Disney News, Discussion & an Element of Fun - 2023 Edition

EPCOT Festival Kiosks Planned for Select Activation Alcoves in New World Celebration Gardens

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According to construction data, Disney World is planning on bringing Festival kiosks to the newly opened World Celebration Gardens at EPCOT. In particular, the activation alcove closest to Creations Shop has been earmarked as “EPCOT Creations Festival Kiosk #1” and “EPCOT Creations Festival Kiosk #2”. As you can see in our photos below, infrastructure has been preinstalled to allow for the operation of the Festival kiosks.

What remains to be seen is if the kiosks will be used for food & drink, or as an outdoor merchandise cart. Other areas yet to be opened are specifically designated as merchandise kiosks, so it’s possible that the Creations Festival Kiosks could be multi-use or for food/drink.
 


https://www.sfgate.com/disneyland/article/calif-town-walt-disney-private-plane-18532852.php

How Walt Disney's private plane ended up in the Calif. desert


A closer look at Walt Disney’s private plane on display at the Palm Springs Air Museum on Dec. 1, 2023.
A closer look at Walt Disney’s private plane on display at the Palm Springs Air Museum on Dec. 1, 2023. Andrew Pridgen/SFGATE

By Andrew PridgenDec 9, 2023

There are dozens of legendary aircraft to behold at the Palm Springs Air Museum — a stealth fighter, a P-51 Mustang and a B-17F Flying Fortress used in the 1990 movie “Memphis Belle” — but nothing brings out the fanatics and history buffs like an old cream-colored Grumman Gulfstream I with an orange stripe down both sides.
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Why is this relatively nondescript craft special? The call letters near the rear of the plane, N234MM, may hold the biggest clue.

“Most planes have their tail number, it starts with one letter and ends with one letter, except for this plane,” Kevin Pillow, operations manager at the Palm Springs Air Museum, told SFGATE during a tour of the dusty airfield on Gene Autry Trail in the shadow of the San Jacinto mountains on the eastern edge of town. “This plane, you look on top, has two letters in the end: ‘MM.’

“The MM, of course, is for Mickey Mouse.”
Or, in the words of SFGATE Disney editor Julie Tremaine, “It all started with a mouse, but this plane ended with one.”

The call numbers on the tail of Walt Disney’s private plane gave insiders a big clue as to who was inside.

The call numbers on the tail of Walt Disney’s private plane gave insiders a big clue as to who was inside.
Andrew Pridgen/SFGATE

“He did get FAA approval,” Pillow continued. “And it is nicknamed ‘The Mouse.’”

The twin-prop OG private plane, held over from the early 1960s, was one of the first executive aircraft to take to the skies, starting a trend that continues today for the ultrawealthy: “A lot of people had seaplanes and things like that, but he really saw the value of high-speed commercial aviation,” Fred Bell, executive director of the Air Museum, explained to SFGATE, noting that Disney was the pioneer when it came to flying in a private aircraft. “Up until that point, most of the executive transports were World War II airplanes. So the G1 was faster, it was really built as an executive coach for him to move around. He had a workstation there. It was a comfortable aircraft. He could fly fairly high, so he didn’t have to deal with turbulence.”

“The Mouse” is currently on loan indefinitely to the Air Museum from the Walt Disney Archives, museum spokesperson Ann Greer said. “We have artifacts inside [the museum] and we show the documentary that Disney did on the history of the plane that we show every day in our little movie theater.”

Part of the display about Walt Disney’s private plane at the Palm Springs Air Museum on Dec. 1, 2023.

Part of the display about Walt Disney’s private plane at the Palm Springs Air Museum on Dec. 1, 2023.
Andrew Pridgen/SFGATE

“Walt’s pilots would initially use the proper form of identification when they approached an airport, ‘two three four metro metro,’ a history of the plane by Visit Palm Springs recalls. ‘Then they would try ‘two three four Mickey Mouse.’ It did not take long until F.A.A. controllers routinely called N234MM ‘Mickey Mouse.’ That’s how the plane got nicknamed just ‘The Mouse.’”

“The Mouse” is responsible for perhaps more iconic late-20th-century Disney moments than any other individual vehicle, in part because of Disney’s lifetime fascination with aeronautics.

“He believed in aviation to the point when he was in World War I he conned his way or figured out how to get on a biplane,” Bell explained. “He loved aviation.

