Every week is a busy week when it comes to Disney news. To help you keep up with all the updates coming out of Walt Disney World and other Disney resorts, here’s WDWNT’s weekly recap of the Disney news from February 17-23!

Walt Disney World

• A new Disney Dining Plan Plus option will be available for Walt Disney World Resort packages, starting from February 27
• This weekend, “someone ate the page” as the Walt Disney World resort reservation system went down, with online and phone reservations unavailable across the resort
• Engineering and design work is now underway for the Virgin Trains USA Walt Disney World terminal
• Colorful new popcorn containers have made their debut across the resort, inspired by Mary Blair
• It has been announced that a meet and greet featuring characters from “The Mandalorian” will be coming soon to Disney Parks
• Dates have been announced for the “Celebrating Twenty Years of Disney Pins” 2020 pin trading event at the resort
• The prices have increased for the Minnie Van services to the airport and Port Canaveral, and hours have been extended

Magic Kingdom

• Check out this week’s photo report for the Magic Kingdom, featuring sold-out “The Little Mermaid” designer ears, crowds, new popcorn containers, and more
• In some very exciting news, it was announced this week that Cinderella Castle will be receiving a permanent golden makeover, which will be completed in the park this summer. In anticipation of the makeover, the moat surrounding the castle has started to be drained, and the park Vice President Jason Kirk answered some frequently-asked questions about the project
• A new walk-up table area has been added to Liberty Square Market, following their recent remodel
• During its ongoing annual refurbishment, we spotted water returning to the base of Splash Mountain, signalling it will be reopening again soon
• It was reported that a guest has filed a lawsuit, claiming she was injured on Space Mountain
• The Diamond Horseshoe will be open during the Disney Villains After Hours events as a lounge area

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

• Check out this week’s photo report for Animal Kingdom, featuring entrance construction work, new pins, the refurbishment efforts in Pandora, tigers, and more
• Work is being done to repaint pathways in Pandora, and the area has been blocked off by green barrier walls
• Themed shade structures have been installed at Harambe Market, ready for the arrival of that bright summer weather
• Construction is still also pushing on for the new security screening structure at the park entrance
• The Guest Experience Teams at the park have had an adjustment in hours from this week
• We reviewed the delicious new Orange-Honey Bee Cupcake from Restaurantosaurus
• Registration is now open for the Earth Day 2020 “Tiffins Talks” with Joe Rohde

EPCOT

• Check out this week’s photo report for EPCOT, featuring chalk messages from the Disney Princess Half Marathon, festival preparations, and more
• Walt Disney World have officially confirmed that the name Epcot has been changed to EPCOT, as part of the park’s transformation
• The “Garden Rocks!” concert series lineup and full menus have been revealed for the outdoor kitchens at the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival 2020, so make sure you check out all the floral festivities and tasty treats on offer! Not only that, but we got a peek at new Donald Duck and Orange Bird passholder magnets and all the bright and colorful new merchandise which will be on offer throughout the event, including an Orange Bird Spirit Jersey and more!
• At long last, the much-awaited Regal Eagle Smokehouse opened in The American Adventure pavilion. We reviewed every refreshingly patriotic specialty beverage from the walk-up bar, and had an all-American feast when we tried every item on the menu too. Take a closer look at the Sam Eagle archway design outside, and all the opening-day Muppets merchandise
• Walt Disney World have reversed their decision on EPCOT attraction hours cuts, meaning that attractions such as American Adventure, Awesome Planet and Impressions de France will remain as normal
• The menu has been revealed for the upcoming Taste Track Burgers & Fries kiosk 
• It was announced that Guardians of the Galaxy – Awesome Mix Live! will be returning to the park this summer
• The Disney Channel Fan Fest event will come to EPCOT for the first time this year, and will take place during the Flower & Garden Festival
• In construction and development across EPCOT, new directional signage has been installed now that a temporary second park exit has opened, additional roofing, painting and themed shutters have appeared at Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, the Pin Central canopy panels have been removed as demolition work continues, the butterfly house is under construction for the Flower & Garden festival, Agent P’s Recruitment Center has been dismantled ahead of the new DuckTales experience, and a wrought iron entrance archway has been installed at the France pavilion expansion

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

• Check out this week’s photo report for Hollywood Studios, featuring large crowds, “Onward” merchandise, Stormtrooper recruitment, and more
• The “Star Wars: A Galaxy Far, Far Away” stage show took it’s final bow this week, and we went to watch the final performance, whilst this week also saw the final day for Mike Wazowski, Frozone and Bo Peep meet and greets in the park
• Cast member previews have now begun for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway now that construction walls have been removed from the area, and a “Potatloand” poster has been revealed for the countdown series. Similarly to other popular and high-demand attractions, it was announced this week that a queue re-entry restroom pass option will be available for the ride
• It was reported that there is an in-ride hack for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, which unlocks a special “Chewie Mode”
• The “Disney Movie Magic” nighttime projection show will be returning to the Chinese Theater in March

Disney Springs

• Check out this week’s photo report for Disney Springs, featuring “MADE by You” shirts, Ink & Paint projections, “Onward” promotions, and more
• A new “MADE by You” t-shirt customization kiosk has debuted at the Marketplace Co-OP
• In wake of the recent shooting at Orlando Premium Outlets, the  Under Armour store has been closed in Disney Springs
• A lululemon store will be coming to Disney Springs in 2020

Walt Disney World Resort Hotels

Disney’s All-Star Resorts

• The newly-remodelled McDonald’s restaurant near to the All-Stars has started work to enclose the building

