Welcome, detectives, to this week’s Disneyland Update! The big news? Luke Skywalker is finally landing in Galaxy’s Edge—but does this mark the end of the land’s once-rigid timeline? Meanwhile, over at Disney California Adventure, the Red Car Trolley has taken its final ride, paving the way for an Avengers Campus expansion, and the Cozy Cone has a new ordering system that’s shaking things up.
This Just In! The Force Will Be With You
Disneyland has not only confirmed limited time appearances by Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge during Season of the Force (March 28 through May 11, 2025), but a new nightly projection show will also debut during the Star Wars-themed seasonal event (included with park admission).
See our thoughts about Luke’s presence in Galaxy’s Edge below.
Debuting March 28 – and continuing past the conclusion of Season of the Force – Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga will present moments from the Skywalker saga with projection effects and music from Star Wars’ iconic score.
And now we return to our regular scheduled programming…
The backdrop to our week was the MiceChat Gumball Rally, where hundreds of super sleuths raced through Disney California Adventure in our biggest and most complex event yet! But before we close the case, let’s investigate all the latest park changes, including construction projects, refurbishments, and a special thank-you from Disneyland to first responders. Grab your fedora and magnifying glass—it’s time to crack the case on this week’s Disneyland happenings!
Red Car Trolley Rolls Into Retirement
Our Gumball Rally happened to coincide with not just the 24th anniversary of Disney California Adventure, but also the final day of the Red Car Trolley. While the park has evolved significantly over the past 24 years, the Trolley was a key part of its reinvention, adding an engaging layer of storytelling rooted in Walt Disney’s arrival in California in 1923.
Fans turned out in force to bid the Trolley farewell, with wait times soaring to an hour and a half on both ends of the line. The demand was so high that Disney even repurposed part of the Hyperion Theater queue to manage the crowd of guests eager for one last ride.
Though a Trolley will remain on display near the park entrance as a static photo op, it’s a bittersweet goodbye. This seemingly small attraction represented a shift toward richer storytelling and higher-quality theming—something more akin to what guests expect across the esplanade at Disneyland. While its removal paves the way for a new Avengers Campus expansion, will it also mean a loss of interactivity and atmosphere for Buena Vista Street and Hollywood Land?
Here’s the emotional final moment as the Red Car Trolley rolled away for the last time, packed with conductors—and, fittingly, Mickey and Minnie themselves.
Star Wars: The Timeline Loosens—Luke Arrives at Galaxy’s Edge
Disneyland’s Season of the Force bringing Luke Skywalker to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, marks yet another crack in Batuu’s once-rigid timeline. Originally set during the sequel trilogy era, Galaxy’s Edge was designed to exist within a specific moment in Star Wars lore—one that notably excluded legacy characters like Luke, Leia, and Darth Vader. But with Ahsoka, Boba Fett, and even Mandalorian-era Grogu already making appearances, it seems that timeline is becoming more of a suggestion than a rule.
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Luke’s arrival— in what appears to be his The Mandalorian-era look—coincides with Season of the Force 2025, running March 28 through May 11. The event will also see the return of Hyperspace Mountain, limited-time Star Wars-inspired food and drink, and plenty of exclusive galactic merchandise. While it’s unclear if Luke will stick around after the event, we can only hope he’s just the beginning. Could Leia, Han, or even (duh duh duh DUN DA DUN, DUN DA DUN) Darth Vader himself finally step into Black Spire Outpost? Alas, Obi-Wan Kenobi, we can only hope. The Force works in mysterious ways…
Disneyland Thanks First Responders with Complimentary Heroes Tickets
In recognition of the heroic efforts of first responders who battled the recent Los Angeles wildfires, Disneyland Resort has announced a Heroes Ticket program, offering two complimentary One-Day Park Hopper tickets to frontline responders and a guest. Details on how to claim the tickets will be released in April, with redemption available from May 5 through August 7, 2025.
This gesture is part of a broader commitment from Disney, which includes a $15 million pledge to support recovery efforts, a VoluntEARS donation drive, and sales of an “LA Strong” t-shirt on the Disney Store website, with proceeds benefiting the American Red Cross.
