Is there a superior Disney Park?

Disneyland

Each Disney Park offers something unique — the parks offer lively festivals, unique attractions, and unforgettable entertainment all over the world. But does one park do it better than the rest? Some Disney Adults suggest that may be the case!

While the best Disney Park is purely subjective, fans of the American Disney Parks are starting to get pretty vocal about one being king of the six U.S.-based parks — Walt Disney’s original Disneyland! While we don’t have a favorite (it’s like picking your favorite child), we’ve heard the noise and we can understand why many Disney Adults feel this way.

Disneyland

The overabundance of love for Disneyland as opposed to the Parks at Disney World seemingly stems from the reception of the Parks’ changes. Disneyland’s changes have gotten a warmer reception over the years while Disney World’s changes have tended to be more controversial among Disney Adults. Why is this? We have a few theories…

WELCOME to Mickey’s Toontown! March 2023

Let’s start with something more recent. Last year, Mickey’s Toontown at Disneyland was transformed and, for the most part, everyone is happy with the changes? Right now, Haunted Mansion is closed for a queue makeover and refurbishment, and the sentiment is largely anticipation rather than disgust. And Space Mountain’s occasional Hyperspace Mountain overlay is welcomed when it comes around.

Haunted Mansion is closed and under construction

So why doesn’t Disneyland get the same blowback with its changes that Disney World does when it changes things up? While there’s no direct science, we have a few ideas.

The first idea is that Disneyland likely operates with more of a reverence toward its history due to the stakes involved. Disneyland’s largest clientele is the locals and Magic Key Passholders, and so appeasing them is sort of a must. Similarly, as Disney’s first theme park, there’s a sense of responsibility that must be upheld. Removing or changing beloved, but older attractions cannot be done lightly.

Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride is a park staple that is still popular at Disneyland to this day

So instead of removing, Disneyland has meticulously tried to add or enhance, all while honoring its history. Mickey’s Toontown is a success because it was enhanced and not replaced. Rumors circulated for years that Roger Rabbit’s CarToon Spin would have to make way for a new attraction like Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. However, Mickey and Minnie’s was added while nothing substantial was removed from Toontown. In fact, the land got a shiny new makeover that only further honored the beloved Disney characters.

Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin

Meanwhile, Hollywood Studios removed the Great Movie Ride — an opening day attraction in the center of the park — to make way for its Mickey and Minnie’s. The Disney World Parks are no stranger to replacing outdated attractions. However, it doesn’t matter if the new attractions are phenomenal, there will always be blowback from fans of the classics. Disneyland has had its own share of these mishaps (looking at you Carousel of Progress and Peoplemover in Tomorrowland), but as of the last decade-plus, the theme of Disneyland has clearly been expansion, not replacement, as made evident by DisneylandForward.

Oh, Great Movie Ride, how we miss you…

Disneyland also naturally has far fewer mishaps because it has far fewer space to play with than Disney World. Disney World is a premier tourist destination, and while Disneyland is also in its own right, it doesn’t hold a candle to Disney World’s yearly attendance. As a response, Disney World is constantly trying to innovate and keep up with demand.

Attention and money must be allocated all over the expansive resort, while Disneyland’s restricted space means every change has to be done delicately and infrequently. Absolutely everything will be under a microscope, so better not disappoint.

Pixar Fest banners

Disneyland has also failed in the right areas. Disney California Adventure could always use more TLC ever since it opened in 2001. It’s offerings have improved over the years, but change is consistently welcomed there. However, the change from Bugs Land to Avengers Campus has had a lukewarm reception (fans are still clamoring for that E-ticket, Avengers attraction), and the change to Pixar Pier has many Disney Adults wondering if Disney California Adventure will continue moving away from its loved California-theme, but neither of these can be considered true failures.

Disneyland seems most inclined to take its biggest risks at the park where missing your mark will be received better. Like we said before, the calculated risks are just better at Disneyland.

