Disney ‘s slowest-growing Florida theme park will be getting a makeover. Imagineers may be hard at work getting Pandora — The World of Avatar ready to open next summer at Animal Kingdom and breathing new life into Disney’s Hollywood Studios with Toy Story Land and Star Wars Land in the coming years, but Epcot appears to be the theme park giant’s next target for rejuvenation.
Dave Smith couldn’t believe his luck. He was visiting Disneyland with his family about a year after its opening and spied Walt Disney strolling down the park’s Main Street.
Coming up with the perfect gift for everyone on your list can be such a struggle. Lucky for you, if you know a Disney lover, we’ve got you covered. Here are seven amazing gift ideas to suit every budget and Disney sensibility, including a couple suggestions off-the-beaten-path enough that we’re sure even the most avowed Disney fanatics don’t have them on their radar.
Virtually everything about Disney’s latest fairy tale, Moana, is familiar from past Disney films. The studio is still following the broad parameters it started laying down in 1937, with Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, by reshaping a culturally specific fairy tale to fit a family-friendly, accessible template.
Executives, many of whom are no longer with the company, break ground on Avatar Land in January 2014 (Disney)
Do you remember Avatar? It was released seven years ago as the single biggest movie of 2009. But unlike other sci-fi blockbusters with broad family appeal, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone today begging for a sequel, let alone clamoring for theme park rides based on the film.
For the 20th straight season, the Atlanta Braves will hold spring training at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World® Resort.
The spring schedule once again includes some matchups against Major League Baseball’s marquee teams, including four opponents – the Toronto Blue Jays (Feb 25), the American League East champion Boston Red Sox (March 3), the Baltimore Orioles (March 28) and the New York Mets (March 10, 25 and 29) – who each reached the post-season earlier this year.
On top of that, the New York Yankees (March 9) are on the 18-game home schedule along with the Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, St. Louis Cardinals, Miami Marlins, Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles.
The Braves players begin arriving at Walt Disney World Resort in mid-February and then open up the spring season here against the Blue Jays on Feb. 25. Tickets go on sale on Dec. 12 at braves.com/springtraining, as well as through Ticketmaster outlets (800-745-3000) and at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex Box Office.
The Disney Vacation Club accommodations previously known as The Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge now have a new name – Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. This new name more accurately reflects the railroad theming of Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and complements the storyline of the resort.
And more changes are ahead at this Walt Disney World® Resort hotel, including a re-imagination of the former Hidden Springs Pool area that will help tell the backstory of Boulder Ridge. Scheduled to open in summer 2017, Boulder Ridge Cove will feature an expanded sun deck and zero-depth-entry pool in what appears to have been an abandoned rock quarry.
Beyond the new pool space, scheduled enhancements to the resort include a brand-new bar & grill, in addition to a quick-service restaurant. Geyser Point Bar & Grill will be located in the heart of the feature pool area of Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, where guests can grab a bite to eat as they lounge by the resort’s main pool.
From first-time director Leo Matsuda (story artist for Big Hero 6, Wreck-It Ralph) and producer Sean Lurie, the approximately six-minute long short film Inner Workings (in theaters now and running before Moana) is the story of the internal struggle between the brain and the heart.
If guests are staying at a Disneyland® Resort hotel, they can enjoy access to a limited number of reservations for select dining venues and for makeover transformations at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and Anna & Elsa’s Boutique. Reservations can be made by calling Disney Dining at 714-781-DINE (3463) no more than 60 days and no fewer than 2 days in advance of their stay.
Participating Restaurants include:
Participating Boutiques include:
Preferred access reservations are limited and subject to availability. Dates, times and locations of the reservations are not guaranteed. Valid Disneyland Resort hotel reservation in Guest’s name is required for Guest to make preferred access dining and boutique reservations, and such reservations may only be made for the dates of the Guest’s hotel stay. Multiple reservations for the same date and time period are not allowed. A credit card is required at the time of booking; cancellations policies and fees apply. Reservations may not be transferred. May not be booked online. Separate Theme Park admission may be required. Subject to restrictions and change without notice.
