Raimi Directing Dr. Strange 2 Leads to Creative and Box Office Success

 by Ray Keating

Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

May 16, 2022

 

DisneyBizJournal.com Movie Rating: 5 stars out of 5

DisneyBizJournal.com Box Office Rating:  $$$$ out of $$$$

 

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ranks as one of the very best Marvel Studios movies ever made, certainly by far the top entry since Avengers: Endgame, and it is justifiably getting rewarded at the box office. By the way, I serve up this assessment as someone who has never been a big Dr. Strange fan.

 

And yes, most of the credit for these creative and business achievements goes to Sam Raimi and his skills as a director.

Raimi already had three of the finest superhero films ever made on his resume – that is, Spider-Man(2002), Spider-Man 2 (2004), and Spider-Man 3  (2007) – along with a wide-ranging group of other films. He brought this formidable experience to work in a Marvel film at a time when the studio clearly needed something big. After all, recent Marvel movies haven’t exactly been memorable. Black Widow and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings were little more than adequate, and Eternals was simply abysmal (see our review). Spider-Man: No Way Home, of course, was excellent (again, check out our rundown), but that was a Sony release that plays in the Marvel universe; it was not a Disney-Marvel Studios movie.

 

Raimi accomplished a great deal with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

 

The story was solid. It made sense and was entertaining (such basics cannot be assumed – see the Eternals). The characters, for the most part, were interesting. Indeed, some notable characters were introduced, or re-introduced, and wound up going to surprising places, adding unexpected aspects and richness to the film. Also, Raimi provided touches from assorted genres that he has worked in before, including horror, although the film doesn’t go too far. Yes, this is a hard PG-13, but definitely not an R.

 

Multiverse of Madness is a visually enthralling film as well. The special effects add to the movie, as opposed to some recent Marvel films in which very expensive special effects managed to distract and detract from the story (that was the case with Shang-Chi).

 

Perhaps most surprising was one thing that Raimi was allowed to do, and it made a big difference. Dr. Strange corrected or remedied the abysmal ending to the Disney+ WandaVision series (see our take). After committing an assortment of atrocities due to suffering personal losses (both real and imagined), Wanda’s actions in WandaVision were effectively justified or simply shrugged off at the end of the series. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness tossed aside such nonsense, or moral obtuseness, and made clear the evil that Wanda, or the Scarlett Witch, commits.

 

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness turned out to be engrossing, fascinating, and entertaining on multiple levels.

 

At the close of its second weekend (as of May 15), the film grossed $292 million domestically and earned $688 million globally. Those numbers run far ahead of the total box office take for each of the three previous Marvel Studios movies – Black Widow, Shang-Chi and Eternals.

 

Here’s a lesson for Marvel: Don’t shy away from getting top-notch directors to make your films, not to mention your Disney+ series. Disney certainly has enough funds available to get the best directors – ones that can handle the scope and the genre, while telling stories well. Sam Raimi directing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness makes clear that such decisions make creative and box office sense.

 

__________

 

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?

 

Two great ways to pre-order Cathedral: An Alliance of Saint Michael Novel, which is Ray’s sixteenth work of fiction, and the first in the Alliance of Saint Michael series. Signed paperbacks here and the Kindle edition here. 

 

Two great ways to order Ray Keating’s new nonfiction book – The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist. Signed paperbacks here, and paperbacks, hardcovers and Kindle editions here.  

 

Get all of Ray Keating Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries in paperback and for the Kindle at Amazon.com and signed books at www.RayKeatingOnline.com. 

 

Get more out of the rest of 2022 with The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution! 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. It’s on sale and shipping is always free!

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.

What’s the Deal with “Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind”?

 by Ray Keating

Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

May 15, 2022

 

Okay, let’s just state this right upfront: Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is the greatest roller coaster I’ve ever ridden.

Cosmic Rewind in Walt Disney World’s EPCOT pulls together everything one could ever want in a thrill ride. Though it doesn’t officially open until May 27, 2022, annual passholders were able to take early rides. My family had a slot on Sunday (May 15), and I was perhaps never so happy to have my annual pass.

 

First, it offers a story that not only makes sense, but integrates Guardians of the Galaxy characters in such a way that this theme park ride fits in neatly with the movies. Characters from the movies appear, as does a delightful addition. The ride captures the same feel of adventure and humor. 

