Disney announced at the D23 Expo 2017 that a new venue for world-class entertainment is coming to Main Street, U.S.A. at Magic Kingdom.
According to the Disney Parks Blog, the new entertainment venue will be based on the iconic Willis Wood theater in 1920s Kansas City, where Walt lived after he left Marceline. As the blog states, "it’ll fit well right off Main Street, U.S.A."
“Across Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, we’ve been upping the game in Entertainment with shows like Frozen Live at the Hyperion,” Bob Chapek, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts said. “It’s been a huge hit at the Disneyland Resort, and I’m sure many of you have seen it. This new theater at Walt Disney World continues that streak by bringing a new venue for world-class entertainment to the world’s biggest park.”
So far, there have been no announcements about what this new theater will be used for. Based on the size depicted in this concept art - it will be huge, so there will be a lot of room for a major production. It also appears that this will go in Town Square, which means the probable end of Tony's Town Square restaurant and yet another move for the Mickey Mouse meet and greet (unless it is incorporated into this new plan).
At the D23 Expo, Disney announced that a new space-themed restaurant will be coming near Mission: SPACE at Epcot. According to the Disney Parks Blog, the restaurant will invite guests to travel into space for amazing dining experiences in the stars.
“We know our guests love dining at Epcot – and the restaurants really are out of this world,” said Walt Disney Imagineer Tom Fitzgerald, who shared a first look at the
restaurant during the Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts presentation
at D23 Expo 2017. “Now we’re about to create one that takes that literally,” he added.
The new space restaurant will be operated by the Patina Restaurant Group. Patina Restaurant Group operates several other restaurants at Walt Disney World including Tutto Italia and Via Napoli at Epcot and Morimoto Asia at Disney Springs.
At the D23 Expo 2017, Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Bob Chapek was joined by Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios John Lasseter to unveil plans for Pixar Pier at Disney California Adventure, where the pier will take on a brand new look as more favorite Pixar characters and stories come to life, from The Incredibles, to Inside Out to even more Toy Story. Chapek also announced there is more Pixar in store during Pixar Fest at Disneyland Resort. Starting in 2018, this limited-time offering will include a new fireworks spectacular as well as special characters and entertainment moments.
Extraordinary Line-up of Experiences Coming to Disney Parks around the Globe As part of the celebration, the Pixar Play Parade will return to Disneyland Resort – this time at Disneyland Park – and the fan favorite Paint the Night Parade will move to Disney California Adventure, one of Disney’s longest parade routes.
At the D23 Expo 2017, Disney announced the new Toy Story Land, currently under construction at Disney Hollywood Studios, will open in summer 2018. This new land replaces the area that was the Backlot Tour and Lights, Motors, Action! Stunt Spectacular.
At the D23 Expo 2017, Disney announced a whole new transportation system called Disney Skyliner will give guests a birds-eye view of Walt Disney World Resort. This brand new system will connect Disney’s Art of Animation, Pop Century and Caribbean Beach resorts, as well as the proposed new Disney Riviera Resort, with Disney’s Hollywood Studios and the International Gateway at Epcot.
At the 2017 D23 Expo, Disney announced that the most popular attraction at Shanghai Disneyland is coming to Walt Disney World Resort. A thrilling, Tron-themed attraction will be added in a new area near Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom. Interestingly, as you can see from the design concept above, this new attraction will not replace the Tomorrowland Speedway, as initial rumors suggested. Instead, this attraction will be placed beyond the Speedway, where the current walkway between Tomorrowland and The Fantasyland Circus is. One interesting question remains - how will this impact the WDW Railroad?
Disney remains at the cutting edge of deeply immersive, creative storytelling that draws guests into new worlds, and it is a legacy that lives on in every new Disney Parks experience. At the D23 Expo, Disney announced the first-ever Mickey-themed ride-through attraction, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, will come to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. With a new original story and lovable attraction theme song, this new state-of-the-art ride-through attraction will take guests on a journey inside the wacky and unpredictable world of Disney Channel's Emmy Award-winning “Mickey Mouse” cartoon shorts using new technologies that transform the flat cartoon world into an incredible dimensional experience.
As rumored, this attraction will replace the Great Movie Ride. It's unclear if the iconic Chinese Theater facade will remain. The Great Movie Ride will close in August.
Looking ahead to the 50th Anniversary of Walt Disney World, there are grand plans to complete the transformation that started with the debut of New Fantasyland in 2014. Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman, Bob Chapek, announced exciting plans across Epcot to realize the original vision of the park while making it more timeless and relevant than ever before. Patterned after the number one family attraction at Disneyland Paris, Ratatouille will be added in an all-new space in the France pavilion at World Showcase.
