Disney News, Discussion & an Element of Fun - 2024 Edition

[Smugpugmug]

I have mixed feelings about this. I'll miss the old songs (even if they aren't quite as PC as they should be), but I'm looking forward to that Opry styled kind of show. I'm also welcoming the rename of Romeo to something less problematic.

Yeah, that's how I feel too. I really don't like the shoehorning of IP into the show but I would rather have that than the bears being permanently evicted from the park.

 

[Suger Mag]

First Look at Characters Installed For Tiana's Bayou
As crews work toward an opening later this year, a pair of frogs have been installed in an outdoor scene for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The frogs, which are situated on a log in the second scene of the attraction, are our first look at characters installed on the ride. We can barely see the frogs just past the construction walls that surround the attraction in the photo below.


A closer look appears to show that the frogs are made of two different types of material, perhaps allowing for some sort of lighting or rear-projected eyes.



The frogs, which were part of the model shown off at the 2022 D23 Expo, are probably not Tiana and Naveen given the fact that the events of the attraction take place after the movie, but Disney has not provided a backstory for these frogs yet. The frogs in the model definitely look like they could be Tiana and Naveen, but the frogs pictured above seem to have different characteristics.

sure looks like the frog versions of Naveen and Tiana...

 

[Moliphino]

I have mixed feelings about this. I'll miss the old songs (even if they aren't quite as PC as they should be), but I'm looking forward to that Opry styled kind of show. I'm also welcoming the rename of Romeo to something less problematic.

I don't like it at all. I was happy to see so many negative comments on the Disney Parks Instagram post about it. Hopefully it goes the way of the Tiki Room Under New Management.

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

 

[Brian Noble]

I like the original just fine and don't really see the issues with it.

There are a couple of moments that I find cringe-worthy, but not enough to get worked up over.

I'm looking forward to this, but I am definitely not a get-off-my-lawn traditionalist and am almost always game to see what WDI comes up with. Some are great. Some are "well, that's interesting". Few are complete misses. I did not hate New Management, for example, and I'm one of the few people who enjoyed Stitch.

"My chili dog!"

So, clearly, I do not assume everyone shares my, erm, tastes.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

I'm looking forward to seeing how the Country Bears come out after the redo as well. I liked them well enough as they were, but we honestly hardly ever went there to see the show. We were more likely to visit there during special events like MVMCP when they have the characters out on Frontierland and one could interact with them/take pictures.

I think having them sing Disney songs will draw more crowds, which is better for wait times elsewhere in the park!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

the new, cool gray floor from the living space does not work with the old, warm sand/water tile that was carried forward.

I'm biased here but we did our master bathroom shower and bathtub with a more brownish hue of tile however in our shower we did a band of more grayer tiles found elsewhere in our house and that is the floor of the master bathroom. IMO I think the direction and size is a big issue but I also think you're right about the different mediums used and the color combo.

This def. may not be to anyone's taste but this is our shower


And our floor



For Disney:

I think it's coming off more cheap for lack of a better term with Disney's choice is the very skinny floor planks in that specific design (I'm blanking on the technical name) combined with the huge tile used on the shower wall in the direction they used and added to that completely out of place smaller tile.

I actually like the smaller tile band with the blues, greens and cream I think it's cream but not with the colors of the brown and the sheer size those brown tiles.

Even as boring as it might have been a cleaner off-white or soft gray would have looked better IMO and smaller sized tile on the wall to compliment the gray flooring and skinny planks used there. Sometimes trying to use as little of a given material doesn't look good in the end. If they had kept the brown and gray colors I think the brown tiles needed to be much smaller and the gray planks a bit wider. With the way it is now your eye can't help but notice how different the looks are.

But that's all my personal opinion otherwise it's not that bad. I really like the cute lamp and the portraits on the wall.

 

[Jennasis]

I wish they would update the animatronics ar CBJ and not just the songs.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Why don't they simply open an hour later? Weird.

It's exactly like World Showcase was for years and years and years but IMO World Showcase was worse because the only open part of Epcot was at the front of the park so you couldn't spread out until later on and because for World Showcase you only had Test Track and Mission Space that people would really want to do, though really it was Test Track.

