Disneyland Update – Boom, Bust, Crowd Crush & It’s a Small Nude After All

Even the most “bah humbug” person out there can admit this is officially the holiday season now that Thanksgiving has passed us by. While the wintertime holidays have been celebrated for a few weeks now at Disneyland, this week is an exciting time for the resort with the return of the iconic Candlelight Processional taking place this Saturday and Sunday. Unfortunately, it’s not all snoap and garland… The holidays can bring out nastiness from guests and Cast Members alike. Plus, we have all your construction photos, a holiday streaker in the park, a guest injury, and big crowds. We’ll get into all of that and more in today’s Disneyland Update. So grab yourself some Thanksgiving leftovers, and let’s head into the wildest place on Earth!

Boom and Bust

It was a week of highs and lows for Disney. Bob Iger got his wish with huge sell-out crowds at the Disneyland Resort… but his wish at the box-office was dashed when Disney’s 100th anniversary film, Wish, was an embarrassing failure in theaters. 

You can see why Iger has ordered the near doubling of the size of Disney’s Parks division in an age when Disney’s streaming and theatrical offerings increasingly miss the mark by up to hundreds of millions of dollars. 

We’ll tackle Disney’s studios woes in a future article. But let’s examine why the parks are so crowded this week, but why they will likely soon feel empty.  

On Friday, the park could be downright uncomfortable in some of the walkways…

As of last night, the three Magic Key annual passes which aren’t completely blocked for December have very little availability left. All Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (except for the 2nd) are completely booked. With just a couple Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays left. And the last two weeks of the year are blocked for ALL passes. 

So, you might expect that those last two weeks must be packed as well… But it’s not shaping up that way. While Disney blocks annual passes, day ticket holders do NOT appear to be as interested. One-day/one-park tickets aren’t selling as well as Disney’s Magic Key blackouts would lead you to believe. There is wide availability for day tickets. 

One-day/One-Park tickets availability for Disneyland and Disney California Adventure (as of November 26th at 8pm): 

Why is demand so soft for the normally high demand two weeks before Christmas? We think it’s all about price. 

Disney has 11 days priced at $194 and no day less than $154 for the entire month of December. It appears there IS a limit to what guests are willing to pay for Disneyland. We suspect that Disney will shift some of the park availability from Day Tickets to the Magic Key bucket soon. 

Speaking of Magic Keys… All 4 Magic Key levels remain unavailable for purchase at the moment. We were in the same situation at this time last year. But it is VERY likely that Disneyland will make passes available for purchase again soon. And likely shift some park availability to the Magic Key bucket as well so new pass holders don’t complain that they can’t use their new passes.  

Wish Denied

Sadly, Disney’s newest animated film has fallen far short of its lofty goals. It seems Disney Animation’s big Thanksgiving release has bombed. The film came in 3rd at the box office, earning less than 50 million worldwide. The film is likely to eventually make its $200 million+ production cost back, but likely won’t be seen as a financial success. Critics don’t seem to like the film at all, but Disney audiences are a bit more forgiving: 

But that won’t stop Disneyland from celebrating the film’s newest Disney heroine, Asha. She has a meet and greet which has been set up outside at Princess Fantasy Faire.  

The area is particularly charming at night with illuminated star lanterns, red neon rope in the trees, and some adorable mushrooms…

There’s also a bit of Wish merchandise. When the Valentino (goat) popcorn bucket, and star sipper were released, they didn’t develop a line. But now that the movie is out, we do think these will start selling better. 

You can also find some Wish pins, plush, spirit jerseys, and loungefly bags. 

The Star pin illuminates, as do many of the other items. 

What did you think of Disney Animation’s Wish?  Have Disney’s recent animated films fallen flat for you? Why have recent Disney animated features performed so poorly at the box office compared to offerings from DreamWorks and others (the latest Trolls film is performing well on a much smaller budget)? In my opinion, Disney has forgotten how to make their movies fun. They struggle so hard with stories and lessons that they forget to entertain. 

