By Courtney Potter
Stars Announced for Nutty New Animated Comedy Kiff
Our friends at Disney Branded Television just announced that Kimiko Glenn and H Michael Croner will lend their voices to the brand-new animated buddy comedy series Kiff, slated to premiere in 2023 on Disney Channel. Take a gander at the series’ new teaser trailer—recently revealed at New York Comic-Con—below!
Glenn will star in the title role of Kiff, an optimistic squirrel whose thirst for life takes her on countless adventures through her town, while Croner will co-star as her naive and lovable bestie, a bunny named Barry. Set in a world where animals and magical oddballs tackle day-to-day life alongside one another, the series follows Kiff and Barry as they navigate school, relationships, and their often-eccentric community.
The series comes from creators and executive producers Lucy Heavens and Nic Smal. Inspired by the people and places Heavens and Smal experienced when they were growing up in Cape Town, South Africa, each half-hour episode—comprised of two 11-minute stories—will include a new original song.
Stay tuned for more Kiff-rific news as it becomes available.
5 Fantastic Things to Watch This Weekend Presented by State Farm®
Let’s see... what’s there to enjoy this lovely October weekend from around the worlds of Disney? There’s a brand-new episode of Raven’s Home on Disney Channel; Maleficent: Mistress of Evil on Freeform; an all-new episode of Celebrity Jeopardy (featuring Constance Wu, Jalen Rose, and Ike Barinholtz) on ABC; and more where that came from!
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever—Brand-New Trailer Revealed
Earlier this week, the good folks over at Marvel Studios debuted their incredible new trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the action-packed feature film that ventures back to the kingdom of Wakanda—where a new threat emerges from a hidden undersea nation called Talokan.
Plus, fans can now purchase advance theater tickets for the film everywhere tickets are sold. Communities and organizations can arrange group bookings and theater buy-outs by visiting WakandaForeverTickets.com.
In the film, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M’Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Gurira), and the Dora Milaje (including Florence Kasumba) fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda. Introducing Tenoch Huerta as Namor, king of Talokan, the film also stars Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, Mabel Cadena, and Alex Livinalli.
Directed by Ryan Coogler and produced by Kevin Feige and Nate Moore, Black Panther: Wakanda Foreveropens Friday, November 11, in theaters only.
New Features Available—and Coming Soon—to the Disneyland App
The Disney Parks Blog recently highlighted some great “news you can use” about the Disneyland app... which, if you haven’t already downloaded and used on your most recent trip to the resort, you simply must the next time you visit! Here are some brand-new reasons why:
New Disney PhotoPass Lenses: The purchase of Disney Genie+ service now includes access to Disney PhotoPass Lenses in the Disneyland app*** – some of which are new and many unique to Disneyland Resort! First launched at Walt Disney World Resort in collaboration with Snap, these interactive moments immerse guests in Disney stories, creating magical park memories... New lenses include the adorable balloons seen above!
Car Locator: Coming later this month, the Disneyland app will help you remember where you parked your car! (Always a bit challenging after a long and memorable day at the resort, right?!) This complimentary feature, presented by State Farm, will use Location Services to find and save your parking info at the Mickey & Friends parking structure, Pixar Pals parking structure, Toy Story parking area, and Simba parking lot. It works best when you enable Location Services, Bluetooth, and Notifications on your mobile device—but even if you don’t have Location Services turned on, you can enter your parking details manually.
For more on all kinds of cool features available on the Disneyland app—including some you might not expect to find there!—check out the Disney Parks Blog.
The Hair Tales—Premiering October 22 on Hulu
Earlier this week, Disney’s Onyx Collective and OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network jointly debuted the official series trailer for The Hair Tales, a dynamic celebration of Black women’s identity, beauty, culture, and humanity—uniquely expressed through the stories in their hair.
The docuseries features six diverse, phenomenal women—Issa Rae, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, CHIKA, Marsai Martin, Chlöe Bailey, and Disney Legend Oprah Winfrey—as they lay their intimate hair tales on the table with Disney Legend Tracee Ellis Ross. Surrounded by brilliant voices of academic and cultural leaders, gifted hairdressers, and extraordinary sisters, the series presents a collage of resilience, style, and purpose.
From executive producers Winfrey, Ross, and Michaela angela Davis, The Hair Tales debuts Saturday, October 22, on Hulu and at 9 p.m. ET/PT on OWN with the first two episodes.
Get Ready for Dancing with the Stars’ “Disney+ Night”
It’s always a fan favorite, and it’s sure to be even more memorable this time ’round: “Disney+ Night” is here on Dancing with the Stars, adding a whole new level of Disney fun to the long-running series... So, what should you expect? Check out our rundown of songs and dance styles—essentially, which couple will be doing what!—by clicking here, and don’t forget to tune in on Monday, October 10, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, only on the streaming service!
Guided Tours Return to Disneyland Resort
Here’s some more fun news from Disneyland Resort: Guided Tours have now returned! Starting this week, guests can book reservations for two exciting offerings:
The latest guided tour highlighting Walt Disney, “Walt’s Main Street Story,” uncovers hidden details, little-known facts, and other amazing trivia about Disneyland’s magnificent Main Street, U.S.A. The experience also includes a visit to Walt’s apartment; refreshments on the apartment patio; Disney PhotoPass photos of your party; and more. Meanwhile, “Holiday Time at the Disneyland Resort” gives a glimpse into how the yuletide magic is created across both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park during Holidays at the Disneyland Resort... The walking tour is accompanied by reserved viewing for A Christmas Fantasy Parade, delectable holiday treats, a ride on it’s a small world Holiday, and more.
Happy tour-ing!
ICYMI: Celebrating 40 Years of EPCOT
The official Opening Day anniversary has come and gone, but that doesn’t mean we have to stop celebrating EPCOT’s incredible 40-year milestone! In case you missed it, check out our look at the park’s past, present, and future—courtesy of EPCOT notables, including one who’s been with the park since its inception—by clicking here.