Zachary Levi Reveals How a Small Lie Landed Him His ‘Tangled’ Role

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney+, Uncategorized

Via DisDining.com

The fog has lifted, and Zachary Levi has at last shown us the light. The actor — best known to Disney fans for voicing the character of Flynn Rider AKA Eugene Fitzherbert in the 2010 film Tangled — revealed in an interview that a lie actually landed him a role in the film. Levi not only voiced Flynn Rider in the original film, but then reprised his role alongside costar Mandy Moore in Tangled: The Series, which premiered in 2017, Tangled Ever After, and more.

Zachary Levi recently sat down with James Corden for his Late Late Show and told the host that Disney originally wanted a British actor for the role of outlaw Flynn Rider. Tangled — based on the Rapunzel fairy tale — creators have said that the film takes place in the 1780s (although evidence in the films points to the 1830s/40s), so they originally wanted actors with British accents to play the lead roles in the film.

Tangled

Levi explained to Corden that he has a penchant for doing accents, so his agent told a small, white lie in order to get him an audition. Levi said:

But no, yes, I did. I was in Tangled for Disney which was such an incredible film and experience. They thought Flynn Rider – the role I ultimately played – they wanted him to have an English accent and they wouldn’t even see American actors. Fortunately, my voiceover agent knew that I did a decent English accent and she fought for me and I got in. I might’ve been one of the only Americans to get in there and then they gave me the job.

Tangled

Levi also revealed that, even though a British actor was originally desired for the role, Disney, for some reason, ended up changing their mind and decided that they wanted Flynn Rider to sound American. That created quite an easy shift for the actor, who is from Lake Charles, Louisiana. Disney also decided to make most of the cast American, which lead to the casting of Mandy Moore as Rapunzel and Donna Murphy as Mother Gothel.

Tangled, Tangled Ever After, Tangled Before Ever After, Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure, and Tangled: Short Cuts are all available to stream on Disney+. Both Zachary Levi and Mandy Moore reprised their roles as Flynn and Rapunzel for all the films and series.

CookieAnn Just Got Her Very Own Bakery at One Disney Park!

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Dining, Disney Parks

In 2010, Disney fans around the globe were introduced to Mickey’s very own teddy bear, Duffy. Duffy is an adorable bear who wears a sailor outfit and was a gift from Minnie who goes everywhere with Mickey. Duffy never really took off at Disney World and Disneyland — although you can still find some merchandise featuring him — but he is incredibly popular at Shanghai Disneyland, Hong Kong Disney, Tokyo Disney, and Aulani.

In the eleven years since Duffy has come along, Disney has also introduced a number of Duffy’s friends to the Parks — including Duffy’s best bear friend, ShellieMay, Olu Mel (a turtle), Gelatoni the cat, StellaLou the rabbit, LinaBell the fox, and CookieAnn the dog. All of these adorable friends have become characters and can frequently be seen in the Parks for photo ops along with Duffy.

The increasing popularity of Duffy’s friends has led to one of them getting her very own bakery. Disney Parks Blog recently shared that CookieAnn Bakery is now open at the Shanghai Disney Resort. Per Disney Parks Blog:

We are excited to announce the opening of a brand-new addition to Mickey Avenue at Shanghai Disney Resort – CookieAnn Bakery Café! Owned by Minnie Mouse, this adorable bakery is inspired by CookieAnn’s culinary curiosity, creativity, and ingenuity, and, of course, by the friendship between Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, Duffy and his friends.

Duffy and Friends have deeply connected with guests of Shanghai Disney Resort since the moment they first arrived there. Their friendship and heartwarming moments with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse inspired this location that highlights CookieAnn’s creative talent in coming up with fun, unique and delicious recipes.

Guests will be treated with a host of delicious and delightful snacks and baked goods: pastries, cookies, soufflé pancakes, creative milkshakes, specialty hot beverages, as well as all sorts of homeware items Disney collectibles, souvenirs, all inspired by Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, Duffy and his friends, and brought to life by the Shanghai Disney Resort Food & Beverage and Merchandise teams.

The gorgeous bakery has walls adorned with murals featuring CookieAnn, Duffy, Mickey, and all of their friends enjoying delicious treats as they spend time together. There is also a vintage oven featuring baked goods animation that will remind visitors of delicious dishes featured in a number of animated Disney films.

