Disney Genie+ Price Reaches New Record High at Walt Disney World

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

The Disney Genie+ price reached an all-time high at Walt Disney World today. The service costs $35 per person today, which is six dollars more than the previous highest price of $29.

Disney Genie+ Price

The service sold out before noon yesterday. If a sellout occurs, sales of Genie+ will not resume again until the next day. Guests can purchase Genie+ starting at 12:01 a.m. on the day of their visit.

Genie+ reached its previous record highest price in the past few months, including yesterday. It first reached that price during the 2022 holiday season, with its record high before that being $22 in October.

Disney Genie, Genie+, and Lightning Lane

Disney Genie service logo

Disney Genie is a free feature that launched in October 2021 at Walt Disney World. Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane are the paid program that replaced FastPass+.

When Genie+ first launched, the service was available at a flat rate of $15 per person, per day. Last year’s switch to date-based pricing saw a new high price of $22 — which Disney noted was the highest it would go in October, implying the even higher rates that have now come to pass.

Individual Lightning Lane prices have always been on a date-based basis, but the maximum was formerly $20. Since the update to the pricing scale for Genie+, rates for Individual Lightning Lane have been rising as well.

Genie+ Lightning Lane Attractions

Select attractions offer Lightning Lane access that you can book through Genie+. Check out the current full list below.

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Magic Kingdom

  • Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
  • Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
  • Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade
  • Dumbo the Flying Elephant
  • Enchanted Tales with Belle
  • Haunted Mansion
  • “it’s a small world”
  • Jungle Cruise
  • Mad Tea Party
  • Meet Ariel at Her Grotto
  • Meet Cinderella and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall
  • Meet Mickey at Town Square Theater
  • Meet Princess Tiana and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall
  • Mickey’s PhilharMagic
  • Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
  • Peter Pan’s Flight
  • Pirates of the Caribbean
  • Space Mountain
  • The Barnstormer
  • The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
  • The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
  • Tomorrowland Speedway
  • Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid

EPCOT

  • Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
  • Frozen Ever After
  • Journey into Imagination with Figment
  • Living with the Land
  • Mission: SPACE – Green
  • Mission: SPACE – Orange
  • Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
  • Soarin’ Around the World
  • Spaceship Earth
  • Test Track
  • The Seas with Nemo & Friends
  • Turtle Talk with Crush

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

  • Alien Swirling Saucers
  • Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
  • Disney Junior Play & Dance!
  • For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
  • Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
  • Meet Olaf at Celebrity Spotlight
  • Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
  • Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
  • Muppet*Vision 3D
  • Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
  • Slinky Dog Dash
  • Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
  • The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
  • Toy Story Mania!

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

  • Festival of the Lion King
  • DINOSAUR
  • Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
  • Feathered Friends in Flight!
  • Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!
  • It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
  • Kali River Rapids
  • Kilimanjaro Safaris
  • Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost
  • Naʻvi River Journey
  • The Animation Experience at Conservation Station

DeSantis Launches Investigation Into Disney

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Uncategorized

Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced today that he has officially ordered an investigation into Disney over recent developments regarding the Reedy Creek Improvement District.

Walt Disney World has been locked in a heated legal, political, and social battle with Republican Florida governor Ron DeSantis after the company spoke out against the Parental Rights law. DeSantis and his supporters have retaliated by passing legislation to dissolve Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District, a privilege held by the company since 1967 that allowed it to treat Walt Disney World as a self-governing area. In its stead, DeSantis appointed a handpicked board now called The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.

However, the new board made national headlines last week when it discovered a strange clause in the previous board’s last Development Agreement. The clause severely limits or eliminates most of the new board’s power with a “royal lives” clause; a common clause in UK contracts (but less common in the United States) that defines the contract’s terms to expire “21 years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III, King of England…” The clause also says that the Declaration will terminate “as of the date that none of [Walt Disney Parks & Resorts] owns any real property within 10 miles of the RCID properties.”

Upon discovery, the board immediately spoke out against Disney, with one member stating: “It’s a subversion of the will of the voters and the Legislature and the governor. It completely circumvents the authority of this board to govern.” It should be noted that the Development Agreement, and all other agreements, were discussed in public meetings before the Florida House voted to sign power to DeSantis. Disney released its own response:

“All agreements signed between Disney and the district were appropriate and were discussed and approved in open, noticed public forums in compliance with Florida’s Government in the Sunshine law.”

While speaking at a book signing in Smyrna, Georgia last week, DeSantis commented on the situation, ominously stating “There’s a lot of little back-and-forths going on now with the state taking control, but rest assured, you know, you ain’t seen nothing yet.” Today, in a letter to Chief Inspector General Melinda Miguel, the Governor ordered an investigation into any possible “legal or ethical violations” by the previous Reedy Creek Board.

The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District argues that the previously made agreements are unlawful and should not have been allowed. Ron Peri, one of the new Board Members, stated that the agreements have stripped the board of all of its power and “made Disney the government”.

It should be known that the members of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District originally passed and signed this agreement in a public forum with no comment.

Former Imagineer Confirms ‘Elee’, A Large Creature That Could Carry Guests Around Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Was Scrapped Due to Budget

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Hollywood Studios

Via wdwnt.com

On Twitter, former Walt Disney Imagineer Frank Mezzatesta confirmed that Disney scrapped plans to create a large creature that could carry guests around Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge due to budget concerns.

“Elee”, The Giant Star Wars Creature

Yesterday, Twitter user @DisneyProject shared this look at concept art from “Elee”:

The concept art by Jerry Rees shows Elee in more detail than we have ever seen her. Elee was initially designed as a large, mechanical creature that could roam Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge with as many as six guests seated on her back.

Rees states that Elee was designed to be a relative to the Bantha, a wooly creature we first see in “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope” in the deserts of Tatooine.

