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Disney Business Disney Financials Disney News

Disney Along with Several Other Major Companies Seek Over $1 Trillion in Relief For Local Aid

Not too long ago, we told you about a Federal Aid plan that included a $25 billion airline rescue package to bail out the hard-hit travel industry due to the country’s recently shut down.

Orlando International Airport

And now Disney along with top industry leaders of several major companies are moving forward with a plan to seek over $1 trillion in government aid.

First reported by CNBC, California Governor Gavin Newsom is asking for more state and local funding along with his task force which includes Disney Executive Chairman(and former Disney CEO) Bob Iger as well as Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos among many others.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge During It’s Dedication Ceremony

The task force sent a letter to Congress last Friday addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. In it, they formally requested an additional $1 trillion in flexible economic relief to be distributed throughout all states.

Closed Lost and Found booth at Disneyland after the parks close due to Coronavirus

The task force says the additional funds could be used for essential resources to trace and prevent the spread of the virus and to assist operations like child services, job training, and small businesses.

Sleeping Beauty Castle

The House of Representatives passed a bill on Friday which included $1 trillion in funding for state and local governments. We’ll continue to follow this developing story and keep you informed of any updates.

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Disney News, Featured, News, $1 trillion, bail-out, bob iger, california governor, california task force, Disney, Disney Executive Chairman, gavin newsom, government assistance, walt disney company

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Disney News Disney Parks Other

Going To Disney World in February? Here’s What You Need To Know!

Here’s the info you need to maximize the magic on your February trip to Disney World!

Valentine’s Day Cupcake

By February, many of us are feeling the winter blues. And a Disney World vacation can be the perfect cure! But before you start planning, you need to BE PREPARED — Scar might be a Disney villain, but that’s a solid piece of advice that we’re going to borrow! Here are all the deets you need to know in order to set yourself up for a fabulous February vacay!

Crowds at Disney World in February

In general, the crowds at Disney World in February tend to range from light to moderate. But there are a few holidays and happenings that can cause attendance to spike!

Typically the parks will be busier during President’s Day weekend since lots of guests take advantage of the long weekend for a quick getaway! And with the Epcot International Festival of the Arts running through most of the month (more on that later!), Epcot tends to be busier on the weekends with locals visiting for the festival.

Sunshine Seasons Cupcake

In addition to these more predictable crowd boosters, some schools around the country have Spring Break or Winter Break during February. Since these dates vary by school and change from year-to-year, unfortunately, they’re more difficult to account for while planning. So just be aware that if you’re planning a trip in February, you could run into some early Spring/Winter Break crowds!

Park Hours at Disney World in February

The parks hours throughout the month of February tend to be pretty steady! Most parks will open at either 8AM or 9AM, and close at either 8PM or 9PM.

Hollywood Studios

Magic Kingdom will usually stay open a little later (usually 10PM), but outside of that, Disney World park hours are pretty consistent in February!

Weather at Disney World in February

The temperatures tend to start warming up a little bit this month compared to January, which has the lowest average temps throughout the year! In February, the average high is 75 degrees and the average low is 54 degrees. So, typically the mornings and evenings are chilly, but the afternoons can warm up a bit!

Disney’s Boardwalk

February is also relatively dry — by Disney World standards! There are an average of 4 rainy days throughout the month, which is less frequent than you could expect during the summer months.

How to Pack for Disney World in February

Okay, we just touched on how the temperature can be chilly in the mornings and evenings, but warm up during the afternoon. So that means you’ll want to pack clothes you can layer for your February trip! We suggest bringing a sweatshirt or jacket, gloves, scarf, and hat so you can wear them out in the morning, and store them in your park bag when it starts to warm up!

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

And don’t forget those closed-toe shoes! Even if you’re usually a sandals in the park kinda person, the frigid temps in the mornings and evenings can be especially hard on the feet. So make sure you come prepared!

Epcot International Festival of the Arts

If you’re traveling to Disney World in February, there’s a good chance your trip will overlap with the Epcot International Festival of the ArtsThe event usually runs through late-February, so if your vacation lands at the end of the month, be sure to check the festival dates and plan your park days accordingly. Trust us, this isn’t an event you want to miss out on if you can help it!

Festival of the Arts Sign

The Festival of the Arts has so much to see and do, including Food Studios, live entertainment, unique merchandise, complimentary seminars, and extra-ticketed workshops!

2020 Pop Eats! Food Studio

We looooove the festival Food Studios because the food is both delicious AND beautiful! Since it is the Festival of the Arts, there’s a huge focus on the presentation of the menu items at each of the booths.

In past years, we’ve seen favorites like the Sushi Donut, Smoked Salmon and Cream Gâteauand Festival of the Arts Mini-Cake!

Sushi Donut

Festival entertainment includes Performing Arts like the  Disney on Broadway Concert Series, live music, living statues, and more! And the Visual Arts are represented as well! Guests can find Artful Photo Opschalk art, and character art throughout the park!

Peter Pan Photo Op

And guests can commemorate their time by picking up some festival merchandise! In addition to classic options like tumblers, clothing, and plushes, you can also purchase work by featured artists located throughout the park!

Festival of the Arts Merchandise

If you want to take your exploration of the arts to another level, check out one of the free seminars or extra-ticketed workshops offered during the event!

Trailblazing Ladies of Disney Animation Complimentary Seminar

Even though it’s the newest addition to the Epcot lineup, the Festival of the Arts is quickly becoming one of our favorite events! It’s definitely worth checking out during your February trip!

Annual Ride Refurbishments

Another thing to consider if you’re planning a February trip — several of the rides and attractions in Disney World will be down for annual refurbishments! This is particularly important if you’re a water ride enthusiast. Both Splash Mountain in Magic Kingdom and Kali River Rapids in Animal Kingdom usually go down for refurbishment in mid-January and remain unavailable until mid to late-March.

Splash Mountain Refurbishment

And you’ll have limited access to the water parks as well! Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and Disney’s Blizzard Beach go down for refurbishment in alternating months. So, if you’re traveling in February, only one of them will be open!

Valentine’s Day Treats

If you’re traveling in mid-February, you’ll see a lot of pink, red, and heart-shaped treats! We typically see Valentine’s Day themed snacks available at least a few days before and after the holiday.

Of course, there are plenty of Valentine’s Day Cupcakes available around the parks and resorts! And we’ve spotted some more inventive desserts as well — like the (almost too pretty to eat) Bella Notte Petit Cake at Amorette’s Patisserie in Disney Springs!

Bella Notte Petit Cake

If you’re traveling in February, be sure to keep an eye on menus across Disney World for fun, Valentine’s Day menu options! For instance, in the past, Kona Cafe at Disney World’s Polynesian Village Resort has offered Red Velvet Pancakes with Cream Cheese Topping as a limited-time offering!

Red Velvet Breakfast Special

And there are plenty of places in Disney World to have a date night! Several locations in Disney Springs offer Valentine’s Day specials and menus for a romantic night out on the town! So if you find yourself in Disney World with your Valentine, you can have a Bella Notte, indeed.

If you’re planning a trip to Disney World in February, you have a lot to be excited about! The (usually) manageable crowd levels, super-fun Epcot Festival of the Arts, and delicious Valentine’s Day treats can make Disney World even more awesome! Just be sure to prepare yourself for the ride refurbishments and potentially chilly temps and you’ll be in for a magical vacay!

Are you planning a trip to Disney World in February? Let us know in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: disney parks, Disney Springs, Featured, Walt Disney World, 2020 Epcot Festival of the Arts, 2020 Epcot International Festival of the Arts, attraction refurbishments, Blizzard Beach, Blizzard Beach Refurbishment, closed typhoon lagoon, crowd levels, disney valentine’s day treats, disney world crowd levels, Disney World crowds, disney world park hours, disney world planning, disney world planning tips, disney world valentine’s day, Disney World weather, disney’s typhoon lagoon, kali river rapids, ride refurbish, splash mountain, Splash Mountain Closure, valentine’s day menus, valentine’s day menus at disney world, valentine’s day specials, walt disney world planning, weather

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Disney Business Disney+ Other

Disney’s head of streaming Kevin Mayer is now the CEO of TikTok

TikTok

The Walt Disney Company is seeing another shift in its corporate leadership. The company announced how their streaming executive, Kevin Mayer, is leaving Disney. Mr. Mayer is departing because he is assuming a new corporate role elsewhere as the CEO of ByteDance, which is the Chinese company that owns TikTok.

TikTok is an app used for creating short videos and the popularity of the social networking grew during the global pandemic. According to app data firm Sensor Tower, the TikTok app has been downloaded about 1.9 billion times worldwide. For the first quarter in 2020, the app was downloaded 307 million times, which is more downloads than any other app for the quarter.

When asked why he was leaving Disney, Kevin Mayer replied, “I was happy with my job at Disney. The magnitude of this opportunity was just something I couldn’t pass up.” Mr. Mayer says that music and gaming are two possible expansions he’d like to explore for the future of TikTok.

He did achieve phenomenal success with Disney’s streaming service. Back in April, The Walt Disney Company celebrated crossing 50 million subscribers on Disney+. Since the announcement, the Walt Disney Company has named Rebecca Campbell as the new corporate leader of the Disney+ streaming service.

Source: New York Times

From our friends at chipandco.com
Filed Under: Disney+, News, disney, Disney plus, Kevin Mayer, New CEO, TikTok

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Rumored: Johnny Depp “In Talks” to Play Joker in the New Batman Movie

Rumored: Johnny Depp “In Talks” to Play Joker in the New Batman Movie. Director and Producer Matt Reeves is currently working on The Batman, which is said to focus on the formative years of Bruce Wayne becoming Batman and hero of Gotham. Recently, rumors began spreading that Warner Bros and DC were “in talks” with actor Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean) to play the most iconic villain in superhero history, The Joker.

Kevin Smith shared the rumor stating, “There’s a big rumor going around that says they’ve been talking to Johnny Depp about possibly playing The Joker in Matt Reeves, The Batman movie. Now, this is the first anyone’s even heard about there being a possibility of a Joker in The Batman movie on the heals of the Joker which won Oscars and made over a billion dollars and [Joaquin Phoenix] just locked that part down. But it looks like, you know, now this is [an] Oscar bait part. Who the fk wouldn’t want to play The Joker? Heath Ledger won an Oscar, Joaquin Phoenix won an Oscar, and of all the actors out there that could possibly roll the dice on the joker, Johnny Depp? Actually kinda fking perfect.”

The rumor has NOT been confirmed by the film studios, but it does have fans wondering why Joaquin Phoenix is not being considered for the role. One possibility it the established timeline in Joker does not match up with the storyline in Matt Reeves’ version of The Batman, or that Reeves is looking to establish the character for multiple projects and simply wants to create his own casting choices for the roles.

You can watch the full episode of Kevin Smith’s FatMan Beyond below, and fair warning the video contains language that is NSFW:

Be sure to check back here at Chip and Co. for all things Entertainment!

Featured Photo Credit: Dior/DC Films

Source: Movie Web

From our friends at chipandco.com
Filed Under: Movies, News, Batman, Johnny Depp, Joker, Robert Patterson, The Batman

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Disney News Disney Parks

Full list of Restaurants and Retail Locations opening at Disney Springs

Disney Springs

With Disney Springs reopening tomorrow they have just released a complete list of Restaurants and Retail Locations that will be open.

We are still awaiting word on what time we can expect Disney Springs to reopen tomorrow.

The following locations will open starting on May 20th:

On May 27, three Disney-owned and -operated stores and venues will reopen World of Disney, D-Luxe Burger (mobile order) and the Marketplace Co-Op. You can visit DisneySprings.com/reopening for the most current information on which locations are open.

Also, Disney Springs announced yesterday new Cast Members to promote physical distancing guidelines

From our friends at chipandco.com
Filed Under: Parks & Resorts, Disney Springs, Walt Disney World, Disney Springs Reopening, Disney World, Restaurants and Retail Locations