MickeyBlog News for August 25th, 2025

This was one of THOSE weeks when it came to Disney news.

If you weren’t paying attention, you missed a lot. So, let’s get right to it with this week’s MickeyBlog News.

The New Thunder

Okay, we’ve got a LOT, so we’ve gotta go faster than usual. A lot of this involves stuff that’s yet to happen.

I’ll detail each story more when the opening date arrives, but Disney just set the table for 2026.

For starters, we learned that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will look different when it returns.

We already knew that Disney had laid new track for this experience, but that’s not all.

Here’s some news about Rainbow Caverns, which will transform during the roller coaster ride!

Disney images suggest that the beautiful, sparking stalagmites here will undergo a shocking transformation.

When guests hear a clap of thunder, that’s the signal that an ominous glow blankets the caverns.

The entire room will turn an eerie red color, temporarily changing the tenor of the ride experience.

We’d known that Disney would make some changes to the park, but we hadn’t learned anything specific until now.

For quite a while, Disneyland’s version has finished an explosive finale Magic Kingdom lacked.

Based on this announcement, Magic Kingdom may offer its own surprises when it reopens in 2026!

Smugglers Run Meets Baby Yoda

Similarly, we already knew that Disney will add a new mission to Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.

Imagineers will connect the ride to the 2026 movie, The Mandalorian & Grogu.

What we didn’t fully appreciate was the depth of that connection, but we just learned specifics!

Let’s just say the change will fundamentally alter the balance of power on this attraction.

As you know, the Pilots and Gunners have all the fun, leaving the Engineers pushing a button now and again.

Well, everything changes with the new mission, which allows the Engineers to talk to Baby Yoda!

That’s not all. The Engineers also choose the mission, giving them all the power on the ride!

Suddenly, Engineers switch from being the worst crew members to arguably the best ones. Well done, Disney!

Rock ‘n’ Muppets

Disney also gave us a look at the impending Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster reboot.

Walt Disney World officials kindly invited us to a media event previewing various attractions and experiences.

As part of this exhibition, Disney unveiled the new ride cart for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets.

We also learned the charming new backstory for this attraction, as Scooter is moving up in the world!

Apparently, his uncle, J.P. Grosse, has purchased G-Force Records. So, it’s Scooter’s job to help the band.

Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem are late for a show, and Scooter must help them get there in time.

Judging from the visuals on display, Disney is leaning hard into the color palette for this one.

Even the iconic guitar in the courtyard outside the ride building will receive a makeover.

Disneyland Ends an Amenity

Okay, we’ll start the Disneyland Resort news with something that sounds like a bad thing.

I swear to you that there’s some good news coming from it, presuming you’re a local.

For tourists, this update admittedly isn’t great. Beginning on January 5^th, 2026, Disneyland will remove an amenity.

Early Theme Park Entry, a feature the resort had already diminished, will end as a program.

Ordinarily, I’d say “for a while,” but this change sounds permanent. There’s a reason for it.

As you may know, Disneyland Resort caters more to the locals than Walt Disney World.

Sure, many Florida residents visit the parks, but Disneyland fosters an identity for many Southern Californians.

For this reason, hotel amenities don’t get used as often at Disneyland, something we’ve witnessed.

As MickeyBlog’s Cassie Agundes mentioned in the above article, Disney already downgraded the amenity twice.

Now, park officials are doing away with it entirely, but they won’t leave you empty-handed!

As a viable substitute, guests staying at the official Disneyland Resort hotels receive a bonus.

You can pick a Lightning Lane Multi Pass option of your choice as a free amenity instead!

In a way, that’s better since you can really do just one attraction during Early Theme Park Entry anyway.

Now, you don’t need to wake up early to do it. Disney allows you to choose a Lightning Lane at your leisure.

I don’t think Walt Disney World will make this change, something I’ll discuss in a future article.

However, I’ll admit that I wouldn’t hate the change if Disney did it.

Other Disneyland News

Disney flooded the zone with plenty of other news, most of which was great.

Before we get to that, I’ll alert you to the fact that the Pixar Place Hotel entrance will close in 2026.

When Disney introduced it about two years ago, I mentioned that the walk proved a bit exciting.

Also, few people seemed the least bit interested in using it. So, Disney will just shut it down for now.

Guests can still use the private park entrance at Disney’s Grand Californian Resort & Spa.

Since that’s primarily what guests were doing anyway, it’s a lateral move of an announcement anyway.

Disney wanted guests to know about all these changes in time for the start of 2026 reservation bookings.

You can speak with a MickeyTravels agent to learn your best options about upcoming hotel packages.

Remember that MickeyTravels is literally the best of the best as a Diamond Earmarked Authorized Disney Vacation Planner.

Remarkably, MickeyTravels offers its services free of charge, making your dream vacation much more affordable.

Guests can only buy the Enchant and Inspire Magic Keys again next week.

Also, you should know that Oga’s Cantina no longer uses a reservation system.

Oh, and if you want to book Oogie Boogie Bash tickets, it’s now or never. Whoops, actually, it’s never! Sorry.

You’ve still got a chance at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, though, just not in August.  Please don’t wait.

Disney Miscellany

This is Halloween! This is Halloween! We know this because we’ve already been to Oogie Boogie Bash this year.

Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar has also started its seasonal transformation as well. We LOVE this place!

Back at Walt Disney World, the unimaginable has happened. Disney has drained the Rivers of America.

We all knew this was coming, but it still feels surreal. On a happier note, Zootopia: Better Zoogether is coming soon.

Disney announced an opening date of November 7^th, which is 19 days before Zootopia 2 debuts in theaters.

MickeyBlog also spotted the new ride carts for the upcoming redesign of Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin.

You’re starting to understand how big a week this was for Disney news, aren’t you?

Reservations went on sale for The Beak and the Barrel as well, and I hope you booked a spot.

Otherwise, you’re outta luck for at least the next two months. People wanted a pirate tavern. What a shock!

Finally, in Disney Cruise Line news, we got our first taste of the menu on the Disney Adventure.

Even more importantly, 2026 and 2027 itineraries and booking dates are now available.

DCL posts this stuff early since cruises book so quickly nowadays.

Here’s another instance where you should contact MickeyTravels lest you risk your vacation selling out too soon.

Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below, and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond Level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon!

Feature Photo: Disney