Magic Kingdom News and Notes

The 3:00 parade is back! Festival of Fantasy which moved to 2 p.m. back in August to better accommodate Magic Kingdom guests during the Halloween and Christmas parties who were entering the park at 4 p.m.

As of yesterday January 1, 2018, the parade had returned to its famous 3:00 time slot now that the holidays are officially over. We can now hear guests ask once again the famous question, "What time is the 3:00 parade.

The Liberty Square Riverboat will undergo a very lengthy refurbishment beginning next week. The riverboat will close January 8 and be under refurbishment until July 19, 2018. Right now there is no word on what will happen to the boat during the refurbishment. 

Hall of Presidents Re-Opens Today; New Cirque du Soleil Show in Development

Hall of Presidents Re-Opens Today:

Amidst controversy that it wouldn't be ready by the end of the year and months of whether President Donald Trump would speak, after nearly a year of being under refurbishment Hall of Presidents at Magic Kingdom will re-open officially today. Yesterday, the attraction had a soft opening letting guests see the new and improved show for the first time since Trump became president. 

Here is part of the post from the Disney Parks Blog that details the new enhancements and history of the attraction:

This endeavor began with a single animated figure of President Abraham Lincoln that was developed for the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair. In 1971, advances in technology made it possible for Imagineers to make Walt Disney’s vision a reality by including every chief executive who ever served the United States of America. 

The history of innovation at The Hall of Presidents continues to this day. In addition to updating the show’s content, Imagineers have incorporated the latest in theatrical design and Audio-Animatronics technology. Landmark moments in history come alive on a panoramic 180-degree screen that transports guests across more than 200 years of the American story. High-impact projection, sound, lighting and other enhancements take guests into rare and indelible moments in history that helped define a nation. 

As has been the tradition with every new president since the attraction debuted, an Audio-Animatronics figure of President Donald J. Trump has been added to the show and features the latest advances in technology that enable smoother and more lifelike movements. President Trump personally recorded remarks exclusively for The Hall of Presidents, just as each sitting president has done for the attraction since the early 1990s. 

Rich in innovative storytelling and tradition, The Hall of Presidents carries a legacy and passion for American history that has been part of Disney Parks for more than 50 years.

The Hall of Presidents new show lasts about 22 minutes and the attraction is shown throughout the day at the Magic Kingdom.

Source: Disney Parks Blog

New Disney Animated Themed Cirque Du Soleil in Development:

"La Nouba" Cirque Du Soleil's show at Disney Springs will end with its final show on December 31 as it was announced earlier this year. Yesterday, it was announced that a new show is in development for Disney Springs to debut sometime in 2018. 

This original show will be created by Cirque du Soleil and will pay homage to Disney’s rich history of animation, with a vivid story told in a way that only Cirque du Soleil can deliver. Daniel Lamarre, President and CEO of Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group, elaborated, sharing “We are incredibly inspired by Disney’s immense creative universe. We are convinced that bringing Disney’s magic to life on stage will touch audiences and bring them back to their childhood.”

There is no official opening date for the new show to debut but stay tuned as details are finalized for the show are announced in the coming months. 

Source: Disney Parks Blog

Dave Filoni Named Head of Creative Development at LucasFilm Animation; New Muppets Show Details

Dave Filoni Named Head of Creative Development at LucasFilm Animation:

Director Dave Filoni (Star Wars Rebels, The Clone Wars) has been promoted to Head of Creative Development at LucasFilm Animation. This comes after news recently that he was stepping away from directing "Star Wars Rebels," scaring fans. All is well as Filoni was just promoted. Taking his place will be Justin Ridge, who has previously directed episodes of the show, has been name supervising director for Rebels.

Here is a statement from LucasFilm:

“Dave is still just as involved as ever – overseeing all aspects of Star Wars Rebels production as Executive Producer and occasionally directing episodes.  In many ways, mentoring Justin and moving him into the role as Supervising Director has made it possible for Dave to be even more immersed in the writing and story structure of the show as well as creatively overseeing future animation development. Justin started with Lucasfilm Animation on the first season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and worked with Dave before that on Avatar: The Last Airbender, so they’ve been working together for quite some time.”

Season 3 of "Star Wars Rebels" premiered last Saturday on Disney XD.

More Details on "The Muppets Present... Great Moments in American History":

Update: Here are the official show times for "The Muppets Present... Great Moments in American History": 

9:30 a.m., 10:15 a.m., 11:55 a.m., 1:25 p.m., and 4:40 p.m.

There are less show times then first thought. Disney updated their showtimes on its website. This was first reported by Blog Mickey.

Last week, while I was in Disney, we learned the official opening date of "The Muppets Present.... Great Moments in American History" will in fact be this Sunday, October 2. The new show takes place around The Hall of Presidents in Liberty of Square in the Magic Kingdom. There will be two different shows one focusing on the signing of the Declaration of Independence with an original song and the other focusing on the midnight ride of Paul Revere. 

The shows will be seen several times daily. According a report by Blog Mickey and a member of the DIS Boards these will be the show times: 9:05, 9:15, 10, 10:15, 11:45, 11:55, 12:10, 1:15, 1:25, 2:20, 3:35, 3:45, 4:25, and 4:35. It seems that the show will be somewhat short around I say 5-8 minutes long. 

