Disney World has made some significant changes over the past year in its parks, hotels, and more.

Face Mask Sign

One of the biggest changes has been in Disney’s entertainment. Last year, Disney even reorganized part of its businesses to make streaming the primary focus of its entertainment. Disney is also investing LOTS into Disney+. As Disney continues to adapt and evolve, and the situation with the pandemic and its parks develops, we’re left to wonder…is Disney+ the future of for the Walt Disney Company? 

Suffice to say, 2020 was a surprising, challenging, and difficult year. With many pandemic-related restrictions and necessary pivots, Disney World has had to navigate its way through unprecedented times.

Festival of the Lion King theater

The parks adapted by getting crafty with line queues and increasing capacity when possible. Disney’s merchandise team churned out collectible gotta-have-‘em face masks and has given some guests the chance to get some amazing discounts.

But, the Company is still facing a lot of challenges. Disney has canceled many of its Adventures by Disney vacations. Disney Cruise Line has also continuously canceled more and more of its upcoming sailings. Disneyland Resort in California is expected to stay closed through March. Disneyland Paris is still closed. And even Disney’s parks around the world that are open are operating at reduced capacities.

Disney Cruise Line Wonder Ship

But, according to one analyst, even though things might not have gone fantastically with those parts of Disney’s businesses in the first quarter of its 2021 fiscal year, it might be okay because investors “have their eye on the prize.” Enter: Disney+. 

Ahead of Disney’s last quarterly earnings call, one analyst said Disney+ numbers might matter more than the empire as a whole. The analyst shared that investors likely want to know how the streaming service has done in light of season 2 of The Mandalorian and the premiere of WandaVision.

Disney+ Logo ©Disney

Ever since Disney+ debuted, the streaming service has been a smash hit, racking up millions of subscribers, surpassing even Disney’s expectations for the service, and totally changing the way we Disney-lovers view some of our favorite movies and TV shows.

Screenshot from Disney+ Adult Account

Disney+ combines exciting original content with nostalgic fanfare, cleverly showcasing both the old and new eras of Disney entertainment. And with lockdowns and travel restrictions, folks all over the world have really been able to stay connected with that Disney magic thanks to the streaming service. 

©Disney

Disney has made it clear that it’s increasingly shifting its focus to its streaming platforms, including Disney+. This change has placed the Company in the right position to capitalize on its old successes but also produce enough fresh content to keep Disney front-and-center in the media amidst trying times for theme parks. Just look at the mega success of The Mandalorian, a series that’s become a full-blown behemoth with merchandising, and has even inspired a slew of other Star Wars-related projects! 

Baby Yoda Shoulder Plush

While some of Disney’s theme parks around the world are closed, Disney+ has been able to continue to gain subscribers and Disney’s streaming services overall have recently seen an increase in revenue. It seems Disney isn’t just treating this as just a resource for Disney fans. It’s become a focus for the Company in a big way and a way for the Company to reach WIDE audiences across the planet!  

Disney+ Screenshot ©Disney

Analysts have even upgraded Disney’s stock based, in part, on their streaming success, as well as other factors. And in fact Disney’s stock has hit some extremely high levels over the past year.

©Disney

The company has also used Disney+ to keep things going in fresh ways while dealing with the restrictions of the pandemic. In a world without “normal” movie theaters or where people may be hesitant still to leave their homes, Disney has dropped must-see movies like Mulan and Soul directly onto Disney+ (one for an additional fee, and one without). The Company will be doing that again by releasing Raya and the Last Dragon in theaters and Disney+ (for an additional fee).

During the holidays, when Soul was released, Disney+ even saw a BIG bump in downloads. Back in November of 2020, Disney’s CEO Bob Chapek said “It’s very clear to us that new content drives subscribers.” It seems Disney is very much aware of how important it is to not only get subscribers, but produce content that keeps them subscribed.

