Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Episode 007 - 2026 DVC Annual Dues, New Resale Fees, LOTS of Park News, Animatronics, Bluey and Friends, Zootopia 2 Box Office Numbers
49 Plays3 days ago
In Episode 7 of The Rhubarbs Travelers, we celebrate the long-awaited arrival of Bluey to Disney Parks, detailing the new shows and experiences coming to Disneyland and Animal Kingdom. We also discuss the confirmed July 2026 opening date for Soarin’ Across America and analyze the rumors surrounding airline-style ticket pricing and a new partnership with Meta for smart glasses. DVC members won't want to miss our breakdown of the 2026 annual dues and the surprising 30-month extension to the Contemporary Resort's refurbishment. Plus, we explore Disney's cutting-edge animatronics, from a free-standing dancing Minnie Mouse to the next-gen tech coming to the Lion King ride in Paris.
Stay tuned for our Aftershow, where we react to Zootopia 2 making history with the biggest global opening for an animated film of all time. We also dig into intriguing permits filed at Disney Springs that point to a new concept from the owner of Gideon's Bakehouse taking over the Art of Shaving space. From the permanent closure of the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster pre-show to the reimagining of Hollywood Studios' Animation Courtyard.
This episode sponsored by Dontresistthetravel.com
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction of Episode 7
00:00:14
Speaker
Hey, folks. Welcome to episode number seven of the Rhubarb Travelers podcast. We are recording this show on Wednesday, December 3rd, 2025. I am Blake. With me, as always, is Damon. How are you doing, my friend? Well, I'm just wondering, like, what's going to happen at episode 10? Like, is there anything special? Like, I don't know. them I don't know. What are we going to do, man?
00:00:37
Speaker
I don't
Damon's Project Delays
00:00:38
Speaker
know. We'll have to see. I rely on you for a lot of that. What were the ideas? I have... You know, i have a lot of good ideas about a lot of things. um My follow through because I'm so busy is very low with most of the things. I'll be honest with you. I was thinking about this recently yesterday.
00:00:56
Speaker
I've ordered like the big thing is my attic is obviously a disaster. Right. So I ordered two huge shelves from Sam's Club, like the ones, you know, the ones that hold like, you know, eight million pounds. and Right. And I was like, oh okay, yeah, like, I'll be able to put those both together and get stuff stacked on them, and it'll take me, like, a day.
00:01:14
Speaker
And then, like, they're showing up tomorrow, and I'm like, yeah, I bet you they don't even get put up before Christmas. yeah I always have good ideas. It's just... you seem You've been working on this attic thing for, it seems like, two years almost. Well, so what happens is you go up there, and, like, it just, like, kind of goes, like, falls apart. Like, so my son had cleaned it up pretty well, and then...
00:01:35
Speaker
I went up there to find something and then that was it. Like it just kind of fell apart at that point. Or you put new stuff up there. Really the big thing is the geotracks this year. This is gonna be my first year since the kids have been younger that we're gonna have working geotracks and they're gonna go up and that's been its own sort of thing. Oh wow, that's a blast from the past. like Yeah, yeah. So I'm trying to find like a little mini like kind of camera I can put on the train and then record a video. So we'll we'll see how that goes though. All right.
Patreon Shout-Out to Dan H
00:02:07
Speaker
Let's do our Patreon subscriber shout out.
00:02:09
Speaker
This week, we are shouting out Dan h Dan has- No way. Yes. Dan H. is a new Patreon subscriber. just wants me to read Impossible Creatures to him over the phone, I feel like.
00:02:22
Speaker
He has been a longtime friend of the show, and so now he is a Patreon subscriber. That makes me feel good, though. that that's a good That's a good feel for the start of the show. As with all of our Patreon subscribers, it feels good that they are are donating. So thank you for that. And if you are interested in becoming a Patreon subscriber, please head on over to Patreon.com, look up Rhubarb Travelers, and please consider becoming a Patreon subscriber. It helps out quite And I'll read passages of Impossible Creatures. That's right. that That could be a Patreon exclusive.
00:02:57
Speaker
There you go. Yeah. All right. like This is a very non-after show weighted show. It's very Disney-ish. It's going to be light on after show. for That's okay, though. Right. It's going to be like the opposite of the previous show, which was almost entirely after show. All right. Yeah.
Disney's DVC Annual Dues for 2026
00:03:16
Speaker
All right. So let's get into DVC and resort news and tips. So it is that time of year again, folks. 2026 annual dues have been released by Disney for DVC.
00:03:30
Speaker
So, David, would you care to guess without looking at the list if you haven't already done so, which resort or which DVC property had the largest percentage increase? i I can't tell. I've already looked. I'm sorry. Like, yeah. So, but so, so Bay Lake Tower. Yeah. Bay Lake Tower, 9% increase.
00:03:51
Speaker
So, so I only really look at the ones that impact me. Right. And Riviera obviously is at 4% lower because it's newer, right? Less things to kind of fix. Right. Saratoga Springs, it's seven, five, nine.
