While many of the pandemic-era closures have since reopened, some offerings still have yet to come back. This is especially true when it comes to character meet and greets. Fortunately, Disney confirmed the return of one of our favorite character spots in Magic Kingdom, Pete’s Silly Sideshow this morning.
Disney World has confirmed the return of character meet and greets at Pete’s Silly Side Show beginning January 15, 2023.
This super fun, and super silly, spot is the perfect place to catch up with Googy, Donald, Daisy and Pluto.
Passholders have had a pretty good day. Recent news of attraction openings, a relaxing of Park Pass requirements, and new night time shows have led to what amounts to be an incredible news day for Disney Parks. The fun isn’t over yet though! Disney quietly announced a new perk for Annual Passholders amongst all the ther news today!
You might recall that PhotoPass was formerly complimentary for Passholders. It was a victim of what I like to call “the perk purge” that has taken place in recent years. Sadly, I’m not here to tell you that free PhotoPass is coming back. However, Disney is giving Passholders complimentary access to PhotoPass Lenses and one free Cinderella Castle Mural of Memories. That may not feel like much but like everything else today, it’s a step in the right direction.
Cinderella Castle Mural of Memories is a particularly great perk simply because it is so unique. The idea was born out of a desire to celebrate Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary in a unique and memorable way. The idea is to gather a collection of memories from the celebration and (virtually) pin them to Cinderella Castle to create a beautiful keepsake. Typically Disney charged $9.99 per photo for this experience but as the celebration winds down, Passholders can pin one photo for free. Pinning a photo comes with a free download of the Mural.
PhotoPass Lenses are also a fun and unique way to celebrate your day! It uses AR (Augmented Reality) in select areas around the Parks to create one of a kind selfies by inserting your favorite characters or surprising magical moments into the frame. Think of it like the Magic Shots you can get from Disney’s PhotoPass photographers, only you get to add the magic yourself! This service was formerly exclusive to Guests who purchased Disney Genie+ (it’s not even included with Memory Maker purchase) but now Passholders can access it free of charge for a limited time!
These new changes may seem small on the surface, but they add up to something huge: feeling appreciated and valued by Disney again after a few years of feeling like nothing but cash cows. We are hopeful that meaningful change will continue at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort. The small things really do add up.
In 2001, a massive Disneyland Resort expansion was finally complete, and the Downtown Disney District was open for business. Downtown Disney is a great shopping and dining area that connects Disneyland Resort’s three hotels — the Disneyland Hotel, Paradise Pier Hotel (soon to be Pixar Place), and the Grand Californian — with Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure.
While a lot of stores and restaurants have come and gone in those more than 20 years, there is one popular restaurant that has been a staple for the area — La Brea Bakery & Café. Sadly, on January 9, La Brea announced that they were closing the doors on the Café, effective immediately.
La Brea Bakery did not say exactly what led them to close their doors at Downtown Disney, but the press release did say that they would be focusing on their in-store bakeries found at supermarkets.
After 34 years at our flagship location on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles, and more than two decades in Downtown Disney, Anaheim, Aspire Bakeries has made the difficult decision to permanently close La Brea Bakery Café. This morning, meetings were held at our Los Angeles and Downtown Disney Café locations to announce the closures, which are effective immediately.
Consistent with our strategy, Aspire Bakeries will exit the restaurant business and continue the focus on growing our thriving La Brea Bakery business in retail (grocery in-store bakeries) and foodservice. While we will no longer be operating the Cafés, consumers can still find our delicious La Brea Bakery artisan breads, both fresh baked and Take ‘n Bake, at their local grocery’s in-store bakery and at other restaurant locations that serve artisan breads.
Not long after the closure of La Brea Bakery was shared, Disney made an announcement, thanking the company for its long relationship with Disney and its Guests. Disney also shared that Earl of Sandwich would be returning to occupy the space for a limited time. Earl of Sandwich had been located at the other end of Downtown Disney, but was torn down as Disney began its major shopping and dining expansion project.
La Brea also acknowledged that the closure would affect many loyal employees. To help those who were now unemployed, the company teamed up with Disney to host a job fair immediately after the closure was announced. Disneyland Resort is currently hiring for multiple positions.