Avengers Campus

So why do Disney Adults complain less about Disneyland’s changes as opposed to the changes at Disney World’s Parks? That’s up to you to decide. The reception certainly seems to favor Disneyland’s direction and changes, but it’s important to remember that comparing the Disneyland Resort to Disney World can be like comparing apples to oranges. Disney World has to operate differently than Disneyland as it offers A TON of stuff that you can’t get at Disneyland while catering to MUCH larger crowds. It really is a totally different experience — that will always come with different expectations.

Disneyland

As always, stick with us at DFB for the latest Disneyland and Disney World news, tips, reviews, and more!

Heads Up! We Are WEEKS Away From Disney’s Biggest. News. Ever.

What’s your favorite Disney Park? Let us know in the comments!

The post Disney Adults Actually LOVE the New Changes at This Park, but It’s NOT Magic Kingdom or EPCOT first appeared on the disney food blog.

One of the best excuses to buy new Disney souvenirs is the “But it’s on sale excuse.”

©Shutterstock

Trust us — we use that excuse a lot. We also make sure YOU know when Disney souvenirs are on sale because we have to share the joy! That includes keeping an eye out for great deals on Amazon, and guess what? You can now save 50% off select Disney souvenirs on Amazon RIGHT NOW! How’s THAT for a great deal and excuse to go shopping?

Don’t have Amazon Prime? No worries! You can sign up for a FREE trial of Amazon Prime below.

Okay, are you ready to shop? These items are all on sale RIGHT NOW at Amazon.

Get the 5 Second Rule Disney Edition Board Game

©Amazon

Are you ready to turn family game night up a notch and add a Disney twist? With this game, you’ll have to think fast and shout out answers to Disney-related questions in just FIVE SECONDS. The game comes with 300 questions, so there’s plenty to keep you and your family entertained for HOURS.

Buy on Amazon Now

Buy The Incredibles Logo Shirt

©Amazon

How about sharing your Pixar love with the world? This T-Shirt is EXACTLY what you need to put together a quick Incredibles Disneybound or even a fast Incredibles costume. Or you could just wear it to show your love for The Incredibles.

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Buy the ECHO Pop for Kids

©Amazon

Yes, your kids can have an Amazon Echo made just for them with either a Princesses or Marvel theme. The smart speaker with Alexa is made just for kids with parental controls and will stream kid-friendly songs from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, and more. Kids can also set daily timers and alarms, call parent-approved friends and family, listen to Audible books, and more.

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Get the Mickey or Minnie Hoop Earrings

©Amazon

Want to dress up an outfit, but give it a Disney flare? These pretty hoop earrings have Mickey or Minnie on them so you can show your love for the world’s most famous mice. These would also make a great gift for a Mickey or Minnie lover in your life. They’re now on sale for 40% off.

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Buy the Disney Princess Boxed Set of Little Golden Books

©Amazon

Little Golden Books has defined our childhoods, and for Princesses fans, this set of 12 books is the perfect gift. Re-live the stories of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Mulan, The Princess and the Frog, Tangled, Brave, Frozen, and Moana by getting this set now for 40% off.

Buy on Amazon Now

Buy the Mickey Cheese Board

©Amazon

Who doesn’t need a Mickey Cheese Board? For 40% off, EVERYONE needs a Mickey Cheese Board. This one comes with a Mickey-shaped board, hard cheese knife, chisel knife, and cheese fork with wooden handles in a pullout drawer. Serve cheese at your next to-do FUN.

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Buy the Hocus Pocus “I Put A Spell On You” Funko Pop Set

©Amazon

Is there any Hocus Pocus  moment more iconic than when the Sanderson Sisters perform “I Put A Spell On You?” We think not. Now, you can bring that moment home with this Funko Pop Set that is…wait for it…a whopping 75% off. They even have little microphones!

Buy on Amazon Now

Don’t miss out on these amazing deals — head on over to Amazon now!

Check out our Amazon Storefront

The post Disney Adults Are Running to Amazon for These 50% Off Souvenirs first appeared on the disney food blog.

On a recent trip to World of Disney at Downtown Disney District, we discovered a new Groot Loungefly backpack with movable arms.

Groot Loungefly Backpack – $88

This white pleather backpack features a large Groot patch with movable arms on the front. The front zipper pocket is shaped like a red planter, which Groot pops out of.

