The story of how Don Hall and Chris Williams, codirectors of the Oscar-nominated animated hit “Big Hero 6,” first came to work at Disney almost sounds like something out of a Disney movie.
Share this:
Don’t Let the Parade Pass Me By! by Jenn Romano
There have been many notable parades throughout Walt Disney World’s history. Currently, the only park with parades is the Magic Kingdom. However, each park has been host to a variety of parades over the years. First, Disney’s Hollywood Studios has had some of the most unique parades over its 25 year history. There was an Aladdin Caravan parade when the Aladdin movie debuted as well as other movie debut parades such as Mulan, Hercules, and Toy Story. My favorite parade at DHS was the Stars in Motorcars parade. In this parade, various Disney characters sat in custom made cars that reflected their respective movies or television shows. The characters were the focus, and the scale of this parade was the right scale for the streets of DHS. This park was never built to showcase a parade, so none of the offerings tend to fit too well into the infrastructure of this park. Namely, Block Party Bash and Countdown to Fun were difficult parades to enjoy because they stopped several times in order for the dancers to interact with guests. This sounds really fun in theory, but it led to a great deal of congestion in the entire park, and there were very few spots where you could actually see the entertaining parts of the parade.
Although DHS does not have a permanent parade right now, it does have several special events throughout the year that allow for parades or processionals. For example, Star Wars Weekends involve a parade every day with all of the Star Wars stars as well as many Star Wars characters. During the Frozen Summer Fun Event, Anna and Elsa as well as Kristoff entertained guests with a brief royal welcome procession. It will be interesting to see if DHS gets another permanent parade once all of the updating to the park is complete.
Epcot and Animal Kingdom have each had very few parades. Again, neither of these parks are really set up to host a parade. One of my favorite parades took place at Epcot, and it was called the Tapestry of Dreams/Nations parade. This was a very ethereal parade that utilized larger than life puppets as well as beautiful music. Animal Kingdom had the daily Jammin Jungle Parade as well as the Christmas version of this parade. Neither of these parks have very efficient routed for parades, so it makes sense that they do not always have a parade. Also, Animal Kingdom is undergoing serious changes right now, so who knows what the future holds.
Magic Kingdom has had innumerable parades over the years, but the current daytime parade is gorgeous. The Festival of Fantasy is everything a Disney parade should be. It is lively with fantastic, colorful costumes, and it has a very catchy song. I have seen it many times, and I still haven’t gotten sick of it. As for night parades, I really miss Spectromagic. This parade had a wonderful soundtrack as well as beautiful floats. It is such a shame that it will never travel down Main Street again.
Walt Disney World would not be complete without some sort of parade. Even in its infancy, Disneyland was home to parades, and it will be exciting to see what the Walt Disney Company does in the upcoming year to celebrate Disneyland’s 60th anniversary. Until next time, have a magical day, and keep moving forward.
Share this:
‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Director Shares More Details About the Sequel
It’ll be a long, long while until we see Guardians of the Galaxy 2—May 5, 2017 to be exact. But director James Gunn is already sharing minor details about what to expect. In addition to revealing Guardians 2 will introduce new characters,
Share this:
Is “The Frozen Takeover” Becoming too Extreme? by Emma Smith
If you want to get me riled up about something, all you have to do is mention Maelstrom. For those of you who don’t know, Maelstrom was an attraction about Norway’s heritage and legends at the Norway pavilion in Epcot at WDW. In October 2014, Disney closed the boat ride with plans to create a Frozen attraction, and recent news has confirmed that there will be an Anna and Elsa meet and greet at the pavilion as well. Of course, I understand where Disney is coming from: Frozen has been an immensely popular film, and both children and adults all over the world pretty much know the song “Let It Go” by heart. However, I just don’t believe that the Norway pavilion was the right place to put a Frozen themed area.
Epcot’s World Showcase is supposed to be a representation of the eleven countries currently there, and the last time I checked, Anna, Elsa, and Olaf were neither a part of Norway’s history nor even based on real people. Sure, Maelstrom was a bit of a quirky ride, but at least viewers got to learn about Norway’s past and mythology. Imagineers could have easily updated the attraction if that was the problem, but the decision to close Maelstrom was obviously more about marketing than old animatronics.
To add salt to the injury, the Stave church that used to house ancient Norwegian artifacts and historical figures has now been turned into a homage to Frozen and how Norway served as inspiration for the film. I don’t believe that the Norway pavilion shows any sign of “the spirit of Norway” any more, and I would be embarrassed to visit the pavilion with my friends from Norway. There is a time and place for everything, and while Disney may have gotten the timing right with their Frozen takeover, a pavilion that is supposed to represent a real country just isn’t the place for a fictional tale with talking snowmen.
Some might argue that Mulan meet-and-greets in China, or that Belle and Aurora can be seen in France, but Disney didn’t replace the ancient Chinese artifacts in the Temple of Heaven with recreated costumes from the film or put Disney princess merchandise in the shops. Sure, the characters are there, but the pavilions still represent each country and their heritage. Instead of Norway being a part of the World Showcase’s museum-like learning experience, it has become another part of Disney sacrificed for Frozen.
