News in a Minute - 31st August 2018

Sorry about the terrible video quality.




The News in a Minute for Theme Parks this week:
- Disney has released details of the restaurant at Star Wars Galaxy's Edge, known as Oga's Cantina. Controversially this will be the first place inside Disneyland park where Alcohol will be served.
-  Disneyland has also release part of the menu for the new Tropical Hideway eatery, including Bao and Sweet Pineapple Lumpia, a favourite from WDW's Pandora.
- Universal Orlando are having social media meet-up on September 1st to celebrate Back to School, called "Back to Hogwarts".
- Six Flags Magic Mountain is adding a new multi-launch racing coaster called West Coast Racers for 2019.
- Carrorwinds have also announced a new coaster for 2019, a Mack Launch coaster called Copperhead strike.
- There was a rumour this week that Shanghai Disneyland are looking at adding copy of Pandora in the next 5 years.
- A video appeared on line this week of a number of Shanghai Disneyland guests swarming a cast member, and stealing the balloons they were selling.
- Walt Disney World is adding a new Snow White character dining at Fort Wilderness. Snow White will be joined by the evil queen and 2 of the seven dwarfs.
- Hersheypark in the US has reportedly sought approval to build a new coaster up to 220 feet tall in 2020.
- the First major maintenance of the DC Rivals hyper coaster has included the remove of track at the top of the hill after the first drop.
- Details have been released about Canada's Wonderlands upcoming hotel. It will be a Hyatt Place/Hyatt House branded hotel with 203 rooms, set to open in 2020.

News in a Minute - 24th August 2018

Here is this week's news in a minute:




- Universal Orlando will be permanently closing the Eighth Voyage of Sindbad at IOA, one of the few remain parts of the Lost Continent land.
- Legoland Florida has reportedly submitted plans to build another 150-room hotel at the resort.
- Europa Park had a mixed week, with a minor Monorail crash, as well as the soft opening of Madame Freudenreich Curiosities, which is a revamp of the previous Universe of Energy dark ride. Check out the POV of that ride, as it is genuinely hilarious to me!
- Merlin have released details of the up coming Legoland Park in New York, including the 8 lands that will be part of the park.
- Sad news from Engerylandia in Poland, where it appears an employee was killed by the new Hyperion Hyper coaster, while attempting to retrieve a lost cell phone.
-  Disneyland Resort and Anahiem city council have continued their civil war, which this week Disney pulling a PR stunt to essentially refuse millions of dollars of tax concessions from the Council.
- We've got complete lineups for Halloween Horror nights, with multiple announcements this week including Blumhouse houses, Universal Monster Mazes and Wicked Witch themed house.
- Disneyland Resort lifted it's summer block outs, and the parks were crammed with Annual Passholders as a result.
- Tivoli in Denmark has opened a new spinner ride Tik Tak, to celebrate its 175th birthday.
- In Malaysia the Movie Animation Park Studios had it's IP deal with Dreamworks cancel just before their new land opened, previously called Dream Zone, meaning in just over two weeks they have had to untheme an entire land.

News in a Minute - 17th August 2018

This week's news:

-  Sweden's Liseberg last Friday opened Europe's tallest and longest dive coaster — Valkyria.
- Tivoli in Copenhagen turned 175 this week celebrating its opening in 1843
- The Walt Disney World Railroad and Tomorrowland speedway in MK will close temporarily next year while the Tron lightcycle coaster is constructed.
- Universal Orlandos new hotel, the Aventuras had its preopening media preview this week. It looks like good views with small but high tech rooms.
- Canadas wonderland announced it's new coaster for 2019, Yukon Striker. Which will be the world's tallest, fastest, and longest dive coaster!
- Cedar points new steel vengeance coaster has had another malfunction this week as a drive wheel snapped and fell from the ride. It was back up and running by the end of the day.
- Hong Kong Disneyland will have a new Nightmare before Christmas walk through for their halloween event this year.
- Europa parks new Eurosat CanCan coaster will have a untethered VR set up that will start in the queue before boarding the ride.
- Michael Myers is back for Halloween Horror Nights in both Universal Orlando and Hollywood!
- Six Flags is adding a loyalty program to it's parks, where you'll be able to get points for visiting parks, riding rides and spending money in the parks.
- Fighting between Disney and the Anaheim city council may stop development on Disneyland Resorts 4th hotel.

News in a Minute - 10th August 2018

This week's news:
- News for Universal Orlando's Halloween horror nights this week, with a original house based on a lush jungle of man eating plants, called Seeds of Extintion announced. Also, we now have it confirmed (after last week's leak) that 1982 movie Poltergiest will be a house in both Orlando and Hollywood.
- Disney's US parks have increased their revenue by 6 percent year-over-year during their third quarter up to June. Attendance was also up 1 percent.
- SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment also announced an increase in attendance and spending. Attendance grew 8 percent during the first half of 2018.
- Dolly Parton has announced an expansion to Dollywood for 2019 called Wildwood Grove. It'll be a flat-ride midway themed to an enchanted grove.
- Teasers for Canada's Wonderland new attraction for 2019 are hingin at a flying animal theme.
- Kennywood have had a terrible time in the last ten days, having 2 rides derail, and another have a with a major malfunction.
- Port Aventura in Spain has reportedly started construction on a Sesame Street themed Dark Ride, set to open in 2019.

Book Review - Walt and the Promise of Progress City

So I'm starting to branch out a little in my YouTube content. Going to try a few different things, and if one particularly does well, I'll do more. You've seen my Rant and Raves videos that I've done, but today I've put up a book review.




I love theme park books and I've got a pretty awesome collection. I haven't read all of them, but there are plenty that I have! So, first up I'm reviewing Sam Gennawey's Walt and the Promise of Progress City. This book is about Walt Disney and the way that he influenced the worlds of Architecture and Urban Planning, and how he was building up to an even bigger project, Progress City, when he passed away.

News in a Minute - 3rd August 2018

-  Disney cast members agreed to a new contract, which gives them a immediate wage increase of 20%, and slides them up to a minimum wage of $15 an hour over the next two years. Still not much, but it's something.
- Filming began this week on the Jungle Cruise movie, based on the popular Disney attraction.
- The first test ride on the Eurosat Can Can coaster at Europa Park happened earlier this week.
- Herseypark has announced it will be revamping it's interactive dark ride themed to Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. The new ride, Reese's Cupfusion will open next summer.
- Epcot released it's menu for this year's Food & Wine Festival.
- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom has softed opened Harley Quinn Crazy Coaster. There is a media event today, that will mark the official opening.
- WDW added a new upcharge dinning option at Animal Kingdom, which bundles a meal at Tiffins, priority seating for Festival of the Lion King and a special Safari tour. The first reservations are now available, for dining times from August 13.
- Not strictly a theme park, but the Warner Bros. Studio tour has announce it's adding a Halloween event. This may have an impact on what IPs are available for other Halloween events, such as Universal's Horror Nights.
- Knott's Berry Farm has released Knott's Scary Farm details, running from Sept 20 through to October 31st.