Hollywood Studios is a park that is undergoing a lot of changes in the near and not so near future. This is a good thing because, in my opinion, the park needs some breaths of fresh air to bring it up to par with the other Disney theme parks in Orlando. This is a classic case of addition by subtraction where Disney is getting rid of some older attractions to make room for some new attractions which will, hopefully, drive foot traffic into the park. It may be a tough go, for the short-term, but the long-term benefits outweigh the short-term losses.
On the past two Fridays, Disney has attempted to “take out the trash” by announcing the closure of two attractions. Last week, Disney announced the closure of Maelstrom. This week, Disney announced the closure of The Backlot Tour. These announcements brought two entirely different reactions from the Disney community. Outside of a few people, there was a collective shrug of the shoulders at the closure of The Backlot Tour. Compare that to the Maelstrom which brought a large amount of outrage to the point where #savemaelstrom was still trending two or three days after the announcement. It even generated a Yahoo! article discussing the outrage over the closure.
Walt Disney World has announced a lot of changes in the past year and especially in the past couple of weeks. This has upset a lot of Disney followers. Regardless of the amount of upset, these changes are coming and we, Disney fans, need to do is understand why these changes are being made and how to best handle these changes especially in the short term.
Let’s rundown the changes that have happened or are coming:
Nighttime entertainment at Animal Kingdom
A complete rebranding of Downtown Disney into Disney Springs
Avatarland to Animal Kingdom
New Fantasyland expansion at Magic Kingdom
New acts introduced to EPCOT at the expense of old favorites
Frozen overlay to the Norway Pavilion at EPCOT along with a Anna and Elsa meet and greet
Disney has announced, this afternoon, that a Frozen-themed attraction will be replacing Maelstrom in the Norway Pavilion. The attraction will take guests through the Kingdom of Arendelle with scenes and music from the movie. There will also be a royal greeting location where Anna and Elsa will greet guests.
Anna and Elsa will also have a presence in the Magic Kingdom during the holiday season as Queen Elsa will transform Cinderella Castle into an ice palace. Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, and Olaf will also be making appearances in the “Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade.”
In Hollywood Studios, Frozen Summer Fun has been extended even further into the holiday season while the Wandering Oaken Trading Post will be open through the holiday season as well.
After watching the some of the newer princess movies on Disney Channel as part of their Princess Weekend, Disney, in the 21st Century, has tried to change the image of the Disney Princess. They are no longer a girl who looks to find that one true love and think that true love is going to save them from all their problems. They are more progressive, active, and, most importantly, don’t a man to save them from their problems. They can save themselves.
The 21st Century has seen four new princesses come to life: Princess Tiana (Princess and the Frog), Princess Rapunzel (Tangled), Princess Merida (Brave), and Princess Anna (Frozen). All of them have strong personalities and willing to fight for themselves instead having someone else fight for them. Let’s meet these five 21st Century Princesses:
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