Dinner and a Movie

The big news of the day comes from Walt Disney World’s Downtown Disney where I had the chance to attend a sneak peek at the new Fork & Screen at the AMC 24.  We watched Tron: Legacy, but that was incidental to the main experience of being fed while watching a movie.  The screening took place in theater 20, which AMC 24 fans know is infamous as being one of the worst theaters in the complex.  They have given the auditorium a makeover with new decor and the most comfortable theater seats you can imagine, that have turned the theater in to a decent movie going experience.

But the main point of the Fork & Screen is the food.  While not fine dining, the food is a few notches above the concession stand of the future.  There is a table in front of you which resembles the dinning arrangement at the Sci-Fi Dine-In restaurant at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (sans car body).  There is a push button so that you can signal your server if you need a refill, want to order dessert, or just feel the need to push a big red button.  The staff was still working out the kinks, which is to be expected during a soft opening, but they were friendly and eager to please.  Stubs members should note that you do get Stubs points for all food purchased as well. 

The classy atmosphere, the enhanced seats, as well as the ability to get some decent food makes Fork & Screen a wonderful addition to the District.  While I will still see big event movies, like Thor, in the ETX Theater; smaller movies or films not being shown in ETX will be enjoyed at a Fork & Screen theater whenever possible.  The Dine-In theaters open up May 16.  Check it out!

Quick Takes:

Studio Entertainment: Thanks to folks seeing DisneyNature’s African Cats during its opening week, The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund was able to preserve over 50,000 acres of land in  Kenya’s Amboseli Wildlife Corridor.  This is the size of 100 Disney’s Animal Kingdoms or bigger than the entire Walt Disney World Resort.  I wonder what we get to save when we see Chimpanzee next year.  The Statue of Liberty?  I hear that will be the only thing remaining once they take over the world.

Media Networks: ABC was the only network to continue their news coverage of Osama Bin Laden’s death following the President’s speech, which caused them to win the night in the ratings.  ABC News also got exclusive pictures and videos of inside the terrorist’s compound.  I have been very impressed with ABC News since Ben Sherwood has taken the reigns.  I think we might start to see some great things from them in the near future.

Consumer Products: The Disney Store blog, “The Buzz”, interviews Devin Martin.  He is the 3D designer of the toys they sell at Disney Store.  They talk to him about designing the Thor toys in advance of the movie’s release this Friday.  Who ever thought they would be selling “Thor” toys at Disney Stores.

Interactive Media: I downloaded the new ClubWorld game from Disney’s Tapulous on my iPhone.  It is a free game where you create your own night club.  While it seems to be a fine game, it isn’t very Disney.  Now I don’t know if this game was in development prior to the Disney acquisition or not.  But if the clubs at Pleasure Island are any indicator, I wouldn’t expect this game to be around forever.  You can get the game while it lasts in iTunes