Every two years, Disney fans gather in Anaheim to see, hear and, of course, buy the latest and greatest from Disney’s ever-expanding collection of brands. And while we got a lot of news for the Happiest Place on Earth during Saturday night’s Disney Experiences Showcase (more on that below), the headline is definitely the surprise announcement that one of Disneyland’s original lands is finally (finally!) getting the love it deserves.
That’s right, folks, there’s hopefully going to be a great big beautiful NEW Tomorrowland! So, let’s take a look at what we know, what we don’t know, and what we’re hoping for.
Reimagined Tomorrowland
Even though Tomorrowland has jumped to the front of Imagineering’s project queue, no concrete details have been revealed. Disney does promise that the land’s transformation “will honor the legacy of the original land while reimagining its future with new attractions, more open spaces and new places for you to dream about the future.” But what does that mean?
Walt’s 1955 dedication for Tomorrowland read:
A vista into a world of wondrous ideas, signifying man’s achievements… a step into the future, with predictions of constructive things to come. Tomorrow offers new frontiers in science, adventure, and ideals: the Atomic Age, the challenge of outer space, and the hope for a peaceful and unified world.
That’s the assignment, and there’s nothing in it about preserving 1955. Honoring Walt means keeping the optimism and the forward look. It doesn’t mean freezing the land in the past. A land about tomorrow can’t hang on to everything, so some of what we all love is going to go.
We’ve been saying for a long time that Disneyland’s Tomorrowland is woefully outdated, which for a land that’s intended to be forward thinking is a serious problem (tomorrow is literally in the name). Add to that the fact that Star Wars has a split personality since the opening of Galaxy’s Edge, which (despite its popularity) makes Star Tours feel out of place.
The good news is that the Tomorrowland project is being overseen by Emily “Emo” O’Brien, Imagineering’s Portfolio Executive Creative Producer for Disneyland Resort and Tokyo Disney Resort, where an updated Tomorrowland and the new Space Mountain Earthrise attraction are set to open in 2027.
That land is sleek and modern, but is it the right design for Disneyland? There have been hints that the original mid-century modern aesthetic may be the path forward, at least in part. But once the full details are revealed, we are very likely to hear a mix of nostalgia and bold new projects that fundamentally change the land’s aging infrastructure.
But a proper redo of this huge land could easily top one billion dollars. With tight budgets at the Disneyland Resort… something’s got to give. And Dusty was told that Tomorrowland will temporarily become the focus as the new Avatar land planned for Disney California Adventure is pushed back further. Then, once Tomorrowland is underway, focus will return to Avatar… though we’d be as pleased as punch if that project was shelved entirely in favor of something more family-friendly.
There’s an upside for California Adventure guests in the meantime. Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! was set to close in early 2027 to clear the way for Avatar. The ride is still living on borrowed time, but it should now be able to stick around for quite a while longer… which is great news for guests of DCA which really needs the attraction capacity.
We know most of you are hoping for a return of something akin to the PeopleMover, and so are we… As Imagineering formalizes a plan, which is still in the earliest stages, now would be the right time for your voice to be heard.
You can read more about the reimagined Tomorrowland here:
D23 2026: BREAKING – NEW Tomorrowland announced for Disneyland!!!
D23 Round-up
MiceChat was on the ground at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, from the moment it opened on Friday morning to the final bell on Sunday, and we’ve got all the news, announcements, and surprises from the jam-packed weekend.
If you were anywhere near the Anaheim Convention Center, you were surely shoulder to shoulder with thousands of Disney fans from around the world… but it was a totally different story if you were lucky enough to be in the parks… which were blissfully uncrowded.
More Disneyland Announcements
While the Tomorrowland news is the most notable, we also got updates about some of the projects currently underway across the resort.
Avengers Campus Expansion
And while we didn’t get an exact opening date, we did learn that the Avengers Campus expansion – including Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab – will open in 2028.
Thanks to the attractions lining up with production for the star-studded Avengers: Doomsday, many of our favorite Avengers will be reprising their roles for the attractions, including Anthony Mackie (Captain America), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), and Brie Larson (Captain Marvel). Iman Vellani is back as Ms. Marvel too, delivering the pre-mission briefing before you’re sent off to battle King Thanos.
In addition, California Adventure guests will also be happy to know that the path between Cars Land and Avengers Campus will be reopening soon… so long, dead end!
