Not-So-Spooky Spectacular

I love the fireworks and projections on the castle during the Not-So-Spooky Spectacular at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. 

The Magic Of Disney Animation Grand Opening

Disney

To celebrate the grand opening of "The Magic of Disney Animation" in Hollywood Studios, Disney gathered 60 characters from Disney World to recreate a very special photo. Inspired by the Once Upon A Studio short, the characters gathered in the courtyard for a magical moment.

"The Magic of Disney Animation" is now open.

Binx

I loved the artwork on this Hocus Pocus rice cereal treat from Disney World in 2024. Binx is just so cute!

The Magic of Disney Animation

Disney

"The Magic of Disney Animation" in Hollywood Studios looks amazing. I'm so glad they brought back the theme of a working animation studio, but with an all-new look. Disney has released two walk through videos of this reimagined space. The first shows every room that makes up the building. 

The second features Imagineers pointing out Easter Eggs and talking about the inspiration for each space.

"The Magic of Disney Animation" opens on September 14th.

Disney Parkitecture

Disney

The latest episode of We Call It Imagineering focuses on how Imagineers create the architecture of the Disney Parks. From 3-D models to giant balloons to virtual reality, Imagineers use many different methods to create immersive spaces. This episode also gives us a sneak peek behind the scenes of three new lands coming to Disney World: Tropical Americas in Animal Kingdom, Piston Peak National Park in Magic Kingdom, and Monstropolis in Hollywood Studios. 

Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar Halloween

All images: Disney

Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar in Disney Springs is a fun spot in any season, but it is ridiculously over the top at Halloween. With kitschy 1940s Halloween decorations and spooky, tasty bites and drinks, there's something for everyone. 

Candelabra Eggs: Deviled eggs with crispy fried chicken, sweet-and-tart pepper sauce, and aji amarillo custard 🎃

Dark Forest Dip: Roasted mixed mushrooms, baby rainbow carrots, hummus, toasted pumpkin seed, and pita 🎃

Bone Kebabs: Pork and beef kebabs, prosciutto, creamy tomato sauce, and katifi straws 🎃

Midnight Mayhem Popcorn Chicken: Crispy fried chicken, candied bacon, spiced walnuts, popcorn, and hot honey sauce 🎃

Skull of the Dead Dip: Barbacoa beef, cheddar sauce, spicy fried onion straws, and plantain chips 🎃

Alien Invader Sliders: Crispy Nashville hot fried chicken, sliced provolone, dill pickle slices, cheddar-chive biscuit, and queen olives 

Fright of the Espresso 🎃: 

• Cold brew and pumpkin spice liqueur garnished with pumpkin spice 
• Cold brew, Kahlúa liqueur, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Baileys Original Irish Cream Liqueur, and salted caramel syrup garnished with caramel popcorn 
• Cold brew, Kahlúa liqueur, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, and toasted marshmallow syrup garnished with candy corn marshmallows 

Skull and Sour: Jameson Irish Whiskey, Bols Peach Schnapps Liqueur, lemon juice, and pumpkin spice syrup topped with green apple juice-filled pearls and gummy strands 🎃

Temple of Doom Margarita: Patrón Silver Tequila, Bols Blackberry Brandy, blackberry purée, habanero-lime syrup, and lime juice topped with a black sugar rim, blackberries, and cherries 🎃

Midnight Relic: Tito’s Handmade Vodka, ube syrup, cream of coconut, lemon juice, and a pinch of edible glitter 🎃

Viper’s Nest: DOLE Pineapple Juice, white cranberry juice, green apple syrup, blue curaçao syrup, Sprite, and butterfly pea extract topped with green apple juice-filled pearls and gummy candy 🎃 

These eerie delights are available until November 9.

🎃 - New

Chester and Hester's Dinosaur Treasures

Chester and Hester's Dino-rama in Animal Kingdom was so delightfully kitsch. It was exactly what you'd expect of a retro dinosaur park, especially Chester and Hester's Dinosaur Treasures. The converted gas station had over the top decor, and even reused signs by painting over them. Can you imagine a time when gas was 28.9 cents a gallon? DinoLand USA has disappeared to make way for Tropical Americas, and while it's fun to look back at what was, I can't wait to see what comes next.

Beware Of Hitchhiking Ghosts!

It was so fun to see the Hitchhiking Ghosts from the Haunted Mansion during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party in 2024. They could be found in Frontierland "practicing their terror with ghoulish delight"!

