Fans of Tortilla Jo’s at Downtown Disney might have a little longer to get one last meal in before the restaurant closes – as it will reportedly stay open for an additional week. What’s Happening: In January, it was announced that after over 20 years of operations, Tortilla Jo’s final day open would be March 31st. Today, while […]
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A new “Bluey” episode and 28-minute special will premiere in April. These episodes will be the first to premiere in Australia and globally via Disney on the same day.
The standard episode, “Ghostbasket,” will premiere on Sunday, April 7. The special, “The Sign,” will premiere on Sunday, April 14, and will be the show’s longest episode ever. Both are written by series creator Joe Brumm, directed by Richard Jeffery, and produced by Ludo Studio.
Both episodes will air on ABC Kids in Australia and then premiere globally on Disney+, Disney Junior, and Disney Channel in all other available regions except China and New Zealand, Deadline reports.
Ten “Bluey” episodes premiered on Disney+ last month and will start airing on Disney Channel and Disney Junior on March 25.
The popular animated children’s series premiered in Australia in 2018. Disney acquired international broadcasting rights the next year. It follows a family of Heeler dogs, with six/seven-year-old Bluey Heeler as the main character. Bluey and her younger sister, Bingo, are voiced by unnamed children. Their parents, Bandit and Chilli, are voiced by David McCormack and Melanie Zanetti respectively.
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TikTok user @beaconemmie, Emmie, was recently evacuated from Spaceship Earth at EPCOT and paid tribute to the “window girl” audio-animatronic entombed at the top of the attraction.
Emmie shared clips from being evacuated in the video embedded below, lamenting that they didn’t get a “personal stepladder tour up to the tomb of window girl[.]”
Emmie then shared pictures of “window girl” with the text, “I know she’s rotting up there with the window painted shut JUST LET ME SEE HER[.]”
@beaconemmie i was this close to getting to walk down the animatronic side
#epcot #spaceshipearth #disneyparks #dcp #animatronic #figment #fnaf
The “window girl” is a remnant of the ride’s original ending. Spaceship Earth opened with the park on October 1, 1982, and was originally narrated by Vic Perrin. At the top of the dome, guests would see a space station and satellites with astronauts floating above Earth. The “window girl” was an audio-animatronic visible through a window of the space station. During the 1994 update of the attraction, this scene was deactivated — but not all of the elements were removed. The space station and “window girl” remain in the darkness, with the window covered so guests can’t see the abandoned animatronic.
In addition to the photos in Emmie’s TikTok video, you can see photos and videos of Spaceship Earth’s original finale (and the rest of the original attraction) in Martin’s Vids ultimate tribute video below.
Spaceship Earth was also updated in 1986 and 2008. The current version is narrated by Judi Dench. After the Siemens sponsorship of the attraction ended in 2017, Disney announced plans for another major Spaceship Earth reimagining, called Spaceship Earth: Our Shared Story. It would have closed for over two years beginning on May 26, 2020.
However, COVID-19 forced Walt Disney World to close in March 2020. The Spaceship Earth reimagining was delayed indefinitely and the ride reopened in July 2020 with the park. There have been rumors the reimagining would still happen and concept art leaked in 2022, but Disney hasn’t made any official announcements since 2020.
The only recent update to Spaceship Earth is the return of an old water reflection effect to the Phoenicians scene last year.
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Orlando police have responded to a bomb threat at Orlando International Airport, causing closures and major delays at Terminal B. What’s Happening: According to the Orlando Sentinel, at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, February 26th, Orlando police received a call regarding a bomb threat at the Orlando International Airport. The incident occurred at Terminal B, and […]
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The Walt Disney Company Board of Directors has sent out a new letter to shareholders detailing the “progress it has made and continues to make […], delivering on the promises it made just over one year ago.”
This letter comes following a video from Blackwells Capital, who is campaigning for three seats on the Disney board, which stated that Disney should embrace the use of AI to bring its characters to life and create new Disney Parks features.
In a press release, Disney shared that “The Board has been laser-focused on a strategy that will drive shareholder value.”
The company has restored its cash divident and subsequently increased the dividend payment declared for July 2024 by 50%. Disney is also targeting $3 billion in share buybacks for FY24. As shared in its first quarter earnings, the Company has also made great strides in reigning in costs and is on track to meet or exceed its cost cutting target of $7.5 billion by the end of FY24. Disney also reaffirmed it is on track to deliver $8 billion in free cash flow, and to reach profitability in its combined DTC streaming businesses in Q4 FY24. Disney’s creative engines continue to be recognized with numerous nominations across the TV and film industry.
The release goes on to affirm Disney’s belief in its 12 board nominees, stating that they are “uniquely qualified” to continue the company’s progress and goal of long-term shareholder value. In bolded text, the release also states:
The Board urges shareholders to protect their investment and the future of the Company by voting the WHITE proxy card FOR only Disney’s 12 nominees NOW and not the Trian Group or Blackwells nominees. The 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders will be held on April 3, 2024.
Before including screenshots of the letter to shareholders, Disney’s press release closes out by saying that the Disney Board does not endorse nominees put forward by Trian Group or Blackwells Capital, stating that they are “unqualified to serve on Disney’s Board and preserve value creation for shareholders in this increasingly complex global landscape.”
This is Disney’s latest attempt to urge shareholders away from voting for Trian Group and Blackwells board nominees; previously, the company released a video on “how to vote” featuring Professor Ludwig Von Drake, and a video from CEO Bob Iger himself.
Blackwells Capital’s nominees are former Warner Bros. and NBCUniversal executive Jessica Schell, Tribeca Film Festival co-founder Craig Hatkoff, and TaskRabbit founder Leah Solivan. Trian Group has nominated their CEO Nelson Peltz and former Disney CFO Jay Rasulo.