“Later in life he realized aviation could make him more productive. When he got past the studio phase and became more bicoastal, first with the World’s Fair and then with Disney World, he stepped into one of the first Gulfstreams and realized he could work all the way there and all the way back.”

An example of what the interior looked like in Walt Disney’s private plane, on display at the Palm Springs Air Museum on Dec. 1, 2023.

An example of what the interior looked like in Walt Disney’s private plane, on display at the Palm Springs Air Museum on Dec. 1, 2023.
Andrew Pridgen/SFGATE

Disney bought “The Mouse” in 1963 and he and wife Lillian designed the custom interior, which could seat up to 15 and included a galley kitchen, two couches and a desk toward the back where he regularly sat. In true Disney fashion, no detail was left unattended. Lucky passengers were treated to everything from matchbooks to stationery embossed with the iconic silhouette of Mickey Mouse.

But the plane didn’t just sit in the hanger; it was deployed not only as a way to spirit Disney and his closest cohort back and forth from coast to coast but to act as an airborne scouting vehicle for some of his most ambitious projects.
In November 1963 Disney and a handful of his associates flew over different locations in Florida looking for the ideal site to build Disney World. Upon flying over the Orlando area, Disney reportedly looked down and said, “That’s it.”

“The Mouse” also made a trip over the El Morro fortress in San Juan, Puerto Rico, during the planning phases of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

That trip is now a crucial part of Disney lore, as not only was Pirates the last ride Walt Disney worked on, but it opened in March 1967 at Disneyland, just three months after Disney’s death from lung cancer at the age of 65. After his death “The Mouse” lived on: It appeared in two Disney films starring Kurt Russell, 1969’s “The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes” and the 1972 sequel “Now You See Him, Now You Don’t.” The plane would eventually log more than 20,000 hours and was retired from flying in 1992.

But why is such a legendary piece of Disney history on display in Palm Springs?

From top are Dr. Franklin D. Murphy, Hernando Courtright and Walt Disney, part of a group of seven Californians on a flight to Mexico, Oct. 30, 1964.

From top are Dr. Franklin D. Murphy, Hernando Courtright and Walt Disney, part of a group of seven Californians on a flight to Mexico, Oct. 30, 1964.
Los Angeles Public Library/Calisphere

Becky Cline of the Disney Archives explained the significance of having the airplane in Palm Springs upon the opening of the plane’s exhibit at the Air Museum last December.

“It’s perfect because it’s close enough to Disneyland, it’s in Southern California, and it’s less than a two-hour drive to come down here, do events or work on the exhibit,” Cline told The Desert Sun. She explained that the hot, dry climate of Palm Springs is “the perfect place to store” such an artifact.

“A lot of Floridians were not happy that we were bringing it back,” Walt Disney Archives researcher Ed Ovalle said at the event featuring the plane’s unveiling in Palm Springs.

Die-hard Disney fans may also recall that Walt’s beloved Smoke Tree Ranch home was a catalyst for the completion of Disneyland. On the ropes financially, Disney was forced to offload the property in the early 1950s to help pay for his theme park.

Visitors walk along Main Street at the Magic Kingdom as Walt Disney World reopens following Hurricane Ian on Sept. 30, 2022.

Visitors walk along Main Street at the Magic Kingdom as Walt Disney World reopens following Hurricane Ian on Sept. 30, 2022.
BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images

“The first Disney house at Smoke Tree ‘was built by William Cody, a famous architect known for his mid-century modern style,’” Tracy Conrad, chief operating officer of Smoke Tree Ranch, told D23 in 2011. “And Walt enjoyed several years at this residence until his dream for Disneyland forced him to sell off his assets.”

“‘He asked a few of the colonists if they wanted to invest in Disneyland,’” Tracy explained, noting Disney “sold off his property at the ranch to place a down payment on Disneyland” and adding, “‘I’m sure they regret not having done so now.’”

Disney had the last laugh, as he purchased a lot and built another home at Smoke Tree Ranch in 1957 after Disneyland started to prove a success.

Today, Disney’s footprint in Palm Springs is only growing. Cotino, a planned community with some homes for people ages 55 and older that is Disney’s first “Storyliving” development, is described as a “dynamic creative oasis with a stunning landscape in the Greater Palm Springs Area.” Disney plans for the Rancho Mirage-based community to feature 300 homes in its first phase along with a 24-acre lagoon with a shopping and entertainment district and a hotel. Cotino is scheduled to start taking home sales appointments next year.

