experience

Ten years ago, Walt Disney Imagineering announced what was widely perceived by the public as a risky — and ill-advised — project: Disney California Adventure’s Twilight Zone Tower of Terror would be remade into a ride featuring Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy.” And it would open in just a few months, ahead of the 2017 summer tourist season.

Fans, to say the least, were not happy. They saw the makeover as a marketing move, done solely because a new movie in the franchise was being released. They were also skeptical of the tight timeline.

Retired Imagineer Joe Rohde, who led the project, heard the complaints.

“They look at the schedule and go, ‘You can’t do anything in that amount of time. There’s nothing you can do that is worth doing in this short amount of time, so we think this is going to be bad,’ ” says Rohde, whom I chatted with at the recent Disney fan convention D23.

Rohde‘s new book, “Floating Mountains: The Art of Imagining the Impossible,” is out this week and in it, he demystifies the creative process, heavily touching on his four-decade career at Imagineering as a jumping-off point on how to stay inspired and find art in the everyday. In a revealing chapter on what became Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout!, Rohde writes about creating art out of a series of limitations.

Famed retired Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde, whose book “Floating Mountains: The Art of Imagining the Impossible” demystifies the creative process.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

He notes that the new “Guardians of the Galaxy” film was not the reason for changing the drop tower ride — rather, the motivating factor was giving the Disneyland Resort something new to promote for 2017 and to begin to bring Marvel into the parks.

When assigned the project, Rohde initially pitched a Dr. Strange-inspired attraction, believing the hotel facade of Tower of Terror could quickly and easily translate to a mysterious sanctum. Execs, however, rejected the concept, arguing Dr. Strange wasn’t popular enough. They told Rohde and the team to focus on Spider-Man.

Now it was Rohde’s turn to say no. “Spider-Man needs room to swing,” Rohde writes in his book. “We only go up and down. There’s nowhere for Spider-Man to be!”

Bringing Marvel superheroes into a theme park, Rohde tells me, is something of a challenge.

“Marvel is a character brand,” Rohde says. “When we watch these movies or read the comics, our primary investment is in the psychology of the character. Spider-Man is a great example of this. Spider-Man’s life is a constant emotional crisis of one kind or another. It’s almost more of a soap opera format.

Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout! is today the dominating structure of Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

“So, you have an art form — the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Marvel Comic Universe — in which settings are disposable and are disposed of in order to drive character development. That works great in a film, but when it comes to place-making, it is difficult to lock yourself on the experiences of places, which is part of what makes theme parks theme parks. All through your day in a theme park the primary actor you engage with is the architecture and the landscape.”

With Spider-Man out, “Guardians of the Galaxy” was the compromise everyone could agree on. Only now the clock was ticking. Rohde notes that the team had to stop viewing the Tower of Terror as a hotel, and instead look at it as something of a blank page — an empty canvas that just happened to be in the shape of a blocky silhouette that jolts guests 190 feet in the air. Remove the hotel signage, and suddenly the mass resembled many things: “a grain silo, a fortress, a bank, a storage facility, possibly a prison,” Rohde writes.

Arguably, the facade for Mission Breakout! represents a bit of each of those. In “Floating Mountains,” Rohde says he began reimagining the building by taking inspiration from Marvel comic artist Jack Kirby, but he has also spoken of finding influence in architect Renzo Piano, who worked on France’s Centre Pompidou. The end result is a retro sci-fi building with high-tech-like pipes drawing one’s attention.

The chapter documents a frantic race against time. The star of the ride is an audio-animatronic of the Rocket Raccoon character, but it wasn’t always clear the figure could be finished by the deadline. And instead of using just one ride profile like the Tower of Terror, Mission Breakout! aimed for four, but Rohde writes the team had two as a fall-back plan (ultimately, they prevailed with their original intent).

Rohde notes that to get it done, a concession was made: limited reviews but a fixed, unchangeable budget with a strict deadline. And the team had to make a decision and commit. Little tinkering.

Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout! is now considered one of the most popular attractions at Disneyland.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

“You have to allocate a certain percentage of time and energy to prepare for a review, and that can be two weeks of energy,” Rohde says. “In this case, the most crucial thing about this project was its opening day. If you back out of that opening day just with production time, it becomes clear there’s no time to change. There’s no time to ask someone if they like it or don’t like it. So we have to decide we’re going to do it, and we’re going to do it for this much money, and you can look at it once before we start, and once before we build.”

Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission Breakout! opened on time, and with enough budget left over to create an “after dark” version during the Halloween season, which is currently running. And those fans who initially viewed the project with skepticism? Many were quiet after opening day, as Mission Breakout! is considered one of the Disneyland Resort’s most popular attractions.

Aside from replacing the former tension with chaotic elevator maneuvering, the makeover was a success because it’s not a rehash of a scene from the film. Rather than rely heavily on plot, it focuses on one frantic moment — a prison breakout — to create a zany, screwball comedy feel. In short, it’s a singular work of art, one that stands apart from its cinematic counterparts.

And that’s key to the appeal of “Floating Mountains,” as throughout Rohde makes the case that theme parks — often derided as commercial entities — are indeed vital spaces. He speaks of art as living on a spectrum. On one end, “art for art’s sake,” and on the other, “utterly commercial enterprises with no purpose other than to harvest value out of an intellectual property.”

“Theme parks,” says Rohde, “rocket somewhere in the middle of this.”

“I do believe that their social impact alone should argue for the fact that, no matter what you think of high art, of low art, something is going on here that people find very affecting,” he says of theme parks. “I think it is an art form.”

This week in SoCal theme parks

Inside Kingswell skate shop is a wall documenting the building’s history as the first L.A. outpost of what would become the Walt Disney Co.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

• A Disney history celebration. Walt Disney launched his animation career in Kansas City, Mo., in 1920. But when his Laugh-O-gram Studio failed after only about two years, he decided to move west. Here in Los Angeles, Walt and his brother Roy would in 1923 rent a small studio space on Kingswell Avenue in Los Feliz, near where he was staying with his uncle. They called their operation the Disney Bros. Studio, and it was officially the formation of what would become the Walt Disney Co. In September 2024, a small strip on the corner of Kingswell and Vermont avenues was designated the Disney Bros. Cartoon Studio Square. This Sunday, the space will host a mini-block party from noon to 5 p.m., with photo ops, events and skating demonstrations courtesy of the Kingswell skate shop,
• Welcome the Lucas Museum. The long-awaited Lucas Museum of Narrative Art has arrived in L.A. and is welcoming members for previews. The space officially opens Sept. 22, and its emphasis on pop culture and “Star Wars” likely means there’s many an overlap with the Disney fan community. The Times has a bevy of coverage, including an architecture review as well as an analysis of its collection and how it deviates from typical art gallery fare.
• Meow Wolf taps dozens of L.A. artists for new venue. Meow Wolf is getting closer to unveiling its Los Angeles locale. When doors open — the company is targeting late 2026 — expect a walk-around, floor-to-ceiling experience that pays homage to the art of cinema with a sci-fi, psychedelic-like bent. And to bring that vision to life, the Santa Fe, N.M.-based experiential art collective will be working with nearly 40 L.A. artists across multiple mediums. Meow Wolf last week unveiled its roster of artists with ties to the L.A. region.
• A new Magic Mountain coaster is on the way. Six Flags Magic Mountain, garnering headlines tied to the safety of its X2 coaster, is looking ahead to 2027 and teasing a Thursday announcement for its next big thrill ride. The park last week posted a video to social media hinting at more info to come this week on what is expected to be a glider coaster with bike-like seating.

Ride report

An actor performing as Ozzy Osbourne during a haunted house at Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights.

(Scott Strazzante / For The Times)

This week’s ride report is actually a haunted house report. Of the eight spooky mazes at Universal Studios Hollywood this year, there were two clear standouts for me: the “Sinners” maze, which I documented last week, and Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness. This walk-through attraction, which Halloween Horror Nights mastermind John Murdy has described as something of a passion project, is a filled with cartoonishly sinister imagery in an homage to the recently deceased heavy metal legend.

Murdy says he didn’t have any hesitation about crating a haunted house based on Osbourne’s solo career so soon after he died last summer. “It hit everybody really hard,” the lifelong Osbourne fan says of the artist’s death. “It hit his fan community really hard. We needed to do something for the fans to celebrate this guy’s legacy.”

A giant animatronic bat in a haunted house inspired by the music of Ozzy Osbourne.

(Scott Strazzante / For The Times)

In an unique twist, nearly every scare actor is performing as some embodiment of Osbourne. The attraction is also filled with little nods to Osbourne’s life and legacy, including pictures donated from the family and a toy cow as a nod to an early job of Osbourne’s in a slaughterhouse. Murdy estimates the house features about 20 songs from Osbourne’s solo career, bookended by “Crazy Train” and “See You on the Other Side.” A train, of course, figures heavily into the maze, and an early ride scene appears to take us straight to hell.

It gets demented, but in a silly way that feels all-in-good-fun rather than anything frightening. Case in point: A centerpiece of the attraction is a giant animatronic bat, which is holding the severed head of Osbourne, only here the musician is depicted as a werewolf. Osbourne, says Murdy, was also heavily religious, so the walk-through culminates with the artist on a church-like throne. But it’s no ordinary cathedral, as jetting our from under Osbourne’s chair is a blue dragon, a nod to the tattoo the singer had on his chest.

It’s a love letter to Osbourne, and Murdy’s appreciation of the artist runs deep. He notes that as a seventh- or eight-grader in the early ‘80s, he wrote a term paper defending the artist. “I didn’t like the fact that people were condemning things when they hadn’t even bothered to read the lyrics and know what they are about,” Murdy says. “Take ‘Crazy Train.’ It’s about the Cold War. It’s about a fear that society is going off the rails. At an early age I was already going, ‘Don’t trust things that you hear at face value.’ ”

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.

I can admit when I was largely wrong. Last week I expressed concerns about the way Halloween Horror Nights was adding the character of Nikki from “Obsession,” worrying a hyped incognito approach could open up the actor — or regular paying guests — to being uncomfortably approached by attendees. But while Nikki is not easy to find, she’s far from anonymous, all bloodied up and holding a brick. Plus, she’s accompanied by multiple handlers who keep folks from crowding the performer’s space.

