Stolen Gun Found In Backpack of Teen Trying to Enter Animal Kingdom

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks

Via DisDining.com

Lately, it seems that visiting the Walt Disney World Resort is more different now than it ever has been, but not always in the best way. Yes, there are a ton of great new things to experience, like Disney Enchantment at the Magic Kingdom, the Food & Wine Festival at EPCOT, and Disney World’s newest roller coaster — Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. However, there also seems to be a record number of fights resulting in bans, and — on a scarier note — more and more people appear to be bringing guns onto the property.

The Orange County Sheriff’s office recently released an incident report in which they said that a gun was found in a backpack belonging to a 15-year-old Guest who was trying to get into Disney World’s Animal Kingdom Park. Disney security inspects every bag before Guests can enter the Park, and the gun was found underneath candy bars and juice boxes.

Nighttime

Fox35 Orlando shared more information on the startling discovery:

Security spoke to the boy’s mother, who was with him, and she explained that they were visiting from Alabama and that his sister had given him the bag for him to use during the trip to Florida. 

The mother and her son stated they did not know the gun was in the backpack and the teen said he only brought it so he could bring snacks to Animal Kingdom, the report states. 

When asked if her daughter owned a gun, she said her daughter has had one for about two years. During the investigation, deputies say it was discovered that the gun – which was a black Lorcin with a pink grip – was stolen from a woman’s vehicle in Alabama in May. 

Now, it should be noted that Florida is a concealed carry state — which means that people can carry a firearm on their person if they have the proper permit. However, Walt Disney World Resort is private property, making its own rules. Firearms — and weapons of any kind — are strictly prohibited from Disney World’s four theme parks, two Water Parks, Resort hotels, and Disney Springs. If you are caught with a weapon, you will be taken off the property and most likely banned.

Despite the fact that the teen and his mother claimed that they didn’t know the gun was there, and it didn’t belong to them, charges will be pressed. Disney also issued a trespass warning, meaning they have been banned from Disney property. Even though a ban has been issued, the mother and son can appeal the decision and Disney could decide to reverse their decision.

Opening Date Set for Adventurers Outpost at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks

While guests have been able to hug and greet their favorite characters at many locations around Walt Disney World since mid-April 2022, Disney’s Animal Kingdom has not yet seen the return of up-close character greetings. The characters at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, with the exception of Kevin on Discovery Island, have continued to be seen on flotillas on the Discovery River throughout the day. This is about to change with the reopening of the Adventures Outpost.

We have a reopening date for character greetings at Adventurers Outpost at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Beginning June 19, 2022, “favorite Disney Pals” will greet here. This experience is also being added to the Disney Genie+ lineup.

Prior to the pandemic, Mickey and Minnie greeted guests at this location. The location has not been open since the parks reopened in July 2020. While we hope it will be both Mickey and Minnie who return together, there is no indication on who will be greeting here when it reopens, other than “favorite Disney Pals” as listed on the website.

These will be the first characters to return to their greeting locations. We have no word on when Donald and the gang will return to Donald’s Dino-Bash or when Pocochantas might return to her popular greeting spot on Discovery Island.

Disney Announces Opening Date for New Finding Nemo Show at Animal Kingdom

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks

Another fan-favorite show is coming back very soon to Disney’s Animal Kingdom in a whole new way. “Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!” will be an updated show with a new script and set pieces. We’re very excited to check out the new show.

Get out those calendars! Disney has announced that “Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!” will open on June 13, 2022. The updated 25-minute show will have live performers and puppets and a new script. But don’t worry, many of the songs and numbers from the original show are still included in the show. The attraction will be included with Disney Genie+.

From a Disney Cast Member;

Climb aboard explorers and hold on tight, because it’s time to take a deep dive into the creation of the freshly reimagined show, “Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!” – opening this summer at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park!

Stepping inside the Theater in the Wild, we’ll catch up with the group of fish from Dr. P. Sherman’s office in “Finding Nemo,” who have made their way across the ocean to the Marine Life Institute. The fish tell Nemo’s story in this fully updated, 25-minute show, incorporating live performers and puppets, along with many of the beloved songs and production numbers from the original “Finding Nemo: The Musical” – which is great news if you’re like me and have had “In the Big Blue World” stuck in your head since 2007.

In addition to a new script, the show will feature new scenic set pieces and a new LED video wall designed to visually extend the world created by the physical sets on stage. We aren’t talking small set pieces either. Be on the lookout for a 32-foot-long sunken submarine and a fish tank volcano standing nearly 15 feet tall!

Working in close collaboration with Pixar Animation Studios, artists and designers at Disney Live Entertainment also developed a new aesthetic for “Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!” inspired by layered, cut paper sculptures. The resulting look is fresh and unique to the show, while staying true to the designs in the original film. Check out the video below for a sneak peek.

“Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!” is just one of the many ways we’re adding even more magic to the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary celebration.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom reveals the return date of the full “Festival of the Lion King” show

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks

Disney made a big announcement yesterday about a Guest-favorite experience at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Tumble Monkeys will make their triumphant return to the Festival of the Lion King experience at Animal Kingdom beginning July 16.

It was also announced that Disney is making the shift back to the “Festival of the Lion King.” Performers will be preparing for the long-awaited return of the full show. For this reason, “A Celebration of Festival of the Lion King” will not be an available experience for Guests from July 5, 2022, to July 15, 2022.

Disney invites Guests to “delight in a Broadway-style show filled with songs, pageantry, and puppetry celebrating the classic movie, The Lion King.”

The Walt Disney World website touts the Festival of the Lion King at Disney’s Animal Kingdom as follows:

“Join the inhabitants of the Pride Lands for a grand gala in honor of Simba, the lion cub who would be king.

As the lights dim, hear the sounds of the African savanna. A kinetic kaleidoscope of color floods the stage as colossal puppets, extravagantly costumed dancers, and incredible stilt walkers dazzle the senses.

During spectacular theatrics, you’ll relive all the classic songs from The Lion King, including ‘Hakuna Matata’ and ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight?’ The spectacular finale includes a soaring rendition of ‘Circle of Life.’

It’s a moving and immersive theatrical experience celebrating music that has touched generations of Disney fans—and a festival you’ll want to be part of again and again!”

When the experience first returned after a nearly four-month closure of the parks in 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the attraction was called “A Celebration of the Festival of the Lion King,” which was a shorter version of the experience that didn’t include all of the show’s features, such as the Tumble Monkeys.

The full show will return on July 16, and the Tumble Monkeys and birds will all be there! If you’re in the parks that day, be sure to give them all a warm welcome!

Disney’s “Broken” Top-Tier Attraction Leaves Guests Feeling Ill

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks

One of the most popular attractions at Walt Disney World Resort is Flight of Passage, located in Pandora in Animal Kingdom. The attraction opened in 2017 to incredible wait times of 4+ hours, and still, years later, we can expect that during busy times of the year, wait times will climb to those large waits once again. Typically, the ride had around a two-hour wait, which is still pretty long for many!

The attraction is a flight simulator that allows us, Guests of Animal Kingdom, to hop on the back of a banshee by linking to someone who is Na’vi. Through this, we are able to deeply explore Pandora, the world of Avatar, through sights, scents, and movement. We recently reported on some Guests complaining about the state of the attraction, and now, those worries continue to grow.

It seems that riders are starting to notice blurriness and double vision when riding. 

Flight of passage blurriness/double vision. I wonder if anyone else has experienced this? I hadn’t ridden in over a year, but Flight has always been one of the more convincing experiences at WDW (with the exclusion of my ride last night, in which these problems were distracting). Maybe something with the glasses or how I was wearing them?

Flight of Passage utilizes 3-D glasses, but this should not make the attraction’s video footage look distorted in any way, as this Guest is noting that they experienced. It seems other Guests have also experienced similar issues in sections of the ride. One Guest replied stating, “I’ve had similar issues this pastime, but mostly just on the part where it’s in the dark cavern.” Another noted, “It’s the same for me, but it comes into focus as more of the bioluminescence comes on screen in the cave scene.”

The responses of Guests also experiencing this blurry, double vision sensation only continued to grow as the conversation carried on. Some noted that this may just be an issue with one theater, but not all, however, we cannot be sure what the issue is here, if there indeed is something broken with the attraction. One Guest noticed that the seat in which they were given made a huge difference in terms of ride quality, “I rode it twice recently. First time I was on the left side (spots 9-16), 2nd to last spot. Perfect. 2nd time I was on the right side (section for spots 1-8). Spot 1. Horrible double vision for most of the ride.”

pandora 2

Another rider commented in agreement but also hopes that Disney is able to correct the issues as the blurry vision increases motion sickness when riding.

Glad it wasn’t just me! It was definitely amazing when it first opened but I’ve noticed it getting progressively blurrier. I thought it was just the location of where I was sitting but it looks like there are some mechanical wear and tear issues. I hope they fix it up though because I was getting more motion sickness due to it being blurry.

During recent rides, we can attest that there are certain sections that seem to have lost their crispness. Considering Flight of Passage is a separately ticketed Lightning Lane pass, and does not come with the typical Disney Genie+ options, many Guests expect the attraction to ride without flaw. And now, with Avatar: The Way of Water debuting its first trailer, we will likely see a new resurgence in the James Cameron-created franchise.