Mulan ©Disney

The most recent Investor Day conference, for instance, was basically the Super Bowl of Disney media, FILLED with jaw-dropping announcements for TONS of upcoming NEW series, movies, and spin-offs — many of which are headed directly to Disney+. 

©Disney | Marvel Studios

Seriously, it was difficult to keep up with the dizzying amount of news Disney dropped that day!

©Disney

But all this new content isn’t cheap. Disney is preparing to spend DOUBLE what it originally anticipated on content development costs, and is projecting Disney+ to be profitable in Fiscal Year 2024. How? Well, achieving its goal of having between 230-260 MILLION paid subscribers should help! Other things that could push Disney+ to become profitable include the price increase that is coming soon, enticing new bundles becoming available, the use of Premier Access, and the expansion of the Disney+ service across the globe. Some analysts even estimate that Disney+ will reach $4 billion in revenue by as soon as 2022.

©Disney

Nowadays, looking to the future with Disney isn’t just about new rides, new restaurants, and new hotels. Sure, there are LOTS of all of those things too — and Disney has said that they WILL continue to invest in their parks. But especially now with Disney+, the future of the Walt Disney Company is about so much more.

And Disney knows it too. If you listen to the call or read a transcript from the 2020 4th quarterly earnings call, you’ll hear (or see) JUST how many times Bob Chapek (the current Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company) and Christine McCarthy (the current Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer) mentioned the words “direct to consumer,” “DTC,” and Disney+. Chapek specifically noted that “DTC business is key to the future growth of our company,” and talked about how Disney recently restructured their businesses because of that.

TRON Construction

Chapek also said that the recent reorganization helps Disney better align themselves as they pivot “to a DTC-first business model.” Note that Chapek didn’t say it was a DTC-emphasized model or just a model where DTC is very important — it’s a DTC-first model. That speaks volumes as to where Disney’s primary focus really will be moving forward. Chapek also said he sees the DTC business as a “key driver of significant long-term value for [the] company.”

Streaming is SUCH a big focus that no semi-annual dividend for The Walt Disney Company was issued in January partially to make sure the Company is able to prioritize its investment in DTC content. Disney isn’t playing around here.

©Disney

As Disney continues to navigate this new era of streaming AND theme parks, Disney+ has carved a path that’s rich with new ideas. And the revenue doesn’t just end with subscribers. Disney+ original shows and movies often get their own bunch of accompanying merchandise and other items — whether that’s a Baby Yoda toy or a cake inspired by WandaVision. 

’70s ‘WandaVision’ Petite Cake!

Disney World’s parks, resorts, and restaurants may be what many fans associate with the Company, but Disney+ might become a much bigger part of making the magic all possible in the future. 

Disney+ saw a BIG bump in downloads over the holidays! Click here to see more!

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

What’s your favorite thing about Disney+? Let us know in the comments! 

The post Is Disney+ the Future of the Company? first appeared on the disney food blog.

Okay, let’s start by stating the obvious here…Disney World is expensive!

EPCOT

Most of us go into our Disney trips expecting that we’re going to spend a bit more money on things in the parks than we would at home, and we accept that fact because we LOVe that Disney magic! However, there are a few things out there that are basically just rip-offs on Disney’s part, and we totally let them get away with it. In fact, we’re kind of…in a weird way…totally OK with it?! Today, we’re sharing our list of total rip-offs that Disney fans STILL love!

Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bars

Oof, we’re starting out hot here with a controversial one! Listen, we love Mickey Premium Bars as much as the next guy, but we have to be honest — they’re a little overpriced in the parks. Currently, they’re $5.69 apiece before taxes. That’s a pretty pricey ice cream bar!

Mickey Bar

You know what else you can buy for $5.69? A whole box of ice cream bars at your grocery store. BUT we get it — you’re AT Disney and that ice cream JUST. TASTES. BETTER, ammiright? Outside of the parks, you can often find Mickey Premium Bars in your local grocery store. At Target, you can score a box of 6 for $7.29. To be fair, the ice cream bars sold in stores are a bit smaller than the ones sold in the parks, but you still get more bang for your buck. Ultimately, we have to admit that eating the store-bought ones doesn’t quite compare to enjoying their larger (and more magical ) counterpart in the parks!

