Remember, all links in TPEI open up in a new browser window. So feel free to check stuff out, we’ll be here when you get back! Each photo opens up to a larger version as well, and with that out of the way let’s look back at what happened during the past month, starting with…

*Disney Gets Hands Caught in the AI Cookie Jar

This is a complicated story with no easy answers, but the long and short of it boils down to this: Disney could – and more importantly – should have done better.

It all started right before Christmas last year, when Disney opened Madame Leota’s Somewhere Beyond, a gift shop for the Haunted Mansion. Once guests were let in and pictures circulated on social media sites, Disney began to get roasted for filling the store with items anyone could buy similar versions of at online stores such as Amazon and Target.

It got worse though, as a poster on Twitter pointed out that one piece was an AI print bought from RedBubble. We’ll get to mass produced store bought items later in this section, but AI artwork in the Disney or Universal parks is a slap in the face to all the talented men and women who have worked for those companies over the last 65+ years. AI doesn’t *create* art, it generates art by using existing works without acknowledgement or compensation.

Overall, the reaction in the fan community was pretty brutal, as it should be.

In fact, the reaction to what Disney did in this gift shop went so viral, it was brought up in a LA Times story covering recent changes to the Haunted Mansion.

The following response by Imagineer Kim Irvine was – in my mind – the most tone deaf answer we’ve seen from Disney since former Chief Financial Officer Christine McCarthy’s comment about how charging Disney guests higher prices for lower portion sizes on food was actually a positive because its “probably good for some people’s waistlines.”

To steal a classic moment from The Simpsons, Irvine wasn’t questioning whether or not Disney had made a mistake by using this piece of AI trash on hallowed ground. NAY NAY. It was us, the guests, who had made a mistake by focusing on that slop instead of all the other items in the store. This was the exact same Kim Irvine who was quoted in The Imagineering Story on Disney+ as saying:

You can’t fool people. [laughs] You know, they can tell when things are being shortchanged or you’re not paying attention to the details and putting the quality into something.” – Kim Irvine, The Imagineering Story

What takes this story to a level that it begins to seems like it is straight out of a badly written movie full of contrived coincidences too ridiculous to believe, Imagineer Kim Irvine is the daughter of former Disney Imagineer Leota Toombs, the very person who the character of Madame Leota in the Haunted Mansion was based on! That’s right, the  same Madame Leota who – in the context of a Haunted Mansion gift shop – is the character being portrayed in that AI artwork.

Here’s my reaction after taking all this in…

So anyway, even though we were told the AI artwork was just a placeholder… that we as a community were making much ado about nothing… that what was coming was going to be even better… the AI artwork was just unceremoniously removed. You can’t make this stuff up.

But our Haunted Mansion story didn’t stop there. People started noticing that several pieces of the décor used for the refurbishment of the queue were off-the shelf items anyone could buy, including a raven from Wayfair, a bat from Houzz, and even a gazebo from Etsy.

In the same LA Times story as above,  Kim Irvine addressed this issue as well…

This is where the larger story isn’t as black & white as it seems. In this particular case, Disney Imagineering may be getting the blame for a project outsourced to a different department that was given a much smaller budget. Is it fair that Disney Imagineering will get the blame for pretty much anything inside the parks, even if they had nothing to do with it? Probably not, but they also get all the credit for everything in the parks as well, so it’s a double edged sword.

Also, we’ve been told over and over again about the Disney Difference, and literally been told by Imagineers that “no one can touch us.” You can’t have that type of mentality and then be upset when people actually pay attention to the details.

TPEI Score: – 22 Listen, this isn’t a big deal if your local barbershop is trying to brighten up their place without losing customers by delaying the opening of their new shop while they were waiting for something more unique to arrive. The morality of using AI art is a debate people should be having, but a lot of regular people just don’t know. Disney was founded and relies on the effort of artisans of all types who make their living off original and unique creative efforts. For them, it’s a strategic choice. There’s no legislation from the government or Commandment from above that forces Disney to be cheap. Disney bought back $3 BILLION in company stock in FY2024. The world wouldn’t have ended if they had only bought back $2,999,000,000 worth of stock and used that extra $1M to create items instead of buying a shed at Home Depot. These are voluntary choices and people need to be held accountable.

*Dino-Rama Goes EXTINCT

Trust me, I’m not here to defend Dino-Rama. In fact, a decade ago I wrote that the entire area needed to be taken to the Disney Dump.

However, there was something I didn’t consider at the time…that Disney wouldn’t build that much at Animal Kingdom over the next decade. I’ve stated many times that there are two things that never go out of style for kids: dragons and dinosaurs, and it seems bonkers to me that Walt Disney World is going to be getting rid of its one dinosaur land…in a park where there is really not that much to do, especially for young kids.

Let’s face it, Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama looked cheap. Anyone who has worked in Hollywood will tell you it takes a lot of money to look cheap, and while Disney spent a lot of time and money developing Dino-Rama, it comes across like they just threw it in the park with no thought whatsoever. It doesn’t matter whether that is true or not, perception often becomes reality. Not everyone has the time or the access to Imagineers like Joe Rohde who can eloquently explain all the rich details throughout the land.

