amusement

Walt Disney Co. DIS -0.38% Chief Executive Robert Iger called Florida’s actions against Disney over the past year “antibusiness” and “anti-Florida” in his first in-depth comments about the company’s ongoing battle with Gov. Ron DeSantis. “While the company may have not handled the position that it took very well, a company has the right to freedom of speech just like…

Walt Disney Co. DIS 1.62% for now has outmaneuvered Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the battle for control over the more than 24,000-acre parcel of land near Orlando where Walt Disney World Resort is located.In February, Disney went before a local board and secured approvals for the next 30 years on zoning, infrastructure and air-rights that the company might need if it chooses to expand Disney World, giving the company an advantage that has…

Disney DIS 1.70% World closed its popular Splash Mountain ride this week to remove references from a 1940s movie with racist themes. The last Disney fans took a turn through the ride on Sunday, Walt Disney Co. said on its website. Splash Mountain, one of the theme park’s most famous rides, features music and characters from the controversial 1946 film, “Song of the South.” The movie follows a young boy at a Georgia…

Bob Iger had been out of Walt Disney Co. DIS -0.45% for nearly a year, but as most people around him knew, he had never really let go. Acting almost as a shadow CEO, he had undermined his successor and provided an ear for unhappy Disney executives, some of whom he had mentored. When the call to return as chief executive came, it was from someone on his old team. Mr. Iger later told people he had an inkling of how the script would go. For nearly three…

HONG KONG—Shanghai Disneyland reopened Thursday as cautious optimism spread across foreign businesses operating in China following the easing of some of China’s most draconian pandemic measures, even as hurdles remained in the country’s exit from zero-Covid.Foreign companies from Walt Disney Co. to Starbucks Corp. and Apple Inc. have taken revenue hits or endured business or supply-chain upheavals in the wake of China’s harsh…

“We’re not concerned at all about creating any confusion,” he said in an interview with CNBC later that afternoon. Less than a month later, the two men were at odds over Mr. Chapek’s plan to lay off tens of thousands of workers at Disney’s theme parks as Covid-19 hit, say people familiar with the men. Soon after that, Mr. Iger announced he was taking a more active role because of the pandemic, leaving Mr. Chapek to feel as though he had been undermined from the start, according to people familiar with the…

Amie Gasabyan was riding the Indiana Jones Adventure thrill ride at Disneyland with her 9-year-old daughter Ella on a recent weekday when it lurched to a halt in a pitch-black tunnel.Ms. Gasabyan told her daughter to stay calm and that this happens all the time. The ride started up again after about seven minutes. Unplanned ride stoppages and wait times at Walt Disney Co. DIS 0.38% ’s theme parks are on the rise, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of statistics…

A near-mythical “art amusement park” known as Luna Luna is undergoing a seemingly improbable resurrection thanks, in part, to Drake.As revealed in a New York Times report on Thursday, Drake’s DreamCrew company—which he co-founded with Adel “Future the Prince” Nur back in 2017—is the majority owner in the venture, the “overall investment” in which is said to be nearing $100 million. Included in the report are some remarks from Drake himself about the larger ambition behind pursuing such an unlikely revival, which will see …

Beginning in December, single-day, single-park tickets to Walt Disney World in Florida will vary in price based on which of the four theme parks people visit at the Orlando-area resort. Prices will also depend on when a person visits, as is already the case, with tickets being more expensive on more popular dates. The new prices go into effect Dec. 8. Prices will rise at the Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood Studios. The most expensive one-day tickets on offer will cost $189 for a visit to the Magic Kingdom for the nine…

Merlin Entertainments, the British-based theme park and resort operator, has tapped veteran sports and media executive Scott O’Neil as its new chief executive. Mr. O’Neil succeeds Nick Varney, who announced his plans to retire earlier this year after more than two decades at the helm. With more than 140 attractions in 24 countries, including 10 Legoland theme parks and partnerships with Lego,…