The Muppets Are Almost Ready to Rock Hollywood Studios

The Muppets Coaster Nears Its Grand Opening at Hollywood Studios

There is a particular kind of anticipation that builds when construction walls start coming down and fresh paint gleams in the Florida sun. At Disney's Hollywood Studios, that moment is here. Attractions Magazine reports that the new Muppets coaster is nearing completion, with updated exterior artwork, a colorful redesigned guitar element, and hidden references planted throughout for longtime fans of Kermit, Gonzo, and the whole felt-covered gang. The attraction opens later this month.

For a franchise that has occupied a curious middle ground at Walt Disney World for decades, beloved but never quite given top billing, this coaster represents a genuine elevation. The Muppets have had a home at Hollywood Studios since the early 1990s, but a headliner attraction is a different thing entirely. Imagineering views the Muppets as a living brand worth building around rather than legacy IP to be maintained. The hidden references Attractions Magazine spotted in the exterior suggest a team that cares deeply about rewarding the fans who have kept these characters alive in the cultural conversation long after their original creator passed away.

We will have more to share as the opening approaches, but for now, the photos tell a clear story: the Muppets are ready for their close-up.

The Parks

The biggest news beyond the Muppets coaster lands at Disney's Animal Kingdom, where Bluey's Wild World debuts on May 26. MickeyBlog has the first look at one of the themed treats arriving alongside the Heeler sisters: a Fairy Bread Cake at Pizzafari, described as a vanilla birthday cake dipped in white chocolate and rainbow sprinkles, served with raspberry dipping sauce. Disney Eats teased more Bluey-inspired food and drink to come. The event itself will feature butterfly keep uppy (with an Animal Kingdom animal twist, naturally), character photo opportunities with Bluey and Bingo, and additional immersive touches. For families with young children, this is a significant draw. Bluey has become one of the most watched animated shows on Disney+, and bringing the Heelers into a physical park space for the first time at Walt Disney World gives those families a reason to spend a full day at Animal Kingdom.

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Speaking of Animal Kingdom, the Disney Parks Blog published a deep dive into the park's food scene that reads like a mission statement. The blog highlights dishes across the park's quick-service and table-service locations, from the Pulled Pork Cheese Arepa at The Smiling Crocodile to the Ocean Moon Bowl at Satu'li Canteen. Tiffins Restaurant and Nomad Lounge are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year, according to the Disney Parks Blog, which frames the restaurants as embodying "the spirit of discovery that defines the park's holistic food story." The post also spotlights newer viral hits like the Cookie Dough Brownie Ice Cream Sandwich. For guests who think of Animal Kingdom as a half-day park, Disney is clearly making the case that the food alone is worth a full itinerary.

Over at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, BlogMickey reviewed the revamped menu at Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo in Disney's Hollywood Studios. Most of the entrees are new as of this month. BlogMickey reports three entirely new items and one modified item, with the new additions tied to the May the 4th celebrations but now part of the permanent menu with no listed end date. The Endorian Chicken Tip-Yip Salad ($14.99) features guava BBQ chicken with avocado-jalapeno dressing, though BlogMickey found the dressing underwhelming. The reviewer did, however, call one of the other new items their top quick-service dish at all of Walt Disney World, which is no small claim for a park system this large.

At Disney's Polynesian Resort, WDW News Today reports that the window conversion work on the Island Tower lobby is nearly complete. Crews have been converting a set of doors into windows to create a more uniform look along the ground-level facade, and the installation now appears largely finished. Workers were also spotted installing wiring for an ADA-compliant automatic door adjacent to the updated windows. The Island Tower opened in December 2024 as the newest Disney Vacation Club addition, with more than 260 rooms across 10 stories along Seven Seas Lagoon. Separately, a new bus depot at the Polynesian also appears to be nearing completion. These are small details individually, but they reflect the ongoing refinement of one of Walt Disney World's most prominent resort properties.

Out on the West Coast, Disney Tourist Blog reports that Disney has confirmed Autopia at Disneyland will be electrified, with work set to begin at some point in 2027. Autopia is an opening day attraction, one of the last direct links to Disneyland's 1955 debut, and the shift from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles has been a long-requested change. The fumes have been a running punchline among Disneyland regulars for years. Disney Tourist Blog notes that former Imagineer Bob Gurr weighed in on the overhaul, though the specific timeline for closure and reopening remains to be seen. For Disneyland fans, this is a story about preservation as much as modernization, keeping a piece of Walt's original vision alive while making it sustainable for the next generation of guests.

