Disney is once again expanding the number of experiences guests included in Genie+ on March 11 giving guests more options for their selections.
Here is the statement from Disney:
Starting March 11, the following experiences will be added as selections to Disney Genie+ service:
Magic Kingdom: Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade
Disney’s Hollywood Studios: See Disney Stars at Red Carpet Dreams
This update gives Guests even more options to choose from when using Disney Genie+ service.
As a reminder, the purchase of Disney Genie+ service is available in addition to a standby entrance or traditional parade viewing.
*Attractions with Lightning Lane entrances that are Disney Genie+ and individual purchases are limited in availability, subject to change or closure, may vary by date, are not guaranteed and may not be available at all on the date of visit or at the time you make a selection.
Disney announced that they would be retheming the Splash Mountain theme park attraction, (located in both Disney World and Disneyland) from the controversial film, Song of the South to the 2009 film, The Princess and the Frog.
Ever since, Disney Parks have been removing references to Song of the South and Splash Mountain. In August 2020, Disneyland Resort quietly removed the famous song, “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah”, which is also played throughout Splash Mountain, from the Disneyland Resort esplanade music loop — the courtyard area in between Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.
Now, Disney World has removed “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” from the Festival of Fantasy parade soundtrack.
Splash Mountain is currently located at both Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort. The attraction is based off of the film, Song of the South, which is extremely controversial as many deem it racist.
In fact, the movie considered by many as the most controversial and notorious film in Disney’s history. Because of this, it was never made available on home video in the U.S. and is currently missing from Disney’s streaming service, Disney+.
Song of the South is a mix of live-action and animation and features an older African-American plantation laborer named Uncle Remus who tells stories to a young white boy. Groups including the NAACP protested the film’s initial release.
Within Splash Mountain, you can spot many of the characters from Song of the South, including Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Fox, and Br’er Bear, as well as hear the iconic song “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah”. However, as Disney strives towards diversity and inclusion, the Parks have been removing references to Song of the South.
The first was Disneyland Resort, whom decided to remove “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” from the esplanade loop. When this occurred, a Disneyland official explained “The removal of the song from Downtown Disney’s background music is part of a continuous process to deliver an environment that features stories that are relevant and inclusive.”
Now, it seems those efforts are continuing on the East Coast as the song, which originated from Song of the South and is played during the Disney Parks attraction, Splash Mountain, has been removed from the Festival of the Fantasy parade.
The fan-favorite Festival of Fantasy parade returned to Magic Kingdom today, March 9, but the “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” reference did not.
In a live stream video from EarsomEmporium with Genevieve, you can watch the return of Festival of Fantasy parade, which has removed the “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” song, which was heard towards the end of the parade as the Mickey Mouse float approached.
Right as Donald Duck approaches on his float, you can hear the “Mickey Mouse March”, which used to turn into “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah”, but that no longer occurs and instead, it is replaced with music. Take a listen in the video below:
For comparison, you can watch our video of Festival of Fantasy from prior to the ongoing pandemic, which included the “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah”. You can hear it in the final unit, which includes “Mickey Mouse March”, “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah”, “When You Wish Upon a Star”, “I’ve Got No Strings”, Whistle While You Work”, “When I See an Elephant Fly”.
This section begins at approximately the 13:00 mark in our video below when the Mickey Mouse float approaches our team.
Disneyland Paris also recently removed the song from its Disney Stars on Parade.
As of right now, Disney has not yet made an announcement on when Splash Mountain would be rethemed to The Princess and the Frog, and the attraction remains open to the public at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort.
Disney’s Chief Financial Officer made a huge announcement about park capacity at Walt Disney World on Monday as she participated in a Q&A session at Morgan Stanley’s 2022 Technology, Media & Telecom Conference.
Christine McCarthy, CFO of The Walt Disney Company, was asked about Disney’s Parks, Experience, and Products division. Specifically, she was asked about experiences and about park capacity.
“We are coming back towards full capacity, we’re not yet there,” McCarthy said. “But one of the things we were able to do when the parks were closed was really look at some of the underlying technologies for how we could run the business better and give a better consumer experience.”
