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Disney Closes All US Stores In COVID-19 Response

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In response to the growing COVID-19 pandemic, Disney previously announced the closure of all its parks worldwide, effective as of today, March 16th. This morning, Disney has provided a new update on the operations of more of its properties.

In a statement from the Walt Disney World website, Disney writes,

In line with state and federal guidance, in an abundance of caution and in the best interest of our guests and cast members we are proceeding with the closure of all Disney stores in North America, beginning March 17. Guests continue to visit shopDisney.com.

Disney will also be closing all of its owned and operated locations at Downtown Disney in Anaheim and Disney Springs in Orlando, beginning March 17. Individual tenants will make decisions on whether to continue or adjust operations.

Additionally, Disney owned and operated hotels at Walt Disney World Resort and Disney’s Vero Beach Resort will close at 5pm on Friday, March 20. This will give Guests the ability to make other arrangements.

We will continue to monitor the situation and maintain regular contact with the appropriate officials and health experts.

This tells us that all first-party Disney locations at Disney Springs and Downtown Disney will close, including World of Disney, Marketplace Co-Op, and the newly opened NBA Experience. This also includes all first-party Disney stores around the country.

Few third-party locations have provided details on their continuing operating hours. Some larger tenants, like AMC Theaters have announced their policy for their stores nation-wide. We suggest doing your own research into locations you may need to visit during this time.

We will continue to post updates on the operations of the parks as they are announced.

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All Disney Parks Close in Wake of CoronaVirus Concerns

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In an unprecedented move, ALL Disney Parks will be closing as of Sunday, with Disney Cruise Line suspending departures as of Saturday. This has not happened since the attacks of 9|11, but we knew this announcement had to be coming soon, the risks were just too great to remain open and provide a breeding ground for this spreading virus. Without being able to control guests arriving from other areas and other risk factors, it would be irresponsible to stay open for business. This is of course a difficult bit a news to bear, as so many folks from all over the world plan months and years in advance to make a yearly, or even once-in-a-lifetime visits to this resort.

Disney Parks Corona Virus

If you currently have plans and a booked hotel vacation to any of these parks or destinations, we’d advise contacting your travel agent or whomever you booked with. Wait times will be long, and patience is a must in situations like this. The cast members or employees answering these calls can only do so much, and only have as much information as they are given. We hope Disney releases more information as to plans, and future solutions to these unplanned closures. We will update this post as we hear more official news.

Disneyland Corona Virus

Until then, here is an article from Variety.com, detailing the current closures as of the posting time of this article:

Disney is temporarily shuttering Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland Paris, beginning this Sunday and lasting through the end of the month, due to the coronavirus pandemic. It follows the news that Disneyland California and Universal Studios Hollywood are temporarily closing starting March 14 as well.

The announcement means all Disney parks worldwide will be closed by next week.

The Disney Cruise Line is also suspending all new departures beginning Saturday through the end of March. The Walt Disney Company will pay its cast members during that closure period.

The hotels at Disney World and Disneyland Paris will remain open until further notice, as will the retail and dining complexes, Disney Springs at Walt Disney World and Disney Village at Disneyland Paris.

Universal Studios Hollywood expects to reopen on March 28, while Disneyland foresees opening its doors again at the end of the month.

“The health and safety of our team members and guests is always our top priority,” said a Universal Studios spokesperson. “Out of an abundance of caution and in response to the guidance provided by the California Department of Public Health, Universal Studios Hollywood will temporarily close beginning Saturday, March 14. The theme park anticipates reopening on March 28 as we continue to monitor the situation. We will provide timely updates as conditions evolve.”

Disneyland Resort hotels will remain open until March 16 so guests can make necessary travel accommodations. Universal CityWalk remains open, as does Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.

It’s only the fourth time in history that Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., has fully suspended operations. The other instances were the Sept. 11 attacks, the morning after John F. Kennedy’s assassination and the Northridge earthquake.

“While there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 at Disneyland Resort, after carefully reviewing the guidelines of the Governor of California’s executive order and in the best interest of our guests and employees, we are proceeding with the closure of Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure, beginning the morning of March 14 through the end of the month,” Disney said in a statement. “The Hotels of Disneyland Resort will remain open until Monday, March 16 to give guests the ability to make necessary travel arrangements; Downtown Disney will remain open. We will monitor the ongoing situation and follow the advice and guidance of federal and state officials and health agencies. Disney will continue to pay cast members during this time.”

The company added, “Disneyland Resort will work with guests who wish to change or cancel their visits, and will provide refunds to those who have hotel bookings during this closure period.”

Disney was slow to close doors to its theme parks, despite cancellations of major entertainment industry events like South by Southwest and Coachella. The NBA suspended its season Wednesday night after a player tested positive for coronavirus.

But the theme park closure seemed inevitable after California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday called for gatherings with more than 250 people to be canceled or delayed in an effort to halt the transmission of the virus, though Disneyland and other theme parks were exempted from that guidance. Officials have also been encouraging “social distancing” of six feet per person.

Disney closed its parks in Shanghai and Hong Kong in January, and has also temporarily shuttered its parks in Tokyo as well. The Shanghai Disney Resort will reopen some shopping, dining and entertainment options on Monday, but the main theme park will remain shut. Disney reported that it could lose $280 million in revenues due to closures in Shanghai and Hong Kong alone.

Disney heiress Abigail Disney, who has been critical of low wages for theme park employees, wrote Thursday on Twitter, “This is heartbreaking, but it’s the right thing to do. I just hope they honor their obligations to their employees.”

In a newly issued press release on Thursday afternoon, Newsom indicated that more theme park closures would be coming soon.

“Late last night, California put out a new policy on mass gatherings and engaged in deep conversations with Disney and other companies about how to meet it,” he said. “Using that policy, Disney made the right call in the interest of public health and agreed to shut down their California parks. Expect more announcements like this shortly.”

