New Concept Art for Coronado Springs Including Over-Water Dining; Permits Filed for Great Movie Ride

New Concept Art for Coronado Springs Including Over-Water Dining:

New concept art for the major renovations happening at Disney's Coronado Springs has appeared in the resorts' lobby. In the new concept art we get a look at the brand new tower being built at the resort and an unannounced over-the-water restaurant that will be part of the renovation.

The brand new tower being built (seen above) will also include a restaurant at the top of the tower. This is besides the new over-the-water restaurant that wasn't previously announced when they first announced it. Check it out below:

The new over-the-water restaurant looks to have a bar, but will have plenty of seating by what it looks like. It looks like it will be a very nice addition in a beautiful sit-down setting. The renovations on Disney's Coronado Springs are expected be completed by Summer 2019.

Permits Filed for Great Movie Ride, Is Great Mickey Ride Coming?:

Disney has filed permits for The Great Movie Ride for a project that is under the name, DHS Project M. The permit is expected to be completed by October 31, 2019, but says that this doesn't necessarily mean that a new attraction will be completed on that date just that the construction for this particular permit is expected to be completed by this date.

Rumors have been circulating since last year that Disney has been planning to replace the Great Movie Ride with a new trackless ride based off of Mickey Mouse. It is expected that Great Movie Ride would close sometime next year in 2018 and that the new attraction would be completed in time for Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary 2021 or shortly before it in 2020.

With the D23 Expo just 2 days away, it wouldn't be surprising if this was announced on Saturday during the Disney Parks & Resorts presentation with Bob Chapek. 

Source: Blog Mickey

New Guest & Dining Experiences Coming to Coronado Springs & Caribbean Beach Resorts; Star Wars Force Friday II Announced

New Guest & Dining Experiences Coming to Coronado Springs & Caribbean Beach Resorts:

Disney Concept Art

Over the next two years, Disney's Coronado Springs Resort will see major changes with an expansion. A new 15-story tower will be added that will add 500 more rooms to the resort featuring suites and concierge level services. They will also refurbish their current resort rooms and transform the landscape of the resort. This will add a floating gardens and an island oasis that will connect the resort through a series of bridges. 

The new tower will overlook Lago Dorado, the resort's centerpiece lake, which will allow guests to experience something truly unique, rooftop dining with panoramic views of popular nighttime fireworks from Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Over at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort, the resort's dining and retail experiences will be reimagined. New additions to the current marketplace, CenterTown, which will include a new waterfront dining and retail shopping experiences. This is a centralized location for all guests staying at Caribbean Beach allowing for more convenient access to services, amenities, and dining around the resort. 

This will be completed by 2019, stay tuned for more details on the new guest and dining experiences coming to both Disney's Coronado Springs and Disney's Caribbean Beach Resorts. 

Source: Disney Parks Blog

Star Wars Force Friday II Announced for September 1:

This September 1, merchandise for "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" will be released in a special event with Star Wars Force Friday II. Here is the new release from Star Wars:

Attention, Star Wars fans: It’s time to make some room on your desk, toy shelf, bookshelf, and in your closet. 

Disney and Lucasfilm today announced Star Wars Force Friday II, a global fan event celebrating the launch of Star Wars: The Last Jedi products. Toys, collectibles, books, apparel, and more will go on sale beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, September 1, 2017, with stores around the world opening for a weekend-long celebration of all things Star Wars. In addition, packaging for the new line, featuring striking images of a lightsaber-wielding Rey, Poe Dameron, and Finn, was also revealed today. 

“The first Star Wars Force Friday event was truly unique, uniting fans across five continents in an unprecedented global live unboxing event ahead of thousands of midnight openings at retail,” said Jimmy Pitaro, chairman, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media. “We’re excited to confirm that Star Wars Force Friday is back for The Last Jedi. Plans for this year’s worldwide event are top secret, but expect something befitting the excitement around the next episode of the Star Wars saga.” 

Star Wars fans around the globe embraced Force Friday in 2015, with hundreds of thousands turning up to stores at midnight to be the first to get their hands on merchandise from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Toys from the new line were revealed via a global livestream unboxing event with top Maker Studios creators that unfolded over 18 hours, 15 different cities and 12 countries, attracting millions of views on YouTube. Fans took to social media to share their experiences with nearly 3 billion Twitter impressions about the events, using #ForceFriday. 