Where Disney triumphs above all else is drawing guests into a land, whether it’s walking down Main Street or the subtle transitions from Frontierland to Liberty Square, guests feel completely immersed and everything just feels right. Dino-Rama is like someone dropped an anvil on your head. You’re in one of the most gorgeous parks in the whole world – if not THE MOST gorgeous – and then you walk into Dino-Rama. I don’t care that if this were the real world Dino-Rama is exactly the type of cash grab place that would pop up. This isn’t the real world. This is Walt Disney World, and it’s better than the real world.

Will forever be mind-blowing that TriceraTop Spin wasn’t immediately taken apart and brought over to Toy Story Land and rebranded as Trixie Spin. You have a character from the Toy Story Universe that fits this ride perfectly and have a land which desperately needs another attraction.

Our family has many a ride on this attraction over the years.

Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures gift shop is one that probably had more details per square inch than another other place on property.

Everywhere you looked was themed with something.

I’m a huge defender of skill games in theme parks, but there are some things they must have. They need to be themed to the area, and  – most importantly – have great prizes.

For many years, the skill game prizes in Dino-Rama were awful. Just generic cheap plush.

Then, in 2020, something magical happened. A bunch of incredible plush themed to Dinoland USA were available as prizes. This included a plush version of the Cementosaurus!

A Triceratops plush from TriceraTop Spin!

There were also Mickey and Minnie plush, with the characters wearing Dino Institute outfits, and even a plush “Lucky,” the Allosaurus from the nearby Dinosaur attraction. Just incredible stuff. Over at the Universal Orlando Resort, guests have the option of just outright paying for a prize if they can’t (or don’t want to) win one. However, Disney did not allow this option in Dino-Rama, so the only way you could get these is win one.

TPEI SCORE: – 13 I’m not generally one to complain about prices, but the cost of a Walt Disney World vacation is getting pretty high and somehow there is less to do in the parks than ever. I’m all for having attractions based on Indiana Jones and Encanto, but sacrificing a kid friendly area based around dinosaurs in a park that is filled with attractions (Flight of Passage, Expedition Everest) many already can’t ride? Gonna be a rough couple years touring Animal Kingdom with the kiddos.

Those at the nearby Dinosaur attraction need to be renting, not buying, as that ride is now officially on the clock.

Meanwhile, down I-4 at Disney’s competition…

*Stella Nova Opens

This past week Universal had the grand opening of their newest hotel, STELLA NOVA.

There were various characters out and about greeting Opening Day guests, including astronauts tying in the space theme of Stella Nova.

You can’t go wrong with a photo-op with Frank the pug and fellow Men in Black agents. That’s straight up E-Ticket.

I’m not sure why Poppy and Branch from Trolls were at the Grand Opening, but it might have been a tribute to amount of vlogging trolls that covered the grand opening To Get Clicks On Their YouTube Channels.

We’ll have a more detailed look at this resort in the near future, but have to say I like these chairs in the lobby.

The refillable cup design is – as usual – on point. The cup features the resorts stunning tile.

Huge fan of the overall space theme of the resort.

Of course our boy Bio had a shot in the archive of Universal building this very area. Incredible.

Rooms with a view looking out at Epic Universe? Hard to beat that.

Let’s check out some of the things you can see from your room…

Themed toiletries? Pinch me, I’m dreaming.

Now that’s what I’m talking about!

Also making its debut with Stella Nova was Universal’s new electric busses. Currently these busses go back and forth from Stella Nova to Universal CityWalk.

Now, when Cabana Bay Beach Resort opened a decade ago, the room keys featured artwork based around venues at the resort. Over the years, they switched to using the exact same artwork on their room keys that all the other onsite hotels use (art featuring attractions such as the VelociCoaster, the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, and Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.)

Was hoping we’d see something special for the debut of Stella Nova, but the room keys are similar to all the others currently on property.

Digital Maestro Scott Walker created a design of room key cards for Stella Nova that tie into the nearby Epic Universe…

TPEI Score: + 12 We’ll be doing a full article on Stella Nova in the near future covering all the other stuff including a full look at the rooms, the gym, arcade, quick service, bars, pool, THE STELLA COOKIE and more. A cool looking hotel at a great price point is something that’s great for everyone in the theme park community. Have to say that there are several things that I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around this month, and Universal opening the value resort Stella Nova in January is on my list. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great that Stella Nova exists and looks to be a terrific addition to the line-up of Universal Orlando hotels…BUT it’s existence is to support the upcoming Epic Universe theme park, which won’t be opening for another four months. There’s nothing else in the area you can walk to. Unless I’m missing something, in February and March I can’t fathom why a family would choose Stella Nova over the similarly priced Endless Summer resorts and Cabana Bay Beach Resort. But hey, we got a great new Value Resort in Orlando.

***QUICK HITS***

*2025 Promises to be an EPIC Year…

Actually let’s stay in Stella Nova for a moment and take a quick peek into their gift shop, which is LOADED with items that are going to be sold in Epic Universe later this year!