Per the California Dept. of Public Health on Wednesday, the new guidance is as follows through the month of March:

The California Department of Public Health finds the following:
  • Large gatherings that include 250 people or more should be postponed or canceled.
    • This includes gatherings such as concerts, conferences, and professional, college, and school sporting events.
  • Smaller gatherings held in venues that do not allow social distancing of six feet per person should be postponed or canceled.
    • This includes gatherings in crowded auditoriums, rooms or other venues.
  • Gatherings of individuals who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 should be limited to no more than 10 people.
    • This includes gatherings such as those at retirement facilities, assisted living facilities, developmental homes, and support groups for people with health conditions.
  • A “gathering” is any event or convening that brings together people in a single room or single space at the same time, such as an auditorium, stadium, arena, large conference room, meeting hall, cafeteria, or any other indoor or outdoor space.
This applies to all non-essential professional, social, and community gatherings regardless of their sponsor.

Knott’s Berry Farm closed early Thursday due to inclement weather but otherwise remains open for business. A spokesperson said it is “aware of the new guidance issued by the State of California last night,” and “is open today as we understand and evaluate what this means for our park, our guests and our associates.”

Representatives for Legoland and SeaWorld San Diego, both theme parks located in California, did not respond to request for comment.

Again, we advise contacting your booking provider if you had booked plans to any of these destinations. We will update as we learn more. Stay safe!

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Pym Test Kitchen Menu Must-Haves at Avengers Campus

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In addition to our earlier announcement about the Avengers Campus Opening Date, we also have some SUPER news to share about the menu items at Pym Test Kitchen. Some of these dishes are really unique and we hope they turn out as good as they look in these preview photos! Here’s all the scoop, originally posted on Marvel.com

Avengers Campus brings together Earth’s Mightiest Heroes for the common good, and they’re calling all recruits to join the action: Team up with the Avengers and their allies; sling webs with Spider-Man and become part of a bigger universe. Kids and guests of all ages will find their powers as they unite with family and friends to take an active role alongside some of their favorite heroes, with a chance to live out their own heroic story. So at some point, you’re going to want to refuel. Thankfully, you won’t have to go far after your latest mission because Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure Park at the Disneyland Resort includes multiple spots to stop and grab some delicious food, drinks, and even something sweet before it’s time to assemble again.
Pym Test Kitchen

The brand new land, opening on July 18, 2020, features one new quick-service restaurant for you and your family of heroes to taste-test inventive food and drinks, a tasting lab with alcoholic beverages, a shawarma cart

(yes, you read that right), and a new treats stand located by Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission — BREAKOUT!

We recently got to try some of the brand new food and beverage offerings coming to Avengers Campus, and it all looks good enough to eat — and share on social media. So after helping Spider-Man catch those pesky Spider-Bots and in between heroic encounters with the Avengers and their allies, here’s where you need to go to fuel up:

PYM TEST KITCHEN

“Super Heroes don’t normally open restaurants,” Jillian Pagan, Staff Writer, Walt Disney Imagineering explained during an early media day for Avengers Campus. But, that’s exactly what the Pyms have done.

“They would use their technology to help the world, right?” Pagan continued. “So that’s the story of our Pym Test Kitchen. In our story they are using their shrinking and growing technology to create new innovations in food science because, of course, you can feed many more people if you can run, say a normal-sized pretzel through this quantum tunnel machine, hit it with some Pym Particles, and make it grow to a giant size.”

“We’re here at Pym Test Kitchen, where we are shrinking problems and growing solutions,” John State, Culinary Director at the Disneyland Resort, explains. “Just imagine the guests walking through, pulling the handle of that door, walking into a laboratory, becoming part of the experience of Pym Technology.”

It’s one thing to talk about the Quantum tunnel, and it’s another thing to actually see it in action — The Pym Test Kitchen features one that will shrink and grow food right in front of your eyes!

There will be plenty of options for everyone, including plant-based options along with kid-sized items and taste for kids. Here’s a sampling of what you’ll be able to find inside, and mobile order will be available via the Disneyland app.

Experiment No. IP42: Quantum Pretzel

Feast your eyes on a giant pretzel that has been enlarged by the quantum tunnel and comes with a mustard sauce and a beer cheese dipping sauce (featuring California IPA, sharp cheddar, mozzarella, a hint of mustard).

Quantum Pretzel

Experiment No. EE10: PYM-ini

Looking to indulge in a giant panini? You can with the appropriately titled PYM-ini. The full sandwich is two feet long, and 9 inches wide after it comes out of the Quantum tunnel — and while it can be ordered family style, it can also be done in individual slices, too.

PYM-ini

The PYM-ini features toasted focaccia with salami, rosemary ham, provolone, sun-dried tomato mayonnaise and arugula with marinara dipping sauce. There’s also a version for little Avengers, the Teeny Pym-ini, which is ham, provolone cheese, a touch of mayonnaise, and focaccia.

Experiment No. EE746: PB³ Superb Sandwich

The PB³ Superb Sandwich features peanut butter, banana, smoked bacon and strawberry jelly with a banana smoothie shot and vegetable dusted potato bites.

PB³ Superb Sandwich

For kids, there’s a deconstructed version, which includes peanut butter (served in a Petri dish), strawberry jelly, a little paddle to spread it, and two slices of the Pym  bread, fruit and a Dasani water or a Lowfat Milk.

Experiment No. EE90: Not So Little Chicken Sandwich

What happens when you shrink a bun but grow a chicken breast? That’s the Not So Little Chicken Sandwich, with a fried chicken breast topped with teriyaki and red chili sauces, pickled cabbage slaw and crispy vegetable dusted potato bites.

Not So Little Chicken Sandwich
I may be vegan, but this gigantic chicken sandwich with a tiny bun is hysterical…

There’s also a shrunken chicken sandwich, the Subatomic Sandwich for kids. It doesn’t have any sauce on it, leaving kids to customize it their own way at the condiment station.

