Disney News | Big Thunder Mountain Reopens | Fall Updates

Imagination Skyway

Matthew Krul

Society & Culture, Places & Travel, History, Kids & Family

4.9 • 846 Ratings

🗓️ 4 May 2026

⏱️ 16 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad reopened at Magic Kingdom on May 3 with a new track, updated trains, and enhanced special effects alongside an updated story from Walt Disney Imagineering. In addition, Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party tickets go on sale May 12 (or May 5 for guests with a qualifying Walt Disney World Resort reservation) for party dates spanning August 7 through October 31. In this Disney Parks news episode, we also discuss Disney Week of Wishes, Disney Lakeshore Lodge, and a fourth Seven Seas Lagoon ferry boat launching in 2027. Get ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, in-depth news analysis, and premium content at patreon.com/imaginationskyway. To plan a trip, be sure to work with KMV Travel. Read Matt's Imagineering column in WDW Magazine. Imagination Skyway is a Disney Parks and Imagineering podcast. Episodes explore attraction design, recap Disney news, and dive into the stories behind the magic, including interviews with Disney Imagineers, Disney Legends, and other Disney creators. Not affiliated with or endorsed by The Walt Disney Company. Disney is a trademark of The Walt Disney Company. Tag me and join the conversation below. Instagram: www.instagram.com/imaginationskyway Facebook: www.facebook.com/imaginationskyway YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@imaginationskyway Email: matthew.krul@imaginationskyway.com How to Support the Show Share the podcast with your friends Rate and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Join our Patreon Group - https://www.patreon.com/imaginationskyway Enjoy the show!

Transcript

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0:00.0	Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is back in action at the Magic Kingdom, and we have more information about Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party this fall.
0:07.2	Let's dive into the details.
0:13.1	It's Monday, May 4th. May the 4th be with you for all you Star Wars fans. I'm sporting my Star Wars Roosevelt shirts today, and I am very excited to hopefully
0:23.0	queue up Star Wars this evening.
0:25.1	I want to start with the big piece of news for this past weekend, which is yesterday,
0:29.4	Sunday, May 3rd, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad reopened at the Magic Kingdom.
0:33.0	And if you didn't see it, there is a fantastic YouTube video from Walt Disney Imagineering that is a ride
0:38.3	along with a couple of the Imagineers who worked on this new experience. The things that stood
0:42.6	out to me, and I'm going to be heading down there soon to check it out myself, were, number
0:46.9	one, the new track seems so smooth, and that's not surprising. I've been on the updated
0:52.3	version at Disneyland, and I remember how different that felt being out there when that refurbishment took place.
0:59.7	And Magic Kingdom went through that same track transformation, a completely new track, same exact layout that you know and love from the previous version.
1:08.3	But having a brand new steel track makes the ride so much
1:12.5	smoother. Plus, seeing what those new vehicles look like, the ride seats, they seem more
1:18.6	comfortable than ever. And remember, if you didn't hear it, the height requirement for
1:23.8	Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, because of a lot of these modifications was actually reduced.
1:28.3	So it went from 40 inches to 38 inches. That is the same as Slinky Dog Dash. So if you're a little one is tall enough to ride Slinky Dog Dash,
1:37.3	they don't have to wait until 40 inches to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. They are also now tall enough to ride this attraction.
1:44.7	The Imagineering video, if you didn't see it, shared a few more details about the special
1:48.3	effects and the enhancements that were made to the attraction. I'm going to save the spoilers
1:52.8	in case you are someone who does not want to know more about it until you experience it in
1:58.2	person. And if you do want to learn more about what those
	...

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