EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival Presented by CORKCICLE Begins July 27

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Dining, Disney Parks, Epcot

Calling all foodies: The EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival presented by CORKCICLE will begin dishing up delights at Walt Disney World Resort starting July 27 and continuing through November 18, 2023.

Get ready to sip and savor at more than 25 Global Marketplaces throughout EPCOT including returning favorites such as The Fry Basket, Flavors from Fire, Canada, India and Spain. Several new Global Marketplaces will open later during the festival as summer turns to fall.

The fun doesn’t stop with the food, however. It extends to exciting activities for the whole family to enjoy!

  • Fans of fromage can take part in Emile’s Fromage Montage, a fun way to try tasty cheese dishes from around the world. Grab your Festival Passport and purchase any five cheese dishes listed in the back of the Festival Passport to collect a stamp. Once you’ve collected five stamps, head to Shimmering Sips hosted by CORKCICLE to redeem a sweet treat unique to the festival.
  • Families can embark on Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak – a Ratatouille-inspired adventure that’s très magnifique! Guests of all ages can search for Remy throughout World Showcase and the Global Marketplaces.
  • And to celebrate the Halloween season grab your gourd-eous group and partake in Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit, a special pumpkin scavenger hunt from September 29 through October 31.

The festival will also welcome back the popular Eat to the Beat Concert Series presented by Florida Blue Medicare at America Gardens Theatre. Stay tuned to the Disney Parks Blog for more details about this year’s lineup.

And don’t forget to commemorate your EPCOT visit by bringing festival magic home with official event merchandise including apparel, home décor, trading pins and more.

Hopefully this update satisfies your craving for now, and keep an eye out for more news here or on TasteEPCOT.com. Can’t wait to see all of your clients there!

Oscar-Nominated Disney Character Actor Dead at 81

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

An Oscar-nominated and prolific character actor with several Disney roles to his credit during his 60-year career has died at the age of 81.

Michael Lerner, an American film and voice actor who played multiple roles in various film and television projects throughout a career that spanned six decades, has died, according to Entertainment Weekly. He was 81 years old.

During the course of his lengthy career, Lerner appeared in a wide range of films and television series. From The Brady Bunch and Harlem Nights to Entourage and Elf, Lerner played various characters, depending on what his roles called for. Lerner played the role of Jack Ruby in Ruby and Oswald (1978), Arnold Rothstein in Eight Men Out (1988), and the publisher Mr. Greenway in Elf (2003), starring Will Ferrell.

He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1991 film Barton Fink. 

For The Walt Disney Company, Lerner appeared in numerous films. He played the part of Weasel in Newsies (1992), the role of Edward Biderman in Disney’s Blank Check (1994), and Perry in A Pyromaniac’s Love Story (1995). In 1999, Lerner played the role of Mr. Channing in Disney’s My Favorite Martian, starring Christopher Lloyd and Jeff Daniels, and voiced the role of the Producer in Disney’s 101 Dalmatians II: Patch’s London Adventure (2003).

Michael Lerner was born in Brooklyn on June 22, 1941. He studied acting at Brooklyn College before earning his Master’s degree at the University of California at Berkeley. He also attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, where he studied theater on a Fullbright Scholarship.

Lerner’s nephew, Sam Lerner, made an announcement about his uncle’s death via Instagram.

“We lost a legend last night,” Sam Lerner wrote. “It’s hard to put into words how brilliant my Uncle Michael was and how influential he was to me. His stories always inspired me and made me fall in love with acting. He was the coolest, most confident, talented guy, and the fact that he was my blood will always make me feel special.”

Michael Lerner, 'Barton Fink' actor, dead at 81 | Fox News

Lerner continued, saying, “Everyone that knows him knows how insane he was — in the best way. I’m so lucky I got to spend so much time with him, and we’re all lucky we can continue to watch his work for the rest of time. RIP Michael, enjoy your unlimited Cuban cigars, comfy chairs, and endless movie marathon.”

