Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating – Episode #212: Bob Iger on Valuing Ability and Challenges – Former Disney CEO Bob Iger in effect argues against seniority and comfort zones.
Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating – Episode #211: Walt Disney Shunned Repeats – Walt Disney’s simple point on not repeating successes and moving on to other things points to creativity and innovation.
by Beth Keating
News
DisneyBizJournal.com
November 29, 2021
Thanksgiving is now behind us, and Disney is offering up tons of special events around the parks to bring some extra magic to your holiday celebrations, including the Festival of the Holidays and the return of the Candlelight Processional at EPCOT.
Disney Springs also has a number of holiday events to choose from, including a sunset dine at The Edison, and two separate exclusive events at Morimoto Asia.
At The Edison at Disney Springs, guests can watch the sun go down as they sip a cocktail or two at an upcoming Mixology Series on the lakeside patio, where The Edison will be pairing winter-themed drinks with a few delicious gourmet bites. The restaurant’s monthly mixology event features Ketel One Botanicals, and takes place from 5-7 p.m. on December 1, 8, and 15. Tickets are $65 per person, and space is limited. Attendees must be age 21 or older.
During each evening, guests will enjoy two specialty drinks inspired by the “frosty flavors of winter.” Each beverage will have its own flavor-complementing gourmet light bite to nosh on along the way, and there are different drinks and bites for each event.
To reserve a spot, visit PatinaGroup.com/MixologySeries.
The menu for each night includes:
December 1:
Cocktails
• “Snowbird Sipper” – Ketel One Grapefruit Rose, lemon juice, house-batched blueberry cordial, watermelon juice
• “Life is the Bubbles” – Ketel One Grapefruit Rose, St. Germaine Elderflower Liqueur, Chandon Brut
Gourmet bite pairings
• Popcorn Shrimp tossed in citrus aioli
• Dulce de Leche Cheesecake
December 8:
Cocktails
• “Copper Cooler” – Ketel One Cucumber Mint, lime juice, house-batched strawberry lemongrass cordial, Kings Ginger Liqueur, Q Ginger Beer
• “Field of Dreams” – Ketel One Cucumber Mint, strawberry puree, lemon juice, house-batched strawberry lemongrass cordial, cardamom bitters, basil leaves, chopped cucumber
Gourmet bite pairings
• Creamy spinach dip
• Triple Chocolate Voltage Cake
December 15:
Cocktails
• “Winter Heat” – Ketel One Peach & Orange Blossom, Kings Ginger Liqueur, Ancho Reyes Chili Liqueur, house-batched blueberry cordial, lemon juice
• “Honeybee” – Ketel One Peach & Orange Blossom, lemon juice, honey, green tea
Gourmet bite pairings
• DB ‘Clothesline Candied Bacon’
• Electric Fries
At Morimoto Asia, Disney Springs guests have a choice of two different exclusive events this month, and one of them will surely put a dent in your Christmas budget.
On December 4, “Yamazaki 55 Momokase,” hosted by Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto and the Morimoto Asia team, will set you back a cool $5,055 per person. Nope, that’s not a typo.
Billed as “a truly once-in-a-lifetime evening,” the event features the oldest and most rare Japanese whisky - Yamazaki 55. According to Morimoto Asia, “only 200 bottles of this 55-year-old luxurious elixir have ever been produced.” One of those bottles is waiting at Morimoto Asia.
Beginning at 7:30 p.m., the limited seating of only 14 guests will assemble at Morimoto’s sushi bar to enjoy a multi-course dining experience, customized and served by Chef Morimoto himself. Each course will be paired with aged Yamazaki whiskies of 12, 18, and 25 years.
At the end of the meal, diners will have the opportunity to become one of a select few in the world to get to taste “the smooth and woody notes of the exclusive and high-end Yamazaki 55.” As a remembrance of this honor, diners will also take home a custom engraved Yamazaki 55 glass.