There is a game-like aspect to this. Those who speak a password, released via social media, receive a fake business card, which does mean many a guest is standing there shouting a password at the actor. This is slightly awkward, and where I still have some reservations.

An actor as Nikki from “Obsession” interacting with guests during Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood.

(Scott Strazzante / For The Times)

But many who find Nikki may discover it’s a highlight of the night. I’m not someone who seeks out characters at theme parks, largely because they’re there more for photos than to completely interact. Nikki is different. Nikki is in full immersive theater mode, responding entirely in character and pushing guests to talk about their devotion — to her, to another, to anything. In my minute with the actor, she aggressively quizzed me on my nonexistent love life, forcefully walking toward me so I had to gently stumble backward, which she lightly mocked.

Despite the unnerving tone of the actor’s questions, I was charmed. More of this type of interacting and play is always welcome. Now, I just wonder why she was so consumed with the health and age of my cat.

MS NOW wants to offer news viewers a break when they feel overwhelmed.

The Versant-owned progressive-leaning news outlet announced Tuesday that it has entered a partnership with Calm, the San Francisco company that develops apps that help with sleep and relaxation.

Calm will be a part of MS NOW’s new direct-to-consumer product that launches Wednesday.

The digital platform, called MS NOW Membership, will make the cable channel available without a pay TV subscription for the first time, along with other offerings for those who sign up to pay $7.99 a month.

Among those features will be meditation exercises created by Calm to help users process the day’s events.

“They are designed not as an invitation to tune out, but as a way to reset, regain perspective, and return to the news with renewed focus and intention,” according to a staff memo from Marcus Mabry, senior vice president for content strategy at MS NOW.

MS NOW has also enlisted a group of mental health experts who will front programs only available on the MS NOW Membership platform, including former ABC News correspondent and “Nightline” co-anchor Dan Harris. Harris is the author of “10% Happier,” and host of the podcast of the same name. He will host two weekly streaming programs to help viewers absorb the news while managing their anxiety about it.

Harris had a panic attack while delivering a newscast on ABC’s “Good Morning America” in 2004. The experience led him to become a wellness guru. Therapist Nedra Glover Tawwab, pediatric psychologist Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart, and Dr. Joel Bervell, a physician, will also have regular programs on the site, along with MS NOW breaking news anchor Richard Lui.

The Calm partnership is part of MS NOW’s overall plan to have MS NOW Membership offer more than just streaming programming. The channel’s executives are touting the venture as a gathering place for like-minded individuals who are engaged in politics.

MS NOW Membership is also giving subscribers a chance to join live discussions with the network’s anchors and reporters. There will be a midday online forumwhere they can ask questions of Rachel Maddow, Joe Scarborough, Jen Psaki, Stephanie Ruhle and other on-air talent. MS NOW correspondents will take questions in the evenings.

“We have always understood that MS NOW audiences want more than just headlines,” said MS NOW President Rebecca Kutler in a statement. “They have follow-up questions. They want to understand not only what’s happening, but why it matters. These daily conversations are designed to deepen that relationship and make our journalism even more accessible.”

The initiatives come after research by MS NOW, which broke off from NBCUniversal last year. MS NOW is now part of Versant, a new company made up of former NBCUniversal cable channels that were spun off by former owner Comcast.

Kutler has said the company is committed to providing more experiences for its audience of “super fans.” On average, MS NOW viewers watch the channel nine hours per week, second only to Fox News.

Inside the Universalist Unitarian Church of Riverside, a line of masked people filed into the red-lighted chapel, one by one, to take part in the rite of confession.

The private booth was framed in flowers, and rather than a priest listening inside, it was a microphone recording their confessions, to be played at an upcoming art exhibition. The brick triangle-roofed church that held the booth has stood since opening in 1892; that night, it was the site of a masquerade, or as Riverside artist Perry Picasshoe called it, the “Masqueerade.”

Picasshoe, whose real name is Neveah Marquez, hosted the event, which had an entirely LGBTQ+ guest list and one requirement: Bring a mask, whatever that looks like to you.

Marquez, a 26-year-old transgender woman robed entirely in red, stood at the pews and danced to the experimental electronic DJ sets and drag performances as guests entered in masks that ranged from papier-mâché deer antlers to collaged photos of eyes and lips.

The event came as a celebration ahead of the Riverside native’s first solo exhibition, “SagradX,” which will open Saturday at Riverside Art Museum and remain through Jan. 31.

The recorded confessions, layered over one another until they become an unintelligible cacophony, represent just one piece of the 25 paintings, photographs and interactive displays in the exhibition. The show explores the meaning of “sacred” as Marquez documents her most private places and experiences, and asks viewers to consider what they hold sacred.

The exhibition, she says, began with heartbreak.

Neveah Marquez (Perry Picasshoe), 26, sits inside the Riverside Art Museum.

(Carlin Stiehl / For De Los)

“The first time I started thinking about sacredness … was when my ex-partner brought somebody into our bed,” said Marquez.

“I was crying, distraught, and drove over to these hills over Lake Mathews [in Riverside] and I realized: The bedroom was sacred to me. That’s why it hurt so much. And I started thinking, if it wasn’t sacred to them, how do we decide what is sacred to each of us?”

The very headboard of that bed sits in the exhibition; on it, Marquez painted fairy-tale creatures representing the lovers gallivanting across the woods.

While Marquez’s experience with betrayal sparked the idea, the exhibition explores sanctity in many different scenarios: In one, the artist plays with the concept of the digital safe space by inviting guests to look through her phone as she is tied on a handmade iron-wrought cross. Inside the exhibition space, she uses a small painter’s brush to slowly paint the white walls red over the course of the show.

In curating the exhibition, Marquez began to look inward, painting and photographing herself in ways she never had before: through the lens of femininity. She lived the previous 26 years of her life as a man, growing up religious to the point that she once considered becoming a priest. The paintings serve as portals into a part of her that she long held inside.

“I describe it like having blurry vision your whole life and not realizing how clearly you can see, until you put glasses on,” Marquez said. “That’s how painting myself as a woman felt.”

Neveah Marquez (Perry Picasshoe) considers what is sacred.

(Carlin Stiehl / For De Los)

Though she initially identified with her male birth name, the more she painted herself in Venus-like, feminine poses and with longer hair, her understanding of her identity shifted. Illuminated by her signature scarlet red clothing and tastefully shrouded in sheets, the soft expression on her face was inspired by Raphael’s “La Fornarina.”

“I wasn’t thinking much of it in the moment, but as I kept painting these portraits, I was thinking a lot about myself and thinking about gender and my identity,” Marquez said. “Through my art process, I realized: ‘Maybe I would be a pretty woman.’ That’s what scared me the most from transitioning, was not feeling like I would be beautiful enough.”

In “SagradX,” Marquez’s body is documented vulnerably; easing into her own identity becoming a painfully honest artistic process, which the audience is now invited to watch.

“I feel like I don’t paint very often because when I do, it’s just so emotionally intense. Like when Olivia Rodrigo wrote that she’s scared of her guitar because she couldn’t lie to it, that’s how I feel about painting,” Marquez said. “I can’t lie to my painting.”

Neveah Marquez (Perry Picasshoe) wears long, flowing red clothes.

(Carlin Stiehl / For De Los)

Aside from her self-portraits, Marquez includes photographs of her ice blocks project, in which she placed 25-pound blocks where immigration enforcement raids took place in the Inland Empire last year. These were once safe places that she says have been “desecrated with fear.”

Marquez’s personal journal, which documented her inner joys and struggles over the last year, is also open on a table in the exhibition for guests to read through, draw over, or tear. For Marquez, “SagradX” was the catalyst to “let everything out.”

“If the show is about vulnerability, I need to practice that for myself as well. Otherwise, you would see in the work that there’s a blockage, you can sense when artists aren’t fully honest,” Marquez said. “I want people to question, ‘What is sacred to you?’ If I give you access to something sacred to me, what will you do with that?”

Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights was built on an outsize reputation. Jump scares, dudes with chainsaws, fake blood and adult drinks accentuated with gummy worms.

Some of these staples haven’t changed. Jump scares aren’t going anywhere, and at a behind-the-scenes walk-through of this year’s haunted houses, dozens of mannequins laid splayed across floors with baggies of custom-made faux blood ready to be drizzled on them before showtime.

But a Halloween Horror Nights evolution, one that began in 2019 with the arrival of Jordan Peele’s “Us,” has been underway. Today, haunted mazes are works of mini theater, one where scares are drawn out and choreographed. A single room may feature as many as six actors, and now, for the first time, professional stunt performers. Driving this change is the content, the films that inspire the tone of Halloween Horror Nights. And this year, two of the showcase properties are Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” and Curry Barker’s “Obsession.”

Halloween Horror Nights, which opens Thursday, has gone prestige.

“This is a different time, and we try to live on the edge of that,” says longtime Halloween Horror Nights mastermind John Murdy, talking about modern horror films. “When we started, we were Freddy, Jason, Leatherface and Michael Myers. It was all slashers.”

A foreboding scene from the “Sinners” haunted house at Universal Studios Hollywood.

(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

“Sinners” demanded a different approach. Yes, it’s a vampire movie, but it’s so much more.

In a shift for Halloween Horror Nights, the “Sinners” maze will begin with an extended pre-show, meaning about 90 seconds of a lip-synced concert designed to re-create the film’s centerpiece performance of Miles Caton’s “I Lied to You.” Halloween Horror Nights actors will, of course, play a version of Caton’s Sammie strumming a guitar, but as the scene continues other musicians will materialize behind scrim scenes — a DJ, an electric guitarist — to heighten the film’s themes of the timelessness and spirituality of music.

“Music was such a huge part of ‘Sinners,’ so when we were sitting down to figure out what we wanted to do, we knew we had to rethink how we do stuff,” Murdy says. “It starts with storytelling.”

Murdy and the Halloween Horror Nights team wanted to attempt to re-create the thrill of that scene, when “I Lied to You” bridges cultures and conjures artists from different eras. It’s designed to be a celebratory moment before mayhem descends. Consider it an attempt to capture, if even for a moment, the complexity of “Sinners” in a walk-through attraction, one guests will ultimately spend just a few minutes in.

