Plus…. Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire set to receive seasonal overlays, Flying Fish and AbracadaBAR now open on the BoardWalk, and more!
We begin the August Edition of the WDW Radio Newswire with some exciting news out of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. A new Muppets-themed quick service restaurant will be opening this Fall in Muppets Courtyard. PizzeRizzo will be taking up residence across from MuppetVision 3-D, in the space formerly occupied by Pizza Planet. As indicated from its title, PizzeRizzo will be a quick service pizzeria owned and operated by Rizzo the Rat. Italian-American cuisine will be at the forefront of the menu. Expect to find options similar to that of the old Pizza Planet, with dishes like personal pizzas, meatball subs, salads, fountain beverages, and select deserts making up the main bulk of the menu. PizzeRizzo will feature both indoor and outdoor seating, with hints of Muppet-inspired theming and decor sprinkled throughout the two-story restaurant. Confirmed portions of the dining layout include a “cheesy” banquet room and V.I.P. Booths reserved exclusively for Rizzo’s celebrity friends. Look for PizzeRizzo to join the DHS dining landscape later this Fall, with indications pointing to an opening date sometime between Labor Day and Halloween.
For more news out of DHS, let’s head over to Commissary Lane, where Chip n’ Dale and Goofy are now meeting and greeting with Guests. The trio could previously be found by the Center Stage area, but they’ve found a new home across the way from the Writer’s Stop. In addition, Donald and Daisy Duck have a new Meet and Greet location just inside the Main Entrance, near the old location of Sid Cahuenga’s One of a Kind Shop.
Time to park-hop over to Magic Kingdom Park now for some more news on the Muppets, as a new patriotic live show is set to make its debut this Fall. The Muppets Present… Great Moments in American History will emanate daily from Liberty Square, just outside the entrance to the Hall of Presidents. The show will be hosted by Sam Eagle, with other confirmed participants including Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, and Gonzo. The show will also feature a character named James Jefferson, who plays the role of official Town Crier of Liberty Square. The Muppets will regale us with historical patriotic tales such as the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere and the writing and signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Muppets Present… Great Moments in American History will have multiple shows daily, with performances set to begin this October.
For more news out of Magic Kingdom Park, let’s follow the hub back to Cinderella Castle, as Celebrate the Magic is set to see some downtime this month. The projection show will cease operations from Friday, August 5th through Tuesday, August 30th. During this maintenance period, upgrades to the projectors and projection system will be taking place.
There’s one more bit of news to address at MK, as it’s just been confirmed that Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire will be receiving some seasonal updates. The first of these updates will be an Autumn overlay this September, with another update confirmed for the Holiday season later this year as well. These seasonal updates will be most prevalent in the Finale Scene, and changes to both the costumes and music are expected to be included as well.
Time to hop on the Monorail and venture over to Epcot now for a very exciting bit of news. A couple weeks back in the early morning hours before park opening, height test balloons could be seen floating high above the pavilions of Future World East. Nothing has been officially confirmed yet, but these tests are usually a pretty good indication that a redevelopment or entirely new build could be imminent. The rumor mill has been scorching hot this past week, with all indications pointing to a Guardians of the Galaxy-themed pavilion coming to Epcot’s Future World East!
There’s several potential scenarios being tossed around. First up is the possibility of a Guardians of the Galaxy re-theming/overlay to Mission: SPACE. This seems like the most natural fit, but at present time seems like the most unlikely scenario given the sustained popularity of the attraction. The second scenario being tossed around has the Guardians taking up residence inside a redesigned Wonders of Life pavilion. This would be a natural fit, as the pavilion sits unused half the year. But this scenario is unlikely as well, as Disney really loves having this space available to serve as Festival Center during the International Food & Wine Festival and the Flower & Garden Festival. The third potential home for the Guardians could be the Universe of Energy pavilion. This seems to be the one that’s gaining the most traction on the rumor mill. This scenario has the pavilion either being gutted from the inside and redesigned, or completely leveled all together with an entirely new pavilion being built in its spot. The fourth and final scenario has a completely new pavilion being built in between Universe of Energy and Wonders of Life. Of all the possible scenarios, this one is my favorite. I’d absolutely love to see a new pavilion in Future World! Like I said, nothing has been officially announced yet, so remember to take all this as a rumor. But it’s an exciting rumor, and one that has enough traction to make me feel a need to share it with you. This is one I’ll definitely keep you posted on!
Time to hop out of the parks now and venture over to the Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, as the Flying Fish and AbracadaBAR have both recently opened for business. AbracadaBAR made its Boardwalk debut on Monday, July 25th, and Flying Fish reemerged on the dining scene Wednesday, August 3rd. Dinner hours for Flying Fish run from 5pm to 10pm, and AbracadaBAR is open each day from 4pm to midnight.
Well, that’s gonna do it for the August Edition of the WDW Radio Newswire. But I’ll be back again next month with lots more news, notes, and happenings from Walt’s beloved Florida Project!
(All photos, images and concept art ©Disney.)
Don Myers has covered Walt Disney World news and recent/upcoming events for the WDW Radio Blog since 2011. He has loved “all things Disney” since his first family trip to WDW in 1986. As they say, the rest is history! Don was also a contributing writer for Celebrations Magazine, penning over 30 articles and 7 cover stories for the publication from 2009 to 2012.