Disney News, Discussion & an Element of Fun - 2024 Edition

[fatmanatee]

I was looking at it, and LC does have more space than I thought, but it's becuase of the HUGE Posiedon's Fury building. Unless they are going to demo though, there isn't much space, and if they deme they can't really reuse anyway. I guess they could keep the facade. Honestly, I wouldn't mind a walkthrough Zelda Temple with a show, but I actually liked Poseidon's Fury so I'm weird like that. I wouldn't mind if they just had that and a show in the old Sinbad theater (great show too!), but I know people will moan if there isn't an actual ride....

Rumor right now is a boat based ride.

 

[BrianL]

Rumor right now is a boat based ride.

Boat ride is a weird choice for Zelda unless they go full Wind Waker style. Actually, that would be cool!

 

[fatmanatee]

Boat ride is a weird choice for Zelda unless they go full Wind Waker style. Actually, that would be cool!

Yeah I don't know how they'll do it. The chatter in the past has actually involved a hybrid system, starting as a boat ride but with tracks both below and *above* the boat, and at some point it'll lift you above the water and take you around Hyrule. The rumors are dating back to 2020 so it's very possible that plans have changed since then. The one constant has been that's taking over that IoA space.

 

[Dulcee]

Two things that have kept me away are the lack of under 7 rides and the fact that it wasn’t more than a 1 or 2 day park. This solves all of that I’m assuming.

This is why we haven't been back to Universal since having kids.

But our oldest is now Harry Potter obsessed, has loved How to Train your Dragons for eons, and lives and breathes all things Dinosaurs. Our younger 2 are finally creeping towards "big kid rides" so Universal is going to be on our list in the next year or two after seeing what the new park looks like!

 

[fatmanatee]

Looks like they're doing sort of a gradual reveal of the five lands. They've published a two minute flyover of the main hub but none of the others. Meanwhile some social media accounts have gotten a strange display from Universal that has space for five tokens. Only the first is filled, for Celestial Park. Guessing they’ll do a reveal each month, and in summer maybe something about the opening date beyond “2025”?

Nice details about the coaster btw, apparently the cars have lighting so it’ll appear to sparkle at night.

https://x.com/marcusleshock/status/1752321803278557410?s=46

 

[jade1]

Absolutely spectacular first look. I struggle to see a way that this park isn't going to be massively popular.

Looks really amazing agreed. Will be visiting a lot when it open, esp hoping Paris has a lot of shops/drinks/dining and the rest of Epic as well. Fun new park and a great sat night (or any night) stop as well for locals.

 

[Gusey]

Disney's repsonse: Bing Bong opened the Pixar Place Hotel today:

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

 

[Gusey]

BREAKING: New Nighttime Spectacular Coming to Tokyo Disneyland Featuring First Appearance of Marvel Characters

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Disney's repsonse: Bing Bong opened the Pixar Place Hotel today:

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

Well, to be fair, I don't imagine they were thinking of it as a response to EU news... they just happen to be opening the hotel today.

 

[Gusey]

Well, to be fair, I don't imagine they were thinking of it as a response to EU news... they just happen to be opening the hotel today.

Haha, yeah I know It's just funny that the only Disney news we've had since Country Bears closing is Pixar Place Hotel opening, and Universal has overshadowed it with Epic Universe's announcement

 

[1lilspark]

Disney's repsonse: Bing Bong opened the Pixar Place Hotel today:

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

Also Joe Gardner at same California hotel and a new nighttime show this fall in Japan with the country’s first use of marvel ip since universal Osaka closed Spider-Man so they can use it now

 

[Gusey]

Disney Parks Blog Post
Now Open! Pixar Place Hotel Celebrates Pixar Stories at Disneyland Resort

 

[LoveToDisney]

Been seeing so many posts in the Disney facebook groups I'm in about this, lots of people are saying it's the massive tour groups. It's wild, I was there last year at this time and it was empty, especially compared to our normal September trips!

