The “If I Ran the Zoo” playground in Seuss Landing at Universal’s Islands of Adventure unexpectedly closed in early May for refurbishment. The water was drained from the play area, and we saw crew members working on the ground. They have now taken down the construction walls, and the playground reopened.

Before it reopened this weekend, we saw Team Members performing final checks. The playground remained roped off until it was ready.

Next door, scrim has been removed from Caro-Seuss-el, but it is still surrounded by walls.

“If I Ran the Zoo” is one of six Dr. Seuss books that was removed from future publication and licensing last year due to its stereotypical portrayal of Asian people. At the time, Universal Parks & Resorts said in a statement that they would be re-evaluating their in-park Dr. Seuss experiences. The “If I Ran the Zoo” flag was painted over soon after, but the name was later returned. None of the offensive stereotypes appear in the playground.

Inside, water has returned to the shallow river of “If I Ran the Zoo.”

The playground is looking exceptionally clean and bright.

The red Bad-Animal-Catching-Machine, with a domed cage at the end of an arm, has returned. Little guests can go inside the machine, but the cage does not lower. Instead, a shower of water pours out of it.

See more of the “If I Ran the Zoo” playground from its reopening in 2021.

For more Universal Studios news from around the world, follow Universal Parks News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For Disney Parks news, visit WDWNT.

The post ‘If I Ran the Zoo’ Playground Reopens After Refurbishment in Seuss Landing at Universal’s Islands of Adventure appeared first on WDW News Today.

We’ve seen a LOT of Star Wars news released recently. We got more information about the release of season three of The Mandalorian, a sneak peek at new merchandise coming to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and even seen new characters roaming around Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland!

If that’s still not enough Star Wars for you, then you need to check out the new Star Wars cars (yes, cars) from Volkswagen!

Volkswagen has partnered up with designers at Lucasfilm to create two new vehicles inspired by the new Disney+ show Obi-Wan Kenobi. Volkswagen debuted these new designs as part of Star Wars Celebration 2022.

The vehicle used is the ID. Buzz, which is a Volkswagen vehicle that is currently only available for the European market with an American release coming in 2023.

Volkswagen released two Star Wars versions of the car: The Light Side and The Dark Side. These are one-of-a-kind showcars that were created in collaboration with Lucasfilm.

The Dark Side relies heavily on black and red in its style, mixing a matte black color on part of the car with a shiny black color on the lower area. There are also red designs throughout that truly pop against that black background.

It even has red underbody lighting to really make it stand out and special rims.

The Light Side car features white and blue all over the vehicle. The shiny chrome on part of the car represents the droids and spaceships from Star Wars, while the blue line represents Obi-Wan’s lightsaber.

The decal on the back windows of the Light Side cars is the the symbol for the Jedi Order.

And there are, again, some special rims!

“In close collaboration with Lucasfilm, we combine the timeless and functional design of the ID. Buzz with the fascinatingly detailed world of Obi-Wan Kenobi,” said Jozef Kabaň, Head of Design for Volkswagen. Kabaň also said the new vehicles are bringing together two icons: Star Wars and the VW Bus.

Currently, the ID. Buzz and ID. Buzz Cargo are only available on the European market, but will be coming to the United States in 2023. In the meantime, make sure to keep reading DFB for all the latest Star Wars news and information!

Click here to see your guide to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

What do you think of the Star Wars collaboration with Volkswagen? Let us know in the comments!

The post PHOTOS: The Disney Collaboration You Were NOT Expecting first appeared on the disney food blog.

The next limited release Wishables plush series will be inspired by “Dumbo.” The series will be available at Disney Parks and shopDisney soon.

The picture on shopDisney features plush of Dumbo, his mother Mrs. Jumbo, the Casey Jr. train engine, and Mr. Stork. These four will likely be available in mystery bags, along with a chaser plush or two. Notably absent is Dumbo’s friend Timothy Q. Mouse, so he may be the plush available outside the mystery bags.

Main Street Electrical Parade Wishables and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run Wishables recently arrived at Disneyland too.

Which Dumbo Wishables plush are you hoping to get? Let us know in the comments.

For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post Limited Release ‘Dumbo’ Wishables Coming Soon to Disney Parks and shopDisney appeared first on WDW News Today.

A new mystery box series called Dok-Ondar’s Mystery Treasures is now available in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland.

Dok-Ondar’s Mystery Treasures – $14.99

Each of these plastic crates contains one of eight possible treasures.

There are two chasers indicated by question marks. The six revealed treasures include busts of a Quarren, a Mandalorian helmet, and Jedi Master Shaak Ti.

The crates are about hand-sized, so the treasures aren’t very big.

Check out some larger “Star Wars” busts and statues also available at Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities in Disneyland.

For more Disneyland Resort news and info, follow Disneyland News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For Disney Parks news worldwide, visit WDWNT.

The post Dok-Ondar’s Mystery Treasures Available at Disneyland Resort appeared first on WDW News Today.

