Category: Disney Deets Daily

May 26 Delivers a One-Two Punch: Bluey’s Wild World and Soarin’ Across America Launch the Same Day

Two major openings on a single Monday. That almost never happens at Walt Disney World, and when it does, it tells you something about the scale of the summer Disney is trying to build. On May 26, Bluey’s Wild World opens at Conservation Station in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Soarin’ Across America debuts its limited-time patriotic film at EPCOT. Together, they represent the twin pillars of Disney’s summer strategy: hook the families with the most beloved children’s IP on the planet, and give the nostalgic adults a reason to line up for a freshly filmed version of one of the most popular attractions in Florida.

Bluey first. WDW News Today and TouringPlans both confirmed that Bluey’s Wild World at Conservation Station opens May 26 with a virtual queue. WDW Prep School reports that guests will need to secure a spot through the My Disney Experience app at either 7 a.m. or 10 a.m. on the day of their visit. You will not be able to walk up and wait in a standby line. WDW News Today also notes that kangaroos will be part of the experience, and that guests will “see” Australian animals rather than pet them, a detail worth flagging for anyone traveling with toddlers who assume every animal encounter is a petting zoo.

WDW Prep School emphasizes that despite launching as part of Cool Kids’ Summer at Walt Disney World Resort, Bluey’s Wild World is a permanent addition to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. This is significant because seasonal overlays generate excitement, but permanent attractions reshape how families plan trips for years. Bluey and Bingo meeting guests in a dedicated space at Conservation Station gives Animal Kingdom a draw it has needed for its younger demographic, and the virtual queue system signals that Disney expects demand to be intense from day one.

Meanwhile, BlogMickey reports that Soarin’ Around the World is now closed at EPCOT as the team prepares to install the Soarin’ Across America film, which also opens May 26. The new film will showcase more than a dozen locations across the United States, including the Grand Canyon, as part of the America 250th celebration. BlogMickey notes that Disney used a unified setup of cameras, lenses, helicopters, and heavy-lift drones to capture the aerial footage, a process designed to eliminate the CGI that drew criticism in the Around the World version. The attraction will feature the signature Soarin’ elements: the flight, the score, and the scents.

One important caveat from BlogMickey: Soarin’ Across America is a limited-time journey rather than a permanent replacement for Around the World. Disney did not respond to a request for comment on when the original film would return. Editorially, if the new film lands the way the original Soarin’ Over California did, Disney would be wise to let it run as long as it keeps drawing crowds.

The Parks

The Swedish Chef is setting up shop at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. WDW News Today reports that Muppets-inspired FØØD by Swedish Chef is coming to the park, with a food kiosk near Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster already surrounded by planters in preparation for the announcement. Details on the menu remain scarce, but any Muppets expansion at Hollywood Studios is welcome news for fans who have watched that franchise’s footprint shrink over the years. The fact that Disney is branding it with the Swedish Chef’s signature chaos energy suggests this will be more than a generic counter-service window.

Over at Magic Kingdom, WDW News Today reports that a permit has been filed with a wrecking company for the Tomorrowland bridge. The site also notes that retaining wall construction continues in Piston Peak, Big Al’s sign has been removed ahead of expected demolition for the same project, and lights and speakers have been installed at Cinderella Castle for a Dave Matthews Band concert in the park. That concert prep, combined with the private buyout that emptied Magic Kingdom on Wednesday, paints a picture of a park in transition, juggling active construction, premium private events, and the daily business of hosting tens of thousands of guests.

Lightning Brain’s daily park report captured just how dramatically that private buyout reshaped Wednesday’s crowd dynamics. Magic Kingdom posted a 2/10 (Light) crowd level with an 8.5-minute median wait, as guests who knew about the 5:30 p.m. closure simply stayed away. EPCOT absorbed the displaced demand and ran at 5/10 (Average) with an 18.1-minute median, roughly 20% above its 30-day average. The Flower and Garden Festival continued to pull guests into World Showcase, and Living with the Land ran well above its typical pace as festival-goers used it for air-conditioned relief between outdoor garden displays.

Planning your Disney trip? Download Lightning Brain from the App Store or visit lightningbrain.app to optimize every minute of your park day.

At Disneyland, Disney Tourist Blog shared a preview of distinctly patriotic treats arriving later this month for the America 250th celebration, headlined by a Sam Eagle popcorn bucket. WDW News Today also reports that patriotic Muppets Sam Eagle treats will celebrate America at Disneyland, reinforcing the Muppets’ role as the comedic backbone of Disney’s semiquincentennial programming across both coasts.

Disney Food Blog published a comprehensive breakdown of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party dates and pricing for 2026. The party runs on select nights from August 7 through October 31, with tickets starting at $119 for early August dates and climbing to $224 for late October. October 31 is already sold out. Disney Food Blog recommends avoiding October 8 through October 29, when prices peak and crowds are heaviest. A new addition this year: Stitch will host a dance party at the Rockettower Plaza Stage in Tomorrowland, joined by Lilo and Angel.

WDW News Today also reports that a My Disney Experience app update streamlines Walt Disney World Resort check-in, and that Rapunzel and Mulan are meeting guests at Disney’s Hollywood Studios ahead of new Animation meet and greets opening at the park. Construction on a new Island Tower window at Disney’s Polynesian Resort is complete, while bus stop lights and dock work continue elsewhere at the resort.

And one small but lovely detail: WDW News Today notes that Teddi Barra has returned to Country Bear Musical Jamboree after her third absence. Welcome back, Teddi.

The Screen

Disney’s 2026 Upfront presentation at North Javits Center was a full-scale flexing of the company’s entertainment and sports portfolio, and it delivered at least one genuine surprise. The Walt Disney Company confirmed that Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts revealed Conan O’Brien will return to host the 99th Academy Awards, making it a three-peat for the comedian. The presentation also featured more than 100 on-stage stars, including Robert Downey Jr., Anne Hathaway, Lindsay Lohan, Shaquille O’Neal, Ewan McGregor, Olivia Colman, and Quinta Brunson, with a surprise closing performance from Olivia Rodrigo.

The Walt Disney Company highlighted that in 2027, Disney will bring together the College Football Playoff Championship Game, the GRAMMYs, Super Bowl LXI, and the Oscars, with New Year’s Rockin’ Eve kicking off the year. That concentration of marquee live events on a single media platform is staggering. Rita Ferro, president of global advertising, emphasized the strength of Disney’s ad-supported streaming audience, powered by what the company described as a connected, end-to-end Disney platform.

On the FX front, the presentation revealed that Paul Anthony Kelly will join the star-studded 13th installment of American Horror Story, joining Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Angela Bassett, Gabourey Sidibe, Billie Lourd, and Emma Roberts. And WDW News Today reports that Disney and CMA have extended their partnership through 2032, with CMA Awards streaming live on Disney+.

Shifting from the stage to streaming, D23 spotlighted Lisa Ann Walter’s career across Disney properties ahead of her first streaming stand-up special, Lisa Ann Walter: It Was an Accident, debuting on Hulu on May 15. D23 traces her Disney arc from Chessy in The Parent Trap to Melissa Schemmenti on Abbott Elementary, framing the special as the latest chapter for an actress whose career has been quietly intertwined with Disney for nearly three decades.

The Vault

Disney Parks Blog published a profile of Chef Maria Colon Cabrera, head chef for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and it is one of those stories that reveals how deeply Imagineering’s storytelling philosophy extends beyond attractions and into the food. Maria describes a process where menu development starts with dozens of ideas, then gets refined through tastings and “story conversations.” The team considers what guests already love, what might be served in a galactic outpost on the edge of Wild Space, and how familiar comfort food can be transformed into something that feels right at home on Batuu. Her example: pot roast with turmeric-garlic mash, where the golden color makes a classic dish look like something from a trader’s stall in Black Spire Outpost.

Maria is a second-generation Cast Member whose parents both retired from Disney. “Knowing my parents are proud means everything to me,” she told Disney Parks Blog. “Leading a team here and creating something so meaningful feels incredibly full circle.” Her wife, Olivia, whom she met while both were working at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, continues her own Disney career as a leader at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Across the Atlantic, Disney Experiences published a deep look at how Disneyland Paris trained more than 350 Cast Members to become “villagers of Arendelle” before World of Frozen opened on March 29, 2026. The recruitment effort began nearly 15 months before opening day, with a European casting tour and thousands of auditions. Each selected Cast Member received what became known as the “letter from the village,” an invitation from Fredrik, royal emissary of Queens Anna and Elsa. Cast Member Dorine Hermier described being chosen for the opening guest flow team as a “heart-stopping surprise,” adding that she felt “speechless, excited, honored, and already imagining the magic ahead.” In total, more than 1,000 Cast Members joined as Disney Adventure World took shape. The scale of that effort, 15 months of preparation so that Arendelle felt like home from the very first guest interaction, is Imagineering’s philosophy applied to people rather than plaster and paint.

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Sources

WDW News Today · BlogMickey · TouringPlans · WDW Prep School · Lightning Brain · Disney Tourist Blog · Disney Food Blog · Walt Disney Company · D23 · Disney Parks Blog · Disney Experiences

D’Amaro Takes the Upfront Stage and Disney Flexes Everything at Once

There is a version of the Disney Upfront that plays it safe. A sizzle reel, a few release dates, a celebrity or two waving from the stage. Monday at the North Javits Center was different. According to The Walt Disney Company, new CEO Josh D’Amaro stepped into the spotlight for his first Upfront presentation with more than 100 on-stage stars, including Robert Downey Jr., Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Olivia Colman, and Quinta Brunson, and capped the whole thing with a surprise performance from Olivia Rodrigo. Anne Hathaway, starring in The Devil Wears Prada 2, introduced D’Amaro personally.

The substance matched the spectacle. Disney laid out a 2027 calendar that stacks four of the biggest live events in American entertainment into a single stretch: the College Football Playoff Championship Game, the GRAMMYs, Super Bowl LXI, and the Oscars, with New Year’s Rockin’ Eve kicking off the run. Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts revealed that Conan O’Brien will return to host the 99th Academy Awards for a third consecutive year. Rita Ferro, president of global advertising, reinforced Disney’s positioning as the largest ad-supported audience in streaming.

