If you missed the past week, here's what mattered: May 26 is shaping up to be one of the busiest opening days in recent Walt Disney World history, with Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets, FØØD by Swedish Chef, Soarin' Across America at EPCOT, and Bluey's Wild World at Animal Kingdom all launching on the same date. Away from the opening-day build-up, Disney's CFO laid out plainly why prices go up when new attractions open — and why that's not changing.
Full Menu Revealed for FØØD by Swedish Chef
The complete menu for FØØD by Swedish Chef is out ahead of its May 26 opening at Hollywood Studios. The Muppets-themed kiosk sits alongside Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets and serves a short but considered lineup of new items plus several holdovers from the previous KRNR The Rock Station menu.
New items include the Wocka Wocking Nachos — corn chips with queso blanco, tomatoes, and guacamole — and a Churro Drumstick tossed in mixed berry sugar, topped with raspberry sauce and sprinkles, and served with chocolate dipping sauce. On the drinks side, the Pink Le-moi-nade is a Miss Piggy-inspired lemonade blended with guava and pink shimmer, the Pond Water Limeade is a Kermit-green limeade with fruit juice pearls, and the Mayhem Soft-Serve Float combines frozen Fanta Blue Raspberry with vanilla soft-serve and cotton candy.
Returning items — mini corn dogs, waffle cones, frozen floats, and fountain sodas — round out a menu that covers most snack bases. Annual Passholder previews for the attraction begin May 21, with DVC Member priority access on May 24.
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Scooter Animatronic Previewed in First Preshow Video
Disney released a 25-second clip of the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets preshow in action, and the Scooter Audio-Animatronic is the clear talking point. Built using motion-capture data recorded from the actual Scooter Muppet, the figure moves with a fluidity that stands apart from typical animatronic work — most notably in the closing moment where Scooter faints and drops to the floor in full Muppet physical-comedy fashion.
The clip also shows penguin audio engineers at the G-Force Records mixing desk, adding a layer of absurdity to an otherwise authentic recording studio setting. The preshow story puts guests on a VIP tour of the studio while Electric Mayhem rehearses instead of heading to their concert, with Scooter trying — and failing — to get the band out the door.
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Statler and Waldorf Move to the Coaster's Unload Station
The Audio-Animatronic figures of Statler and Waldorf from the now-closed MuppetVision 3D have been relocated to the unload station of Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets. Disney posted a short video confirming the move.
Their new jokes tie directly into the ride context — one is a callback to a MuppetVision 3D gag, reworked around the coaster setting.
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New Magic Kingdom Ferry Takes Shape in Dry Dock
Aerial photos from @bioreconstruct show the hull of the fourth Magic Kingdom ferry coming together in dry dock at a service marina north of the Contemporary Resort. Sections of the 120-foot vessel have been welded together on-site after being shipped to the resort in pieces.
Disney has confirmed the boat will be named the Meg Gilbert Crofton, after Walt Disney World's fourth president, and a portrait of Crofton developed by Walt Disney Imagineering will be displayed on the first deck. Once launched in 2027, it will join the Admiral Joe Fowler, the General Joe Potter, and the Richard F. Irvine — growing the Seven Seas Lagoon fleet to four for the first time since 1976.
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Disney CFO: The Parks Are Full, and That's the Point
Speaking at the MoffettNathanson Media, Internet & Communications Conference on May 14, CFO Hugh Johnston was direct about the state of the parks: without physical expansion, there is no meaningful room to grow attendance. "We don't necessarily, without expansion, have the ability to grow attendance massively because it's already filled up," he said. Cramming in more guests is off the table — Disney has concluded it damages the experience and, by extension, the brand.
Johnston also addressed pricing: when a major new attraction opens, Disney doesn't need to discount to fill the park. Demand goes up, and so do prices. That dynamic is already playing out at Disneyland Paris following the opening of World of Frozen, and Johnston expects the same pattern at Walt Disney World as the $60 billion parks investment cycle — which includes new lands at Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom — continues to deliver. Despite broader economic uncertainty, forward bookings show no softness.