Images copyright Disney. All Rights Reserved.
Epcot will also see the addition of a brand new E-ticket attraction based on the rockin’ and action-packed world of Guardians of the Galaxy, the next step in how guests can encounter these characters at Walt Disney World Resort.
In Future World, a new Green Mission at Mission: SPACE will take guests on a stunning tour around the Earth, and an updated Orange Mission will make the trip to Mars even more spectacular. Adjacent to Mission: Space will be a new restaurant that will invite guests to travel high above the earth for an unforgettable dining experience.
Fans at the D23 Expo were elated to hear theirStar Warsstories will come to life inStar Wars:Galaxy’s Edge,the newly announced name for theStar Wars-themed lands. Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman, Bob Chapek, shared exciting new details and a glimpse inside the two anchor attractions, including one that puts guests right in the middle of a battle between the First Order and the Resistance where guests will feel like they are inside a hangar bay on a Star Destroyer. Guests will also have the chance to fly the Millennium Falcon, where each guest is critical to the mission’s success. Chapek also revealed many characters that guests will meet, including BB-8, Chewbacca, Rex and Kylo Ren. Representing the largest single-themed land expansion at 14 acres each,Star Wars:Galaxy’s Edge will open in 2019, with the first land debuting at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, then at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando.
Image copyright Disney, All Rights Reserved.
Among the announcements were projects that infuse even more exciting experiences for resort hotel guests in ways that are only possible at Disney. To the delight of fans, Chapek confirmed ambitious plans to create the most experiential concept ever in an immersiveStar Wars-themed hotelat Walt Disney World Resort. Dedicated entirely to the galaxy ofStar Wars, it will be a one-of-a-kind experience where a luxury resort meets a multi-day adventure in a galaxy far, far away. Details have yet to be announced about the specific location of this resort.
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.
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.
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!
In an email to members today, D23, the official Disney fan club, announced they will no longer offer D23 Silver memberships as of today. Current D23 Silver memberships will still be honored until renewal time when those members will be offered the opportunity to upgrade to a Gold or Gold Family account. For those who may not recall, a D23 Silver membership included an official membership card, membership certificate, access to D23 special events and D23 special discounts and member access D23.com as well as extra special surprises.
In addition, D23 announced they will offer a new Gold Family membership, where a member can include up to three guests at various D23 events.
To read the entire email, click on the photo below.
The Parks and Resorts presentation for the 2011 D23 Expo just wrapped up. Thanks to Lou Mongello, I was able to watch it in the "box," though there wasn't really anything worth watching. There were a few new updates about existing projects, and a few new announcements about some experiences at Disneyland.
All in all, I came away from this presentation with a gigantic sense of anticipointment (which means coming in with great anticipation and leaving with great disappointment).
Sorry, Disney, but this entire presentation was a huge letdown. Disney HAD to know that fans were expecting some major news and got NOTHING. Much of this year's presentation was a re-has of 2009 with a few nuggets of new information, which Disney immediately shared on the official blog seconds later:
All in all, Disney really needs to re-think their approach when it comes to these big presentations at future D23 Expos. If they're not giving attendees a big WOW, they will end up with a big FAIL.
Well the D23 Expo starts in just a few days, and if you're like me you're NOT GOING TO BE THERE!
So what's a stranded Disney nut to do in order to stay in touch with everything about the Expo?
There are a few resources to monitor to stay current with all the happenings at this year's Expo.
The first is the official D23 Expo Web site, where you can get news, schedules and shop for some exclusive D23 items. Disney has an extension of the official site for smartphones at D23Mobile.com. You'll also want to follow the following D23 Social media feeds:
It's a good idea to closely monitor these feeds as Disney could possibly surprise online fans by providing coverage of certain presentations. You never know what magic Disney might make.
Lou Mongello from WDWRadio.com and Celebrations Magazine will be broadcasting live from the Expo for the entire event. You can watch the live stream (from the Collector's forum, sorry not from the actual presentations) and can chat with hundreds (maybe thousands) of fans at http://www.d23expolive.com. I've been in "the box" many times before and was in "the box" for nearly the entire D23 Expo in 2009 and I'll be in "the box" this year as well!
Ricky Brigante from InsidetheMagic is planning to provide a lot of playback coverage from the D23 Expo as well, so keep an eye on his site for coverage of major events.
Finally, keep an eye on this blog as I'll be posting major updates as well.
Let's hope we have some big news to celebrate this weekend!!! Enjoy the Expo!
