Hiya Pals! While we were looking forward to kicking off the week with a sense of wonder and magic in the realm of Disney, there’s some heartache that fans worldwide feel too. News broke earlier today that Paul Reubens passed away last night after a private cancer battle, and while many immediately thought of his time as Pee-wee Herman, Disney die-hards thought of a character a little more droid-like.
In paying homage to Reubens’ impact on Disney, fans are making it a point to honor the otherworldly in the Disney realm. This brings us to another bit of news: Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is materializing new haunts this year. As fans pour into the parks to celebrate the spooky season, there are more experiences to enjoy than ever before.
Fans of entertainment as a whole have also been wrestling with what still feels like the wrong choice for a release window for Haunted Mansion, and the conversation around the July debut isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
You know the drill from here; grab your favorite Disney mug and blanket of choice because we’re exploring the latest and also the most emotional and spooktastic happenings in the Mouse House realm today.
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party welcomes new haunts this year
If you’re anything like us, you’ve been tiptoeing into the spooky season since Jul. 5. With August being (quite literally) right around the corner; there’s no better time to embrace all things haunted, frightful, and scary as we prepare to leave summer behind and focus on the most spooktastic time of the year.
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party officially kicks off on Aug. 11 and runs through Nov. 1, and somehow (we like to think it’s all that Disney magic), every time you attend the party, it feels like the first time all over again. With spooky Disney favorites, characters dressed in their best Halloween costumes, and parades and stage shows to die for; Halloween is truly our favorite time to visit Disney Parks.
Walt Disney World is bringing new frights to the Halloween party this year, and we’ve found out more about them this afternoon. Disney Tourist Blog shared some of the new frightful delights we’ll soon be able to experience when grim-grinning ghosts come out to socialize.
Some of the most beloved Disney characters are dressing up as the Sanderson sisters for Halloween this year. Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, and Clarabelle Cow will portray everyone’s favorite witches. At the same time, Max Goof and his group of party pals will invite party-goers to join them in pop-up events throughout the hours-long ticketed event.
The seven dwarves will greet fans at the Storybook Circus this year, which hasn’t happened since 2019, and there will be a “spirited pirate band” singing spooky tunes over in Adventureland this year. In addition to some of the new and exciting happenings at the 2023 party, you won’t want to miss the magic in the parade, stage show, and photo ops scattered through the park. There’s no better way to experience the magic, and we hope you feel frightfully delightful as you join Mickey and his pals for the Halloween party this year.
Paul Reubens’ death leaves a droid-shaped hole in our hearts
Paul Reubens might be best known as Pee-wee Herman, but Disney die-hards know that he also left a significant legacy in the Disney realm as Captain Rex, aka RX-24 or R-3X, the leader of one of the best rides in Disney Parks, Star Tours.
Reubens’ contributions to the entertainment industry are vast, as is his legacy around the Disney Parks. Many of us remember the first time we rode Star Tours, welcomed by a droid voiced by the one and only Reubens, and that wasn’t where his character’s arc ended.
Fans of the new and improved Galaxy’s Edge know that DJ Rex is a staple to Oga’s Cantina, and Reuben also voiced the character in his new disc jockey glory. While his loss feels untimely to family, friends, and fans everywhere, we’re lucky to have a history with Reubens across several facets of the industry, and he won’t soon be forgotten.
Here’s to one of our favorite droids and actors. May those who loved Reubens the most find solace in the fact that he’ll stay with all of us forever.
Everyone continues to wonder why Haunted Mansion didn’t get a spooky release window
Disney’s Haunted Mansion hit theaters just last weekend, and if that idea seems a little odd to you — you’re not the only one. With a film that highlights a spooktastic ride at Disney Parks and has a prominent Halloween theme, we’ve all been questioning its late July release window.
As we said above, the spooky season does start well before the Halloween date on the calendar, but not everyone feels that way; wouldn’t it have been better served to wait on the release date by a little while?
Speaking to Variety, Jeff Bock, Exhibitor Relations analyst, said that Disney really missed an opportunity with the release window:
“Disney definitely missed the memo trying to launch their spooky pic in the middle of summer. While horror can certainly succeed at any time on the release calendar, this family friendly product would have been much better served in the fall and sheltering clear of all the summer popcorn pics.”
While we have a feeling that Haunted Mansion will undoubtedly become one of those cult favorites, it goes without saying that if they’d simply waited even a month to release the spine-tingling film, the results might have been different. Not only would more people be on board with the spooky season (although it starts in July), it would have missed the big release window of Barbie and Oppenheimer.
Fans of all things haunted and spooky are hoping that Disney Plus has a pre-Halloween release of Haunted Mansion this year so that we can work it into our viewing rotation, and maybe giving it new life on a streaming platform will be just the resurgence it needs.
If you’ve not yet seen Haunted Mansion in theaters, we recommend giving it a chance; there’s something exceptional about the ride, and the movie might just touch your heart in ways you weren’t expecting. Is it Barbie or Oppenheimer? No, but that’s a little bit of a treat in and of itself, trust us.
Published: Aug 1, 2023 07:00 pm