Disney Headlines for April 7th, 2026
OpenAI is trying to kiss and make up with Disney.
Meanwhile, Disney fans aren’t happy with the current setup at Disney Springs.
https://www.jellyrollswdw.com
On the bright side, Orlando fans just rediscovered Jellyrolls.
Oh, and one father is willing to demonstrate professionalism even when on a Disney ride.
I love all the stories in this week’s Disney Headlines.
Sora x Disney Take Two?
Computer World
I’ve written more about AI over the last six months than I ever would have expected.
That’s because Disney’s first few major AI initiatives have exploded in rather spectacular fashion.
Getty
I’ll discuss this in detail in a different article, but the latest big kaboom is objectively funny.
Disney execs were communicating with OpenAI about Sora integration and other possibilities.
Photo:Rappler
Then, they checked the news and learned that OpenAI was killing Sora. That…was a surprise.
Since that announcement, both parties have performed substantial damage control.
Photo: Computer Hope
Disney released a half-hearted statement that it understood OpenAI’s decision.
The tone of it was very much, “We weren’t dumped. It was totally mutual.”
Spoiler: Disney got dumped. As often happens in these situations, the situation is fluid, though.
OpenAI has since come back with the whole “Baby, I can change!” routine.
I’m only half-joking here, as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said as much during a podcast interview.
Photo: Disney
Regarding the failed deal, Altman said, “I love Sora, I love generating videos, and I love our partnership with Disney.”
Later, he added: “We’re working hard with them to find a world where they can still do something amazing.”
Please note the present tense. That’s Altman explicitly indicating the deal isn’t dead.
Photo: Open AI
Since Sora very much IS dead, nobody is quite sure what Altman is referencing here, though.
He acknowledged that OpenAI needs to focus more on its own “compute.”
Photo: Open AI
That’s the computational power that the company possesses for its AI projects.
Sora was cutting into OpenAI’s ability to process more valuable computations.
So, eliminating the product made perfect sense for OpenAI. Sora cost money but wasn’t making any.
What’s Next for Disney x OpenAI?
Image: The Healthy Mouse
Since we all know this, Altman’s comments raise a logical question.
What kind of collaboration could he still be trying to build with Disney?
Photo: Playbuzz.com
And I think the answer is as simple as, “Whatever Josh D’Amaro wants.”
Altman is, for better and for (much) worse, a consummate salesperson.
Photo: Walt Disney Company
He doesn’t want to burn any bridges with Disney and is acutely aware he just did that.
So, he’s trying to build a bridge instead and get back in D’Amaro’s good graces.
Photo: Josh D’Amaro on Instagram
As part of that process, Altman explained what happened with Sora to D’Amaro AND Iger.
Since then, news sources have referred to the deal as a Bob Iger plan.
Photo: Josh D’Amaro on Instagram
Anyone who was around at the start knows that it was reported as D’Amaro’s deal then.
Altman appears to be retelling the story in a way that allows Disney’s new CEO to save face.
Photo: Josh D’Amaro on Instagram
That’s obviously a part of his plan to make things right, and D’Amaro could take advantage of this.
What Disney wanted from the deal was user-generated Disney+ content.
Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
That’s exactly what Sora does (for a few more weeks). Altman’s hinting at something here.
He’s saying that Disney could still use that technology or something similar. The question becomes whether Disney trusts Altman enough to negotiate with him now.
Personally, I wouldn’t, but Disney is notoriously forgiving of people who don’t deserve it.
The Disney Springs Parking Change
I’m always surprised when I’m cycling through the news and read a Disney theme park story.
Generally, Disney Headlines are general rather than specific. That wasn’t true this past week.
Disney (temporarily?) changed the transportation rules at Disney Springs. The company ostensibly did so to protect its guests during the crowded Easter Week.
How big were the crowds? Well, season passholders couldn’t enter Magic Kingdom at one point.
There were no theme park reservations available, and yes, those are still a thing for some.
At this point, the list mostly consists of season passholders. So, they got shut out that day.
Then, we have the guests who were trying to visit Disney resorts but weren’t staying there.
Disney Springs Cast Members required proof of hotel reservations to use the buses.
Since Disney hadn’t done that before, at least not recently or like this, everyone was surprised.
Management quickly clarified that this change only applied to Easter Week.
Still, people are wondering whether it was a test due to other things happening in the world.
Like, I don’t know what the price of gas is where you are, but it’s $4 here.
Let’s just say that it wasn’t $4 here last year. And that’s a problem for Disney.
Disney
The company operates a lot of buses each hour, and very large ones at that.
These gas guzzlers are suddenly costing Disney substantially more money to fuel.
For this reason, everyone’s paying attention to whether Disney changes the bus rules soon.
To be clear, I don’t think that will happen, but I didn’t think Magical Express would remain dead for this long, either.
Disney is just full of surprises in the 2020s.
Jellyrolls and the Workaholic Dad
Photo: Jellyrolls
I had a couple of quick Headlines I wanted to make sure to mention because I like them both.
The first is that Jellyrolls will make its triumphant Orlando return later this year.
Formerly the pride of Disney’s BoardWalk, this dueling piano bar has found a new home.
Fans can visit Jellyrolls at Lake Buena Vista later this year, presuming all goes according to plan.
https://www.jellyrollswdw.com
This announcement arrives almost exactly a year after Jellyrolls on the BoardWalk closed.
Then, we have the other fun story of the week, which is this one. The Mouselets has become a very popular YouTube channel filled with Disney stories.
You can watch their VIP Tour video here:
I’m not sure whether it was the same vacation or not, but they recently invited their parents to Disney.
There was just one problem. Their father clearly had some work to do.
Throughout the vacation, he focused on his job no matter where he was. I’m serious. Watch this:
@themouselets why does every single dad at disney have a work emergency like WHY #disneyworld #disneyfamily #disneyparks #disneyplus #disneycast
This dude redefines professionalism! He’s still working once some of the rides begin!
He’s working during several of the shows, too! This person is taking work from home to its logical extreme!
Photo: Jellyrolls
I wrote about this a couple of years ago, and it may be time to reassess.
A friend was just telling me that they’d done some WFH at Disney Springs.
Photo:seoclerk.com
So, I guess people are starting to figure out it’s possible. And this fellow just took the idea to its logical extreme!
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Feature photo: Disney