Jill Wilfert, vice president of global licensing and entertainment from The LEGO Group commented, “It was so much fun to be a part of Star Wars Force Friday, and we can’t wait for fans to join this year’s celebration as we reveal new Star Wars: The Last Jedi products during Force Friday II — a global event that will connect fans and families, and allow them to build, create and share their experiences with others.” 

Details of how fans can participate will be revealed closer to the event, but the worldwide launch will tap new technology and Star Wars mythology to create a unique experience for fans. Just like 2015, products for The Last Jedi will be kept under wraps until Force Friday II to preserve surprises for fans. As well as introducing new characters from the movie in toy form, the line will build on the success of products like Sphero’s BB-8, introducing more innovative technology to bring the characters and stories from the film to life in unique ways. 

“Toys play a unique role in the Star Wars universe, and we’re proud to have been part of that incredible legacy for the past 40 years. The new line for The Last Jedi is our most innovative yet, and we’re excited to unveil it on Force Friday II,” said Samantha Lomow, senior vice president at Hasbro. 

Stay tuned to StarWars.com for more on Force Friday II!

Source: StarWars.com

FuelRod Kiosks Now at Disney World Resorts; Moana Meet & Greet Coming to Disney Parks

FuelRod Kiosks Now at Disney World Resorts:

FuelRod chargers have become very popular for guests visiting the parks at Walt Disney World. I can attest it was very useful on my last trip. Now they are being installed inside Walt Disney World Resorts beginning yesterday November 16. 

Right now, kiosks have only been installed Disney's All-Star Sports, Movies, and Music as well as Disney's Coronado Springs Resort. The FuelRod chargers cost $30 and come with a set of USB cables which are able to charge cell phones, tablets, and many other devices. The batteries can be either recharged or swapped out for another fully charged FuelRod at a kiosk. 

FuelRod kiosks beside the resorts are in all 4 parks as well as Disney Springs and ESPN Wide World of Sports. 

Moana Meet & Greet Coming to Disney Parks:

We are one week away from Disney's next animated hit to release into theaters in "Moana." Moana herself will now be meeting and greeting with guests at Disney Parks. She is already at Disney's Aulani in Hawaii earlier this week. Later this month she will arrive in both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. 

From Walt Disney Animation Studios, “Moana” is the story of an adventurous teenager who sails out on a daring mission to save her people. During her journey, Moana convinces the mighty demigod Maui to guide her in her quest to become a master wayfinder. Together, they sail across the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds, and along the way, Moana fulfills the quest of her ancestors and discovers the one thing she’s always sought – her own identity.

Disney's "Moana" will be riding a wave into theaters next Wednesday, November 23.

Disney Working on Live-Action Snow White Remake; Coronado Springs Convention Center Expanding?

Disney Working on Live-Action Snow White Remake:

Nothing is untouchable at Disney where they are re-making some of their animated classics into live-action films, this includes Snow White, their very first animated feature. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is now in development for a live-action film. Erin Cressida Wilson (The Girl on the Train) is in talks to write the film and Benj Pasek and Justin Paul are attached to write new music for the film. Marc Platt, who is also working on Mary Poppins Returns for Disney, is scheduled to produce the film. 

The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news. It had this in the article on Snow White:

"Disney's original Snow White animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs came out in 1937. Based on the Brothers Grimm fairytale, Snow White was Disney's first animated feature film and a massive success for the studio. It won an honorary Oscar at the 11th Academy Awards and is considered one of, if not the most, successful animated films of all time."

 While no release date or even the plot of the film has been announced, Disney's next live-action remake to hit theaters will be another one of its animated classics in "Beauty and the Beast" starring Emma Watson as Belle. That film will hit theaters March 17, 2017. Disney has recently announced live-action re-makes of "The Lion King" which will be directed by Jon Favreau and "Aladdin" which Disney announced Guy Ritchie will direct.

Are you excited to see a Disney directed live-action remake of its first animated film in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."

Coronado Springs Convention Center Expanding?:

WDW News Today is reporting that Reedy Creek has filed permits that could be related to an expansion of Coronado Springs Resort's convention center. The application filed says there will be a new stormwater management pond and expansion of another pond to accommodate future additions within Coronado Springs. 

No further details were given although Disney has scheduled Coronado Springs to be under refurbishment beginning Fall 2016. The speculation behind the expansion is that expanding the already spacious convention center inside the resort will take pressure off the convention center at Disney's Contemporary Resort that Disney is rumored to be closing. 

Stay tuned for details.