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 -24 February
After Years of “Drinking Around the World,” EPCOT Makes Family-Friendly Statement
If you ask ten Walt Disney World guests what EPCOT is most famous for today, at least half of them will probably mention margaritas before they mention innovation. That’s not necessarily a bad thing—but it does say something about how the park’s public image has evolved over the years. “Drinking around the world” has become a full-blown tradition for many visitors. Coordinated shirts. Scorecards.
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24 February
Dolly Parton Confirms End of an Era for Dollywood Theme Park
Dollywood is converting its coal-burning steam train to oil after 64 years, ending the iconic locomotive's use of coal that predates Dolly Parton's ownership of the Tennessee theme park. The park announced on February 24 that the Dollywood Express is switching to a different fuel type to reduce maintenance needs, lower pollution, and improve operations during unfavorable weather. WGN News reporter
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24 February
After Almost 7 Years, Disney Ends Service at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Green Milk is gone from Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland Resort after serving as a signature Batuu beverage since the land opened in 2019. The Milk Stand menu now lists only Blue and Pink Milk. WDWNT posted this image on Tuesday showing the updated signage in Batuu West. Disney cast members reportedly confirmed the removal is permanent, though the Disneyland Resort app still incorrectly show
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24 February
EPCOT Absorbs Growing Attendance Across Walt Disney World
Spring at Disney World usually means one thing: EPCOT shines. The Flower & Garden Festival rolls in, the park fills with colorful topiaries, and guests happily spend hours grazing around World Showcase. But this year, EPCOT’s crowd surge isn’t just seasonal. It’s strategic. Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios are both navigating major shifts. Dinoland is closed at Animal Kingdom, and Planet Watch
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24 February
A Lost Grand Floridian Dining Tradition Returns After 6 Years of Absence
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is reviving afternoon tea on March 19, 2026, after a nearly six-year hiatus since March 2020 due to COVID-19. The Garden View Lounge will feature an Alice in Wonderland theme, and reservations opened on February 19, quickly filling up as fans have eagerly awaited this return. The new experience costs $79 per adult plus tax and gratuity, with a $49 option for k
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24 February
Longstanding Disney Park Fixture Closes After 25 Years
Disney's Animal Kingdom is not the same park it was a year ago, and it is going to look even more different a year from now. DinoLand U.S.A. is gone. A new land called Tropical Americas is under construction. Encanto and Indiana Jones attractions are in development. The park is in the middle of a genuine, ground-level reinvention, and changes are landing faster than most guests are tracking. The l
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24 February
New ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 6’ Casting Reports Reveal Potential Future at Disney
Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is back in development, but the path forward is anything but straightforward. The studio is actively shaping a new installment in the seafaring saga, more than two decades after Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl launched in 2003. That film didn’t just defy expectations for a theme park adaptation—it recalibrated Disney’s blockbuster
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24 February
Disney World to Shut Down Large Portions of Property February 27–March 2
Late February at Walt Disney World has a reputation for being one of the calmer stretches of the year. Smaller crowds, shorter waits, a little more breathing room. That reputation is accurate most of the time — but not this weekend. From February 26 through March 2, 2026, the resort is hosting the Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend, one of runDisney's most popular and most completely sold-out e
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24 February
‘Mandalorian’ Star Speaks Out After Franchise Cancellation Reported
The Mandalorian’s third season ended with a sense of closure, but also recalibration. Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu, now officially Din Grogu, found a quiet domestic resolution. Yet the broader story of Mandalore took precedence, elevating Katee Sackhoff’s Bo-Katan Kryze from fallen noble to restored leader. Her journey across Season 3 was marked by loss, reflection, and reclamation. Once de
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24 February
Guests Notified: ‘Harry Potter’ Land to Change in Days at All Universal Parks
Every spring, something shifts inside The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The menus change, the shop windows fill with seasonal merchandise, and a very specific kind of excitement takes hold among fans who know what is coming. Butterbeer Season is back, and the 2025 edition has more going for it than any previous year. Running March 1 through May 31 at Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studi
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