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Susan Dubiel named VP of Disney's Hollywood Studios. August 20, 2026 Reading Time: 4 minutes Disney's Hollywood Studios is getting new leadership at the exact moment it needs it most. Susan Dubiel has been named Vice President of Disney's Hollywood Studios, bringing more than 21 years at The Walt Disney Company. She takes over a park in the middle of the largest construction project in its history. Quick summary. * Susan Dubiel is the new VP of Disney's Hollywood Studios * She has 21-plus years with the company * Most recently General Manager of Park Operations at Magic Kingdom * Jackie Swisher moves to VP - Park Operations, Development & Industrial Engineering * Magic Kingdom and EPCOT also have new Park Operations General Managers Susan Dubiel's background. Dubiel's experience spans several areas of the company. She has held leadership roles in: * Transportation Operations * Textile Services * Labor Forecasting & Planning * Industrial Engineering * Park Operations Most recently, she served as General Manager of Park Operations at Magic Kingdom. That background is unusual, and relevant. Park VP appointments often come from guest experience, entertainment, or merchandise. Dubiel's route is different, and it says something about what the job requires right now. Transportation Operations, Labor Forecasting & Planning, and Industrial Engineering are all capacity and throughput disciplines. They're about moving people efficiently, staffing to demand, and making operations work under load. Hollywood Studios has a well-documented capacity problem. It's the smallest of the four Walt Disney World parks by usable acreage, and it has been the most crowded relative to its size since Toy Story Land and Galaxy's Edge opened. Guest complaints about the park skew heavily toward queues, walkway congestion, and difficulty getting on attractions. Appointing someone whose career is built on throughput engineering to run that park is a coherent decision, not a lateral shuffle. Magic Kingdom Park Operations is also the strongest possible proving ground. It's the busiest theme park in the world by attendance. Running its operations is arguably harder than running a smaller park outright. Jackie Swisher's new role. Jackie Swisher, who previously held the Vice President - Parks role at Hollywood Studios, is also moving. Swisher transitions to Vice President - Park Operations, Development & Industrial Engineering. She has more than 23 years with the company, with experience across Parks, Worldwide Safety Services, Textile Services, and Industrial Engineering. Note that this reads as a move, not a departure. Swisher stays with Walt Disney World in a resort-wide role covering operations, development, and industrial engineering - which is a broader remit than a single park. "Development" in that title is worth flagging given how much construction is underway across the resort right now. This is a broader reshuffle. The changes extend beyond Hollywood Studios. Both Magic Kingdom and EPCOT have new General Managers of Park Operations as part of this round of moves. That's four leadership changes across three parks announced together, which is a coordinated reorganisation rather than a single appointment. Reading the timing. This lands five days after D23, and the context is hard to ignore. Disney just announced the largest expansion slate in Walt Disney World history - Piston Peak and Villains Land at Magic Kingdom, Spaceship Earth and the Imagination pavilion at EPCOT, Monstropolis at Hollywood Studios, Tropical Americas at Animal Kingdom. Every park receiving a leadership change is a park about to absorb years of major construction. A reshuffle that puts operations and industrial engineering specialists into these roles, at this moment, is consistent with a company preparing for sustained disruption. Running a park through construction is fundamentally a capacity and logistics problem - reduced walkways, closed attractions, displaced guest flow, and crowds that don't shrink to match. This is inference from timing rather than something Disney has stated. But the pattern is legible. What Dubiel inherits. Hollywood Studios is in an unusual position, and the incoming VP faces a specific set of problems. Monstropolis is under construction and targeting a 2027 opening for its first experiences - the Glob Theater, Harryhausen's, Archie's Scare Pig Pizza, and the Scareporium - with the flying door coaster arriving later. WDI's construction footage from D23 showed facades going up and the Harryhausen's sushi chef animatronic already in final programming. Echo Lake has just been drained, with scaffolding covering the S.S. Down the Hatch and no completion date announced. The park still has the resort's tightest capacity constraints, and adding a new land while running two simultaneous construction projects makes that harder before it gets easier. The upside is substantial. Monstropolis is the first genuinely new land at Hollywood Studios since Galaxy's Edge in 2019, and it addresses the park's central