By Courtney Potter
New Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Additions Coming to Disney Parks
In celebration of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, in theaters now, our favorite band of galactic misfits are taking over at select Disney Parks around the world!
The good folks over at Disney Parks Blog shared all the new limited-time additions inspired by the third installment of the franchise…
At Disneyland Resort, Mantis is joining Star-Lord at Avengers Campus for Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Dance Off! The pair will get their groove on in front of the Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!attraction, as they recruit guests with the right skills to join their troop of heroes.
Additionally, guests can check out the Milky Fizz, a dessert-pear-flavored soda water with cream now available at Pym Test Kitchen featuring IMPOSSIBLE™, along with the Orloni on a Stick and Experiment 1517: Cardamom & Caramel Churro Cold Brew. Next door at Pym Tasting Lab, try the Zarg-Bits, a tasty snack inspired by the Zarg Nuts eaten in the film.
Meanwhile, at Walt Disney World Resort, Connections Café at EPCOT now has Perfect Sovereign Waffle Bites, topped with a red berry dipping sauce. You can also grab a Guardians of the Galaxy Cookie right next to the out-of-this-world Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind attraction at the Mission: SPACE Popcorn Cart.
“Across the pond” at Disneyland Paris, guests can enjoy several intergalactic offerings around the resort. At Disney’s Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel, don’t miss two new cocktails at the Skyline Bar: the Flora Colossus Cocktail and the Spicy Ravager Cocktail. Or try Baby Groot’s Mousse as part of the buffet offerings at Downtown Restaurant.
Inside Walt Disney Studios Park at Studio 1 and WEB Food Truck, guests can delight in the Flora Colossus Biscuits shaped as Groot. Over at Stark Factory inside Avengers Campus, find the Guardians Choco Orb, a chocolate sphere made of dark chocolate mousse. And don’t miss the Cosmic Cassette Magnum Ice Cream—which includes various toppings and a cassette-shaped chocolate piece—at Ice Cream Creations Food Truck. Plus, it’s time to create your Super Hero pose with the new Rocket Disney PhotoPass Magic Shot, which runs through Sunday, May 21.
5 Fantastic Things to Watch This Weekend Presented by State Farm®
Welcome to the merry month of May! So, what’s there to watch from around the worlds of Disney? Let’s see… Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium launches on Hulu; a new episode of Kiff premieres on Disney Channel and Disney XD; the season finale (for mature audiences only) of The Company You Keep comes to ABC; and so much more!
New Disney Channel Series Pupstruction Premieres June 14
Pupstruction, an imaginative, tune-filled new animated series from Disney Branded Television, is set to premiere Wednesday, June 14—with a simulcast on Disney Channel and Disney Junior at 8 a.m. ET. A first batch of episodes will premiere the same day on Disney+ and on-demand platforms. Check out the trailer, below!
The series follows the adventures of the Pupstruction team—a doggone hardworking construction crew ranging from some of the brawniest breeds to irresistibly cute and playful puppies. Crew leader Phinny is an innovative young corgi who dreams up some of the biggest and wildest ideas to help his town of Petsburg. The other members of Pupstruction are Luna, a comically spontaneous sheepdog; Roxy, a can-do rottweiler; and Tank, a lovable, snack-obsessed mastiff. Although Phinny might be the smallest pup on the crew, he proves that you don’t need big paws to have big ideas. Together, the Pupstruction crew uses mud, sweat, drool, and plenty of heart to build and create!
The series voice cast includes Yonas Kibreab as Phinny, Carson Minniear as Tank, Scarlett Kate Ferguson as Roxy, and newcomer Mica Zeltzer as Luna—as well as Yvette Nicole Brown as Mayor Gilmore, Bobby Moynihan as Bobby Boots, Grey DeLisle as Maya, Kari Wahlgren as Scratch, Eric Bauza as characters Harry, Sniff, and Lloyd, and Alessandra Perez as Bailey. Joining them in recently announced recurring and guest-star roles for Season 1 are Olga Merediz as Grandma Dee, Todrick Hall as Harvey Hare, Gabriel Iglesias as Felipe, and Nate Torrence as Chameleo.
Geared toward kids ages 2-7, each episode features two 11-minute stories with an original song in each episode. The main title theme song, written by series’ songwriter/composer Rob Cantor, will be released on Friday, May 12. The full digital soundtrack, Disney Junior Music: Pupstruction, featuring the theme song plus additional songs from the series, will be released by Walt Disney Records on Wednesday, June 14. Plus, Disney Consumer Products, Games and Publishing is developing product lines inspired by the series featuring apparel, figures, vehicles, role-play products, plush, books, and more!
Disney’s The Lion King Celebrates 10,000th Performance on Broadway This Weekend
Amazing news from our friends at Disney Theatrical Productions: The Lion King will play its 10,000th performance on Broadway this Saturday evening, May 6, 2023.
