Foodie Guide May the 4th and Beyond

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Dining, Disney Parks, Hollywood Studios

Guests don’t have to travel to a galaxy far, far away to indulge in some tasty treats and superb sips celebrating May the 4th! This year, Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort are joining in on the adventure by serving up items that are out-of-this-world!

From special offerings like the Lightsaber Churros at Disney’s Hollywood Studios to the adorable Grogu treats scattered throughout Disneyland Resort, there are plenty of items to try.

Disneyland Resort

To stay in-the-know on all the latest and greatest Star Wars at Disneyland Resort, check out the Disneyland app for the digital food and merchandise guide!

Disneyland Park – Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

Celebrate Black Spire Day this year at Disneyland Resort, an annual celebration honoring this bustling outpost in Batuu, with tons of eats and treats deliciously crafted by the locals at Black Spire.

Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo (available on Mobile Order)

  • Ishi Tib-style Pasta with Braised Beef Bantha: Beef pot roast, coconut curry sauce, pasta, and mixed vegetables (New)
  • Vintian Mineral Mousse: Banana brûlée-centered dark chocolate mousse, strawberry mousse, vanilla chantilly, chocolate crumble, and cherry garnish

Kat Saka’s Kettle  

  • Outpost Mix: Colorful blend of seasonal flavors including caramel and chocolate-glazed popcorn
  • Shaak Cheese Popped Grains: white cheddar flavored popcorn

Milk Stand (available on Mobile Order)

  • Chocolate Chip Sweet-Sand Cookie: Chocolate chip-toffee cookie topped with pistachios and sea salt (New)
  • Blue Milk – Mon Cala Swirl: Blue Milk with blue mango sour jellies topped with a sour shimmery mango gel (New)
  • Novelty: Bubo Wamba Family Farms Cup (New)

Oga’s Cantina  

  • Five-blossom Bread: Warm pretzel knot with Hawaiian black sea salt served with honey-mustard cream foam and Calabrian cheese sauce (New)
  • Fondor Fizz: Toniray Teal Chardonnay, Tito’s Vodka, and Joffrey’s White Tea with flavors of lemongrass and pea flower citrus (New)
  • Sesid Seltzer: Tropical Pineapple-Orange Hard Seltzer (New)
  • Black Squadron Lager – Golden Lager with a touch of Honey (New)

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Beverage Cart

  • Sullust Garlic Chips: Mix of Buffalo and White Cheddar-flavored Garlic Chips

Disneyland Park – Tomorrowland and Main Street, U.S.A

Galactic Grill (available on Mobile Order)

  • Parfait of Mustafar: Chocolate lava cake, chocolate ganache, and red pâte à choux filled with salted caramel pudding and red chocolate mousse (New)

Candy Palace and Candy Kitchen

  • Grogu Apple: Granny Smith apple dipped in caramel with marshmallow ears and enrobed in colored white chocolate and gold sanding sugar (available while supplies last)

Disney’s Grand California Hotel & Spa

Holiday Cart

  • Star Wars Sugar Cookie dipped in chocolate with Star Wars decoration (available through May 10) (New)
  • Wookiee Cookie: Chocolate-hazelnut-filled chocolate cookie rolled in sprinkles with a chocolate sash (New)
  • Pretzel Lightsabers: Pretzel sticks dipped in white chocolate with colored sanding sugar (New)

Downtown Disney District

Marceline’s Confectionery (available on Mobile Order)

  • Grogu Apple: Granny Smith apple dipped in caramel with marshmallow ears and enrobed in colored white chocolate and gold sanding sugar (available while supplies last)

Black Tap Craft Burgers & Shakes (available through May 31)

  • Light Classic Shake: Electric blue vanilla shake, silver and blue galaxy sprinkles, whipped cream, and chocolate drizzle (New)
  • Dark Classic Shake: Wild cherry shake, red and black sprinkles, whipped cream, chocolate drizzle, and a cherry (New)

Splitsville Luxury Lanes (available through May 31)

