WDW Daily News

On September 29, Disney Skyliner gondolas will take flight and officially begin transporting guests around Walt Disney World Resort.

This state-of-the-art transportation system offers a new way to experience the resort with amazing views only available from the sky. Disney Skyliner connects 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 new Disney’s Riviera Resort scheduled to open in December 2019.

Some Disney Skyliner cabins feature graphics based on Disney films, attractions and characters. Disney stories taking flight with guests include:

• Mickey Mouse
• Minnie Mouse
• Pluto
• Chip & Dale
• “Coco”
• Goofy, Pete, Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow
• “Finding Dory”
• Haunted Mansion
• “Monsters, Inc.”
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• “Ratatouille”

Even though the Disney parks have quite a reputation for being a place where Disney fans can go meet their favorite Disney characters and enjoy some unique foods, that’s not the only thing that fans can do at the Disney parks. There are some things that visitors of one of the many Disney parks around the world simply aren’t allowed to do, but there are also some things that not many fans know that you can do at the parks.

Full Story

The opportunities for adventures with Disney are endless! As a leader in family travel, Disney provides immersive experiences in incredible destinations around the world.

Whether you visit the stunning tropical paradise of Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Hawaii, board a Disney Cruise to Alaska or Europe, or take an Adventures by Disney European vacation, they’ll receive the same legendary service they’ve come to expect in our theme parks.

In this video, travel expert Jeanenne Tornatore showcases five Disney vacation options beyond the parks you can take this summer.

There are 52 movies from Walt Disney Animation Studios from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to Ralph Breaks the Internet. All you need to do to beat the quiz is name one character from each film.

– NAMES THAT ARE IN THE ACTUAL MOVIE TITLES DON’T COUNT. That would make it too easy. For movies like Cinderella, you’ll have to think of another character in the movie besides Cinderella.

– If you want help, there is a list under the quiz of the movies, but if you want an additional challenge, try completing the quiz without it. Good luck!

Take quiz

The planet of Batuu is bustling with creatures and aliens that serve integral roles within Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Find exotic creatures in the merchant stall or encounter aliens running their own businesses. Here are some of the creatures and aliens your Clients may come across:



Dok-Ondar
In Batuu, Dok-Ondar is the proprietor of a unique intergalactic curiosities shop, Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities. He is an alien hailing from the planet Ithor. When visiting his collection, be prepared to see a variety of oddities, from taxidermic creatures to holocrons and more. Some travelers know him as the “gatekeeper” of the black market in Black Spire Outpost, so try not to cross him! While taking inventory, he is known to order his assistants around between incoming calls.



Ollopom
Sometimes mistaken for plants, ollopoms are gentle aquatic rodents found in the Gungan swamps of the planet Naboo. Naboo is the home planet of Padmé Amidala, as well as the Gungan Jar Jar Binks from “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.” You can find one of these fascinating creatures of disguise, Ollie the ollopom, bobbing in the water when visiting Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities. Ollie was a gift from Hondo, who found it in an unmarked cargo.

Sarlacc
An infant sarlacc, named Simpi, may seem adorable to some, but this creature is the same type of carnivorous giant seen in the sand pit in “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.” Growing up to 100 meters long, the massive mouth of these sarlaccs can turn someone’s good day to bad if swallowed whole! Dok-Ondar keeps this little sarlacc (procured by none other than Han Solo and Chewbacca as told in the Marvel Star Wars comic series Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge) in a special tank that simulates arid atmospheric conditions.



Hondo Ohnaka
For visitors that remember “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “Star Wars Rebels” animated series, Hondo Ohnaka is the infamous Weequay pirate turned “legitimate” businessman that may or may not serve as a smuggler now on Batuu. When boarding the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy on Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Guests will encounter Hondo instructing new recruits on his mission to deliver coaxium, which is of importance to both the First Order and the Resistance. 



Wampa
Wampas are accustomed to the cold weather on the planet Hoth. These carnivorous creatures are covered in white fur, horns and claws for survival. You may remember seeing an encounter with one during Luke Skywalker’s Hoth adventure in “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.” Thankfully on Batuu, Dok-Ondar has secured a taxidermic wampa for spectators to admire, as well as other taxidermic creatures on the wall. This prized possession is worth a look when visiting Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities.

