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Both of Hollywood Studios' Central Energy Plants Are Being Rebuilt at Once, And That's Almost Never a Coincidence Disney World

Both of Hollywood Studios' Central Energy Plants Are Being Rebuilt at Once, And That's Almost Never a Coincidence

A quiet CFTOD board vote on February 27 approved a $6.57M contract to replace the electrical guts of the Studios North Central Energy Plant at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Paired with the already-reported Studios South expansion, that's both of the park's central plants getting rebuilt simultaneously — a backstage tell that almost always precedes something big.

April 20, 2026 News
Cast Members Are Already Riding: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Returns May 3 With Rainbow Caverns, a Lower Height Bar, and a Fresh Coat of Thunder Disney World

Cast Members Are Already Riding: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Returns May 3 With Rainbow Caverns, a Lower Height Bar, and a Fresh Coat of Thunder

The "Wildest Ride in the Wilderness" gallops back to Magic Kingdom on May 3 after a 16-month overhaul — new track, refreshed trains, a brand-new Rainbow Caverns scene, and a 38-inch height requirement that opens the coaster to a whole new crop of little buckaroos. And as of yesterday, cast members are already climbing aboard.

April 17, 2026 News
Walt Disney World Weekly News: Muppets Coaster Opening Date, Big Thunder Returns, and Wilderness Lodge Boats Down (Week of April 13, 2026) EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival

Walt Disney World Weekly News: Muppets Coaster Opening Date, Big Thunder Returns, and Wilderness Lodge Boats Down (Week of April 13, 2026)

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets gets a May 26 opening date, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad returns May 3 with a new height requirement, Wilderness Lodge boats go dark through May 1, EPCOT Flower & Garden hits its midseason stride, and Disney Destiny opens up its engine room for the first time.

April 16, 2026 News