Every week is a busy week when it comes to Disney news. To help you keep up with all of the updates coming out of Walt Disney World and other Disney resorts, here’s WDWNT’s weekly recap of the Disney news from August 19-25!
Walt Disney World
- We learned that there’s big plans underway for the showstopping spectaculars across Walt Disney World, including a new firework show and dance party planned for Magic Kingdom, a Rivers of Light Kite Show at Animal Kingdom, and a daytime World Showcase Lagoon Show at Epcot
- New dates have been announced for Disney After Hours events at Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom through March 2020
Magic Kingdom
- Check out this week’s photo report for the Magic Kingdom, including new merchandise, Halloween decorations and more
- We reviewed the not-so-special Cruella’s Hide-A-Way in Tony’s Town Square Restaurant add-on offering at the Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. At the party, we also tried the new Now Begin Thy Magic Spell slush from Casey’s Corner, and the Pirate’s Horizon Drink from Aloha Isle
- We got a closer look at the ride vehicle and cast member costumes for TRON Lightcycle Run at the D23 Expo. In the park, we saw that new light-up themed show elements are being installed along the ride track as construction continues
- The newly-expanded pathway between Fantasyland and Liberty Square has officially opened
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Jungle Cruise are both set to undergo lengthy, extensive refurbishments in 2020
Epcot
As expected, there was lots of Epcot news announced at D23 this year!
- A new Moana-inspired “Journey of Water” walkthrough maze attraction was confirmed, along with a logo and concept art
- Concept art was revealed for “Walt Disney Imagineering Presents the Epcot Experience”, which wil be coming to The Odyssey Pavilion
- New art was revealed for upcoming projects at Epcot, including the Play Pavilion, Space Restaurant, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and more
- Snazzy new pavilion logos were revealed as part of an exclusive D23 merchandise line
- A stylized model of Epcot, featuring pavilions present and future, was on show at the expo
Meanwhile, in the park…
- Check out this week’s photo report for Epcot, featuring a look at the new rope drop procedure, more construction walls and more
- Disney revealed its “Taste Your Way Around the World” merchandise collection, which will debut at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival 2019
- Work has begun behind Innoventions West, ahead of the area demolition as part of Project Gamma
- We reviewed the new Tiger Boba Milk Tea and Chengdu Street Fries from Nine Dragons Restaurant
Animal Kingdom
- We reviewed the new “Restaurantosaurus Burgers and Sundaes” fast-casual dinner experience, offering gourmet burgers and build-your-own sundaes
- We also tried the new Mini Cinnamon Buns with Coffee-Caramel Dipping Sauce from Isle of Java
- Construction has been continuing on the Club 33 location at Animal Kingdom
- The operating hours for DINOSAUR have been extended through September 28
Hollywood Studios
- Check out this week’s photo report for Hollywood Studios, featuring construction updates, the countdown to Galaxy’s Edge and more!
- A model for the locomotive ride vehicle was revealed for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway at D23, as well as a look at cast member costumes for the attraction. In the park, the construction walls have come down around the Chinese Theatre, revealing the main queue area for the attraction
- We reviewed the new Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese from KRNR The Rock Station
- A new digital wait time board has been installed just outside of Toy Story Land, ahead of the opening of Galaxy’s Edge
- The Legends of Hollywood Store on Sunset Boulevard has reopened this week, sporting a brand new look after its remodel
- A new exhibit showcasing “Jack Kirby: The Man Behind The Eternals” has been added to Walt Disney Presents
- We were disappointed to see that the classic Hollywood Studios filmstrip logo sign has been unexpectedly removed from Center Stage
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
- Ahead of the official opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios, Disney have released guidelines on the proper attire to be worn within the land
Disney Springs
- Check out this week’s photo report for Disney Springs, featuring new merchandise, Halloween dresses and more
- We checked out the new Sunshine Churros Cart which has just rolled into Disney Springs, bringing nine different flavors of delicious churros with it
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
- Disney has announced that The Ripken Experience Youth Baseball Academy will be coming to the resort in 2020, especially for young players between ages 6-18
Walt Disney World Resort Hotels
NEWLY ANNOUNCED: Star Wars: Galactic Starcrusier Hotel
- The official name for the Star Wars hotel was announced at D23 to be “Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser”, along with some new concept art
- Sources gave us an estimate on the expected pricing range for a 2-night, 3-day stay experience at the hotel
- At D23, we were given a closer look at the Halcyon Starship model for the hotel
