In a shocking reveal to Walt Disney World cast members earlier this afternoon, the famous ever popular Disney's Hollywood Studios attraction Backlot Studio Tour is closing for good starting September 27th 2014.
The report was first rumored by the folks over at WDW News Today, who speculated a Pixar Place expansion in an article this morning. WDW News Today has got word of the confirmed expansion just recently and have posted about it on their website.
No official word from Disney on what will replace the beloved attraction, so this page will be updated as more info becomes available.
Thank you WDW News Today for the scoop! Follow them at @WDWNT on Twitter for up-to-the minute updates on everything in Walt Disney World. (Photo Credit: WDW News Today)
The Disney Parks Blog announced earlier today that Frozen is heading back to Walt Disney World, but even bigger than better than ever. After much speculation, it was confirmed that Frozen will find a new home and attraction in the Norway pavilion of Epcot's World Showcase. The new currently unnamed attraction will replace the Maelstorm attraction which has been operating since 1988. The attraction is currently planned to open in 2016.
" We’ve made “Frozen” a part of the guest experience in a number of ways already and our guests have both loved them and asked for more." says Tom Staggs in a Disney Parks Blog post "So I’m pleased to say that we’re starting construction at Walt Disney World Resort on a brand new “Frozen” attraction at the Norway Pavilion in Epcot. The new attraction, which replaces Maelstrom, will take our guests to Arendelle and immerse them in many of their favorite moments and music from the film."
Disney Parks also revealed that Anna, Elsa, Sven, Kristoff, Olaf and the rest of the Frozen gang will be joining Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas Time Parade later this year with a special pre-show which will include Queen Elsa icing over the Cinderella Castle every night.
You can read more info about these upcoming attractions on the Disney Parks Blog.
Disney's major blockbuster Frozen is finally making it's first major debut in the theme parks. Beginning on July 5th, Disney's Hollywood Studios will be hosting several major Frozen events, according to rumors, it will include six major events including a Sing Along, a Dance Party, and a Frozen Funland ending the day off with a fireworks show. Rumors are the event is meant to run from July 5th until September.
UPDATE: The event was made official by the Disney Parks Blog earlier. The event schedule is as follows: (from the official Disney Parks article).
(Photo credit: Disney Parks Blog)
Olaf on Summer Vacation – Olaf the Snowman is having the time of his life on his very first summer vacation! He chimes in throughout the day to keep everyone updated on all his adventures. Plus, you can pick up your very own Take-Along Olaf from locations in the park, so he can join you on your summer vacation. And when you share your photos with Olaf on social media, be sure to tag them with #OlafSummerVacation. They may just get selected to appear in that day’s grand finale!
Anna and Elsa’s Royal Welcome – At 11:00 a.m. each day, Elsa and Anna arrive in Hollywood as part of their goodwill tour of neighboring kingdoms, making their way down Hollywood Boulevard in a horse-drawn sleigh. Kristoff is along for the fun, too, joined by a flurry of skaters, skiiers, ice cutters and more! The entire procession culminates in a special moment at the Sorcerer’s Hat Icon Stage to officially welcome the visiting royalty to this kingdom of Hollywoodland.
For the First Time in Forever: A “Frozen” Sing-Along Celebration – Cool down inside the Premiere Theater, where Anna and Elsa join the Royal Historians of Arendelle for a fun and comedic retelling of the unique history of their Kingdom, filled with delightful, sing-along moments from “Frozen.”
Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post & Frozen Funland – Inside Soundstage One, Oaken and his cousins have created a Frozen Funland filled with cold weather activities, unique photo opportunities, and more! There’s a frozen pond with ice skating demonstrations, wintertime fun for kids in the “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” play area, a “big summer blowout” with plenty of “Frozen” merchandise, and special “Frozen”-inspired food and beverage offerings.
“Coolest Summer Ever” Dance Party – Starting at 5:30 p.m. each day, a dance party takes over the area around the Sorcerer’s Hat Icon Stage, with a DJ, live band, and more! The band plays a variety of classic and contemporary summer rock & roll hits, as well as a cool, rocking medley of “Frozen” favorites. It’s going to be hot!
“Frozen” Fireworks Spectacular – Everything wraps up at 9:45 p.m. when Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, and Olaf come together at the Sorcerer’s Hat Icon Stage for a grand finale to the day’s festivities, kicking off an awe-inspiring fireworks display set to the glorious music of “Frozen!”
Mitchell Stein- Since it's opening on October 1st 1981, Epcot has been dedicated to discovering the future and the celebration of human achievement, but since it's opening day, EPCOT has seen dozens of changes throughout it's park, including it's own name, being changed from EPCOT Center to just plain Epcot in the late 90's. By far, I'd probably have to say that Epcot probably went through the most changes throughout the years and many of these changes have had quite a significant effect on the park. Right now, I'm going to pay tribute to the past of Walt Disney's most futuristic park.
Original Spaceship Earth Attraction:
Spaceship Earth went through many major changes since it's opening in 1981. The need to be constantly updating th attraction has led to many major refurbishments. The first version of the attraction featured just a few of the same elements found in today's version, albeit going through some major refurbishments.
