Credit: Inside the MagicDisney news moves faster than the speed of time, especially when you stack it against the millions of people it touches across the globe every day. These top 11 stories of 2023 (so far) are the must-see icons that made headlines and changed lives.
11 Must-See Disney News Items of 2023 Categories
With a hand in almost every cookie jar, Disney stories range from big and small screens to theme park injuries to kidnapping lawsuits. Accordingly, there are a few different sections for the ITM stories of the road so far (hint, there is no Supernatural).
- Disney Theme Park Injuries
- Theme Park Disappointments
- Disney Movie and Television Hits (and Misses)
- Florida Politics and Hollywood Personalities
So, drumroll please, here are the top Disney sagas from our journey into 2023.
Disney Theme Park Injuries and Oddities
Disney World Resort injuries aren’t uncommon. In fact, it’s hard to navigate your way through top Disney news without a word of a slip-up in Animal Kingdom or Universal Orlando. The Magic Kingdom, and every Walt Disney World Resort, has safeguards, but they can’t protect against everything.
And sometimes, a Disneyland Resort incident is more than a stubbed toe. The Walt Disney Company sees some top Disney news outliers. Here are the best three from 2023:
1. Tragic News Story Start: Theme Park Vacation Turned Literal Celebrity Crush
One of the top stories took place in a Turkish theme park, where “Katie Price, who is known for her work as a glamour model, fell a terrifying 25 feet back in 2020 while she was drunk with her boyfriend Carl Woods and kids Junior, 16, and Princess, 14.
The model was visiting the Turkish theme park Land of Legends when the incident happened.” If you’re having a day, just think back to the time when a celebrity fell 25 feet and smashed both ankles while on a family vacation.
2. Debatable Disney News Story: Walt Disney World Dress-Coding (Adult) Guests
Remember that time the Walt Disney Company had to have a real conversation about sex in the form of teaching Disney Adults proper clothing choices? That’s right, there was a real conversation at a Disneyland Resort surrounding how much skin is too much.
There are laws according to the location; Disney regulations are different in Tokyo and Shanghai than in Florida or California. Yet this top Disney news story showed that Walt Disney Imagineering is best left to Disney and not the outfits of Instagram.
During the final 2 weeks of Splash Mountain’s operation, a mysterious head mold could be seen sitting behind the lighting for Brer Fox’s lair. It was confirmed by a friend of mine that it had been there since May 2022 #SplashMountain #Disneyland #WaltDisneyWorld pic.twitter.com/e9FWx2H05K
— Splash Mountain Archives (@splasharchive) June 13, 2023
3. Odd Disney News Story: Finding a Head on Splash Mountain Impacted Walt Disney World Resort Fans
It’s hard to forget the incident where a literal head was found on Splash Mountain. Even more interesting? That wasn’t the cause for the Splash Mountain closure. Of course, the head was not a decapitated person.
It was an ‘Easter egg’ stunt, where Walt Disney drops props across the Disneyland Resort to see if people can spot them. That said, seeing an unexpected head, even if it is a doll’s, is enough to throw off a Disney vacation yet make top Disney news.
Theme Park Disappointments
When travelers head down to a theme park, there are a few expectations. A major one? Guests get appropriate value for their spending. Whether it’s a Disney vacation or a trip to Universal Studios, the idea is that the quality should live up to the cost.
That means that if the Cosmic Rewind goes down, there’s a complete flop of a theme park, or an entire Walt Disney World location closes, it leaves only theme park disappointment. Remember these gems?
4. Harry Potter Theme Park Disappoints Fans With High Cost, Low Value
There is plenty of hype around Daniel Radcliffe and JK Rowling, but the theme park was an epic unto itself. Yet, when Harry Potter let down the unit with a flop of a theme park, guests were shocked by the exorbitant prices.
Disney vacations already take a lot of planning and savings, and when places like the Harry Potter theme park or Disneyland Resort don’t live up to the hype, it is newsworthy (and sad for travelers).
5. Disney News Stories of Defeat: Walt Disney World Resort Becoming a “Ghost Town”
Closures are a regular occurrence at Disney Parks, whether in Central Florida, California, Europe, or Asia, there are plenty of unexpected Disney World closures. One incident, in particular, stood out, where the “most magical place on earth” literally denied all guests access.
Much to the displeasure of the Disney Vacation Club, the Walt Disney Company is seeing low attendance due to high prices amidst its various theme park closures.
6. Indefinite Closures in Central Florida, Making a Magical Disney Vacation Tricky
The moment we learned that an entire Disney World Land is to remain closed indefinitely. No one, let alone a Disneyland Resort enthusiast wants to hear that a theme park area is about to close indefinitely. First came Splash Mountain, then Magic Kingdom.
Then there were endless tales of oddities in Central Florida, Disney Springs, and Universal Orlando. And that’s what makes it a top Disney news story for 2023: remembering that Walt Disney World and Universal Studios do see closures and that planning a Disney vacation is essential.