“What I thought Ryan did so brilliantly in ‘Sinners’ is he took vampire mythology and combined with the devil-at-the-crossroads story, the Robert Johnson story, and then brought in the Jim Crow South,” Murdy says.

A burnt vampire as part of the “Sinners” haunted house at Halloween Horror Nights.

(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

Murdy concedes, of course, Halloween Horror Nights can only glance at some of the film’s deeper meaning. Ultimately, the goal is to thrill guests. So don’t expect, for instance, a metaphor or a statement on racism, and how prejudice continues to fuel, rule and terrorize culture.

“That’s Ryan’s job in the film,” Murdy says. “Our job is to represent the film as closely as possible. We’re not trying to extrapolate on the film. This was pretty strictly an interpretation of the film. Ryan is the authority.”

‘Sinners’ brings ‘a whole new technology’ to Halloween Horror Nights

But do expect a maze that exploits the park’s movie magic history. Tapping the stunt performers behind the “WaterWorld” special effects show, “Sinners” will boast a scene in which an actor playing the vampire Remmick will descend from the ceiling to fright guests. And making the eyes of the vampires glow red was no easy feat. The film utilized specially made metallic contact lenses, which wouldn’t work at Halloween Horror Nights due to the limited amount of time performers can wear them. Instead, the park’s makeup team constructed prosthetic eyelashes that hide a rice-sized LED light that hangs in front of the performer’s eyes.

“We did a bunch of mock-ups and tests and eventually got the green light,” Murdy says. “We’re doing a whole new technology that we’ve never done before, just to pay that off.”

John Murdy, left, who leads the creative direction of Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights, poses for a photo with a young fan who goes by the name “Christian the Ghostbuster.”

(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

For those who worked on the film, Halloween Horror Nights is an opportunity to keep “Sinners” in the cultural zeitgeist, while hopefully inspiring some guests to dig a little deeper, says Sev Ohanian, a producer of the film and a founder, along with Coogler and his wife and producer, Zinzi, of Proximity Media.

“We want to make event-driven movies that bring audiences in close proximity to often overlooked subjects,” Ohanian says. “But at its core, it features subject matter that maybe a lot of folks don’t have all that much familiarity with.”

A skeleton mariachi band on the set of the Killceañera haunted house at Universal Studios Hollywood.

(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

“That’s the magic of this experience,” Ohanian continues. “Maybe somebody has never seen ‘Sinners’ and they go through this fun spectacle attraction and are exposed to really beautiful blues music and they get to see the artistry of that era of a certain group of people.”

Experimenting with narrative will continue across a number of Halloween Horror Nights houses. Killceañera, which turns a quinceañera into an event in which a teen takes revenge on her bullies, will feature an outdoor performer lip-syncing a song co-written by Murdy and Slash from a balcony. Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness will intermix the iconography of Osbourne’s solo music with religious undertones, culminating with a giant animatronic bat biting the head off of Osbourne in werewolf form.

The ‘Obsession’ approach

And then there’s “Obsession.” The film was released too late for a large-scale Halloween Horror Nights attraction, but the event will feature an actor dressed as Inde Navarrette’s Nikki walking the grounds. Murdy describes it as a “Where’s Waldo?” moment, as Nikki will be largely incognito and hidden throughout the park, her whereabouts teased nightly via Instagram. Nikki will be seeking a password, also hinted via social media, that will change nightly, from guests.

The first 100 who find Nikki and speak the correct password will be given a business card for the One Wish Willow agency from the film. I do worry slightly about this approach, as, while costumes are not allowed, Nikki could inspire some cosplay at the event, which would open non-scare actors to being approached throughout the evening. But the hope is to bring a more interactive element to Halloween Horror Nights, one that can invite a deeper interaction with character actors.

A look inside the Ozzy Osbourne-themed haunted house at Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights.

(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

“We’re not going to tell you exactly where she’s going to be,” Murdy says. “Your job is try to find her and give her the password and you might get a wish in return.”

Bringing “Obsession” into the event did raise some eyebrows. While Murdy notes that Barker is supportive of the approach and collaborating with the team, it was questioned whether a character many see as a target of assault and manipulation would make an appropriate scare actor. Murdy has heard such protests.

“So is Regan in ‘The Exorcist,’” says Murdy, referring to the young victim of the classic horror story.

Audiences still, of course, want to see their favorite characters represented in real life. And Murdy wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to have one of the year’s most buzzed-about horror films at the event. “It blew me away,” he says of “Obsession.” “I was like, ‘Wow.’”

This week in SoCal theme parks

• An examination of coaster intensity. On a more serious note, Magic Mountain’s X2 remains shut down while state safety officials continue an investigation involving the attraction. The ride, first opened in 2002 as X, has been the subject of controversy and at least one high-profile lawsuit stemming from a 22-year-old man’s death. Six Flags bills the ride as “a right of passage for the ultimate daredevil” that goes up to 76 mph. A CNN report recently took a look at other, more recent injuries allegedly stemming from the attraction.
• What to eat at Halloween Horror Nights. The Times’ Nava Rawls has a look at new food items coming to Halloween Horror Nights this week. Are you brave enough to eat a 22-inch beef hot dog covered in cheese sauce, coleslaw, sriracha aioli, banana peppers and Hot Cheetos inspired by the video game “Fortnite”?
• A Marvel legend, honored. Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure has added a memorial honoring legendary comic artist/creator Jack Kirby. The plaque can be found at the main entrance near the land just past Carthay Circle, and sits opposite a similar plaque recognizing Stan Lee.

Event report

A scene from Oogie Boogie Bash’s Haunted Mansion-inspired street parade.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

Disney California Adventure’s Oogie Boogie Bash has been underway since mid-August. It’s a popular event, and excellent for families with little ones, as the emphasis is on character interactions and candy rather than scares. I do, however, wish it offered a bit more variety from year to year.

New this year is a Haunted Mansion-inspired street party, which takes the place of the event’s full-scale parade, which is currently on hold due to construction of the new “Coco” attraction. It’s short, but lively, offering a couple of Mansion floats from the parade as well of dozens of dancers. The party stops at various points along the route for a mini dance presentation, and if you’re seated in one of these locales, it’s a better experience. Or else it’s just a too-mini parade. I wondered if a night-long party in the Hollywood Land section of the park would have been a better way to go, even if it meant losing one of the candy giveaway spots.

As someone who isn’t a character person, the centerpiece for me is Villains Grove, which takes over the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail with projections and effects that nod to various evil characters. Seeing ominous vines twist to life on towering trees, or watching the Cheshire Cat materialize through the woodland setting, is always a delight. But, sadly, Villains Grove hasn’t changed much since 2019, and it’s time for Disney to rethink the space. I miss, too, the days when Oogie Boogie Bash had its own spooky World of Color show. As it stands, I just wonder if there are enough attractions if you’re not interested in character hunting.

Tickets remain available for a handful of September dates.

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.

Fast and Furious: Hollywood Drift will officially open on Sept. 16.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift at last gets a proper opening date. Universal Studios’ high-speed thrill ride, which has been operating in technical rehearsals since late July, will open on Sept. 16. By giving the ride an official opening date, the theme park is announcing that the attraction is ready for daily operations.

Curious to ride? Don’t miss my rundown of everything you need to know before you head to the park. Looking for a review? I have that too. Want to know about the 10-year journey to bring the attraction to park? Read this. And if you’ve heard about some drama involving the park’s neighbors in Toluca Lake, this story will catch you up.

Universal Studios Hollywood is almost ready to properly open its new Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift coaster. The high-speed thrill ride, which has been operating in technical rehearsals since late July, has an opening date: Sept. 16.

The coaster has essentially been in an extended testing phase. By giving the ride an official opening date, the theme park is announcing that the attraction is ready for daily operations.

Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, which seats riders in expertly designed mini-vehicles designed to reference real automobiles, 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.

The ride — designed by Universal, manufactured by Intamin — has already changed the look and feel of Universal Studios, giving the park its first major outdoor thrill ride. Once known primarily as a studio tour park, Universal has been undergoing a large-scale overhaul throughout the last decade-plus, adding immersive lands such as the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Super Nintendo World.

Now it has a coaster that feels akin to taking a joyride, complete with authentic engine and brake sounds. So if you’re thinking of taking Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift for a spin, here’s what you need to know.

The view of Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift from Universal Studios Hollywood’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

Is the ride included with Universal Studios admission?

Yes. A daily ticket starts at $109.95, although prices vary by day and expect to pay in the $150 range for a weekend date. Unlike Disneyland, Universal does not require reservations, but it is recommended to buy in advance.

Are express passes available?

Universal Studios will sell front-of-the-line access as an add-on to a daily ticket — but not yet. Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift will not be included in express pass offerings at launch, according to a Universal spokesperson. That means all guests will have to wait in the same line. Express access is expected to be offered at a later date.

So, how long should I expect to wait in line?

A while. During technical rehearsals, afternoon waits routinely topped two hours, with some waiting longer than three and closer to four, although the last was rare. Expect operations to run a little smoother thanks to the soft open phase, but come prepared to be patient.

Is the ride included with Halloween Horror Nights?

The short answer is no. The longer answer: Those who spring for what Universal calls the R.I.P. Tour, however, will be able to ride. A guided experience, that ticket is $479 per person. (The fine print: Earlier this summer Universal did promise Hollywood Drift access with some tickets, but has since removed that option. The park has stated it will honor the terms of those who purchased the tickets before access was removed, and those buyers should have received instructions from Universal.)

The Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift coaster features multiple inversions.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

Tell me about the ride. How intense is it?

The ride reaches speeds of 72 mph, the fastest coaster in Universal’s global portfolio, while traversing 4,100 feet of track, two towering inverted loops and a pretzel loop. There are four individual launch points, and the coaster cars have the ability to rotate 360 degrees. It’s intense, but it’s also incredibly smooth, which helps it feel more approachable.

Wait, 360 degrees? Will I get motion sick?

