Encanto Debuts While EPCOT Suffers a Rough Patch

EPCOT suffered a pair of misfortunes while Bruno appeared at Disneyland. We’ve got some fun updates to cover today.

Less than Harmonious

People don’t think of fireworks as, you know, small balls of fire. That’s precisely what they are, though.

For this reason, Disney nighttime fireworks presentations sometimes turn a bit too exciting.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train famously caught fire in 2014 when embers from Wishes fell on the artificial mountain.

Disney quickly controlled the flames, but the visual proved memorable:

Now, Harmonious at EPCOT has suffered a similar fate as a small fire broke out on Saturday:

Ummmmm #Harmonious got a little too lit tonight..#Epcot pic.twitter.com/lEQMTA4OJz

— Nakai (@nakai_barnor) April 12, 2022

At some point, Disney’s going to need to do something about these incidents.

I prefer my World Showcase and Fantasyland visits with less fire.

Generally speaking, EPCOT just had a bad weekend. Spaceship Earth’s not-quite-an-OmniMover struggled to move on Saturday.

Cast members boarded guests away from one another rather than in consecutive vehicles.

Then, the worst-case scenario unfolded as the ride didn’t just stop in the middle for some guests. It did so in a manner that required evacuation.

Also, the location of some guests forced cast members to place boards to provide people with walking paths.

This story actually got some attention in the media, presumably because someone with a blue checkmark on Twitter was on the ride.

Here’s a YouTube video of a previous evacuation, one of the unicorn events at Walt Disney World:

Thankfully, EPCOT got the ride back up and running quickly and has run smoothly since then.

In fact, when I was writing this yesterday, it only required a 10-minute wait, although sites tracked it at 25 minutes overall for the day.

Encanto Debuts at Disneyland and Other Park Updates

Okay, we now know what the Encanto overlay looks like at Disneyland Park.

Here’s a video:

YouTube creators cannot show the whole experience due to audio copyright infringement. So, I apologize that it’s not quite the real deal.

If you want the entire thing, just play We Don’t Talk about Bruno on a portable speaker and mute the audio on this.

The gist is that it’s a cute addition that you may find underwhelming, depending on your expectations.

I fully expect Disney to provide more updates like this in the future, as projection technology is straightforward and inexpensive.

This look definitely draws attention to It’s a Small World, which is Disney’s goal here.

Also, in a follow-up to another story, I hope you acted fast with the D23 Gold member sneak preview at Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.

Tickets sold out within half an hour of going on sale. Thankfully, DVC members and annual passholders will still get a shot at early rides.

Disney still hasn’t announced details for these early screenings, though.

At Walt Disney World, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort has reopened its Cozy Cone Pool after a month-long batch of renovations.

Overseas, Disneyland Paris is currently retheming its former Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster attraction to Marvel characters.

Our European friends at Outside Ears have discovered that the name for this project is Avengers Assemble: Flight Force.

Don’t be surprised if Avengers Campus adds something similar in a few years.

Courtesy of Disney Tourist Blog

Finally, you should be aware of a MagicBand shortage impacting resort bookings. Disney has confirmed “ongoing, industry-wide supply challenges.”

So, when you book your next DVC stay, your MagicBand options may be limited.

You can verify this on ShopDisney, which only lists three regular MagicBands and two slap bracelets in stock as I type this.

Access all available Disney Vacation Club resale listings, or learn more about buying and selling with DVC Resale Market.