In this edition of Theme Park Bits:

  • Rise of the Resistance attraction merchandise is available now.
  • DuckTales is coming to Epcot.
  • Mickey Mouse will have his own theater at Disney World.
  • And more!

This week is a very exciting one for Disney theme-park fans, because it heralds the arrival of Rise of the Resistance, the second E-Ticket attraction at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disney’s Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort. (All of us Disneyland fans will have to wait until January 17 of 2020 for the attraction to open there.) And here’s some good news: unlike the furor surrounding Baby Yoda and a lack of merchandise, have no fear about a dearth (darth?) of merch for the new attraction. It’s available starting today. Everything from shirts to hats, cups, and pins will be yours for the taking. My preference, from the photos here, is the mini version of your ride vehicle.

Rendering of Mickey Shorts Theater coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios

With media in Orlando to cover the opening of Rise of the Resistance, there have been a few other pieces of news trickling out of Disney World. One breaking story is also focused on Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but not Star Wars-related. Disney’s just announced the arrival of a Mickey Shorts Theater coming in March of 2020. That theater will tie into the opening of Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, and looks like a much more comfortable and snazzy way to experience Mickey Mouse short films than at Disneyland, where you have to stand at either Main Street Cinema or Mickey’s House to watch them.

Disney’s DuckTales World Showcase Adventure

Over in Epcot, there’s a few web-footed friends who will make their arrival soon, at least digitally. I’m talking about the characters from Disney XD’s very charming revival of DuckTales. (Woo-oo!) Scrooge, Huey, Dewey, Louie, and the rest of the gang can be found soon on the Play Disney Parks mobile app as part of Disney’s DuckTales World Showcase Adventure. This is the latest iteration of something that’s been around World Showcase for a while, originally with characters from Kim Possible. (Remember Kim Possible?) The scavenger hunt will let kids have fun exploring World Showcase, learning about different countries, and virtually hanging out with the McDuck clan.

Mosaic at Disney’s Riviera Resort depicting Rapunzel’s floating lantern scene from “Tangled”

December is a busy time at the Walt Disney World Resort, and not just because of the holidays and the opening of Rise of the Resistance. They’re also opening up a new hotel, Disney’s Riviera Resort. Over at the Disney Parks Blog, they’ve shared a first look at a new mosaic mural themed to Tangled, specifically the floating lantern sequence. The mural looks quite beautiful, and is of a piece with the Peter Pan-themed mural that was unveiled recently as well. Hard to believe, but the Riviera Resort opens very soon, on December 16. Certainly looks like it’s all coming together quickly.

By now, it should be clear to a regular reader of Theme Park Bits that I’m fascinated by the history of the Disney theme parks. So that means anytime Jeff Kurtti publishes something at the Disney Parks Blog, I’m happy to dive into the topic du jour. His latest is all about Christmas cards that were designed to celebrate major events in the Disney theme-park timeline, from Christmas 1954, just months before the opening of Disneyland in Anaheim, to Christmas 2000, merely weeks before the opening of Disney California Adventure. Read on there to see more about how Disney designers have pushed the limits of paper printing (really!) to make more and more exciting holiday cards.

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