As we all wait with baited breath for the 2nd D23 Expo to start in Anaheim, CA, I can't help but wonder what amazing announcements may come from this ultimate Disney fan event.
If you recall at the last D23 Expo in 2009, Disney shocked everyone when they announced the rumored massive expansion of Fantasyland at Walt Disney World was, indeed, TRUE!
But wait, there was more... Disney also confirmed that Star Tours 2 was finally coming.
So what's in store for this year's Expo? Fantasyland's construction is well underway and should be completed in another 12-18 months or so. The huge expansion to Disney California Adventure is nearly completed as well, so I don't think we'll see anything new about those projects.
While no one (outside of Disney) knows for sure, here's my best guess and a few wish list items:
Original Hyperion Wharf concept changes into some sort of "World of Color" evening attraction: Disney announced about a month ago that the Hyperion Wharf project was put on hold while they evaluated some "new opportunities." My thought is that Disney realized that just a new shopping/dining area wasn't enough. It need to be "plussed up," and with the recent success of World of Color, something of the sort would be perfect for the former Pleasure Island area.
Soarin' over... somewhere else: Soarin' is my favorite attraction at Walt Disney World, but, I have to admit, it's time to stop flying over California. With the recent refurb at Star Tours where guests have multiple possible destinations, I think the same concept can and should be applied to Soarin. Sure Disney can keep the original California tour, but add in some additional scenes. Soarin' over the Blue Ridge Mountains, Soarin' over New York City, Soarin' over D.C. (if Homeland Security would permit it), Soarin' over Florida... the possible tours are endless. Having multiple random destinations with a digital projection (no more lint-riddled film) would greatly increase the re-rideablilty of this attraction.
Grand Floridian DVC resort: This one's all but a done deal. It's been widely reported that Disney is planning to build a DVC resort at the Grand Floridian Resort, so just go ahead and make it official.
Pirates 5: Another in the "done deal" category. Disney's still raking in the gold from Pirates 4, so a Pirates 5 is a no-brainer and there's word the script already is in development. Don't expect to see Johnny Depp reprise his appearance as Jack Sparrow (sorry, that's Captain Jack Sparrow) like he did in 2009.
Major addition to Animal Kingdom: This is definitely one from the "wish list," though DAK really needs it, especially where Camp Minnie Mickey is. The lack of genuine attractions is what's really hurting Animal Kingdom. Don't get me wrong, I like this park, but it just doesn't stand up to the other three in terms of attractions.
A new hand-drawn animated feature: I really hope we hear some sort of announcement in this area. While Princess and the Frog wasn't the most successful of films in terms of box office gross (really a victim of bad timing more than anything else - it was released against Avatar), it was one of the most beautifully drawn and written stories Disney has created in a long time. I would love to see the commitment to hand-drawn animation continue.
Incredibles 2: It's time for the Incredibles to have another Incredible adventure. While I doubt this will be announced, I do think we'll hear a lot more about...
Monsters Inc., 2 (prequel): Disney has talked about this already, though there's not much out there right now. Don't be surprised if there's a new trailer or some sort of teaser shown.
TRON Legacy 2: Speaking of sequels, TRON Legacy was pretty successful and Disney has dropped several hints at continuing the story of Sam Flynn. I suspect we may just hear about a new story involving the son of Kevin Flynn (Sam) vs. the son of his arch rival Ed Dillinger (Ed. Jr.). I think we just may see the return of the dreaded Master Control Program as well.
D23 Expo 2013 coming to Orlando: When the first D23 Expo was announced, Disney said the Expo would be in Anaheim for the first four years. Well, that was in 2009. In 2013 it will be four year later, so I think will be time for Disney to bring the Expo East.
So there you go, my top ten predictions, however wild and/or unrealistic, for possible announcements at the D23 Expo. What do you think? What other announcements do you expect? Post a comment!
During the annual shareholder meeting, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced the next D23 Expo will be held August 19-21, 2011 in Anaheim.
Tickets for the 2011 D23 Expo will go on sale August 19, 2010. Below is some content from the D23 Web site.
The next D23 Expo, which will light up the Anaheim Convention Center from August 19-21, 2011, promises to deliver even more excitement! We're still hard at work finalizing plans for the D23 Expo 2011, but you can expect to see what's new and what's next from Parks and Resorts, The Walt Disney Studios, Media Networks and Disney Consumer Products and more. Of course, there will be special exhibits of rarely seen Disney props and costumes from the legendary Walt Disney Archives, headline-grabbing celebrity appearances, screenings of classic Disney movies and exclusive sneak peeks at some that no one has seen yet, musical performances, panel discussions with legendary Disney actors, performers, animators, Imagineers and more and of course, Mickey and some of our favorite characters will be on hand to make sure the fun never stops!
