Welcome to the September installment of Disney Rumor Round Up. You see the August edition here. Let’s dive into this month’s rumors!
Disclaimer: none of the things mentioned in this article are official and may not ever happen.
Magic Kingdom
As we now know, the Magic Kingdom is losing a nighttime parade, and with that they are not getting a new one. The rumors of Paint the Night coming are pretty much dead. The park will live without a nighttime parade for awhile, possibly for years, until the 50th anniversary. There are plans for a new parade but nothing has been given the go ahead which means it could be awhile until something happens.
Rumors still exist for a possible Wreck it Ralph attraction where Stitch’s Great Escape is. As Disney fans, know Stitch isn’t the most liked attractions at Walt Disney World, in fact it’s one of the least liked attractions. This new Wreck it Ralph attraction would hopefully change that and give a new experience that would be a simulator and possibly 3D.
An interesting and maybe surprising rumor is that the Magic Kingdom might see a change in how it checks bags. With rumors of permits appearing for work at monorail platforms and park entrances, and I want to stress the fact that these are a rumor, bag check locations might change. The rumor suggests that bag check would no longer be at the front of the Magic Kingdom but rather at the monorail resorts as you board for the Magic Kingdom, as you get off the bus, and before you board the ferry at the Ticket and Transportation Center. There aren’t many details regarding this ye,t but it’s worth noting with interesting permits appearing.
Finally, with the opening of Muppets in Liberty Square in October, some meet and greets have to leave. Rafiki, Woody, and Jessie will be leaving to make room in the budget for the Muppets, according to rumors.
Epcot
This month, Stormstruck and Sum of All Thrills closed, leaving Innoventions with very little to do. Rumors still suggest that Epcot is set to get a lot of love before the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World in 2021.
Guardians of the Galaxy is said to take over Universe of Energy in roller coaster form. The building will be gutted and expanded to make room for this coaster. It is also rumored to have a backwards launch, which could make for an interesting experience.
New dining experiences are also rumored to come to the Future World area, mainly replacing old ones. Don’t get your hopes up for a a reopened Odyssey because that is not part of these plans.
Mission: SPACE is set to get a good cleaning and some upgrades to make that ride even better.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
All of the previous rumors still exist, yet a small possibly convincing rumor suggests that Toy Story Land might have seen even more cuts. Some sources say yes it has, and others say no, so we will have to keep an eye on that one.
One other rumor to keep an eye on is the possibility of a new character in Star Wars Launch Bay. No details on this yet.
Animal Kingdom
Rivers of Light has been handed over to park operations from Walt Disney Imagineering. That means that Imagineering feels confident enough that the problems are fixed and cast rehearsals can begin. The show is on pace for an October opening with Cast rehearsals beginning very soon. Disney wants this show up as soon as possible because park attendance at night is falling with the “Jungle Book: Alive with Magic” show gone.
Other Walt Disney World Rumors
Over the last month, height test balloons have been spotted in various spots on property. Most recently they were spotted at Caribbean Beach Resort, a site for a possible Moderate level DVC. Height test balloons are used to see how the height of a structure would affect the skyline of the area. These balloons were quite high which means whatever it is for is not going to be short.
Permits were filed for the Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot park entrances for modifications to be made. The speculation is for a more permanent metal detector entrance. We will have to wait and see what happens with this one.
One final Walt Disney World rumor suggests that we might start seeing characters in Disney Springs. The rumor states that due to not enough traffic in Disney Springs and especially not enough money being generated, Disney might bring in characters to bring more people into Disney Springs. The hope is the characters would generate more revenue for the stores and Disney Springs overall.
That is all for this installment of Disney Rumor Round Up!