  • Galaxy Roll: Fresh salmon, cucumber, and avocado rolled in soy paper topped with steamed shrimp and ahi tuna drizzled with spicy kimchee ponzu sauce

Kayla’s Cake (available through May 31)

  • Galaxy Caramel Macaron: Satisfy two cravings at once with sea salt caramel with white chocolate ganache

Naples Ristorante e Bar (available through May 31)

  • Red Galaxy Cocktail: Light rum, peach schnapps, pineapple juice, squeezed lime, squeezed honey, and a splash of grenadine served on the rocks and topped with mint (New)
  • Green Moon Cocktail: Served with either tequila or mezcal, Anchor Reyes, canton ginger, lemon juice, a squeeze of honey syrup, and topped with soda water served in a hurricane glass garnished with green pepper and lime (New)

Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen (available through May 31)

Dueling Fates (New)

  • Empire cocktail with Cruzan citrus rum, blue Curacao, lime juice, and Sprite
  • Rebel cocktail with Effen cucumber Vodka, watermelon Torani, and Sprite

Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite (SOLD OUT)

For Guests that have already purchased tickets to one of the sold-out Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite events, there are plenty of delicious treats  to try! Be transported to another world with eats and sips like the Cantina Snack Dog from Refreshment Corner Hosted by Coca-Cola or the incredibly delicious Purple Saber Funnel Cake from Stage Door Café. For a dark side twist on a classic tale, try The Dark Stuff from Red Rose Taverne. Or Guests can take a trip to the French Market Restaurant throughout the night, they have to try the Dathomirian Cannelloni. Whatever they want to try, Guests should make sure to bring your appetite!

Exec. Who Leaked Cosmic Rewind Opening Is OUT As Head of Corporate Affairs

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

After just four months with The Walt Disney Company, Geoff Morrell is out as Disney’s Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer. According to a memo sent to employees, the role will now be filled by relative Disney newcomer, Kristina Schake. Schake made headlines earlier this month when she was named Disney’s Head of Global Communications. She was originally going to report directly to Morrell, but we are now learning that she will be taking his place.

While some may not know Morrell by name, they may know him as the person who leaked the opening of Walt Disney World’s newest roller coaster, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. As an Executive, Morrell was able to ride the attraction early. He shared his excitement for the ride on Twitter in February and said that it would be opening Memorial Day Weekend. Disney had not announced an opening at the time and Morrell quickly deleted the tweet, then sent out the same tweet, without the opening date. Disney did not confirm the Memorial Day Weekend opening until April.

Disney CEO Bob Chapek sent the following memo to employees, announcing Morrell’s departure. The memo was shared with Deadline:

Team-

I am writing to share the news that Geoff Morrell, our Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities. Fortunately, the strength and experience of our existing leadership team—including relatively new all-star hires—means there is no shortage of talent to guide our reputation-driving functions. With Geoff’s departure, I am pleased to share the following changes:

First, Kristina Schake will lead The Walt Disney Company’s communications efforts, serving as our Executive Vice President, Global Communications reporting directly to me. In this expanded role, Kristina will have oversight for corporate and segment communications and continue to be our chief spokesperson. Our business segment and content communications leads will continue to dual report to both division leadership and corporate communications, now led by Kristina.

We are incredibly fortunate to have Kristina with us at this important time. Her 30-plus years of experience includes roles leading President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine education program, communications for Instagram, and leadership positions in political campaigns and the Obama White House. Kristina has a strategic approach and collaborative style, as well as relentless optimism and a strong appreciation of our brand and its place in the world. These attributes will be invaluable as she works to protect and enhance our reputation, and I am thrilled to be working with her more closely.

Next, Government Relations and Global Public Policy will now be led by our General Counsel, Horacio Gutierrez. Since joining the company earlier this year, Horacio has integrated seamlessly into the Disney family, and has quickly become a valued advisor to me and the leadership team on a wide range of issues. His extensive experience leading these areas will be incredibly useful in driving our efforts.