Disneyland Resort

Disneyland Park

• An exclusive Indiana Jones Adventure After Hours anniversary event has been announced for Annual Passholders in March
• In Tomorrowland, some 1967-inspired decor and landscaping has been added this week
• Disneyland has released a behind-the-scenes video look at the costume development for the “Magic Happens” parade, which will debut on February 28

Disney California Adventure

• The full marketplace menus have been revealed for the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival 2020, including details of the returning Sip and Savor Pass. We also got a peek at some of the merchandise which will be on offer through the event, including Chef Minnie ears, a Spirit Jersey, and more
• It was announced that a new “Onward” character meet & greet will be coming soon to Disney California Adventure and Hong Kong Disneyland
• A host of specialty offerings have been revealed for the “Disneyland After Dark: Pixar Nite”, whilst registration is now open for the August Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite
• Grizzly River Run has now reopened after its annual refurbishment closure period
• It was announced that exclusive after-hours access to Soarin’ Over California will be granted to Annual Passholders on select dates

Tokyo Disney Resort

Tokyo Disneyland

• Over in New Fantasyland, the Belle’s Village path has closed, whilst the Tomorrowland path has reopened
• Special “New Dreams, More Fun” food offerings have been revealed for the park, featuring Baymax. Plus, you have to check out this adorable Happy Ride with Baymax popcorn bucket, which will arrive in the park in April

Tokyo DisneySea

• Check out this week’s photo report for DisneySea, featuring a dry AquaSphere, planters everywhere, plum blossoms and more

Disneyland Paris

• In their newest television commercial, Disneyland Paris revealed their new slogan: “Where Magic Gets Real”
• Disneyland Paris also released two new videos featuring two of the artists behind Disney’s Hotel New York: The Art of Marvel
• Pirates of the Caribbean will close for its annual refurbishment on May 11th

Hong Kong Disneyland

• It was announced that a new “Onward” character meet & greet will be coming soon to Disney California Adventure and Hong Kong Disneyland

Shanghai Disneyland

• New aerial drone pictures have shown an empty Shanghai Disneyland, which is still closed due to the Coronavirus outbreak

New Merchandise

• Learn the alphabet with these “ABCDisney” mugs and trinket boxes
• Treat your furry friends with these character pet treats for cats and dogs
• Over in Tokyo Disney Resort, a new Duffy & Friends collection of “Spring in Bloom” merchandise will be coming to DisneySea
• Be “The Child” in this new Baby Yoda Spirit Jersey, which is also available in children’s sizes. Also in Baby Yoda merchandise news, we got a first look at the new plush coming soon to Build-A-Bear Workshops, and a new mini backpack by Loungefly, which will be available in June
• Celebrate the “Best Day Ever” in these light-up Mickey Balloon ear headbands

• Dive under the sea with this “The Little Mermaid” jewelry collection and these amazing Disney Parks Designer Collection Minnie Ears by Betsey Johnson
• The Ink & Paint merchandise line is still making its mark in the parks, and this week we spotted a new limited-edition MagicBand and  handbag collection by Dooney & Bourke and a dress by The Dress Shop
• Show off your galactic travels with these Starbucks “Been There” series “Star Wars” Planet mugs, which will be landing in the parks soon
• Pin trade in style with these Disney Pin Trading bags 
• Stay cosy with these new socks, featuring Sorcerer Mickey, Sleeping Beauty Castle, “Zootopia” and “The Emperor’s New Groove”
• Call for delivery in this “Toy Story” Pizza Planet hat
• Take a look at the full collection of 2020 Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend merchandise, including Minnie Ears, a Spirit Jersey and more!
• Bring a splash of color in this tie-dye Mickey Mouse apparel line
• Look forward to the release of “Onward”, with this new line of movie merchandise, including this new MagicBand
• In pin news, we loved these regal new Ariel, Belle and Rapunzel Disney Princess Tiara pins
• Treat your mini Disney fans with these adorable new Disney Princess kids’ tees, and this super fun “Insert Snacks Here” youth baseball cap
• Sing words and croon in this cute Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room hat

Entertainment and Media

• Read our review of “The Call of the Wild”, the live action movie we have been waiting for
• New posters have been released for “Mulan”, which will hit theaters next month. The movie has notably become Disney’s first live-action remake to receive a PG-13 rating
• A new featurette has been released for “Onward”, in the countdown to the movie’s release at the end of the month. It has also been revealed that the movie will feature Disney’s first out LGBTQ+ animated character
• It has been reported that director J.D. Dillard and writer Matt Owens have been tapped by Disney to work on a new “Star Wars” project
• “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” is coming to 4K UHD on March 31, and digital on March 17. Meanwhile, this “Star Wars: The Ultimate Pop-Up Galaxy” book is now on sale

Disney+

• A trailer has been released for the family cooking show “Be Our Chef”, which will debut on March 27
• We reviewed the fun “Forky Asks a Question”, and are pleased that more episodes are on the way

Other Disney News

• In a political endorsement video, Dick Van Dyke is seen posing next to the Bert animatronic, which was gifted to him from the closed The Great Movie Ride
• Online registration is now open for the exclusive Club runDisney membership program

WDW News Today

Make sure you catch up on the News Today episodes from this week!

The Mandalorian Meet and Greet, Epcot Changed to EPCOT, Space Mountain Incident – News Today 2/21/20

Regal Eagle Opens at Epcot, Runaway Railway Potty Pass, Minnie Van Price Increase -NewsToday 2/19/20