One of the most exciting events is just around the corner at Walt Disney World Resort. From July 27 until November 18, EPCOT is inviting Guests to “…take a culinary tour across six continents at this celebration of cuisine from around the world.” The 2023 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival, presented by CORKCICLE, is one of the most thrilling events of the year. With the beginning of the festival just a few weeks away, Disney is beginning to announce the incredible offerings Guests can expect this year.
For years, Disney fans have been begging for more of the Muppets in the Parks. This hilarious group has been beloved by fans for decades, and Guests have been waiting to see them be used more throughout Walt Disney World Resort. Now, Disney has listened in a big way.
It has just been announced that the Muppets will become a featured element of this year’s Food and Wine Festival. Muppet Labs is creating a whole new experience where Guests can join Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his zany assistant, Beaker, at the Brew-Ling Lab, an all-new taste-testing headquarters coming to the food festival.
Who says science can’t mix with snacks? At the Brew-Wing Labs, Guests will be able to taste-teste some unique flavor combinations with treats like the Unnecessarily Spicy, Yet Extremely Tasty Scotch Bonnet Pepper-Curry Wings and the Pickle Milkshake.
At The EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival presented by CORKCICLE, the future of food is being made today with Muppet Labs! Join Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker as they experiment with tasty flavors at the Brew-Wing Lab. 🧪 🍽️ pic.twitter.com/dmUbfFTT9j
This new addition to the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival sounds absolutely awesome. Brew-Wing Labs seems like an incredible way of making the Festival more interactive and appealing to a broader audience while also offering delicious food. We can’t wait to see what else Disney has in store for us when the Food & Wine Festival, presented by CORKCICLE, comes to the Parks on July 27.
Halloween is drawing near, as can be seen in the parks with the arrivals of Autumnal buntings, pumpkins scattered around and Mickey pumpkin wreaths on the light poles of Main Street, U.S.A. And another Halloween-themed Disney treat is on the way as well — Muppets Haunted Mansion, coming to Disney+ this Fall. As Walt Disney Imagineering is celebrating today’s anniversary of The Haunted Mansion opening at Disneyland, their official Instagram has shared the first look at the upcoming Muppets special.
The first image shows Gonzo the Great and Pepe the King Prawn walking down the Corridor of Doors in the mansion, dressed in their black tie best. The second image shows Kermit and Miss Piggy dressed up as each other, looking at a phone.
Disney Parks are celebrating #HalfwaytoHalloween with holiday-filled tricks and treats and special announcements! We’ve already learned of an all-new Disney After Hours BOO BASH Coming to Magic Kingdom. Now, Disney is treating us to a self-guided tour of the most mystifying attractions at Disney Parks around the world in this first-ever interactive YouTube experience by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products led by Uncle Deadly from The Muppets. Be sure to watch until the end for a treat!
From a Disney Cast Member;
Happy #HalfwaytoHalloween! It’s that special time of the year when Disney Parks summons the spirits of the supernatural, completely cryptic, and sometimes spooky, for a prelude celebration to Halloween.
We’re continuing this year’s festivities with something tantalizingly fresh: our first-ever, interactive YouTube experience, a self-guided tour of the most mystifying Disney Parks attractions around the globe, hosted by Uncle Deadly from The Muppets.
You’ll begin your sojourn to the strange and supernatural through Haunted Mansion at both Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort, Mystic Manor at Hong Kong Disney Resort and even Phantom Manor at Disneyland Paris. Each destination unlocks secrets behind the magic and story and gives you the chance to learn about some spine-tingling illusions.
We highly encourage you to see this journey through to the end as a special spooktacular is in store: a surprise look at an all-new Haunted Mansion-themed special premiering this fall only on Disney+.
Remember, fortune favors the courageous and curious…
Have you ever wanted to know what the people who perform the Muppets are like? This weekend, you can hear from the man who has brought the likes of Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, Beauregard and more to life for decades.
Muppet performer Dave Goelz will appear in two free virtual talks this weekend to discuss his work with Jim Henson and share stories from over five decades with the iconic puppet troupe.
The first is with The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco as part of their Happily Ever After Hours series, taking place on Friday, April 17th at 8:30 PM Eastern/5:30 PM Pacific. The talk will take place over Zoom, which guests must use in order to participate in the event. The event is currently full, but be sure to check back in case spots open up.
The second event, run through the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, New York, will also feature Goelz’s work, with an emphasis on the 1984 film The Muppets Take Manhattan. Goelz is expected to share stories about what it was like filming a Muppet movie on location in New York City. The event will take place on Saturday, April 18th, at 7 PM Eastern/4 PM Pacific, and will also be run through Zoom, with a limited capacity. Interested fans can sign up at this link.
Goelz began working with Jim Henson as a puppet builder and part-time performer in 1973, before transitioning to a full-time performer during the run of “The Muppet Show,” and has been with the troupe ever since. In addition to his works with the “Muppet Show” ensemble, Goelz worked on “Fraggle Rock,” performing such characters as Boober Fraggle, Uncle Traveling Matt, Philo, and Large Marvin, along with Fizzgig in The Dark Crystal and Sir Didymus in Labyrinth. Beginning with The Muppet Christmas Carol in 1992, he also took over the character of Waldorf, replacing the late Henson following his passing in 1990.
While these events will be free, donations to both museums are highly encouraged, as their doors are closed to guests during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. You can donate to The Walt Disney Family Museum here, and to the Museum of the Moving Image here.
I LOVE Hollywood Studios!!! Some of my favorite shows, rides, and restaurants are there. Plus, with the addition of Toy Story Land and, soon to be open, Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, I am literally salivating to get back to WDW to see the new attractions. This park has some of the more unique attractions that you don’t necessarily associate with being Disney.
