"The Simpsons" to Take On One of Disney's Most Notorious Projects in Upcoming Episode

The Simpsons is no stranger to parodying theme park and Disney experiences, and soon they will be taking on one of Disney's most infamous creative endeavors.

What's Happening:

• The Simpsons is about to take on one of the most infamous of Disney's failed attraction experiences in their upcoming episode on November 8, 2026.
• In the episode, titled "The Kosmic Kruiser," Bart and Lisa break into Krustyland's most notorious failed attraction only to discover that it hasn't been completely abandoned.
• The long-running and massively acclaimed animated series is no stranger to poking fun at theme parks around the globe, especially the Disney Parks. Fans will immediately think of episodes featuring Duff Gardens, Itchy & Scratchy Land, and even E.F.C.O.T.
• Now, it appears they're directly parodying the headline-making closure of the short-lived Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser at Walt Disney World.

The Starcruiser:

• The Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser was an extraordinarily ambitious immersive Star Wars experience that was an offshoot of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Often misconstrued as "The Star Wars Hotel," what guests would find instead was a two-night immersive theater experience that could easily be compared to a live-action role-playing game but in the Star Wars universe.
• Guests would board The Halcyon, a fictional luxury starcruiser operated by Chandrila Star Line. While they could have left this as just a cleverly disguised Star Wars hotel, the experience was amped up and guests were immersed and meant to feel as though they were passengers on a real voyage through the galaxy.
• Set between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, the ship's crew and passengers were caught up in a conflict involving the Resistance and the First Order. This allowed guests the opportunity to do more than just watch a Star Wars story, but become an active participant in one.
• Operationally speaking, it was like a real cruise aboard a real ship - only the ship didn't go anywhere. Food was included and there were even "excursions" from the ship to the planet of Batuu, where guests would be shuttled in an immersive way to a special entrance to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
• The experience opened on March 1, 2022 and closed permanently after its final "voyage" on September 30, 2023.

• Despite the massive investment into the experience, a number of factors are cited as what led to its downfall. Most look toward its very high (higher than a real Disney Cruise Line voyage-high) price tag as the main culprit, with others pointing to the lack of a real Walt Disney World vacation or even the very niche audience that the experience seemed to target.
• However, nobody pointed to a lack of creativity that was invested into the experience as the reason, with the project still being referred to as one of the most creative concepts ever developed by Walt Disney Imagineering.

The Guest Star:

• Along with revealing the plot of the upcoming episode of The Simpsons, the hit animated series has also touted a guest star for the episode - Jenny Nicholson.
• While the name might not be recognizable for the majority of fans of The Simpsons, theme park aficionados might recognize her for her YouTube video titled, "The Spectacular Failure of the Star Wars Hotel."
• Nicholson herself is known for her dry humor and detailed investigations into the world of movies, TV, and theme parks, but her video on the Galactic Starcruiser is one of the more notable entries in the world of theme parks on YouTube. She doesn't just critique the Galactic Starcruiser or mock its failure. Instead, she closely examines the project, the creative effort behind it, where the experience had success, and explores - in depth - WHY it failed.

• Another key to her video's success: its astronomical four hour run time. It sounds ridiculous for a standard theme park YouTube video, but also shows how much detail, effort, and work she put into the video essay on the topic after experiencing the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser for herself when it opened.
• The video was also even a finalist for the 2025 Hugo Award for Best Related Work, a literary award that recognizes non-fiction and other works related to science fiction and fantasy.
• Nicholson even confirmed her appearance on The Simpsons on her social media accounts.

• The upcoming episode of The Simpsons, "The Kosmic Kruiser", is set to air on November 8 on Fox at 8:00 PM ET/PT. It will stream the next day on Hulu.