3 MAJOR Disney News Drops From This Week

When it comes to the Walt Disney Company, there is always something new going on!

Let’s go to Disney World

The company is searching for its next CEO, the theme parks are growing and changing, and the movie studio is busy making tons of films like the live-action Lilo and Stitch. With all of these changes happening, we like to do a weekly roundup of the week’s biggest news so you don’t miss a single thing. Let’s dive into this week’s biggest updates!

When it comes to Disney news, the U.S. theme parks tend to be the busiest especially with all of the major updates like the Magic Kingdom expansion project and the Disneyland Forward Project. This week is no different, starting over in Anaheim!

Happy Birthday, Disneyland!

This week, Disneyland Park celebrated its 70th anniversary! The park originally opened on July 17th, 1955, and the company is going all out when it comes to the festivities.

disneyland castle with pink and blue 70th anniversary banners

Disneyland’s 70th decor!

The theme park is decked out with special decor, it has tons of specialty treats, and lots of new live entertainment! The celebration has been going on since May 2025, but the park’s official birthday was this week. We stopped in on the actual day to grab the specialty, vintage-inspired map, celebratory buttons, and more.

Disneyland is 70!!

The crowds turned out to celebrate the park along with us. During the celebration, the brand new Disneyland show called Walt Disney: A Magical Life debuted on the 17th, too. The new show tells the story of Walt Disney’s life and his journey to creating Mickey Mouse and Disneyland. The show also includes the first-ever Walt Disney animatronic!

Walt Disney — A Magical Life

Right now, the only way to see the show is to join a virtual queue. Disney currently offers two daily opportunities to join the Virtual Queue: The first drop is at 7 AM, and guests will need to have a Park Pass Reservation for Disneyland. For the second drop at 12 PM, guests need to be in Disneyland OR Disney California Adventure to get a virtual queue spot (those coming from Disney California Adventure will require the Park Hopper benefit on their ticket).

Walt Disney: A Magical Life

Disneyland holds such a special place in our hearts, and we are so grateful we got to spend time there on its big day!

ALL of Disneyland Resort’s 70th Anniversary Celebration Limited-Time TREATS

Sneak Peek Of The New Nighttime Parade

Over in Magic Kingdom in Disney World, a new nighttime parade is ready to hit the parks! Disney Starlight: Dream The Night Away is debuting on July 20th, 2025, and we are eagerly awaiting this new nighttime offering. The parade is set to run twice a night at 9 PM and 11 PM and will feature the latest technology to bring this spectacular to life.

©Disney

This week, we finally got a sneak peek into the show that wasn’t just concept art! Walt Disney Imagineering just shared a video on YouTube where they debuted the floats as well as a new character named Whimsy.

©Disney

Whimsy is made of starlight and appears on the new train finale float! He can dance, and he was inspired by vintage Disney animation — specifically, Silly Symphonies! Disney has said this parade is a nod to the past, with eyes on the future.

There’s Whimsy! ©Disney

In addition to this sneak peek, Disney also issued a warning that Annual Passholders will need a park reservation to get into Magic Kingdom even after 2 PM. This will only be a limited-time change, but if you’re hoping to see the show, make sure you have a park reservation or park hop. We can’t wait to see the parade once it officially debuts tonight, July 20th.

Disney Starlight — A Nighttime Parade at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom

A New Song Verse For “it’s a small world”

Finally, this classic Disney attraction changed in both the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland! The truly iconic Disney attraction, “it’s a small world,” now features a brand new verse in that famous song.

“it’s a small world” in Magic Kingdom

The new verse debuted on July 17th in both of the theme parks and was written by Richard Sherman, who wrote the original song along with his brother Robert Sherman. Richard shared the verse before his passing. According to Disney, the update to the finale scene “is meant to add to the attraction’s legacy and further emphasize the song’s meaning.” Gregg Sherman, son of Richard Sherman, said that the new verse celebrates “that there’s more that unites us than divides us, and reinforces the message of that song.”

“it’s a small world” in Disneyland

Disney shared a short film called “The Last Verse,” which celebrates the “timeless connection and hope” behind the classic song. If you want to listen to the new last verse outside the parks, the digital single of the new version of the song is now available, PLUS Disney has released the “it’s a small world” (70th Anniversary) special edition vinyl record that’s currently available online at Disney Music Emporium in Disneyland.

“it’s a small world” in Disneyland

The new verse can be read and heard here:

“Mother Earth unites us in heart and mind
And the love we give makes us humankind
Through our vast, wondrous land
When we stand hand in hand
It’s a small world after all.”

Calling ALL fans of “it’s a small world” ride!! Can you spot the new verse? 😏 pic.twitter.com/VET5xfbmYe

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) July 17, 2025

We love that this classic attraction has a new update while still remaining the ride we know and love.

Learn More About The New Change Here

There are so many things happening in the Walt Disney Company, and these are just the biggest ones from this week! As always, be sure to keep following DFB for more Disney news and updates.