disney

FOR thousands of Disney fans, a holiday to Walt Disney World is the trip of a lifetime. But for some lucky British students this summer, it’s everyday life.

Instead of pulling pints at the local pub or taking on a typical summer job, they’re working behind the scenes as Disney cast members while living just minutes from the magic.

Students can apply for the placements through UK partner Yummy Jobs, spending their summer working across Walt Disney World while living at Flamingo Crossings Village.

This is Disney’s purpose-built accommodation for students, complete with swimming pools, a gym and free transport to the parks.

Alongside earning money and gaining international work experience, participants receive complimentary admission to all of Disney’s theme parks and water parks.

This means that days off can be spent riding attractions, watching fireworks and making the most of life in Orlando.

SUNNY STEALS

Sun-drenched European holidays with £1.50 pints and stays from under £9pp

PARK UP

Epic UK holiday parks with waterparks, theme parks & Spoons pubs from £3pp a night

For 20-year-old Niamh from Liverpool, the placement has been unlike anything she’d done before.

The Newcastle University student, who is studying Physiological Sciences and hopes to pursue a career in medicine, heard about the opportunity through a friend and applied through Yummy Jobs.

She said: “I’d never done anything like this before but it looked like an amazing opportunity.”

Like everyone on the programme, Niamh couldn’t choose exactly where she’d work.

She said: “The company assigns you to what they think suits you best, and the location depends on what’s needed when you arrive.

“One of the biggest surprises has been living at Flamingo Crossings. The facilities are amazing. People of all ages live here and everyone’s on different programmes.”

Despite working in the parks, Niamh still has plenty of time to enjoy them herself and has figured out the best hidden gems.

She added: “You get roughly two days off a week and sometimes have mornings or evenings free too, so it’s not too bad.”

“I’ve started to figure out which rides to rope drop in each park. Joining the queue for the big rides just before park closing is a great tip, and watching the fireworks from Tomorrowland Speedway is amazing.”

21-year-old Hannah, from Cowdenbeath in Scotland, is back in Orlando after completing a similar summer programme at Universal Studios last year.

Now entering her final year studying Law at the University of Stirling, she discovered the Disney opportunity through TikTok.

She said: “I wanted the experience of working in a world-leading holiday destination and for a company that treats employees so well.”

Hannah works in merchandise, a role that gives her the flexibility to swap shifts and even work in different Disney locations, giving her an insider’s view of more than one park.

She’s also been impressed with the accommodation too.

Hannah explained: “I’m in a four-bedroom apartment where I have my own room and share a bathroom with one other girl.

“There’s a gym, two swimming pools and projector areas showing films and sporting events. We’re close to shops and restaurants, and we get free buses to work and to the Disney parks whenever we want.”

Hannah has also bought a Universal annual pass, meaning her days off are often spent exploring Orlando’s biggest attractions.

“I love spending time in the parks, grabbing a coffee, relaxing by the pool or visiting the malls and outlet stores. My friends and I also went to the natural springs and even took a trip to Miami.”

Working behind the scenes has also given her a new appreciation of what it takes to create the Disney magic.

“It’s given me a whole new appreciation for how much work goes into creating the guest experience.”

Having spent family holidays in Florida as a child, she says returning as a Disney cast member feels surreal.

Hannah explained: “Being able to live and work here now feels incredibly nostalgic and honestly still feels a bit like a dream.”

For many students, the programme is about far more than a summer job.

Alongside gaining valuable experience for careers ranging from medicine to law, they’re making international friendships, exploring Florida and experiencing the magic of Disney from the other side of the castle.

The Walt Disney Co. said Wednesday it has sold out the commercial time for ESPN’s telecast of the 2027 Super Bowl, which airs on ABC Feb. 14.

Hugh Johnston, chief financial officer for Disney, announced the sellout on the company’s earnings call. In addition to ABC, the game from SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles will air on ESPN, and have an alternative ESPN feed hosted by Peyton and Eli Manning. The game will be streamed on the ESPN app and the NFL+ app.

ESPN, which has carried NFL games since 1987, has never produced a Super Bowl. ABC last aired the game in 2006, when the network had its own sports division.

The Super Bowl is perennially the most watched TV event of the year, bringing in a huge pot of revenue for the media company holding the rights. Fox said it took in more than $800 million across its platforms for the 2025 game that saw the Philadelphia Eagles win 40-22 over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Disney did not divulge a price for the commercial time, although reports said the company was seeking $10 million for a 30-second spot. NBC sold several commercials at that rate last year.

Johnston said Disney sold Super Bowl spots to 58 brands across 34 product categories, including financial services, candy, personal care and software. Nine of the brands are in the game for the first time.

As the rest of traditional TV has seen ratings diminish, the Super Bowl has remained resilient, setting a viewership record in 2025, with 127.7 million viewers watching on Fox and its streaming platform Tubi, according to Nielsen. Last season’s contest drew 125 million viewers on NBC, Telemundo and Peacock.

When ABC had Super Bowl XL in 2006, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 21-10 win over the Seattle Seahawks scored 90.7 million viewers. Nielsen did not include out-of-home viewing in its data at the time.

Live sports has become attractive to advertisers as it is one of the few ways to reach a massive audience in real time.

Four years ago, Knott’s Berry Farm was faced with a decision.

Its 1978 ride Montezooma’s Revenge was the first-ever coaster built with a flywheel launch system — a large, highly visible, circular drum-like mechanism with a cable attached to it — and an important piece of the theme park’s history.

But the coaster was in need of refurbishment and they don’t make things like they used to. The flywheel design, once an advanced piece of machinery that allowed Montezooma’s to go from zero to 55 mph in less than five seconds, was no longer in vogue. Replacement parts weren’t going to be easy to come by, if possible at all.

So would they attempt to reimagine Montezooma’s Revenge, or use its footprint for another attraction?

“Nobody else really attempted a full-speed, ground-level launch until later in the ‘90s,” says Jeremy Thompson, who writes coaster analysis on his website Roller Coaster Philosophy and worked for a decade at theme park design firm Thinkwell. “It was way ahead of its time.”

It would have been a shame, roller coaster historians argue, to lose Montezooma’s Revenge. Thankfully, Knott’s Berry Farm agreed, and after four years and a $20-million investment, Montezooma’s, now rebranded as Montezooma: The Forbidden Fortress, is set to soft open in the coming days. A grand opening media event, postponed from last month, is slated for Aug. 14.

The entrance to the newly remodeled Montezooma: The Forbidden Fortress.

(Jess Boyer / Knott’s Berry Farm)

“We thought quite a bit about, ‘If we take this out, what would we put in there?’” says Knott’s Berry Farm Park President Raffi Kaprelyan. “But the answer we always came back to was, ‘Why would you do that?’ This is a perfectly unique ride.”

He adds: “An iconic ride like this, you want to maintain as long as possible.”

The coaster was planned to be named Loco Motion, but it was rebranded as Montezooma’s Revenge after a popular band with the same name that would regularly perform at the park, says Nicholas Laschkewitsch, a coaster historian and documentary producer with nonprofit American Coaster Enthusiasts. At the time of its opening, it was the tallest roller coaster in the world, thanks to 148-foot spikes. It’s also the oldest looping shuttle coaster in its original location, a shuttle coaster being a ride without a complete circuit, meaning here guests are propelled out of the launch station in a linear path through a loop and then backward through the whole course.

The loop on Montezooma: The Forbidden Fortress.

(Jess Boyer / Knott’s Berry Farm)

”A shuttle coaster is certainly not as novel as it once was,” says Laschkewitsch, who also works as a designer at experiential art firm Meow Wolf. “But I think it’s very much a part of the DNA of Knott’s Berry Farm. It’s most people’s first looping coaster who grew up in Southern California. They deserve a lot of credit for investing in [a type of] ride a lot of other parks have thrown out.”

Designed by coaster mastermind Anton Schwarzkopf, Laschkewitsch says there’s only one remaining Schwarzkopf-created flywheel coaster using its original launch system in existence, and it’s in Japan at Nagashima Spa Land. Schwarzkopf was also behind the Great American Revolution at Six Flags Magic Mountain, which opened in 1976 as the world’s first modern vertical looping roller coaster.

“He was a genius as far as how to bank track, and how to physically manufacture track,” Laschkewitsch says. “His rides were as smooth as glass. The fact that he was able to do this without computer technology is incredible.”

The Knott family rides Montezooma’s Revenge on its opening day in 1978.

(Knott’s Berry Farm)

So what’s changed in the refurbishment? Montezooma’s has been remade with new cars, enhanced thematic touches lightly inspired by Maya designs, and boasts both a brand new track as well as a refreshed launch system. It now blasts out of the station with electromagnetic propulsion, technology, says Thompson, that is found on virtually all modern launch coasters (see Disney California Adventure’s IncrediCoaster, which also jolts from zero to 55 mph in five seconds).

That means there will be a difference in “feel” at the launch. Thompson compares it to riding in a modern electric vehicle versus, say, a 1970s hot rod. “You’re losing something there,” he says.

Namely the instantaneous tension, says Laschkewitsch, which will now be smoothed out. “There’s just something special about how that flywheel launch really kicked you in the face,” he says.

A look at the reimaged Montezooma: The Forbidden Fortress.

(Jess Boyer / Knott’s Berry Farm)

The coaster in its initial form lasted just 38 seconds. That won’t necessarily change with Montezooma: The Forbidden Fortress, but Kaprelyan says the new ride system will allow the park to offer different ride profiles. The electromagnetic track, for instance, can jolt guests forward, and then tease them by reversing course, lending a linear coaster a sense of surprise.

Those changes are coming down the road, but probably not until the ride has been open for about a year. “The ride will maybe take you up to the front a little bit, and then shoot you back up the hill, and then shoot you forward again,” Kaprelyan says. “There will be different sequences.”

And overall just a different tone. When all is working properly, the coaster will launch through a haze of fog effects. And it’s blessedly no longer associated with an unsavory name that potentially had some negative cultural implications. Understandable, and the right call says Thompson, but “it kind of loses that zany ‘70s humor.” Prepare to hear fewer potty jokes at Knott’s Berry Farm.

This week in SoCal theme parks

A dementor puppet moves through the train in “Harry Potter: A Hogwarts Express Adventure.”

(David Fouts / For The Times )

• ‘Fast & Furious’ coaster watch, 2026. The big theme park story last week was the unexpected soft launch of Universal Studios Hollywood’s Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift. The ride is operating in “technical rehearsals,” meaning it doesn’t yet have a formal opening date. Think of it as a final testing phase. Wait times have often stretched beyond two and a half hours, with some reporting lines closer to four hours. Heads-up, though, if you’re thinking of heading to the park this week, as according to notices given to park neighbors in Toluca Lake, the coaster is not expected to be welcoming guests Tuesday through Friday.
• Take a magical train ride. The Southern California Railway Museum in Riverside County is now allowing guests to experience history with a bit of mysticism, as it has temporarily turned into Platform 9 3⁄4 to host “Harry Potter: A Hogwarts Express Adventure.” A one-hour theatrical experience, expect wands, house sorting and, instead of a drink cart, a larger-than-life demonic puppet. Like all things Potter in 2026, the event has attracted some detractors due to J.K. Rowling’s anti-trans rhetoric and political funding. The Times’ Emily Tarinelli has the details.
• Changes afoot at Knott’s Soak City. The Orange County water park is welcoming two brand new attractions next year that will be replacing the current Shore Break slide complex. Look out for Coral Craze, a saucer-like attraction that boasts five riders per slide and is designed to mimic a ski course. Joining it will be Kelp Kraze, also a five-person experience, but this one more of a raft-like slide.
• The ‘Prince of Darkness,’ resurrected. Universal Studios Hollywood has rounded out its haunted house lineup for Halloween Horror Nights with a maze dedicated to the late Ozzy Osbourne. Dubbed Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness, the haunt will focus on bringing to life imagery from Osbourne’s solo career. The park has previously created a house inspired by the work of Osbourne’s Black Sabbath. Halloween Horror Nights begins Sept. 3.
• ‘It,’ reimagined. Inglewood’s Cosm is embracing horror for its next all-encompassing, wrap-around production. The venue, which boasts a high-definition spherical screen that stretches above, below and ever-so-slightly behind viewers, will on Aug. 28 begin showing 2017’s “It,” the Andrés Muschietti film based on the novel by Stephen King. Like past Cosm screenings, the venue will create CGI imagery to complement the core film.

Tell us your stories. Ask us your questions.