Cozy Cone Refresh
The (now former) seating area at the Cozy Cone has finally re-opened as a new ordering station. Each cone is now pick-up only; place your order at the new consolidated registers or mobile order, then pick up at the appropriate cone.
In principle, it’s an interesting change. Guests can order from multiple cones at one time and the line for pickup should stay relatively short. The process seemed to be running smoothly when we stopped by.
One unintended consequence of this change also means that the Cozy Cone lobby is now mostly inaccessible. The windows in the back have been frosted, and the windows up front are generally off-limits due to the meet-and-greet for Lightning McQueen and Mater.
The seating area has been moved to a former garden just around the corner across from Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters. The area now has a trellis with a sign indicating this is Red’s Community Garden.
While the classic fire department theme and Red bust are cute, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. We assume the reason Red was chosen as the caretaker for a garden is because he waters plants around Radiator Springs in the film. Yet, there’s no garden here anymore.
Celebrate Gospel
Last Saturday was the first of two days of Gospel concerts in the Fantasyland Theater.
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The series is a beautiful collection of local gospel talent as a part of Disneyland’s “Celebrate Soulfully” promotion.
The Fantasyland Theater removed the front rows of benches for last year’s Pixar Fest celebration. For Celebrate Gospel, folding chairs were placed in the area to add some seating back into the theater.
Next Saturday is the second and final set of performances.
All around the theater are displays laying out the history of gospel music.
There’s also a wall of thankful flowers that guests can contribute to.
Droid Depot Dropping Reservations
Droid Depot in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge dropped their reservation requirement this past week. Guests wishing to build their own droid can now simply walk up to the counter.
As you can see in these photos, reservations haven’t really been necessary for quite some time. During our two visits to the location this past week, we didn’t see more than one or two guests making a droid.
Constructionland
The entrance to Disneyland continues its turnstile changeover to automatic ones.
Another set of turnstiles has gone behind walls, creating a bit of gridlock in front of the only set open for entry.
If something seems off as you approach Disneyland’s entrance, you’re not imagining it—most of the lamps in front of the Mickey floral have been removed. In their place? Construction walls, boxes, and strategically placed trash cans hiding the exposed electrical components.
This is part of a larger resort-wide project to repair and replace aging lighting fixtures following several incidents in recent years involving falling lamps. While the work is necessary for safety, it does leave the park’s grand entrance looking a little less… illuminated for now. 
The entrance to California Adventure also continues its refurbishment project as an entire row of shops on Buena Vista Street is repainted.
Last week the Enchanted Tiki Room’s sign suddenly disappeared. It’s now back, although the torches around the entrance of Adventureland haven’t been on for weeks.
The Disneyland Railroad is still down through March for the next phase of track replacement. We hope they can spend some time on the recently refurbished Main Street train station, as we noticed an entire row of bulbs are already out.
Madame Leota’s Somewhere Beyond shop has only been open for a short time, but construction walls are already up again around the front of the new building. Recent rain caused some flooding in the store, so Disney immediately jumped to install a drain in front of the establishment. The shop remains open, but only from the side door next to the exit of the Haunted Mansion.
The walls are decorated with cards beckoning you to explore regions beyond.
The inside also has walls up around the door, making it a bit of a tight squeeze inside. With the single door, traffic can get gridlocked as well.
At least the shop can continue to operate while the fix is installed.
Disneyland Refurb Calendar
Currently Under Refurbishment…
- The Disneyland Story presenting Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln – adding “Walt Disney — A Magical Life” show to the theater (April 16th, 2024-May 15th, 2025)
- Pixie Hollow: (September 16th, 2024-TBA)
- Disneyland Monorail: (January 6th-March 6th)
- Grizzly River Run: (January 6th-March 13th)
- Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe: (January 7th-TBA)
- Disneyland Railroad: (January 13th-March 6th)
- it’s a small world: (January 21st-Spring 2025)
Upcoming Refurbishments
- Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!: (March 10th-TBA)
- Indiana Jones Adventure: (March 17th-TBA)
This and That
70th Outfits
Disney has shared another look at Mickey and the gang’s outfits for this year’s 70th Anniversary of Disneyland.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DF0mbzVvOex
Putt With Pixar Pals
For those who may have missed the announcement, the limited-time Pixar Putt pop-up 18-hole mini golf experience is now available at the Pixar Place Hotel.
