Park Rush

We talk about a rough first week for Disney World's new Genie service and what needs to be done to improve it as the 50th anniversary rolls on, and then get into the end of Universal's Fear Factor Live and what kind of Harry Potter shenanigans might arrive in its place. There's also talk of a few new Disney+ releases that should entice theme park fans, a new Lego ride, and much more!

The second new theme park film review of the year comes thanks to Muppets Haunted Mansion, which has hit Disney+ just in time for Halloween. Do Kermit and company manage to do justice to the classic ride (and, more importantly, the misunderstood masterpiece that was the 2003 Eddie Murphy film of the same name), or would Statler and Waldorf be justified in condemning this film to the grave?

You might notice a slightly different sound to the audio quality this week - that's because we recorded on Skype to accommodate special guest Jon Self! Long-time friend of the show, Jon joins us for a packed line-up of news including Shrek 4D departing Universal Studios Florida, an extensive refurb for Revenge Of The Mummy, more 50th anniversary developments at Disney World, and more! Jon also guides us through every maze at Halloween Horror Nights this year, having got to experience them all on a special tour.

We dig into the archive this week as technical gremlins robbed us off the real Episode 154, and bring you a classic from 2019: our theme park film review of Disney's The Country Bears.

Josh is a single rider this week as he takes you on an exhaustive tour of Drayton Manor after his recent trip, clueing you in on everything from the rides to the food.

On this week's show, we discuss the scrapping of boarding passes on Rise of the Resistance at Hollywood Studios; the planned return of the Finding Nemo musical at Animal Kingdom; SeaWorld San Diego's upcoming Sesame Street land; the possibility of vaccine passports being required at theme parks; and we make fun of the naming scheme at Epcot's Space 220 restaurant.

Apologies for the dicey audio on Tom's end this week - a technical glitch, it would seem.

Tom reports back from his trip to Bath and has disappointing news when it comes to the city's theme park prospects. Elsewhere, there's anniversary celebrations on the way at Disneyland Paris; flooding at Epcot; rumours about Aerosmith's future aboard the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster; and much more!

There are more confusingly-named Disney ticketing initiatives to talk about this week, from Florida to California and potentially even Tokyo. Plus, Epcot's new Space 220 restaurant is almost here and so is Universal Studios Beijing! We discuss all that and much more, including - yes, really - Percy the Park Keeper, The Magic Key, and Kipper.

It's a busy week of news as we talk about our first look at the new Jurassic World ride at Universal Studios Beijing, rumours of a Legend of Zelda addition at Islands of Adventure, Ubisoft entering the theme park business, two upcoming theme park video games, and more! Plus there's some excellent ice cream discussion and a startling revelation about the lifespan of the Park Rush podcast itself.

Tom and Josh sink their teeth into the abundance of news about - and reaction to - Disney Genie and what it means for trips to Disney's US theme parks moving forward. Will it really mean less time queuing? Are the prices reasonable? Can you talk to it like Siri? And why does everything have to be named like a streaming service now?