Second, great music is such an important part of the Guardians movies, in particular, in the story of Peter Quill, or Star-Lord. The imagineers who created the ride wisely understood this, and music is central to the Cosmic Rewind ride. When saying that this ride rocked, it literally rocks. My adventure played out to Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September.” Have you ever wanted to sing along while riding a roller coaster? I did on Cosmic Rewind. It was pretty much perfect. The other five songs in the mix (riders are unaware which tune they’ll ride to) are “Disco Inferno,” “Conga,” “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” “I Ran” and “One Way or Another.”

 

Third, this is an incredibly smooth roller coaster ride – even as you're twisting, turning, ascending and descending in one of the largest indoor coasters in the world. For good measure, riders are being rotated 360 degrees to keep their focus on the action. And yes, the special effects riders travel through are immersive. And it all flows together beautifully.

Fourth, given that this was a special event for annual passholders, the wait was not as long as would normally be the case, but what I took in while traveling through the queue was delightful – expanding on the story undergirding the ride.

 

Did I have any complaints? Just one: The merchandise store was not yet open. If it had been, I likely would have emerged with my wallet considerably lighter.

 

What will happen when May 27 rolls around? Disney explains, “When Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind opens, a virtual queue will be in place. Guests will need to use the My Disney Experience app to enter the attraction. A standby queue will not be available. Each Guest can enter the virtual queue no more than once per day.”

 

Bottom line: When you visit Walt Disney World, you must ride Cosmic Rewind.

 

__________

 

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?

 

Two great ways to pre-order Cathedral: An Alliance of Saint Michael Novel, which is Ray’s sixteenth work of fiction, and the first in the Alliance of Saint Michael series. Signed paperbacks here and the Kindle edition here. 

 

Two great ways to order Ray Keating’s new nonfiction book – The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist. Signed paperbacks here, and paperbacks, hardcovers and Kindle editions here.  

 

Get all of Ray Keating Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries in paperback and for the Kindle at Amazon.com and signed books at www.RayKeatingOnline.com. 

 

Get more out of the rest of 2022 with The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution! 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. It’s on sale and shipping is always free!

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.

What Happened to the PhotoPass Photographers?

 by Beth Keating

Commentary

DisneyBizJournal.com

May 12, 2022

 

I am, much to my son’s chagrin, a collector of PhotoPass photos. If the cast member happens to be a purveyor of Magic Shots, so much the better. If left to my own devices, I would spend most of my day hitting up Magic Shots for fun, rather than waiting on hour-long lines for rides.  

 

(If you haven’t heard of Magic Shots, those are the specialty photos where Disney magically surprises you by digitally inserting adorable characters or backgrounds into your posed pic. You don’t typically know what they are going to be until the shot shows up on your PhotoPass account.)

And, for reference, I am not in the least bit photogenic. I just love the whimsy and memories inspired by the park photos. My photo albums are full of my kids cradling a baby Simba at Animal Kingdom, laughing at Stitch and his ice cream cone at Hollywood Studios, pointing to a flying Figment at EPCOT, posing with a tiny Tinkerbell in hand at Magic Kingdom, or looking (sort of) terrified of the Headless Horseman at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. If I spot a PhotoPass photographer with a prop, I am immediately on that line, waiting my turn.

 

My youngest son, however, does not feel the same. He abhors the photo taking process. He and I have a deal now when we go into the parks. I am allowed to include him in “one” PhotoPass stop per day, and after that I am on my own.  So, I tend to be choosy about which photo stop I request his presence in.

 

On Mother’s Day, we were visiting Magic Kingdom. By all rights of the holiday, it was supposed to be my turn to set the agenda for the day. I was in charge of picking the rides, shows, etc., because, you know, it was Mother’s Day. But I had only one real objective. Now that up-close character experiences have returned, I wanted a visit with Mickey at Town Square Theatre with his 50th anniversary outfit for my photo collection.  

 

So, we waited on a line for 35 minutes, and finally stepped into the room to meet the Big Mouse himself … and discovered that the dreaded photobox had returned to the rooms, with no PhotoPass photographer in sight.  If you aren’t familiar with them, the “photoboxes” are wall mounted, automated cameras that take a wide angle shot at a specific moment. 

