Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Halloween came early to Disneyland today. Disney finally laid out the entire 2026 Halloween Time season, and it comes with a real twist: the daytime parade takes its last bow on August 18, and rising in its place is a brand new Haunted Mansion street party called "Madame Leota's Swinging Wake," haunting Oogie Boogie Bash from mid-August through the 31st of October. Mickey and Minnie are getting new costumes, a Star Wars pumpkin is creeping onto the Partners statue, and Halloween character dining returns to the Grand Californian and the Disneyland Hotel. Tickets and prices are locked in. If a fall trip is even a maybe, this is your starting line.
Today also brought a quieter, heavier note. Peabo Bryson, the voice that carried "Beauty and the Beast" and "A Whole New World," passed away at 75. If you came up in the Disney Renaissance, those two duets are stitched into your memory whether you ever knew his name or not. It is hard to overstate how much of that golden era lived in his voice.
For anyone in planning mode, the headline is the money one: Disney quietly extended its bounceback discount again, up to 35 percent off rooms, and the eligible dates now stretch deep into 2027. It is usually the best deal Disney offers all year. Just know the "up to" is doing some heavy lifting, so hold your room dates up against the offer before you start celebrating.
Walt Disney World, meanwhile, looks more and more like a construction site with a castle in the middle of it. Another slice of Frontierland closed today as Piston Peak, the new Cars-themed land, eats further into the old boardwalk. The good news from the same corner: water is finally flowing back into the Cinderella Castle moat, which means that long repaint is nearly behind us. Animal Kingdom keeps marching toward Tropical Americas, and a fresh state filing all but confirms the coming Lakeshore Lodge will be a Disney Vacation Club resort, and only that.
Not everyone had a magical morning. Runners who set alarms to grab a 2027 Princess Half Marathon Weekend bib got error screens instead, and after hours of delays runDisney admitted registration simply would not happen this week. If you were one of them, you have earned the right to be annoyed.
On the screen side, Toy Story 5 is suddenly everywhere. Taylor Swift confirmed an original song for the film, "I Knew It, I Knew You," and the tie-ins are already rolling out at Yogurtland and, of all places, PetSmart. Prime members can catch "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" a few days early before its July release, Star Wars has quietly found its new Anakin and Ahsoka, and Marvel is reportedly hitting the reset button later this year with "Avengers: Doomsday."
A few more worth a minute of your night. World of Color ONE is back at California Adventure after more than a year in the vault. Bluey's Wild World finally dropped its virtual queue at Animal Kingdom, and the crowds turned out calmer than anyone guessed. "Disney Celebrates America" is shaping into a genuinely huge Fourth of July for the country's 250th, complete with a patriotic Spaceship Earth and a 24-hour broadcast. And The Polite Pig at Disney Springs landed in the Michelin Guide, so your barbecue order is officially fancy now.
That is where things stand tonight. See you at rope drop.