Horizons:
The legendary Horizons attraction was probably known as one of the most beloved Epcot Center attractions of all time. Often referred to as the "sequel" to Magic Kingdom's Carousel of Progress, Horizons took guests on a voyage through technological advancements throughout time, and what may possibly come in the future, with a lot of really neat futuristic elements. The last section of the ride would allow guests to choose which type of video they would prefer to transport them back to their original time. It was a really neat dark ride located in the spot where Mission: Space stands today and featured the characters from Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress.
Communicore:
Today known as Innoventions, Communicore was a pavillion dedicated to technological advancements. It featured some of the most high-tech gadgets at the time, including a SMART-1 robot which used some sort of voice recognition to interact with the guests. It was a lot of fun. Innoventions is great, but it may be lacking something that Communicore always had.
Original Journey into Imagination with Figment Attraction:
When the attraction first opened in 1983, it featured a man dressed in a blue suit and top hat who called himself "Dreamfinder" and would use his Dream Catcher vehicle to catch all sorts of new things. He then creates his own Figment, which looks like some sort of cross between a dragon with the horns of a steer and the mouth of an alligator. Figment and Dreamfinder take riders on a journey through imagination and teach guests what your Imagination is truly capable of.
Oddly, the ride was revamped in 1999-2002, being replaced by Journey into YOUR Imagination which was basically the current attraction, minus Figment and Dreamfinder. The newly introduced character Dr. Nigel Channing sends riders through various different tests, attempting to prove that humans do not have imagination. In the end, he realizes his mistake and declares that humans do in fact have imagination.
Because of many complaints, the ride went through another renovation, this time re-adding Figment into the experience and renaming the attraction to add Figment's name into it. This time, Figment is now voiced by Muppet performer Dave Goelz (Gonzo, Beauregard, Zoot) after original voice Bill Barty passed away. Dreamfinder has been completely absent since the original version, except for a minor mention on an office door found on the ride which reads "Dean Finder". Image Works!
Another section of Journey into Imagination, Image Works was found on the upstairs of the attraction, where guests would be able to walk around and explore many different unique ground-breaking elements which was explained as being created by imagination. Currently, the upstairs section of ImageWorks sadly sits abandoned and unused. The steps leading up to the former ImageWorks can be seen from the Figment gift shop, but is roped off and off-limits to guests.
Not long ago, a curious WDW guest decided to go up those stairs and check out what remains in that spot today, which you can watch below:
NOTE: The Mickey Mindset does not endorse or suggest this action in any way. If caught, you may be fined or banned from the Disney parks. Attempt at your own risk.
Wonders of Life Exhibit:
This entire pavilion currently sits empty in plain sight, located right beside Ellen's Energy Adventure, the former home of attractions like Cranium Command and Body Wars and an entire pavilion dedicated to health and body topics. The pavilion stayed open until 2007, and was then closed up and the attractions were removed and the building only used for some occasional private events. It's quite sad to see an entire pavillion remain empty and in plain sight, so I'm really hoping Disney decides to do something with that large building soon.
Original Test Track:
The new updated Test Track (or Tron Track as I call it) is really cool, but I really miss the old Test Track. The new track doesn't really have much of a story to it. This track allow you now to design a digital car which follows you throughout the ride, which is a pretty neat update if you ask me. Overall, I really loved the previous version of Test Track. As you enter the ride, you pretty much become a "test dummy" for a new car that the people at General Motors (who were the sponsors at the time) are working on. You would be put through different tests, from speed to weather and more. The new track is really great looking, but it lacks the wonderful story element from the previous version.
World of Motion:
The original attraction before the original Test Track replaced it, World of Motion was a slow dark ride taking guests on an adventure through the history of transportation. It was a neat and entertaining ride, but it was closed to make way for the thrill ride Test Track which Epcot desperately needed (and still need more of). The new Test Track at Epcot pays tribute to the World of Motion with the original Motion's logo scattered all over the attraction area.
Original The Living Seas: Before being known as The Living Seas with Nemo and Friends featuring the cast of Pixar's Finding Nemo, The Living Seas would take guests to "Sea Base Alpha" after a short video and elevator ride (or Hydrolator) guests would be brought down to an underwater tank where they felt like they were exploring in an underwater base. There would be a quick ride which would slowly move through an underwater tunnel to get a close up look of the marine life. It was Disney attraction story-telling at it's best.
While The Seas with Nemo is home to many fun new attractions (like Turtle Talk with Crush and an all-new dark ride) I can't help but look back at the original attraction and miss some of the incredible element that it was home to.
Captain EO/ Honey I Shrunk The Audience: If the Honey I Shrunk the Audience would still be open today, I would be paying tribute to it's former attraction, Captain EO starring Michael Jackson, but after Jackson's death a few years ago, Disney temporarily re-opened a Captain EO tribute playing the film in the Imagination Institute theater (just minus the in-theater effects) and it's still open today. According to Michael Jackson: Grasping the Spectacle the seventeen minute show costed an estimated $30 million dollars to produce, averaging about $1.76 million per minute.