You can read more about the Avengers Campus expansion here:
D23 2026: Thrilling new details for upcoming Avengers attractions around the world
COCO
We also learned more about the new family-friendly Coco-themed boat ride coming to California Adventure.The storyline for the attraction will pick up one year after the events of the original film, the ride will include nods to both the original movie and upcoming sequel, and the best news of all: no height requirement, so Coco fans of all ages can ride.
More about Coco here:
D23 2026: New details revealed for Coco ride at Disney California Adventure
Returning Entertainment for 2026
Last, but certainly not least, favorite entertainment offerings will return to the Disneyland Resort in 2027, including a refreshed version of the Remember… Dreams Come True nighttime spectacular, which comes back to Disneyland Park in February 2027 with new projections at Rivers of America, the facade of “it’s a small world,” and all the way down Main Street, U.S.A. And Calling All Dreamers! The popular Magic Happens daytime parade is also returning to Disneyland Park for summer 2027.
Plus, an updated version of the original World of Color returns to California Adventure in February 2027.
You can find all the news from D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event here:
D23 Merch Madness
Shopping was certainly a big draw at D23 2026. Between Disney-run shops and licensed third-party stores, there was plenty of merchandise for collectors of all kinds. Trading pins, limited-edition dolls, and Disney Lorcana trading cards were predictable crowd-pleasers, but there were a few other surprises. One of our favorites was the José Animatronic Figure, which you can see for yourself below.
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And we love the new Disney Iconics plush line. A smiling, anthropomorphic castle? Sign us up!
Cakeworthy’s Disney Parks attraction-themed flannels were also a huge (and cozy) hit.
While many items sold at D23 were exclusive to the event, that wasn’t true of everything. Keep your eyes on MiceChat for a guide to merchandise highlights you can buy without a badge, coming soon. And to see more of what D23 had to offer, check out our shopping guide for the event.
D23 Day at Disneyland
The special D23 Day celebration took place last Thursday in Disneyland Park, and included a surprise guest who popped into Downtown Disney.
The park itself was a sea of turquoise ear-clad park goers last Thursday for D23 Day, thanks to complimentary D23 Mickey ear hats.
Guests also enjoyed a special cavalcade featuring members of the 2026 Disney Legends class, including Imagineer Kim Irvine, Disney animator Eric Goldberg, and the voice of Meg in “Hercules,” Susan Egan, alongside legendary Imagineers such as Bob Gurr and Tony Baxter and members of Walt and Roy Disney’s families.
Princess Concert
On Thursday night, the largest gathering of Disney Princess talent ever assembled performed a one-night-only concert in California Adventure. The special premiered August 16 on Disney+ and aired on ABC as part of The Wonderful World of Disney, with additional broadcasts on Disney Channel and Freeform. If you missed it, it’s streaming on Disney+ now.
Princesses who graced the stage for Disney Princess: The Ultimate Concert Celebration:
- Brandy (Cinderella in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella)
- Jodi Benson (Ariel in the animated The Little Mermaid)
- Halle Bailey (live-action Ariel)
- Paige O’Hara (the voice of Belle in the animated Beauty and the Beast)
- Susan Egan (Belle in Beauty and the Beast on Broadway)
- Auli’i Cravalho (the voice of the animated Moana)
- Catherine Laga’aia (live-action Moana)
- Lea Salonga (the singing voice of Jasmine in Aladdin and the animated Mulan)
- Judy Kuhn (the singing voice of the animated Pocahontas)
- Anika Noni Rose (the voice of Tiana in The Princess and the Frog)
Disney Legends Induction Ceremony
The 2026 class of Disney Legends was officially inducted on August 16 in a Honda Center ceremony hosted by Ryan Seacrest, continuing a tradition that serves as both a celebration and a showcase of the people behind Disney’s most enduring work. The full ceremony is available to watch on Disney+.
This year’s honorees span sports broadcasting, Broadway, animation, blockbuster filmmaking, and Imagineering:
- Chris Berman (Television)
- Jerry Bruckheimer (Film)
- Susan Egan (Voice)
- Eric Goldberg (Animation)
- Anne Hathaway (Film)
- Kim Irvine (Imagineering)
- Dwayne Johnson (Film and Voice)
- The Jonas Brothers (Television and Music)
- Lin-Manuel Miranda (Film and Music)
- Alan Tudyk (Voice)
- Bob Iger (Leadership)
Former Disney CEO Bob Iger also received a second Disney honor on Sunday: A window on Main Street U.S.A. Bob’s window is located on the Emporium in Town Square.