In addition to his current direct reports, Susan Fox, Senior Vice President for Government Relations, and Yvonne Pei, Senior Vice President, External Relations, Greater China, will join Dorothy Attwood, Senior Vice President, Global Public Policy, in reporting directly to Horacio.

Finally, Jenny Cohen, Executive Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, will now report solely to me in her role leading our CSR and ESG efforts. Jenny is a strong leader, and has done incredible work modernizing our approach in key areas like environmental sustainability, community investment, and philanthropy.

I am incredibly confident in this team, and look forward to working with them and all of our leadership to set Disney’s course for the next 100 years of extraordinary entertainment and experiences.

walt disney company headquarters

Disney’s communications team, which until now was led by Morrell, had been struggling for weeks. Many were criticizing the company for its lack of a statement on Florida’s controversial Parental Rights in Education Bill. The company stayed quiet and only spoke out after mounting pressure. Even though they spoke out, many felt that it was too late and that the company they loved didn’t support them. There were a number of walkouts and protests.

Disney’s choice to make a firm statement against the bill only led to a new set of problems. Its denunciation of the bill angered Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his fellow Florida Republicans. They were so upset that they created and passed a bill dissolving Reedy Creek and stripping Disney of its self-governing powers starting in 2023. The legality of the bill is still being debated. To many insiders, Morrell’s departure had been looming on the horizon for some time.

Morrell also sent an email to employees, saying, “After three months in this new role, it has become clear to me that for a number of reasons it is not the right fit.”

Adventures by Disney Last Chance Offer for Summer Travel

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

Adventures by Disney is giving Guests a chance to visit a variety of exotic locales around the world with its last chance offer for summer travel.

For a limited time, Guests can save $250 per person on select North America and Central America land departures, including Wyoming, the Canadian Rockies and Costa Rica, and $350 per person on select International land departures, including England & France, Egypt and Poland, Czech Republic & Austria. Additionally, Guests can save $150 per person on the London Escape departing Aug. 26, 2022.

Adventures must be booked by Sept. 28, 2022 for travel between July 4 – Oct. 31, 2022. Travel must be booked 45-60 days prior to applicable departure date, depending on itinerary. Please note that this offer is valid for new bookings only and is not combinable with any existing offers, discounts or promotions.

‘Avatar 2’ FINALLY Has a Release Date and Title!

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

Nearly 13 years ago, iconic director James Cameron introduced people around the globe to the world of Avatar. Fans were blown away by the incredible graphics, beautiful story, and new world of Na’vi. The film was an immediate hit and ended up grossing more than $2 billion worldwide — making it the highest-grossing film of all time. Before the film was even released, Cameron said that he would make sequels if Avatar was successful, and the sequel films were announced in 2010.

Originally, the second Avatar film was expected to be released in 2014, but 2014 came and went with nothing. Seven years later and we were still waiting, but the promise of a sequel was still there. Well, the time has come, and we now have, not only a title for the second film, which we had known, but we finally know when it will hit theaters.

Avatar movie

Avatar producer Jon Landau flew in from New Zealand to make the announcement at CinemaCon in Las Vegas — while James Cameron made his appearance virtually. At CinemaCon, the two shared that Avatar: The Way of the Water will be premiering in theaters on December 16, 2022. They also shared that the subsequent films will premiere on December 20, 2024, December 18, 2026, and December 22, 2028.

Avatar the way of the water

Variety shared more on the exciting CinemaCon event:

Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, “Avatar: The Way of Water” begins to tell the story of the Sully family — Jake, Neytiri and their kids — and the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive and the tragedies they endure…

Cameron, who is still in New Zealand putting the final touches on “Avatar 2,” appeared in a pre-recorded video to tell exhibitors about the film. He says it is “designed for the biggest screen and the most immersive 3D available,” adding that he “set out to test the limits of what cinema can do.”

Producer Jon Landau, who flew in town from New Zealand for less than 24 hours, indicated that “family” will be at the center of the four sequels. Each follow-up film will play out as a standalone movie and will come to its own conclusion.