00:04:08
Speaker
I mean, it hurts a little bit, I guess. Right. Like, I don't know. i just kind of don't really think about this. Right. To me, it's just, okay, they're going to go up every year. It's just kind of the way the world works. Right. And I don't get bent out of shape about it. I mean, does it,
00:04:25
Speaker
you know, pass inflation percentage. Yeah. Right. That kind of stinks, but I don't think too much about it. I think that the value is still so high that, you know,
00:04:37
Speaker
Paying a dues increase is just, you know, it's life. Like, that's kind of the way I look at it. It's the cost of doing business, says Daisy. Yes. Yeah, so we do have some some large numbers here. Yeah. Like Grand Floridian, kind of high.
00:04:53
Speaker
mean, Saratoga's higher than I like. Cabins at Fort Wilderness, while the percentage increase wasn't very big, man, their their overall dues are... Yeah, so if we start if we start looking at like the the actual number, right? like Then all of a sudden things change, right? Percentage is always, like you said, what what what does percentage really matter? It's really, what is that final number?
00:05:16
Speaker
Right. I mean, you have you know the Vero Beach number, you have the Hilton Head number, and I'm sure Hilton Head had some issues with you know the weather that came through last year. Cabins of Fort Wilderness, like you said, at $12.27.
00:05:29
Speaker
twelve dollars and twenty twenty seven cents 28 cents rounded up for dues is kind of brutal. Yeah. But you know, again, it's kind of like when you go get gas. So this is what happened to me. I'm going to, was so, so upset by this. So I'm going to get gas. I'm driving my son home from Thanksgiving and I'm going to get gas. And I'm like, okay, I, you know, it's two 99, but I can do better. Right. Like you kind of play that game with, right. I can do better. I can do this. Okay. So I finally find a place that's two 79, but it's,
00:06:02
Speaker
one of those like kind of like mom and poppy sort of places. Like it's like it does have a store. Anyway, this is a Sunday. So I pull in, i fill up and I'm like, wait a second.
00:06:16
Speaker
Why is it so expensive? So I and I said, let me see my receipt. But my receipts in the store, but the store is closed because it's Sunday. And I'm just bent out of shape. Long story short is, you know, I was looking to save all this money at, you know, 279. I ended up putting premium in by mistake. because Normally where premium is on my regular gas station, they had them flip flop. Right.
00:06:38
Speaker
And I was like, see, like it didn't even really matter. I was talking about saving five cents to then get beat for a dollar. Right. And I feel it's the same kind of sort of way here. Like, yeah, yeah. Like, whatever, man. Like, yeah.
00:06:51
Speaker
You know, what what is mine going to go up? So 5%. I mean, I pay on my dues. I want to say
Disney's New Administrative Transfer Fee
00:06:59
Speaker
two. Hold on. I'm looking. No, I pay 195.
00:07:04
Speaker
$195 what you're saying. Yeah. a month. ah A month. Okay. Yeah. And so what's, what is 7%? Like, do I care? Well, 10% would be $19. So yeah, $14. Like, why am I even concerned about $14? Like, that's why I don't get why people like are always so like vehemently waiting for this number. Like, dude, it's 14 bucks. Like, even if it's,
00:07:34
Speaker
$30, $40, like it's $30, $40. Like, are we why are we sweating this? And then by 12, if you multiply that 12, that goes out to around $150 a year extra, at least for this.
00:07:45
Speaker
Yeah, I have, so I have a weird scenario, right? So my, I'm on a contract with my parents, so they're currently using it. but it will go into, are like we're on the contract as well, so they're currently paying. That's why my number's a little bit lower, um because they're still paying theirs, but that will eventually come to us.
00:08:04
Speaker
tongue All right. Let's go. If you are a resale... Wait, we have no questions. You didn't even ask for questions. Oh, my goodness. No. Well, we're still in DVC reort Resort News.
00:08:18
Speaker
Okay. We still have a lot this week. Yeah. okay We got a lot. so All right. So if you are looking into buying a resale contract, please be aware that starting... January 1 of 2026, Disney is going to start assessing a new administrative transfer fee just to process that transfer. so Which they well should, to be honest with Right, yeah. So would you care to guess what that new fee is? Have you looked at that? I have not looked it up. I would say it's like $100, though. Wrong.
00:08:50
Speaker
What is it? It's higher. Oh, $500? It is $500. $500.
00:08:56
Speaker
500 big ones just to transfer a title. Yeah, I mean, i wish it was more... Um, wish it was more. So why, why more? Like, well, again, like I'm not a resale person. I think that there should never be resale, right? I think those contracts should go straight back to Disney, right? If you want to sell, I've always said this on the other show too.
00:09:15
Speaker
Um, but like, my thing is, is I'm not really a big fan of resale. I think that if you want to sell just go sell back to Disney at a percentage of what they're currently selling for. Right. So you always know what that number is. It's a percentage. It is what it Right. Right. That's how I think that it should work.
00:09:30
Speaker
So I'm fine with, you know, this again, if it was higher, would it make a difference? If you would want it higher to be a deterrent. Yes. I'm always about deterrence in terms of resale, but I mean, it's something right. It shows me that they're, they're thinking that way and what, what's to come.
00:09:50
Speaker
I mean, I think that Disney Again, this is my opinion, but I think that Disney's always been looking at ways to kind of make more money on resale contracts because they don't make as much, you know, at all, really. Do they make anything right now off of resale?
00:10:07
Speaker
I mean, is there? No, I mean, they they make it off the original sale, right? like It's not like those points like get double sold, that right? they're They're just being moved to somebody else. So they've made their money up front on that contract. but there's nothing they get when well now they do you would sell it to me. Right. Yeah. Yeah.
