theme parks

A Rare Behind the Scenes Look at Disney World’s Most Advanced Audio-Animatronic Character

A lot of us are still scratching our heads over Disney’s decision to spend millions of dollars building Pandora—The World of Avatar in its Animal Kingdom park, especially with Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge opening so soon. But at least the themed area, which is celebrating its one year anniversary, led to the creation of one…

io9 Andrew Liszewski May 30

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Will Open Summer 2019 at Disneyland

Opening day for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney theme parks in the US is getting closer and closer. First we heard it would be in 2019. Now, we know the seasons—and soon, we’ll have the specific dates. The news today, though, is that Disney revealed the new Star Wars-themed section of Disneyland in Anaheim,…

io9 Germain Lussier May 22

Riders Spent Two Hours Trapped On This Hanging Roller Coaster’s Tallest Hill

The only thing more terrifying than being stuck on a roller coaster, is being stuck at the highest part of the ride. And the only thing more terrifying than that is if it happens to be one of those coasters where you’re hanging upside down from a harness, leaving nothing but 98-feet of free-fall space between…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski May 2

These Real-Life Walking Mech Suits Are Finally a Reason to Visit Disney’s Avatar World

Sure, Avatar made $2.78 billion during its box office run almost a decade ago, but did anyone really walk out of the theater wanting to visit James Cameron’s Pandora? We still can’t figure out why “The World of Avatar” was built at Walt Disney World, but now that the park has these towering mechs walking…

io9 Andrew Liszewski Apr 9

Thanks to Universal, Disney’s California Adventures Marvel Expansion Can’t Use the Word ‘Marvel’

In 2020, Disney will be opening up a special Marvel-themed area of its Disney California Adventure park, part of an ongoing effort by the company to expand and revamp its theme parks with its new media holdings in mind. Only, don’t expect them to call these characters Marvel heroes. As the Los Angeles Times reports,…

Movies Julie Muncy Apr 8

The Upside Down of Stranger Things Is Coming to Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights

When the Universal Studios theme parks transform into their annual Halloween Horror Nights events, fans get to visit their very own pop culture nightmares. The event is filled with mazes based on some of the coolest, scariest horror properties in the world—and this year, that trend will continue with a certain Netflix show. That Netflix…

Television Germain Lussier Apr 3

Thrawn: Alliances Is Sending Darth Vader and Thrawn to Disneyland, Kind of

We at io9 pray to the altar of Grand Admiral Thrawn. This is a well-known fact. So when the first excerpt from Timothy Zahn’s new book, Thrawn: Alliances came online, there was quite a bit of excitement followed by pure elation at its awesome revelations. The excerpt, posted by StarWars.com, sets up the crux of…

Books & Comics Germain Lussier Mar 23

The New Marvel Section of the Disneyland Resort Will Open in 2020

A year after Star Wars makes its home at Disneyland, Marvel is moving in right across the street. Marvel Studios has just announced several updates to how their heroes will be integrated into Disney theme parks in the coming years. New themed areas and attractions are coming in Hong Kong, Paris and, of course, Anaheim,…

Movies Germain Lussier Mar 20

Disneyland’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Is Really Taking Shape

We’ve still got another year before Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, but Disney is temporarily sating our thirst with a new peek at what’s in store. And holy crap, it’s massive. Disney Parks released a drone video showing the 14-acre Galaxy’s Edge in progress, and it looks even better than…

Movies Beth Elderkin Mar 9

This Wonderful Fan Art Imagines a Magical Black Panther Adventure

Artist Michael Pasquale has created the perfect post-script to Black Panther. Spoilers below, if you haven’t seen the film yet. And if you haven’t, what are you waiting for? At the end of the film, T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) takes his sister, Shuri (Letitia Wright), to California. Upon arriving in Oakland, she jokes that she was…

Movies Germain Lussier Mar 1

Here’s Your First Look at Gotham City in Warner Bros.’ Abu Dhabi Theme Park

Fans who’ve always wanted to visit Gotham City can soon do just that… but they’ll have to travel to Abu Dhabi first. Batman’s fictional home is just one of several areas that’ll be part of Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, a brand new theme park that opens this summer in the United Arab Emirates. It’ll…

Books & Comics Germain Lussier Feb 27

Coming Soon: The World’s First Walking Dead Roller Coaster

Fans who want to do more than just watch walkers on TV will soon be able to do just that. Thorpe Park, an amusement park in the UK, just announced it’ll soon open the world’s first Walking Dead roller coaster. The Walking Dead: The Ride is a refurbishment of the park’s current coaster, X: No…

