It’s been ages since we’ve done a Walt Disney World news roundup, but there are a few stories that caught my eye and I figured are worth sharing in consolidated form. This covers Disney’s inspiring commitment to conservation, palace intrigue about Bob Iger’s CEO succession planning, new stores at Disney Springs, menu additions at DHS, and surprise news about Figment going global and making his first appearance in the international parks.
Let’s start with Walt Disney World’s recent animal achievements. We don’t normally cover conservation topics, but it feels like fans could use a couple of feel-good stories after a rough week of price increases, Lightning Lane Premier Pass, and other cash grabs.
Walt Disney World recently shared that Animal Kingdom is proudly part of an important initiative to save the Guam kingfisher, a bird declared extinct in the wild back in 1988. As part of its Disney Planet Possible commitment to support a healthier planet for people and wildlife, and after years of collaboration and preparation, two Guam kingfishers have been released and are now being monitored in the wild on Palmyra Atoll — a remote island south of Hawaii — an important step for the future of this species.
With the invasive brown tree snake causing problems on Guam’s wildlife, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has launched an impressive conservation plan, and Disney is one of nine organizations leading the charge. The two Guam kingfishers, also known as sihek, that were released into the wild have been reared at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Palmyra Atoll is a key remote site for reintroducing these birds to a suitable habitat. This marks a significant step forward, as it’s the first time in nearly 40 years that the birds will be making a return to the wild.
One of Animal Kingdom’s veterinarians has been studying the Guam kingfisher for more than two decades, gathering critical information to help bring this bird back to the forests of Guam. This collaborative effort with USFWS, The Nature Conservancy, and other globally recognized organizations showcases Disney’s dedication to conservation beyond its theme parks. You can read and see more photos of the Guam kingfisher’s comeback on Disney Connect.
Shortly before this, Walt Disney World announced the birth of baby boy Bakso, the newest Sumatran tiger cub at Animal Kingdom! Bakso is only one month old and is already earning his stripes by showing his playfulness and curiosity, while mom Sohni spends much of her time showing him lots of love and affection.
Bakso represents a great contribution to a declining tiger population, with less than 600 Sumatran tigers left in the wild and managed care. Bakso also serves as a beacon of hope for the future of this critically endangered species and to all of those who care for these tigers.
These big cats are considered an “umbrella species.” In technical terms, conservation efforts to preserve these tigers will extend to other species within their habitat providing cover to other key organisms and living things across the ecosystem.
Using advanced technology, endocrinologists at Animal Kingdom were able to monitor the health of Sohni’s pregnancy up until the birth. From frequent blood tests to weekly ultrasounds, skilled veterinarians ensured that both Bakso and Sohni were happy and healthy. Best of all, Sohni’s keepers monitored her behavior and successfully trained her to voluntarily participate in her own care
Like all Sumatran tiger cubs, Bakso will need his mother’s care until he is around 18-24 months old. So the good news is that guests will be able to see baby grow alongside mom when they’re both ready to join Maharajah Jungle Trek in a few months.
Personally, I love stories like this. They’re a nice reminder of the good that Disney does, how there are incredibly talented and passionate Cast Members who try to make a difference, and that Animal Kingdom truly is more than a theme park. I can’t wait to see Baby Bakso, and I know another baby who loves cats (albeit of the household variety) who will love to make the acquaintance of this Sumatran tiger cub!
In almost the complete opposite end of the Disney news spectrum, the Wrap is reporting that, according to an individual with knowledge of current Disney CEO Bob Iger’s thinking, the race for his successor is narrowing on an executive from Disney’s creative ranks. This means the co-chairs of Disney Entertainment, Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, have the early lead. The report indicates that Walden is “clearly” in the leading position, and points out that she would be Disney’s first female CEO in the company’s 101-year history.
The report also indicates that former executives Tom Staggs and Kevin Mayer are not seen as succession candidates for the top job, even after the duo returned to Disney last year as consultants with Candle Media (thought to be an acquisition target for Disney). Iger has frequently stated that his successor would need to be someone steeped in Disney’s creative and storytelling foundation.
Just one week ago, we offered commentary about succession planning in Bob Iger’s Replacement as New Disney CEO Will Be Announced in 2026, so I’m not going to rehash that all here. As much as this topic and the surrounding palace intrigue fascinates me, I’ve gotten the impression that 95% of readers do not care.