00:10:25
Speaker
They will. We'll start in January 1st. So just be aware if you were looking to buy a resale, there's another $500 that you're going to have to chip in to make that happen. All right. So we just said that, uh, what is, Bay Lake tower had the highest percentage increase of dues.
Contemporary Resort Refurbishment Extension
00:10:42
Speaker
Now this next article is going to kind of explain why. So contemporary resort, uh,
00:10:48
Speaker
has been has been going through a refurbishment now since September of 2024, well over a year. Well, they just extended that, and now this refurbishment will last until late 2027. Not That is extension beyond what was originally planned. It's It's so funny because that's where my first stay at Disney was. Like I said, my my parents couldn't necessarily afford to take me. So my aunt and uncle took me to my first Disney trip and that's where we stayed. And it was always such an interesting experience. I was looking at ah some pictures recently of that. So yeah, this is long though. Right. Yeah. It was originally scheduled to be over actually this past summer, summer of 2025. They extended at one time to July, 2026. I wonder why. Yeah. and They must have found some things. That is the only thing I can think of.
00:11:47
Speaker
Yeah. Unless there's something big on the horizon. Yeah. Which there could be. We don't really know. I mean, it would be... Yeah, this is the... You know, it it was one of the earliest hotels, though. So, I mean, I could see it needing a little bit more in terms of refurbishment. Yeah. So, we'll see how that goes. We'll kind of stay on top of that.
00:12:06
Speaker
So, you said Contemporary was your first... ah was your first Trip. Yeah. First trip. Was that the very, that was where you first stayed like the very first time you went to Disney or. Yeah. i mean, I was, that was my river country trip.
00:12:20
Speaker
Right. Oh, okay. So that was, um, like I said, went to river country, stayed at the contemporary, you know, did the parks. Like i said, I don't remember the parks and like at all. I just remember river country in terms of that trip.
00:12:33
Speaker
I don't even remember staying at the contemporary. i know we did, but I do remember river country more than anything. and And only little parts of river country. So I remember, like, I have pictures of me going down the slides. I don't necessarily remember that part. I remember, like, the ropes course there, I think, more than anything.
00:12:53
Speaker
And i also remember the water being like lake water, right? Because it was. Well, it was, yeah. Yeah. So that's those are the two things that kind of pop out to me about that trip. Right.
00:13:04
Speaker
Okay. In our last little bit of DVC news, DVC eligible owners, and I'm doing the air quotes with my fingers, eligible owners will have access to a special viewing area for Disneyland's Christmas Fantasy Parade. Now, there were three dates for this. ah Two of them have already passed.
00:13:23
Speaker
They were on November 20th and 25th, but there is still one more. December eleventh You will be able to go get a wristband from the Starview Station Lounge within Disneyland starting at 11 a.m. m It is for the owner and four guests that are on the actual resort stay. So you can't just go grab four random people to go watch this with you. But you will have a special viewing area for this fantasy parade.
00:13:50
Speaker
Yeah. Do they do this normally? Because I've never heard of them having a special viewing area. i would I would think that Disney would want to do this more often because this is a perk, right, that is essentially free in a way, I think.
00:14:07
Speaker
Yeah, but they could also be charging for that special viewing area. So there's that. yeah Yes, but I don't think they give up as much revenue absolutely off of that. Yeah, I would agree with that.
00:14:18
Speaker
So I think it's something that they should look into at least because of all, you know, Disney is kind of known for maybe taking away perks over time. This is something they can add on. I think it's hey a good offer for DVC owners. Of course.
00:14:34
Speaker
And it does say eligible owners, but it doesn't define what an eligible owner is. I would think, I don't know. You think this is blue card? It might be. so
00:14:45
Speaker
All right. We don't have any listener questions this week. Blake didn't even ask, let's be honest. what I got to do everything around here. i got you Yeah, exactly. all right. Before we get into park news and folks, we got a lot of park news this week. We're going to go ahead and do our sponsor. So let's listen to our sponsor ad and we'll be right back.
00:15:08
Speaker
We'd like to welcome our inaugural sponsor to the show, DontResistTheTravel.com. Folks, vacation travel should be exciting, memorable, and most importantly, completely stress-free.
00:15:23
Speaker
However, as we all know, planning that perfect trip for you and your family can be anything but that. That's where the folks at Don't Resist the Travel come in save the day.
00:15:36
Speaker
Whether you're traveling with your family and want a vacation that's fun, effortless, and full memories, or you're looking for a luxury escape with VIP experiences, private tours, and hand-picked resorts, the folks at Don't Resist the Travel handle every detail just for you.
00:15:55
Speaker
When you work with Don't Resist the Travel, you don't just book a trip, you build an experience that's truly tailored to your personal needs. So don't resist.
00:16:06
Speaker
You know you want to travel. Visit DontResistTheTravel.com and start planning your next unforgettable getaway today. And make sure to let them know the guys at Rhubarb Travelers Podcast sent you.
00:16:21
Speaker
That's
Dynamic Ticket Pricing Introduction
00:16:22
Speaker
DontResistTheTravel.com.
00:16:26
Speaker
And we're back. Okay, folks, we are chock full of park news today, so let's get it rolling. The first one we are going to talk about is airline-style ticket pricing is coming to Walt Disney. And by that, you will see dynamic pricing changes Based on time of year, events coming. Now, we're already you know we're already kind of used to that.