Television Germain Lussier Feb 21

Warner Bros.’ Abu Dhabi Theme Park Is Going to Have Some Wild Superhero Rides

It’s not at all new for roller coasters and other adrenaline-inducing rides to be themed around comic book and cartoon characters. But the upcoming Warner Bros. theme park in Abu Dhabi is going to be on a whole other level, featuring some pretty deep cuts from DC Comics lore. Warner Bros. World is going to…

io9 Evan Narcisse Feb 6

This Art Show About Fake Amusement Parks Is So Good

Everyone loves a good amusement park. But it takes a special kind of nerd to appreciate a fake amusement park. Some are big and popular (like Jurassic Park or Westworld), some are a little more subtle (Arctic World or Pacific Playland), and others are just from The Simpsons. Either way, they’re all in this brand…

Movies Germain Lussier Jan 9

Disney’s Star Wars Lands Are Set on the New Planet of Batuu

When the Disney theme parks open their two Star Wars themed lands in 2019, the name in the brochure will be “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.” But Galaxy’s Edge is actually a new planet, revealed today to be called Batuu. The Star Tours ride at both Disneyland in Anaheim, CA and Hollywood Studios in Orlando, FL,…

Movies Germain Lussier Nov 17

Disney’s Star Tours Ride May Be Making Some Huge Changes

This week, The Last Jedi planet of Crait is being added to the Star Tours ride at Disney parks in Florida and Anaheim. However, that may be just one of several changes coming to the 30-year-old attraction. We know for a fact that Crait is debuting on November 17 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando,…

Movies Germain Lussier Nov 13

Dubai’s Newly Opened The Hunger Games Theme Park Does Not Get the Irony

The Motiongate Dubai theme park, the largest Hollywood-themed park in the world, has recently opened up “The World of the Hunger Games,” a lavish section of the park devoted to the dystopian world of Panem in all its garish, high-fashion glory. Because when I hear dystopian horror, I think theme park. Entertainment Weekly recently posted a…

io9 Julie Muncy Oct 28

The Creator of Saw and Insidious Walks Through His Own Worlds at Halloween Horror Nights

At Halloween Horror Nights, Universal Studios’ annual scare event, you don’t have to look far to find something iconic. There’s The Shining; there’s Freddy, Jason, and Leatherface; Ash vs. Evil Dead; American Horror Story; you name it. The Saw and Insidious franchises are also represented with mazes at the year’s event, and we took a…

Movies Germain Lussier Sep 26

The World’s Largest Radio Telescope Has a Massive Tourist Problem

In September, China flicked the switch on the world’s largest radio telescope. The unusually large dish in an isolated area of Guizhou province needs radio silence to hone in on potential signs of alien life and distant pulsars, but researchers fear that a huge influx of tourists could be rendering the $180 million dish useless.…

Space & Spaceflight Rhett Jones Aug 24

I Survived a Trip Through the Neibolt Street House From Stephen King’s It

Hollywood and Vine is one of the most famous intersections in the world. It’s a place packed with crazy Los Angeles characters, but even Hollywood and Vine doesn’t feel ready for Pennywise. From now until September 10, the corner sports a terrifying addition: the Neibolt Street house from It. Based on the popular novel by…

io9 Germain Lussier Aug 15

A Rare Behind the Scenes Look at Disney World’s Most Advanced Audio-Animatronic Character

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Will Open Summer 2019 at Disneyland

Riders Spent Two Hours Trapped On This Hanging Roller Coaster’s Tallest Hill

These Real-Life Walking Mech Suits Are Finally a Reason to Visit Disney’s Avatar World

Thanks to Universal, Disney’s California Adventures Marvel Expansion Can’t Use the Word ‘Marvel’

The Upside Down of Stranger Things Is Coming to Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights

Thrawn: Alliances Is Sending Darth Vader and Thrawn to Disneyland, Kind of

The New Marvel Section of the Disneyland Resort Will Open in 2020

Disneyland’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Is Really Taking Shape

This Wonderful Fan Art Imagines a Magical Black Panther Adventure

Here’s Your First Look at Gotham City in Warner Bros.’ Abu Dhabi Theme Park

Coming Soon: The World’s First Walking Dead Roller Coaster

Warner Bros.’ Abu Dhabi Theme Park Is Going to Have Some Wild Superhero Rides

This Art Show About Fake Amusement Parks Is So Good

Disney’s Star Wars Lands Are Set on the New Planet of Batuu

Disney’s Star Tours Ride May Be Making Some Huge Changes

Dubai’s Newly Opened The Hunger Games Theme Park Does Not Get the Irony

The Creator of Saw and Insidious Walks Through His Own Worlds at Halloween Horror Nights

The World’s Largest Radio Telescope Has a Massive Tourist Problem

I Survived a Trip Through the Neibolt Street House From Stephen King’s It

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Lost Warship From Battle of Copenhagen Found After 225 Years

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