News Round Up 2016

[rteetz]

Are we thinking that this is only free for guests staying at the Grand Floridian?

It might be limited to only guests at the grand. I don't know if they would let other resort guests to go to the party.

 

[beer dave]

Glad to hear that it seems like they are continuing to work on that water projection screen

Opinions of the nighttime safari so far seems to vary so much from it being great to it being terrible ... I am sure how ones specific safari goes really matters and I am sure the drivers and animals will start to get more used to it over time

The lighting of the sunset was pretty good-- a little too bright and spread out. kind of looked like the savanna was on fire. My only real problem with the lighting is there are a few orange spot lights rising up above the tree line in the sunset scene that cannot be mistaken as anything but spot lights. Although when you are facing away from the sunset, the savanna looks really good with the light they are providing...

 

[luisov]

Film and TV

Zootopia is now the second biggest original movie ever, just behind Avatar, and it's about to reach 1 billion dollars at the box office. It's $991 million right now... The thing is, it's also about to leave theaters in most places around the globe.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/scottme...ond-biggest-original-movie-ever/#b57634129ac6

 

[bjakmom]

Has the MK ever opened from any other location than in front of the train station? This would be a shame if they move this. It takes one less level of anticipation away, and a lot of people love entering the MK the same way every time. I would really hate to have to go inside and see the castle and main street and be shopping...(This reason they will do this, along with allowing for more people to get in quicker) before the park even opens. Please do not do this Disney. Not at Magic Kingdom.

Here's the problem we saw happening last month with the opening show on the Train platform. The crowds packed in front of the train station waiting for the show and park opening literally stopped the flow of guests coming through the entrance once they scanned their tickets. It was very congested and I saw a few lines where people literally could not move forward past the scanners.
I think perhaps more and more guests seem to arrive early for the show (we were there first week of May, so not the busiest time) and that is causing increasing crowd control problems at the entrance. That and the more recent addition of bag scanners takes up more room in that area. It was also very difficult to maneuver all those people to the sides and through the entrance 'tunnels' once the show was over.
I love the opening show at the front, but can see it causing problems. If they began moving people right into the park and then had an opening show on the castle stage it would relieve this crowd congestion. Just a thought as to why they may be considering this if they are.

 

[Eoghann]

While I can see that crowd congestion may be an issue, it's one they've been content to ignore up to now. If they make this change (and the rumors have been around for months but nothing solid seems to have emerged yet) I have to think the driving reason will be money not crowding. Having people standing on main street with nothing to do except shop for 20-40 minutes could be quite profitable.

I quite like the opening show but it hasn't changed in years so I don't know I'd actually miss it much if it went away. I sort of like the idea of letting people enter the park while the show is running, that way people who want to see it can but everyone else just moves on.

 

[wareagle57]

Forgot to mention....today was a NIGHTMARE. Never go to Disney when it's storming.
Ever.

It poured the entire second half of my one day trip 2 weeks ago. I had a poncho at first but eventually just went back to my car and changed into a dryfit shirt, swim trunks, ditched my electronics and went with it. I had a blast walking around getting soaked and dancing in the rain. Your trip is what you make out of it. Oh, and since it was storming for so long MK was probably the most empty I've ever seen it. I got tired of riding things. Space was the only thing I had more than a 2 minute wait for. I even road Jungle Cruise in the rain, and sat in the seat right where you get on the boat and there is no covering. Someone offered to move over so I didn't have to sit in the rain. I told them I wanted to! lol.

 

[wareagle57]

I agree I hate the idea - typically at the hub, people have already branched off to be waiting in the various lands. How do you have a show at the hub? The never care that the opening show hasn't changed in 10+ years. I think it's awesome. (And I miss the rope drop shows in the other parks too - especially the DAK one.)

I love it. It's the perfect way to open the park, and how I try to start my vacations. The song puts you in a good mood and it's so quaint. It just makes you feel like you're living simpler times.

 

[Travis B]

Video

Might be the best video of the tree projections I've seen yet

When I talk about Disney Standards this is the kind of presentation I'm referring to. I saw another video with the scene of the baby deer and you could hear the audience react, gasping and 'WOW-ing', it was so neat to watch. I can't wait to see this thing in person.

