Walt Disney World Resort has unveiled its entertainment lineup for 2019! The announcement was both a look into the future while also saying goodbye to the past. The new entertainment lineup will begin on January 18th and continue through the year. It will span all four of the Disney Parks at the Walt Disney World Resort.
“Whether you grew up with Mickey and Minnie, ‘The Lion King,’ ‘Cars’ or another classic story, you are going to love what all four of our theme parks have to offer in the coming year,” said George A. Kalogridis, president of Walt Disney World Resort. “This will be a year when the entire family can re-live those memories, plus make new ones together – right here in the world’s premier family vacation destination … the place where dreams come true.”
Magic Kingdom
Mickey & Minnie’s Surprise Celebration is the big new celebration for the Magic Kingdom Park at the Walt Disney World Resort. This celebration will honor Mickey and Minnie Mouse, who will have just celebrated their 90th birthday. There will be new entertainment, merchandise, and themed food and beverages. An entertainment highlight of the year will be the new Move It! Shake It! MousekeDance It! Street Party. This show will feature a new version of the Mickey Mouse Club March along with other remixes of beloved Mickey Mouse Club classic songs. Mickey and Minnie will be joined by a host of their friends including Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Max, Chip ’n Dale and others.
There will be other entertainment offerings as a part of this Surprise Celebration. The Dapper Dans and piano player at Casey’s Corner will be celebrating Mickey with special moments throughout the day. Guests will also be able to continue the celebration and see Mickey in Mickey’s PhilharMagic and also in the Festival of Fantasy Parade.
Here are the dates that are currently known for the Mickey & Minnie’s Surprise Celebration offerings:
- “Move It! Shake It! MousekeDance It! Street Party” (Jan. 18 – ongoing)
- New songs for entertainers on Main Street, U.S.A. (Jan. 18 – Sept. 30)
- Limited-time magical moments across the park (Jan. 18 – Sept. 30)
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
After the opening of Toy Story Land this year at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the Pixar celebration will continue to grow in 2019. May 1, 2019, will also mark the 30th anniversary of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. With this milestone coming, Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be creating more opportunities for guests to meet their Pixar pals.
To do this, Pixar Place will be transformed into Municiberg city block from Pixar’s Incredibles films. There, guests will be able to meet Edna Mode and see more of her fantastic creations. Look around and find clues as to the whereabouts of Jack-Jack while there! At the end of the block, guests will be able to celebrate the heroics of Mr. Incredible, Mrs. Incredible, and Frozone. This will also include appearances by these supers in a party featuring upbeat music, dancing, interactive games, and other fun activities. This all will arrive at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on January 18th.
Fans of Monster’s Inc. will be happy to learn that a door to the world of Sully and Mike Wazowski will be opening at Walt Disney Presents. These two monstrous favorites will be arriving on January 18th.
Finally, later in the spring Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy will be arriving at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This new show experience will bring kids into the world of racing legend Lightning McQueen. Lightning McQueen will teach the next generation of rookie racers from his years of experience. It will be the opportunity to hear McQueen’s story from McQueen himself!
Here are the dates that are currently known for the new Pixar offerings at Disney’s Hollywood Studios:
- Celebrate the Incredibles at Pixar Place (Jan. 18 – Sept. 30)
- Meet Mike and Sulley from Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. (Jan. 18 – ongoing)
- Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy (spring 2019 – ongoing)
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be celebrating 25 years of The Lion King. Starting on January 18th, the Hakuna Matata Time Dance Party will celebrate The Lion King with dancing and games. It will be hosted by Timon and Rifiki. Live musicians will provide the beat for this party in a World Beat style. This will continue to September 30.
There will also be photo opportunities from The Lion King throughout the park from January 18th through September 30th. These will be 3-D photo locations that will recreate iconic moments from the movie.
These offerings are added on top of the regular entertainment opportunities found throughout Disney’s Animal Kingdom. This includes Festival of the Lion King, Finding Nemo: The Musical, area atmosphere music, Rivers of Light, and the out of this world experiences found in Pandora!
Here are the dates that are currently known for the celebrations revolving around the 25th anniversary of The Lion King at Disney’s Animal Kingdom:
- “Hakuna Matata Time Dance Party” (Jan. 18 – Sept. 30)
- “The Lion King” three-dimensional photo opportunities (Jan. 18 – Sept. 30)
- More celebration of “The Lion King” to be revealed at a later date
Epcot
Epcot continues to be a hot spot for entertainment in 2019. The year will begin with the Epcot International Festival of the Arts, Jan. 18-Feb. 25. This will include world-class cuisine, incredible entertainment, and a beautiful collection of visual art.
The Disney on Broadway Concert Series will be expanded this year to seven days a week. It will offer guests even more opportunities to experience Disney music live. There will pairs of Broadway stars each week that will entertain at America Gardens Theatre stage with many favorite Disney on Broadway songs. The performances will change week to week as the repertoire of the entertainers highlight their talents and backgrounds.
As winter turns to spring, Epcot will pivot to the 2019 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. This festival will begin on March 6th and continue through June 3rd. This celebration will feature fantastic food at outdoor kitchens and dozens of Disney topiaries throughout the park. This year the Garden Rocks Concert Series will be offered for all 90 days of the festival. Each day there will be three concerts at the America Gardens Theatre. Disney has stated that more announcements are forthcoming about the entertainment offerings coming to Epcot in the summer.
Finally, in 2019 Epcot will be saying goodbye to IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth. This will be to make way for a new nighttime spectacular. IllumiNations will continue to be performed through the summer before the new show arrives.
Here are the dates for Epcot’s entertainment offerings that are currently known:
- Epcot International Festival of the Arts, featuring expanded Disney on Broadway Concert Series (Jan. 18 – Feb. 25)
- Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, featuring expanded Garden Rocks Concert Series (March 6 – June 3)
Entertainment has always been a big part of the Disney theme park experience. These are just the announcements that have been made to date for 2019 at the Walt Disney World Resort. Expect more announcements to be coming in the coming months about the rest of the year and also the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge!
What are you most excited about in the entertainment offerings listed above? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! Make sure to subscribe to DAPS MAGIC so as not to miss any Disney announcements moving forward!
