In this edition of the Weekly Disney Round-Up: a fan favorite attractions gets a closing date, Disney may be spending more on the Parks, plus Disney rolls out the 100 years of The Walt Disney Company merchandise.
This is your Disney news round-up for the week of November 27, 2022.
Animal Kingdom
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Preps Animals for Dinoland Retheme: Dr. Scott Terrell, Director of Animal and Science Operations for The Walt Disney Company told sources about the complexities that go along with caring for the park’s numerous animal species in a park that also has roller coasters and other loud attractions that could potentially bother the animals. While Dr. Terrell did not talk about specifics, he explained that his team was involved from the beginning.
EPCOT
Space 220 Updates Menu: Space 220 has just added some stellar new dishes and cocktails sure to enhance your out-of-this-world dining experience. Here’s a look at what is new or updated to tempt your tastebuds.
Magic Kingdom
Splash Mountain to Close January 2023 For Overhaul: Disney has announced that Splash Mountain in the Magic Kingdom will close forever on January 23, 2023. It will then begin its retheming into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The last day of operation will be January 22, 2023.
New Concept Art for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure: Disney has released a new piece of concept art for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure that showcases brand-new characters the company is creating specifically for the attraction. The artwork shows how fireflies will light up the night. It also shows some new animals, including an otter, a rabbit, a raccoon, a beaver, a turtle, and others.
Staffing Points Towards a Pre-Christmas Opening For Walt Disney World Railroad: The Walt Disney World Railroad has been closed since October 2018, when it was shut down due to the necessity of rerouting tracks for the construction of Tron Lightcycle / Run. Now recent staffing changes seem to indicate that Disney is aiming to reopen the guest-favorite Walt Disney World Railroad before this Christmas, December 25.
Other Disney News
New Products Celebrate 100 Years of The Walt Disney Company: The Walt Disney Company is celebrating its 100th anniversary with Disney 100 Years of Wonder, kicking off on New Year’s Eve! To get the party started, shopDisney is launching limited-release collections celebrating Disney’s timeless legacy. shopDisney will be the first retailer with a Disney 100 collection available to purchase, beginning on December 12, 2022.
Disney to Help Deliver 75,000 Toys to Children: In collaboration with the Marine Toys for Tots program, and in honor of Giving Tuesday, Disney announced today that it is providing a grant to the foundation that will deliver an additional 75,000 toys to children in need this holiday season.
Increased Spending By Disney Could Be Good News For Parks: In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, The Walt Disney Company disclosed plans to increase its overall capital expenditure projects by around 37% in the fiscal year 2023, compared to the previous year. This likely means that Disney will be allocating more money for theme parks.
Disney Paid Less Than 3% of Global Dream’s Value: It was reported in November that Disney had purchased a massive 19-deck cruise ship called Global Dream, which remained unfinished at the time. We have since learned that a rather meager sum was paid for the ship.
Biggest Disney news this week: Splash Mountain’s closing date or Disney spending more in the Parks?