Spirit Jerseys

We’re gonna break a few hearts here, but we have to be honest with you. Paying $69.99 for a t-shirt is just a little overkill…even in Disney World! To be fair, it’s the Spirit Jersey brand that’s expensive, most of their non-Disney shirts cost around the same amount, but still, they’re usually between $70 to $80 after tax!

Neon Splatter Spirit Jersey

If you’re looking for that specific brand of shirt, then it may be worth it for you to pay the price. However, if all you want is a Disney tee, then skip the jersey and go for a more basic design — the cheapest options for adults usually start around $20. In the end, it’s totally up to you which souvenirs you buy at Walt Disney World, but just think about how many more Disney snacks you could try with the 50ish bucks you’d save!

Bottled Water

We totally understand the reasoning behind this — you’re in the parks, it’s a hot day, and you don’t want to get dehydrated! However, we encourage you to think twice before reaching for that $3.50+ bottle of water at the snack stand or restaurant. There are SO many other ways to stay hydrated that’ll cost you a lot less. (Or nothing at all!)

Water Bottle Refill Station

First of all, guests are allowed to bring their own food and beverages into the parks, so we typically recommend bringing your own water bottle and refilling it throughout the day at the bottle refill stations around Disney World. (We even sell some pretty awesome ones in our store!) You can also stop by select quick-service restaurants and various snack stands (most any stand with a drink machine) around the parks to pick up free cups of ice water. 

Ice Water at Auntie Gravity’s Galactic Goodies

If you’re using the Disney Dining Plan (when available), we try to recommend NOT wasting a snack credit on a bottle of water! There are so many exciting snacks out there to try, and most of them are a much better value on the dining plan. BUT, if it feels like the Sahara Desert in your mouth and you’re dying for a sip of cold water…buy the water. You do you — it’s YOUR money and YOUR trip. But there are much more cost-effective ways to hydrate if you’re looking to save a few bucks. Plus, you can always buy a pack from the grocery store and keep them in your hotel room, bringing some with you to the parks each day!

Mickey Balloons

Of the things that landed on this list, this one almost didn’t make it. Why? Because there’s just something so special about seeing Mickey balloons on Main Street, U.S.A., and you can’t deny the joy in a child’s (or adult’s!) face when they get one! However, we HAVE to talk about the price.

Mickey Balloons

These balloons range anywhere from around $14-$18 each, and that’s without tax! (Keep in mind prices go up on these periodically so ask before you purchase!) As quintessential as they are to the Disney parks, in the end, it’s just a balloon. If your kiddo gets an “allowance” to spend on souvenirs and this is eating into that, maybe encourage them to get a souvenir they can hold on to forever.

Orange Mickey Balloon

Basically, when it comes to Mickey balloons, we’re a bit peeved that they cost so much, but like we said, we’re suckers for a little Disney magic. We can’t exactly blame you if you shell out the big bucks to get one — you’re at Disney World after all! (Real talk — we still totes buy balloons more often than you’d think. BUT, we still know it’s a lot of money to blow on helium and latex!)

Click Here to Find Out How Many of Our Readers Fell Victim to the Mickey Balloon Mania!

nuiMOs

Let’s talk about the new kid on the block — that’s right, Disney’s nuiMOs! These little plushes are adorable, posable, and oh yeah, SUPER pricey for what you get! Each nuiMO plush is $17.99, and they’re only a few inches tall. They’re basically the Beanie Babies of Disney World RN.

