There were some announcements involving Walt Disney World in this weekend’s D23. Instead of doing a bunch of individual posts, I thought it was better to go through each park and the announcements associated with that park.
Magic Kingdom
- Haunted Mansion – The Hatbox Ghost is set to be a part of the ride in late November. There is no specific date yet, but as it gets closer Disney will release more details. His official placement is near the Endless Hallway.
- The Country Bear Jamboree – This attraction will be getting a makeover with new songs and a new act. All the same lovable bears will still be in the show, they will just be singing different interpretations of Disney songs to different types of country music. Guests will hear genres like rockabilly, bluegrass, pop-country, and other styles. The new act will open in 2024.
- Another exciting announcement for Magic Kingdom was that a Pirates of the Caribbean themed lounge will be coming to Adventureland. This new lounge will extend the story of the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. Since this idea is still in the design process with the Imagineers, there were not many other details available.
- There were other things discussed regarding Magic Kingdom like Tiana’s Bayou, but nothing new was announced for that attraction. During the presentation, the idea of “going beyond Big Thunder Mountain” was once again discussed. This was brought up at the D23 Expo last year as an idea for a villains themed land. While they did not specifically mention a villains themed land this time, they did say that things would be “going into overdrive” in Magic Kingdom. This new area would be on the same scale as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Pandora – The World of Avatar. So there would be new rides, restaurants, shops, shows, and more available when this new land eventually opens.
EPCOT
- One of the big announcements for EPCOT is regarding the new nighttime spectacular. Starting December 5 the new show Luminous – The Symphony of Us will begin, replacing EPCOT Forever. The show will have fireworks, fountains, lasers, lighting effect and music.
- Journey of Water – This Moana themed attraction will open to the general public on October 16. Journey of Water is a walk-through experience that is found in World Nature. Guests get to interact with different water features, like how Moana interacted with water in the movie.
- In addition to Journey of Water opening on October 16, Moana will also begin meeting guests in EPCOT that day! This is a long awaited meet and greet for many fans and it’s great that she will have a permanent place for guests to find her, which will be near Journey of Water.
- Something else that guests have been waiting for is a meet and greet with Figment. Starting tomorrow, Figment will be meeting guests at the Imagination Pavilion. So make sure to check the My Disney Experience app to see when this popular purple dragon is meeting guests.
- EPCOT had a lot of announcements this morning. The popular ride Test Track is in the beginning stages of a redesign of the ride. The new design will actually be getting its inspiration from the days of the original World of Motion, so the design will definitely look different. No word on when the reimagine will begin or what the opening window looks like.
- Lastly, the World Celebration neighborhood at EPCOT will be opening to guests this December. This new neighborhood will tie together with the other two neighborhoods, World Discovery and World Nature. This also means the construction walls should finally all be down!
Hollywood Studios
- The popular Star Wars character, Ahsoka, will become part of the Star Tours attraction this spring.
Animal Kingdom
- A new themed area is in the works for the current DinoLand USA area. This reimagined area will be themed after a region known as the “Tropical Americas.” There wasn’t a huge release of details, but they did hint that Encanto and Indiana Jones will both have a presence in this new land. This idea is still in the design stages. So there is no timeline available yet, but at least we have an idea of what is coming to Animal Kingdom.
- Another announcement for Animal Kingdom involves the Tree of Life and a new show. A new show themed after Zootopia will be appearing at the Tree of Life. I’m assuming this means that the Bug’s Life show “It’s Tough to be a Bug!” will be replaced.
Which of these announcements are you most looking forward to seeing in person?
Thanks for reading!
Liz
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Liz
I love all things Disney, but my main love is for Disney World and I'm always planning for the next trip. Before becoming a Disney blogger, I was a radio DJ, so I guess I'm just continuing in the communication industry, just in a different form. I love talking Disney and I could talk about Disney all day. That's why I started blogging and created the Facebook group. The Disney community is full of friendly, helpful, and happy people...and I love being a part of it! If there is any Disney subject you would like to see covered just let me know! Need help planning your Disney vacation. Feel free to contact myself or Melissa at Never Stop Dreaming Travel Co. We love helping people plan their trips! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy! Don't forget to check out our Countdown to Disney app! Feel free to email me with suggestions of things you would like to see in the app :-)
No I don’t want them to take away “It’s Tough To Be A Bug” put Zootopia somewhere else!