Hey there Kimberly, I’m happy to wish you a Princely welcome to planDisney!
Based on the kinds of questions you’ve submitted to us here at planDisney, you definitely sound like a connoisseur of the rare and obscure, and I’m here for all of it! In fact, I share a deep love for The Emperor’s New Groove myself and also enjoy spotting any rare merchandise or references that I can find in and around Walt Disney World Resort, and am happy to lend whatever insight I can towards your hunt for hidden gems like these:
- With a renewed love for all kinds of now-retro Disney films from the era of the 90s and the early 2000s, I've spotted more and more kinds of merchandise themed to The Emperor's New Groove and sometimes in very subtle ways. I recommend heading over to Disney's Pin Traders or even Disney's Days of Christmas over in the Marketplace district of Disney Springs as pins and ornaments sometimes skew over to the obscure now and again; not too far away is Tren-D where I've spotted merch and apparel featuring Yzma in cat form in the past, along with DisneyStyle located at the West Side.
- This past year I was as shocked as many other fans of Disney deep cuts like The Black Cauldron when I spotted a special MagicBand+ featuring the Horned King in a limited run for the Disney100 Celebrations over at the Creations Shop in EPCOT; I loved its black and white sketchbook look that also featured Gurgi and there was also a large pin available around Halloween that counted down the days while featuring a fearsome Horned King as well! While finding anything like this was already uncommon, it was especially wonderful to discover these around the same time and hopefully you'll be able to get your hands on some great items featuring these rarely-seen references.
As far as James and the Giant Peach, the only time I've personally ever seen any references to this was on a single piece of art found in an artist's booth at the
EPCOT International Festival of the Arts. In fact, I've noticed a lot of rarely found references to lesser known or more obscure films in the Disney repertoire among the artwork found there so beyond anything found online at
shopDisney.com, this festival celebrating creativity would be the place for anyone looking to score a unique find!
In the meantime, I can't quite point you to any special easter eggs or theming within rides or attractions that specifically point to any of these films, but sometimes as I receive
a pre-ride spiel before I soar into the skies above from our Chief flight attendant Patrick I imagine that it's Kronk giving a lecture on safety or perhaps one of his shoulder pals whenever I pass by a certain security droid in the queue for
Star Tours – The Adventures Continue! Come back to planDisney again soon for any other tips, tricks or advice ahead of your next visit Kimberly!
Here's to finding hidden gems at Disney Destinations!
Prince