D23 Expo’s big sneak peek presentation of what’s new and next for Disney Parks was filled with info on what’s coming… and lots of omissions on things we were told were on the way in the past. This is one of several articles breaking down all of the big announcements from the Disney Parks panel: A Boundless Future: Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. Let’s take a look at Walt Disney World (and I’ll share the articles for Disneyland, International Parks, and Disney Cruise Line at the bottom).
Josh D’Amaro, Chairperson for Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, led the parks panel. The presentation opened with singer/songwriter Jordan Fisher performing the popular anthem Happily Ever After – which was a tease for us fans of [probably] the best Magic Kingdom fireworks show which ended in September 2021. Then D’Amaro took the stage and started a slew of announcements off with a bang – Happily Ever After will play again in an updated nighttime spectacular coming next year. The current fireworks show, Disney Enchantment, debuted with the resort’s 50th anniversary on October 1st. But Disney has heard fans loud and clear – Happily Ever After is the successor. Let’s hope the updated show is just as good as the original!
A Hatbox Ghost for Florida
Where are my fellow foolish mortals? The infamous Hatbox Ghost will make his east coast debut sometime next year, as he will finally materialize inside Walt Disney World’s Haunted Mansion!
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will open in late 2024 at both Magic Kingdom in WDW and Disneyland Park.
New details were revealed for the story behind Tiana’s Bayou Adventure...
The year is 1927, and Princess Tiana needs our help finding a secret ingredient for a celebratory dish. Tiana’s second food business is located within the salt mine which is inside the former Splash Mountain. You’ll ascend the lift hill through a millhouse built into the side of the mountain. Singing critters will follow you along your journey, while Mama Odie fills the hilltop cavern with glowing colors just before the iconic 49′ drop!
The model on display at the Expo’s parks pavilion is for Disneyland, but WDW’s will be similar. There are a few noticeable differences from the originally released concept art. What do you think?
New nighttime concept art was also released, and it looks beautiful! Disney parks always look better after dark, right?
Do you like these exterior concepts or do they leave you feeling uncertain about the project? And what about that missing ingredient storyline?!
TRON Lightcycle Run
Rejoice! We finally have an opening timeframe for Magic Kingdom’s newest roller coaster. TRON Lightcycle Run will open in spring 2023. The Tomorrowland coaster was originally announced at D23 Expo 2017; and with the very-visible construction site that’s nearing completion, and coaster trains are actively testing, this one’s been a long time coming!
Keep in mind that Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind held almost a month of previews. We imagine something similar will happen with TRON.
EPCOT
D’Amaro opened up the EPCOT portion of the presentation by mentioning a little purple dragon – and the crowd went wild. By the end of next year, Figment will be meeting and greeting guests once again! There’s no word on just what will be happening with the Imagination pavilion or attraction – but this is a step in the right direction. And Josh did say that there would be more announcements about the Imagination Pavilion later. So… keep an eye on this one.
Hot off the heels of Harmonious, which debuted with the resort’s 50th anniversary on October 1st, 2021, Disney is already crafting an all-new fireworks spectacular for World Showcase Lagoon celebrating the company’s 100-year anniversary and it is set to debut later in 2023. More details are promised to come, as no concept art was shown.
But all we want to know at this point is if those big ugly barges will be removed or not. We sure hope so!
If you’ve been to EPCOT lately, you know just how many construction walls there are! Today, D’Amaro confirmed the heart of EPCOT – now known as World Celebration – will finally be complete and open in late 2023. This includes Communicore Hall, Communicore Plaza, Dreamer’s Point, multiple garden areas, and the nearby Journey of Water attraction within World Nature.
Over at the Disney Parks & Experiences Wonderful World of Dreams pavilion at this year’s Expo, a scale model of Te Fiti shows what’s to come for the Journey of Water attraction within World Nature. Once complete, Te Fiti will sit 16′ tall within the new walk-through water attraction. When this attraction was originally announced, it was said there would be hints of Moana – this is a pretty big one!
The Walt Disney statue for EPCOT’s Dreamer’s Point is also on display at the Expo’s Imagineering pavilion – this is the final version and will be moved over to the park soon:
Sadly, there was no update on the shelved projects for a Mary Poppins attraction in the U.K. pavilion, nor the Spaceship Earth refurbishment. The Play Pavilion was also not mentioned. That’s a lot of things that were mentioned at the last Expo three years ago that have just been completely ignored this time around.
Blue Sky Projects
Finally, they saved the bigger, dreamier news for last. Jennifer Lee of Walt Disney Animation Studios and Chris Beatty of Walt Disney Imagineering joined D’Amaro onstage to talk about some projects they’ve been dreaming up. These are initial ideas, and may ultimately change over time. There’s some exciting Magic Kingdom news, but depending on how you feel about DinoLand U.S.A. at Animal Kingdom, some of this will make or break you. (I’m of the latter, thank you.)
Disney’s Animal Kingdom has always been focused on stories with connections to animals, intrinsic values to nature, and the power of transformative adventure. Following the popularity of the park’s latest land, Pandora: World of Avatar, Imagineering are bringing in more IP.
