Pandora - The World of Avatar at Animal Kingdom to include new attractions

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At the D23 Expo today, Disney announced the official name for the new Avatar-based expansion currently under construction at Animal Kingdom - "Pandora - the World of Avatar."  This new land will include two new attractions, the Avatar Flight of Passage, in which guests will soar on a flying Banshee over the world of Pandora.  Also, the "Rivers of Light," currently under construction, will offer a new evening show featuring lanterns, water screens and more.

Disney also announced the Kilimanjaro Safaris will be expanded to offer new sunset scenes and will include two new species - African wild dogs and hyenas.

Toy Story Land coming to Disney Hollywood Studios

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At the D23 Expo, Disney today announced that Toy Story Land will be coming to Disney Hollywood Studios.  This new eleven-acre land, based on the existing Toy Story Mania! will include two new attractions - a Little Green Men alien flying saucers attraction and a new family-friendly roller coaster based on Slinky the dog.

It's official! The Force to expand at Disneyland and Walt Disney World

Image courtesy Disney.  All rights reserved.

Image courtesy Disney.  All rights reserved.

Image courtesy Disney.  All rights reserved.

Today at the D23 EXPO 2015, The Walt Disney Company Chairman and CEO Bob Iger announced to an audience of more than 7,500 fans that Star Wars-themed lands will be coming to Disneyland park in Anaheim, Calif., and Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla., allowing Star Wars fans to step into the stories from a galaxy far, far away.

Ambitious plans to bring Star Wars to life in the two parks include creating Disney’s largest single themed land expansions ever at 14 acres each, transporting guests to a never-before-seen planet, a remote trading port and one of the last stops before wild space where Star Wars characters and their stories come to life.

“I am thrilled to announce the next chapter in the long and exciting history between Disney Parks and Star Wars,” said Iger. “We are creating a jaw-dropping new world that represents our largest single themed land expansion ever. These new lands at Disneyland and Walt Disney World will transport guests to a whole new Star Wars planet, including an epic Star Wars adventure that puts you in the middle of a climactic battle between the First Order and the Resistance.”

These authentic lands will have two signature attractions. Along with the thrilling battle experience, another attraction puts guests behind the controls of one of the most recognizable ships in the galaxy, the Millennium Falcon, as they take on a customized secret mission.

Iger also shared concept images of the Star Wars-themed lands, giving fans a glimpse at what is to come for Disney parks.

The partnership between Disney and Lucasfilm dates back to 1987, when the successful Star Tours attraction, inspired by George Lucas’s legendary Star Wars film series, opened at Disneyland. The attraction was then redesigned, emerging as “Star Tours – The Adventures Continue” in 2011 and featuring more than 50 different story outcomes and the possibility to visit five different planets.

For 60 years, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts has been delighting millions of people with fantastic storytelling, exceptional entertainment and extraordinary experiences, creating places where guests can make life-long memories with their friends and families. This announcement marks an unprecedented time of growth with exciting developments happening around the world – from Disneyland Resort’s Diamond Celebration to the anticipated opening of Shanghai Disney Resort in China.

Jungle Cruise Skipper Canteen to open at WDW

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Here's some of our first news coming out of the D23 Expo 2015 in Anaheim!

Disney has announced that the Jungle Cruise Navigation Company Ltd. Skipper Canteen will open in Adventureland in the Magic Kingdom.  According to the official Disney Parks Blog, this new restaurant will open in late 2015.  Based on the artist rendering above, it looks like this will go into the space around what was the Aloha Isle.

The restaurant will be staffed by Jungle Cruise skippers, so you can bet there will be plenty more bad jokes coming!