Attractions Magazine noted that D’Amaro explicitly connected the company’s multi-generational fandom strategy to Disney Parks and experiences, drawing a line between what happens on screen and what guests walk through in person. Ahsoka Season 2 was highlighted alongside its ties to Star Tours and Galaxy’s Edge. The Savannah Bananas opened the show, featuring Tony-nominated actor Derek Klena performing “The Greatest Show” from The Greatest Showman, and Disney announced the Banana Bowl will stream exclusively on Disney+ this October. MickeyBlog reports that Savannah Bananas star Jackson Olson will compete on Dancing with the Stars Season 35, with the rest of the cast to be revealed on Good Morning America on September 2.

D’Amaro is doing what he does best by treating fandom as the connective tissue between parks, screens, and merchandise. He ran Disney Parks before he ran the whole company, and that background showed. Every announcement circled back to the idea that Disney audiences do not just watch things. They live inside them, wear them, and travel to them. The Upfront was built to prove that thesis to advertisers, and it landed.

The Parks

The biggest physical transformation happening right now is at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, where Bluey’s Wild World is set to debut May 26 as part of Cool KIDS’ Summer. BlogMickey reports that the former Rafiki’s Planet Watch sign has been physically altered, with the Rafiki figure and likely the Earth graphic removed entirely. The area is reverting to its original Conservation Station name, which simplifies what had become a confusing layered geography. Guests previously had to parse the Wildlife Express Train, the Rafiki’s Planet Watch area, and then the Conservation Station building inside it. One name, one destination. The Animation Experience at Conservation Station closed permanently on February 23 and will find a new home within the Walt Disney Studios Lot area at Disney’s Hollywood Studios later this year. BlogMickey also notes that the Affection Section will keep its name but swap its current animal residents for animals native to Australia to match the Bluey theme.

Over at EPCOT, WDW News Today reports that Spike’s Garden at CommuniCore Hall is now closed for GoofyCore preparation, while the Palais du Cinema in the France Pavilion has received new seats. Voices of Liberty at the American Adventure have a new sign with showtimes posted. These are smaller moves, but they reflect the steady rhythm of a park in active evolution, with the Flower and Garden Festival still pulling crowds.

Lightning Brain’s daily park report for May 12 paints a detailed picture of conditions on the ground. EPCOT led the resort with a 5/10 (Average) crowd level and an 18-minute median wait, running roughly 20 percent above its 30-day average. Soarin’ Around the World’s impending closure is clearly accelerating demand, and Living with the Land hit 20 minutes, double its typical baseline, as festival guests treat the boat ride as a climate-controlled break between outdoor booths. Magic Kingdom checked in at 5/10 (Average) with a 16-minute median, just slightly above its 30-day norm. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad’s return added a draw that had been absent in recent weeks. Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom ran lighter, but afternoon weather disruptions complicated things across the resort. 2.75 inches of rainfall triggered weather-protocol closures starting around 3:30 PM, pulling multiple attractions offline at Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom before spreading to Hollywood Studios. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure was down for over two hours starting at 1:13 PM, and Pirates of the Caribbean went offline at 2:16 PM for nearly two hours.

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At Disneyland, Disney Tourist Blog reports that new pin trading rules have removed the designated trading spot, with updated etiquette and location guidelines appearing on the Disneyland website and handouts being distributed in Frontierland. WDW News Today notes that an updated Hondo Ohnaka preshow has been installed for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and a mystery structure next to Edelweiss Snacks has received a roof as construction continues. The Disneyland app now lists Magic Key Holder reservations first and has added an entertainment schedule to the park hours page. Mickey’s Park Rangers Scavenger Hunt is coming to Tom Sawyer Island.

Meanwhile, at Disneyland Paris, the story is about people rather than concrete. Disney Experiences published a detailed look at the cast training program behind World of Frozen, which opened at Disney Adventure World on March 29, 2026. Nearly 15 months before opening day, the resort launched a recruitment effort combining internal mobility, targeted recruitment, and a European casting tour. More than 1,200 Cast Members stepped into new roles. Thousands auditioned, and just 350 were selected to become Arendelle’s “villagers.” Each received a letter from Fredrik, the royal emissary of Queens Anna and Elsa, inviting them into the story rather than just to a job. Cast Member Dorine Hermier described being chosen for the opening guest flow team as a “heart-stopping surprise.” The training philosophy here is worth paying attention to: Disney designed the onboarding so that Arendelle would feel like home before a single guest ever walked through the gates.

At Walt Disney World, Disney’s Grand Floridian traffic circle is taking shape, and movie billboards have been installed in the Walt Disney Studios Courtyard area of Hollywood Studios, per WDW News Today. Waterview Park at Disney Springs is now closed for roof installation over the stage and guest seating.

The Screen

The Punisher arrived on Disney+ Monday, and D23 published an extensive behind-the-scenes conversation with director Reinaldo Marcus Green about A Marvel Television Special Presentation: The Punisher: One Last Kill. Jon Bernthal returns as Frank Castle, with Judith Light joining as Ma Gnucci. Green revealed that Bernthal conceived the idea while filming Season 1 of Daredevil: Born Again and brought Green on roughly a year and a half before shooting. Green described discovering his childhood Punisher comics at the top of an old stash in his mother’s attic in New Jersey, calling it a “weird, kismet thing.” The special is intended for mature audiences, directed by Green from a script he co-wrote with Bernthal, with both serving as executive producers.

The Upfront also delivered a wave of release confirmations. WDW News Today reports that Marvel’s VisionQuest will debut on Disney+ this fall, expected to lead into Avengers: Doomsday. Ahsoka Season 2 is coming to Disney+ in 2027. Avatar: Fire and Ash arrives on Disney+ next month. Camp Rock 3 received a poster and release month announcement. On the live-action side, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Angela Bassett, Gabourey Sidibe, Billie Lourd, and Emma Roberts revealed at the Upfront that Paul Anthony Kelly will join the 13th installment of FX’s American Horror Story, per The Walt Disney Company.

The Grammy Awards are also moving to ABC, with the 2027 ceremony date announced during the Upfront presentation. Combined with the Oscars, Super Bowl, and College Football Playoff Championship, Disney is building a live-event calendar for 2027 that essentially owns the first quarter of the American television year.

The Vault

Lightning Brain’s analysis of hidden gem attractions at Walt Disney World uses a full year of 2025 wait time data to surface something longtime fans already suspect: the best experiences in the parks are often the emptiest. Hollywood Studios posted the highest park-wide average wait of any Walt Disney World park in 2025, at 31.8 minutes, yet Star Tours averaged just 9.5 minutes across 60,170 wait time readings. The attraction offers 83 possible trip combinations depending on which story segments randomly load. At Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress averaged 5.1 minutes across 55,923 readings, with even its 90th percentile wait sitting at just 5 minutes.

These numbers confirm a pattern that Imagineering probably anticipated decades ago. Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress is a 21-minute Audio-Animatronic show, and Star Tours is a full-motion flight simulator with genuine replay value. Both deliver substantial experiences. Both sit nearly empty on most afternoons. The gap between their quality and their wait times exists because guests optimize for what is new and what is famous, not for what is good. That behavioral pattern, visible in a year’s worth of data, is the single most exploitable inefficiency at Walt Disney World.

Old Navy and Disney, meanwhile, are leaning into nostalgia with their second Mickey and Friends Americana collection, available starting May 13 in stores and online. Disney Parks Blog highlights pieces including trucker jackets with “Oh Boy” embroidery, fit-and-flare dresses for mother-daughter matching, and football-style tees with a sporty oversized feel. The Disney Store’s own Americana collection is also live online, with WDW News Today listing items ranging from a $29.99 Mickey flag t-shirt to a $74.99 adults’ jersey. Separately, several Little Words Project accessories have arrived online, including a “Disney Mama” bracelet for $30 and a Star Wars bag charm for $35 featuring the exchange “I love you” and “I know.”

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Sources

Walt Disney Company · Attractions Magazine · MickeyBlog · BlogMickey · WDW News Today · Lightning Brain · Lightning Brain · Disney Tourist Blog · Disney Experiences · D23 · Disney Parks Blog

Jeff Vahle Steps Down as Walt Disney World President

Jeff Vahle, President of Walt Disney World Resort, announced his retirement yesterday after 36 years with The Walt Disney Company. As reported by BlogMickey, Vahle will remain in his role through late July before stepping away from what he called “the best job ever.” No replacement has been announced.

That tenure matters. Vahle started as an engineer at Magic Kingdom in 1990 and rose through leadership positions across Disney Signature Experiences, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club, and Facilities and Operations Services before being named President of Walt Disney World in 2020. According to BlogMickey, he oversaw a workforce of approximately 80,000 Cast Members across four theme parks, more than 25 resort hotels, two water parks, a sports complex, and the entire retail and dining district.

The list of projects delivered under his watch reads like a highlight reel of the modern resort. BlogMickey notes that Vahle’s era saw the openings of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, TRON Lightcycle / Run, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, the reimagined Test Track, Zootopia: Better Zoogether!, Country Bear Musical Jamboree, Journey of Water inspired by Moana, and new nighttime spectaculars at both Magic Kingdom and EPCOT, along with the Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows. Work is now underway on billions of dollars in additional investments, including new lands and attractions at Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

AllEars confirmed that Vahle is retiring this summer. Disney Tourist Blog also reported on the departure and noted the timing, as it comes just two months after the company announced a series of leadership appointments in the Parks & Resorts segment that included a new chair and Disneyland President. Disney Tourist Blog is already speculating about who could be promoted to the top spot at Walt Disney World.

In his statement, Vahle pointed forward rather than backward. He highlighted upcoming milestones still on his watch, including the launch of Cool KIDS’ Summer, the opening of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets, and an updated Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. For a president who inherited a resort mid-pandemic and leaves it in the middle of its most ambitious capital expansion in decades, the legacy is substantial. The question now is who picks up the momentum.

