The week following the D23 Expo has turned out to be full of information to share about the Disneyland Resort. Sadly, it’s not all happy news. While we are thrilled to bring you photos of the removal of the French fry rocks in Tomorrowland and the enhancement of the Adventureland entry sign, there is some sad news about further Entertainment cutbacks. We also bring photos of the Halloween decor being installed, Marvel Land construction, and the parking structure project, which is nearly complete. Let’s take a pre-halloween season jaunt through the parks . . .
Entertainment Changes & Cutbacks
September 14th will be your last chance to see two shows in the Disneyland Resort. Both the Laughing Stock and Pixarmonic Orchestra have been put on notice that their shows are ending. Additionally, the Lion King show on Paradise Bay, which was always intended to be summer entertainment, will be ending after today (September 2nd). The Red Car Trolley Newsboys show was cut earlier this summer. These entertainment changes follow a summer of lower than expected attendance in the parks, but also hit just as Disney is ramping up entertainment for the Halloween season. Still, both the Pixarmonic and Golden Horseshoe shows were scheduled throughout the fall season last year.
Laughing Stock
The Laughing Stock troupe is about to deliver its final jokes in the Golden Horseshoe Theater. Performers have been notified that their final shows will be on September 14th. We aren’t sure what will replace them, if anything, but this is a food service venue and it’s in Disneyland’s best interest to have some sort of entertainment in the saloon to draw in guests. (See Trevor’s video below)
Pixarmonic Orchestra
Sadly, the Pixarmonic Orchestra is also ending its run. Their performance venue suffered from a lack of shade and forced guests to stand in the middle of a busy walkway. They will be sorely missed as they are the only musical entertainment in Pixar Pier.
Tale of the Lion King
We had a love/hate relationship with the Tale of the Lion King. Formulated to celebrate the ‘live-action’ Lion King film release, this show was high energy and expertly performed and sung. However, the venue in the World of Color amphitheater was void of shade and painfully hot for performers and guests alike all summer. The show suffered a setback last month when the dancers were cut from the show. We would have loved to have seen this show move to Stage 17 on the Hollywood Pictures Backlot, where it could have been properly lit and the temperature could also have been controlled.
Disneyland Forever
Disneyland Forever will end tonight. Disneyland will soon be showing Halloween Screams throughout the Halloween season.
But returning soon are the Musical Celebration of Coco (a heartwarming show that should be on everyones list) and Love is Eternal (the Mariachi Divas Halloween show).
TREVOR IN THE PARK! Our video reporter, Trevor, shares a video look at the retiring shows at Disneyland and shares some of his thoughts on the cutbacks. Take a moment to watch along with us in the park:
Adventureland Sign Enhancement
As part of Project Stardust, the old Adventureland sign was removed earlier in the year to complete walkway enhancements prior to the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. When the new sign was installed, it had the overall feeling of the original Adventureland sign, but without the iconic hut hanging over the right hand side. Good news, Disney is currently building a new hut-like structure which will compliment the right hand side of the sign.
When complete, the sign will look very much like the one it replaced.
Here’s what the entry sign looked like just before it was torn down this April:
Halloween at the Resort
We are just a few days away from the official start of the Halloween season at the Disneyland Resort. Beginning September 6th, guests will be able to enjoy Haunted Mansion Holiday, Cars Land holiday overlays, Halloween treats, and Halloween Time merchandise (which has been in the stores for a couple of weeks already).
Decorations are being installed on Main Street as you read this.
Haunted Mansion Holiday
Transformation of the Mansion will be complete once again by September 6th.
We are placing our bets on the Ballroom gingerbread house being Haunted Mansion 50th anniversary related this year. What are your theories?
No Ghosts in the Galaxy
Unfortunately, Ghost Galaxy will not be returning this Halloween. With Hyperspace Mountain pulling in big crowds and helping make up for a lack of attractions in Galaxy’s Edge until Rise of the Resistance opens, the Star Wars version of Space Mountain will be sticking around for a while longer.
