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Post by Admin on Mar 5, 2020 1:44:03 GMT
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway has officially opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Disney’s first ride-through attraction featuring Mickey and Minnie Mouse is now at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. The innovative attraction features a recreation of the Chinese Theatre, taking guests inside the world of Disney Television Animation’s Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts. “Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is a crowning achievement in the multiyear transformation of Disney’s Hollywood Studios,” said Walt Disney World president Josh D’Amaro. “What was once a theme park that took you behind the scenes, now puts you in the center of your favorite stories,” added D’Amaro.  It also boasts an original story by Walt Disney Imagineering, ‘Perfect Picnic’, as well as the new song, ‘Nothing Can Stop Us Now’. In the story, Mickey and Minnie attempt to find the best location for a romantic picnic, taking their red convertible for a drive through Runnamuck Park.  However, when the car hits a bump, Pluto flies out of the trunk and mayhem ensues as guests join Goofy on a train ride on the Runnamuck Railroad. Guests will visit a carnival, avoid a twister, escape an exploding volcano, dive over a waterfall, and stampede through the Wild West.  The first thing attraction-goers will see when they first enter the ride is a specially recorded episode of the Perfect Picnic. From there, riders get in their cars, which will split as they move through the wacky world inside, seeing different scenes of Mickey and Minnie trying to save the day. Some of the scenes include a neon carnival, underwater scenes and even a brand new character – a bird called Chuuby. Other characters that make an appearance include Donald and Daisy Duck, Goofy, and Jackhammer Pete. The coolest part is that the way that the carriages split and change means you’ll sit in a different place each time, and you get to see something different too.  |
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Post by Admin on Mar 7, 2020 19:52:33 GMT
A drop in Mickey and Minnie merchandise sales at the House of Mouse delivered a blow to Disney as the ambassadors of the entertainment giant lost a little of their earning power at the cash register.  Mickey and Minnie merchandise sales at Disney’s theme parks and other experiences were lower in the company’s first quarter, according to Disney’s latest earnings report. The decline in sales of Mickey and Minnie merch was partially offset by higher revenue from Frozen, Star Wars and Toy Story products in Disney’s Parks, Experiences and Products division. But have no fear, Mickey and Minnie aren’t on their way out at Disney’s theme parks. The world-famous animated mice, who share a “last” name but have never married, are an essential part of Disney’s DNA. The droop in merchandise sales comes during a lull between a pair of high-profile celebrations at Disney’s Anaheim theme parks honoring Mickey and Minnie. The iconic pair celebrated their 90th birthdays at Disneyland in early 2019 with a new line of merchandise. Disney California Adventure celebrated the Year of the Mouse in early 2020 with an annual Lunar New Year celebration hosted by Mickey and Minnie. Both events pushed out a ton of merchandise at the parks that was snapped up by fans of the cartoon characters. Disney parks have more in store for the loving couple. The new Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway dark ride opens March 4 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida. A carbon copy of the Mickey and Minnie attraction is coming to Disneyland’s Toontown in 2022. The dip in Mickey and Minnie merchandise sales came at a time when Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge was opening at Disneyland, Pixar Pier was just completed at Disney California Adventure and “Frozen 2” was getting a big push in the parks — explaining the higher revenue from Star Wars, Toy Story and Frozen products. Mickey and Minnie are top franchises and continue to perform very well, according to Disney officials. Disney has previously disclosed that its top franchises each generate more than $1 billion annually in retail, including Mickey and Minnie, Disney officials said.  Logan Capital Management portfolio manager Sara Henry told Yahoo Finance that Disney’s diverse slate of characters and content means a drop in Mickey and Minnie merchandise sales isn’t a big deal. “Mickey and Minnie are a very small part of the entirety,” Henry said on Yahoo Finance’s “The First Trade.” “When you look at the box office and what they did with ‘Frozen 2’ and ‘Star Wars,’ there is ebb and flow in these different franchises.” |
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Post by Admin on Mar 8, 2020 19:48:32 GMT
All aboard Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disney’s Hollywood Studios! Just this morning, new merchandise for the upcoming attraction was previewed, but shopDisney has a special treat in store for us, with some select merchandise already up for grabs. There’s a new Minnie and Mickey Ear Headband, leggings, an ornament, the classic train whistle, and plenty of apparel! Shop now and have them just in time for your first ride aboard the Runnamuck Railroad. Just click the item links to shop!  Nothing’s gonna interrupt your train of thought when you’ve got Goofy, Mickey, and Minnie on your mind. The playful trio from Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway attraction will conduct their crazy adventures on your cranium any time you don this padded headband.  All aboard Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway for the ride of your life in this fun fashion tee with cute character appliqués, contrast shoulder stripes, and trims.  |