Across the Atlantic, Disney Experiences published a fascinating look inside the Cast Member training program for World of Frozen at Disneyland Paris. The land opened on March 29, 2026, at the heart of the newly named Disney Adventure World, and the preparation was extraordinary in scope. According to Disney Experiences, the recruitment effort began nearly 15 months before opening day, combining internal mobility, targeted recruitment, and a European casting tour. More than 1,000 Cast Members joined across the broader Disney Adventure World expansion. For World of Frozen specifically, thousands auditioned but just 350 were selected as "villagers of Arendelle." Each received what was called a "letter from the village," an invitation written in character from Fredrik, royal emissary of Queens Anna and Elsa. Cast Member Dorine Hermier described being chosen for the opening guest flow team as a "heart-stopping surprise." The training philosophy centered on making Cast Members feel like inhabitants of the world rather than operators of a themed area, a distinction that sounds subtle but makes a real difference in how guests experience a land on day one.

The Screen

The Walt Disney Company confirmed that the fifth and final season of FX's The Bear will premiere on June 25 at 9 p.m. ET on FX and Hulu, with all eight episodes available to stream at debut. Internationally, the season will be available on Disney+. The announcement came on the heels of a surprise episode called "Gary," a flashback co-written by and starring Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jon Bernthal, which followed Richie and Mikey on a work trip to Gary, Indiana. Fans can find it now by searching for "Gary" on Hulu and Disney+.

The final season picks up the morning after Sydney, Richie, and Natalie discover that Carmy has quit the food industry, leaving the restaurant to them. With no money, the threat of a sale, and a storm bearing down, the new partners must band together for one last service in pursuit of a Michelin star. The half-hour series also stars Lionel Boyce, Liza Colon-Zayas, and Matty Matheson, with Oliver Platt, Will Poulter, and Jamie Lee Curtis in recurring roles. The FX broadcast will air the first two episodes on premiere night, followed by weekly episodes. All previous seasons are streaming now on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally. For a show that has become one of the defining series of its era, eight final episodes is a tight window to land the ending. The surprise "Gary" drop suggests the creative team is thinking carefully about how to build toward that conclusion.

Meanwhile, Disney XD has a new series arriving that occupies a very different corner of the animation world. WDW News Today reports that Dragon Striker, an anime-inspired sports fantasy series, will premiere its full 11-episode run on Disney XD on June 9, with episodes streaming the following day on Disney+ and Hulu. The show follows Key, a farm boy who discovers he may be the mythic "Dragon Striker," and his journey to a prestigious academy. The voice cast includes Akshay Kumar, Rebecca LaChance, and Evanna Lynch. The score was composed by Kevin Penkin and recorded in Japan with an 80-piece orchestra. A collection of character-introduction shorts called Dragon Striker: Meet The Players will debut May 13 on the Disney Channel Animation YouTube channel and Disney+. The series is produced by La Chouette Compagnie, the French studio behind Droners.

On the film side, D23 published an extensive behind-the-scenes piece on The Devil Wears Prada 2, which arrived in theaters on May 1. The sequel reunites Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci with director David Frankel and screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna. According to D23, the creative team resisted a quick follow-up for years, waiting until the story earned a sequel. "It had to be something, a story that we found meaty and something we could really talk about, how the world has changed," Brosh McKenna said. The sequel follows Miranda facing a magazine industry in flux, Andy recruited back as features editor, and Emily now in a senior role at a luxury brand. The new ensemble includes Kenneth Branagh, Simone Ashley, Justin Theroux, and Lucy Liu, among others.

The Vault

One story this week deserves a mention, even framed with appropriate caution. According to a Deadline report surfaced by The DisInsider, Hocus Pocus 3 is in development with Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy returning as the Sanderson Sisters. The DisInsider notes that the project was confirmed in development as far back as 2023, but the casting news is the first concrete indication that the original trio will be involved. For a franchise that jumped from a modest 1993 theatrical run to genuine cultural phenomenon status through decades of Halloween rewatches and a 2022 sequel, the return of all three leads is the only version of a third film that would satisfy the fanbase. We will follow this one as more details emerge.

Finally, a small piece of retail history at Walt Disney World. Inside the Magic reports that Shore, the beach-inspired clothing retailer in the Town Center section of Disney Springs, has closed after roughly a decade. The store ran liquidation sales with discounts up to 80% before shutting its doors on May 1. Shore will continue operating its Longboat Key, Florida location and online storefront. According to permit information cited by Inside the Magic, Vuori is listed as the lessee connected to the former Shore space. Vuori is a fast-growing athletic and lifestyle apparel brand, and if confirmed, its arrival would continue a broader shift at Disney Springs toward nationally recognized lifestyle and fitness-oriented retail. The district has been steadily reshaping its tenant mix over the past several years, and every new lease tells you something about where Disney thinks its guests want to spend money.

Sources

Attractions Magazine · MickeyBlog · Disney Parks Blog · BlogMickey · WDW News Today · WDW News Today · Disney Tourist Blog · Disney Experiences · Walt Disney Company · D23 · The DisInsider · Inside the Magic