Disney News Stories: Movie and Television Phenomena
Top Disney news surrounding movies and television during 2023 is a proverbial minefield of opinions and changing themes. Hollywood Studios saw a strike. Writers are also speaking out. Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe took up much attention.
So did a few other Lucasfilm and Warner Bros. pieces. CEO Bob Iger made cuts to the Disney movie and TV streaming service. Yet there are a few tales that stand out as epics, worthy of a 2023 top Disney news roundup:
7. Jeopardy Majorly Missed the Mark
Do you recall when Mayim Bialik (Ph.D., neuroscientist, and actor) found the first thing she couldn’t do: host Jeopardy? Known for Blossom and the TV show The Big Bang Theory, this impressive doctor came under fire. This time, it had nothing to do with vaccinations. It was the shouting from the peanut gallery with a rallying cry of “Don’t let her back on the air!”
To be fair, few Jeopardy hosts have been able to live up to Alex Trebek; he is the late host that most viewers know and love. So, some big news for 2023 is definitely the buzz around finding a replacement (and if that’s even possible or just magical thinking).
8. Brie Larson and Robert Downey Jr.: Iron Man vs. Captain Marvel
When Brie Larson basically took the place of MCU icon Robert Downey Jr. Not literally, of course, but a top MCU Disney news item is the fan-favorite setup for The Marvels release in November, where it’s slated to see some exciting news
“Danvers team up with Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) as the three try to discover why they keep swapping places with each other every time they use their powers.” The goldmine of acting opportunity this promises easily makes this top Disney news.
Politics and Personalities
It’s impossible to tell the top Disney news stories of 2023 without giving a shoutout to the Elephants and Donkeys, Republicans and Democrats, and the impact they had on every Walt Disney Resort out there. Particularly significant in Central Florida, Universal Orlando, and Walt Disney World resorts got the brunt of a Ron DeSantis battle against time.
In the section of politics and personalities, Indiana Jones was a huge feature and there was plenty of Moana Dwayne Johnson drama. Plus, Johnny Depp was all over the Disney news. To sum up the main stories, it means focusing on the Walt Disney Company’s core stories.
9. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and CEO Bob Iger Wage a “Woke” War
It’s not 2023 without a mention of the Central Florida Tourism District, Reedy Creek, and the (seemingly) endless lawsuits that CEO Bob Iger found the Walt Disney Company knee-deep in.
There’s wage disparity and stockholder deceit class action lawsuits, WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, and a proverbial “woke war” that made top Disney news throughout 2023. It’s not a complete roundup without remembering that time when Gov. Ron DeSantis “woke” up and made a mess for Disney.
10. Johnny Depp Returns to Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean Saga (After a Rocky Start)
Not too long ago, there was the whole Amber Heard, Johnny Depp, domestic violence, defamation, and libel lawsuit. It led to Johnny Depp stepping away before acting in a more indie-hearted film, Jeanne Du Barry. Anyone who remembers Chocolat can look forward to this French-inspired film. But that topic wasn’t the top Disney news.
It was actually that time when Johnny Depp was found passed out in a Budapest hotel room (and the “Hollywood Vampire” crowds went wild). Things are looking up, though, as the actor promises a return as Captain Jack Sparrow in the new installment of the iconic Disney movie saga. Plus, the band’s tour continues, so this top Disney news ended happily. But wait, there’s more…
11. Moana and Little Mermaid Live-Actions Were Intriguing; Kidnapping Allegations Were News
Live-action Disney movies take over the theme of pretty much every Disney park in some way or another. Disney movies, especially those like the “woke” Snow White losing the plot or The Little Mermaid missing the mark, have widespread impacts on any Disney Resort. These decisions, spearheaded by CEO Bob Iger inform the future of many a Disney Park attraction.
But somehow, these weren’t the top Disney news. That award goes to Dwayne Johnson, a named party in a kidnapping lawsuit worth $3 billion. Now that’s something that leaves a mark, but clearly not a huge one, as The Rock is set to reprise his role as Maui in the live-action Moana. That’s assuming it doesn’t get tossed out the window like many other Disney icons.
Disney News Stories: Remembering the Past to Protect the Future
There are still five long months in 2023. That’s plenty of room to make some more top Disney stories. Whether it’s Hans Christian Anderson, the Haunted Mansion saga, or an epic Snow Queen, only time will tell. We’ve seen the Little Mermaid and explored the Magic Kingdom.
Walt Disney World Animal Kingdom saw births and deaths. Mickey Mouse is retiring. The world is going bananas over the Moana live-action remake. Time forges onward, and only time will tell if the next big thing is Bob Iger or a literal tiger, so stay tuned for top Disney news.
Channel your inner magic – share your predictions for the next best Disney stories of 2023 in the comments below!