We took a ride on the first-ever “Tangled”-themed ride — Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival — on May 16, the first day of soft-opening for Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea.

Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival

Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival sees guests making their way to the Kingdom of Corona’s annual lantern festival as they relive the story of “Tangled.” The attraction is part of the Rapunzel’s Forest area in Fantasy Springs, which also includes a Snuggly Duckling dining location. The grand opening of Fantasy Springs will be held on June 6.

The attraction begins outside, with guests riding in a gondola past Rapunzel singing “When Will My Life Begin” in Japanese from her tower. Flynn, Maximus, and Pascal can be seen on the opposite side of the waterway.

As the gondola enters the show building, guests are taken past the “best day ever” scene, with Rapunzel swinging by her hair around a tree… and Flynn. This is followed by a look at the exterior of the Snuggly Duckling.

Rapunzel can then be seen healing Flynn while singing the “Healing Incantation.” Corona Castle is in the distance, with lanterns beginning to float into the sky.

Guests enter into the next scene to see Rapunzel and Flynn singing “I See the Light” with the sky covered in floating lanterns. The pair sit in the center of a gondola with Pascal. The thugs from the Snuggly Duckling look on as the gondola makes its way to the exit.

In the final scene before unloading, a small Pascal animatronic can be spotted holding a paintbrush, with murals of moments from “Tangled” covering the walls.

Watch our full video ride through below:

What do you think of the first-ever “Tangled” ride? Is it one you look forward to riding? Let us know in the comments below.

For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post VIDEO: Full Ride Through of Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival at Fantasy Springs in Tokyo DisneySea appeared first on WDW News Today.

With just a couple of weeks to go until Memorial Day, patriotic bunting has been put up around the train station and Main Street, U.S.A. at Magic Kingdom.

Patriotic Bunting at Magic Kingdom

The patriotic bunting can first be seen at the entrance of Magic Kingdom, on the railings of the Walt Disney World Railroad station. It comes in time for both Memorial Day on May 27 and the Fourth of July.

The bunting continues on the opposite side of the railroad station. The bunting itself is made up of semicircles in red, white, and blue, with white stars inside of the blue stripe. This is the same decor we have seen in the past. However, last year, the bunting didn’t go up until after Memorial Day, and just ahead of the Fourth of July.

Town Square Theater, where guests can meet Mickey Mouse, has two rows of bunting. It continues on the exterior of Tony’s Town Square Restaurant.

Just a singular semicircle decorates the Main Street, U.S.A Fire Station.

Both sides of Main Street, U.S.A. have gotten patriotic bunting, with the decor lining the Emporium and Main Street Confectionary.

Celebrating Fourth of July at Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World has a tradition of celebrating the Fourth of July across the parks, with fireworks shows at both Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. At Magic Kingdom, guests could watch Disney’s Celebrate America! — A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky. Over at EPCOT, the Heartbeat of Freedom Fireworks Tag has been added in honor of the occasion. So far, neither show has been confirmed for the 2024 season on the official Walt Disney World calendar.

You can watch both celebrations from 2023 below:

For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post PHOTOS: Patriotic Bunting Goes Up at Magic Kingdom Ahead of Memorial Day appeared first on WDW News Today.

The name of the upcoming joint sports streaming service from Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery now has a name.

Joint Sports Streaming Service Gets Named

Pete Distad, CEO of the upcoming service, shared the future brand identity and name of the platform on May 16, 2024. It will be called Venu Sports.

We are excited to officially introduce Venu Sports, a brand that we feel captures the spirit of an all-new streaming home where sports fan outside of the traditional pay TV eco-system can experienc an incredible collection of live sports, all in one place.

As preparations for the platform continue to accellerate, we are singularly focused on delivering a best-in-class product for our target audience, built from the ground up using the latest technologies to enegage and entertain discerning sports fans wanting one-stop access to live games.

Pete Distad, CEO of Venu Sports

The service is still on track to launch this fall in the U.S., and will bring together Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery’s portfolios of sports networks into one place.

Earlier this spring, two U.S. Representatives shared concerns about the joint streaming venture, and had sent a letter to the companies’ CEOs to ask questions about its competitive implications. In February, Fubo, a “sports-first” streaming service, filed a lawsuit against Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery over their joint venture, seeking to block the launch of the service and obtain monetary damages.

Are you excited about this new streaming venture for sports? Will you be subscribing to Venu Sports once it launches? Let us know in the comments.

For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros Joint Sports Streaming App Name Revealed appeared first on WDW News Today.

The new E.T. Adventure sign has been installed in front of the Universal Studios Florida attraction.

New Sign for E.T. Adventure

The new sign made its debut on May 16. It’s similar to the previous E.T. Attraction marquee, with the same silhouette of Elliott and E.T. flying past the moon, with the forest seen behind “E.T. Adventure.” One notable difference is the lettering on the new sign, which is flat, compared to the three-dimensional effect on the past sign.

The attraction closed on May 5 for a refurbishment and opened May 16, with the new sign out front.

The area outside of E.T. Adventure has seen a lot of construction lately, in preparation for the June 14 opening of DreamWorks Land. This includes the restrooms just to the right of the new signage, which are currently undergoing a retheming.

For more Universal Studios news from around the world, follow Universal Parks News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For Disney Parks news, visit WDWNT.

The post New E.T. Adventure Sign Goes Up at Universal Studios Florida appeared first on WDW News Today.

Crews have begun demolishing Quiet Flight and Cinnabon at Universal CityWalk Orlando after they closed permanently last month.

Quiet Flight & Cinnabon Demolition

The two storefronts are next to the Universal Cinemark. Universal has not announced what will take over the spaces.

Construction walls went up after the locations closed. When we visited CityWalk a week ago, the entrance archway and part of the front wall of Quiet Flight were torn down.

Much of the interior was also demolished, with vents and wires exposed.

A day later, all Quiet Flight signage was gone.

The front wall was gone. Most of the dangling wires had been cleaned up.

Decorative panels remain on the former Cinnabon facade but the venue’s sign was removed from the overhang. The Billabong sign was also removed from the right wall. It hung above a photo op with a surfboard on a wave.

Temporary Cinnabon carts are available outside the movie theater and at Fresh Eats in the security hub. A new kiosk is expected to be built near Margaritaville within a few months.

For more Universal Studios news from around the world, follow Universal Parks News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For Disney Parks news, visit WDWNT.

The post Demolition Begins & Signage Removed From Former Cinnabon and Quiet Flight at Universal CityWalk Orlando appeared first on WDW News Today.