Personally, I prefer the show that originally replaced Captain EO, which replaced Magic Journeys, which is the beloved Honey I Shrunk the Audience. The 4D film was based off the popular Honey I Shrunk the Kids films (and it's two sequels) starring Rick Moranis reprising his role as Dr. Wayne Szawlinski. After some new science demonstrations go wrong, the shrinking machine goes out of control and accidentally shrinks the audience. There was this really great scene where one of the kids stick their arms into the screen and supposedly picks up the entire shrunken audience, which can also be seen on screen as he holds it up to a mirror. It was a really fun attraction with some really great 4D effects. Normally, it would seem unlikely for Epcot to bring that film back, but since Captain EO Tribute opened up, anything is possible.
Original Universe of Energy:
I actually really prefer the current version starring Ellen DeGeneres and Bill Nye the Science Guy, (although I think it's a bit too long) but it would be odd to not mention the original Universe of Energy attraction. The original attraction was home in the same building layout, but not nearly as entertaining as the Ellen version. You can watch the entire original ride-through online.
Muppet Mobile Labs:
This isn't really an attraction per say and not exclusive to Epcot (it was also in Disney's California Adventure for quite some time) but I really loved the Muppet Mobile Labs, which featured an Animatronic Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker, which drove around the parks interacting with guests. The characters lines were pre-recorded with fifty three different scripts for each case scenario, but the vehicle would be controlled by a cast member nearby. It was a truly great creation and at the 2009 Expo, they announced that a second unit featuring the Electric Mayhem was in the works, but no word has been hear about that project since.
I'm hoping that Muppet Mobile Lab can make a reappearance in one of the parks in the near future.
Michael Wermuth- Walt Disney World has so many great rides and attractions, so right now, I’m going to list my top ten favorites. However, I must warn you: I haven’t been to Walt Disney World since 1995, so this list will include some attractions that are no longer there, likely be leaving out a lot of great attractions that have come out since, won’t include anything from the Animal Kingdom (which was added two years later), and will be referring to Disney’s Hollywood Studio as the Disney-MGM Studio.
Oh, and if you know that I have also written many articles for The Muppet Mindset (and if you didn’t then this sentence just let you know) then you can probably correctly guess what the number one choice is.
10. It’s a Small World – at Magic Kingdom
One of the most iconic rides is “It’s a Small World”, an indoor boat ride showing audio-animatronics of kids from all around the world singing the catchy title tune, showing that it is a small world after all (well, not as small as the ride…).
9. Mickey’s House – at Magic Kingdom
Part of a former section of The Magic Kingdom that went by many titles, including Mickey’s Birthdayland and Mickey’s Showland. Visitors could go into Mickey;s house and look around. It was nice.
8. The Great Movie Ride – at Disney-MGM Studios
The Great Movie Ride is a ride that takes visitors through replicas of sets from classic movies, with animatronics of the casts of those films. Among the movies represented include The Wizard of Oz, Raiders of the Lost Arc, Singing in the Rain, and Mary Poppins. I didn’t know this until recently, but The Great Movie Ride is also the reason the MGM Studios park exists. It was originally planned for Epcot, before it was decided to have a movie-themed park.
7. Here Comes the Muppets – at Disney-MGM Studios
The first Muppet attraction that came to Walt Disney World was this live-stage show featuring walk-around versions of the Muppets, plus special video footage of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Mickey Mouse, and Lilly Tomlin. The Muppets sing such songs as “Personality”, “The Heart of Rock and Roll”, and “Bein’ Green”. This attraction only lasted from 1990-1991, and luckily I was able to see it before it closed.
6. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Meet-and-Greet – at Disney-MGM Studios
During the early 1990s, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles made appearances at the MGM Studios, signing autographs for fans. I can’t remember if they also did a show or just autographs (though I recall that the theme song was performed). Of the two times I’ve been to the MGM Studios, I got the autographs of Michelangelo, Donatello, and Leonardo. It’s interesting that the Ninja Turtles were at the park, since, as far as I know, Disney never tried to acquire the rights (unlike the Muppets). I think the Turtles were there until 1996.
5. Honey I Shrunk the Audience – at Epcot
Epcot is my least-favorite of the original three parks. Of the two times I’ve been there, me and my family spent the least-amount of time there. I’d probably enjoy it more today than when I was a kid, but the fact is that there aren’t too many attractions I liked. The main exception was Homey I Shrunk the Audience, a 3D follow-up to Honey I Shrunk the Kids and Honey I Blew Up the Kid. In this film, Wayne Syzlak is given an award, but accidentally shrinks the audience. While maybe not as elaborate as Muppet Vision 3D, there are some in-theater features to make it appear that the audience has really shrunk, including feeling mice running loose through your feet and the dog sneezing into the audience.
4. Honey I Shrunk the Kids play area – at Disney-MGM Studios
I went here before I even saw the movie, and it was fun. A big play area with oversized props, providing the experience of the movie.
3. Peter Pan’s Flight – at The Magic Kingdom
A flying ride that takes you through Neverland. It was fun riding and seeing animatronics of the Peter Pan characters. Originally the audience was supposed to represent Peter Pan, a concept many didn’t realize, making them wonder why Peter Pan wasn’t in the ride, so Peter was eventually added to it.