The Parks

Monday at Magic Kingdom ran heavier than it had any right to. Lightning Brain’s Daily Park Report recorded a 7/10 (Heavy) crowd level on a day with no federal holiday, no school break overlap, and no party night on the calendar. The median wait hit nearly 20 minutes, which Lightning Brain notes is 30% above the park’s 30-day average. A late-afternoon storm shut down nine attractions simultaneously between roughly 2:26 and 4:06 PM, including Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Jungle Cruise, The Barnstormer, both Railroad stations, Dumbo, and Tomorrowland Speedway. Guests piled into whatever was still running, with Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Space Mountain absorbing the bulk of displaced demand.

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Lightning Brain attributes some of the elevated attendance to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which just returned from its refurbishment. But the more interesting signal came from EPCOT, which posted a 6/10 (Average) crowd level with a 35% jump above its 30-day average. The 8:00 AM peak hour saw medians hitting 35 minutes before most parks were even busy. Lightning Brain reads this as guests arriving early specifically for Soarin’ Around the World before it closes, and that urgency appears to be pulling the entire resort up a notch.

Over at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, WDW News Today reports that the Monsters, Inc. Door Coaster load area is under construction, bigger walls have been installed around Big Thunder Mountain to block the Piston Peak construction from guest view, and Big Al’s in Magic Kingdom has permanently closed to make way for that same project. More billboards have been removed in Animation Courtyard, and a first look at the new Walt Disney Studios Courtyard sign at Hollywood Studios is now available. WDW News Today also confirmed that a new “Timeless” Hondo Ohnaka preshow has debuted for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Walt Disney World, and that a street sign has been added inside Animation Courtyard.

On the entertainment calendar, WDW News Today reports returning entertainment confirmed for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2026, along with the first Jollywood Nights entertainment confirmed for 2026 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Although it is May, Disney is already locking in the holiday season. This is the world we live in.

Crew’s Cup Lounge has reopened at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort after closing on February 23rd for refurbishment. MickeyBlog reports the bar received new furniture with cushions swapped from reds to blues for a more nautical look, along with new upholstery on the barstools. The bones of the space remain the same, including the rowing crew details on the walls. MickeyBlog also notes that nearby Yachtsman Steakhouse is now closed for refurbishment and will reopen sometime in August.

If you are planning a Walt Disney World trip this month, Disney Food Blog has published confirmed Lightning Lane prices for the rest of May. The range is wide. On May 11th, for instance, Magic Kingdom Multi Pass sits at $29, EPCOT Multi Pass at $21, Hollywood Studios Multi Pass at $27, and Animal Kingdom Multi Pass at $16. Individual attraction Single Pass prices range from $12 for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train to $24 for Rise of the Resistance. Prices shift daily based on demand, so checking before you buy is worth the effort.

Meanwhile at the Disneyland Resort, MickeyBlog spotlights the Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Co. cold brew lineup available across quick-service locations. Highlights include the Beignet Cold Brew at Tiana’s Palace, the Black Caf Cold Brew at Docking Bay 7 and Kat Saka’s Kettle in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the Mud Cake Cold Brew at Troubadour Tavern in honor of “Bluey’s Best Day Ever!,” and the Start Your Engine Cold Brew at Flo’s V8 Cafe. WDW News Today also notes that Disneyland has removed its designated pin trading area and posted new rules on its website.

Disney Cruise Line continues to expand its special offers. DCL Blog reports that this week’s deals now extend through October 2026, with 61 different sail dates available from ports including Barcelona, Civitavecchia, Fort Lauderdale, Port Canaveral, and Vancouver. WDW News Today separately reports that all-new welcome gifts are coming for Disney Cruise Line’s Castaway Club members, and that parts for the Disney Believe ship have been conveyed down to Meyer Werft for assembly.

At Disneyland Paris, Disney Experiences published a detailed look at how the resort trained more than 350 Cast Members to become “villagers of Arendelle” for the opening of World of Frozen. The effort began nearly 15 months before opening day with a European casting tour. Thousands auditioned, and 350 were selected. Each received what was called a “letter from the village,” which served as a welcome into the story rather than a standard job offer. Cast Member Dorine Hermier described being chosen for the opening guest flow team as a “heart-stopping surprise.” Overall, more than 1,000 Cast Members joined as Disney Adventure World took shape, reflecting the scale of the resort’s new era.

The Screen

Disney’s advertising arm is gearing up for this year’s Upfront presentation, and the framing is unmistakably about consolidation. In an interview published by The Walt Disney Company, Rita Ferro, President of Global Advertising, described the event as reflecting “the power of Disney operating as one company” under CEO Josh D’Amaro and President and Chief Creative Officer Dana Walden. Ferro emphasized what she called Disney’s three core advantages: trust, fandom, and innovation. The presentation will feature announcements across Disney’s full portfolio, with a focus on AI-powered advertising innovation and a global streaming footprint designed to give advertisers more precision, scale, and flexibility. For fans, the subtext is clear: the content pipeline that feeds Disney+, ABC, ESPN, and Hulu is being treated as a single engine rather than separate machines.

The Star Wars community, meanwhile, lost a familiar face. Michael Pennington, who portrayed Moff Jerjerrod in Star Wars: Episode VI, Return of the Jedi, has died at the age of 82, as reported by WDW News Today. Pennington’s screen time in the original trilogy was limited, but his scenes opposite Darth Vader aboard the second Death Star became iconic. Outside of Star Wars, Pennington built a celebrated career in British theatre, co-founding the English Shakespeare Company in 1986 and working extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

The Vault

Starting May 23rd, the Durham Museum in Omaha will host Heroes & Villains: The Art of the Disney Costume, an exhibition curated by the Walt Disney Archives. D23 reports that the show features nearly 70 ensembles spanning nearly five decades of Disney film and television, including original film-worn costumes from Cinderella, Maleficent, Mary Poppins, Captain Jack Sparrow, and Aladdin. The exhibition includes interviews with Emmy and Academy Award-winning costume designers, an exclusive video made for the show, and a “Cinderella’s Workshop” section exploring how the classic character has been interpreted across different screen adaptations.

The Durham Museum is running a full slate of tie-in programming through the summer. D23 details Sunday matinees pairing the exhibition with screenings of Cinderella (2015), Beauty and the Beast (2017), National Treasure (2004), and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). A special “Behind the Seams” evening on June 4th will offer a behind-the-scenes look at how the exhibition was curated, including how costumes from more recent films like Cruella and Peter Pan & Wendy were incorporated.

Disney Experiences Chairman Thomas Mazloum has joined the Make-A-Wish Board, as noted by WDW News Today. And the Disney x Old Navy Americana collection returns with new pieces available starting May 13th in stores and online. Disney Parks Blog describes the lineup as spanning adult to baby sizes, with items including Mickey Mouse graphic tees, denim trucker jackets with “Oh Boy” embroidery, swim trunks, fit-and-flare dresses, and crew-neck sweatshirts. The collection leans into a nostalgic Americana aesthetic designed for summer.

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Sources

BlogMickey · AllEars · Disney Tourist Blog · Lightning Brain · WDW News Today · MickeyBlog · Disney Food Blog · DCL Blog · Disney Experiences · The Walt Disney Company · D23 · Disney Parks Blog · MickeyBlog

Disney Hits $2 Billion at the 2026 Box Office Before Summer Even Starts

The Devil Wears Prada 2 held the top spot at the domestic box office for a second consecutive weekend, adding $43 million domestically on a decline of just 44%, according to MickeyBlog. Globally, the sequel has now grossed $433 million, surpassing the entire lifetime haul of the 2006 original, which earned $326 million worldwide. That kind of hold in week two, against fresh competition from Mortal Kombat II, Sheep Detectives, and the Billie Eilish concert film, signals genuine audience enthusiasm rather than opening-weekend curiosity.

WDW News Today notes that the sequel’s performance has made Disney the first studio to reach $2 billion in 2026 global box office revenue. Consider the calendar. It is mid-May. The traditional summer blockbuster corridor has not even begun in earnest. For Disney’s theatrical division, which spent years navigating post-pandemic audience shifts and streaming cannibalization questions, this is a decisive statement that event-level sequels with beloved casts still pack theaters.

The film reunites Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep, and Stanley Tucci nearly twenty years after they first walked the sleek offices of Runway Magazine. MickeyBlog reports that strong reviews from both critics and audiences have bolstered the sequel’s staying power. The question now is how high the ceiling goes as it plays through May and into June with relatively light competition on the horizon, as it already turns a profit for Disney.

The Parks

Walt Disney World announced a $1.3 million investment in Central Florida education programs ahead of Cool KIDS’ SUMMER, the resort’s seasonal initiative for families with young children. Disney Parks Blog reports that the donation supports school districts across Orange, Osceola, Lake, Polk, and Seminole counties, along with nonprofits including Elevate Orlando, A Gift for Teaching, and programs like Disney Musicals in Schools through the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. The funding targets STEM, literacy, and arts education. Disney also surprised local elementary schools with visits from the Goof Troop, giving kindergarten and pre-K students a preview of GoofyCore activities coming to EPCOT this summer. Educators at the schools received Walt Disney World tickets for their families. Cool KIDS’ SUMMER runs at Walt Disney World from May 26 through September 8.

Over at Magic Kingdom, BlogMickey reports that Disney has completed installation of tall paneled construction walls along much of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad’s perimeter. The attraction reopened on May 3, 2026, after a 16-month refurbishment that included new track, updated ride vehicles, enhanced Rainbow Caverns, and a lowered height requirement of 38 inches. The walls are designed to screen views of the massive construction zones for Piston Peak National Park and Villains Land, both being built on the former site of the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island, which closed in July 2025. BlogMickey notes the walls have a rough-hewn wood aesthetic that blends reasonably well with Big Thunder’s Western theming, though guests at the top of the lift hill can still peer over them into the active site, where concrete pipes, heavy equipment, and early-stage infrastructure work are visible.

Meanwhile, Lightning Brain’s daily park report for May 10 paints a picture of a choppy operational Sunday at Magic Kingdom. Space Mountain went down three separate times across the afternoon and evening, totaling more than four hours offline. TRON Lightcycle / Run added to the disruption with two closures of its own, and Haunted Mansion had two separate shutdowns between 4 and 8 PM. Country Bear Musical Jamboree went down three times in the evening and did not reopen for the night. With two of the park’s highest-demand attractions simultaneously unavailable during peak hours, Magic Kingdom came in at a 4/10 (Moderate) with a median wait of just under 14 minutes. Several Fantasyland attractions posted waits at or below five minutes, suggesting guests were not clustering anywhere in particular. Conditions were warm, hitting a high of 91 degrees, with brief rain bands passing through after park opening and again in mid-afternoon.