It’s another holiday at Disney and you know what that means — CROWDS!

Oftentimes, long weekends, school breaks, and holiday seasons like Halloween and Christmas can be jam-packed in the parks. We’ve seen some decent Memorial Day weekend crowds in the past, so let’s check in on the crowds from this year!

Sold Out

Just as a general note, today is a sold out day in Disney World. All Park Pass reservations are in fact sold out for all 4 parks for theme park tickets guests, resort hotel guests…

…and Annual Passholders.

So let’s take a look at those crowds!

Magic Kingdom

We’ll start in Magic Kingdom. To get on the monorail to Magic Kingdom, things were rather busy this morning.

You can see the crowds of people waiting to get on and head to the Most Magical Place on Earth.

Over at Magic Kingdom itself, things were packed in some places, but not as bad in others.

Right past the entrance, there was a pretty big group of people.

The Main Street, U.S.A. area was decently busy (as it tends to be)…

It’s a wee bit crowded in Magic Kingdom today! Do the Memorial Day crowds shock you at all? pic.twitter.com/7qT72ybctN

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) May 30, 2022

 

 

…but over in Liberty Square, it was a ghost town (appropriate with the Haunted Mansion nearby!).

Though Haunted Mansion had a posted 35 minute wait, it didn’t look too terrible.

Overall, the crowds felt pretty manageable. Our reporter shared that it didn’t feel anywhere near the levels seen back during Spring Break.

We did see some pretty long lines over at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad…

…and Splash Mountain.

In terms of wait times, at around 2:15PM, there were some things still at a 5-10 minute wait…

…others at longer waits, like 30-35 minutes…

…and, unsurprisingly, some of the popular rides had waits above an hour, though only 1 ride was above 100 minutes at the time.

So overall it was certainly busy, but not nearly as packed as some other days we’ve seen.

EPCOT

At EPCOT, the front of the park had some decent crowds…

…and the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind area was CROWDED.

The Creations Shop and Connections Cafe area was also pretty busy.

But beyond those 2 popular spots, crowds in the park were pretty dispersed.

We didn’t feel too packed in or crowded in many places.

But ride lines were still quite long. We saw a particularly long line near Frozen Ever After.

At around 2:15PM, there were some rides with 10-20 minute waits…

…but some of EPCOT’s most popular rides had waits over an hour, including Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure at 120 minutes!

Overall, things were pretty busy in some spots…

…but there was room in other places.

Hollywood Studios

At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, there were still some rides with shorter wait times at around 2:15PM…

…but quite a few were OVER an hour, with Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at the top with a 135 minute wait, and Tower of Terror not far behind.

Animal Kingdom

Finally, things at Animal Kingdom were sort-of similar. Some rides had a lower wait time…

…but the majority of the rides had wait times exceeding 30 minutes as of 2:15PM.

So there you have it — a look at the crowds on Memorial Day. Stay tuned to DFB for all the upcoming holiday season updates!

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is BACK — click here to learn everything you need to know!

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

Were you in the parks for Memorial Day weekend? Let us know in the comments below!

The post PHOTOS & VIDEO: Memorial Day Crowds & Wait Times in Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog.

The Dress Shop at Disneyland has a new dress inspired by Princess Aurora and the “Make it pink, make it blue” scene of “Sleeping Beauty.”

Princess Aurora Dress – $128

The torso and top of the skirt are blue. It then has an ombre of purple and pink, not unlike the Disney Designer Collection Aurora doll.

The halter straps and waist are pink.

There are three pink buttons on the chest.

The dress is patterned with images of Aurora’s castle, her crown, flowers, and hearts.

It has pockets.

The straps tie at the back of the neck.

The sides of the torso are stretchy.

It zips up the back.

Princess Aurora’s autograph and a flower are embroidered in gold on the back of the waistband.

Will you be living happily ever after in this Princess Aurora dress? Let us know in the comments.

For more Disneyland Resort news and info, follow Disneyland News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For Disney Parks news worldwide, visit WDWNT.

The post Make it Pink and Blue With New Princess Aurora Dress at Disneyland Resort appeared first on WDW News Today.

While season three is about eight months away, Jon Favreau is already working on season four of “The Mandalorian.”

Favreau confirmed he was already writing the next season in an interview with Cinema Blend.

“With television, we’re very lucky that we don’t have to rush things through into an hour-and-a-half, two hours,” Favreau said, “We get to tell stories slowly. So now, as Dave [Filoni]’s doing Ahsoka, it’s very much informing the writing that I’m doing for [The Mandalorian] Season 4. It becomes – how should I put it – more precise.”

Season three of “The Mandalorian” has wrapped principal photography. “Ahsoka” is in production right now and will premiere next year. Before then, fans will get to enjoy “Andor,” which premieres on August 31.

For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post Jon Favreau Already Writing ‘The Mandalorian’ Season Four appeared first on WDW News Today.