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Top left clockwise: The exterior of the Palm Springs Air Museum; a peek out from the hanger; a stealth fighter on display; though Walt Disney’s private plane still looks ready to go, it is currently grounded and on display.Andrew Pridgen/SFGATE

For now, those looking to revisit a little Disney history, or who are scouting Palm Springs to become part of the next Disney chapter, can visit the plane that took Disney and his contemporaries, including Annette Funicello, Julie Andrews and presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, around the globe.

And while the plane’s exterior has been restored and the engines removed, grounding it for the foreseeable future, the Palm Springs Air Museum is in the midst of a complete interior restoration that officials said they hope will be completed sometime before the end of next year. Will it fly again? “That would be up to the [Disney] Archives,” museum spokesperson Greer told SFGATE. “They would have to do a major restoration but it would be the rarest of rare things.”

For now, it seems the plane has found its home, happy to be on the ground in the warm and dry California sun.
“The airplane was here a lot,” Bell, the museum’s executive director, concluded. “So, when Disney approached us, it wasn’t a hard conversation. [Walt] Disney loved Palm Springs.”
 


Tokyo Disneyland:
The current version of Space Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland closes permanently on July 31, 2024. It'll be transformed & reopen in 2027.

To celebrate the opening day attraction, a special event called "Celebrating Space Mountain: The Final Ignition!” from April 9 to July 31, 2024.


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Tdrexplorer

I love how Tokyo really celebrates when things are closing forever. I was able to get a Stormrider Forever postcard as I rode it shortly before it was closed for transformation. Of course, Space Mountain is coming back, and if it looks half as good as the concept art, it will be amazing! Who, am I kidding? It's TDL - it'll probably look even better!
 
Tokyo Disneyland:
The current version of Space Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland closes permanently on July 31, 2024. It'll be transformed & reopen in 2027.

To celebrate the opening day attraction, a special event called "Celebrating Space Mountain: The Final Ignition!” from April 9 to July 31, 2024.




Tdrexplorer
This is crazy as I had an conversation last night about SM. My son is convinced they will add some IP eventually into the ride. I took the old school approach and they would never touch a classic like this. The fact they are closing it in Tokyo for 3 years makes me now rethink that maybe they would retheme our version.
 
This is crazy as I had an conversation last night about SM. My son is convinced they will add some IP eventually into the ride. I took the old school approach and they would never touch a classic like this. The fact they are closing it in Tokyo for 3 years makes me now rethink that maybe they would retheme our version.

I think they actually want Space Mountian to be an IP. There is a lot of merch and always talk of media projects for it. It's one of the stronger original ride brands.
 
This is crazy as I had an conversation last night about SM. My son is convinced they will add some IP eventually into the ride. I took the old school approach and they would never touch a classic like this. The fact they are closing it in Tokyo for 3 years makes me now rethink that maybe they would retheme our version.
I remember back when the movie released, there was a rumor floating around that Disneyland's Space Mountain would be permanently rethemed to Lightyear. We can all thank the heavens that movie bombed so that never happened.
 
Disney Eats: Complete Foodie Guide to Zootopia Opening Dec. 20

It’s almost time to try everything because on Dec. 20, Zootopia will be opening at Shanghai Disney Resort! This thrilling new expansion will transport guests to a colorful and vibrant metropolis inspired by the beloved Walt Disney Animation Studios film. You’ll feel just like you’re in the movie with incredible landscapes, can’t-miss merchandise, a brand-new attraction, and, of course, plenty of treats to make you a well-versed resident of Zootopia yourself!

When this immersive land opens in just a few short weeks, let your taste buds take a walk on the wild side with eats and sips that are staples among the residents of this metropolis at these must-try snack-spots – Jumbeaux’s Cafe and Zootopia Market. At these brand-new locations, and various ones throughout the resort, hungry guests will find a variety of treats that are (almost) too cute to eat. From the Ginger-Flavored Ice Cream Cone to the adorably delicious Lemming Marshmallow, and the classic Disney Zootopia Pawpsicle, there’s no shortage of items sure to leave you hopping with joy (and flavor).

