Disney Headlines for January 6th, 2026
This past week, Walt Disney World would have experienced a tragedy if not for a heroic Cast Member.
A few days later, Disney fans gained a welcome surprise when a familiar face appeared.
Oh, and I guess we should talk about Zootopia 2 and Avatar: Fire & Ash, too.
Welcome to the first batch of Disney Headlines for 2026!
Give That Man a Raise!
Let’s just get to it. Here’s the stunning video from Disney’s Hollywood Studios:
What you’re witnessing is something unprecedented in the history of the park.
Photo: Disney
Disney has been running shows of Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! since 1989.
At no point has the audience ever been in danger due to the meticulous nature of the show.
Imagineers have carefully orchestrated the presentation to make some sequences appear dangerous.
As is the case with so many Hollywood stunts, none of these things is how they appear.
Cast Members know all the tricks of the trade that allow them to perform these stunts safely.
They’re fine, you’re fine, and everything’s fine. In theory. This past week, something else occurred.
For the first time that anyone can ever recall, the giant boulder went rogue.
This 400-pound prop dislodged itself from the track and started hurtling toward the audience.
Photo: Disney
You don’t need to know much about physics to recognize that a 400-pound boulder is gonna hurt.
I mean, that’s basically the point of that subplot in the Indiana Jones franchise.
Photo: Christy Weinberg
Big boulder make Indy go squish. Well, in this instance, the audience was Indy.
While they probably wouldn’t have gone squish, that boulder could have done real damage.
Thankfully, a heroic Cast Member realized what was happening and jumped in the way.
He literally threw himself in front of the boulder to protect the people in the crowd. I vote we make that guy a Disney Legend right now. We shouldn’t even wait until D23.
What Happened?
Photo: Playbuzz.com
You can Zapruder film this video to understand what went wrong.
The answer is simple. Something got stuck on the track, and it was large enough to cause problems.
When the giant boulder hit this object, it immediately jumped the track.
Even worse – MUCH worse – it headed exactly the worst possible way: toward the audience! The Cast Members reacted, with the one near the boulder shouting a word of warning.
Then, the hero positioned himself in front of it in anticipation of absorbing the blow.
While the whole thing looks like a comedy routine due to the fallout, it was quite real.
That boulder isn’t a balloon; it’s rock solid. So, when it hit the human, they got ragdolled.
Their fall is nothing short of cartoonish, but the consequences were quite real.
You can watch later in the video as the other Cast Members rush toward the individual.
They help him up, which isn’t necessarily the best thing to do at that particular moment. He’s clearly wobbly and taking a standing eight-count, but he’s reportedly fine.
Image: The Healthy Mouse
For its part, Disney has received a ton of inquiries about how this could have possibly happened.
The reality is that it shouldn’t have, as Cast Members have performed this show tens of thousands of times.
Hollywood Studios entrance
This was a first. So, it’s not like something anybody could have predicted.
Still, Disney has promised changes to the presentation. Here’s the official quote:
Disney
“Safety is at the heart of what we do, and that element of the show will be modified as our safety team completes a review of what happened.”
I doubt that Disney gets rid of the boulder, but I fully expect a track check for debris from now on.
She’s Baaaack!
X@Staceyjaswad
Do you remember Stacey Aswad? Even if the name isn’t familiar, you probably know her.
Aswad gained celebrity status among Disney fans for her unmistakable presence in ads.
That’s right, folks! I’m talking about Stacey from Must Do Disney! Do you know why I’m mentioning her for the first time in several years?
Photo: Facebook/Host Stacey J. Aswad
Well, Disney finally heard the complaints from its fans and did something about it.
For many years, Stacey doubled as our hostess on Resort TV programming.
Photo: YouTube
Stacey would appear on our hotel room television and tell us about all of Disney’s fun activities.
Whenever Disney had new attractions to highlight, Stacey was on the scene to tell us about them.
youTube
To many Disney fans, no vacation could be complete without watching a few minutes of her Must Do Disney show.
Then, for reasons passing understanding, Disney randomly canceled Must Do Disney.
Stacey disappeared from Resort TV, with frustrated fans wondering what had happened.
The story proved significant enough that Business Insider even interviewed her in 2021. Now, almost as mysteriously as she left, Stacey is suddenly back in Disney ads.
Stacey Aswald
She’s part of the Walt Disney Worlds/Infinite Worlds ad campaign we mentioned the other day.
Based on her first appearance, Disney is definitely teasing the return of Stacey in a big way.
I don’t want to get your hopes up, but Must Do Disney may be making a triumphant comeback.
Stacey Aswald
If that’s not in the plans yet, Disney, PLEASE make it happen!
Disney visits haven’t been the same without Stacey’s exuberance making all the attractions sound like must-dos.
Disney Dominates the Holidays
Hollywood Studios
Well, I hate to break it to you, but the holiday season has ended.
You surely know this and are grumpy just reading the words. I get it.
December never lasts as long as we think it will in our heads.
We make all these big plans for the holiday season, but then time seems to fly by.
At Disney theme parks, attendance spiked during what’s always the busiest time of the year.
That same statement applies to movie theaters as well, with Disney the primary beneficiary.
During the Twelve Days of Christmas, Disney claimed the top two box office hits in the world.
Right now, everyone is paying more attention to Avatar: Fire & Ash for obvious reasons.
Photo: 20th Century Studios
The film must reach a certain box office threshold before James Cameron will agree to make more.
Since the film has crossed $1 billion, it’s got a shot, but its New Year’s Week was just okay.
Photo: 21st Century Fox
Currently, the bigger story is that Zootopia 2 has clawed its way back to second place.
As a reminder, that’s a Thanksgiving Week release that’s still performing well in early January.
Photo: Disney
Studios released several new titles over the past two weeks yet fans went to watch Zootopia again instead.
The film has already become Disney’s biggest animated movie ever, but it’s aiming higher.
Photo: Disney
Zootopia 2 has earned $1.588 billion, which means it only needs another $112 million to surpass Inside Out 2.
At that point, it’ll be Hollywood’s biggest animated release ever…and I think it’s gonna get there.
Photo: Disney
Disney is definitely starting its 2026 box office campaign the right way.
Photo: MickeyBlog
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Feature Photo: Disney