Mickey and Minnie nuiMOs

Plus, if you want to dress up your nuiMO in cute outfits (which is really the main appeal, right?), then you’ll need to shell out an additional $12.99 per outfit for basic outfits. If you want to get your nuiMo their own Loungefly backpack or Spirit Jersey, prepare to shell out even more! Besides looking pretty stinkin’ precious, they don’t really do much…they just pose for your pics.

Donald nuiMOs

If you’re looking for plushes, then you can find Wishables in the park for $9.99 each, and larger plushes usually start around $20. (And it’s less likely that you’ll lose them!) For reference, a basic Build-A-Bear costs around the same as a nuiMO ($15-20), and while their outfits are sometimes more expensive, you get a fuller experience with a Build-A-Bear, creating it from start to finish!

Check out the nuiMos here! 

Cinderella’s Royal Table

Okay, it’s time for a heavy-hitter! Cinderella’s Royal Table is one of the most popular restaurants in Disney World, but it’s also one of the most overpriced. Currently, the meal doesn’t offer the true character experience that it used to, only a short appearance from Cinderella. However, you’ll still pay the hefty price of $62 per adult and $37 per child!

Cinderella’s Royal Table

The adult price is only $13 lower than what it was pre-closure, and you used to have a full character meal with multiple princesses.

Cinderella Castle

Contrast this meal with what’s currently being offered over at Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom. It’s a restaurant that also lost the characters, but you’ll only pay $39 for adults to dine here! Plus, you’ll get an all-you-can-eat appetizer and a big plate of shared desserts. Eating inside Cinderella Castle is still an experience that we recommend at least once. It’s the CASTLE, after all.  Still, that doesn’t mean that it’s not a little too pricey for our liking!

Click here to see our latest review of Cinderella’s Royal Table

Preferred Parking

Walking extra steps to get to your car after a long day at Disney doesn’t exactly sound appealing, but neither does paying $25 extra to park a few feet closer to the park entrance! Preferred parking at Disney World parks currently costs between $40 and $50 per day, depending on the season. On the other hand, regular parking costs $25 per day.

EPCOT Parking Plaza

If you’re an Annual Passholder or a Disney Resort guest, you can score preferred parking at a discounted rate. However, it would be spending money unnecessarily, considering that these two groups of guests wouldn’t typically pay for theme park parking at all. Some guests choose preferred right now because the parking lot trams aren’t running, however, it may not be as helpful as you think since the parks are at limited capacity and there are fewer cars in the parking lots anyway. This is really a case of “how valuable is your time (or, in this case, steps).” If it’s worth 25ish bucks, go for it, but we’ll save that dough for an extra pretzel or two.

Click Here to Check Out More Splurges That Aren’t Really Worth It!

Hard-Ticketed Events AT Hard-Ticketed Events

You know how visiting one of Disney’s hard-ticketed events or parties can be kinda expensive? Well, imagine adding an extra $99 per person on top of that price to visit another more exclusive event! That’s the case with Cruella’s Halloween Hide-A-Way at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Tony’s Most Merriest Town Square Party at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. 

Cruella’s Halloween Hide-a-Way

These additional events are 3-hour parties-within-a-party that offer food, drinks, and a special parade viewing area. The problem here is that you’re already paying a lot to be at the Halloween or Christmas party, and spending time at these events takes away from the limited time that you can spend at the party in general. Also, for $99, you could buy a LOT of party-exclusive treats…now doesn’t that sound delicious?! 

Don’t get us wrong — these events are nice. But when we’re shelling out a lot of money to be at the after-hours event, shelling out almost double to get some food, drinks, and a parade view in an already not crowded park isn’t a great use of money or time to us.

Check out our review of Cruella’s Halloween Hide-a-way a couple of years ago!

Glow Toys and Bubble Wands

The last two items on our list are a hit mainly with the smallest guests! Disney knows exactly what they’re doing — putting these carts directly in front of your children’s faces literally flashing colors and BUBBLES at them. They’re pretty enticing to little ones. BUT if you buy these in the parks or even buy them from shopDisney, you’ll be spending over $20 apiece!

