BREAKING NEWS: Disney World Announces Return of Multiple Entertainment Experiences

As capacity is increased, more and more of our favorite things are coming back to Walt Disney World! Disney has announced more shows and live entertainment returning to the parks. Catch all the details below.

Here are all the details from Disney Cast Member Shawn Slater:

It’s been really great this summer to once again gather in the Harambe Theatre at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park for “A Celebration of Festival of the Lion King” and to feel our hearts soar with the sight of fireworks in the skies over Magic Kingdom Park and EPCOT. We’re continuing to work on bringing even more entertainment experiences back to Walt Disney World Resort, and today I’m thrilled to let you know about four other favorites returning soon.

Starting August 1, we’ll be lighting up the night at Disney’s Hollywood Studios with the return of “Wonderful World of Animation.” This cinematic nighttime experience leverages projection mapping technology to transform the park’s iconic Chinese Theater on a magical journey through more than 90 years of Disney animation.

On August 15, a tale as old as time will return to Theater of the Stars on Sunset Boulevard with “Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage.” The heartwarming tale of Belle and Beast will once again swirl to life in this lush stage performance, with colorful costumes, gorgeous scenery and the songs you know and love.

We’re also excited to share that you’ll soon be able to visit those monsters of comedy in Monstropolis and chat with a certain sea turtle at The Seas with Nemo & Friends. Mike Wazowski will begin welcoming humans to the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor at Magic Kingdom Park on August 8. And beginning August 21, you can get your most pressing questions answered during Turtle Talk with Crush at EPCOT. Duuuude!

There’s much more to come as we continue building toward the 50^th anniversary of Walt Disney World Resort and beyond

Related Story: 5 Things to Know About Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

by Mike & Jamie Sylvester

It’s a “tale as old as time” … and it’s one of our favorites! We recommend you put this one on your list of must-dos if you are visiting Hollywood Studios. Here are 5 things we think you should know about Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage.

1 – About the Show

Located on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood Studios, head to “Theater of the Stars” where Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage takes place! This Broadway-style live stage show is roughly 25-minutes long and does an excellent job of capturing the animated Beauty and the Beast film in a shorter, recapped version. The performers are absolutely spectacular! We particularly enjoy that Belle, Beast (as a human), and Gaston are on live microphones throughout the performance making the show truly come to life. All of the main songs in the movie are sung and/or prerecorded over the sound system. The backdrops are beautifully detailed, as well as the props, and change frequently to match the scenes. There are multiple costume changes as the scenes change in a seamless fashion. Besides Belle, Beast, and Gaston, special appearances are made by Cogsworth, Lumiere, Mrs. Potts, and Chip. As many times as we’ve seen this live show, we have yet to see anything but incredible performances!

2 – Best Place to Sit

The Theater of the Stars is laid out in a diamond shape, with a slow slope downward towards the stage as you would suspect from a theater. This theater seats roughly 1,500 people but doesn’t feel very crowded despite regularly filling up due to being an outdoor show with a simple shade roof. The seats are bench-style – one long bench per row with a good amount of legroom. We particularly enjoy sitting in the middle section, in front of the sound booth/pit. If you are seated slightly to the left or right of the middle, that is a good seat as well. We’ve been surprised that almost anywhere you sit, you can still see everything pretty well (even the very far back bleachers are fine!). The only area we try to avoid is the very far sides on either the left or right side of the theater. This is because (as with any stage show) you can see the performers exit and prepare to enter the stage behind the curtain.

3 – Worth the FastPass?

Editor’s Note: During the phased reopening of Walt Disney World, FastPass+ is temporarily suspended.

Alright, we might get scorned by Beauty and the Beast fans on this one – but we don’t feel like you need to waste a FastPass on this show. It’s not that it’s not worth going to see, because YES it completely is! We feel this way because there are typically around five shows (11 am, 12 pm, 2 pm, 3 pm, 5 pm). We recommend you simply arrive 20-30 minutes before the show and you’ll be fine where you are seated.

4 – Did You Know?

Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage premiered on November 22, 1991, which is the day the animated feature film Beauty and the Beast opened in theaters. In 2001, the performance was actually changed slightly and condensed to the 25-minute show it is now. Listen out for special prerecorded vocal performances by Robby Benson as the Beast, Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Potts, and Jerry Orbach as Lumiere – all voices from the animated movie. It’s hard to believe this stage show has been keeping crowds entertained for almost 30 years now!

5 – Tips

First, we like to watch the 12 pm showing if possible. We purposely pick this time because it allows us to avoid the lunch traffic at restaurants. We catch the show then dine after the rush has clear out at the restaurants. Plus, there is an ice cream shop just across Sunset Boulevard if you need a snack! Another tip – keep in mind Florida weather is unpredictable. If rain is in the forecast, check with Cast Members as Beauty and the Beast may be cancelled since it is an open theater. If it has been raining, but they decide it’s all passed and they offer a show, you may want some napkins or something to wipe the bench down so you can sit on it without getting wet in case the rain blew in. Lastly, you might want to hit the bathrooms before heading over towards Beauty and the Beast. The bathrooms in this area are very popular (close to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror) and typically have a wait, especially once the show lets out!

If you have ever watched Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage, you know just how incredible this show is. If you haven’t seen it, get ready for a fantastic experience. We’d love to hear about your favorite parts of the show!