News
Disney Fanatic is here to deliver the latest in Disney news from The Walt Disney Company and beyond.
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Jan- 2022 -21 January
Paralympian Swept runDisney “Dopey Challenge” for Sixth Straight Year
Another incredible story has emerged from 2022's runDisney Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. Brian Siemann, Push Rim Wheelchair athlete and three-time Paralympian, won his division in every race, sweeping what is known as the “Dopey Challenge” — completing the 5k, 10k, half-marathon, and full marathon. Just a few days ago, Disney Fanatic covered the story of one Olympic-hopeful
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21 January
shopDisney Update: Sneak Peek at the New Mickey Mouse The Main Attraction Space Mountain Collection
A new year means new merchandise from shopDisney, and we are especially excited about the new Mickey Mouse The Main Attraction items! This collection features a new theme each month that fans can order online through shopDisney, and we just got a sneak peek at January's theme thanks to @shopdisneyuk on Instagram: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Disney Store UK (@shopdisn
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21 January
Kermit the Frog Joins the JAMMitors in this Adorable Video from EPCOT!
The Muppets have been making some fun appearances at EPCOT during this year's EPCOT International Festival of the Arts! Earlier this week, Guests were greeted to a new lighting package on Spaceship Earth, illuminating the park's classic geodesic sphere with the colors of the rainbow to the tune of The Muppets' “Rainbow Connection.” And now, the Disney Parks Twitter account shared a mos
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21 January
Walt Disney World Increases Sign-On Bonuses Amid Continued Staffing Shortage
As the labor shortage continues around the country, especially for jobs in the hospitality and tourism industry, Walt Disney World is ramping up hiring bonuses to attract new Cast Members to work at each theme park and its resorts. Recruiting is gearing up at the Walt Disney World Resort with a new season of Disney College Program Cast Member arrivals this week and last week, however following a c
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21 January
A “Cool Runnings” Return – Jamaica’s Bobsled Team Going to 2022 Olympics
Feel the rhythm! Feel the rhyme! Get on up! It's bobsled time! For the first time in 20 years, Jamaica's four-man bobsled team qualified for the Winter Olympics, and Disney movie fans should be excited. First appearing in the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary, the incredible underdog story was immortalized further by the 1993 Disney movie Cool Runnings starring the late John Candy. They haven
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21 January
Jennifer Lee Talks Replacing John Lasseter
Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios Jennifer Lee took on this top role at the studio just six months after John Lasseter's 2018 departure. Coming from a live-action film background, and with plenty on her plate with Disney Animation, including work on the then-upcoming film Frozen 2 (2019), Lee had quite the buildup of multitasking ahead of her on top of transitioning into the
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21 January
Jennifer Lee: No Quality Difference Between Disney+, Theatrical Features
Disney+ vs. Theatrical Release. Since Spring 2020, the decision to release theatrical-quality features from Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios on the still-young streaming service was argued to be the best option from both a health and safety and financial standpoint. But recently, as people's confidence builds and movies like Spider-Man: No Way Home record pre-pandemic Box
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21 January
A Popular Character Sighting is Returning to EPCOT’s World Showcase!
Disney character sightings are slowly making their way back to the Walt Disney World Resort and we could not be more excited for it! While we have been enjoying the surprise character cavalcades in the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Disney's Hollywood Studios, and the character flotillas in Disney's Animal Kingdom, but are so ready to get back to individualized meet and greets. One of the latest charac
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21 January
Mark Anderson, Casey’s Corner & Disney’s BoardWalk Pianist, Has Passed Away
The Disney Parks community was dealt a difficult loss earlier this week with the passing of a beloved Cast Member who was with the Walt Disney Company for over 30 years. Mark Anderson, the talented pianist most known by Disney fans for his roles at Casey's Corner and earlier at Disney's BoardWalk, passed away peacefully on January 16, 2022, at the age of 67. Anderson began his Disney career in 198
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21 January
Disney World Sued by Ex-Housekeeper Over Discrimination, ADA Violation
A lawsuit has been filed against The Walt Disney World Resort by a former housekeeper at the Yacht and Beach Club resorts, claiming discrimination and a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The former Cast Member is Stevel Smith, a 52-year-old Black Jamaican with Type-Two Diabetes, and he files the lawsuit with Orlando federal court on January 11 of this year. According to the O
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