Here is your latest News From the World of Disney for the period of April 21 – May 4, 2017.

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WALT DISNEY WORLD PARKS NEWS

April 23 – Samuel De Nascimento of Brazil with a time of 1:07:14 and Sydney DeVore of Florida with a time of 1:30:15 won the mens and womens 2^nd Annual Star Wars Half Marathon. (Link)

April 24 – Disney Springs location of Starbucks will be offering a special drink called the Pink Flamingo Frappucino. (Link)

April 24 – Disney released the detail of their annual fall free dining promotion. (Link)

April 24 – Pandora – The World of Avatar will employ approximately 700 people most of which will be transferred from other areas of Walt Disney World. (Link)

April 27 – A sink hole has opened up near the World Drive exit of I4. While it did effect westbound traffic. Things seem to be back to normal now.  (Link)

April 27 – With the opening of The Music of Pixar Live! in the Theatre of the Stars at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on May 26, a new dining package surely wasn’t far behind. And here it is. Similar to the other Hollywood Studios dining packages, bookings are now available at The Hollywood Brown Derby, Hollywood & Vine, and Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano.  (Link)

April 28 – Three new colors have been unveiled at Walt Disney World. The new choices are Star Wars, Grumpy and Frozen. (Link)

April 28 – Disney dining is now offering a Mickey Mouse Celebration Cake as any Disney owned and operated table service restaurant. The cake will cost $35 and serves 4-6 people.  (Link)

April 29 – Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is working with the imagineers at Walt Disney World to re-imagine the Jungle Cruise attraction at all the Disney Parks worldwide. (Link)

April 30 – Are driverless shuttles coming to Walt Disney World? If reports are correct, these shuttles could deploy for testing with employees-only later this year. If the tests are successful look for them to be available for guests sometime after that.  (Link)

May 1 – Marijuana, no matter if it is for medical purposes or not, is now banned from the Orlando theme parks. (Link)

May 2 – The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival will be a record 75 days this year with 35 marketplaces including new kiosks India and Spain. (Link)

DISNEYLAND NEWS

April 20 – Classic Space Mountain is returning to Disneyland on June 1. It is currently themed as ‘Hyperspace Mountain’. (Link)

April 27 – Johnny Depp made a surprise appearance on the Disneyland Pirates of the Caribbean ride. (Link)

May 3 – A special Galactic Premiere Party will take place on May 26 to celebrate the opening of Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! Included in the $150 cost, guests will receive a $15 food voucher, a decoder card and a tote bag. They will also get a chance to experience all 6 versions of the attraction. (Link)

May 3 – A new experience is coming to Tomorrowland in Disneyland Park. The new Tomorrowland Skyline Lounge Experience will offer an amazing view the park. (Link)

DISNEY CRUISE LINE

May 1 – For all you trivia buffs, here is a great piece of trivia to stump friends and family with at your next gathering: The Disney Wonder is the first cruise ship to cross the Panama Canal using the new locks. (Link)

WALT DISNEY CORPORATE NEWS

April 25 – Disney Research is in the process of perfecting “Makeup Lamp” which is a face-tracking projection system that paints your skin with digital pixels. (Link)

D23 CONVENTION

April 28 – The 2017 D23 Expo line-up have been announced and includes all our favorites such as the Disney Legends Award Ceremony, Walt Disney & Pixar Animation Studios panel, Walt Disney Studios Live-Action Panel, and Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. (Link)

DISNEY MOVIE/ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

April 22 – Release dates for the next four Avatar movies are as follows: December 18, 2020; December 17, 2021; December 20, 2024; and December 19, 2025. (Link)

April 25 – Walt Disney Studio has posted their movie release schedule through 2021. (Link)

April 25 – The Lion King live action remake has tapped Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner to voice the characters of Pumbaa and Timon. (Link)

April 25 – Disney’s Descendants 2 will premiere on five networks at once. The premiere will take place on Disney Channel, ABC, Disney XD, Freeform and Lifetime on July 21. (Link)

April 26 – Ewan McGregor (Lumiere in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast live-action remake) is in talks to play Christopher Robin. (Link)

May 1 – The Descendants 2 trailer and “Ways to Be Wicked” music video were released.

Trailer:

Music Video:

May 2 – Mickey Mouse Club is coming back! Showing a sign of the times, the new version will air on Facebook. (Link)

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Sue Nowicki is an alumnae of the 2014/15 Disney Parks Moms Panel. She splits her time between planning her next Walt Disney World vacation and being team mom to ten high-energy volleyball players where she fills the roles of secretary, navigator, head cheerleader, treasurer, athletic trainer and team psychologist. You can follow her on Twitter @JazzinDisneyMom.