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EPCOT told a different story entirely. Lightning Brain reports it was the busiest park on property Sunday, landing at a 5/10 (Average) with a median wait just over 18 minutes, roughly 21% above its 30-day baseline. The Flower and Garden Festival continues to draw guests, and the data reflects a festival crowd that grazes through the morning before peaking at 1 PM.

WDW News Today reports that Hondo Ohnaka steals the Millennium Falcon in a first look at an updated preshow on Smugglers Run in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The same outlet notes that latest aerial photos show DinoLand U.S.A. facade transformations taking shape at Disney’s Animal Kingdom as Tropical Americas construction progresses, and that renovation work is expanding across Disney’s Wilderness Lodge with walkway closures and exterior updates. The Crew’s Cup Lounge has also reopened with a remodel as Yachtsman Steakhouse closes, per WDW News Today.

Across the Atlantic, Disneyland Paris offered a rare behind-the-scenes look at how it prepared Cast Members for the opening of World of Frozen at Disney Adventure World. Disney Experiences reports that nearly 15 months before opening day, the resort launched an ambitious recruitment effort combining internal mobility, targeted recruitment, and a European casting tour to welcome more than 1,200 Cast Members into new roles. Thousands auditioned during summer 2025, and 350 were selected to become Arendelle’s “villagers.” Each received what became known as the “letter from the village,” an invitation written in character by Fredrik, royal emissary of Queens Anna and Elsa. Cast Members also received name badges identifying them as Arendellians. Cast Member Dorine Hermier, an Attractions Operator and Trainer, described being chosen for the opening guest flow team as a “heart-stopping surprise.” World of Frozen opened its gates on March 29, 2026, and three weeks in, the preparation is paying off in what Disney Experiences calls seamless storytelling from day one.

Shanghai Disneyland is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Shanghai Disney Resort with new parade additions. WDW News Today reports that a Duffy and Friends FriendSHIP! float now serves as a special pre-parade ahead of Mickey’s Storybook Express, featuring all seven friends in new birthday costumes aboard a pastel-colored ship that trails bubbles along the parade route. A brand-new Zootopia float also joins the parade, with Judy, Nick, Gary, and Clawhauser appearing alongside Gazelle’s tour bus.

The Screen

Beyond the box office dominance of Devil Wears Prada 2, Disney made a significant content play this week in the music documentary space. The Walt Disney Company announced a landmark Oasis documentary from BAFTA and Oscar-nominated writer, producer, and director Steven Knight, the creator of Peaky Blinders. The film, directed by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace, charts Liam and Noel Gallagher’s reunion tour Oasis Live ’25 and features the first joint interviews with the brothers in over 25 years. The documentary will open in select IMAX and cinemas worldwide for a limited theatrical engagement beginning September 11 before streaming on Disney+ internationally and on Hulu and Disney+ in the U.S. later in the year.

“I genuinely cannot wait for the world to see this film,” Knight said in the announcement. “I wanted to tell the story of the brothers and the band, but just as important, the story of the fans whose lives the music has touched and sometimes changed forever.” Eric Schrier, President of Direct-to-Consumer International Originals, Strategic Programming, and Emerging Media, called the opportunity “incredibly rare,” describing the film as an intimate story of reconciliation, the power of music, and Oasis, one of the most successful and influential acts of all time. Disney+ has been building a strong portfolio of premium music documentaries, and landing the Gallagher reunion story gives the platform one of the most culturally significant music events of the decade.

On a more somber note, the Star Wars community is mourning the loss of Michael Pennington, who played Death Star commander Moff Tiaan Jerjerrod in Return of the Jedi. MickeyBlog reports that Pennington passed away at 82, with the news confirmed by The Telegraph. A titan of the British stage who spent decades with the Royal Shakespeare Company and co-founded the English Shakespeare Company in 1986, Pennington was beloved by Star Wars fans despite his own self-deprecating take on the role. “I look at it now and I think I overact horribly and I can’t even remember the storyline,” he said in a 2012 interview. He also reflected on the film’s enduring cultural grip: “Whenever I come out of the Stage Door after a performance, all people would ask about was Star Wars.”

The Vault

The Durham Museum in Omaha opens Heroes and Villains: The Art of the Disney Costume on May 23, bringing nearly 70 ensembles spanning almost five decades of Disney film and television to Nebraska. D23 reports the exhibition, curated by the Walt Disney Archives, features original film-worn costumes from characters including Cinderella, Maleficent, Mary Poppins, Captain Jack Sparrow, and Aladdin. Guests can also step into “Cinderella’s Workshop” to see how the character has been interpreted across different iterations, and the exhibition includes interviews and an exclusive video from Emmy and Academy Award-winning costume designers explaining how they expressed mood and motivation through craft. The Durham Museum will host Sunday matinee screenings of related films throughout the summer, starting with Cinderella (2015) on May 24. The exhibition runs through the summer of 2026.

WDW News Today also flagged a piece of Imagineering history worth seeking out: the fan film “Star Tours: Last Launch” featuring Disney Legend Tony Baxter is now available for viewing. And separately, the outlet reports that former Disney CEO Bob Iger received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Howard University, adding an academic honor to a career that reshaped the company through acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and 21st Century Fox. A former Disney artist also shared previously unseen Three Caballeros Christmas program concept art, per WDW News Today, offering a glimpse at creative directions that never made it to screen.

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Sources

MickeyBlog · MickeyBlog · WDW News Today · Disney Parks Blog · BlogMickey · Lightning Brain · Disney Experiences · The Walt Disney Company · D23 · WDW News Today

Steel Rising: The Monsters Inc. Door Vault Coaster Becomes Real

For months, the Monstropolis construction site at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has been a sprawl of dirt, concrete, and ambition. Now it has a skyline. New aerial photos from Bioreconstruct, shared by BlogMickey, reveal steel structures climbing above the site, marking the most visible milestone yet for the Monsters Inc. Door Vault roller coaster. Two steel structures are going up near what appears to be the load station or the start of the attraction itself, while vertical support columns for the suspended coaster track continue to be installed across the footprint.

The scale here deserves emphasis. BlogMickey reports that the attraction building will be the largest at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, surpassing Rise of the Resistance, Avatar Flight of Passage, and TRON Lightcycle Run. Only the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind complex at EPCOT is bigger across Walt Disney World. The coaster will be the first suspended coaster at a Disney Park, meaning guests ride with their feet dangling beneath them, and the first to feature a vertical lift. Imagineering is swinging for the fences on every technical front simultaneously.

The land itself, Monstropolis, is rising from what was once Muppets Courtyard plus a newly expanded section outside the park’s original boundary. BlogMickey notes that the story picks up after the events of the original film: humans are now welcome to visit, and the monsters need laughter rather than screams to power their city. The concept was first revealed at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, when then-Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro unveiled the plans alongside Disney Legend Billy Crystal.

What makes these aerial photos significant is timing. Back in early April, BlogMickey broke the news that roller coaster support columns had been installed, visible only from the guest parking lot more than a half mile away. Now, just weeks later, the site has moved from foundation work to vertical construction. Steel going up means the ride layout is being committed to physical space. The sandy area visible in the photos is likely the future queue, while concrete block structures with scaffolding and wood framing appear to define the load station area. For anyone who has watched Disney construction projects crawl, this one is moving.

The Parks

EPCOT delivered the most interesting crowd story of the week on Saturday, and the numbers back it up. Lightning Brain data shows the park ran nearly 40% above its 30-day baseline, landing at a 6/10 (Average) with a 20.8-minute median wait. The Flower and Garden Festival is clearly pulling guests in real numbers. The midday peak hit at 1:00 PM with a 30-minute median across the park, and Living with the Land ran double its typical wait at 20 minutes. On a 93-degree afternoon, a slow boat ride through air-conditioned greenhouses becomes significantly more appealing.

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The afternoon was harder to navigate than the overall crowd number suggests, though. Lightning Brain tracked four notable attraction downtimes at EPCOT on Saturday alone. Gran Fiesta Tour went offline for nearly two hours during the peak window, from 1:01 PM to 2:57 PM. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure was down for about an hour starting at 2:52 PM. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Journey Into Imagination with Figment both had shorter closures in the evening. World Showcase is light on attraction alternatives, so most guests who wandered into the Mexico Pavilion for a shaded sit-down found themselves redirected to food booth crowds or other pavilions.

Over at Hollywood Studios, Lightning Brain reported a 6/10 (Average) day with a 38.1-minute median. Rise of the Resistance had a particularly difficult morning: offline from 8:35 to 9:21 AM, then down again at 1:33 PM until 2:25 PM. Two separate closures totaling about an hour and a half for the park’s premier attraction is rough for anyone who anchored their morning plan around it.

Meanwhile, the France pavilion in EPCOT’s World Showcase has good news. MickeyBlog reports that the Palais du Cinema theater has reopened, bringing back both Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along and Impressions de France a day earlier than expected. The schedule mirrors the pre-refurbishment pattern, with Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along running from 10 AM to 6:30 PM and Impressions de France bookending the day from 9 AM to 9:30 AM and again from 7 PM to 8:45 PM.

At Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, the dominoes continue to fall in a long-running renovation cycle. MickeyBlog reports that Crew’s Cup Lounge has officially reopened after closing for refurbishment on February 23. The timing is intentional: its reopening coincides with Yachtsman Steakhouse closing for its own refurbishment, which MickeyBlog says is expected to last through August 2026. While the steakhouse is closed, guests can enjoy select Yachtsman menu items at Crew’s Cup Lounge. Disney Tourist Blog notes this is part of a broader renovation effort at the Crescent Lake resorts that has been underway since early 2025, touching everything from exterior work to Stormalong Bay.

