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Disney Cruises Disney News

Disney Magic Sailings Cancelled Through Oct. 2nd

Disney Cruise Line has suspended all Disney Magic sailings through and including the October 2 departure.

In light of this cancellation, for guests who are not paid in full, Disney will automatically refund any payment made toward the booking. This refund will be processed back to the original form of payment, but may be delayed due to the high volume.

For guests who are paid in full, Disney is offering the choice of a 125% future cruise credit to be used for a future sailing that commences prior to March 31, 2022, or a full refund. The credit has been automatically added to their account.

For guests who purchased the Adventures by Disney Cruise or Escape Package on six of the sailings as part of their vacation, the package will automatically be refunded back to the original form of payment.

Impacted departures include:

  • 8/5 – 8-Night Northern Europe
  • 8/13 – 7-Night Northern Europe
  • 8/20 – 10-Night Northern Europe
  • 8/30 – 7-Night Norwegian Fjords
  • 9/6 – 7-Night British Isles
  • 9/13 – 5-Night Western Europe
  • 10/2 – 10-Night Westbound Transatlantic

Adventures by Disney Cruise or Escape Packages

  • 8/5 – 8-Night Northern Europe: 8/2 Copenhagen Escape and 8/5 Northern Europe Cruise Package
  • 8/13 – 7-Night Northern Europe: 8/10 Copenhagen Escape and 8/13 Northern Europe Cruise Package
  • 8/20 – 10-Night Northern Europe: 8/17 Copenhagen Escape
  • 8/30 – 7-Night Norwegian Fjords: 8/28 London Escape
  • 9/6 – 7-Night British Isles: 9/4 London Escape
  • 9/13 – 5-Night Western Europe: 9/11 London Escape

From our friends at chipandco.com
Filed Under: News, Adventures by Disney, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Cancellations, Disney Magic

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Disney News Disney Parks Disney Vacations

Two Disney World Area Hotels have Extended their Closures

Two Disney World area hotels have recently extended their closures. The Swan and Dolphin Resorts are located on Disney property, however, they are not Disney-owned, so they set their own reopening dates.

The previous reopening date stated on their website was July 6 which would’ve given guests another option for staying on Disney property when the parks reopen.

The Swan and Dolphin website now states that the hotels will be closed through July 29, 2020. The site also gives more information for guests with reservations:

“For guests with existing reservations for any future arrival date, including reservations with pre-paid rates that are typically more restrictive, we will allow full changes or cancellation without a charge up to 24 hours prior to arrival, as long as the change or cancellation is made by July 29, 2020. Please note that any changes to existing reservations will be subject to availability and any rate differences.

For guests making new reservations for any future arrival date, including reservations with pre-paid rates, from today until July 29, 2020, we will allow the reservation to be changed or cancelled at no charge up to 24 hours before your scheduled arrival date. Please note that changes to the reservation will be subject to availability and any rate differences.”

As of now the only Disney Resort hotels that will be open when the parks reopen will be DVC resorts and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground. The parks are scheduled to open July 11 (Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom) and July 15 (Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios).

From our friends at chipandco.com
Filed Under: News, Parks & Resorts, Places to Stay, Resorts, Walt Disney World, Disney World, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, dvc resorts, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Swan and Dolphin

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Disney Movies Disney News Other Star Wars

Director Deborah Chow Says Untitled Star Wars ‘Kenobi’ Series Is Still In Development

Director Deborah Chow Says Untitled Star Wars ‘Kenobi’ Series Is Still In Development. During a pre-recorded panel between the Mandalorian directors and show runners, director Deborah Chow shared an update regarding her upcoming, and currently untitled, Obi-Wan Kenobi Star Wars series for Disney+.

Fellow director Taika Waititi was asked about the progression of his recently announced Star Wars feature film joking that it was “all finished”. Chow was asked a similar question regarding her new series and shared, “We have a little more to do than that, but we’re in development.”

The series has been through many delays and hurtles since its inception. In the beginning the series was actually meant to be a new Star Wars film following Obi-Wan Kenobi as he looks after a young Luke Skywalker, albeit from a distance, to make sure he is not found by Darth Vader or the Empire on Tatooine.

Then out of the blue, Disney and Lucasfilm seemed to outright cancel all future Star Wars projects in 2018 outside of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker with no explanation other that the fear of “film fatugue” for the franchise. Turns out, the studios were actually gearing up for the big reveal of Disney’s new streaming service, Disney+.

Photo Credit: FRANÇOIS DUHAMEL

The previously canceled films found a new home on Disney+ as exclusive content, only this time, the films would be adapted into series such as The Mandalorian, untitled Kenobi and untiled Cassian Andor (Rogue One) series, as well as another untitled series reportedly lead by a female protagonist.

The creation of Disney+ also sparked a 6th and final season for Star Wars: The Clone Wars and it is currently rumored that some of the characters from Star Wars: Rebels and The Clone Wars are set to appear in Season 2 of The Mandalorian.

Ewan McGregor and Kathleen Kennedy Photo Credit: D23

Are you excited for the new Star Wars series coming to Disney+? What other Star Wars stories would you like to see? How do you think Obi-Wan becomes Ben Kenobi? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Be sure to check back here at Chip and Co. for all things Star Wars and Disney+!

