Halloween has arrived at last. But that hasn’t slowed down the relentless march of holiday cheer infiltrating every nook and cranny of the Disneyland Resort. This week, we’ve seen the arrival of exciting announcements, as well as some unfortunate departures. And, of course, there’s no shortage of construction projects keeping the resort in a constant state of change. So, without further ado, let’s start with the end of an era…
The Sound of Sadness
In a rather somber update from MiceChat, it was revealed last week that Bill Rogers and his wife, Camille Dixon, the iconic voices behind the Disneyland Resort, will soon leave their long-held positions due to their contracts not being renewed. Bill has lent his voice to Disneyland for an impressive three decades, while Camille has graced California Adventure with her vocal talents for over ten years. This transition is indeed bittersweet; it marks the end of an era at Disneyland… but they aren’t retiring; they will still be recording for other clients, perhaps even including other parts of the Disney Company.
As we prepare to bid farewell to this vocal duo, it’s worth noting that their departure will undoubtedly bring about significant changes to the park’s announcements. If you’re curious about their legacy and the impact they’ve had on the Disneyland experience, Samantha penned a heartfelt tribute that’s definitely worth a read. And, as an added bonus, don’t forget to check out a hilariously satirical “day in the life” video at the end of her article.
Iconic Disneyland Voices Moving On – Celebrating the Legacy of Bill Rogers and Camille Dixon
Tale of the Lion King Ending
We’ve learned that the delightful “Tale of the Lion King” show in the Fantasyland Theater will end its run on Jan. 7, 2024. We loved this little show with great music and high-energy dancing.
Be sure to see it one last time if you can.
Park officials sent us the following statement: “Tale of the Lion King” will end its run at Fantasyland Theatre at Disneyland Park with its last performances on Jan. 7, 2024. This uplifting live show brought The Lion King to life through storytelling, music, and dance and we will continue to look for ways to bring fan-favorite stories and experiences to life for our guests at Disneyland Resort.
What would you like to see appear on stage next?
Space Mountain Returns
Space Mountain received a quick mid-season refurbishment and has now returned to full operation. The extent of the work is hard to see, but there are a few small enhancements visible.
Some exterior work is still ongoing around the Space Mountain complex.
Improvements have been made to the shade structures— a welcome change.
Scaffolding was up in the last few weeks on the tallest part of the facade for what looked like paint crews. The exterior was looking a bit grimy, so we’re happy to see it looking bright and fresh.
There’s now a new evening look for the Space Mountain exterior. With that color scheme, I almost thought they had brought back Ghost Galaxy for a moment (I wish they would).
Inside, there are new coats of paint in the queue and small repairs throughout. Again, we’re happy to see everything looking so good!
While it’s disappointing that some areas didn’t get the refurbishment they need— the tunnel lights after the first lift hill are still completely nonfunctional— others received proper enhancements. Hopefully, you can see this in the dark images below, but the main show building projections are significantly brighter and sharper.
Some have even been swapped out entirely for new, better-looking ones. I certainly hope this is just the beginning of the modernizing of Space Mountain. Projectors are used extensively for overlays of the attraction, so it makes a lot of sense to leave them in place and utilize them for the classic version of the attraction (especially when the results look this good).
There’s plenty of room to improve some of the dated elements (the spinning second lift hill screens are incredibly dim) or nonfunctional ones (the tunnel lights could easily be replaced with customizable LED panels). Either way, we’ll be very happy if this is a sign that Disney is willing to invest in what is still one of the most popular attractions in the resort after nearly 50 years.
Nearby, the Disney Vacation Club UFO has also returned from refurbishment.
Adventureland Treehouse Opens Soon
The Adventureland Treehouse finally has a re-opening date after over two years of being closed. It’s set to re-open with the beginning of the holiday season at Disneyland on November 10th. The treehouse will bring a new, but familiar story following a new family (that isn’t the Swiss Family Robinson), of which we’re beginning to see elements of now. Check out the photo below with the S.E.A. (Society of Explorers and Adventurers) banner.
