Category — w. Most Recent Stuff

UP: A Great Bird Adventure opened in Asia at Disney’s Animal Kingdom on April 22, 2018, replacing Flights of Wonder, and I had the chance to see it a few days later.

UP: A Great Bird Adventure is essentially two bits shoved together: a bird show, not wildly dissimilar to Flights of Wonder, and some play and interactions among the host, cast members and avians of the bird show with Russell and Dug of UP.

There are some linkages among the bits, and an even deeper linkage between the new UP: A Great Bird Adventure and the revamped Pirates of the Caribbean (which I will write about soon) at the sublime chicken level, but not enough to make it a tight show or one with a high payoff for UP fans.

I saw it with friend and co-author Josh of easyWDW.com (Josh will likely have a review with MUCH better images posting soon). We both had some trepidation, as we each loved the old show Flights of Wonder and were concerned that the fun birds of that show would disappear into the IP of UP.

Not to worry—well, mostly not to worry. The bird show part of UP: A Great Bird Adventure remains delightful, and make up probably around 20 minutes of the 25 minute show.

A fun and interesting mix of birds—most, if not all, from the prior show—demonstrate a fun mix of looks and capabilities.

And there’s still some audience participation, both from the theater and on the stage.

Some more images of the show (I did not get a publishable shot of the chickens, even by my remarkably low standards, but hopefully Josh did):

The actual bird acts, I hear, vary a bit depending on which birds are ready for which parts of the show. Living beings aren’t as reliable as audio-animatronics.

The Russell and Dug interactions will be fun for fans of those characters, but create the potential for some missteps, as their lines are pre-recorded and if for some reason the relevant birds don’t hit their cues, the audio may mismatch the action.

UP: A Great Bird Adventure is showing in the same Caravan Theater space in Asia in which Flights of Wonder was set. The theater is not air-conditioned, but it is shaded. Show times may vary—for mid-July, it is currently scheduled five times over the course of the day at 10:30a, 12:00 noon, 1:30p, 3:30p and 5:00p.

When we arrived—about half an hour before the 3.30p show—the theater was already half full, but guests continued to be admitted until right before the 3.30p show. I would not bet on getting a seat that close to show time, but you probably don’t need to arrive up half an hour early, either.

UP: A Great Bird Adventure is not remotely so strong that you need to plan your day around it, but if you have any interest in animals or birds, or in Russell or Dug, it is worth your time.

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DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: JUNE 2 TO JUNE 10, 2018

The material below details next week’s Disney World operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.

For more on June 2018 at Disney World, see this.

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 6/2-6/10/18

The Magic Kingdom will be open from 8a-12MN 6/2, 8a-11p 6/3, 8a-12MN 6/4, 9a-11p 6/5, 8a-11p 6/6 and 6/7, 9a-12MN 6/8, 9a-11p 6/9, and 9a-10p 6/10

Epcot will be open from 9a-9p every day

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open from 9a-9.30p every day

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open from 9a-10p 6/2, and 9a-10.30p 6/3 through 6/10

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 6/2-6/10/18

Saturday 6/2 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Sunday 6/3  Morning: Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Monday 6/4  Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Tuesday 6/5 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening:  Epcot

Wednesday 6/6 Morning:  Animal Kingdom  Evening: Magic Kingdom

Thursday 6/7 Morning: Epcot, Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Friday 6/8 Morning:  Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Saturday 6/9 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Sunday 6/10  Morning: Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom Evening: none

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 6/2-6/10/18

The Magic Kingdom: Afternoon Festival of Fantasy Parade: 3p every day

FIREWORKS AND EVENING SHOWS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 6/2-6/10/18

Happily Every After at Magic Kingdom: 9.15p every night

IllumiNations at Epcot:  9p every night

Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios:  9p every night

Star Wars Show and Fireworks at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 9.30p every night

Rivers of Light at Disney’s Animal Kingdom: 9.15 and 10.30p 6/2; 9.15 and 10.15p 6/3 through 6/10

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 6/2-6/10/18

See Steve Soares’ site here. Click the park names at its top for show schedules.

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Welcome back to Fridays with Jim Korkis! Jim, the dean of Disney historians, writes about Walt Disney World history every Friday on yourfirstvisit.net.

YOUR PERSONAL DISNEY LIBRARY (6)

By Jim Korkis

• Walt Disney World Hidden History Second Edition by Kevin Yee (2014)

When I bought the first volume of this book in 2010, I immediately wrote to Kevin to tell him how jealous I was over the title which I thought was a perfect way to describe some of the details that could be found at Walt Disney World. I wish I had thought of it for one of my own books.