Have a theme park tale to share? Whether it was a good day or less-than-perfect day, I would love to hear about it. Have a question? A tip? A fun photo from the parks to share? Email me at todd.martens@latimes.com. I may feature your note in an upcoming newsletter.

Ride on,

Todd Martens

P.S.

My least favorite theme park topic to cover is price increases, as parks are already an investment to visit. Yet the Disneyland Resort keeps making affordability a story. Even more food price hikes have hit the resort, after an earlier round just a couple weeks ago. I’m sad to say they’re increasingly egregious, including, as Disney Food Blog noticed, a $3 increase to $31 on a so-so cheeseburger at Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar. Sigh.

There’s head-scratching high prices throughout the resort, including a bump on a relatively small square of churro toffee, which now sells for nearly $10. It’s tasty, but I’m here to tell you it’s not worth it. I stopped buying the delectable when it topped $8, as it was no longer a respectable value at that price point. Instead, support a local bakery.

“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” opened to $360 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend, pushing out 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” to claim the biggest domestic debut in history.

“Records are made to be broken,” Sony Motion Picture Group Chairman Tom Rothman said in a statement Monday. “But we will take great pride in this one, for as long as we hold it.”

Internationally, the web-slinger picked up an additional $572 million for a worldwide total of $932 million. The film, which stars Tom Holland and Zendaya, was produced by Sony-owned Columbia Pictures, Marvel Studios and Pascal Pictures on a production budget of about $225 million.

By Monday morning, nearly everyone in the exhibition business was cheering.

The chief executives of AMC Entertainment Holdings, Regal and Cinemark Holdings all put out statements about record revenue at their chains, plus deep demand for merchandise, food and drinks. Cinema United trade group chief executive Michael O’Leary applauded the “great slate of films” that have populated theaters this year.

There’s a lot to be excited about here. Expectations for the film were high, but breaking a pre-pandemic record — previously held by an “Avengers” movie, no less — is a big deal.

“The buildup to what ‘Endgame’ was at $357 million just seemed out of reach,” Jeff Bock, senior box office analyst at entertainment data firm Exhibitor Relations, told me on Monday, referring to the previous domestic debut record. “It’s pretty gratifying to see that characters and emotions still matter in filmmaking. This movie was just really about relationships.”

That emotional core was a major focus for the filmmakers. When I spoke with producer Amy Pascal in the lead-up to the opening, she said there was no topping the multiverse storyline of 2021‘s “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” which featured the return of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. Instead, the filmmakers chose to go smaller, focusing on the internal conflict and loneliness of Holland’s Peter Parker after a spell forces his friends to forget him.

Spider-Man has always been one of the most popular superheroes. But not every Spidey film has had this level of box office success. What “Brand New Day” shows is that a strong story matters more to audiences than the name of the superhero alone — an important distinction as the genre has weathered an uneven track record in recent years. Just this summer, we saw stumbles from Amazon MGM Studios’ “Masters of the Universe” and Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Studios’ “Supergirl.”

The next test arrives in December with Walt Disney Co. and Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Doomsday,” which “Brand New Day” teases in a post-credits scene, as well as throughout the film. “As audiences saw, it sets up exciting things to come,” Marvel Studios President and “Spider-Man” producer Kevin Feige said in a Sunday statement.

The recovery, by the numbers

Domestic box office revenue for the weekend totaled $436.5 million, according to data from Rentrak. Spider-Man accounted for 82% of it, but Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” also hauled in $51 million in its third weekend, on its way to worldwide revenue of more than $912 million.

Together, the pair have combined for a unique, and telling, one-two punch. It’s the same phenomenon that drove moviegoers to A24’s “Backrooms” and Focus Features’ “Obsession.” Originality in storytelling really does matter, despite the plethora of reboots and sequels. And when moviegoers have more choices, they’re coming back, again and again, analysts say.

“These two films in particular have really turned moviegoing itself into the event,” Bock said. “The audience isn’t rejecting theatrical movies. They’re rejecting films that don’t feel essential.”

Domestic summer box office revenue to date now stands at nearly $3.6 billion, up 16.7% compared to 2025 and — importantly — only 0.7% behind the same period in 2019. Year-to-date revenue is about $6.2 billion, a 15.4% improvement from last year, though it still lags 2019 by 11.6%.

And with another blockbuster to come in December — Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment’s “Dune: Part Three” — analysts now predict 2026 domestic revenue is on track to reach $10 billion, a milestone that hasn’t happened since before the pandemic.

What could undo it

Here’s the catch. A major part of that recovery rests on volume: more titles, more genres, more reasons to leave the house on a given weekend. Which is exactly what a federal judge in Oakland is weighing right now.

Paramount Skydance’s nearly $111-billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery has cleared the Justice Department, the European Commission and regulators in more than a dozen other countries. What it has not cleared is a coalition of 12 state attorneys general, led by California’s Rob Bonta, who sued July 13 to block the deal under the Clayton Antitrust Act.

On Friday, the parties each proposed their preferred dates for an antitrust trial over which U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín will preside as Paramount argues for its merger to proceed and the state attorneys general argue against it. The judge has said the states had presented compelling evidence the combined company would hold a substantial share of the wide-release theatrical distribution market — enough, she said, to presume the deal likely violates antitrust law. The Writers Guild of America has joined the states’ lawsuit.

Paramount has said the merger will benefit consumers, workers and the entertainment industry, and that the states’ claims of anticompetitive effects “are without any basis in modern market realities.”

Hollywood has seen this movie before. The last unaccounted-for variable from the pre-pandemic era is Disney’s 2019 acquisition of the entertainment assets of 21st Century Fox, which combined two studios and led to fewer theatrical releases.

Paramount Skydance chief executive David Ellison has promised the combined company will release a minimum of 30 films a year. Many in Hollywood have their doubts.

“If they’re able to execute on that promise of 30 titles a year, I think we’re going to accelerate even further,” said Daniel Loria, a senior vice president at The Box Office Co. “We’re on a great trajectory. But there are serious questions that remain on their capacity to do so, and what the impact of another slowdown in releases from a major studio would bring.”

Paramount has said it won’t close the deal before June 2027 unless the litigation resolves sooner, and is pushing for a November trial; the states want April 2027. Either way, the industry just posted its biggest opening weekend ever while the question of how many movies get made is sitting in a courtroom in Northern California.

Stuff We Wrote

Film shoots

Number of the week

The Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. has sued Jay Penske, Penske Media Corp., the Golden Globe Foundation and others over the 2023 acquisition of the Golden Globe Awards, alleging antitrust violations.

As my colleague Stacy Perman reported, the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. is seeking at least $150 million in damages.

The group, which founded the Golden Globes, said in its lawsuit that Penske and the other named defendants “orchestrated and participated in a clandestine scheme to fraudulently acquire the Golden Globe Awards, dismantle the HFPA [Hollywood Foreign Press Assn.], and exert monopolistic control over Hollywood trades and the awards circuit thereby violating California’s antitrust and consumer protection statutes.”

A spokesperson for Penske and the Golden Globes denied the allegations, saying the suit “continues the absurdity and irrationality that the industry has come to expect from the defunct organization formerly known as the HFPA.”

What I’m watching

I had a pretty hectic week, which didn’t leave a lot of time to catch up on TV. But I did go see the L.A. Sparks game against the New York Liberty, which unfortunately ended in a loss. We’ll see what happens now that star Kelsey Plum has been traded.

A family trip to Walt Disney World Resort in Florida can be notoriously expensive, but a travel expert who’s visited almost 50 times in the last six years has a money-saving hack

An avid Disney World Resort fan has been to the popular park a whopping 48 times, and during that time, he’s uncovered nifty travel hacks that can help families save hundreds.

Those who have been to Walt Disney World Resort in Florida will know how expensive a holiday can be, and those who haven’t will have heard about its hefty price tag. From flights, hotels, theme park passes, restaurants, and all the additional extras, it can quickly add up, with trips to ‘The Most Magical Place on Earth’ costing anything from £1,500 to £4,000 per person.

For a family of four, that could amount to anything from £4,000 to more than £10,000 for a 10-night trip. It certainly doesn’t come cheap, but for many, it’s a bucketlist holiday that’s well worth forking out for, and there are ample ways to help keep the costs down.

One of the best-known ways to save some serious cash is to book the cheapest available flights and opt for budget-friendly hotels outside the resort but close enough to travel back and forth each day. Yet, there’s another nifty money-saving tip that Disney expert Mark Patterson highly recommends to anyone planning a trip.

Matt, who has been to Florida’s Disney World Resort a whopping 48 times in the last six years for work and pleasure, told the Mirror: “All the restaurants at Disney are expensive, so the hotels I like have a kitchenette with a stove and a full-size fridge, so you can buy food and cook it.

“You can then take it into the park with you, and that can save a lot of money. Even if you just take two meals in for the family, that can save you easily $100 (£74.71) to $200 (£149.42) per day.”

Booking a hotel room or resort with a kitchenette to make meals for the day isn’t the only way to save some extra cash. The travel expert who lives in Southern California advised holidaymakers to book a hotel that offers free breakfast to help avoid hidden costs that can quickly add up to hundreds.

And there’s one area he recommends for that budget-friendly hotel with a free breakfast. “The Flamingo Crossings area is my favourite, it’s newer, and the hotels are all new, and they all have free breakfast. They offer good, reasonable prices there.”

However, he noted that, due to its location, visitors have to drive, get a lift, or take a shuttle bus to the park each day. Yet, with free breakfast included, it might be well worth travelling a little further to help cut costs.

Matt certainly knows what he’s talking about, having stayed at 36 different hotels during his trips to Disney World. He also aims for an average hotel price of around $100 (£74.71) to $200 (£149.42) per night to make it more affordable, while looking out for any hidden fees.

Another area he recommends is Disney Springs. He said: “The Disney Springs area has a range of hotels, right there within walking distance to the shopping area, and it’s where pretty much everybody goes to eat at night. It gets very busy and popular, so being able to walk to that is very handy.

“However, the bad thing about that, or something you have to trade off, is that only one of the hotels offers a free breakfast; all the others you have to pay for. So I might get a hotel for around $100 (£74.71) per night, but will then have to pay for breakfast, which is $28 (£20.92), along with paying for parking, which can be around $25 (£18.68) and a resort fee of around $40 (£29.88).

“So it can literally double the price of what I thought I was going to pay. Disney Springs area is great, but you’ve got those little hidden fees.”

Mark documents his many trips to Walt Disney World Resort on his website, DDadBudget, with various pieces of advice to fellow fans.

Do you have a travel story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com

The Federal Communications Commission has demanded for months that ABC prove its stations deserve to stay on the air — a proceeding with no precedent in the last half-century. This week, the network delivered a sharp retort, accusing the agency of waging a campaign of political retribution.

“The retaliation against ABC is a signal to every media company in the country: accommodate the Administration’s view of what news coverage should look like or pay the price,” Disney’s attorneys wrote in the 109-page filing.

ABC has enlisted prominent elected officials, community organizations and seasoned litigators for the 1st Amendment showdown that could ultimately reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Burbank entertainment giant’s combative stance comes after the FCC, led by Chairman Brendan Carr, took the rare step this spring of demanding that Disney defend the broadcast licenses of its eight ABC stations — including KABC-TV Channel 7 in Los Angeles — years before the permits were set to expire.

The government’s move represents a significant threat to Disney because the loss of licenses would hobble the ABC network by forcing its largest stations off the air. Other ABC stations at risk include those in San Francisco, Fresno, Houston, Philadelphia and New York.

The FCC is expected to make a determination next month. It could require ABC to defend the stations in a hearing or before the commission.

The FCC, in a statement, defended its inquiry and hinted that it may go further.

“For decades, Americans of all stripes have been subsidizing broadcast media to the tune of many billions of dollars by giving TV stations free use of a valuable, public resource — the airwaves,” an FCC spokesperson said in a statement.

“Broadcasters are required by law to operate in the public interest — not in the narrow or partisan interests of a political party,” the spokesperson said. “The FCC is going to hold broadcasters accountable to the full extent of the law, regardless of any disinformation campaign that some of them may choose to run.”

ABC accused the FCC of overreach.

“The FCC has spent the last 18 months searching for some pretext for revoking the stations’ licenses,” ABC wrote in the filing. “The Commission has found none, because the stations easily meet the standard for license renewal.”

Disney‘s attorneys cited the unusual nature of the proceedings, linking the FCC’s action to Trump’s dislike of certain ABC network programs. The FCC launched its review in late April — one day after the president lashed out at ABC after late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel made a joke about Trump’s health and First Lady Melania Trump.

