2019 has been an exciting year for The Walt Disney Company! With so many new additions within Disney Parks around the globe, and even the addition of Disney+ now streaming in our homes daily, it has been an epic year for Disney to say the least.
Instrumental in making 2019 an outstanding year is of course the Disney CEO, Bob Iger. It’s no secret that Bob Iger is one of the most paramount businesspersons in the world! TIME Magazine recognizes Bob’s achievements and announced he is TIME’s 2019 Businessperson of the Year!
With only two more weeks left of the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays, we’re starting to get more information on the next festival to come to Epcot – the Epcot Festival of the Arts. Disney recently released more information on the talent coming to the popular Disney on Broadway Concert Series and other offerings coming to the festival. Check out all the details below.
Here are all the details from a Disney cast member:
“Epcot International Festival of the Arts at Walt Disney World Resort will kick-off its annual global celebration of visual, culinary and performing arts January 17- February 24, 2020. The new Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine debuts at this year’s festival, showcasing food creations that make you look twice and delight all your senses. New stellar Broadway talent is slated for the Disney on Broadway Concert Series, and more special performances are scheduled. The festival fun is designed for all ages, so plan for an outing complete with something for everyone in the family, including three brand-new film experiences that debut at Epcot on festival opening day!
As Walt Disney once said, “Color does brighten things up, doesn’t it?” We say, “yes!” This year’s Food Studios’ menus are bursting with bright hues and flavors, and you’ll have a chance to sample the spectrum of delicious dishes with the reward of a colorful culinary prize. As you stroll the World Showcase Promenade, you’ll be tempted by the creative bites and sips created by talented Disney chefs. Collect a stamp for each menu item you taste along the Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine, fill your Festival Passport “palette,” then collect your colorful culinary prize.
Plan ahead by viewing festival menus at Food Studios. You can savor abstract fare at Deconstructed Dish and satisfy your sweet tooth at Decadent Delights. The edible options are endless at 12 Food Studios and other festival food and beverage stops.
In November, we shared some of the show-stopping talent lineup for the festival’s popular Disney on Broadway Concert Series, running three times daily at America Gardens Theatre. Now, here’s the rest of the story:
Jan. 17, 20, 21 and 24 – Kissy Simmons and Alton Fitzgerald White (“The Lion King”)
Jan. 18, 19, 22 and 23 – Heidi Blickenstaff (“The Little Mermaid”) and Gavin Lee (“Mary Poppins”)
Jan. 25 – Special performance featuring Simmons, White, Blickenstaff and Lee
Jan. 26, 28, 29; Feb. 1, 2, 5 and 6 – Kara Lindsay (“Newsies”) and Kevin Massey (“Tarzan”)
Jan. 27, 30, 31, Feb. 3, 4, 7 and 8 – NEW! Liana Hunt (“Newsies”) and Adam Jacobs (“Aladdin”)
NEW! Feb. 9 – Special performance featuring Lindsay, Massey, Hunt and Jacobs
Feb. 10, 12, 13, 18, 19, 22 and 23 – Ashley Brown (“Mary Poppins”) and Josh Strickland (“Tarzan”)
Feb. 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20 and 21 – NEW! Syndee Winters (“The Lion King”) and NEW!Michael James Scott (“Aladdin”)
NEW! Feb. 24 – Special performance featuring Brown, Strickland, Winters and Scott.
All shows are included with theme park admission. The best way to experience a performance is by reserving a Disney on Broadway Dining Package, which guarantees seating for one show on the day of the dining experience.
And remember: age doesn’t matter – art is for everyone! There’s fun for kids of every generation at the Green Landing Family Play Zone. You can pose for some memorable family pictures at several Artful Photo Ops, then paint a piece of our Expression Section: Paint by Number Mural at World Showcase Plaza.
When you join us for festival fun, you won’t want to miss the new films debuting at Epcot January 17, 2020. You’ll see art meet science in “Awesome Planet” at The Land pavilion, which employs spectacular imagery, in-theater effects, and an original musical score. You’ll get to perform as part of the audience at the “Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along” in the France pavilion. And you’ll be surrounded by the visual beauty of northern climes when viewing “Canada Far and Wide in Circle-Vision 360” in the Canada pavilion – it’s a breathtaking update to the original “O Canada!” film with new scenes, a new musical score and narration by award-winning actors Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy.
While visiting World Showcase, be sure to check out a brand new to Epcot performing in the Germany pavilion, Lebendig (“Alive”), Jan. 17 – Feb. 25. This four-piece pop/rock outfit will delight audiences with its contemporary interpretation of the beloved German Schlager style, including covers and originals.
Get ready to “say cheese”! It’s hard to believe, but Disney PhotoPass Service is celebrating its 15th anniversary at Walt Disney World. Just imagine all the smiles and special moments captured in these past 15 years! Well, Disney PhotoPass Service is celebrating which of course means, we get to join in the fun! Check out details below from DisneyParksBlog:
Since making its official debut in December 2004, Disney PhotoPass Service has continued to introduce creative new ways to capture your memories, like our new Tiny World and Super Zoom Magic Shots, recently opened Disney PhotoPass Studios, and more. Cast Members have helped to capture billions of photos in that span of time, giving you the chance to revisit the magic whenever you need a smile or a cozy trip down memory lane.
Disney vacation photos are more than just pictures to hang on a wall or post on social media – they’re how you remember what we hope are among the happiest memories of your life.
To celebrate this milestone anniversary, PhotoPass Services will be offering special photo opportunities all around Walt Disney World Resort throughout the next year. Since Disney PhotoPass Service first launched at Epcot, this is the perfect place to kick off the celebrations! Now through January 6, 2020, you can enjoy a few bright and colorful photo ops after dark at Epcot. Check out the locations below where you can find photographers to capture these special moments for you.
And if you’re looking for a creative way to display a favorite Disney vacation moment, now through January 6, 2020, you can also enjoy 15% off plus free domestic shipping on select orders when you customize and order photo gift products through EZ Prints. Dress up the fridge with a magnet, trim the Christmas tree with an ornament, or remember your vacation every morning as you enjoy a cup of coffee!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Holiday photo ops are currently available throughout the Walt Disney World Resort for guests to enjoy. Here are a few photos ops below from DisneyParksBlog that are sure to be picture frame worthy:
While you’re exploring Walt Disney World Resort this holiday season, stop by to capture photos with Disney PhotoPass photographers, and be sure to ask which Magic Shots are available at each location you visit!
Disney PhotoPass Studio at Disney Springs
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Epcot
Magic Kingdom Park
Select Resorts
Which photo op are you most excited about this holiday season?
We previously announced the opening date for Mickey and Minnie’s first ever starring attraction, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway! Scheduled to open at Walt Disney World on March 4, 2020 in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, we for one can’t wait to experience this one! Check out a first look video from DisneyParksBlog below:
“This will be the first Disney ride-through attraction featuring Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse that will draw guests inside a Mickey cartoon for a fun-filled adventure where “Mouse rules apply” and anything can happen. Check out the first-look video below, hosted by Disney Channel’s “ZOMBIES 2” stars Meg Donnelly and Milo Manheim.”
Don’t miss Mickey and Minnie rolling into Disney’s Hollywood Studios beginning March 4, 2020!