It’s a battle of Halloween season announcements with Universal Studios—plus, summer conventions are heating up with San Diego Comic-Con, D23 Expo, and Midsummer Scream.
Peak vacation season is in full swing at Disney Parks and Universal Studios, where the latest attractions are drawing in major crowds. Whether you’re keeping cool on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure or taking in the cinematic sights of Universal Pictures’ Cinesational, there’s something to do for everyone as the time draws nearer for spooky season.
Long before Halloween arrives, however, major conventions like San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Disney’s D23 Expo, and Midsummer Scream will be gathering genre fans en masse. Find out more in this week’s theme park news and fan-tastical destinations update.
Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights 2024
@halloweenhorrornights Haunted House Announcement: Insidious: The Further Don’t get trapped in The Further as terrifying demons try to ensnare you. Enter the Red-Faced Demon’s lair behind The Red Door. And try to keep away from KeyFace, so he can’t lock up your spirit. All tickets are now on sale, link in bio for more details. #HHN #HHN33
Get ready to tip-toe through the tulips once more! The latest Halloween Horror Nights house theme announced for Universal Studios Hollywood (opening September 5) and Universal Studios Florida (opening August 30) is James Wan’s Insidious franchise. For more info and tickets visit here.
Six Flags Fright Fest 2024
The reaction from the haunt community has been a resounding “hell yes!” for this year’s Fright Fest at Six Flags across North America. This year’s event will feature major IP in mazes including WB’s Conjuring Universe, Netflix’s Stranger Things, and more! For more info on which mazes will be featured at your nearest Six Flags location, visit here.
Walt Disney World Country Bears Jamboree
At Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, the Country Bears Jamboree has reopened with its new slate of songs. The iconic characters are now performing Disney classics sung by country’s best in the business today, including Mac McAnally, Allison Russell, Chris Thile, and Emily Ann Roberts. Read more about it here.
D23 Expo 2024
Beating SDCC to the punch by a day, D23 Expo unveiled its slate for this year’s event in Anaheim, CA. Here are some of the panels we’re super excited about outside of the Honda Center’s major events, which will be Friday’s Disney Entertainment showcase and Saturday’s Disney Experiences showcase—where we’ll see the future of all the studio projects and theme park plans from under the Disney banner be teased including major Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and Disney Animation news!
30 Years of Toy Story
Celebrate 30 Years of Toy Story with filmmakers and Pixar Legends as they reflect on the making of the groundbreaking classic nearly 30 years ago and share never-before-heard anecdotes about how the historic film came to be.
Exploring New Parts of the Mind: Behind the Design of Inside Out 2 + a Dreamy Surprise!
Join Inside Out 2 production designer Jason Deamer as he gives an in-depth look at designing the new emotions joining Headquarters as Riley enters teenagehood. And stick around for a special dreamy sneak peek of an upcoming Pixar series!
Jolly Holiday: A D23 Musical Celebration of Richard M. Sherman
From Mary Poppins to Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, a heartwarming and joyous musical tribute to our beloved Disney songwriting legend Richard M. Sherman—with unbelievable performances and delightful surprise appearances by some of the people who knew and admired him best.
Marvel Animation Sneak Peek
See what’s coming next to Disney+ from Marvel Animation, with special guests and first looks at hotly anticipated series including Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Eyes of Wakanda, future seasons of What If…?, X-Men ’97, and more!
MARVEL COMICS: Celebrating 50 Years of Wolverine
Look back at 50 years of Wolverine with Marvel Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski and writer Jason Aaron as they dive into the legacy of Marvel’s most popular mutant (and what’s next!). PLUS: an exclusive giveaway while supplies last, and a sneak peek at what’s in store for Marvel’s 85th anniversary!
Making A Goofy Movie: The Road to Lake Destiny
The creatives behind the A Goofy Movie phenomenon reunite, reminisce, and share clips from a new documentary about the incredible origin story of this beloved cult classic.
Bringing the Worlds of Disney Animation to Life in Disney Parks
Team members from Walt Disney Imagineering and Walt Disney Animation Studios discuss bringing the worlds of Disney Animation to life in Disney Parks around the world, including such projects as World of Frozen (Hong Kong Disneyland), Zootopia (Shanghai Disneyland), Fantasy Springs (Tokyo DisneySea), and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (Magic Kingdom and Disneyland).
The Muppets 70: A Glamorous Miss Piggy Retrospective
Join Walt Disney Archives director Becky Cline and the Muppets producer Dani Iglesias for a fabulous look back on the past 70 years of the Muppets, but mostly Miss Piggy! We will dive into the vaults to uncover nostalgic artifacts along with how we preserve this collection today!
For the full lineup of show floor pavilions that fans can experience at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event from August 9-11 at the Anaheim Convention Center, visit ultimatefanevent.d23.com.
San Diego Comic-Con 2024
SDCC 2024 has begun to reveal its schedule for the convention happening in San Diego this month, including a panel celebrating Interview With the Vampire and AMC’s Immortal Universe. The full slate of events will be revealed this weekend.
Midsummer Scream 2024
Another big Southern California fan gathering, Halloween and horror convention Midsummer Scream, will be held at the Long Beach Convention Center July 26-28.
Here’s what you can expect:
- Over a dozen haunted attractions, including the Gears of Fear maze, a torturous immersive experience packed with scenes from iconic Lionsgate films.
- Presentations from SoCal’s biggest Halloween attractions offering a preview of the scares coming this spooky season. (We’re most excited to find out more about Fright Fest)
- Celebrity appearances from Cassandra Peterson aka Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, the casts of “Black Phone,” “Monster High,” and more.
Download the Midsummer Scream app to check out the official schedule.
The Little Mermaid Immersive at CAMP Stores
Starting Friday, August 2, Disney fans and families can dive into Disney’s The Little Mermaid X CAMP in Los Angeles, a new musical and immersive experience inspired by Disney’s The Little Mermaid.
Here are some details of activities that will be part of the experience:
- Sing and dance to their favorite songs from Disney’s The Little Mermaid, including “Under The Sea,” “Part of Your World,” “Kiss The Girl,” and “Poor Unfortunate Souls”
- Explore King Triton’s Palace, controlling the seas from his throne
- Discover Ariel’s Grotto and embark on a scavenger hunt for gadgets and gizmos aplenty
- Climb through an abandoned shipwreck through cargo net tunnels and unlock treasure chests
- Watch a magic show in Ursula’s lair
- Shop exclusive Disney’s The Little Mermaid X CAMP apparel and accessories
Disney’s The Little Mermaid X CAMP is a limited time offering at CAMP’s West Coast Flagship location at Westfield Century City. Tickets start at $34 per person and are available here.
Willy’s Candy Spectacular Premiere
Willy’s Candy Spectacular: A Musical Parody of the infamous “immersive” Willy Wonka pop-up disaster has set its director for its Edinburgh Fringe run. The musical will be helmed by filmmaker and theatrical director Andy Fickman, known for cult fave Heathers: The Musical and movies like She’s the Man and The Game Plan.
“I can’t stress enough what a thrill it was when the brilliant Richard Kraft asked me to direct Willy’s Candy Spectacular: A Musical Parody. Aside from just loving candy, I fell in love with these songs—written by some of the best in the business,” Fickman said in a press release. “On a personal note, one of my first jobs in Hollywood was Director of Development for Gene Wilder, the original Willy Wonka, so this opportunity feels like a very sweet return home.” The show runs August 9-26.
Tickets for the Edinburgh Fringe run are now available here.
Meow Wolf Las Vegas
A new immersive side quest is coming to Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart in Las Vegas, as teased above!
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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