Featured Photo Credit: Lucasfilm/Mubi

Source: ComicBook

From our friends at chipandco.com
Filed Under: Star Wars, Disney+, News, TV, Deborah Chow, disney, Kenobi

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Disney Movies Disney Rumors & Gossip Other

Disney’s ‘Atlantis’ Director Shares the Film Was Supposed to Get a Sequel in Theaters

Disney’s ‘Atlantis: The Lost Empire’ Director Shares the Film was Supposed to Get a Sequel in Theaters. As 3D animation quality improved rapidly between the 90’s, 00’s and 10’s the fight for 2D animated films to stay relevant and exciting caused several fantastic stories to be overshadowed by films featuring the latest in animation techniques. Though we thoroughly enjoy 3D animated films, there is just something about 2D animation that helps us to remember a simpler time and see the talent and effort the ink and paint artists had to give in order to bring us unforgettable stories. Authors Note: We LOVE our VFX and CGI artists out there, and your work is absolutely incredible, but we gotta give our favorite 2D animated films some love here!

One such 2D animated film from Walt Disney Studios is Atlantis: The Lost Empire. The film has been a fan favorite for nearly two decades now and with the surge in animated film remakes by Disney, it has easily climbed to the top of the “most wanted remakes” list. Many fans believe the film was not given enough credit and claim it was at an instant disadvantage when it premiered in theaters alongside the highly anticipated films Shrek (Dreamworks) and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (Paramount Pictures).

Photo Credit: Disney

Had the movie been a box office success it is more than likely we would have seen a full fledged sequel premiere in theaters. Actually it’s more than likely. We WOULD have seen a sequel in theaters, at least according to the films director Kirk Wise. Kirk shared that not only was the film intended to get a sequel, but Disney had gotten so far as to create an outline and storyboard for the shelved sequel.

“Believe it or not we did,” Wise revealed. “[Story supervisor] John Sanford, Gary and I actually concocted an idea for a sequel to Atlantis. It had no relation to the Atlantis TV series that was being developed at Disney Television Animation. This was a feature-length, full-on, full-blown sequel to Atlantis.”

“We were going to have a new villain in the story. The villain was going to be wearing big, scary, wool, bulky, World War I-style clothing with a frightening gasmask to obscure it’s face; a little Darth Vader-esque,” Wise continued. “And this villain was going to try and retake Atlantis and finish the job that Rourke was unable to accomplish. And the big twist in the climax of the movie is that the villain is unmasked and it turns out to be Helga Sinclair. Plot twist!”

You may be asking yourself, “Now wait a minute, didn’t she die in the first film?” The short answer is No, we never actually see Helga Sinclair die on screen. It’s just assumed she would have either succumbed to her injuries from her fall or to the lava flow when the volcano erupted. But according to Kirk’s statement, Helga miraculously survived the whole ordeal!

Instead, Disney created a direct-to-video sequel called “Atlantis: Milo’s Return”. In this animated sequel to “Atlantis: The Lost Empire,” the discoverer of the submerged continent, Milo, and his new wife, Queen Kida, are startled when friends led by explorer Preston tell them that the monsters meant to protect their land are causing destruction on the surface. Milo travels with Preston and his crew to Iceland, Arizona and Norway to stop the havoc, while Kida considers having Atlantis make contact with the outside world.

Photo Credit: Disney

Though the sequel’s performance was subpar, the story wasn’t nearly as bad as the degraded animation quality made it appear. It seems the intended sequel storyline by Kirk and Gary would have made the audience more invested in the continuing story, but such is life.

Atlantis: The Lost Empire fans have been waiting patiently to hear from Disney about the rumors circulating that they are developing a live-action remake of the 2001 animated film. The claim has gone so far as to share that the studio is reportedly looking to cast Tom Holland as Milo Thatch.

My two cents on the matter, IF Disney does decide to do an Atlantis: The Lost Empire live-action film I actually would love to see it turn into a trilogy. There are so many avenues to explore and stories to be told about the lost city of Atlantis and the thematic elements would be spectacular in theaters. I mean come on, those crystal necklaces and the journal from the film practically sell themselves, Disney.

Photo Credit: Disney

An official announcement has yet to be made by Disney regarding a live-action remake, but if the project does get the green light what are some of the casting choices you would like to see for the live-action film? Would you rather see a live-action remake or a full fledged animated sequel in theaters? We would love for you to share your ideas and thoughts in the comments.

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

Featured Photo Credit: Disney

Source: ComicBook

From our friends at chipandco.com
Filed Under: Movies, Animation Studios, Disney Gossip, News, Atlantis, Atlantis: The Lost Empire

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Disney Parks Other

Helpful Virtual Chat With a Walt Disney World Resort Cast Member Feature Coming Soon

virtual chat

A helpful virtual chat with a Walt Disney World Resort Cast Member feature is coming soon! With the phased reopening of the Walt Disney World Resort, many measures are being set in place to reduce interactions while COVID-19 concerns are still present. These are to keep guests safe while enjoying the Disney magic we miss so much.

One of these new features- a virtual chat with a Resort Cast Member- will allow any assistance for guests’ hotel stays without having to wait in the lobby for help. This feature will be available on the My Disney Experience App beginning June 22.

To reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19, Walt Disney World will offer the virtual chat feature, online check-in, automatic checkout, enhanced cleaning, and much more! For more information on all of the steps Walt Disney World will be taking to keep guests safe, click here.

We can’t wait to be back at the “happiest place on Earth” while staying safe, of course!

Photo source Walt Disney World.

From our friends at chipandco.com
Filed Under: Parks & Resorts, Places to Stay, Resorts, Walt Disney World, Cast Members, COVID-19, Disney Parks, Disney Resorts, enhanced cleaning, reopening, safety measures, Virtual Chat