00:16:52
Speaker
Ticket prices change depending on the type of year. However, this is going to be taken up a new to a new level where you could see this change daily. it just It's so odd to me because we're talking about an optimization of where if the park's busy, the price increases, which I get, right? Because then you're trying to stop people from coming.
00:17:15
Speaker
But on the other end of it, like, why do I want to pay more for a day that I know is going to be busier? Right. And that pricing could change during the day. So if you were to look at ticket pricing in the morning- But you're still locked into whenever you buy.
00:17:31
Speaker
Right. So- Right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now, so then to me, the- the The play there for us as attendants is you might want to start thinking about buying tickets as early as possible because the whole thing here is supply and demand, right? So if they can change the pricing as the supply of tickets drops on the fly, it behooves you to buy early where there's greatest supply and ostensibly you would have the lowest pricing, I would think.
00:18:03
Speaker
Yeah, and the thing is, like when we when when am I going down? Am I going down? Oh, we might go down this year. Well, actually, first, Blake and myself were talking about maybe we go down and do a show down there. right Yeah, yeah live show.
00:18:15
Speaker
And I'm always down to go because I have the points, I have the time, and my daughter can always get a tennis lessons. So I'm always ready to go. We were talking about going down for tennis lessons and like over the 4th of July and then, you know, going to the park one day. But I was like, oh, I'll just wait to see, you know, what day we'll go. So this is going to be something that would affect me per se.
00:18:35
Speaker
Right. Right. So buy those tickets early. Yeah. Yeah.
Disney and Meta's Smart Glasses Collaboration
00:18:39
Speaker
Next, Disney is partnering with Meta, also known as Facebook, to develop smart glasses for the parks. And this is going to be where they are looking into putting a virtual theme park guide, as they're saying it, in your ear via smart glasses. So if you've seen the commercials that have Chris Pratt and who is the other person? ah Hemsworth.
00:19:02
Speaker
ah that it's the Ray-Ban sunglasses it's rayandglasses that have Meta integrated into them. Disney is partnering with Meta where it looks like they might be developing something like a guide. But I mean, are you are you coming with your own glasses? Are they you know giving you glasses? Are you renting glasses? like i would think I would think it would be an app that you would have to download for your own glasses. Yeah, and and to me,
00:19:29
Speaker
like I like the use of like smart technology, but it seems to me like what they're talking about is like a theme park guide in their ear. It's like, at the end of the day, the benefit of having a theme park guide is to get on the rides.
00:19:45
Speaker
And while we do like to hear about the parks, I feel like everything has kind of been talked out about the parks. Like, are you really going to hear something new? I mean, I guess for people that don't come often, it might be interesting or people that were never like really down the rabbit hole of, you know, the Disney park and the architecture and things like that is kind of cool. I'd like to see it used like, you know, where it's a map or it tells me ride time. Like I can look at a ride. It tells me how long, like, Things like that. So hopefully there's a lot of that.
00:20:18
Speaker
Right. So in there as well. So they interviewed Imagineer Asa Kalama. I hope I said that correct. Of executive creative and and interactive experiences. And Asa said, didn't actually demonstrate their use, but he talked about how the cameras and the microphones and the speakers in those Ray-Bans could, quote, enhance the way we tell stories. So, for example, guest exploring,
00:20:43
Speaker
Galaxy's Edge could look around and ask questions about the architectural details. They could get the answers right in their ears. If they were looking at a merchandise item, they could ask questions about that and be able to get information.
00:20:57
Speaker
I would think that they would also be able to, I think you mentioned this right then, was to add in more stuff about the rides and add in enhanced on the rides and shows. Yeah.
00:21:11
Speaker
We'll see how it goes. it's just How much are those glasses? I haven't even looked them. think they're like three something. i well I was going to get a pair for my son, but then I was like, man, i already got him too much for Christmas. I can't do it. I can't.
00:21:25
Speaker
so But I mean, I think they'd be interesting. I think they would be good for you know a bunch of projects that I would want to do. I think that they would be really good. So I think at some point our family will get a pair. We might have a family pair. You know what I mean? Like it wouldn't be. Right.
00:21:38
Speaker
might have a family pair. You have to wipe them down between every use. Exactly. All right. So it the beginning of the end
Changes to Aerosmith Rock and Roller Coaster
00:21:47
Speaker
has started. So the pre-show has now permanently closed for Aerosmith Rock and Roller Coaster. This is the part of the pre-show where you walk into the studio and you see all the instruments there and there's a screen in the background. right you see They think that this did he think that this means there's going to be no pre-show for the new ride. Stop.
00:22:07
Speaker
it's already in the It's already in the, you know, Drawings. like except art Yeah, it's going to happen. like The people that think that just need to relax. I guess there's some discussion about, well, why close it? And then, you know, everyone always complains that Disney takes forever to do things. Well, let them do, right? The reason they're closing is so they can work on the new one. line This could be the...
00:22:29
Speaker
And this isn't a new ride, so I get it, right? But I think this could be one of the quickest turnarounds of something like this if they still get 26. So let them let them do. like they They have to close it to start working on it. like That's just life. You're lucky they're not closing the ride. Yeah, exactly. So when you walk in now, instead of seeing that that studio, they basically have covered over it with a wall that has- Which looks kind of cool, by the way.