I’m not a Wizarding World of Harry Potter wand collector, but these Ministry of Magic Auror wand holders are absolutely fantastic! I feel like the Aurors are not that far away from the Jedis from Star Wars, and there is a huge potential of merchandise opportunities there for Universal.

There are items at the gift shop for all the various lands in Epic Universe, including Dark Universe and How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk. One detail I like to see can be found on the various shirts/sweaters/spirit jerseys you can buy. Many are branded with Epic Universe or the individual brand. Yes, this is a small detail, but it’s also one we rarely see at Disney and Universal, as it seems to be reserved for the prestige brands like Pandora: The World of Avatar,  Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Over at Orlando International Airport, an Epic Universe gift shop opened up in Terminal B, located directly next to the main Universal store.

Meanwhile Terminal C has a giant two level Universal Orlando Resort gift shop.

Universal Orlando debuted new name tags for their Team Members and they include a great silhouette of sorts at the bottom featuring all the park icons. In a social media post, they featured a whole bunch of names that cleverly refer to characters featured in various lands at Epic Universe.

The new Universal Orlando marquees are also up and running. They look fantastic.

***Back to MCO

Let’s go back to Orlando International Airport for a moment. Terminal C, home of the two level Universal Orlando Resort store we mentioned above, is also home to a restaurant created by Chef Art Smith. That’s right, the same Art Smith behind Homecomin’ which took home our top spot in our Best Chicken Sandwiches at Disney Springs investigative report last month.

Guess what? The Sunshine Diner also has an AWESOME chicken sandwich worth going out of your way for.

Get this, Chef Art Smith isn’t the only Disney Springs connection to Terminal C. There’s also a Summer House restaurant. At Disney Springs the venue is called Summer House on the Lake. In Terminal C its called Summer House Santa Monica.

There is a Wine Bar George.

A pretty big Walt Disney World store as well. Terminal C is The Place To Be if you’re a theme park or Disney Springs fan.

*Expectation vs. Reality: Disney Cookie Edition

*ART!

If you produce artwork featuring the Muppets, we’ll post it here. That’s our policy. Love this one featuring several great references.

How GREAT is this piece featuring the Muppets Courtyard by artist Bryan Bindman? Bryan was also a member of last year’s Artist Spotlight class. You can check out his feature by CLICKING HERE. Next week our 2025 Artist Spotlight features start and let me tell you, this year’s lineup is STACKED.

Doing an Artist Spotlight feature on Phillip Weatherford was a true bucket list item for me as a writer because I’ve been such a huge fan of his LEGO creations over the years.

Tiny Artist Jaime S. was another member of the fabled 2024 Artist Spotlight class (you can check out her feature by CLICKING HERE.) Jaime went deep into her personal archive this past month and found ride layout drawings she had drawn as a child!

These are more accurate than I could do NOW, as an adult.

Ava Buric was a featured artist of the 2022 Artist Spotlight series (you can see her feature by CLICKING HERE.) Absolutely love this recent piece featuring the Animal Kingdom’s Merry Menagerie.

This Ratatouille piece is STUNNING.

Photography wise, how do you top this shot by @somewareatdiz? Trust me, I’m writing this guy every week pleading with him to do an Artist Spotlight feature. His photos are jaw dropping.

WHAT WOULD YOU PAY?

Check out this figure set below featuring Carl & Elllie from Pixar’s Up. It was made to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the film, you know, that truly special anniversary. It was a limited edition of 6,950 and it came with a ::side eye:: Certificate of Authenticity.

DRUMROLL PLEASE…

IT WAS ORIGINALLY $250! WHAAAAAT?!!!

Speaking of bonkers items, what’s up with this “Cereal Bad Boys” thing? I mean, I guess they are trying to be edgy and have fun with a play on words, but the saying is “Serial Killer” not “Serial Bad Boys.”

Over on eBay, we saw this incredible hat featuring World Championship Wrestling! Wow, would love to have this one and it made me think of our article on WDW Locations Used in Hulk Hogan’s Thunder in Paradise.

Definitely going to be picking up one of these Universal Studios Florida retro windbreakers. The sweater has a Saved By the Bell vibe to it as well.

Without social media, where would be get great stuff like Stub Hub using the wrong picture for an ad selling tickets for a Jerry Seinfeld performance?

It’s actually the small things on BlueSky that make my day, like the guy posting he was once banned from a TaleSpin forum for pointing out the Baloo from The Jungle Book is a different character than the Baloo from TaleSpin…

Who would have guessed that a WDW Grand Opening ticket would be much more rare than a similar one from Disneyland?

Last month’s Theme Park Enjoyment Index: 50
This month’s net change: -23
Current enjoyment level: 27

Writer Derek Burgan, when not cleaning Len Testa’s pool, can be found reading comic books, watching professional wrestling, organizing his various Tsum Tsums in alphabetical order, and taking his dog Bacini to Universal and Disney.. He will not, we repeat not, be found at a Disney Outlet Store. An official DisTwitter Influencer, you can interact with him @derekburgan

Digital Artist Scott Walker hails from Scotland and is the fifth most famous person from this country following Alexander Graham Bell, Ewan McGregor, Gerard Butler, and Groundskeeper Willie.