Immediately after releasing its earnings report, which reflected a decline in attendance at its domestic parks, Disney announced a slew of future theme park and cruise projects for the coming years, including a villain land at Walt Disney World.
Fans at Disney’s biennial D23 convention had been eagerly awaiting details of these new projects for years, complaining that previous announcements had hinted at only vague concepts. But at the high-profile presentation Saturday night at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, 12,000 fans learned how the company’s promised $60 billion investment in parks and cruises over the next decade will take shape.
In an interview with CNN, Josh D’Amaro, CEO of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, said: “I think we’re leveraging technology more aggressively than ever before, not for the sake of technology, but to create magical – almost mind-blowing – experiences.”
Here are the newly announced projects.
What comes after Walt Disney World in Florida?
The largest expansion ever for Magic Kingdom will be built behind the existing Big Thunder Mountain Railroad attraction and will include a villain-themed land and a Pixar-themed land called Cars.
Concept art for the villain-themed land shown Saturday shows an ominous setting where Disney promises two major rides. The “Cars” announcement, which kicked off Saturday night with a live rendition of “Life is a Highway” by Shaboozey, described a land that will not be a replica of Cars Land in California, but an “off-road” adventure with a thrill ride and a family-friendly attraction. Groundbreaking for the Cars land will take place in 2025.
In the summer of 2025, the Magic Kingdom will also feature a new nighttime parade called “Disney Starlight.”
Additionally, Walt Disney World Resort in Florida will have a new “Monstropolis” land based on the “Monsters Inc.” franchise at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Park. Billy Crystal, who voices the character Mike Wazowski, took the stage on Saturday night to announce the development. It will be the first suspended roller coaster at a Disney park, allowing guests to whizz through the door vault in the Monsters Inc. factory.
In both Florida and California, the Millennium Falcon Smuggler’s Run in Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge will feature a new story featuring the Mandalorian and Grogu.
At Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park, the previously announced Tropical Americas area is now confirmed to open in 2027. It will feature the first attraction based on the film “Encanto” and will take place in the magical “Casita” where the Madrigal family from the film lives. Guests can experience the day the character Antonio receives his magical gift and follow him as he opens his door to reveal a lush landscape full of animals he can talk to.
In the same area of the park, there will be an Indiana Jones ride in the former Dinosaur ride building, but it will not replicate the current Indiana Jones rides at Disneyland California or Tokyo DisneySea. Instead, visitors will experience an adventure where Indiana Jones discovers a Mayan temple.
Oscar-winning actor Ke Huy Quan, who appeared as a child in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” was on hand to introduce the new attraction.
“That sounds great,” he said of the trip. “But will there be queues?”
Disney will build a central “city” in tropical America called Pueblo Esperanza, with lush vegetation, Spanish-style architecture and a carousel with wood-carved figures.
Animal Kingdom will also host a previously announced “Zootopia” show in its theater under the Tree of Life starting in late 2025 or early 2026.
At EPCOT, the redesigned Test Track will open in 2025. The park will also get a new Spaceship Earth lounge overlooking Dreamer’s Point, where a statue of Walt Disney stands.
When asked if the Florida resort would get a fifth theme park in the coming years to compete with Universal’s Epic Universe park, which opens in 2025, D’Amaro told CNN: “We’re always thinking about the next thing. Right now, we have so much to celebrate and talk about that we’re going to share with our D23 fans that I think it’s going to be so overwhelming for them that they’re not going to think about anything else.”
Storm surge from Tropical Storm Debby washed away nearly 100 sea turtle nests on Anna Maria Island. ABC Action News reporter Jessica De Leon spoke with the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch team that is examining the nests to determine if they are still viable.
Tropical Storm Debby washed away nearly 100 sea turtle nests on Anna Maria Island
