We bring you a lot of stories every single day. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up. So in case you missed anything from our feed, we have rounded up all our stories in one place to get the news at a glance. Here is your Daily Recap for Thursday, December 21, 2023.

Walt Disney World

Magic Kingdom

• More remnants of the former Splash Mountain attraction are being removed to make way for the upcoming Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, as the Laughin’ Place play area has been demolished in Magic Kingdom.

EPCOT

• An EPCOT pathway next to Journey of Water, Inspired by “Moana,” that connects World Nature and World Celebration has been closed for several days due to a reported leak. Disney has repaired the leak and the pathway is open again.
• Crews have been working on the Hotel du Canada façade in EPCOT since June of this year. It looks like the refurbishment project is nearing an end as some scaffolding has been removed from the top of the building.
• Trusses have been erected in the United Kingdom and Italy Pavilions of EPCOT for New Year’s Eve 2023 celebrations.

Disney Springs

• Refurbishment work seems to be complete on the Rainforest Cafe façade in Disney Springs, which has been under construction since September.

New Merchandise

• The loveable leader of The Muppets, Kermit the Frog, is now available in plush Cuddleez form.

Other Walt Disney World News

• Flamingo Crossings Village, the housing created for Disney College Program participants, is now leasing to Walt Disney World Cast Members.

Disneyland Resort

• “Mickey’s Mix Magic” and “Wondrous Journeys” will both return to Disneyland in 2024, along with the “Magic Happens” parade.
• Disneyland has announced the details of dining packages for the 2024 Disneyland After Dark: Sweethearts’ Nite events, including pricing and menus.
• With the 2024 Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend just a few weeks away, runDisney has shared a guide to the weekend.
• New signage has recently gone up in San Fransokyo Square at Disney California Adventure, adding more theming to the Baymax and Hiro meet and greet area, as well as by the commemorative medallion.
• It’s time to get ready for 2024 with a new line of merchandise hitting Disneyland Resort.

Entertainment and Media

• Today, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the shortlists for 10 categories for the 96th Academy Awards. Of them, projects from The Walt Disney Company have made it onto six Oscars lists.
• Vin Diesel, the actor known for his roles as Groot in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy and Dominic Toretto in the “Fast and the Furious” franchise, has been sued by a former assistant for sexual battery.
• Fans looking to purchase the second chapter of Disney Lorcana, Rise of The Floorborn, may want to avoid Amazon, as it’s currently selling the Booster Pack for above MSRP and prices found at local game stores.
• This week’s ransomware attack against PlayStation video game developer Insomniac Games has revealed the terms of their publishing deal with Disney, Marvel, and Sony for future X-Men titles.

The Walt Disney Company

• The Disney Parks, Experiences and Products (a.k.a. “DPEP”) division of The Walt Disney Company has been renamed just Disney Experiences.

That’s it for today; we hope you enjoyed this Daily Recap. Thanks for stopping by, and we’ll see you tomorrow!