Magic Kingdom News

• Be Our Guest's chef de cuisine started at EPCOT's Mexico pavilion and returned with four suitcases — Gerardo "Jerry" Quijada Gonzalez now leads the kitchen at Be Our Guest Restaurant in Magic Kingdom as chef de cuisine. His Disney story began more than 20 year…
• Tiana's Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom: a 50-foot drop, three bayou bands and Tiana's beignets nearby — Disney's attraction page for Tiana's Bayou Adventure, the Frontierland log flume at Magic Kingdom, describes a musical bayou trip that ends with a 50-foot drop…
• Debi Derryberry, once Patricia, returns as Grandmother in Magic Kingdom's reimagined Carousel of Progress — Debi Derryberry, who voiced the daughter Patricia in Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress, will voice Grandmother in the reimagined show, Walt Disney Imagineerin…
• A new Be Our Guest Goblet is coming to Be Our Guest Restaurant at Magic Kingdom — Disney Parks has announced the Be Our Guest Goblet, a new themed cup coming soon to Be Our Guest Restaurant in Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom. The October 1 post…
• Walt Disney World's 55th anniversary collection is in stores now, modeled by two opening-day cast members — The Walt Disney World 55th anniversary merchandise collection is on sale now at the Emporium in Magic Kingdom and Creations Shop at EPCOT, while supplies last,…
• The Diamond Horseshoe Takes Its First Bookings at 8 p.m. ET on September 29 — Walt Disney World has posted the booking window for the Diamond Horseshoe's limited-time return, and it is an evening one: reservations open September 29, 2026…
• Casey's Corner has a new pianist, and she has been playing Walt Disney World since 1990 — Carol, a cast member of 36 years, has taken over the ragtime piano at Casey's Corner on Main Street U.S.A. Her Disney career started in 1990 at Pleasure Island…
• Typhoon Lagoon Closes, the Railroad Goes Down September 28, and Tiana's Bayou Adventure Follows November 2 — Four things guests plan around close at Walt Disney World between September 9 and November 2: Disney's Typhoon Lagoon, the Walt Disney World Railroad, Scat Cat…
• A Tower Crane Now Stands Over Piston Peak, and Part of Cars Ridge Run Rally Will Sit Underground — The tower crane at the Piston Peak National Park construction site in Magic Kingdom now stands at full height, on the base and foundation poured back in July,…
• Ichabod's Landing Is Gone, and Piston Peak's Walls Now Advertise a Catfish-Riding Cowgirl — The former Ichabod's Landing gift shop beside The Haunted Mansion has been demolished for Piston Peak National Park construction at Magic Kingdom, along with t…
• New Pilings Go In at the Magic Kingdom Ferry Dock as a Fourth Boat Is Built for 2027 — Construction on the Magic Kingdom ferry dock expansion is advancing, with new wooden pilings now installed along the Seven Seas Lagoon shoreline and decking be…
• Very Merry Party Dining Is Open for Resort Guests, With The Beak and Barrel and Two Dessert Party Tiers on the List — Walt Disney World has opened dining reservations during Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party to Disney Resort hotel guests, with everyone else booking from Sept…
• Balloon Tests Sent Imagineers Back to Lower Piston Peak's Highest Points — A new episode of Disney's "We Call It Imagineering" reveals that a first round of height-balloon testing found parts of Piston Peak National Park too tall, pro…
• Not-So-Scary's Sellout Streak Breaks With Ten Fall Dates Open at Once — After a season of rapid sellouts, Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party had ten dates showing as available at the same time, including four in September and si…
• A $34.99 Haunted Mansion Nano Scene Opens Into a Cross-Section of the Whole Ride — A new Jada Toys Nano Scene set at Magic Kingdom recreates the Haunted Mansion facade in miniature, then opens up into a multilevel cross-section with scenes in…
• Walt Disney World Railroad Goes Down September 28 and Returns October 30 — The Walt Disney World Railroad at Magic Kingdom will close for refurbishment from September 28 through October 29, 2026, reopening October 30. When it returns…
• The Diamond Horseshoe Reopens October 4 With Six Small Plates and a Full Frontier Bar — Walt Disney World has revealed the complete food and drink lineup for the limited-time pop-up taking over The Diamond Horseshoe in Liberty Square. The saloon r…
