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Author Archives: Rick Lye

Rick is an avid Disney fan. He first went to Disney World in 1986 with his parents and has been hooked ever since. Rick is married to another Disney fan and is in the process of turning his two children into fans as well. When he is not creating new Disney adventures, he loves to watch the New York Yankees and hang out with his dog, Buster. In the fall, you will catch him cheering for his beloved NY Giants.

The End of the “Disney Hack”: Why the Mouse is Systematically Wiping Out Small Businesses in 2026

Mickey Mouse is waving and smiling while standing on a stage. He is wearing his signature outfit, which includes red shorts with white buttons, a black tuxedo jacket, a white shirt, and a yellow bow tie. Sparkling golden lights and a dark background create a festive atmosphere.

For decades, a trip to Walt Disney World or Disneyland wasn’t just a transaction with a corporation; it was an entry into a sprawling “shadow economy.” This ecosystem was populated by former Cast Members and local entrepreneurs who offered the personal touches Disney often overlookedโ€”from in-room princess makeovers to custom birthday cakes and private photography. To many, these vendors were ...

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Thereโ€™s a Great Big Bloody Tomorrow: Why Disney is Bringing Walt Back to Fix the โ€˜Bleedingโ€™ Carousel of Progress

Carousel of Progress exterior

For over 60 years, the Sherman Brothersโ€™ anthem, “Thereโ€™s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow,” has been a promise of optimism in Tomorrowland. But as we sit in March 2026, that promise is looking a little stained. While Walt Disneyโ€™s Carousel of Progress remains the spiritual heart of the Magic Kingdom, the attraction is currently making headlines for all the wrong ...

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The End of an Era: Disney Just Quietly Made a Permanent, Shocking Change to a Hollywood Studios Icon

Disney Hollywood Studios

If youโ€™ve visited Disneyโ€™s Hollywood Studios recently, youโ€™ve likely noticed the park is in a state of high-intensity “editing.” From the towering cranes of Sunset Boulevard to the blue construction scrims of Grand Avenue, the “Hollywood that always was” is rapidly becoming the “Hollywood that is being built right now.” Credit: mckenzie-sobieski, Unsplash While fans are used to long-term construction ...

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The Briar Patch Lives: How Splash Mountainโ€™s Retired Stars Secretly Built Pixarโ€™s โ€˜Hoppersโ€™

A colorful and detailed rock formation resembling a mountain, with rugged terrain, patches of greenery, and a distinct peak. The sky is overcast, adding contrast to the vibrant hues of the rocks. At its base, a wooden structure with a peaked roof hints at the Magic Kingdom's newest attraction launching next month.

By March 2026, the dust had largely settled on the construction of Tianaโ€™s Bayou Adventure, but for a significant portion of the Disney fandom, the wound left by the closure of Splash Mountain is still tender. When the logs stopped dropping in 2023 and 2024, fans didn’t just lose a ride; they felt like they lost a family of 100-plus ...

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Josh Dโ€™Amaroโ€™s First Strike: Why Disney Just Incinerated $50 Million to Kill โ€˜The Bacheloretteโ€™

A Disney presenter grins onstage, microphone in hand, with the iconic Disney logo glowing large behind him at a live event.

The honeymoon period for the new leadership at The Walt Disney Company ended not with a whimper, but with a “nuclear” headline from TMZ. Credit: Disney On Friday, March 20, 2026โ€”just days after Josh Dโ€™Amaro took the reins as CEO and Dana Walden ascended to President and Chief Creative Officerโ€”the duo made a decision that sent shockwaves through Hollywood. In ...

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Mickey vs. The Middle East: How $7 Gas is Redefining the 2026 Theme Park Summer

Driving toward the Magic Kingdom main entrance.

Summer 2026 was supposed to be the “year of the expansion,” with new lands and attractions drawing record crowds to Florida and California. Instead, the “Most Magical Place on Earth” is facing a very earthly problem: a global energy crisis. As the conflict with Iran escalates and the Strait of Hormuz remains a geopolitical flashpoint, the national average for gasoline ...

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The Most Violent Refund: Disney Guest Faces Felony Charges After Animal Kingdom Meltdown

Entrance to Disneyโ€™s Animal Kingdom Theme Park decorated for Christmas.

At Disneyโ€™s Animal Kingdom, the motto is “Jambo”โ€”a Swahili greeting of peace and welcome. But for one Guest Relations supervisor on the evening of Monday, March 16, 2026, the atmosphere was anything but peaceful. What began as a standard financial inquiry ended in a violent physical assault, over a thousand dollars in property damage, and a bizarre series of events ...

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Disneyโ€™s 99% Landslide: Shareholders Utterly Reject Bid to Fund Turning Point USA

Mickey Mouse is waving and smiling while standing on a stage. He is wearing his signature outfit, which includes red shorts with white buttons, a black tuxedo jacket, a white shirt, and a yellow bow tie. Sparkling golden lights and a dark background create a festive atmosphere.

The results are in, and for those hoping to force The Walt Disney Company to open its checkbook for conservative causes, the news is grim. In a definitive show of force at the 2026 annual shareholder meeting, Disney investors delivered a crushing blow to an “anti-woke” proposal that sought to overhaul the companyโ€™s charitable giving. Credit: Disney The final tally? ...

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The Iger Era Ends: Josh Dโ€™Amaro Takes the Throne as Disneyโ€™s $200 Billion Architect Steps Down

A grayscale photo of two smiling individuals standing in front of the Disney logo. One person is in a suit, and the other in a polka dot shirt with a jacket. The background is blurred, showing a hint of colorful artwork.

Today, March 19, 2026, marks a historic pivot for The Walt Disney Company. In a transition that has been whispered about in Burbank boardrooms for years, Josh Dโ€™Amaro has officially taken the reins as Chief Executive Officer. As Dโ€™Amaro moves into the office once occupied by legends, he doesn’t just inherit a media empire; he inherits the monumental, complicated, and ...

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