Coming soon?

	Print this article
	Email to a friend
	Discuss

Thursday, July 5, 2007
Matt Hochberg

Last week Disney sent a memo out to its Cast Members at the Disney-MGM Studios to let them know about the future plans of the park for the next year and beyond.  This information has since been leaked to the internet and if you haven’t already, take a look at what is coming down the pipeline.  Keep in mind, these plans could still change depending on needs and such.  But these projects have seemingly been green lighted by Disney management and this week I’d like to discuss some of these in detail. 

The first bit mentions the creation of the Jedi Training Academy as a permanent attraction, which would match Disneyland which has had a permanent Jedi Training Academy for some time now.  This would the be the second go around for a permanent attraction as for a couple months before Star Wars Weekends in 2006, Disney tried it out but the attraction disappeared after the Star Wars Weekends event concluded that year.  It has also come out that Disney has filed paperwork with the County to begin construction for an area that will occupy where the Ewok village currently is.  I like the idea for this project and think it will be a great addition, especially for the kids which many guests complain are overlooked in this park.  If you haven’t taken an opportunity to see this attraction for yourself during a Star Wars Weekend, it’s a lot of fun and if you have kids (boys or girls) between the ages of 5-9, they should seriously consider participating.  The real downside to adding the Jedi Training Academy is this diminishes the value of Star Wars Weekends with one less exclusive event and since this year we saw no Who Wants to Be A Millionaire along with no adult trivia already, could 2008 be even worse in terms of exclusive attractions for the heralded event?

There are two bits of information that deal with Mickey Avenue.  The first says that the street will close to reopen as “Pixar Place”, which would confirm earlier rumors of the street being renamed.  It’s certainly fine with me, although I’m not sure how they will work it since you have Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream, the Backlot Tour and Journey into Narnia all on that street, so unless Pixar Place is going to be a real small place, it will be interesting to see how they work the new name (and presumably theme) in.

The other information dealing with Mickey Avenue is “another major (e-ticket) ride will possibly be opening in 2009-2010” and this is very interesting to say the least.  Toy Story Mania will be opening next year and this gives us a clue as to what the next big attraction will be for the Studios beyond that.  Certainly this indicates a newfound attention for the Studios to increase it’s attractiveness and they’ve added Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show in 2005, Toy Story Mania in 2008 and this mystery attraction in 2010 or so.  Of course the question is what will this new attraction be? I’ve heard the gamut of rumors, with the two attractions coming up as “the most likely”: Monsters Inc ride (from Disneyland) or the Crush Coaster (from Disneyland Paris).  Both are small in scale and both could fit a Pixar theme that will be added to the area.  Nothing has been confirmed and it’s pure speculation at this point but I believe whatever is added here will be a welcomed addition.

There was also some character news involving first, Mickey Mouse.  Mickey was kicked out of his meet-n-greet area next to what will be Toy Story Mania but will be moved to the meet-n-greet area inside the Magic of Disney Animation.  Consequently, Magic of Disney Animation is quickly becoming a character meet-n-greet bazaar and the once engaging introduction into real animation is all about gone. The other character news is a change for the lineup at Playhouse Disney.  Little Einsteins, Jojo's Circus, and Mickey's Clubhouse will replace the current cast and this is an effort to keep the attraction up to date.  On a minor note, Bear will finally be given the heave-ho after all these years at the attraction going back to when it was called “Bear in the Big Blue House”.  I’m sure the kiddies will love the news.

Rock ‘n Roller Coaster is scheduled for a rehab in September which has since been rumored to be occurring between September 2 and September 30. I haven’t heard confirmed information on what will be occurring, but a Cast Member familiar with the changes at Coaster mentioned that the rehab is to switch out the Vekoma system to a Disney one, which will replace the launch system. To the guest you won't notice a change after the rehab.  We’ll have to wait and see what will happen here.

The most exciting news to me is the announcement that a brand new show will be opening on a permanent basis in the ABC Theater in May.  I have been complaining about nothing being in this building permanently for years and am glad to see it coming.  The rumor I’ve heard is that the High School Musical show that has been performing in front of the Sorcerer’s Hat will move into the ABC Theater because it will be easier for guests to get seats for and during the hotter months of the year, will be easier to watch.  I can’t say I’m thrilled about the new show being the High School Musical show, but at least Disney is finally using the building for something, so I’m mildly content.

Finally, the Block Party Bash parade will replace the current Stars and Motor Cars parade in March of 2008. This rumor of the Block Party Bash has been floating around for years but if true, would mark an end for the Star and Motor Cars parade which has been good, but not great.  Because rumors of this change have been around for years, seeing is believing but there is more credence this time as the items on this list seem to be legitimate.  I’m all for the new parade because in this case, change is good and keeping the parade new and different will be a welcome change.

Again, with everything on the list, it’s all subject to change and aside from the Jedi Training Academy rumor, there hasn’t been anything official to confirm that what we see here is coming.  However, these changes are exciting to me and I look forward to this because it looks like Disney is giving the Studios some much needed tender love and care.