Autopia's last GASp, Oogie Boogie tickets incoming, and Disney's AI plans
The Disneyland news worth caring about this week — May 12, 2026
Autopia is finally going electric, Oogie Boogie Bash tickets are imminent, and Disney’s new CEO has some thoughts about how AI might be involved in your next vacation. Let’s get into it.
🚗 Autopia is going electric — and yes, that means it’s closing first
This week Disneyland confirmed, via an agreement with the California Air Resources Board, that Autopia’s 70-year-old gas-powered fleet will be retired in early 2027 and replaced with fully electric ride vehicles. Walt Disney Imagineering is currently developing and testing a prototype, though no design details have been shared publicly.
A little context: this transition was originally supposed to happen by fall 2026, so the new timeline is a slight delay — but early 2027 is now officially official for real. What that also means is that Autopia will close for a refurbishment of unknown length sometime before or around that date, which is why you heard that loud non-reaction.
Disney Tourist Blog, whose track record on these things is good, expects the closure to last several months — this isn’t just a vehicle swap. Autopia’s 10-year sponsorship deal is also winding down, which typically signals a broader refresh is coming.
For a certain kind of Disneyland fan, Autopia is nostalgia incarnate — it opened on day one in 1955, and the gas fumes are, honestly, part of the experience. Although legendary Imagineer Bob Gurr, who designed the original cars, was quoted years ago saying “get rid of those God-awful gasoline fumes,” so not everyone agrees. Can’t say I hate that take.
Hong Kong Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland have both already closed their versions. The Anaheim original is the last one still running on gas. “Enjoy” that particular smell while it lasts.
🎃 Oogie Boogie Bash tickets are coming — sooner than you might think
In what felt less like a formal announcement and more like an accidental leak buried at the bottom of a Magic Key email, Disneyland confirmed this week that presale tickets for Oogie Boogie Bash 2026 will go live on June 16 for Inspire Key holders and June 17 for all Magic Key holders. General public sale isn’t confirmed yet, but based on last year’s pattern it’ll likely be June 18 — just a day later.
The event itself runs on 33 select nights at Disney California Adventure, August 18 through October 31 — a record number of nights, up from 31 last year. OBB has sold out in recent years, and the more desirable October dates (especially weekends and Halloween night itself) tend to disappear fast.
One thing to note: Disney has quietly scrubbed all entertainment details from the official event page, which usually means something is changing. If you’re looking for a repeat of years past, it’s worth watching before you lock in a date.
If Oogie Boogie Bash is on your radar at all, mid-June is your window to snag those tickets.
🤖 Disney’s new CEO says AI will plan your vacation for you — eventually
During Disney’s Q2 fiscal 2026 earnings call last week, CEO Josh D’Amaro made the company’s AI ambitions pretty explicit: Disney wants to use artificial intelligence to simplify trip planning and personalize the booking experience for park guests. “A Disney vacation means a lot to our fans,” he said, “and we’re using AI to reduce the complexities around planning and booking a trip and trying to make that whole experience specifically tailored to what our guests want most.”
No specific product was announced, and no launch date was given — but the direction is clear. The vision described sounds like an AI assistant you’d tell your preferences and constraints to (”two kids, princess focus, limited budget, midday breaks”), and it would spit out a custom itinerary. Disney is also exploring AI for operational forecasting — staffing and crowd management — which could theoretically affect wait times.
The obvious thing worth noting: Disney already tried something like this. It’s called Genie, and it was widely criticized for producing itineraries that seemed optimized more for Disney’s crowd management than for individual guests. D’Amaro didn’t address that track record. Whether the new AI effort is genuinely different or just a more sophisticated version of the same approach is the real question — and the answer will show up in the execution.
I personally think that if it works, it could actually be pretty cool. Keeping track of all the special food items and limited happenings and show times is exhausting. My advice? Let the main planner in your crew keep their spreadsheet. It’s the right to do.