The show’s unprecedented popularity on Broadway is mirrored around the world: With 27 productions over its 25 years, including runs of 20+ years in Tokyo, London, and Hamburg, and on tour throughout North America, The Lion King has played nearly 60,000 performances worldwide. The Broadway production opened on November 13, 1997, and has played through four New York City mayoral administrations; five presidential administrations; and 11 Olympics!
The Lion King continues to celebrate 25 years on Broadway and—while two other Broadway show have previously reached this milestone—it marks several historic firsts: Never has a show in its 25th year been playing in so many productions around the world simultaneously and placed in the Top 5 grossing Broadway shows this long—nearly 1,300 consecutive weeks and counting. Currently, 115,000 people enjoy the show in eight productions on three continents every week. Additionally, there have been 27 productions over the life of the show, seen by a whopping 112 million people… that’s more than the combined populations of Canada, Greece, Sweden, Holland, Denmark, and Australia!
For more information, or to buy tickets for your next trip to New York City, visit lionking.com.
Dancing with the Stars Returns to ABC This Fall
Big news from the ballroom: Dancing with the Stars will make history once again, becoming the first series to simulcast across both ABC and Disney+ for its upcoming 32nd season, airing this fall! Additionally, episodes will be available to stream the next day on Hulu.
Hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough, Dancing with the Stars is the hit series in which celebrities are paired with trained ballroom dancers to compete in themed, choreographed dance routines that are judged by a panel of renowned ballroom experts, including Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough.
“Welcoming Dancing with the Stars back to ABC offers us the unique opportunity to capitalize on the breadth of Disney Entertainment and reach audiences across all our platforms,” Craig Erwich, President, Disney Television Group, recently said. “Wherever viewers want to watch, we have a home for them to tune in and root for their favorite couple in the ballroom.”
“Season 31 gave us the opportunity to introduce Dancing with the Stars to a new generation of fans on Disney+, and we are excited to build on that with our partners at ABC and Hulu,” added Alisa Bowen, President, Disney+. “We’re looking forward to giving our viewers a front-row seat to the dance floor on another great season of the first-ever live series on Disney+.”
Keep your eyes peeled for more DWTS info in the coming months—including always surprising and delightful casting announcements!
Disney+ Announces Maggie Simpson in Rogue Not Quite One, a New Short from The Simpsons
Speaking of our friends at Disney+… this week, the streaming service announced Maggie Simpson in Rogue Not Quite One, a new short from The Simpsons, will launch Thursday on May the 4th in celebration of Star Wars Day.
In the short, Homer loses track of Maggie—who hops in Grogu’s hovering pram for a hyperspace-hopping adventure across the galaxy! Facing a squadron of Imperial TIE fighters, Maggie brings the battle to Springfield in this epic short celebrating all things Star Wars.
Maggie Simpson in Rogue Not Quite One is the latest in a collection of shorts from The Simpsons created exclusively for Disney+. The previously released shorts The Simpsons Meet the Bocellis in Feliz Navidad; Welcome to the Club; When Billie Met Lisa; Maggie Simpson in The Force Awakens from Its Nap; The Good, The Bart, and The Loki; and The Simpsons in Plusaversary are all currently available on Disney+. And even more Springfieldian fun can be found in The Simpsons collection on the streamer!
First Look and Premiere Date for Hulu’s Drag Me to Dinner
Hulu recently shared a fun first look at Drag Me to Dinner—a glamorous, messy, faux competition show that no one takes too seriously…
In each episode, two teams of successful drag queens go head-to-head to throw the most fabulous, awe-inspiring, drag-tastical dinner parties of all time, and be crowned champion by the three judges: Neil Patrick Harris (also an executive producer), Bianca Del Rio, and Haneefah Wood.
Hosted by Murray Hill (HBO’s Somebody, Somewhere), each episode has its own unique theme, as revealed by resident expert, “life of the party,” and executive producer David Burtka. Teams will focus on multiple criteria: Food & Drink, Design & Decor, and Entertainment & Overall Vibe. At the end of each episode, one team will be proclaimed the winner and walk away with the grandest “prize” in the history of television: The Glorious Golden Grater—because one team may be great, but the other is grater!
Across the 10-episode series, 40 truly stunning (not to mention hilarious and talented) drag queens will be featured: Alaska, Alexis Mateo, BeBe Zahara Benet, BenDeLaCreme, Biqtch Puddin’, Chelsea Piers, Darienne Lake, Detox, Gigi Goode, Ginger Minj, Heidi N Closet, Heklina, Jackie Beat, Jaida Essence Hall, Jasmine Rice LaBeija, Jinkx Monsoon, Kiki Ball-Change, Kim Chi, Latrice Royale, Manila Luzon, Marti Gould Cummings, Mayhem Miller, Meatball, Merrie Cherry, Morgan McMichaels, Mrs. Kasha Davis, Naomi Smalls, Nina West, Peaches Christ, Peachez Iman Cummings, Pixie Aventura, Raja, Rhea Litré, Selma Nilla, Sherry Vine, Symone, Thorgy Thor, Trinity the Tuck, Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, and Willam.
Drag Me to Dinner premieres Wednesday, May 31, exclusively on Hulu.