00:22:53
Speaker
Yeah, it does. It's very, it's silver. And I think it's using the G force records label that is the the record label in the, in the, the ride. So it looks very cool. But from now on, you will just walk. ah My question is, how are they going to hold, I guess they're not holding people in that room anymore. No, will be a different sort of experience to get on. I mean, yeah I think, you know, they'll, they'll figure out a new pathing for people, but yeah.
00:23:21
Speaker
Okay. Let's head over to the West Coast to Disneyland and the Avatar. New details have been released about the Avatar ride coming to Disneyland Resort over in California Adventure.
00:23:39
Speaker
yeah yeah i mean, is after like i I just, i really want to see what Avatar does in terms of the new movie, right? Isn't the new movie like almost here?
00:23:52
Speaker
ah it releases this weekend, I believe. Yeah, this Friday. like I'm kind of curious to what happens there. I just, I don't know. I'm just, I don't know why this is, but I just, I'm i'm not like,
00:24:06
Speaker
I know Avatar still does well, right? And I guess Avatar the way water, like like all this stuff was actually successful, but I just, I don't know. I just don't see it.
00:24:17
Speaker
But it will be interesting. um i think it will be interesting, that's for sure. You just you just hope it's a not another Flight of Passage ride, right?
00:24:28
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, again, I just think that the the technology of Flight of Passage just gets outdated so quickly. It's just not what I'm looking for. So give give me something different. Right, right.
00:24:38
Speaker
I mean, now that we have all these really cool animatronics, right, with all the new animatronic styles, I'd even take something like that. so So something But this is ah this is a whole land, right? We're talking about not just necessarily ride. Right, so yeah, there's going to be a new land, but this specifically this is a ride within that land.
00:24:58
Speaker
Okay. I mean, so. Yeah. I have to see it. Like I said, I want to see the numbers. i It is a very cool land, but I just i ah just don't know how it resonates with everybody.
00:25:10
Speaker
Right. And that by the way, if you are familiar with Disneyland, this new ride is going to be taking the place of the Mike and Sully to the rescue ride from from Monsters, Inc. So that's going to be the place where it's going.
00:25:25
Speaker
Okay. So the ride's going to be the, so Mike and Sully is going to be closing down in early 2026. So by the way, if you want to go get ah one last ride on that, go do that because they will be converting that over to this new avatar ride.
00:25:42
Speaker
All right. Let's hop back over to Epcot. They have announced the Soarin' Across America opening date. Actually, no, I'm sorry. We're not really hopping over to Epcot. No, this is still in Disneyland. My apologies. My apologies. So on July 2nd, 2026, Soarin' Across America will premiere over in Disneyland, over in California. It will have only...
00:26:08
Speaker
scenes that are inside the United States as opposed to soaring around the world. And of course, Patrick Warburton will still be there. Patrick Warburton, the national treasure that he is. Yes. i I'm excited for this, but again, right? Like, it's nothing new. I mean, I hope it will be, like, I hope we won't get, like,
00:26:28
Speaker
I don't know. it will be It will be interesting, but like... A curved space needle. Have you seen that meme on Facebook? Yes, that's ah definitely what we're getting. But yeah I mean, i'm I'm happy that we go across America. um And it will be interesting. But again, it's not a new ride.
00:26:46
Speaker
so So it's coming July 2nd to Disneyland. It will be coming to Walt Disney World in Epcot, but they have not announced a date yet for that particular opening.
00:26:57
Speaker
All right. Now let's really go back to Orlando.
New Meet and Greets at Hollywood Studios
00:27:01
Speaker
Over at Disney Hollywood Studios, they have announced new details around the Art of Animation Courtyard reimagining. And part of that is going to be six new character meet and greets that will be coming, two of which have been confirmed. So we will be able to meet Rapunzel and Mulan within these greets, which is great. And then there are four more, which they have not announced yet. In addition,
00:27:28
Speaker
Disney Junior Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, which I got to be honest, I didn't even know was still on the air. I mean, my boys watched that like crazy when they were young. There's a new version of it. Like, it's new version. Yes. Okay. Oh, yeah. And it's a big deal.
00:27:41
Speaker
Okay. So there is going to be a live stage show coming to the Art of Animation Courtyard or whatever it is they call it. ah but But it's just going to be Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or it will be like the other show where they had characters from other shows as well. That's the question. Yeah. ah There are not enough details on that yet, but they will be opening. long as Sofia the First comes back or is there, I'm happy. That's like a staple. That was a staple in our house.
00:28:07
Speaker
Also, I remember Vampirina being big. I wonder if they're going Vampirina is still big, and there's actually a teenage version of Vampirina that airs on Disney itself now. i Live action.
00:28:19
Speaker
And they're not half bad, to be honest with you. So I met the author of the Vampirina series. It was funny. So we were doing something for the website. And, you know, Vampirina was always such a big deal of, you know, a book in our house and they had reached out for something. And my daughter had dressed up for Vampirina for Halloween, like back when there was like just the books. So the author i had reached out and I kind of got to talk to her Very, very nice person. um So we've always been a Vampirina family. I'd be happy to see that appear in the parks as well. if If they don't do Vampirina as like a teen Vampirina as some moody goth, theyve man, they missed an opportunity. I mean, she is. I mean, the show's already out. I mean, it's yeah i've got a full season out. so And it's like I said, it's pretty good. She's at a school and things like that. don't know. I like it, though.