This second edition contains all the gems from the first printing but with additional treasures as well. More importantly, it is better laid out and contains several color photos on each of the 135 or so pages to better illustrate the details being discussed.

It is important to realize that this is not a cohesive narrative but a scattering of nuggets that can be read in any order. He has a general chapter on Walt Disney World and then individual chapters devoted to each of the four theme parks.

Each detail is one paragraph long but some of those paragraphs are fairly lengthy. The end of the book includes several extras: A listing of the opening and closing dates of WDW attractions, a complete listing of the names on the Main Street U.S.A. windows (but no description of who these people are), and a four page chapter on the some of the hidden history details of Universal Studios Florida.

Kevin Yee is a former Disneyland cast member (for over ten years), author and blogger who writes about travel, tourism, and theme parks in Central Florida. He is a founding member of MiceAge (where his columns still sometime appear) and has written numerous articles and books about Disney parks since 1997.

He is also a faculty administrator at the University of South Florida and holds a Ph.D. in German Literature from UC Irvine and for years has kept his two worlds separate. His students are often unaware of his long interest in Disney and his Disney fans are sometimes clueless about his academic background.

I am particularly fond of his 2013 book The Original Grimms: Highlights of the 1810 Manuscript, where he translated the original manuscript of well known fairy tales before they got watered down and edited in the more commonly known versions. Of course, many of these tales later got translated into Disney animated feature films so there is a sort of “cross-over” that may entertain Disney fans as well. Yee teaches a popular Honors Seminar entitled Fairy Tales From Disney to Grimms and Beyond.

There are hundreds of fascinating entries in the WDW Hidden History book with three or four appearing on each page. Whether tribute or remnant, each item discussed starts with something visible in today’s parks. Yee’s idea is that this is something you could visit and see with your own eyes today, and then appreciate the historical thinking behind it being there. He captured several things I had never noticed which once again proves that no one can know everything about Disney.

Other books by Kevin you might explore include Magic Quizdom and 101 Things You Never Knew About Disneyland (both focused solely on Disneyland), Mouse Trap: Memoir of a Disneyland Cast Member, and the Unofficial WDW Earbook series.

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Thanks, Jim! And come back next Friday for more from Jim Korkis!

In the meantime, check out his books, including his latest, Call Me Walt, and his Secret Stories of Walt Disney World: Things You Never You Never Knew, which reprints much material first written for this site, all published by Theme Park Press.

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WHAT IS NOVEMBER LIKE AT DISNEY WORLD?

Mid and late November are some of the best times of the year to visit Disney World, with cooler weather, low crowds, low prices, and fun special events.

Other parts of the month are not so good. Jersey Week, beginning 11/3 in 2018, sees moderate crowds and higher prices at the deluxes. Thanksgiving week, beginning 11/17 in 2018, with high crowds and higher prices than the rest of the month, should be avoided.

Note also that picking the right park to visit each day is critical at this time of the year. See this, and use the comment form below to ask me about your specific dates!
[Read more →]

DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: MAY 26 TO JUNE 3, 2018

The material below details next week’s Disney World operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.

For more on May 2018 at Disney World, see this, and for more on June, see this.

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 5/26-6/3/18

The Magic Kingdom will be open from 8a-12MN 5/26 and 5/27, 9a-11p 5/28, 8a-11p 5/29 and 5/30, 9a-11p 5/31, 8a-11p 6/1, 8a-12MN 6/2, and 8a-11p 6/3

Epcot will be open from 9a-9p every day

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open 9a-9.30p  5/26, 9a-6p 5/27, and 9a-9.30p 5/28 through 6/3

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open 8a-11p 5/26 and 5/27, 8a-10p 5/28 and 5/29, 9a-10p 5/30 through 6/2, and 9a-10.30p 6/3

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 5/26-6/3/18

Saturday 5/26 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Sunday 5/27  Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: none

Monday 5/28  Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Tuesday 5/29 Morning: none Evening:  Epcot

Wednesday 5/30 Morning:  Animal Kingdom  Evening: Magic Kingdom

Thursday 5/31 Morning: Epcot, Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Friday 6/1 Morning:  Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Saturday 6/2 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Sunday 6/3  Morning: Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom Evening: none

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 5/26-6/3/18

The Magic Kingdom: Afternoon Festival of Fantasy Parade: 3p every day

FIREWORKS AND EVENING SHOWS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 5/26-6/3/18

Happily Every After at Magic Kingdom: 9.15p every night

IllumiNations at Epcot:  9p every night

Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios:  9p 5/26 and 5/28 through 6/3

Star Wars Show and Fireworks at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 9.30p 5/26 and 5/28 through 6/3

Rivers of Light at Disney’s Animal Kingdom: 9.15 and 10.30p 5/26 through 6/2; 9.15 and 10.15p 6/3

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 5/26-6/3/18

See Steve Soares’ site here. Click the park names at its top for show schedules.