The Tortilla Has Landed
The Oogie Boogie sign above the California Adventure gates has been installed for the season.
Fans affectionately call the moon behind Oogie the “Tortilla”, and for many, it marks the start of the Halloween season. And this year, Oogie is the host of his own Halloween Parties at DCA.
Villains Grove Installation
One of the new features of Oogie’s Halloween Bash Halloween parties at DCA is Villains Grove. The haunted experience will take over the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail for the season. We can see signs of the experience throughout the area.
Right at the front of the Challenge Trail we can see new banner sitting on the area map that will probably have speaker grills installed inside them shortly
The Camp Circle theater is being used by Disneyland Entertainment to work on Villains Grove.
Lighting and projection towers are also being installed throughout the area.
You can now spot projector boxes which have been disguised to look like birdhouses.
Some of the boxes have been made to look like data gathering stations you might find in a national park.
If you look carefully, you’ll also find camouflaged speakers, and decor such as candelabras.
This particular area will host a Hunchback of Notre Dame section of the Grove.
Cleverly hidden speakers.
Grand California Hotel Lobby
Oogie Boogie has taken up residence in the lobby of the Grand as well.
A foodie’s Dream nightmare is beginning to take shape as an Oogie Boogie statue made entirely out of food takes shape.
Off in a corner near the Hearthstone Lounge, the seasonal goodie stand and has already started selling baked goods.
Halloween Merchandise
The spooky season has also rolled out to shops throughout the resort. From World of Disney to the merchandise locations of Disneyland and California Adventure, it’s Halloween Time again!
Gone Hollywood has gone Halloween, with the entire store now offering costumes and holiday apparel.
Fun fact: while cinnamon candy apples are the perfect fall treat, they’re not exclusive to the Halloween season. Look for them on Fridays in the candy shops around the Resort. But grab them fast because they’re delivered in limited quantity and usually sell out within a day.
Tomorrowland Rock Removal
Nearly everyone seems happy to see the obstructive rocks at the entry to Tomorrowland go away. But there’s a lot of work left for Disney to do in this spot. First, they are lowering the curbs around the hub (as they did on the opposite side of the hub earlier in the year). Then they are removing the rocks in the center of the walkway. But some of the show control systems for the Astro Orbitor are housed in the rockwork, so there’s some reconfiguring that will need to be done.
The walled-off area is quite large and takes over the Northern half of the entry to Tomorrowland.
Where are the crowds?
It’s no secret that Disneyland was blissfully uncrowded this summer with the blackouts of all but the Signature passes. Everyone expected the parks to be slammed mid-August when the Deluxe passes unblocked… Except, that didn’t happen. While there were moments of insanity in the evenings around Electrical Parade showtimes, the parks remained uncrowded during the day. The next big group of pass holders to be unblocked will be the SoCal Select tomorrow (September 3rd). We are keeping our eyes on wait times, what do you think will happen? Will this be the magic bullet that finally fills the parks back up with guests?
Sunset Showcase Gets a Proper Entry
A new theater marquee has been installed on Hollywood Blvd, adjacent to Award Wieners. The previous entry was around the corner in a much lower traffic area.
We watched a steady stream of guests entering the theater. Not only is the new sign much classier, it should help draw more guests.
Off to the side of the main entrance is stroller parking as well as access to the Award Weiners dining area.
The old sign is still up as well. Guests can currently enter from either side of this building.
In addition to the sign, there have been a few other enhancements to the PhilharMagic show. If you watch the new sign long enough, you’ll see a variety of animations (Donald, music notes, & instruments that we noticed). The cast of the attraction are now sporting sharp, new usher outfits. And, for the eagle-eyed, Donald’s butt is now animated at the end of the attraction.
Avengers Campus
Yes, it’s official, Marvel land will be called Avengers Campus. The land will open with a new Spiderman ride as well as a brewery and shop. The delayed E-Ticket which will have you flying to Wakanda will come in phase 2.