2. Dumbo the Flying Elephant – at The Magic Kingdom
I guess I like the flying rides, since two of my three favorite attractions are flying rides. This one has guests getting inside a mechanical Dumbo and riding around in circles, choosing to fly up or not (would anybody ride this without hitting the button that allows Dumbo to fly?). It’s a simple ride, but still a great one.
1. Muppet Vision 3D – at Disney-MGM Studios
Being a part of the MGM Studios since 1991, and Jim Henson’s final production, Muppet Vision 3D is among the biggest highlights of the park. Outside the theater are various movie parody posters with the Muppets, there’s a pre-show hosted by Scooter, in a room full of Muppet props, and the main attraction is the 3D film, with the theater being a recreation of the Muppet theater, with audio-animatronics of Statler and Waldorf in the balcony (and Bean Bunny in another), penguins in the orchestra (I would have preferred the regular orchestra, especially since most of them aren’t in the film), The Swedish Chef running the projector, and a walk-around Sweetums appearing in-person at one point. It would be great if this could somehow be released on DVD or Blu-ray, though it wouldn’t be the same as watching it at the parks.
Well, those are my favorites attractions in Walt Disney World? What are your favorite of the theme park attractions?
Submit your favorite attractions in an email to mickeymindset@gmail.com!
Justin Tonglet- As many of you may know, there's a new ride that just opened at Walt Disney World. My fiance, Melissa, and I were lucky enough to be at the park for opening day of this particular ride. We were actually able to ride the ride within an hour of it being open, which is a story I will tell our grandchildren one day. There was apparently a big ceremony with Snow White, the Queen, and all Seven Dwarfs, but despite being some of the first to the ride, we didn't see this at all. The first people to ride it (aside from the cast members in the previews) were the Orlando Magic and several kids from Make A Wish. Good on Disney for that.
Let's start where everyone will, the line. Disney loves telling stories with their lines, and this is no different. You approach the mine while the Dwarfs are hard at work, and you get to help out in the work. The design and decorations are gorgeous. And as advertised, they have wonderful games to play while you wait. The first thing you come to is a trough with a sign from Doc asking you to help sort the gems. Gems of different colors and shapes float by and you have to drag them to the proper spaces on the edge. You have to collect three random gems of ovals, circles, and rectangles of several colors. It's quite addicting, and I'm waiting for it to be published as an iPhone app. It's actually so much fun that it holds up the line behind it, because people forget to watch for the line to move.
The second distraction to come up was a washing station. Again, there is a sign from Doc with instructions. There are several gems on a table and you have to wash them. This is done by simply waving your hand under a series of spouts that musically dispense water onto the gems below. They are shaped as the woodland creatures from the film, and they have lights inside that make the water come out in colorful ways. I'm hopeful that someone with musical talent and a keen ear will make a viral video by playing a song on the fountains.
Right after this, you enter into the vault, and you are finally in the mine itself. The queue's final distraction is in here. It's a really fun one, but it requires a team effort. There are seven barrels of gems, and they project sparkly images on the ceiling. When you spin them, they each create a particular familiar face (count the barrels and guess). If you can get all seven going at once, it produces a fun surprise in the center. It took a bit of prodding of other guests, but it was well worth it. Just trust me on this one and encourage other people to do it. You'll look cool when they see what it does.
Very shortly after this third distraction (yes, the line moves pretty quickly once you reach those things) you get to board the mine train itself to head to the portion of the mine where the dwarfs are actually working. The roller coaster cars are a new invention and create an incredibly smooth ride that produces a gorgeous view of the new Fantasyland. After a brief bit of roller coaster, you approach the mine shaft where we see the titular characters hard at work in their mine. The animatronics here are amazing. The Doc alone manages to go from working, to looking at the time, to yelling his famous "Heigh Ho!" Once you hear this, you head up a hill while the Dwarfs head out (their shadows projected on your left) and you leave the mine for another bit of roller coaster fun. The ride ends at the cottage with the Dwarfs and Snow White dancing inside and an old hag with a basket of apples at the door. You can see the other side of the cottage as you leave the ride, and it's just as beautiful from that angle, although with less animatronic cartoon characters.
Though I feel the ride is a lot shorter than it should have been, it's still worth the hype. The ride is incredibly smooth and fun. It's even fun to wait in line for it. We managed to go again the next night, and it's even more beautiful to ride at night with Fantasyland all lit up. And for those wondering, the line moved very efficiently and never got too out of hand except for opening morning, however the average wait time has been steady at 60-90 minutes since the opening. Disney has taken note of this and I've heard that they have been passing out free cups of ice water for those waiting in the sun. I know that the FastPasses are booked through the next 60 days already, but both times we rode it, the wait time was shorter than Peter Pan (70+ minutes!). In my opinion, it's a fitting tribute for the first ever feature length animated film. I think that Walt would be happy with it, and that's all I could ever ask.
Lots of major breaking news this week, and here we are trying to keep track of just some of the major news unveiled by Disney this week around the globe with breaking news from many films and theme parks across the Disney company.
