Disney+ Announces Drive-In Event in October

 by Ray Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

September 29, 2020

 

I miss drive-in movie theaters. Yeah, I know there are still some scattered around the country, but especially in suburban and urban areas, the value of land simply has driven the drive-in into near-extinction. 

Perhaps that’s why almost every visit to Disney World requires a stop at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater at Hollywood Studios. I love the entire experience, from the tables made like classic cars to the big screen serving up ‘50s sci-fi clips to the burgers and shakes.

 

A very minor benefit that emerged during this horrible pandemic has been the pop-up drive-in movie “theaters” offered by various organizations. A Catholic Church in my neighborhood put up a big screen in their parking lot, as did a VFW post not too far away.

 

Now, Disney is getting in on the drive-in game – at least for those fortunate enough to live in southern California. The Disney+ Drive-In Festival will run from October 5-12 at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California.

 

What’s on the schedule?

 

The Red Carpet Premiere of the Disney+/National Geographic show The Right Stuff will happen on October 5. It starts streaming on Disney+ on October 9.

 

Another Red Carpet Premiere will occur on October 12 for the Disney+ original movie Clouds. That will begin streaming on October 16.

In between these two premieres, the public will be able to enjoy an assortment of classics. For example, that will include celebrations of the 10th anniversary of Tangled, the 40th anniversary of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, and The Sound Of Music Sing-A-Long marking the 55th anniversary of the Rodgers & Hammerstein film. Hispanic Heritage Month will be noted with the Pixar Animation Studio film Coco, and the International Day of the Girl will see Captain Marvel on the big screen. And some Halloween fun will be offered along with a viewing of Hocus Pocus. Disney notes, “Each night will get started with a classic animated short, fan-favorite episodes of The Simpsons or sneak peek trailers from Disney+ Originals on the big screen.”

 

Here’s the schedule according to Disney:

 

Monday, October 5 – The Right Stuff – World Premiere Screening (Invite Only)

 

Tuesday, October 6 – Tangled 10th Anniversary Screening (Open to the public. Register beginning September 28)

 

Wednesday, October 7 – Coco Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month (Open to the public. Register beginning September 28)

 

Thursday, October 8 – Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back 40th Anniversary Screening (Open to the public. Register beginning September 28)

 

Friday, October 9 – Hocus Pocus Disney+ Halloween Night (Open to the public. Register beginning September 28)

 

Saturday, October 10 – The Sound of Music Sing-A-Long 55th Anniversary Screening (Open to the public. Register beginning September 28)

 

Sunday, October 11 – Captain Marvel Celebrating International Day of the Girl (Open to the public. Register beginning September 28)

 

Monday, October 12 – Clouds – World Premiere Screening (Invite Only)

 

Disney also reported: “Capacity is extremely limited and reservations will be required to attend. Beginning Monday, September 28 at 10 a.m. PT, fans can register for complimentary tickets at www.disneyplus.com/drive-in. One registration is required for each vehicle, with a maximum of four guests per vehicle. Event capacity is extremely limited and reservations will be required.”

 

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

Also, get the paperback or Kindle edition of Ray Keating’s new book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York.

 

“Tangled: The Musical” Offers More Broadway Style Viewing for Fans

by Beth Keating

News/Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

July 26, 2020

Now that you’ve watched Hamilton three or four or seven times on Disney+, you are probably looking for some new Disney productions to fill your pandemic days.  Disney Magic Moments is coming to the rescue.  Offered up this week on the Disney Parks Blog, the previously recorded full-length version of Tangled: The Musical, features the original cast from the show’s opening in the Walt Disney Theatre onboard the Disney Magic.

A musical adaptation of the 2010 Tangled movie, this Broadway-style Disney Cruise Line exclusive opened in 2015, casting Elisha Ainsley as Rapunzel, Nick Pankuch as Flynn Rider, Katie Whetsell as Mother Gothel, and puppeteer/actor David Colston Corris as Maximus the horse. Tangled is based on the Grimm’s fairy tale of the lost princess Rapunzel.

The live stage extravaganza was created by a Grammy, Tony, Emmy and Academy Award winning team. Academy Award-winning composer Alan Menken and Grammy Award-winning lyricist Glenn Slater were the duo who brought you the soundtrack behind the animated film with all the Tangled songs that you know and love, and they added three new original songs to the Cruise Line production, including the opening number, “Flower of Gold.” 

Adding to the collaboration is master puppet designer Michael Curry, who brings you the life-sized, mischievous Maximus the horse. Curry has previously won awards for his work with Olympic ceremonies and on Broadway, and has designed for such diverse entertainers as Cirque du Soleil, The Metropolitan Opera, Michael Jackson, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga. 

Tony Award winner Paloma Young is the designer responsible for Tangled: The Musical’s vibrant eye-catching costumes. You may know her work from Peter and the Starcatcher. 

Bradley Kaye, scenic design, has been involved in a number of Disney Cruise Line productions, including Halloween on the High Seas and Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular, as well as in Disney Parks’ shows, parades, and locales, such as Star Wars Launch Bay. He has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle.

The energetic show takes place on a series of moving sets, an amazing feat when you recall that the show’s home is on a cruise ship with limited space. The opening number, with its appearing and disappearing elevator floor, is an ingenious way of giving all the backstory and exposition needed to jump right into Rapunzel’s tale, in a purely musical way, of course.  The floating lanterns in the night sky later in the production are an especially fun touch that surely was even more enchanting in person in the theater. 

To make your evening of viewing more complete, Disney Parks Blog also offers a recipe for making your very own purple and yellow Tangled popcorn to eat while you are watching the show.  It’s not quite the same as enjoying one of the Tangled “Lost Princess” Dole Whip adjacent cones from Storybook Treats in the Magic Kingdom, or last summer’s limited edition Tangled éclair with its sugared flowers and miniature chocolate frying pan from Pinocchio Village Haus, but you can get the popcorn recipe here.

If you are hooked on Disney Cruise Line’s Broadway-esque productions, you might also like to catch a glimpse of the Beauty and the Beast production from aboard the Disney Dream. Back in April, at the beginning of the pandemic, Disney Magic Moments posted a 20-minute long, narrated and edited video of highlighted scenes from the Disney Cruise Line version of the Beauty and the Beast Musical. 

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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.

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