News
Disney Fanatic is here to deliver the latest in Disney news from The Walt Disney Company and beyond.
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Feb- 2026 -19 February
Disney Springs Announces Abrupt Shutdown Effective February 19
Aerophile, the hot air balloon ride at Disney Springs, closed without warning Thursday for unexpected maintenance as construction crews moved heavy equipment onto the loading platform. The attraction failed to open alongside the rest of Disney Springs on February 19. The ticket booth remained shuttered, an electronic sign informed guests the balloon was down for “maintenance,” and roll
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19 February
Disney Just Confirmed 5 Massive Expansions Coming to Hollywood Studios
Disney’s Hollywood Studios feels like it’s on the edge of another major reset. The park has spent years swapping experiences, tightening its lineup around popular franchises, and turning whole sections into immersive worlds. Now Disney is preparing a new round of additions that will reshape the park in a way guests can’t ignore. The changes won’t just add more to do. They will change what the park
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19 February
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Shuts Down ANOTHER Entire Land This Weekend
Disney's Animal Kingdom will close Rafiki's Planet Watch on February 23, making it completely inaccessible until summer. This closure follows the permanent shutdown of DinoLand U.S.A. on February 2, resulting in the loss of two entire lands in one month. Families with young kids are particularly affected, as the park is losing key attractions for toddlers. At Rafiki's Planet Watch, the Affection S
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19 February
Test Track Closed at EPCOT on February 19
Test Track remained closed Thursday morning for 90 minutes past EPCOT's opening, then suffered repeated breakdowns that trapped theme park guests in a “30-minute” standby line for nearly two hours. The World Discovery attraction failed to open with the park, according to BlueSky user WDWStats, which tracks Walt Disney World Resort ride downtime: Test Track has been reopened after an in
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19 February
Disney World Guests Face $100 Price Spike for Theme Park Tickets
Walt Disney World has never been the “cheap vacation” option, but lately, the price increases feel different. It’s not just a minor bump here and there anymore. It feels like Disney is quietly preparing guests for something much bigger. And if the current trend keeps going, Disney World could be setting the stage for one of the biggest ticket price hikes we’ve ever seen. Not the kind of increase y
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19 February
UPDATE: SeaWorld Suddenly Drops Sesame Street Attraction From Orlando
Update at 4:20 p.m. E.T. on Thursday, February 19: SeaWorld officials have now shared that the parade will not close. The content from this article reflects previous reports prior to SeaWorld officials commenting and sharing that the parade will continue, despite online rumors. A new report has SeaWorld Orlando fans talking, and it’s not because of a new roller coaster or expansion announcement. I
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19 February
After 6 Years, Disney World Proves It’s No Longer the Same Park We Left in 2020
If you’ve been visiting Walt Disney World for years, you probably still remember what the parks felt like before 2020. The crowds were heavy, but manageable. Dining reservations weren’t a full-contact sport. You could plan a vacation without feeling like you needed an entire spreadsheet and an alarm set for 5:55 a.m. Then 2020 happened. The parks shut down, Disney World changed its operations over
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19 February
Universal Orlando Teases Future Epic Universe Growth, New Details Emerge
Epic Universe opened in May 2025, and most people assumed Universal would spend the next few years simply operating the park and fine-tuning it. That’s what usually happens after a major theme park launch. The first year is all about smoothing out logistics, managing crowds, and making sure everything runs the way it should. But Epic Universe isn’t giving off that “we’re done building” energy. Ins
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19 February
Tokyo Disneyland Just Spent a Record-Breaking Amount of Money on an Attraction
Oriental Land Company recently announced a budget of 70.5 billion yen for the new Space Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland, making it the most expensive attraction ever built by Walt Disney Imagineering. This figure exceeded the initial estimate of 56 billion yen due to inflation in Japan. At current exchange rates, that amounts to about $460 million USD, but the key point is that the spending is happen
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19 February
Controversial MCU Character Set to Join ‘Spider-Man 4’ as Viral Leak Emerges
Marvel rumors usually come and go pretty quickly, but some of them hit a nerve so hard that fans immediately start arguing like the movie already came out. That’s the situation surrounding Spider-Man 4 right now. A report from a well-known MCU scooper claims a familiar Star Wars actor could be joining the next Spider-Man movie. And while casting announcements usually excite fans, this one has done
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