Also y'all remember when they phased in Frozen Ever After to open before the rest of World Showcase back when World Showcase opened later?

It's not really weird when you consider Disney did this for a very long time.

 

[Smugpugmug]

I wish they would update the animatronics ar CBJ and not just the songs.

Wasn't the last major refurb in 2012? I would hope that the animatronics would be updated too.

 

[Tigger's ally]

It's exactly like World Showcase was for years and years and years but IMO World Showcase was worse because the only open part of Epcot was at the front of the park so you couldn't spread out until later on and because for World Showcase you only had Test Track and Mission Space that people would really want to do, though really it was Test Track.

Also y'all remember when they phased in Frozen Ever After to open before the rest of World Showcase back when World Showcase opened later?

It's not really weird when you consider Disney did this for a very long time.

I actually loved it when WS didn't open till later and as you see in my Avatar, us segway users got full rule of WS in the morning!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I actually loved it when WS didn't open till later and as you see in my Avatar, us segway users got full rule of WS in the morning!

I didn't mind it overall because it was helpful to get inside Epcot to get a head start but it made getting on Test Track hard and Test Track is prone to breaking down. It was more they didn't have enough attractions at the front to offset the later park opening for the rest of the park but that probably did help some people opting to come later into Epcot because of that. I bet it was fun riding around in World Showcase in a segway

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I'm just glad they aren't completely chanigng it, like to a different IP or something. The refresh could be cool for sure, though I like the original just fine and don't really see the issues with it. It's never crowded though, so they need to do something.

It's not an attraction that is must do for me (I know we didn't do it last year) but I agree it was nice for a change to see a refresh rather than doing something completely different and removing the theme entirely. I'm still not sure it will get sustained interest but it will probably provide a bump in guests in there for a while and because it's not something likely to draw in people to go to WDW just for that it may help with crowds a bit, maybe optimistic there but could be a positive.

 

[wabbott]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1745236458015703191

 

[princesscinderella]

Wasn't the last major refurb in 2012? I would hope that the animatronics would be updated too.

Yes they are redoing the bears with servo motors making them more robotic as compared to the pneumatic animatronics they are now.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1745236458015703191

Wow, tickets won't go on sale for D23 until late March? I plan to go to this as we've enjoyed previous Destination and Expo events. But this date for opening sales is so late! I was expecting it this month. It doesn't leave a lot of time to change plans if you can't get tickets.

We have our lodging and flights booked... thankfully everything is free to cancel if we can't get tickets.

 

[soniam]

Wow, tickets won't go on sale for D23 until late March? I plan to go to this as we've enjoyed previous Destination and Expo events. But this date for opening sales is so late! I was expecting it this month. It doesn't leave a lot of time to change plans if you can't get tickets.

We have our lodging and flights booked... thankfully everything is free to cancel if we can't get tickets.

They said tickets would go on sale in the Spring. That pretty much means March would be the earliest. We have our hotels but not flights or DL tickets. I didn’t want to commit until I knew I could get tickets.

 

[Gusey]

Scott Gustin Twitter
In an email to customers, Tortilla Jo's at Downtown Disney District announces the restaurant will permanently close on March 31.
Taqueria by Tortilla Jo's will stay openuntil April 13.The email also says: “Stay tuned as we share our final specials and more details on our newest Downtown Disney Mexican restaurants coming in 2024.”

 

[Gusey]

Twitter
The Sketch Pad Cafe at the Pixar Place Hotel (Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel) will open on Jan 12, 2024. It should be open tomorrow for a soft open. This location is also operated by The Great Maple, and will function as the main quick service option for to go items and coffee.

 

[Gusey]

Twitter
The mobile art installation of different abstract Pixar characters has also arrived at the Pixar Place Hotel.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

They said tickets would go on sale in the Spring. That pretty much means March would be the earliest. We have our hotels but not flights or DL tickets. I didn’t want to commit until I knew I could get tickets.

Ah, ok, I missed that they said when tickets would be available.

We booked our flights with points so if we cancel we just get that back.

Unless you get a good deal on Disneyland tickets elsewhere, it's a good idea to wait on those since the convention will likely offer discounted ones.