Disney’s summer film lineup is stacked with potential blockbusters, including Mandalorian & Grogu, Toy Story 5, Moana, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day (technically Sony, but still MCU). We already know how the Star Wars film is going to feature at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, and the company has shared details for the Pixar tentpole, but we’re expecting more. Here’s the latest.
Although some ways the company will synergize Toy Story 5’s release on June 18, 2026 are already known, we’re expecting more. This is in part because there are now Pixar or Toy Story Lands at virtually every Disney destination around the globe, Walt Disney World and Disneyland included.
It’s also because the Walt Disney Company said so, highlighting Toy Story 5 as part of their most recent earnings call: “Additionally, we are continuously expanding storytelling in our parks, with new experiences featuring Bluey, activations planned around the release of Toy Story 5, and a new mission featuring the Mandalorian and Grogu inside Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run coming soon.” (Emphasis added.)
If you’re unfamiliar with “activations” (which, for the record, is a term that I hate), you’re not alone. That does not mean Toy Story 5 is getting MagicBand in-park interactivity or one of those gigantic Disneyland 70th-style keys. Just think of “activations” as a synonym for “things.”
Activations is basically a buzzword. It’s jargon that marketing professionals use because, I guess, it sounds better to them. This has been deemed superior to using informal, conversational language–like things. I would argue that it sounds robotic since it isn’t the way normal people talk. Kind of like referring to Mandalorian’s companion as Grogu instead of Baby Yoda. And also, that Walt loved things. But I digress.
We already know that Cool Kids’ Summer is returning to Walt Disney World in Summer 2026. For the second consecutive year, the parks will celebrate Cool Kids’ Summer from May 26 to September 8, 2026.
That seasonal event will bring attraction refreshes, new experiences, and limited-time offerings designed for the whole family. Walt Disney World will feature things for kids and kids-at-heart, including DJ-fueled dance parties, surprise character appearances, hands-on activities, and nonstop summer vibes.
Here’s the Toy Story 5 “activation” that’s been announced for Cool Kids’ Summer thus far:
Toy Story Pals at Diamond Horseshoe
Just for Cool Kids’ Summer 2026, pals from Toy Story are ready for a rootin’ tootin’ good time at the Diamond Horseshoe at Magic Kingdom. Join Jessie, Woody, and friends for some energetic fun at Jessie’s Roundup, where you’ll craft, dance, and yodel your hearts out in this western revue.
We’ve seen some fans and other sites misconstrue this announcement as Diamond Horseshoe becoming a character dining experience. One event cited Cast Members in Frontierland as a source. That’s incorrect. There is no Toy Story 5 character meal coming.
Not to Diamond Horseshoe and not to Roundup Rodeo BBQ. I don’t know why there isn’t a Toy Story character dining experience, as it strikes me as a very obvious offering, but for whatever reason, there isn’t. And that won’t change in Summer 2026.
That’s all we know about Jessie’s Roundup at this point. Walt Disney World has now announced that Diamond Horseshoe will cease to be a table service restaurant ahead of Cool Kids’ Summer. Here’s the bulletin posted on the official website:
Beginning May 16, 2026, The Diamond Horseshoe will temporarily end table-service dining in preparation for Jessie’s Roundup during Cool KIDS’ SUMMER. Dining service is expected to resume fall 2026.
The conversion from restaurant to dance party is pretty simple–just removing the tables–and could be accomplished in a few weeks, days, or hours. In other words, the end date for meal service at Diamond Horseshoe doesn’t really tell us anything about the ambition level of Jessie’s Roundup. It wouldn’t be surprising if leadership realized ADR demand will be low during the shoulder season, and opted to take the restaurant offline in mid-May, as opposed to waiting another week.
As for Jessie’s Roundup, it’s a good addition. An indoor dance party in the summer makes a lot more sense than having this over in Tomorrowland at the sun-drenched Stitch stage. Not really much more is necessary in the way of commentary than that. We’ve seen Jessie’s/Woody’s Roundup in this space before; it’s a known quantity. Here’s hoping all of the Country Bears make appearances.
More Toy Story Land Things?
Thus far, the only official announcement about Toy Story 5 offerings at Walt Disney World is Jessie’s Roundup at Diamond Horseshoe. And I’m not even sure if that qualifies, since Disney hasn’t indicated it’ll feature anything that’s unique to Toy Story 5.
