When Gingerbread Houses Move Out and Dinosaurs Move In (Ep. 590)

The Disney Dish with Jim Hill - Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Jim Hill discusses Disney's evolving holiday traditions, park innovations, and Imagineering history, including retiring gingerbread houses and dinosaur-themed attractions in Paris. The episode covers new events at Disney

Key takeaways

• Gingerbread house at Grand Floridian retired for guest capacity reasons

Transcript preview

Welcome back to another edition of the Disney dish podcast with Jim Hill. It's me, Lant-Testa, and this is Arge for the week of Schmer's Day, June 29th, 2026. Happy Independence Day to everyone who's thrown off the shackles of British rule. And that includes Liverpool. On today's show, news, listener questions, patents, and a new survey about potential DBC member benefits. Then in our main segment, Jim continues the history of Imagineering's work on living creatures in the parks. Let's get started by bringing in the man who's this heat would be exhausting. It's Mr. Jim, how's it going? Hey, it's going well, but I know snow in New Hampshire, late June. That sounds ridiculous. Here's the thing, Mount Washington, only 150 miles to the north of where I live, actually did get hit with a late spring snowstorm, not four weeks ago. What? Night of May 30th, morning of May 31st. Folks who work on the at the observatory at the summit of Mount Washington, by the way the way, 28 feet up in the air. They got 5.9 inches of snow. Oh, not even a dusting. Like that's proper snow. Real snow. And that was a day before the month of June began. And this is why Len, those of us who live in the great state of New Hampshire, have learned never to put our snow shovels away. And to be honest, they do come in handy, you know, in July and August, if mostly to dissuade angry, lady snapping turtles from climbing up on your porch and trying to lay eggs. And by the way that really happened here at the house a year or so back. You living in New Hampshire is like a glimpse into Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom every time we talk about it. You've got snow and snapping turtles. There we go. You're like you. I mean Australia is probably number one for crazy wildlife and climate, but New Hampshire saw the number two there. You're not wrong. You are not wrong. Thanks to everyone who subscribes to the show over its Patreon.com slash Jim Hill Media including Dan McGillen, K.J. O'Neill, Sean Embry, Jeremy V.R. Jessica Mayer, and Chris, you know who you are. Jim, these are the Disney popcorn bucket designers who just released a great movie ride tribute with a lid that plays hooray for Hollywood when opened and a spinning temple door with cursed jewels and skeletons. Sadly, management put the bucket on shelves behind a bunch of sorceress out plush and pin trading, so no one story. I love that story. Okay. Fantastic. All right folks on to the news. The Disney news is sponsored by unlocked magic.com from our friends at d.bc.c. rental store dot com. Disney says the haunted mention has 999 ghosts but has anyone really ever checked teacher kids the importance of independent research and good math skills by visiting unlocked magic. Now for discounted theme park admission at prices better than Disney's. All right, Jim. First thing first in Walt Disney world. around, perhaps you've heard of it, that we should see the opening of the magic of Disney animation at Disney's Hollywood Studios sometime around the first two weeks of August. What do you think about that? Okay, I've heard things to this effect. I've also heard from folks who are actually inside the building. It's like, you know, who, when? You know, get a who who who wins out here fantastic also a Disney's announced this week because we're halfway to Christmas dates for Mickey's very Merry Christmas Party and a jollywood nights micky's very Merry Christmas Party runs 25 dates starting on November 8th with the last one on December 22nd and then jollywood nights returns to Hollywood studios running on nights from November 7th so the day before the Christmas party through January 5th which is actually pretty interesting in January, right? Yeah, and more to the point, what's fascinating about this is this is Disney's Hollywood studio staking out turf that, you know, even the Magic Kingdom hasn't dared to do. Well, yeah, first week in January. Yeah, but the notion is that there will be enough folks who still want to see the holiday decorations, who still want a nighttime party, that, you know, this is definitely a trial balloon. these two dates and Disney will be fascinated to see how many tickets they sell because from as it's been explained to me January 6th is the hard out for Christmas decorations coming down at that park yeah so it's just an ocean okay you know gonna work you can have these dates and let's see what the response is and then revisit it further on down the line and is, let's be honest here, the kingdom really can't extend Mickey's very merry. I mean, what, we're now in like the moment after not so scary ends, right? You know, what is there, three days, four days between the two events? There's a week. Okay, because the last one's on the, I think the 31st or maybe the first this year and the first one is on, the first Christmas party is on the eighth. But yeah, that's, that's barely enough time to swap out. pumpkins for stockings. Yeah. The thing that I love and you know Disney had put some thought into this but the thing that I love about the schedules for both Jollywood Knights and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas parties on the 12th, 13th, 15th, and 17th, and on the days that it doesn't have a party there are Jolly Wood Knights on the 14th and 16th. got something for you every night every night it's like a zipper gym it's beautiful well that's the other thing that the folks on a special event side were telling me that their survey work they're after actions you know reaching out to folks the people who go to Mickey's Very Mary you know once jollywood nights became an option they're like oh well of course you know we're on vacation and we'll do that party as well This was a deliberate choice. Just one tiny little note here. Did you notice that, you know, four, you know, how are they advertising this for the Magic Kingdom? You see Mickey. On the other hand, you know, when they, you look for the advertising art for Jollywood Knights, where's Ollie? You know, they think. Well, we have, we've got the Muppets, we've got Kermit and Miss Piggy. There we go. you know kermets uh... her