Animal Kingdom & Rivers of Light Update Sort Of; Kenny Baker, Actor Who Brought R2-D2 to Life, Passes Away

Animal Kingdom & Rivers of Light Update Sort Of:

Last week, I wrote how there has been no update given on Rivers of Light since it was scratched from its Spring debut due to its unreadiness. So instead Disney came up with Jungle Book: Alive with Magic while they continued work on Rivers of Light. It has been known for awhile now that Jungle Book: Alive with Magic would end on September 5th, which brought on an earlier closing of Animal Kingdom. 

Well, the update is that beginning September 6 and for the rest of September Animal Kingdom will close at 9 p.m. with no nighttime show to offer at least for now. No there really is no update on Rivers of Light as there hasn't been for the last 4 months. Again we were supposed to receive an update on the new nighttime spectacular in late-May but it never came to be. None of the other nighttime activities seem to affected by the ending of Jungle Book: Alive with Magic and will continue throughout the month of September. 

So the question still remains: What's going on with Rivers of Light? Stay tuned as always.

Kenny Baker, Actor Who Brought R2-D2 to Life, Passes Away:

Yesterday, we learned the sad news of the passing of Kenny Baker, the beloved actor who brought our favorite droid R2-D2 to life, Baker was 81. The actor who brought one of the most iconic characters into our lives starred in the first six Star Wars films. He was a legend to Star Wars fans everywhere. 

Baker was born in Birmingham, England and began acting at the age of 16. Baker, besides the Star Wars films, had performances in The Elephant Man (1980), Time Bandits (1981), Lucasfilm's The Willow (1988), and so many more. In 1978 he immortalized R2-D2, by cementing footprints of the droid, in front of the Grauman's Chinese Theater. They still remain outside the famed theater to this day.

George Lucas had to say on Baker, "Kenny Baker was a real gentleman as well as an incredible trooper who always worked hard under difficult circumstances. A talented vaudevillian who could always make everybody laugh, Kenny was truly the heart and soul of R2-D2 and will be missed by all his fans and everyone who knew him."

Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy added, "We're all saddened to learn of Kenny's passing. There is no Star Wars without R2-D2, and Kenny defined who R2-D2 was and is. He will be greatly missed."

Kenny Baker will definitely be missed by everyone may he rest in peace.

Possible Free Disney Dining Announced, Disneyland & Hollywood Studios Break Ground on Star Wars Land, & More

Possible Free Disney Dining Announced:

We have been waiting for months now about when Disney World would announce it's annual free Disney Dining deal. Through a glitch in the system on the Disney travel agent website the dates appeared, although they were quickly removed, we now may know when free dining will be offered. Here are the presumed dates:

8/23/16 - 10/1/16

11/15/16 - 11/21/16

11/26/16 - 11/28/16

12/10/16 - 12/21/16

While this hasn't been announced yet, I would imagine that the information on the promotion will be released really soon. Stay tuned for the official details.

Disneyland & Hollywood Studios Break Ground on Star Wars Land:

Over the last week and a half the Disney Parks Blog has somewhat left fans guessing with previews of Star Wars Land with special sneak peaks from both BB-8 in Disneyland and R2-D2 at Hollywood Studios. Today, the DPB revealed just what our favorite droids were looking at as they announced ground has officially broken on the 14-acre land on both coasts. 

We are certainly excited especially for the groundbreaking in Hollywood Studios. Although we didn't get a look at Florida's construction. They did release a 360 degree photo view of just what Disneyland  is looking like now a days as construction on Star Wars Land has begun. You can view the 360 degree photo and the special inhabitants of the photo here courtesy of Littlstar.

Two New "Captain America: Civil War" Clips Released:

We are less than a month away from the release of Marvel's next hit in "Captain America: Civil War." Over the last few days, two new clips have been released. The two clips focus on Team Captain America. In the first clip we see Cap join forces with Falcon and the Scarlet Witch as they prepare for battle. The clip is entitled: "Just Like We Practiced" -

The next clip show's Ant-Man joining forces with Team Cap as he fawns over meeting Captain America. Check out "New Recruit" below:



"Captain America: Civl War" hits theaters May 6, 2016.