Experiment No. EE45: Impossible™ Spoonful

For those looking for a plant-based option, the Impossible Spoonful features large and micro plant-based Impossible™ meat-balls, served in a super-sized spoon with a tiny fork, and two different sizes of pasta. They’ll be an option for kids, too, where the sauce will be on the milder side.

Impossible™ Spoonful

PYM TASTING LAB

Adjacent to the Pym Test Kitchen, an oversized beer can overhead signals that grown-up beverages are available at Pym Tasting Lab. Guests may order a craft beer, ranging from a blood orange hefeweizen to an amber lager. These are poured from a reverse draft system where, thanks to the food scientists, the glass fills from the bottom up. Those thirsting for a beer cocktail will have four to choose from, along with bite-sized snacks.

Pym Tasting Lab Beverages

If you’re looking to try everything on the menu, there will also be beer flights available, along with souvenir Pym beaker cups.

X-Periment, Molecular Meltdown, Honey Buzz and Particle Fizz

X-Periment: Patron Silver Tequila, Lime Juice, Habanero, and Mango Syrup, garnished with Mango flavored Popping Pearls.
Molecular Meltdown: Garage Brewing Marshmallow Milk Stout with Vanilla Ice Cream and topped with Mini Marshmallows.
Honey Buzz: Plymouth Gin, Lemon Juice, Honey Premium Syrup, Elysian Space Dust, IPA and a Honey edible Straw.

PARTICLE FIZZ: Endless Summer, Hard Seltzer with Cherry flavored Pearls.

The Regulator

The RegulatorPatron Silver Tequila, Lime Juice, Habanero, and Mango Syrup, Golden Road Mango Cart Wheat Ale, garnished with Mango flavored Popping Pearls.

Snack Molecules

To complement any beverage selection, guests can also nosh on these Snack Molecules featuring popped sorghum with mini pretzels and honey roasted peanuts.

Snack Molecules

Proton PB&J Punch and Pingo Doce

Pym Test Kitchen Beverages

The kid-friendly Proton PB&J features Odwalla® lemonade with flavors of strawberry and peanut butter, while Pingo Doce, the distinctly green beverage from Avengers lore, is a park-exclusive beverage featuring the flavors of lime, vanilla, and maybe some Gamma radiation.

SHAWARMA PALACE

After the Battle of New York, the Avengers fell in love with shawarma. So, it only makes sense for there to be a shawarma cart at Avengers Campus.

The cart will feature two items. New York’s Tastiest, which is a classic shawarma spiced chicken, with garlic sauce, a warm wrap and a dipping sauce featuring tahini, lemon, garlic, and a pickled vegetable.

There’s also the Impossible™ Victory Falafel. Falafel, Kalamata olives, mint, garlic sauce, hummus, crispy cauliflower, and a tofu dipping sauce. [We’re very excited for this along with the impossible meatball!]

TERRAN TREATS

Taneleer Tivan — also known as The Collector — is always looking for ways to lure more guests towards his towering building of collections. So what are guests constantly searching out? Sweet treats. Located over by Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission — BREAKOUT! here’s what you’ll find Taneleer serving, but everything might not be what it seems.

Sweet Spiral Ration

Why just have a churro when you can have a churro from The Collector? The Sweet Spiral Ration Churros will include unique, rotating flavors (and colors).

Sweet Spiral Ration

Cosmic Cream Orb

For a hand-held snack on the go, try the Cosmic Cream Orb. A crispy cream puff with whipped raspberry cheesecake mousse — and while you see it in a purple hue here, it might not always be that color.

Cosmic Cream Orb

 

We’re beyond excited to see these in person soon and test them out ourselves! The new Avengers Campus sounds like it’ll be quite the immersive area with all of these new additions including the new Web-Slingers: A Spiderman Adventure attraction. What are you most exited to experience at Avengers Campus? Stay tuned here for more news to come!

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Disney California Adventure Spider-Man Ride DETAILS ANNOUNCED

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During a shareholders meeting this morning, Disney CEO Bob Chapek announced new details for the upcoming spider-man themed ride at the Avengers Campus, opening this summer.

Titled ‘Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure,’ the ride will give guests their own web-slinging powers as they team with Spider-Man to take on an army of spider-bots on the loose.

Walt Disney Imagineering creative executive director Brent Strong reveals,

At WEB, young inventors like Peter Parker have been brought together by Tony Stark to help create technologies that allow everyday people like us to have powers just like the Avengers. When we get inside, we find out that they’re not quite as well funded as Stark Enterprises. They’re not quite as militaristic as SHIELD. In fact, they’re not all that organized at all. These are some kids that have some amazing power, right? Vibranium from Wakanda, Pym Particles from Ant-Man. They have arc reactors from Tony Stark. In fact, they probably have a little bit more power than they have responsibility.

In a ride similar to this, Toy Story Midway Mania, guests use a blaster triggered by pulling a cord to hit targets. Superpowers don’t work like this though, and the folks at WDI had to figure out a more natural and immersive way to perform tasks on this new attraction.

What you won’t see is people holding onto a blaster, people holding onto an interface. Believe it or not, with nothing in your hands, you get to reach out and you will sling webs on this ride. In order to do that we invented a brand new interface.

This is the first time we’ve ever shown this outside [of Imagineering]. This is a gesture recognition system that we have built into every slinger vehicle and sixty times a second, we are able to determine where a guest’s head is, their shoulders, their elbows, and even their wrists. We’re able to track the motion of your body so that when you reach out and sling a web, since we know where your eyes are, and we know where your hands are, we can render a virtual web coming right out of the palm of your hand, right out of your virtual web-shooters and into a virtual world.

Strong also said that there are no age or height requirements for the ride, making it more accessible to all families.

This is something where guests of all ages get to live out that epic action, which is wonderful.

The ride will feature Spider-Man himself, as voiced by Tom Holland, who will explain the situation before loading guests into the new ride vehicles, called ‘slinger vehicles.’

Earlier this year, it was also announced that the ride would feature a brand-new, stunt-performing animatronic of the web-slinger himself.

