It’s ‘Wakanda Forever’ at the Disneyland Resort

ANAHEIM (News4usonline) – The Disneyland Resort wants you to have a merry, merry holiday. The theme park dubbed The Happiest Place on Earth (transformed into The Merriest Place on Earth), is forgone in the midst of its holiday season that runs through Jan. 8, 2023.

Disneyland is out promoting the film “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” with new space in California Adventure Land on the Avengers Campus. #WakandaForever pic.twitter.com/wgJnT9t8Sb

— Dennis J. Freeman (@DennisJFreeman) November 11, 2022

With the fun and festivities beginning Nov. 11, the Disneyland Resort, like always, has a bunch of things going on. While you’re attending either Disney California Adventure or the main park at the Disneyland Resort, there are a couple of spaces that should be visited by guests before the second week of January.

One experience you should not miss on is taking a stroll through the Black Panther Celebration Garden. Unveiled at the time that the Disney/Marvel Studios film “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” was released to the general public, the Black Panther Celebration Garden allows guests to soak in the vibe of the Black Panther experience. It is both a revered and celebratory space that brings guests up close to the aura of the Black Panther.

At its core is a giant replica of the Black Panther headship that is featured in both the original film and the sequel. When you visit the iconic Black Panther replica, the space comes alive at night as cast member dressed as Shuri aka the Black Panther in the second film, comes and pays homage to the legend of her ancestors. It is quite a moment to take in. This is not the only surprise will get an opportunity to see through this period.

Cast members and Black Panther film characters Shuri and M’Baku figure to have guests gasping in awe when they visit the Avengers Campus in Disney California Adventure.

“The M’Baku moment that we’ve created at the Avengers Campus was a lot of fun because we basically took what is in the movie, from the characters in the movie and we wanted to make the moment here at the resort something that was very interactive with the guests, but yet remaining true to the character himself and what he’s all about, which is about family and being part of a unit and you know, having that warrior exterior,” explained Paul Bryant. “There’s something very calming and gentle about this character.”

Bryant, an associate show director for “The Way of the Jabari” production, which is part of Disney’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Entertainment” space, said in presenting M’Baku to guests, they had to strike a balance of keeping the character true to who he is. At the same time, though, Bryant added that he was able to take some liberties injecting the flavor of the Magic Kingdom into the show.

“As you know, with the character, we can only go so far,” Bryant said. “But here in the theme park, we kept this character true to who he is. But then we add what I like to call Disney magic, you know that moment where we can actually engage our guests with the moment while staying pertinent to who the character is. So, we played with it a lot so he can have fun and the guests watching can also have fun but maintaining the trueness and the honesty about the character.”

The Black Panther presentation would not be complete without paying homage to the Dora Milaje. The Warriors of Wakanda show is one that Michael Serna, executive creative director at Disney Live Entertainment, said he had the most fun putting together.

“That was actually my favorite project that I’ve ever worked on,” Serna said during a Disneyland Resort press event that highlighted the “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” experience. “We’ve been working on the Avengers campus for a long time before Black Panther came out, and I saw Black Panther-the first film-and I was so really enamored with the Dora Milaje and the power of these women. My mom was a huge impact my life. I have two sisters. So, I love women stories. I love the power of women and their importance in our lives.”

Serna continued, “So, I thought, what could we do to level up? We brought them into the park and guests immediately responded to them. They were among our most popular characters. They felt a unity to them. They felt connected to them. They were powerful women, but not really like superpower. They’re just the best of the women in their tribe and I love that story. And I thought how do we tell this story deeper and more? So, as we were developing the experiences for the campus, we were going down different paths, and I brought that to the table. and I said what if tell a story like this.”