Disneyland This Week—Walt Disney Audio-Animatronics Revealed, Halloween Character Dining Bookings Open, Special Anniversary Day Offerings, and More

Welcome back to Mickey Visit Disneyland This Week! Each week at Mickey Visit we unearth Disneyland news and tips you could easily miss completely. We have all of the essential dates for your visit. This week, we have news about the Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt Disney revealed, special offerings and a change to Early Entry for Disneyland's 70th anniversary this week, and more!

These news and date updates provide the most important information for your visit every single week whether you are a frequent visitor or visiting for the first time in years. We cut through the noise to hone in on what dates and news matter for this week. Click here to see our most recent Disneyland This Week update from last week for all the things you missed at Disneyland and our first Disneyland This Week update for all my thoughts on what we are hoping to achieve with these weekly updates.

My name is Gavin Doyle. Each week I and members of my team including Lindsay Brookshier, Emily Midgley, and Bridget Waldman from @CaliforniaDisneyBliss, will work together to bring you the most essential Disneyland information. This is your one-stop resource for everything happening at Disneyland the week of July 14, 2025.

One Big Thing in Disneyland News – First-Ever Walt Disney Audio-Animatronics Revealed

This week, “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” debuts with the first-ever Walt Disney Audio-Animatronics figure. We got an early look at this show ahead of its official opening on July 17. The new attraction starts out with an adapted version of the “One Man's Dream” film that currently plays at Disney's Hollywood Studios, then the Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt Disney is revealed in a final climactic scene. In that moment, Walt is in his office, and he shares some reflections and words of wisdom.

A new gallery experience called “Evolution of a Dream” will also debut on the same day at the Main Street Opera House, showing Disneyland before, during, and after Walt’s dream became a reality. This gallery exhibit features a collection of images, art, and artifacts highlighting the evolution of Disneyland and its various lands. There is also a special Audio-Animatronics section featuring the history of this technology. You can see the photos of this new gallery exhibit here.

See our photos and video of the figure here. Make sure you are on our Mickey Visit newsletter to get our full review when we share it.

Important Disneyland Dates This Week

• A new song verse debuts at “it's a small world” this week on July 17 honoring Disney Legend Richard Sherman. You can see details about this new addition in our separate article here.
• According to the Disneyland daily calendar, there will be some changes to designated parks for Early Entry this week. This is likely a move to manage crowds on the day of Disneyland Park's anniversary. See details about that shift in our separate article here.
• On July 15, bookings open for the two seasonal character dining experiences at Storytellers Cafe, including a new Halloween character dining dinner! You can see details about the new character dining dinner (and the cute character outfits) here, and the returning autumn-inspired breakfast/brunch here.
• Bookings are now open for Goofy's Kitchen Halloween! This popular character dining experience features special Halloween-inspired decor, music, foods, and character costumes. You can see details about Goofy's Kitchen Halloween and our review from a past year here.
• There are a few special releases on the online Disney Store this week! On July 17, a Disneyland Resort 70th Anniversary Talking Figure will be available on the online Disney Store. This debuts the same day as the “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” show. Also, on July 18 at 8 am PST, this iconic Main Street Mickey Wreath (that lights up!) will release as well.

• On July 16, D23 is hosting a celebration at Anaheim Packing District for Disneyland's 70th anniversary celebration. This D23 Night is being held on the same day as the annual World Taste at the Anaheim Packing House. See details on these offerings in our separate article here!
• Disneyland shared that when “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” opens on July 17, visitors will be able to join a virtual queue to experience it. A standby line will not initially be available while the virtual queue is offered. You can see details on how this will work in our separate article here. We do not anticipate that they'll utilize a virtual queue for long.
• You can expect some general anniversary festivities on July 17 this year, like a cavalcade and playing of Walt's dedication speech that they typically do. We hope that, because this is a bigger anniversary with a celebration surrounding it, we could see even more special offerings on July 17 this year.
• Oogie Boogie Bash tickets are currently on sale, and there are still party nights left! This popular after-hours Halloween party in Disney California Adventure features rare characters, trick-or-treating, the Frightfully fun Parade, the Villains Grove scenescape, and the opportunity to dress up in a costume. See all information on 2025 Oogie Boogie Bash dates and tickets here, including dates and prices for the parties. You can also see the dates that have already sold out for Oogie Boogie Bash here.