Until this spring, the FCC had not called for an early license review in more than 50 years.

“For the first time in history, the Federal Communications Commission has ordered an entire group of local television stations … to undergo simultaneous license renewal proceedings well before their current licenses expire,” Disney’s attorneys wrote.

The network asked the FCC to dismiss its review.

“This is as clearcut an example of retaliation as one could imagine,” ABC said in the filing. Damage has been done even if the FCC stops short of revoking the licenses, the network said.

“The mere investigation and the threat of finding a violation are sufficient: ‘the value of a sword of Damocles is that it hangs — not that it drops,’” ABC wrote.

The FCC has previously said the review grew out of an inquiry it launched early last year to scrutinize Disney’s internal diversity, equity and inclusion programs to see if they violated federal anti-discrimination laws — part of an expansive Trump-led campaign against DEI initiated as soon as he returned to the White House.

This year, the FCC opened a separate inquiry over whether ABC’s “The View” should keep an exemption granted to news programs so they are not obligated to provide equal airtime for opponents of various political candidates. The FCC had given “The View” the exemption in 2002.

Carr also has criticized ABC for not televising Trump’s live prime-time speech earlier this month to vent his grievances over past elections. Carr told reporters ABC’s decision could factor into the station license review.

By calling for the early review, the FCC allowed petitioners and ordinary residents to chime in on the stations’ operations and ABC network programming.

By Wednesday night’s deadline, the FCC had received more than 153,000 public comments. An estimated 96% of respondents wrote to support their local ABC station, the company said, including L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna, L.A. Police Chief Jim McDonnell and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.

In his letter, Luna said KABC — which has operated in Los Angeles for more than 75 years — provides residents with “timely and accurate information that has … undoubtedly saved lives.”

Lawmakers, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance), Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) and Ro Khanna (D-Fremont), have called on the FCC to drop the review, saying the agency has politicized its regulatory powers.

Disney has hired prominent attorneys Beth Wilkinson, Jennifer Tatel and Paul Clement, a former U.S. solicitor general with experience arguing before the Supreme Court. Disney’s chief legal officer, Horacio Gutierrez, is leading the team.

Several conservative groups have questioned whether ABC was fit to hold its licenses.

“ABC’s rights are important, but they are not preeminent,” Center for American Rights President Daniel Suhr wrote in his 66-page petition to the FCC to deny ABC’s local licenses, adding that the commission must instead focus on “the right of viewers of ABC stations.”

“Disney’s lawyers can wish upon a star, but they cannot make this record disappear,” Suhr said in a statement Thursday. “Disney does not own the public airwaves, and an FCC license is not a corporate entitlement. The FCC should reject Disney’s effort to avoid meaningful scrutiny, require full answers, and designate these applications for a hearing.”

The FCC doesn’t license networks, only the local stations that carry network programming.

In one public comment, an ABC critic named Lawrence Caswell agreed with Suhr’s contention: “ABC is just a grossly biased propaganda arm of the Democratic Party.”

Jeffrey C. Illes, a Chicago-area viewer who identified himself as a Republican, wrote in support of Disney’s WLS-TV station.

“I rely on their broadcast for accurate, timely, and trusted local news, breaking weather updates, and essential public safety information,” Illes wrote. “ABC 7 Chicago is a vital institution in our community.”

Stations typically file for a license renewal once every eight years. The commission then determines whether the station has “served the public interest” and has not run afoul of the “rules and regulations of the Commission.”

The commission’s lone Democrat, Anna M. Gomez, blasted the station license inquiry.

“The FCC has no authority to police the ideological balance of the airwaves, and no matter what this Commission does next, the record now makes clear that this was never a genuine search for the public interest,” Gomez said in a Thursday statement.

There are three commissioners: Gomez and two Republicans — Carr and Olivia Trusty, who joined the panel last year.

Congress restricts the FCC from any regulatory moves that trample on free speech rights for broadcasters.

A coalition of progressive groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, urged Disney Chief Executive Josh D’Amaro to continue to defend 1st Amendment freedoms in the company’s battle with the FCC.

“When you’re standing up for yourself, you are standing up for all of us,” the group wrote. “All of our rights are in danger when the FCC is allowed to censor comedians, journalists, and critics.”

Halfway through a ride on Universal Studio Hollywood’s new coaster, I didn’t know whether to laugh or scream.

The track turned, angled so my car was completely vertical to the ground, a cliff below me. And then my ride vehicle ever so slightly started to twist, to drift as if banking around a tight curve in a video game. Straight down from me was rocky terrain, but if I looked up and beyond the tracks, I had perhaps the best view of the Valley I’ve ever seen.

Granted, it was fleeting. But I was alternately in awe and fearful of what Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift was presenting before me. I held onto my lap bar, gripping it tighter as I lifted out of my seat, and I couldn’t help but smile at my predicament. I was in a mini, expertly re-created Toyota Supra, hanging over a bluff. I was soaring, the sensation of a car careening off a canyon, only here, my life, thankfully, wasn’t at risk. And I didn’t want it to end.

Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift is intense, yes, but more important, it’s a delight. It’s a roller coaster not just full of thrills but of surprises, of wondering where and when a coaster vehicle will be spin, careen or accelerate. Every turn, twist, flip will leave you guessing. And it’s the smoothest coaster I’ve ever been on, a feeling that lends it a sense of approachability not typically found in rides of this speed and unpredictability.

• Share via Close extra sharing options

It is also a ride that will forever change the tone and tenor of Universal Studios Hollywood, a destination that just two decades ago was largely a behind-the-scenes showcase dedicated to movie-making magic. No more. Universal Studios Hollywood is one of the foremost theme parks in the nation, home to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Super Nintendo World and now one of the strongest thrill rides in Southern California, changes that haven’t always been met with approval by the park’s neighboring Toluca Lake residents.

Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift surprise-opened to guests Monday afternoon. The ride is in technical rehearsals, a soft opening, more or less. That means it’s still in a testing phase and may not always be running. If getting on the coaster is a priority for you, it’s best to wait until Universal gives it a grand opening.

A look at Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift careening over the park’s escalators.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

The coaster — designed by Universal, manufactured by Intamin — has long been circled as the most important theme park attraction of 2026, a feat of engineering nestled on a steep hill between the park’s upper and lower lots that was 10 years in the making. Boasting 4,100 feet of track, two towering inverted loops as well as a pretzel loop and the ability to reach 72 mph through four individual launches, Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift is full of unique attributes, including its ability to go above and under the park’s famed escalators.

But those not attuned to coaster speak need not be overwhelmed. Know only that at times you’re upside down, at times you’re on your side, some moments you’re facing the ground, others you’re glancing at the horizon, and then you may suddenly be flipped backward. And before you have time to worry about it, you’ll be rocketing forward.

The four cars, all expertly themed to storied vehicles from the film franchise in which the coaster takes its name, can rotate 360 degrees. The choreography is sudden, but not jolting and never gratuitous. I’ve gotten motion-sick on other coasters that can rotate, ones specifically in which designers have opted to move the vehicles in time to a soundtrack, but here, the movement is cleverly attuned to the track. If we spike upward at an angle, the cars twirl as if taking off in flight. A dive downward, and we may hear braking noises as the cars lock in a side-facing position. In short, the vehicles feel forever aligned with the designed course. I rode Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift twice with no issues.

Unversal Studios’ Hollywood’s Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift features expertly created mini cars.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

And those cars! They are not small. I’m 6-foot-2 and more than 200 pounds and I had ample leg room. And I know those bigger than I am have had no issues riding this new coaster, which seats four per vehicle. Modern coasters aren’t always known for their accessibility, but Universal has created a ride that should be accommodating for many. The ampleness of the cars, coupled with the smoothness of the track, allows Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, I believe, to alternately appease those seeking high thrills while not freaking out those who may be more coaster cautious. The goal here is fun, not to terrify.

Universal has crafted some spectacular coasters in recent years: Florida’s Jurassic World VelociCoaster, Stardust Racers and Hiccup’s Wing Gliders, among them. Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift is not just a worthy addition to that portfolio, but a ride that many, I bet, will declare their favorite. Universal Creative, the division of the company responsible for theme park experiences, and especially the Universal Studios Hollywood team led by Jon Corfino, have accomplished what, just 10 years ago, would have been unthinkable. A high-speed outdoor coaster, in a landlocked studio tour park? Far-fetched, at best.

But instead, it’s a reminder that theme parks are where we go to imagine the impossible.

Tell us your stories. Ask us your questions.

Have a theme park tale to share? Whether it was a good day or less-than-perfect day, I would love to hear about it. Have a question? A tip? A fun photo from the parks to share? Email me at todd.martens@latimes.com. I may feature your note in an upcoming newsletter.

Ride on,

Todd Martens

P.S.

Mr. Todd’s Wild Ride typically comes out every Tuesday, but we occasionally publish special editions (like this one!) when we have breaking theme park news. Make sure you’ve signed up to be the first to know.

Other than “The Odyssey,” the biggest news in Los Angeles film circles last week was the return of the Cinerama Dome.

The iconic theater, which has been closed since March 2020, will be restored and reopened by Sony Pictures Entertainment and its Alamo Drafthouse theater chain. As my colleague Cerys Davies reported, renovations begin next month and will continue until early 2028.

For more than 60 years, the dome has been a landmark on Sunset Boulevard. With its 86-foot-wide curved screen, it has premiered such iconic Hollywood films as 1977’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” and made a cameo of its own in 2019’s “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood.”

Ever since the dome closed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been questions about whether it would return. Filmmakers like “Anora” director Sean Baker and “Baby Driver” director Edgar Wright publicly called for its reopening, while a “Save Your Cinema” preservation campaign led by Benjamin Steinberg kept the geodesic icon in the public eye.

“It was definitely the capital of, like, the movie-going experience in L.A.,” Steinberg told my colleague, adding that he plans to visit the theater two to three times a week when it reopens. “I can’t wait to go back inside the Cinerama Dome and watch movies.”

The theater will be operated by Alamo Drafthouse, though Sony says it plans to keep the “Cinerama” name and exterior branding, as well as the dome’s “traditional concession experience” — meaning you won’t be able to order food and drinks to your seat. (Cinephiles recently have criticized the chain for changing its in-seat ordering system to require use of mobile phones in the theater.)

Alongside traditional theatrical showings, the dome also will include some Alamo Drafthouse specials, including repertory screenings, premieres, events and filmmaker series.

Adjacent to the dome, the 14-screen former ArcLight Cinemas will reopen as an Alamo Drafthouse, Sony said, offering dine-in food and beverages, as well as karaoke rooms and “fan celebrations.”

Sony was interested in the dome even before the Culver City-based studio acquired Alamo Drafthouse in 2024.

“It’s such a great location,” Ravi Ahuja, chief executive and chairman of Sony Pictures, told me. “It’s historic, people love it and the theater was successful before it closed. It’s one of a kind, which is the kind of experience we’re after.”

The move also highlights the opportunity Sony sees in the experiences business — an increasingly important strategy for Hollywood.

The Alamo Drafthouse acquisition was part of this, as was the studio’s recent $100-million investment and minority stake in Cosm, a virtual reality venue operator that has a location at Inglewood’s Hollywood Park.

The studio also has “Wheel of Fortune Live!,” a touring version of the popular game show, “Jeopardy! Bar League,” which was incubated at Alamo Drafthouse, and events for its streaming service Crunchyroll at anime conventions.

“It’s another leg of the franchise stool,” Ahuja said. “Fans want to engage in person with each other. It’s part of a human need when you have deep fandom around something.”

As the theatrical market waxes and wanes and the television business has become more unpredictable, it makes sense that studios like Sony increasingly look to diversify and attract fans in new ways.

After all, people have a lot of things they can do with their time and money. And after a period of slow returns since the pandemic, they’ve increasingly been coming back to in-person activities. To keep loyal fans in the fold, studios need to give them more ways to interact with the stories and entertainment they love, or they’ll move on.

Betting on the experiences business isn’t new. Walt Disney Co. makes the majority of its operating income not from its theatrical movies or streaming service, but from its theme parks and cruise line division. Last year, Universal opened Epic Universe, a major investment in its Orlando theme park resort that indicates the importance of this business for the company and owner Comcast.

But not every company wants or needs to start a theme park business. For one, it’s expensive. And for a studio like Sony, which doesn’t have a lot of kid-focused franchises, it doesn’t really make sense.