 

[Travis B]

Watched the show an hour ago. no gap in the center screen
.OK-- We are a theatre family--
4 daughters and a wife in the theatre-- some professionally--

The show was amazingly done by the performers-- vocals were awesome. The screens worked as best as I could tell as they were designed.

the story in the show was easily followed, and i haven't seen the new JB movie.

Wifes biggest complaint, and I agree-- ( we love louie) was the vocals for the louie song were in the wrong key.

Question for you: I know the singing is live, is any of the music live as well or are they just pantomiming with the drums, etc?

 

[rteetz]

Question for you: I know the singing is live, is any of the music live as well or are they just pantomiming with the drums, etc?

I think some is some isn't.

 

[rteetz]

Film and TV

Zootopia is now the second biggest original movie ever, just behind Avatar, and it's about to reach 1 billion dollars at the box office. It's $991 million right now... The thing is, it's also about to leave theaters in most places around the globe.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/scottme...ond-biggest-original-movie-ever/#b57634129ac6

And Disney isn't fast tracking anything for this movie.... This is one of those silent killer movies. It's done incredibly well but they haven't talked much about it. WDW can't even get a meet and greet.

 

[umichigan10]

And Disney isn't fast tracking anything for this movie.... This is one of those silent killer movies. It's done incredibly well but they haven't talked much about it. WDW can't even get a meet and greet.

I say give it due time. I think they'd be best off not to fast track things and try and give it something quality (albeit probably small) for its own.

Although a M&G shouldn't be an unreasonable thing to ask for

 

[luisov]

And Disney isn't fast tracking anything for this movie.... This is one of those silent killer movies. It's done incredibly well but they haven't talked much about it. WDW can't even get a meet and greet.

I can see them doing something with it in China. I think Zootopia is the most successful animated film of all time in China. If it sells merchandise half as good as Frozen, then I think something will come to America eventually. Otherwise they'll probably let that one go.

 

[DizDaD7]

I can see them doing something with it in China. I think Zootopia is the most successful animated film of all time in China. If it sells merchandise half as good as Frozen, then I think something will come to America eventually. Otherwise they'll probably let that one go.

LoL Laffin @ Let it Go....(Frozen)

 

[Fantasia79]

News

The Scrims in front of the Frozen attraction came down. Revealing an all new look and the waterfall is gone.

https://twitter.com/bioreconstruct/status/736954232520183808

This is ridiculous.

 

[DisneyGeekyParadise]

It poured the entire second half of my one day trip 2 weeks ago. I had a poncho at first but eventually just went back to my car and changed into a dryfit shirt, swim trunks, ditched my electronics and went with it. I had a blast walking around getting soaked and dancing in the rain. Your trip is what you make out of it. Oh, and since it was storming for so long MK was probably the most empty I've ever seen it. I got tired of riding things. Space was the only thing I had more than a 2 minute wait for. I even road Jungle Cruise in the rain, and sat in the seat right where you get on the boat and there is no covering. Someone offered to move over so I didn't have to sit in the rain. I told them I wanted to! lol.

It was storming SO bad when I went though. I was trapped in a shop. I couldn't get in to the AK park, it was horrid until it died down. Like, imagine being trapped in a crowded, hot shop, in the rain, for about 45 minutes. Yeah.

 

[Josh Hendy]

Yeah, all new look. From the picture, this looks ridiculous. And they took the waterfall. Le sigh....

Isn't the oh-no-its-a-waterfall gag the whole point of the track layout? Unless they completely redesigned the track it's hard to see how they can make the waterfall go away.

 

[jknc]

Not liking the orange and white "replacement" for the waterfall in Froway ... maybe the pictures don't do it justice or maybe there are some key details missing, but it doesn't scream Scandinavian to me.

Have been avoiding the JB videos, but did watch the first few minutes of the Mousesteps one from dining package area. View seems good, and was impressed by projections at first (peacock feathers), but then the gap in the middle got annoying and the projections didn't seem as clear or tied in to the show. So I stopped watching. Will save the rest for seeing it live I guess.

This is ridiculous.

May I ask why?

 

[rteetz]

News

The all new Pop Century refurbishment look!





I must say I love this new look!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

News

The all new Pop Century refurbishment look!

View attachment 172363

View attachment 172364

I must say I love this new look!

The all white walls make it seem a little institutional, but I love the rest