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RELATED READING:
- Disney Legends 2026: Meet This Year’s Honorees
- Meet The Disney Legends – And What Makes Them Legendary!
Mickey Flying High
Lucky Disneyland guests who were in Downtown Disney on August 13 got a sneak peek of a new Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon, which was on display as part of D23 Day.
This November 26 marks the 100th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, and a new addition to this year’s line-up is Disney’s Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey, who makes his debut as a brand-new giant character balloon.
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Inspired by one of Mickey’s most iconic roles, the new balloon continues Disney’s 92-year history with the Parade, which began when Mickey became the first Disney character balloon to take flight in 1934.
To celebrate, Macy’s is also launching an exclusive Disney capsule collection inspired by the Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey balloon. It went on sale August 13, so you can shop it now.
You can read all about the new collection here:
Inflatable Surprise at Disneyland as New Macy’s Mickey Collection Debuts
Oogie Boogie News
Among the highlights of California Adventure’s after-hours Halloween party are the themed treat trails hosted by Disney villains, and this year, Yzma from The Emperor’s New Groove is joining the villainous crew at Oogie Boogie Bash… this time around she’ll be a face-character.d The party runs select nights from August 18 through October 31.
What do you tink of the new look?
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Returning Treat Trail Hosts:
- Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas
- Ernesto de la Cruz from Coco
- Agatha Harkness from Agatha All Along
- Dr. Doofenshmirtz from Phineas & Ferb
- Hades from Hercules
- Judge Doom from Who Framed Roger Rabbit
- Syndrome from The Incredibles
- Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty
Additional Characters at Oogie Boogie Bash:
- Minnie, Daisy, and Clarabelle dressed as The Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus
- Pain, Panic, and Meg from Hercules
- Mickey, Donald, and Goofy from Kingdom Hearts
- Select characters from Toy Story
- Edna Mode and Mr. Incredible from The Incredibles
- Marvel’s Black Panther, Spider-Man, and Scarlet Witch
Read our guide for everything you need to know about Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort:
Ultimate Guide to Disneyland Halloween Time 2026: New Leota Street Party, Oogie Boogie Bash & More
Disneyland Refurbishment Calendar (updated 8/14/26)
New this week: Sailing Ship Columbia was added to the calendar and the Main Street Cinema moved back its reopening date.
Currently Under Refurbishment
- Silly Symphony Swings: April 27 – TBA
- Frontierland Shootin’ Exposition: July 6 – September 10
- Chiller at Paradise Park: July 26 – TBA
- Haunted Mansion – Holiday Install: August 8 – 20
- Main Street Cinema: August 10 – 27
Upcoming Refurbishments
- Indiana Jones Adventure: September 8 – TBA
- Mark Twain Riverboat: September 8 – 11
- Mad Tea Party: September 14 – TBA
- Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island: September 14 – 16
- Sailing Ship Columbia: September 21 – 24
This & That
Live @ Five
While Dusty was manning the MiceChat booth at D23 last Thursday, Mike stepped in for a spin around Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World.
Batuu Adventure Buddies
The first member of the Batuu Adventure Buddies collection has landed in Galaxy’s Edge. The adorable interactive Ewok has expressive eyes, motorized facial expressions, and makes signature sounds.
Guests can customize their Ewok with themed gear sets inspired by destinations across the galaxy (sold separately). The Ewok figure is $99.99 (no discounts available); however, discounts can be applied to the gear packs, which are $29.99 each.
Labor Woes
Last week, we told you about ongoing contract negotiations between Disney and 1,700 Cast Members in the Characters and Parades departments, who are represented by the Actors’ Equity Association (the U.S. labor union that represents professional actors and stage managers).
The two sides have agreed on health and safety issues, but important items still on the table concern shift scheduling, wages, holidays, and leave. According to union representatives, Disney does not want to provide a wage increase in the contract’s first year and has proposed eliminating paid leave for new parents, cutting the number of paid holidays, and reducing the size of 401(k) contributions.