As a result, some are getting into the experiences space in more specific and limited ways, such as studio tours or branded attractions.

For Sony, that’s meant building a business around these in-person offerings that align more with its adult-leaning audiences. Lionsgate has a “John Wick Experience” in Las Vegas, while Warner Bros., among other things, recently debuted “Harry Potter: A Hogwarts Express Adventure” train event at the Southern California Railway Museum in Perris. (Universal licenses Harry Potter from Warner Bros. for inclusion in its parks.)

For most studios without a major theme park presence, this kind of location-based entertainment is still likely a relatively small part of their corporate revenue, potentially less than 1%, said Dennis Spiegel, founder and chief executive of the International Theme Park Services, Inc. consulting firm. But what these experiences do is help lengthen the life of a franchise by keeping licensing revenue flowing and keeping brands relevant between film releases, he said.

“Hollywood increasingly sees it as an essential part of maximizing the lifetime value of its intellectual property,” he wrote in an email. “In many ways, we have seen how these experiences have become as much of a marketing engine as they are a profit center.”

As for the Cinerama Dome, don’t take it as a sign that Sony is looking to build out an exhibition empire. The studio is looking for only special and selective deals like the dome, Ahuja said, and there are no plans to add more L.A. exhibition locations.

Stuff We Wrote

Film shoots

Number of the week

Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” continued its dominance at the box office in its second outing with a three-day domestic haul of $90 million, down only 27% from its debut weekend.

Internationally, the Universal Pictures film raked in $137.6 million for a worldwide total of $652 million.

The big box office performance came as an unauthorized copy of the film leaked online over the weekend. The studio said it “immediately initiated takedown protocols” once it became aware of theillegal posting on X and “will pursue all appropriate remedies to protect our content and intellectual property rights.” The post was viewed more than 2.1 million times before a takedown notice replaced the copy of the film.

What I’m watching

I did not expect Amazon MGM Studios’ “The Sheep Detectives” to deliver a profound message on death and grieving when I sat down to watch it with a friend, but those talking ovine sleuths really got to me.

Universal Studios Hollywood surprise-opened its flashy new high-speed roller coaster Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift on Monday. After much hype and anticipation — and even some unfounded rumors that the coaster would not hit its promised summer launch — Hollywood Drift is at last ready for its close-up.

Billed as one of the most intense roller coasters in Universal Studios’ global ride portfolio, Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift can reach speeds of 72 mph while taking guests through multiple inversions in vehicles that can rotate 360 degrees. It is the fastest coaster that Universal Creative, the division of the company responsible for theme park experiences, has designed.

There is some fine print.

Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift has still not announced its official grand opening. The ride is operating in what Universal is calling “technical rehearsals.” Think of this as a soft opening.

What that means: Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift is not guaranteed to be running if you visit the park. It’s still, for all intents and purposes, in a testing phase, and can be closed down at any time. If you’re thinking about rushing to the park to be one of its first riders, proceed with caution. Until Universal gives the coaster a proper opening — and expect some sort of gala to go with it — Hollywood Drift may not be fully operational.

Technical rehearsals help ensure that when a ride does receive a formal opening, it can operate, in theory, without any issues or prolonged downtime. My advice: Visiting a theme park is an investment, and if experiencing Hollywood Drift is vital to your day at Universal Studios, it would be safest to wait until the coaster gets its date. At this point, it should be a matter of weeks, if not days.

A view of Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift when it was still in testing mode.

(Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times)

But I certainly understand that theme park FOMO.

Hollywood Drift has long been circled as the most important theme park attraction opening in North America in 2026. The ride has been about 10 years in the making, and has many unique attributes. Not the least of which is its location, as the coaster is built on a steep hill between the park’s upper and lower lots, meaning at times it will go over and under its famed escalators.

“It wouldn’t be your first choice,” says Jon Corfino, Universal Studios Hollywood’s lead creative, of the topography. “But in a way, it makes it more dynamic that we were able to do it.”

Meanwhile, the ride has also raised eyebrows among the community surrounding Universal Studios Hollywood. The park’s neighbors in the adjacent Toluca Lake neighborhood have been none too pleased with some of the rider screams that emanated from the coaster on a day of testing earlier this summer. I talked to several residents as well as Universal and representatives from Los Angeles County for a story published last week, “Fast & Furious’ coaster screams rattle quiet neighborhood: ‘Like someone is getting murdered.” Whether those concerns fade, or how that issue is ultimately resolved, will be but one of the storylines that will follow the attraction.

Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift on a test-run. The coaster has been the most anticipated theme park opening of 2026.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

Yet most guests will simply be concerned with how it rides. While other coasters can rotate 360 degrees, they don’t do it at this speed and through this many twists, turns and loops. And then there’s the design. Hollywood Drift puts riders in mini cars, each one heavily detailed and with unique engine and breaking noises. Of course, the ride may simply move too fast to pay attention to all that.

“It’s a high level of intensity, absolutely, for sure,” Corfino says.

Stay tuned to Mr. Todd’s Wild Ride for detailed impressions of Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift.

This week in SoCal theme parks

A glass slide from the Medusa portrait in Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion is going up for auction.

(Matt Roppolo / HA.com)

• Bid on a piece of Disneyland history. I have mixed feelings on auctions involving Disneyland artifacts. And by mixed, I mean mostly negative, as they tend to inflate prices for the fans who care about the items most, and many of these treasures belong in a museum rather than someone’s private collection. But if you’ve ever wanted a mummy prop from Indiana Jones Adventure, or — gasp — an original glass slide from the Haunted Mansion’s changing Medusa portrait, now’s your chance. The Disney Experiences Auction — Rare and Remarkable Finds is part of next month’s all-things Disney fan convention D23, and is hosted by Heritage Auctions. The live auction is Aug. 16, but online bidding is open.
• A Halloween Horror Nights original. Spooky season is now just a few weeks away, and Universal Studios Hollywood’s lineup for Halloween Horror Nights is mostly set. The latest addition to the event, which begins Sept. 3, is an exciting one, as it’s a brand new haunted house not based on any existing film or television properties. The maze, Dead, Deader, Deadest, is set in a funeral home, based on a plot involving a “miracle drug” that can restore the features of the deceased without embalming. Halloween Horror Nights mastermind John Murdy revealed on socials that it connects to past original haunted houses at the park, for those deep into Halloween Horror Nights lore.
• Hope you like Kraft Mac & Cheese, Disney fans. Times Business writer Samantha Masunaga reports on a deal between the Walt Disney Co. and Kraft Heinz. As part of the agreement, more Kraft Heinz products will be available in Walt Disney Co.’s U.S.-based theme parks and on cruise ships, including Heinz, Philadelphia cream cheese and Kraft Mac & Cheese.

Tell us your stories. Ask us your questions.

Have a theme park tale to share? Whether it was a good day or less-than-perfect day, I would love to hear about it. Have a question? A tip? A fun photo from the parks to share? Email me at todd.martens@latimes.com. I may feature your note in an upcoming newsletter.

Ride on,

Todd Martens

As performers protest and studios sue in their war on artificial intelligence, the entertainment industry is deepening its dependence on it.

Although few places are better than Hollywood at crafting a narrative and concealing what happens off-frame, a Los Angeles Times survey of job postings sheds light on what is happening offstage.

Among hundreds of job postings in late June, more than one in 10 was likely connected to AI. The top studios’ public postings suggest they have been recruiting people to build AI tools. They are also recruiting teams to defend their intellectual property against unauthorized AI use.

“There are plenty of studios that are hiring [for AI] but never talk about it in public,” said Yoland Yan, a co-founder of ComfyUI, a company that helps studios juggle different AI tools.

Companies have been hesitant to detail how they use generative AI in film production — partly because they are concerned about consumer and union backlash.

The Walt Disney Studios complex on May 3 in Burbank.

(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)

Some in Hollywood described AI use as the new cosmetic surgery, where everyone knows it is happening, but few will admit to it.

Recent want ads show Amazon MGM Studios trying to find a principal AI executive and Walt Disney Studios advertising for a production innovation technologist job.

“What you’re seeing in those job postings is that adoption is already happening,” said Bryn Mooser, chief executive of Asteria, an AI film studio.

Netflix recently posted a job that didn’t exist a year ago.

The streamer was hiring for the role of “Manager, Generative Workflows,” a job to help integrate more AI into Netflix films. It promised hands-on experience with the cutting-edge technology.

“The industry is flooded with speculative GenAI roadmaps, but few are battle-tested in production,” the post said, referring to generative AI. The post said the role will work on introducing AI into Netflix’s slate of films being released in the U.S. and Canada.

Although some companies may be shy about sharing their AI plans, big stars who don’t have to answer to others have been more open about their embrace of the new technology for storytelling.

An exterior view of the Netflix sign at Netflix on Vine in Hollywood in 2025.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Rejecting AI is like picking a horse and buggy over a car, said “Star Wars” creator George Lucas.

“Artificial intelligence means it’s much easier for us to make movies,” he told a trade magazine earlier this year. “There’s nothing you can do about it. That’s progress. It’s the future.”

Some in Hollywood have a softer stance on artificial intelligence, with studios cutting deals with AI companies, and filmmakers like Martin Scorsese backing AI companies.

Ben Affleck launched an AI film tech company then sold it to Netflix for half a billion dollars.

When launching InterPositive, Affleck said he wanted to keep “storytelling human” by building AI tools that could fix lighting, generate missing shots and other things while “keeping creative decisions in the hands of artists.”

The Times’ survey turned up two senior InterPositive roles to update the programming to apply AI to visual effects .

The Culver Studios on Feb. 12 in Culver City.

(Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times)

To gauge what is happening behind the scenes, The Times used Claude Code to build a scraper to identify job postings at Disney, Universal, Paramount, Warner Bros., Sony, Netflix and Amazon MGM. It found around 250 film studio job postings that were still public as of late June. Around 30 of those seemed to be connected to AI.

Disney, Netflix and Amazon had job postings that were about using AI on the creative side of the business. Universal, Paramount, Warner Bros. and Sony had job ads suggesting they were also using AI but for marketing, distribution and audience analytics.

The postings suggest the Disney, Netflix and Amazon studios are building repeatable AI workflows for visual effects, animation, sound and dubbing. The companies also seem to be building in-house teams to develop custom generative-AI models, while also using third-party software.

None of the jobs advertised were to create AI that wrote scripts or created AI actors.

Disney’s ten or so AI jobs showed the century-old studio building out its AI research and production muscle, while protecting its vault of beloved characters.

Mouse House is hiring PhD-level talent to study “computer graphics and AI” for Pixar and Disney films, people to “bridge the gap between research and practical studio application.”

Industrial Light & Magic, the Disney-owned visual effects shop, was searching for supervisors to “explore emerging technologies (including AI/Machine Learning)” to develop new production workflows.

The company’s audio post-production unit, Skywalker Sound, seemed to be recruiting to build proprietary AI models for soundtracks, voice separation, and voice transfer, the process of taking a speaker’s tone and pitch, and applying it to new content.

Disney was also hiring to defend itself. Three of its jobs were for “content security” to assess AI tools and guard against piracy, watermarking and rights-protection work.

The company’s public posture has so far been pursuing lawsuits against AI companies for inappropriate use of copyrighted material, and it pulled out of its plans to invest $1 billion in an equity investment deal with OpenAI.

Netflix’s posts suggested it is bringing more AI to the creative side of its business.

Netflix’s senior director of creative innovation, Girish Balakrishnan, outlined at the Runway AI film festival how AI was used to create soccer fans in “Brazil ’70” and establish shots for fight scenes in “Glory.”

Amazon, an early adopter, was hiring a principal AI executive to drive AI-tool adoption across production, plus roles in operations automation and LLM content classification, the listings revealed.

The Seattle-based streamer has been the most aggressive AI adopter in studios, and commissioned three AI animation series through its GenAI creator fund in May. Amazon has also bankrolled a Manhattan Beach production services company, Innovative Dream.

Even as studios build bigger AI teams, many in the industry are resisting, and some film fans are concerned.

The actors’ guild SAG-AFTRA in June ratified a new four-year contract with special protections against synthetic performers, and the union has backed a national bill designed to protect individuals from unauthorized, AI-generated digital replicas.

Studios have met with the union twice a year since 2023 to provide a confidential report on their AI-related activities. The studios tell the union they aren’t yet using AI that would entirely replace humans, said a person familiar with the discussions.

The union says it has no evidence that generative AI is being used to create performances, and the studios are supposed to notify the union if that happens.