Disney Parks Blog announced a major community investment ahead of Cool Kids’ Summer, which returns to Walt Disney World from May 26 through September 8. The resort is putting $1.3 million toward education programs across five Central Florida counties, supporting school districts and nonprofits including Elevate Orlando, A Gift for Teaching, and programs at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. The Goof Troop visited local elementary schools to give kindergarten and pre-K students a preview of GoofyCore coming to EPCOT this summer, and educators received Walt Disney World tickets as a thank-you.

WDW News Today reports that Walt Disney World Lakeshore Lodge construction continues moving forward with roofing, scaffolding, and cabin work. The same recap notes that two projects called Bubbles and Amazon have been assigned to former Disney’s BoardWalk Resort locations, though details remain sparse. And for one day, alcohol sales will be prohibited at both Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay, per WDW News Today.

The Screen

Jon Favreau confirmed that the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit series will release in 2027 on Disney+, produced by SPA Studios. WDW News Today carried the news, which lands the pre-Mickey character his most significant moment in the spotlight since Disney reacquired the rights to Oswald in 2006. For fans who have tracked Walt Disney’s original creation through decades of corporate limbo, Favreau’s involvement and SPA Studios’ hand-drawn animation pedigree make this one worth watching closely.

On a very different note, The Walt Disney Company announced a landmark Oasis documentary coming to theaters and Disney+ later this year. The film, created by BAFTA and Oscar-nominated writer Steven Knight and directed by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace, charts Liam and Noel Gallagher’s reunion tour Oasis Live ’25. It opens in select IMAX and cinemas worldwide beginning September 11 before streaming on Disney+ internationally and on Hulu and Disney+ in the U.S. The Walt Disney Company’s announcement highlights unprecedented access, including the first joint interviews with Noel and Liam in over 25 years. Eric Schrier, President of Direct-to-Consumer International Originals, called the opportunity “incredibly rare” and described the film as “an intimate story of reconciliation, the power of music, and Oasis.”

According to reports from The DisInsider, Sofia the First is returning with a new series that follows Sofia attending the Charmswell School for Royal Magic, with Rapunzel appearing in the premiere episode. Disney has released a trailer for the new chapter.

The Vault

The Durham Museum in Omaha opens Heroes and Villains: The Art of the Disney Costume on May 23, and this one deserves attention from anyone who cares about the physical craft behind Disney’s storytelling. D23 reports the exhibition, curated by the Walt Disney Archives, showcases nearly 70 ensembles spanning nearly five decades of Disney film and television. These are original, film-worn costumes from characters including Cinderella, Maleficent, Mary Poppins, Captain Jack Sparrow, and Aladdin, with interviews from Emmy and Academy Award-winning costume designers explaining the choices behind every stitch. A dedicated “Cinderella’s Workshop” section lets guests see how the classic character has been interpreted across different television and movie iterations.

The Durham is running a full programming slate alongside the exhibition through the summer, including Sunday matinees pairing the costumes with their source films: Cinderella (2015) on May 24, Beauty and the Beast (2017) on June 21, National Treasure (2004) on July 19, and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) on August 16. A behind-the-scenes event called “Behind the Seams: The Making of a Disney Exhibition” on June 4 will offer a look at how the show was curated, including new additions from Cruella (2021) and Peter Pan and Wendy (2023). For fans in the Midwest, this is a rare chance to stand inches from the actual garments that brought these characters to life on screen.

At Disneyland Paris, Disney Experiences published a detailed look at how Cast Members were trained to open World of Frozen at Disney Adventure World. The piece reveals that nearly 15 months before the land’s opening, Disneyland Paris launched a recruitment effort combining internal mobility, targeted hiring, and a European casting tour. Thousands auditioned in summer 2025, and just 350 were selected to become Arendelle’s villagers. Each received what was called a “letter from the village,” which served as an invitation to become a citizen of the kingdom. Cast Member Dorine Hermier described being chosen for the opening guest flow team as a “heart-stopping surprise.” When World of Frozen opened its gates on March 29, 2026, those 350 Cast Members were officially welcomed as villagers during a dedicated celebration. The approach reflects a broader philosophy at Imagineering and Disneyland Paris: the story begins with the people telling it, not the concrete holding it up.

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Sources

BlogMickey · Lightning Brain · MickeyBlog · MickeyBlog · Disney Tourist Blog · Disney Parks Blog · WDW News Today · Walt Disney Company · D23 · Disney Experiences · The DisInsider

Inside the Making of Arendelle’s Cast at Disneyland Paris

Three weeks after World of Frozen opened at Disneyland Paris, Disney Experiences has pulled back the curtain on one of the most ambitious Cast Member training programs in recent memory. Nearly 15 months before opening day, the resort launched a recruitment effort that combined internal mobility, targeted hiring, and a European casting tour to fill more than 1,200 new roles across Disney Adventure World. Thousands auditioned, and just 350 were selected to become what Disney calls “villagers of Arendelle.”

The details, shared by Disney Experiences this week, paint a picture of a process designed to blur the line between onboarding and storytelling. Each new Cast Member received what became known as the “letter from the village,” an invitation written in character by Fredrik, royal emissary of Queens Anna and Elsa. “Dear friends, it is with great joy and emotion… I extend a warm welcome to each and every one of you,” the letter read. Every villager also received an official name badge identifying them as Arendellians before they ever set foot on stage.

Cast Member Dorine Hermier, an attractions operator and trainer chosen for the opening guest flow team, described the moment she learned of her assignment as a “heart-stopping surprise,” adding that she felt “speechless, excited, honored, and already imagining the magic ahead.” That kind of language might sound like corporate polish, but the operational ambition behind it is real. Disney’s goal was specific: when the first guest walked through the gates on March 29, 2026, Arendelle should already feel like a place that had existed for years.

This matters because themed entertainment lives and dies on conviction. Imagineering can build the physical world, but the moment a Cast Member breaks character or seems uncertain, the illusion cracks. What Disneyland Paris attempted here, treating recruitment itself as a narrative event, is a model that could reshape how Disney opens major lands going forward. More than 1,000 Cast Members joined across Disney Adventure World as a whole, according to Disney Experiences. The scale alone proves this was a full-scale operation, an invasion of warmth.

The Parks

Over at Walt Disney World, the week’s biggest headline is a farewell. WDW News Today reports that Magic Kingdom’s “Let the Magic Begin” welcome show will not return. The morning ceremony, which greeted guests at Cinderella Castle before rope drop, has been a fixture of the park’s daily rhythm for years. No replacement has been announced. For families who built their touring plans around that opening moment, the loss stings. For planners, it means one fewer reason to arrive at the gates early, though Lightning Lane return times and rope drop strategy remain as important as ever.

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Meanwhile, construction continues to reshape multiple parks. WDW News Today reports that more structures have been installed at the Monsters, Inc. Coaster show building in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and more walls and fresh dirt have arrived at the Piston Peak construction site in Magic Kingdom. At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, chrome plating has been added to the Animation Marquee, and Disney Jr. posters have been removed, signaling continued transition. At EPCOT, the Soarin’ queue is getting a lighting refresh as carpet replacement work continues.

BlogMickey brings a small but meaningful story from EPCOT: the Voices of Liberty a cappella group has received its first-ever dedicated signage at The American Adventure. In talking with Cast Members at the show, BlogMickey confirmed this is the first signage installation the group has enjoyed in its more than 40 years at the park. Guest scores for the Voices of Liberty are reportedly excellent, but awareness has lagged. The new sign, featuring members in their costumes alongside the Liberty Bell and Betsy Ross flag, aims to fix that. If you have never heard them perform “Shenandoah” in that marble rotunda, you owe yourself the detour.

At Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, the Crew’s Cup Lounge has reopened as Yachtsman Steakhouse closes for the weekend, per WDW News Today. And the Wilderness Lodge boardwalk remains closed, forcing guests to take a longer route to the boat dock.

For Dole Whip devotees, Disney Food Blog reports that a new Dole Whip Flight has arrived at Swirls on the Water in Disney Springs. The flight includes a Pineapple-Vanilla Swirl, a Strawberry-Banana Sundae, and a Watermelon-Lime Swirl for $8.99. Disney Food Blog’s reviewers compared the Strawberry-Banana to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, noting the roasted peanuts sell it, and said the Watermelon-Lime tastes exactly like a Watermelon Blow Pop. Three Dole Whips for under nine dollars is a rare instance of Disney Springs pricing that feels generous rather than aspirational.

On the Disneyland Resort side, Disney Tourist Blog reports that Disney has announced ticket sales start dates for the 2026 Oogie Boogie Bash, which will begin in mid-August and run through October 31. Expect more details on additions and changes soon. If past years are any guide, these tickets will move fast.

Walt Disney World is also putting $1.3 million behind Central Florida education programs ahead of Cool KIDS’ SUMMER. Disney Parks Blog reports the investment supports school districts across Orange, Osceola, Lake, Polk, and Seminole counties, along with nonprofits including Elevate Orlando, A Gift for Teaching, and programs like Disney Musicals in Schools through the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. The Goof Troop visited local elementary schools to preview the GoofyCore experience coming to EPCOT this summer, and educators received Walt Disney World tickets as a thank-you. Cool KIDS’ SUMMER runs from May 26 through September 8.

One more note from the resort level: MickeyBlog spotted the new Disney Wishables Shimmer Experiments Series at EPCOT’s Creations Shop, featuring plushes of Stitch, Angel, Reuben, Felix, and Leroy for $17.99 each. Timed nicely ahead of 626 Day.

The Screen

The Walt Disney Company confirmed a landmark documentary following the British band Oasis, created by BAFTA and Oscar-nominated writer Steven Knight and directed by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace. The film charts Liam and Noel Gallagher’s reunion tour Oasis Live ’25 and includes the first joint interviews with the brothers in over 25 years. It opens in select IMAX and cinemas worldwide on September 11 before streaming exclusively on Disney+ internationally and on Hulu and Disney+ in the U.S. later this year.

“I genuinely cannot wait for the world to see this film,” Knight said in a statement released by The Walt Disney Company. “I believe it captures the spirit and emotion of a global cultural moment and does justice to the wit and genius of two exceptional people.” Eric Schrier, President of Direct-to-Consumer International Originals, called the project “an intimate story of reconciliation, the power of music, and Oasis, one of the most successful and influential acts of all time.” The film features unprecedented access and never-before-seen footage, produced by magna studios and presented by Sony Music Vision.

