Walt Disney World's Entertainment Offerings Are Back In Action Next Month

The magic of the Disney theme parks is that there is genuinely something for everyone. If you're a fan of the characters, they're more than easy to spot. If you love good food, there's options aplenty. And some people love a good show, whether it's nighttime fireworks or daytime interactions with computer-animated turtles. Disney's slow ease back into normalcy is finally dragging the live-entertainment side of things back into the spotlight, as they finally announced the return of some big live-entertainment favorites.

As the Disney Parks Blog broke it down, the return of these favorites starts on August 1, with the revival of Wonderful World of Animation over at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The park dedicated to...well, these days, to a celebration of all things intellectual property will also welcome back its Beauty and the Beast Live On Stage show on August 15. (As much as I adore the 1991 film on which the live show is based, it's honestly not worth you taking that much time out of your day to see this live performance. The theater is outdoors, and the costuming looks a little too long in the tooth. Or long in the cup, perhaps.)

Two Pixar-themed daily entertainment offerings, each involving computer animation that can essentially interact with guests in real time, are also returning in August. Over at the Magic Kingdom, the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor comes back to split your sides on August 8, and on August 21, Epcot will welcome back its Turtle Talk with Crush show at the Seas pavilion. These two attractions reopening for business is quite an intriguing twist, if only because they're both indoors, in fairly confined spaces. (Turtle Talk with Crush is a much tighter fit, but also can be quite magical if your little one is chosen to ask Crush a question. Be warned: if your little one wants very badly to talk to Crush and they don't get chosen, it may be rough sailing for you. I speak from experience.)

And finally, Disney confirmed that with the impending arrival of HarmonioUS in Epcot and Disney Enchantment in the Magic Kingdom, the current nighttime shows, Epcot Forever and Happily Ever After, will be going away and presumably for good. You could say it seems kind of weird that these shows, promising eternal happiness, are themselves not going to have much of a shelf life. But maybe they'll wind up like the Main Street Electrical Parade, a show purported to go away for good that keeps getting brought back like a zombie because it's just too damn charming to ignore.