Stitch Bubble Wand

The great thing about this addition to our list is that we aren’t suggesting you skip buying these, just that you’re smart about HOW you buy them! Head to Amazon before your trip and score Disney-themed bubble wands and glow toys for half the price that you’ll pay in the parks. Then, you can pack them in your bags and present them to your kids at the parks!

Bring those toys out when it gets dark!

Bubble wands and spinners are fun for kiddos but we just don’t love the hefty price tags for such simple, often “forgotten after your trip” items. If you really wanna go cost-effective and old school — straight up bubbles still haven’t lost their appeal with kids!

There you have it, 9 rip-offs that Disney fans love. We hope you’ll forgive us for blaspheming on fan-favorites like Cinderella’s Royal Table and Mickey Premium Bars! You know we love every single thing we shared on this list, but push comes to shove — some of them are just too pricey for what they are! If you’re not super mad at us by this point, then we hope you’ll stick around for more planning advice and Disney parks news!

Click Here to Read About 10 Insanely Expensive Things in Disney World!

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Do you buy any of the things on this list? Tell us in the comments!

The post 9 Total Rip-Offs That Disney Fans LOVE first appeared on the disney food blog.

This week the SATURDAY SIX Proudly Presents: The Theme Park Artwork of Shelby Denham! For the month of February, the SAT SIX is spending each weekend spotlighting an artist in the community whose work we respect and admire. We kicked off the event with SonderQuest, followed up in week two with Sam Carter, and last week looked at Brian Cooper. Today we are finishing up with an artist who is well known in the “haunt community,” Shelby Denham. We’re also going to do something a little different. Based in Florida, Shelby is our first “local” artist and has a years of experience working directly with Disney and Universal Orlando. We’ve reached out to several people in the theme park community to give their thoughts on Shelby, which you will see spread throughout the article.

# 6 – The Icons of Halloween Horror Nights

Jason Perry (@jasonryanperry) Ted “Theodore” Logan, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure: Want to know how brilliant Shelby is as an artist? Thousands of people can walk by a window in a theme park, recognize their work being displayed, and immediately transport to a memory of an event we love.

I don’t think there are many artists who can heighten emotions the way Shelby does, and we’re truly grateful to have them in our community.

Many people know Shelby by their iconic artwork featuring Halloween Horror Nights characters, specifically the HHN Icons. The HHN community is a passionate one filled with creative people, but each year Shelby delivers amazing artwork featuring the characters us HHN fans want to see represented in the parks.

Just stunning work as always, and even the behind-the-scenes look at how a drawing is created is beautiful.

Christopher Ripley (@christopherrip) author HHN Unofficial: The Story and Guide 2020: I’ve been writing books for many years, and initially, I did not have control of my book covers, but when I gained control on my third edition of the Halloween Horror Nights guidebook, I didn’t hesitate to invite Shelby to design the cover immediately.  I had always loved their juxtaposing style of mixing Disney like artwork with iconic horror and sci-fi tropes. This edition then went on to be the best-selling copy of the book and was awarded at the International Book Fair in Miami. Afterwards, we continued to work together where they designed our logo at HHN Unofficial, they designed our first lanyards, collaborated together on the Halloween Horror Stories book and many other projects too.

Through the years, I’ve seen their artwork progress and watched them develop into the greatest fan theme park artist that exists today.  Where I can, I always try to support them by collecting their artwork and was so proud on their behalf when Shelby was finally recognized by Universal for their unique skills and invited them to provide official artwork for Halloween Horror Nights, such an amazing achievement.  I am humbled to know such a remarkable artist and also to call them my dear friend.

# 5 – Comic Book Style

Hunter F (@HanBrolo77), co-host Grim Grinning Ghosts podcast: When I first met Shelby it was at HHN 27. Appropriate right? From talking quickly about the art to moving into an extravagant and detailed conversation on why TOMB OF THE ANCIENTS was the MVP of the year prior, our friendship grew quickly and I am now so proud to call them not only my co-host on Catacombs of Halloween Horror Nights, but my friend.

