Hi there! Welcome to our weekly roundup of the most interesting theme park news around Universal Orlando, the Walt Disney World Resort, SeaWorld Orlando, Universal Studios Hollywood, Disneyland Resort, other theme parks and more.
- Disney executives Josh D'Amaro and Alan Bergman led "The Future of World-Building at Disney" panel at this year's SXSW Conference, sharing several updates about future attractions at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. First up, in collaboration with "The Mandalorian" team, guests will embark on a new mission with the Mandalorian and Grogu aboard Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at both coasts, starting May 22, 2026, which is the same day "The Mandalorian and Grogu" hits theaters. Imagineers captured new scenes for the attraction on the movie set, and the BDX droids, which you may have already seen at Disneyland, will soon come to Disney World (while they await their movie debut in "The Mandalorian and Grogu").
- Disneyland SXSW Update: Robert Downey Jr. made a surprise appearance at the SXSW Disney Panel to help reveal new details about the "gyro-kinetic pods" for a future Avengers Campus attraction called Stark Flight Lab. Tony Stark is working on some new tech, and you'll be able to test it out yourself by taking flight in these pods, which are controlled by a robotic arm inspired by Stark's robotic friend, DUM-E. You can also see these robotic arms in action in the latest episode of "We Call It Imagineering."
- Disney World SXSW Update: We were frogcited to learn about new "Cars" and "Monsters, Inc." experiences at last year's D23 Expo panel, and Disney showed off what they've been working on since then. For the "Cars" attraction in Magic Kingdom, Imagineers are hard at work creating a new ride vehicle. Early sketches reveal that each vehicle will have unique race car personalities and numbers. Meanwhile, Hollywood Studios will be home to Disney's first suspended roller coaster, inspired by the Monsters, Inc. door vault chase scene. The loading area will feature Disney's first vertical lift, mimicking the moment when the claw grabs the door and lifts it up before sending it through the vault.
- Disney Parks also revealed new details about Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away, the nighttime parade debuting this summer at Magic Kingdom Park. This first look of the "Coco" float with Miguel, Dante and Pepita looks stunning! We can't wait to see the bright marigold bridge and the colorful Land of the Dead illuminate the night sky. Find out which other characters and floats have been confirmed to be a part of the parade in our Disney Starlight guide.
- Ready for an Arctic adventure? SeaWorld Orlando officially announced the name and new details about its unique flying theater experience opening this spring. Expedition Odyssey will take riders on a journey through "towering glaciers, vast tundra and the icy depths of the Arctic Ocean" while using the latest ride and visual technology. Riders will soar, dive, twist and glide with the fluidity of ocean currents while watching real, live-shot footage captured exclusively for the attraction. To end the journey, riders will end up in the Arctic exhibit with beluga whales and walruses.
- No theme park trip is complete without a souvenir! As we await the grand opening of Universal Epic Universe in May, Universal dropped some sneak peeks at the merchandise collections you'll find at the new theme park. With over 20 retail locations to explore, every member of the family will surely find something they want to take home. From new interactive wands & house robes to dragon eggs, there will be uniquely themed merch for each of the five worlds, as well as Epic Universe-branded apparel, accessories and more. Hop over to our Epic Universe merch guide for more info!
- But that's not all the epic news this week — additional Epic Universe ticket options are now on sale, including 2-Day tickets that include 1 day at Epic Universe and a 1-Day Epic Universe ticket. You can save up to $124 a ticket by purchasing your Universal Orlando Resort tickets through Undercover Tourist! Plus, we have answers to the most commonly asked questions in our Epic Universe Tickets overview post.
That's a wrap on the latest theme park news.
Hoppy planning!
