The Top Disney Moments of 2019
Another year is almost over and what a year it has been for Disney fans! Today’s quick post highlights some of the best Disney moments of 2019.
1. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens!
After years of anticipation, Disney finally opened Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida. These incredible new spaces allow Star Wars fans to explore the galactic planet of Batuu, complete with a full-scale Millennium Falcon.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge truly is a remarkable addition to the theme parks and one that will no doubt be delighting guests for many years to come.
2. Box Office craziness!
I’m not sure its fair to call the incredible list of blockbuster films Disney introduced in 2019 as a “moment” but I’m sticking to a theme here, so I hope you’ll play along. We knew it would be a big year for Disney when the company announced its line-up early in the year. Boy, did they deliver. Even films that were receiving a bit of negative buzz before opening (ALADDIN!) went on to earn over a $1 Billion world wide.
That’s billion with a B.
According to boxofficemojo, Disney released 7 of the top 10 films of the year. They are, in order: Avengers: End Game, Lion King, Frozen 2, Captain Marvel, Toy Story 4, Aladdin and Star Wars IX.
Yes, it was a lot of sequels and remakes but when you own these type of memorable characters can you blame them? Overall, 2019 is definitely a year to remember for the sheer volume of blockbuster Disney films.
3. Epcot Reimagining Announced
Late last summer at the D23 fan event in Anaheim, Disney announced an incredible list of changes coming to Epcot at Disney World. Of course I love Epcot the way it is today, but after many years of removing attractions from the 36 year old theme park it’s lovely to see so many new additions planned.
In short, we’re going to see attractions based on Moana, Beauty and the Beast, Ratatouille, Guardians of the Galaxy and Mary Poppins. Epcot also gets a new entrance, new multi-story pavilion, new space-themed restaurant, new Play pavilion, new evening show and more. (whew!) Even the iconic Spaceship Earth attraction is getting a refresh. You can read all of the exciting details on the Disney Park Blog here.
Of course other Disney theme parks near and far are receiving updates too, most notably the Avengers Campus at Disneyland and the Fantasy expansion at Tokyo DisneySea. I chose Epcot for one of the top Disney moments of 2019 because it seems to offer the most extensive and dramatic theme park changes of this year’s impressive list of announcements.
4. Disney buys 20th Century Fox
Almost eighteen months after announcing its intent to purchase 20th Century Fox, Disney finally completed the deal in March of 2019. The move expanded Disney’s dominance in the film studio segment as well as adding significantly to the company’s already impressive archive.
Of course the long term effects of the deal remain to be seen, but the possibilities for new series, movies, theme park attractions and more based on 20th Century Fox’s holdings seem limitless.
5. The Child
Need I say more?
Disney launched its new Disney+ streaming service on November 12 this year and introduced us to the cutest Star Wars character ever. Millions of people signed up and surprised themselves by patiently waiting to see what would happen to “the Child” each week on The Mandalorian.
I suppose launching Disney+ itself should be considered the real “moment” here. It certainly made a splash in the crowded streaming service space and monopolized a big portion of Disney fans’ spare time. Overall though, I’m choosing The Child as my moment because he’s an awesome symbol of what Disney is capable of producing with this new streaming service format.
Season Two of The Mandalorian is already in the works for the fall of 2020. Next year should also give us original content like The Falcon and the The Winter Solder (Avengers), Monsters at Work (Pixar) and Chip ‘n Dale (animation series) just to name three.
And that’s it. The top Disney moments of 2019 based on my completely biased and unscientific methodology. Have more you’d like to share? Let me know in the comments below!
Thanks again for joining me on this smittenwithmickey adventure. I sincerely hope that 2020 is your best year yet.
Keep dreaming my friends and add a little (New Year’s) magic to your world!