Welcome to the latest edition of The Magic, The Memories, and Merch!, the longest running monthly look at the Disney Outlet Stores in Orlando. As you have read in this fine blog series over the past few months, going to the actual outlet stores has become something of an ordeal for many people. While the various theme parks and hotels at Disney seem to be getting better and better at providing a good experience during These Unprecedented Times, the outlets are somehow getting worse. Case in point, Disney’s MagicMobile Pass went live this week, making a contact-less entry into the theme parks easier than ever. Over at the outlets? Wait times of two hours or more just to get into the store are becoming the norm rather than the exception…

 

As an Outlet Influencer, I get emails and Direct Messages about the outlets all the time. Recently I got this message…

Outlet’s Deep Throat also sent this picture, showing one of the wagons which a reseller uses to round up items along with one of their binders. There are several Character Warehouse groups on Facebook, and you’ll see wild stories there as well, including some resellers live streaming from the stores, picking up the items that their viewers are requesting.

 

Well anyway, let’s head back into the stores to see what we find this month. It was surprising to see the Ink & Paint collection having another month as the “spotlight” item (so to speak) at the front of the store. Generally speaking, because the display is so large and it’s the first thing guests see when walking into the store, items here will go relatively fast. But the Ink & Paint stuff has now been in this area for months.

You can still get a set of these ridiculous paint cans to store your stuff in. You can use one for pens and pencils, one for AA batteries, one for paperclips. and one for loose change to help save up for the inevitable divorce attorney.

Not a bad looking dog food bowl featuring Lady & the Tramp. Reduced to $8.99.

Not a bad looking pin featuring Chip & Dale for EPCOT’s Festival of the Holidays 2020. Reduced to $3.99.

This next pin was an elaborately boxed pin for the Pixar film Coco.

The pin inside featured the character Dante. Originally $15.99, now $6.99. Pretty great presentation for an item that I can’t see appealed to many people.

Love this Animal Kingdom shirt for kids. Disney could have easily just had the Fab Five in a jeep with the logo, but animals and Tree of Life in the background are fantastic. The cherry on top of the sundae is the “stitching” on the sides of the shirt. Originally $29.99, now $12.99.

I like the concept of these animal shirts below. A couple years ago at EPCOT I got my girlfriend the Birds of a Feather shirt on the right hand side of this picture. More recently they’ve put out shirts featuring various Disney cats and dogs. I don’t think the execution comes out nearly as well as the birds shirt. Originally $36.99, now $12.99.

This Forky plush is almost a foot tall. Just insane. Originally $19.99, now $5.99.

One of the Wishables based on Disney foods arrived in the form of a Mickey Waffle. Originally $9.99, now $3.99. I’m not sure how popular Wishables are compared to other Disney collectibles that were similar. On social media I still see people talking more about Tsum Tsums, which you can’t even buy in America anymore, than Wishables. I also think the release strategy of Wishables is a bit odd as most lines have open editions – like the Mickey Waffle below – which will be hanging on a rack, while others in the collection will be blind bagged, and you have no idea what you are getting. As many readers know, I have about half a million Tsum Tsums, but have bought only a handful of Wishables (at least half at the Outlets). I went on ShopDisney today and loaded a bunch of nuiMOs in my cart, so I’ll be starting that collection as soon as there is some sort of site-wide sale (which is approximately every other day).

On the other end of the price spectrum is this Cinderella carriage watch. Originally $395, now “just” $197.99. Whatever floats your boat.

Interesting cutting board for EPCOT’s International Food & Wine Festival. I love the brief appearance by Spaceship Earth, but the shape of the cutting board is just too impractical to actually use in our kitchen. Originally $29.99, now $6.99.

Over the years I have bought many of these EPCOT food/drink trays for the kiddos to use at home. Originally $7.99, now $1.99. In my experience they often go down to 99 cents, so maybe next month we’ll pick up a couple more.

These Minnie Mouse water bottles have dropped even lower in price. Originally $27.99, now $5.99.

Disney has been offering this type of ceramic Starbucks cups for a long time and I never understood why they needed the “type of coffee” list on the side. It’s not like the regular coffee cups at Starbucks looked like this. THAT I would understand. Originally $29.99, now $7.99.

We’ll be seeing items for the Grand Opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at the outlets for the next 20 years I think. This BB-8 cup was originally $24.99, now $7.99.

…and it lights up!

R2D2 dog harness. Originally $39.99, now $12.99.