The waterwheel and pulley system were fully operational during our visit and the faint sounds of Swisskapolka could be heard.
Check out the video below where hopefully you can make out the music over the waterwheel and surrounding noise.
For more information about the new Adventureland Treehouse, check out our article below:
NOW OPEN: Disneyland’s Adventureland Treehouse – Photos, Video & Info!
Halloween Meets Christmas
Christmas doesn’t wait for Halloween at the Disneyland Resort… and just forget all about Thanksgiving. This is the time of year when holidays collide…
Snow is falling fast on Sleeping Beauty Castle as it prepares for the onslaught of holiday guests a little over a week away.
Perhaps the Disney100 plaque is going to stay up through the holidays, as it’s the only D100 element that hasn’t been removed yet (the banners on the drawbridge will likely be swapped out soon). It doesn’t look too terrible mixed in with the snow, actually.
With Tarzan booted from the treehouse, will we see a new pumpkin in the Hub next year? What character do you folks think it should be?
The Children of the Corn inside of Plaza Pointe have also been dressed for the holidays.
The juxtaposition of the Halloween merchandise below makes it all the scarier.
The rest of the shop has moved on to the holidays, both in decor and merchandise.
New Orleans Square’s mardi-gras Christmas has arrived as well.
it’s a small world closed for its holiday-ification last week. Looks like the exterior lights are up already.
Toontown is ready for the holidays as well…they’re really moving fast this year, aren’t they?
The different garlands throughout the land are full of adorable features, like these amazing decorations near the Gag Factory.
Over at California Adventure, much of the park is still in Halloween mode.
Although, Christmas has arrived early in Grizzly Peak.
I’m not so sure all this fits in well with the few remaining Oogie Boogie Bashes (tomorrow will be the final night).
Disneyland Resort Construction Projects
Mickey’s Toontown
Despite being only a few months old, the remodel of Toontown hasn’t held up very well. Outside of Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, just about everything that was remodeled is in a state of repair or nonfunction. CenTOONial Park is supposed to wrap up today with its third refurbishment in the last seven months.
Most of the refurbishments around Toontown are repairing unlevel faux grass. Clearly, they’ve done quite a lot of work around the Wishing Tree in CenTOONial Park. Disney will likely move on to the other parks again soon, as I noted a few uneven spots in Mickey’s neighborhood. What happened with the turf that broke it down quickly enough that it required multiple repairs is beyond me.
The Mickey and Minnie fountain was still pretty well dissembled over the weekend. Hopefully, that means they’ve repaired the nonfunctioning interactive elements.
There’s a little bit of exterior work being done on the Toontown Hills facade.
With work finishing on CenTOONial Park, Goofy’s How-to-Play Yard is set to go down today.
We’re hoping to see some of the broken elements returned during the refurbishment.
Donald’s Duck Pond is still not open, either, and never opened with Toontown. What happened that it’s taken this long?
Trash cans continue to cover broken elements outside of the boat.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
There are lots of holes and exposed steel all over the future location of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
The entire top of the mountain was chopped off, soon to be reshaped into a salt dome. The silhouette of the attraction will definitely look quite different when they’re done.
With the flattening of the top of the mountain/salt dome, it’ll likely make the attraction look shorter.
Mark Twain Riverboat
The Mark Twain is also down for what will likely be a lengthy refurbishment.
The windows were removed all over the riverboat for fresh paint.
Schmoozies
A strangely long refurbishment, Schmoozies is set to return on Thursday. It managed to miss the entire Halloween season even though it was supposed to have two new Halloween items!
Downtown Disney
The pace of the western Downtown Disney expansion has been accelerating lately. There’s lots to see between the Din Tai Fung building, the stage, and a park-like grassy area.
Work also continues in the middle of Downtown Disney around the future locations of Paseo & Centrico.
There’s a bit more scaffolding up to work on the second floor of the building.