weakness - not enough to do. Why Park VP matters. For anyone unfamiliar with the structure: a park Vice President is the senior executive responsible for a single theme park - operations, guest experience, Cast Members, and day-to-day decision-making. They don't design attractions - that's Imagineering - but they run everything about how the park works once it's built. Park hours, staffing, crowd management, entertainment scheduling, and how construction impact is handled all sit under this role. It's the job that determines whether a day at the park feels well-run, which is why the appointment matters more than an org chart change usually would. The bottom line. Susan Dubiel is the new Vice President of Disney's Hollywood Studios, arriving from General Manager of Park Operations at Magic Kingdom with 21-plus years across transportation, labor planning, and industrial engineering. Jackie Swisher moves to Vice President - Park Operations, Development & Industrial Engineering, and both Magic Kingdom and EPCOT have new Park Operations General Managers. The reshuffle lands days after Disney announced years of construction across every Walt Disney World park. 20% Off site-wide, plus Free Shipping on all orders of $65+. Over 75+ Designs! Your next park shirt is just a click away Looking to book your dream Disney vacation? Save time & money on your vacation Your Disney vacation should create unforgettable memories that last a lifetime. Whether you're a first-time Disney vacationer or looking to plan your next magical adventure, it isn't enough just to go on a Disney vacation. DisMornings want you to talk about your vacation for years to come and create memories you'll cherish forever. Vacation is calling! Are you ready to answer? Meet the author: nate bishop. I'm a die-hard Disney fan with 38 years of visits under my belt, having stepped into Disney World 120+ times. Proud to be a Disney Annual Passholder, a Vacation Club member since '92, a Castaway Club Member, and a runDisney enthusiast. Oh, and I've graduated from the Disney College of Knowledge. Need Disney insights or planning tips? I'm your guy! LAST UPDATED: August 21, 2026

Knott's Scary Farm maze resurfaces Mickey Mouse's original name with a horror twist. A new Knott's Scary Farm maze appears to draw inspiration from Walt Disney and the early animation industry - with a murderous twist. "Inked" introduces Mortimer Morbid, a washed-up 1930s cartoonist and former head of Morbid Studios. According to Knott's Berry Farm, Morbid discovers that blood can be used as ink to bring his drawings to life. Its latest videos. Video Muted Knott's has not identified Walt Disney as an inspiration for "Inked," but the premise and imagery invite comparisons to Disney's early career. Is Knott's Scary Farm's "inked" inspired by Walt Disney? The name Mortimer is especially notable. Walt Disney initially considered calling his new animated character Mortimer Mouse before his wife, Lillian Disney, reportedly suggested the friendlier name Mickey. Mortimer Mouse was later introduced as a separate Disney character and rival for Minnie Mouse's affection. Artwork for the maze depicts black-and-white characters rendered in the exaggerated "rubber hose" animation style associated with cartoons of the 1920s and 1930s. One of the grinning animal characters also bears a resemblance to early versions of Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Disney created Oswald in 1927 while producing cartoons for Universal Pictures. After losing control of the character and much of his animation team, Disney developed Mickey Mouse with animator Ub Iwerks. The Disney company regained the rights to Oswald decades later, in 2006. What is "inked"? "Inked" transforms elements of that animation history into a horror story about a failed studio founder whose creations turn against him. The maze's visual identity also appears to draw from the unsettling qualities of early black-and-white cartoons, replacing their elastic movement and broad smiles with blood, sharp teeth and violent imagery. The concept arrives at Knott's Scary Farm, a Halloween event at Knott's Berry Farm located only several miles from Disneyland in Southern California. The two resorts have shared the region's theme park market for decades, although Knott's has not described "Inked" as a direct parody of Disney or its characters. "Inked" is one of the new mazes announced for the 2026 season of Knott's Scary Farm. The separately ticketed Halloween event returns to Knott's Berry Farm on select nights from Sept. 17 through Oct. 31. Inside "Inked" with the maze's designer. In an interview with Attractions Magazine, the art director behind "Inked" said the concept began when prop team members Denise Redzinera and Xandria Ortiz pitched an attraction set inside a creepy 1930s animation studio. The team pushed the premise further by connecting the studio's ink to blood. "Let's make it very much about blood and about ink," the art director recalled. The maze will move from a sepia-toned animation studio into a black-and-white cartoon world before gradually erupting into full color. Its initially playful characters also become increasingly gruesome. Hear more from the art director in its video below. "They transform from their black-and-white selves, the original selves, into monsters - really monstrous, very twisted versions of themselves," the art director said. Whether Mortimer Morbid is officially meant to represent a corrupted version of Walt Disney remains unconfirmed. The character's name, profession, era and cartoon creations, however, make the comparison difficult to overlook. 