Disney Rumor Round Up April 2018

Welcome to the April 2018 edition of Disney Rumor Round Up! You can check out the March 2018 installment here.  Disclaimer: any rumors mentioned in this article are not confirmed by Disney and may not ever happen.

Magic Kingdom

(Photo courtesy of Disney Parks Blog)

Tomorrowland work continues as the new Purple Wall has made its debut at the entrance to the land. The exterior walls of Tomorrowland have also been revealed as they continue to paint those. Over near Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, the Green Alien-themed merchandise kiosk has been removed completely, freeing up space in that area. Carousel of Progress also continues to be repainted.

Epcot

New rumors regarding Epcot have died down a bit. So for this month I am going to recap the most likely rumors from the past few months that surround Epcot.

• Several sources indicate a new nighttime spectacular to replace Illuminations: Reflections of Earth is in the works to debut in the next two years. “Windows of the World” is the working name as of right now. Fountains and drones are said to be part of the show.
• Guardians of the Galaxy is projected to open by the end of 2020 and is rumored to use a more unique coaster vehicle.
• The Wonders of Life pavilion is no longer a festival center for the many Epcot festivals and is undergoing an extensive roof refurbishment.
• Innoventions is a large question mark for how it will play a role in the future of Epcot. Most recently the buildings are said to stay with an updated look, expanded meet and greets, dining, retail and more throughout. I don’t believe Disney has officially decided what the plan is for Innoventions just yet.
• Mary Poppins is still very likely for the UK Pavilion, with construction starting as early as this fall. It is said to be a dark ride similar in style to Alice in Wonderland in Disneyland.
• Ratatouille is set to open in Spring 2020, and just this month the ride building went vertical, with steel beams showing through the tree tops of the area next to France in World Showcase.
• The entryway of the park where the Leave a Legacy stones are is supposed to get a renovation, with the likely removal of those stones.
• The space-themed restaurant announced at D23 Expo 2017 is still coming; however, no timetable is specifically set for that. It will be attached to the Mission Space building.

Epcot is surely to remain a key piece of theme park rumors for the next several years.

Hollywood Studios

Toy Story Land progresses towards its June 30th opening. Media invites were sent out with dates being June 28-29, 2018. Speculation due to the progress of the land has been that there may not be large Annual Passholder or Disney Vacation Club previews like there were with Pandora. It is still possible though, so don’t lose all hope if you are looking to attend one.

Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom celebrated its 20th anniversary in April 2018 and looks forward to much to come in its next twenty years, including possible changes to Dinoland as mentioned in previous editions of Rumor Round Up.

Walt Disney World Resort

WDWNT is reporting that Disney has ordered a new fleet of monorails built by Bombardier. They claim that part of the reason the Main Street Theater project was cancelled was to help fund a replacement for the ever-aging monorails currently at Walt Disney World. No word on timing, but they do say soon. Monorails could take years to be fully operational at Walt Disney World as they have to be custom built and then tested on the lines across property. According to a separate source of mine, no deals have been made with any manufacturer at this time and they will be continuing with the current monorails. That said, they are actively looking at possibilities for new monorails with several manufacturers, including Bombardier.

According to sources on WDWMagic, the Walt Disney World 50th anniversary celebration will be much like the Disneyland 60th anniversary celebration and run from about May 2021 to the end of 2022. Disney is looking to get as much out of this celebration as they can. They will market 50 new things as part of the festivities, which will include new attractions such as Tron, Guardians of the Galaxy, and new entertainment in store for the golden anniversary of the resort.

Permits have been filed for the Star Wars Hotel project taking place near Hollywood Studios. The project has the code name in permits “Project H.”

Disneyland Resort

Pixar Fest has begun across the Disneyland Resort. The updated Pixar Play Parade debuted at Disneyland, and Paint the Night returned across the esplanade to Disney California Adventure. Progress continues on the new Pixar Pier and Disney unveiled some new concept art in the returning Blue Sky Cellar at Disney California Adventure.

According to DLthings on Twitter, Disney executives want the abandoned Peoplemover track in Tomorrowland removed and things could start moving on that as soon as this fall.

For further discussion on all of this and more, visit the Rumors and News board on Disboards.com