Downtown Disney is currently undergoing a major renovation and will see several new eateries coming to the area, including the incredibly popular Porto’s Bakery and the hit Chinese restaurant Din Tai Fung.
In a new email to Disney Cast Members, Iger is continuing the company’s reorganization.
The Walt Disney Company CEO, Robert Iger arrives for the World premiere of Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Endgame” at the Los Angeles Convention Center on April 22, 2019 in Los Angeles. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP) (Photo credit should read VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)
The recently returned Disney CEO Bob Iger took the helm a couple of months ago, with quick shakeups in the company, particularly in the Media & Entertainment Distribution division, which is responsible for Disney+. Disney Executives, including Chapek’s right-hand man, Kareem Daniel, and Arthur Bochner, Chapek’s Chief of Staff and Speech Writer, have left the company.
Bob Iger has diagnosed The Walt Disney Company’s downfall as it was “losing its soul.” Iger himself has said the Disney Parks are too expensive and knows that change needs to be made.
Now, Iger continues on his journey to bring back the magic for the stock dipping company. According to a report, Bob Iger shared the importance of in-person collaboration in an email sent to hybrid Cast Members on Monday, January 9, 2023. The email states:
“As I’ve been meeting with teams throughout the company over the past few months, I’ve been reminded of the tremendous value in being together with the people you work with,” Iger wrote. “As you’ve heard me say many times, creativity is the heart and soul of who we are and what we do at Disney. And in a creative business like ours, nothing can replace the ability to connect, observe, and create with peers that comes from being physically together, nor the opportunity to grow professionally by learning from leaders and mentors.”
The report goes on to note that starting the week of March 1, 2023, hybrid employees must return to corporate offices four days a week.
Hybrid employees, or work-from-home staff, increased among companies around the globe in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic spread. Now, years later, Iger is bringing Disney employees back to the office with this new policy.
While this decision will likely have mixed emotions from Disney’s current hybrid Cast Members, Disney isn’t the only one making this shift in policy. We’ve seen other large companies, such as Twitter and Apple, mandate their employees to return to in-house office time.
During the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts, guests can celebrate the art of photography with themed photo ops from January 13 through February 20, 2023!
There are quite a few places around EPCOT to capture works of art during the festival with Disney PhotoPass Service, but here are five of our favorites!
Figment Magic Shots
Magic Shots are all about using our imagination, which of course leads us to Figment! This year, we’re introducing three new Magic Shots inspired by everyone’s favorite playful dragon. Guests can find these Magic Shots at the following locations:
Figment Wings: Most Disney PhotoPass locations in EPCOT
Figment Chalk Art: At the main entrance to the park and near the entrance to World Showcase under the Monorail beam
Figment Flying: Most Disney PhotoPass locations in EPCOT
Tiny World Magic Shot: Festival of the Arts Edition
This 360-degree shot near the main entrance of the park (now available both during the day and after dark!) has quickly become a fan favorite, so we’re giving it a bright splash of color during the festival. Even if guests have taken this photo before, be sure they stop by for this limited-time edition.
Artful Step-in Frames
All around EPCOT, guests can literally step into works of art. The more they have fun with it, the better their photos will be! Disney PhotoPass photographers will be at select locations to help guests strike a perfect pose.
Paintbrush Prop + Magic Shot
No, these Magic Shots aren’t a figment of our imagination! After 6 p.m. at the main entrance of the park, a photographer can offer guests a special prop that creates a beautiful light painting Magic Shot when the photo appears in their gallery. Art made easy!
Pixel Stick
When the sun goes down, the famous pixel stick comes out! Guests can bask in the glow of the light while a photographer creates a painting around them. Every photo taken through this method is a completely unique work of art. It’s available near Creations Shop on the pathway to World Showcase. When guests see a giant light-up stick being masterfully twirled around, they’ll know they’re in the right place.
Guests can easel-y download and share these and all of the other Disney PhotoPass photos and videos from their entire visit by purchasing Memory Maker or Memory Maker One Day entitlement.