We’re super excited for this brand new experience at Disney California Adventure, so stay tuned for all our future updates on it!

The Avengers Campus opens July 18th, 2020 at Disney California Adventure park.

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MARVEL Avengers Campus OPENING DATE Announced

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During a shareholders meeting this morning, Disney CEO Bob Chapek has announced that guests will be able to meet some of their favorite adventures beginning July 18th, 2020!

The Avengers Campus is the brand-new Marvel themed area expansion to Disney California Adventure, which replaces the former a bug’s land area. In this new land of the park, guests will be recruited by the Avengers to become the next generation of super heroes.

July 18th is the scheduled date for Phase One of the area’s completion. This includes the brand new Spider-Man experience, which is the first Disney-built ride-through attraction to feature the web-slinger himself. Guests can also enjoy the currently open Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission BREAKOUT! attraction, as a part of the land’s adventures.

Phase Two of the land, which will include the new Avengers-themed E-ticket attraction is still yet to come.

Avengers Campus will also feature the Pym Test Kitchen, an Ant-Man and The Wasp themed dining location specializing in growing and shrinking every-day food with Pym Technology.

Stay tuned here for all the latest updates on the Avengers Campus, and all over Disney parks and resorts.

 

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NIK WALLENDA to Perform Stunt at LEGOLAND’s Pirate Island Hotel Opening

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World-renown daredevil Nik Wallenda has announced that he will be ‘walking the plank’ at the grand opening of LEGOLAND Florida Resort’s all-new Pirate Island Hotel. The stunt is scheduled to air live on ABC for all to view!

LEGOLAND Florida Resort writes,

In true pirate-fashion, Wallenda will “walk the plank” from inside the theme park to the new hotel to kick off the resort’s opening festivities on Thursday, April 16. LEGOLAND Florida Resort park and hotel guests are invited to take part in the fun and watch the nail-biting stunt safely from the ground.

This event will be no “walk in the park” for the Wallenda Team as they will construct a high wire longer than 500 feet for the walk. They will also work closely with LEGOLAND master model builders to craft LEGO bricks onto Wallenda’s 28-foot balance pole.

LEGOLAND and Nik Wallenda fans alike can stay tuned to Facebook and Instagram as the park releases additional details on how to watch the stunt unfold live on Thursday, April 16.

NEW! LEGOLAND® Pirate Island Hotel Grand Opening – April 17

Located just 130 kid-steps from the theme park entrance, LEGOLAND Pirate Island Hotel will feature 150 LEGO-filled rooms (including four suites), a heated pool (complete with LEGO soft bricks to build in the pool), hundreds of LEGO models, exclusive character experiences and in-room LEGO treasure hunts. Similar to the popular LEGOLAND Hotel, each room will include two separate spaces: a kid’s sleeping area and an adult area.

The five-story hotel will house the pirate-themed Shipwreck Restaurant with family-style dining, Smuggler’s Bar for adult swashbucklers, an entertainment area with kid-friendly nightly programming and LEGO play areas. Directly outside the entrance to the hotel, a pirate shipwreck will greet guests and offer a unique photo opportunity.

LEGOLAND Florida Resort has also prepared a brief video to tell us more about the event!

[videopress hF5wR6Ny]

The Pirate Island Hotel will officially open to the public on Fri., April 17. Reservations are available at LEGOLAND.com/pirateisland

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Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway Rundown Review!

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Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway neon marqueeThe newest attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios – open today – features the oldest and most beloved characters in Disney history (minus Oswald of course, maybe someday he’ll get an attraction). Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway may feature the original Fab 5 – but in a very new and non-traditional way. As I’m sure you know by now, this new ride is entirely drawn from the Mickey Mouse original cartoon shorts that premiered back in 2013. These cartoon shorts really created a whole new world that Mickey and his pals lived in, and we got to see an entirely different side of Mickey and the gang.

Runaway Railway Backstory

As much as I am for the most part a Disney purist and don’t like to see character integrity challenged, I really love these shorts. I found the fact that Mickey had more “human” qualities of not just being perfect and having nothing go wrong, combined with very non-human effects and cartoon physics, a hilarious combo.

Mickey and Minnie are still in love, Donald and Daisy are still in love (but bickering cause Donald has that temper), Goofy was still a class A goof, and Pluto was a loyal best friend. Those character traits are pushed to extremes in these cartoon shorts, all while highlighting obscure Disney or Disney parks history, or poking fun at themselves in the best possible way. Additionally, many of these shorts feature different countries; their traditions, music, culture, and even language. The shorts are little love-letters to their featured country, and Mickey and the gang speak the native language in these episodes, with no translation. I love this because it shows the power of Mickey as a character, how beloved he is across the world, and how he can fit right in anywhere because of his universal appeal and good intentions.

Anyway, I’m getting a little off track (no Runaway Railway pun intended) but I really do think these shorts are a triumph in character and art style, and show that Mickey can keep up with the times and be enjoyed by a whole new generation, while appreciating the history of the past. For those that aren’t fans of the animation style, or how different the characters may look at times, I like to just look at these set of shorts as a whole separate entity from the Mickey and friends represented in the parks, movies, and comics. Just as some classic Disney attractions and characters received new treatments in the form of comic books in recent years, this is a whole new separate way to enjoy Mickey and pals.

Back to the Runaway Railway…I think if Walt Disney Imagineering tried to create a new ride based on the Fab 5, it would almost immediately be outdated, or look odd. Honestly, even the talking/blinking Mickey characters in the parks looks a little off to me. Seeing tiny, casual, full-of-life representation of these characters is a great way to ensure this attraction can appeal to everyone, because it is linked to these shorts and not tied to any one Mickey Mouse storyline or timeline.

Thanks to Imagineer Kevin Rafferty and the entire Runaway Railway team, the Mickey Shorts we’ve come to love have come to life before our eyes, and we get to be a part of the action and fun. I think there are a lot of spoilers out there already, and I don’t aim to add to that. So this review really just serves as a discussion for my thoughts after riding multiple times yesterday, and its impact on Disney’s Hollywood Studios overall.