No one is a bigger fan of comic books that we here at the SATURDAY SIX. We’ve done several articles revolving around theme park comic books; including EPCOT’s Mickey & Goofy Explore the Universe of Energy,  Enchanted Tiki Room and Haunted Mansion books from the Disney Kingdoms line, and – most recently – comics based on Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission – Breakout. Recently, Shelby has done many pieces of artwork done in the style of faux comic book covers and they are incredible! Below are some of the comic book cover drawings featuring various HHN haunted houses and scarezones. As always, it’s the “little things” that stand out to me, and the references to CAREY PRESS along with nods to members of Universal Creative such as Mike Aiello, Lora Sauls, and Blake Braswell.

Thanks to the coronavirus, the 30th anniversary of HHN was cancelled, but luckily not all was lost as Universal did give fans a “lite” version of the event, which some dubbed HHN 29.5 (but we prefer Universal’s Untitled Daytime Halloween Event). The Bride of Frankenstein Lives and Beetlejuice were two of the houses which Universal let fans get a “taste” of HHN.

Shelby even did a 3-D variant of the Beetlejuice print!

In 2017, Invasion! was a scarezone that was part of HHN 27. This drawing was also made with 3-D in mind.

This AMAZING comic book style cover is for the Tomb of the Ancients haunted house from HHN 26.

How great does this Mardi Gras themed comic book cover look?!!

# 4 – BORIS SHUSTER and the Fan Made Characters of IOA

For this drawing, Shelby has Boris Shuster looking wistfully out this very same window.

In this amazing piece, Shelby created a mock-up of a pulp noir style book cover featuring Boris and Bloody Mary.

Over in Islands of Adventure, any person who has walked through Port of Entry knows it is one of the best theme park entrances in the entire world. Shelby created characters who would fit perfectly into this land.

Meanwhile, over in Lost Continent sits the Mystic Fountain. An interactive fountain which talks to guests, you can end up spending a lot of time watching kids be enthralled by the Mystic Fountain.

Shelby created a backstory for the Mystic Fountain along a unique character in a relationship akin to Beauty & the Beast.

# 3 – Jock and Jake

We have covered the popular #SixFanArts challenge previously, as artists take suggestions from social media users on characters to draw. We’ve seen artists draw characters from Disney, Universal, and other pop culture favorite movies and video games. For Shelby’s #SixFanArts below we have Figment, Norman Bates of Psycho fame, Don Karnage from the Disney Afternoon’s TaleSpin, popular video game characters and…Jock Lindsey? Jock Lindsey was an incidental side character from Indiana Jones at the Raiders of the Lost Arc. However, in a surprising move, Disney themed Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar in Disney Springs around this character and filled the bar with references from the Indiana Jones movies.

One of the references in the Hangar Bar is this sign below, which features a cup that was prominently featured in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Shelby recreated that sign, and other artifacts, in this drawing of Jock Lindsey.

Meanwhile, over at the Universal Orlando Resort, they already had an area themed to a American pilot who opened up a bar serving casual American food. The bar in question is Jake’s American Bar at Loews Royal Pacific Resort. In an ingenious creative move, Shelby shipped these two ex-pats into a loving relationship through a series of drawings that are both charming and heartwarming.

As a straight white male, I am represented throughout the theme parks. Many others, who love the parks just as much as me – if not more – can’t say the same. There are scores of theme park fans and theme park employees who are part of the LGBTQ+ community who are sorely lacking any representation in a place they love the most. The theme parks themselves are great at empty gestures of inclusion, or will be happy to make money off it when it comes to things like Pride themed merchandise, but actual inclusion? Not so much. I love the Jake and Jock drawings because they show a loving relationship transcends what many of us have been taught to believe is “the right way.” Happiness, contentment, and representation shouldn’t be exclusive to one group of people at the expense of everyone else. Things are changing, slowly, but at least we are moving towards a direction where anyone, regardless of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity, can feel as welcomed at the parks as I do.