Cast Members are asking Disneyland guests to show support for those who work as characters, character hosts, and other roles supporting Disneyland’s parades, shows, and character operations by signing a petition to Disney.
Disney is facing a second labor challenge from Unite Here Local 11, which includes room attendants, cooks, dishwashers and other workers across Disneyland’s three hotel properties. Cast Members in those roles took to the streets of Anaheim over the weekend to protest unfair wages outside D23 at the Anaheim Convention Center.
Gumball Rally Returns!
MiceChat’s 2027 2-Day Gumball Rally was announced during D23 weekend, with early bird pricing that you can still take advantage of through today (August 17th).
If you’re a fan of the parks and you want to find out whether you have what it takes to ride the most attractions at Disneyland AND California Adventure in just two days, this is the fan event you’ll want to be part of.
This year’s event will start and finish at the House of Blues Anaheim. Learn More About Gumball Rally 2027 and sign-up now – HERE
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Former Disney CEO Bob Iger is part of an ownership group led by Thrive Capital founder Josh Kushner that has agreed to buy the Los Angeles Lakers from Mark Walter for $12.5 billion, a record for a U.S. sports franchise (the sale still needs approval from the NBA board of governors).
Bob officially retired from Disney’s top job on March 18, 2026, but the deal to purchase one of the most successful teams in NBA history was likely in the works long before he stepped down, and we’re sure Lakers fans are hoping Bob will bring his golden touch to their team.
Oogie Boogie Ticket Tracker
Most of the October dates have sold out, so if you’re thinking about partying with Oogie Boogie in October, the pickins are slim, with only October 1 and 27 remaining.
The one remaining Sunday night party for the general public is on August 30, though D23 Night at Oogie Boogie Bash on Sunday, September 27 is also still available (you must be a D23 member to purchase tickets, but it’s free to join and only one member of your party needs to be a member).
And don’t forget, only those who attend Oogie Boogie Bash can purchase the extremely cool Headless Horseman Bucket (which, incidentally, is also exclusively available in Orlando during the separately ticketed Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party).
Next MiceChat Adventure: Pacific Coast & Alaska Back-to-Back
If you’ve been waiting for an excuse to finally visit Alaska, this is it. MiceChat is sailing from San Diego to Vancouver on the Disney Wonder (May 6-10, 2027), and for those who want more, the fun continues straight into Alaska (May 10-17, 2027). Do one leg, do both… many of us are booking the same stateroom for the full run.
The Pacific Coast sailing hugs some genuinely beautiful coastline before depositing everyone in Vancouver, which is worth a few hours of wandering on its own. The Alaska leg hits Ketchikan, Skagway, and Juneau, plus a pass by the Stikine Icecap.
If you’ve never cruised Alaska, it’s difficult to appreciate just how dramatic the scenery is until you’re there. Towering glaciers, wildlife, and charming port towns make it one of Disney Cruise Line’s most memorable itineraries.
Traveling with MiceChat means the people at your dinner table already share your Disney obsession, and shore excursions happen with a group that’s genuinely fun to be around.
Bookings go through Teresa Cory at [email protected], and that’s the only way to get in on the group rates and MiceChat activities. Come join us!
MiceShots
Halloween season has arrived at the Disneyland Resort, even though the first Oogie Boogie Bash isn’t until tomorrow (and Halloween Time in Disneyland Park doesn’t officially begin until August 21).
Character Collection
It’s always fun to spot characters out and about.
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Let’s Hear From You!
What do you think about the news about an updated Tomorrowland? What would you like to see added (or removed) from the opening day land? Should all Star Wars experiences be confined to Batuu or do you think it’s okay for Star Tours to stay put? And what about the entertainment news for next year? We never thought we’d see Remember… Dreams Come True fireworks again, and we couldn’t be happier to hear Julie Andrews herself introduce the show.
THANK YOU TO OUR TEAM for bringing you today’s Disneyland Update against all odds. Many of us are on several nights of no sleep as we spent all day at the Expo and all night writing content. Our feet are sore, our fingers hurt from typing tens of thousands of words in 3 days. But, we are so grateful for all the amazing VIPs who worked our booth, folks like Bob Gurr, Tania Norris, Floyd Norman, Bob Weiss, Eric Robison, Garner Holt, Leonard Maltin, and so many others… but, we wouldn’t have done any of this without you. It’s the people who stopped by to see us at the big show who made it all worthwhile.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Thank you so much for everything you do Dusty! And the rest of your crew. I was so happy to be able to meet you over the weekend!💓
It was so nice to see you Tracie and thank you for visiting. What were the highlights of D23 for you?
