Disney D23 Expo Recap! Minds = Blown

Episode Summary

We’re sorry, but as hard as we tried, we could not keep this podcast under an hour.  There was just TOO MUCH NEWS!  The hype was well deserved, and many of the rumors from the past few months turned out to be true.  D23 Expo 2017 blew us away.  EPCOT is getting two new rides; Magic Kingdom is getting a new ride and a new theater; Toy Story Land got an opening date;  Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge got a flyover showing so many details;  D23, you sexy Expo, you did not disappoint!  Give us a listen, because we’re giving all the gouge and insights that you can’t get anywhere else (at least, not with as much snarkiness).

Podcast Timeline

01:40 Ride Farewells.  We say goodbye to a couple of attractions that are making room for some fresh Disney blood…

3:50  STAR WARS: Galaxy’s Edge HYPE!   Now with a trendy name, a flyover of the model, and an entire Hotel dedicated to Star Wars?!?

5:50  Did he just say that I get to pilot the Millennium Falcon? D23, you’re KILLIN ME!

6:40  What if I don’t want to be chased by a bounty hunter?

8:13 We’re discussing whether all of the other Star Wars attractions spread throughout Disney will be relocated to Galaxy’s Edge

9:36 Reverse STUMP THE HOST?!?  Vader tries to ambush Mufasa, and FAILS

12:30 Star Wars is getting its own hotel.  We heard a rumor about how much it will cost, and you’re not going to believe us.  Even we hope this rumor is wrong…

16:40 SKIP TO HERE IF YOU DON’T CARE ABOUT THE D23 STAR WARS ANNOUNCEMENTS (But seriously, don’t skip to here, you’ll miss so much wit, and saucy comebacks, and Reverse STUMP THE HOST!)

16:40 We’re talking about what’s replacing the closing Great Movie Ride.  Is this really the first time that Mickey has been featured in a ride?

21:20 Toy Story Land has an opening date!  We’re discussing the target audience for this park, and what we expect.

24:04 D23 dropped some enormous news about EPCOT.  Tune in to find out more about Ratatouille coming to France, Guardians of the Galaxy replacing the closing of Ellen’s Energy Adventure, and groundbreaking digital camera technology that Disney is pioneering.

26:52 Ratatouille in EPCOT is more exciting than you might realize.  Vader tells you about his experience on the ride in Disneyland Paris that he rode.

29:05 We’ll tell you why you should care about Disney inventing new digital camera technology, and what it has to do with China in EPCOT

32:30 Mission Space Makeover: Reopening in August after a brief two month closure.  We’ll tell you whether we think this is worth a revisit or if we think this D23 announcement was a miss.

37:08 Magic Kingdom is getting TRON?!!  If you haven’t heard of TRON, or didn’t like the movies, we’ll explain why that doesn’t matter, and why you should be excited for this futuristic addition to Tomorrowland.

40:43 The Magic Kingdom is getting a new theater, inspired by Willis Theatre from 1920s Kansas City.  Where is this going to go, and why should you care?  We’ve got some theories…

45:30 We enter the speed round portion of the show, with many announcements, but not many details.

• DVC (Disney Vacation Club) is planning a new Riviera Resort
• You’ll be able to ride a Gondola between certain resorts.  Disney Skyliner flies above Walt Disney World
• Disney seems to be competing with Uber now, with an adorably named Minnie Van service
• Paradise Pier is being rebranded to Pixar Pier
• Pixar Fest is coming in 2018 for a limited time only!
• The Marvel Universe is being expanded in Disney California Adventure.  Spiderman and the Avengers are coming!
• Disney Cruise Line is almost doubling their fleet!  A third ship for construction has been announced.

58:54 STUMP THE HOST

Corrections, Additions, Etc….

• During the recording of the podcast, we didn’t know the date of the Star Wars Hotel.  It was announced the next day that it is expected to open in 2019!
• Mufasa stated during the podcast that he didn’t see a date announced for the Tron ride.  We’ve found out that the Tron ride is planned to be opening in time for the 50th anniversary in 2021!
• The name of the attraction that Kevin couldn’t remember, housed at the Town Square Theatre, is: The Walt Disney Story Featuring Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln
• The Minnie Van service costs $20 per vehicle.
• We keep forgetting to mention the Name That Tune answer, and we’re sorry.  Next podcast, we promise!

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