More and more of the plush from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge that is supposed to appear “homemade” finds its way to the discount racks. This Jabba the Hutt plush was originally $22.99, now $5.99.

R2D2 wristlet bag. Originally $40, now $22.99.

Same price for this bag featuring Wicket the Ewok.

This may be the first “Credit Card Holder” at the outlets, featuring Madame Leota from The Haunted Mansion. Originally $14.99, now $6.99.

This bag featuring the end of it’s a small world has dropped lower in price. Originally $19.99, now $4.99.

Minnie Mouse wristlet. Originally $40, now $20.99.

Dooney & Bourke bag featuring colorful Mickeys. Originally $298, now $149.99.

One per “gest” per day.

 

Let’s head on our to California and see what Christela McC has found at an Outlet closer to Disneyland.

First up, a sharp looking Disneyland ball cap. Orginally $27.99, now $6.99.

However, this Disneyland cap, with a BONKERS neon green plastic brim was originally $27.99 but reduced to $12.98. This hat looks like something Huey, Dewey, and Louie would wear in a comic book, not a human being in the real world.

Minnie Mouse “Americana” headbands. Reduced to $16.98, which is a little crazy because they’ve been reduced to $3.99 at the outlets here in Florida. With stuff like this and the fact that we have working theme parks while The West Coast doesn’t, has Disney finally answered my prayers and will now #BeFairToFlorida? Those Californians already have multiple churro flavors and DOUBLE SIDED PRESSED PENNIES, so they should be happy enough with that.

Pool Float ear headband? WHO WEARS THIS?!!!! Reduced also to $16.98.

I am Groot hat, originally $27.99, now $6.99.

Speaking of Groot, he was one of the characters that are part of the Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! Wishables collection. These were not discounted and were being sold at original retail price of $9.99 each. I love that it has an actual Disneyland attraction though as part of the branding as they easily could have just gone with just a “Guardians of the Galaxy” set.

That said, since it is themed to Mission: BREAKOUT! it would have been cool to have some of the characters you’ll see in the attraction, like the cosmonaut dog.

Retro style sweater. Originally $39.99, now $14.99.

This is like a Spirit Jersey for someone who films everything in portrait, like a goof. Originally $49.99, now $17.99. PRO TIP: Everything is better in landscape, even spirit jerseys.

One of the oddest iPhone cases Disney has every released. I wonder if they made one for those Samsung Galaxy Note phones that exploded, then we’d “have some corn for poppin…” Originally $44.99, now $21.99.

Thanks Christela!

Okay, we’re going to close this month by starting a new feature. Each month we’re going to look at a gift shop at Disney or Universal and shine a spotlight on it. To commemorate the recent reopening of the water parks in Orlando, we’re going to start off with our favorite park of all…VOLCANO BAY.

GIFT SHOP SPOTLIGHT: VOLCANO BAY!

Thanks to the brilliant photos from Captain Cruiseline Scott Sanders and the Mighty Maven of Merchandise Hedgehog’s Corner, we’re going to check out the shopping options for Volcano Bay guests. The main area for shopping is directly to your left when you enter the park, and is Waturi Marketplace.

In Waturi Marketplace there are two main shops. On the left hand side of Waturi Marketplace is Bikini Tiki.

There are very few Volcano Bay-branded items in Bikini Tiki, but a lot of great items related to the beach and relaxation in general.

Need a bathing suit? They’ll have you covered.

I love the design when looking up in Bikini Tiki.

Now, when in Waturi Marketplace, the other main store is Tuku Tuku Traders. Here is where you’ll find all the Volcano Bay-branded merchandise you could want.

Before we look at the Volcano Bay-branded items, you should know that there is one more gift shop at Volcano Bay. While Waturi Marketplace is on the left-hand side of the park when you enter, if you take a right upon entering you’ll run into Krakatoa Katy’s. This store is also loaded with Volcano Bay-branded items.

Like the ubiquitous Mickey Ears at Disney, by far and away the most popular item at Volcano Bay is the white swim shirt with the Volcano Bay logo. I love this park logo, my favorite of any park in Florida.

The style is also available in a dark blue swim shirt. It’s important to note that for the various slides at Volcano Bay, guests who want to wear a shirt have to be wearing a swim shirt of some kind. It doesn’t have to be a Volcano Bay swim shirt, but regular cloth or polyester shirts are not allowed on the slides. Before you enter the queue for any slide there is a place for you to remove and store any article of clothing which isn’t allowed on the slide.