leading man those are the stars let's see no absolutely that evidently the allie neon sign will be rolled out but the allie ship is sailed from this point forward uh... especially i guess given the response to uh... rock and roller coaster with the muppets it's just like no yesterday yeah so here's how i think dizney should retire ollie i think remember bambi versus godzila the film Animal comes into the Jolly Wood Knights prep room and Ollie is there and then it's Animal, gets a little hungry and that's and then you just you know hear the you just see the outside of the door and you know with crumbs flying and stuff and that's that's how we retire Ollie anyway I like that I like that a lot though speaking of gingerbread related things right right so this is an interesting lead into our next story Disney announced that the Grand Floridian gingerbread house has been retired from Christmas season. It's going to be replaced by smaller displays. And that in and of itself is interesting, Jim, because of the amount of money that we think Disney makes nightly on food and beave for people coming in to see the gingerbread house from all over the Walt Disney Resort World Resort and then Orlando, right? Yeah. But this goes hand in hand with some other news you're sharing for this week, right? Right. As Disney announced the Christmas displays and events that are going on on the Disney Parks Block, and I put a screen cap in the show notes so everyone can look at it, one of the interesting things it says was that Christmas trees and decorations around the resorts are available, quote, for guests staying at the resorts or for those with valid dining reservations at the resorts. goes hand in hand with the restrictions that we talked about last week where resort guests, sorry, where guests visiting Disney Springs will be required to show a reservation either for a resort or for dining to take a bus from Disney Springs to one of the Disney Resorts. So this looks like the next incremental step saying you can visit the resorts only if you're staying in Walt Disney World or you've got a dining reservation. Yeah. I mean, I don't know how to feel about this. I really don't because for example there are families that literally book stays at the grand leridian to be in the hotel the night that the Christmas tree is put up there. I mean you know there are families whose tradition is you know we get together you know we drive over to Disney property we go to the flow and and see the gingerbread house and get some gingerbread then hop on the and visit the rest of the, you know, the decorations for the resorts there. And you can still do that. If you have any resort reservation in Walt Disney World, you can visit any other resort for now, like that's what, and I don't think that's going to change. Like I think, I think they're trying to prevent a very specific set of access here. I get that. I just, I just, I think, you know, I think, just my concern is that, you know, there's somebody at Disney who you know, this in motion not anticipating how social media and places like the New York Post will spin this just Disney becomes Scrooge for holiday season. These headlines folks, they get a write themselves and they're about to, I'm just saying. Right. And I've seen the social media reaction and I understand one of the reasons that on social media and that is this, right? You and I, I'm just saying. Right. And I've seen the social media. And I've seen the social media, resorts that we could absolutely not afford to stay in. Like I remember going through the contemporary resort, seeing the monorail and wondering to myself what kind of people got to stay there. Right. And then that image for me was so powerful that it was literally the last Disney resort that I stayed at when I was doing my checking everything off the list because it was such a monumental achievement for me. That was my capstone stay. Right. through the contemporary I'd never reservation obviously when I was walking through the contemporary and it inspired me to state all the sorts and that's gonna be more difficult now I get that the problem was is that I did that when social media wasn't a thing and now you see on social media people who are providing tips and tricks for how to you know go to the contemporary and see the fireworks without having any reservation whatsoever or and I've you know I've talked to people both you know about this. There have been instances where people who are not resort guests and who don't even have APs. So basically, Randos from the Orlando area are holding children's birthday parties at Walt Disney World Resorts. Again, with nobody staying there, nobody paying for anything, basically show up, bring a cake, bring decorations, take up 20 seats in the pool. And no one has paid Disney ascent for any of that. And that doesn't seem like an isolated incident. So I think, to a prevent that from happening because it's affecting the satisfaction of people who pay to stay at the resort. But also Jim let's think about this. Lakeshore Lodge is going to open next year. Oh yeah. And it is going to have a mini water park. They need to get these rules not only in place now but communicated so that people don't try things when that opens up because those are going to be a ton of demand for that, right? You're not wrong. I mean and understanding that. just in and of itself. But at the same time it is just kind of sad to realize that, you know, the gingerbird house has gone away at the flow. No, it is, yeah. But imagine the amount of money that they're giving up. The guest satisfaction surveys from people actually staying at the grand flow must be so bad that they're willing to give up tens of thousands of dollars a night in revenue to make that better. And I get it, right? If somebody staying, you know, at the grand flow for a week is paying over a thousand dollars a night, you would have to sell a lot of hot chocolate. Oh, no, no, totally. To make up for one bad survey from that person who says, I'm never going to stay here again because the crowds. And let's also be honest here, the, you know, the bird-cage bar that opened it there, change the available footprint for, you know, doing things there in the lobby? Totally valid. I get that right valid yeah the but I think that here's the principle right I think I think we can all agree that if there are capacity issues the people who are paying to stay at that specific resort are first on the priority list and then second on the priority list is people who are paying money to Disney to stay at some other resort and