 

Note to Disney: The photoboxes don’t work. They didn’t work before COVID closure, and they don’t work now.  All the spontaneity of the photos is missing, and the PhotoPass photographers who used to engage in the banter and the directions of the Meet and Greet really added to the experience, and helped get the perfect photos. They knew when to snap the un-posed, candid shots of kids’ reactions and character hugs.  My photo of the day was just…okay.

 

In fact, it took additional time from our park day to get our photos straightened out.  When we tapped our Magic Band to the tapstyle on the way out of the Meet and Greet room at the direction of the character attendant, the kiosk registered “success!”  But when the photos showed up on our account half an hour later, they were adorable… but not our family. A cute little girl, her autograph book, and her grandfather had seven photos with Mickey on my phone. My family was nowhere to be seen.  

 

If I had been a less alert guest, and not checked my photos before leaving the park, I might have been out of luck. But since I am photo obsessed, I check it regularly to see the Magic Shots and ride photos come through.  When I realized fairly quickly that we were connected to the wrong photos, I headed to Guest Services to see if we could solve the problem without having to go back through the Meet and Greet room again. Guest services sent us to the PhotoPass counter at Town Square Theatre, where they were able to retrieve my two lonely photos, one of which had people’s eyes closed, so I got one usable photo for our experience.  And the picture of me hugging Mickey?  Hadn’t been taken by the photobox.  We just had two posed group shots.

 

Now, I might not be as disappointed if I thought that the photoboxes were just a temporary fix with the struggle that so many Central Florida businesses are having in finding and hiring staff.  But as we stepped outside of Town Square Theatre, a mere 15 minutes before the afternoon parade, there were at least five PhotoPass photographers lined up down Main Street, waiting to take guests’ photos in front of the castle.  Let me emphasize that part again… “waiting to take photos.”  Of the three photographers closest to us as we walked down Main Street, looking for a seat for the parade, the cast members were on stand-by for guests who wanted photos, but they didn’t have any takers. Nary a line to be seen. Not a camera shutter going off.

 

I totally understand the backed-up lines those photographers experience at the beginning of the day, when guests are first entering the park looking for the perfect shot with the castle. But several of the mid-day photographers were actually walking over to the crowds sitting on curbs in anticipation of the parade, and asking them if they wanted their pictures taken.  It seems that a reshuffling of assignments, putting real photographers instead of a machine box back in the Meet and Greet room, would garner nicer photos and probably fewer tech glitches, while making better use of the men and women who were customer-less on Main Street. Plus, it’s likely that more attractive and endearing Meet and Greet photos would generate greater photo sales at the end of the day. Just sayin’.

 

I love the PhotoPass photographers. They have been a part of many significant moments in my life… our honeymoon photos; anniversary trips; my kids’ graduation photos; our first time visiting with our new grandbaby post-COVID lockdowns. And in every one of those instances, the personalities of the photographers and their decisions of how to pose us, snapping candid shots along the way, have provided me with a lifetime of memories.  In many cases, I wouldn’t even have been in the family photo at all without their expertise, because I likely would have been the one behind the camera, taking everyone else’s picture.  PhotoPass allows me to be in the memory, too.

 

Sadly, the photobox on the wall in Mickey’s dressing room didn’t get that right on Mother’s Day. I might be in the one solitary picture we received, but it was surely missing some of the magic.

_______________

 

Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for 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!

 

“Cathedral: An Alliance of Saint Michael Novel” Released by Award-Winning Author and DisneyBizJournal.com Editor Ray Keating

Cathedral: An Alliance of Saint Michael Novel is a new edge-of-your-seat adventure from Ray Keating. This is his sixteenth work of fiction, and the first in the Alliance of Saint Michael series. 

The Alliance of Saint Michael brings together men and women with varied backgrounds and talents to work covertly against the two most significant threats to Christianity and civilization at the dawn of the 1930s - communism and fascism.

 

In Moscow, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour is going to be obliterated to make way for the Palace of the Soviets. The Alliance of St. Michael readies itself for its first mission – find and salvage a rare item of great significance from the cathedral before the building is lost.

 

Cathedral is a work of historical fiction filled with interesting characters that readers will come to care about, nail-biting moments, thrilling action, assorted mysteries and questions, love, danger, friendship, and reflections on God, faith, war, one’s calling in life and more.