If that unique meal is a little out of your price range, you can also opt for a Morimoto Asia dining opportunity on the following evening, December 5. Tapping in at only $95 per person (not including tax and gratuity), the annual “12 Beers of Christmas” event is also hosted by Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, and features holiday-themed beers and gourmet bites. Guests can choose between two different seating options: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., or 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Each seating highlights 12 holiday-themed brews from Florida breweries, paired with 12 pan-Asian dishes, including traditional okonomiyaki; takoyaki; sushi & raw bar; and Peking duck. Diners can also choose to upgrade their experience at a cost of $600 plus tax and gratuity for a private dining room (dining rooms hold six guests); or a private booth for $400 plus tax and gratuity (booths hold four guests). All guests must be 21 years or older to attend.
Of course, if these dining opportunities aren’t to your wallet’s liking, there’s always the free Christmas Tree Stroll and a few seasonal snacks from around Disney Springs. I hear the “Lump of Coal” at Jock Lindsey’s Holiday Bar is quite good, and at only $12.00, there will be room to add on an “Elf Elixir” for an additional $13.00!
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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.
Please support the efforts of DisneyBizJournal.com to bring news, analysis and commentary on Disney to readers such as yourself. Make a contribution right here via PayPal. Thanks!
For You and a Great Christmas Gift! The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution is here! It combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more. Also, “The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution” comes with a handy spiral binding for easy use.
by Ray Keating
Review
DisneyBizJournal.com
November 28, 2021
Plenty of reasons exist to watch The Beatles: Get Back documentary that has just premiered on Disney+. I’d like to touch on five.
First, this three-part, nearly-eight-hour-long docuseries, directed by Oscar-winner Peter Jackson, is a unique, immersive look at The Beatles – Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. Jackson taps more than 60 hours of unseen footage (originally shot by director Michael Lindsay-Hogg) and 150-plus hours of audio created in January 1969. Not only is Jackson’s masterful restoration fascinating to watch, but to his credit, he lets The Beatles during these sessions, in effect, tell their own story.
Second, if you love music history and/or rank as a fan of The Beatles, this documentary series is a “must see.” There’s so much here in terms of the relationship between the band members as they work and create together, have disagreements, but mainly, appear to enjoy their time and work together. The close relationship, including creative trust, between Lennon and McCartney is evident, even at this late stage of their collaboration. Keep in mind that these sessions, which wind up producing material appearing on the group’s last two albums – Abbey Road and Let It Be – come not long before the band breaks up.
Third, watching the interactions of the group, including their entire rooftop concert on London’s Savile Row (and the amusing response of local police), I couldn’t help but be perplexed at The Beatles coming to an end not that long afterwards. For example, we see George Harrison go from briefly quitting the band to eventually talking about each member doing their own thing on occasion, while also still regularly working together as a group – and how that could help The Beatles continue.
At another point, John Lennon talks about how much he likes the new Apple studio that they just moved into and is looking forward to working there, saying it felt like “home.” Yet, Lennon would be the one who brings The Beatles to an end. And in that light, Yoko Ono’s presence in the sessions comes across as strange, as she seems to just sit next to Lennon for hours on end, doing little else. One is left wondering – as has been the case for more than five decades now – how much of that was real-life foreshadowing regarding her role in Lennon’s ending the band?
Fourth, Paul McCartney clearly has taken the reins as band leader at this point. He is the driving force. It’s also interesting to hear him talking about the need for discipline, and how they needed a manager who could instill such discipline, something that hadn’t occurred since their former manager Brian Epstein – who the band members still refer to as “Mr. Epstein” – had died. McCartney understands what’s needed, but also knows his own limitations, including as a band member, and that he could not fill that position.
Fifth, all creators – whether musicians, songwriters, book authors, filmmakers, painters or so on – should watch The Beatles: Get Back documentary. Getting to watch Paul McCartney at the keyboard working through the creation of songs that we will all come to know and love is invaluable. Not only is it fascinating, but it is informative and inspirational.
Indeed, this entire documentary, rather than feeding a voyeurism of how this band broke up, instead fuels an admiration for the incredible creativity and talent of all four members of The Beatles. This is a band that has become legendary over the decades, and this documentary, while in no way hagiography, confirms the status of The Beatles among the very greatest artists of the rock ‘n’ roll era.
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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.
The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?