Dangerous Road-Rage Taking Over Disney World Parking Lot

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Uncategorized

Via DisDining.com

Disney World Guests are seen on camera dealing with road rage.

Road rage refers to aggressive and violent behavior exhibited by drivers on the road. It can include verbal insults, physical violence, and even dangerous driving maneuvers intended to intimidate or harm other drivers.

Disney World is known as “The Most Magical Place on Earth.” However, some Guests experiences aren’t as magical. Disney Guests have been caught fighting with Cast Members or other Guests, cutting in line, trying to sneak prohibited items into the Park, and much more.

Walt Disney World is a popular tourist location seeing thousands of Guests daily. Guests can visit Disney World’s four theme parks Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Disney World is also home to two water parks called Blizzard Beach(temporarily closed) and Typhoon Lagoon to beat Florida’s heat.

guests with mickey mouse

In a recent social media post, Guests can see a security video of a Guest waiting at the entrance of Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Guests can see a car turning around the parking area, which Guests have to go through a security checkpoint and a gate.

One car seems to get “turned away,” as the Guest says, indicating they were either in the wrong spot or somewhere they shouldn’t be. And then, another Guest yells and explains that the car cut everyone off.

“Dude mad at security today for letting a van in after he apparently cut everyone off, highly doubt the security was aware of what happened before they got into line.”

mickey mouse and cinderella castle at disney world

While Disney World does their best at directing Guests where to go, some still need to be turned around. Disney Cast Members and Disney Security are available for Guests who have questions or car trouble while at Disney World.

Disney Has Started Working on 5th Florida Theme Park, Sources Say

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

Via InsideTheMagic.net

A recent story published by Forbes.com suggests that Walt Disney World Resort will undoubtedly add a fifth Disney Park and has already begun development for the project.

Walt Disney World Resort found itself immersed in a political battle against Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis last year after former CEO Bob Chapek spoke out against The Parental Rights in Education Act. Better known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, the legislation essentially forbids discussion of sexuality and gender with children and empowers teachers to our children to their parents. After Disney fans and Cast Members protested, DeSantis warned Chapek not to speak out against the law. Still, the former CEO denounced the conservative bill and promised to pause political donations to legislators that supported the law.

In response, Gov. DeSantis introduced and passed legislation to dissolve Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District, a legislative privilege held by The Walt Disney Company since 1967. The Right-wing governor appointed a hand-selected board to take over the municipal district, now called The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. The government board officially took over last month, but The Mouse may have gotten the last laugh.

In a brilliant move by Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger, the company was able to circumnavigate Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s control over the Reedy Creek Improvement District. The board claims that, before their takeover, The Walt Disney Company quietly passed restrictive covenants that would render the board powerless for decades. In addition to making that board essentially a puppet entity, it was also reported by Screamscape that as part of this development agreement, the Reedy Creek Improvement District board had approved plans for Disney to build a fifth Theme Park within the Walt Disney World Resort by 2032 and two other more minor additions to the property, such as water parks.

Disney's Animal Kingdom

Many have claimed this was Bob Iger’s and The Walt Disney Company’s way of getting payback at DeSantis. However, the move might just be a little bit more nuanced than that.

According to Caroline Reid, she would go on to publish in her most recent opinion piece that “There’s no doubt that a fifth Theme Park appears to be under development and 13,000 new jobs in Florida could be on the line if it doesn’t go ahead. Even if Disney doesn’t actually intend to develop a fifth park it appears to be seriously considering it, and this suits it just fine. On the one hand, a fifth Park hasn’t been officially announced, so no one will be let down if it doesn’t go ahead. On the other hand, does DeSantis want to risk calling Disney’s bluff by overturning the RCID’s decision and being known as the man who cost Florida 13,000 new jobs? That would be anything but a happy ending and would be a great gamble as Disney might not even have concrete plans to develop a fifth Park.”

Either way, for now, it seems that Disney and Bob Iger have accomplished what they wanted for the time being.