By Courtney Potter
Disney and Pixar offer up another peek at Ian and Barley Lightfoot’s extraordinary adventures, and construction begins on the Zootopia-themed land at Shanghai Disney Resort… Read more, along with other news from around Disney, in this week’s news briefs!
Adventure Awaits in Brand-New Onward Trailer and Posters
The new decade is just over the horizon, and there’s so much Disney fun to look forward to! Here’s a perfect example: Onward, Disney and Pixar’s next animated adventure. And to help keep our whistles wet ’til its spring debut, they just this week released a brand-new trailer—as well as some colorful new character posters—for the film. Check out the clip, above!
Set in a suburban fantasy world, Onward introduces two teenage elf brothers, Ian and Barley Lightfoot (voices of Tom Holland and Chris Pratt, respectively), who embark on an extraordinary quest to discover if there is still a little magic left out there.
Directed and produced by the team behind Monsters University—and also featuring the voices of Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Ian and Barley’s mom, Laurel Lightfoot; Octavia Spencer as Manticore; Mel Rodriguez as Officer Colt Bronco; Lena Waithe as Officer Specter; and Ali Wong as Officer Gore—the film opens in theaters on March 6.
Save the Date!
Be sure to mark these upcoming Disney events on your calendar:
| D23 and Walt Disney Archives January 8, 2020 D23 Gold Member Mixer in Kapolei, Hawai’i January 17, 2020 Get VIP Tickets to Disney’s Frozen The Hit Broadway Musical January 31, 2020 Disney’s Aladdin the Hit Broadway Musical VIP Tickets August 9, 2020 Adventures by Disney Rhine River Cruise Presented by D23 Parks November 8, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21, 22, 24; December 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, 22, 2019 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom park November 8—January 6, 2020 Holidays at the Disneyland Resort November 29—December 30, 2019 2019 Epcot International Festival of the Holidays January 17, 2020 Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opens at Disneyland park January 17—February 9, 2020 Lunar New Year returns to Disney California Adventure park January 17—February 24, 2020 Epcot International Festival of the Arts February 28—April 21, 2020 Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival returns to the Disneyland Resort March 4—June 1, 2020 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival at Walt Disney World Resort March 4, 2020 Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway opens at Disney’s Hollywood Studios |
Studios December 20, 2019 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opens in U.S. theaters March 6, 2020 Onward opens in U.S. theaters March 27, 2020 Mulan opens in U.S. theaters May 29, 2020 Artemis Fowl opens in U.S. theaters Television December 25, 2019 (10 a.m.—12 p.m. EST, 9—11 a.m. CST/MST/PST; airtimes vary, check listings) Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade airs on ABC January 10, 2020 (8:45 p.m. ET) The Owl House premieres on Disney Channel and DisneyNOW February 14, 2020 (8 p.m. EST/PST) ZOMBIES 2 premieres on Disney Channel and DisneyNOW February 16, 2020 (8 p.m. EST/ 7 p.m CST) American Idol returns to ABC Disney+ December 20, 2o19 Togo premieres December 20, 2019 Pick of the Litter premieres January 17, 2020 Diary of a Future President premieres |
Constructions Begins For Zootopia-Themed Land at Shanghai Disney Resort
Our pals over at the Disney Parks Blog recently announced a major milestone for Shanghai Disney Resort: Main construction on the all-new Zootopia-themed land has officially begun! The eighth themed land will be an immersive “mammal metropolis” that brings a variety of fan-favorite Zootopia citizens to life.
This thrilling expansion will allow guests to experience signature offerings like new Zootopia-themed merchandise, entertainment, and delicious cuisine. And that’s not all: The land will also feature a new major attraction!
See some of your favorite Disney pals meet up with Zootopia faves Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde in the new video, above; looks like everyone’s getting into the “Try Everything” spirit! Watch this space for more breaking news on the land’s construction—as well as about Shanghai Disney Resort—in the coming months.
Disney+’s Diary of a Future President Premieres January 17
If you’ve been following along with D23’s Disney+ coverage, you know that there’s a ton of incredible content coming to the streaming service next year. One series we’re excited to see is Diary of a Future President (formerly titled Diary of a Female President)—and now we have an official premiere date: January 17!
Inspired by the childhood of series creator Ilana Peña (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)—and told from the narration of her diary—the show follows Elena (newcomer Tess Romero), a 12-year-old Cuban-American girl, as she navigates the ups and downs of middle school and begins her journey to become the future president of the United States. Series producer Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin), who also directs the first episode, will guest star as adult Elena, who (not-really-a-spoiler alert) has indeed become the Commander in Chief.
Make sure to add Diary of a Future President to your Disney+ queue next month! We certainly will…
Did You Catch This Sneak Peek at Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway?
It’s the first-ever ride-through attraction featuring Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, and it’s set to open in just a few months’ time… In case you missed this special sneak peek at Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway (coming very soon to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and then to Disneyland park in 2022)—hosted by ZOMBIES 2 stars Milo Manheim and Meg Donnelly—that aired during the recent Disney Channel Holiday Party @Walt Disney World special, we’ve got it for you, above!
The colorful state-of-the-art attraction will draw guests inside a Mickey cartoon for a fun-filled adventure where “Mouse rules apply”—and literally anything can happen. Keep your eyes trained on D23.com (see what we did there?!) for more Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway updates as they become available.
Epcot Reveals Garden Rocks Concert Series Schedule
The longest-running annual festival at Epcot, the International Flower & Garden Festival, is returning for its 27th year from March 4 through June 1. And that means weeks and weeks of super delicious food, fragrantly colorful displays, and the ever-popular Garden Rocks Concert Series… the schedule for which has just arrived! And it’s chock full of fantastic artists from all manner of genres. Ready to mark those calendars?
- March 4–5 – Peabo Bryson NEW
- March 13–16 – Simple Plan
- March 17–19 – STARSHIP featuring Mickey Thomas
- March 20–23 – Mark Wills NEW to Garden Rocks
- March 24–26 – The Spinners
- March 27–28 – Sister Hazel
- March 29–30 – The Pointer Sisters
- March 31–April 2 – Former Journey Lead Vocalist Steve Augeri
- April 3–4 – Blood, Sweat & Tears
- April 5–6 – Exposé
- April 7–9 – Berlin
- April 19–20 – Rick Springfield
- April 24–27 – Plain White T’s
- April 28–30 – Don Felder, formerly of The Eagles
- May 1–2 – Don McLean NEW
- May 5–7 – Ambrosia with Peter Beckett NEW
- May 8–9 – Thelma Houston NEW
- May 10–11 – The Allman Betts Band NEW to Garden Rocks
- May 12–14 – Air Supply
- May 15–18 – Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone
- May 19–21 – Mike DelGuidice & Big Shot NEW to Garden Rocks
- May 24–25 – Daughtry NEW
- May 26–28 – Marshall Tucker Band
- May 31–June 1 – Survivor
There are still more artists to be announced—so keep an eye out for further news as the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival gets closer… And don’t forget, come March 4, to be on the lookout for the brand-new Remy topiary—which will be unveiled during the Festival as the centerpiece of the Ratatouille Garden at the France pavilion. C’est magnifique!