The bag’s all-over pattern depicts Groot walking in a red planter, as yellow, green, and blue leaves fall around him.

The front pocket zipper is gold and features a golden charm of Groot’s head.

The backpack has side slip pockets with a gold pleather band at the top. A white metal tag with the MARVEL and Loungefly wordmarks is found on a blue patch on the left slip pocket.

The zipper for the main part of the backpack is gold and surrounded by gold pleather.

The back of the backpack is white. At the bottom, “Groot” is written in cursive brown sticks. Green, yellow, and blue leaves grow out of the sticks while others fall to the ground.

The adjustable padded straps are made of blue pleather. A strip of this pleather can be found at the top of the back of the backpack and extends to the top grab handle.

The interior of the backpack is the same blue color as the padded straps. The same image of Groot walking in his red planter is placed in various locations. “Groot” is once again written in cursive sticks, as colorful leaves fall around it.

Groot continues to be shown love in various Disney locations. On June 27, Disney announced that “Marvel Celebration of Heroes: Groot Remix” would be coming to Worlds of Marvel on Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Treasure. This show, starring Groot and Rocket, promises to include an “awesome mix” of songs for guests to enjoy. Earlier this year, an “I Am Groot” patch was made available for purchase at EPCOT.

What do you think of the new Groot Loungefly backpack? 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 New Groot Loungefly Backpack with Movable Arms Available at Disneyland appeared first on WDW News Today.

Disney has accidentally placed a Universal Studios picture on the packaging for their new “ily 4EVER” “Toy Story”-inspired outfit.

Universal Studios Picture on Disney Doll Packaging

A new “Toy Story”-inspired “ily 4EVER” doll outfit is available for purchase at Target. However, that’s only part of the story. On the back of the product’s packaging, Disney mistakenly placed a picture of Mel’s Drive-In behind the “ily 4EVER” doll.

The new outfit focuses on Pizza Planet. The $14.99 set includes a red and white Pizza Planet raglan shirt, front-tie denim shorts with a green alien, and a green three-eyed alien purse. The three-eyed alien is holding a slice of pepperoni pizza. The outfit also comes with red and white Pizza Planet socks and black and white shoes. Both shoes feature stars and Pizza Planet in gold.

The description beside the photo reads, “What are your favorite pizza toppings? Do you love hanging out with friends after school? With a Pizza Planet raglan shirt, front-tie denim shorts, and a three-eyed alien purse, you’re sure to have a blast at your favorite hangout. – Inspired by Toy Story!”

First seen in George Lucas’ “American Graffiti” in 1973, Mel’s Drive-In now offers quick-service dining in numerous Universal Studios locations around the world. The photo used in the packaging is from the location at Universal Studios Japan, as pictured below.

With so much emphasis on Pizza Planet, and given how many parts of the “ily” collection include Parks references, perhaps Disney could have chosen an image of the beloved “Toy Story” location for their packaging rather than a picture of one of the most iconic Universal restaurants. Disneyland Park in California has Alien Pizza Planet, which was likely supposed to be the photo in place of Mel’s.

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

The post Disney Mistakenly Puts Universal Studios Picture on Doll Packaging appeared first on WDW News Today.

Two new Star Wars ball caps have made their way to Magic Kingdom, including one inspired by Darth Maul.

We found both hats at the merchandise kiosk near Aunty Gravity’s Galactic Goodies in Tomorrowland.

New Star Wars Ball Caps at Walt Disney World

Darth Maul Ball Cap – $29.99

The Darth Maul hat is black with raised red embroidery designed to emulate his skin patterns as seen in Star Wars canon. The area where his eyes would be are blacked out.

There are a total of five horns on the hat. Three pointy horns sit at the top of the hat, with two rounded-off horns by the ears.

Darth Maul is a Sith Lord and skilled warrior from the Star Wars universe who appears in several Star Wars films. He is a Zabrak Sith Warrior from Dathomir who is abducted by Sidious as a child and trained in the ways of the dark side of the Force. Darth Maul is a character in Star Wars who seeks revenge against the Jedi order for destroying the Sith centuries ago.