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Soarin' Across America Flight Path and New Queue Confirmed
Disney has confirmed the locations featured in Soarin' Across America ahead of its May 26 EPCOT opening, spanning the New England coastline to New York Harbor, the Grand Canyon, the bayous, the great plains, and northern wilderness. Bruce Broughton returns to arrange a new version of Jerry Goldsmith's original score, with ride programming, wind effects, and scents carrying over from the existing attraction.
A new interactive trivia experience — Soarin' Challenge Across America, built in partnership with National Geographic — will run in the queue. Annual Passholder previews are May 19 and 20, with the Disneyland Resort version following on July 2.
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Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Preshow: Full Details on the Scooter Figure and Penguins
Alongside the video preview, Disney released still images of the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets preshow, giving a clearer look at the Scooter animatronic at his desk inside G-Force Records — clipboard in hand, guitars on the wall, lava lamp in the corner — and the two penguin audio engineers at the mixing console.
The motion-capture approach used to build the Scooter figure captured his real-world movements and expressions from the actual puppet, giving Imagineering a baseline of authentic Muppet physicality to work from. The result, judging by the images and clip, is the most expressive Muppet figure built for a Disney attraction.
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Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Merchandise Lineup Revealed
The merchandise lineup for Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets has been revealed, available from opening day at the rebranded Rock Around the Shop at the ride exit. The range covers six character tees, a collaboration with RSVLTS, a youth tee featuring Animal, a women's tee spotlighting Miss Piggy, a baseball hat, a water bottle, and classic keepsakes including magnets and postcards.
A guitar-shaped Loungefly bag and a collectible Animal drumsticks set arrive later this summer. The store itself weaves in celebrity cameos from Travis Barker, John Stamos, Neil Patrick Harris, Wayne Brady, and "Weird Al" Yankovic, among others.
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Jeff Vahle Retiring as Walt Disney World President
Walt Disney World President Jeff Vahle is retiring in late July 2026 after 36 years with Disney, a career that started on the floor of Magic Kingdom as an engineer. He announced the news to his team and confirmed it via LinkedIn. Disney has not named a successor.
Vahle's six years as president covered some of the resort's most active expansion: Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, TRON Lightcycle / Run, Tiana's Bayou Adventure, Journey of Water, the reimagined Test Track, and new nighttime spectaculars, among others. Before he leaves, he expects to see Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets open and an updated Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run launch.
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Project Fedora: Construction Notices Filed Near Indiana Jones
Two Notices of Commencement have been filed for the plot of land near the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular exit tied to Project Fedora. The filings list Facilities Asset Management as the owner rather than Walt Disney Imagineering, though the two named contractors — Artistic Entertainment Services and Slalom Construction Services — suggest something themed is being added within a roughly 202-square-foot footprint.
Theories range from a snack or merchandise kiosk to a small Indiana Jones-themed play structure aimed at younger guests. Disney has made no announcement. Permits are being watched closely.
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Mulan and Rapunzel Now Meeting Guests at Hollywood Studios
Both Mulan and Rapunzel are now appearing near Ice Cold Hydraulics at Hollywood Studios on alternating schedules ahead of The Magic of Disney Animation opening later this summer. Mulan meets on the hour from 10am, Rapunzel on the half-hour from 10:30am — meaning you can see both in a single visit with some planning.
When the building opens, each character will have a dedicated themed space inside tied to a different stage of the animation process: Mulan in the story department, Rapunzel in layout. No opening date for The Magic of Disney Animation has been set.
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Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2026 Tickets on Sale
Tickets for Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2026 are now open to all guests — no resort hotel reservation required. The event runs 38 nights from August 7 through October 31 at Magic Kingdom, priced from $119 to $229 per person plus tax. Annual Passholders and eligible DVC Members save $10 per ticket on dates through October 2.
If Halloween night is on your list, act quickly. In 2025, October 31 sold out on the first day of general public sales. At $229 plus tax, it's both the most expensive and most in-demand night of the season.
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