One of the greatest ways for families to kick off the holiday season is by watching the iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade together.
Disney Cruise Line debuted an all-new cruise ship float during the turkey day tradition last year, and we are thrilled to share that the same stunning vessel will be returning to the parade later this month! This year, our majestic “ship” – inspired by the fantastical style of the Disney Wish – will float through the streets of New York once again, accompanied by an all-new performance in Herald Square.
This year’s live parade performance will be inspired by one of the new Broadway-style shows on board the Disney Wish, “Disney Seas the Adventure.” Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse and Goofy will lead an incredible cast of performers and Disney characters in this show-stopping number, which has quickly become a guest favorite aboard our newest ship.
Be sure to tune in to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC-TV on Nov. 24 from 9 a.m. to noon in all time zones.
Few things have been more anticipated than the return of Fantasmic! At The Walt Disney World Resort.
Fantasmic!, the beloved nighttime spectacular, has been closed at Walt Disney World Resort since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. As Disney fans have anxiously awaited the return of the show, they’ve been hit with disappointment as it has remained closed for over two years.
Thankfully, Disney officially revealed that this show would finally be returning to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in November.
Fantasmic! is a nighttime spectacular that takes Guests into Mickey’s dreams as they visit some of the most iconic Disney animated stories. It is located inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Sunset Boulevard near Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.
The fantastic fantasy includes Disney Characters from some of your favorite animated films:
Moana
Frozen 2
Mulan
Aladdin
Pocahontas
Beauty and the Beast
The Little Mermaid
The Lion King
Disney’s Fantasmic! will begin performances at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on November 3, with Cast Members getting a special preview a few days early.
A tweet was shared by @WaybrightAdam showing the crowd’s reaction to Fantasmic!’s first show back at Walt Disney World. The video can be seen below:
Standing ovation for the first showing of Fantasmic at Disney's Hollywood Studios! A cast member preview was offered to CMs at Hollywood Studios.#DisneyCastLifepic.twitter.com/AdW1Ls7i8y
As you can see, the energy in the audience was electric, with hundreds of Guests standing up to cheer. It’s a magical moment for sure to see a show return after so long. We are sure that Guests will feel the same when the Walt Disney World Railroad finally reopens at Magic Kingdom.
The nighttime spectacular is also featured at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.
Amongst the many things returning back to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, many guests were thrilled to see the return of the Toy Story Meet and Greet featuring Buzz, Woody, and Jesse.
It was previously announced that Fantasmic! would be returning back to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in November, but that isn’t the only experience the Disney Parks have lined up. It was recently shown that the characters from Pixar’s Toy Story have officially made it back to Andy’s backyard as Buzz, Woody, and Jesse have been seen mixing and mingling about their Meet and Greet location. As wonderful as it is to see them again, they aren’t the same toys fans might be used to seeing. In fact, all three characters have received a major makeover.
Fans who have visited the Parks on a regular basis will immediately notice that Buzz, Woody, and Jessie all look incredibly different than they have during previous Meet and Greets. All three characters have received major face-lifts for a more movie-accurate look at the Parks. Whether they are face or fur characters, Disney has always strived to bring their beloved cast to life with impeccable accuracy, but the cast from Toy Story did have a slight hiccup in their original designs. Fans only have to look back at Woody’s enormous Easter Island head to notice the change in quality. The characters have much more lively expressions, as well as some wardrobe alterations as well.
Perhaps the most obvious change to the Pixar pals’ lineup is Buzz and his Space Ranger suit. Fans who are used to seeing Buzz on the space-aged streets of Tomorrowland will immediately notice that he’s slimmed down quite a bit. The old outfit was incredibly bulky and clunky to accentuate the character’s plastic exterior, but fans who attended Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party this year caught a glimpse of the new and improved Buzz Lightyear. The new costume allows the performer a wider range of movement, therefore more interaction with the guests.
Regardless of whether or not the toys have received new and updated looks to their theme park counterparts, it’s honestly just a good sign to see more character interactions in the Parks. Whether it’s in Hollywood Studios, Epcot, or the Magic Kingdom, Guests are happy to see Andy’s friends return to Toy Story Playland for more fun outside the toybox.
An announcement today confirms that a particular Aquaman actor will star in an upcoming MCU series, and it’s not who you might expect.
James Wan’s Aquaman (2018) is considered by most to be a solid super hero movie with tons of action and exploring Atlantis. Unfortunately, other circumstances put a bad light on the movie’s sequel due to Amber Heard’s role in the movie being questioned after her divorced husband, Johnny Depp, lost all of his acting positions.