Key Disneyland News You Missed

• Disneyland just revealed some new additions for Walt and Lillian Disney's 100th wedding anniversary, including a window on Main Street U.S.A. honoring Lillian Disney and a tribute in The Golden Horseshoe. You can see photos and details in our separate article here!
• Vice President JD Vance visited Disneyland this past weekend, which impacted security at the resort. You can read more in our separate article here.
• Disney released a new episode of the “We Call It Imagineering” YouTube series highlighting how Imagineering brings entertainment to life at Disney Parks around the world. Check out the highlights of the new video here!
• A new concierge lounge has opened at the Disneyland Hotel that is inspired by the legacy of original and classic sounds at Disneyland Park. Check out photos of the new space in our separate article here!
• The Haunted Mansion Collection for Halloween launched on the online Disney Store with some new items. Check out some of these fun items, including some inspired by the iconic Haunted Mansion wallpaper and Cast Member costumes in our separate article! This collection is also “coming soon” to Disney Parks.
• The fan-favorite Cathy’s Cookies truck is back in Downtown Disney! It's open daily from 12-11 pm.
• Summer fun is back in Downtown Disney with the return of the Bubbles Experience presented by Disney Jr.! Now through August 10, anyone can enjoy this bubbly good time near the Downtown Disney Live stage, which features a DJ and more bubbles than you've ever seen. Showtimes: 1:00 PM, 2:00 PM, 3:00 PM, 4:00 PM, 5:00 PM, 6:30 PM, 7:30 PM, 8:30 PM, 9:30 PM, 10:20 PM.

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Magic Key Benefits Continue in July

Special perks for Magic Key Annual Passholders are available this month. See details below.

• Magic Key holders can access exclusive “day of” t-shirts for Disneyland's 70th anniversary. See those pictured above!
• Now through July 31, Magic Key holders can enjoy special offers at participating Downtown Disney locations. These offers include secret menu items, discounts, and special items with purchase at locations including Parkside Market, Salt & Straw, Splitsville Luxury Lanes, Beignets Expressed, Ballast Point Brewing Co., Lovepop, Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer, and Wetzel’s Pretzels. You can see details on these offers in the Magic Key portal in the Disneyland app.
• Magic Key holders can find a 70th Celebration Postcard collection with a special Magic Key design from Disney Vacation Club, available at any Disney Vacation Club Discovery Desk. These are available while supplies last.
• During the 70th anniversary celebration, there is special Magic Key 70th-themed merchandise available! New Magic Key items will be released periodically. Right now, offerings include a 70th Magic Key T-shirt, 70th Magic Key Pin, and 70th Magic Key Lug Bag.
• Magic Key holders can enjoy special food offerings, including the Box O' Sliders at Galactic Grill and the new Neapolitan Sampler at The Golden Horseshoe, available for purchase on the Disneyland app. The Neapolitan Sampler offering features three sample-size ice cream floats, one of each of the following: Coca-Cola Cherry Float, Sprite Float, and Barq’s Root Beer Float.
• For the Pixar Putt mini golf course, Magic Key holders get a special discounted rate of $25 per Magic Key Holder.

Disneyland Operational Updates

• Disneyland has longer hours of operation this week, with Disneyland Park open until 12 AM every day and Disney California Adventure open until 10 PM.
• The Disneyland 70th anniversary show, World of Color: Happiness!, runs twice every night at Disney California Adventure. Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration runs twice daily.
• At Disneyland Park, Wondrous Journeys shows with fireworks every night of the week, along with Fantasmic!. Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga will have one showtime a night. Paint the Night runs twice a night, and The Celebrate Happy Calvacade runs twice during the day.