Actors, writers, production staff and movie fans are still resistant to the overuse of AI and defining when and where it is acceptable, so studios are treading lightly, said AI film studio CEO Mooser.

“It’s been really a challenging thing to adopt both socially, ethically and legally, but we are seeing more adoption of it than we’ve ever seen before,” he said.

More than 16 congressional Democrats accused the Federal Communications Commission this week of running a license-review process “tainted by animus and ideology,” demanding the agency back off its early scrutiny of Disney stations, including Los Angeles’ KABC-TV and San Francisco’s KGO-TV — while alleging the FCC has politicized its power.

The lawmakers signed letters to FCC Secretary Marlene H. Dortch to register their dismay and question the legitimacy of the FCC’s review protocol.

The letter campaign is a response to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s decision in April to order an early review of Disney’s licenses for the eight ABC television stations that it owns. The review is entering its home stretch; public comments are due to the FCC by July 29.

Calling a station’s licenses for an early review is rare, and it’s been four decades since the FCC revoked a TV station license.

Carr’s move requiring Disney to submit to an early review came after President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump expressed outrage over a joke by ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel that referenced the first lady.

“This early renewal process is merely a smokescreen to pursue President Trump’s vindictive agenda to silence minority voices and punish companies that decline to do his bidding,” according to the letter signed by Reps. Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), Kevin Mullin (D-South San Francisco), Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), Ro Khanna (D-Fremont), Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) and others.

The FCC maintains the ABC station review sprung from concerns about Disney’s internal diversity, equity and inclusion programs, but the lawmakers said there was no evidence that Disney’s personnel policies violate any laws.

Instead, they said, Trump has made it clear that he sees TV license renewals as a means to squeeze media outlets whose coverage he dislikes.

The FCC separately has taken aim at ABC’s daytime discussion show, “The View,” which delves deeply into politics.

Disney has pushed back against the early evaluation of its TV station licenses, which were originally up for review between 2028 and 2031. The Burbank giant filed its renewal applications “under protest.”

“The Commission had not demanded early renewal in over five decades,” Disney’s WABC-TV station, based in New York, wrote in a May filing with the commission. “And it has never before demanded simultaneous license renewal applications from a group of stations commonly owned with a network as it has here. The order has no legitimate purpose.”

California congressional Democrats have strongly condemned Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr’s decision to mandate early, unprecedented license renewals for eight Disney-owned ABC stations, including KABC-TV in Los Angeles.

(Google street view)

The FCC maintains that Disney is the one politicizing the station review.

“Contrary to Disney’s claim that the FCC called in their broadcast licenses for early renewal for no reason, the record shows something very different,” Carr said in a May statement. “Broadcast licensees have a unique obligation to operate in the public interest. The FCC will follow the facts and law wherever they may lead.”

In the tussle over whether “The View” qualifies for an exemption to the so-called equal time rules for politicians, an FCC spokesperson said in a statement: “ABC should focus on complying with its public interest obligations, rather than misleading the public about them.”

The lawmakers, in the two letters, did not wade into the controversy over “The View.”

Instead, they stressed the importance of the two stations — KABC and KGO — to their local communities.

“KABC is an important local television station that millions of our constituents rely on for daily news, traffic, emergency weather alerts, and programming that serves our local community,” according to the letter spearheaded by Friedman, whose district includes Disney’s headquarters.

“Any refusal to renew this license would be strongly against the public interest,” the group wrote.

Congresswoman Laura Friedman is leading a letter campaign by Democrats in Congress to defend Disney’s KABC-TV.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

A second letter highlighted the importance of Disney’s San Francisco station, which serves nine counties in that region.

“For over 75 years, KGO has been operating in the public interest in our region, offering reliable journalism, indispensable emergency information, and steadfast community engagement that our constituents and viewers rely on,” according to the letter headed by Mullin.

The station also serves as a broadcast partner to the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade, the city’s Pride parade, the Oakland Black Joy parade and the Bay to Breakers race. It also raises awareness for organizations including Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired and Bay Area Autism Collective, the lawmakers said.

“KGO’s operations reflects the television station’s deep investment and commitment to viewers in the Bay Area,” the lawmakers wrote. “KGO is a community partner. … We urge the FCC to reconsider its unlawful censorship campaign against ABC and all other political opponents of President Trump.”

More Kraft Heinz products will be available in Walt Disney Co.’s U.S.-based theme parks and on cruise ships after the two companies recently inked a multiyear partnership.

Ten Kraft Heinz brands will be part of the deal, including Heinz, Philadelphia cream cheese and Kraft Mac & Cheese, the companies said in a statement Tuesday.

Both Disney and Heinz declined to comment on the financial terms of the deal, but a Heinz spokesperson said it is Disney’s “highest level of partnership” and designed to be an ongoing effort.

The partnership, which begins this summer, will result in new menu items, experiences and product offerings at Anaheim’s Disneyland Resort, Orlando’s Walt Disney World and on Disney cruise ships sailing out of ports in North America.

In the short term, new Heinz condiment stations and custom-designed equipment will be installed throughout the parks, the companies said.

Beyond the use of Kraft Heinz brands at Disney parks and on cruise ships, the partnership also allows for “integrated marketing campaigns” and digital content across Disney’s media platforms.

“Together we will build creative experiences for our consumers across our destinations, platforms, and fan touchpoints,” Becca Vodnoy, Walt Disney Co. senior vice president of corporate alliances, said in the statement.

My theme park day begins with gunfire. A jailbreak! But shortly after, I‘m attending a wedding. Next I’m on a mission, helping the local postmaster justify his uncontrollable desire to open everyone’s packages, and trying to find a way to do so without telling a lie.

This is just another Sunday morning at Knott’s Berry Farm’s “Ghost Town Alive!,” a now-10-year-old interactive show — live-action role-playing game is more accurate — that has become the best summer offering at any theme park, and not just in SoCal but in America. There’s a daily story, including three editions of a single-page newsletter that are updated every day. There’s also lots of improv. Over the years, I’ve found myself on the prowl for mysterious elixirs, playing matchmaker, collaborating on group stories in a schoolhouse, doing police work, participating in a mustache contest or flashing a press badge.

“Ghost Town Alive!” ultimately is the promise of theme parks fulfilled, that is that we can enter a fantasy world and play as cartoonish, or maybe even idealized, versions of ourselves.

It’s a rarity, an event with 46 actors — about 30 of whom appear each afternoon — who lead guests through scavenger hunts, puzzles or just conversations about life in Calico, the fictional town of Knott’s Berry Farm’s Ghost Town area. The cast ranges from those just out of college to those in their mid-70s, and no character is ever played by more than one actor. This gives Calico a sense of life, an illusion that it’s actually populated, but also allows actors to fully develop a personality and let their characters evolve.

Before creative director Andy Crocker was working on “Ghost Town Alive!,” she was visiting it as a fan. Crocker, an experiential designer who has worked on projects for companies as wide-ranging as the Los Angeles Public Library and Walt Disney Imagineering, specializes in particular on guest-to-actor interactions.

“Ghost Town Alive!” unfolds like a live-action role-playing game. But expect plenty of silliness.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

“I will never forget the first time I saw it as a guest,” Crocker tells me. “I came with my husband, and we did not bring our kid. We walked in, and I saw a little girl in a pink cowboy hat with a painted-on mustache following an outlaw off to jail. That outlaw was giving a gritty HBO performance. Wasn’t patronizing. Wasn’t talking down. He was giving her a hero moment, and I burst into tears. I didn’t know this was possible to do on this scale with such an institution. The empowerment that performer gave to that guest, I will never forget.”

To make a theme park feel personal is no easy feat. In fact, designers have long been trying to solve this problem, whether by creating interactive attractions that feel responsive to the guest, or short-lived experiments such as the late but great Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, colloquially known as the Star Wars hotel.

Crocker says others have asked for the “secret sauce” to “Ghost Town Alive!” They’ve tried — and are trying — but she’s not so sure the magic can be replicated. One, Knott’s is blessed with a real, 100-year-old Ghost Town. That allowed for the investment to be solely in the cast and performance rather than infrastructure. And yet actors, of course, aren’t cheap.

A single-page newspaper is printed three times a day during “Ghost Town Alive!”

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

“The amount of people that we have, that’s tough for a lot of places,” Crocker says. “They try to do it with less, and it doesn’t quite work.”

Speaking on a panel hosted by trade group the Themed Entertainment Assn., Jeff Tucker, Knott’s Berry Farm’s show writer, says one early mistake Knott’s made was thinking everyone who works in Ghost Town could partake. That meant, for instance, taping dialogue cues to cash registers in the saloon in the hopes that bartenders could become a character. The concept failed. “It’s a logistical nightmare,” he says. The lesson: Hire actors to perform. Let bartenders be bartenders and retail staff be retail staff.

Another reason Crocker tells me “Ghost Town Alive!” is so rare, and will remain so: It doesn’t rely on intellectual property, or a known franchise, which has become the lifeblood of modern theme parks. “With things that are heavy IP, it’s very tricky to control your IP and to allow for real play, guest agency, and, honestly, artist agency,” she says.

Evan Battle, center, who plays Deputy Chester Davenport, at Knott’s Berry Farm’s “Ghost Town Alive!” in 2024. The interactive theatrical experience allows guests to mingle with about 30 actors.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

That’s important, as “Ghost Town Alive!” can shift with the whims of the guest. There’s a core storyline this year. A rich, Beverly Hills-like family is revealed to be the true owners of Calico, and how the residents respond is the key narrative of the day. But there are multiple tales to uncover, including hidden factions (check out the Calico Historical Society) and who is taking who to the 4 p.m. hoedown, which ends each daily game of “Ghost Town Alive!”

But Crocker has also seen it get rather heartwarming.

“My mom came to see it,” she says. “She has some health concerns. There was a character who was in a crazy mix-’em-up and said he would not make it to the hoedown and that this would be his last day on Earth. This character and my mom ended up having this conversation about how if you know you don’t have a lot of time left, what would you do with your time? I was surprised by that pivot.”

It helps, Crocker says, that she’s noticed one commonality among the “Ghost Town Alive!” staff. They play — or were weaned on — tabletop role-playing games such as “Dungeons & Dragons,” which at their best allow for an anything-goes approach designed to follow the direction of the players rather than a strict script.

Tucker on the panel said there was one rule the crew lives by that defines the success of “Ghost Town Alive!”: “It’s not real,” he said. “We can do whatever we want.”

This week in SoCal theme parks

Not yet ready for prime time, Knott’s Berry Farm has delayed the opening of Montezooma: The Forbidden Fortress.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

• Montezooma is not yet zooming. Knott’s Berry Farm initially intended to launch its reimagined Montezooma’s Revenge, now known as Montezooma: The Forbidden Fortress, this week. Late Thursday, the park delayed its public unveiling, with a spokesperson citing additional fine-tuning that surfaced during its final days of testing. The delay is not expected to be a prolonged one. “We appreciate everyone’s understanding and look forward to welcoming media and guests in the coming days when we can showcase the attraction exactly as intended,” read a statement from the park.
• A monthlong Lego celebration. Carlsbad’s Legoland likes to describe its Lego Festival, which started Monday and runs through Aug. 30, as a child’s first fest. Expect lots of characters and an assortment of play-focused areas. One is dedicated to music, another is a free-run creative zone and a third is a Lego garden designed to soothe. New this year is a game-heavy center dedicated to the Pokémon franchise, as well as a challenge-filled F1 installation.
• It’s now more expensive to eat at Disneyland. Price hikes, unfortunately, are a yearly-occurrence at the Disneyland Resort, and this summer, like every summer, hundreds of food items have ever-so-slightly increased in cost. Most are in the range of a dollar or so — give or take a quarter or two — but expect to pay $7, up from $6.50, for a scoop of popcorn. I admittedly do not keep a database of Disneyland food prices, but sites like Mickey Visit or Theme Park IQ have tracked the most egregious price bumps. Looking at their data, you may want to think twice about dining at Disneyland’s Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante, where prices have been increasing even as portions over the years have been declining.
• Where is Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift? We’re now in midsummer, and Universal Studios Hollywood’s Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift still does not have an official opening date. While sources familiar with the coaster’s operations point to routine mechanical issues that have arisen during its test and adjustment phase, one thing is certain: It’s not delayed due to noise complaints from neighbors, as rumors suggested last week. A Universal spokesperson pushed back on the notion that the coaster is delayed, stating it would still open this summer, which lasts into late September.