- Get your first look at the immersive guest transportation system which will get guests from the hotel to Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios, from this impressive new concept art
- You can also take a full tour of the resort through concept art, and take a look at the floor plans too with these newly-released pictures
Art of Animation Resort
- The final phase of the lobby floor replacement project at Art of Animation is now underway, on track for a September completion
BoardWalk Inn
- There’s a new refillable specialty drink tumbler and light-up shot glasses available at Jellyrolls
Contemporary Resort
- We went to check out the new monorail security screening areas which have just opened at the Contemporary
- The Incredibles-themed test rooms which we reported on last week have now been completely gutted, with the artwork removed
Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- We were saddened to hear that the former bandleader of the Grand Floridian Society Orchestra, Pat Doyle, passed away last week
Polynesian Village Resort
- The Spirit of Aloha dinner show at the Polynesian will be undergoing a brief refurbishment in early 2020, making the show unavailable for most of January
Pop Century Resort
- We reviewed the new Chocolate Hazelnut Chewbacca and Bubble, Apple, Toil and Trouble cupcakes from Pop Century
- We noticed that the finishing touches are being made on the Pop Century Skyliner Station on our recent visit
Saratoga Springs Resort
- Check out the photos we took of the room renovation project which is now underway at Saratoga Springs, with two buildings completely closed off at the resort
Wilderness Lodge
- Mobile ordering is now available at Roaring Fork, making ordering food much easier at Wilderness Lodge
Yacht & Beach Club Resorts
- We reviewed the adorably tasty Orange Creamsicle Minnie Ears Tart, and the colorful Peanut Butter Chocolate Goofy Cupcake over from the Beach Club Marketplace
Disneyland Resort
Disneyland Park
- Check out this week’s photo report for the Disneyland Park, including a look at the Tomorrowland refurbishment, designer Minnie ears and more
Disney California Adventure
- At D23, we got a closer look at the Avengers Campus projects coming to Disney California Adventure, Hong Kong Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios, including concept art, models of the area, a look at some of the props and visual elements, and more
- We reviewed the Seasonal Peach Cobbler Shake over from Smokejumpers Grill
- Just when you thought the duo couldn’t get any more adorable, Chip and Dale have been out and about greeting guests dressed as Marvel’s Thor and Loki
- The Lamplight Lounge brunch offering has now been expanded to include Fridays
- The Sunset Showcase Theater scrims are now down, revealing a brand-new digital marquee sign
Disneyland Paris
- At D23, we got a closer look at the Avengers Campus projects coming to Disney California Adventure, Hong Kong Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios, including concept art, models of the area, a look at some of the props and visual elements, and more
- An all-new “Frozen Celebration” event has been announced for Disneyland Paris, debuting January 2020
- Check out our construction update on the Hotel New York – The Art Of Marvel, opening at the resort next summer
Tokyo Disney Resort
- We reviewed the new Sparkling Mango & Ciotrus Tapioca Tea over from Tomorrowland Terrace in Tokyo Disneyland
- This stunning new Tangled Glowing Lantern popcorn bucket will be coming to the resort soon
- A new model showing the expansion of Tokyo Disneyland was on display at D23, giving us a visual of the landscaping and mapping of the expansion
- Check out Mickey and Minnie’s adorable costumes for the upcoming “Disney’s Halloween” celebration
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
- At D23, we got a closer look at the Avengers Campus projects coming to Disney California Adventure, Hong Kong Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios, including concept art, models of the area, a look at some of the props and visual elements, and more
Shanghai Disney Resort
- A “City of Zootopia”display was on show at D23, showcasing the upcoming Zootopia expansion at Shanghai Disneyland
New Merchandise
- The collection of D23 Expo merchandise has landed on shopDisney, featuring Avengers Campus, W.E.B Worldwide Engineering, Star Wars and Pixar apparel, collectables and more
- In Minnie Ear news, these awesome new Glow in the dark Haunted Mansion ear headbands have haunted their way into Disneyland
- There’s a whole range of new Disney and Pixar passholder lanyards featuring Dumbo, Stitch, Rainbow Unicorn, snacks and more now available at the Disneyland Resort
- This awesome new D-Tech camera strap is now available at the parks, featuring a film-reel of scenes from classic animated films. Also new at D-Tech are these Disney Dogs and Cats phone cases, which we spotted in the Magic Kingdom
- As the Halloween merchandise continues to arrive at the parks, we spotted this new Hocus Pocus Dooney & Bourke tote bag in the Magic Kingdom
- Over at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique there’s an exclusive new design of youth and adult Spirit Jersey. Also, the starry new Star Wars Spirit Jersey has landed in Walt Disney World!