• Tiana's Bayou Adventure Closes November 2 for Its First Refurbishment Since Opening — Walt Disney World's operational calendar shows Tiana's Bayou Adventure closing at Magic Kingdom on November 2, 2026, along with its two gift shops, Tiana's Bay…
• A Red News Helicopter in the Piston Peak Concept Art Looks Exactly Like Kathy Copter, RSN Decals and All — Concept art for Cars Ridge Run Rally at Magic Kingdom shows a small red helicopter flying behind the ride vehicle as it passes under a rock arch. The design ma…
• Imagineers Will Reveal Carousel of Progress Refurbishment Details at a $59 D23 Panel on October 4 — D23 has announced a 55th anniversary panel at Disney's Contemporary Resort on October 4, where Walt Disney Archives staff and the Imagineers working on Carouse…
• Four More Not-So-Scary Nights Sell Out, Leaving One August Date at Magic Kingdom — Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party has sold out August 25, August 28, October 16 and October 22, taking the season's total to 21 of 38 nights. Only August 3…
• Welcome, Foolish Gourds: Disney's Pumpkin Pals Tour a Not-So-Scary Party Night — Disney Parks has released a new short film starring pumpkin pals Gourdo, Lil Jack and Slushie, who decide that more friends means more candy and set out to pro…
• Big Top Souvenirs reopens at Magic Kingdom on August 21 — Big Top Souvenirs, the circus tent shop in Storybook Circus at Magic Kingdom, reopens Friday, August 21 after closing for refurbishment on February 20. Disney…
• Nearly 80 cast members install Walt Disney World's Halloween decor overnight — Disney's Holiday Services put nearly 80 cast members on overnight shifts to turn Magic Kingdom and Disney Springs over to Halloween, including the second year…
• Disney puts names on four Walt Disney World expansions and a 2027 date on Monstropolis — D23 turned into the biggest Walt Disney World information dump in two years: Villains Land is the confirmed name at Magic Kingdom, Piston Peak National Park re…
• Thomas Mazloum on his first D23 as chairman: the Yeti, Figment and Villains Land drew the loudest cheers — After his first D23 as Disney Experiences Chairman, Thomas Mazloum told the Disney Parks Blog which announcements hit hardest in the room: the reanimated Yeti…
• Jamie Lee Curtis and Bryan Cranston will voice Mom and Dad in the new Carousel of Progress — Disney revealed at D23 that Bryan Cranston and Jamie Lee Curtis will voice the father and mother in Magic Kingdom's updated Carousel of Progress. Both actors s…
• Villains Land is official: Magic Kingdom expansion gets its name, story, and ride details at D23 — Walt Disney Imagineering confirmed at D23 2026 that Magic Kingdom's villains expansion will be called Villains Land, with an original story about a corrupted W…
• Neil Patrick Harris opens D23 showcase with an ode to Disney Audio-Animatronics — Neil Patrick Harris kicked off the Horizons: A Carousel of Progress showcase at D23 with an original song about wanting to become a Disney Parks Audio-Animatro…
• Packed in crates and bound for Anaheim: a Piston Peak model tease has Magic Kingdom fans buzzing before D23 — Walt Disney Imagineering shared an Instagram video showing what appears to be a scale model of Piston Peak National Park being packed into crates ahead of D23,…
• Walt Returns to His Favorite Show: New Carousel of Progress Costumes, Maquettes, and Poster Have Magic Kingdom Fans Buzzing at D23 — Walt Disney Imagineering unveiled the first physical pieces of the reimagined Carousel of Progress at D23, including costumes from the new 1969 and future scen…
• A Demolition Derby Queen Rolls Into Frontierland: Miss Fritter Ride Revealed for Magic Kingdom's Piston Peak — A model unveiled in the Walt Disney Imagineering pavilion at D23 has revealed the second attraction for Piston Peak National Park at Magic Kingdom: a family sp…
• Not a Bar, Not a Queue: The Piston Peak Model Reveals What Is Rising Behind the Haunted Mansion — A scale model of Piston Peak National Park shown at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event reveals what Disney is building behind the Haunted Mansion at Magic King…