Spaceship Earth

I love to see Spaceship Earth all a twinkle. It really lights up the night in EPCOT.

Pain & Panic At MNSSHP

So many unexpected characters appear in the Boo To You Parade at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. In 2024, Pain and Panic from Disney's Hercules were on a float with a skeleton band.

The Voices Of The Voices Of Liberty

Disney

One of my favorite performances at EPCOT is the Voices of Liberty in the American Adventure. The sound of this a capella choir singing under the rotunda is incredible. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at the choir, its beginnings, and the performance they planned for the 250th anniversary of the United States.

Disney Worldbuilders Trailer & Poster

All images: Disney

Have you ever wondered how your favorite movie becomes a land in a Disney Park? In this documentary, Leslie Iwerks takes us behind-the-scenes with the filmmakers who created the stories that have become part of our world.

Here's the official synopsis from Disney: 

In Disney Worldbuilders, a new feature-length documentary from filmmaker Leslie Iwerks, some of Disney’s most influential storytellers reflect on the memories, moments and creative breakthroughs that shaped their work, tracing how those stories come to life at Disney’s theme parks around the globe.

Their conversations reveal a creative practice that moves in every direction — where a story can inspire a place, and a place can then inspire the next story. It's a way of creating that dates back to Walt himself— a creative tradition that continues to shape every new story Disney tells.

Audiences have always experienced Disney as one connected universe. Disney Worldbuilders pulls back the curtain on the creative minds behind it, with candid conversations featuring Bob Iger, James Cameron, Jon Favreau, Kevin Feige, Jennifer Lee, Pete Docter, Dave Filoni, Jared Bush and Josh D’Amaro. Together they reveal how stories like "Avatar", "Star Wars", the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pixar, and the worlds of "Frozen" and "Zootopia", become real places you never want to leave. 

Disney Worldbuilders arrives on DisneyPlus on August 20th.

Spaceship Earth - The Renaissance

Spaceship Earth in Disney World is such an interesting ride. It's a journey through the history of human communication inside EPCOT's geosphere. My favorite section is the Renaissance. It's filled with painters, sculptors, and sleeping monks. This artist is painting a still life of fruit, wine, and cheese.

You Oughta Be In Pictures

On the Echo Lake side of Keystone Clothiers, a clothing shop on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood Studios, is what looks like a Mayan temple. Its windows are filled with nods to old movies and this sign above them looks straight out of old Hollywood. In Disney World, you never know what you'll see if you would only look up.

The American Adventure

Disney

One of the most amazing animatronic shows at Disney World is "The American Adventure" in EPCOT. It tells the story of America with multiple scenes and figures from history. This video gives a behind-the-scenes look at the Imagineering that goes into such an incredible show.

There's A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow Coming To The Carousel Of Progress

All images: Disney

The Carousel of Progress is one of the classic shows at Disney World. The attraction made its debut at the 1964-65 New York World's Fair. It was a passion project of Walt Disney's that included a rotating theater and a song written by the Sherman brothers. The show included four scenes: the early 1900s, the 1920s, 1940s, and a futuristic finale. 

It arrived in the Magic Kingdom in 1975, where it included a different song, "The Best Time Of Your Life". Over the years, the scenes have been updated and altered, especially the final scene which is a vision of the future. The last major update was in 1994, when the original song was restored, so Imagineers have decided it's time for a major refresh. But don't worry: John, Sarah, and the rest of the family won't be going anywhere, just experiencing a new timeline.

The show will close on July 6th and reopen sometime in 2027. An entirely new opening scene will be added, based on the 1964 TV special "Disneyland Goes to the World's Fair". It will include an Audio-Animatronic of Walt Disney himself. Imagineers have been recreating the room, filling it with props like a prototype Tiki Room bird and a doll from it's a small world.

Imagineers also plan to change the other scenes to reflect newer decades that guests may remember. 

• Act 1 1969 - The family is gathered around the TV to watch the moon landing.
• Act 2 1985 - It's Halloween and Sarah gets the chance to show off the new gadgets that make life easier while John hands out candy. Uncle Orville is still in the bathroom with "no privacy around here!"
• Act 3 1999 - The family is preparing for the new millennium on New Year's Eve and exploring that exciting new thing called the internet. Grandpa is already asleep and Grandma is watching wrestling. 
• Act 4 The Future - As always, this scene explores what the future may look like, with a robotic assistant and inspiration from the original sketches for the show.

