Disney Unveils Brand New “DisneyMe” Feature

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

To say Disney Parks have gone digital would be an understatement. With the addition of MagicMobile, mobile ordering, Play Disney Parks, and Magic Band+, a trip to the theme park is more dependent on devices than ever. Disney has created a whole digital world guests must navigate to experience the parks fully. With that in mind, a new way for guests to express themselves in the digital Disney world. Introducing “DisneyMe”!

DisneyMe will be an all-new digital avatar in the Play Disney Parks app. With their avatar, Disney says guests will be able to “express their Disney style” with a customizable avatar that you can create to look just like you (or not, that choice is 100% up to you). There will be various styles, clothing, and accessories to choose from, and some events will allow you access to exclusive accessories and apparel for your digital doppelganger. 

D23

This exciting new offering will debut on September 9, 2022, at the D23 Expo Fan Event and feature exclusive opportunities for guests of the convention. Guests will be invited to embark on a quest during the D23 expo, where they will discover specially-designed Disney Wish and D23 Expo digital clothing and accessories for their DisneyMe. Further details on the specifics of the quest are sparse and will likely be revealed to attendees at the expo, but it’s a sure bet that it will be something akin to the now defunct scavenger hunt- Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. 

After the expo, DisneyMe will be available for use in the Play Disney Parks app, where we hope we will be able to embark on in-park quests. This would not only be a great storytelling aid that could put Disney World guests right in the middle of their own Disney story, but it would also help soothe our broken hearts over the loss of Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. Since the mechanisms for the interactive scavenger hunt are already in place, it’s a good bet this is Disney’s plan. 

Disney Cruise Line Helps Children in Port Towns

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

Disney Wish has set sail to great fanfare. The “floating castle” has had many celebrations to toast its tenure in Disney Cruise Lines fleet, but one was particularly special. To celebrate the Disney Wish, Disney Cruise Line has launched the “Wishes Set Sail” program. This all-new initiative is developed to support various youth activities in key port communities.

Disney leaders announced that Junior Achievement Bahamas and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida Brevard County Branches are the first initiatives to receive donations as part of this campaign that hopes to make an impact on the lives of the youth in port communities. 

Port communities tend to be impoverished, and they often depend on tourism to support their economy. This initiative will provide programs and funding designed to help the children in these communities receive education, scholarships, career opportunities, financial literacy, and social outreach. 

The first donations went to Junior Achievement Bahamas and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida Brevard County. That’s only the beginning too! During its inaugural season, the Wishes Set Sail program will donate over $400,000 to various locations around the world where Disney Cruise Line often docks. 

A representative for Disney said, “I am pleased to share that “Wishes Set Sail” continues Disney Cruise Line’s dedication to inspire youth to pursue maritime careers. For example, onboard the Disney Wish and the Disney Wonder, Captain Minnie Mouse leads young captain hopefuls in an all-new onboard marine-themed STEM activity. Additionally, Disney Cruise Line developed a scholarship program in partnership with the LJM Maritime Academy in Nassau for female cadets aspiring to become ship captains and shipboard leaders. The scholarships include tuition to the three-year program – two years of study at the academy and one year of service aboard a Disney ship.”

Check out the video below to see Captain Minnie and friends celebrate this announcement at Coco Cay: 

Goofy Celebrated International Friendship Day

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Magic Kingdom

“You’ve got a friend in me….” Yesterday was International Friendship Day! This is a day to celebrate the ones in your life that make life special. To celebrate this special day Goofy and er… Goofy are hanging out! Bill Farmer, who you could say is Goofy’s BFF, is a Disney Legend and has been a close pal of Goofy for over 35 years, lending his voice to the lovable Goof in his first animated feature film, “A Goofy Movie,” and in more than 40 other films and shows.

The pair decided that two’s a company, but three’s a party, and they’re sharing the day will 6-year-old Brady Baker. Brady is a Goofy superfan and friend of Bills. The trio had a fantastic morning where they rode…Goofy’s Barn Stormer, of course (more than once)!  Farmer amazed Brady by talking “exactly like” Goofy before the super fan got to meet the big Goof himself (I’m not crying, you’re crying….ok it’s me, I’m totally crying). How sweet is that!?!? Gawrsh! Nothing tugs in my heart strings quite like seeing kids live their dreams at Disney World! 

Check out this video from Disney Parks Blog to see how Brady, Bill, and Goofy’s magical friendship-filled day has gone so far:

If you’re as excited as this trio is about International Friendship Day, you can head over to TikTok to find out which Disney pal you’re most like using Disney’s newest filter that they made especially for today. When you post your videos, use their official hashtags: #MickeyFriendsStayTrue and #InternationalFriendshipDay! 

