By Robert Niles: Europa-Park has dropped the first official on-ride POV video for its new Voltron Nevera roller coaster. The first Stryker Coaster from Mack Rides throws just a ridiculous number of elements at riders, starting with a special effects show scene before the initial launch onto the 4,544-foot course. Anchoring the park's Croatia land and themed to Croatian inventor Nikola Tesla, Voltron's theme is that you are being transformed into electrical energy. The coaster features a recreation of Tesla's Wardenclyffe Tower, which the inventor built to test his plans for wireless transmissi ..read more

By Robert Niles: Walt Disney World is shortening the Food & Wine festival at EPCOT, with this year's event starting in late August. Disney today announced the dates for the 2024 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival, which will start this year on August 29 and continue daily through November 23. That's a big change from 2023, when the festival started in the middle of summer, running from July 27 through November 18, 2023. The EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival features dozens of national-themed food and beverage marketplaces throughout World Showcase, as well as additiona ..read more

By Robert Niles: A government filing in Shanghai has revealed Disney's plans for its first-ever Spider-Man-themed roller coaster. The new coaster will be the previously announced new attraction to be built next to Shanghai's Zootopia land, which opened last December. [See Disney's 'Crazy Animal City' comes alive in Shanghai's Zootopia for our coverage from that.] The permit was filed on the Pudong district government website and can be seen here. Disney's Spider-Man coaster plans The plans reveal a mostly outdoor track, with buildings containing the load/unload area as well as one forward and ..read more

By Robert Niles: Fifteen people were injured in a tram crash at Universal Studios Hollywood Saturday night. The Los Angeles County Fire Department responded to the collision just after 9pm Pacific Time. The address reported by the fire department put the incident around James Stewart Ave. and Kirk Douglas Dr. That's just a few hundred feet beyond the LA County Fire Department Station on site at Universal. The fire department reported that 15 patients were transported to local hospitals with minor injuries. It is unclear at this time what caused the collision. A Universal spokesperson released ..read more

By Robert Niles: Proposed, for your consideration: Walt Disney World and Disneyland should implement a minimum age rule to sit in the pilots' seats on their Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run attractions. That's the resolution for this week's "hot take debate," a new feature I am trying out here on Theme Park Insider. You are welcome to submit in the comments your arguments for or against the resolution. I will kick off the debate with some of my thoughts. Disney fulfilled the wishes of more than a generation of Star Wars fans when it created Smugglers Run. The ride provides lucky guests the oppo ..read more

By Robert Niles: Disneyland will convert its Autopia cars to electric power within the next 30 months, the resort has confirmed. Replacing the lawnmowers with golf carts just begins to address the changes that Disneyland ought to be making to this expansive Tomorrowland attraction, however. By 2035, all vehicles sold in California must have zero emissions, under state regulations. I have no idea if that rule would apply to Disneyland's purchase of new Autopia cars, but the upcoming change illustrates that the window of "tomorrow" in California that includes gasoline-powered automobiles is clos ..read more

By Robert Niles: A Walt Disney World restaurant has been awarded a Michelin star, a coveted award for excellence in the restaurant industry. Victoria & Albert's at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort won the honor, making it one of fewer than 200 restaurants in the United States with a Michelin star. "Chef Matthew Sowers cooks with contemporary verve and draws on influences spanning from Asia to the Nordics," the Michelin review said. Think delicate tarts set with New Zealand langoustine, striking 'sandwiches' made with venison carpaccio and red cabbage, and bold sauces like cherry-cola bordel ..read more

By Robert Niles: A new Hollywood movie is coming to Universal Studios Hollywood, and it is joining up with one of the park's classic attractions. Universal announced this morning that it will feature the upcoming 87North film "The Fall Guy" in a new pre-show in front of the WaterWorld stunt show at the park. "The Fall Guy Stuntacular Pre-Show" will open April 27 and run through May 19. "The Fall Guy," starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt and directed by David Leitch, opens in theaters May 3. "We make movies to give audiences an experience, and what better way to amplify 87North's brand of act ..read more

A ..read more

A ..read more