McCarthy touted the Park Pass Reservation System, which was unveiled when Disney World reopened in July 2020 after an almost four-month closure in response to the coronavirus pandemic. McCarthy said that the system was necessary as Disney dealt with capacity limitations as the parks reopened. But she says the company realized quickly that the system could continue to be used after those limitations were gone as a tool to “manage attendance.”
In fact, she made a huge announcement in the midst of all the questioning and answering that took place during the conference. She said that the parks will not be returning to pre-pandemic capacity levels. She even said that Disney doesn’t want the parks “bursting at the seams.”
During the conference, McCarthy was asked, “What does full capacity mean looking forward?” She answered, saying that the parks aren’t currently operating at full capacity. (Tell that to Guests who’ve visited lately and have returned with photos of massive crowds at Disney World!)
But if you’re thinking that Disney wants Guests comfortable with lots of wiggle and elbow room while they’re visiting the parks, think again. It’s much more probable that Disney wants you to have just enough room to reach for your wallet. When attendance (aka “crowds”) is managed (by the aforementioned Park Pass Reservation System), Guests have more room–spending room. They enjoy the parks more and feel freer with their money.
Think about a time you visited Disney World and it was so crowded, you couldn’t think. Crowds make us more easily frustrated, on edge, etc., and when we feel that way, we’re frustrated about spending money. But if we’re more at ease during our visit, our wallets seem to open more easily as well.
And thanks to the Park Pass Reservation System, Disney can continue to create more and more demand for its products and experiences: in this case, admission to Disney World.
McCarthy talked about several things that seem to play a role in Disney World’s “new normal,” including Genie+, Lightning Lane, character meet-and-greets, and other things, such as the upcoming debut of Guardians of the Galaxy: COSMIC REWIND attraction at EPCOT this summer.
McCarthy talked about the recovery of the company’s parks division, saying it was driven by ticket prices and by Guests’ spending while in the parks as well.
“Part of it is because people could not go to our parks for a long period of time, especially in California, and when they came back, they wanted to spend money,” she said.
The company’s latest earnings reports show a massive increase in revenue in its parks division–nearly $7.2 billion earned in just one quarter.
A new video shows heavy flooding at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World.
Last night, a downpour flooded streets at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Guests quickly took to social media to document their experiences in the park as they raced to take cover away from the heavy rain and flooding.
Viewers of the FOX 35 Orlando station sent in videos to the news station after the flooding. This video was seen on last night’s newscast:
In the video, you can see Guests along Hollywood Boulevard as they make their way toward the Crossroads retail counter located at the entrance to the park.
According to FOX 35 Orlando, the storm responsible for the heavy rain and subsequent flooding was rare, a “summertime-style rain event where the Gulf of Mexico sea breeze collided with the Atlantic sea breeze over the Interstate 4 corridor.” Apparently, that’s the perfect combination for heavy rain–and lots of it–in a short period of time, leading to the possibility of flooding in some areas.
Guests can be seen running through the streets at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, many racing to find a dry spot to wait out the storm until it passed. There are even Guests pushing strollers through the water that covered over Hollywood Boulevard.
Beginning March 26, 2022, the State of Hawai‘i’s Safe Travels program will conclude, and passengers arriving from domestic points of origin will no longer have to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or a pre-travel negative test result upon arrival to Hawai’i in order to avoid quarantine. International passengers must continue to follow the travel requirements put in place by the federal government. Government requirements are subject to change, and we encourage Guests to continue to stay updated on any travel requirements leading up to their planned stay.
In addition, the City & County of Honolulu’s Safe Access O‘ahu has also expired, and Guests are no longer required to provide proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to dine on property.
As a reminder, the State of Hawai‘i maintains a face covering mandate for all indoor locations. At Aulani Resort, face coverings are required for each Guest age 2 and up, and must be worn in all indoor locations, including Laniwai – A Disney Spa, except when actively eating or drinking while stationary and maintaining appropriate physical distancing. Face coverings are optional in outdoor common areas at Aulani Resort.
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