Welcome back to Boardwalk Times: Stories from the Seashore! In this month’s newsletter, we will be discussing Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary kicking off while taking a look at some of the things that were supposed to happen for the celebration. Also, this month we will be diving into Disney’s theatrical slate reshuffling. All that plus a ton of Links of the Month in this edition of Boardwalk Times: Stories from the Seashore!
On October 1, 2021, Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary celebration kicked off to great fanfare. Disney executives and legends were in town. The nights leading up to October 1 showcased the debuts of new nighttime spectaculars like Harmonious at EPCOT and Disney’s Enchantment at the Magic Kingdom.
The latter actually had a rededication ceremony attached to its first showing where the two Bob’s: Disney CEO Bob Chapek and Executive Chairman Bob Iger rededicated the entire resort. There wasn’t any visible tension in the moment but at the end of the day, the rededication didn’t feel like a super grand gesture like it should’ve been.
Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary celebration still has the benefit of the doubt though. It’s going to last 18-months and this is just month one. Yes, most of the celebration has been centered around food and merchandise but that doesn’t mean throughout this long celebration the focus could change to new attractions/experiences and potentially nostalgia!
I think Disney was caught at an awkward time when putting the final touches on Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary celebration. They didn’t know what vaccination rates would look like, and obviously, they didn’t want any media backlash for encouraging people to travel to Florida. So, I really can’t fault them there.
But I believe now that things are getting better. We could see Disney boost up its 50th anniversary offerings. For example, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is confirmed to open in 2022. That will be a massive draw and its happening during the 50th.
I think some of the disappointment for the 50th comes from what was rumored and some of the predictions. But once the pandemic happened all of that was scrapped. But for the sake of the argument let’s look at everything that was rumored and or predicted for Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary.
We still got Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind coming, and it’s actually being filmed right now. Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is opening in March 2022.
The Princess and the Frog Splash Mountain retheme has no timetable yet but would be doubtful within the next 18 months. Tron: Lightycycle Run could open shortly after Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, if the construction pace picks up.
Moana: Journey of Water and the Play Pavilion at EPCOT could be late additions to the 50th anniversary in 2023, and Disney could use their openings to celebrate 100 years of The Walt Disney Company.
I would’ve liked to have seen the 50 updates for the 50th anniversary. It honestly would be a cool thing if Disney could’ve announced a ton of new attractions, experiences, and upgrades throughout the 50th. Sadly, the pandemic has made Disney shift its capital spending away from the parks and towards direct-to-consumer.
Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary celebration was supposed to be a massive event for the resort, and now it feels like it’s just a normal thing happening at Walt Disney World. Before everything happened, this event was supposed to make a huge impact on Walt Disney World and attendance.
And that’s where the biggest question remains. Will the 50th still make as big of an impact as it was supposed to?
And I guess that’s another newsletter for another time.
Disney Reshuffles Its Theatrical Slate
Walt Disney Studios reshuffled its entire theatrical slate but it wasn’t due to COVID (thank the lord). It was just due to simply a domino effect between productions and filmmakers. It might’ve also been done to give some more films some time. The prime example is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which is now undergoing reshoots, got moved from March 25, 2022, to May 6, 2022. This will allow the film to have more time and also it moves the film out of March to avoid DC’s The Batman.
Another example of a film being delayed that needs more time is Indiana Jones 5. Everyone is sad it got delayed almost a full year from July 29, 2022, to June 30, 2023. But when will we learn that we shouldn’t rush Lucasfilm?
Some of the promising news coming out of the theatrical reshuffle is that Pixar still remains in theaters with Turning Red on March 11, 2022, and Lightyear on June 17, 2022. Although with Turning Red coming out a week after The Batman you have to wonder if it will be a theaters plus Disney+ Premier Access type situation. There is also an untitled Pixar film for 2023 in theaters.
In 2022, there is also three Searchlight film and six 20th Century films scheduled. In 2023, there is only one 20th Century film scheduled so far. I would expect to see more from each studio on the 2023 slate soon.
As of this writing of this newsletter, Spider-Man: No Way Home looks safe. The film is coming out in December and it’s almost November. If a move was going to happen it would have to happen soon. The lack of marketing has been questionable though. Also, giving the Marvel films more time in between each other is only a good thing.
Speaking of Spider-Man it looks like Sony and Marvel Studios are playing nice with each other. Marvel Studios removed October 6, 2023, off of its release calendar. Sony immediately snatched up that October date for a Sony Spider-Man universe film.
All in all, Disney’s reshuffling wasn’t too major. The delays are due to normal circumstances and not something out of Disney’s control.
LINKS OF THE MONTH
— Bob Iger’s Long Goodbye almost reads like the first chapter of DisneyWar 2 (The Hollywood Reporter)
— Alan Horn will retire at the end of 2021. Let’s take a look back at his storied career. (Boardwalk Times)
— David Gordon Green to direct a film about the creation of Disneyland for Disney (Deadline)
— Is Disney going to spin off ESPN? (Puck)
— Looking back on Walt Disney’s radical vision for the city of tomorrow. (Fast Company)
— Some Disney cast members are already house hunting in Lake Nona. (Orlando Business Journal)
— Does Disney Know What to Do with The Muppets? (Disney Musings)
— The story behind the Mickey Mouse short Runaway Brain and why you may never get to see it. (Polygon)
— Is Disney leaving money on the table with Marvel in its theme parks? (Boardwalk Times)
More exciting articles are on the way at Boardwalk Times. We are getting extremely close to the holiday season. In November, we will have a lot of content from Disney’s Q4 earnings call, Disney+ Day, and the start of our new Marvel podcast series Chasing Arrows, a Hawkeye after-show podcast.
But for now, Happy Halloween from the Boardwalk Times.
See you next month for a new edition of Boardwalk Times: Stories from the Seashore!
