News
Disney Fanatic is here to deliver the latest in Disney news from The Walt Disney Company and beyond.
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May- 2026 -12 May
Disney World Expands to 6 Open Parks Ahead of Summer 2026 Travel Surge
Walt Disney World is officially entering summer mode, and one of the resort’s biggest seasonal moves has now returned. Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park has reopened, which means both Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach are now operating together ahead of the summer vacation rush. That may sound simple on paper, but for Disney guests visiting over the next few months, this could end up making a hug
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12 May
Disney World Guests Encounter First Major 2026 Sellout at Mickey’s Halloween Party
It did not take long for Disney fans to send Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party into full frenzy mode. Within hours of tickets becoming available to all guests on May 12, Halloween night at Magic Kingdom officially sold out. Disney fans hoping to spend October 31 at the party were already out of luck before many people even finished their morning coffee. Honestly, this has started feeling almos
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12 May
Official Closure: Original 1990 Universal Studios Florida Attraction Shuts Down For Reimagining
Universal Orlando Resort has never stayed the same for very long. Ever since Universal Studios Florida opened in 1990, the company has constantly updated attractions, replaced aging experiences, and introduced newer franchises to keep the parks feeling fresh. That strategy helped Universal grow into one of the biggest names in the theme park industry. But it has also meant watching some of the par
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12 May
Disney World Confirms Major Ride Closing May 14 For Total Transformation
Disney World guests have watched an incredible amount of change happen across the parks lately. Construction crews are reshaping entire areas, major attractions are disappearing, and new experiences continue replacing older ones at a rapid pace. This month alone has brought a steady stream of updates across Walt Disney World, especially for longtime fans who have been visiting the same attractions
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12 May
Reboot Based on Michael Crichton’s Sci-Fi Classic in Development
Long before audiences watched dinosaurs break out of containment in Jurassic Park (1993), Michael Crichton, who wrote the 1990 novel on which the film is based, had already explored the idea of ill-fated theme park resorts built for human entertainment. That earlier vision arrived in the form of Westworld (1973), a sci-fi thriller film written and directed by Crichton that imagined a fantasy resor
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12 May
Disney Has Confirmed the New Faces of 2026, Including Its Disney Princess
Disney is preparing to launch another major live-action remake, but this time the stakes feel considerably higher. Following the fallout surrounding Snow White earlier this year, the studio is now turning its attention toward Moana, the reimagining of its 2016 animated hit that is currently slated for release on July 10, 2026. With production moving through post-production and marketing beginning
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12 May
82-Year-Old Original Trilogy ‘Star Wars’ Actor Has Died
Another performer from the original Star Wars trilogy has passed away. Michael Pennington, the actor who played Moff Jerjerrod in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983), has died at 82 years old. The British stage and screen actor built a career that stretched across decades, though science fiction audiences continue to associate him with the Imperial leadership featured in the closing
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11 May
Secret New ‘Star Wars’ Experience Revealed for Disneyland California
A surprise Star Wars installation has quietly appeared at Disneyland Resort, and it's already turning heads. Let's take a look at this intergalactic addition to the LEGO Store in the Downtown Disney District. Chewbacca Lands at the LEGO Store in the Downtown Disney District Laughing Place broke the news on May 11, reporting that a brand-new Star Wars LEGO sculpture had been installed in one of the
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11 May
Hondo’s New Script: Why Disney Just Quietly Scrubbed the Resistance from Smugglers Run
If you’ve spent any time in the “Chess Room” of the Millennium Falcon recently, you know the drill: Hondo Ohnaka needs your help to steal Coaxium for the Resistance. It’s been the mission briefing since the land opened in 2019. But if you visited Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge this morning, May 11, 2026, you likely noticed that Hondo’s business model just got a lot more… vague. Credit:
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11 May
Disney Executive Behind Major Theme Park Changes Retires After 36 Years
The Walt Disney World Resort president who shepherded the Florida vacation destination through one of its most transformative periods is heading for the exit. Three Dozen Years, One Announcement After speaking with his team on Monday, Jeff Vahle took to LinkedIn to share the news with the wider world. His post read: “Today, I shared with our team that after 36 years with Disney, I'll be reti
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