Individual results will vary, of course, but for reference I am someone who can’t do extreme coasters — Magic Mountain’s Wonder Woman Flight of Courage is too much for me — and struggle on attractions that spin, such as Walt Disney World’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. Yet I’ve been completely fine on multiple rides of Hollywood Drift. The spinning isn’t gratuitous, as the cars turn and drift with the flow of the track, so the movement feels aligned with direction.

Can I request a specific car?

You can! But be kind and patient with Universal staffers, who may not always be able to grant such requests due to crowding. If you have a specific concern, however, raise it with the coaster staff, and they will likely accommodate.

One of the ride vehicles of Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

What’s the ‘easiest’ car for those who are nervous?

The middle cars, although not by much. All rotate, all experience the same speed and inversions. There are four vehicles, and the first provides the most striking views, including of the track’s drops, so the squeamish are advised to aim for the middle two cars, as it will provide a better sense of where the coaster train is heading. I’ve been told by some at Universal that the last row of the last car — each car seats four — can feel a little more riveting as it will heighten some of the speed and lift sensations. But I’ve sat in the front and the last car, and still don’t know if any differences were in my head or not.

Is there a height requirement/maximum?

Yes, you must be at least 51 inches tall to experience the coaster. There is no listed height or weight maximum, but guests are encouraged to sit in a test vehicle outside the attraction before getting in line. Riders must be seated completely inside the vehicle, which uses a pull-down lap bar, and be fitted against the headrest.

How accessible is it?

Modern roller coasters are not known for their accessibility, but Hollywood Drift is surprisingly accommodating for how intense it is. I am not small. I am 6-foot-2 and more than 210 pounds, and found Hollywood Drift to be one of the more comfortable coasters I have been on. There’s also plenty of leg room. I know a number of people significantly larger than me who have been able to ride successfully.

Where is the ride located in the park?

Across from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. But you can’t miss it, as you need to pass it to get to the park’s lower lot, and it’s viewable from pretty much anywhere.

Well, is it worth riding? What’s your verdict?

I think it’s a blast. I rode the coaster on its first day of technical rehearsals, and as I wrote in my review, it’s full of surprises, of wondering where and when a coaster vehicle will be spin, careen or accelerate. Every turn, twist, flip leaves you guessing. Some of the park’s Toluca Lake neighbors, however, may be less enamored with it.

Mr. Todd’s Wild Ride 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.

The Magic Castle is getting in on the theme park game.

The famed Hollywood institution is teaming up with Knott’s Berry Farm for its after-hours Halloween event, Knott’s Scary Farm, now in its 53rd year. The Magic Castle will supply the artists and show direction for a production that is expected to run nightly in the park’s recently refurbished Bird Cage Theatre.

The theme park initially reached out to the Magic Castle last year, says Payden Adams, vice president of entertainment for Knott’s Berry Farm, but the castle was in the middle of a leadership reorganization at the time. With that completed, a partnership could finally begin.

“It is just astounding what they’ve done with the Bird Cage Theatre,” says Jessica Hopkins, granddaughter of castle pioneers Bill and Irene Larsen and the castle’s chief operating officer. “Magic Castle magicians have been performing in there for decades. It just felt right.”

The magic shows will take place at the park’s recently refurbished Bird Cage Theatre.

(Kyusung Gong / For The Times)

Curating Knott’s magic show will be Rudy Coby, a resident magician at the Magic Castle. Coby performed at Knott’s about 35 years ago and credits the park in helping him get his start. He says the new show, “Occultum,” will vary by week with different performers lined up throughout the Halloween season. Knott’s Scary Farm begins Sept. 17.

And yet, says Coby, “Not every magician is for this audience.” So what’s the differentiating factor for a Halloween magic show?

“It’s a little more edgy,” Coby says. “You really have to grab their attention. It’s the TikTok generation.”

Some of the illusions Coby says he will bring to Knott’s Scary Farm would be “too intense for the Magic Castle.”

“The ideas I’ve had, with chainsaws and cutting off my limbs, I couldn’t get away with at the Magic Castle,” he says.

“But you can here,” says Hopkins.

The Magic Castle-headlined show is not the only new addition to Scary Farm in 2026. Here are two other reasons I’m looking forward to the event.

Inked: A new maze with killer vintage cartoons

Concept art for the new Knott’s Scary Farm maze, Inked.

(Knott’s Berry Farm)

One of the two new mazes coming to Knott’s Scary Farm will rely heavily on black-and-white, vintage-style animation. Inked, as it’s called, will be set in the 1930s, and was introduced at a media event with a song-and-dance production that recalled Disney’s classic Silly Symphony “The Skeleton Dance.”

The story centers on Mortimer Morbid, a deadbeat, down-on-his-luck animator whose career changes — not necessarily for the better — when it’s discovered his blood can bring his drawings to life. Of course, cartoons infused with blood don’t have the most altruistic desires.

Inked designer Daniel Miller says the maze took two years to create, largely because Knott’s conceived the animation for the walk-through in-house with a team of four. Most every room in the haunted house is expected to feature original media, as the animated creations will be represented both in their cartoon form and as costumed characters.

And it’ll be gruesome.

“We kind of geared it around the notion that they’re bloodthirsty,” Miller says of the killer ‘toons. “We see all the animators in various stages of disembowelment.”

Sheesh. Animators have it hard enough today already.

Expect the unexpected with ‘Voodoo: Bayou’s Edge’ and Unearthed

Concept art for Unearthed, a new Knott’s Scary Farm maze.

(Knott’s Berry Farm)

Knott’s Scary Farm, unlike its main SoCal competitor, doesn’t rely on known film and television properties. That means the event can generally get a little … weirder. You see that in its mazes, as noted above, as well as in its theatrical productions. Also new this year is a show titled “Voodoo: Bayou’s Edge,” which takes place on an outdoor stage. The production centers on a voodoo queen and the mysterious happenings in a cemetery. Knott’s is pitching it as a music, dance-focused show.

And while voodoo can potentially be a culturally sensitive subject to tackle in a theme park, the show comes from the mind of the respected Rovin Jay, who has long been closely involved in the park’s spectacular “Ghost Town Alive!” Expect “big dance numbers” and something “really sexy,” says Adams.

Another new maze, Unearthed, will be set in the present day but takes its cues from films such as “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “The Mummy” as it deals with a supernatural archaeological dig. Maze designer Jon Asperin says it will have numerous interactive elements, such as effects triggered by guests pulling a lever.

“Having the ability to come up with original stories lets us tap into the nerd in all of us,” says Asperin. “We don’t feel restricted by certain IP or things that may not be appropriate. We get a chance to challenge ourselves with trying out new things that some folks won’t take a risk on.”

This week in SoCal theme parks

The Disneyland attraction Mad Tea Party as it was under construction just months before the park opened. The image is from the documentary “Disneyland Handcrafted.”

(Disney+)

• A must–see Disney history event. Nonprofit creative institution Ryman Arts, in partnership with Santa Ana’s Bowers Museum, will host a talk and cocktail reception centered around a screening of Leslie Iwerks’ documentary “Disneyland Handcrafted” on Sept. 27. It’s a charity event, and a good one, as the panel lineup is top notch. Historian and author Tim O’Day will moderate a talk that includes the film’s producer, Mark Catalena, former Imagineer-turned-historian Tom Morris and current Imagineer Emily “Emo” O’Brien, who oversees creative at Disneyland and is leading the team behind the just-announced makeover of Tomorrowland. Don’t expect any insights on the latter, of course, but do anticipate a lively talk on the evolution of Disneyland. Tickets start at $125 and are on sale now.
• Stay seated on Tiana’s — or else. Disneyland has updated signage around Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, warning guests that they will be removed from the park if they stand up while on the log-flume adventure, reported Times writer Hannah Fry. The changes come less than two months after a 13-year-old boy climbed out of a log flume and fell 50 feet.
• Exciting Disneyland construction news. Big changes are coming to Disneyland, and while many are years away, the positive sign is that the park is wasting no time in getting started. There are now indications of construction in Disneyland’s esplanade between its two parks. This will pave the way for a new parking garage, of which groundbreaking has just begun, as well an entrance experience on the eastern side of the resort. This is the first of many steps, but one that must be completed before Disney begins its wider expansion that could bring attractions such as “Avatar” to the resort.

Ride report

A photo of the Haunted Mansion’s new gingerbread house, as snapped from my ride vehicle.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

Merry Christmas! Yes, that’s right, as the Haunted Mansion has been given a Christmas-heavy makeover, as always focused on “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.” (And yes, before the debate begins, it’s clearly a Christmas movie.) While I prefer the original Haunted Mansion, there are plenty of fun and clever details in the seasonal makeover that still make it a must-experience attraction. The attic scene, for instance, is full of clever nods to Disney history, including a Rolly Crump-inspired melting candelabra man. Each year I wonder if what I’m seeing is brand new, or was always there, such as what appeared to be a tiny bride figurine.

But one change is guaranteed: Each season Disneyland’s team concocts a new gingerbread house for the ballroom diorama. This year’s edition is a giant, candy-infused music box-like creation, which gradually opens as guests glide past it and a skeleton pops out. The concoction is designed in the shape of the Haunted Mansion itself, so it’s a little mansion-within-a-mansion. And, bonus, the room smells like gingerbread.

The best thing I ate at the parks this week

The delicious pumpkin cookie from Disneyland’s Harbour Galley.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

I love a cookie, and Disneyland’s Harbour Galley has the best one on the property this Halloween season with its pumpkin creation. They’re small-ish — three or four bites — but come in packs of 6 ($8.49) or 13 ($14.49). They’re soft, slightly chewy and addictive. I love it when I get a little brown sugar crystal in my mouthful. The pumpkin flavor isn’t overpowering. It’s closer to a ginger snap than it is a slice of pumpkin pie, meaning it has just the right balance of sugar and spice. It‘s also, it should be noted, one of the best values at the resort for a dessert item. I get a pack of 13 and have breakfast for a week.

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 Walt Disney Co. stated that it will soon reimagine Disneyland’s Tomorrowland at its fan convention D23. The move has been one fans have long clamored for.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

The topic consuming most Disneyland fans for the next few years will be the Tomorrowland reimagining. The project is just getting started, and I’ll refrain from offering a wishlist. Let the Imagineers do their work, I say, although I consider all of it, save for the monorail and Space Mountain, on the table. Gut it. Start over. But reader Peter La Barba of Long Beach wrote in with a request that I wouldn’t disapprove of.