 

Ray Keating, who is known for penning 15 Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries (with more coming), said, “I’m excited to introduce new stories and characters set in a time of grave dangers. I found it particularly fascinating to explore how these characters choose to act in a time when Western Civilization is confronted by the challenges of both fascism and communism.”

 

Regarding Ray Keating, Kirkus Reviews calls his books “exhilarating.” Lutheran Book Review says, “I miss Tom Clancy. Keating fills that void for me.” The retired host of KFUO radio’s BookTalk declares, “Ray Keating is a great novelist.”

 

Paperbacks, hardcovers and the Kindle edition of Cathedral are available at Amazon.com, and signed books at www.RayKeatingOnline.com. 

 

Review copies, and author interviews and appearances are available upon request. 

 

Contact: Ray Keating

Phone: 631-909-1122

E-mail: raykeating@keatingreports.com

Disney Earnings and Disney+ Subscribers Up

 by Ray Keating

News/Analysis

DisneyBizJournal.com

May 11, 2022

 

The Walt Disney Company reported earnings and Disney+ subscriptions for the second quarter after the market closed on May 11, 2022. The news was positive on both streaming and domestic parks.

On the streaming front, net subscriber additions on Disney+ beat market expectations. While the market generally expected five million new net subscribers, the company added 7.9 million Disney+ subscribers. That brought the total to 137.7 million. Disney’s goal is to hit 230 million to 260 million subscribers in 2024.

 

ESPN+ subscribers came in at 22.3 million, which was up by 1 million compared to last year, and Hulu added 300,000 to come in at 45.6 million subscribers. 

 

That put total streaming subscribers for the company at 205.6 million.

 

Meanwhile, revenue came in at $19.2 billion in the second quarter, which was up by 23 percent over the previous year. Income registered $3.7 billion, up by 50 percent versus last year. And earnings per share (EPS) at $1.08 rose by 37 percent. EPS did come in below what the market expected, but that was due, at least in part, to changes in tax regulations.

 

On the call, the company noted that it was dealing with ongoing supply chain issues and labor market tightness, as is the case across other industries.

 

As for theme parks, the Disney Parks, Experiences and Products segment saw revenue growth of 110 percent, and operating income coming at $1.76 billion versus a loss of $406 million last year.

 

Disney explained: “Operating income growth at our domestic parks and experiences was due to higher volumes and increased guest spending, partially offset by higher costs. Higher volumes were due to increases in attendance, occupied room nights and cruise ship sailings. Cruise ships operated at reduced capacities in the current quarter while sailings were suspended in the prior-year quarter. Guest spending growth was due to an increase in average per capita ticket revenue, higher average daily hotel room rates and an increase in food, beverage and merchandise spending. The increase in average per capita ticket revenue was due to a favorable attendance mix and the introduction of Genie+ and Lightning Lane in the first quarter of the current fiscal year. Higher costs were primarily due to volume growth, cost inflation and higher marketing spending. Our domestic parks and resorts were open for the entire current quarter, whereas Disneyland Resort was closed for all of the prior-year quarter, and Walt Disney World Resort operated at reduced capacity in the prior-year quarter due to COVID-19 restrictions.”

 

The company said that it was still controlling domestic parks attendance in order to improve guest experience.

 

The stellar box office performance of Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was highlighted as well, which has now passed $500 million globally.

 

Disney CEO Bob Chapek also emphasized the importance and profitability of live sports going forward, and vaguely pointed to a major ramping up or shifting of ESPN content to streaming.

 

After the market closed, at the time of this writing, Disney shares were off by better than two percent. Shares recently were trading at or near 52-week lows.

 

__________

 

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?

 

Two great ways to pre-order Cathedral: An Alliance of Saint Michael Novel, which is Ray’s sixteenth work of fiction, and the first in the Alliance of Saint Michael series. Signed paperbacks here and the Kindle edition here. 

 

Two great ways to order Ray Keating’s new nonfiction book – The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist. Signed paperbacks here, and paperbacks, hardcovers and Kindle editions here.  

 

Get all of Ray Keating Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries in paperback and for the Kindle at Amazon.com and signed books at www.RayKeatingOnline.com. 

 

Get more out of the rest of 2022 with The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution! 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. It’s on sale and shipping is always free!

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.