The pink Volcano Bay swim shirt was a big hit for one of our kiddos.

I’m not a huge fan of long sleeve shirts in general, so for myself I picked up one of these short sleeve Volcano Bay swim shirts.

It is also available on a white swim shirt.

Tons of regular t-shirts and tank tops are available.

I like the t-shirt above because the same design can be seen on some of the park’s souvenir cups.

I have never been, and probably never will be a “tie dye” type of guy. I will concede I’m in the minority on that though, and as tie dye-like shirts go, this is one of the better ones that I’ve seen.

Need a matching pair of shorts?

 

The Volcano Bay t-shirt on the right above reminds me of this Volcano Bay photo featured in the SATURDAY SIX.

This is pretty cool looking tank top!

Let’s check out some hoodies, sweatshirts, and spirit jerseys….

The wicker-style hats at Volcano Bay are LIT.

Volcano Bay tumblers.

Volcano Bay keychains.

Volcano Bay wood magnets.

One magnet that we bought was this one below featuring several Volcano Bay attractions.

Volcano Bay smartphone cases.

Volcano Bay bag.

Love the design on this Volcano Bay drawstring backpack.

This Volcano Bay bag seems to be something you put stuff in so that when you throw it into a beach bag the items don’t get wet or covered with sand.

Just so much great stuff that you’ll be hard pressed NOT to find a great souvenir to take home!

Even the regular merchandise bags are themed!

SEE YOU NEXT MONTH!

BEFORE YOU ASK: There are actually two Disney outlet stores in Orlando. Both are in Orlando Premium Outlets shopping complexes, and they are called Disney’s Character Warehouse, presumably because The Land Of Misfit Toys was already trademarked. There is one Character Warehouse located on International Drive close to Universal Studios (4951 International Dr, Orlando, FL 32819), and the other is on Vineland Avenue, right across I-4 near the exits to Disney World (8200 Vineland Ave, Orlando, FL 32821). They do not ship. There are items at the Outlets that you can buy both in Disney stores along with the Shop Disney Parks app, but you will be paying full retail for the items. For our CALIFORNIA OUTLET trips, @ChristelaMcC goes to the Las Americas outlet in San Diego. It is located right off the last U.S. exit.

I often get asked “which store is better?” That depends. Vineland is close to Walt Disney World, while the I-Drive location is a hop, skip, and jump away from the Universal Orlando Resort. The Vineland Disney Outlet Store is much, MUCH bigger than the I-Drive location. However, the Vineland outlets in general are much, MUCH busier than I-Drive. Each have their pros and cons, and ultimately they carry much of the same items. For a Disney Outlet Store FAQ, check out this SATURDAY SIX Presents: Everything You Wanted To Know About The Disney Outlet Stores (But Were Afraid To Ask)

2013: July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec
2014: Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec
2015: Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec
2016: Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec
2017: Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec
2018: Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec
2019: Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec
2020: Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept |Oct | Nov | Dec

2021: Jan | Feb

Very Special Editions & Milestones: Tribute to O.O.G.; Four Year Anniversary Special; First Pandora Items; Five Year Anniversary Special & Outlet Hall of Fame; Major Changes Come to the Outlets; Camera Hat; the Outlets Reopen after Coronavirus shut down

We also did an edition of Magic, Memories, and Junk for a non-Disney owned Outlet Store, and for you merch addicts like myself, you may also enjoy a look at the official Disney merchandise available on the Disney Cruise Line, Castaway Cay, and at the Orlando International Airport. Want to see our favorite WDW resort-specific merchandise? Well, CLICK HERE!

If you liked what you read here, you may enjoy THE SATURDAY SIX articles every week on the TouringPlans.com blog and you can follow your humble author on Twitter (@derekbugan).

The post The Magic, The Memories, and Merch! – Disney Outlet Store Update for MARCH 2021 appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

If you’re a Disney World veteran, you know which restaurants are your favorites. These are your tried and true spots that you aim to visit on every trip. But have you ever tried venturing out of your restaurant comfort zone?

There are plenty of killer restaurants that you probably haven’t tried before, and that’s what we’re talking about today on DFB Guide.

Check out everything you’re wrong about and more in our newest DFB Video!

The post DFB Video: We Found Your New Favorite Disney World Restaurant first appeared on the disney food blog.

The 2021 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival is on its way!