Speaking of Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar, first let’s take a look at some of the themed drinks that were served during the first year of operations.

Next up, Shelby’s wonderful drawings of these drinks!

# 2 – Mouse Inspired

Let’s check out some of Shelby’s drawings from Animation Academy.

Artistically speaking, Shelby’s artwork slaps especially hard when it combines both Disney and Universal. For example, we all love the stretching room portraits in the Haunted Mansion, but we if they were mashed up with HHN Icons? Magic.

Brandon Kleyla (@BrandonKleyla) Art Director: Like many of us, I first became a fan of Shelby’s through their art on Twitter. It just kept popping up in my feed! Over time I’d pick up a piece here and there, the Universal Monsters Graveyard Busts being one of them. There’s just a fun unique style to everything I’d seen of Shelby’s, and it’s only grown! It wasn’t until Adventureland Day that we got to meet and instantly was like we’d always known each other. We chatted about the parks, tiki mugs, all sorts of random topics as we all matches our way through Adventureland, collecting treasure maps from “A Pirates Adventure.” 

This drawing of the Haunted Mansion bride has a truly otherworldly feel to it.

More lighthearted is this drawing of everyone’s favorite purple dragon, Figment.

On the other end of the spectrum is this drawing of Figment, which was made recently during a next level bonkers exchange on social media involving some passionate Disney fans and Eric Idle (who plays the character of Dr. Nigel Channing in Journey Into Imagination with Figment.) Essentially, after being driven near mad by Twitter, Idle referred to Figment as the “animated little f—er.” Fear not, Dear Reader, we’ll be covering all of this in great detail later this year in the 2021 Theme Park Turkeys of the Year Awards.

The Sanderson Sisters of Hocus Pocus.

Cult favorite The Rocketeer.

The most buzzed about show on Disney+, WandaVision.

Theme park fans love their buttons, and when Shelby takes a crack at the Fab Four the results get SPOOKY…

Another set of buttons, featuring some of Disney’s most iconic snacks.

#1 – Universal Orlando FEATURED ARTIST

For us Shelby Denham fans, our world got rocked several years ago when Shelby became a commissioned artist by Universal Orlando. Shelby’s artwork was now available to purchase inside Universal Studios Florida during the annual Mardi Gras celebration and – of course – Halloween Horror Nights. During HHN, a new drawing would debut each week based around a a haunted house or scarezone in that year’s HHN. Guests could buy prints, magnets, or a even a limited edition super sized print!

Let’s check out some behind-the-scenes drawings for these exclusive prints.

Michael Aiello (@Michael_Aiello) Sr Director Entertainment Creative for Universal Orlando: Shelby is the real deal. I’ve enjoyed watching their talent grow year after year. The HHN characters she explores take on a brand new life when seen through their lens. I’ve got Shelby’s wonderful art hanging prominently in my office and my son Caden is proud to have a few Shelby Denham originals within view of his piano. I’m thrilled artists like Shelby are so inspired by the characters we’ve been fortunate to create stories and experiences around. I’m ecstatic they’ve been able to share their art within the event!  Shelby’s love of theme parks and their characters is only rivaled by their love of those who love theme parks.

HONORABLE MENTION – Shelby and the SATURDAY SIX

Readers of this fine blog series have seen Shelby’s artwork before in these very pages. Back in 2017, I reached out to them for a drawing intended for the Fourth Annual Theme Park Turkey of the Year Awards. The mission, if they chose to accept it, was to draw something related to the bonkers story of an adult guest choking out a teenager for having the temerity to – GASP – stand during the nighttime spectacular Wishes. Believe it or not, every night at Disney’s Magic Kingdom there would be a group of people who would sit on the pavement waiting for the fireworks. Most guests however, would stand. On many nights, sitting guests would jeer those standing in front of them, trying to use peer pressure into getting them to sit down. However on one occasion, a sitting guest took matters into her own hands…literally. My only direction to Shelby was, “a typical Karen choking out a teenage Instagramer in front of the castle.”  What they came back with was magic.