What We're Thinking About This Week

• Emily is excited about the debut of the new verse in the finale of “it's a small world” this week! This is such a wonderful addition to the attraction.
• Gavin enjoyed finally seeing the new Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic. It's touching that this is the first thing that you see walking into the park on the right-hand side and the Walt Disney Apartment is the first thing you see on the left-hand side.
• Lindsay has been thinking about how Disneyland is settling itself as the anchor park in Disney theme park history. The debut of the Walt Disney animatronic this week comes just a week after we saw Rivers of America close permanently in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. It's comforting to know Disneyland is preserving the old stories while Walt Disney World can be free to can create new ones.

Where In Disneyland Is This?

Do you know where this is? Share your guess in the comments below!

Answer to last week's “Where In Disneyland Is This?” Click here to see that image so you can guess first.

Hidden Mickey next to Pooh’s Corner in Bayou Country!

Disneyland Crowd Calendar This Week

This week, you can expect to see normal crowds and some days of above normal crowds heading into the weekend. On July 17, Disneyland's anniversary date, you can expect to feel some presence of crowds in Disneyland Park, but it's likely that everyone will be there for the celebration rather than the rides, just like on the first day of the 70th anniversary celebration.

Most local schools are out for summer break now. While crowds can be noticeable during the summer, this time of year is not quite as busy as some of the peak times of the year at Disneyland, like Halloween in October and the holidays. During the summer months, it's especially important to make good use of Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Disneyland to skip the lines for attractions! See our Disneyland Lightning Lane Multi Pass tips for making the most of the service.

You can see our rating of all upcoming dates in our Mickey Visit Disneyland Crowd Calendar.

New Disneyland Ride Closures This Week

This week, the following rides close for refurbishment:

• Main Street Cinema closes for refurbishment this week on July 15, and it reopens on July 17.
• Redwood Creek Challenge Trail closes for refurbishment on July 21.

Here are some of the other current ride closures that are continuing into this week:

• Pixar Pal-A-Round is closed for refurbishment
• Star Tours – The Adventures Continue is closed for refurbishment
• Matterhorn Bobsleds is closed for refurbishment (reopening date announced!)
• The Disney Gallery is closed for refurbishment (reopening this week)

You can see reopening dates for some of the above attractions and other upcoming closures in our Disneyland ride refurbishment guide.

Other Disney Content We're Watching

Each week, we'll share some of our favorite information and fun content from across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube in an effort to spotlight some of the great creators who work so hard to share details from Disneyland.

First up, we have this fun video from @thelaparkhoppers on Instagram highlighting this secret menu drink at Lamplight Lounge. This looks so good!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by The L.A. Park Hoppers✨Disney | Theme Parks (@thelaparkhoppers)

The next post we want to highlight is from @foodatdisneyland on Instagram, showing a new plastic collectible cup coming to Dole Whip-serving locations on Disneyland's anniversary date.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Foodatdisneyland (@foodatdisneyland)

We also wanted to include this video from Lindsay (@chasingmagicdaily on Instagram) highlighting this tip to make waiting in line for Peter Pan's Flight fun!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Lindsay – Disney Creator & Disney Mom (@chasingmagicdaily)

Heads up! Reservations Open for Disneyland Dining / Park Reservations

For any trips before the below dates, you should be considering booking park reservations and dining reservations.

• Today is the 60-day window for Disneyland dining reservations for September 12, 2025. 
• Today is the 180-day window for making Disneyland theme park reservations for January 10, 2026. This applies to most non-Annual Pass tickets.
• For Magic Key Annual Pass Holders, the 90-day window from today to make theme park reservations is October 12, 2025.

See our top tips for getting Disneyland dining reservations and the best Disneyland restaurants we would recommend.

Disneyland Lightning Lane Cost This Week

• Today, the Lightning Lane Multi Pass service costs $36 if you purchase it when you arrive.
• For the two Lightning Lane Single Pass rides, the cost is $28 for Rise of the Resistance and $22 for Radiator Springs Racers.

You can see our guide to Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Disneyland for our expert tips on making the most of the service.

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