If you want to learn more about this exciting new opening before Dec. 20, be sure to check out some of the highlights you can expect in our insider’s guide to Zootopia!

Well, I think it’s time we take a page from Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde’s book and see what Zootopia is all about. I’m thrilled to present to you the official Foodie Guide to Zootopia at Shanghai Disney Resort. Let’s see what’s on the way.

Chocolate Marshmallow & Mini Chocolate Bar, The Big Donut, The Mini Big Donut and Disney Zootopia Blueberry Pie from Jumbeaux‘s Cafe when Zootopia opens at Shanghai Disney Resort Dec. 20, 2023

Jumbeaux‘s Cafe

  • Chocolate Marshmallow: Raspberry-flavored marshmallow
  • Chocolate Marshmallow & Mini Chocolate Bar (Also available at CookieAnn Bakery Café)
  • The Big Donut: Chocolate donut (Also available at CookieAnn Bakery Café, Sunnyside Market, and Ballet Café)
  • The Mini Big Donut: Chocolate donut (Also available at CookieAnn Bakery Café, Sunnyside Market, and Ballet Café)
  • Disney Zootopia Blueberry Pie: Handmade shortbread crust served with a sweet and sour blueberry sauce (Also available at CookieAnn Bakery Café, Sunnyside Market, and Ballet Café)
Blueberry Milkshake, Ginger-Flavored Ice Cream Sundae with Disney Zootopia Elephant Ice Cream Bowl, Judy’s Waffle with Ginger-Flavored Ice Cream and Ginger-Flavored Ice Cream Cone from Jumbeaux‘s Cafe when Zootopia opens at Shanghai Disney Resort Dec. 20, 2023

  • Blueberry Milkshake: Ice cream and blueberry sauce topped with a Clawhauser chocolate piece
  • Ginger-Flavored Ice Cream Sundae with Disney Zootopia Elephant Ice Cream Bowl: Ginger-flavored ice cream on soft-chocolate cake and topped with crunch cereal pieces
  • Judy’s Waffle with Ginger-Flavored Ice Cream
  • Ginger-Flavored Ice Cream Cone: Carrot-shaped cone with ginger-flavored ice cream topped with a Judy Hopps chocolate piece (Also available at Il Paperino)
Lemming Marshmallows, Frittata Sandwich, Hot Chocolate with Judy Hopps Hot Beverage Cup, Hot Chocolate with Nick Wilde Hot Beverage Cup and White Peach Waxberry-Flavored Sparkling Special Drink with Nick Souvenir Cup from Jumbeaux‘s Cafe when Zootopia opens at Shanghai Disney Resort Dec. 20, 2023

  • Lemming Marshmallow (Also available at Cookie Ann Bakery Café, Sunnyside Market, and Ballet Café)
  • Frittata Sandwich: Soft frittata filled with potatoes, carrots, and mozzarella cheese cushioned between two carrot-shaped buns (Also available at CookieAnn Bakery Café)
  • Hot Chocolate with Judy Hopps Hot Beverage Cup (Also in January at available at kiosk locations and Il Paperino)
  • Hot Chocolate with Nick Wilde Hot Beverage Cup (Also available at kiosk locations and Il Paperino)
  • White Peach Waxberry-Flavored Sparkling Special Drink with Nick Souvenir Cup (Also available at all quick-service restaurants)
Disney Zootopia Pawpsicle with Disney Zootopia Pawpsicle Ice Mol, Carrot-Shaped Lollipop, Disney Zootopia Pawpsicle Lollipop, Gazelle Cotton Candy and Disney Zootopia Police Officer Badge Chocolate Bar from Zootopia Market when Zootopia opens at Shanghai Disney Resort Dec. 20, 2023

Zootopia Market

  • Disney Zootopia Pawpsicle: Hawthorn berry-flavored popsicle (Also available at Ballet Café, Sunnyside Market, and outdoor vending carts)
  • Disney Zootopia Pawpsicle with Disney Zootopia Pawpsicle Ice Mold (Also available at Ballet Café, Sunnyside Market, and outdoor vending carts)
  • Carrot-Shaped Lollipop (Also available at Cookie Ann Bakery Café, Sunnyside Market, and Ballet Café)
  • Disney Zootopia Pawpsicle Lollipop (Also available at Cookie Ann Bakery Café, Sunnyside Market, and Ballet Café)
  • Gazelle Cotton Candy
  • Disney Zootopia Police Officer Badge Chocolate Bar (Also available at CookieAnn Bakery Café, Ballet Café, Sunnyside Market, Mickey & Pals Market Café, Barbossa’s Bounty, and Pinocchio Village Kitchen)
Corn-Flavored Popcorn and Hopps Family Farm Popcorn Bucket from Zootopia Market when Zootopia opens at Shanghai Disney Resort Dec. 20, 2023

