This year’s D23 Expo, held in Anaheim Aug. 14-16, made big headlines with major announcements on what Disney has in the pipeline. Perhaps the biggest news came straight out of the company’s Parks and Resorts presentation, during which we were clued in on major additions to the Walt Disney World and Disneyland resorts. Needless to say, we’re pretty excited. Here’s why:
Walt Disney World Resort
Magic Kingdom: A new restaurant is moving into the world’s most attended theme park. Skipper Canteen will open later this year in Adventureland, featuring several dining rooms, themed to the beloved Jungle Cruise attraction.
Epcot: One of the best attractions in the Disney repertoire is Soarin’, which takes riders on a hang-gliding tour of the Golden State. Making it even better will be the addition of a third theater and an all new visual experience with upgraded screens and projection systems. Soarin’ Around the World, as the new experience will be called, will feature footage from landscapes around the world.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios: With the closure of many attractions in the past few months at the resort’s third gate, a number of critics called Disney’s Hollywood Studios the company’s worst theme park. Two major additions will undoubtedly turn the park around. Fans of a galaxy far, far away will be delighted with the new 14-acre Star Wars Land that surrounds guests in the environments they’ve come to love through the iconic films. One of the coolest attractions it will have is one in which guests can fly in the Millennium Falcon, and later this year, fans can check out the Star Wars Launch Bay, an exhibit that takes guests behind the scenes of the films. Early next year, look out for a new fireworks display set to the film score during a seasonal event called Season of the Force. Plus, a new experience from the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be added to the Star Tours attraction. (No official opening date for Star Wars Land has been announced.)
Pixar fans rejoice! Toy Story Land is joining the park lineup – at an unspecified date – and will welcome fans into Andy’s backyard. It will have a Slinky Dog roller coaster, flying saucers with the little green aliens, and add a track to the highly popular Toy Story Midway Mania.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom: The AVATAR project at the resort’s fourth park finally has an official name. Pandora – The World of AVATAR will take guests on a flight aboard a Banshee using the latest in special effects technology.
As for entertainment in the park, look out for a new show called “Rivers of Light,” which combines live performers, floating lanterns, water screens, and more. Plus, the hours of Kilimanjaro Safaris will extend later into the evening with new lighting – and even some new faces like African wild dogs and hyenas.
Disneyland Resort
Disneyland: The park that started it all will also see the addition of a Star Wars Land and Star Wars Launch Bay. Exclusively at Disneyland, there will also be a reimagined Space Mountain for the seasonal event Season of the Force, calling it Hyperspace Mountain. During the event, there will be special entertainment, themed food, and more in Tomorrowland. The Star Tours attraction will too receive a new experience from the franchise’s latest flick, coming out later this year.