Suffice to say, I don’t know enough about Walden or Bergman to have an opinion on them, but I can’t say I’m especially surprised that the successor would come from the studio side. I’d just really prefer someone from Parks & Resorts. What I really hate is when industry and trade journals act like Bob Chapek was a ‘parks guy’ and tapping another to be CEO would be repeating that same mistake. Chapek was a consumer products guy! He became head of Parks & Resorts, sure, but that was never his thing until the stint there before becoming CEO.
Switching gears, Hawaiian islands-inspired footwear brand, OluKai, is set to open a new shop at Walt Disney World, taking over the former Sanuk location in Disney Springs. (Oh yeah, in other news, Sanuk closed permanently a couple months ago after a decade.)
The storefront is located in The Landing section of Disney Springs. This will be OluKai’s first store in Florida, and only their third outside of Hawaii, after a couple of locations opened in Southern California relatively recently.
Speaking of Disney Springs, Pura Vida opened a storefront there earlier this month. Contrary to some misconceptions (namely mine), Pura Vida is not a water company. It’s a lifestyle brand known for handmade bracelets, accessories, and that sort of stuff. In any case, Pura Vida is located in the Town Center of Disney Springs, taking over the storefront previously occupied by Melissa Shoes, near Anthropologie.
In other shoes news, Brooks Running is now the official running shoe of runDisney. Brooks and Disney have entered into a new multi-year collaboration that will include Brooks creating Disney-themed running shoes.
As the official running shoe for runDisney, Brooks will offer shoes and provide official race shirts at runDisney race weekends starting with an upcoming 2025 runDisney race. At the same time, Brooks will create Disney-themed running shoes featuring popular Disney characters. Starting in 2026, Brooks will design Brooks jackets for Club runDisney members.
Even though I have no intentions of doing another runDisney race anytime soon, I’m oddly excited about this. Brooks has become my go-to shoe, and I’m a sucker for the creative designs they produce. It’s probably a massive amount of wishful thinking, but I’d love to see a Christmas collaboration (Brooks already does ‘ugly’ Christmas shoes that are glorious) between Brooks and Disney.
Speaking of which, both Brooks and OluKai make our list of the Best Shoes for Walt Disney World.
In resort news, Disney Parks just announced via Instagram that the Haunted Mansion soundscape is now available on “Hey Disney!” devices in all Walt Disney World hotel rooms.
I love this news, even if it is about a month too late for me to enjoy this during my Halloween season stays. As I shared in a recent reassessment of “Hey Disney!” at Walt Disney World, the soundscapes are far and away my favorite feature and have given me a new appreciation of the much-maligned device.
While I’m sure this Haunted Mansion soundscape is great, what I’d really love is more being there options like the two current ‘in the park’ options. Those are fantastic–incredibly calming and transportive.
In food news, Walt Disney World announced the addition of new menu items at Hollywood Studios, all of which are now available:
Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant:
- Beamed-Up Burger with Fries: Two-pressed signature-blend patties, American cheese, shredded lettuce, jalapeño-bourbon-bacon jam, and house-made burger sauce on a brioche bun
- Prime Rib Sandwich: Toasted hoagie roll filled with shaved prime rib, provolone cheese, house made gardienare, arugula, and a side of au jus
Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano:
- Mama’s Pasta with Shrimp: Three-cheese sauce, sauteed kale, cavatappi, roasted butternut squash, and wild mushroom
- Tuscan White Bean Purée: Roasted garlic and eggplant, fresh herbs, and chili oil (plant-based)
- Braised Wagyu Beef on Orecchiette: Red wine-braised wagyu beef, dried cherries, and pink peppercorn
This is the second round of menu additions at Mama Melrose this year, and by most accounts, the refresh has been well-received. We haven’t had a chance to try Mama Melrose’s new dishes yet and, honestly, it’s not exactly high priority. There are so many well-themed and sentimental spots we love at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Mama Melrose just isn’t one of them for us.
As for Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant, even assuming the very best about these additions, more is still needed. We absolutely love Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant, but it’s still stuck in phased reopening mode with a limited burger/sandwich only menu. It’d be nice to see the pastas, steaks, and other mid-tier items return. The Salmon BLT making a comeback wouldn’t hurt, either.
Finally, a five alarm FIGMENT ALERT. Above is a video shared on social media…by Shanghai Disneyland.
Here’s the caption: “Figment alert!
Figment products are now available at Shanghai Disney Resort! Come and enjoy delicious treats with this cute companion by your side. With just a tap away on your phone, let this adorable purple dragon “melt” your heart with his irresistible cuteness!”