"Hosted by James “J.J.” Jefferson, town crier of Liberty Square, and Sam Eagle, the fiercely patriotic American eagle who is forever trying to set a high moral standard for the Muppets, this wacky new show is set to take place several times daily, just outside The Hall of Presidents."

I could only wish that this debuted that I was there last week. I can't wait to see what hilarious hijinks the Muppets bring to the Magic Kingdom.

 

New Holiday Offerings at Disneyland Resort; Opening Date for New Magic Kingdom Muppets Show

New Holiday Offerings at Disneyland Resort:

The holidays are just around the corner at Disneyland Resort. The holiday offerings will begin November 10, 2016 and run through January 8, 2017. It will bring some new experiences as well as some that will return favorites we already know and love.

First up at Disney California Adventure, a brand new holiday-themed World of Color will debut. "World of Color - Season of Light" will celebrate the warm and heartfelt spirit of the holidays. It will take guests on a sparkling winter fantasy, combining classic holiday songs with memorable moments for our favorite Disney films that will create an experience filled with Disney magic.

Also new at Disney California Adventure will be the Festival of Holidays. 

The entire family will delight in diverse cultural holiday celebrations, including the popular Disney ¡Viva Navidad!, and the global sounds of special guest musical groups will ring throughout the festival. Guests will enjoy delicious, internationally inspired food and beverage at 14 themed festival marketplaces, and the young and young-at-heart will celebrate with some of their favorite Disney Characters. Princess Elena of Avalor will make her Disneyland Resort debut during Festival of Holidays, and after Holidays at the Disneyland Resort conclude January 8, she will remain at Disney California Adventure park to continue visiting with guests.

Over in Disneyland, Sleeping Beauty Castle will be transformed into Sleeping Beauty Winter Castle. It will feature magical snowfall moments and will conclude with the "Believe.....in Holiday Magic" fireworks show. Also returning will be "A Christmas Fantasy" parade, "it's a small world" Holiday, and Haunted Mansion Holiday.

Of course we can't forget about Santa, who along with his mischievous elves, will be greeting guests at Redwood Creek Challenge Trail at Disney California Adventure. In Disneyland, guests will find the jolly old elf in a special location in Critter Country.

Source Disney Parks Blog

Opening Date for New Magic Kingdom Muppets Show:

According to WDW News Today, the new Muppets Show in Liberty Square at the Magic Kingdom will be debuting very soon, although nothing is official from Disney. "The Muppets Present.....Great Moments in American History" will debut on October 2, 2016 according to internal documents at Disney. 

While this is not officially announced as the opening date could always be delayed sans Rivers of Light. Stay tuned as we wait on the official word from Disney. I'm sure if this is the true date we will be hearing about it officially sooner rather than later. 

Rumors, Rumors Everywhere: What Could be Coming to Disney World; Will Disneyland Forever be Discontinued?

Rumors are brewing at both Epcot and Magic Kingdom. Today, WDW News Today and Blog Mickey certainly got the internet rumbling about certain attractions coming to Epcot, most likely a "Guardians of the Galaxy" overlay somewhere in Future World.

It comes down to two rumored locations and while nothing has been announced or confirmed it does seem plausible that where they could put the new attraction would definitely work. WDW News Today is reporting the Mission: SPACE would be getting the overlay from the Marvel superheroes in a similar attraction to the TRON: Lightcycle Power Run that just opened over in Shanghai Disneyland. 

On Blog Mickey, the rumor is that we could soon be saying goodbye to Ellen's Energy Adventure (I am weeping a little on this one) in which Disney pours millions into the new ride. They had no word on what type of attraction would be. They did say that it would be Phase 2 of a project in which Phase 1 would focus on Innoventions. 

While this just a rumor and nothing is confirmed it does seem like Disney is testing the IP market after the recent success of the "Frozen Ever After" attraction in the Norway pavilion that just opened last week.

The next rumor up is once again being reported by WDW News Today, that The Muppets are coming to Liberty Square at Magic Kingdom in a new attraction. It has not yet been announced by Disney yet but testing is apparently imminent. 

Here is what they are hearing:

"The rather lengthy facade refurbishment of the Heritage House seems to have been for this new attraction which will have The Muppets teaching and interacting with guests concerning U.S. history. The Muppets characters, which were reportedly built in a collaboration between the Jim Henson company and Walt Disney Imagineering, will be appearing high above guests in the second story windows of Liberty Square."

There is no other info out at this time but stay tuned as I'm sure we will be getting some news from Disney on the new Muppets attraction if the rumors are true. Not sure about "The Guardians of the Galaxy" overlay as those are just rumors at this point in time.

Will Disneyland Forever Fireworks be Discontinued?:

The Disneyland 60th Diamond Celebration will officially end on September 5th, but will the Disneyland Forever fireworks show also be going away that day. The original rumor that the spectacular fireworks show would be discontinued at the end of the celebration due to budget cuts, first reported by WDWNT. 

Today however, WDW Info (The DIS) is reporting that it may not be discontinued just because of budget cost but due to the current launch area for the fireworks in Toontown. The rumor indicates that guests visiting Disneyland may not enjoy fireworks at the park for at least 6 months. This would allow Disney to build a new launch site. 

Disney has not commented on what will happen to Disneyland Forever so this remains just a rumor as it stands. As always stay tuned on It All Started With a Mouse for all your Disney rumors, news, and all other things Disney.