- shopDisney will be releasing a new subscription box to its store: Disney Backstage Collection will send history buffs exclusive merchandise themed around behind-the-scenes history of the movies and parks
- There’s a gorgeous new Sleeping Beauty 60th anniversary 1000-piece puzzle now available in the parks
- This Nightmare Before Christmas Oogie Boogie popcorn bucket will be available during the Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Parties at the Magic Kingdom
- Show off your true colors in these new “I’m Such A…” Disney Princess tees from the parks, and this funny line of Disney Meme apparel
- New LEGO Star Wars sets have found their way online, giving us an insight into some Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker scenes
- In pin news, these new Hidden Mickey pins for the parks feature some amazing classic attraction designs and more
- Disney X RockLove have released a brand new jewelry collection inspired by Maleficent, which debuted at D23 this weekend. Also in jewelry, Disney has revealed a peek at the upcoming Pandora releases, including charms for the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival 2019
- A new limited-release Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge commemorative Annual Passholder-exclusive MagicBand has arrived at Hollywood Studios
Entertainment & Media
Walt Disney Studios Movies
The Walt Disney Studios panel at D23 took place on Saturday, giving us an exciting first look at upcoming movies, including new artwork, announcements and details. Check out our recap below…
- A new poster, character art and details were revealed for Disney/Pixar’s Onward
- New details and photos were shown for the upcoming live-action Mulan
- Disney’s newest animated feature will be Raya and the Last Dragon, which was announced with a cast and some stunning artwork
- Plot details, a new poster, new song and a casting announcement was made for Frozen 2
- Black Panther II was announced, for a 2022 release date
- An incredible new poster was revealed for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
- A new franchise logo was revealed for Avatar, along with the announcements of sequels due in 2021 and 2023
- Another new poster was released for Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
- We got our first look as Emma Stone as Cruella De Vil, which was announced for a 2021 release
- New details emerged, including character art, a cast announcement and score details for Disney/Pixar’s Soul
- The full cast and new costumes were revealed for the upcoming Marvel Studios’ The Eternals
Disney+
A hugely impressive lineup of new shows and movies for the upcoming Disney+ streaming service was announced during their panel at the D23 Expo this weekend. Exciting announcements and releases for the channel include:
- A cast member documentary series titled One Day At Disney (this announcement was the much-hyped “Secret Walt Disney Company Project”)
- The reprise of Ewan McGregor as the title role in Obi-Wan Kenobi
- A series of unscripted variety shorts featuring our favorites in Muppets Now
- Noelle, a new holiday movie starring Anna Kendrick and Bill Hader
- Hilary Duff will be returning for a reboot of Lizzie McGuire
- Phineas and Ferb will be returning for their second movie: Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe
- New Marvel series Moon Knight, She-Hulk and Ms.Marvel, as well as What If…?, Loki, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and WandaVision
- The return of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars series
- We also got to see the first-ever trailers for the “live-action” Lady and the Tramp, Star Wars’ The Mandalorian, and Noelle
- New details were released about the Monsters At Work series
- It was confirmed that Avengers: Endgame will be available for streaming on the service
- New posters were released for High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, The Mandalorian, and The World According to Jeff Goldblum
- It was confirmed that one single account will allow for up to four streams at once, on up to ten devices
Disney Television Programming
- At D23, Marvel Animation announced a new preschool series for Disney Junior titled Spidey and His Amazing FriendsÂ
- Disney Channel and Marvel have also teamed up for a new animated series titled Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur
Other Entertainment News
- The new “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Oga’s Cantina: R3X’s Playlist #1” Album is now streaming on Apple Music & Spotify
- Pre-registration is now open for the two latest Disney mobile games from Gameloft: “Disney Princess Majestic Quest” and “Disney Gateway Blast”
That’s all of the Disney news for this past week! Make sure you check back at the end of each week for our weekly recaps!
My husband and I are planning another trip to Walt Disney World in 2021. We excited about all the new changes and rides that are being built and will be opening in 2021. We are planning our visit around the end of April 2021. My husband David wants my to celebrate my 65th birthday there. I will keep up to date on all the construction going on at all the parks. I hope that they will be bring back Cirque Du Soleil to Disney Springs by 2021.
Same for Phineas and Ferb