From the air, you can see that tremendous progress has been made in the last month. The buildings have topped out and will soon be boxed in. And they’ve got their work cut out for them, this area is slated to open next summer.
The show building for the future E-Ticket will be constructed just behind the Tower of Terror in the spot you see below.
One thing we are very curious to watch in the current period of Entertainment cuts are the interactive elements planned for the new Marvel land. You’ll note the stunt performers on the rooftops. This is the exact type of entertainment originally planned but cut from Galaxy’s Edge. We’ll have to wait and see what happens here, but it would be a shame if Disney repeated the mistakes of Galaxy’s Edge by scaling back the entertainment opportunities of Avengers Campus.
This and That
But wait, there’s more! Here are a few more interesting tidbits from around the resort.
Matterhorn Mayhem
One half of the Matterhorn remains closed in the wake of the facade failure near one of the waterfalls. A door-sized chunk of the mountain collapsed and resulted in the closure of the ride. The waterfall nearest the incident was turned off, but continues to drip. No word on when the repairs will be complete, but you can be sure they are inspecting the entire facade for other potential weak points.
California Soarin’ Grounded
We were all hoping that the superior California Soarin’ would remain (at least in one of the two theaters), but it has sadly ended its run. Would you like California Soarin’ to permanently replace Soarin’ Around the World at California Adventure, or do you prefer the California-centric version of the show?
Red Car Trolley
With DCA’s Trolley down for Avengers Campus construction, Disney is taking this opportunity to install an induction charging pad under the Red Car’s Buena Vista stop.
Peeking through the fence we can see that cement has been laid and bricks should follow soon.
Parking Structure Update
Tram Plaza
The new forested esplanade spanning the two parking structures is nearly complete.
Look at all that shade! This is so much better than the original version of this area.
There’s a small patch of dirt left to pave at the base of the Mickey and Friends escalators.
Over on the Pixar Pals side, the construction walls have been pushed back.
Mickey and Friends New Elevator
Since the Mickey and Friends lot first opened, folks have complained about long waits to access the elevators, especially for those with strollers and wheelchairs. There are finally two new elevators on the way.
Bridge to Downtown Disney
Another project nearing completion is the new bridge which leads from the new Pixar Pals parking structure to Downtown Disney.
DVC Kiosk
Out in the Esplanade, construction has wrapped around the old Information Kiosk. When the walls came down, it revealed a new DVC kiosk. Was the Resort short on these?
They didn’t even bother to fix the shingles on the roof.
Mater’s Junkyard
Over at Mater’s, we noticed that there’s a lot of wear and tear on the ride turntables. The attraction will soon get its Halloween overlay.
Speaking of attractions in need of refurbishments…
Refurb Calendar
Currently Under Refurbishment:
- Red Car Trolley: April 1st, 2019-2020
- Haunted Mansion Holiday Transformation: August 26th-September 5th
Upcoming Refurbishment:
- Sailing Ship Columbia: September 9th-12th
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh September 16th-26th
- Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island: September 16th-19th
- Mark Twain River Boat: September 23rd-26th
Disneyland Discounted Ticket Opportunity! Adults for the Kids Price
Get Away Today has a very limited time MiceChat offer that we don’t want you to miss out on. If you book by the end of TODAY (Labor Day), adults can get Disneyland tickets at the kids price for travel through the end of this year! Details for this special MiceChat offer HERE
As the tortilla moon rises high above Disneyland, a season of Halloween treats is being prepared that might just be enough to turn the tides for the resort. Hotels in the Disneyland Resort area are reporting strong fall bookings, and the Oogie Boogie Halloween Party tickets are starting to sell out. Double daily ticket sales, for DCA with fireworks crowds for Disneyland sure sounds like a potential recipe for success to us. What do you think?
Are you glad to see the French Fry Rocks go? Are you planning to visit Oogie Boogie’s Bash at DCA? Do the loss of the Golden Horseshoe and Pixarmonic shows affect you one way are the other? Do you like the new look of the parking structures and would you walk to Downtown Disney rather than taking a tram? Let us know in the comments below.
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