Drink up me hearties to new Disney attractions
More D23 takeaways
Before I jump into today’s topic, I want to share a couple of articles that I wrote for other outlets. The first is a Southbound magazine cover story about some of the best things to experience at parks in Florida, Tennessee, and throughout the South. The article is available online through parent publication, Atlanta magazine. Or you could check out the digital version of Southbound. Go to “For Your Amusement,” and read the article in all of its smartly designed magazine glory. I had a ball writing it.
I also had a ball–of the bowling variety–visiting multiple generations of the Campbells who have been working at family entertainment centers for decades. Read about them in my column for Funworld, the IAAPA publication.
Last week I shared plenty of tantalizing highlights of the D23 parks and experiences presentation. But guess what? Despite running over 1.300 words, I left out quite a few revelations. Ready for more Disney goodness, including things you’ll be able to enjoy soon?
Get the 70th anniversary party started at Disneyland
The Splash Mountain makeover, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, dropped at Magic Kingdom a couple of months ago. At D23, Disney’s genial Josh D’Amaro let fans know that the Disneyland version of the makeover is set to open this November 15. Also, a new mission for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run will take flight in 2026 to coincide with the release of the big-screen movie, “The Mandalorian and Grogu.”
I already told you about the new show opening in 2025 at the Main Street Opera House that–surprise!–will feature an animatronic Walt Disney. With the original Disney park celebrating its 70th anniversary next year, the sit-down with the man who started it all will surely appeal to folks in a nostalgic mood. Oddly, other than sharing a logo and confirming that there would be an anniversary celebration, D’Amaro was mum about any other specifics. I’d have to imagine that new nighttime shows and parades are in the works along with some other goodies.
Disney World on track for more fun
D’Amaro did, however, reveal that a new nighttime parade is set to step off on the other side of the country next year. Look for Disney Starlight at the Magic Kingdom starting summer 2025. Think Main Street Electrical Parade, but with today’s incredible LED lighting capabilities. The parks boss said that The Blue Fairy will be leading the procession and that films such as “Encanto” and “Peter Pan” will be part of the lineup. Also on tap at the Magic Kingdom next year is a Pirates of the Caribbean tavern, now under construction across from the classic attraction. That’s right, you’ll literally be able to drink up me hearties. (Yo ho.) Remember, it wasn’t all that long ago that alcohol of any kind wasn’t available at the Magic Kingdom–or Disneyland, which established the Prohibition policy.
Booze has always flowed at Epcot, however. (Drinking around the world, anyone?) There will be yet another watering hole at the park when the Spaceship Earth lounge opens its doors in 2025. We now know that Test Track 3.0 will hit the road next year as well. Instead of the trippy, Tron-like futurism of the attraction’s most recent iteration, the update will take inspiration from the World of Motion pavilion that originally occupied the spot and celebrate the past, present, and future of the automobile.
It’ll be awhile (2027 to be exact) until we will be able to visit Encanto’s Madrigal family or ride with Indiana Jones in the new Tropical Americas land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. But we will be able to hang with Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde, and the gang when Zootopia: Better Zoogether! opens next winter in the Tree of Life Theater that previously presented It's Tough to Be a Bug! (By the way, those exclamation marks are parts of the names of the attractions and not reflective of my writing style.) Also on the way to Disney World will be the same Smugglers Run update for the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Spider-Man will be busy
Two Spider-Man-themed attractions are on the way. A “high-speed” coaster (by Disney standards anyways) is being developed for Shanghai Disneyland, while it appears–from the concept art shared, not from anything said at D23–that a Twilight Zone-like drop tower ride will be coming to Hong Kong Disneyland. Interestingly, these two pieces of news were delivered by Imagineer Scott Trowbridge, who was one of the creative principals behind the groundbreaking The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man attraction at Universal’s Islands of Adventure.
A Lion King-themed attraction, that looks quite similar to the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure/Splash Mountain log flume rides, will anchor a new Lion King area at Disney Adventure World, the park formerly known as Walt Disney Studios Park adjacent to Disneyland Paris. Construction will begin in 2025.
Finally, things must be going exceptionally well over at Disney Cruise Lines. There are currently six ships plying the seas with another three set to sail soon. At D23, it was revealed that another four will be added to the burgeoning fleet between 2027 and 2031. Keep in mind, it wasn’t that long ago that the pandemic forced the whole cruise industry to shut down and put a question mark on its future. I guess Disney thinks that future looks bright.
What do you find most compelling among these announcements? Might any of the developments planned for next year at Disneyland and Walt Disney World encourage you to plan a visit?
I am a huge Star Wars fan, so I welcome the changes to Smuggler's Run. I remember loving the Main Street Electrical Parade as a kid, so maybe I'll like this new version. We just got back from Disneyworld where had our goodbye rides on Dinosaur and It's Tough to be a Bug! I love these, but I am also looking forward to the new versions.