“Whatever they do, I hope they restore the two Mary Blair murals that were in Tomorrowland,” La Barba wrote. “I’d like to see optimism restored to Tomorrowland. I was about 3 or 4 when we went to the park in August of 1955 and I wanted to live in that future. Not the incessant war future of ‘Star Wars.’”

Hear, hear. The murals of animator/fine artist Blair were a wonder, full of children of the world in celebration mode. Flying contraptions! Communication devices! Satellites! Planets! I don’t have an image safe to use, so head over to Disney history site Yesterland for a look. The two murals lasted until the ’80s and ’90s, and replacing them was a mistake that’s only looked more shortsighted over time. As Blair’s work continues to grow in stature, who needs another “Star Wars” painting?

Fred Sirieix has revealed the terrifying moment he feared for his life filming his new Channel 4 show

TV star Fred Sirieix has opened up on a near-death experience.

The First Dates star revealed the terrifying moment a tour guide saved his life after he found himself caught between an elephant and two rhinos during a bushwalk in South Africa.

He opened up about the frightening encounter while explaining why he chose Ernie for his Hospitality Hero Award in his brand new travel documentary series Fred’s Ultimate Hotels, which airs on Monday (August 31) at 8pm on Channel 4.

Fred had been staying at The Royal Madikwe Lodge, a luxury safari retreat on the border between South Africa and Botswana, where he experienced a host of activities including game drives, a walking safari and rhino conservation but it was during the walking safari that the trip took a potentially deadly turn.

Recalling the moment, Fred explained the moment Ernie received his award: “Ernie in South Africa – the guy who saved my life in the bushwalk, where we had the near miss.

“He was crying like a baby. He’s a mountain of a man, strong like an elephant, the heart of an elephant, he was crying, big tears, it was beautiful.”

Fred then explained how the group became caught in an extremely dangerous position in the bush.“Well, we went on a bush walk, and basically what happened is we got sandwiched between one elephant and two rhinos, it’s not a good place to be, let me tell you that,” he said.

The television star praised Ernie for remaining calm and relying on his extensive knowledge of wildlife to protect the group. :Anyway, Ernie came into his own, the guide because it’s all about their training and knowing how to read an animal,” Fred explained.

“They don’t want you there, the animals, they don’t think that you should be there and they are very territorial. So if you’re in front of the water or there or whatever, they just charge.”

According to Fred, Ernie managed to drive the animals away without resorting to a firearm. “So he managed to scare them. Without using a gun or anything, just his arms and whatever he was doing, and they left,” he said.

During his stay, Fred was based in the Naledi Suite at The Royal Madikwe Lodge, which offers three luxury suites and two luxury villas, all with private pools. Its top accommodation, The Sovereign House, costs around £6,000 per night.

The retreat also boasts an infinity pool beside its main clubhouse and offers gastronomic dining experiences led by head chef Zuki, who trained at the Mount Nelson Hotel.

Fred’s trip began with an arrival in the middle of the bush on a small plane from Johannesburg before he embarked on a packed itinerary of safari experiences.

As well as morning and sunset game drives and the walking safari, he took part in rhino conservation, with the experience costing £3,500 and funds going towards the Madikwe Wildlife Foundation.

He also enjoyed a South African wine tasting featuring Chenin Blanc with sommelier Ingrid, who was flown in from Cape Town for guests, as well as yoga with instructor Jess, flown in from Johannesburg. The trip also featured a Marimba band and a bush dinner.

Fred’s Ultimate Hotels airs on Monday, August 31 at 8pm on Channel 4

The first time that artist and filmmaker James Spooner heard Patti Smith’s song “Rock n Roll N—,” he cringed and reflected on the years of racism, microaggressions and abuse he dealt with as a young Black punk rocker in California’s high desert and later, New York.

According to Spooner’s new book, “It Starts With Anger,” this moment of reflection is a catalyst that prompts him to pursue a closer examination of the experiences and challenges Black people face in punk rock and alternative music scenes that are predominantly white.

“If there was such a thing as a ‘Rock n Roll N—’ Patti Smith wasn’t going to be the one to define it. Right then, I decided I was going to make a movie,” Spooner writes in his book.

In 2003, Spooner started working on a documentary called “Afro-Punk,” which took him across the country as he interviewed Black artists, musicians and fans to talk about their experiences in punk rock. “Afro-Punk” starts by calling out Smith’s controversial song before diving into what it means to be Black in a music scene intended to welcome outsiders, but which nonetheless alienates and projects harmful values toward people who are not white.

“I don’t think she’s a bad person, I think she’s a white person who was trying to be edgy and then just like doubled down her whole career,” Spooner told The Times. “I’m all for and have always been understanding of people who make mistakes, people should have an opportunity to correct themselves.”

The punk rock documentary is being rereleased this month after Spooner launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to remaster the film. The rerelease coincides with the publication of Spooner’s new book, “It Starts With Anger,” which covers the author’s personal history, the creation of the documentary, the larger Afropunk brand (it does not use a hyphen like the film), and the eventual demise of his brainchild at the hands of corporate ventures. “Afro-Punk” will premiere in Los Angeles and New York, with a special screening and book talk on Sunday at the Skirball Cultural Center with former S.O.A. and Black Flag vocalist Henry Rollins.

“Young people at the time needed it,” Spooner says about his documentary “Afropunk.” They needed that connection to see that there were other young Black punk rockers, they needed to hear from them and know that they had common experiences.”

(Lisa Nola )

“Before there was anything negative attached to it and before there was any corporate interest attached to it, people saw the movie and were like, ‘Oh, that’s my story, I guess I’m an Afropunk and didn’t even know it,’ and then they started calling themselves that,” Spooner said. “I helped define an experience for a group of people in the underground, I inadvertently helped to define an experience for a lot of people who feel othered and ostracized.”

Spooner, who upheld punk’s DIY ethos by shooting, producing, directing and editing the entire project himself, recently regained the rights to his film after a contentious years-long legal battle against his former business partner, Matthew Morgan, and Essence Ventures, the current owners of the Afropunk brand.

“The way that it all turned out in the end, it’s like, not everybody gets to see the long arc of justice in their lifetime, but to be so hurt and slighted and then watch karma do its thing is like, why waste time with being pissed off anymore? There are still things that I wished wouldn’t have happened, but I’m lucky in the end,” the Afropunk founder said.

After Spooner made his documentary, he realized how much the film resonated with Black punks who yearned for community and acceptance. Damon Locks, a visual artist and musician who was featured in the documentary and later worked as a publicist for the Afropunk festival, said he was “really impressed” with the film when it first came out, and that “James’ instincts were correct” when it came to the vision and execution.

“Young people at the time needed it, they needed that connection to see that there were other young Black punk rockers, they needed to hear from them and know that they had common experiences,” he said.

Eager to extend the reach of “Afro-Punk” beyond the documentary, Spooner began organizing a series of DIY underground punk shows known as “The Liberation Sessions,” with the goal of developing this concept into a major festival. He also decided to enter a business relationship with Morgan, who offered to manage Spooner’s creative affairs and help him take “Afro-Punk” to the next level.

According to Spooner, Morgan wanted to bring in corporate sponsors and feature music genres outside of punk to generate more interest and maximize profits. Spooner said he reluctantly compromised, yet after several years of working with Morgan, Spooner grew disillusioned with what Afropunk the festival became.

Maurice “Moe” Mitchell, vocalist for hardcore band Cipher and national director of the Working Families Party, was featured in the documentary and performed at several Afropunk shows and festivals. He said what happened with Afropunk is “a tale as old as time” and Morgan being outside of the movement led to “moneyed interests” altering what Spooner had created.

“At some point, those interests figure out how to co-opt, how to monetize, how to profit, how to take over this thing and it becomes a shell of itself, no longer owned or operated by the original originators, just a product or a marketing scheme for some company,” Mitchell said. “And that is rinse and repeat what happens to really good art and really good movements, and it’s what happened with Afropunk.”

By 2008, Spooner decided he wanted to walk away. He moved to Los Angeles and signed over the Afropunk rights and trademark to Morgan.

“My priority was to the kids … and I didn’t want for them to not have Afropunk just because I was over it, just because I moved on to the other side of the country, I could have just been like, ‘F— you, everything’s in my name, if you want it, sue me,’ I could have done that and I probably would have won because everything is in my name,” the punk filmmaker said. “I also was incredibly broke, I was not only broke when I moved to L.A., I was like $20,000 in debt on credit cards, so it was not like I was in a good place to continue this thing.”

As “Afro-Punk” returns to screens in Los Angeles and New York, Spooner leans into punk’s rebellious ethos, reclaiming his work and spotlighting Black liberation in loud, uncompromising ways.

(Lisa Nola )

In 2020, Spooner sued Morgan for failing to make contractual annual payments and failing to observe a clause in their 2010 agreement that mandated that if more than 50% of the company was sold, Spooner was entitled to a share of the profit. In 2020, Essence Ventures acquired the Afropunk LLC, but Spooner was not made aware of the sale. After a complicated legal battle against both Morgan and Essence Ventures, Spooner settled, successfully recovering the rights to the film in 2025, which he says was more important to him than financial compensation.

Representatives for Essence Ventures did not immediately return requests for comment.

“I didn’t start ‘Afro-Punk’ with money in mind, I wanted people to see my film,” Spooner said. “I wanted people to see my film, and then people saw the film, and then I wanted those people to stay in the room together and become friends, and all of that happened.”

Mitchell, who ended up becoming friends with Spooner after participating in the documentary, said he is “very happy” that Spooner “came out vindicated” in the legal struggle. The Cipher frontman believes “Afro-Punk” is an important documentary that shows “what it means to be a person of color in America,” and which makes visible the identity issues Black people experience beyond the punk rock community.

“That’s also the story of Black people when we lean into our liberation, right?” Mitchell said. “Like we are expressing ourselves in very loud and uncompromising ways that challenge the status quo and so I’m really happy that this film is coming out because this is a moment where we need as many people, as many Black people, to lean into who we are in loud and uncompromising ways, because we have a whole political structure that is demanding our compromise.”