🌌 Rumor Check: Could Rise of the Resistance get an original trilogy re-theme?
Likelihood: Technically feasible, not currently in motion. 3/10.
With Galaxy’s Edge now officially spanning multiple eras of Star Wars, it’s a natural question: does Rise of the Resistance — still firmly set in the sequel trilogy, featuring Rey, Kylo Ren, and the First Order — eventually get the same treatment?
Here’s what we actually know: When Disneyland refurbished Rise of the Resistance earlier this year (January–February 2026), Disney and Imagineering explicitly confirmed no story changes were made — it was routine maintenance. The Resistance Camp area surrounding the attraction was designated as the sequel-era zone specifically to preserve the ride’s existing storyline. So there’s no active plan being discussed (at least, publicly).
That said, Imagineers have acknowledged in the past, including in forum-documented comments going back years, that the ride infrastructure is flexible enough that a timeline re-theme would be possible and wouldn’t necessarily take all that long. The galaxy-spanning premise of Batuu (a remote outpost visited by travelers from across the saga) was always designed to give Disney flexibility. The ride’s core mechanics — Star Destroyer infiltration, trackless vehicles, large-scale sets, the “capture and escape” structure — translate cleanly to an Imperial-era setting.
Swap Kylo Ren for Darth Vader. Swap the Resistance for the Rebel Alliance. General Hux for AI Tarkin. All the bones, in theory, are there.
But there are real complications. Rise of the Resistance is the most technically complex attraction Disney has ever built, and it still goes down frequently. Any significant changes to physical sets, audio, or projection systems would require another extended closure — not a small undertaking. And unlike character appearances or music changes, altering the ride itself would affect both Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which currently has no plans to expand Galaxy’s Edge’s timeline in the same way. Those two parks often end up diverging on decisions like this, which creates its own logistical headaches.
The honest assessment: this is fan speculation elevated by the plausibility of the concept, not a rumor with sourced insider information behind it. The timeline expansion has made it feel newly possible, and Disney clearly isn’t allergic to the idea of original trilogy Galaxy’s Edge content. But a Rise re-theme would be a massive, expensive, multi-year project — and Disneyland has a full construction pipeline already. File this one as “worth keeping an eye on, not worth holding your breath.”
Quick Hits
Magic Key holders: the King Arthur Carrousel popcorn bucket drops May 14. It spins, lights up, and plays music — designed by Disney artist Ashley Taylor. Limited to one per Magic Key holder per transaction, available while supplies last at select Disneyland Park popcorn carts. These tend to move fast.
Hyperspace Mountain through June 1. You have three weeks left on the Star Wars overlay of Space Mountain — TIE fighters, Star Destroyers, full John Williams — before it flips back to regular Space Mountain overnight on June 2.
Crowd warning for late May. The California Resident discount ticket expires May 21, likely bringing a surge of locals trying to use their final days — expect noticeably higher crowds May 15–21. Then Memorial Day Weekend (May 23–25) hits immediately after. Smugglers Run also launches May 22, adding buzz. If you can visit before May 15 or after Memorial Day, do it.
Mandalorian & Grogu mission on Smugglers Run launches May 22 — We’ve highlighted this before, but this is a big one. Smugglers is getting a permanent new storyline with three new destination planets (Bespin, Coruscant, Endor), and a full rework of queue and in-flight experiences. This is the way (to get me to spend lots of money).
Fantasmic! back to daily shows starting May 22 — it’s been running on a limited schedule this month (dark on May 4–7, 11–14, 18–21).
Pirates of the Caribbean remains dark with no return date. Best current estimate is late June at the earliest. Blue Bayou reopens May 21 but with a partially obstructed view while the ride is still under construction.
Also still closed with no return dates: Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (since April 13), Silly Symphony Swings (since April 27), Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind at DCA (since January).
What did I miss? Leave a comment or send me a reply and let me know!
So excited about Oogie Boogie!