  • Corn-Flavored Popcorn
  • Corn-Flavored Popcorn with Hopps Family Farm Popcorn Bucket (Also available at outdoor vending carts)
  • Hopps Family Farm Popcorn Bucket (Also available at outdoor vending carts)
  • Zootopia Bottle Cap and Clip (Also available throughout the resort)
Judy’s Pineapple Cheesecake & Nick’s Lemon Cheesecake and Tuna and Vegetable with Steamed Rice with Judy Snack Box from Zootopia opening at Shanghai Disney Resort Dec. 20, 2023

More to Find Around the Resort!

Picnic Basket at Gardens of Imagination


  • Chocolate Marshmallow: Raspberry-flavored marshmallow
  • Chocolate Marshmallow & Mini Chocolate Bar (Also available at CookieAnn Bakery Café)
  • Judy’s Pineapple Cheesecake & Nick’s Lemon Cheesecake (Also available at Mickey & Pals Market Café, Barbossa’s Bounty, and Pinocchio Village Kitchen)
  • Frittata Sandwich: Soft frittata filled with potatoes, carrots, and mozzarella cheese cushioned between two carrot-shaped buns (Also available at CookieAnn Bakery Café)
  • Hot Chocolate with Judy Hopps Hot Beverage Cup (Also in January at available at kiosk locations and Il Paperino)
  • Hot Chocolate with Nick Wilde Hot Beverage Cup (Also available at kiosk locations and Il Paperino)
Available at Select Quick-Service Restaurants

  • Tuna and Vegetable with Steamed Rice with Judy Snack Box
 
Tokyo Disney announced more events for 2024:

・Dreaming of Fantasy Springs (April 9 – June 30)
・Disney Pal-Palooza (2nd Event) (April 9 – June 30)
・Celebrating Space Mountain: The Final Ignition! (April 9 – July 31)
・Tokyo DisneySea Food & Wine Festival (April 1 – June 30)

Tdrexplorer
 
Tokyo Disney announced more events for 2024:

・Dreaming of Fantasy Springs (April 9 – June 30)
・Disney Pal-Palooza (2nd Event) (April 9 – June 30)
・Celebrating Space Mountain: The Final Ignition! (April 9 – July 31)
・Tokyo DisneySea Food & Wine Festival (April 1 – June 30)

Tdrexplorer
Wow this is awesome! We’ll be there in May. I was sad we’re missing the opening of fantasy springs but at least all of these events will be happening
 
The fact they are closing it in Tokyo for 3 years makes me now rethink that maybe they would retheme our version.
This may be less to do with retheming the ride and more to do with the plans for the overall area. It doesn't look like IP so much addressing the big problem that Tomorrowland has in all of these parks: what looks like Tomorrow today tends to look like Yesterday tomorrow. It's one of the reasons I think DLRP Discoveryland's "Future that Never Was" idea is brilliant.

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...-mountain-coming-to-tokyo-disneyland-in-2027/
 
Disney and its studios received 27 Golden Globe nominations. Poor Things (Searchlight), Bear (FX/Hulu), Only Murders in the Building (Hulu/20th), Fargo (FX), and Abbott Elementary (ABC/20th) all received multiple nominations.

Both #Elemental and #WishMovie were nominated for "Best Motion Picture, Animated." Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was nominated for "Cinematic and Box Office Achievement in a Motion Picture."

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Scott Gustin
 
Disney and its studios received 27 Golden Globe nominations. Poor Things (Searchlight), Bear (FX/Hulu), Only Murders in the Building (Hulu/20th), Fargo (FX), and Abbott Elementary (ABC/20th) all received multiple nominations.

Both #Elemental and #WishMovie were nominated for "Best Motion Picture, Animated." Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was nominated for "Cinematic and Box Office Achievement in a Motion Picture."

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Scott Gustin
Give ‘The Bear’ all the awards.
 

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