Earlier today Disney/Lucasfilm unveiled more details on the cast of Star Wars Episode VII. Today actresses Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave) and Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones) are joining the cast of actors starring in the latest installment of the Star Wars saga. Previously announced were original actors, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker, along with new-comers Andy Serkins, Oscar Isaac, Domhall Gleeson and Max von Sydow.
The announcement was made on the official Star Wars website earlier today. As we speculated earlier, it as rumored that Nyong'o will be playing the character of Asaaj Ventress from The Clone Wars series. This has yet to be confirmed if there is any truth to it.
James Cameron gave a few more details on the upcoming Avatar expansion in Disney's Animal Kingdom. The land is supposedly be called Pandora: The Land of Avatar and will feature brand-new lifelike Audio-Animatronic and gave some other details on the expansion: (Source: Slashfilm.com)
It’s going to have floating mountains. It’s pretty cool. I’ve seen the model and the design work the Imagineering people have done is spectacular. They’ve got a quarter inch to the foot scale model of the whole park and I’ve looked at all the sight lines…it’s not a park, it’s a land within the park but a land is not just a ride. There will be several rides and a number of other attractions. It’s really just a place you’re gonna wanna go and hang out. It’s gonna be gorgeous. Of course it’s gonna be gorgeous at night and they’re using every new trick, every new bit of technology that they’ve created. The animatronics for the Na’vi characters are gonna be fantastic. For example, their early animatronics would use 12 axis of motion and I think the most they’ve ever done was 32 axis recently. I think they’re up to 64 just in the face of the Na’vi characters. So it’s gonna be remarkable. They really see it as a major, major attraction.
Disney still has yet to officially announce this, but this is the current name according to Avatar director James Cameron. Pandora: The Land of Avatar is scheduled for a 2017 opening.
In order to make way for Avatar, Animal Kingdom closed up Camp Minnie-Mickey in Animal Kingdom, which included the popular Festival of the Lion King stage show. Don't worry: The show was only moved temporarily and just opened up for it's first showing at the New Harambe theater in the Africa section of Animal Kingdom. Showtimes are daily and vary depending on time of visit, but it's back and has shows almost daily as it did before the Avatar expansion began construction. The show has remained unchanged.
Maleficent opened in theaters this week in North America at #1 with $70 million total in weekend estimates. The opening amount is similar to 2013's Oz the Great and Powerful which also recieved $79 million it's opening weekend, but far from 2010's Alice in Wonderland which opened to a mighty $116 million. In case you missed it, read our review of the film.
DisneyToon's Planes: Fire and Rescue soars into theaters July 18th nationwide. Walt Disney Films Quebec (a division of Walt Disney Films Canada) announced that Canadian Olympic participants Chloe, Justine, and Maxime Dufour-Lapointe will be lending their voices to three different characters in the French Canadian version of the film. With a stunning performance at the 2013 World Championships, Chloe currently holds the title of world champion FIS moguls. Justine, the Olympic champion, has meanwhile won the bronze medal at the 2013 World Championships FIS moguls. Maxime debuted in the World Cup in 2007 and is a regular competitor u on the circuit since 2008. She also finished 4th in moguls in 2014 making themselves a house-hold name throughout all of Canada during the entire Sochi Winter Games.
In French, the film is titled The Aircraft: The Fire From The Sky.
A few weeks ago Disney Interactive unveiled details about the mega-Marvel addition to Disney Infinity. This week, they unveiled that Merida from Pixar's Brave and Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty) will be joining the cast of characters available to play in the game. Video was released by Disney Interactive earlier this week.
In Theme Park news, Universal Orlando continued to unveil details on the Diagon Alley expansion of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter with an all new video, sharing some insight on the creation of the attractions included in the expansion:
Seaworld responded to the controversial documentary Blackfish once again this week, with "69 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Believe Blackfish". You can read the entire list here.
Did you enter our giveaway for a free copy of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Around the Clubhouse World yet? There's only one more day to enter, so be sure to enter right here before time runs out! Good luck!
That's it for your news this week! Have a magical week!
The good folks over at RetroDisneyWorld.com have generously uploaded another fantastic video to the public this time, taking us way back to the original and beloved Horizons attraction in the then called, Epcot Center. Horizons was officially shut-down and demolished in 1999, to make way for Mission Space which remains in the parks until today. The attraction featured elements from all over Future World, and even the characters from Disney's Carousel of Progress in Magic Kingdom.
Be sure to check out RetroDisneyWorld's website right here to see even more classic beloved attractions in the yesterday of Disney.
Mitchell Stein- Bryan Q. Miller (Smallville, Arrow) teams up with illustrator Kelly Jones to create Disney Comics' latest graphic novel, Space Mountain, an all-new exciting novel written by Bryan Q. Miller and based on an idea by Michael Siglain. The novel is absoloutley wonderful. It takes readers on a fantastic time-travel journey, inspired by the Tomorrowland attractions found in all of the Disney Parks.
Space Mountain is set in the year of 2125, it follows the story of two young cadets from the Magellan Science Academy who have won a free once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join a team of space explorers on a time-travel mission twenty four hours into the future.