A lot of people have a negative opinion of this park when comparing it to Magic Kingdom or Epcot. It does not have the typical Disney nostalgic feeling. It does not have a heavy variety of rides like the Magic Kingdom. It does not have the plethora of the dining options of Epcot. However, what it does have are a combination of attractions, shows, and dining options that balance the park perfectly.
Since visiting for the first time in 2010, Hollywood Studios has underwent a tremendous amount of change. Some of these were necessary to accommodate the changes that needed to be made to enhance the park, some are a little bit harder to get over.
While the addition of the “Star Wars: A Galaxy Far, Far Away” is a decent stage show that recognizes the characters of the movie franchise, and the March of the First Order is a neat thing to witness down the streets of HS, they still do not take the place of Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat, that was a staple of the Hollywood Studios landscape.
So here are my top 5 reasons why Hollywood Studios is my favorite Disney park.
The ShowsI
I believe Hollywood Studios has the best combination of shows of any park at WDW. While the park does not have the ride attractions of some of the other parks, although with the additions of Toy Story Land and Galaxy’s Edge that changes, every one of the shows there is an enjoyable time.
The “Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular” is my favorite show to visit each trip to Hollywood Studios. Between the pyrotechnics, the choreography of the stunts and the comedic spots during the course of the show itself, this show takes the audience inside some of the best scenes from Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (which, btw, is the best movie of the franchise, in my humble opinion).
Another show that I enjoy visiting is “For the First Time in Forever; A Frozen Sing-along Celebration”. I know what you are thinking, but no. I do not sing along. This is a fun show for the kids to sing along to all of the frozen songs but also get a hilarious history lesson from the official Royal Historians of Arendelle.
“Beauty and The Beast – Live on Stage” brings the classic tale to life in the open-air Theater of the Stars on Sunset Boulevard. This broadway-style show has been giving audiences a shortened version of the Disney movie since the park opened in 1989.
Beauty and The Beast
In “Muppetvision 3D”, you are treated to a 3D show that is more than just that. There are different times where the screen becomes just a piece of the overall theater and the theater itself comes to life, with Statler and Waldorf doing their typical heckling from the booth above and a cannon shot from the screen to the back revealing bricks and a hole in the back wall of the theater.
The Rides
While Hollywood Studios does not have as many rides as the Magic Kingdom, the rides that it does have are all worth riding.T
The “Twilight Zone Tower of Terror” and I have a love/hate relationship. I am not a huge fan of these types of rides that simply take you up and drop you several times, but this is different. The whole theme of the ride is fantastic. The back story, the look, the feel, the drama, the suspense of not knowing when it will drop, to wondering how many times it will drop (it drops a different amount each time) all works to make this one of the best rides at WDW.
Rock n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith is another must when on a trip to WDW. From the speed on the initial launch from 0-57 mph in 2.8 secs, to the awesome soundtrack, this ride is literally a blast. Riders will experience a 5G start, and travel through 3 inversions while flying past bright neon road signs.T
Toy Story Mania has been the one ride at Hollywood Studios that seems to always have long wait times and is the one ride at HS that a fastpass makes a huge difference. This 3D shooter ride is one of the more technologically sophisticated attractions ever developed by Disney Imagineers.
This ride puts 2 people head to head, competing in 6 mini games ranging from tossing pies, darts, eggs, baseballs, rings, and suction cup type arrows. This game is so much fun and, for me, blows away another toy story shooter ride in Magic Kingdom. Always a great family adventure (and maybe a little competition)
Fantasmic
While this could have been added in the Shows category, doing that to Fantasmic would simply not do it justice.
This night-time multimedia event features fireworks, lasers, lighting effects, and music. It stars Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer’s Apprentice from Fantasia as he fights the forces of evil.
Mickey invokes the characters and spirits of favorite Disney classics such as Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Aladdin, Pinocchio, The Lion King, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Dumbo, Tarzan and more.
The show takes a dark turn when the Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs appears and gathers classic villains like Ursula, Cruella de Vil, Scar, Frollo, Jafar and a larger-than-life Maleficent, to turn Mickey’s dreams into a nightmare. Mickey must fight back the villains with all of the magic in his arsenal.
This 30 minute show might be the highlight of your HS visit and you will, no doubt, walk away amazed.
New Additions
Disney has put a lot of time, fortune, and imagineering into Hollywood Studios in recent years with the 2 newest additions of Toy Story Land and the new, yet to debut, Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, as well as new attractions such as Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway and Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy.
Toy Story Land transports you into Andy’s backyard where you feel like the size of one of Andy’s toys. This new section which opened in June of 2018 features new rides in Slinky Dog Dash and Alien Swirling Saucers, as well as the aforementioned Toy Story Mania. It also gives HS a counter-service restaurant in Woody’s Lunch Box. You may also see the Green Army Men Drum Corp or be made an honorary Green Army Man by participating in the Green Army Men Boot Camp.
Galaxy’s Edge opens in August of 2019. It will introduce 2 new ride attractions, a new restaurant, and transport a person into the worlds of Star Wars. I will refrain from speaking on this too much except to say, I cant wait for this to open.
Me in My Element
50’s Prime Time Cafe
This is my favorite restaurant in all of WDW. This meal has the feel of being in the 1950’s “every family kitchen”. The waiters/waitresses treat you as if you are a guest at their dinner table and must display appropriate manners or be punished for various things. The food is also pretty terrific. Give this place a try and allow the staff to put you in the middle of their show and you will walk away full from food and fun.
