WDW Daily News

It’s a special day at The American Adventure inside EPCOT, as we introduce “The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure.” This new exhibit celebrates the distinctly American musical art form, originated by African Americans and fusing the influences of many different cultures.

Joe Gardner – the musician, mentor and teacher from Disney and Pixar’s new film “Soul,” streaming on Disney+ – shares the rich and surprising history of jazz by taking Guests on a musical tour of several influential American cities. Guests will also discover artifacts from legendary jazz musicians, including Louis Armstrong. And soon Guests will be able to use the Play Disney Parks mobile app to interact with the exhibit and test their knowledge of jazz.

The team at Walt Disney Imagineering is thrilled to bring the compelling story of jazz to EPCOT, and they were honored to work with jazz experts and institutions across the country to explore the rich history and influence of this ever-evolving genre of music.

And as a special surprise, check out this new video from American pianist, band leader, and jazz extraordinaire Jon Batiste, who provided the original jazz compositions and arrangements for “Soul,” as he shares his excitement for “The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure.”

Will Disney pixie dust still shine brightly when the carousel of theme park progress has turned as quickly as it has in the last 10 months?

Here are 10 changes to expect at Disney World in 2021.

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At Disney Parks, they continue to look for ways to enhance classic attractions and elevate the experience for all of our Guests. Today, they’re excited to share that they are building on the story of the Jungle Cruise at both Disneylandpark at DisneylandResort and Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort to include new adventures that stay true to the experience we know and love – more humor, wildlife and skipper heart – and also reflect and value the diversity of the world around us. There are no bigger fans of this attraction than our Imagineers. Here is Kevin Lively – former Jungle Cruise skipper – to share a transmission from the world’s most remote tropical rivers!

Continuing a tradition that Walt Disney started more than six decades ago when he first enhanced the Jungle Cruise, the new creative concept for our river’s journey will be original to Walt Disney Imagineering, just like the attraction itself. Here’s a first look at some of the “gnu” magic we’re adding:

Imagineers are excited to invite current Jungle Cruise skippers at Disneyland park and Magic Kingdom Park to a Jungle Navigation Company Roll Call, where they will be among the first to hear more about the new adventures and wonders coming down the river. Recently, Imagineers had the chance to provide a sneak peek to a few skippers at Magic Kingdom Park – check out the Walt Disney World Ambassador team on Instagram, @WDW.Ambassador, to see additional reactions, and stay tuned for more details about the enhancements in store for the Jungle Cruise, coming later this year. 

2020 was the kind of year that Walt Disney World certainly never expected. The resort was closed for more than four months, and while the parks have been open since July, things are about as far as they could possibly be from business as usual. Much of the larger resort is still closed, and only a fraction of normal capacity is able to visit Disney World on any given day.

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Since reopening the Walt Disney World theme parks last July, they’ve taken a different approach to our entertainment, coming up with new ways to share the magic of the Disney characters. With cavalcades and flotillas continuing to delight Guests daily, they are now turning their attention to bringing back even more entertainment with a responsible and thoughtful approach.

They are thrilled to be starting the process of bringing back to work more singers, dancers, technicians and other Cast Members, from one of the most popular shows at Walt Disney World Resort. Expected this summer, the Harambe Theatre at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park will host that fan-favorite troupe of musical storytellers, along with Simba and his friends, in a celebration of the incomparable Festival of the Lion King.

When it returns, Festival of the Lion King will be presented in a modified format to be mindful of the current environment. There will be adjustments to the show on stage and backstage, including updates to choreography to allow for appropriate physical distancing. They’ll also adjust how the audience is seated, in line with other theater-based experiences at Walt Disney World Resort.

So, who’s ready to clap along with “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King,” thrill to the fire knife performance during “Be Prepared,” swoon over “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” and take in the joyous “Circle of Life?” It’s going to be an amazing celebration!

When Avengers Campus opens at the Disneyland Resort at a future top secret date, Guests will see a very familiar face inside the Worldwide Engineering Brigade – or WEB as the kids call it. As we shared before, Tom Holland reprises his role as Peter Parker for WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure.

Disney previously caught up with Tom who shared more details about his role in the attraction and his excitement for working with Walt Disney Imagineering on this new adventure. Check out this first look below!

In the WEB workshop, young engineers specialize in developing innovative technologies to equip and empower a new generation of Super Heroes. This workshop showcases the inventions of Peter Parker and the rest of the WEB Tech team, including their adorable Spider-Bots, which are designed to be robotic sidekicks capable of building anything a Super Hero might need. When Peter’s demonstration goes awry, the Spider-Bots are stuck in a replication loop, creating even more Spider-Bots!

Donning 3D glasses, the Guest’s mission will be to test-drive the aspiring inventor’s latest invention, the WEB Slinger vehicle, and discover their web-slinging super powers! Through specially designed, innovative technology that recognizes body movements and gestures, Guests will reach out their hands and sling webs from their wrists, just like Spider-Man. As the WEB Slinger vehicles progress, they will virtually pass through several other Campus addresses, including Pym Test Kitchen, Avengers Headquarters and the Collector’s Fortress, also home to Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! As the mission continues, Spider-Bots will become harder and harder to beat as they continue to multiply.

WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure is just one of the many addresses found inside Avengers Campus, an entirely new land dedicated to discovering, recruiting and training the next generation of heroes at Disney California Adventure park. Stay tuned for more updates on #AvengersCampus!

Walt Disney World’s Cinderella Castle is perhaps one of the most recognizable theme park icons in the world, with millions of visitors flocking to the Magic Kingdom each year and being greeted by its majestic beauty upon entering the park’s gate

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The historic transformation of EPCOT will take another step forward in early February with “The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure,” a new exhibit debuting inside The American Adventure. Featuring Joe Gardner from Disney and Pixar’s “Soul” – now streaming on Disney+ – Guests are invited on a musical tour of America to learn about this inspiring genre of music.

Check out this new video from Walt Disney Imagineering’s Carmen Smith to hear more about what’s in store for this experience. 

Stay tuned for more updates on this and all the other excitement happening during an unprecedented time of transformation for EPCOT.

Vacationers have more options to choose from than ever for transportation, including ride-share services that save time and offer more flexibility to go where they want, when they want. In light of this shift, when Disney Resort hotel bookings open for stays in 2022, they will no longer offer Disney’s Magical Express service for airport transportation, starting with arrivals Jan. 1, 2022. They will continue to operate the service for new and existing reservations made at Disney Resort hotels for arrivals throughout 2021. Additionally, complimentary transportation options – such as buses, monorails and Disney Skyliner – will continue to be available within Walt Disney World Resort for Disney Resort hotel guests, including to and from all four theme parks.

Walt Disney World certainly had an interesting year in 2020. The park was closed for several months for the first time in history. And while it was able to reopen during the summer, things are far from normal. 

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