When an unknown probe goes into launch during their exploration, they must try to find the probe lost between time and space in order to save the entire galaxy from being destroyed. Through time-travel plots and paradoxes, this book turns the iconic Tomorrowland attractions and turns them into a fun, suspenseful novel filled with action and mystery. It's an all-around great book. Probably one of the best I've read from Disney in over a year.
Although Space Mountain has the title honor, the story is rather focused more on other elements that the iconic attraction, and also briefly features cameos and mentions from other characters and attractions in the Tomorrowland area. This is in no way a bad aspect to the book, it's fully entertaining with a deep story-plot. I wouldn't be surprised if this novel is the inspiration for a Space Mountain movie a few years down the road, and I hope we can expect more books in this line of genres. Could this also quite possibly be a tie-in to Disney's 2015 film Tomorrowland? Not much is currently known about that film, except for the fans who played in Disney's summer alternate-reality-game "The Optimist" which seems to be acting as some sort of tie-in to the movie. Speculations say the story to include Nikola Tesla as a big player in the story, and Disney Publishing released Tesla's attic a month ago. At this point, anything is possible.
I had a lot of fun reading this book. It's funny, exciting, and to be honest, I'm already sold on anything that has time-travel. I'm also an especially big fan of the attraction in Walt Disney World (I'm sure to ride it at least a dozen times each visit) so that was definetley a large bonus. There's also a moment in the book which I'm sure was meant to be a reference to Disneyland Paris' Space Mountain: Mission Two.
The novel leaves us on a rather large cliffhanger which will be continued in the next novel of the series, Return to Space Mountain, which I hope is almost ready to be released soon. Great job to Disney Comics on this one! I'm hungry for more.
Space Mountain is now available on Amazon and wherever books are sold
Lots of major news these past couple of weeks, it's almost impossible to keep track of it all!
Starting off the news this week was just announced by Disney On Ice earlier this morning. A brand-new show starring the cast of Frozen will go on tour starting in Orlando this summer and then moving to many other cities. You can check Disney On Ice's website for the full schedule and when it will be coming to your area.
Frozen is also coming to Disneyland California as announced by Disney Parks some days ago on their blog. A brand-new Frozen float will appear in the pre-parade before performances of Mickey's Soundsational Parade this June.
Television shows Once Upon A Time and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D both aired their season finales this week and have both been picked up for another season on ABC (with the exception of Once Upon a Time in Wonderlandwhich was cancelled earlier this year). Also picked up for next year is Marvel's Agent Carter which will follow Agents Peggy Carter of SHIELD following the events of Captain America: The First Avenger. The series will air during the time when Agents of SHIELD is on hiatus between episodes. Read our in-depth review of the Agents of SHIELD finale!
ONCE UPON A TIME SPOILER:
Queen Elsa from Frozen makes a brief appearance at the end of the season three finale, teasing at what's to come next season. The story is currently unknown as what's yet to come, as OUAT tends to return to the origins of the fairy-tales as they deem necessary (rather than going according to the Disney versions) but either way, Disney is promoting this from the 2013 Frozen film, so we should expect big things to come to Storybrooke next season.
Just yesterday, Disney and Marvel released another trailer for their upcoming film Guardians of the Galaxy. Guardians stars actors Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, Zoe Salanda, Bradley Cooper, John C. Reily along with others. The trailer was released yesterday on the Guardians Facebook page:
Star Wars Episode VII has officially begun filming! JJ Abrams' company Bad Robot posted this picture on Twitter with the simple hashtag #dayone. The film is expected to hit theaters December 2015.
Disney's latest sports drama Million Dollar Arm hit theaters this weekend to unfortuantley poor box-office results up against Godzilla which opened this weekend as well. Million Dollar Arm made approx. $10 million at the box office this weekend according to Box Office Mojo. The budget was only $25 million, so it shouldn't take too long to get to that amount. Read our review of the film right here.
Many new details on the Harry Potter expansion at Universal Orlando has been announced this week, with incredible details and photos from the new Escape from Gringotts attraction and the entire Diagon Alley expansion. Read all the details right here.
And for the final bit of news this week, Disney Parks revealed more info about the Rock Your Disney Side event, which is a 24 hour event in both Walt Disney World and Disneyland California. You can find the full schedules on Disney Parks Blog website.
The cast has been revealed! Disney and Lucasfilm have officially unveiled the cast line-up for Star Wars VII set to hit theaters next December. The announcement brings back original cast members Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Kenny Baker, Anthony Daniels and Peter Mayhew. Newcomers to the scene include actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Max von Sydow and Andy Serkis (who you may be familiar as Gollum from the Lord of the Rings/Hobbit films. We speculate that Serkis’ character will follow something along that line.)
A group photo of the cast has been released as seen above.
Disney Interactive made a giant announcement this week around Disney Infinity, and at an event in Los Angeles Wednesday morning April 30th, they revealed that Marvel’s Avengers are coming to Disney Infinity, joining a large cast of already existing characters, but until yesterday, Marvel characters were absent from the game. You can now play as any of the Avengers, consisting of Hulk, Captain America, Black Widow, Iron Man, Hawkeye and Thor. You can play with many different devices and locations by purchasing additional power discs, one including Agent Phil Coulson’s “Lola” vehicle from Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. What more could you possibly ask for?
