WDW Daily News

Sharp-eyed visitors to Walt Disney World® Resort this week may have spotted something new up in the sky while Disney Skyliner began its initial testing.

Scheduled to open this fall, Disney Skyliner will be a new, state-of-the-art gondola system that will conveniently connect Disney’s Hollywood Studios® and Epcot® to four resort hotels – Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort and the proposed Disney’s Riviera Resort, which is now accepting Guest reservations for stays beginning Dec. 16, 2019. The official Resort opening date will be announced at a later time.

The Skyliner’s towers have been under construction for about a year, so to have a gondola up on its cables is an exciting milestone! Check out this video to hear more about the project from Jordan Matthews at Walt Disney Imagineering:

Several gondolas will be adorned with graphics based on Disney films, attractions and characters. So for example, Guests may jump into a gondola where from the ground it will look like Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pluto or Chip & Dale are riding along with them Several Disney animated films will be represented, including “Beauty & the Beast,” “Frozen,” “Lilo & Stitch,” “Moana,” “Peter Pan,” “The Princess and the Frog,” “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and “Zootopia.”

You can get sneak peek at what a few of these special gondolas will look like in the photo above.

The other themed gondolas that will be part of the system include:

• “Coco”
• Goofy, Pete, Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow
• “Finding Dory”
• The Haunted Mansion
• “Monsters, Inc.”
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• “Ratatouille”

These gorgeous gondolas will be gliding across Walt Disney World Resort before we know it. Stay tuned as we reveal more exciting details about Disney Skyliner throughout the year!

Get Your Ears On – A Mickey and Minnie Celebration invites you to the biggest celebration of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse in Disneyland® Resort history!

As part of this celebration, the popular “Mickey’s Soundsational Parade” has returned to Disneyland Park. Mickey and his drum corps kick off a whimsical, musical procession of Disney characters. Goofy tows a larger-than-life pull-toy, inspired by the classic and nostalgic Mickey pull toys, and Chip ‘n’ Dale arrive with a giant celebration cake.

You can also take part of the new Get Your Ears On Celebration Dance Party at Tomorrowland Terrace. Guests of all ages will be able to move and groove each night with some of their favorite Disney characters. Listen up for the infectious celebration song, “It’s a Good Time,” along with other popular Disney tunes.

Of course the Disney crew has donned their “party best” for Get Your Ears On. Be sure to tell you to look out for Mickey Mouse and pals in new, fashionable outfits. 

In addition, “Mickey’s Mix Magic” lights up the night with its new high-energy projection show, creating a family-fun dance party throughout the park. Also for a limited-time during Get Your Ears On, specialty food, beverage, novelty items and merchandise are available for Guests to celebrate the beloved duo in fun, new ways.

• Nearly 200,000 pieces of live entertainment are produced each year, comprised of shows, parades, and nearly 2,000 nighttime spectaculars
• There are 15 separate opportunities to dine with a Disney character, for a total of 33 possible unique character meetings
• In 2018, Disney characters made more than 900,000 appearances to meet guests
• The Disney Parks Live Entertainment music library holds more than 20,000 arrangements of songs
• Mickey Mouse has more than 200 unique looks, including 15 different types of formal attire and a new celebration outfit for this year’s Mickey & Minnie’s Surprise Celebration at Magic Kingdom Park

When it comes to dining, there’s no better food than theme park food. And while many of us still think about burgers, hot dogs and the occasional giant pretzel, there’s so much more, especially at the Walt Disney World Resort.

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Shanghai Disney Resort announced the second major expansion of Shanghai Disneyland since its June 2016 opening, a new land that will bring to life the characters and stories from Disney’s popular animated film Zootopia. The new expansion will become the theme park’s eighth land, and its announcement comes less than a year after the opening of its first major expansion, Disney•Pixar Toy Story Land, in a sign of the resort’s early success and the confidence in the growing consumer demand for themed entertainment in China.

• Guests take a walk on the wild side at Disney’s Animal Kingdom during the “Hakuna Matata Time Dance Party,” featuring Timon and Rafiki from Disney’s “The Lion King.” Guests will also be able to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of “The Lion King” by taking photos with special, dimensional backgrounds on Discovery Island and at the park’s entrance.

Everyone’s favorite villain, Maleficent, is returning to Magic Kingdom® Park today to re-take her rightful place in Disney’s Festival of Fantasy Parade…and it looks like she’s had some work done…although she would probably never admit it!

While she still has her same Steampunk style and signature wicked smile, the Maleficent dragon will be sporting a refreshed look, enhanced with new safety features designed to keep her in check.

And in true Maleficent fashion, she’s all about making a grand entrance!

Categories: Magic Kingdom

Take a look at some Amazing Aerial Photos of Construction at Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge & Millennium Falcon Ride courtesy of @bioreconstruct on Twitter.

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Now, more than ever, it’s a great time to be at Walt Disney World® Resort, with fabulous new entertainment experiences in all four parks. And right now at Magic Kingdom Park, you can enjoy Mickey & Minnie’s Surprise Celebration!

Mickey & Minnie’s Surprise Celebration honors those true originals, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, with new entertainment, merchandise, and specialty food and beverages. The party starts at Celebration Central, located inside Town Square Theater on Main Street, U.S.A., where you can sign the Celebration Guest Book and pick up a fun checklist of ten ways to celebrate Mickey and Minnie during your day in the park.

Also at Town Square Theater, the world’s most famous mice are in a rehearsal room, preparing for a big show, and Guests are invited to head backstage for a visit. Mickey and Minnie have asked their closest pals and co-stars to come together for “The Celebration Revue,” but they’ll gladly take time out of their busy schedule to meet with friends while wearing their snazzy new party outfits.

The celebration really kicks into high gear several times daily when the “Move It! Shake It! MousekeDance It!” Street Party rolls into the Central Plaza in front of Cinderella Castle. The Disney Parks Live Entertainment team has pulled out all the stops to make this the most spirited, high-energy party you’ve ever seen! A pair of energetic, singing party hosts keeps things hopping with the new celebration song “It’s a Good Time,” along with contemporary arrangements of classic melodies.

Guests can also spot favorite Disney pals like Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, Max, Pluto, Chip ‘n Dale, Clarice, Clarabelle Cow, Horace Horsecollar, José Carioca and Panchito – and of course, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse! And this is a MousekeDance party after all, so you can get ready to do the twist, the swim, the pony, the shimmy, the cool jerk, and the bird. 

Of course, this is a Surprise Celebration, so anything can happen! All along Main Street, U.S.A., the Dapper Dans, the Casey’s Corner piano player, the Main Street Philharmonic and the Citizens of Main Street get into the fun with special, musical surprise moments. Special guests are stopping by each day, too. In the past week, we’ve spotted Phineas and Ferb, Robin Hood and Little John, Nick and Judy from “Zootopia,” and more. 

Everyone’s invited, so make sure you come join the party at Mickey & Minnie’s Surprise Celebration, now through Sept. 30, 2019.

The adrenaline is building up for the opening of Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy. The new show experience, which will take your Clients inside the world of Disney•Pixar’s Cars films, speeds into Disney’s Hollywood Studios® on March 31, 2019, and we can’t wait!

Let’s take a look at what Jay Ward, Creative Director, Pixar Cars Franchise, has to say about Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy.

Remember, the opening of Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy is on March 31, 2019!

Stay tuned for updates on this experience, as well as the overall transformation of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which will immerse you into worlds where they can have amazing adventures!