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Post by Admin on Mar 9, 2020 20:47:07 GMT
 The Situation in California and Florida Let me start by saying, I get it. As of Sunday, March 8, 2020, both California and Florida have declared states of emergency after confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus from Wuhan, China known officially as COVID-19. While the combined number of infected cases remains well below 100 people, tens of thousands of people are in fear they’ve been exposed to it and are putting themselves in self-isolation until tests can be made available to them. There have also been three deaths in those states. I’d also be daft to say that the fear wasn’t just being exposed to the disease in the states. So many travel itineraries to Walt Disney World and Disneyland require you to fly and pass through major airport hubs. But it’s not as bad as it seems. According to the CDC, the rate of serious illness of this disease across the board is less than 20% worldwide, and that number is even expected to go down once more people around the world are able to be tested. There have been ZERO reported deaths in children whose already-embattled immune systems are proving to be the best at combatting the disease. Doctors have reported that kids appear to only be fighting a common cold in some cases. The people who are dying from COVID-19 are people with compromised immune systems. The most common cases involve an elderly person contracting the disease and they are dying from a form of pneumonia. Younger and healthier people who have contracted the disease experience fever and respiratory illness (cough, shortness of breath) and are proving to recover.  The Center for Disease Control and health officials on the President’s Coronavirus Task Force still gives people in the U.S. a low risk of being infected. There are still no travel restrictions enforced.  Disneyland and Disney World Release Statements, Hardly Feeling the Effects Despite the fears, Disneyland and Walt Disney World are yet to feel the hard effects of COVID-19 on an attendance level. Just last week, Walt Disney World opened its new attraction Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. It had a 300-minute wait on the first day. But, we would still recommend you go if attendance was dropping because that just means you will have more space in the parks for yourself and shorter wait times. As I’m writing this, the MyDisneyExperience app still shows wait typical times throughout the theme parks, including a 120-minute wait for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and a 70-minute wait for Haunted Mansion at the Magic Kingdom. The same shows on the Disneyland app, which shows a 60-minute wait time for Radiator Springs Racers in Disney California Adventure Park and a 55-minute wait for Indiana Jones™ Adventure in Disneyland Park. |
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Post by Admin on Mar 10, 2020 21:38:20 GMT
Raining on a perfect picnic Disney itself is already taking hits as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, and this goes beyond the stock's 17% plunge over the past two weeks. Pixar's Onward just experienced the studio's weakest opening weekend tally since 2015. The film has received generally positive reviews, but with multiplex attendance in general taking a hit, it's clear that moviegoers don't want to be in a crowded theater as long as the coronavirus threat is around. Things are about to get even worse for Disney's expanding cruise line as the U.S. State Department and the Centers for Disease Control issued advisories over the weekend, urging Americans not to board ships given the increased health risks associated with COVID-19. If folks are steering clear of the local multiplex and cruise ships, isn't it just a matter of time before they begin avoiding theme parks, too? We've already seen prolific festivals including SXSW in Austin and Ultra in Miami get cancelled over the past week. If it seems like it's business as usual at Disney World -- and probably Disneyland in California -- right now, it's because these are getaways that folks plan for weeks and typically months ahead of time. Until we start seeing a sharp reversal in COVID-19 cases, it's a matter of when, not if, Disney will experience a drop in tourist levels. The one thing that no one wants to talk about is the possibility that Disney may actually have to close its two domestic theme park resorts for a stretch of time.  Momentum derailed Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway is a fun and family-friendly addition to a park that has had a massive metamorphosis over the past two years. Disney's Hollywood Studios is a full-day park again, and given the high demand for some of its newer attractions, a single day may not be enough to experience it all. There's never a good time for a temporary closure of a year-round theme park, especially for a Florida resort that attracts more than 58 million guests a year. There have been a couple of weather interruptions and even a 9/11 related closure, but none of those setbacks lasted more than a day or two. A virus containment closure would eat up a bigger chunk of the calendar. Disney's two Chinese resorts have been closed since late January, and its licensed Japanese resort is going on its second week of being shut down. No one knows how long it will take Disney World and Disneyland to get back on track if they have to close down for weeks, if not months, but the financial drain won't end when the turnstiles are unlocked again. The same reason the parks are seemingly holding up well right now -- the advance planning for Disney vacations -- will likely also cause a slow ramp up of business once the coast is determined to be clear. |
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