Bob Iger Confirms Disneyland Is Getting Its Own ‘Avatar’ Themed Land

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

At 4:30 Eastern on Wednesday, February 8, the Walt Disney Company broadcasted a live audio earnings call, during which the first fiscal quarter of the 2023 fiscal year was discussed.

During the call, Disney CEO Bob Iger made some crucial announcements, defined a plan for the Walt Disney Company, and answered questions. He also confirmed that more Avatar content is coming to Disney+ and Disney Parks, including Disneyland.

In the call, CEO Bob Iger stated that James Cameron’s sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), is shaping up to be “one of the most successful films of the quarter.” Not only that, but the Avatar (2009) sequel has also become the “fourth biggest film of all time globally with close to $2.2 billion earned in the box office to date.”

After this, Bob Iger revealed that the massive success and popularity of the movie “will result in the creation of more opportunities for fans to engage with the franchise.”

Avatar movie

Over at Walt Disney World Resort, Animal Kingdom has been home to Pandora: the World of Avatar for a few years now. The heavily immersive and themed area is one of Walt Disney World Resort’s most impressive additions, and the popularity of the land has only become more popular due to the release of Avatar: The Way of Water.

Pandora - The World of Avatar

Bob Iger also acknowledged this during the earnings call, stating, “They have been doing well at Walt Disney World’s Pandora: World of Avatar, as well as in theaters globally and on Disney+; the first film is delivering very strong numbers.”

Then, Disney CEO Bob Iger made the exciting announcement: “Today, I am thrilled to announce that we will bring an exciting Avatar experience to Disneyland. We will be sharing more details on that very soon.”

Pandora World of Avatar

No Price Increases Anytime Soon And Other Updates

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

Vis DisDining.com

Today the Walt Disney Company held its Q1 earnings call to discuss earnings in the first quarter of fiscal year 2023. While CEO Bob Iger didn’t address any new additions or significant updates during the call, he did hint to some pretty remarkable things that are going to make Disney fans (many who have felt left out for a long time) very happy.

Chief among those is that Iger has hinted that there won’t be price increases coming to the domestic parks anytime soon. This was not a direct quote but one could infer it from statements he made including saying that recent price increases, particularly the December increases (which were put in place before Bob Chapek was fired), “alienated a lot of guests”. He went on to say that one of their core beliefs has always been that the Parks should be accessible to most people, even if it is just a once in a lifetime trip. This is a stark departure from the “playground for the rich only” mentality of Bob Chapek. This leads us to strongly believe that we won’t see steep increases in theme park tickets or resort hotels in the near future.

Disney Enchantment

That’s the good news. The bad news is that the Park Pass Reservation system isn’t likely to go away anytime soon, but we already suspected that. Iger reiterated how integral the reduced capacity in the domestic parks has been for the guest experience. Though he again left cryptic hints about what could be on the horizon saying he is “working with Josh D’Amaro to bring franchises in to increase park capacity without sacrificing guest satisfaction.” He went on to say that they won’t increase capacity without cause but specifically mentioned park additions as means to increase capacity. He cited the Pandora the World of Avatar and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge additions and related them to increased peak attendance. Those statements coupled with the blue sky ideas pitched at D23 lead us to believe a new land or addition is coming soon!

All in all this was the most positive we have felt from an earnings call in a long time. Big things seem to be on the horizon and while Bob Iger wasn’t exactly forthcoming with details, he gave enough information to leave us very excited about what is to come. We will, of course, watch these developments closely and bring you updates as they occur.

Guests Jump Off Disney Attraction, Rip Ride Apart in Resurfaced Video

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Magic Kingdom

A video has gone viral showing Walt Disney World Resort Guests not just breaking rules, but intentionally tearing an attraction apart.

Walt Disney World Resort is known as “The Most Magical Place on Earth.” In contrast, some Guests seemingly can not follow instructions from Disney Cast Members and, unfortunately, ruin the fun for others.

Disney World has four theme parks: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Guests can stroll down Main Street, U.S.A in Magic Kingdom and spot Cinderella Castle. While in Magic Kingdom, Guests can enjoy rides such as “it’s a small world,” Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, and many more attractions. If you’re are searching for animals, Disney’s Animal Kingdom should be their next stop Guests can enjoy attractions such as DINOSAUR, It’s Tough to be a Bug!, Avatar Flight of Passage, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and many more.

EPCOT contains attractions such as Soarin Around the World, The Seas with Nemo and Friends, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Spaceship Earth, Test Track, Mission: SPACE, and many more attractions. Guests visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios can visit attractions such as Toy Story Mania!, Mickey and Minnie’s Runway Railway, Slinky Dog Dash, and the epic Star Wars Galaxy Edge.

Recently, however, a resurfaced video has gone viral showing some of the worst behaviors from Disney World Guests.

OOCParks tweeted the resurfaced video, which shows these Guests jumping out of their boats while riding “it’s a small world” to move characters and try and take a panda with them on the boat. One Guest starts throwing something at different objects while outside of the boat. While watching the video, you can see Guests rocking the boat side to side, making it cause water come over the sides.

Disney World does not allow Guests to remove themself from the boats or take objects from attractions. These types of actions will result in bans from the Park and could also result in major arrests, as well.

