Walt Disney World and Disneyland will be another in the coming years as Disney’s theme parks department begins work on a number of major projects, bringing attractions like a land of villains and rides like “Enchantment,” “Monsters Inc. ” and “Coco. ” parks, strengthening the theme park giant as it faces declining profits and a larger festival in Florida.
Villain’s Land: A new Disney-villain-themed country is coming to Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom park in Florida, Josh D’Amaro, head of the theme park division, announced, though the company has not yet provided a timeline at this time. . will open or where in the park it will be located.
‘Cars’ in Frontierland: Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom will renew its Frontierland domain to add an earthy theme to the ‘Cars’ movies; It will have two charms, adding a mountain run and a charm designed for young children, although the company announced Monday that it will specially adapt the park’s existing landscape, Tom Sawyer Island and America’s rivers.
Marvel Studios attractions: Marvel enthusiasts will soon be able to enjoy two more attractions at Disney California Adventure at Disneyland, while D’Amaro gave more top points about an “Avengers”-themed attraction called “Avengers Infinity Defense,” in which passengers will face off against opponents. King. Thanos, and announced “Stark Flight Lab,” starring Robert Downey, Jr. returning to his role as Iron Man.
Avatar Ride: Disney California Adventure will have a new “Avatar” and “Avatar: The Way of Water” theme, which will be different from the existing “Avatar” themed land at Walt Disney World, and will add a new boat ride throughout the world. Pandora.
Tropical Americas: Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World will take advantage of a new 11-acre “Tropical America-themed lot,” which will come with a Encanto-themed charm, as well as an Indiana Jones-themed attraction that will be another of the existing Indiana Jones charm at Disneyland.
‘Monsters, Inc. ‘ Roller Coaster: Monstropolis is coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World, as the company announced a ‘Monsters, Inc. ‘-themed roller coaster. from Pixar. and the film’s fleet of giant doors, which will be Disney’s first suspended roller coaster, where the seats are suspended beneath the rails.
“Coco” Ride: Disney California Adventure will have a new themed ride around the Pixar film “Coco,” in which guests will visit the Land of the Dead.
Several smaller projects were also announced Saturday, adding the addition of the Mandelorian and Grogu to the “Star Wars”-themed “Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run” charm on both coasts, the start of a new nighttime parade at Walt Disney World and the creation of a realistic Walt Disney animatronic that will debut at Disneyland for its 70th anniversary next year.
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Disney did not give opening dates for the main charms and the new lands announced Saturday will still be at least a few years away from coming to fruition. D’Amaro only gave approximate dates for when construction would begin on most of the charms and new lands, with the “Cars,” “Monsters, Inc. ,” Avengers and “Iron Man” charms planned to begin in 2025. , while that of “Palma de coco”. The Amulet will debut in 2026. The executive said the next Tropical America Amulets at Animal Kingdom would open in 2027, and did not provide any timeline for the “bad guys” land or the “Avatar” zone.
While the new announcements will bring a lot of new things to Disney theme parks, it also means that other spaces and charms will have to close to make room for the new additions. In addition to the closure of Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America. , Disney’s Tropical Americas Park will update DinoLand U. S. A. existing at Animal Kingdom, and the new Indiana Jones charm will update the park’s existing “Dinosaur” attraction. It remains to be seen what other attractions will close to make way for the new additions, with enthusiasts. speculating online about “Monsters, Inc. ” The coaster can simply upgrade “MuppetVision 3-D,” a fan-favorite Muppet charm, or Rock N’ Roller Coaster, a coaster set to music by Aerosmith.
D’Amaro announced what’s next for the new projects in a presentation Saturday night at the D23 Expo, the three-day Disney fan conference held every two years. Although the value of all of those projects is unclear, the company has already announced plans to double its investment in its parks department over the next 10 years to a total of $60 billion. This also includes Disney cruises and foreign theme parks, in addition to domestic parks.
How Disney theme parks in Florida will fare when Universal Orlando Resort, Disney’s main competitor in Central Florida, opens Epic Universe, an ambitious new theme park set to open sometime in 2025. Epic Universe is expected to come with several new terrains expected to draw giant crowds, adding Super Nintendo World, a new “Harry Potter” terrain, a “How to Train Your Dragon” franchise-themed terrain, and a monster-themed terrain. The opening of Epic Universe will give Universal Orlando 3 theme parks and one water park, making it more comparable to Walt Disney World’s 4 theme parks and two water parks. This means travelers to Orlando will have a tougher choice when it comes to making Universal or Disney the primary location for their vacation. (compared to before, where guests can stay at Disney but maybe just spend a day or two at Universal) and may hurt attendance at Disney. Figures and income.
3%. That’s the decline in profits from Disney’s “Experiences” department, which includes theme parks, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024, the company said in its earnings report last week. Iger and Disney Chief Financial Officer Hugh Johnston cited a “moderation in customer demand” at their parks as the reason for the decline. Johnston told investors that park attendance is likely to be hurt by reduced spending by low-income Americans and the choice of higher-income travelers to travel abroad. While Johnston predicted that the company will have a few more quarters with “most likely similar results,” the Disney executive said he expects to see the department’s profits grow in the future, especially with all the investments it is making through announcements of new parks. “We wouldn’t be making capital investments in an accelerated manner if we didn’t plan to drive the expansion of the [parks] business,” Johnston said on the company’s earnings call.
In addition to announcements related to its domestic theme parks, Disney has also announced a major expansion of its fleet of Disney Cruise Line ships. D’Amaro revealed Saturday that the company will build four new cruise ships on top of the four already in operation. development, giving the cruise line thirteen ships in total. The company also announced new additions to its overseas theme parks, adding a “Lion King” themed charm and land at Disneyland Paris and a “Spider-Man” charm at Shanghai Disneyland.
Disney’s flurry of announcements this weekend comes after the company made some concrete announcements during its final Expo presentation in 2022, leaving enthusiasts wondering how the theme park giant would respond to Epic Universe and if something new would be announced this year. Disney theme parks have faced increasing complaints in recent years, even as attendance has rebounded after the pandemic, with many questioning the ultimate value of Disney vacations and recent measures that have been noted. like a nickel and a dime for your visitors. Under former Disney CEO Bob Chapek, who was ousted by the return of CEO Bob Iger in November 2022, the company’s theme parks have announced moves such as transforming its once-free FastPass program to now a paid upgrade and the removal of Magical Express. service that transported Disney hotel visitors to and from the airport for free. With Iger back at the helm, the company has announced measures in recent months such as eliminating the requirement to make reservations for its theme parks and converting to a skip-the-line payment program, even though complaints about rising ticket prices persisted. the parks. .
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