For Disney+, this is a strategic play. Music documentaries have proven to be reliable audience magnets on the platform, and the Gallagher reunion was arguably the biggest music story of 2025. Landing the definitive film about it, with theatrical IMAX distribution as a bonus, gives Disney+ a cultural event instead of just another catalog title.

Shifting from music to Star Wars, WDW News Today reports that Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver, Jon Favreau, and Kathleen Kennedy attended a Star Wars fan event ahead of an upcoming film. Details beyond the appearance remain thin, but the presence of that particular group of names in one room suggests Lucasfilm is building momentum for its next theatrical chapter.

The Vault

The Voices of Liberty signage story at EPCOT deserves a second look, because BlogMickey’s reporting includes a remarkable piece of history. The group was founded by arranger and composer Derric Johnson, who was brought on to write, staff, and produce the show ahead of EPCOT’s 1982 opening. Johnson had a background in a cappella with his group Re’Generation, but the format was virtually unknown in commercial entertainment at the time. BlogMickey reports that the head of Entertainment was openly skeptical. “A cappella will never work,” Johnson recalled being told. “It’s not enough to mount a show or a concert.” He was handed a six-month contract.

The skepticism nearly killed the group’s most iconic song. During an early rehearsal at The American Adventure, while construction workers were still laying the marble floor, Johnson led the group through a soft arrangement of “Shenandoah.” Park music staff warned him it would never work, as it was too quiet and too slow for the EPCOT atmosphere. Then the saws stopped, the hammers went silent, and every worker in the building leaned over the balcony to listen. “Shenandoah” went on to become the most-requested song in the group’s history, according to BlogMickey.

The contract extension came courtesy of an even more remarkable moment. President Ronald Reagan visited the park, and the performance reportedly sealed the deal. More than 40 years later, the group finally has a sign with its name on it. Sometimes the most enduring magic is the kind that almost never happened.

Elsewhere in the world of Disney heritage, D23 reports that the Heroes and Villains: The Art of the Disney Costume exhibition arrives at The Durham Museum in Omaha beginning May 23. Curated by the Walt Disney Archives, the exhibition showcases nearly 70 ensembles spanning nearly five decades of Disney film and television. Guests can get close to original film-worn costumes from characters including Cinderella, Maleficent, Mary Poppins, Captain Jack Sparrow, and Aladdin. The exhibition includes interviews with Emmy and Academy Award-winning costume designers and a dedicated “Cinderella’s Workshop” exploring how the character has been interpreted across different productions. Related programming includes Sunday matinees screening films like the 2015 Cinderella and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, plus a Behind the Seams event on June 4 offering a behind-the-scenes look at how the exhibition was assembled.

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Sources

Disney Experiences · WDW News Today · BlogMickey · Disney Food Blog · Disney Tourist Blog · Disney Parks Blog · MickeyBlog · The Walt Disney Company · D23

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets Dresses Up Its Queue

The transformation of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has been one of the most closely watched projects at Walt Disney World, and this week the overlay finally started showing its personality. BlogMickey reports that new Electric Mayhem posters have been installed throughout the queue, joining nine previously revealed designs with additional artwork now visible beyond the rolling planters that still block the entrance. The posters are bold, colorful, and unmistakably Muppet, giving the first real sense of what the queue experience will feel like when the attraction opens.

The timeline is tightening fast. According to BlogMickey, Cast Member previews begin May 16, with Annual Passholder preview dates set for May 21, 22, and 23 using a virtual queue with distribution windows at 7:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 3:00 p.m. DVC Members receive what Disney is calling “Priority Access” on May 24. For anyone who has been refreshing their feed waiting for a soft opening window, the next two weeks are the ones to watch.

Meanwhile, WDW News Today reports that the theming extends beyond the queue. Muppets branding has been added to the attraction entrance itself, along with a new upside-down car license plate, a playful detail that suggests Imagineering is threading humor into every surface of this project. The original Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster was always about spectacle and speed. The Muppets version seems determined to add personality at every turn, literally and figuratively. For a franchise that has struggled to find its permanent home in the parks since the closure of Muppet*Vision 3D’s cultural moment, this attraction feels like a genuine commitment. It is a headliner coaster carrying the Muppets name rather than a meet-and-greet addition or a seasonal overlay. That matters.

The Parks

If Hollywood Studios is getting the headline attraction, Disney Springs is getting the infrastructure for a full summer season. The Disney Parks Blog laid out the full slate this week, and the two biggest additions are Level99 and Six Ravens, both opening this summer.

Level99, according to Disney Parks Blog, will be the company’s fourth and largest venue to date, featuring more than 60 life-sized mini-games, 63 Challenge Rooms, Player-vs-Player Duels, and over 40 original works of art. The description leans hard into physical and mental challenges, such as dodging axes, cracking puzzles, and outsmarting cleverly designed rooms. A two-story bar anchors the space with Detroit-style pizza, wagyu burgers, and handcrafted cocktails. The location sits next to the Drawn to Life theater at Disney Springs West Side. For a district that has historically leaned toward shopping and dining, Level99 represents a genuine shift toward experiential entertainment. Disney Tourist Blog also confirmed the summer opening for Six Ravens, the savory spinoff from Gideon’s Bakehouse.

Six Ravens, as detailed by Disney Parks Blog, specializes in grab-and-go hand pies called Coffyns, house-made yeast rolls stuffed with savory fillings inspired by Medieval European pastry cases. Pair them with smashed potatoes and dips like sweet heat and homemade honey mustard, alongside local beers crafted in partnership with Orlando favorites like Sideward Brewing and The Ravenous Pig. Disney Parks Blog notes that Cool Kids’ Summer officially kicks off May 26, and the AdventHealth Waterside Stage will host DescenDANCE Party x Camp Rock Jam nights celebrating upcoming Disney+ original movies, including Descendants: Wicked Wonderland and Camp Rock 3.

Across at EPCOT, the Flower and Garden Festival continues drawing guests, but the more interesting story this week is at the Japan Pavilion. Disney Food Blog reviews the Yuzu Pineapple Punch at Garden House, a $14 cocktail created for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The verdict: strong yuzu citrus up front, subtle pineapple that builds, and solid value by EPCOT drinking-around-the-world standards. The drink is assumed to be available only through the end of May, so the window is narrow.

Over at Magic Kingdom, Thursday delivered one of those days that tests a guest’s patience. Lightning Brain’s Daily Park Report documents a mechanical marathon: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, freshly reopened, went down at 9:02 a.m. and stayed offline until 2:37 p.m., consuming the entire peak touring window. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure followed three minutes later and was out for nearly three hours. Enchanted Tales with Belle, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (twice), Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, and Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover all experienced significant downtime throughout the day. Lightning Brain rated Magic Kingdom a 4/10 (Moderate) for the day, with a park-wide median wait of 14.6 minutes, well below the 30-day average of 20 minutes. That low number tells its own story: the crowd volume was genuinely light, and guests either adapted, shifted parks, or spent the day hitting refresh on My Disney Experience. EPCOT came in at 5/10 (Average), the busiest park on Thursday by relative terms, with a 19-minute median against its 30-day baseline of 20 minutes. Clear skies and a high of 95.6 degrees made it one of the hotter May days on record for the resort.

Planning your Disney trip? Download Lightning Brain from the App Store or visit lightningbrain.app to optimize every minute of your park day.

The labor story at EPCOT also continued to develop. MickeyBlog reports that Patina Restaurant Group employees, who staff Space 220, Tutto Italia Ristorante, Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria, and Tutto Gusto, have unanimously voted to call on Disney not to award Patina any additional business. The core of the dispute is a wage gap: Patina worker Jennifer Quinonez told MickeyBlog that a Patina cook earns over $2 an hour less than a Disney cook doing the same job, a gap that widens to $3.47 in October and adds up to $7,217 less per year. “We are tired of working second-class jobs,” Quinonez said. “We serve the same guests as Disney employees.” The union is now specifically asking Disney to consider other operators if restaurants at Hollywood Studios or Disney’s Animal Kingdom reopen. Many Walt Disney World guests may not realize that not all Cast Members work directly for Disney. Patina Restaurant Group is a branch of Delaware North, and this dispute highlights the sometimes invisible seams in the guest experience.

At Disneyland Paris, the Rainforest Cafe at Disney Village is reportedly scheduled to close permanently on September 15, 2026. According to @DLPRescueRanger, the announcement was made recently to restaurant staff, though there has been no official confirmation from Disney. The closure, if confirmed, fits within the broader modernization of Disney Village, which has already seen the addition of Brasserie Rosalie, a redesigned Sports Bar and Lounge, a new McDonald’s described as the largest in France, and the upcoming Casa Giulia Italian restaurant. Employees have allegedly been told they will be relocated to Casa Giulia if it opens by year’s end. For longtime fans of the district’s eccentric 1990s personality, the changes continue to reshape a familiar landscape.

Also at Disneyland Paris, Disney Experiences published a detailed look at how Cast Members were trained to open World of Frozen. The piece describes a 15-month recruitment effort that included internal mobility, targeted recruitment, and a European casting tour to welcome more than 1,200 Cast Members into new roles. Of those, 350 were selected as Arendelle “villagers,” each receiving what became known as a “letter from the village,” an invitation styled as a royal summons from Fredrik, emissary of Queens Anna and Elsa. Cast Member Dorine Hermier described being chosen for the opening guest flow team as a “heart-stopping surprise.” The detail here is striking. Three weeks after the March 29 opening, the preparation is already paying dividends in how the land feels to guests.

The Screen

The Walt Disney Company confirmed this week that the fifth and final season of FX’s The Bear premieres June 25 at 9 p.m. ET on FX and Hulu, with all eight episodes available to stream at debut. Internationally, the season arrives on Disney+. The announcement came alongside a surprise: “Gary,” a flashback episode co-written by and starring Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jon Bernthal, dropped without warning on Hulu and Disney+. The episode follows Richie and Mikey on a work trip to Gary, Indiana. Per the official synopsis, the final season picks up the morning after Sydney, Richie, and Natalie discover that Carmy has quit the food industry, leaving the restaurant to them. With no money and the threat of a sale looming, the new partners must band together for one last service, hoping to earn a Michelin star. The half-hour series also stars Lionel Boyce, Liza Colon-Zayas, and Matty Matheson, with Ricky Staffieri, Oliver Platt, Will Poulter, and Jamie Lee Curtis in recurring roles. The FX premiere will air the first two episodes, followed by one new episode airing weekly. For a show that has become one of FX’s signature achievements, the surprise episode drop is a confident move, treating the audience like insiders rather than making them wait for a marketing cycle to unspool.