With the opening of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train just weeks away, Disney Parks continues to tease at the the upcoming ride, and released yet another video of almost the entire ride-through of the attraction. The construction walls recently came down around the ride, and the carts going around the track can be seen quite frequently on regular days in Magic Kingdom, so expect a release date to be announced soon. We’re suspecting of possibly an end of May opening.
Just a few weeks ago, we announced a brand new upcoming home video film starring Mickey and the rest of the gang from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. The film, Around the Clubhouse World, takes the gang on a journey across the globe, learning about different cultures in various different countries. Below is a clip that became available this week. The film is available on DVD May 20th, 2014.
Going viral in Disney circles this week is this hilarious fan-made video made by two fans of the film Frozen and filmed in Disneyland. The video features a couple singing to the hit Frozen song, “Love is an Open Door”, and it shines among many of the other Frozen parodies found on the internet.
Love is an Open Door Fan:
A week ago we reviewed Disneynature’s latest film, Bears, a truly wonderful film. Disneynature promised to donate part of the movie’s financial success with the National Park Foundation for every ticket sold on opening weekend. We’re super excited to hear that many people saw the film and Disney delivered the donations to the NPF, and announced that it will be expanding it’s commitment to conservation and would be donating an additional amount than the one previously promised. If you missed seeing the film opening weekend, Disney will also give a portion to the NPF if you purchase any of the following:
Young fans unlocked an exclusive bear costume on Disney Club Penguin to support the National Park Foundation: www.ClubPenguin.com.
The Disney Music Group is contributing a portion of each iTunes download of Olivia Holt’s Friends for Change anthem “Carry On”: iTunes.com/CarryOn.
The Disney Store committed a portion of “Bears” plush purchases to the National Park Foundation:www.disneystore.com.
At Disney Parks, a special Duffy the Disney Bear benefited the National Park Foundation in April.
Disney Cruise Line made a contribution in celebration of the movie, which also premiered on the high seas.
Regal Entertainment Group introduced a gift card program in conjunction with “Bears” that resulted in a contribution to the National Park Foundation: www.regmovies.com.
New York jewelry designer Alex Woo designed eco-friendly pendants inspired by the film, available in Sterling Silver & 14kt Gold—a portion of each sale benefits the National Park Foundation: www.alexwoo.com.
More details have been unveiled about the It's a Small World film which is being developed at Disney. Director John Turtletaub (National Treasure, The Sorcerer's Apprentice) has been signed on to direct the film. No release date has yet been announced.
Muppets Most Wanted, Disney's latest fantastic Muppet adventure hits Blu-Ray and DVD August 5th 2014! No bonus features have been revealed yet, but the film will be available this summer to own. Muppets Most Wanted takes the Muppet gang on an adventure throughout Europe, only to get caught up with Constantine, the World's Most Dangerous Frog and get tangled up in a jewel hesit caper. The film is still playing in theaters worldwide. Read our review of the film here on The Mickey Mindset as well as our review on our other site, The Muppet Mindset.
And in very sad news this week, legendary actor Bob Hoskins has passed away at the age of 71 on Tuesday. Hoskins was well known in the Disney circles as Eddie Valiant in Disney/Touchstone's Who Framed Roger Rabbit. We pay tribute to Hoskins for his brilliant acting in this video below, showcasing his wonderful acting talents, and what process he went through to film the Roger Rabbit movie.
Starting off the news this past week is the (official) fiftieth anniversary of Disney's It's A Small World attraction which first appeared at the 1964-65 World's Fair on April 22nd. To celebrate, Disney held a celebration across the globe, and this video appeared on Good Morning America. This was posted a week ago, but we forgot to share it earlier. Celebrate fifty years of the happiest cruise that ever sailed with this wonderful video:
Got a good baseball arm? Today might be your lucky day. Disney is offering $1 million dollars to any amateur baseball players who can throw a ball at 100 mph in promotion for their next film, Million Dollar Arm, which hits theaters May 16th 2014. More info is available at http://movies.disney.com/million-dollar-arm/special-event
As of this week, Disney World is adding the option of including one extra FastPass for their new FastPass+ system, now moving the limit from three FastPasses per day up to four, but only if you already used all three FastPasses that you reserved on that day. This is great news for fans of the old system of FastPass, and hopefully Disney World will continue to raise the limit on FastPasses throughout the park.
"The 7D" is set to premiere on Disney XD on July 7th, Stitch Kingdom Reports. Joining the cast is Whoopi Goldberg ad Jay Leno. "The 7D" is a modern re-design of the classic Seven Dwarfs from the famous Snow White story (character design for the series can be seen below)This quite possibly is a tie-in to the opening of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in Disney World is just a few weeks, but we can confirm that the Dwarfs in the attraction look the same as they did in Snow White in 1937. It is unclear why Disney XD chose not to go with the original designs for the series, but the show airs July 7th 2014 on Disney XD.
Seven Dwarfs Re-designed for 7D series
Speaking of the Seven Dwarfs, the construction walls have come down surrounding the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, speculated to open sometime in the next month. The entrance area in front of the attraction has been revealed, and the good folks over at Inside the Magic got the full scoop. Read the article right here.