Market Expectations for Disney Earnings This Week

 by Ray Keating

News/Analysis

DisneyBizJournal.com

May 9, 2022

 

The Walt Disney Company will present second quarter earnings after the close of trading on Wednesday, May 11.

What is the market looking at and expecting?

 

CNBC noted that while investors are focused on streaming, that is, namely, Disney+, the advice was that theme park performance should not be ignored. It was reported:

 

Disney’s parks have rebounded significantly. The division, which also includes Disney experiences and consumer products, saw revenues top $7.2 billion during the fiscal first quarter, double the $3.6 billion generated in the prior-year quarter. The segment saw operating results jump to $2.5 billion compared to a loss of $100 million in the same period last year.

 

The company said in February that its domestic parks have yet to see a significant return from international travelers, which prepandemic accounted for 18% to 20% of guests. Additionally, not all of its international parks have been open full-time during the last quarter. While Paris Disneyland is celebrating its 30th anniversary, Shanghai Disneyland closed its gates temporarily due to local Covid spikes.

 

Technology and investments coming on line at the parks received attention in the piece.

 

Meanwhile, a Zacks Equity Research report at Yahoo Finance zeroed in on market expectations in terms of revenue and earnings. Key points:

 

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings has moved down 1.6% to $1.20 per share over the past 30 days, indicating an increase of 51.9% year over year. The consensus mark for revenues is pegged at $20.25 billion, suggesting growth of 29.73% from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure. The company’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters, missing in one, the average surprise being 67.82%...

 

The consensus mark number of paid subscribers at Disney+ is currently pegged at 135.2 million, suggesting 4.2% growth sequentially and a 30.5% rise year over year.

 

In addition, a few points from a Seeking Alpha analysis warrant noting:

 

• “Although every quarter is important for a company, it would only be appropriate to say that there is more at stake this quarter than in most typical quarters. This is because there is a significant amount of pessimism surrounding the company and its prospects moving forward. Investors are worried about a slowdown in streaming and they are concerned about the impact of continued shutdowns at some of the company's parks across the world in response to continued COVID infection rates. Though these are legitimate concerns, the overall picture for the company would likely be appealing for the long haul.”

 

• “As of the end of its latest quarter, The Walt Disney Company had 129.8 million subscribers on Disney+. Though this is impressive, investors are banking on the company achieving the 230 million to 260 million global subscribers that the company was forecasting it would have by the end of 2024. In order to reach the low end of that range, the business would need to add an average of about 9.1 million subscribers each quarter between now and then. So far, that doesn't look to be too much of a problem. In the latest quarter alone, the number of subscribers the company had was up by 11.7 million compared to what the company had just one quarter earlier.”

 

• Even with Shanghai Disney remaining closed and the Hong Kong park only recently reopening, “there is the potential for the Parks & Experiences portion of The Walt Disney Company to perform well.”

 

• “…some investors may point to the political issues the company is having in Florida. But I see that as more of a sideshow that should have a limited impact, if any, on the company.”

 

Finally, Kiplinger offers this outlook: “And in addition to direct-to-consumer subscriber growth across Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, which will help DIS stock outperform its peers, BofA Global Research analyst Jessica Reif Ehrlich says the company's theme parks are on the upswing. ‘Despite achieving near record results in its fiscal first quarter, international visitors still represent a minimal percentage of total attendance, hotel room occupancy remains well below peak levels as all hotels have not been reopened yet, cruise ship capacity remains below pre-pandemic peaks and parks are still operating below peak capacity levels,’ Reif writes in a note to clients. ‘These should all be additional tailwinds over the next 18-24 months.’”

 

__________

 

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?

 

Two great ways to pre-order Cathedral: An Alliance of Saint Michael Novel, which is Ray’s sixteenth work of fiction, and the first in the Alliance of Saint Michael series. Signed paperbacks here and the Kindle edition here. 

 

Two great ways to order Ray Keating’s new nonfiction book – The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist. Signed paperbacks here, and paperbacks, hardcovers and Kindle editions here.  

 

Get all of Ray Keating Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries in paperback and for the Kindle at Amazon.com and signed books at www.RayKeatingOnline.com. 

 

Get more out of the rest of 2022 with The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution! 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. It’s on sale and shipping is always free!

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.

 

Check Out the Latest Daily Dose of Disney Episodes

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.

Recent episodes include...