Along with [James] Cameron, [Sam] Worthington and [Zoe] Saldana, the $250 million-budgeted “Avatar 2” brings back Giovanni Ribisi, Sigourney Weaver, CCH Pounder and Stephen Lang. Those actors will be joined by new faces to the franchise, including Kate Winslet, Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh, Edie Falco, Cliff Curtis and Jemaine Clement.

“We need to make sure [audiences] have an experience they can’t get anywhere else, and that needs to be exclusively in theaters,” Landau said.

While only CinemaCon attendees had the chance to watch the trailer for Avatar: The Way of the Water, Landau and Cameron shared that the official trailer will premiere exclusively in theaters ahead of Marvel’s newest film, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The new Doctor Strange film is set to hit theaters in less than 2 weeks, on May 6.

Doctor Strange Multiverse of Madness

When Avatar was first released, it was not owned by the Walt Disney Company, it was owned by 20th Century Fox. However, when Disney acquired Fox in 2019, all of Fox’s properties came with it — including Avatar. In anticipation of the new film’s release, Disney will be releasing the original Avatar in theaters for a limited time, starting September 23.

Disney Says Florida Can’t Dissolve Reedy Creek

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Uncategorized

On April 22, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill officially dissolving the Reedy Creek Improvement Act. The Act let Disney essentially function as its own government, and its dissolution means that the company will now be beholden to the state for things like permits and necessary improvements. The dissolution bill is supposed to go into effect on June 1, 2023, but many are questioning its legality.

One of the big issues in dissolving Reedy Creek is what will happen to the bond debt that it currently has. Should the District be dissolved, then that debt — which is estimated to be more than $1 billion — would theoretically be passed on to the taxpayers of Orange County and Osceola County. However, according to the bonds that Reedy Creek sold, dissolution of the district could not legally happen until 2029 — at the earliest.

Bloomberg Tax explained how the bonds work, how Disney issued them, and what the state of Florida agreed to with the bonds.

By dissolving Reedy Creek, the legislature essentially rewrote the promises made in the district’s bond offerings. Instead of bonds backed by a special district with the power to levy up to 30 mills in taxes, the property tax bonds will be backed jointly by two governments that can only generate a maximum of 10 mills in taxes. Instead of a unified utility system with special powers to charge various fees, supported by special taxing powers, utility revenue bonds will be jointly managed by two counties subject to additional taxing and spending restrictions.

Both the U.S. and Florida constitutions place strict limitations on the government’s ability to impair its own contracts. Under the U.S. Constitution, a state can only impair an existing contract if the impairment is reasonable and necessary to serve an important government purpose. As early as 1866, the U.S. Supreme Court held that once a local government issues a bond based on an authorized taxing power, the state is contract-bound and cannot eliminate the taxing power supporting the bond. The Florida Constitution provides even greater protection from impairment of contracts.

The issue of bonds can get extremely complicated and confusing, especially if you are not familiar with buying them and what that means. While that confusion may apply to the average person, it does not apply to the state of Florida. Governor DeSantis said that he had worked with his fellow Florida legislators to figure out how everything will work with the dissolution. However, the legality of interfering with bonds when it contractually agreed not to do so will only work in Disney’s favor.

The bonds in question were utility bonds that were issued in 2018 and prohibit redemption until at least 2029. Now, technically, it may be possible for Florida to still dissolve Reedy Creek, but only if it cut a check to all of the bond holders effected and paid off the more than $1 billion in current debt.

Florida violating its bond promise is only one legal issue that the state will potentially face. Florida law also states that a specially created district can only be dissolved by a vote of the district’s landowners. On top of that, the dissolution of the Reedy Creek Improvement District could be considered unconstitutional if it was done in retaliation — which DeSantis and fellow Florida Republicans have indicated.

Several legal experts, including those well-versed in Constitutional law, have said that Florida has put itself in the perfect spot to be sued by the Walt Disney Company. Disney has said that it is exploring all of its options, but has not said if it intends to sue the state.