I loved the marvel panels and the Sherman brothers panel. And that I was finally able to meet you in person!
While I do look forward to the Avatar land, I’m very glad to hear they’ve finally addressed and are prioritizing Tomorrowland, even if its little more than a vague signal of intent at this point. I’m also encouraged that they are apparently not leaning towards remaking Tomorrowland as a single-IP land. Tomorrowland never recovered from Paul Pressler’s disastrous 1990s regime that shuttered half the attractions and slapped brown paint on whatever was left standing. Move Star Tours to GE, update Space Mountain as needed, and bulldoze everything else. Make the new land resemble, aesthetically, the film Tomorrowland (or, similarly, the latest Fantastic Four movie) and populate it with a variety of attractions spanning science fact, fiction and fantasy.
Well said Harrison!
“More open spaces” = fewer Attractions than we currently have. I’d bet all the money I’ve ever spent with Disney on it.
Maybe. But if they just remove some of the dead sculptures (water ball, Rocket Jets corpse, Peoplemover tracks) they’d free up plenty of “open space” without having to lose attractions.
Add to that the spaces of the innovations building (i don’t think a shoe horned meet and greet area counts as an attraction?), the observatron, and the scantly used tomorrowland theater area.
Like that is so much real estate for open spaces with plots for future projects and you would lose 1 underutilized theater and a meet and greet space for it.
More open spaces could mean claiming current backstage area or even the bus loading area. The eastern gateway project will reconfigure that area. I would bet my Disney money on that.
Haha, they’re gonna slap a new coat of white paint on everything and call it fixed. Disney always does the absolute bare minimum when reviving older things.
From what I’ve seen, Disney management needs to be checked. They just let go of a stellar VIP tour guide. The CM’s need to backed up and not treated so poorly. Tomorrowland – People Mover is a given and would be highly popular. Re-theme Pizza planet. Bring back the astronauts and planets to Space Mountain it was much more interesting then riding a coaster with flashing lights. The carousel of progress – bring back cool space themes and interactive environments. It was really fun in 2005.
Thank ypu for the best D23 coverage out there!
Thank you Beverly. And it was so nice to see you on Sunday at D23!
Thanks for the update! Will have to get into the D23 article soon, but the one thing I took away from the parks presentation was “we’re gonna spend a lot of time updating things to be more like the way they used to be.” Safe. Nostalgic. Kinda boring. Of course I would much prefer to see DLP’s Space Mountain De la Terre à la Lune over Hyperspace Mountain, but when announcement after announcement was void of new innovations and imagineering, I was a little let down. The new Monsters Door Coaster looked cool and new, but how long has that been “in the works”… seems like we’ve been hearing about that one for a while. I hope Encanto will be amazing and have a lot of advancements, like how Ratatouille informed Runaway Railway… And for the whole theme of the presentation to be “Tomorrowland”, we sure were left hanging with just a mention. I guess everything’s blue sky right now, but I hope they will DREAM BIG and also budget big.
Hard for a company to dream big when all their up coming movies are sequels to prior movies. Disney used to create IP, not they just re-use it or buy it.
The Tomorrowland project is a last minute pivot… but I’m very happy for it. With Josh D’Amaro moving up to CEO, and Disneyland’s President, Thomas Masloum, now the head of the Disney Experiences half of the company, a lot of things have been thrown into flux. But Thomas is a customer service wiz from Disney Cruise Line and had just enough time at Disneyland to know that things aren’t perfect here. And both he and Jill have been admitting that this week. That’s refreshing. They are very much committed to fixing not just Tomorrowland, but the guest experience as well (which may be even more important than the rides). I’m encouraged… but, like Roz… ALWAYS WATCHING!
Dusty, speaking of customer service/guest experience, Disney needs to back off the upselling regarding so-called “line management” with their LL pay-to-play attitude and get back to Walt’s vision as we are all in this magical place together. Fast Pass worked just fine and was very democratic. Stop creating haves and have-nots. It’s unbecoming and totally against doing the “right thing”. Keep up the good work!
