Disneyland This Week—New Attraction Debuting, NEW Haunted Mansion Merch, Construction Progress, 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 more new anniversary additions coming, Haunted Mansion merch, the reopening date of a classic ride revealed, 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 7, 2025.

One Big Thing in Disneyland News – NEW Additions Debuting for Disneyland's Anniversary Next Week

Disneyland's 70th anniversary celebration is currently in full swing with lots of special entertainment and offerings at the resort, but there are a couple more new additions debuting next week for Disneyland's actual anniversary date on July 17. A new show at the Main Street Opera House featuring the first-ever Walt Disney animatronic and a new addition to “it's a small world” are both debuting on this day! We're really excited about both of these new additions, which feel like the perfect way to honor the park and the major figures who were instrumental in shaping its legacy.

In general, for the park's anniversary date each year, we typically see some festivities like a cavalcade and playing of Walt's dedication speech. 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.

The new show at the Main Street Opera House, called “Walt Disney – A Magical Life,” will tell the story of Walt Disney's life through remastered footage and audio recordings, culminating in stories and heartfelt words of wisdom from the Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt Disney in his office. This debut of Walt Disney himself as the “most-lifelike Audio-Animatronic ever” has been a long time coming, as Imagineering chose to wait until the technology was advanced enough to do it justice. You can read more about why they chose this timing, our take on an early version of the figure, and more from our trip to Imagineering where we learned about the new figure and show. After the show's initial run, it will alternate Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln show.

We anticipate that, due to the demand for the show in its initial days, it will likely utilize a virtual queue. We haven't heard anything about how they are going to control crowds on this day, but there is really no good place for people to line up to see this show so the virtual queue seems like it would make the most sense.

There will also be a new gallery experience called “Evolution of a Dream” opening at the Main Street Opera House along with the show. This gallery will feature images, art, and artifacts that show Disneyland before, during, and after Walt’s dream became a reality. In the lobby, there will be a special exhibit highlighting the history of Audio-Animatronics technology, which is fitting in the context of the debut of this advanced Walt Disney figure. Disneyland is collaborating with The Walt Disney Family Museum for these lobby experiences, and there will be over 30 artifacts on loan, including some original items from Walt Disney's private Disneyland apartment that have never been publicly exhibited at Disneyland Park before.

On July 17, there will also be a new third verse added to “it's a small world” honoring Disney Legend Richard Sherman. This third song verse, Richard Sherman's final Disney contribution, will debut in the finale scene of the ride. We initially only had confirmation that this would be the case at Disneyland, but today it was revealed that the change will be coming to Disney World as well. You can see the new verse in our coverage of this change here. Inside the Main Street Cinema, you'll be able to watch the short film “The Last Verse,” which celebrates the Sherman Brothers' iconic song and unveils this final verse.

Important Disneyland Dates This Week

• The Haunted Mansion Collection for Halloween launches on the online Disney Store today 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.
• 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.
• This week, it will be pretty hot at Disneyland! Make sure you don't forget sun protection like hats, sunglasses, sunscreen, etc. Also, a reminder that ice water is free at all quick-service dining locations! During the warmer summer months, it's extra worth it to arrive early in the morning for rope drop so you can enjoy lower crowds and temperatures. See our Disneyland rope drop strategy and Disney California Adventure rope drop strategy. Make sure to schedule table-service dining in the afternoons as a way to escape the heat, or you can grab a Lightning Lane reservation for water rides like Tiana's Bayou Adventure or Grizzly River Run. See our guide to summer at Disneyland for more tips to stay cool!
• 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.

Key Disneyland News You Missed

• Construction in Downtown Disney is making progress! See photos of the construction for Earl of Sandwich as well as the new steakhouse and barbecue eatery, along with a photo tour of other happenings at the parks, in our separate article here.
• Single Rider has returned to Indiana Jones Adventure! You can see details about the process of using Single Rider at this popular ride and how it works here.
• Disneyland has revealed the reopening date for Matterhorn Bobsleds after a months-long closure. You can see the reopening date in our separate article here.
• Disneyland has interestingly removed a repurposed seating area in New Orleans Square only two months after its debut. You can see details and our discussion of the potential reasons why they may have done this in our separate article.
• The closing date of the Haunted Mansion to transform into Haunted Mansion Holiday ahead of the Halloween celebration was announced. You can see details on that closing date in our separate article here.
• Pixie Hollow, the meet-and-greet area with Tinker Bell and other fairy friends, reopened at Disneyland after a multi-month-long closure. You can see details about that reopening in our separate article here.
• Pirates of the Caribbean is no longer offered as a Lightning Lane Multi Pass ride. It was added last year as a “temporary” offering due to the construction happening in New Orleans Square and ended up sticking around for way longer than we thought it would! You can see our separate article on this and why we expect it will be a good change here.
• Three exclusive Star Wars Coca-Cola designs are available at Disneyland. These designs, available only at Disneyland and Disney World, highlight The Mandalorian and Grogu, First Order Stormtrooper (featuring Rise of the Resistance), and Chewbacca. You can see photos and more details in our separate article here!
• The marquee featuring “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” at the Main Street Opera House is now installed! See all of the details about this new attraction featuring the first-ever Walt Disney animatronic here. Note the marquee also still features Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln because that show will return and play in alternation with the Walt show after the initial run of the new show.

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Magic Key Benefits Continue in July

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

• 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 very excited that Single Rider has returned to Indiana Jones Adventure. She will be taking advantage of that option a lot!
• Gavin is excited for the actual 70th Anniversary date and the new Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic show.
• Lindsay is ready for the Halloween season to begin and was up late to grab her Haunted Mansion merchandise on the Disney Store online. Remember, the store typically stocks at either 12AM PT or 8AM PT for new items!

Where In Disneyland Is This?

Can you tell where this hidden Mickey 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.

The recently reopened Pixie Hollow!

Disneyland Crowd Calendar This Week

This week, we expect mostly normal crowd levels. Over the past week, we've seen that crowds have been pretty tame at the parks.

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 Pixar Pal-A-Round closes for refurbishment starting on Monday, July 14.

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

• 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

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 video from Cami (@cami.inallplaces on Instagram) highlighting this fun “Conductors of the Day” surprise at Disney California Adventure!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Cami | In All Places Travel (@cami.inallplaces)

Next up, we have this fun video from Sarah Sterling (@sarahsterling on Instagram) showing how impressively fast she can name the Disney movie without looking at the screen!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Sarah Sterling (@sarahsterling)

We wanted to include this great video from @magicwiththomas on Instagram highlighting the Donald’s Tales Of Adventure Dinner Buffet! We love these fun moments Thomas had with all of the characters.

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Magic With Thomas (@magicwiththomas)

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 5, 2025. 
• Today is the 180-day window for making Disneyland theme park reservations for January 3, 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 5, 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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