Building new worlds from Pandora to Arendelle and beyond
Catching up on Disney parks news
There are still lots (and lots) of unanswered questions, but the Walt Disney Company has been quite chatty lately, giving clues and bits of details about what it will, or may, be spending the $30 billion it has pledged to drop on its worldwide portfolio of parks and resorts over the next 10 years. Let’s recap some of the goodies that await (or might await) us in the near- and long-term as the decade unfolds.
Will Disneyland proceed Forward?
For some time now, Disney CEO Bob Iger has been floating a possible Avatar experience for the original Disneyland Resort in California. The notion picked up some steam earlier this month when the exec shared some concept art of what the Imagineers are envisioning. The image above sure looks like a full-fledged land, doesn’t it? But keep in mind it is concept art. We may not have to wait until we are blue in the face to find out more. After giving an initial stamp of approval, the Anaheim City Council will soon make the final decision about the company’s proposed $2.5-billion DisneylandForward plans. It seems more and more likely that Avatar would figure heavily in the proposed expansion.
Something that is definitely moving forward is the transformation of Splash Mountain into Tiana's Bayou Adventure. The company recently showcased some of the animatronic figures in the reimagined attraction, and they look stunning. They have that Disney je ne sais quoi, while displaying remarkable fluidity. Attraction designers are getting scary good at scaling the uncanny valley with robotics. You can see the Tiana characters starting at the 4:30 point in this Disney video.
Also at Disneyland, the latest Star Tours adventure, which feature Grogu, Cassian Andor, Din Djarin, and Ahsoka, debuted on April 5. And the resort announced that the newest Downtown Disney eateries, the Mexican-inspired Céntrico, Paseo, and Tiendita, will open soon, while the Asian restaurant, Din Tai Fung, is scheduled to launch this summer. A steakhouse and a BBQ joint are also on tap for the dining, shopping, and entertainment district. Hopefully, the former will begin to fill the void left by the shuttered Steakhouse 55, which was one of my favorite haunts at the resort.
Get ready to go beyond Big Thunder Mountain at Disney World
A huge chunk of Disney’s pledged investment in its parks, $17 billion, is earmarked for Walt Disney World. For some time, the company has been teasing that it might expand outside the berm at the Magic Kingdom and invite us to discover new adventures that lie beyond Big Thunder Mountain. A couple of weeks ago, The Mouse confirmed that the project is, in fact, proceeding, although it did not reveal details revealed as to what the theme might entail. Among the ideas hinted at in earlier presentations are the Land of the Dead from “Coco” as well as the Colombian mountains locale of “Encanto.” Personally, I’m hoping the company finally pulls the trigger on the long-rumored Disney Villains land. Whatever it will be, the Imagineers promise it will be grand-scale and likely be larger than New Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom. Interestingly, Lance Hart, the king of theme park rumors, says that the new land might include an attraction similar to Radiator Springs Racers at his Screamscape site. That would certainly be an intriguing addition.
Also teased earlier and recently confirmed is the transformation of Dinoland U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Again, the details are sparse, but execs revealed that the repurposed land will have a Tropical Americas theme. As I reported last September, Imagineers at the Destination D23 expo strongly suggested that the Indiana Jones franchise and/or “Encanto” would inspire the expansion and transformation. If that’s the case, the smart money says that the Dinosaur dark ride would morph into an East Coast version of the fantabulous Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye attraction, and a new dark ride based on “Encanto” just might be in the works. It’s highly unlikely that the Madrigal family from “Encanto” would take up residence in two parks. So, here’s hoping their Columbian village ends up in Animal Kingdom, and the Disney Villains descend on Magic Kingdom.
Over at Epcot, Test Track will close on June 17 for a do-over. There’s no word when it might reopen or what changes will be made. But, Disney has said that its futuristic Tron-like vibe will be ditched (which makes sense, since visitors can now ride Tron Lightcycle Run at Magic Kingdom), and Imagineers will instead instill a “spirit of optimism” into Test Track in homage to the World of Motion attraction that preceded it.
So long Studios, hello Adventure
When I visited Disneyland Paris a number of years ago, I was a bit stunned by the resort’s second gate, Walt Disney Studios Park. It was surprisingly small and devoid of may attractions. There just wasn’t much “there” there. In the ensuing years, the company has expanded the park with new attractions and offerings, although it still pales in comparison to the stunning Disneyland Park next door. Now comes word that the park will get a whole new name, Disney Adventure World, along with more lands and attractions. As is the case with Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida, the French park has evolved from a behind-the-scenes look at movie-making into a place that transports guests into the worlds made famous by movies. The name change reflects the park’s raison d’être today.
The new name will be introduced when the previously announced World of Frozen land debuts. There is no announced opening date for that project, which will feature Elsa’s Ice Palace atop a snow-covered North Mountain in the kingdom of Arendelle. At the front entrance of the transformed park, guests will enter a vintage Hollywood movie theater where an old-style film premiere is taking place. That will lead to the Art Deco-infused World Premiere Plaza.
From there, guests will stroll down Adventure Way as they journey to World of Frozen, Marvel Avengers Campus, and the park’s other lands. A new flat ride, Raiponce Tangled Spin, will be added to the newly named promenade along with the table-service eatery, The Regal View Restaurant. The park will also welcome Adventure Bay, a central body of water that, according to Disney, will “be fitted with the latest technologies to provide exciting water-based entertainment, complete with fountains, music, lights and special effects.” Translation: Expect a nighttime spectacular along the lines of World of Color.
Phew! That’s a lot of news. To what are you most looking forward?