If you thought the old FP system didn’t create have and have nots…that’s cause you were in the haves.
No free reign line-jumping system will ever not be “democratic” because the ability to jump a line in itself is an undemocratic act.
While LL is truly a pay to play system, it atleast reigns in some of the crazy exploits FP had.
FP was fully knowledge based: There were rides disconnected from the main system so you could hold 2 FPs at once. If you were quick enough in the mornings you can stack a ton of Etickets quickly before the rush came through (stacking by grabbing 1 FP, riding another ride, using the FP and immediately grabbing another). If you knew the 2 hour rule you could get ahead of others. People back then thought it was paid anyways.
Neither system is perfect. It’s better to be honest and say “I don’t want to pay for something I got for free before, with a system I knew deeply” rather than hide behind the weird excuse of old FP was somehow more democratic and equal because it wasn’t
And yet everyone seems to agree that the FP system worked wonderfully, and that LL has snarled the parks and sent standby times well into the disrespectful zone. Sure, any system can be gamed, but now Disney has a financial incentive to goose and lie about wait times, and we can all see them doing it.
Did everyone agree that FP worked wonderfully? Did the family from Michigan agreed it work when they didn’t know it was included within their ticket, and the only blurb was on the back of the park map? Did the family from Kentucky agreed it worked when APs would flood and rope drop the morning to quickly grab RSR FPs within 10 minutes of the park opening?
The only people who are so vocal about this are former APers who are so mad that they cant have front of the line access as easily during their 20+ trips to the parks per year.
Again, FPs worked great when you were in the know of how the system worked and how to exploit it. It was exceptional for people who went to the parks often because they knew the rules.
I always wondered for people who try and act high and mighty about LLs and how unfair it is to regular guests: If Disneyland blocked any FPs to APs and anyone on a socal discount ticket, would you of been ok with that? What about it it was only offered to hotel guests only? What if it was only offered to 3+ day ticket holders?
To me, that would even the playing field and allow infrequent guests a better ability to see the parks
As compared to LL, yeah, FP worked much better, the proof is in the standby wait times, which have nearly doubled at certain times of the year over a decade ago.
“Democratic” is an odd choice of words here, since nothing in the park has ever been up for vote (unless you count voting with your dollars by choosing not to go at all) but I think what Mike Taylor meant (and I agree with) is that a line-jumping benefit that is available to everyone with their paid admission is fairer than an upcharged version.
Having knowledge of how the park operates and using that to maximize your own experience (whether its exploiting old Fastpass glitches, stacking current LLs, rope-dropping, or simply knowing when certain attractions are likely to have a shorter line) does not put other guests at a disadvantage or create a “haves/have nots” dichotomy, so not really an apples to apples comparison.
How does that make it fair for everyone though? Again, there was vast misunderstandings of how the system worked. And it was heavily exploited by APers who understood the system and could exploit it during their 20+ trips they took to the park a year.
Like i said before – no front of the line system is fair. A free system allows frequent guests to exploit it. A paid system allows people with more income (or take on more debt) to exploit it. There is no fair way to get to the front of an attraction.
There is even a case to be made that no front of line systems also could skew more towards frequent visitors when it comes to new land and attraction openings – a frequent guest would not mind a long multi hour wait for a new attraction because they experience the parks so often while an out of town guest needs to make a true decision on how they need to experience their once a decade trip.
No system works, 2 of the 3 heavily leans towards people that go often, one heavily leans to people with more income which also leans to mostly out of town guests.
But again, the fact that so many people act like the reason why they liked the old FP system was because it was somehow better for a non local guest and not because it allowed THEMSELVES to ride more rides and exploit the system is farciful.
As I said before just start a comment saying “the old FP worked way better for me because it was free and allowed me to ride more rides, and I don’t like how LL costs me money now and now I need to ride less rides”, then I would get the argument more.
Well yes, if you’re going to expand the scope of the comparison beyond just the two line-skip systems and roll in all the inherit advantages locals and APers have/had. They literally are a different class of guest that will always have advantages over out-of-towners who only have a limited amount of time to see everything. That was true before FastPass existed, stayed true after paid LL. I get your point though.
To me it’s just a disingenuous argument that people make that somehow original FP is the absolute most fair and equitable system there is. The amount you “had” to know to make use out of it was really held by APers. Which is why so many APers complain about LL because they are locked out due to pricing + the use is way more stringent that FP ever was.