Disneyland Refurb Calendar
Here’s the current state of refurbishments around the resort:
Currently Under Refurbishment:
- Tarzan’s Treehouse – Conversion to Adventureland Treehouse: (September 1st, 2021-November 10th, 2023)
- Splash Mountain – Conversion to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure: (May 31st, 2023-Late 2024)
- Schmoozies!: (July 30th-November 2nd)
- Mark Twain Riverboat: (September 17th-TBA)
- it’s a small world – Holiday Install: (October 23rd-November 9th)
- Goofy’s How-to-Play Yard: (October 30th-November 9th)
Upcoming Refurbishments:
- Redwood Creek Challenge Trail – Holiday Change Over: (November 1st-9th)
- Indiana Jones Adventure: (November 27th-30th)
- Astro Orbitor: (November 27th-TBA)
- Incredicoaster: (November 27th-December 1st)
This and That
We have a few more things of note that we’d like to share.
Broken Signs:
The rotating billboard at the Tomorrowland train station often doesn’t work but is now showcasing strange behavior. When it flips over to Main Street, it stops properly but then over-rotates. Very odd.
The other two images exhibit similar behavior but aren’t as prominent.
New Lounge:
The Palm Breeze Bar at The Villas at Disneyland Hotel will be opening on Thursday. Disney shared a menu filled with items that look downright delicious. There are a surprising amount of seafood dishes (I think the Ahi Tuna Tataki is calling my name) as well as sandwiches and pizzas. They’ve even included an entire menu of mocktails, which is unusual – but welcome!
A tasty Treat:
If you’re feeling hungry for some Halloween treats before they go away on Wednesday, try the Pepper Cheese Onion Rings and Huckleberry Lemonade at the Hungry Bear. They really should keep some sort of loaded onion rings on the menu year-round, they’re surprisingly good (and the seasonal lemonade always pairs well).
For something sweeter, the Pecan Pie Sundae at the Golden Horseshoe Saloon is pretty incredible (even if it’s impossible to finish).
Disneyland Haunted House… But Not For You…
Finally, here’s something the public doesn’t usually get to see. The Disneyland Ambassadors (both the current and future ones!) posted a video of them walking through a cast-created after-hours scare maze inside Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. It’s surprising to see a public post about a cast event. Based on the video, the experience looked to have quite a lot of production value despite being entirely cast-produced. We’re jealous!
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cy41yLhLBV5/
Apparently, these sorts of scare-mazes for cast members have been going on for a while. We’ve been told they’ve even taken over other attractions in the past, like Autopia, Indiana Jones Adventure, and Jungle Cruise. It’s neat seeing the curtain pulled back a little. Would you like to see something like this offered to the public as an after-hours event?
MiceShots
Let’s round out the update with a few pretty MiceShots from around the Resort.
This view will soon be filled with snowflakes.
Doc Hudson’s ofrenda is still one of my favorite touches in Cars Land.
Is anyone watching Loki? Last week’s episode had quite the cliffhanger…
San Fransokyo Square has been slowly receiving even more additions even after its grand opening.
Upcoming MiceChat Events
Gumball Rally – February 3rd! – That’s right. The world-famous MiceChat Gumball Rally is rolling your way again soon. Snag your tickets now and join us for the event that pits you against other teams to see who can ride the most attractions at Disneyland in a single day. Event Info HERE – Event Tickets HERE
Join us on November 11th for a whimsical evening with Chris Crump (an Imagineer of 30 years) as he celebrates his legendary dad, Rolly Crump. Tickets are just about sold out. Don’t delay. Event and ticket info in the article below:
LAST CHANCE: Step Into The Weird World of Disney Legend Rolly Crump
MiceChat MeetUp January 7th – Meet us in Disneyland’s central hub and meet friends old and new. We’ll have lunch, ride a few attractions, and have a great time at the happiest place on earth just before Christmas is packed away for another year.
Disney Parks Ticket & Travel Offers!
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Let’s Hear From You
That’s going to do it from us here at MiceChat for this week. Are you sad Bill and Camille will be replaced soon? What further enhancements would you like to see at Space Mountain? How do you feel about the impending holiday season? Looking forward to the new treehouse? Let us know in the comments below.
