Tough times at Disney just get tougher

Disney has a week, and it’s only Wednesday.

In the wake of the Jimmy Kimmel fallout, in which Disney appears to have acquiesced to the Trump administration’s attempt to control what the right-wing media says, the company is dealing with the loss of much bipartisan public trust. Kimmel’s return to defending the comedian’s First Amendment rights came a little too late for many. The numbers were felt by those who boycotted the company by canceling their Disney+ subscriptions. And to make things even messier, Disney went ahead and… Raise the price from its streaming platform while pushing out Tron: Areswas received lukewarmly, at least by critics.

Disney then decided that was it excellent It’s time for some price increases at the Disney resort level. This is never a good time to catch the news that Disney parks are becoming more expensive, especially in these unprecedented economic times. diverse I recently reported that single-day park tickets to Disney World or Disneyland now cost more than $200 for the first time ever during peak times during the winter holidays. That’s an increase of 5% at the Orlando resort and 8.7% at the original Anaheim park. It’s annoying to see that prices get more expensive the more days you add to the holiday or if you want to sign up for tickets that will allow you to go to the car park on the same day.

And with a packed park, comes the option to add Lightning Lane tickets, plus another additional fee beyond your admission ticket, which is now $34 per ticket at Disneyland. Lightning Lane ticket prices have also increased across the parks at Disney World, with multiple lanes increasing between $4 and $6, and single ride tickets increasing a few dollars depending on the ride.

Likewise, theme park annual passes, known as Magic Keys at the Disneyland Resort, have also seen prices increase for higher-level options. Variety also reported that Disneyland’s most expensive ticket, the “Inspire Key,” now costs $1,899 (an increase of $150) and the “Believe Key,” which has more blackout dates in comparison (days when entry to the park is not permitted), $100 rose to $1,474.

Surprisingly, the lower tier cards, “Enchant” and “Imagine,” saw no increase, remaining at $974 and $599, respectively. Unfortunately, this reinforces public belief in this The moves are intended to price out middle- and lower-class families on vacation to benefit people with deeper pockets who can spend more during those peak times or to higher-tier pass holders who want to be given greater access to the parks than regular park-goers.

This wasn’t the only unfortunate news Disney found itself dealing with this week. Entertainment Weekly Today I reported that a Disneyland guest was found unconscious at the end of the Haunted Mansion, one of the park’s most popular rides, and was pronounced dead at a local Orange County hospital near the theme park. The cause of death has not been determined yet. This passage follows Another park guest has died at Epic Universe in Orlandoin which a young man was found unconscious after riding Stardust Racers, a new roller coaster at the recently opened Universal Studios theme park.

At least it’s not all bad for him Disney parks The division, which is still largely holding the company back as holiday travel is supposed to begin despite the government shutdown (although airports… Need air traffic controllers basic law). Today, the company confirmed this as well Dolls The Rock n’ Roller Coaster is scheduled to open next summer at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Before that, it was one of the quieter renovations, Zootopia Best Zootopia!It will open on November 7. The new show will dominate the Pixar space It’s hard to be wrong Occupied under the tree of life in the animal kingdom. I’m already a fan of the stylishly animated Clawhauser who will be hosting a “4D” show that focuses on the inhabitants of Zootopia’s many biomes preparing for Zoogether Day.

Speaking of animation, Frozen Ever After at Epcot Norway Pavilion finally got good Animation – Just like the new ones seen in Frozen world In international parks. Gone are the outdated animations with haunted looking digital screen faces that looked washed out on a good day and on a bad day would malfunction in truly nightmarish ways. However, it remains to be seen whether or not they are worth eating the extra prices on tickets to get in and see them.

Want more io9 news? Check when to expect the latest marvel, star warsand Star Trek Releases, what’s next for DC Universe in film and televisionAnd everything you want to know about the future Doctor Who.