Today, we learned that the Festival will run from July 15th through November 20th, 2021. That’s 4 months of tasty eats! And while Disney hinted at some food booths that would be returning to the Festival, they also gave us a peek at some of the entertainment offerings.

Last year, the Food and Wine Festival was modified due to health and safety measures. While the Eat to the Beat concert series was canceled, we did see entertainment in other forms, such as Mariachi Cobre and the Jammin’ Chefs. This year, Mariachi Cobre and the Jammin’ Chefs will return, along with Voices of Liberty. We’ve seen these groups perform at every festival since the park’s reopening, so this isn’t much of a surprise!

Disney has not yet announced if the Eat to the Beat concert series will return this year (although we might have some idea!). They also haven’t indicated if beverage and culinary seminars will make their return. But we’ll keep an eye out for any updates and let you know as soon as we learn more!

We’ll keep you posted as Disney continues to release more information about this year’s Festival. Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney news!

Learn More About the 2021 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival!

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

 

Are you planning on attending the Food and Wine Festival this year? Let us know in the comments!

The post No Shocker Here…Here’s the Confirmed Entertainment for the 2021 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival first appeared on the disney food blog.

The 2021 International Flower & Garden Festival isn’t even over yet, but we’re already getting excited for the 2021 International Food & Wine Festival!

Earlier today, Disney announced the dates during which the Festival will be taking place AND we got a look at some booths that are CONFIRMED to be at the Festival this year. And now we’ve also got news about a returning activity you’ll be able to participate in all around EPCOT!

Love going on scavenger hunts? Love Ratatouille? Love to get prizes? Then Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak is for you!! This activity has been taking place at the Food & Wine Festival for several years now and will once again be making its return this year!

In this activity, you’ll go on a scavenger hunt in search of little Remy statuettes hidden all around the park.

Adults and kids alike can participate. All you’ll need to do is purchase your map and stickers from select Festival merchandise locations. Currently the Disney website lists the following as locations where you’ll be able to purchase the map:

• Port of Entry
• Mouse Gear
• World Traveler (located at International Gateway)

We’ll update that if we hear of any different information as the Festival approaches.

Once you’ve got your map in hand, it’s time to get searching!! You’ll find Remy hidden throughout World Showcase and the Global Marketplaces. When you spot Remy, you’ll match the right ingredient stickers to your map.

Then, you can come back to Disney Traders (near the entrance to World Showcase) and collect your prize!

Last year, the official Food & Wine Festival prizes for this activity were some adorable water bottles. Cute and useful, love it!

Overall, it’s a great activity that can keep little ones entertained or just add an extra touch of fun to your Food & Wine experience. Last year, the maps for this activity cost $7.99. Prices for this year’s activity have not yet been shared, but we’ll keep you updated as we learn more. Stay tuned for ALL the Food & Wine Festival details!

Click here to see our BEST of the Fest list from the 2020 Food & Wine Festival!

Have you ever participated in Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak? Tell us in the comments!

The post The Remy Scavenger Hunt is Coming BACK for the 2021 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival! first appeared on the disney food blog.

Can you hear our stomachs growling? We’ve got Food and Wine NEWS.

This morning, Disney announced that the 2021 EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival will run from July 15th through November 20th bringing us a ton of food booths and other activities too.

This year, the Food and Wine cheese crawl, Emile’s Fromage Montage, will return! This offering takes guests around World Showcase to sample five cheesy dishes for a PRIZE.

All of the EPCOT Festivals have a snacking scavenger hunt like this one. For the current EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival, the Garden Graze is leading guests on a journey through plant-based offerings.

For the cheese crawl, you’ll pick up a free passport and then purchase 5 different cheese-based offerings from Global Marketplaces, collecting stamps as you do. In the end, you’ll win a complimentary BONUS eat or treat!

In 2019, the offerings on Emile’s Fromage Montage included: Impossible Cottage Pie, Black Pepper Boursin Souffle, Warm Raclette Swiss Cheese, Schinkennudeln, and Pao de Queijo. The prize was Fromage Montage Complimentary Cheesecake!

We’re pretty excited to try out hand at this cheesy crawl in July. As always, stay tuned to DFB for all the latest festival updates!

Want to see the 2019 Fromage Montage? Click here!

Will you be cheesing it up at Food and Wine this year? Tell us in the comments! 

The post 🧀 The CHEESE Crawl Is Returning to the 2021 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival! 🧀 first appeared on the disney food blog.