I’m not saying that Frozen doesn’t have some great messages, or even that it isn’t a good movie, or even that Maelstrom was the world’s greatest ride, but I think that with this decision Disney has chosen the more lucrative path over than the “right” path. Even though this might be a good decision for the company as a whole, it doesn’t sit well with my standards, and with many other people’s as well. The hashtag #savemaelstrom has been posted over 1000 times on Twitter and Instagram, and hundreds of people have joined in the protest by sharing pictures of themselves knocking on the forever-closed doors of the late Maelstrom. Even though it may be too late to save the attraction, I know that it will take me a long time to get over the Frozen takeover.
Share this:
The Trolley Car Café Now Open at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Guests can now enjoy favorite Starbucks menu items at The Trolley Car Café located on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios®.
Themed to a classic trolley car station from early 20th century Hollywood, The Trolley Car Café serves Disney baked goods and Starbucks La Boulange™ pastry items, as well as Starbucks coffee and espresso beverages.
The Trolley Car Café is the third in-park location serving Starbucks products at the Walt Disney World® Resort. Locations are already open at Magic Kingdom® Park and Epcot®, as well as Downtown Disney®.
A new location will open this summer at Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park. Creature Comforts is being re-imagined and will also serve Starbucks coffee and espresso beverages, as well as Frappuccino blended beverages and signature breakfast sandwiches and pastries.
Share this:
Lunch Reservations Coming Soon to Be Our Guest Restaurant
Be Our Guest Restaurant at Magic Kingdom® Park has been a Guest favorite at the Walt Disney World® Resort since opening during the New Fantasyland® expansion.
Beginning Feb. 25, 2015, reservations can be made for the fast-casual lunch experience at Be Our Guest Restaurant. Guests will also have the option to pre-order their meal 30 days prior up to 5 minutes before their reservation.
Lunch is served daily from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Reservations can be made beginning Feb. 25, 2015 by visiting My Disney Experience, or by calling 407-WDW-DINE.
Share this:
How will Disney fix the problematic Luigi’s Flying Tires ride?
After a little more than two years in service, the beleaguered Luigi’s Flying Tires at Disney California Adventure will be replaced by an entirely new ride.
Share this:
What Are Some Disney Park Rides and Attractions That No Longer Exist?
Disney will often redress a ride rather then remove it. But here are some I know of that flopped with the audience:
Alien Encounter
Disney’s scary “alone in the dark” attraction proved too intense for their audience and was redressed as a humorous Stitch attraction.
Share this:
Shanghai Disneyland offers a peek into ‘Treasure Cove’
The Shanghai Disneyland recently released a set of photos of its “Treasure Cove,” the first pirate-themed attraction in a Disney park, the Information Office of Shanghai Municipal Government revealed on its micro-blog.
“Treasure Cove” is one of the six themed areas in Shanghai Disneyland. Its major attractions will include “Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle of the Sunken Treasure,” an all-new high-technology boat ride.
Share this:
Thomas O. Staggs Named Chief Operating Officer of The Walt Disney Company
Thomas O. Staggs has been named Chief Operating Officer of The Walt Disney Company, it was announced today by Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
A 25-year Disney veteran, Mr. Staggs is Chairman, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, overseeing the strategy, operations and creative development of the company’s iconic travel and leisure businesses. He will assume the role of Chief Operating Officer immediately, while continuing to lead Parks and Resorts until a successor is named. Disney’s senior management team, including all business segment leaders, will report jointly to Mr. Iger and Mr. Staggs, with the exception of the Chief Financial Officer, General Counsel, Chief Communications Officer and Chief Human Resources Officer, who will continue to report directly to Mr. Iger.
“Tom is an incredibly experienced, talented and versatile executive who has led Parks and Resorts during a time of unprecedented growth and expansion, including the construction of Shanghai Disney Resort. His proven ability to lead a business as well as his successful tenure as Disney’s former CFO make him an ideal Chief Operating Officer, expanding his portfolio into all the company’s businesses,” Mr. Iger said.
“It’s a privilege to step into this role, and I am humbled and honored by the opportunity. I look forward to working more closely with Bob and the talented senior management team across the company to continue to build Disney’s future through unparalleled creativity, innovative technology and global expansion,” Mr. Staggs said.
Since 2010, Mr. Staggs has led Parks and Resorts’ global team of more than 130,000 Cast Members, Crew Members and Imagineers, with the segment delivering record revenue, profit and attendance levels. In addition to overseeing the development of Shanghai Disney Resort, and a new Avatar-themed land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park, during Tom’s tenure, Disney has launched two new cruise ships; opened Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, in Hawai‘i; added three new lands at Hong Kong Disneyland; doubled the size of Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom; and completed a multi-year expansion of the Disneyland Resort with the addition of Cars Land and Buena Vista Street at Disney California Adventure Park.
Prior to that, Mr. Staggs served as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of The Walt Disney Company. He played a critical role in the execution of the acquisitions of Capital Cities/ABC, Pixar Animation Studios and Marvel Entertainment. As CFO for twelve years, he spearheaded the realignment of Disney’s performance goals toward the combination of profit growth and strong long-term capital returns and free cash flow. He has been praised by Wall Street for his financial and communications skills, and was consistently voted the entertainment industry’s No. 1 CFO by Institutional Investor magazine.
Mr. Staggs joined Disney in 1990 as Manager of Strategic Planning and quickly advanced through a series of positions of increased responsibility, leading to his appointment as Chief Financial Officer in 1998. Before joining Disney, he worked in investment banking at Morgan Stanley & Co.
Mr. Staggs earned a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Share this:
