Disney made a number of significant announcements at their “Awaken Summer” event. From new princesses to new looks at upcoming park expansions, there was something for just about every type of Disney fan at the press event.
One of the bigger announcements was that of a totally new character – an addition to Disney’s ever-growing princess lineup, named Elena of Avalor. Elena will be starring in her own series on the Disney Channel beginning this summer; she is the first princess to be inspired by “diverse Latin cultures.” She will also debut as a character in the parks, specifically at Magic Kingdom, this summer.
Smaller park announcements included the addition of Finding Dory characters to the popular “Turtle Talk with Crush” starting in May, as well as the fact that the highly-anticipated Frozen ride, “Frozen Ever After,” will open at the Norway Pavilion in Epcot in June.
The largest excitement surrounded the discussion regarding the two major park expansions, both happening at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. First up was “Toy Story Land,” based on the popular Disney-Pixar franchise. New details on the land’s attractions were explained and shown off, including a concept video for the “Slinky Dog Dash” roller coaster. Details on the other new main attraction in the area, “Alien Swirling Saucers,” were also unveiled. Disney’s Hollywood Studios currently features “Toy Story Midway Mania” as a wildly popular attraction.
Star Wars has already taken over a large part of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and the press event went into more detail on further expansion, specifically regarding the full “Star Wars Land.” They have officially broken ground on building the expansion, which will include new rides, such as a simulation of a flight aboard the Millennium Falcon. Disney will also be adding a new fireworks show to the park, to be called “Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular,” which starts running in June. They have recently added a small stage show, which debuted earlier in April, as well as a regular Stormtrooper march led by Captain Phasma.
A full rundown of all of the details from the event can be found at the Disney Parks Blog.
