Recent Statement from Disney Sounds Like It’s Curtains for “Fantasmic!”

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Hollywood Studios

Fantasmic! is one of the most beloved shows in Disney Parks. With shows at Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World, and soon, Disneyland Paris, it’s also one of the most popular. Fantasmic! originally opened at Disneyland in 1992, and Disney World followed soon after in 1998. In 2011, it opened at Tokyo DisneySea but went dark for good in March 2020. This December,  it will open at Disneyland Paris as part of the Disney100 celebration.

The show follows Mickey into his dream world, where he is sucked into the magic mirror and sees his dreams turn to nightmares as he must battle evil villains. The biggest, baddest villain of them all? Maleficent, who, as a dragon, breathes fire and puts up a ferocious fight. 

Maleficent dragon fire fantasmic! disneyland

Credit: CNN

Not long ago, the Maleficent animatronic dragon caught fire at Disneyland. The fire raged as the theater was evacuated. Thankfully no one was hurt, but Disney recognized that someone could have been seriously injured. The fire could’ve turned absolutely tragic if not for the quick thinking of Cast Members both on stage and behind the scenes.

The show has been on hiatus since the fire in April. Out of “an abundance of caution,” Walt Disney World’s Maleficent dragon suspended its fire-breathing effect in the Festival of Fantasy parade. As of the time of this publication, that effect is now back.

It seems, however, that  Disneyland’s Fantasmic! will be unavailable for the long term. Disney released a statement on Friday, saying that the show will be paused until at least Labor Day. “Cast Members have been notified, and teams are working to support their next steps, such as re-deployment and cross-training opportunities,” Disney officials said. 

Disneyland’s website also includes a message to Guests explaining that the Park is “working hard to assess when we can bring back an adjusted show as quickly and safely as possible.”

Could this disaster be the death knell for Fantasmic! at Disneyland? It seems likely. With Cast Members being redeployed (sent to other locations), it seems likely this is truly the end of the Guest-favorite nighttime experience. Disney’s statement also seems to point to the show’s demise. 

While at the moment Disney is saying the alternative offerings are temporary, it would not surprise us to soon see a brand-new experience take its place permanently. Here’s hoping Mickey’s nightmare doesn’t become a reality.

Gov. DeSantis Questions Impartiality in Disney Case, Files New Motion

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

Via InsideTheMagic.net

As the legal battle between The Walt Disney Company and Ron DeSantis continues, the Florida Governor’s team has filed a new motion, questioning the impartiality of the Court in the case.

Florida has become the battlefield for one of the most discussed conflicts of the last years, with Ron DeSantis and The Walt Disney Company embroiled in a year-long battle over the Reedy Creek Improvement District that has forced Disney to take drastic actions across the company, including canceling million-dollar projects in Florida, and caused fear among fans, questioning if visiting Walt Disney World Resort is safe given the latest developments.

And as the conflict continues and lawsuits fly back and forth among both parties, it seems like the Florida Governor’s legal team fears that The Walt Disney Company may get the upper hand, as they have filed a new motion to disqualify Chief Judge Mark E. Walker in the case against Disney, arguing that “the Court’s impartiality in this matter might reasonably be questioned.”

Journalist Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin), who tweets about theme parks, entertainment, “and some politics,” shared the motion through his Twitter account.

DeSantis’ legal team argues that the Court — Chief Judge Mark E. Walker — has previously made remarks implying that DeSantis is trying to retaliate against Disney “based on Disney’s viewpoints” and could “reasonably imply that the Court has prejudged the retaliation question here.”

The motion cites two unrelated cases in which Disney has been brought up, including comments regarding “[Taking] away Disney’s special status because they’re woke,” and suggests that “the Court should recuse itself and order that the case be reassigned to another judge.” You can read the filing here.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis giving a conference in front of the United States flag

Disney World Tickets to Hit Lowest Price in Years

Posted on by Mathew Corn Aubree's Ride Reviews, Disney Parks, Disney Resorts, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom

Planning your next Disney World trip might be even more magical, as Park tickets are set to hit some of the lowest prices in years.

While many fans are used to — but not less disappointed by — prices constantly hiking up at Walt Disney World, the Orlando-based Resort is gearing up for summer with an irresistible deal, offering theme park tickets with some of the lowest prices we’ve seen in years. Time to plan our next magical vacation!

Disney recently announced a special offer for Guests visiting Walt Disney World Resort this summer, allowing them to visit Disney World’s four theme parks — Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT — for less than 400!

Guests who want to take advantage of this jaw-dropping offer will be able to experience four days of magic and thrills across Walt Disney World by purchasing a specially priced “4-Park Magic Ticket” for just $99 per day, plus tax (total price: $396 plus tax).

Disney's Animal Kingdom

Per Disney World’s website, the “4-Park Magic Ticket” includes one admission to each of the four Walt Disney World Resort theme parks—Magic Kingdom park, Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park, EPCOT, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios—for a total of four admissions, on four separate days.

“4-Park Magic Ticket” offers are limited to one admission per theme park and one theme park per day, meaning you could not visit your favorite theme park twice nor have Park Hopper benefits while taking advantage of this special offer. However, “this ticket does not require theme park reservations to enter the parks,” according to Disney World’s website.

These tickets will be available for purchase starting May 23, 2023, and will be valid for theme park admission from June 1 to September 29, 2023—subject to blockout dates from July 1 to July 4 and September 1 to September 4, 2023.