Great Christmas Gift! The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution is here! It combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more. Also, “The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution” comes with a handy spiral binding for easy use.
Keating has three new books out. Vatican Shadows: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel is the 13th thriller/mystery in the Pastor Stephen Grant series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed books at www.raykeatingonline.com. Past Lives: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story is the 14th book in the series. Again, get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed book at www.raykeatingonline.com. And order the 15th book in the series What’s Lost? A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story – grab it at Amazon.com or signed editions at www.raykeatingonline.com.
Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.
Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating – Episode #208: Why Do You Work? – Walt Disney had key insights on why people should work.
Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating – Episode #209: Walt Disney on Respecting Others – Walt Disney hit on a critical point on free enterprise, a point most probably miss.
Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating – Episode #210: Anton Ego in “Ratatouille” on Great Artists – A key insight on great artists from “Ratatouille.”
The “Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating” podcast serves up a Disney or Disney-related quote each day, with DisneyBizJournal’s Ray Keating offering brief, additional thoughts on how each dose ties in to life, career, business, entrepreneurship, creativity, storytelling, work, or just plain fun.
by Beth Keating
News
DisneyBizJournal.com
November 24, 2021
With Thanksgiving crowds pouring into Disney parks on both coasts, and the Christmas holiday vacationers still to come, Disney has begun restricting sales of its annual pass programs. On Sunday evening, they suspended sales of 3 of the 4 tiers of their Disney World passes, with only the lowest tier, the Pixie Dust pass, remaining available for Florida residents.
Today (Wednesday, November 24), Disneyland (California) stopped selling its Believe Key, the second-highest tier of its Magic Key annual passholder program. Disney ceased sales of the top tier “Dream” Key option in October. The two lowest levels of the pass, the Enchant and Imagine Keys, remain available, however the Imagine Key is only available to Southern California residents.
According to KTLA in Los Angeles, Disneyland officials said, “Due to the popularity of the new Magic Key program and in order to deliver a great guest experience for all guests, the Believe Key is sold out at this time. The Enchant Key and Imagine Key – the other Magic Key types – remain on sale at this time. All Magic Key holders, including current Dream and Believe Key holders, will continue to have access to Magic Key holder benefits, such as the Magic Key terrace, specialty merchandise, select discounts, an upcoming Magic Key holder month, and many more special experiences, some announced and others yet to be announced.”
Disneyland’s Magic Key passes were priced at $1,399 for the Dream Key; $949 for the Believe Key; $649 for the Enchant Key; and $399 for the Imagine Key. Each key offers a varying range of blockout dates, parking options, and park reservation allotments.
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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.
Please support the efforts of DisneyBizJournal.com to bring news, analysis and commentary on Disney to readers such as yourself. Make a contribution right here via PayPal. Thanks!
For You and a Great Christmas Gift! The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution is here! It combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more. Also, “The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution” comes with a handy spiral binding for easy use.
Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating – Episode #207: Walt Disney’s Greatest Reward – Walt Disney once told us what his greatest reward was in life – it might surprise you.
The “Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating” podcast serves up a Disney or Disney-related quote each day, with DisneyBizJournal’s Ray Keating offering brief, additional thoughts on how each dose ties in to life, career, business, entrepreneurship, creativity, storytelling, work, or just plain fun.
by Beth Keating
Review
DisneyBizJournal.com
November 23, 2021
One of the most highly sought after dining reservations right now at Disney World in Florida is Steakhouse 71, the new eatery that moved into the former location of “The Wave… of American Flavors” at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. The Wave closed in July before the site underwent renovations.
In fact, the buzz for this new restaurant has been so hot that after days of trying to lock in a dinner reservation, the only seats we could book turned out to be breakfast reservations nearly three weeks out. It turns out that the buzz is well deserved.
Opening on October 1, 2021 (the kick-off for the 50th Anniversary of Disney World), the new casual sit-down dining location takes its name from the opening year of the Magic Kingdom (1971), with a subtle tip of the hat to the well-loved Steakhouse 55 at Disneyland in California. Its home is on the first floor of the Contemporary, one of Disney World’s original hotels.