This is a problem Disney has had to wrestle with in the past as well. For example, Little Mermaid & Beauty and the Beast were delightfully fun and beautiful films that were as beloved by adults as they were by children. But then Disney got serious and tried to make important films that would hopefully win them Academy Awards. As a result, films like Pocahontas and Hunchback of Notre Dame fell short.  But now Disney is in a serious rut again. This is a problem which could, and likely should, result in the gutting and rebuilding of Disney Animation. There are too many cooks in the kitchen in Disney’s creative departments and not enough creative decision makers who can lead with vision. 

Disney is in serious need of a modern day John Lasseter or Jeffrey Katzenberg… and fast! 

A Walk in the Park

Every Friday, we come to you live from the Disneyland Resort with news, stories, and special guests. This week, I was joined by someone near and dear to my heart: my sister Amber. Sibling banter is always fun.

You can tune in live to our weekly walkthrough on Facebook and YouTube at 5pm PST. These videos are the best way to get your Disney, Disneyland, and theme park info straight from the source— so questions are not only welcomed, but encouraged!We hope to see you this Friday!

Candlelight Weekend Approaches

Disneyland’s Candlelight spectacular is this coming weekend. December 2nd and 3rd. While Disneyland has held special Christmas events since the very first holiday season in 1955, the first true Candlelight Processional was held in 1958.

The annual Ceremony features a 600-member choir, a live orchestra, and a celebrity narrator who recites passages of the nativity story.  

Generally, Disneyland doesn’t announced who the narrator will be until they show up at the sound check for the first performance (there are two performances each night). Last year, guests were treated to Viola Davis. 

The area is being prepared for the event now.

Any guesses who this year’s narrator may be? Someone from Wish perhaps; Ariana De Bose or Chris Pine?

Light Tragic

There was quite the scare last Monday, when a light post in Disneyland’s Town Square fell just after park opening, hitting three guests and sending one to the hospital with serious injuries! High winds sent the light fixture tumbling into the area where seats will be set up for Candlelight guests this weekend.

Following the incident, crews began inspecting light fixtures throughout the area and around the park. 

While the park blamed the incident on the wind (which was gusting up to 40 MPH), it’s the underlying reason why the light post was unable to withstand the wind that has us most concerned. We don’t know if the base was improperly anchored, rusted out, or failed for another reason, but no reason is acceptable when a guest is injured! 

Maintenance in the parks has been struggling to keep up since reopening in April of 2021. We’ve been reporting on frequent ride breakdowns, burnt out lightbulbs, and infrastructure failures at an increasing rate. The incident in Town Square was preceded by a collapsed set in Jungle Cruise a couple of weeks ago (which thankfully didn’t hit a boat), and burst pipes in both Adventureland and the Grand Californian this year. 

It’s time for Disneyland to double down on safety and general maintenance. It’s a lot to keep up with any theme park, much less one that’s nearly 70 years old. But when guests start getting injured, it’s time to step things up before something worse happens. If Disneyland can’t hire and keep enough maintenance workers, then they need to bring in contractors to fill in the gaps on inspections and routine maintenance. 

Too Much Imagination (Campus)?

If you’ve wondered why Star Wars Launch Bay hasn’t reopened, it’s because Disney turned the space over to the Imagination Campus, an education initiative where Disney teaches the creativity, science, and performance skills used in the parks. Unfortunately, the program has removed attractions from the park rosters. 

At the moment, Imagination Campus uses the old ESPN Zone, Star Wars Launch Bay, and Blue Sky Cellar. But starting December 10th, the campus will take over Beast’s Library in Disney California Adventure’s Animation Building as well. 

We sure do wish the program would figure out a way to allow regular guests to access attractions when Animation Academy isn’t using the location. 

Disney makes some big money off of the Imagination Campus, perhaps they should build education spaces back stage or use the resort’s various training rooms and theaters when not otherwise in use, rather than impact park guests. 

For more about Beast’s Library, please visit our article: 

Another One Bites the Dust: A Fond Farewell to Beast’s Library

Snowfall in Downtown Disney

There’s a new place to find ‘snow’ at Disneyland Resort… and it doesn’t require a theme park ticket. Every 30 minutes between 6pm and 10pm (top and bottom of the hour), it snows near the Downtown Disney Christmas tree (near the Disney Home Store and Splitsville).  