Maybe the most fair way is to give maybe people on 2 or 3+ day tickets free LL, regular 1 day tickets can add LLs, and APers cannot access LLs at all. That way people truly making this a once in awhile trip have better access to rides without a premium added, APers don’t gum up that at all, and locals coming for a day can add that service if they want.
If someone was so worried that Disney isn’t doing the “right thing” and Walt wanted us all in “this magical place together”, I bet people that go 10+ times a year will gladly give up line time so people that haven’t experienced the magic as often can get the most of their day!
Man I really made people upset to suggest if you are so concerned with others riding attractions, being “democratic”, wanting the guest experience to be so great, and wanting walts vision to shine, then maybe people that visit the parks multiple times a year should wait longer so those that never experienced disneyland or infrequently can get the old FP system for free and experience that special disney magic!
But I guess when you cut through people acting like they want the old FP system back because it allows people to experience the magic the same, you really understand it’s because people miss their free FP and exploiting the system the 10+ times they go a year.
I wouldn’t hold my breath for anything truly transformative with this vague Tomorrowland rehab. The timeline doesn’t track for the parks being able to absorb shutting an entire land down for a full build-out that would take years & we know they’re keeping Autopia so nothing huge is going to be incoming.
We’re likely going to get a cloned update of Buzz Lightyear, the theater under Space Mountain getting opened back up for a Wreck-It Ralph spinner, the Starcade getting “refreshed” into one of the dreaded “open spaces” touted in the announcement like the bad Epcot courtyard with busted lights, and the dead Carousel building being turned into a Space 220 type restaurant with them keeping the premium firework viewing deck in place. If the central spire of the Peoplemover is at all salvageable they’ll run the interior semi-circle and likely use Wall-E theming for a slow ride around. They won’t touch Star Tours & mayyyybe will plus up the queue, lighting, and projection for Space Mountain. I’d expect lots of filler greenspace with the midcentury white spires similar to the Tomorrowland stage & top of Space Mountain and some cheap looking Wayfair furniture awkwardly placed at set-in countertops or benches.
It’s going to be like nu-Epcot crossed with Pixar Pier.
They won’t be taking the whole land down at once. It will be a long term rolling project. You’ll have to hang in there a little while longer before they announce the big things… but we could start seeing some of the smaller things happen soon.
I think Star Tours will be reimagined to something else as part of this refurb… the logistics of moving it to galaxy’s edge are huge plus there’s already a flight simulator there so the ride system will stay. Something fun and upbeat with a focus on music like they did with mission breakout could be cool. I don’t see the people mover returning on that track for safety reasons and that there’s no way to evacuate it.
They could put a new unique attraction inside the carousel building … that will save demo costs and help absorb crowds. Lastly rip out the visible outside people mover track and orbitron and put a cool new icon there.
Not super exciting but if designed well it addresses the issues without gutting the entire land.
I hope they retheme or completely remove Star Tours. It’s wonderful, but it’s a very old attraction technology. As for the PeopleMover, it absolutely CAN return… albeit in an altered form. And there’s no way they are going to be able to save the Carousel building. They’ve been wanting to remove it for decades. It was locked into place before it became Launch Bay. But, I’d say think bigger than that. Tear it all down… Space Mountain too if need be. They can always build a new one, just like Tokyo just did. They tore the old one down and built the new one behind it, expanding the amount of room in the land.
We shall see … I’d be happy with Captain EO returning 😎❤️.
How about a Captain EO reboot or sequel? They could completely reinvigorate interest in the character. Cast the actor from the film “Michael” (Michael’s real-life nephew, Jafaar Jackson)
A Captain EO reboot could be cool but every year for a month or so bring back the original. I also think Golden Dreams would be great in the old Muppet Vision theater but only perhaps during food and wine à la Soarin’ Over California.
Part of what makes our Disneyland special is the attractions that change with the seasons. Let’s have more of that! 👍
I love Star Tours but I can see a lot of ways they could repurpose it for a new Tomorrowland. A fly through the world of TRON would be pretty cool, or maybe bring it back as leveled-up Adventure Thru Inner Space where your “Atom Speeder 3000” keeps changing sizes.