Episode #352 – Tell Your Business Story Like Walt – Walt Disney was a storyteller for the ages. But we all have a story to tell, including related to our work.

 

Episode #353 – Walt Disney’s Line Not to Cross – Walt Disney had a line he wouldn’t cross in his humor, and he likely considered his audience in drawing that line.

 

Episode #354 – Leadership is Expansive – Disney’s Lee Cockerell talks about leadership, and how expansive it needs to be.

 

Episode #355 – Agent Carter’s Jarvis on What Can Be Accomplished – Here’s a bit of wisdom from Agent Carter’s Jarvis and Ray Keating on what can be achieved, and why help is needed.

 

Episode #356 – Star Wars Lucas and Finding What You’re Good At – George Lucas advises people to find what you excel at and enjoy.

 

New “Out of This Galaxy” Treats Debut at Disney Parks

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

May 4, 2022

 

“May the Fourth be with you,” Star Wars fans!

 

If you are wowed by the blue and green milk in Galaxy’s Edge, enjoy munching down on some lightsaber churros at Hollywood Studios, or ever had your lips go numb at Oga’s Cantina and been thrilled to tell the story, Disney has some spectacular new treats for you. While many of the treats are celebratory goodies available only today for May the Fourth (Star Wars Day), others will be hanging around a bit longer to give you a chance to sample some out-of-this galaxy delights.

Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

The new goodies are available throughout the various parks and resorts at both Disney World (Florida) and Disneyland (California), so be sure to stay on the lookout.  Disney’s culinary team has also created a Millennium Falcon display in the lobby of Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa. Made entirely of edible ingredients, like crisped rice and fondant, it will score big with your Star Wars fans, so if you find yourself on the West Coast, be sure to pop in and take a selfie!

   

Check out Disney Parks Blog for some delicious looking photos of the treats.

 

Walt Disney World Resort

 

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Churro Carts in Grand Avenue, Market, and Anaheim Produce (available from May 4 through May 5)

• Lightsaber Churro served with chocolate sauce

 

Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

ABC Commissary, Backlot Express, PizzeRizzo, and Rosie’s All-American Café (available May 4 through 5; available on Mobile Order)

• Jettison Juice: Minute Maid Lemonade and watermelon served with a glow cube (non-alcoholic)

 

Backlot Express, PizzeRizzo, and The Trolley Car Café (available May 4 through 5; available on Mobile Order at Backlot Express and PizzeRizzo)

• Dark Side Chocolate Creation: Malted milk chocolate mousse dome with raspberry mousse filling, slivered almonds, and chocolate shortbread cookie

 

Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

Backlot Express (available on Mobile Order)

• Wookiee Cookie: Two oatmeal cookies with vanilla cream filling garnished with a milk chocolate sash on top

 

Brown Derby Lounge, Oasis Canteen, and Sunshine Day Bar (available from May 4 & 5)

• Cosmic Rum Punch: Parrot Bay Coconut Rum, Bacardi Superior Rum, pineapple juice, Minute Maid lemonade, and grenadine served with a glow cube

 

Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo (available May 4 through 5; available on Mobile Order)

• Oi-Oi Puff: Raspberry cream puff with passion fruit mousse

 

Epic Eats (available from May 4 through 5)

• Galactic Swirl Funnel Cake: Black and white funnel cake with strawberries, space dust, and candy rocks

 

Milk Stand (available on Mobile Order starting May 4)

• Novelty: Bubo Wamba Family Farms Cup (New)

 

Popcorn Stands near the Hyperion Theater, Animation Courtyard, and Anaheim Produce (available May 4 & 5)

• Interstellar Sweet and Crunchy Popcorn: Caramel popcorn, cookies ‘n cream pieces, and sweet and spicy pecans

 

Disney Springs

Amorette’s Patisserie (available May 4 through 8)

• Lightsaber Eclairs: Flavors include Mace Windu berry cherry, Master Yoda pistachio, Rey passion pineapple, Darth Vader Dark Side mousse flavored with cayenne pepper and cinnamon, and Obi Wan Kenobi blue matcha

Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

Pineapple Lanai (available on May 4)

• Millennium Falcon Star Wars Soft Serve Sundae: Galactic gray vanilla soft-serve with chocolate cream cookie crumbles, chocolate drizzle, white chocolate pearl stars, brownie asteroid pieces with stardust sparkles, and a Millennium Falcon chocolate accent piece