The best thing I ate at the parks

The hearty cottage pie from Downtown Disney’s Gordon Ramsay at the Carnaby.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

I’ve been eagerly anticipating the opening of Gordon Ramsay at the Carnaby at the Disneyland Resort’s Downtown Disney, the latest concept in which the celebrity chef has agreed to lend his name. This one is an upscale gastropub, and while I’ll leave the full cuisine analysis to the professional food writers, as a parkgoer I do believe it fills a void in Disneyland’s shopping and entertainment district, bringing the area an adult-focused space with upscale (read: expensive) twists on old favorites like fish and chips ($33) and cottage pie ($38). And after reading breathless press release-like articles and posts from my theme park peers (“utter perfection,” proclaimed one) I couldn’t have been more excited to dine there this weekend.

Let’s start with the vibe, which I found to be rather confused. I was seated in the tiny, uncomfortable indoor bar, a place that felt like an afterthought and leaned airport terminal drinking hole, as it’s situated at the top of a stairwell and serves primarily as a thoroughfare into the dining hall. That a pub, especially one with an extensive cocktail menu (I did love my $22 cotton candy-infused Old Fashioned) would treat its introductory bar as a throwaway rather than a centerpiece of the experience was disappointing (an outdoor bar is significantly more enticing). The core dining space leans contemporary more than a traditional, wood-infused pub, feeling cafe-like with its ‘60s rock posters and framed portraits of those in mod outfits. More theme-ing would have been welcome, as I read it as slightly cold and corporate rather than homey and intimate. Instead of, say Pasadena’s Lucky Baldwins, this felt like a nice break room at a major record label.

But my dish was delightful. I had my heart set on the cottage pie, this one infused with a hearty portion of short rib. I probably should have taken leftovers, because it’s heavy, but in the best way possible. The potato-rich top felt creamy and buttery, while the meat was equally soft. The whole thing felt invitingly plush. I walked away mixed. No complaints on my entrée, and I’m eager to come back and try the fish and chips, and yes, that viral sticky toffee pudding dessert, but longing for a more welcoming atmosphere, especially at this price point.

Tell us your stories. Ask us your questions.

Have a theme park tale to share? Whether it was a good day or less-than-perfect day, I would love to hear about it. Have a question? A tip? A fun photo from the parks to share? Email me at todd.martens@latimes.com. I may feature your note in an upcoming newsletter.

Ride on,

Todd Martens

P.S.

Drowned Out Productions’ “The Shoebox Museum” explores love and loss.

(Drowned Out Productions. )

There’s a show running Saturday and Sunday in Los Angeles that I believe theme park fans should make time for. “The Shoebox Museum,” at North Hollywood’s After Hours theater, is a walk-through immersive experience at its most thoughtful. It’s short, at around 30 minutes, but it stayed with me for hours after it concluded.

“The Shoebox Museum,” from Drowned Out Productions’ Jackson Mancuso, who does theme park design by day, is a mediation on heartbreak, asking what we want to leave behind, and take with us, as we explore our grief. It’s meticulously designed, as we follow light cues through byzantine rooms filled with everyday ephemera — the type of stuff that only holds meaning to those who were in love. It’s a show about how an once broken heart, even mended, still finds ways to haunt us.

It took an ancient Greek epic to ignite a fire at the box office last weekend, as Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of “The Odyssey” became one of the biggest movie events of the year.

The film, led by Matt Damon as Odysseus, hauled in $123.5 million in the U.S. and Canada on its way to a global total of nearly $264 million — the biggest-ever global opening for one of Nolan’s films.

In many ways, “The Odyssey” is a throwback to old-school Hollywood filmmaking, with Nolan’s use of practical effects and numerous on-location shoots. It’s also a sign that audiences will still pack theaters for the right kind of movie.

The Universal Pictures film also outperformed studio expectations of a $117-million domestic premiere and set a record for the highest-grossing opening weekend for a live-action or R-rated film this year.

“Audiences always want to be thoroughly immersed in the theatrical experience and engulfed by the story and the production, and Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ is a perfect example of that,” Jim Orr, Universal’s president of domestic distribution, said Sunday. “When you have a very substantial opening, and you have those kinds of audience scores, it only points to what should be a remarkable run throughout the summer and into the fall.”

That’s good news for the summer box office, which lately has seen a bit of ebb and flow.

“The Odyssey” now ranks as the third-largest domestic opening of the year, trailing only kid-friendly films such as Walt Disney Co. and Pixar’s “Toy Story 5” and Universal, Illumination and Nintendo’s “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.” Though family-friendly films have become power players for theaters, the two most recent flicks — Disney’s live-action “Moana” and Universal and Illumination’s “Minions & Monsters” saw softer openings.

After the big weekend for “The Odyssey,” the summer box office is up 7.3% compared with the lackluster 2025 season, according to entertainment data firm Rentrak. More encouraging, the year-to-date domestic box office is now 10.4% higher than for the same period last year.

That’s been helped not only by big blockbusters such as “The Odyssey,” which had a production budget of $200 million to $250 million, but also by the success of smaller-budget films such as A24’s “Backrooms” and Focus Features’ “Obsession.”

The common denominator is the draw of directors who have cultivated strong fan bases. “Obsession” director Curry Barker, 26, and 21-year-old Kane Parsons, who helmed “Backrooms,” have been building their reputation on YouTube among Gen Z audiences, and that loyalty is starting to count for something at the box office.

Nolan, of course, is one of the masters of building a faithful following over more than two decades. Fans started grabbing Imax 70 millimeter tickets for “The Odyssey” when they first went on sale a year ago, and the film ended up driving record presales for the Canadian entertainment tech company, which operates out of Playa Vista.

The film has notched a 95% on aggregator Rotten Tomatoes and an A CinemaScore rating.

“His films have tapped into the cultural zeitgeist,” said Shawn Robbins, director of movie analytics at Fandango and founder of the website Box Office Theory. “That’s what keeps bringing people back. They know they’re going to get a different experience; there’s always going to be a watercooler conversation around his movies, and they’re part of the cultural fabric.”

For “The Odyssey,” part of that conversation was Nolan’s old-school movie magic, including the puppetry, animatronics and robotics he used in scenes with the Cyclops, as well as the real Viking ship that the actors learned to sail.

The film also has driven interest in 70mm screenings from film buffs and casual moviegoers.

Ahead of the premiere of “The Odyssey,” Allen Michaan, owner of Oakland’s Grand Lake Theater, knew the weekend would be very busy for his four-screen movie palace. He is showing the film both in standard digital format and on 70mm film.

Michaan has made 70mm showings a priority since 1982, when the projector was installed for the release of Steven Spielberg’s “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.” He said the theater played that movie for 45 weeks that year. Due to the demand at the time, he installed two more 70mm projectors, making three of his four screens capable of the old-fashioned format.

Demand for the 70mm showings of “The Odyssey” has significantly outperformed their digital screenings, he said.

“We’re thrilled to get any 70mm print because it’s a gift from the filmmaker and the studio,” Michaan said.

Enhanced format screenings for “The Odyssey” made up 53% of the domestic weekend box office, with Imax film and digital revenue accounting for nearly 24%.

Imax 70mm accounted for about 4% of that total, with Imax digital making up the rest. Non-Imax 70mm film screening revenue totaled 3%, while 35mm showings made up 0.3%.

The nearly three-hour epic also marked the first feature film shot entirely on Imax cameras, a feat that required extensive collaboration between Nolan and Imax.

Nolan first told Imax Corp. Chief Executive Rich Gelfond in early 2024 that he was considering making an entire film with Imax cameras and laid out what he’d need for that to happen, including a quieter and lighter camera, a way to make film reloads easier and getting enough trained projectionists.

“It took a fair amount of time and investment” to figure out those challenges, Gelfond said. But by August 2024, the Imax team put together a series of tests to show cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema. Two months later, Nolan saw the tests and was impressed.

“As filmmakers and studios integrate Imax, we become an increasingly important part of the ecosystem,” Gelfond said. “When a film is released in Imax or shot in Imax, I think it’s a signal to audiences that it’s somewhat special, and the filmmaker is really leaning in in a unique way.”

Times staff writer Cerys Davies contributed to this report.

Stuff We Wrote

Film shoots

Number of the week

Streaming giant Netflix narrowed its 2026 revenue forecast to $51 billion to $51.4 billion from its previous, larger range of $50.7 billion to $51.7 billion in its last Thursday’s second-quarter earnings report, renewing concerns among investors and equity analysts about the Los Gatos-based company’s future growth.

On the Friday morning after the earnings call, Netflix stock slid 13% to $65.08 a share, marking a new 52-week low. Shares eventually closed that day at $68.95.

As my colleague Wendy Lee has reported, investors are growing nervous that in recent months, Netflix’s share of TV viewing time in the U.S. has been decreasing, while YouTube’s share has increased, according to Nielsen data. Investors are concerned that if consumers are watching Netflix less, they’ll cancel their subscriptions, and that will put pressure on the company’s ability to raise prices in the U.S.

Netflix has said its engagement rates are healthy.

What I’m watching

I love a good teen mystery show, especially when it has a bit of a “Veronica Mars” vibe, so I binged Paramount+’s “School Spirits” last weekend.

Where Veronica Mars was solving realistic crimes around her local beach city, “School Spirits” tries to dig into why so many teens have died at (and haunt) a Wisconsin high school. At times, they’re hitting at a lot of different themes and storylines, but I loved the colorful ensemble of ghost characters from different decades, and Jennifer Tilly makes for an incredible villain.

LONDON is getting its very first ‘amazement’ park – and it’s set to be Europe’s largest immersive art experience.

Visitors to its other UK venue have dubbed it ‘dystopian Disney‘.

Wake The Tiger has announced it will open at London‘s Westfield on October 15.

The new indoor attraction will spread over two floors across 80,000sqft.

The experience is called Absurd City and will transport visitors to different districts which will be a “surreal, parallel world of imagination, transformation, and otherworldly art”.

Through the experience, visitors will discover secret passageways and see the new installations all in a makeshift cityscape.

COAST EFFECTIVE

Best UK family theme & waterparks with cheap stays from just £3pp a night

DIVE IN

Mega waterpark hotels with EVERYTHING you ever wanted & all inclusive from £189pp

In a previous statement, Luke Mitchell, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer at Wake The Tiger, said: “This is a culmination of over 20 years of creative world-building, from the ground-breaking Boomtown Fair Festival to a new genre of immersive visitor attractions in Amazement Parks®.

“The space in Westfield London has totally blown our mind. It’s as if it was created for us and we can’t wait to transform it into an alternate dimension.”

Tickets have been released today and can be bought from £27.

On its website, the experience has also teased that ‘After Hours’ adult-only sessions will be held which will be on Thursday and Friday evenings.

It’s not the only one in the UK – the very first Wake The Tiger opened in 2022.

It calls itself the world’s first ‘amazement park’ and previous guests have raved about the attraction, with some comparing it to Disney.

One person who said he used to work at Disney said: “The Imagineers who create the rides would be in awe of this also.”

Another said: “Felt like a dystopian Disney land.”

In the Bristol venue, visitors can explore the world of Meridia which has 27 unique art installations including strobe lighting, hidden portals and doorways, and rooms with moving parts.

Tickets at the Bristol venue start from £16.50 for adults and £13.50 for children.

Kids under five go free.

AS A kid, we all dream of going to Disney World, but what if I told you, you could actually live there?

Well, you can in Disney-themed houses littered with subtle details from hidden Mickeys to Beauty and the Beast character door knobs.

Mum and content creator, Cristie Anne, and her family bought a house in Golden Oak at Disney World Florida back in 2020 – the exclusive community that is directly on Disney property.

In fact, it is so exclusive that only residents are allowed into the community where there are 300 homes, as well as a clubhouse, a pool, a coffee bar and a fitness suite.

Cristie Anne of The Traveling Red, said: “Living at Disney World is a little surreal, even after all these years.

“[We’re] surrounded by Disney magic, yet it’s super quiet and peaceful. The homes are beautiful and there’s a great sense of community.

Read more on travel inspo

GO ON

All the little-known websites for cheap or FREE tickets to gigs, theatre & festivals

TRAVEL TIP

The £2.99 SIM hack that can save Brits HUNDREDS abroad

“We always have neighbourhood events and we have met some of the nicest people there.”

Cristie Anne added: “At the time, Charlie [her daughter] was just two-years-old, so the idea of having a place where our family could spend time together while being so close to Disney felt absolutely perfect.”

And with Mickey Mouse himself as your neighbour, there are obviously some big perks including being just minutes away from both the Epcot and Magic Kingdom parks.

