Quite a bit happening across property this first weekend of April at Walt Disney World. Some goodbyes, some hellos and even some surprises.. guests have a lot to look for. Let's start off with the sad stuff: There will be three closings on Saturday April 2: Lights, Motors, Action!, the Monster's Inc. at Meet and Greet at Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom's Dream Along with Mickey will all be coming to a close. The Lights, Motors Action stunt show tucked away behind the Streets of America had nearly an 11 year run (officially opened May 5th, 2005). Pixar will also no longer be able to meet Mike and Sully from "Monster's Inc." after Saturday; both of these attractions are being closed down and cleared out for future Star Wars and Toy Story expansions. There is no word on if Mike and Sulley will return at all, which means the only chance for guests to see them might be at the Tomorrowland Dance Party during Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.
Last but surely not least: The cast of "Dream Along with Mickey" will be saying their final farewell on the castle stage. The whimsical, magical and lyrically captivating show first graced the Magic's Kingdom's presence in 2006. From kicking off the 10-year run decked out in blue "Year of a Million Dreams" outfits and high energy animations, to closing it out with Maleficent crashing the party and giving Mickey and the gang the ability to physically tell us to believe in our dreams, this show opened so many entertainment doors throughout the years. "Dream Along with Mickey" not only intertwined multiple story lines and an enamoring, sensible fashion, but it also set the bar for theme park entertainment across the globe. Thank you to the cast and crew who brought this majestic show to life; can't wait to see what's next. Looking to the Future: Although many tears will be shed during Dream Along's final bow, WDW entertainment has set themselves up for success with their next offering. Coming as early as late June, Mickey and friends will be back on the castle stage for Mickey's Royal Friendship Faire. Guests will still be able to see the "classic" princess during the Festival of Fantasy Parade... but this on-coming show is all about the "new age." With story lines from Princess and the Frog, Tangled, and Frozen all being brought together, viewers are assured a royal showing. Characters like Princess Tiana, Naveen, Louis the alligator, Queen Elsa, Princess Anna, Olaf, Rapunzel and Flynn will all be on-stage in what's said to be Mickey's royal gift to Minnie. One of the more fascinating confirmations in my opinion is the fact that Daisy Duck is finally going to make an appearance at one of these marquee performances (how many times do we get to say that?!). Daisy will be dancing, talking and surely keeping Donald in line for guests in her big debut (other than ABC's Christmas Day Parade).
Now, let's move on to the good stuff: WDW will welcome the newest batch of characters to their everyday family. Joy and Sadness from Pixar's "Inside Out" will begin meeting in the Innoventions building at EPCOT. Starting Sunday, guests will be able to meet the two protagonists and gears that helped keep Riley going throughout the feature film. The two characters will be meeting together and are scheduled to meet guests during normal Future World operating hours (9am-9pm).
Finally, the Surprise: I'm going to keep this as vague as possible, but Star Wars fans enthusiasts will be very excited if they start the day at Hollywood Studios on Sunday. On Monday April 4th, the "Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular" fireworks will set off for the first time, and that morning right down Hollywood Boulevard, "A Galaxy Far, Far Away will make it's first **scheduled** performance; emphasis on scheduled. Anyways, like I said, Star Wars fans will get a (Captain) Phas-tastic surprise on Sunday.