Disney Cruise Line Selects Port Everglades for Second Year-Round Homeport

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

The Broward County Commission was joined today by Disney Cruise Line President Thomas Mazloum and Captain Minnie Mouse to celebrate a new agreement naming Port Everglades as Disney’s second year-round homeport. The family-favorite cruise line is bringing its magic to Broward County’s cruise port under a 15-year partnership that includes a minimum 10.6 million passenger movements, and three 5-year extension options that could add another 11.25 million passenger movements. The agreement provides for one ship to be homeported in Port Everglades year-round beginning fall 2023, joined by a second, seasonal ship in 2025.

Adding Port Everglades as a second homeport gives Disney a dedicated terminal in a market with direct highway access and one of the nation’s fastest growing airports, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL). Disney’s original homeport is Port Canaveral, located in Central Florida.

Disney World Cast Member Seen Throwing Straws at Guests

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Dining, Disney Resorts

Via InsideTheMagic

Whispering Canyon Café, located inside Disney’s Wilderness Lodge at Walt Disney World, is a popular restaurant that offers a unique dining experience.

In case you aren’t familiar, Whispering Canyon Café is known for the shenanigans that occur between servers and Guests (don’t ask for extra ketchup!). On a recent visit to Whispering Canyon Café, one waiter was having some fun with a family as he threw straws at them from the next table over.

On Thanksgiving this year, one family dined at Whispering Canyon Café and had the best Cast Member experience ever. They were sitting down at their table when their waiter decided to have a bit of fun with another one of his tables. He was seen throwing paper straws at the family (as a joke).

Within the video you can hear the Cast Member say things like “I don’t know anything about this” and “Hey look, Mickey Mouse” to try and distract the Guests before aiming the straws at their table. The joke not only made the table he was sitting with laugh hysterically, but the “victims of the straws” were also seen clearly having a great time. In fact, the TikToker claims this waiter was the “best” Cast Member and he made their Thanksgiving a memorable one.

@jojocrichton

this made my whole day 😂 #disneyworld #jojosworld #disney #fyp

♬ original sound – JoJo Crichton

Of course, this is all in good fun as, again, Whispering Canyon Café is known for the shenanigans.

Rise of the Resistance Lightning Lane Passes Sell Out in Just Hours

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Hollywood Studios

On December 8, Disney’s newest planning tool, Disney Genie, launched at Disneyland Resort, along with the new paid-for Lightning Lane service, Disney Genie+. Unfortunately, due to a massive cloud server outage, the launch was anything but smooth, and Guests who purchased Disney Genie+ found themselves unable to do things like book ride passes, access their already booked passes, and mobile order. The outage caused app issues for a couple of days, but now it looks like things have settled down and things are running relatively smoothly at the Happiest Place on Earth.

Disney Genie Plus

When Disney announced Disney Genie+, they also shared that some of the most popular rides at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World would not be a part of Genie+. These rides would be called individual attraction selections, and Guests would have to pay an additional fee to access the Lightning Lane.  At Disneyland Resort, those rides are Rise of the Resistance, WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure, and Radiator Springs Racers, and the fees that Guests would pay would depend on the time of year and even the day of the week.

Web Slingers

A lot of Guests voiced their discontent at having to pay not only for Disney Genie+ but then also having to pay even more if they wanted to get to the front of some of the most popular rides. Rise of the Resistance could cost upwards of $20 per Guest for front-of-the-line access on busy days, and some were shocked to see that high price tag. However, it seems that the shock wore off quickly and a lot of Guests decided that the price tag was worth skipping the line.

According to Instagrammer Gothic Rosie, individual attraction selection passes for Rise of the Resistance sold out in a matter of hours on Saturday, December 11.

STATUS UPDATE: INDIVIDUAL LIGHTNING LANE
RISE OF THE RESISTANCE HAS SOLD OUT TODAY

Standby is still available. Check the app for wait times, currently at 120 minutes at the time of this posting.

Web Slingers and Radiator Springs Racers still have times available through ILL.

Thanks to @mramtrak457 for the heads up🥰🙏🏼!

ROTR Disneyland Tickets Sell out

It is important for Disneyland Guests to remember that individual attraction selection prices will vary, so it is important to check the Disneyland app for the most up-to-date information on the rides, as well as Disney Genie and Genie+.