Instead of battling for a car parking space, residents simply make a call to be picked up and then they’ll be dropped directly at the park.

Cristie Anne said: “A Golden Oak van will take us directly to the parks and drop us right at the front entrance. They’ll actually take us anywhere on Disney property.

“Being able to decide at breakfast that you want to spend the afternoon in a Disney park and be there just minutes later is something I never take for granted.”

In addition to a concierge team and a full calendar of events, the community also gets front row seats to the theme park’s daily fireworks, without even leaving their homes.

“Our third-floor reading room has the most perfect view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks.

“We can hear them a little from inside, but from up there the view is incredible,” she said.

Every house in the community is unique, with Cristie Anne’s home being inspired by Belle’s cottage from Beauty and the Beast on the outside.

On the inside, you can expect a Winnie the Pooh room as well as a bedroom with Bambi-inspired bunk beds, complete with a Mickey seared into the wood.

There’s even a ‘Haunted Mansion’ in one of their walk-in cupboards.

She added: “Some of the themed rooms inside our neighbours’ homes are absolutely incredible and would completely blow you away.”

When asked about the mistakes tourists make when visiting Disney World, Cristie Anne simply replied: “Trying to do too much.”

She added: “People spend months planning and then arrive with a schedule so packed that they’re stressed before they even walk through the gates.”

Instead of checking rides off a list, Cristie Anne recommends slowing down, watching the parade, exploring a resort and hunting for a great meal.

Or she simply lets her daughter lead the day, instead.

“You’ll enjoy Disney much more if you leave room for spontaneity, and if you’re well rested,” she added.

And of all the spots to enjoy, Cristie Anne of course has some hidden gems up her sleeve, confessing that many people don’t leave the parks but should.

She revealed: “Disney’s resorts are attractions in their own right. The lobbies, restaurants, seasonal decorations, and activities create an entirely different side of Disney that most tourists never experience.

“If I had to pick one specific experience, I’d recommend visiting Animal Kingdom in the evening.

“Many guests leave early, but Pandora at night is one of the most beautiful places anywhere on Disney property and feels completely different after dark.

“It’s more romantic and there’s great restaurants. If we just want something quick and simple, we love Nomad Lounge. If we want a full meal, Tiffin’s is fantastic. Animal Kingdom in the evening could be a great date night without all the chaos.”

By the end of this summer, Charlie will have visited 21 countries (a number Cristie Anne admits would be even higher if it wasn’t for the Covid-19 pandemic).

And for those wanting to travel with their kids more, the mum recommends “just doing it”.

She said: “The first few trips may feel overwhelming, but every trip gets easier.

“At nine-years-old, Charlie’s incredibly comfortable navigating airports, long flights, different cultures, and unfamiliar places. She gets excited about trying new foods, meeting new people, and exploring new destinations.

“I truly believe that’s because she grew up doing it. Travel isn’t something intimidating or stressful to her… It’s something she loves.”

She added that travelling with a child allows you to slow down, stay in a place for longer and really experience it – rather than parenthood stopping you from travelling, it just changes the way you travel.

Cristie Anne revealed: “We leave room for pool days, playground stops, long dinners, and spontaneous adventures. Ironically, slowing down has allowed us to enjoy our travels so much more.

“The temporary challenges of traveling with a toddler are far outweighed by the memories you create and the confidence, adaptability, and curiosity that travel helps build in them.”

TV station ownership groups may finally get their wish to own more outlets.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr announced Wednesday that the agency will vote next month to end the rule that allows companies to own no more than two TV stations in a single market. The cap also limits the national coverage of any station owner to 39% limit of the U.S.

Carr said the agency will consider a “case by case” review on station merger and acquisition deals that would result in exceeding the current limits. The commission, which has two Republicans and one Democrat, will vote on Aug. 6.

“Previously, the cap operated as a blanket prohibition on any and all deals that would combine stations in [excess] of the 39% limit — regardless of whether it was a good deal or bad deal for the country,” Carr wrote on the right-wing website Breitbart. “Our new proposal would allow the FCC to approve deals that exceed the 39% cap, but only if doing so would promote the public interest.”

TV station owners and its lobbying group the National Assn. of Broadcasters have been clamoring for a change in the rule, citing the changes in technology that have occurred since the ownership limit. The 39% threshold was set in 2004 when streaming video was still a nascent business.

The station groups say the ability of tech companies such as Google and Netflix to reach every consumer in the U.S. puts them at a disadvantage. At the same time, streaming now accounts for more than 40% of all viewing, according to Nielsen, pulling consumers away from traditional TV. TV stations are also seeing their share of carriage fees from cable and satellite companies shrink due to cord-cutting.

The station groups also argue that declining viewership and revenue make it more challenging to support multiple local TV.news operations in a single market.

But proposed changes to the cap limits have been met with push back from consumer groups and state government officials. They have said station consolidation will result in journalist layoffs and fewer voices for the communities they serve.

Earlier this year, a group of attorneys general filed suit to block Nexstar Media Group’s proposed $6.2-billion acquisition of Tegna, arguing it violates a 112-year-old U.S. antitrust law by knocking out a major competitor. The deal would give Irving, Texas-based Nexstar control of 265 television stations across the country, up from 164. And, in dozens of markets, including San Diego and Sacramento, Nexstar would own multiple TV network affiliates.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Troy L. Nunley issued a preliminary injunction in April that forbids Nexstar — which owns KTLA-TV Channel 5 in Los Angeles — and Tegna, from combining operations. Nexstar is appealing.

Carr’s proposal would largely put the FCC in charge of picking winners and losers on a case-by-case basis.

When faced with a merger proposal, Carr said the commission would consider such issues as commitment to local journalism and “viewpoint diversity.”

Carr has made his name by threatening to pull the over-the-air broadcast licenses of TV stations that irritate President Trump with their coverage and commentary.

In April, the FCC called for an early review of the licenses for Disney’s eight broadcast TV stations, a day after Trump demanded that ABC fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel over a joke about First Lady Melania Trump.

Carr also questioned whether ABC’s daytime show “The View,” where negative Trump commentary is rampant, should qualify as a bona fide news program that is exempt from giving equal time to qualified candidates.

Carr’s Breitbart column also reiterated his view that large media companies such as Disney and NBCUniversal parent Comcast hold too much sway over their affiliates.

“New York and Hollywood interests have steamrolled those local TV stations and the broader media market in recent years in ways that run directly counter to the regulatory framework that Congress and the FCC put in place,” he wrote. “Their national programs naturally reflect the values of the New York and Hollywood executives that produce them. This power imbalance has contributed to a steady decline in locally produced news — and with it, a weakening of the public’s trust in the media.”

How owning more stations would give groups leverage in their dealings with networks is unclear. The networks control the rights to the NFL — the No. 1 TV ratings attraction for broadcast television by a mile. Stations pay the networks compensation for those games, which they use when negotiating the carriage fees they receive from cable and satellite companies.

Times staff writer Meg James contributed to this report.

Arrive early — or stay late — for low wait times.

Be wary of rushing straight to the most popular attractions at the park, as many others will have that identical strategy.

If you don’t mind being split up, take advantage of the single rider line, especially on a showcase attraction such as Radiator Springs Racers.

Every Disneyland regular has tips, time-saving, stress-reducing ideas to enhance your day at the park.

So when I had the opportunity to talk to Chris Mortensen, one of the Disneyland Resort’s longest-tenured vacation planners, I wanted to know his.

Mortensen recently celebrated his 40th year with the company, and has spent more than 20 of them in his current role as director of West Coast Travel Operations. That means a significant part of his job is talking on the phone with those who want advice on how to plan their Disneyland days.

He comes from a Disney family. His wife has spent about 30 years with the resort, and one of their children is also a cast member. If anyone should know how to plan a special day at Disneyland, it’s Mortensen.

One of his key pieces of advice: Decide what’s most important to you as a guest. “Is it a thrill ride? Is it entertainment? Is it food?” Mortensen asks. “One of the things that I like to tell people is that you’re going to have a really busy day, but take time for yourself.”

Here are some of Mortensen’s other favorite park tips. We steered the conversation to Southern California locals, and those who may want a little glimpse of what makes Disneyland so special.

Get around the park by train

Here’s one hint, off the bat, that Mortensen says he gives most everyone: “Use the Disneyland Railroad as a form of transportation. Yes, it’s a great little attraction. Seeing the dinosaurs is one of my favorites. But it’s also a great way to get from one place to another. If you’re on Main Street and don’t want to walk all the way back to see ‘Bluey,’ jump on the railway. It’s a great way to get a little rest, and experience the park.”

Decompress at Disneyland’s most tranquil spot

Disneyland’s Snow White Grotto is a tranquil spot overlooked by many guests.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

Mortensen notes that it’s impossible to see all Disneyland has to offer in a single day, but rather than stressing about rushing from attraction to attraction, prioritize those that are important to you, and then take a breather at some overlooked park elements, especially those that add to its beauty and tranquility. I couldn’t agree more, and was pleased when Mortensen singled out one of my favorite places in the park: the Snow White Grotto, which is on a path on the eastern side of Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Sculpted by Leonida Parma from Carrara marble, the initial figures have, according to Disney’s fan club D23, been since replaced by fiberglass ones built from the original molds. The eight figures are still a sight, and Disney legendary designer John Hench constructed the fountain that holds them in 1960. The character figures, in the midst of a collection of jutting rocks and log bridges surrounding a peaceful waterfall, are all the same height, so Hench used forced perspective illusions to make it seem like Snow White was towering over the dwarf sculpts.

“The Snow White wishing well — you won’t find that anywhere [else],” Mortensen says. “Bring a quarter and toss it in, experience that.”

Take time for the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough, a lesser-known attraction

Don’t sleep on the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough at Disneyland.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

“People don’t know about it,” Mortensen says of the self-guided mini-tour that tells the tale of Princess Aurora.

Indeed, I had the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough to myself one late Sunday morning. The attraction, best experienced with patience in mind, is largely inspired by the artwork of Eyvind Earle. Earle’s approach, after all, is designed to transport us, to place us in lush, fairy-tale-like environments that contain an ever-so-slightly foreboding atmosphere.

Think of this as a mini-art gallery where illuminated dioramas spring to life and transform before us. The walk-through was updated with new effects and artwork in 2008 but dates to 1957.

It’s Disneyland. Order the iconic turkey leg.

Mortensen and I clearly have different palates. If I’m recommending a must-try Disney snack, it’s not the churro. It’s the corn dog. Mortensen, however, is voting for the turkey leg. A brave choice, I believe, as it’s a hefty item and, well, a lot of tough meat. Mortensen, however, made his case.

“It’s unique,” he says. “Yes, you can get a churro, but where else can you walk around and just literally bite out of a turkey leg? It’s about trying to create memories. Every time we have conversations with someone, it’s about, ‘What’s going to make a memory for you?’ You’re always going to remember walking around Disneyland as a 5- or 6-year-old little boy or girl with a turkey leg.”

Turn It’s a Small World into a scavenger hunt

Cinderella is one of the many Disney characters that was added to It’s a Small World in the late 2000s.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

Mortensen had my attention when he declared It’s a Small World a must-do attraction at the park. After all, the Mary Blair-styled boat excursion is my favorite Disneyland ride.

Mortensen highlights a once controversial but now beloved late 2000s renovation that added more than two dozen Disney and Pixar characters to the attraction. When riding It’s a Small World, he says, try to spot as many as possible. Disneyland even recently placed Miguel from “Coco” in the ride. Focusing on the scavenger hunt, says Mortensen, helps turn a familiar attraction into one that feels fresh.

“There’s more to it than just riding the attraction,” he says.

Spot details in the windows of Main Street

Enjoying a horse-drawn trip around Main Street, U.S.A., is a relaxing start to a Disneyland day.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

Disneyland’s introductory land is a joy. Often, I start my day with a ride on one of Disneyland’s horse-drawn carriages, which venture from the foot of Main Street, U.S.A., to the Sleeping Beauty Castle and back. It’s a relaxing way to settle into the theme park and take a look at the exquisite designs of the Main Street buildings, which many guests rush past on their way to one of the park’s many rides.

Mortensen wanted to call specific attention to Main Street’s windows, which celebrate those who were integral to the development of the park. Many are nods to famed Disneyland designers. Most recently, the park awarded a window to the just-retired Kim Irvine and her mother, Leota Toombs. Irvine and Toombs were longtime creatives with Walt Disney Imagineering vital to the development of the park.

