Category: Blog Mickey

A new report from The Wrap continues the story of “bigger and bolder” plans for Magic Kingdom’s Villains Land. We first reported that plans were recently “scrapped” last week. Now, The Wrap has more details that align with whispers that are growing louder. Here’s the latest on the Villains Land plans, which currently call for a roller coaster, a high-tech boat ride, and much more! New Villains Land Plans Revealed While there has been some talk about Villains Land not going through changes, The Wrap paints a much different story. According to their sources, Imagineers were first told to start thinking bigger and bolder late last year. Since then, there has been a lot of work to reimagine a land that was first revealed as a single piece of concept art back in Summer 2024. Here’s a look at the only piece of concept art released for the land so far. When Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro first announced some details of Villains Land at the 2024 D23 Expo, he was intentionally vague. He said that there would be two major attractions, dining, and shopping on an incredibly twisted grand scale. That’s it!Since then, there have been trickles of details such as a list of Villains that Disney is exploring to include in the land, backstory for the land, and “Conjured Architecture” – a phrase that describes the aesthetics for the land. Ok, so what has The Wrap unwrapped about the

Walt Disney World has announced that guests who recently sailed with Disney Cruise Line are eligible for an offer of up to 35% savings on a hotel room following the cruise. The offer is only available for a limited time. Here are the details! Disney Cruise Line Guests Disney World Hotel Discount Keep the magic going! Guests who recently sailed with Disney Cruise Line are invited to save up to 35% on rooms at select Disney Resorts Collection hotels in Florida. Guests must book within 14 days of disembarking their eligible sailing, which includes all sailings departing between February 18 and May 17, 2026. This offer is eligible for stays from: March 3 to May 21, 2026 May 25 to July 1, 2026 July 6 to September 2, 2026 September 7 to September 29, 2026 October 26 to November 25, 2026 November 29 to December 24, 2026 Save up to 35% on rooms at these Disney Deluxe and Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort – A Disney Vacation Club Resort Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village Disney’s Beach Club Resort Disney’s Beach Club Villas Disney’s BoardWalk Inn Disney’s BoardWalk Villas Disney’s Contemporary Resort Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Disney’s Old Key West Resort Disney’s Polynesian

Disney Legend and legendary Imagineer Joe Rohde is coming out with a book on the secrets of creativity. The book, titled “Floating Mountains: The Art of Imagining the Impossible,” is already available for pre-order on the Disney website. Here’s a look at what will surely be a must-buy book! Joe Rohde Book: “Floating Mountains” Here’s how Disney describes the book, which is available for pre-order now and will be released on September 8, 2026. The book is 320-pages long, and will surely have plenty of insight from the most influential Imagineer of our time. Floating Mountains will be published by National Geographic. Disney Legend and Imagineer Joe Rohde unlocks the secrets of creativity in this powerful exploration of imagination, innovation, and life lessons for turning vision into reality.In this inspiring narrative, Disney Imagineer and experience architect Joe Rohde offers a master class in creativity: where it comes from, how it thrives, how to harness it to shape extraordinary experience, and the best way to work within creative teams. Using real-life experiences from his childhood and career (at Disney and beyond), Rohde delves into the mysteries of the creative mind and unravels how a team of creatives can work in harmony to produce masterful works of art.From building Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park to building a sand castle replica of Rome to designing stages at Coachella, Rohde’s own life experiences color his theories on creativity—from how creativity is born to finding unifying creative themes to team hierarchy

