Highlights From D23 - What Disneyland And Disney World Fans Can Expect When They Travel There

The Report

New Things In Store For Disney World

• Next year, "Happily Ever After" will make its way back to Magic Kingdom with some updated features.
• The opening of TRON Lightcycle Run in Magic Kingdom is scheduled for the spring of 2023.
• In 2019, visitors to the Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom's Haunted Mansion will be able to meet the iconic Hatbox Ghost from Disneyland's Haunted Mansion.
• EPCOT is currently working on a brand-new nighttime spectacular that is scheduled to make its debut in 2023.
• In the following year, Figment will make an appearance as a character at EPCOT.
• The extensive renovations that are currently taking place at the core of EPCOT are scheduled to be finished by the end of 2023. They include a new experience called Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana, which will be located in the World Nature neighborhood once it opens. D'Amaro explained that the book is about the history of water on our planet. "As you make your way around the trail, you'll have opportunities to interact with the water, and you'll quickly learn that it has a personality all its own".
• Tiana's Bayou Adventure, which will replace Splash Mountain at Disney World and Disneyland in late 2024, will feature the familiar voices of many of the actors who worked on "The Princess and the Frog." Disney Executive Creative Producer Charita Carter said the attraction will also "use mists like a painter's canvas to create this amazing sense of aura, which will be different from anything that you have seen in an attraction."
• According to D'Amaro, Disney is considering a retheming of Animal Kingdom's DinoLand that could incorporate "Zootopia" and "Moana," but the process is still very early in the "blue sky ideation" stage.
• In a similar vein, D'Amaro, Walt Disney Animation Chief Creative Officer Jennifer Lee, and Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Portfolio Executive Chris Beatty have stated that they are investigating a land "beyond Big Thunder Mountain" at Magic Kingdom. This land could include Santa Cecilia's Dia de Los Muertos celebrations from "Coco," the Madrigals' enchanted Casita from "Encanto," and a place that is overrun by Disney villains.

Exciting Things In Store For Guests At Disneyland And Disney California Adventure

• Next week, a towering Hulk will make an appearance at Avenger's Campus.
• Mando and Grogu from "The Mandalorian" will make their first appearances as characters at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge in mid-November.
• The "Magic Happens" parade will return in the spring of 2019.
• While all Disney parks will be celebrating Disney's 100th anniversary beginning in January, D'Amaro said Disneyland will be the focal point of the celebration, with platinum-infused decor, new looks for Mickey, Minnie, and their pals, and two new nighttime spectaculars: "Wondrous Journeys" at Disneyland and "World of Color - One" at Disney California Adventure.
• D'Amaro stated that when Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway opens in Mickey's Toontown early next year, "we're going to make some very special adjustments to ensure that this version fits perfectly into our Toontown story," referring to the version already at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida. He also stated that the reimagining of Mickey's Toontown would usher in a "new era of inclusive experiences."
• According to Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, who joined D'Amaro on stage at D23, a new multiverse-centered attraction coming to Disney California Adventure's Avengers Campus will allow guests to fight alongside all of the Avengers, against every foe from every time period. "And you'll meet a new villain, King Thanos," Feige teased. "This is a new Thanos, entering the MCU for the first time through this attraction... This is a Thanos victory, and the Avengers are furious, and you must assist them." There was no mention of an opening date.
• The Pacific Wharf area of California Adventure is being reimagined as San Fransokyo from "Big Hero 6," and guests will be able to meet Baymax. According to D'Amaro, this is still in the early stages of development.
• When its transformation is complete, Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel will be renamed Pixar Place Hotel. "You'll feel as if you've walked into a Pixar art gallery," D'Amaro said. "You'll see new takes on characters like Woody. Buzz, Mike, 22, Miguel, Dante, and all the other Disney Pixar characters will be present." There will also be a splash pad themed after "Finding Nemo." There was no mention of an opening date.
• In 2024, RunDisney races will return to Disneyland.

The Plans For Other Disney Properties

• The 30th anniversary celebration at Disneyland Paris will continue through next September, and a new "Pixar: We Belong Together" show will debut the following year. Disneyland Paris will also get a new "Tangled"-themed attraction.
• The World of Frozen will open in the second half of 2023 at Hong Kong Disneyland. Next year, the park will also get a new statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse, depicting the moment Disney saw his children on a merry go round and his imagination was sparked to eventually create Disneyland.
• Tokyo Disney's Space Mountain transformation will begin in 2024 and will culminate in 2027 with the opening of a new plaza.
• There were no new announcements for Shanghai Disney Resort, but D23 attendees got a first look at the park's upcoming Zootopia land.
• Disney Treasure will be the name of Disney's sixth cruise ship.
• Late next year, the Disney Wonder will begin sailing in Australia and New Zealand.
• Lighthouse Point, a new Disney island destination in the Bahamas, will be powered by 90% solar energy.

Conclusion