Disney Announces Big Change to Rise of Resistance

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Hollywood Studios

Since its debut, Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has been one of the most popular attractions Disney has ever developed with demand significantly exceeding ride capacity. The demand has been so high that Disney employed a virtual queue to manage the flow of guests through the attractions. Today Disney announced upcoming changes that every guest should be aware of.

From Disney:

From bright suns to rising moons, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge continues to call travelers to the magic of Batuu, especially with the excitement of Walt Disney World Resort’s 18-month anniversary celebration getting closer and closer. As we ramp up to The World’s Most Magical Celebration honoring our 50th anniversary, we’re continuing to enhance experiences thanks to the feedback from our Guests.

We know our Guests love choice and flexibility when planning their time in a theme park—which is why, starting September 23, we will pause the use of virtual queue for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and Guests at Disney’s Hollywood Studios may experience this incredible attraction using a traditional standby queue for the first time since it opened in 2019.

Virtual queues continue to be helpful with attraction access, merchandise launches, grand openings and more, and Guests should continue to check the My Disney Experience app for the latest on how we’re using virtual queues across Walt Disney World Resort including its potential use at Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at a later date, or from time to time.

In addition to virtual queues, we’ve been investing a lot into the Guest experience in other ways, including exciting new attractions on the horizon like Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure opening soon at EPCOT, and coming this fall, the new Disney Genie complimentary and convenient digital planning service designed to create your best Disney Day.

So, are you ready to rise up with the Resistance like never before? Whether it’s their first time visitng the Black Spire Outpost or their 50th, we can’t wait to welcome our Guests on their next trip to a galaxy far, far away.

Disney Fab 50 Character Collection Revealed, First Sculptures Unveiled at Magic Kingdom Park

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

Via Disney Destinations;

We’re excited to announce that the first Disney Fab 50 Character Collection sculptures are in their place to share in the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary Celebration. Guests can now visit the Magic Kingdom and find some of their favorite characters in their new home for the next 18 months of the celebration.

These 50 characters represent the stories that have moved us to dream bigger, follow our passions and believe in the power of magic. Each character shares in Walt Disney World Resort’s legacy of hope and optimism, where “two tiny wings” become a source of imagination, where sidekicks become heroes and where unlikely duos become the best of friends.

Over the past two months, partners have gathered from across The Walt Disney Company to unveil these fan-favorite characters. Friends from Disney+, Pixar, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Lucasfilm, Disney Channel, ESPN, shopDisney, Disney Vacation Club, Disney Publishing, D23, Disney Movie Insiders, National Geographic, Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line and more have shared in the celebration by announcing these sculptures.

Our “Disney Fab 50” sculptures pay homage to the past 50 years of Walt Disney World while ushering us into the next 50 years and beyond. As Guests continue to pass through our gates to hunt for their favorite characters, these sculptures will further immerse them into a world of fantasy and tomorrow, where laughter, joy, and that intangible pixie dust will bring a lifetime of memories to all who visit The Most Magical Place on Earth.

Enjoy this special message from the storytellers, entertainers, leaders and cast members who have lent their voices, talent and individual spark of magic to bring these characters to life.

Stay tuned in the coming days as more of our fab-ulous 50 friends arrive at all four Parks to help us kick off “The World’s Most Magical Celebration” for the next 18 months.

Trailer Released for “Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge – Last Call” Virtual Reality Game

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Hollywood Studios

“Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge – Last Call” is a virtual reality game coming to Oculus Quest on September 15, and a trailer is now available. The game is a sequel to last year’s “Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge,” which saw the return of Frank Oz as Yoda.

“In need of assistance, Dok-Ondar (Cory Rouse) hires you to recover an ancient artifact. Navigating new environments like Sardeevem Chasm and the Cavern of the Moons, watch out for pirates and new threats, solving puzzles, and using your droid repair tech tools to get yourself out of tight situations,” reads the official description for the upcoming game.

Based on the lands at both Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the games let you continue your Black Spire Outpost adventure long after you’ve returned from Batuu.

“Frozone” Joining Disney Fab 50 Character Collection

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Hollywood Studios

A gold statue of Frozone from The Incredibles and Incredibles 2 will be on display at Disney’s Hollywood Studios this fall as part of the Disney Fab 50 Character Collection.

Composer Michael Giacchino helped announce Frozone’s inclusion in the collection.

change To opening procedures at Hollywood Studios

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Hollywood Studios

By now, you’ve probably heard about the unusually low attendance numbers at Walt Disney World recently.  In fact, crowds are the lowest they have been since the parks first reopened in July 2020.

September is usually a great time to visit Walt Disney World with regard to crowds; attendance is typically not overly high. But what makes the recent dip in crowd numbers different is that the lull in attendance seems to have been going on for a few weeks now.

Is it because people don’t feel as safe at the parks since the Delta variant of the coronavirus is running rampant? Have would-be Guests canceled their plans because they have heard so much about Central Florida’s high incidence of COVID cases? Or are they simply waiting until October so they can experience the parks during the actual 50th anniversary?

It’s really anyone’s guess, but what we do know is that attendance is low right now, and those low numbers have prompted Disney’s Hollywood Studios to make some changes to its park opening procedures. You may remember that rope drop at Hollywood made a comeback recently. Traditional rope drop usually has Guests waiting at different spots before the park opens, depending on which attraction they plan to experience first.

Before rope drop returned, social distancing was the name of the game, so Guests weren’t strictly held in certain areas in an effort to reduce large gatherings in small areas. Instead, it was possible to head into the park and start experiencing that Hollywood magic up to an hour before it formally opened, as long as you didn’t need to park a vehicle, which Guests couldn’t do until the park was officially opened.

And now, in true Disney fashion, an extra helping of the Magic is being handed out to Guests of Hollywood Studios!

Rope drop as we know it is not in place at Hollywood at this time (though we know that can change without warning), so Guests aren’t being made to wait in specific locations while they wait for the imaginary rope to drop. Instead, lately, even though the posted opening time for the park is 9:00 a.m., the attractions are up and running a half-hour before then, and Guests are welcome to get their Golden Age of Hollywood day started 30 minutes earlier!