D23 Hype: Walt Disney World Announcements We Hope For

As Disney enthusiasts, this is one of our most exciting times of the year. D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event kicks off this Friday, August 9th, in Anaheim, California. We’ve come to expect a lively lineup of theme park announcements from the “parks panel,” and this year is no different with Disney currently in the midst of a decade-long initiative to “turbocharge” their parks with $60 billion of investments; $17 billion for Walt Disney World plans alone. Since there’s nothing new under construction at Walt Disney World [nor Disneyland], the timing feels right for a massive unveiling of projects on the horizon.

Horizons: D23 Disney Experiences Showcase will take place on Saturday, August 10th, at the Honda Center in Anaheim at 7PM PST/10PM EST. The showcase artwork above includes all Disney theme park icons from around the world (with the exception of Tokyo DisneySea), so we can expect some big reveals spanning Anaheim, Orlando, Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Disney Cruise Line, and more.

For now, let’s focus on what we expect and hope to hear about Walt Disney World. Let’s see where previously-announced WDW projects from last year’s Destination D23 and D23 Expo 2022 stand today.

Magic Kingdom

• The Hatbox Ghost arrived at The Haunted Mansion last November, after an initial announcement at D23 Expo 2022, and location clarification at Destination D23 in 2023 (he’s in the Endless Hallway vs. anywhere after Leota’s seance but we’ll save that Chloé rant for another day).
• Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opened in June. Splash Mountain’s reimagining wasn’t initially announced at D23, but additional details were released at D23 events.
• Last year, Disney revealed that the iconic Country Bear Jamboree would be reimagined this year with new country versions of popular Disney songs. Country Bear Musical Jamboree debuted on July 17th.
• The new Pirates of the Caribbean-inspired lounge announced last year for Adventureland is still in development.
• Expansion plans shared in 2022 for a land “beyond Big Thunder Mountain” remain in development. We’ve seen blue sky ideas for this area including Encanto, Coco, and Disney Villains.

EPCOT

• The walk-through attraction Journey of Water ~ Inspired by Moana opened last October, infusing some edutainment back into the park.
• The nighttime spectacular Luminous The Symphony of Us which was announced at D23 Expo 2022 premiered last December.
• EPCOT’s World Celebration also opened last December, with the final piece of the park’s years-long transformation, CommuniCore Hall and Plaza, which opened this June.
• And at Destination D23, Disney announced Test Track would be reimagined in partnership with Chevrolet, and was said to be more inspired by the EPCOT legacy attraction World of Motion. It closed this June for updates.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

• At D23 Expo 2022, Disney said they would be re-theming DinoLand U.S.A. (pour one out for Dr. Seeker… and me). Disney shared more information at Destination D23 last year, stating the land will be reimagined after the “tropical Americas” with new Encanto and Indiana Jones attractions potentially in the works. While plans are in active development, DinoLand remains open. Go get your DINOSAUR fix while you can!
• Also last year, Disney unveiled a new Zootopia show is planned for the Tree of Life theater, replacing It’s Tough to Be a Bug. You can still visit Flik and friends today.

What We Hope to Hear

Firstly, we hope to hear more concrete, official announcements. Dreams are nice in theory, but no more “maybe” blue sky ideas, please. We’re ready for the heavy-hitting headlines. Despite what Disney may say, Epic Universe (Universal Orlando’s huge new theme park opening in 2025) has to be on the back of their minds as they move forward with their own projects and announcements. With that $17 billion pocketed for Walt Disney World investments, I guess you could say the stage is set for an epic D23 parks & experiences panel packed with news. Here’s what we [realistically] hope to hear in the Walt Disney World news lineup:

• More information on the Tropical Americas taking over DinoLand U.S.A., including an official date of closure for us dinosaur lovers. I’ll admit, Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama needs help, so I’m excited to see what’s in store for the area, even if they’ll be removing some of my favorite kitschy Animal Kingdom locales. And I’d love to hear more on the Indiana Jones ride storyline so the DINOSAUR closure stings a little less. That John Williams score will help, too…
• More information on the currently-closed Test Track. Just how many retro World of Motion elements will we see? Seeing more practical sets return to this attraction is a win for me.
• Now, what is exactly beyond Big Thunder Mountain? Rumors are buzzing, covering anything from Coco to Villains to Carsland. What are you hoping for?
• Speaking of… how about a revamp for Big Thunder Mountain á la Disneyland’s version? I’d love to see those dynamite explosions!
• Longtime rumors have been circulating a new nighttime parade for Magic Kingdom. Please, we need to see sparkly floats down Main Street, U.S.A. again! Could this be the year we finally hear something?
• Ever since Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind was announced for EPCOT, Star-Lord, Gamora, or Groot, at the very least, were expected to meet and greet around the attraction. What happened? We already don’t have much Marvel to experience at Disney’s Orlando parks, let’s amp up what we do have!
• And just next door, the defunct Wonders of Life pavilion was once planned to be the PLAY! Pavilion, which has been shelved indefinitely. This massive space sits empty(?) and ready for something -anything- today.

We couldn’t help but notice #Horizons on a few of @disneyparks Instagram posts lately. What could these mean? Will the new Country Bear Musical Jamboree see the return of seasonal overlays? What’s happening to “it’s a small world”? Are we reading too much into this and it’s… nothing? I’ve got questions.

Here are a few more parks panel wishlist items from yours truly: Imagination overhaul (bring the Dreamfinder back), Muppets Haunted Mansion overlay (more Muppety parks news, period.), “that’s right, we’re re-building The Great Movie Ride“, Mary Poppins dark ride for EPCOT’s U.K. pavilion, those now-long-lost Spaceship Earth overhaul updates, some major TLC for Cosmic Ray’s, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster re-theme (A Goofy Movie PLEASE?), more special events like a Star Wars Nite, or a second Halloween party at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and maybe… I don’t know, a fifth park? A girl can dream, okay? How about you?

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Stay tuned to our D23 landing page for all the breaking news to come, and catch our hot & fresh post-announcement thoughts on our YouTube channel after the panels!