As Spooner celebrates the release of his new book and the premiere of his remastered film — which he says still needs distribution — he hopes that he can continue shedding light on the Black experience and sharing the legacy of what he created as a young Black punk rocker.

“It’s wild to me that I made something when I was 25 that people still care about, and I hope that it keeps reaching another generation and proves itself to be valuable in some kind of way,” he said.

The Disney theme parks are entering their fan feedback era.

This past weekend’s all-things-Disney fan event at the Anaheim Convention Center was the first with Josh D’Amaro installed as CEO. And D’Amaro’s message to fans was clear: We’ve heard you, we know what you want and we’re working on it.

That means Disneyland Park is at long last getting its Tomorrowland makeover, a top fan request for much of the last decade-plus. Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom is fixing its broken yeti, the star of thrilling roller coaster Expedition Everest that has been busted for about 20 years. Epcot’s fan favorite purple dragon Figment will soon be starring in a brand new attraction that resurrects his bearded creator, Dreamfinder, saving fans from suffering through its current half-hearted iteration in which “Monty Python’s” Eric Idle essentially treats the beloved character as a pest. (I ride it because I adore Figment, but I cringe throughout, and not just because at one point we’re annoyingly blasted with the smell of a skunk.)

And Disneyland Paris is yanking the marketing-driven “Star Wars” overlay Hyperspace Mountain from Space Mountain to return the coaster to its superior Jules Verne-inspired original. Disneyland officials take note: We don’t want Hyperspace Mountain here, either, but at least ours isn’t semi-permanent.

The long-broken yeti on Walt Disney World’s Expedition Everest will eventually be fixed. The above is an artist rendering of the attraction released by Disney Experiences.

(Disney)

It’s a sharp move, and may seem like a no-brainer, but following fan feedback doesn’t come without some risks. Fans, after all, rarely know best, often prioritizing nostalgia and lore over evolution. And Walt Disney Imagineering has remained one of the most respected corporate creative institutions for a reason. In short, fans, don’t let this go to your head.

But D’Amaro is also showing that he understands something not all Disney leaders have appeared to be well-versed in. And that’s the fact that the best IP of the Disney theme parks are the parks themselves.

Disneyland Park’s biggest selling point is not “Star Wars,” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “The Princess and the Frog” or “Peter Pan.” It’s Disneyland itself, a temple dedicated to our narrative myths and communal play.

For too long Disney parks seemed to be, if not led, steered by its marketing teams. A franchise here, a franchise there. That thinking led to lesser designs such as a misguided remake of Paradise Pier into Pixar Pier at California Adventure, in which Pixar characters are basically treated as decals. It’s led me to argue in the past that Disney’s IP was squeezing the theme out of its theme parks.

Tomorrowland in its current state is a mess of ideas with a number of underutilized buildings.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Disneyland last attempted to revamp Tomorrowland in 1998, and while the concept was on point — a retro-futuristic, Verne-inspired look of sci-fi fantasy — the company didn’t fully commit to it and the land has largely been a mess of ideas since. Space Mountain remains a symbol of optimism dedicated to the joy and unpredictability of galactic exploration. But the rest of the land, save for the monorail, one of Disneyland’s most recognizable monuments, should be considered fair game.

Tomorrowland has become such an eyesore that even Disneyland President Jill Estorino recognized its negative press at a pre-D23 media event. “Painful to read,” she said to the assembled media as she rattled off stories observing the “little tomorrow in Tomorrowland” and describing the land as “tired.” Estorino conceded it was “all true.”

That made this past weekend’s announcement even more of a surprise. The reimagining, as Disneyland is calling it, is in good hands. Imagineer Emily “Emo” O’Brien, the creative producer overseeing the Disneyland Resort, recently worked on Fantasy Springs at Tokyo Disneyland, a highly acclaimed modern take on a Fantasyland-like area home to fresh takes on “Frozen,” “Tangled” and “Peter Pan.” O’Brien has been with Imagineering for about 30 years, and one of her first projects was hand-shaping the armrests of the approximately 2,000 seats of Disney California Adventure’s Hyperion Theater. The little details at a Disney park matter.

Promotional art for a reimagined Tomorrowland released by Disney. The project, according to Imagineers, is in its infancy.

(Disney)

“I grew up in my career with this legacy,” O’Brien said. “I understand the kind of gravitas and the responsibility that I have with our team to guide us through this journey of reimagining the only Tomorrowland that Walt [Disney] actually envisioned, designed and walked in.”

A remade Tomorrowland, to be clear, is years away. No questions were answered on Tomorrowland at D23, so fans will have to wait to hear what this means for the long out-of-work PeopleMover. And as previously reported, Estorino said the reworking of the original Disneyland area will come after California Adventure opens its “Avengers” and “Coco” attractions. The former two were given a 2028 date, while “Coco” still does not have an opening window. After Tomorrowland, the resort intends to tackle “Avatar.”

The fan favorite purple dragon known as Figment at Walt Disney World’s Epcot. The attraction Journey Into Imagination With Figment has been earmarked for renovations.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

At a Disney parks presentation Saturday evening, the Tomorrowland announcement received arguably the largest applause. But it was closely followed by the reveal of a reworking of what is currently known as Journey Into Imagination With Figment at Epcot. That ride has been a shadow of its former, glorious self since the late ’90s, even as the squeaky-voiced Figment has remained a popular mascot for the park. That’s no real surprise, but I, of course, am biased, as I have a Figment tattoo and the character was my childhood favorite.

Figment is a dreamer, his very existence the result of a dreamer. While I don’t necessarily trust the memory of my 10-year-old self, I remember Figment becoming an astronaut one moment and pretending to be a ship’s captain in the next. Visions of that ride are burned into my brain. Figment was a reminder to a video-game-obsessed kid that while you can’t do everything, you can at least envision anything.

And Imagineering appears to be doing just that at the moment. The projects, of course, will have to be conceptualized, designed and built, and there’s still time to make mistakes, such as attaching a known IP to the reimagined Imagination (don’t do it).

Concept art for the Maleficent attraction coming to Villains Land.

(Disney)

Tomorrowland has been flawed since the early 2000s and Disney can survive without touching it. Its attractions — Star Tours, Autopia, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters — still, after all, draw crowds. The commitment to redesign it may be a crowd-pleasing one, but it’s also a reminder, a symbol of understanding.

If something’s broke, you correct it. You don’t let it sit in a derelict state simply because the financial math doesn’t justify new guest spending or increased crowds. The Disney parks are a home away from home for many a visitor, and they should be treated as such.

D’Amaro, of course, as CEO will be evaluated on much more than simply how he leads the parks. But he and and his partner Thomas Mazloum, the chairman of Disney Experiences, came to this D23 with one message: We’re one of you. Expect the Disney die-hards to hold them to it.

One more D23 thought

An Imagineering research and development project in which Grogu and the character of Hugo are represented as robotic figures serving guests.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

The Imagineering booth on the convention floor was full of delights and wonders, especially in its research and development section. I tend not to devote a ton of newsletter space to R&D, only because I’d rather focus on what guests can or will be seeing in the future, but the two “Star Wars” attractions shown not only deserve their props, but belong in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

One is a no-brainer, and it’s a snack stand featuring Grogu and Hugo from “The Mandalorian and Grogu.” The latter, voiced by Martin Scorsese in the film, is largely asleep and snoring in the food truck-like stand, while Grogu uses the Force to whisk orders across the counter. Fan were transfixed. And this seems like the perfect mix of corporate and creative desires, as no doubt many a Disney guest would order an extra soda if it came with a show featuring “Baby Yoda.”

An Imagineering research and development project featuring robotic Anzellan mechanics that can interact with guests.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

The other was an Anzellan work bench. Anzellans are tiny creatures introduced in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” known for their engineering skills, and here they were seen working on droid parts. But they also interact with guests.

Get close enough, and they’ll stop what they’re doing to quizzically look at you, ask you a question or maybe even repeat what you said to them. They’re as lifelike a robotic as Disney ever created, and the 14-acre Galaxy’s Edge is never not in need of more activity. Here’s hoping these little guys find a destination in the parks soon.

This week in SoCal theme parks

The vibrant, dance-focused “Magic Happens” parade will return to Disneyland in 2027.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

• Halloween is here! While the temperature may not feel like it, the fall Halloween season has arrived, and the Disneyland Resort’s Oogie Boogie Bash begins Tuesday evening. Additionally, the resort-wide Halloween Time launches Friday. There are still tickets available for many an Oogie date, and new this year is a Haunted Mansion-inspired street festival as well as the arrival of Yzma, the villain from “The Emperor’s New Groove.” Oogie is a good time, especially if you haven’t done it before.
• Looking ahead to Disneyland in 2027. With the new Avengers Campus not opening until 2028, the Disneyland Resort in 2027 will rely heavily on entertainment to lure locals back to the park. That means the fantastic “Magic Happens” parade is returning before next summer season. While it has the requisite mix of Disney characters, it’s also notable for its use of contemporary dance. Also returning is the original “World of Color” to Disney California Adventure and a refreshed version of the fireworks show “Remember… Dreams Come True” at Disneyland Park. Both are expected in February, shortly after the holiday season concludes.
• A blow to the in-park games of Disneyland. Reports surfaced Monday that the Walt Disney Co. was killing the Play Disney Parks app, which is home to the enjoyable Star Wars: Datapad game Batuu Bounty Hounters. The app was largely designed to give fans activities while they waited in lines, and was also meant to turn Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge into a live-in video game. The app will go offline Sept. 16, according to Disneyland officials.
• A new window on Main Street. Former Disney CEO and future Los Angeles Lakers co-owner Bob Iger has received a window on Disneyland’s Main Street, U.S.A. The honor is reserved for those who have heavily impacted the Disney parks, and Iger certainly qualifies, as his many acquisitions — Marvel, Pixar, Lucasfilm — changed the tenor of Disneyland and beyond. Look for Iger’s window above the Emporium gift shop, where he is heralded as a “new century builder.”
• Good news for Disneyland’s ‘Monsters, Inc.’ fans. With the announcement that Disney California Adventure’s “Avatar” experience won’t arrive until after Tomorrowland’s redo, the attraction Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! will get to remain open a little longer. Previously, the attraction was supposed to close in early 2027, but Disneyland officials now say the dark ride will remain open for the foreseeable future. A closing window will be announced at a later date.