The Vault

D23 announced that Heroes and Villains: The Art of the Disney Costume opens May 23 at The Durham Museum in Omaha, Nebraska. The exhibition, curated by the Walt Disney Archives, showcases nearly 70 ensembles spanning nearly five decades of Disney film and television. Original film-worn costumes from Cinderella, Maleficent, Mary Poppins, Captain Jack Sparrow, and Aladdin are on display, alongside interviews with Emmy and Academy Award-winning costume designers and an exclusive video produced for the exhibition. Guests can also step into “Cinderella’s Workshop” to see how the character has been interpreted across different television and movie iterations. The exhibition runs through the summer of 2026, with the museum open Mondays from Memorial Day through Labor Day and extended hours until 8 p.m. on Tuesdays. Related programming includes Sunday matinee screenings of Cinderella (2015), Beauty and the Beast (2017), National Treasure (2004), and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), plus a Behind the Seams event on June 4 that offers a look at how the exhibition was curated, including new additions from Cruella (2021) and Peter Pan and Wendy (2023). Costume design is one of those disciplines that sits at the intersection of storytelling and craftsmanship, and the Walt Disney Archives has consistently done excellent work making it accessible to audiences who might never set foot on a studio lot.

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Sources

BlogMickey · WDW News Today · Disney Parks Blog · Disney Tourist Blog · Disney Food Blog · Lightning Brain · MickeyBlog · Disney Experiences · D23 · The Walt Disney Company · Inside the Magic

The Bear Gets Its Last Seating: Final Season Premieres June 25

FX’s The Bear, the Emmy-winning series that turned kitchen chaos into prestige television, will premiere its fifth and final season on Thursday, June 25 at 9 p.m. ET on FX and Hulu, with all eight episodes available to stream at debut. The Walt Disney Company confirmed the news this week, adding that the season will also be available internationally on Disney+.

The announcement landed alongside a genuine surprise. A flashback episode titled “Gary,” co-written by and starring Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jon Bernthal, dropped without warning on Hulu and Disney+. According to The Walt Disney Company, the episode follows Richie and Mikey on a work trip to Gary, Indiana, and fans can find it now by searching for the title on either platform.

The final season picks up the morning after Sydney, Richie, and Natalie discover that Carmy has quit the food industry, leaving the restaurant to them. With no money, the threat of a sale, and a torrential storm bearing down, the new partners must band together with the rest of the team to pull off one last service, hoping to finally earn a Michelin star. The Walt Disney Company’s synopsis frames the season’s thesis plainly: “They learn that what makes a restaurant ‘perfect’ might be the people rather than the food.”

The half-hour series also stars Lionel Boyce, Liza Colon-Zayas, and Matty Matheson, with Ricky Staffieri, Oliver Platt, Will Poulter, and Jamie Lee Curtis in recurring roles. The FX premiere will include the first two episodes followed by one new episode airing weekly. All previous seasons are streaming now on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.

For the millions who have followed Carmy Berzatto’s journey from grief to ambition to something like grace, this is the farewell season. Eight episodes. One last service. The pass is hot.

The Parks

The Muppets are about to take Hollywood Studios. Attractions Magazine reports that the new Muppets coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is nearing completion, with updated exterior artwork, a colorful redesigned guitar, and hidden references for longtime fans now visible ahead of the attraction’s opening later this month. Meanwhile, WDW News Today notes that an attraction poster and a Rock Around the Shop sign have been added to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets, two finishing touches that signal just how close this thing is to welcoming its first guests. For anyone who loved the original coaster and anyone who loves the Muppets, a Venn diagram that is nearly a circle, the details trickling out suggest Imagineering has threaded the needle between honoring the attraction’s legacy and giving it a distinctly Muppet sensibility.

Over at Magic Kingdom on Wednesday, the day was operationally turbulent. Lightning Brain’s daily park report logged a crowd level of 6/10 (Average), but the numbers told a rougher story on the ground. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad went down three times, including a 167-minute closure from 5:17 to 8:04 PM that wiped out most of the evening for anyone planning to ride it. Mad Tea Party closed at 11:35 AM and never reopened, a 550-minute outage. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh added to the Fantasyland frustration with three separate closures. Hollywood Studios, by contrast, came in at a comfortable 4/10 (Moderate), and EPCOT held steady at 5/10 (Average). For guests who were flexible enough to pivot parks midday, the difference in experience was significant.

Planning your Disney trip? Download Lightning Brain from the App Store or visit lightningbrain.app to optimize every minute of your park day.

Autopia at Disneyland is going electric. MickeyBlog reports that Disneyland has reached an agreement with the California Air Resources Board to retire the current gas engines by 2027. Disney Tourist Blog confirms the timeline, noting that the opening day attraction will be electrified at some point in 2027. The Orange County Register, as cited by MickeyBlog, is the source of the regulatory agreement detail. Disneyland is currently working on designing, engineering, and testing a fully electric ride vehicle prototype. The move marks another step toward Disney’s goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2030. MickeyBlog notes there is no indication that Disneyland’s changes will affect the gas-powered vehicles at Tomorrowland Speedway at Magic Kingdom.

At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks Blog published a full food expedition guide, spotlighting the park’s increasingly ambitious culinary lineup. The guide highlights everything from the Coconut-flavored Iced Coffee at Kusafiri Coffee Shop and Bakery to the Ocean Moon Bowl at Satu’li Canteen to the Pulled Pork Cheese Arepa at The Smiling Crocodile. Disney Parks Blog also notes that Tiffins Restaurant and Nomad Lounge are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year. Separately, BlogMickey reviewed the revamped menu at Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, calling one of the new items their top quick-service dish at all of Walt Disney World. The new menu launched this month, and BlogMickey confirms the items are now part of the permanent menu with no end date. The verdict was mixed across all items, but the best of the bunch clearly landed.

At Disneyland Paris, Disney Experiences published a remarkable behind-the-scenes look at how Cast Members were trained to open World of Frozen. Nearly 15 months before opening day, Disneyland Paris launched a recruitment effort combining internal mobility, targeted recruitment, and a European casting tour to welcome more than 1,200 Cast Members into new roles. Thousands auditioned, and just 350 were selected to become Arendelle’s villagers. Each received what became known as the “letter from the village,” an invitation from Fredrik, royal emissary of Queens Anna and Elsa, welcoming them to a community rather than just a job. Cast Member Dorine Hermier described being chosen for the opening guest flow team as a “heart-stopping surprise.” Three weeks after World of Frozen opened on March 29, 2026, the results of that preparation are unmistakable. When Imagineering builds a land, the physical environment gets all the attention. What Disneyland Paris did here is a reminder that the human architecture matters just as much.

WDW News Today also reports that Arribas Brothers has released a collection of Adventureland-themed collectible glass coins at Magic Kingdom, priced at $29 each. The set covers Jungle Cruise, The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Swiss Family Treehouse, Enchanted Tiki Room, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Each coin is thick, clear glass with a bronze metallic overlay on both sides, and the designs feature iconic imagery from each attraction. WDW News Today notes that The Magic Carpets of Aladdin is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

The Screen

While The Bear prepares to close out its run, 20th Century Studios is celebrating one of its biggest theatrical launches of the year. The Devil Wears Prada 2 arrived exclusively in theaters on May 1, reuniting Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci with director David Frankel and screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna. D23’s deep dive into the making of the sequel reveals a creative team that deliberately resisted a quick follow-up for years. “The film is more than just a love letter to the fans,” Brosh McKenna told D23. “It had to be something, a story that we found meaty and something we could really talk about how the world has changed.” The sequel finds Miranda facing a magazine industry in flux and a scandal that threatens Runway’s legacy, while Andy Sachs returns as a seasoned journalist recruited back as features editor. “The project is driven by curiosity rather than nostalgia,” Frankel added. The film also introduces Kenneth Branagh, Simone Ashley, Justin Theroux, Lucy Liu, B.J. Novak, Caleb Hearon, and Helen J. Shen to the ensemble.

In development news, Deadline exclusively reported that Hocus Pocus 3 is officially in development with Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy reprising their roles as the Sanderson Sisters, according to reports noted by The DisInsider. Details beyond the returning cast remain thin, but the Sanderson Sisters riding again is the kind of news that speaks for itself.

The Vault

Disney’s Mother’s Day spotlight this week quietly told one of the more compelling stories about what a career at the company can actually look like across generations. MickeyBlog highlighted Connie, who began working an after-school job at Walt Disney World when she was just 16 years old. Her career has now spanned over 35 years. She raised two children on her own while working in various positions across parks and resorts, eventually landing in Workforce Management, where she has supported Cast Members behind the scenes since 2005. Now both of her children work at Walt Disney World. Her son Matthew works in food and beverage at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort while studying pastry and culinary arts at Valencia College through Disney Aspire. Her daughter Aiyana recently joined Walt Disney World while studying business administration through the same program. “One of my proudest moments has been seeing my kids find their own paths here,” Connie told Disney. “Disney has supported me through every stage of my life, and now I get to see that same support extended to my children.”

Over at Disneyland Resort, MickeyBlog spotlighted Jenny Sweetman, who joined Disneyland in 1983 as a hostess in New Orleans Square and has since gained experience across almost every area of the resort. Her daughter Kellie was the first to follow, joining Disneyland Resort in 2011 and eventually working in safety-focused roles while pursuing her education through Disney’s educational programs. “I just wanted them to know they could do anything,” Jenny said. “Disney gave me the space to grow, and I wanted them to feel that same kind of possibilities for themselves.” These are stories about Cast Members whose families grew up inside the parks, whose children watched and then followed, rather than executive profiles or celebrity partnerships. The institutional knowledge that lives in those families is the kind of thing that does not show up on a balance sheet but shapes the guest experience every single day.