2026 tickets and dates. Experience Knott's Scary Farm on the following 2026 dates. * Sept. 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 27 * Oct. 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25, 29, 30, 31 Tickets are $110 at the gate, but range from $65 to $89, with parking starting at $45. Knott's Berry Farm's chaperone policy will be in effect for all Knott's Scary Farm event nights, and a bag policy will also be implemented. Guests may bring either a clear plastic bag no larger than 12" x 12" x 6" or a non-clear wristlet or clutch no larger than 5" x 8" x 2". All bags are subject to search before entry. Follow Attractions Magazine: No matter where you want to go, its trusted partner MEI-Travel will handle the planning so you can focus on the memories. They offer free vacation-planning services and have nearly 20 years of experience creating memorable vacations. Visit MEI-Travel for a fee-free, no-obligation quote today.

BAPE x Disney Mickey & Friends drops August 22. BAPE and Disney have joined forces on the Mickey & Friends collection, a character-driven collaboration that marries the Japanese streetwear house's iconic Baby Milo with Disney's classic roster. The collection drops stateside August 22, 2026, following an initial China release. The collab: Milo meets Mickey. BAPE's legacy in streetwear has long hinged on character-centric design - Baby Milo has anchored the brand's visual identity since its inception. The BAPE x Disney Mickey & Friends collection resurrects that DNA, threading Milo into the world of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Disney's broader character pantheon. It's a nod to the brand's early era, when playful character graphics defined a generation of Japanese streetwear aesthetics. The timing capitalizes on Disney's renewed investment in street culture: following the D23 Expo in Anaheim and a recent collaboration between Disney and The Hundreds co-founder Bobby Kim, the Mouse House is clearly signal-boosting its credibility within the sneaker and apparel community. BAPE's own descriptive framing - "a familiar comfort in a world that never stops moving" - positions the collection as an emotional anchor rather than mere novelty. Character design and execution. BAPE's approach here leans heavily on graphic placement and character integration across the collection. The pairing of Baby Milo with Disney's established characters creates a visual tension that works precisely because both properties have decades of pop-culture currency behind them. Early imagery suggests a focus on apparel-based storytelling rather than footwear, though final product specifics remain under wraps. The collection employs a unisex sizing structure, reflecting modern streetwear retail standards and broadening appeal across demographics. Release timeline and Availability. The BAPE x Disney Mickey & Friends collection saw a China release in late July 2026, allowing the brand to test market response before scaling to the US market. The stateside debut arrives August 22, 2026, dropping through BAPE's US e-commerce platform and physical retail locations. Retail pricing has not been announced as of publication. Interested buyers should monitor BAPE's official channels for final pricing and complete product lineup details closer to the release date. Broader context: Disney's streetwear play. Disney's acceleration into legitimate streetwear partnership is worth noting. Rather than licensing its characters to mass-market retailers, the company is selectively collaborating with credible voices in the space - a shift that signals both respect for sneaker culture and recognition that younger demographics engage with Disney properties through fashion rather than theme parks alone. BAPE's involvement legitimizes the effort in a way that generic apparel collaborations cannot. FAQs. When does the BAPE x Disney Mickey & Friends collection release? The collection drops August 22, 2026, through BAPE's US website and brick-and-mortar locations. Where can I buy the BAPE x Disney Mickey & Friends collection? The collection will be available exclusively through BAPE US online and in-store locations. What is the retail price for the BAPE x Disney Mickey & Friends collection? Pricing has not been confirmed and will likely be announced closer to the release date. Looking to buy or sell? Check current prices for BAPE x Disney Mickey & Friends Collection on StockX Release info. Drop Date: August 22, 2026 Retail Price: TBD Availability: BAPE US (online and in-store) Sizing: Unisex