Like many other locations around the Disney Parks, Steakhouse 71 is offering a few specialty dishes to honor the 50th Anniversary celebrations this year. One of the special offerings at Steakhouse 71 is Walt’s Prime Rib Hash ($17.00), and two of our diners opted to try what was reportedly among Walt Disney’s favorite foods. Made with seared prime rib, fried potatoes, caramelized onions and peppers topped with a fried egg, it’s a disservice to call this “hash.” The word doesn’t come close to doing justice for this flavorful dish. The prime rib was tender, and the seasoning tied together the entire dish.
Another diner opted for the Steakhouse 71 Seasonal Pancakes ($14.00), which on this day was a set of delicious pumpkin pancakes. (The selection, as the name implies, will change with the seasons, but this choice was a worthy contender.)
Served with either bacon, pork sausage, or chicken sausage, the pancakes had a decorative drizzle of icing and a set of candied pecans centered on the top. The pancakes themselves had a hint of sweetness, and definitely did not have the stereotypical cinnamon and nutmeg laced flavor that generally permeates pumpkin anything this time of year. Rather, the pancakes were delicate and fluffy, offering just a hint of “autumn” without being overpowering. The surprise accent to the meal was the syrup, which was a coffee infused syrup with the coffee notes on the backend to finish the syrup. Totally unexpected, and a very nice accompaniment to the pancakes’ light pumpkin flavor.
The restaurant was open and airy, despite the fact that as an interior restaurant, there are no windows to the outside world. In undertaking the remodel, Disney made sure the new restaurant was considerably lighter in atmosphere than its dimly lit predecessor, something that had been a common complaint among previous diners in the space. Steakhouse 71 has windows, of a sort, in the middle of the restaurant, looking into the bar area (which you are welcome to visit without needing reservations, as a first come-first served locale.) And with a very odd piece of commentary, the dining chairs were likely the most comfortable restaurant seating we recall having in a long time!
The entry to the restaurant, which many remember as a “tunnel” leading into the reception area, is now brighter as well, and offers a bit of a time capsule into the early beginnings of the Magic Kingdom via oversized black and white photos of the construction process.
The service was wonderful at Steakhouse 71, with many of the staff coming over to the new digs from The Wave, including our waiter for the morning, who’d been at The Wave for five years. He was friendly and welcoming, offering helpful descriptions of the entrees, making sure we got our breakfasts in a timely manner so we could get over to the parks.
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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.
Please support the efforts of DisneyBizJournal.com to bring news, analysis and commentary on Disney to readers such as yourself. Make a contribution right here via PayPal. Thanks!
For You and a Great Christmas Gift! The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution is here! It combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more. Also, “The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution” comes with a handy spiral binding for easy use.
Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating – Episode #206: Walt Disney on Ideas and Originality – Here are two lessons from Walt Disney in one short quote covering creativity and originality.
The “Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating” podcast serves up a Disney or Disney-related quote each day, with DisneyBizJournal’s Ray Keating offering brief, additional thoughts on how each dose ties in to life, career, business, entrepreneurship, creativity, storytelling, work, or just plain fun.
Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating – Episode #205: Walt Disney and Purpose of Making Money – Walt Disney always had interesting things to say about money and creativity.
by Ray Keating
News/Analysis
DisneyBizJournal.com
November 22, 2021
Businesses across the United States are facing assorted supply chain and labor struggles as the economy continues to struggle to emerge the pandemic. Oh yeah, and there’s the fact that inflation is running hot. No one seems immune, including the Walt Disney Company.
Consider that Disney faces the same cost increases being confronted by other businesses given inflation, and as a result have implemented a variety of price increases that certainly haven’t pleased any Disney aficionados. But there are more challenges, and Disney’s announcement yesterday that it was “pausing new sales of select Annual Passes” at Walt Disney World is emblematic of these difficulties.
To recap, Disney World had suspended new annual pass sales during its pandemic shutdown, with sales of revamped passes resuming in September of this year, linked to the 50th anniversary celebration of Walt Disney World kicking off on October 1. Great, right? My family, freshly moved from New York to Florida, got our annual passes.
