The Electric Mayhem Takes Hollywood Studios and Everything Opens in May

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets Opens May 26

After months of construction walls and teaser campaigns, Disney Parks Blog has confirmed it: Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets officially opens May 26 at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The reimagined attraction puts guests backstage with Dr. Teeth, Animal, Floyd, Janice, Zoot, and Lips as they scramble to make it to "The Electric Mayhem: One Night Only," the most buzzworthy concert Hollywood has ever seen. There's just one problem. The band is nowhere to be found.

Your VIP tour kicks off inside G-Force Records, where the high-speed launch and inversions fans already love get a pulse-pounding new soundtrack. Disney Parks Blog revealed the set list will feature five tracks from The Electric Mayhem and some of their friends, adding musical variety to the multi-ride experience that Aerosmith's version never quite had. The announcement dropped alongside an Instagram post from the official Disney Parks account, confirming this is the real deal and not another rumor cycle.

This matters for a few reasons. Hollywood Studios has needed a refresh on this corridor for years, and the Muppets are one of Disney's most underutilized properties in the parks. Giving them a marquee thrill attraction, one that already has a proven ride system and a devoted fanbase, is a smart play. The Muppets have always worked best when the chaos feels real and the stakes feel absurd. A missing band, a sold-out concert, and a stretch limo launch through Hollywood? That is exactly the kind of premise Jim Henson would have loved.

May 26 puts the opening right at the start of summer travel season. If you are planning a Hollywood Studios day next month, expect this to be the hottest queue in the park for weeks.

The Parks

The Muppets coaster is the headliner, but it is far from the only thing happening at Walt Disney World in May. Inside the Magic reports that the resort is confirming multiple new attractions set to open next month across Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Hollywood Studios. According to that report, this includes long-awaited reopenings, brand-new ride overlays, and full rethemes, all arriving within a matter of weeks. The sheer volume of simultaneous openings is unusual for Disney, and it positions May as one of the most significant months the resort has had in recent memory.

For guests already planning 2027 trips, the booking window is now open. Disney Tourist Blog reports that 2027 Walt Disney World vacation packages, resort reservations, and park tickets are on sale, including details about on-site guest perks and add-ons available next year. And there is good news on the dining front: TouringPlans confirms that the Deluxe Table-Service Dining Plan returns for 2027. Disney had seemed to hint at this change, and the confirmation removes one of the bigger question marks for families who prefer the all-inclusive approach to park dining.

The perks keep stacking up for resort guests. BlogMickey reports that Walt Disney World has officially extended both the Early Entry and Extended Evening Hours benefits through the end of 2027. Early Entry gives all Walt Disney World Resort hotel guests 30 minutes of access before the parks open to day guests, every day of their stay including check-in and check-out days. Extended Evening Hours, available at select parks on select nights, offer additional time after regular park close. Both perks were introduced during the COVID era as replacements for Extra Magic Hours, and their extension through 2027 signals that Disney considers them a permanent part of the resort hotel value proposition.

Meanwhile, if you were wondering whether mid-April is a good time to visit, Lightning Brain's daily park report from April 15 tells a remarkable story. Animal Kingdom posted a 1/10 (Light) crowd level, roughly 70 percent below its 30-day average. Kilimanjaro Safaris had 10-minute waits against a typical 45. Expedition Everest sat at 15 minutes. Clear skies, 85 degrees, and what amounted to a private safari for anyone who showed up on a Wednesday. This is textbook midweek spring break behavior: families who arrived over the weekend have already hit their priority parks and are either poolside or packing up. Wednesday remains historically the softest day of any vacation week, and last week delivered.

Planning your Disney trip? Download Lightning Brain from the App Store or visit lightningbrain.app to optimize every minute of your park day.

On the sustainability front, Disney Experiences is spotlighting its costuming efforts for Earth Month. At Walt Disney World and across Disney parks globally, Disney Live Entertainment costuming teams are increasing the use of sustainable materials in costume design year over year. The company has also created costume upcycling and recycling programs and supports local organizations like theatre and school costume programs through donations. It is a quieter story, but the scale of Disney's costuming operation, from Cast Member attire to parade costumes to stage productions, means even incremental sustainability improvements have real impact.

