Top line
Walt Disney World and Disneyland will look different in the coming years as Disney’s theme park division begins work on a series of major projects – bringing attractions such as a Villain Land and Encanto, Monsters, Inc. and Coco-themed rides to the parks, bolstering the theme park giant as it faces declining revenues and increasing competition in Florida.
The Magic Kingdom Park in Walt Disney World will receive a major expansion in the coming years, including a … (+)
Key data
Land of Villains: A new land themed around Disney villains is to be built in the Magic Kingdom park at Walt Disney World in Florida. This was announced by Josh D’Amaro, head of the theme park division. However, the company has not yet provided a timetable for the opening or location in the park.
“Cars” in Frontierland: Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom will revamp its Frontierland area, adding a land themed after the “Cars” movies. It will include two attractions, including a race track through the mountains and an attraction designed specifically for younger children. However, the company announced Monday that it will significantly alter the park’s existing landscape, removing Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America.
Rides at Marvel Studios: Marvel fans can soon look forward to two more rides at Disney California Adventure in Disneyland: D’Amaro revealed more details on an Avengers-themed ride called Avengers Infinity Defense, which pits guests against King Thanos, and Stark Flight Lab, which will see Robert Downey Jr. return to his role as Iron Man.
Avatar ride: Disney California Adventure will be adding a new Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water themed area that will be different from the existing Avatar themed area at Walt Disney World and will include a new boat ride through the world of Pandora.
Tropical America: Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World is getting a new 11-acre Tropical America-themed area that will include an Encanto-themed attraction and an Indiana Jones-themed ride that will be different from the existing Indiana Jones attraction at Disneyland.
Rollercoaster “Monsters Inc.”: Monstropolis is coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World. The company announced a roller coaster themed after Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. and the film’s whirring fleet of doors. It will be Disney’s first suspended roller coaster, with seats suspended beneath the tracks.
‘Coco’ ride: Disney California Adventure is getting a new attraction based on the Pixar film “Coco,” in which guests travel to the land of the dead.
A number of smaller projects were also announced Saturday, including the addition of the Mandelorian and Grogu to the Star Wars attraction Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run on both coasts, the premiere of a new nighttime parade at Walt Disney World and the creation of a lifelike Walt Disney animatronic that will debut next year for Disneyland’s 70th anniversary.
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When will these new attractions open?
Disney has not yet given opening dates for the major attractions and new lands announced Saturday, although it will be at least a couple of years before they become a reality. D’Amaro gave only approximate dates for when construction will begin on most of the attractions and new lands. Construction on the “Cars,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Avengers” and “Iron Man” attractions will begin in 2025, while groundbreaking on the “Coco” ride is scheduled for 2026. The executive said the Tropical Americas attractions at Animal Kingdom will open in 2027, but did not give a timeline for “Villain Land” or the “Avatar” area.
Which attractions will be closed?
While the new announcements will bring a ton of new experiences to Disney’s theme parks, they also mean that other areas and attractions will have to close to make room for the new additions. In addition to the closure of Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America, Disney’s Tropical Americas land will replace the existing DinoLand USA in Animal Kingdom, and the new Indiana Jones attraction will take the place of the park’s existing “Dinosaur” ride. It remains to be seen which other rides will close to make way for the new additions. Fans are speculating online that the “Monsters, Inc.” roller coaster could replace “MuppetVision 3-D,” a fan-favorite Muppet attraction, or Rock N’ Roller Coaster, a roller coaster featuring music by Aerosmith.
News Peg
D’Amaro announced the slew of new projects onstage Saturday night during a presentation at the D23 Expo, Disney’s three-day fan convention held every two years. While it’s not yet clear how much all of these projects will cost, the company has already announced that it plans to double its investment in its parks division to a total of $60 billion over the next 10 years. This includes Disney’s cruise ships and international theme parks in addition to domestic parks.
What you should pay attention to
How Disney’s theme parks in Florida will evolve when Universal Orlando Resort, Disney’s biggest competitor in Central Florida, opens Epic Universe, an ambitious new theme park set to open sometime in 2025. Epic Universe is slated to include several new lands expected to draw huge crowds, including Super Nintendo World, a new “Harry Potter” land, a “How to Train Your Dragon”-themed land and a monster land. With the opening of Epic Universe, Universal Orlando will have three theme parks plus a water park, making it more comparable to Walt Disney World’s four theme parks and two water parks. That means travelers to Orlando will face a tougher decision about whether to make Universal or Disney the main focus of their vacation — as opposed to before, when guests could stay overnight at Disney but maybe only spend a day or two at Universal — and that could hurt Disney’s attendance and revenue.
Large number
3%. That’s the amount of revenue decline at Disney’s “Experiences” division — which includes the theme parks — in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024, the company said in its earnings report last week. Iger and Disney CFO Hugh Johnston cited a “softening of consumer demand” at the parks as the reason for the decline. Johnston told investors that attendance at the parks was likely impacted by lower-income Americans holding back on spending and higher-income travelers traveling abroad. While Johnston predicted the company would see a few more quarters of “probably similar results,” the Disney executive said he expects the division’s earnings to increase in the future, especially given all the investments the company is making as part of the new park announcements. “We wouldn’t accelerate capital investments if we didn’t expect accelerated growth from the (park) businesses,” Johnston said in the company’s earnings call.
tangent
In addition to the announcements for its domestic theme parks, Disney also announced a massive expansion of its Disney Cruise Line fleet of ships. D’Amaro revealed Saturday that the company will build four new cruise ships in addition to the four already in development, which will give the cruise line a total of 13 ships. The company also announced new expansions to its international theme parks, including a “Lion King”-themed attraction and land at Disneyland Paris and a “Spider-Man”-themed attraction at Shanghai Disneyland.
Important background
Disney’s flurry of announcements over the weekend comes after the company made few concrete announcements at its last Expo presentation in 2022, leaving fans wondering how the theme park giant would respond to Epic Universe and if anything new would be announced this year. Disney’s theme parks have faced increasing criticism in recent years even as attendance has rebounded post-pandemic, with many questioning the high prices of Disney vacations and recent measures seen as ripping off guests. Led by former Disney CEO Bob Chapek, who was abruptly ousted by returning CEO Bob Iger in November 2022, the company’s theme parks announced measures including converting the previously free FastPass skip-the-line program into a paid upgrade and eliminating the Magical Express service that took Disney hotel guests to and from the airport for free. Under Iger’s renewed leadership, the company has announced measures in recent months, including eliminating reservation requirements for its theme parks and changes to its paid skip-the-line program. However, criticism continues over rapidly rising prices at the parks.
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