The Walt Disney World Railroad closed in December 2018 and has yet to reopen. The fan favorite and classic Walt Disney World attraction is receiving new track that is rerouted slightly due to the addition of TRON: Lightcycle / Run. Work continues behind TRON: Lightcycle / Run in Tomorrowland. Lots of supplies sit nearby as work progresses on the new track. Large holes can be seen where construction will soon take place on the railroad’s new route. Large holes were […]

The post PHOTOS: Work Progresses on Walt Disney World Railroad Near TRON Lightcycle Run in Magic Kingdom appeared first on WDW News Today.

With many folks stuck at home a lot more than usual in the past year, streaming services became kind of a big deal! Streaming stuff at home in your pajamas became basically THE quarantine activity (aside from baking bread and doing puzzles, of course).

Disney launched its Disney+ streaming service just prior to the global health crisis and it EXPLODED with popularity during 2020! With The Walt Disney Company suffering heavily in other sectors (namely the theme parks), Disney+’s popularity came at a critical time. Now, it might CONTINUE to be the company’s saving grace!

How Disney+ Has Saved the Company So Far

In recent earnings reports from the Walt Disney Company, Disney’s direct-to-consumer services reported about $3.5 billion in revenue, but also reported about $466 million in operating losses. In the still-early stages of the streaming service, Disney+ is actually spending more money than it’s making. (You gotta spend money to make money, right?)

As of the first quarter of fiscal 2021, Disney+ still isn’t profitable for the company. In fact, the Company doesn’t expect Disney+ to be profitable until 2024.

Is Disney+ making money? Click here for a more in-depth look!

At the surface level, that might make it seem like Disney+ isn’t doing The Walt Disney Company much financial good. Ya loosin’ money here, Disney+!! So, how are we saying that Disney+ has “saved” Disney? Well, profit isn’t the only measure of financial benefit.

Some analysts have called the model that Disney+ is operating under a “loss leader,” like eMarketer analyst Ross Benes told CNN Business. That means that in this launch phase, Disney may be charging much less than the service is actually worth in order to draw in large numbers of subscribers.

The price difference is clear when comparing Disney+ to other streaming services. Netflix’s basic plan is priced at $8.99 per month, while Disney+ is $6.99 per month (going up soon to $7.99 per month). But, the Disney Plus Hotstar bundle available in some countries includes Disney+ in the deal for less than $2 a month in one plan. ($2 for Disney+ is a steal!)

At a time when many things were physically closed, the Company at least had Disney+. Disney’s Executive Chairman, Bob Iger, recently noted that Disney was very fortunate that they went into this new business because when COVID hit, they at least “had something to turn to.” Iger noted that Disney+, “kept the company vibrant because there was a beacon of hope.”

Disney+ has been wildly successful since its launch in 2019. In fact, it met subscriber goals that Disney leaders originally set for 2024, by the end of 2020. As of the most recent update from the Disney company, Disney+ has over 100 million subscribers!!!! Current costs might still be exceeding the income for the service, but such marked success in terms of subscribers is important for a reason other than profit — it has helped keep Disney’s stock prices relatively high.

The success of Disney’s streaming services, especially Disney+, has been a silver lining in an otherwise rough business environment due to the global health crisis. When investors have to hear about billion-dollar losses from the theme parks every quarter, it surely helps to follow that up with big news about subscriber successes in the Disney+ area.

In fact, ahead of a recent earnings call, one analyst noted that, for investors, Disney+ numbers might matter more than the empire as a whole. The analyst noted that investors would likely want to know how the streaming service has done in light of season 2 of The Mandalorian and the premiere of WandaVision.

After Disney’s last Investor Day, where they announced TONS of new titles coming to Disney+, we saw Disney stock prices maintain ALL-TIME HIGH levels — despite the fact that Disney had also recently reported billion-dollar losses from the theme parks. A big reason for that is likely that investors felt optimistic about Disney+.

In fact, Iger has noted that Disney+ had a, “profound impact on the perception of the company at Wall Street because the stock has risen dramatically in the process.” Per Iger: “We plummeted when COVID hit because of the shutdown, and rebounded quickly because we continued to grow Disney plus.”

At a time when Disney’s theme parks around the world were closing due to COVID-19, reopening, closing again, and dealing with capacity limitations; and a time when movie theaters were closed, cruises were halted, and many other things came to a halt — Disney+ continued to survive and even thrive! When the world seemed to grind to a halt last year, everyone was in their homes with less to occupy their time. Disney+ swooped in to fill that void for many at just the right time!