Runaway Railway Rundown

Location

Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is located in the former home of The Great Movie Ride, at the Chinese Theatre. This end of the park has gone through its own ups and downs. Once seen as you first entered the park, welcoming you at the end of Hollywood Blvd., it was then hidden behind a giant hat, providing a merchandise and pin trading location. We finally got rid of the hat, and an even larger, movable stage popped up, for Star Wars performances. This stage is still in use today, but I hope that the new attraction opening will see the end of that stage. There is no shortage of Star Wars content around the park, having it block the iconic Chinese Theatre just seems silly.

Of course its new home meant the end of a classic and much beloved attraction – The Great Movie Ride. I have countless memories of this ride, both of myself as a child, and with my own children. I’ve been lucky enough to attend a few events inside the former attraction, and getting to roam the track and get up close and personal to the amazing details that went into The Great Movie Ride are some of my most treasured memories.

Do I wish Runaway Railway could’ve found a new home elsewhere in the park? Yes. But alas I don’t make the decisions, and it’s here now. I do think that The Great Movie ride was sorely in need of updating and more TLC, and I don’t know that it ever would, in an age of IP drawing in the crowds and being the reasons for vacations being planned. The majority of folks were not flocking to Walt Disney World because of the Great Movie Ride, and right or wrong, Disney decided to change that by taking it out of the equation altogether.

Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway neon marquee

Disney’s Hollywood Studios, along with EPCOT, have had an issue with the parks not being able to live up to their original messages, themes, and experiences. Much like EPCOT Center was a place for inspiration, understanding and discovery, Disney’s Hollywood Studios was originally a love note to the past, and a guidebook for the present, in the form of the movie-making industry. That all changed when the Studios were no longer studios at all. The tours were still there, but soon those became stagnant as well, and unable to properly represent the process of making movies. So the focus shifted, to rides vs. experiences. Thrills vs. nostalgia. What we were then left with, in both those parks, was a mishmash of different themes, different messages, different stories. Both parks are now in flux and perhaps in the future will tell a more cohesive story overall.

Runaway Railway Queue

The facade of the Chinese Theatre is for the most part unchanged with this new attraction. Yes, there is a new sign out front, reminiscent of old Hollywood neon, with nods to the former marquee within the Great Movie Ride load area. The taller palm trees that flanked the main entrance have been replaced by shorter trees, presumably to keep from blocking the sign, while still keeping some foliage in the plaza.

The queue itself is pretty similar in the first portion, looking to the original Chinese Theatre for its decor. However, once you make the turn into the former pre-show area for The Great Movie Ride, where you’d see the “coming attractions” on the big screen, you’ll notice a big change. The room is now only perhaps a quarter of that size, and is walled off. That is the very end of the queue, and there are I think 3 pre-show rooms that you will be ushered into for the first portion of the ride. It’s a very small room because it’s basically just the amount of guests that will fit on one train, which is much less than the old people-eating GMR moving theaters.

The queue itself does not seem very big, but while it’s hard not to compare it to The Great Movie Ride, it really shouldn’t be done as it’s a completely different experience from pre-show to load to ride to exit. It’s no longer a slow-moving queue where you would sometimes see the coming attraction movies multiple times in that room. And it’s no longer loading two huge cars full of guests at a time, but then keeping them in there for 18 minutes or so.

Pre-show

I won’t get into spoilers here, since it literally just opened today, and the spoiler potential starts right with the pre-show. As someone who had the pre-show spoiled for me, I wish I hadn’t and don’t want to do that to anyone else. It was still fun, but why not preserve the magic whenever possible? Anyway, as mentioned above this is a smaller room and there are I believe 2 of them, but in the madness of the media event, I may be getting that wrong.

Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway preshow

The premise here is that you are arriving at the theatre to see Mickey and Minnie’s newest short, Perfect Picnic. Then in classic Disney fashion, something goes very wrong. But it’s all good, Goofy’s in charge!

Ride Rooms

There have been quite a few video clips and images released by Disney at this point, and we’ve included some in our Runaway Railway Review video. More than what’s shown there, I don’t want to reveal. I wouldn’t do it justice by describing it, or showing it on video. It is best experienced in person, and as difficult as it may be to do for a while, experiencing it multiple times to really take it all in.

 

 

The main experience here is that you are IN a Mickey Mouse short, and enjoying a trip from Runnamuck Railway Station to the park to meet up with Mickey and Minnie. And that does happen, eventually. Along the way you’ll see stunning visuals, albeit in the style of the Mickey shorts mentioned above. There are some character animatronics, which are also in that style. As a result, they may look a little odd from certain angles. It’s best to try different train cars when you can to see things from different angles. And even if you don’t, you may find that you end up in a different car than you started in.

Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway ride photo
Engineer Goofy says hello to Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse in Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway

There are 8 rows of seats, 2 rows in 4 cars, plus Goofy driving the train. Each seat is a good view, but the perspectives will be different if you are further up or further back.

Characters on the Ride

    • Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse – These true originals are ready to take their little red convertible for a leisurely drive through Runnamuck Park in search of the perfect picnic spot. What could possibly go wrong?
    • Pluto – The dutiful dog just wants to bring Mickey and Minnie their lost picnic basket.
    • Engineer Goofy – Mickey and Minnie’s lanky pal invites guests into the cartoon world for what surely promises to be an uneventful train ride through Runnamuck Park.
    • Daisy Duck – The proprietor of Daisy’s Dance Studio is ready to teach guests some fancy new moves.
    • Donald Duck – Everyone’s favorite hot-headed “problem child” is steaming again, as someone made off with the sign from his hot dog stand at the carnival.
    • Jackhammer Pete – The big brute’s vibrations may have some unforeseen consequences for Mickey and Minnie.
    • Chuuby (pronounced “choo-bee”) – This adorable little bird – created exclusively for the attraction – likes to sing and dance in Runnamuck Park.