Universal Destinations & Experiences has announced early phase work to improve infrastructure in and around its new theme park complex in the United Kingdom. This critical early work will support the construction of a brand-new theme park and resort complex, along with the surrounding Bedford community. Here’s the latest on what is expected to be the first phase of work to bring the new theme park to life. Early Work Begins Soon for Universal UK Theme Park Project Universal Destinations & Experiences (UDX) announced the appointment of two companies to create and expand infrastructure in Bedford to support the construction of a new theme park and resort complex. The goal of this phase of work is to “deliver additional infrastructure and distribution capacity that can serve communities in the area of Universal’s planned development and support future growth”. As outlined by Universal, key in an update to residents, key infrastructure upgrades include: A substantial new water treatment facility: Located on Universal’s Bedford site and designed to re-use and recycle water, this significant investment follows its requirements for water sustainability and will provide greater resilience to Bedford’s regional infrastructure, safeguarding it from the demands generated by the resort. The new facility, to be adopted by ESP and designed and built by Veolia, will significantly reduce the volume of water used on-site and the volume of sewerage needing to be discharged locally. Enhanced water management: In addition, surface water drainage will be designed to maximize the

The Walt Disney Company has announced that Hugh Johnston, Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, The Walt Disney Company will participate in a question-and-answer session at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on Monday, March 2, 2026 at approximately 4:05pm ET/ 1:05pm PT. In the past, the conference has been a place where Disney executives get a bit more in the weeds about operations, and sometimes, some newsworthy topics. With Johnston in attendance, we’d imagine that there would be some insight into the health of the various divisions of The Walt Disney Company. It’s unlikely to be a very newsy event for Disney theme park fans. In fact, it may not be very newsy at all given the proximity to the change of guard in the CEO position from Bob Iger to Josh D’Amaro just a couple of weeks later. In the past, Disney has sent representatives from different branches of the executive team, including Disney CEO Bob Iger, on a couple of occasions. As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!

New audition notices posted by Disney confirms that two popular entertainment offerings are returning for the 2026 version of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. While we’re still awaiting confirmation of event dates, we can start to piece together event offerings thanks to the recent notices. Here’s the latest. Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular Returning in 2026 One of the best stage shows at Walt Disney World is returning this Halloween season when the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular returns for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. There are two audition notices for the sinister stage show. Disney Audition – Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular Dancers Disney Live Entertainment is seeking dancers who are local to Central Florida for Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular, performed at the Magic Kingdom® Park at the Walt Disney World® Resort near Orlando, FL.  The mischievous Sanderson Sisters from Disney’s “Hocus Pocus” return to the mortal world during the Halloween season. With only a few hours to run amuck, the three sisters use their magic to throw the best, most evil Halloween party this side of the graveyard!Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular will be presented exclusively during Mickey’s Not-­So-Scary Halloween Party. Event held select nights at the Magic Kingdom® Park from August – October 2026. Rehearsals will begin in mid-July.  Must have full availability August – October 31, 2026. SEEKING:Dancers with great jazz technique, proficient in multiple dance styles, including commercial jazz and Fosse, and comfortable with lifts. Good acting is a plus; must be able to interact with the Sanderson Sisters easily.Disney Auditions Disney Audition –

Universal Orlando Resort has announced details for Butterbeer Season, an annual event that celebrates the iconic treat from the Harry Potter franchise. This year, Butterbeer Season kicks off March 1st, and it features a new signature item – the Butterbeer Waffle. Here’s the announcement! 2026 Butterbeer Season Returns to Universal Theme Parks Soon Universal Destinations & Experiences invites guests across the globe to raise their mugs in celebration of the iconic beverage from the Harry Potter series this Spring during Butterbeer Season in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal parks in Orlando, Hollywood, Japan and Beijing.  This annual tradition allows fans to celebrate their love for Butterbeer by enjoying a selection of confections that includes all-new variations of the classic favorite, and shopping exclusive Butterbeer-themed merchandise. This year’s festivities will take place from March 1 – May 31 at Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Beijing Resort, and April 1 – May 17 at Universal Studios Japan.With flavors reminiscent of butterscotch and shortbread, Butterbeer has become a “must-try” for fans visiting The Wizarding World of Harry Potter across Universal’s parks worldwide. What began as a beverage has evolved into a variety of delectable sweets that delight guests of all ages year-round, from cold, frozen, hot and non-dairy versions of the classic Butterbeer drink, to decadent desserts such as Butterbeer Potted Cream, Butterbeer Ice Cream and the Ice Lolly. Here’s an overview of what guests can expect during Butterbeer Season at Universal’s theme

