes along with them! https://www.virgin.com/news/virgin-voyages-reveals-board-restaurants https://www.virgin.com/news/get-tattoo-board-virgin-voyages https://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/virgin-voyages-sets-sail-cuba

I'd like to believe that the leadership of this company (especially knowing that their current leader is interim CEO) would not make a move as stupid in the long run as allowing Six Flags to buy the SeaWorld parks... Despite the last few years not being high points in the company's history, they have still maintained a level of quality in their theming and animal care efforts that Six Flags simply can't replicate in their own parks. Their culture isn't overly compatible with the Central Florida market either... Guests traveling to Orlando expect more for their money that just roller coasters and flat rides. The only place that has found success with such a model is Fun Spot, and they have done so by being the budget option for guests not looking to spend Disney/Universal prices. Six Flags would strip away the identity of the SeaWorld parks and who knows how they would handle an animal operation of this scale. I know that they've dabbled with animal exhibits in a few of their parks (mostly Discovery Kingdom), but the SeaWorld parks are animal parks first, and thrill parks second, whereas Six Flags offers the reverse in the parks that have both animals and rides. The troubles these parks have endured over the years continue to be a constant reminder of how much I miss the Busch family's influence... I wish they'd swoop in and buy up the parks as independent operators.