Dianoga
Dianogas are slimy, tentacled carnivores that thrive in dark hiding places. For visitors that remember “Star Wars: A New Hope,” a Dianoga attacked Luke Skywalker in the Death Star trash compactor. Now, Guests can spot two hiding on Batuu. When stopping to drink at the water fountain in the Black Spire Outpost marketplace, check to see if the eye of “Tiny” pops out of the water tank above. 



Worrt
An adoptable creature is the frog-like worrt found at the Creature Stall in the Black Spire Outpost Marketplace. This carnivorous amphibian is a native to the planet of Tatooine, famously seen outside Jabba the Hutt’s palace in “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.” Be careful of its powerful tongue, as it snatches unsuspecting rodents and insects on the way! At Oga’s Cantina Guests can also spot a worrt in one of the amphibian tanks.

There is a plethora of other fascinating inhabitants to be found on Batuu, so tell your Clients to keep an eye out during their visit to Batuu.

In this age of reboots and sequels dominating the box office, it was just a matter of time before Disney began adapting their greatest hits for the big screen again. With the upcoming release of The Lion King, Disney will have remade nine of their animated classics, not including Pete’s Dragon or Mary Poppins Returns.

Full Story

The beloved Main Street Electrical Parade is returning to Disneyland Park Aug. 2, 2019, to bring guests of multiple generations a sense of wonder, joy and – for some – warm nostalgia. The iconic parade will travel down Main Street, U.S.A., for a limited-time engagement, through Sept. 30.

Main Street Electrical Parade made its world debut at Disneyland June 17, 1972, and later appeared at Disney Parks around the world. This spectacular pageant of nighttime magic and imagination entertained guests at Disneyland until it “glowed away” on Nov. 25, 1996. Most recently, the dazzling after-dark parade ran for a limited-time at Disneyland in 2017, and prior to that, it illuminated Disney California Adventure Park from 2001-2010. Here’s a closer look at the legacy of the Main Street Electrical Parade, by the numbers.

• 600,000 lights sparkle in the parade’s nighttime journey from Small World Mall in Fantasyland to Town Square on Main Street, U.S.A. (approximate number).
• 22 floats illuminate the parade route at Disneyland, nearly doubling the number of floats from the parade’s debut (12) in 1972.
• 7 films are represented in the parade: “Alice in Wonderland,” “Cinderella,” “Peter Pan,” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “Pinocchio,” “Dumbo” and “Pete’s Dragon.”
• 27 beloved Disney characters perform throughout the show including Goofy, Mickey Mouse, Cinderella, Captain Hook and Tinker Bell.
• 80 parade performers (estimated number per night) bring the magic to light including 10 To Honor America patriots, 16 royal court dancers and the Seven Dwarfs.
• 35 dazzling, lighted costumes are worn by the parade performers.
• 8 jittering insect floats spin and dance for guests during the “Alice in Wonderland” sequence.
• At 18 1/2 feet high, the Clock Tower in the “Cinderella” sequence of the parade, is the tallest float.
• At 118 feet long, the To Honor America float is the longest float in the parade. It was added in 1979 after the success of the bicentennial tribute parade “America on Parade.”
• At 5,600 pounds, the massive Elliot float, added in 1977 for the release of “Pete’s Dragon,” measures 16 feet tall, 10 feet wide and 38 feet long.
• 2 composers, Jean-Jacques Perrey and Gershon Kingsley, wrote the iconic synthesizer piece known as “Baroque Hoedown” in 1967, and the song was adapted for the Main Street Electrical Parade in 1972, interwoven with classic Disney themes to create the now iconic parade soundtrack.
• 6 different colors of light bulbs flash throughout the parade, in amber, blue, green, chartreuse, red and pink.
• 150,000 glowing amber lights are used in the production, the most of any color.
• 80 highly skilled cast members were involved in the creation of Main Street Electrical Parade, including 20 designers and 60 craftspeople.
• 5 Disney Parks have presented versions of the Main Street Electrical Parade including Disneyland, Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom Park, Disney California Adventure Park, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris.