Walt Disney World has updated the name of the Millennium Falcon attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios to indicate that the ride is receiving an update. The updated name adds “A New Mission” tagline to the already wordy attraction. Here’s a look at the change, and new descriptions for the attraction. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run – A New Mission In addition to the new name, Walt Disney World has updated the attraction description, adding new details: Beginning May 22, 2026, join Din Djarin, the mysterious Mandalorian bounty hunter, and his youngling Grogu on an exciting new mission—tracking down elusive ex-Imperial officers throughout the galaxy.Plus, for the first time ever, the crew will be in control of their own destination, leading to potential adventures on Bespin, the wreckage of the second Death Star around Endor or the just-announced bustling city-planet, Coruscant.A new gameplay addition allows the engineer positions to communicate with Grogu during the mission.Walt Disney World Unlike naming conventions that add “- NEW!” to an attraction or offering that recently debuted, this appears to be an updated name for the attraction. It remains to be seen if Walt Disney World updates the name elsewhere. Currently, the updated name can be found on the Walt Disney World website and the My Disney Experience app. New Smugglers Run Location: Coruscant New Smugglers Run Location: Bespin New Smugglers Run Location: Death

As part of an update on the under-construction Walt Disney Studios Lot area at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney World announced new details for the venue. As a reminder, the Walt Disney Studios Lot is the new name for the former Animation Courtyard, and there will be all-new offerings for guests to enjoy later this Summer. Here are more details about two of the new offerings. Once Upon a Studio Theater Your journey through a celebration of animation continues in the Once Upon A Studio Theater, where you can enjoy the Emmy Award-winning short film Once Upon A Studio. Inside this dedicated theater honoring more than a century of Disney Animation storytelling, enhanced effects add an extra layer of magic. As you enjoy the film, you may spot characters popping up within the artwork along the theater walls, placing you right in the middle of this enchanting story. While unconfirmed, it is likely that the Once Upon a Studio Theater will take over the former Star Wars Launch Bay theater (pictured below), which has been closed for years. Enchanted Art Gallery As you explore The Magic of Disney Animation, you’ll discover an enchanted art gallery, a beautifully curated space filled with artwork featuring beloved Disney Animation characters. At first glance, it feels like a traditional gallery, but with a little pixie dust your favorite character may spring to life in all-new animations created exclusively for this experience! The Magic of Disney Animation

The Orlando International Airport (MCO) has announced a major milestone for not only Florida as a whole, but for Disney fans as well! The first-ever nonstop passenger flight between Tokyo and Orlando landed yesterday, bringing some 280 passengers along for the historic connection between the major tourism cities. Here’s the announcement and photos of their arrival. First-Ever Nonstop Passenger Flight Between Orlando and Tokyo Marking a first for Orlando International Airport (MCO), a nonstop passenger flight from Tokyo touched down at 1:35 p.m. on February 23rd to cheers and applause – celebrating ZIPAIR’s inaugural passenger charter service between Tokyo’s Narita International Airport (NRT) and MCO. It is the first nonstop passenger charter service between Florida and the Asia Pacific.The flight time was right around 12 hours and 30 minutes. ZIPAIR passengers were greeted by a water salute on the runway, and live music and refreshments in Terminal C. The announcement about ZIPAIR’s charter service was made in October at a press conference in Tokyo. Both MCO and ZIPAIR leadership anticipate that the charter service will lay a foundation for additional flights between the two destinations.As Florida’s busiest airport, the 9th busiest airport in the U.S., and the world’s 25th busiest, MCO could be on the brink to welcome even more international visitors in 2026.During the past few years, international traffic at MCO has grown – resulting in approximately 1.4 million more international visitors in 2025 than in 2023. Today’s nonstop flight is