Disney+ content has also inspired LOADS of merchandise releases (hello, Baby Yoda is everywhere). Disney showed that it could continue to engage its audience in new ways and be flexible as times changed.

Click here to see everything announced for Disney+ during the last Investor Day!

How Disney+ Will Keep Saving the Disney Company

So, it looks like Disney+ has made a BIG difference for Disney in the past year. But what about next year? Or five years later? Will it continue to be the saving grace of the company’s business model for some time? Possibly!

Some might indicate that part of Disney+’s success may have been due to the nature of the global health crisis. With folks stuck at home, the demand for streaming was high. So, how does Disney keep up the momentum as vaccines get distributed, movie theaters open up again, and the world starts to achieve more of a “normal” state?

Well, they release an absolutely WILD amount of content, of course! Other streaming services like Netflix have grown in popularity well before the pandemic hit and it was due largely to them positively flooding their service with original content. Disney is doing the same.

Disney recently announced a TON of new content coming to Disney+ and shared that they plan to release 100+ new titles every year to Disney+ (get that popcorn ready). Many of the new shows, movies, and more constitute MAJOR draws to drive demand. We’ve seen just how many people want to tune into a Star Wars or Marvel spin-off. WandaVision fans have actually CRASHED Disney+ in the past. And now, new Star Wars and Marvel series are on their way!

Disney+ has proven that it can truly be successful. WandaVision topped the charts as one of the most-streamed original series in the US, according to Business Insider. And recently, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier made Disney+ history by ranking as the most-watched series premiere ever on Disney+ during its opening day weekend. Disney is leveraging the success of their super-popular movie franchises to power the success of their direct-to-consumer offerings. 

To continue to keep Disney+ impressing investors AND to move it into a profitable space, Disney will continue funneling resources into the platform. (We said it once, we’ll say it again — you gotta spend money to make money!) In fact, Disney expects to spend between $14-$16 billion on direct-to-consumer content through Fiscal Year 2024, with $8-$9 billion of that on Disney+ content specifically.

That $8-$9 billion is actually DOUBLE the original projected content development cost. So, not only is Disney spending money, it’s spending more than it expected. That just goes to show how much faith they’re putting in this. Disney acknowledged that it will have a higher content expense in 2024 than it expected and that it expects to reach its peak year of losses in Fiscal Year 2021. BUT, Disney anticipates Disney+ will be profitable in Fiscal Year 2024. 

And even if some people out there don’t think streaming is the future, it’s clear Disney does. The Disney company recently restructured some of its businesses to focus on streaming. Chapek has noted that the reorganization helps Disney better align themselves as they pivot, “to a DTC-first business model.” Chapek also said he sees the DTC business as a, “key driver of significant long-term value for [the] company.”

Don’t believe us that Disney is REALLY taking streaming seriously? Well, how about this — last year, Disney announced that, “As part of that commitment and given limited visibility due to COVID and our decision to prioritize investment in our DTC initiatives, the board has decided to forego payment of a semiannual dividend in January 2021.” What does that mean, you’re asking? The board essentially decided to not accept their semiannual “bonuses” from the company in order to channel that money towards Direct to Consumer initiatives.

It may take years for the Disney theme parks to return to the same level of output they were doing pre-pandemic, Disney Cruise Line HOPES to restart operations by this fall (but things are subject to change), and the Disney parks are still limited in terms of capacity and other things. But, Disney has shown that it can successfully pivot when it comes to movies and other entertainment to keep obtaining revenue despite what else may be going on. Some analysts even estimate that Disney+ will reach $4 billion in revenue by as soon as 2022.

Disney is betting BIG on Disney+, and as long as the service continues to draw in more subscribers and they continue to release new content, they may be able to keep up that momentum. Could we see the service and other direct-to-consumer offerings continue to be one of the more positive aspects of the company, continue to set the company up for success, and continue to be a highlight for investors during the next few years as things with the theme parks and cruises slowly return to “normal?” It’s entirely possible. As always, stay tuned to DFB to keep up with all the latest Disney news and analysis!

Want to learn more about the strategy shift at Disney toward a focus on streaming? Click here!

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

Do you think Disney+ will continue to be a saving grace for the Disney company? Tell us in the comments! 

The post How Disney+ Will Continue to Save the Walt Disney Company first appeared on the disney food blog.