We like to go in January and the international tour groups seem to be getting close to being back to full force. January is one of their favorite times.
While we were there the last week in January, we overheard English only once or twice, the rest of the time it was Portuguese, French, Japanese, and more. The international trips for the 15 year olds is back, as well, so we ran into big groups getting into lines. Walking around was not too bad but the ride times were long.

 

[OppR2nist]

Today's Universal news makes me glad we got our APs on our last trip. Now, hopefully we'll get a better rate when we renew.

 

[soniam]

Today's Universal news makes me glad we got our APs on our last trip. Now, hopefully we'll get a better rate when we renew.

The rumor is that APs won’t work for a while, year or 2, at Epic. APs will probably have to do day tickets.

 

[OppR2nist]

The rumor is that APs won’t work for a while, year or 2, at Epic. APs will probably have to do day tickets.

Don't take this the wrong way, but I really hope you're wrong.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Don't take this the wrong way, but I really hope you're wrong.

I hope that, too! But honestly, be prepared, as I'm sure it'll make a lot of business sense to execs... there's a lot of hype as this is the first theme park build in Orlando in a long time and they'll likely want to make the most money out of the initial rush of people wanting to see it. And people will pay, so why not make this a separate ticket? (I mean, I know why not, goodwill and all that... I'm just trying to think of their possible reasoning).

But we'll see... I would think at the least, APs should get a discounted EU ticket.

 

[WebmasterJackie]

Federal Judge Allen Winsor has dismissed Walt Disney Parks and Resort's lawsuit against the Florida Governor and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, stating that it lacks adequate evidence and doesn’t meet legal standards for a lawsuit.

You can read more about the decision to dismiss, including the 17-page ruling, on our site:

https://www.wdwinfo.com/news-storie...ses-disneys-lawsuit-against-florida-governor/

 

[OppR2nist]

I hope that, too! But honestly, be prepared, as I'm sure it'll make a lot of business sense to execs... there's a lot of hype as this is the first theme park build in Orlando in a long time and they'll likely want to make the most money out of the initial rush of people wanting to see it. And people will pay, so why not make this a separate ticket? (I mean, I know why not, goodwill and all that... I'm just trying to think of their possible reasoning).

But we'll see... I would think at the least, APs should get a discounted EU ticket.

See, I would think that they would make money on park exclusive merch moreso than tickets. I would think the motive to limit access would make the park less crowded at the open, but given how far away it is from the other two parks, that issue might play out differently.

 

[wabbott]

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2024/01/rare-baby-okapi-debuts-at-disneys-animal-kingdom/

Wed, January 31, 2024

Rare Baby Okapi Debuts at Disney’s Animal Kingdom​

by Scott Terrell, DVM, DACVP, Director of Animal & Science Operations, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts

Elijah is the first baby okapi to make his debut at Disney’s Animal Kingdom since 2012! This marks the 14th birth of this endangered species at Walt Disney World, and we’re overjoyed to see our okapi family continue to grow. When he was born in October, Elijah weighed 46 pounds, with the most adorable, yet huge ears. Today, he’s an impressive 165 pounds and has officially joined his mom onstage on Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail.

Elijah’s birth, like many others in our park, is made possible with the help of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan. This program ensures the responsible breeding of this endangered species and other species that face threats like poaching and habitat loss.

What makes Elijah so special is his name, which honors a 50-year cast member!

Cast member Elijah first joined the Magic Kingdom Park in June 1973 and transferred to the horticulture department at Disney’s Animal Kingdom when it opened in 1998. He plays a critical role in maintaining the beautiful habitats at Disney’s Animal Kingdom – from rhinos to okapi and everything in between – he creates environments that help ensure safety and promote enrichment for our animals at Walt Disney World. His passion and dedication to his role has made him a cherished cast member, and what better way to honor him than to name a rare okapi after him?
To learn more about okapi and our efforts to protect endangered and threatened species, visit DisneyAnimals.com.