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.

A still from the Smugglers Gambit game in Fortnite.

(Image from Disney)

The Disney theme parks this past weekend deepened its connection to “Fortnite” as part of a partnership with Epic Games. The latter’s Unreal Engine already fuels Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, as well as a new Pirates of the Caribbean audio-animatrionic. And now guests who utilize the Disneyland app and connect it to their Epic Games account can receive in-game rewards for experiencing the Millennium Falcon attraction, including the recovery of a unique crate on the ride.

I had a chance to play the “Fortnite” experience inspired by the ride, “Smugglers Gambit,” and appreciate the way park worlds are being used to fuel connection to them at home. “Fortnite,” admittedly, is not my game of choice, but “Smuggler’s Gambit” was more robust than I expected, and I’m happy see aspects of the fictional planet of Batuu represented in the digital space. Business writer Samantha Masunaga has more on Disney’s relationship with Epic Games.

On what should have been a fun-packed summer holiday turned into a ‘nightmare’ after a family of six were ‘abandoned on the streets’ and told ‘we have no rooms for you’

A mum-of-four has been left ‘devastated’ after what was meant to be a cherished family holiday turned into a ‘nightmare’, after they felt “abandoned on the streets”.

Yasmin Kauser, who hails from Stratford-upon-Avon, had been looking forward to spending some quality time with her four children, aged 4, 12, 14 and 18, and her husband during their annual trip abroad in August. For the occasion, she booked a 10-night package holiday to Turkey through Loveholidays for £4,863, and was set to stay at a four-star hotel.

Following a lengthy journey from the UK, the family of six arrived at their pre-booked hotel in Alanya, Turkey, at around 2am. “We were knackered, we just wanted to go to bed, and the children were sleeping everywhere,” Yasmin exclusively told the Mirror.

But there was an unexpected issue with their hotel reservation. “We were told there were no rooms available for us.”

She outlined: “We remained at the hotel until around 5:30am, when, after I became increasingly frustrated and distressed, they eventually provided just one room for six people instead of the two rooms that had been booked.”

Yasmin says she repeatedly contacted Loveholidays, before the family was “given arrangements to move to a five-star resort”. The family made their way to the resort on the second day of their holiday, around half an hour’s drive away. “I hadn’t slept the night before, and I was exhausted. I’m only human, and I was breaking down because I was that tired, and the kids were very tired.”

‘There are no rooms’

However, when they turned up at the next resort, there was another issue. “At the resort, we waited for around an hour, only to be told that they had no rooms for us,” Yasmin alleged. “I said to them, ‘But we’ve got a reservation from Loveholidays, and they said, ‘There are no rooms’, so you’ve got to leave the hotel’.

She continued: “At around 3pm, I was left with my children on the road with our luggage and without access to suitable toilet facilities or accommodation. We were sitting outside the hotel; everybody was walking out, and we were like homeless people – we were abandoned.”

Yasmin was in touch with Loveholidays to explain the situation, and in an email, the company advised the family to “wait inside the hotel lobby for their safety and the safety of their children”, and said they were working on the issue as a “matter of urgency”.

The mum of four recalled: “I wasn’t panicking as it was around 3pm, the weather was nice, we had some water and snacks from the shop, so we just sat out there.” Although Yasmin added that it was around 40C, and when it got to 9pm, that’s when things became worrying.

“As it started to get dark, I started to panic, thinking, what are we going to do. We’ve got the children, and it was peak season.”

She claimed: “We remained without accommodation until around 11pm. My sister in the UK eventually contacted the emergency number on our behalf. After a further wait of around two hours, Loveholidays arranged emergency accommodation at a three-star hotel.”

Yasmin said that when her sister reached out to Loveholidays, they said they had emailed Yasmin earlier in the day, but the mum claims she never received it. She had told the firm that she was switching between a standard SIM and an eSIM, and the travel company said they tried to rectify the situation promptly.

Yet, they went to the third hotel in the hope of securing a room for their holiday.

“Not knowing what the hotel was like, but being so long on the street, I was just thinking we just need to get into some accommodation and have a roof over our heads”, Yasmin said. “We had to take another taxi to this hotel and eventually received two rooms at around 1am.”

‘Strong smell of urine and mould’

While they successfully obtained rooms, Yasmin was left disheartened. “One of the rooms was effectively a small box room with no windows and was in a condition that I found extremely distressing. There was a strong smell of urine and mould, and I struggled to breathe comfortably in the room,” she said.

Yasmin said she struggled to sleep “in the mess” and, early the next morning, got back in touch with Loveholidays about their accommodation. She claimed: “During the conversation, I was told that they had provided me with ‘shelter’. I was subsequently left in the emergency accommodation for the remainder of the holiday, despite repeatedly raising my concerns.” The family were later moved to another room during their stay at the hotel.

After hearing that Yasmin was dissatisfied with the alternative accommodation, Love Holidays offered her £1,015.99 in compensation for the inconvenience. In addition, they offered the family the option to relocate to an upgraded five-star hotel on an all-inclusive basis, but despite ongoing attempts to reach Yasmin on multiple platforms, they never received a response.

Yasmin said: “I don’t know if I was more tired before I left the UK or after the trip. I was in survival mode all the way through. We should have just stayed at home. This has been the worst experience in my life.”

A Loveholidays spokesperson told the Mirror: “We are very sorry that Ms Kauser’s experience fell below our usual high standards, and are investigating the issues she faced with the relevant hotel suppliers as a matter of urgency.“Our On Holiday Support team worked hard to put things right for Ms Kauser during her holiday, including an offer of cash compensation and a relocation to an upgraded five-star property. Despite several attempts to contact Ms Kauser, we did not receive a response to either of these offers or our subsequent communications and, as a result, we were unfortunately unable to put these solutions in place during her holiday.“We are contacting Ms Kauser to apologise for the stress and inconvenience caused and offer a full refund of her holiday.”

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

The Malm Whale at the Gothenburg Natural History Museum is the only stuffed blue whale in the world, and it’s also once of Europe’s strangest tourist attractions

Roughly 100 years ago, a young Swedish couple ruined it for the rest of us.

They were caught, trousers down, in the belly of the world’s only stuffed blue whale. Not quite the sex-positive Scandinavia it is today, the scandal led officials to snap its vast, gaping jaw shut, bringing an end to the days of ready access to the 16m long sea mammal.

“We must be content with the fact that it was two citizens of our own city that enjoyed this privilege,” the director of Gothenburg’s Natural History Museum said at the time, finding a silver lining in the moral outrage.

Although my efforts to track down the descendants of a couple that, I’d wager, are history’s only to have sex in a cetacean have so far failed, on a recent trip to Gothenburg, I fulfilled a long-held ambition to get inside a magnificent exhibit that remains the only real blue whale on display anywhere in the world.

OPINION

“We only open it on special occasions, such as election days, because the Swedish word for vote (val) is the same for the word for whale (val),” explained Stefen Örgårdm the museum’s current director, as we walked up wooden steps into the whale’s mouth.

On special occasions such as Christmas, when Santa hands out presents from inside the tum, the top jaw is cranked open in an unnatural but convenient way, allowing tall Nordic visitors to enter without bumping their heads, then move on into the belly.

It’s more of a local village hall than Jonah in there, the organs having long been stripped and placed in barrels of ethanol kept in the museum’s cellar. Two wooden benches running beneath simple drapery have taken their place. We looked out through the baleen-trimmed jaws of the leviathan as Stefen told me of the coming autumn’s new exhibition on unloved city animals and why we should reappraise them.

Today, blue whales are among the most beloved of all animals. Mysterious, elegant and massive.

“The biggest animal that has ever lived on our planet: a blue whale. … It’s far bigger than even the biggest dinosaur. Its tongue weighs as much as an elephant. Its heart is the size of a car. And some of its blood vessels are so wide that you could swim down them,” Sir David Attenborough said in Blue Planet. They are the ultimate Guinness World Record animal.

Their population has bounced back from 5,000 to 25,000, after decades of commercial hunting brought it down from a pre-whaling 300,000 peak.

Back in October 1865, when fisherman brothers Olof and Carl Larsson discovered the whale helplessly beached just off the Swedish west coast, the animals were reviled.

Charitably, it was fear of this vast, mysterious beast that caused the Larssons to do what they did next. I will not repeat the details of the two days of barbarity here. Suffice it to say the whale was killed. And then transported by three steamships and two coal barges into Gothenburg, where the naturalist Augustus Malm purchased the body.

“I will stuff everything,” he declared, leaping onto the collapsing carcase to deliver a speech to the assembled masses. And so he did.

Dozens of butchers, plied with as much beer as needed to withstand the violent smell, hacked it into parts, scooped the organs out and removed the skeleton.

There is something about whales that sends people a little mad. In Nobel Prize winner László Krasznahorkai’s book The Melancholy of Resistance, the arrival of a huge whale on a circus truck sparks a riot. Famously, Ishmael is driven loopy by Moby Dick. And so with the Gothenburg whale.

After days of feverish work, Malm was forced to rest as nausea hit. Realising the whale’s owner had gone, a horde of locals rushed in and snatched blubbery souvenirs. Thankfully, enough remained for the whale to be reconstructed.

Its skin and baleen was cured with arsenic, mercuric chloride and a top coat of colourless copal varnish before being placed onto a wooden frame, 30,000 zinc and copper pins holding it in place. The structure was built in four separable sections, making it easier to transport the whale on trucks to its later resting place in the museum’s great hall. A magnificent photo shows the whale’s head being rolled through a hole in the outer wall.

The whale, still pungent all these years later, remains the museum’s prized exhibit, only competing for the title with a magnificent stuffed elephant.

When in Gothenburg, the museum is the must-visit. But there is much else in Sweden’s second city that is also worth exploring.

Head to Haga, Gothenburg’s oldest neighbourhood, and wander down the cobbled streets. They’re packed with excellent homeware, furniture, book and clothing shops, as well as Café Husaren, a cosy wood-paneled spot known for its massive hagabullar cinnamon buns. These seem to be the Swedish version of the stupidly big croissants everyone photographed for their Instagram last year.

