We bring you a lot of stories every single day. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up. So in case you missed anything from our feed, we have rounded up all our stories in one place to get the news at a glance. Here is your Daily Recap for Thursday, March 18, 2021.
Walt Disney World
Magic Kingdom
- In the online portfolio of Xavier Treto, we came across these two pieces of concept art from his time working at Disney that were “to develop a meet and greet for Moana and Maui” at what appears to be Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room in the Magic Kingdom
- The countdown to the “The World’s Most Magical Celebration” has begun and more decorations are popping up on Cinderella Castle every day, with today’s additions of more bunting being mounted on both sides of the castle
- While we know TRON Lightcycle / Run at the Magic Kingdom will not be opening for quite some time, we are glad to see that the canopy framework only needs one more piece to be complete
- The Chapeau will be closing at the Magic Kingdom on March 27 for an extended refurbishment through sometime this summer
- Last year, Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom received a new look with gold accents, pink paint for the walls and shimmering blue for the turrets, but we’ve noticed recently that the shimmering blue is already being repainted
EPCOT
- Kartika Rodriguez has been named Vice President of EPCOT as the final step in Walt Disney World’s latest leadership change
- Yesterday, Walt Disney Imagineering shared photos from testing one of the new “points of light” fixtures on Spaceship Earth at EPCOT and today, Disney Parks posted a TikTok video with a closer look at one of the fixtures that will soon be installed as part of the icon’s new lighting package
- We said goodbye to Innoventions West this week as the final remnants of the building were demolished and while Innoventions West was removed, work continued on Innoventions East and the site of the new MouseGear store
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Disney Imagineer Zach Riddley took to Instagram to share some exciting news regarding the iconic Chinese Theatre and a new LED lighting package that will bring “premiere night, every night” to Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Walt Disney World Resort Hotels
- With St. Patrick’s Day over, Disney has started rolling out the Easter treats and now several bunny and egg-themed items can be found at Gasparilla Island Grill in Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Other Walt Disney World News
- The entrances to Walt Disney World are getting a special blue and gold makeover for the upcoming 50th anniversary and this morning, painting began on the archway that stretches across World Drive
Disneyland Resort
- We headed out to the Disneyland Resort the day before the grand opening of “A Touch of Disney” ticketed event to see some of the preparations for the festival, and we found a lot to show you in this most recent photo report
- It feels like a lifetime ago, but we are finally back in Disney California Adventure for “A Touch of Disney”, and we’re happy to see that the new façade hiding a backstage facility from Cars Land was completed over the year in which the park was closed to guests
- Marvel Avengers Campus may not be opening with the rest of Disney California Adventure on April 30, but we are catching some glimpses of it during “A Touch of Disney”, the ticketed event that began today, March 18
- While taking our first stroll through Disney California Adventure in a year, we noticed two buildings are in the middle of being refurbished — both Cocina Cucamonga and The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure are surrounded by scaffolding
- We were eager to visit a dining location that we have missed over the last year — Lamplight Lounge in Pixar Pier — and in addition to food, the table service restaurant is offering collectable coins during “A Touch of Disney”
- We visited Disney California Adventure today on the first day of the sold out “A Touch of Disney” ticketed event and as we previously reported, Disneyland Legacy Passholders can visit the Passholder Corner for a unique photo opportunity, a free magnet and button, while supplies last
Disneyland Paris
- A third COVID-19 wave is shutting down Paris for one month and in addition to the Paris region, 15 other regions will begin a shutdown at midnight Friday
New Merchandise
- Two new retro EPCOT posters are now available on shopDisney featuring The Living Seas and The Land Pavilions, and Guardians of the Galaxy – Cosmic Rewind poster is coming April 19
The Walt Disney Company
- A class action lawsuit was filed in 2019 on behalf of two Walt Disney Studios Cast Members who believe that the Disney Company was guilty of discrimination and not following pay equity standards, and now a new claim of pay secrecy against the company’s pay equity practice is making headlines
WDW News Today
- It’s time for WDW News Tonight so join us at 9PM ET for a recap of the week’s news, as well as the start of our second March Madness tournament for 2021 – Disney Parks Backstories
An Updated Look Into Avengers Campus in Disney California Adventure
🔴 LIVE – First Day of “A Touch of Disney”
WDW News Tonight – Episode 168 (3/18/21) March Madness: Backstories
That’s it for today, we hope you enjoyed this Daily Recap. Thanks for stopping by, and we’ll see you tomorrow!