Tickets for the D23 Expo 2011 will go on sale August 19 (one year in advance), with specially priced tickets available exclusively to D23 Members. In addition, D23 Charter Members will have access to a special Charter Member Lounge at the D23 Expo 2011, at no additional cost.
"The first D23 Expo surpassed all of our expectations, and our 2011 Expo is already shaping up to be a jaw-dropping, not-to-be missed showcase of the best and brightest Disney has to offer," said Steven Clark, head of D23.
Jay Rasulo, head of Disney Parks and Resorts gave his much-anticipated presentation today at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, CA.
He didn't waste any time with surprise announcements!
The rumored Fantasyland Expansion at the Magic Kingdom is TRUE!!! The area will double in size!! It all starts in 2010 and should be ready by 2012.
Pictures (click for larger version): Fantasyland concept art:
Ariel's Adventure:
New Dumbos Attraction:
Basically the leaked blueprints are genuine! Here they are:
Overlay to current Fantasyland:
This news spells the end of ToonTown. In a news conference Disney confirmed that ToonTown would be no more.
But wait, there's MORE!!!
Star Tours 2.0 in 3-D is CONFIRMED!!! It will close in 2010 to begin the refurb. Apparently Disneyland will be first. The Disneyland version will re-open in 2011. DHS also will be updated!
Video:
News Release from Disney Parks: Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Jay Rasulo detailed plans for future lands, attractions and adventures that will be delighting Disney guests for years to come, at the first D23 Expo.
Most notable among the announcements were the confirmation of an all-new Star Tours attraction and the largest expansion in the history of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World."Storytelling is the DNA of Disney dreams and we're always exploring new ways to tell new stories in new places," Rasulo told a crowd at the Anaheim Convention Center in California before taking them on a "behind-the-magic" tour of their favorite Disney destinations.Rasulo announced that a new 3-D version of the tremendously-popular "Star Tours" attraction will debut at the Disneyland Resort and Disney's Hollywood Studios in 2011.
Based on the iconic Lucasfilm "Star Wars" films, the attraction will include immersive new elements that will take guests to many familiar places in the Star Wars galaxy.
For Walt Disney World in Florida, Rasulo outlined plans for the largest expansion in the history of the Magic Kingdom, vastly increasing the size of Fantasyland by 2013.
Guests will soon be able to:
Visit their favorite Disney Princess in her castle, cottage, or chateau to share a dance with Cinderella; celebrate Sleeping Beauty's birthday with the Good Fairies; or join Belle in an enchanting story performance in the Beast's castle library.
Be Our Guest and dine in one of three enchanted rooms inside the Beast's castle.Fly with Dumbo high above brand new circus grounds, twice the size of the existing attraction with a new interactive, three-ring circus tent.
Journey under the sea with Ariel, The Little Mermaid, in her very own attraction - also opening at Disney's California Adventure in Anaheim in 2011.Meet Tinker Bell and her friends in the magical world of Pixie Hollow.
Rasulo provided updates on the multi-year expansion of Disney's California Adventure including the new "World of Color" attraction slated to open in the spring of 2010 and the addition of the 12-acre Cars Land scheduled to open in 2012 where guests will literally step into the town of Radiator Springs and its six acres of hand-carved rockwork.
Rasulo noted the progress of several other recently-announced projects including the three new lands coming to Hong Kong Disneyland by 2014; the Disney Dream, the new ship being built by Disney Cruise Line; the many diverse itineraries being offered by Adventures by Disney that take guests on 19 unique, once-in-a-lifetime guided vacation experiences; and Disney's first family destination resort on the island of Oahu in Hawaii.
Rasulo's keynote presentation was only part of the D23 EXPO experience.
Guests were able to discover:
Never-before-seen models of upcoming Disney attractions.
Up close and personal visits with Lucky the Dinosaur and Wall-E.
A preview of the most advanced Audio-Animatronics figures ever created by Walt Disney Imagineering.
Displays showcasing cutting-edge effects technologies that are being developed for Disney attractions, shows and venues.
It's not very often that six of Disney's most legendary Imagineers sit down together to share some of their most personal memories with fans. But when they did on the first day of the D23 Expo, it was pure magic. Moderated by Disney Legend Marty Sklar, who retired this year on July 17 after 53 years of Imagineering brilliance — on the 54th anniversary of Disneyland — X Atencio, Alice Davis, Blaine Gibson, Bob Gurr and Don Iwerks spent two hours recounting some of their favorite Disney memories for an audience of a few hundred avid Disney aficionados.