00:29:07
Speaker
Okay. All right. this next Olaf one is. Yeah. So that folks, the next portion of this park news, we're just going to call this the animatronic section because the next three or four articles is going to be about animatronic.
Advanced Animatronics Unveiled in Paris
00:29:22
Speaker
So first off, Disney Imagineering has has unveiled the next level freestanding animatronics.
00:29:29
Speaker
Olaf has come to the frozen land. Is this in Disneyland or I can't remember which one Paris, isn't it? It's Paris. That's right. That's right. So they have a free roaming Olaf who is able to interact with guests. And there is a Facebook post that shows the actual unit talking to Imagineers. There's one now that's out with them talking to Josh DiAmaro.
00:29:55
Speaker
It is absolutely amazing. I mean, you know you knew this was coming when you could have these same interactions with your LLMs that exist out there, right? So you knew that, you know, we were going to get something like this because why not, right? And this is going to be an interesting take because, again, from...
00:30:16
Speaker
the AI side, you know, I wonder how they've worked their guardrails around this. Is it going to be something where you can just interact and talk to Olaf yourself, right? Is it going to be something where the handlers are interacting with Olaf?
00:30:30
Speaker
I think that we're at a point in our AI journey that you could guardrail, know, around the AI that exists for Olaf to keep him pretty tight in terms of responses and things like that. Right.
00:30:44
Speaker
So because people are going to people, right? So there's going to of people. But I think that I think we're at that point now where we're pretty good. Like I said, I mean, it's kind of what I do for a living. And i think we're there. So I'm excited about that. I think the robotic part of it is also very interesting. and you know, with Olaf, it's something that, you know, is a little bit easier. a kind kind of Robotics guy, but it looks like it might be a little bit easier to deal with. But I still don't see these coming to the U.S. parks. Someone would just pick them up and take them.
00:31:13
Speaker
Like, I just feel like that's what they would try to do. They would try to pick up Olaf or try to hug him with his, you know, stick arms or something like that. I just I'm curious to how he's going to interact in the parks. Right there. yeah There would have to be at least when it first started and who knows how long there's going to have to be some divider between the animatronic and the the general public, because once again, people are going to people.
00:31:38
Speaker
Yeah. So along those lines, there are some news reports of next-gen audio animatronics coming to the new Lion King ride at Disneyland Paris. Man, Disneyland Paris is getting all the neat stuff. Wait, but what ah at part of that video, though, what about the the face mapping? Do you have that in here? There was some really interesting...
00:31:59
Speaker
Is that somewhere in there? Okay. that's Yeah. We'll talk about that next. yeah Okay. So first off, the the audio animatronics coming to the Lion King ride at Disneyland Paris. Again, it's going to use all of that large language model. It's going to be using the next gen robotics.
00:32:21
Speaker
It's just going to be but And I think that's kind of the next step. Like I've always talked about, like i always felt like holograms were, you know, that's where we want to go. But interaction is is also something that I think is interesting. What if you're on a ride and you could just yell out to the characters, the animatronics on the ride, and they would have different things to say?
00:32:42
Speaker
Right, right. That would be kind of cool. Yeah, we are. Look, we have to think we are at a ah unique convergence of technologies. We've got on one side, we've got the ai larger language models. And on the other side, like Damon just mentioned, we have all of these advanced robotics that within have just come online within the last five years.
00:33:01
Speaker
And this is all, man, Imagineering is just like kids in a candy store right now. They have to be. Yeah. This convergence of technology. Woo. All right.
00:33:13
Speaker
One more animatronic story. They are testing out what might be a freestanding dancing mini mouse that will be coming to the park. So when we talked about the Disney Junior stuff, it's very interesting because it was always puppet-oriented. And I feel like we're going to get animatronics next and something like that. like And that's the perfect thing because it's a show and you're not going to be touching them, but you could kind of interact with them, especially like the CMs interact with them during the show. So I think maybe that's our next step in terms of where we're going to go.
00:33:53
Speaker
Exactly. And then the last little bit of next gen animatronic we're going to talk about, Damon just mentioned it. Just so everyone knows, it's not on the list. It's not on the list. I will add it to our notes here. ah they Disney has brought back the face mapping projection. If you have read... Yeah, they brought it back in a...
00:34:15
Speaker
In a way better way. In a way better way. So what we're talking about, if you have Rosen, Rosen, if you have written Frozen Ever After over in Epcot, you know, the animatronics there. Yeah. and didn't they Aren't they going to replace those with just straight up animatronics? Yes, they are.
00:34:32
Speaker
Okay. However, they've had this face mapping projection on them and it looked a little weird, right? It was in that uncanny valley area where it just didn't seem right. Disney Imagineering has just put out some videos where they have shown the next generation of that. And it looks it looks lifelike. It's amazing. but A big part of it is what they were saying. It allows things like crying or things like that, which they didn't have the aspect to do before. Right.
00:35:01
Speaker
Yeah, it does look scary cool. Right. And it's funny because we have that along with these animatronics. Like, where are we going? Like, it's kind of like VHS Betamax. Like, which one's going to win out? And that's what we're going to do. Right. right Right. So I think overall, there is a lot of technology coming. I just want to see it here sooner rather than later. Like, let's let's get it rolling. Let's let's get it out in the park. So, you know, coming soon. Now, let's get some dates around some of these things when we're going to see. Yeah.