Black Star Wars Ball Cap – $29.99

The other ball cap we found is solid black and features the Star Wars logo.

The front is black with black, 3D embroidery of the franchise logo. The back of the hat sports a plastic multi-snap closure to accommodate a range of sizes.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge recently celebrated its fifth anniversary at Disney’s Hollywood Studios with all new merchandise.

What do you think about these new Star Wars ball caps? Will you be grabbing either of them on your next visit to Magic Kingdom? Sound off in the comments or on social media.

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

The post New Star Wars Ball Caps at Walt Disney World appeared first on WDW News Today.

Disney World has seen a lot of changes over the past few years!

Magic Kingdom

In Magic Kingdom, Tron Lightcycle / Run has been added to Tomorrowland, and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has been added to Frontierland. Recently, EPCOT just completed its multi-year transformation with the opening of CommuniCore Hall and Plaza. Even more, change is coming to Disney World, as projects for the Dinoland U.S.A. re-theme in Animal Kingdom and Beyond Big Thunder Mountain in Magic Kingdom are currently in the works.

Disney has only shared the blue sky concept art of these projects. This means that the concept art shown is just what could be and is not exactly what will be featured in these new areas of the park. This is totally normal, as concepts change in the development process. For example, while Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is beautiful, it looks different from the original concept art.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

This has made fans start to lose trust in the concept art Disney has been releasing. Most recently, fans have been discussing the concept art for the Beyond Big Thunder Mountain project. Disney has said that this area could feature lands or ideas from Coco, Encanto, and even Disney Villains.

Concept art of potential Magic Kingdom expansion including ‘Coco’ and Villains

We asked, you, our awesome readers to get their opinions on this concept art and expansion, and the consensus was that they do not trust it. 

Possible Villain Land Expansion Coming to Magic Kingdom

One of our readers shared that they would believe it when they see it and expect that this project will be scaled back in the same way EPCOT’s transformation was scaled back.

EPCOT Transformation Early Concept Art ©Disney

Kristina, one of our readers, shared that “all of this could be beautiful if done right and not rushed. Open it when it’s been fully conceptualized and tested.” She also pointed out the technical issues that have been going on during previews of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and how Rise of the Resistance still has technical problems. 

Rise of the Resistance breaks down frequently

Jeff, a reader, said that there is a “precedent for lovely concept art that turns out to be wholly inaccurate and nothing like what is eventually developed.” He pointed to the newly opened CommuniCore Hall and Plaza and said, “Look no further than the center of EPCOT and the building proposed. We got a student recreation center instead. Add to that the Play Pavilion, Mary Poppins, and Beastly Kingdom. Take these all with a grain of salt and temper expectations. They are pretty paintings and nothing more.”

©Disney || Play Pavilion Concept Art

Some of our readers added some humorous points to this debate. One reader joked that they can’t wait for the Beyond Big Thunder Mountain Cafeteria! Another joked and said that they think this concept will change 20 times before they even break ground. 

Another Look @Disney

It has been a trend for new lands to open with about two to three new rides, and Melanie, a reader, said that she does not care for the expansion unless it has at least “six new rides. Not movies, not restaurants, not stage shows. We deserve better than two new rides per land.”

Potential Coco Area in Magic Kingdom

For example, in Galaxy’s Edge, there are only two rides and right next door in Toy Story Land, there are three rides, but only two of those rides were new additions for Hollywood Studios.

Slinky Dog Dash in Toy Story Land

All in all, it seems that our readers all share a similar feeling to Disney’s concept art for the Magic Kingdom expansion. It is hard to trust concept art as concept art is constantly changing. We hope that Disney will give us some more details soon because we are very excited about this project and know Magic Kingdom has the potential to grow even more with these new concepts! As always, stay tuned to Disney Food Blog for all the latest Disney news!

Permit Filed for Magic Kingdom Expansion! 

What do you think about the Magic Kingdom Expansion concept art? Let us know in the comments!

The post “I Don’t Want it Unless it Has at Least 6 NEW RIDES.” Why Fans Don’t Trust the Concept Art for Disney’s Mega Magic Kingdom Expansion first appeared on the disney food blog.