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Sources

The Walt Disney Company · D23 · Attractions Magazine · WDW News Today · WDW News Today · Lightning Brain · MickeyBlog · MickeyBlog · Disney Tourist Blog · Disney Parks Blog · BlogMickey · Disney Experiences · The DisInsider

The Muppets Coaster Nears Its Grand Opening at Hollywood Studios

There is a particular kind of anticipation that builds when construction walls start coming down and fresh paint gleams in the Florida sun. At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, that moment is here. Attractions Magazine reports that the new Muppets coaster is nearing completion, with updated exterior artwork, a colorful redesigned guitar element, and hidden references planted throughout for longtime fans of Kermit, Gonzo, and the whole felt-covered gang. The attraction opens later this month.

For a franchise that has occupied a curious middle ground at Walt Disney World for decades, beloved but never quite given top billing, this coaster represents a genuine elevation. The Muppets have had a home at Hollywood Studios since the early 1990s, but a headliner attraction is a different thing entirely. Imagineering views the Muppets as a living brand worth building around rather than legacy IP to be maintained. The hidden references Attractions Magazine spotted in the exterior suggest a team that cares deeply about rewarding the fans who have kept these characters alive in the cultural conversation long after their original creator passed away.

We will have more to share as the opening approaches, but for now, the photos tell a clear story: the Muppets are ready for their close-up.

The Parks

The biggest news beyond the Muppets coaster lands at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, where Bluey’s Wild World debuts on May 26. MickeyBlog has the first look at one of the themed treats arriving alongside the Heeler sisters: a Fairy Bread Cake at Pizzafari, described as a vanilla birthday cake dipped in white chocolate and rainbow sprinkles, served with raspberry dipping sauce. Disney Eats teased more Bluey-inspired food and drink to come. The event itself will feature butterfly keep uppy (with an Animal Kingdom animal twist, naturally), character photo opportunities with Bluey and Bingo, and additional immersive touches. For families with young children, this is a significant draw. Bluey has become one of the most watched animated shows on Disney+, and bringing the Heelers into a physical park space for the first time at Walt Disney World gives those families a reason to spend a full day at Animal Kingdom.

Planning your Disney trip? Download Lightning Brain from the App Store or visit lightningbrain.app to optimize every minute of your park day.

Speaking of Animal Kingdom, the Disney Parks Blog published a deep dive into the park’s food scene that reads like a mission statement. The blog highlights dishes across the park’s quick-service and table-service locations, from the Pulled Pork Cheese Arepa at The Smiling Crocodile to the Ocean Moon Bowl at Satu’li Canteen. Tiffins Restaurant and Nomad Lounge are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year, according to the Disney Parks Blog, which frames the restaurants as embodying “the spirit of discovery that defines the park’s holistic food story.” The post also spotlights newer viral hits like the Cookie Dough Brownie Ice Cream Sandwich. For guests who think of Animal Kingdom as a half-day park, Disney is clearly making the case that the food alone is worth a full itinerary.

Over at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, BlogMickey reviewed the revamped menu at Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Most of the entrees are new as of this month. BlogMickey reports three entirely new items and one modified item, with the new additions tied to the May the 4th celebrations but now part of the permanent menu with no listed end date. The Endorian Chicken Tip-Yip Salad ($14.99) features guava BBQ chicken with avocado-jalapeno dressing, though BlogMickey found the dressing underwhelming. The reviewer did, however, call one of the other new items their top quick-service dish at all of Walt Disney World, which is no small claim for a park system this large.

At Disney’s Polynesian Resort, WDW News Today reports that the window conversion work on the Island Tower lobby is nearly complete. Crews have been converting a set of doors into windows to create a more uniform look along the ground-level facade, and the installation now appears largely finished. Workers were also spotted installing wiring for an ADA-compliant automatic door adjacent to the updated windows. The Island Tower opened in December 2024 as the newest Disney Vacation Club addition, with more than 260 rooms across 10 stories along Seven Seas Lagoon. Separately, a new bus depot at the Polynesian also appears to be nearing completion. These are small details individually, but they reflect the ongoing refinement of one of Walt Disney World’s most prominent resort properties.

Out on the West Coast, Disney Tourist Blog reports that Disney has confirmed Autopia at Disneyland will be electrified, with work set to begin at some point in 2027. Autopia is an opening day attraction, one of the last direct links to Disneyland’s 1955 debut, and the shift from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles has been a long-requested change. The fumes have been a running punchline among Disneyland regulars for years. Disney Tourist Blog notes that former Imagineer Bob Gurr weighed in on the overhaul, though the specific timeline for closure and reopening remains to be seen. For Disneyland fans, this is a story about preservation as much as modernization, keeping a piece of Walt’s original vision alive while making it sustainable for the next generation of guests.

Across the Atlantic, Disney Experiences published a fascinating look inside the Cast Member training program for World of Frozen at Disneyland Paris. The land opened on March 29, 2026, at the heart of the newly named Disney Adventure World, and the preparation was extraordinary in scope. According to Disney Experiences, the recruitment effort began nearly 15 months before opening day, combining internal mobility, targeted recruitment, and a European casting tour. More than 1,000 Cast Members joined across the broader Disney Adventure World expansion. For World of Frozen specifically, thousands auditioned but just 350 were selected as “villagers of Arendelle.” Each received what was called a “letter from the village,” an invitation written in character from Fredrik, royal emissary of Queens Anna and Elsa. Cast Member Dorine Hermier described being chosen for the opening guest flow team as a “heart-stopping surprise.” The training philosophy centered on making Cast Members feel like inhabitants of the world rather than operators of a themed area, a distinction that sounds subtle but makes a real difference in how guests experience a land on day one.

The Screen

The Walt Disney Company confirmed that the fifth and final season of FX’s The Bear will premiere on June 25 at 9 p.m. ET on FX and Hulu, with all eight episodes available to stream at debut. Internationally, the season will be available on Disney+. The announcement came on the heels of a surprise episode called “Gary,” a flashback co-written by and starring Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jon Bernthal, which followed Richie and Mikey on a work trip to Gary, Indiana. Fans can find it now by searching for “Gary” on Hulu and Disney+.

The final season picks up the morning after Sydney, Richie, and Natalie discover that Carmy has quit the food industry, leaving the restaurant to them. With no money, the threat of a sale, and a storm bearing down, the new partners must band together for one last service in pursuit of a Michelin star. The half-hour series also stars Lionel Boyce, Liza Colon-Zayas, and Matty Matheson, with Oliver Platt, Will Poulter, and Jamie Lee Curtis in recurring roles. The FX broadcast will air the first two episodes on premiere night, followed by weekly episodes. All previous seasons are streaming now on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally. For a show that has become one of the defining series of its era, eight final episodes is a tight window to land the ending. The surprise “Gary” drop suggests the creative team is thinking carefully about how to build toward that conclusion.

Meanwhile, Disney XD has a new series arriving that occupies a very different corner of the animation world. WDW News Today reports that Dragon Striker, an anime-inspired sports fantasy series, will premiere its full 11-episode run on Disney XD on June 9, with episodes streaming the following day on Disney+ and Hulu. The show follows Key, a farm boy who discovers he may be the mythic “Dragon Striker,” and his journey to a prestigious academy. The voice cast includes Akshay Kumar, Rebecca LaChance, and Evanna Lynch. The score was composed by Kevin Penkin and recorded in Japan with an 80-piece orchestra. A collection of character-introduction shorts called Dragon Striker: Meet The Players will debut May 13 on the Disney Channel Animation YouTube channel and Disney+. The series is produced by La Chouette Compagnie, the French studio behind Droners.

On the film side, D23 published an extensive behind-the-scenes piece on The Devil Wears Prada 2, which arrived in theaters on May 1. The sequel reunites Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci with director David Frankel and screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna. According to D23, the creative team resisted a quick follow-up for years, waiting until the story earned a sequel. “It had to be something, a story that we found meaty and something we could really talk about, how the world has changed,” Brosh McKenna said. The sequel follows Miranda facing a magazine industry in flux, Andy recruited back as features editor, and Emily now in a senior role at a luxury brand. The new ensemble includes Kenneth Branagh, Simone Ashley, Justin Theroux, and Lucy Liu, among others.

The Vault

One story this week deserves a mention, even framed with appropriate caution. According to a Deadline report surfaced by The DisInsider, Hocus Pocus 3 is in development with Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy returning as the Sanderson Sisters. The DisInsider notes that the project was confirmed in development as far back as 2023, but the casting news is the first concrete indication that the original trio will be involved. For a franchise that jumped from a modest 1993 theatrical run to genuine cultural phenomenon status through decades of Halloween rewatches and a 2022 sequel, the return of all three leads is the only version of a third film that would satisfy the fanbase. We will follow this one as more details emerge.

Finally, a small piece of retail history at Walt Disney World. Inside the Magic reports that Shore, the beach-inspired clothing retailer in the Town Center section of Disney Springs, has closed after roughly a decade. The store ran liquidation sales with discounts up to 80% before shutting its doors on May 1. Shore will continue operating its Longboat Key, Florida location and online storefront. According to permit information cited by Inside the Magic, Vuori is listed as the lessee connected to the former Shore space. Vuori is a fast-growing athletic and lifestyle apparel brand, and if confirmed, its arrival would continue a broader shift at Disney Springs toward nationally recognized lifestyle and fitness-oriented retail. The district has been steadily reshaping its tenant mix over the past several years, and every new lease tells you something about where Disney thinks its guests want to spend money.

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Sources

Attractions Magazine · MickeyBlog · Disney Parks Blog · BlogMickey · WDW News Today · WDW News Today · Disney Tourist Blog · Disney Experiences · Walt Disney Company · D23 · The DisInsider · Inside the Magic

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Roars Back to Life at Magic Kingdom

After 16 months behind construction walls, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad reopened at Magic Kingdom on May 3rd, and the return was everything fans hoped for, plus one thing nobody expected.

Disney Parks Blog confirmed the reopening with a detailed look at what the refurbishment delivered. The work went deep: a full track replacement, refreshed passenger trains, and updated ride systems designed