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!

Welcome back to Fridays with Jim Korkis! Jim, the dean of Disney historians, writes about Walt Disney World history every Friday on yourfirstvisit.net.

TOY STORY LAND IN DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

By Jim Korkis

Variations of Toy Story Land that were inspired by the popular Pixar movie franchise exist at Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland and at Shanghai Disneyland.

In 2015, it was announced that a Toy Story Land would be built on eleven acres at Disney’s Hollywood Studios near the area already designated as Pixar Place, and would open summer of 2018. (It will open June 30–Dave.)

(c) Disney

According to Disney publicity, in addition to Toy Story Midway Mania! that already opened in 2008 and expanded to include a third track in 2016 (and supposedly is under Andy’s bed), the land would feature the following:

“Toy Story Land. In Andy’s backyard, guests are shrunk to the size of their favorite toys and invited to join Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie and the rest of the Toy Story gang for a larger than life adventure among giant building blocks and game board pieces. It’s the perfect setting for toys of all kinds to gather together for an experience that’s more fun than a Barrel of Monkeys.

“Alien Swirling Saucers. Andy has collected enough game tickets at Pizza Planet to get the Alien Swirling Saucers (Home Edition), which has now landed (pun intended) in his backyard. The game features Alien-driven flying saucers whipping rockets around four turntables while “The Claw” looms ominously overhead, seemingly ready to nab those who are ‘chosen’.

“Slinky Dog Dash. Andy built Slinky Dog Dash with his Dodge & Dash Mega Coaster Kit. Instead of using the coaster that came in the box, he decided to put his Slinky toy on the tracks. The result is a family-friendly thrill adventure that whooshes around curves, up hills and down drops as it winds around the backyard.”

According to Imagineer Kathy Mangum, Toy Story Land was inspired by the overwhelming guest response to Cars Land at Disney California Adventure.

“As all of you know, here in Anaheim, we’ve been quite successful with taking immersive experiences to a whole new level as we did with Cars Land. In fact, one of our favorite stories from opening day is that we overheard a little boy asking his mom, ‘Is this where they filmed the Cars movie?’” Magnum said.

“That’s exactly how we want people to feel – like they’ve stepped onto the set of their favorite film … like the quaint town of Radiator Springs or, in the case of ‘Toy Story,’ the wild and adventurous outdoors of Andy’s backyard.”

The idea behind the Slinky Dog Dash was to have a family friendly coaster but also to take advantage of the fact that Andy has a big imagination, so would have incorporated some of his other toys into the standard design, and made the coils stretch to their limits.

For Alien Swirling Saucers, “As you rotate around the toy planets and satellites as part of the game, you’ll swirl to the beat of fun ‘Space Jazz’ music developed just for this experience,” Mangum said. “The music, the lighting, and the sound effects will add to the flurry of your adventure while ‘The Claw’ looms ominously over you.”

The entrance to the new land will be through the area that originally held Soundstage 4, where walk-through experiences like The Making of the Haunted Mansion Movie, a set from the live action version of 101 Dalmatians, two different versions of the Journey into Narnia, and the Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow were presented.

Woody’s Lunch Box is the quick service food and beverage location. Andy has taken a vintage Woody themed lunch box and propped it open with a thermos. Scattered about the area are toys, items from the lunch box, and a book. A green army man keeps a lookout for Andy’s return to grab a snack.

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Thanks, Jim! For more on touring Disney’s Hollywood Studios after Toy Story Land opens, see this.

Lovely wife Amy Girl and I will be seeing Toy Story Land by using the Club Level  extra FastPass+ deal:

And come back next Friday for more from Jim Korkis!

In the meantime, check out his books, including his latest, Call Me Walt, and his Secret Stories of Walt Disney World: Things You Never You Never Knew, which reprints much material first written for this site, all published by Theme Park Press.

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!