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Blackwells Capital has launched TheFutureOfDisney.com and shared a video explaining why shareholders should elect their nominees to The Walt Disney Company Board of Directors. In the video and a letter to shareholders, Blackwells outlines how they believe Disney should be using artificial intelligence and similar technology.
The video (below) features Jason Aintabi, Blackwells’ Chief Investment Officer, who states, “Disney will never be valued as a technology company so long as it does not think like a technology company.”
Blackwells believes their nominee Leah Solivan, founder and CEO of TaskRabbit and former IBM Corp. engineer, would bring necessary technological expertise to the Disney Board.
Ms. Solivan believes that Disney must reimagineer itself by creating an office of the Chief Technology Officer that would have all Disney divisions report into. That will enable Disney to build out a native technology stack that underpins all efforts of the corporation.
Jason Aintabi
The technology stack in the video suggests “new” AI technology like ChatGPT with Disney characters and AI assistants to navigate park visits, crowd control, and reserve rides. Disney already has similar technology incorporated into the Hey Disney! device in Walt Disney World hotel rooms. They also previously tested a virtual assistant in the My Disney Experience app.
Blackwells also suggests Disney take further advantage of VR and AR technology.
Disney has arguably the greatest opportunity set of any media company in the world as it pertains to AR/VR given its breadth of media content. Imagine a Disney World where you could have a lightsaber spar with a Jedi on Tatooine, or team-up with Simba and traverse the African plains!
Blackwells’ other two nominees are Jessica Schell (content, media, and entertainment expert) and Craig Hatkoff (governance, risk management, and capital allocation expert).
Aintabi also used the video to once again urge shareholders to not vote for Trian’s nominees, Nelson Peltz and Jay Rasulo.
Disney CEO Bob Iger also recently released a video telling shareholders not to vote for either Blackwells’ or Trian’s nominees.
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Earlier today, Blackwells Capital, a shareholder of The Walt Disney Company that is actively trying to gain more representation on the company’s Board, shared a new video and presentation outlining their vision for the future of technology at Disney. One part of their presentation was a little poorly researched, as it seems to confuse Star Wars and […]
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We spend a lot of time celebrating Disney films, but they aren’t the only company to have charming fan-favorite films! This spring, BoxLunch is embracing some of the most popular DreamWorks Animation stories with apparel celebrating Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and How to Train Your Dragon. (Please note this article contains affiliate links. Your purchase will […]
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Roads leading to Terminal B at Orlando International Airport are closed, traffic is being redirected, and flights are delayed this evening.
Orlando International Airport
In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) airport officials said law enforcement partners were “investigating a call.”
Advisory: Law enforcement partners are currently investigating a call. Terminal B road traffic is closed. Please follow instructions from onsite airport personnel. Updates will be provided as the situation develops.
— Orlando International Airport (@MCO) February 26, 2024
Airport officials are asking those at the airport to follow instructions from airport personnel.
People at the scene tell DFB that those dropped off a few moments before the roads were closed are being kept outside and are unable to enter the terminal.
Photo courtesy of Julia Ripp
Apple Maps showed traffic back-ups on the roads leading to Terminal B.
©Apple Maps
Orlando Airport officials are asking anyone driving to the airport to pick up or drop off passengers at Terminal B to follow the road signs to Terminal A or the Train Station instead.
Update/2: If you are coming to pick-up/drop-off customers at Terminal B, please follow roadway signage to Terminal A or the Train Station. Law enforcement is responding to a call at Terminal B.
— Orlando International Airport (@MCO) February 26, 2024
If you are headed to Orlando Airport for a flight this evening, you are advised to check in with your airline for up-to-date flight information and instructions. Currently 15 flights are delayed at MCO, according to Flight Aware.
This an emerging situation. We will update this post as more information becomes available.
The post BREAKING: Orlando Airport Roads Closed, Flights Delayed — Investigation Underway first appeared on the disney food blog.
We’ve been keeping you updated on the measles outbreak situation currently developing in Florida.
©Mayo Clinic
Our last update two days ago spoke of cases in Broward County, but now cases have popped up in Central Florida as well.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, a Polk County resident aged 20-24 has been diagnosed with measles.
Measles reaches Central Florida as Polk County resident contracts virus https://t.co/l60nn5UfIJ pic.twitter.com/qMDmLurIkG
— Orlando Sentinel (@orlandosentinel) February 26, 2024
It’s unclear how the person contracted the disease, but the case was reported to the Florida Department of Health on Saturday. As of Sunday, all eight cases in Broward County, which began being reported multiple days ago, were in younger children and teens.
©FloridaSmart
“About 1 in 5 unvaccinated people who get measles are hospitalized, as many as 1 in 20 kids who get measles will develop pneumonia. About 1 in 1,000 will develop brain swelling that can cause permanent injury,” according to the Centers for Disease Control. In fact, “Unvaccinated people have a 90% chance of becoming infected if exposed.”
©Maine.gov
In 2022, Polk County had a 95.8% vaccination rate against measles in kindergartners, and Dr. Kenneth Alexander, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Nemours Children’s Health in Orlando has stated that vaccinated individuals should not be concerned about this outbreak, as 2 doses of the measles vaccine is 97% effective.
©Central Florida Development Council
To avoid contracting this highly contagious disease, the CDC recommends “children get two doses of the vaccine, with a first dose at ages 12 through 15 months, and the second dose at 4 through 6 years of age.” Parents of unvaccinated children in Broward County were advised to make their own decision about sending their child to school amid the outbreak by Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, who has since been criticized for this decision. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on the latest developments, so stay tuned to DFB.
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