• Rover Stays: D23 Models and Costumes Give Magic Kingdom Fans Their First Real Look at the New Carousel of Progress — Walt Disney Imagineering used D23 2026 to show costumes, scene models, and concept art for the Carousel of Progress reimagining now underway at Magic Kingdom.…
• Monster Trees and Grasping Branches: First Villains Land Models Have Magic Kingdom Fans Buzzing — Two sculpted tree maquettes displayed in the Walt Disney Imagineering pavilion at D23 offer the first physical look at the villains themed land coming to Magic…
• From Skeptics to Believers: The Piston Peak Model That Has Magic Kingdom Fans Buzzing — A massive scale model of Piston Peak National Park at the 2026 D23 Expo is winning over fans skeptical of the Cars land replacing the Rivers of America at Magi…
• Six seats, no doors: Magic Kingdom's Piston Peak rally racer shown at full scale for the first time — Walt Disney Imagineering unveiled a full-scale model of the Piston Peak National Park rally race ride vehicle at the 2026 D23 Expo, along with new concept art…
• Disney Calls It an Updated Look at Piston Peak, and the D23 Model Shows the Second Attraction — Disney Parks posted an 18-second video billed as an updated look at Piston Peak National Park the night before D23 opened in Anaheim. Disney Parks Blog then co…
• A Crated Model and a Rascal Flatts Instrumental Have Fans Convinced Piston Peak Is Headed to D23 — Walt Disney Imagineering posted a time lapse of a large scale model being crated for the 2026 D23 Expo without saying what it is. The music, the rally circuit…
• A Lawsuit Over an ECV Injury in the Under the Sea Queue Puts Magic Kingdom Accessibility Back in Focus — A couple is suing Walt Disney World for $50,000 after a guest using a rented Electric Conveyance Vehicle allegedly caught her foot in a crevice in the queue wa…
• Collectors Are Trading Country Bear Relics, Including Animatronic Costumes Disney Sold Without Knowing It — A new video episode digs through more than 55 years of Country Bear Jamboree props, costumes and merchandise, including the claim that costumes made for the sh…
• Pumpkin Wreaths Are Up on Main Street as Disney World Starts Its Earliest Halloween Season Yet — Crews hung the light-up Mickey pumpkin wreaths from Town Square to Cinderella Castle overnight at Magic Kingdom, two days before Mickey's Not-So-Scary Hallowee…
• The First Five Nights of Mickey's Not-So-Scary Are Gone, and September Is Going Fast — August 21 has sold out, which means the first three weeks of Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2026, five nights in total, are unavailable. September 8 sol…
• Hatbox Ghost and Headless Horseman popcorn buckets land at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party — Disney Parks revealed two Halloween popcorn buckets for Magic Kingdom on August 7: a Haunted Mansion Hatbox Ghost design and a Headless Horseman design. Both a…
• Vampire Mickey and a Hunny Bee Pooh: Disney World's Halloween Sipper Lineup Draws a Crowd — Walt Disney World's 2026 Halloween novelty lineup includes a new Vampire Mickey popcorn bucket and a light-up Winnie the Pooh Hunny Bee sipper, alongside the r…
• Hitchhiking Ghosts on the Cover: A First Look at the 2026 Halloween Party Map — The 2026 Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party map is out, and it is Haunted Mansion from cover to fold. Inside are the full showtimes for the parade, firework…
• Halloween Food You Do Not Need a Party Ticket For at Magic Kingdom — Magic Kingdom's 2026 Halloween menu includes eight items available during regular park hours, from a $27 Skull Meatloaf at The Plaza Restaurant to a $5.79 Quee…
• A Popcorn Bucket That Vanishes: The Hatbox Ghost Novelty Has Halloween Party Guests Buzzing — A $28 Hatbox Ghost popcorn bucket debuted at Magic Kingdom on the opening night of Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2026. A lever at the base rotates a do…
• Burgundy, Orange and Green: The Dapper Dans Change Into Fall Costumes on Main Street — The Dapper Dans have swapped their familiar red and white striped vests for an autumn set at Magic Kingdom. The quartet was spotted outside the Emporium on Mai…
• Eleven Pins and a $110 Box Set: The Full 2026 Halloween Party Merchandise List — Disney has the complete Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2026 merchandise collection on shelves at the Emporium in Magic Kingdom. The lineup runs to 11 tr…