Of course, there’s an entire Toy Story Land dedicated to the franchise over at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, so it would make sense to feature more integrations there. As for possibilities on that front, there are the following simpler, almost sure things:
- New Props – Back when Toy Story 4 debuted in 2019, Disney added a few new props to Toy Story Land. Honestly, I couldn’t even tell you what (which should underscore the insignificance of the changes), but that’s mentioned in the DTB Archives.
- New Characters – Forky made his Toy Story Land debut alongside the fourth film, but not as a standalone character–as a prop held by Woody. It’s probably safe to expect something similar with Lilypad, the new tablet that’s the film’s primary antagonist. It’ll be interesting to see whether there are any new marquee characters that could appear in the land and hold Lilypad.
- New Merchandise & Food – This one is a given; probably no need for additional explanation. I’d also expect to see a souvenir sipper and popcorn bucket.
It would be nice to see something more than that. Even if it’s not specific to Toy Story 5, just having more of the existing characters come out for appearances (e.g. Lotso, Partysaurus Rex, etc.) would be a nice enhancement. Especially with how busy Toy Story Land gets.
One bigger wildcard is a new scene or at least enhancements to Toy Story Mania.
The promise of the screen-based gameplay-driven attraction has long been that it could be refreshed and reimagined over time, with Disney originally teasing the possibility of new scenes and seasonal overlays.
Thus far, that has only happened in a meaningful way at Walt Disney World once. Way back in 2010 with the release of Toy Story 3, one game was swapped out for a similar one, and new characters were added in a couple of scenes. Otherwise, the most consequential change is currently ongoing out at Disneyland, where there are 70th Anniversary targets in the attraction.
This is actually a bigger change than I was expecting, with 70th ‘stickers’ being added to props throughout the queue and ride, but more importantly, the value of targets changing with the ’70’ sticker being added to the front, significantly increasing their worth. As a result, you will almost certainly set a new personal record on Toy Story Midway Mania. Not a huge substantive change, but a fun one.
It’s potentially noteworthy here that Toy Story Midway Mania is closing for a refurbishment in April 2026 at DCA. This is expected to involve replacing projectors, but we’re hopeful it also involves swapping out some props inside the attraction and new gameplay for Toy Story 5.
If that’s the plan, we’d expect similar changes at Walt Disney World. If a ride closure appears on the calendar for the Disney’s Hollywood Studios version of the attraction soon, we could have our answer. There’s already a lot happening with ‘attraction enhancements’ at DHS this summer, though, so we wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t play that card yet.
Finally, it’s also worth noting that Tokyo Disneyland is seeming getting the biggest celebration of all, as that park will host the summer “Funtime with Toy Story 5” from July 2 to September 14, 2026.
According to TDR, that’ll feature a stamp rally (it’s a Japan thing–like a scavenger hunt) to find the characters, merchandise, special menus, decorations, and so much more! They’ve already launched this website for the “Funtime with Toy Story 5” special event.
Our hope is that Walt Disney World and Disneyland do something similar. Cool Kids’ Summer is already the seasonal special event in Florida, and there’s the ongoing 70th at Disneyland, but there’s no reason there can’t be special Toy Story 5 offerings within those. If Tokyo Disney Resort is getting the studio marketing budget for a fully-fledged summer event, it stands to reason that some of those same additions could come to the domestic parks.
Selfishly, I hope that’s what happens. I wouldn’t normally care what Walt Disney World and Disneyland are doing to celebrate Toy Story, as there’s already more than enough of it on both coasts, if you ask me.
However, we also have a Toy Story loving toddler whose favorite character is Woody…who now always accompanies us to the Disney Parks (and grocery store). Honestly, that’s changed the game for us. I’m now fully on board with more Toy Story at Walt Disney World…and beyond! Expand the land, make a character meal, build a Toy Story Hotel (which is actually shockingly good) behind Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Sign me up for all of it!
Amazing how kids change perspectives, and the Toy Story films themselves are a great example of that. What an even greater gut punch those are when they go from being about seeing yourself grow up to watching your kids growing up. Oof. Anyway, we’ll keep you posted on all things Toy Story 5 at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and beyond.
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Your Thoughts
Are you looking forward to Toy Story 5 or are you incredulous about the movie’s very existence? Hope that Walt Disney World does more with Toy Story Land or Cool Kids’ Summer and the new movie? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