This led to several petitions against Heard, but she will still appear in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023). Marvel, on the other hand, has finally found their actor to portray Simon Williams/Wonder Man for one of their upcoming Disney+ series. Wonder Man isn’t very well known, but his story mainly revolves around Hollywood, but he did end up being a love interest for Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch in the comics.
Marvel might be introducing their king of the oceans, Tenoch Huerta’s Namor, but DC beat Marvel at bringing its own King of the Seven Seas, Jason Momoa’s Aquaman, to the big screen in Aquaman (2018). As Arthur Curry learned about his birthright and how to save his people, he faced another villain, Black Manta, played by none other than Abdul Mateen. The actor is also set to reprise his role as Black Manta for the sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023), which is set to release in the spring.
Abdul-Mateen has also been in other DC projects, such as HBO’s Watchmen series, where he played Doctor Manhattan. His take on the character was fascinating as it gave a new twist to Manhattan’s ideology while further expanding Watchmen’s world.
Deadline has announced that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will be in the Wonder Man series as the titular character, Simon Williams/Wonder Man. This is rather surprising after Abdul-Mateen made some interesting comments about his acting with DC as “clown work” while working Aquaman. It also might come as a surprise for other fans as Marvel has blatantly race-swapped another MCU super hero once again.
Wonder Man will be very different from any other MCU project, which might be why Abdul was attracted to it. Wonder Man in the comics was a super hero who made a living as a Hollywood star leaving Marvel Studios to explore a unique side of the universe through television and movies.
The series shouldn’t be as fourth-wall-breaking as She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, but it will definitely be a must-watch for fans wanting something very different from the usual formulaic MCU. Destin Daniel Cretton will direct an episode of the series before heading over to begin work on Avengers: Kang Dynasty (2025).
On top of this, MCU fan-favorite Ben Kingsley will reprise his role as Trevor Slattery for the series, meaning that fans will get to see another MCU actor potentially team up with Wonder Man. This project will be radically different from other MCU projects, but it does make a fan wonder if Marvel will still throw a traditional CGI villain in at the last moment for a good finale action sequence.
It’s hard to know what Marvel will do with the series, but if Abdul-Mateen joins and doesn’t believe it’s clown work, then the series must be worth the wait for fans. It’s also another instance where Marvel has decided to race-swap the character. Several fans believed that Nathan Fillion would take on the role, but Marvel Studios decided that Abdul-Mateen II was the man to play Wonder Man.
Phase Five is just around the corner, with Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania releasing in theaters on February 17, 2023. Kang the Conqueror will take the spotlight as the MCU delves deep into the Multiverse Saga. Phase Five already has a solid roadmap, including Charlie Cox’s return as Daredevil, Blade, and the Guardians of the Galaxy, The Thunderbolts. The Phase ends with Ryan Reynold’s Deadpool 3 on November 8, 2024.
The classic attraction was offline earlier in the week
Few roller coasters even compare to the original Space Mountain in Walt Disney World. Does it hurt your back a little? Yes. Is it extremely bumpy? Also yes. But something about it draws us in every time we visit the Parks.
It’s simply a must-do for roller coaster fans. Even though it just barely outpaces Goofy’s Barnstormer in terms of speed, it’s still a thrilling adventure.
With its galactic theming, dark ambiance, and iconic soundtrack, the indoor roller coaster is a must-ride for Guests at Walt Disney World seeking adventure and a wild trip to space. The ride can be found at multiple Disney Parks and Resorts across the world, but the original Magic Kingdom version will always hold a special place in our hearts.
Located in the Tomorrowland section of the Park, Space Mountain takes you on an “out of this world” journey through the stars.
Unfortunately, Space Mountain closed unexpectedly on Monday at the Magic Kingdom.
.In the photo below, shared by @ParkTwister on Twitter, you can see Cast Members standing around the entrance o the attraction in order to inform Guests of the closure:
Space Mountain is experiencing technical difficulties today. Cast Members positioned outside. 🚀💫 pic.twitter.com/rzVptO2Z8s
If you look a little closer, you can even see a few cornhole boards set up for Guests to play with as they wait. You can also see a photo of the PeopleMover being evacuated:
Whenever Space Mountain encountered an issue, the PeopleMover is typically evacuated and closed as well as the attractions intertwine with one another. While there is no word on when we can expect these two rides to open back up, we hope it’s very soon!
As we said, Space Mountain can be found at a lot of other Disney Parks like Disneyland in California. Over on the west coast, Space Mountain reaches a speed of 35 m.p.h., and was the second Space Mountain attraction built in a Disney Park. Most Disney Guests long for the opportunity to have the unique experience of seeing the ride with the lights on.
