Everything new at Disney World's Jollywood Nights

Thanks so much for joining us. We are about to talk about something very near and dear to my heart, and that is going to be the Disney parks. The holiday season has already started there at Disney World. All the decorations are up, and a couple of the events have started too. Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, Jollywood Nights at Hollywood Studios. Lots to cover, lots of fun to be having. Joining us live is Drew the Disney dude, Drew Smith. Drew, our resident Disney He's the expert. How are you doing this Monday? Doing good. How are you doing? Good. You know, I was just telling you right before we came back into the show that I love talking all things Disney. So this is like the perfect segment for me and you to talk about. Absolutely. And what better way to start a week with some fun, positive topics. Like you said, the holiday season is here. Walt Disney World. We have the parties. We have some holiday filming coming up, a new Disney short film. So happy to dive into this and talk about some fun stuff on this Monday morning. Yeah, you know, to be honest with you, and this is going to sound bad, I have never gone to a Jollywood Nights or a Mickey's Christmas party, at least not a Jollywood that I didn't work. So I know there's been a lot of different changes that have been happening to these parties. Can you tell us a little bit about what is going on there at Jollywood Nights at Hollywood Studios this year? Yeah, I really wanted to talk about Jollywood Nights because like you said, you're giving me the perfect lead here is that Jollywood Nights is the newer party at Walt Disney World. Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party has been here for a while. That is the classic party with the fireworks, the parades. People know what they're going to get there. Whereas Disney Jollywood Nights over at Disney's Hollywood Studios, this is in its fourth year, I believe. It's still newer. And this year, there's been some big operational improvements that I definitely wanted to talk about. So the event officially kicks off at 7.30 p.m. But this year, one of the absolute best If you or anyone that you know is going to this event. Please be aware of this and take advantage of this, is that two of these shows, the Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas Sing-Along and Disney Holidays in Hollywood, start before the event. So at 6.30 p.m., an hour before, you can see the Nightmare Before Christmas Sing-Along. And then at 7 p.m., 30 minutes before that official kickoff, you can see Disney Holidays in Hollywood. And that's a great change because in years past when I was there, I was eating into that event time, waiting for a good spot for Holidays in Hollywood, because that's a great show. You have Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Belle in her winter dress. Princess Tiana, Mickey and Minnie, that's a great show. So if you can knock those two out early on in the event and then later in the evening, you don't have that stress, you can get the food, the characters, they are just great changes there that I definitely wanted to start off with. Yeah, and honestly, Jollywood, I remember the first year that it happened, and I remember a lot of people were saying it was a little bit messy, not too, too much to do. So it sounds like there's a lot to do this year, and especially with all of these things upcoming to Hollywood Studios, it feels like a great way to get people in and have a good time. I know that the food that I've seen, Drew, on TikTok at this event looks so good. Have you had a chance to try any yet? Yeah, I got a couple of the new bites this year and I fully agree with you. It's very important to be transparent that I was there the first year when Jollywood Nights debuted and I thought it was a one and done. I genuinely never thought this event would return just because that feedback wasn't great. But now in 2026, the event is finally to a point where I could say, yeah, you will have fun if you just are aware of what Disney is offering and you take advantage of that gameplay. And I do want to highlight a couple of the other new things real quick over in the brand We're in a new Walt Disney Studios courtyard where the magic of Disney animation is. There's a new... indoor lounge there with drinks and just a spot to chill inside, which is a great thing. Another thing that, in my opinion, is the weakest offering at Jollywood Nights but did get updated this year is the Glisten Ice Skating Show right in front of Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway. You have Donald, Daisy, and the Genie there now interacting with those ice skaters throughout the show, and a couple of really rare characters, Needleman and George Sanderson from Monsters Inc. You can now meet them for the first time. That was the first time I ever saw them in a Disney park. So Jollywood Nights is growing, it's evolving, and that feedback is important. important. Tell Disney what we like. Tell them what we don't like. This event is getting to a really good point. And then, like you said, you have those food and drinks. My opinion, the favorite thing that I have to go with, just being a big Disney Parks fan, is the Gertie Cookie over at the Dinosaur Gertie over at Echo Lake. That is by far my favorite treat there. But like we talked about, Jollywood Nights is changing. It's one of those events that I think people are questioning. So that is a big change in those operational improvements I was I was very pleasantly surprised with. Well, it sounds like they're trying to pull out some hype for the new Monsters Inc. land that's gonna be opening soon by introducing a couple of those new characters. It's a pretty interesting choice, but hey, a good way to generate hype for that new land. Now let's kind of shift over to the Magic Kingdom and talk about Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. It looks like so much fun. I know there's been some controversy with these new costumes, which Drew, I'm sure you've seen them. We talked all about this with the Halloween costume controversy. What's your take? Yeah, I'm not a big fan of the costumes, but the good news is that the event is still the event itself, though I will say I was with Disney's teams recently kind of understanding why they're changing the costumes, and there's a big breathability effort making these more comfortable for the cast, so I wish the designs were better. I'm not really a big fan of the designs, but I guess first and foremost, if those cast members are comfortable and able to do their work better, have better interactions with the guests, then I can't say no to that, right? But yeah, I guess Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, it's the same classic offerings that Things that we've had for a while now. Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, the fireworks at the castle, and all of those little stops where you can get the free cookies and drinks throughout the night, all the characters. And also, speaking about that parade, November 10th, tomorrow, and November 11th, Disney is filming for their holiday specials, so you can see that parade without going to the party included with your park ticket, tomorrow and the 11th only. So that is very important if you want to go see that during the daytime, it's a great way to kind of see the magic and how they film these holiday specials while also seeing the parade included in your ticket. Yeah. So have you ever been to a holiday filming before? I have not. Yeah, I have. In 2024, I was actually officially a part of it. My friend was like, hey, you want to come? I'm like, absolutely. And we got to see Elton John in front of Cinderella Castle. It was like the coolest. No way. Yeah. Literally one of the best memories I've ever had at Walt Disney World. So you can't necessarily get super close. Yeah. If you don't have that like wristband, you can't get super close, but you kind of see just how they do it. And I always love seeing that stuff. Just like the amount of production that goes into these events is so Do you know if they're gonna have any special guests this year for the parade? So we don't know as of now which characters are gonna be in the parade itself, but I don't know this for sure. I'm just speculating. But Robert Irwin has been here on property, and I'm hoping he's either hosting or guest starring in the holiday special and the Christmas parade. I'm a big fan of Robert Irwin. I love Dancing with the Stars, so I'm really hoping he's in it. That's just my personal speculation, but we will see tomorrow who's actually hosting it. I feel like that would make sense because the new Bluey area at Disney's Animal Kingdom opened and he did the voiceover for the train. I feel like you're kind of onto something with this Drew, you could be right. Fingers crossed. I hope I'm right. If I'm wrong, then I'm wrong. But I'm like, every year, like last year they had Maya Kealoha who played Lilo in the live action Lilo and Stitch and she is just a gem, such a sweetheart. And people love Robert Irwin as well. So if he is hosting this alongside Alfonso Ribeiro, Julianne Hough, Derek Hough, whoever it might be, I think that'd be a cool way to kind of add that uniqueness factor this year. The holiday special, The Wonderful World of Disney Holiday Spectacular airs on November 30th. And then the parade is actually It is actually on Christmas morning, the morning of the 25th. So all of that is about to get in the high gear and then they edit them and then we're gonna get to enjoy them very soon. Now Drew, my last question for you, we've gotta wrap up here. If someone were on the fence about going to these holiday events, they're like, I'm not sure. What would you say to convince them to go? What is your pitch to anyone who's watching at home who's thinking, I might go, I might not? Yeah, well, first of all, the demand for these events this year is kind of outselling what we've seen in the past. So you might not have a long time to buy those tickets before the events are sold out for the season. I think the big difference is that if you're looking at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, I think that's the best environment for families with the snow on Main Street, the parade, the fireworks, the free cookies and drinks. Whereas Jollywood Nights is more of an elegant, sophisticated, vintage Hollywood, kind of an adult party in a way. There's a lot of stuff for kids, don't get me wrong, but I've always connected with Jollywood A little bit more because of the live entertainments. It's Nightmare Before Christmas Sing-Along is one of the most unique offerings I think Disney Live Entertainment has ever done. It's an award-winning show. That show is awesome, very under the radar. So it's really just what do you and your party resonate with. If you're parents looking for kids, well, I think Very Merry would be for you. If you're a couple looking to go have a fun day night out at Hollywood Studios, dress up, really get into that environment. That's, I think, probably the better thing for you. So you have two options now, and that's the good thing. I feel like you just convinced me to go to both of them. I feel like your pitch worked for both Jollywood and for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, Drew. So might have to get some tickets, see if I can't make it out there this year. Yeah, they are great parties, they're expensive, no covering that, like you have to be transparent, they are very expensive, but I know it sounds cliche, but if you are fully aware of what Disney is offering, and you go in with the game plan, you can have a great time. Also, take advantage of those party guide maps they give you when you walk into the park, be aware of what's happening, you're going to have a fun time. So just go in with the game plan, look at what's available, and that's the best tip I could give you. Well, Drew, we know you give the best tips when it comes to Disney parks. Drew Smith, Drew the Disney dude, thanks for coming on and talking about these fun holiday offerings over at the parks. Absolutely. Thank you. And I'll be at Magic Kingdom tomorrow to catch that filming, and we'll talk about that soon. I can't wait to hear all about it, Drew. Have so much fun. Thank you. Have a good one, guys.