Runaway Railway Music

If you are a fan of the cartoon shorts, then you’ll know that the music is very catchy and gets stuck in your head. Many episodes have their own original songs, which are brilliantly memorable. Even just the tune of the theme song and end credits get stuck in my head all the time. Runaway Railway is no exception. There is a new song composed just for the ride, and I think Disney knew it was going to be so catchy that they put the lyrics on multiple merchandise items. So get ready for “Nothing Can Stop Us Now…” to be rolling around your brain as you ride other attractions throughout the day! (You can hear the composer Chris Willis speak about the process in our video above!)

Runaway Railway Merchandise

We’ll have another post up soon highlighting all the exclusive ride-themed merchandise for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. For now you can see the Runaway Railway merchandise in our video or on our instagram and facebook too.

Speaking of instagram and facebook, we are giving away an exclusive MagicBand that we received for the Runaway Railway media event on our instagram and facebook page. The MagicBand has not been linked to any account so it’ll be good to go for whoever wins! Head to our zannaland instagram or zannaland facebook page to enter to win!

We  hope this review and rundown give you some backstory and helps with your planning to experience Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway.

Runaway Railway Tips:

  • We’d definitely advise getting FastPasses if you can. These can be reserved up to 180 days in advance if you are staying on property. For locals, we only have 30 days in advance, but it’s better than nothing!
  • If you can’t get a FastPass, get to Disney’s Hollywood Studios super early. Then head straight to Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway first and you shouldn’t have too long for standby.
  • We’d advise riding in the first two cars the first time you ride, if you can request it. We preferred the second or third row of all the rows we tried.
  • Be on the lookout for some nods to The Great Movie Ride including a prop from the ride along with other visual Easter eggs.
  • And while you’re waiting, there’s a fun new Mickey & Minnie trivia game on the Disney Parks Play app, so be sure you’ve got that ready to go and you can test your knowledge while you wait to ride!

 

If you’ve experienced this ride, let us know what you thought in the comments below! 

Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway

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Disney Parks Recent Changes-Good/Bad?-Up the Waterfall

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Taking a break from Disney parks history, we’re sharing a round table discussion of the Disney Parks Recent Changes. All the major and subtle changes that have taken place at Disney parks over the past 5-10 years and how those changes have affected the park-going experience.

This past week we’ve seen major announcements and changes upcoming to Disney parks – a new chairman – Bob Chapek, Spaceship Earth closing, and so many other updates. Rather than comment on the decisions that will affect FUTURE experiences, we are commenting on past changes and how that has affected current park experiences.

Disney After Hours

We discuss many controversial topics like Upcharge Events, Festivals, Drinking in the Parks, and Homogonization of the parks in general. HOT BUTTONS! You may not agree with us, and that’s ok too! We’d love to hear your thoughts.

You can watch this episode here:

 

 

We hope you enjoy this week’s episode of Up the Waterfall!

How to Listen to Up the Waterfall

You can listen anywhere you download and listen to podcasts, including: 

(If there’s a podcast service where you can’t find our show, let us know and we’ll get it added there!)

How to Watch Up the Waterfall

Head to our Up the Waterfall YouTube Playlist – where you can see our opening sequence and see some unique images during some episodes.

Feel free to comment below with your opinions on ANY of these hot button topics, any questions or info you’d like to add, or if it’s easier, head to the Zannaland Facebook page and join the discussion there with fellow Disney Parks fans!

Zannaland and Up the Waterfall Community – Let’s Connect!

FOLLOW THE ZANNALAND FAMILY ON SOCIAL MEDIA, WATCH OUR VIDEOS, VLOGS AND PODCAST TOO: 

We thank you for your support and for sharing the love! 

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Regal Eagle Smokehouse – Do’s and Don’t’s

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There’s a new eagle in town…a Regal Eagle, so we thought to make it easier, we’d share our review and some Regal Eagle Smokehouse Do’s and Don’t’s. Actually, the eagle’s not new, but his BBQ place is. Last June when Disney announced a new barbecue restaurant would be replacing the original-to-EPCOT-Center Liberty Inn, we were all pretty excited and hopeful for this new experience.

Regal Eagle new entranceDisney Dining for Everyone

Being a vegetarian for the past 3 years and vegan for the past 6 months, I wasn’t worried at all, because I knew Disney’s new plant-based initiative would ensure there was something for everyone at this new spot.

As sad as I was at losing an original piece of EPCOT Center in the Liberty Inn, barbecue does seem disctinctly American, so it seemed like a good fit. Disney has slowly been replacing its “fast-casual” dining locations with less burgers/nuggets/hot dogs and fries, and more healthy options, or at least more unique and more culinarily adventurous.

Now most places will offer a wrap or a unique salad vs. a plain old burger. With more and more folks eating more plant-based entrees, Disney really is making sure there is at least ONE thing that vegans, vegetarians, and usually gluten-free folks can try. More on that as you keep reading.

 

The Muppet Connection

Back in January, Disney then announced the the new bbq eatery would feature Sam Eagle of the Muppets. Of course everyone knows him from the original Muppet Show, but also Disney parks fans love to quote his line from Muppet Vision 3-D of “A salute to all nations but mostly America” which was supposed to be a “glorious 3 hour finale” (he only got a minute and a half). Disney has spun that quote and turned the motto of Regal Eagle Smokehouse to be “A salute to all cook-offs, but mostly barbecue.”

Regal Eagle BBQ

Reaction online was mixed, with some thinking the Muppets (and Intellectual Property [IP] in general) should be left out of the World Showcase’s representation of our home country of the United States of America. Others thought Sam Eagle was a perfect fit to represent our country with his swelling patriotism. The irony is that Sam was sort of a spoof himself, created for the original Muppet Show when the bicentennial of America was happening and brought out many over-the-top patriotic zealots. Whatever the backstory, he became very loveable character for his set-in-his-ways sensibilities and love of country.