00:35:31
Speaker
All right.
Bluey Experiences Coming to Disney
00:35:32
Speaker
Last little bit of park news. And this is a big one. Bluey, the international hit, is finally coming to Disney Parks.
00:35:44
Speaker
And not only Disney Parks, but it's also coming to Cruise Line. So there's going to be a Disneyland show. It's going to be called Bluey's Best Day Ever. What do you think, like, how hard is it going to be to get into that thing?
00:35:58
Speaker
Oh, I'm sure it will be virtual. Like, there's going be crying kids like crazy. It'll be virtual queue when it starts out. It's going to be bonkers when it first. So, Bluey and Bingo are going to appear live on stage, I'm sure, with some of their other friends.
00:36:14
Speaker
Along with that, there's going to be interactive adventures in a life-sized gnome village and fairy garden. Now, this is where i do this is where I do full disclosure. I have never seen a single episode of Bloi. So and some of this I don't understand. Bloi's pretty cool. Yeah.
00:36:30
Speaker
Is it is it one of those things where they have jokes that only adults would would get? Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's it's it's definitely a ah good show for everybody to kind of watch. So it's like, you know, what you look for in shows, you know, that your kids are watching is the ability to watch them yourself at the same time. Not that I'm necessarily going out and watching Bluey solo, but yeah, like it's you could sit and watch a Bluey episode for sure.
00:36:52
Speaker
Okay, maybe maybe I'll try one out with my our youngest son and see what it's like. But anyway, they're going to have a live on stage show. It's going to have interactive adventures in the Gnome Village. That's at Disneyland. So on the cruise lines, there are going to be meet and greets with Bluey and Bingo, dance parties, and then scavenger hunts.
00:37:12
Speaker
Not too many more details other than that, but it's another addition to activities on board cruise lines. Are you, I can't remember, are you doing any... princes soon no and We don't have any Disney cruises lined up. I mean, after seeing the Destiny, though, like I think it's it's on the list.
00:37:27
Speaker
I don't know when yet, though. Again, like for me, it's very difficult. like I'm planning out after 28. So we have 27. We have Star of the Seas Royal Caribbean and probably a Disney stay for whatever is new at Disney. And in 28, we'd like to see Legends of the Seas the Royal Caribbean. And that will probably depend on how much fun we have on star of the seas, but my going have real jobs then. So I don't know.
00:37:55
Speaker
Yeah. yeah I mean, to get everyone to come on a Disney cruise. I think we'll be easy. It will just be a matter of, I think we'll have to start doing four days, not seven days. Like I just don't think that they'll be able to do that. Right.
00:38:05
Speaker
Right. all right And then for everyone over at Walt Disney World, Bluey and Bingo will be coming there. They are going to be going to Animal Kingdom. They will be taking over the conservation station. Which I think is a great idea. yeah It's a great idea. Yeah, people will definitely go.
00:38:23
Speaker
So Conservation Station, if you haven't been in a while, that is over where they used to have, um oh gosh, what's the the baboon from Lion King?
00:38:34
Speaker
Rafiki. It was Rafiki's watch. So you take the train over, you would go through the animal conservation area. It was kind of an, it's been underutilized, let's say. And almost like a one and done.
00:38:45
Speaker
Yeah, it's exactly. it is You go over one time, it's neat, don't don't get me wrong, but it's one of those things where you're like, okay, I don't need to go back. Now, this with Bluey and Bingo coming...
00:38:57
Speaker
And they're saying there's going to be some games from the show. Right. So keepy-uppy. i'm For those who have the watched the show, I'm sure that means something, right? so think Yeah, I think that will be good, though. I think you'll get a lot more people going over there and repeating going over there. so Right. And there will also be, there still be animal encounters, but they're going to tailor it to where there are animals from Bluey's native home of Australia, so which will be neat. Yeah.
00:39:24
Speaker
So i I think we have to talk about, like, we have to come adjust this now. Like, stuff that's still Disney is not part of the after show. It's just part non-park news.
00:39:36
Speaker
But today, because of Blake, we're going to put it into the after show because I don't think we have anything otherwise in the after show. But in general, it doesn't mean that we have to have an after show every time we record.
00:39:49
Speaker
And next time we will keep the Disney stuff in a Disney non-park before the after show. So stay tuned for the after show. Even if you think it's non-Disney stuff, this go around for. Right. We're going to. Exactly. So, and with all that being said, it's now time for the after show.
00:40:12
Speaker
All right, time for the after show.
Zootopia 2 Box Office Success
00:40:14
Speaker
Number one, Zootopia 2 has come out like a blockbuster. It has broken some records, folks. It is the biggest animated film opening of all time, of all animated features ever made, it has been the biggest. And not only that, it is the fourth highest movie opening of all time. And folks, that gets into a list that has Avengers Endgame, Avengers Infinity War, Spider-Man.
00:40:45
Speaker
That is amazing. it's It's interesting because I feel like I've seen Zootopia 1, but don't remember it at all, or maybe only saw bits and parts of it, and like really have zero interest in Zootopia 2. But obviously, that's just a me thing. That is a you thing. I mean, I remember seeing it. I enjoyed it. I thought it was neat. It was cute.
