This week at Walt Disney World, Disney announces the return of the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue, hugs return to character meet and greets, plus dates are announced for the 2022 edition of the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival!
Outside Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort goes behind the scenes of one of its most iconic attractions, plus casting gets underway for this year’s Halloween Horror Nights.
1. Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue to return this summer with small changes
It was announced this week that Walt Disney World’s Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue dining experience will return to Pioneer Hall at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground this summer on June 23. The show will be slightly modified with a few updates to its script and scenery, while staying true to the spirit of the show.
The menu will once again feature a feast full of favorites including fried chicken, smoked BBQ ribs, a variety of savory sides and strawberry shortcake.
Reservations for this returning entertainment option will be available at the Walt Disney World website starting May 26.
2. Traditional character interactions with autographs and hugs come back to Disney Parks beginning this month
Character interactions at Disney Parks have been distanced since the theme parks reopened back in 2020, but Disney has announced that more traditional character interactions with hugs, autographs, and high fives will be coming back to theme parks beginning later this month on April 18th. Disney has said that these more traditional character meet and greets will return in phases throughout the spring and early summer.
3. Dates announced for 2022 EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival
Disney has announced that the 2022 edition of the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival will kick off later this summer on July 14 and will run through November 19, the same length as last year’s extended festival.
More than 25 Global Marketplaces will be part of the lineup during this year’s festival, including returning favorites like The Swanky Saucy Swine, Appleseed Orchard, Hops & Barley, Earth Eats and more. Additional information about this year’s festival will be released in the weeks ahead.
4. Disney shares a look inside the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind queue
Though we’re all looking forward to Disney’s big announcement about Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind next week, in the meantime Disney has shared an exclusive look inside the “Galaxarium” part of the queue inside the attraction on TikTok. You can check it out here.
Imagineer Zac Riddley has said that this space builds off the legacy of EPCOT as a place where discovery and curiosity comes to life. The Galaxarium part of the queue for this attraction will be a planetarium-like exhibition where Guests will first be introduced to Xandar and the many similarities they share with the Xandarian visitors. This area will play host to a 30-minute show that will touch on both planets and how the Xandarian galaxy, the Andromeda Galaxy, is similar to our own, showcasing the real science behind the formation of galaxies and solar systems.
5. Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort becomes final Walt Disney World hotel to reopen
After nearly two years of operating at a reduced capacity, Walt Disney World Resort has reopened Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort, the final Disney Resort hotel to reopen. To celebrate this momentous occasion, Disney has released a video showing Cast Members celebrating the reopening of all Walt Disney World resorts.
6. New 50th anniversary commemorative Coca-Cola bottles now available
Walt Disney World and Coca-Cola have announced that five unique co-branded collectible bottles are now available exclusively at the resort during the 50th Anniversary Celebration. There are five designs in total — one with the 50th-anniversary logo and one for each Walt Disney World theme park. These special collectibles will be available throughout the celebration. The specially-designed bottles are the same price as the regular bottled sodas.
7. Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond! rehearsals now underway
Rehearsals are now underway for the updated version of the Finding Nemo Musical returning to Disney’s Animal Kingdom later this year entitled Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!. With this show now well on its way to returning to the park, it seems very likely that it will debut just in time for summer.
Disney confirmed last year that the newly-reworked Finding Nemo show will be named Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!. This show will be coming to the Theater in the Wild at Disney’s Animal Kingdom sometime this year and will be set in the timeline of the Finding Dory film, incorporating events from the sequel.
Fan-favorite songs from “Finding Nemo the Musical” will return in this new version of the show, including “In the Big Blue World” and “Go with the Flow.”
8. Casting now underway for 2022 Halloween Horror Nights
Universal Orlando Resort is already gearing up for this year’s iteration of Halloween Horror Nights, and is accepting internal auditions for scare actors, puppeteers, and stilt walkers. No houses have been announced yet, but music superstar The Weeknd teased that he may have a presence at this year’s event after a speculation map that featured his name leaked online.
Single-night tickets are now on sale for this year’s Halloween Horror Nights, which kicks off September 2 and runs through Halloween night on October 31st. This year’s event will run for 43 nights, the most in the event’s history. Ticket prices range from $73.99 to $104.99, and select packages are also available. More information on ticket prices and event dates can be found here.
9. The Ride Guys go behind the scenes at Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
Universal has debuted a new online series called the Ride Guys and this week hosts Dylan and Mike take a close look at Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, going behind the scenes and learning more about this awesome attraction. You can check out the video above.