Historical:

• Nearly 3,600 performances entertained guests at Disneyland from June 17, 1972 to Nov. 25, 1996.
• 900 miles is the approximate distance traveled by the Main Street Electrical parade during its original run at Disneyland, nearly the distance from Anaheim, Calif., to Seattle, Wash.
• In 2005, Main Street Electrical Parade creator and former director of entertainment Robert Jani was inducted as a Disney Legend.
• June 17, 1972, marked the debut of the Main Street Electrical Parade, and it returned for its encore performance at Disneyland 45 years later – Jan. 20-June 18, 2017.
• 500,000 hand-tinted white miniature bulbs twinkled each night in the early versions of the parade.
• 500 miles of wiring were used to light the floats during early years of the parade, enough to travel to the top of the Matterhorn and back nearly 9,000 times.
• Approximately 75 million guests viewed the Main Street Electrical Parade during its original run at Disneyland.

The bracket for the 2019 Orlando Invitational was revealed today. The eight-team tournament will be held Thanksgiving weekend, Thursday, Friday and Sunday, Nov. 28, 29 and Dec. 1, 2019, at HP Field House at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort.

The 2019 field includes 2019 NCAA tournament teams Marquette, Maryland and Temple along with 2019 NIT participants Davidson and Harvard. Some highlights from each team.

• Davidson is coming off a 24-10 season and its 17th postseason appearance in 30 years under coach Bob McKillop
• Fairfield returns to the Orlando Invitational for the second time, going 1-2 in 2011 with a victory over Arizona State
• Harvard has won the Ivy League championship seven times in the past nine years
• Marquette has reached the NCAA tournament twice in the past three years, earning a No. 5 seed in 2019 with 24 wins
• Maryland is ranked No. 9 in the most recent ESPN Way Too Early Top 25, after NBA prospects Anthony Cowan Jr. and Jalen Smith announced they would return to the team for the upcoming season
• Temple welcomes new head coach Aaron McKie to a team that has reached the postseason four times in the past five years
• Texas A&M has made two appearances in the NCAA Sweet 16 in the past four seasons, and is under the direction of first-year head coach Buzz Williams
• USC has played in the postseason in three of the last four years

The 2019 Orlando Invitational will feature 12 games over the three days. Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through a bracket-tournament format. The two teams that remain undefeated will face off in the championship game on Sunday, Dec. 1.

All games will be broadcast on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or ESPNEWS.

2019 Orlando Invitational
Nov. 28, 29 and Dec. 1

HP Field House (ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort)

Non-Bracketed Games: Fairfield at Maryland (Nov. 19), Temple at USC (Nov. 22)

Contact: Charley Green, Media Coordinator at 214-734-8028 or cgreen@breakaway-sports.com

On Saturday, July 13, the voices of young Simba and young Nala – JD McCrary and Shahadi Wright Joseph – will be honorary Grand Marshals for the 3 p.m. Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade at Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney WorldResort.

Following the parade, JD and Shahadi will continue celebrating at Disney’s Animal Kingdom – which is commemorating the release of the new film and the 25^th anniversary of the original animated classic.  At the park, we have a whole pride of summer entertainment, eats and treats  and new items honoring some of your favorite characters and moments from “The Lion King.” 

Disney’s Animal Kingdom also has a special tie to the new film.  The movie’s production team spent six weeks at the theme park researching naturalistic backdrops that helped inspire scenes from the movie.

If you haven’t seen the film trailer, Disney’s “The Lion King,” directed by Jon Favreau, journeys to the African savanna where a future king must overcome betrayal and tragedy to assume his rightful place on Pride Rock.  Along with JD and Shahadi, the all-star cast includes Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala, James Earl Jones as Mufasa, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa and Billy Eichner as Timon.

Disney’s “The Lion King” debuts in theaters July 19.  Also, Disney’s “The Lion King” original motion picture soundtrack is now available.