“I love to point out the windows on Main Street,” Mortensen says. “If you and I were walking in, that’s what I would do. I’d grab a box of popcorn, and just point out two or three of the names. Some people you may recognize. Some people you may not.”

And I certainly won’t argue with popcorn for breakfast.

This week in SoCal theme parks

Disney legend Don Iwerks died last week at 96.

(Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times)

• A legend was lost. Don Iwerks, whose inventiveness helped transform Disney’s theme parks, died July 9 at the age of 96, reported the Walt Disney Co. For Disney and his own studio, Iwerks Entertainment, Iwerks helped develop technologies and techniques like Circle-Vision, the 360-degree camera behind “America the Beautiful” and other early Disney attractions, and the 3D effects used in attractions like Captain EO and Star Tours. He also had major contributions to the world of cinema, instrumental, particularly, in the effects sequences of “Mary Poppins.” Read more about Iwerks in The Times’ obituary by Corinne Purtill.
• Fiesta Village is no more. The Inland Empire amusement park, which stood for more than 50 years, closed for good last weekend. A center for mini golf, roller skating and go-karting, Fiesta Village announced the closure last week, citing rising operation costs and declining attendance.
• Montezooma’s Revenge is back. The reimagined coaster, now known as Montezooma: The Forbidden Fortress, is set to return to Knott’s Berry Farm on Monday. Shuttered for the last four years, the ride has essentially been rebuilt, now featuring enhanced Aztec theming, new trains and a modern launch system. Look for a report on the remade coaster next week.
• It’s almost Halloween season. Disneyland in mid-August will launch its Oogie Boogie Bash, Universal will follow in early September with Halloween Horror Nights and Knott’s Berry Farm isn’t far behind with its Knott’s Scary Farm. The latter is the longest-running Halloween event in the Southland, and defined the maze-focused haunt formula. Tickets are now on sale for all three happenings.
• Happy 71st anniversary, Disneyland! On Friday, Disneyland will turn 71. While the occasion won’t be as grand as the 70th anniversary, which has been celebrated for the past year and will essentially continue up until the start of the park’s Halloween activities, the Anaheim theme park typically recognizes the birthday with some light festivities for guests. Think, perhaps, a character cavalcade or some specialty treats.

Tell us your stories. Ask us your questions.

Have a theme park tale to share? Whether it was a good day or less-than-perfect day, I would love to hear about it. Have a question? A tip? A fun photo from the parks to share? Email me at todd.martens@latimes.com. I may feature your note in an upcoming newsletter.

Ride on,

Todd Martens

P.S.

The initial news for those who purchased Disneyland’s specially priced $59 nighttime ticket is good. While now sold-out, Disneyland launched the promotional evenings this past Sunday, and the park didn’t appear flooded with twilight guests. Attendance was continuing a summer trend of being relatively light, and though wait times increased in the evening, nothing was headache-inducing.

At times, even showcase attraction Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance stood at about 40 minutes, with Space Mountain often showing a similar wait time. Most rides, however, were even more approachable, topping off at around 25 minutes throughout the night. Since the evening ticket only gives guests a taste of Disneyland — five hours worth — it’s a positive sign that the event’s opening night kept things manageable, providing those who bought in at a budget price a prime experience.

Don Iwerks, an Academy Award-winning special effects pioneer whose innovations transformed film and Disney theme parks, died peacefully Thursday at the age of 96, the Walt Disney Co. announced.

For Disney and his own studio, Iwerks Entertainment, Iwerks helped develop technologies and techniques like Circle-Vision, the 360-degree camera behind “America the Beautiful” and other early Disney attractions, and the 3-D effects used in attractions like Captain EO and the Star Tours ride.

“There was a ‘can-do’ attitude I learned from Walt and my father,” Iwerks said, according to a statement shared by the Disney Co. “Walt gave everyone a feeling that they were creating things that others had never thought of before, of being a part of history.”

Born July 24, 1929, Iwerks received his first camera at age 14 as a gift from his father, animator Ub Iwerks.

The elder Iwerks met fellow artist Walt Disney when both men were teenagers working at a Kansas City, Mo., art studio. They would go on to work together at the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, where Iwerks designed and animated “Plane Crazy,” the first Mickey Mouse cartoon.

After a stint at his own animation studio, Ub returned to Disney as a special effects engineer, pioneering techniques like the 360-degree motion-picture camera.

“He was absolutely my inspiration because he was technically minded. He made my childhood and formative years one of the greatest times of my life,” Don Iwerks told The Times in 1998.

The Iwerks family moved to the San Fernando Valley in 1936, where Don graduated from Van Nuys High School in 1947.

He served as a photographer in Germany during the Korean War and joined his father at Disney following his 1952 discharge from the U.S. Army. An allergic reaction to chemicals used to develop film led to his transfer to the company’s Studio Machine Shop, where he spent the next 34 years.

Don spent three months in the Bahamas manning underwater cameras for the 1954 Disney film “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” He then worked as the camera technician on “A Tour of the West,” an original Tomorrowland attraction at the soon-to-be opened Disneyland. The immersive 360-degree film was shot on the Circarama camera system his father invented.

Together, Don and Ub developed technologies like the “endless loop” system that enabled a single film print to run for up to 10,000 performances with minimal intervention and refinements to the photography processes used in “Mary Poppins” (his favorite of the Disney films) and other movies.

His own hands were used as the model for those of the Abraham Lincoln Audio-Animatronics figure in “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln,” which opened at Disneyland in 1965. The “Iwerks Hands” now appear on similar figures at Disney parks around the world, according to his family.

In 1986, he co-founded Iwerks Entertainment, which soon became a major player in the film and theme park industries. The company specialized in large-format films and created the 3-D projection system used in the Terminator rides at Universal Studios parks in Hollywood and Florida.

His innovations were honored with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ honorary Gordon E. Sawyer Award and an Academy Scientific and Technical Award, among other prizes.

“It’s very obvious that computers are playing a big role in motion pictures today. The digital technology in film is able to put elements of scenes together on a film and have them look lifelike. It’s hard to know where that will go,” Iwerks said in a 1998 interview.

“My view is that technology should support a good story and add to it. Technology for technology’s sake?” he said with a shrug. “You still need good films.”

Iwerks is survived by his wife of 54 years, Betty; his sons, Larry and John; John’s wife, Chris; his daughter Leslie, and great-nephew,Mike, both of whom have also worked for Disney, according to an obituary shared by his family. His daughter Tamara preceded him in death.

“Like his father, he was a humble genius, a consummate problem solver, and delighted in sharing knowledge, encouraging others, and approaching every challenge with confidence and grace,” his family said in the statement from Conejo Mountain Funeral Home in Ventura.

Both Don and Ub Iwerks are commemorated in a storefront window on Main Street U.S.A. in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Located above the Main Street Bakery, the window is a lasting tribute to a family who made some of the park’s magic possible.

“Iwerks-Iwerks Stereoscopic Cameras,” the lettering reads. “No Two Exactly Alike.”

Walt Disney Co.’s “Moana” lost its way at the box office this weekend as the company’s latest live-action remake opened to a sluggish $43 million in the U.S. and Canada.

The domestic haul for “Moana” underperformed studio expectations, which ranged from $60 million to $65 million. Globally, the film brought in a total of $95 million on a production budget of about $250 million.

Despite its lackluster debut, the film still came in first at the box office during a weekend where it had few new competitors in the family film space.

The “Moana” franchise has been a box-office and streaming juggernaut. The original 2016 animated movie brought in more than $643 million worldwide and is the most-watched movie on Disney+, while a 2024 sequel grossed more than $1 billion at the global box office. On the merchandise side, more than 22 million “Moana”-themed toys have been sold. “Moana” also appears in the Disney theme parks.

But the theatrical reception for the live-action film may signal that audiences think there’s been too much “Moana” in just 10 years. (The 2024 film sequel was originally set to be a streaming series before it was moved to Disney’s theatrical calendar.)

Most of Disney’s previous live-action remakes have come decades after the original animated movie, such as 2025’s “Lilo & Stitch,” which arrived 23 years after its animated predecessor and grossed more than $1 billion in worldwide box office receipts.

The theatrical haul for the latest “Moana” may also have suffered from poor reviews — the film got a 34% on aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, with several critics highlighting its nearly frame-by-frame similarity to the original film. The audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, however, was 90%.

Still, as the last of this summer’s major animated films, “Moana” could see a longer tail in theaters, particularly with many children still on break from school. Disney’s live-action “Mufasa: The Lion King” opened in 2024 to a middling $35 million, but ended up grossing more than $722 million globally through the holiday season.

Universal Pictures and Illumination’s “Minions & Monsters” came in second at the domestic box office this weekend with $20.5 million. Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story 5” continued its strong run with an $18.5-million haul, enough for third place and contributing to a total global gross of $879.1 million.

Warner Bros.’ “Evil Dead Burn” ($13.7 million) and Angel Studios’ “Young Washington” ($6.4 million) rounded out the top five.

Also notable this weekend: Lionsgate’s musical biopic “Michael” crossed $1 billion in worldwide box office revenue, the first time that the studio has reached that milestone and the second film this year after “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” to hit that mark.

Walt Disney Co.’s ABC network has stepped up its defense of “The View” amid its battle with Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, who has targeted the network’s programming and its hiring policies.

At issue is whether “The View” still qualifies for an exception to FCC rules that require broadcasters to provide equal air time for opponents of various political candidates.

Carr has called the daytime talk show “overtly political.”

Late Monday, ABC filed documents with the FCC to support its request for a declaratory ruling that “The View” is indeed a bona fide news interview program entitled to the equal-time rule exemption that covers newscasts, political debates and documentaries.

The show was granted the exception in 2002.

“Today, the program in the Commission’s sights is The View,” ABC said in this week’s filing. “The principle in the balance is far larger: whether a federal regulator may override a broadcaster’s editorial judgment about whom to interview — a judgment the Constitution commits to broadcasters and their audiences, not to the state.”

Since the FCC opened its inquiry in late May, the agency has received more than 77,000 public comments — most in support of the long-running daytime talk show.

“While ABC insists that ‘The View’ is a ‘bona fide news program’ under the law, ABC should focus on complying with its public interest obligations, rather than misleading the public about them,” an FCC spokesperson said in a statement sent to The Times.

Separately, the FCC also took the unusual step of calling in the licenses of eight Disney-owned television stations for early review. The move — widely interpreted as an effort to chill the Disney network’s speech — came a day after President Trump demanded that ABC fire its late-night host Jimmy Kimmel over a joke about First Lady Melania Trump.

Losing the licenses for its stations, including KABC-TV Channel 7 in Los Angeles, would be a significant blow to the Disney-owned network.

Some conservatives, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) have suggested the FCC actions are an overreach while others have encouraged the agency to come down hard on Disney.

“The Commission can take this opportunity to address multiple pending complaints against ABC related to its programming,” conservative lawyer Daniel Suhr, head of the Center for American Rights, wrote in his 65-page petition in support of revoking Disney’s licenses.

“The View,” which features Trump critics Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin, Joy Behar and Ana Navarro, helps make a case that Disney is running a partisan network, Suhr alleged in his documents.

“Democrats are featured on The View at an insanely high ratio compared to Republicans,” Suhr wrote, noting that at least a third of the show’s 348 guests in 2025 were liberals — including Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.). Meanwhile, two prominent conservatives, former Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and actor Cheryl Hines, the wife of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., were featured last year.

Since Carr opened the review, the ABC show has avoided conversations with political candidates in competitive races leading up to this year’s pivotal midterm elections.

The show has continued its tradition of hosting politicians, though, including a highly rated interview last month with a Carr ally — Vice President JD Vance.

ABC has asked the FCC for a declaratory ruling on the status of “The View.” The network maintains that “The View” books politicians based on newsworthiness and not partisanship.

The network has run on-air spots urging its viewers to support the program by filing comments with the FCC.

“Big fan of the show. Hope my vote counts,” wrote one viewer, Wilson Vélez, in a comment filed with the FCC on Monday.

Another viewer, Patricia Pomeroy, wrote: “Freedom of speech, Freedom of speech, Freedom of speech.”

ABC’s filing noted that the program has kept the same format and focus on topical news events since its inception.

“What has changed is not the program but the political climate around it,” ABC said in the petition.

Disney’s filing, signed by attorney Paul Clement, commended the “robust response” from the public, saying the outpouring “represents laudable civic engagement of the kind the Commission should welcome given its statutory obligation to make decisions based on the public interest.”