It’s a nice touch and much needed in Downtown Disney. 

Construction Updates

The endless construction walls from earlier this year are down to just a few remaining projects. 

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

There’s not a lot new to see at the future home of Tiana and friends. But it does look like they are getting ready to install the water tower in front of the attraction. 

You can really see how they’ve been altering the exterior of the mountain to shave off edges and old elements. 

And here’s where they are getting ready for the water tower…

Downtown Disney

It’s the multiple Downtown Disney projects which most impact guests at the moment. But there’s some progress…

The Centrico bar is coming along. The new shade structure is erected and ready for its covering. The framework for the bar has been constructed. 

Not far away is the West Side project, stage, seating, and Parkside Market.

Now that the new stage is open…

The old one has been removed and the pavement is now being torn up so it can be redone to match the new vibe. 

Behind this new shade structure is the upcoming Parkside Market

And, Din Tai Fung is just about ready for windows. 

Christmas

We’ve covered Disneyland’s Christmas offerings for weeks now. But we spent a lot of time in the parks over the holiday weekend and wanted to share some favorite views. 

The moon was beautiful on Friday. It compliments the star atop DCA’s tree on Buena Vista Street. 

We watched Believe in Holiday Magic from Main Street. While it’s harder to see the fireworks from here, the projections and snow are better. 

Knott’s Merry Farm Guide

Disneyland isn’t the only SoCal theme park with big holidays happenings going on. Knott’s Berry Farm just a few minutes away from Disneyland recently kicked off their holiday season— and in many aspects it not only rivals Disney but overshadows it. We’re saying that as huge fans of Disney we know a good thing when we see it. We’ve got a comprehensive guide to Knott’s Merry Farm below. Take a look and let us know what you think about Knott’s Christmas cheer:

A Calico Christmastime: Your Guide to Knott’s Merry Farm 2023

This & That

And now for a couple of other stories from around the resort.

Choco Smash Bar Cake

If you’ve enjoyed the Choco Smash Bar at PYM Test Kitchen since the land opened in 2021, those days are now behind us. Recently, the eatery revamped the item, changing it from an oversized candy bar into a slice of cake— though, with all of the same basic components with the addition of vanilla cake. 

Here’s how the bar used to look:

We gave the cake version a sample this week and all the taste testers enjoyed it (though, Nathan preferred the candy bar). The cake form is more approachable than a huge candy bar (even though it costs approximately the same), though quality control is all over the place. Our slice of cake was pretty thin, and the table next to us had two slices: one even smaller than ours, and one twice as large as ours. For it being $8, they’ve gotta get that under control!

Trader Sam’s Holiday Mug

If you’re looking for a gift for the person in your life that enjoys Disney and a tiki drink, you should mosey your way over to Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar. For the holidays, there’s a new (not necessarily Tiki) mug available for purchase starting November 29.

The Holiday Rum Barrel mug will only be available at launch through the Disneyland app on November 29 with mobile orders starting as early as 6am. There is a limit of two mugs per order.

There Is Just One Moon…

On Sunday afternoon, a guest jumped out of a Small World boat, stripped naked, and wandered through the attraction. He was eventually arrested by the Anaheim Police Department and has been charged on multiple counts.  It was an unfortunate situation as so many children witnessed the scene. 

Don’t watch the embedded video if you are sensitive to the situation: 

Start to finish of the Disneyland streaker #disney #Disneyland #disneylandstreaker #Itsasmallworld pic.twitter.com/ZtBidzh7kd

— Hunter Kost (@KostHunter) November 27, 2023

The suspect was arrested for indecent exposure and being under the influence of an illegal substance. He could have been seriously hurt and done damage to the attraction running around. 

MiceShots

Now, let’s lighten things up a bit. Here are some photos from our visit this week…

Let’s Hear From You

Thank you so much for joining us today. We hope you had a very happy Thanksgiving and that the rest of your holiday season is merry and bright. 

Well, what grabbed your attention in today’s Update? Concerned about the recent spate of incidents in the park? Waiting for Magic Keys to unlock again? Looking forward to the new restaurants in Downtown Disney?