Disney Waiting For Economy to Fail, Experts Say

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom

Via InsideTheMagic.net

Walt Disney World Resort is actively waiting for the economy to fail, according to reports from experts in the field.

Many Disney Park fans who have visited Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios over the past couple of years have taken notice of changes in operations over that time.

Many have noticed that Disney is not quite as clean as they remember it. Others have reported unsightly damage. Many other fans have talked about price increases and merchandise failures.

However, one thing that continues to be at the top of everyone’s mind is Disney annual passes.

Disney paused its selling of annual passes nearly a year ago and other than a small window where passes appeared to be for sale a couple of months ago (it turned out to be a false alarm), they have remained unavailable for Disney Guests.

While many have wondered when these might become available again, a couple of Disney insiders recently explained that the company has no incentive to bring them back right now and they likely won’t, until an economic collapse occurs according to reports from Florida Politics.

“Disney doesn’t have much of a reason to bring back the full slate of annual passes right now. Disney World is generating record revenue and operating profits with fewer guests than before,” said Rick Munarriz, an analyst for the investment website The Motley Fool who regularly writes about Disney Parks. “Disney’s annual passes will come back when the global economy buckles to the point that visitors can no longer pay the cover charge for a Disney gated attraction.”

magic kingdom monorail with cinderella castle and space mountain

Another Disney expert echoed those same sentiments.

“The thing that might bring back APs sooner rather than later is an economic slowdown. Airfare is pretty expensive right now, so getting here is costly,” said Len Testa who runs Touring Plans. “I could see a situation where, say, kids go back to school in September/October, and fewer people are willing to spend hundreds of dollars on airfare for a long weekend. In that case, Disney would look to locals to make up the difference, especially in things like restaurant revenue.”

Disney Parks are currently running at capacity and it wouldn’t make sense for Disney to attempt to bring in more Guests when it is already operating with such volume.

While fans may be hoping for Disney annual passes– which include the Pixie Dust Pass, Pirate Pass, Sorcerer Pass, and Incredi Pass– it seems they may have to wait until an unfortunate collapse of the economy for them to return.

Rey and Chewbacca at 'Star Wars': Galaxy's Edge

Here’s what Disney says about its annual passes:

Annual Passes allow you to enjoy the magic all year long. Now is the time to answer the call and discover all the possibilities a Walt Disney World Annual Pass can bring.

To enter a theme park, each passholder must have a theme park reservation in addition to a valid pass. Park reservations are limited and are subject to availability and applicable pass blockout dates.

New sales of select Annual Passes are currently paused. Please check disneyworld.com/pass for the latest updates.

Disney Reportedly Approves Sequel For Beloved Pixar Movie

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

Another Disney Pixar sequel is in the works, according to reports.

Disney Pixar has established itself as one of the leading animation studios in the world because of its blockbuster films that have become icons for Disney fans everywhere, including Toy Story (1995), Monsters Inc. (2001), Cars (2006), Ratatouille (2007), Up (2009), The Incredibles (2004), Finding Nemo (2003),  A Bug’s Life (1998), WALL-E (2008), and many more.

Pixar Studios just recently released Lightyear (2022), which was a prequel to tell the story of the real-life man who inspired the toy Buzz Lightyear. The movie was not well-received at the box office and it has led many publications to indicate that Pixar might be bound to releases on Disney+,  which is what we saw with Turning Red (2022), Luca (2021), Soul(2020), and Onward (2020).

However, there is hope that a popular sequel could potentially bring the studio back to the top of the box office.

Chris Evans as Buzz Lightyear

According to reports from Meaww, Disney has greenlighted a sequel for the beloved film Inside Out (2015).

The report indicates that every voice actor from the original will return for the film, as well as many new ones. The reported cast includes Amy Poehler (Joy), Phyllis Smith (Sadness), Mindy Kaling (Disgust), Bill Hader (Fear), Lewis Black (Anger), Ty Burrell (Sherlock Boredom), Adam Katz (Dr. Tranquility), Eric Idle (Trust), Tony Hale (Pride), Kristen Wiig (Lust), Alison Brie (Laughter), Jonah Hill (Surprise), AJ Styles (Joy’s Cousin), Rowan Atkins (Crazy), Chris Pratt (Courage), Jen Willson (Kindness), Will Arnett (Hex), Nicolas Cage will give Brain a voice and Jim Carry will voice Vladik.

“The second installment will be more about Riley in her teenage years. Riley is now 15 and plunged into the hormonal hell of puberty. Adolescence is known as the time your emotions go haywire and so expect pure havoc, drama, moments of betrayal, and every bit of hormonal change that a teenage kid goes through in the sequel. Strap yourselves for a roller coaster ride of a lifetime!”

Inside Out

At this point, it should be noted that Disney has not confirmed the sequel but this report is a good indication that a sequel (hopefully) is set to begin production soon.