Theme Park Bits: New Six Flags Rides, Galaxy's Edge Droid Policies, And More

In this edition of Theme Park Bits:

Over at Disney California Adventure, Mickey's PhilHarMagic is a fairly new addition (and it's a generally wonderful show if you haven't seen it). To go along with the new show, it's received a new entrance and digital marquee. The show, placed right behind and next to the Award Wieners hot dog stand, now has a more direct entryway, with tables flanking it. It's kind of a shame that Disney never gave the original show, Muppet-Vision 3D, the same treatment. But better late than never.

Something to keep in mind at both Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios, if you're spending time in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, is that one of their most important policies appears to have changed. Specifically, if you're the kind of person who might want to buy a droid while you're there, great! Just...don't plan on using any remote-control devices to make that droid move around – you'll have to carry the droid with you from this point forward. That seems like another way to remove the you-are-there immersion of a fantastical land with robots walking around. It's a bit disappointing.

Our last few stories today have – and prepare for this shocker – nothing to do with Disneyland. Over at Universal Studios Hollywood, one of the park's hallmark attractions is getting an electric-friendly upgrade. The Studio Tour is now testing an electric version of its tram vehicles. This is part of an overall environmental initiative at Universal, but there's no word yet on whether or not all the trams will get this upgrade. Seems like a no-brainer, though: if the electric trams are big enough and conserve energy, why not make them all electric?

One big theme-park chain we don't talk about often here is Six Flags, which just announced its slate of new attractions and rides in 2020. Going through this list is a helpful reminder that there's a lot more to the world of theme parks than those with a Disney or Universal in front of them. For instance, there's not just going to be an Aquaman-themed water coaster at Six Flags Over Texas in Dallas, but also a new water coaster at a Six Flags near Chicago (the latter of which is a park I wasn't even aware existed, because I'm way behind on my Six Flags knowledge). For any Magic Mountain fans, sorry: no new attractions for you in 2020. For the other theme-park-hounds out there, these new rides will hopefully be thrilling enough.

Courtesy: The Goddard Group

But speaking of Universal, we wrap up today's column with a look at what might have been. If you know about Islands of Adventure in Universal Studios Orlando, you of course know that the Marvel characters are well-represented there. (And, as is evidenced by the paragraph above, Six Flags has DC characters.) But there was a time when DC could have been at Universal, specifically with a Batman-themed stunt show. Today, you can look at a pitch that was made to DC, in the form of a comic book with Batman, the Joker, and more. It's a fascinating look at what might have been.