What new park developments are you most excited about from #D23?

[Disneychick13]

I’m not trying to be overly critical, but I don’t understand the point of announcing possible ideas that are not in the works at all. I mean they could have just said hey we are thinking about what rides we might have on a lunar outpost…..Sure, I could envision all kinds of things that are not going to happen just like the things they mentioned that are probably not going to happen. From what I can gather…..they would like to develop land adjacent to frontier land into some sort of themed area. That themed area could be anything and could contain rides/attractions of significance to said theme. That theme could be one of the things they mentioned or any number of things they haven’t thought of yet. Maybe it will be based on a movie coming out in 2025? 2030? Who knows. So weird.

And geez, Tron not opening until the spring? I can’t imagine even thinking about a whole new land when they can’t get a ride done (that exists elsewhere/not even a brand new ride!) for what 3/4 years after construction started/ it will open what like 6 years after it was announced? And that was a real announcement, not an announcement about some possible ride that they could build in the future.

 

[iZon]

He acknowledged that the train got derailed because of the pandemic, but that they were back on track and going full speed ahead. And then announced basically nothing.

 

[HopperFan]

My son can't wait for the villains area

THOSE ARE MY PEOPLE!!!

 

[Elijah Abrams]

I doubt Zootopia and Moana at Animal Kingdom will fly, especially since they defeat that park's purpose. Better options instead would be South America, Australia, the Polar Caps, and North America, complete with new animals. Possibly a resurrected Beastly Kingdom as well. DinoLand can be transformed into Prehistoricville, which would celebrate both dinosaurs and prehistoric mammals.

 

[Genie-In-Training]

Very impressive. He was able to be entertaining for two hours and provide us with five minutes of actual information. And make it sound like we’re getting tons of new stuff when we really aren’t.

Agreed. By the end of the presentation it had devolved into "stuff we're kicking around," and "wouldn't it be cool if..." But don't worry, if the audience starts to catch on, just hit them with another musical number. I am glad that they recognized their mistake and are bringing back Happily Ever After. That was the best news of the day (that is actually going to happen).

 

[1lilspark]

I can’t wait to see how/if those blue sky ideas pan out

Also RunDisney being back in California is motivating me to try to get to a comfortable place to invest in coast to coast

 

[nikem3]

Agreed. By the end of the presentation it had devolved into "stuff we're kicking around," and "wouldn't it be cool if..." But don't worry, if the audience starts to catch on, just hit them with another musical number. I am glad that they recognized their mistake and are bringing back Happily Ever After. That was the best news of the day (that is actually going to happen).

I can't say for sure, but I think the intent of the way they announced this stuff is to allow for changes. Disney fans have been VERY critical lately for any slight change to concept art or adjustments to plans. Announcing it in a way of "What if?" is a way to make an announcement and adjust to plans as needed. Dinoland is obviously being replaced. But if they came out and said "These lands are coming! By possibly this date! Here is what it looks like!" it leaves them open for criticism when the tree they showed in the concept art is removed.

 

[MamaMermaid]

Listen, I love Disney but I thought the whole "this is a possibility!!" felt so lackluster. It was like a "hey, don't forget we have cool stuff coming!" when Epic Universe opens while Disney scrambles to figure out what their plan is.

Don't get me started on using older IPs like Zootopia or Avatar/Pandora...

 

[mom2diskids]

Well it's not like they've had a global pandemic/complete shutdown to deal with for the last almost 30 months. Geez, how dare they.

What does that have to do with development though?

 

[nikem3]

What does that have to do with development though?

I don't get why people think Disney has lacked development. In 5 years we've gotten 3 new lands. We've gotten FoP, Millenium Falcon ride, Runaway Railroad, Slinky dog, Guardians, RotR, Remy's. In a few months we will get Tron.

People applaud Universal for Epic Universe (which they needed in order to become more of a travel destination and not second fiddle) but that is still 3 years away. Also, I love the attack on IP always for Disney but the applause Universal gets when their new park is almost entirely IP related. I don't think IP matters, its the execution that matters. Guardians received incredible criticism based on being IP, location, getting away from Epcot's messaging, etc. Yet because the ride was very well executed, its well received and people love it.

Zootopia is getting hate because it doesn't feel like it fits Animal Kingdoms natural theme. But how will it be executed? What if they have a rainforest district that includes south american animals to visit? What if they have a Tundratown complete with an artic exhibit? Possibilities are endless to make it fit the overall theme of Animal Kingdom while bringing a loved IP that people recognize.

 

[RoseGold]

All boring. None of the blue sky stuff will happen. Everything discussed today is all stuff we knew about. Imagination is gone. Universal is making a big money bet in Orlando and Disney appears to be punting.

Exactly. I saw Tron running with my own eyes months ago. Pushing Tron to spring tells me what I need to know. They've got jack, and they are dragging all of this out. That puts Moana at like fall 2023 (correction: "LATE" 2023). At that rate, these lands are decades off, if ever.