Whatever your views on patriotism, it’s important to note that at the end of the day, he’s a Muppet. Part of what made the Muppets so relatable was that they poked fun at all sorts of different views, ideals, and preconceived notions.

Personally, I LOVE as in  L O V E  the American Adventure in this pavilion. Others think it’s boring and skippable or a place to take a nap. Still others think it leaves out huge portions of history and doesn’t do a great job of representation. From a purely fan-of-Disney-Imagineering perspective, it is one of my favorites, for its displays, its music, and its place in EPCOT Center history. So I understood feeling protective of this original concept and space and not wanting any IP seeping in. That said, I hold the Muppets to a different standard and am pretty much okay with Muppets being added any and everywhere. Double standard? Perhaps. But the Muppets deserve our love and appreciation whenever possible.

ALL of that said, after visiting the Regal Eagle yesterday, the Muppet representation, or Muppetation if you will, is really minimal. There is a small Sam Eagle in the sign logo, and 4 framed drawings of a different Muppet at each of the 4 types of barbecue represented inside the restaurant. To the left of the registers there is a sillhouette portrait of Sam Eagle and Gonzo. That was really all I saw. The rest of the decor is all early-American art and informational posters of meat cuts etc. So much more “bbq” themed than Muppets.

Regal Eagle interior

What struck me was the weird juxtaposition of the original colonial columns and more Georgian architecture from Liberty Inn now contrasted with brick work and very casual bbq-joint type decor, mixed with old Americana kitchen accoutrements like pot-bellied stoves and old kitchen furniture. So it’s kind of an odd space visually speaking, but I know they had to work with what they had and the bones of the existing Liberty Inn. It certainly didn’t affect our experience, just something I noticed while sitting there.

Regal Eagle interior

Regal Eagle Food

Back to the food options! So you may have heard about or seen the giant smoker that was installed outside the Regal Eagle, as a showpiece/centerpiece. It’s a huge double smoker and we were there on day two and the smoker was still not working. We asked at the bar outside and they said it is a functional smoker but as of now is not being used yet. So I’m not sure if they are planning to set it up soon, if it will always just be a display thing, or if they will perhaps just pipe in a smoker scented smellitzer and some smoke machine effects?

Regal Eagle smoker

 

So that said, they are not smoking the bbq meats you can order outside in that smoker. As far as the meats they offered, Christian enjoyed his brisket, and the photos and reviews I’ve seen of the other options all seem to be favorable. I ordered the BBQ Jackfruit Burger, which is made with a Beyond Burger, topped with bbq’d jackfruit, the plant-based replacement for a “pulled pork/chicken” type of bbq. The best part for me was that it was served on Texas Toast. Garlic bread may perhaps be my downfall as a human, and it really added to the burger rather than a plain bun. I’m not a huge jackfruit fan, it’s a texture thing for me, but the flavor was good. The beyond burger was a beyond burger.

While I appreciate the availability and the way that this burger helps meat eaters try something plant-based, a beyond burger has a very distinctive flavor that really overpowers everything it touches. Again, I’m grateful we have an option, but I’d love if Disney chefs started creating their own veggie burgers with natural ingredients as a choice for vegetarians and vegans who are interested in a good burger, not necessarily a meat replacement. But I digress.

We ordered:

Sliced Texas Beef Brisket Sandwich
Rubbed with our secret Brisket Rub then Slow-smoked and smothered in Spicy Mop Sauce, and placed between Garlic Toast and served with your choice of side.

BBQ Jackfruit Burger
Plant-based Burger on Garlic Toast topped with BBQ Jackfruit served with your choice of side.

As well as a few side items and deserts (Hint, pickles may have been present). (Click on photos to view larger size)

Sauces:

The BBQ sauces were nothing really stand out, but as a fast-casual option, they need to appeal to the masses. The “Cook-off” theme comes in to play here with the different sauces being regional representations of bbq styles. A classic pit bbq sauce, a vinegar based sauce, a sweet-but-spicy choice, and a sweet mustard sauce. Those sauce types are the same represented on the walls as you walk in. A Muppet is displaced as the winner of each cook-off style. That’s about it for the cook-off theming so I feel like the slogan of “A Salute to all cook-offs but mostly barbecue” is a bit of a misnomer. They do have the side items of house made pickles, mac and cheese, beans with burnt ends, cole slaw, and seasoned fries. However I view a “cook-off” as many more options.

Side Items:
Regal Eagle bbq saucesRegal Eagle bbq sauces

Speaking of sides, as noted in our video, there’s a bit of a discrepancy with value of sides. You get one side with an entree. Certainly a side of pickles is not in the same range as the fries, mac and cheese, or single slice of garlic bread. Same with the desserts. There is the S’mores Brownie, the Banana Pudding, and for vegans or those wanting a healthy option, cut up watermelon.

My order of watermelon was the extreme rind end of things. Very pale pink and almost too hard to bite into. That was disappointing for $5, the same price as the brownie or pudding.

Final Thoughts before the Regal Eagle Smokehouse Do’s and Don’t’s:

So overall, my thoughts on Regal Eagle is that it’s a fun addition to the America pavilion. If you are a bbq fan, you’ll enjoy it here. If you are a bbq connoisseur, you’d find more authentic styles at Polite Pig or off property altogether. From the looks of Christian’s S’mores brownie, that’s worth a visit. As are the seasoned fries and pickles in my opinion. I’d like to give the salad a try with the chicken on the side for my husband haha.

Craft Drafts Outdoor Bar

The official name of this restaurant is Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts and Barbecue.  So if you’re here for the craft drafts, you will enjoy the new outdoor bar windows. There are a few options inside, but even more outside, including some frozen mixed drinks as well. I’m not a big beer drinker (as mentioned on our City Works review) but even I am intrigued by the cider on tap, and may have to try that out next visit. In any event, it’s a fun addition that I’m sure many will enjoy. This whole new addition is really just like a permanent location for the Epcot International Flower and Garden and Food and Wine Festival offerings for the American Pavilion, so I’m sure they will be immensely popular.

