Bob Iger To Stay For Another Year

This is not unexpected at all. Disney CEO Bob Iger has extended his contract for another year, till July 2019.

While this is good news for Disney and its shareholders, it also highlights the problem with succession to helm the company after the abrupt departure of leading candidate Tom Staggs last year. Can someone who knows how to run a large corporation such as Disney, AND also respects the Disney tradition and legacy can be found?

I don't know.

Zz.

MML at EPCOT

Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker demonstrate the Muppet Mobile Lab at EPCOT. They showed how to launch a chicken into space. It was so fast that we just saw feathers flying.

Magic Kingdom fireworks dessert party

Before devouring, a selection of desserts at the fireworks party. "Wishes" fireworks will be replaced with a different show around May 12th.

Rivers of Light at DAK

This is a scene from the new Rivers of Light show at Animal Kingdom. The nighttime water show incorporates ideas from Fantasmic, Illuminations and World of Color at Disneyland. On a scale of 0-10, we rated it a 7. While the music was good and the effects were interesting, the show seemed to lack a strong story and it lacked a real wow factor. Also, the show ended with the boats and Animal floats still in the water. This seemed awkward. In short, pretty good but needs work.

Donald's egg hunt

At Flower and Garden each country hid a large egg with a character face on it. Don found the Pluto egg in China, but many eggs were impossible to find (so far).

Donald at Flower and Garden

Donald is having a good time at EPCOT's Flower and Garden festival. Here's our duck about to enjoy a Berry Buckle with berry ice cream. Don thought this was berry good. Next Don is eyeing a Flancocho, which is Flan on a chocolate base.

Rivers of Light at DAK

A panoramic view of the "stage" for the new Rivers of Light show.

Rivers of Light at DAK

About half an hour before showtime. Grandstand seating similar to Fantasmic.

Wanyama Safari at DAK

Enjoyed the excellent Wanyama Safari at Animal Kingdom. Started with tea and snacks. The Safari took about 15 of us into the savannahs around the resort, lasting about an hour and a half.

BL at MS

Buzz welcomes you to Infinity etc but mostly Mission Space.

Figment stepping stone

Add some imagination to the garden.

Flower and Garden 2017

Donald helps to greet guests near the Festival Center.

EPCOT metal detectors

All guests are being screened through metal detectors at EPCOT. Haven't seen the other parks yet.

Sent from my iPhone

Highest Grossing Disney Movie Every Year Since 1937

This is a rather neat list. It is the highest grossing Disney movie for every single year since 1937.

Of course, this has not been adjusted for inflation and the higher ticket prices of today, and the movie gross was significantly smaller back then. And I will admit, I haven't heard of several of the movies listed, especially the older ones.

Have you seen them all?

Zz.

Crush Now Does Home Restoration?

I've said it before. Being a Disney fan can be so distracting, you start seeing almost everything through Disney eyes. I've mentioned before that I often see "Hidden Mickeys" in so many other things (see here and here).

But it isn't restricted to just Hidden Mickeys. I've recently started watching the show "Restored" on DIY network, and I swear, the host of the show, Brett Waterman, sounds exactly like Crush from "Finding Nemo"! Don't believe me? Watch a couple of episodes and you'll understand what I mean. He has that same, surfer-dude sound. The only difference here is that, I don't remember him ever using the word "dude", whereas Crush would like you to use the word "dude" all day long after you've seen him at his attraction at the parks.

Crush doing home restoration.... who knew?

Zz.

Disney Develops Wireless Charging

The people at Disney Research has built a room where mobile devices can be wirelessly charged.

After working their idea out on paper, Sample and his team tested it by building a special room and powering various devices inside. A copper pipe was erected in the middle of it – a little like a pole-dancing set-up – while the walls, ceiling and floor were lined with aluminium panels. 

Currents ran up and down the pole 1.3 million times per second, generating an oscillating magnetic field at that frequency.

The field can deliver up to 1.9 kilowatts of power inside the room, “which is equivalent to charging 320 USB devices,” the authors write in PLoS One. In a demonstration, Sample’s team operated lamps, a fan, a toy car, a phone, a fan and some LEDs simultaneously.

And no, this is not yet built at any of the parks, so you'll just have to wait!

You may get the open-access paper of the work here.

Zz.

New Disney Pins In 2017

Steven Miller (is that you? You look so different!) has revealed new Disney pins to collect and trade in 2017.



Zz.

Rivers Of Light

After a long delay, here is the full show of Rivers of Light at Animal Kingdom.



Zz.

No More Disney Chicken Nuggets At Costco?

I posted quite a while back of this tasty Chicken Nuggets that we found at Costco in the shape of the iconic Mickey head. We haven't bought this in a while because the last time we bought it, we bought 2 bags that lasted almost a year.

When we went looking for it again a couple of weeks ago, we couldn't find them anymore! And our friends have told us that they haven't seen them in month. Horrors! Does this mean that this item is no longer available? Nooooo!!!!!

I know things change all the time at places like Costco, and that things come and go. Still, we have had this for a few years, and it is sad to see it no longer being there. It also appears that Kirkland, Costco's brand, is not replacing it with another type of chicken nuggets.

Zz.

Walking Tour of Living With The Land Attraction

A video of the behind-the-scenes tour of the Living With the Land greenhouse at The Land pavilion at Epcot.

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/video/walking-tour-land-pavilion-disneys-151032436.html

You get something like this (without the video camera, of course) when you take the Behind the Seeds tour at the same pavilion.

Zz.