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| Artwork Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog |
Yesterday, Disney put out a few small posts on their blog that provided updates to things that were already in the works. I wouldn't consider any of these to be earth shattering news, but since there were a few stories in rapid fire succession, I thought we would take a look at them all here and provide some commentary where applicable.
The thing I find the most interesting about these tidbits is the timing. Next week is Destination D23, the every-other-year fan event held in Orlando. This alternates with the larger D23 events which are held in Anaheim. Last year was one of the biggest D23 events I can remember, with major announcements affecting all parks in the future.
The "Destination" branded events are designed to be smaller, with less parks news announced. Even still, there's usually an item or two - at least - that can whet the Disney fan appetite. This year appears to be different, as there is no dedicated Parks panel, so many fans are thinking that there was nothing to announce. Most people assumed that if any Parks news came out, they would be updates to previously announced projects. But the news that came out yesterday served this exact purpose. Why not wait a week? I guess we'll find out if there is anything of note at Destination D23, but for now, on with the news.
A Look Inside the Beak and Barrel:
Disney's newest lounge marketed towards adults is coming to Adventureland at the Magic Kingdom starting August 29. This was announced a while back and had obviously been under construction for a while. Reservations for the new lounge were supposed to open last week, but the demand crashed Disney's servers and the date had to be pushed back to this week.
In any case, you can take a look at some photos from the new pirate themed lounge here. That post also takes you through the various parts of the lounge - the Mess, the Cursed Bar, the Captains' Quarters, the Captains' Booth and the Mapmaker's Room.
I don't have a lot to add to this. The theming looks nice and I love a good pirate motif. Its location right near Pirates of the Caribbean makes this whole area feel more pirate-y, and that's probably a good thing. Lounges aren't really my thing - I generally don't drink while I'm at Disney World. But this is a demographic Disney has been cultivating, and more of this type of thing is popping up around their parks. It's sure to be a huge success, and I suspect it will be crowded for a long time.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Updates:
Big Thunder Mountain has been undergoing refurbishment at Magic Kingdom, and will be down until 2026. When this was announced, my thought was that Disney would be adding a bunch of visual effects, which would make it much like the Disneyland version of this attraction. I also hoped that the track work would make the ride a bit smoother and more modern.
Based on what we've been told so far, these changes definitely look like they're in the visual department. The only thing officially announced so far are the "Rainbow Caverns", which add some color and depth to this section of the ride. They say that "more new magic" is coming but nothing specific. Anything that can be done to spruce that attraction up will probably be worth it; ultimately the Disneyland version feels like a sleeker version of this classic. I was a bit disappointed that no further opening date was given - it still just says it's reopening in 2026. This "news" all felt a bit light to me.
Rock N Roller Coast Updates:
Speaking of updates, here's more news on the new Rock N Roller Coaster now featuring the Muppets. After MuppetVision 3D closed, much to the chagrin of many, Disney threw fans a bone by announcing this update to the coaster (Muppets in, Aerosmith out). Today's update shows a lot more of the pre-show and queue area, and gives more detail as to the story behind the ride.
My biggest takeaway from this is that I'm glad it's actually happening. Often things get announced and then quietly dropped and it was always possible that this was going to be the case here. The Muppets name got people to back off being so upset with the previous closure, but it could have very easily been a red herring and Disney would "change their minds" at some point in the future. It sure doesn't seem that way at this point.
The ride itself seems like it will largely be the same and even the iconic guitar outside the attraction will remain, but with a Muppets twist. I think this is a good way to keep the Muppets presence in the parks, and to get away from a rock band that most younger people don't even know. Once again, no further update was provided on a date - it's simply "coming in 2026" again.
Zootopia: Better Zoogether Opening Date:
Ah, look, an actual date for something! This new show at Animal Kingdom is located in the Tree of Life and it replaces It's Tough to be a Bug. We have known this for a while, but now it's official - this show opens November 7. Besides Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps, this show introduces us to Heidi Howler, who appears to be the host. I'm not sure if this character is in Zootopia 2 or if she was just created for this attraction. But the November opening date should not be a coincidence, seeing as it's about two weeks before the new movie opens in theaters.
In addition, Disney announced that Nick and Judy will be meeting at Discovery Island, near the Tree of Life as well. These have largely been "rare" characters, so it's good that they will be more accessible here and add a nice tie-in to this attraction. I enjoyed It's Tough to be a Bug but I am a big Zootopia fan and I'm hoping that the new show captures the fun of the movie. As we have discussed many times, Animal Kingdom is severely hurting for new attractions, so getting this one open will be a big help, even if it's just a replacement and not a "big" attraction. Anything new will be popular, so the guest utilization will surely be higher than for the Bug's Life attraction for some time to come.
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