The “4-Park Magic Ticket” expires within seven days of first use or on September 29, 2023, whichever occurs first, and is not valid for admission on the blockout dates mentioned above. All tickets are nontransferable, nonrefundable, and exclude activities/events separately priced. You can click here to learn more about Disney’s “4-Park Magic Ticket” special offer.

tower-terror

With savings of up to 25% on rooms at select Disney Resort hotels and the Disney Dining Plan making its long-awaited return, it is the perfect time to plan a summer getaway at Disney World!

Disney Terminating Thousands of Employees Effective Immediately

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

After several rounds of layoffs, The Walt Disney Company will once again be firing hundreds of its employees.

We first learned of Disney’s mass-layoff plan back at The Walt Disney Company’s Q1 earnings call. Disney CEO Bob Iger dropped the bombshell, declaring that around 7,000 jobs would be cut as a part of this company-wide restructuring. During the call, The Walt Disney Company shared its ginormous profits, posting an increase of 35% on the Parks side of things. This translated into $2.1 billion from Disney’s collection of Parks alone.

These layoffs have come in phases, with the third round of planned layoffs starting today, May 22, 2023. This third round is expected to affect roughly 2,500 positions via Deadline. 

The layoffs were not expected to hit the theme park division hard, though they have been affected. The target of this third round is not specified.

Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro stated that he did not expect the layoffs to affect hourly workers on the front lines at Walt Disney World. Things have been shaky for Disney ever since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

From its stock price dropping to losing subscribers on its streaming platform, Disney has been in some hot water over the last few years.

One of Disney’s biggest controversies and, ultimately, one of its biggest failures can be found in the now-defunct Galactic Starcruiser. Earlier this month, Disney revealed that it would be permanently closing this immersive Star Wars-themed hotel experience.

Guests look out the window on Galactic Starcruiser.

The ambitious location will be closing for good in September of 2023, meaning it will have only been operating for about a year and a half. As for what Disney will do with the unused space, only time will tell. But it’s safe to say Disney lost a significant chunk of change on this admirable experiment.

Seasonal Menu Debuts at The Hollywood Brown Derby

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

The Golden Age of Hollywood has gotten some additions because The Hollywood Brown Derby at Disney’s Hollywood Studios recently launched its seasonal menu. The culinary team has masterfully put together dishes featuring the freshest of ingredients for the summer and created a menu that will leave Guests and their taste buds wanting more.

This fan-favorite location nestled within Hollywood Boulevard is quite the popular spot, and for good reason. The contemporary American cuisine speaks for itself, and this summer menu is no different. With several delicious additions from the kitchen, your Clients will want to come back again and again to try them all.

Whether they’ve been here before or want to try this restaurant for the first time, The Hollywood Brown Derby has something for everyone to enjoy.

The appetizers have several eats that are packed with flavor. Starting off, we’ve got some seafood options resurfacing. The Crab Louie features crispy olive bread, citrus blend, fried capers, and Louie sauce. For those shrimp fans out there, the Shrimp Cocktail is topped with shaved fennel cucumbers and a traditional cocktail sauce.

For cheese lovers, there are two items that will spark interest. The Heirloom Tomato and Burrata Salad combines shaved onions, Thai basil, gremolata, and a delicious citrus vinaigrette into a can’t-miss dish, while the Charcuterie Board features the Chef’s selection of cured meats, cheeses, and accompaniments.

For the more adventurous eaters, the Escargot is accompanied by roasted garlic béchamel and crispy prosciutto and the Roasted Bone Marrow is composed of braised beef, pickled mustard seeds, and a fig bread crostini. How delicious do these all sound? And we haven’t even gotten to the main course yet!

The entrée menu is packed with flavorful delights with a variety of options for everyone to enjoy. Let’s start with some new ones for the land lovers out there. The classic Filet Mignon is paired with glazed carrots, potato pave, horseradish cream, and a tasty peppercorn sauce to finish it off. The Lamb Shank is accompanied with summer vegetables, harissa vinaigrette, and nasturtium chermoula.

For Guests that love chicken and dumplings, the new Free-Range Chicken and Dumplings is the dish for them. It brings together these two classics with a lemon-ricotta Gnudi, shishito cream, and a gooseberry jus. If Guests like pork, the recently added Grilled Pork is right up their alley with a mouthwatering lavender-sage polenta and local corn salsa, complete with a huckleberry barbecue sauce. Now that’s a dish!

The seafood aficionados have a couple options to choose from as well – the new Sustainable Fish and the Seafood Cioppino. The Sustainable Fish with white bean ragout, derby summer vegetables, and roasted tomato emulsion is a lovely addition to the menu while the Seafood Cioppino brings together favorites from the sea with shrimp, sea scallops, seasonal fish, mussels, a toasted baguette, and aromatic tomato broth.

Last, but certainly not least for the new items, we have The Hollywood Brown Derby’s latest rendition of a classic comfort food dish – Shepherd’s Pie. This option combines roasted garlic mashed potatoes, mushrooms, peas, corn, and carrot Romesco into a plate that will warm your soul and ignite your taste buds. Did we mention this one is plant-based?

For those repeat diners, don’t worry, because some fan-favorites are still here to stay for both lunch and dinner. The Famous Cobb Salad is a classic, and for good reason. This famous dish is made up of spit-roasted turkey, bacon, egg, tomatoes, blue cheese, avocado, and a classic dressing. If Guests want to enhance this dish even more, they can add chicken or shrimp.

The sweet tooths out there will be pleased to know that the sweet staple, the Grapefruit Cake, isn’t going anywhere. This Brown Derby original combines a moist vanilla sponge cake, grapefruit syrup, and cream cheese icing into a dessert that’s as delicious as it is beautiful.

We can’t wait for your Clients to drop on into The Hollywood Brown Derby this summer to try their fair share of these eats!