The simple but whimsical mini golf course features favorite moments and characters from Pixar films, including Toy Story, The Incredibles, Monsters, Inc., Elemental, Finding Nemo, Coco, A Bug’s Life, Wall-E and Inside Out, and Inside Out 2.
The course will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. (closing at 10 p.m.). Prices start at $25 and advance booking HERE is recommended (there’s a separate ticket link for Magic Key holders). Parking is available at the Pixar Place Hotel (first 3 hours free and standard rates after that).
Goofy’s Kitchen
Goofy’s Kitchen has announced a springtime meal beginning April 3rd. Goofy and his pals will be dressed in their best garden-inspired garb and serve breakfast, brunch, and dinner full of spring favorites.
Gumball Rally – Case Closed!
This past weekend was our annual MiceChat Gumball Rally! Participants raced through Disney California Adventure to ride the most attractions before the clock ran out! It was our biggest (and most complex) rally yet!
With one of four game books in hand, our super sleuths went out into Disney California Adventure to see who could ride the most attractions in a single day and solve a mystery.
When the clock struck 6pm and all the game books were turned in, we were treated to a faithful recreation of one of California Adventure’s early attractions, Who Wants to be a Millionaire Play it!
Finally, it was time to select the winners! We’ll post full results later in the week, but here are the top 10 teams (and follow this Instagram page for your first chance to sign up for next year’s event):
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To wrap up the weekend, we held a classic Sunday meetup in the Hub!
And… here’s a little tease for next year’s Rally.
The MiceChat Gumball Rally is taking a villainous turn in 2026! For one day only, the most devious, cunning, and misunderstood Disney villains will take over the ultimate theme park race. Teams will compete under the watchful eyes of infamous foes, solving challenges and conquering attractions as if their very fate depended on it. Will you rise to the top—or fall victim to a villain’s scheme?
The Gumball Rally is a race to see who can ride the most attractions in a single day. The event will return to Disneyland in 2026 with sinister twists and villainous flair. It’s sure to be wicked!
Thank you to all our participants, volunteers, and Get Away Today for making this our best Gumball Rally ever!
MiceShots
It was a cloudy and wet week at the Disneyland Resort (with another week of rain on the way), but there were a few moments of sunshine… let’s round out this week’s update with some MiceShots from around the resort.
Valentine’s Day is this Friday. Disney continues its celebration with Sweetheart’s Nite and plenty of sweet treats. We enjoyed this floral heart at the Disneyland Hotel.
There’s also plenty of Valentine’s merchandise on sale, including Sweethearts Nite items.
These two lovebirds were enjoying a waddle around the Rivers of America.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge has seen some changes recently. Bard was added last year to facilitate the Fire of the Rising Moons, the Batuu-themed alternate version of Disneyland’s fireworks… with Star Wars music!
He’s thrown together using a bunch of scrap, but he’s so high up that you can’t really see how beautifully detailed he is.
Near Oga’s Cantina, a lightsaber cart set up shop. An interesting location considering this is a tight walkway with heavy traffic around the Millennium Falcon.
Nearby, the cantina has taken over what was previously an open seating area with little use. The cast member under the red umbrella in the photo below is now checking people in.
The cast member has these cute Oga’s Cantina coasters with menu QR codes printed on them.
We’ve been enjoying the return of classic Haunted Mansion (with improvements!). Mike photographed this horrific cat-bird hybrid statue. We love and fear this killer kitty.
Disney Imagineering explains some of the flora in the new Mansion queue. This is well worth a look:
The Mansion’s graveyard scene has seen some significant lighting improvements.
We’ll round out today with a trip down the bayou and into the world of swashbuckling pirates.
Let’s Hear From You
That’s a wrap on this week’s update! Did you attend the Gumball Rally? Did your team crack the case? Are you mourning the Red Car Trolley, or are you more excited about what’s coming next? What do you think of the Cozy Cone’s new ordering system? And now that Galaxy’s Edge is bending its timeline, which legacy characters do you want to see next? Han? Leia? Vader?! Share your thoughts in the comments below!