It really depends on how deep new Tomorowland will be. The Star Tours building seems space constrained due to the Peoplemover columns, but if they truly are taking out the tracks (or just totally rebuilding) the space that stretches from Tomorrowland theater to Star Tours can hold a rather large ride, which maybe can free up the simulators to move to SWGE (or Avengers if they want to take the Iron Man ride over to the campus).
How and why would they move those massive simulators to Galaxy’s Edge and where would they go? If (and a big IF) they did that it would be even less frequented than it is now. It would cost millions and disrupt operations. Retheming Star Tours to a new IP refreshes the ride, allows Disney to say it’s a new attraction and updates it for the next 10-20 years.
I think I addressed the why with “it really depends how deep the new Tomorrowland would be” – If they wanted to really gut, reset, and try to solve the problem of star wars being in multiple parts of the parks a solution is to move the simulators over to SWGE in the expansion pad (where the extended line of smugglers run is). This allows SWGE to “expand” without spending a ton of money while clearing a ton of space within tomorrowland for a new attraction.
Would it be less frequented? I don’t understand how, it’s not like placing a star wars ride in a star wars land will somehow make people not want to ride it? And like I said before that expansion pad is too small for anything grand so why not.
Like yea disney can refresh the ride, but why the weird “well ackschullyyyy” about blue skying a space within tomorrowland after a refurb was announced?
Less frequented due to being relocated way in the back corner of the park instead of right off the hub. For me, I never think oh I can’t wait to go on Star Wars. It’s always an afterthought because space Mountain is down or everything else has a long line and it happens to be right there. I wouldn’t go out of the way to ride it.
Well yes, it would take effort and money. They’d need to build a brand new show building in GE (that fits the Batuu aesthetic) but the simulator pods themselves were just lowered into the original Inner Space/Star Tours structure by crane through an open roof, so that might be the easiest part of the hypothetical relocation. But I suspect you are right, they won’t move it.
I 💯 % believe Star Tours is going away and anything related to that IP will be in Galaxy’s Edge. On slower days the ride is a walk on. They also love repurposing ride infrastructure to a new theme and that’s what we’re gonna get. Again, if they focus on memorable upbeat music that syncs with the simulator it could be super fun.
I say, put Tony Baxter and Bob Gurr in a room for a week and let them re-imagine Tomorrowland. I’m good with whatever they come up with. Just leave anybody born after 1970 out of the decision-making process.
Great reporting Dusty! It’s refreshing to actually see someone digest D23 information correctly – Disneyland isn’t built to have some new exciting E-Ticket and premier land every 2 years. And while some things may be in a blue sky phase (DLForward and now Tomorrowland), there is actual optimism and behind the scenes work into making that a reality. And that is back up with actual people laying out a 5 year timeline of events (basically showing a phased approach of Coco, Easter Gateway, Tomorrowland, and Avatarland). I think people need to understand between the red tape that is CA and Anaheim for these expansions, the severely aged infrastructure at DL, needing to fit these projects in spaces where they need to find more room for who was kicked out of those spaces, while also needing to reduce impacts to people going to the park, that these projects can take a long time even from the most pessimistic timeline.
This is as clear as a picture we’ve gotten. I think a lot of Disney fans (And a fault of Disney for hyping up D23 so much) think D23 is similar to an Apple iPhone presentation: We have something new, it will be available in 2 weeks, and we will have even more next year!
Instead, and I appreciated D23 this year for this approach, we got: Here is updates from our last D23, here is where we are at, here is whats happening, here is some more information, while these things are built we are going to refresh aging attractions, and here are some early blue sky ideas to prep you for the next d23 when these projects are completed or fully underway.
Yet for some reason people think every D23 needs a SWGE like expansion announcement for every park every 2 years.
The problem with Tomorrowland isn’t that it’s outdated. It’s that the land systematically has lost attractions one by one without any viable replacements. If the 1967 version had remained intact through the 90s and beyond, it would still be an exciting place today. Unfortunately, the new Tomorrowland of 1998 ruined the land even further. This is not an issue of it being outdated.
The Tomorrowland update could include Disney Parks IP, which, with a few tweaks, could put it in the future. How about from Disney Sea, the Journey to the Center of the Earth? Or take the Carousel of Progress building at Disneyland and put in an entirely new musical revue…featuring sci-fi characters from different Disney IPs. What could be done with Honey, I Shrunk the Kids in the future?
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