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Hello everyone,
First off, I would like to apologise for the lack of updates lately - especially since there has been so much character news! I really feel like we've failed the last couple of weeks in bringing you the latest news and rumours.
But, sadly, "real life" gets in the way, and we have indeed been very busy with some rather life changing adjustments.
Anyway, with that said and done, let's take a look at what we've missed, and also some actual news, too!
Over in Disneyland, the vote for the next Long Lost Friends concluded, as announced by the Disney Parks Blog, and yesterday (being Monday and the start of a new Limited Time Magic week) those beloved Disney pals returned to the Big Thunder Ranch at Disneyland Park.
The full line up is as follows:
- Merlin
- Hercules, Megara and Hades
- Pinocchio, Gepetto, Foulfellow, Gideon and Jiminy Cricket
- Meeko, Pocahontas, John Smith and Governor Radcliffe
- Snow White and Dopey
- Robin Hood, Prince John, Friar Tuck and the Sheriff of Nottingham
- Lilo and Stitch
- Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Mr Smee and Wendy
- Tarzan, Jane and Terk
- Brer Bear, Brer Fox and Brer Rabbit.
A lot of those made appearances last time, and some, as always, aren't rare at all, but overall it's a good mix. Definitely very cool to see Hades and Merlin greeting guests! They do not get out at all these days! All characters are on a rotational system, and subject to change or cancellation at any time.
Staying with California, but rewinding back to D23 which saw some really awesome character opportunities.
Debuting for the first time (as official Disney Characters at least, and not at Universal or elsewhere) were Iron Man, Spider-Man and Captain America.
Doc McStuffins also made her grand debut in her Disney Parks make-over look (Doc could already be seen, and still can in fact, in the Disney Junior Live! show, where she looks a little different...)
Other characters that were at the event included some Mickey and Friends, Phineas and Ferb, and I believe Agent P, but I don't have confirmation of him. Characters from ABC's Once Upon a Time also greeted fans, although this was not the first time they've been seen - they were also at the San Diego Comic-Con recently, too. I believe there were five characters - Emma, David, Regina, Mary-Margaret and Hook.
Of course, the highlight for the fans attending though was when Dreamfinder made a surprise limited appearance! This is the second time in recent history Dreamfinder has shown up (the other being at Destination D: Walt Disney World in 2011), and gives fans a glimmer of hope that someday he might return full time, perhaps once WDI figure out what to do with the current Journey Into Imagination at EPCOT.
Dreamfinder links us in nicely to Walt Disney World, where it has been confirmed that Jack and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas will debut at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party this year (held at the Magic Kingdom). This will be their first ever regular appearance at the Florida Resort.
Other MNSSHP changes include Phineas and Ferb joining the dance crew on Main Street before the Boo To You Parade, and the Tomorrowland dance party being re-themed to Monsters University.
Friday the 13th of September will also be a spooktacular Halloween occasion, as Disney's Hollywood Studios will hold a special Limited Time Magic event for all regular park guest that day, 'Unleash the Villains'.
Originally perceived to be a dance party featuring the Disney Villains, there have been rumours that cool creeps such as Hades and Maleficent could show up for meet 'n' greets too! (Though, again, there is no actual confirmation of this, as far as I know)
They will also hold a special fireworks spectacular that night, 'Villainy in the Sky', as well as feature special merchandise just for the evening. The event will be held from 8pm to 1am. It's best to check the Limited Time Magic website nearer the time for more details.
Finally for WDW, and WDWMagic posted that they think the epically long running Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade will finally end right before Christmas. The parade is definitely being retired due to the fact that earlier this year Disney announced the Magic Kingdom would finally be getting the brand new Festival of Fantasy Parade.
Over in Disneyland Paris, the Dreams of Romance '2' float was taken out of the parade earlier this month, for a 2 month long re-imagining, ready for its (rumoured) October 1st debut featuring the brand new Frozen characters, Anna and Elsa! We'll be in DLP for a few days mid-October, so we really look forward to seeing them for the first time!
If you had been following our Facebook page and Twitter last week, you'd have seen that we launched the second in our Trip Planner series, this time for Hong Kong Disneyland! Covering practically every aspect of trip planning for the park, from flights, tickets, hotels, dining, shopping, FastPasses, local area information and much more, it really is an invaluable resource.
For those interested, our first one was for Tokyo Disney Resort, and covers similar information, but of course for Tokyo.
Ok, I think that's all for now. Have a great week everyone!
Dan. |