In last week’s SATURDAY SIX, I wrote about the evolution of the “David and Derek” series, and explained how I wrote and drew the early ones. When drawing out the Do’s and Don’ts of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, I just about lost my mind trying to draw the Millennium Falcon. The drawing you see below was like my 100th attempt.

The deadline was fast approaching, and I reached out to see if Shelby could do a last-minute assist and draw the “hunk of junk” for me. I lucked out, and there was some extra time in Shelby’s schedule and they delivered exactly what I wanted. In fact, it was so good that it made everything else in the article that I drew look like crap. At that point I swore that I would never do another edition of David & Derek again, even though they are one of my favorite recurring articles. Thankfully artist Brian Cooper stepped up and took over the drawing for the David & Derek series, allowing us to look at the Do’s and Don’ts of Vacation Planning and Covid-19 Safety Protocols.

Speaking of recurring characters, who can ever get enough of Bacini, the official dog of DisTwitter? One day on social media I was lucky enough to be around when Shelby announced they were opening up spots for commissions. I reached out and wanted their interpretation of this classic Bacini photo below.

As always, Shelby nailed it.

So there you have it: SATURDAY SIX Presents: The Theme Park Artwork of SHELBY DENHAM! See you next weekend for the latest installment of the SATURDAY SIX, where we’ll look at something fun from the world of Disney and Universal. If you enjoyed yourself, be sure to check out The Magic, The Memories, and Merch! articles covering the latest from the Disney Outlet Stores. You can also follow Your Humble Author on Twitter (@derekburgan).

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Special Thanks to The Elite Brandon Glover, the bio-est of all reconstructs @bioreconstruct, Captain Cruiseline Scott Sanders of the world famous Disney Cruise Line Blog, my personal protege Hunter “Elvey” Underwood, artist @SonderQuest, the SAT SIX Fun Squad of Parkscope Joe and “the Dadalorian” Nick, hot shot Michael Carelli, charter member of the Universal Four @Nitro230, and Hermione Granger’s tutor Megan Stump for their invaluable assistance with this article. The SAT SIX is inspired each week by goofballs Aengus Mackenzie and LitemAndHyde and you Potterheads will  enjoy Meg’s other blog work over at the Central Florida Slug Club.

Bryan Bindman (@BBindman) local artist: I am truly grateful to call Shelby my friend. I’ve beaten this story into the ground, but I’ll never forget when I found out we would randomly be stuck next to each other at MegaCon a few years ago- I was absolutely intimidated at first!  The Cryptigutz art style was so clean and angular, the color palette just popped…the work was so perfect and here I was showing up with my hastily drawn sketches and similar subject matter. Shelby, to me, was this Orlando household name that just stood out from the walls of Deadpools that tend to canvas those cons. What a relief when I found out this person in my head was also so down to earth, dealing with the same dreams and frustrations, and we could easily bond over our love of Disney submarine rides and halloween mazes.

I am a better artist and person because of our friendship. Shelby has so much respect for everyone and works hard to boost others up and keep the community inclusive. I’ have so much admiration for their drive as an artist…..and Shelby is still the only person who could get me up at 3am for a ride opening on my day off. Love you Shelby!

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Imagineer Zach Riddley has shared on Instagram early this morning that the centerpiece barge for the new EPCOT nighttime spectacular “Harmonious” has made its way onto the World Showcase Lagoon at EPCOT.

The post PHOTOS: 6-Story-Tall “Harmonious” Centerpiece Ring Arrives on World Showcase Lagoon at EPCOT appeared first on WDW News Today.