Bob Iger Showcases Disneyland Paris’ New Lion King Ride

More key details of the sprawling expansions coming to Disney Parks were unveiled by CEO Bob Iger himself this week, including a look at the Lion King ride for Disneyland Paris. Disney is also busy over at Imagineering, as Star Wars droid action expands to the real world and the world of cinema in The Mandalorian and Grogu. And of course this week Snow White is getting some love at Disneyland and Walt Disney World with limited-time offerings—as movie theaters, including the Alamo Drafthouse, also join the Disney Princess excitement with parties, special menus, and more merch.

Over at Universal Studios Hollywood, you can see a food preview of offerings inspired by One Piece, Nintendo, Star Trek, and Harry Potter that’ll be on offer at the upcoming Fan Fest Nights. Plus, the excitement for Epic Universe on the East Coast gets more palpable as its opening inches closer every day. Read on for more theme park updates!

Disneyland Paris – The Lion King Attraction

© Disney Experiences

In a recent video for shareholders Bob Iger discussed the expansions coming to Disney Experiences, including a Lion King log flume ride at Disneyland Paris. It was described as a new journey that will follow Simba from cub to lion as seen in the animated and CG live-action films.

“Last year we talked about our plans to turbocharge growth in this segment through strategic investments. Today I’m proud to share some of what we’ve been up to,” Iger said. “Right now, we have more projects underway around the world than at any time in our history.” He also reiterated the company’s commitment to the new expansions based on Pixar’s Cars and Disney Villains at the Magic Kingdom; a Monsters Inc.-themed land at Hollywood Studios; the new Tropical Americas land featuring Encanto and Indiana Jones attractions at Disney’s Animal Kingdom; and the Coco boat ride and two new MCU rides at Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure.

Disney Imagineering announces BDX Droid partnership with NVIDIA

The Star Wars BDX droids that have been seen wandering around Galaxy’s Edge will be taking their exploration wider outside of the theme park sandbox. First you’ll be able to see them make their theatrical debut in Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian and Grogu next year. However, shortly after their SXSW appearance, Imagineering announced a partnership with NVIDIA to give the Star Wars BDX droids a role in work being done in collaboration with Disney Research to expand the capabilities of the droids for more immersive participation in tech.

“The BDX droids are just the beginning. We’re committed to bringing more characters to life in ways the world hasn’t seen before, and this collaboration with Disney Research, NVIDIA and Google DeepMind is a key part of that vision,” shared Kyle Laughlin, senior VP at Walt Disney Imagineering research and development. “This collaboration will allow us to create a new generation of robotic characters that are more expressive and engaging than ever before—and connect with our guests in ways that only Disney can.” The tech is poised to propel Imagineering’s animatronic work into the new tech space with what they’re calling Newton, which is  “an open-source physics engine that lets robots learn how to handle complex tasks with greater precision.”

This is making our Sarah Connor “robots bad!” senses tingle so we hope there’s a sentience kill switch for fear of adorable Star Wars x Marvel Ultrons running amok. Or you know, if Walt Disney’s animatronic hacks into the tech, we think things might get a little crazy especially if it discovers what horror creators are doing with public domain bastardizations of his Mouse House IP.

Snow White at Disney Parks

Candy-dipped “poison” apples are coming to Disney Parks just in time for the film’s release! While there will be a small selection of Disney Store parks merchandise available, the selection is limited to sips and treats beyond that.

Snow White at the Movies

Join the Snow White celebration at cinemas including the Alamo Drafthouse, AMC Theaters, and more. We’re particularly excited for the Snow White family parties at the Drafthouse, which curate cuisine for the film, and the awesome merch. The apple picking style lunchbox and character thermos are an excellent combo; they’re available for purchase at Drafthouse locations near you.

AMC has collector’s popcorn buckets, awesome travel tumblers, and more:

Universal Studios Hollywood Fan Fest Nights

We got to try a few of the items seen above that will be available at Fan Fest Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood and they’re a fantastic combo of tasty and franchise authentic. They really had us at a Gum Gum fruit concha inspired by One Piece. Don’t worry, the Star Trek Ceti Eel drink seems perfectly safe! For tickets and dates for this event visit here.

Epic Universe Lore Grows

Listen to this podcast to take a deep dive into the lore that’s being unearthed at Epic Universe as part of its immersive entertainment offerings. We are geeking out at the idea of monster makeovers at Dark Universe and interacting with storytellers from each portal land.

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.