MickeyBlog News for January 20th, 2025
The EPCOT International Festival of the Arts has debuted! And Disney has kicked off the expansion era at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Also, Magic Key sales are ready to reopen at Disneyland Resort, and we’ve got some shocking Haunted Mansion information.


Trevor Carlton
You will want to read this week’s MickeyBlog News. Otherwise, you’ll miss a LOT!
Welcome to the 2025 Festival of the Arts!


Vibrante & Vivado
On Friday, MickeyBlog’s spectacular team of reporters and writers joined together to bring you into the story.
Presuming you followed us on Friday, you learned everything about the 2025 Epcot International Festival of the Arts.
This year’s event is unlike any other. It’s the first one partially hosted at CommuniCore Hall & Plaza, the new festival headquarters.
Here’s the new Once Upon a Stage exhibit hosted at CommuniCore.
MickeyBlog brought you everything, starting with a sneak peek at the 2025 festival Passport.
We also showed you the most convenient way to buy the new Figment popcorn bucket.


Figment Popcorn Bucket
This information will save you hours of headaches. But there’s another, even easier way. You can win one from us!
If you want to do a bit of virtual shopping, we showed you all the new merchandise available during the Festival of the Arts.
Our staff reviewed many of the new menu items, including this spectacular Joffrey’s Color Craze Latte + Donut.
If more lattes came with donuts on top, I’d start drinking lattes.
Figment fans get more than just a bucket this year, too. Check out this Liege Waffle!
Later, we provided you with the first look at this year’s Paint By Numbers Mural.


2025 EPCOT Festival of the Arts – Pop Eats Tomato Soup With Grilled Cheese
Finally, we can confirm that Pop Eats is back and somehow even better than ever. Disney needs to make this menu permanent.
Every New Beginning…


Photo: Disney
This week marked the end of one themed land, at least as we knew it, and the start of another one.
While DinoLand USA will remain partially open throughout 2025, three experiences closed permanently this past week.


DinoLand Carnival prize
From now on, you’ll only hear about Fossil Fun Games, TriceraTop Spin, and Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama on Defunctland.
They’re gone. Disney has even removed these experiences from the park map.
These closures signify the first step toward the conversion of DinoLand into the Tropical Americas.
In a couple of years, we’ll explore Pueblo Esperanza for the first time.
So, the next two years will be a transitional phase at Animal Kingdom, one we haven’t seen since the construction days of the mid-teens.
Back then, Disney was blocking pathways to build Pandora – The World of Avatar.
In 2025 and 2026, guests just won’t turn right at the park entrance and head that way. It’d be pointless.
Then again, I’d argue that DinoLand was never the best way to spend the day at Animal Kingdom, which is why I won’t miss it.


Photo: Disney
Imagineers didn’t wait long to start repurposing this space. Here’s an article showing them breaking ground on the Tropical Americas.
Similarly, demolition has already started on TriceraTop Spin.


Photo: Disney
To make up for the loss of these experiences, Disney brought back one of my personal favorites, the Russell & Dug character spot.
So, that’s something you can do in 2025 that you couldn’t previously in the 2020s!
We’ll keep an eye on Animal Kingdom for additional changes over the next few months. There may be more updates coming soon.
Magic Key Is Back
I’ve got terrific news for Disneyland fans. Annual passes go back on sale this week.
Specifically, Magic Key sales reopen on January 22nd, which is Wednesday.
The tickets will go on sale no sooner than 9 a.m. PST. You can enter the virtual queue for purchase at 8:45 PST.
I want to stress two things. The first is that there’s no guarantee sales start at 9 a.m.
Disney’s precise wording suggests 9 a.m. as the earliest time the booking window will open. It may be later.
That brings me to the second point. Disney tech is always mercurial.


Photo: Computer Hope
So, you should brace yourself for a few hiccups during your attempted purchase.
On the plus side, Disney will once again employ a virtual queue system.


Photo:Rappler
This innovation has generally led to better results. I’m hopeful the hot streak will continue this week.
Still, please don’t get discouraged if you experience hiccups. Demand is always high, especially on the first day.


Photo: DVC
Since the annual passes with the highest demand often sell out within 24-36 hours, just stick with it. Otherwise, you risk getting shut out.
By the way, there’s another story breaking at Disneyland as we speak.


Photo: LA Times
When Haunted Mansion returns after 16 months, it’ll look different, at least in The Attic.
Disney has updated The Bride to make her less murderous and more sympathetic.
Here’s a video of the new attraction. We’ll cover this story more as the story unfolds:
Oh, and the Lunar New Year celebration has started at Disneyland Resort, too.
Disney Miscellany


Photo: Disney
I want to start by highlighting a Disney story that can help some people.
Disney Entertainment Television invited Cast Members to the Wardrobe Warehouse to grab some clothes.


Photo: Disney
Employees impacted by the fire can take home apparel for free, which is generous of Disney and the right thing to do.
At the parks, construction is the buzzword everywhere. We spotted another crane at Magic Kingdom.
This one is apparently in place to perform some work on the façade of Astro Orbiter.
We don’t know exactly what’s happening. So, there’s a mystery surrounding this crane.
Similarly, the railroad station at Main Street, U.S.A. is currently under refurbishment as well.
Disney is getting a lot done during the offseason, at least when the weather allows.
Alas, some of the changes hurt. Disney has also done the right thing at EPCOT, as it has said goodbye to the manatees.
These beautiful, sweet creatures are moving to bigger, more comfortable locations at Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium and the Gulf Aquarium at Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park.
So, they’re better off in the long run, but I speak for MANY of us at MickeyBlog when I say we’re really going to miss them.
At Disney Cruise Line, I should alert you to an unexpected change in sailing schedule.
The Disney Fantasy must perform its dry dock procedures. So, the ship will go offline from October 20th through November 12th.
Finally, Mobile Ordering has gotten a lot better on your phone!


Photo: Disney
You can now track your entire order without opening My Mobile Experience on your iOS phone.
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