The neighbourhood is now pedestrianised, having been saved from mass demolition in the 1980s and built up from a rough, rundown area into the lovely spot it is today.

From there, hop on a tram or bus and head for the city’s Art Museum. A long day wouldn’t quite be enough to get around all six of its floors, so if in a rush, I recommend the Nordic Fin-de-Siècle section to take in the stunning nature paintings of late 19th-century Swedes, before giving the collection of Carl Larssons their dues.

If not defeated by the earlier hagabullar, consider filling up on Sweden’s (much superior) answer to McDonald’s, Max Burger, or picking up one of the country’s famously weird pizzas and heading home.

Like many second cities, Gothenburg is famous for its friendliness. But also for its terrible weather. There is a good chance you’ll be rained on.

With a sliced banana, pineapple, curry powder and peanut pizza under my arm, I retreated from the deluge to my Airbnb on the outskirts of town. Like Stockholm, you’re never more than ten minutes from the natural world in Gothenburg, or more than 20 from a lake or pretty serious forest. Robert’s place in Ugglum was but a short ride from the centre, but could’ve been deep in the woods of remote Sweden, such was the green surroundings and calm of the place.

This was no corporate holiday let landlord spinning multiple properties, but a family home costing around £200 a night where kids’ paintings decorated the walls and a Barbie Dream House stood proudly in the bedroom.

It is one of Airbnb’s Guest Favourite properties, a title reserved for the accommodation firm’s most rated properties. If you’re spending a little longer in the city, a whole host of Airbnb Experiences are available, such as exploring a local chocolate factory with a chocolatier, joining a seasoned sailor to tack down the coast, or trotting through the woodlands on horseback.

Getting to Gothenburg from the UK is quick and is easy. Direct flights from the UK to Gothenburg-Landvetter Airport are operated by British Airways from London Heathrow, Ryanair from London Stansted, Manchester, and seasonally from Edinburgh, and Norwegian from London Gatwick. Return flights are regularly available for around £30.

Longtime Disneyland fans are finally getting one of their top theme park wishes. The aging Tomorrowland will soon undergo a large-scale overhaul, one that will include brand new attractions.

Walt Disney Imagineering, the arm of the company devoted to theme park experiences, announced the intent to reconceptualize the original Disneyland area at its all-things-Disney fan convention D23, which kicked off Friday in Anaheim. Many details — and questions — remain, and Imagineering stressed that the project is in its infancy, but it’s one the Disneyland faithful have clamored for.

“We are going to reimagine Tomorrowland,” said newly installed Disneyland President Jill Estorino at a pre-D23 media event. “It is coming. We are finally committing to it and doing it.”

Tomorrowland has long vexed Disney designers. Park founder Walt Disney led a major overhaul before his death in 1966, and the land again went under scaffolding in the late ‘90s. The problem: Theme parks are built to last, and the future moves fast. As Disney himself once said, “Tomorrow is a heck of a thing to keep up with.”

Promotional art for a reimagined Tomorrowland released by Disney. The project, according to Imagineers, is in its infancy.

(Disney)

Today, Tomorrowland is home to a number of popular attractions — Space Mountain, Star Tours and Autopia among them — but is also littered with underutilized buildings and a dead PeopleMover track. The latter closed soon after Tomorrowland’s 1998 refresh as the Rocket Rods, one of the shortest-lived rides in Disneyland history.

The reimagined Tomorrowland, said Imagineer Emily “Emo” O’Brien, won’t ignore its history, noting the team has been researching Disney’s original thesis. “We were inspired by his vision of Tomorrowland being a vista into wondrous worlds, and we really garnered the sense of optimism that was at the core of everything he was thinking about.”

And yet the future Tomorrowland will have “new attractions for sure,” said O’Brien, as well as more open, breathable spaces for guests. “We really want to keep the heritage and the responsibility to honoring that legacy at the center, but we have to evolve it for our new generations,” O’Brien said.

Tomorrowland is home to popular attractions such as Autopia.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

The Disneyland Resort is on the verge of a major transformation over the next decade or so, of which Tomorrowland is just one project. Estorino said the reworking of the original Disneyland area will come after the completion of “Avengers” and “Coco” experiences currently under construction in Disney California Adventure, but before that park’s addition of an “Avatar” experience.

In fact, many of Disney’s North American theme parks are targeted for changes in the coming years. Here are some highlights of this year’s D23.

Rides announced for Walt Disney World’s Villains Land

Concept art for the Maleficent attraction coming to Villains Land.

(Disney)

Disney pulled back the curtain on its Villains Land — yes, that’s its official name — coming to Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. And Disney is going dark, creating a mysterious, cursed environment that Imagineer Caroline May says will take inspiration from the woodlands of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” There’s a backstory, involving a wishing well that was corrupted by a stranger’s evil desires that have caused poisoned magic to envelop the forest.

But let’s talk about the rides. There are two, and Disney is thinking big. The centerpiece attraction is a roller coaster that will include an encounter with Maleficent atop her mountaintop fortress. The second is a dark ride into the catacombs of the Evil Queen’s palace, where the Magic Mirror will conjure visions of many a Disney villain.

The villains, said May, a self-described “art school emo indie Goth girl,” are also stylish. So expect the non-forest parts of the land to feel a bit refined. “The villains have high standards,” May said. “They have impeccable taste.”

Orlando’s version of Cars Land gets its close-up

A model of Piston Peak, Walt Disney World’s answer to Cars Land, was revealed at D23.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

Walt Disney World’s answer to Anaheim’s Cars Land began with doubts from fans, largely because it was replacing the Magic Kingdom’s Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island, two historic park attractions. Here in SoCal, those spaces represent the soul of Disneyland, but the Magic Kingdom is a different beast and has sorely needed new attractions. What Imagineers showed at D23 should, if built to the level of detail revealed in a model, calm many nerves.

Piston Peak, as the land is to be called, looks fantastic. Imagineer Jason Grandt says the area was heavily inspired by Rocky Mountain National Park as well as the painterly vistas of plein air artists and the murals of Thomas Hart Benton. Realistic, but also vibrant, animated and colorful. It will feature transitions through lush forests, majestic red rocks and even snow capped mountains.

The showcase ride has been known. It’s a sort of high-speed run in an all-terrain vehicle around the landscape — over bridges, through tunnels and around colorful geysers. It will frame the entire land, also home to a small family attraction with dancing, spinning cars in a demolition derby setting.

Avengers Campus expansion opens at Disney California Adventure in 2028

Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab, the two new attractions coming to Disney California Adventure that will essentially double the size of Avengers Campus, will open in 2028, according to Imagineer Brent Strong. The new attractions will complete the land.

Infinity Defense is pitched as a centerpiece of the land, and will feature Marvel actors such as Robert Downey Jr., Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie and Chris Hemsworth. The ride is expected to rely heavily on 3D effects and high-definition screens, but Strong made clear that there will indeed be large-scale physical sets on the ride. It is a dark ride through the multiverse to take on a battle with King Thanos, and guests will be placed in the role of assembling the Avengers.

Stark Flight Lab was shown at D23 as sitting next to Infinity Defense. The ride is more of an amusement park-like thrill attraction, in which guests will sit in two-person pods and then attach to a mechanical arm that will lift them into the air and attempt to simulate sensations of flight.

A “Coco” boat ride for all

While Disney didn’t reveal a release window for the upcoming “Coco” boat ride at Disney California Adventure, Imagineers did note it would be a family attraction without a height requirement, which will be especially needed after the park closes its “Monsters, Inc.”-inspired ride next year to make way for “Avatar.” The ride will be set about one year after the original film.

The narrative of the attraction will center on Miguel and his great great grandfather, musician Héctor Rivera. Guests will enter a museum dedicated to Rivera and then explore the Land of the Dead via Miguel’s memories. Expect a vibrant, colorful attraction that Imagineers said will nod to classics such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion in its reliance on audio-animatronics and open-to-interpretation dioramas.

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 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.

In his first address to the Disney faithful as chief executive, Josh D’Amaro pledged that Walt Disney Co. would create new stories and experiences at the D23 fan event Wednesday night in Anaheim.

D’Amaro was greeted like a rock star during the Burbank media giant’s film and TV presentation as the assembled crowd of more than 12,000 Disney super fans at the Honda Center gave him a rousing round of applause and cheers. He beamed at the audience, while clasping his hands together in front of him.

“I believe that in order to lead this company, you have to understand what it actually feels like to be a fan,” he said onstage. “And, I do. ”

D’Amaro is no stranger to the D23 stage; in his past role as parks chief, he would give updates on the latest news for the experiences division.

But now, as CEO, he said the company would deepen its connection with fans by continuing to develop fresh stories and new experiences.

“We are not here waiting for the future,” he said. “We’re building it … we’re actually building it right now.”

While Disney unveiled several upcoming original stories, including an animated supernatural flick from Pixar called “Ghost Market” set for release in spring 2028 and “Clay,” a Disney Animation film coming later that year about a mentor-mentee relationship, many of its projects are related to existing franchises.

The company unveiled details about Pixar’s “Coco 2” and “Incredibles 3,” both of which got huge applause from the audience, as well as a live-action “Lilo & Stitch 2.” Fans cheered for the return of the Jonas Brothers reprising their original Disney roles in “Camp Rock 3.” Even a teaser from “The Bluey Movie” elicited screams from the largely adult audience.

Earlier in the day, Disney executives revealed additional plans about its streaming strategy during a series of panels.

The company plans to lean more on creators with its new Verts vertical video feed on Disney+, a new feature designed to increase engagement. So far, it has grown in popularity among users, said Erin Teague, executive vice president of product management at Disney Entertainment and ESPN.

“What we’re seeing is as users are engaging with their vertical video experience, they are actually engaging in the overall product experience, double the amount of time,” she said onstage. “That means that we’re meeting users where we are.”

The company also plans to invest more in local international content to help grow the Disney+ service around the world. Disney has seen its local Korean shows perform well in Asia, as well as Brazil, executives said. And shows that do well in one country can often be remade in other regions.

Over the next three years, Disney plans to roughly triple the number of local original series on Disney+.