Regal Eagle Bar
Regal Eagle Craft Drafts Outdoor Bar

 

Regal Eagle Smokehouse Do’s and Don’t’s

Do’s

  • Definitely the atmosphere, the seating indoor and out is fun and functional.
  • Drink Stations and sauce stations, a plus.
  • House Made Pickles, I loved them, maybe not for $4.99 tho.
  • Garlic Texas Toast, yes please.
  • Outdoor bar – a win!

Dont’s

  • Side of Garlic Bread. Be aware that not all sides are created equal. $4.99 for 1 slice of store-bought garlic bread? No thanks.
  • Watermelon, $4.99 for unripe/rind ends of watermelon is a no from me.
  • Sauces – don’t go in expecting to find hand-crafted artisinal bbq sauces. These are just standard food supply sauces as you would expect at a quick-serve/counter service/fast-casual location.

Are you planning a visit to the Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Draft and Barbecue? Let me know what you’re most looking forward to trying, of if you’ve been, what you enjoyed or didn’t!

Here’s our vlog from our visit if you’d like so see what it’s like to experience Regal Eagle BBQ:

 

Follow the Zannaland team on social media, watch our videos, vlogs and podcast too: 

We thank you for your support and for sharing the love! 

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REVIEW: ONWARD is Pixar’s Step Backwards

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It may be bold of me to say, but in my opinion, Pixar has somewhat of a rough track record. I think they succeed pretty well at making entertaining films. But only a few have been notably exceptional. Onward is in an interesting position to review. I’m still not entirely sure whether I liked all of it or not.

THE QUEST BEGINS..

I had absolutely no expectations of this movie before watching it. I enjoy Tom Holland and Chris Pratt on their own well enough, but I hadn’t really even been following much of the promotion for the movie. Some of the art looked fun, and I really enjoyed the music choice for the trailer – which is honestly enough to sell me most of the time (and why I plan on seeing F9).

I knew I would inevitably see Onward anyway because the trailer starts with 5 letters and a little lamp jumping on screen. That’s what begins the issues with Onward for me, conceptually.

©2019 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

The past couple Pixar releases have felt off, personally. I still haven’t seen the Good Dinosaur, I missed Finding Dory until 3 years later, Cars 3 was bad, and Toy Story 4 just felt like a tech demo for their animation interns to work on that they accidentally released. 

And even though I did actually like Finding Dory, Incredibles 2, and Coco, they did still feel a bit lazy. Pixar definitely has a particular format they like to stick to – I won’t blame them, it seems to work commercially every time. But Onward is the 22nd film in their collection of releases, and honestly feels exactly the same as 98% of them. 

THE CURSE

© 2019 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

Onward seems like it missed the mark on quite a few subjects to me. The art style feels weird, to be blunt. In a world with actual magic and fantasy characters, I don’t see the need to give every character an odd humanoid face, even if they have only one absurdly large eye. 

It all looks a little odd, and I wish they would’ve done something a bit more creative. The main character of the film even looks like a recolor of Linguini from Ratatouille, which is something that I would think they could avoid.

But my disagreements with the world don’t stop there. Something about the atmosphere just feels kind of cheesy and almost lame. For all intents and purposes, the setting of the film is really doing the same job as that of Shrek, which somehow seems to pull it off more convincingly. That’s a sentence I didn’t think I’d be able to write.

© 2019 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

A LITTLE MAGIC

What I did manage to like from the atmosphere of Onward is honestly just because I enjoy the fantasy genre as a whole. It could’ve been anything on screen but if they were doing magic with wizards and pulling out D&D terms I would be on board. There is certainly a bit of charm that comes along with the Pixar touch, but I don’t think this is something that had to try incredibly hard to pull off.

And that’s my biggest issue of all – it felt pretty easy. The art style was incredibly similar to things they’ve done before (even to things the Director had made before with the studio). The score was safe and almost nonexistent in some parts. 

The things the “Inclusion Team” allegedly insured were in the movie were really bare minimum and easily modifiable for foreign markets that still don’t accept characters being openly gay. All of this making it all feel very unnecessary and almost as if they were forced to include them but were graded on completion, not accuracy.

ANCIENT HISTORY

So what’s the issue, really? Well, co-star of our Up the Waterfall podcast, Scott Otis, pointed out to me that Pixar has had a couple years in the past with two releases: The Good Dinosaur and Inside Out, Cars 3 and Coco, and now Onward and Soul. So statistically, maybe I’m just not a fan of Onward so that I can be a fan of Soul. 

But in all seriousness, I didn’t hate everything about Onward. There were some funny moments, and I think even Pixar’s worst is always an entertaining time. There are definitely people who will like this. But for me, it just feels like another tired attempt for Pixar to play it safe and stick to their patented Pixar-style punch-you-in-the-gut emotional coming of age stories based on half-baked “What if?” ideas.

I would love to see them do something different, and take a massive risk. With the massive budget and solid teamwork they now have, I’m surprised they’ve stuck to this format for so long. The Pixar Sparkshorts on Disney+ are an interesting first attempt at this, but none have really stood out to me on their own, and they definitely feel like something that a small team makes every month or so on their lunch breaks.

ONWARD REVIEW

© 2019 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

Pixar used to be known for pushing the medium of animation forward with compelling new takes. Their films were a fun break from the typical cliches of family animation. Now they’re essentially pushing out Disney’s B-stories that don’t get the bigger spotlight. And sequels.

So is Pixar truly taking a step backward with Onward? It depends on how much you’re able to relate to all of their stories – for me, not a whole lot. Or how much an emotional ending is enough to convince you you liked the movie on your way out of the theater. Again, not much here for me. Maybe it just depends on how much you’re able to enjoy a kids’ movie without thinking about it too much. And clearly I can’t. 

But that’s just me.

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