"Feast" an all new short from Disney is set to premiere before Disney's next animated film, Big Hero 6. The short shows one man's love life through the eyes of his dog, and revealed bite-by-bite of the meals they share. The short and the film release in North American theaters November 7th 2014.
Disney's Hollywood Studios is celebrating 25 years since park opening back in the year of 1989, where it opened under the name of Disney's- MGM Studios. Many other attractions came to open in that time and built up to what it is today. Of course, in true Disney fashion, this calls for a major celebration! On May 1st, here's the things you can see and do if you're in the park:
At 10 a.m., Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse will take the stage with Disney’s Hollywood Studios Vice President Dan Cockerell honoring members of the 25-year cast members at a re-dedication ceremony.
“Stars of the Studios”, a brand new special motorcade, will make its way down Hollywood Blvd. beginning at 7 p.m. and feature Mickey and Minnie, Captain Jack Sparrow, Darth Vader, Doc McStuffins, Wreck-It Ralph, Venellope, Sofia the First and stars featured throughout the park.
Special merchandise (although it has not been announced what specific merchandise will be for sale.
After the motorcade, the front of the park’s Sorcerer Hat Stage will host a special dance party and a fireworks show finishes the day at 9:30 p.m. The pyrotechnics show, which will be high in the sky above the Sorcerer Mickey Hat, will pay tribute to 25 years of show business stories that have been told throughout the park.
There you have it! Happy Birthday MGM- er, Hollywood Studios!
Frozen is unstoppable. Every week, Frozen gets higher on the highest grossing film list, and at the moment of this report, it is currently at the sixth highest grossing film mark of all time, tickets prices un-adjusted, recently surpassing films such as Lord of The Rings: Return of the King and Transformers: Dark of the Moon.
Congratulations to the entire team who worked on Frozen!
And for the final bit of news this week: Idina Menzel is hosting a live chat on Frozen's Facebook page later today, Friday April 25th 2014. Visit https://www.facebook.com/DisneyFrozen to submit your questions for Idina Menzel to answer. The chat will start at 6 PM EST/ 3 PM PST.
Starting off the news this week, the first teaser trailer for Disney Channel's Upcoming show, Girl Meets World has surfaced the internet. The show is a spin-off of the Disney Channel show which ran from 1993 to 2000. Characters Cory and Topanga return to the spin-off show, this time playing the parents of the main child characters. Watch the first teaser here:
Season two of the new Mickey Mouse shorts premiere on Disney Channel today, April 11th! Make sure you keep you DVRs running at 9:00 EST to catch the new wonderful shorts!
This week, the Disney Parks celebrated fifty years of the famous "It's a Small World' attraction with a major worldwide celebration. The folks over at Inside the Magic have the full scoop, which you can read right here. Coverage of the entire event can also be found over at The Disney Blog as well right here.
Toughpigs.com published this great article setting the record straight: The Muppets are still puppets, and no CGI was used in Muppets Most Wanted, contrary to internet rumors of the Muppets being replaced by CGI in some scenes. You can read that great article right here.
Speaking of Muppets, our friends over at This Happy Place Blog raised an excellent idea. What if the abandoned "Wonders of Life" exhibit became "Muppet Labs?" Make sure to check out their creative and exciting new ideas of what could quite possibly be of use for the abandoned building in a new, fun and creative way. You can read the article here:
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D is the show on TV that just keeps getting better and better. This week, ABC aired an episode leading directly off of last week's new film, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The episode includes spoilers of the film, and this seems to be the new direction that the show will be taking from now on. Marvel released this all-new video where the cast and crew of the TV series talk about the new direction the show will be taking. Spoilers ahead.
An all-new Mickey Mouse Clubhouse adventure will be hitting DVD shelves May 20th 2014! Around the Clubhouse World takes the Fab Five on a journey through France, China, Italy and more, and learn about different countries and cultures, with lots of song-filled fun, and will feature a slew of bonus episodes from the series.
The date draws closer for the opening of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in New Fantasyland in Walt Disney World, and today, Disney Parks released a thirty-second video taking a look at some of the impressive new Audio-Animatronics that will be featured in the attraction.
UPDATE: Disney Parks ALSO released this 16-second CGI ride through of the attraction. Now we'r really, really excited.
Disneynature's Bears opens next Friday, and in anticipation for the release, Disney released two more clips from the film, two of some of my favorite clips from the movie. In fact, the whole film is wonderful. We'll be reviewing the movie in it's entirety later this week.
Speaking of Disneynature, the trailer for their next big film has been released yesterday online. The film, Monkey Kingdom will swing into theaters Earth Day 2015.
For the final bit of news this week, Disneyland Paris announced that Marvel's Spider-Man will start making meet-and-greet appearances starting April 19th in the Walt Disney Studios park! Disney also released this artwork to anticipate the upcoming appearances.
That's it for this week's short weekly news roundup! Be on the lookout for some special brand-new reviews this week, including our review for Disneynature's new film: Bears.
In a shocking reveal to Walt Disney World cast members earlier this afternoon, the famous ever popular Disney's Hollywood Studios attraction Backlot Studio Tour is closing for good starting September 27th 2014.