Well, roughly two months later, the sales of three of the four available passes – Disney Pirate Pass, Disney Sorcerer Pass and Disney Incredi-Pass – are suspended. The cheapest pass option – the Disney Pixie Dust Pass – is still available.
Disney also noted, “All current Passholders can continue to renew into any of our four pass types – at their renewal rate – and continue to visit using their pass.”
By the way, in August, when it was announced that new annual pass sales would resume, the company did warn that new pass sales might be again suspended “as we continue to manage attendance to provide a great experience for everyone.”
Clearly, Disney hasn’t suddenly forgotten how to run its theme parks. And it’s not trying to annoy its customers (I mean, guests). “Managing attendance” isn’t just about limiting attendance to assure a “great experience.” It’s also about having the people, merchandise and other inputs needed to provide quality customer service. In this economy, that’s anything but a given.
(Also, on the personal anecdote front along these lines, I’ve noticed that less merchandise appears to be available for purchase in various Disney Springs stores run by Disney, as well as at assorted resorts.)
Disney is not magically immune from the realities of the economy. The company faces challenges in terms of getting the people and resources needed to operate the parks in typical fashion. Hence, it’s not all that surprising to see decisions and policies being made by Disney that seem, well, rather un-Disney.
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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.
The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?
Great Christmas Gift! The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution is here! It combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more. Also, “The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution” comes with a handy spiral binding for easy use.
Keating has three new books out. Vatican Shadows: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel is the 13th thriller/mystery in the Pastor Stephen Grant series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed books at www.raykeatingonline.com. Past Lives: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story is the 14th book in the series. Again, get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed book at www.raykeatingonline.com. And order the 15th book in the series What’s Lost? A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story – grab it at Amazon.com or signed editions at www.raykeatingonline.com.
Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.
by Beth Keating
News/Review
DisneyBizJournal.com
November 20, 2021
The Destination D23 event, postponed from earlier dates because of the pandemic, kicked off this morning at Disney World in Florida. D23 is the official Disney fan club, and their gathering is a combination of discussion panels, exhibits, entertainment moments, and specialty souvenir shopping. Guests at the event are treated to presentations from Imagineers, authors, archivists, animators, entertainers, historians, Disney Legends, and others.
The opening panel this morning, “Destination D23 Connections: A Look at the Future of Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products,” hosted by Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, offered up looks at artist renderings and video of construction projects underway at each of Disney’s domestic and international parks, as well as a few nuggets on upcoming projects (plus a really cool look at an actual lightsaber!).
While the D23 event is known for dropping big announcements on groundbreaking new attractions and programming, there wasn’t much in the way of earth-shattering news this morning. (The weekend is still young, however.)
Much of what was shared was an expansion of some of the information guests were already privy to, such as a look at some of the activities that are planned aboard the Star Wars Hotel, the Galactic Starcruiser. We had earlier heard about lightsaber training, but this morning we got a sneak peek of Josh D’Amaro in the training pod, and also heard about a new character, Gaia, a galactically famous space diva, who will be onboard and part of the live action storytelling on the Halcyon from Imagineer Scott Trowbridge. (Scott helped bring Galaxy’s Edge and Rise of the Resistance to life.) According to Scott, we’ll get a snippet from her on a November 28 ABC holiday special.
And while we know that the official opening of the Halcyon is on March 1, if you were listening closely, you would have heard that there will be some “advanced voyages” in February.
A few of the biggest announcements included:
• Parades will be returning to many of the parks, including Festival of Fantasy Parade at Disney World.
• A reimagined version of the Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire castle show will be debuting during the 50th Anniversary Celebration at Magic Kingdom.
• Fantasmic will soon be returning to the Disney Parks on both coasts.
• World of Color will be returning to Disney California Adventure in the new year.
• The Main Street Electrical Parade will be coming back to the Disneyland Resort next year.
• The new generation of MagicBand+ will be coming to Disney World next year. It includes all the functions of the current MagicBands, but adds new technology to unlock interactive experiences throughout the parks. MagicBand+ will also be making its debut at Disneyland Resort in California in 2022.
