Welcome to the July 2018 edition of Disney Rumor Round Up — you can check out the June 2018 installment here. Summer is in full swing throughout the Disney parks! Disclaimer: any rumors mentioned in this article are not confirmed by Disney and may not ever happen.
Not much has changed since June in regards to the Magic Kingdom. Tomorrowland is still on track to get the majority of the enhancements in time for the Walt Disney World 50th anniversary celebration. A nighttime parade is also on track as new entertainment for the anniversary.
Illuminations has been a major discussion topic in the rumor circles. According to WDWMagic sources, those working on the project and some of the supplies have now arrived in Orlando to further prepare for the replacement to one of Walt Disney World’s longest-running shows. In a recent meeting, Reedy Creek Improvement District officials approved a $1.8 million upgrade to the electrical aspects of World Showcase Lagoon. This gives even more credence to the Illuminations replacement rumors.
Also from WDWMagic sources, Brazil is still expected to come to World Showcase with a rumored budget of roughly $450 million. Disney would not take up all of those costs though; a Brazilian sponsor would pay for a good chunk of that price tag. Other projects that could very well be happening in Epcot are a $250 million overhaul of the Imagination pavilion and a $75 million Coco overlay in the Mexico pavilion. The United Kingdom attraction is still on track to open in 2021 as well, but what exactly it will be seems to be unclear still. What is happening at Epcot seems very fluid, and can and will change at any moment.
Here is a look at estimated timelines for announced and rumored projects at Epcot.
2019
- Possible temporary Illuminations replacement show
- New Space dining experience in Future World
2020
- Ratatouille (Spring)
- New full Illuminations replacement show
- New China 360 film
- New Impressions de France film
2021
- Brazil in World Showcase
- United Kingdom attraction
- Guardians of the Galaxy coaster
Toy Story Land has been a hit for the most part, but many have questioned its popularity with lower-than-expected wait times. A few factors that may go with that are lower summer attendance and that the attractions are not major headliners. Other issues that have popped up within the land according to several Disney-related websites are the small bathrooms, flimsy fencing throughout, and peeling or chipping paint in queue areas and at Woody’s Lunchbox.
As for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, according to WDWMagic sources we are roughly 1 year out from the opening of that attraction. As previously said, it will open before Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Things are rather quiet on the Animal Kingdom front.
Walt Disney World Resort
According to WDWNT, a Wreck It Ralph virtual reality experience could be joining Star Wars at The Void at Disney Springs. This would take over half of the space that is currently occupied by the very popular Star Wars experience, and turn it into a Wreck It Ralph experience to go along with the release of Ralph Breaks the Internet later this year.
Walt Disney World bookings for the rest of the summer and even into early fall have been rather soft according to several sources. This has prompted Disney to extend some discounts and add some Annual Passholder events like the the new V.I.Passholder nights and more. Even waits for Toy Story Land have been lower than expected. The thought from some is people are holding off on Walt Disney World vacations until more things open, such as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Permits were filed with the layout and building height for the all new Star Wars hotel which will be just outside Hollywood Studios. This hotel will be rather small and only two stories tall. The permits also show a limited amount of parking, so it is expected most of the parking will be valet. Some seem to believe there will be a walkway built to connect the hotel to the land, but that walkway would be rather long and would have to cross a roadway. Instead, it is speculated based on the permits that there will be a bus or shuttle of sorts that takes guests from the hotel directly to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Disneyland Resort
According to a report from Variety, Bobcat Goldthwait let it slip that he is voicing the character Pain from Hercules for a new show called World of Color – Villainous for Disney California Adventure. World of Color is currently in an extended refurbishment to fix the damaged fountain platform. This show likely wouldn’t be for this year due to that refurbishment. It is expected this would debut in 2019 if all goes to plan, but the hold up with Bobcat Goldthwait, who wants his voice removed from the show, could delay that. In the meantime, Disney has extended Paint the Night and the Pixar Play parade past the original end date of September 3rd.
For further discussion on all of this and more, visit the Rumors and News board on Disboards.com