 

Disneyland Resort

 

Disneyland Park – Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo (available on Mobile Order)

• Ishi Tib-style Pasta with Braised Beef Bantha: Beef pot roast, coconut curry sauce, pasta, and mixed vegetables (New)
• Vintian Mineral Mousse: Banana brûlée-centered dark chocolate mousse, strawberry mousse, vanilla chantilly, chocolate crumble, and cherry garnish

 

Kat Saka’s Kettle  

• Outpost Mix: Colorful blend of seasonal flavors including caramel and chocolate-glazed popcorn
• Shaak Cheese Popped Grains: white cheddar flavored popcorn

 

Milk Stand (available on Mobile Order)

• Chocolate Chip Sweet-Sand Cookie: Chocolate chip-toffee cookie topped with pistachios and sea salt (New)
• Blue Milk – Mon Cala Swirl: Blue Milk with blue mango sour jellies topped with a sour shimmery mango gel (New)
• Novelty: Bubo Wamba Family Farms Cup (New)

 

Oga’s Cantina  

• Five-blossom Bread: Warm pretzel knot with Hawaiian black sea salt served with honey-mustard cream foam and Calabrian cheese sauce (New)
• Fondor Fizz: Toniray Teal Chardonnay, Tito’s Vodka, and Joffrey’s White Tea with flavors of lemongrass and pea flower citrus (New)
• Sesid Seltzer: Tropical Pineapple-Orange Hard Seltzer (New)
• Black Squadron Lager – Golden Lager with a touch of Honey (New)

 

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Beverage Cart

• Sullust Garlic Chips: Mix of Buffalo and White Cheddar-flavored Garlic Chips

 

Disneyland Park – Tomorrowland and Main Street, U.S.A

Galactic Grill (available on Mobile Order)

• Parfait of Mustafar: Chocolate lava cake, chocolate ganache, and red pâte à choux filled with salted caramel pudding and red chocolate mousse (New)

 

Candy Palace and Candy Kitchen

• Grogu Apple: Granny Smith apple dipped in caramel with marshmallow ears and enrobed in colored white chocolate and gold sanding sugar (available while supplies last)

 

Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa

Holiday Cart

• Star Wars Sugar Cookie dipped in chocolate with Star Wars decoration (available through May 10) (New)
• Wookiee Cookie: Chocolate-hazelnut-filled chocolate cookie rolled in sprinkles with a chocolate sash (New)
• Pretzel Lightsabers: Pretzel sticks dipped in white chocolate with colored sanding sugar (New)

 

Downtown Disney District

Marceline’s Confectionery (available on Mobile Order)

• Grogu Apple: Granny Smith apple dipped in caramel with marshmallow ears and enrobed in colored white chocolate and gold sanding sugar (available while supplies last)

 

Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

Black Tap Craft Burgers & Shakes (available through May 31)

• Light Classic Shake: Electric blue vanilla shake, silver and blue galaxy sprinkles, whipped cream, and chocolate drizzle (New)
• Dark Classic Shake: Wild cherry shake, red and black sprinkles, whipped cream, chocolate drizzle, and a cherry (New)

 

Splitsville Luxury Lanes (available through May 31)

• Galaxy Roll: Fresh salmon, cucumber, and avocado rolled in soy paper topped with steamed shrimp and ahi tuna drizzled with spicy kimchi ponzu sauce

 

Kayla’s Cake (available through May 31)

• Galaxy Caramel Macaron: Satisfy two cravings at once with sea salt caramel with white chocolate ganache

 

Naples Ristorante e Bar (available through May 31)

• Red Galaxy Cocktail: Light rum, peach schnapps, pineapple juice, squeezed lime, squeezed honey, and a splash of grenadine served on the rocks and topped with mint (New)

 

• Green Moon Cocktail: Served with either tequila or mezcal, Anchor Reyes, canton ginger, lemon juice, a squeeze of honey syrup, and topped with soda water served in a hurricane glass garnished with green pepper and lime (New)

 

Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen (available through May 31)

Dueling Fates (New)

• Empire cocktail with Cruzan citrus rum, blue Curacao, lime juice, and Sprite 
• Rebel cocktail with Effen cucumber Vodka, watermelon Torani, and Sprite

 

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

 

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