I mean, they can't even fill the empty stuff, like the Little Mermaid theater and the ugly empty patch in Dinoland. No one is building lands right now.

 

[MadderAdder]

I doubt Zootopia and Moana at Animal Kingdom will fly, especially since they defeat that park's purpose. Better options instead would be South America, Australia, the Polar Caps, and North America, complete with new animals. Possibly a resurrected Beastly Kingdom as well. DinoLand can be transformed into Prehistoricville, which would celebrate both dinosaurs and prehistoric mammals.

Moana can bring in Oceania/Polynesia…

 

[nikem3]

Exactly. I saw Tron running with my own eyes months ago. Pushing Tron to spring tells me what I need to know. They've got jack, and they are dragging all of this out. That puts Moana at like fall 2023. At that rate, these lands are decades off, if ever.

Spring is potentially March. Cast member previews, DVC and Annual Pass previews could be starting in late January. Meaning 3 and a half months to clean up area, make it look pretty, put finishing touches up, etc. There obviously is a strategic component to it slightly. They probably wouldn't open a ride in the middle of slow season in January. That would be bad marketing.

 

[RoseGold]

Spring is potentially March. Cast member previews, DVC and Annual Pass previews could be starting in late January. Meaning 3 and a half months to clean up area, make it look pretty, put finishing touches up, etc. There obviously is a strategic component to it slightly. They probably wouldn't open a ride in the middle of slow season in January. That would be bad marketing.

Come on. It should have been Christmas. Or, heck, it should have been now because of how long GOTG has been open. They are dragging this because it's all they have.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, San Fransokyo, Avengers e ticket, return of HEA and all the DCL news


The international parks look cool as well

When is wdw fantasmic returning?!?

 

[nikem3]

Come on. It should have been Christmas. They are dragging this because it's all they have.

To be clear, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train was testing in december of 2013 and opened in May 2014. So is the assumption they were also "dragging" that one out? Or do the time lines seem fairly consistent?

 

[RoseGold]

To be clear, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train was testing in december of 2013 and opened in May 2014. So is the assumption they were also "dragging" that one out? Or do the time lines seem fairly consistent?

Before Covid, MF opened 8/19, ROTR 12/19, Mickey Minnie 3/20.

Since Covid, the timeline slowed down. Remy 10/21, GOTG 5/22.

Tron has been under construction for four years, and they were working on it during Covid. And it's an existing attraction. It's not like they are making it from scratch like GOTG. If they wanted it open now, it would be open now. Or even months ago.

Moana now has a date of "late 2023." That's a loooong time for Epcot to be such a mess. So, same stuff. Slow timeline. It's obvious no one is building lands right now, and they are slow rolling these couple projects.

 

[Jrb1979]

Before Covid, MF opened 8/19, ROTR 12/19, Mickey Minnie 3/20.

Since Covid, the timeline slowed down. Remy 10/21, GOTG 5/22.

Tron has been under construction for four years, and they were working on it during Covid. And it's an existing attraction. It's not like they are making it from scratch like GOTG. If they wanted it open now, it would be open now. Or even months ago.

Moana now has a date of "late 2023." That's a loooong time for Epcot to be such a mess. So, same stuff. Slow timeline. It's obvious no one is building lands and they are slow rolling these couple projects.

It's cause nothing else is coming. Tron and Moana are all they have for the next few years. Yet Tokyo gets major additions and they aren't even owned by Disney.

 

[Her Dotness]

Once again, Disney confirms my attitude regarding new stuff coming soon: "I'll believe it when I see it up and running."

 

[nikem3]

Before Covid, MF opened 8/19, ROTR 12/19, Mickey Minnie 3/20.

Since Covid, the timeline slowed down. Remy 10/21, GOTG 5/22.

Tron has been under construction for four years, and they were working on it during Covid. And it's an existing attraction. It's not like they are making it from scratch like GOTG. If they wanted it open now, it would be open now. Or even months ago.

Moana now has a date of "late 2023." That's a loooong time for Epcot to be such a mess. So, same stuff. Slow timeline. It's obvious no one is building lands right now, and they are slow rolling these couple projects.

Sure, and if Universal REALLY wanted Epic Universe could be open next year, just hire more construction crews, rush production, spend a ton more money etc.

You point out a timeline and act like its slowed down because they released 3 rides in one timeframe and 2 in another. Two of the rides you named were in the same large expansion. One of the rides opened 4 months AFTER the expansion opened because of the complexity of the ride. Before the Pandora expansion, the Toy story expansion and the Star wars expansion, there was also a "lull" as you called it between Fantasyland update and Pandora. From when Fantasy opened to when Pandora opened (May 2014-May 2017) one ride opened (Frozen). There are lull periods, they can't just keep shelling out 3 or 4 major rides every year.