00:41:06
Speaker
I will eventually wait for it to come out on Disney+. Yeah. Yeah, I almost feel like, you know, it's funny when I talked about, like, I'm a big TV person and there was just some shows that I hadn't seen that, like, you kind of have to see.
00:41:19
Speaker
And I think, like, Zootopia is another one of those, like, if you're an animated film person, like, you kind of have to see it. Like I said, I've been out of films recently more into series.
00:41:31
Speaker
But again, like you, my guess is that I'll see it on Disney Plus because I feel like with the Zootopia stuff coming to the parks, it's it's almost like I'm going to have to watch it. Right. And the reviews that I have been seeing are this movie is full of Easter egg references, like enough where you will have to watch this movie multiple times to to catch all of the Easter egg references. For instance, there's like a Hungry Hungry Hippos.
00:41:58
Speaker
One of the best games of all time. There is. There is. Causes a lot of fights. There is a polar bear drinking Coke out of a bottle, if you're familiar with that. So anyway.
00:42:09
Speaker
There will be a lot of Easter eggs. You will probably have to watch it more than once. By the way, this movie had a $556 million dollars opening. Now, interestingly, only 156 of that came from domestic here in the U.S., but a whopping 400 million international ticket take.
00:42:29
Speaker
That is... I think it also matches up really well with, you know, getting rid of a bug's life and things like that. So I think that, you know, Disney's smart about that. You know, the Imagineer who pitched the idea of saying, hey, let's get rid of bug's life and put in Zootopia. You know, they're just sitting pretty right now. yeah They're like, yep, I told you.
00:42:48
Speaker
so Absolutely. All right. Now, let's go over to
Speculation on Gideon's Bakehouse Expansion
00:42:54
Speaker
Disney Springs. So, permits have been filed in Disney Springs to update one of the store spaces that is a couple of stores down from Gideon's Bakehouse. And now, why is that important? That is because the name on the filing for the permit is First Raven LLC,
00:43:13
Speaker
Which is owned by the Gideon's Bakehouse owner, Steve Lewis. So there rampant speculation that this might be a satellite secondary store. So Blake came to me and says, well, I thought you don't talk about food. So so let me just make sure we're clear about what I don't talk about.
00:43:31
Speaker
I will talk about something like this because we're not talking about a specific food item, right? Like I like Gideon's and it was great and it's always busy. So this makes sense if it's another Gideon's or if it's something different along the food line. Absolutely. What I don't talk about is when the lists of food come out for an event or something like that where I'm never going to taste it. What is like, what is me going? Oh yeah. Like, I guess that would taste okay. You have no idea. Right. So just because you see the ingredients of something in a picture of it doesn't mean it's going to taste the way you think it's going to taste.
00:44:04
Speaker
And I don't talk about things that I'm not going to taste because that's silly. Right. Anyway, that's where the difference is. So have you been to Gideon's? I have. actually yeah I have not yet, just because every time we go, the line is, I think, out to Epcot, right? Yeah. So don't feel like standing in that line.
00:44:23
Speaker
I mean, you can get like, kind of what we did is I had one person go to Gideon's and the other one's just kind of rested. Right. Although I will say the inside of that store looks really cool. It is pretty cool. Absolutely. Library bookshelf. Mm-hmm.
00:44:38
Speaker
All right, folks, I'm going to be honest. That's it for after show. It was pretty light today. And it would get nothing if, you know, Blake paid attention to the rules. Whatever. Whatever.
00:44:49
Speaker
All right, folks. So we would just want to remind you to please go visit don't resist the travel dot com. Let them handle every detail in creating and planning your next extraordinary getaway. Maybe you could even pay them pay them enough to go stand in the Gideon's Bake Shop line for you. And that way you would not have to do it.
00:45:11
Speaker
Who knows? They might be willing to do that. So. Listen to us on all of the podcast streaming services and rate us. If we are not on your favorite platform, please drop us a message in the Facebook group or send us an email, which by the way, our email is rhubarbtravelerspodcast at gmail.com.
00:45:31
Speaker
Send us an email or drop us a line on the Facebook group and let us know which streaming service you use. And we will make sure we get it set up there. And then while you're at it, please go over to Apple podcasts and leave us a five star rating and review us. It will help us out tremendously. That five star rating.
00:45:47
Speaker
And Spotify. and and And Spotify. If you have time, also please go to Spotify and do the same thing. That helps out the algorithms to get our show out in front of eyeballs to people that have never listened to us before. And, Like we mentioned earlier, we have a Patreon. Go to patreon.com and please consider becoming a Patreon subscriber to help out defray the cost of running the show. We are on all of the socials. We're on Twitter. We're on Instagram.
00:46:13
Speaker
We're on TikTok. We're on Facebook. Please go... And you can see Blake a lot on Instagram and TikTok. Yeah, that's right. You can go see my face for radio on on TikTok. so There we go.
00:46:23
Speaker
Folks, the Rhubarb Travelers podcast is for entertainment purposes only. We are not employed by the Walt Disney Company or NBCUniversal, the parent company of Universal Studios. And as such, all opinions expressed on the show are exclusively our own. Please consult a DVC or Disney cast member or Universal team member for more information about anything we might have talked about today.
00:46:47
Speaker
All right, folks, that is going to be it. So and until next time, Damon, I will talk to you later, my friend.