In response to seeing this detailed concept art, former Walt Disney Imagineer Frank Mezzatesta chimed in:

According to Mezzatesta, while he and his teammates worked on Elee for “like 2 years”, she ultimately was a casualty of budget limitations as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge neared completion. If you scan the QR code next to the concept art in the tweet, you can hear Rees speak hopefully that even though Elee was scrapped, maybe she will eventually appear in the parks. He states, “Galaxy’s Edge is going to be around for a long time”.

“The Art of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” is a coffee-table book by Nerdist managing editor Amy Ratcliffe, who spoke to more than twenty people involved in the land’s creation. This includes Scott Trowbridge of Walt Disney Imagineering, who also provides the book’s foreword. The 256-page book includes more than 300 images, including concept art and descriptions of ideas that made it into Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and some that were scrapped.

Margaret Kerrison, Managing Story Editor at Walt Disney Imagineering, and Story Lead for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge had this to say about Elee: “We liked the idea of a big beast lumbering through the land and having a very personal connection with you. So you would go up and pat her muzzle, and she would react to you. We really wanted to make you believe that Elee was a real creature. So you would go on rides. We actually had a path that went around the land. Mostly to the Resistance area and back in front of the garage; it was a circle.”

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Rees spoke glowingly of the backstory he created for Elee and his desire to see her be a gentle giant that even small children could walk up to and interact with in Galaxy’s Edge.

elee concept art swge74

In these pieces of concept art, you can see Elee interact with a child guest. Initial designs seemed to allow guests to feel the breath from Elee’s mouth and even have their cotton candy slurped up by the giant beast.

elee concept art swge73

Imagineer Scott Trowbridge had this to say about the reasoning behind why Elee never fully materialized: “Elee was a creature that we designed and did a fair amount of work to figure out how we would bring her to life. lain McCaig did some designs for her. We just fell in love with those designs. We did some models and figured out how we could bring her to life technically, and then ultimately what we realized is, with the kind of population we expect in the land, we won’t really be able to have her feel authentic.”

Elee was one of many initial designs for the land that either got scrapped or essentially ended up behind a “paywall” that guests could only experience if they visited Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser.

Final Performance of Harmonious Nighttime Spectacular at EPCOT

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Epcot

The 50th Anniversary celebration has come to a close across Walt Disney World, and the nighttime spectaculars introduced as part of “The Most Magical Celebration on Earth” have now been performed for the final time. Last night, guests visiting EPCOT were able to watch the last performance of the “Harmonious” nighttime spectacular before it is replaced by the limited return of “EPCOT Forever” tonight.

Watch the video here;

https://cdn.jwplayer.com/previews/ccGDFMRI

The four half-circle barges had LED screens, while the center ring barge used a water screen to project clips and images. Fountains, lights, lasers, and pyrotechnics were used to enhance the show.

The show opens with chants, as a narrator shares that “All around us, the world is alive with music. Voices calling out in search of one another, we find each other in song.” A medley of “How Far I’ll Go” from “Moana” and “Go the Distance” from “Hercules” follows, sung in English, Mandarin Chinese, Norwegian, German, Arabic, Latin American Spanish, and Tahitian.

Alongside a number of Disney favorites like “Aladdin”, “Mulan”, and “The Lion King”, the show featured scenes from newer Disney films, including “Moana”, “Coco”, “Brave”, and “The Princess and the Frog.”

“Harmonious” closes with the song “Someday” from “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” For the final time, the narrator then proclaimed: “You raise your voice and it’s enough to lift the human spirit. Set the song inside you soaring, and the whole wide world will hear it.” A fireworks finale brought an end to “Harmonious” at EPCOT.

Cranes are already in place around World Showcase to remove the barges following tonight’s final performance of “Harmonious” at EPCOT. These barges were widely considered unsightly and impeded the stunning vistas of the lagoon on either side. In addition, they were plagued by a variety of problems, ranging from malfunctioning equipment to outright fires. They have already been removed from the EPCOT map in the My Disney Experience app and online at the Walt Disney World website.

Eventually, a 100 Years of Wonder nighttime spectacular will debut at EPCOT, but “EPCOT Forever” will return in the meantime. In October of 2022, we reported that it was rumored that Disney will incorporate the use of drones in their new nighttime show coming to EPCOT later this year.

Final Performance of Disney Enchantment Nighttime Spectacular at the Magic Kingdom

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Magic Kingdom

April 2nd marked the last performance ever of “Disney Enchantment” at the Magic Kingdom. The nighttime spectacular debuted on October 1, 2021 with the 50th Anniversary of Walt Disney World, and now will conclude to make way for its predecessor, “Happily Ever After,” as the celebration concludes.

You can find the video below.

The show debuted when The World’s Most Magical Celebration began on October 1, 2021 to highly mixed reviews. Fans criticized its lack of connection to the history of Walt Disney World, largely focusing on newer Disney films instead. Additionally, the structure of the show itself and its message were also lambasted. Many said it fell flat compared to “Happily Ever After,” which is regarded among Disney’s best nighttime spectaculars at any park.

The first iteration of the show lasted until early May 2022, when additional pyrotechnics and laser effects were quietly added to the show’s finale.

In August, Disney quietly updated the show again, this time overhauling the entire introduction to include a short tribute to Walt and Roy Disney, who were instrumental in the creation of Walt Disney World. Some references to opening day attractions were also added, alleviating some complaints about the show’s lack of historical connection to the park. A few lines of narration from Angela Bassett were also replaced by Mickey Mouse’s voice.

At the D23 Expo 2022 in September, Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products head Josh D’Amaro announced that “Happily Ever After” would return after the 50th Anniversary celebration concluded in March 2023. Its first performance is set to be tonight, April 3.