They’re currently exploring the possibility of bringing guests to the world of Zootopia, where they can immerse themselves in the different areas of the animal metropolis – such as Tundra Town, the Rainforest District, and more. They’re also exploring bringing Vaiana, the island setting from Moana, to DinoLand U.S.A.
Say Goodbye to DinoLand… D’Amaro seemed nervous to even bring it up, which means we might be losing something special to a lot of fans. Zootopia and Moana replacing DinoLand U.S.A. = more IP replacing an original land… how do you feel about it? There seemed to be a mixed reaction to a lot of this, which makes us feel many fans weren’t crazy about the idea.
Further attraction details weren’t shared, or what exactly would be replaced or demolished, but this initial piece of concept art was shown:
Moving over to Magic Kingdom, Beatty asked the audience if they ever thought of what could be beyond the spires of Big Thunder Mountain in Frontierland… imagine if you could pass over them and explore a new Magic Kingdom expansion.
“What if the town of Santa Cecilia from Coco is there? They could be celebrating Dia De Los Muertos, and you can climb aboard the back of an Albrejie to fly into the Land of the Dead – that’s what could be out there!”
Then they talked about Bruno… “Or what if you could walk into the Madrigal’s casita and meet the family? What if you could step up to a door and discover your own magical gift alongside Mirabel?”
They spoke about one more dream for something beyond Thunder Mountain’s spires – something that’s been in the back of Imagineering and fans’ minds alike… a land entirely overrun by Disney Villains.
Very few details were shared, but some concept art was shown of what could be beyond Big Thunder Mountain:
They reminded everyone this is just the initial concept, but if all of this happens, we’d see a HUGE expansion for Magic Kingdom; a park that desperately needs more attractions to keep up with peak guest attendance and operations. And who wouldn’t love to see the worlds of Coco, Encanto, and Disney Villains added to Orlando’s fantasy park?
Josh D’Amaro closed the presentation by saying they’re only just getting started, and he has a lot more to share that he can’t say just yet… “here’s to the next 100 years, and the boundless future we’ll create together”.
Here’s What’s Happening and What’s Not at WDW
At the last D23 Expo in 2019, Bob Chapek announced a plethora of additions for the Disney parks worldwide – with a focus on Walt Disney World’s massive EPCOT transformation. Big changes are still happening of course, with construction that seems to last forever within the now-defunct Future World area. However, 2019’s announcements included a few that may never come to fruition. These included a Mary Poppins attraction and a Cherry Tree Lane area within the U.K. pavilion (the announcement was elaborate, bringing the one and only Dick Van Dyke out on stage). A major Spaceship Earth renovation focusing on the stories which unite the world was also announced. And, there were some unannounced projects which were mysteriously included on the blank white EPCOT model at the 2019 D23 Expo Imagineering pavilion, which eventually moved over to the EPCOT Experience within the park’s Odyssey building.
With all that said, and all of today’s announcements, let’s quickly review what was announced for Disney World during the last Expo in 2019; what has since opened, is currently under construction or yet to open, and what’s been shelved.
WHAT’S NOW OPEN FROM PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENTS :
- Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser (originally announced in 2017; more details announced in 2019)
- EPCOT transformation
- Future World renamed and reworked to be World Neighborhoods (World Nature, World Celebration, and World Discovery
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and expanded France area
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
- Harmonious
- Space 220
- New shows: Awesome Planet, Beauty & the Beast Singalong, Canada Far & Wide
- Connections Café
- Creations Shop
- Disney Genie service
WHAT’S UNDER CONSTRUCTION, OPENING IN 2023:
- TRON Lightcycle Run (Magic Kingdom)
- Journey of Water (EPCOT)
- World Celebration Gardens (EPCOT)
- Dreamer’s Point (EPCOT)
- Communicore Hall and Communicore Plaza (EPCOT)
WHAT’S NOT HAPPENING OR NO UPDATE GIVEN:
- Mary Poppins attraction for EPCOT’s United Kingdom
- Spaceship Earth refurbishment (EPCOT)
- Multi-level festival pavilion (EPCOT)
- Play Pavilion (EPCOT)
- Wondrous China (EPCOT)
Which of these projects would you still like to see move forward? For us, the Mary Poppins attraction seems both the most compelling and the most needed as World Showcase lacks real attractions and this one would fit like a glove.
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Let’s Hear From You
What do you think of those Blue Sky projects? A villains land at last??? What would you have liked to have seen announced that wasn’t? Is there any hope for a Mary Poppins attraction one day?
And would you like to join my Save Dr. Seeker club? Thank you.
Don’t Miss The News From The D23 Expo!
For ALL of our D23 Expo coverage, click the image below:
More Disney Parks News
There are lots more announcements from the Disney Parks panel this year. To find out what has been announced for the other Disney Parks worldwide, check out the following articles:
D23 Expo: Disneyland NEW Attraction Announcements & Revelations!
New Lands Ahead! International Disney Parks News from D23 Expo
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