Please be respectful of not only Disney Cast Members and fellow Disney Park Guests, but also of Disney rides when visiting the Parks. These rules are in place for the safety and well-being of everyone visiting.

Union Cast Members Respond to Disney’s Offer

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Dining, Disney Parks, Disney Resorts, Uncategorized

Disney and the Union that represents most Cast Members (STCU) have been at odds since last October. The Union argues that Cast Members deserve $20 per hour. Disney has said “ok, but not yet” and offered a raise of $1 per hour each year until they get to $20 per hour. The Union, which represents more than 32,000 Cast Members, has expressed its displeasure in the offer but the final decision ultimately rested in the hands of the Cast Members they represent.

It seems as though they spoken. In a recent vote, Disney Cast Members have overwhelmingly (96%) rejected Disney’s latest offer. Matt Hollis, president of the Service Trades Council Union, said “Disney can do better and must do better.” Currently starting pay for Disney workers is $15 per hour, $4 above Florida’s minimum wage.

Union Disney negotiations

Disney responded to the vote in question statement saying, “it was a strong offer that would provide more than 30,000 employees a nearly 10 percent on average raise immediately, as well as retroactive increased pay in their paychecks, and we are disappointed that those increases will now be delayed.” Disney made an operating profit of $12 billion dollars last year.

The Unions argue Disney should have offered a $3 per hour increase, raising most wages to $18 per hour with a $1 per hour increase annually over the next two years. The STCU has already successfully negotiated this same deal for employees at the Orange County Convention Center.

Disney union negotiations

Negotiations between Disney and the Union will resume again soon. Until then, many have worried that the Cast Members could decide to strike in order to force Disney’s hand. This is unlikely. Since the Union contract expired in October, the contract between the Union and Walt Disney World has been month to month with specific clauses that prevent striking. To do so would be breach of contract and possibly result in job loss and stall negotiations.

The Union could decide not to renew their month to month agreement in order to strike but this is also unlikely. Even if they did do this, members of the union (Disney Cast Members) would still need to vote to approve a strike. It seems unlikely many Cast Members would vote for a move that meant they’d go without pay for an extended period of time. It is possible though that a strike could happen. This would be catastrophic for Disney’s operations since the Union members encompass ride operators, costumed performers, housekeepers, restaurant and shop employees, bus drivers, as well as custodians.

Stay tuned. This is an ongoing story and we will be sure to bring you updates as they happen. We expect negotiations to resume within the month.

Disney Parks TikTok Previews TRON Lightcycle / Run

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Magic Kingdom

A new video uploaded to the Disney Parks TikTok offers viewers an exclusive POV of the new TRON attraction, set to open on April 4, 2023.

TRON Lightcycle / Run, one of the fastest rollercoasters offered at any Disney Park, allows theme park Guests to “speed across a world with no horizons in a high-stakes race based on the Disney sci-fi film TRON: Legacy (2010).” In the TRON franchise, real-life individuals visit a futuristic virtual reality known as the Grid, host to “users” playing for Team Blue against the computer’s nefarious Team Orange within competitive simulations.

POV videos are popular online at the moment, intended to bring viewers into the creator’s point of view, immersing them in a virtual experience. In the TRON POV, viewers experience the new racing coaster attraction as if they are on their very own lightcycle inside TRON’s world until the “feed” seems to glitch, cutting out a large majority of the experience and skipping straight to the end.

The video formats its caption like a computer transmission message, similar to those found within the Grid:

>◎//: Welcome programs. TRON preview testing has begun. 404 error detected in footage. Enter the Grid on 04/04/23 🥏

Of course, Cast Members have already experienced the new roller coaster during Company previews, with many enjoying the new ride.

Tron Legacy

However, the new attraction’s experience has not satisfied all preview riders, leaving Disney fans worried that the long wait was not worth it. In fact, within the comments, a TikTok user named Christopher asks, “is that it?,” noting that he thought the ride experience would be longer.

In typical Disney fashion, the Company brand remains “in character” regarding all things TRON, going the extra mile in the replies to keep up the immersive element: “Error 404 detected, footage missing. Remaining footage unrecoverable and in person simulation required for footage retrieval.”

TRON Lockers at Magic Kingdom

Of course, the “in-person simulation” mentioned is telling Guests that they won’t be able to fully enjoy the new ride via screens, ride-through videos, or other forms of virtual content, which is ironic given the storyline of TRON. Even so, Walt Disney World as a whole seems to be moving towards prioritizing Guest Experience over visitors who film theme park content, with fans wondering if TRON Lightcycle / Run itself implemented its locker system to prevent the use of cameras and cellphones.

You can watch the video for yourself below to get a taste of what Guests will experience when TRON Lightcycle / Run opens at Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland at the Walt Disney World Resort:

@disneyparks

>◎//: Welcome programs. TRON preview testing has begun. 404 error detected in footage. Enter the Grid on 04/04/23 🥏 #Disney #DisneyWorld #TRON #POV #RollerCoaster #Ride #Coaster #Orlando #FirstLook #MagicKingdom #Lightcycle

♬ original sound – Disney Parks

Just remember, to get the complete ride experience, you’ll actually have to step into the Grid.