• Disney S.E.A. fans will get a new book series in April 2022, and can get an early look at those stories in an interview with the books’ author, Julie Kagawa, on an episode of Disney Insider on Disney+ next month. A Disney+ series based on those stories is in development.
• Disney’s voice assistant version of Alexa, “Hey, Disney!”, will be rolling out in 2022 in Disney World hotels, but now the “Hey, Disney! Disney Magical Companion” will also be coming to Disneyland California as well.
• We got a look at the clay model for the Dreamer’s Point sculpture of Walt that will be a centerpiece at EPCOT’s World Celebration.
• There is a planned opening of a new quick service restaurant in EPCOT called Connections Café and Eatery in World Celebration.
• Glenn Close popped in via video appearance to announce that she will be reprising her role as Nova Prime for the new Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind attraction at EPCOT, opening summer 2022. We also saw new concept art for the gallery in the ride queue that will tell us more about life on Zandar.
• Walt Disney Imagineering Research and Development shared a video of some of the tech they are working on, as well as an on-stage pneumatic display with Project Exo, bringing a concept development look at some of the experimental technology that Disney is working on to improve character technology and push the boundaries of storytelling capabilities, especially for cast actors.
• We already knew that Mickey’s ToonTown in California was getting a refurb, but we got to see artist renderings for the return of the Toon Town Hills that were taken down to construct the Mickey and Minnie Runaway Railway.
• Downtown Disney at Disneyland California is getting a renovation, with the AMC Theater area revamping for new dining and shopping venues, and a wide open lawn space to be used for events and for guests’ relaxation.
• The Disneyland Hotel Tower in California (planned opening in 2023) showed off renderings with a more detailed explanation of the Sleeping Beauty inspiration for the color palettes and artwork for the rooms, with drawings of room concepts and the pool area.
• For the international parks, D’Amaro showed off a series of video clips and artist renderings of progress at locations including the new Frozen Land at Disneyland Hong Kong (with a new nighttime spectacular for next year); the Fantasy Springs area, the 8th and largest port with a new hotel, shopping, dining and attractions in Tokyo Disneyland, featuring Frozen, Tangled and Peter Pan; and Shanghai’s Zootopia Land, with some amazing new attraction technology.
• Concept art was shared for the 30th Anniversary celebration in Disneyland Paris next year (March 6th), with a new, limited time Castle hub show. Disney Stars on Parade and Disney Illuminations will be returning for the anniversary, and Avengers Campus will open in summer of 2022 as part of Disneyland Paris’ 30th Anniversary.
• Two new shows will be coming to the Disney Cruise Line on board the Disney Wish. Seas the Adventure, featuring Captain Minnie and a cast of Disney friends, and a new, reimagined theatrical production based on The Little Mermaid, will be joining the existing Aladdin show.
While all these new (and quasi-new) announcements were welcome, perhaps one of the most poignant moments of the morning was Josh D’Amaro’s closing moments on stage. A mini-staging of sorts, Josh was joined on the platform by numerous characters and cast members embodying the various attractions and experiences that have already returned, a symbolic representation of just how far we’ve come in the past few months. The Dapper Dans; cast members from The Festival of The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage; Captains Mickey and Minnie from the Disney Cruise Line; the Taiko Drummers; a bride representing the return of Disney Fairy Tale Weddings; Drawn to Life performers from Cirque du Soleil; and many other cast members surrounded the stage as a reminder of everything that has returned, from shows to restaurants to experiences to Resorts.
As Disney fans always looking for the next big thing, it’s easy to forget that we’ve just come through a pandemic that shut the world down. Josh’s closing remarks was a reminder of the road we are still travelling.
Destination D23 continues through the rest of the weekend with additional panels, including this afternoon’s “WORLDBUILDING for Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser,” a panel on the creation of the layers of experiences planned for the new hotel. A complete listing of the panels and activities is available at D23’s website. You can also watch live streams of many of the discussions on YouTube.
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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.
Please support the efforts of DisneyBizJournal.com to bring news, analysis and commentary on Disney to readers such as yourself. Make a contribution right here via PayPal. Thanks!
For You and a Great Christmas Gift! The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution is here! It combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more. Also, “The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution” comes with a handy spiral binding for easy use.
