An opening date was announced for CommuniCore Hall and Plaza, a new drone show is coming to Disney Springs, and Animal Kingdom will celebrate the 30th anniversary of “The Lion King” — all this and more in today’s daily recap for Thursday, March 21, 2024.
Walt Disney World
Magic Kingdom
- Many real plants have been planted around the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure mountain and queue in Magic Kingdom during ongoing construction.
EPCOT
- The years-long reimagining of EPCOT will finally be complete this summer, when CommuniCore Hall and Plaza will open.
- When CommuniCore Plaza finally opens at EPCOT, a new “Encanto” show will debut on the plaza stage.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Joy from “Inside Out” will begin appearing in Pixar Plaza at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in honor of the release of “Inside Out 2” this summer.
- The new Salvaged Stormtrooper Helmet Bucket will be available at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in honor of May the 4th this year.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom will celebrate the 30th anniversary of “The Lion King” with a celebration this summer.
Disney Springs
- Disney announced that a new drone show, “Disney Dreams That Soar,” will run nightly at Disney Springs this summer.
Walt Disney World Resort Hotels
- Reservations for The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, the newest Disney Vacation Club resort, are now open to all guests.
New Merchandise
- A new Canada Pavilion T-shirt is available in Northwest Mercantile at EPCOT.
- StarWars.com shared a first look at some of the new merchandise coming to Disney Store and Disney Parks this spring for May the 4th, including Darth Maul-inspired merch honoring the 25th anniversary of “The Phantom Menace.”
Other Walt Disney World News
- Disney has released a new statement regarding their Florida affordable housing project after locals raised complaints in a recent community meeting.
- The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District has filed a new Motion for Protective Order to stop Disney from filming depositions with the current and former District Board members.
Disneyland Resort
- The new Salvaged Stormtrooper Helmet Bucket will be available at Disneyland Park in honor of May the 4th this year.
- StarWars.com shared a first look at some of the new merchandise coming to Disney Store and Disney Parks this spring for May the 4th, including Darth Maul-inspired merch honoring the 25th anniversary of “The Phantom Menace.”
- More new Pizza Planet merchandise has arrived at Disneyland Resort.
- A new “Alice in Wonderland” Dooney & Bourke collection has made its way to Disneyland Resort,
Entertainment and Media
- On May the 4th 2024, a.k.a. Star Wars Day, fans will be able to celebrate the Skywalker Saga with a marathon of all nine films in theaters.
The Walt Disney Company
- In his first public interview since being fired from Disney, former CEO Bob Chapek talked to CNBC‘s Alex Sherman about the future of ESPN.
- Influential proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) recommends The Walt Disney Company shareholders vote for Nelson Peltz to join the Disney Board of Directors.
WDW News Today
- Tom is moving to Japan next week, and he needs to lighten his load a bit before he goes. Tom will be parting with over 300 personal items to benefit some WDWNT projects in our studio, museum, and beyond.
That’s it for today; we hope you enjoyed this Daily Recap. Thanks for stopping by, and we’ll see you tomorrow!