BREAKING NEWS: Toy Story Midway Mania to Close March 15
From WDW News Today
In an unexpected announcement Walt Disney World has said they will close Toy Story Midway Mania on March 15th, 2016 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
We are told the closure is to do with work related to the addition of a third ride track which is scheduled to open Summer 2016. Could this possible mean an early opening for the 3rd track? We sure hope so!
Any guests with FastPass booked for the attraction on March 15th will get a FastPass for a different attraction on that day.
In other changes, the “Earffel Tower” landmark will come down at Disney’s Hollywood Studios soon, and the theme park will close several attractions April 2. See additional details below.
RELATED:
More Major Changes Coming to Hollywood Studios at Disney World
We reported earlier that Disney World has officially announced the closure of Lights, Motors, Action: Epic Stunt Spectacular (read the full article here) on April 2, 2016. Additional details are emerging on further closures in the park to make way for the much anticipate, but still far off, Star Wars and Toy Story Lands. Up to this point we’ve seen minor closures around the park and the disappointing but expected announcement that 2015 was the final year for the Osborne Festival of Dancing Lights. It appears that construction will kick into high gear starting in April and will bring with it massive changes to the rapidly shrinking park.
While the Lights, Motors, Action show is certainly the largest attraction to see the wrecking ball, it’s only the tip of the iceberg. Joining LMA in moving from the endangered list to extinct are the following:
- Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure
- Monsters Inc. Meet & Greet
- Studio Catering Company counter service dining
- Youze Guys Moychondise
- Streets of America
- The Prop Shop retail location
- Watto’s Grotto retail location
- Earful Tower (the iconic water tower with Mickey Ears along World Drive)
While we knew the expansion plans for Hollywood Studios were massive and the disruption would be significant, the recent flurry of news certainly brings the reality home in a big way. Many had speculated that construction would be confined to back stage areas and it would be sometime before we saw any real impact on the park and its attractions. That speculation was obviously incorrect.
However, Disney has been widely criticized for moving at a glacial pace when it comes to know projects. For example, in roughly the same amount of time it took Disney to erect the first Disney Springs parking garage, Universal built Diagon Alley. Hopefully, the rash of closures so quickly indicates an aggressive construction schedule.