All change at Disneyland Paris leadership & Universal UK takes a step forward

It’s certainly been a busy time across the Walt Disney Company, and no sign of the usual let up prior to the D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in August, it could be perhaps one of the most exciting times to be a Disney Parks fan in years. Let’s catch up on a few stories that have broken this week - and over the past few weeks!

With the continued shakeup of management at The Walt Disney Company following the rise of Josh D’Amaro to the CEO position, Natacha Rafalski has been named President of the Disney Signature Experiences division which covers the Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club, Adventures by Disney and more. There will be time in the coming weeks to assess Natacha’s contribution to Disneyland Paris since her arrival to the role in 2018. For now, it’s enough to say thank you and all the best.

Christophe Murphy has been named the new President of Disneyland Paris, effective from July 6th, 2026. Christophe has been with Disney for over 35 years, in a variety of roles including Vice President of Operations, Walt Disney Attractions, Japan overseeing the standards of quality that Japanese guests expect when visiting Tokyo Disney Resort.

Last week Comcast announced that the Universal Resort being built in Bedfordshire, United Kingdom will be known as Universal United Kingdom Resort. The resort is located around 45 minutes from Central London and is due to open in 2031 with preparatory works already beginning on site.

No details have yet been announced about what the resort might include but Universal Resorts worldwide include Harry Potter, Minions, Jurassic Park, Nintendo, and much more.

This is a topic I’ll be following very closely over the coming months and years, the European theme park scene was due a shakeup of this size. Introducing a major competitor to Disney within a short distance of Disneyland Paris is undoubtedly a good thing for both Universal and Disneyland Paris. Ultimately when both resorts will be competing for the same guests, we should expect to see more innovation across both - one thing is for certain, it makes for an interesting time to be a parks fan in Europe.

A quick heads up for UK readers who are flying on Virgin Atlantic in the coming weeks - If you fly Virgin Atlantic into Orlando International Airport from the UK, you’ll soon be flying into a different terminal than you may have been used to. Starting from 30th June 2026, Virgin Atlantic will move both departure and arrival operations to Terminal C. This is the same terminal that British Airways currently use.

Having used Terminal C on multiple occasions, the better facilities and departure & arrival process is more than a satisfactory trade off for the loss of the nostalgia of Terminals A & B. Terminal C is much more modern and better equipped as a place to wait for an international flight.

Some sad news this week, the original reference model for Tinker Bell (Peter Pan, 1953) has sadly passed away aged 97. As part of her role, she performed on an empty stage with oversized props. This provided the animators working on the film with reference footage from which they could animate.

Tinker Bell has become a much beloved icon of Disney for the past 70+ years because of the way her movements endeared her to viewers. She leaves behind a tremendous legacy that will last for generations.

That just wraps it up for this week, follow me on twitter (X), Instagram, Threads, or Facebook for more and please do subscribe if you like what you see.