Now, you may not think it’s noteworthy that Figment has flown internationally and is now appearing at Shanghai Disneyland. Perhaps it’s just overstock merchandise from EPCOT. This wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened, albeit in the other direction, with Shanghai sending over a ton of unsold ‘grand opening’ merchandise from the park a few years back (and massively marking up prices in the process).
We’ve seen this movie before, though.
Although most commonly associated with Tokyo DisneySea, this is a move straight out of the ‘Duffy Playbook’ used for Disney’s other international parks and Aulani. As Duffy’s circle of friends expanded in the late 2010s, Disney started introducing the characters at Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, Shanghai Disneyland, and Aulani Resort in Hawaii.
This was long after the characters made appearances at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, along with a massive merchandising push. That had long been abandoned and Tokyo Disney Resort had revitalized interest in Duffy and friends by this point, especially among the Japanese–but Disney fans around the world also increasingly took notice.
The introduction of Duffy and friends at the international resorts, especially those in Asia and Aulani, was partly aimed at locals and partly at Japanese tourists. Hong Kong Disneyland, in particular, had been struggling. Merchandise sat on shelves. It was surprising just how sharp of a contrast this was to Tokyo Disney Resort, even though we viewed the HKDL merchandise as really good. In any case, Duffy and friends changed all of that. The little bear has been a merchandising machine–and grown into even more than that–for Hong Kong and Shanghai.
Trying to test whether that will work again is likely why Figment is going global and ‘randomly’ has merchandise at Shanghai Disneyland. It’s probably not random at all–it’s to see if Disney can work merchandising magic again with another original character.
I don’t pretend to have any insights as to whether this will work. Shanghai Disneyland has become a blind spot for me, and the extent to which it’s cultivated enough of a local Disney fanbase that is knowledgeable about Figment is unclear. Maybe he’ll be embraced for his global appeal and cuteness, or maybe Figment will flop. I have no idea. I suspect it’s not the same as importing Duffy, which came with a built-in Asian fanbase. Unlike that, I’m guessing diehard EPCOT Center fans won’t be booking trips to China.
Nevertheless, my biggest hope is that this is a massive success, and Figment is a fan-favorite of Chinese guests. That he gets new and exclusive product lines, and that Shanghai Disney Resort attempts what Walt Disney World has declined to do: revitalize the character. And I say this as someone with no plans to visit mainland China again anytime soon, so it’s not like I’d personally be able to enjoy any of this.
My motivations are nevertheless selfish, though, just so we’re clear. If Figment proves fruitful in Shanghai, he’ll probably end up in Hong Kong and possibly Paris. Maybe Tokyo Disney Resort and Aulani after that. And we will visit all of those places. The more successful Figment is, the more likely it is that he ends up with a meet & greet, stage show, or perhaps something even more ambitious in one of those places. I see what HKDL has done with Duffy, and it’s arguably the destination for that family of characters now.
While I don’t want Figment’s new home base to be a park in Asia, France, or Hawaii, at this point I’m open to anything that increases his popularity and visibility. If there were any justice in the world, we would’ve had Journey into Imagination 4.0 a full decade ago. Instead, Disney just revealed its 5-year plan for Walt Disney World, and there’s absolutely nothing in the cards for Figment (or much at all in EPCOT, for that matter).
From my perspective, this is a mistake. I’m not going to rehash why that is yet again, but suffice to say, it just makes sense to reimagine Journey into Imagination. (Read that for my full pitch.)
Ultimately, my perspective on this is more or less the same it’s been with all of the other little Figment things over the last several years. If Figment’s popularity endures, that’s only a good thing for his longevity and future prospects. Even with Inside Out 2 doing gangbusters at the box office, I suspect the recent merchandising success has ‘saved’ Figment’s place in the Imagination pavilion.
If the international parks can increase Figment’s global popularity or bring something substantively new to the table, I’m all for it. Hong Kong Disneyland is already home to a Journey into Imagination spiritual successor of sorts in Mystic Manor–perhaps that park could end up being the one to build Journey into Imagination 4.0. It seems unlikely, but it also seemed unlikely that Walt Disney World would sit on its hands so long with the fan-favorite character. Stranger things have happened.
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Your Thoughts
What do you think of the topics covered in this Walt Disney World news roundup? Would you like to see more condensed news articles or recaps like this? Thoughts on Animal Kingdom’s conservation successes? The company’s succession planning? Figment going global, or anything else? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