Over at Disneyland Paris, WDW Prep School published a detailed trip report from Cameron and Holly, who traveled with their daughters from Minneapolis through London and on to France in late March. Their notes are useful for anyone planning a transatlantic Disney trip: they flagged heavy crowds around the Frozen areas, slow dining service, and the importance of arriving early for airport queues on the Dublin return. Disneyland Paris continues to draw big international crowds, and firsthand logistics like these are worth more than any planning guide.

The Screen

CinemaCon 2026 gave Disney the closing slot in Las Vegas, and the studio used every minute of it. The Walt Disney Company confirmed that Alan Bergman, Chairman of Disney Entertainment Studios, opened the presentation at The Dolby Colosseum at Caesar's Palace with a sizzle reel of upcoming titles before greeting more than 4,000 CinemaCon members. Stars and filmmakers represented titles spanning Disney Live Action, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios, and Searchlight Pictures.

Several of the biggest announcements came from outlets covering the panel in real time. The DisInsider reports that Disney showed off the live-action Moana at CinemaCon, with stars Dwayne Johnson and Catherine Laga'aia in attendance. Johnson returns to the role of the demigod Maui from the 2016 animated film. According to The DisInsider, Disney is looking to follow last year's billion-dollar live-action remake of Lilo and Stitch with another adaptation while momentum is high.

The DisInsider also reports that the final trailer and poster for The Mandalorian and Grogu debuted during the panel. The official plot synopsis sets the film after the fall of the Empire, with Imperial warlords scattered across the galaxy and the fledgling New Republic working to protect what remains. For fans who followed the Disney+ series across three seasons, this theatrical release represents the next major chapter.

On the animation side, The DisInsider reports that Disney Animation announced Hexed, an original Thanksgiving movie for 2026. Hailee Steinfeld voices Billie, described as an unconventional teenager, with Rashida Jones also in a leading role. An original animated feature timed to Thanksgiving is a notable scheduling choice. Disney has historically owned the holiday corridor with sequels and franchise entries, so a fully original property in that window signals confidence.

One more from the CinemaCon haul: The DisInsider reports that the first trailer for The Dog Stars debuted during Disney's panel. The 20th Century Studios film is based on Peter Heller's bestselling novel, directed by Ridley Scott, and features an ensemble cast including Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, Guy Pearce, Benedict Wong, and Allison Janney. A post-apocalyptic drama from Scott under the 20th Century banner is exactly the kind of adult-skewing title that Disney needs in its theatrical mix to balance the franchise slate.

Shifting from the big screen to the small one, D23 is marking World Simpsons Day on April 19, celebrating the anniversary of The Simpsons' 1987 debut as animated shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show. D23 notes that the show's current season 37 airs on FOX with streaming available on Hulu, while all previous seasons live on Disney+. D23 also reminds fans to stay tuned for The Simpsons Movie sequel, coming in 2027.

The Vault

The most interesting story this week might be the quietest one. Disney Experiences published a deep look at how Disney's costuming pipeline works, from first stitch to final wear, and the details reveal an operation most guests never think about. Every Disney experience shares one thing in common: costumes. The sheer number in rotation at any given time, across parks, parades, stage productions, and Cast Member wardrobes worldwide, is staggering. What makes this worth reading during Earth Month is the specificity. Disney Live Entertainment costuming teams are not just swapping in a few recycled fabrics. They are reevaluating costume production processes and increasing sustainable materials year over year, while simultaneously running upcycling programs, recycling programs, and donation pipelines to local theatres and schools.

Costuming is one of Imagineering's less glamorous cousins, but it touches every guest interaction in every park. The Cast Member you see at check-in, the performer in the afternoon parade, the character attendant in Fantasyland: every one of them is wearing something that was designed, sourced, manufactured, maintained, and eventually retired through a system that operates at industrial scale but needs to feel personal and magical at the point of contact. The fact that Disney is publicly documenting its sustainability work in this area suggests the company sees costuming as a long-term competitive advantage worth protecting and improving, not just a line item to optimize.

Sources

Disney Parks Blog · Inside the Magic · Disney Tourist Blog · TouringPlans · BlogMickey · Lightning Brain · Disney Experiences · WDW Prep School · The Walt Disney Company · The DisInsider · D23