It's going to be a long wait to experience this new version of the Carousel of Progress, but it sounds quite exciting. What new scene are you looking forward to most?

Buzz Lightyear To The Rescue

Andy's toys can be found throughout Toy Story Land in Hollywood Studios. From Jessie and Rex on Slinky Dog Dash to this Buzz Lightyear near the Alien Swirling Saucers, there are familiar faces everywhere you look. 

Rizzo's Totally Authorized Tour

Disney

Rizzo the Rat is back to give us his own version of a tour of the newly reimagined Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets (with a little help from Robin and Yolanda.) As you'd expect from Rizzo, there's something a little bit off about his "Totally Authorized Tour", but it's still quite fun.

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets is now open in Hollywood Studios at Disney World.

The Easter Eggs Of Rock 'n' Roller Coaster

Disney

The newly reimagined Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets is ready to rock. The queue, and ride, are filled with Easter Eggs from past Muppet movies, TV shows, and of course, Muppet Vision 3D. Join the Imagineers for a sneak peek of these Muppety touches while we wait for the ride to open next week.

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets blasts off on May 26th.

The Mandalorian and Grogu At Disney World

All images: Disney

To celebrate the release of The Mandalorian and Grogu, lots of fun new treats and collectibles are headed to Disney World on May 22nd. From blue cookies and backpack sippers to an all-new adventure on

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, there's something for everyone. First up, the food and foodie collectibles. (✨️ - New)

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Hollywood Studios

Kat Saka’s Kettle

• Grogu Cookies: White chocolate-dipped macaron cookie with pineapple cream ✨️
• BDX Droid Bucket ✨️

Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo

• Sweet-and-Spicy Puffer Pig Pasta: Flat noodles with pork belly, bok choy, sweet-and-spicy soy sauce, and hard boiled egg ✨️
• The Mandalorian and Grogu Jetpack Sipper ✨️

Oga's Cantina

• Oga’s Obsession: Minute Maid Premium Lemonade, cotton candy flavor, and blueberry fruit juice-filled pearls with a bursting dried fruit mixture and gummy candy frogs

• Rodian Ration: Tito’s Handmade Vodka, DeKuyper Pucker Sour Apple Schnapps Liqueur, green apple, and Sprite with fruit juice-filled pearls and gummy candy frogs

• Spotchka: Hendrick’s Gin, honey syrup, Lillet Blanc Aperitif, lemon juice, and Bols Blue Curaçao​ Liqueur served in a jet chill glass

Hollywood Studios

ABC Commissary

• The Mandalorian and Grogu Jetpack Sipper ✨️

Backlot Express

• The Mandalorian and Grogu Jetpack Sipper ✨️

Fairfax Fare

• The Mandalorian and Grogu Jetpack Sipper ✨️

Ice Cold Hydraulics

• BDX Droid Bucket ✨️

Hollywood Hills Amphitheater Refreshments near Fantasmic

• BDX Droid Bucket ✨️
• The Mandalorian and Grogu Jetpack Sipper ✨️

Select Popcorn Carts

• BDX Droid Bucket ✨️

Cart near the Main Entrance

• The Mandalorian and Grogu Jetpack Sipper ✨️

Disney Springs

The Ganachery 

• Beskar Ingot Pop: Dragon fruit ganache covered in 65% dark chocolate ✨️

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Din Djarin and Grogu join Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run for an exciting new adventure. Here's the official description from Disney:

In this new storyline, Hondo Ohnaka has caught wind of a high-stakes deal unfolding on the sands of Tatooine, where ex-Imperial officers have crossed paths with a ruthless band of pirates. With a hefty bounty on the line, you’ll take possession of the Millennium Falcon, join forces with Mando and Grogu, and launch into a daring pursuit across the stars.

Adding to the fun, each role introduces fresh gameplay moments, new interactions, and unexpected surprises along the way. A new interactive feature allows the engineer position to check in on Grogu throughout the mission, and make the pivotal planet choice that charts the course.

New collectibles such as toys, puzzles, water bottles and clothing will be available at multiple locations in the Parks and at Disney Springs: Tatooine Traders, Mission: SPACE Cargo Bay, Star Wars Galactic Outpost, or World of Disney.

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu blasts into theaters this Friday, May 22nd.