DisneyLand
Shanghai Officials Lock Disney Resort Guests Inside Park as Part of Zero-COVID Policy
Shanghai officials locked down the Shanghai Disney Resort on October 31st, refusing to allow theme park guests to leave until they had tested negative for COVID-19. As Reuters and Deadline report, the strict measures stemmed from China’s controversial zero-COVID policy. Officials said they were spurred to action after a 31-year-old woman who had visited the park in recent days tested positive for COVID-19. At 11:39 a.m. on Monday, they closed the gates to the main theme park and all surrounding grounds. According to unverified videos on social media, crowds of resort guests rushed towards the entrance to avoid the lockdown, only to find the gates already closed. Advertisement Related Video Those in the park were allowed to continue going on rides until testing concluded by 8:30 p.m. t...
Disney’s Jungle Cruise Ride Will Remove “Negative Depictions” of Native Peoples
Another round of changes are coming to both of America’s Disney parks. The iconic Jungle Cruise rides at Disneyland and Disney World will be modified to remove what the company calls “negative depictions” of native peoples. According to a new post on the Disney Parks Blog, the riverboat attraction that first opened at Disneyland in 1955 and was replicated at Disney World in 1971 will no longer feature dated scenes of people of color dressed in generic jungle attire. Instead, the ride will follow an actual storyline narrated by its beloved skippers, and the scenery will contain more animals and less offensive human depictions. These updates are being made to “reflect and value the diversity of the world around us.” “This is not a re-envisioning of the entire attraction,” explained Disney Im...
Disneyland Is Now a COVID-19 Vaccination Site
The House of Mouse is now the Pad of Jabs. According to a new statement from Orange County, CA, Disneyland will become the region’s first large Point-of-Dispensing (POD) site for the COVID-19 vaccine. Unlike its partner park in Florida, which reopened in July, Disneyland has been closed to guests since March. But later this week, the enchanted gates will open once more to inoculate Phase 1a citizens of Orange County. These include everyone 65 and older, as well as “law enforcement first responders in high-risk communities.” As a so-called “Super POD,” Disneyland should have the capacity to vaccinate thousands of people a day. Dr. Pamela Hymel, the Chief Medical Officer for Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, told ABC7 that, “Disneyland Resort is proud to help support Orange C...
Whatever Happened to the Movie Theme Park Ride?
Blockbuster Month is celebrating the true titans of the genre. All month long, you’ll read through a variety of features digging deep into the greatest hits of Hollywood, from popcorn classics to underrated gems. Today, Clint Worthington revisits a time when the theme park ride was often a part of the summer blockbuster experience. I was never a big theme park guy. Between my disdain for crowds and heat and the high-level anxiety I get around rollercoasters, suffice to say I never actively sought them out in my early years. Then my eighth-grade school band was invited (like many bands do) to play at Walt Disney World in high school, so off we went to Orlando for a week of chaperoned magic — both there and at Universal Studios Florida. Yes, the rides were fun, the merch was overpriced (albe...
