Bob Chapek (the Disney Parks, Experiences & Products Chairman) has revealed what’s new and what’s next for Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California at the D23 EXPO 2019.
Walt Disney World
Epcot will be unified with 4 areas: World Showcase, World Celebration, World Nature and World Discovery. These areas will be filled with new experiences.
World Showcase will continue to be a celebration of the culture, cuisine, architecture and traditions of countries around the world – infused with new magic.
The United Kingdom pavilion will welcome the first attraction inspired by Mary Poppins. You will step in time down Cherry Tree Lane past Admiral Boom’s house, then enter Number 17, home of the Banks family, where your adventure will begin.
In 2020, following the limited-time run of Epcot Forever, the new HarmonioUS will debut as the largest nighttime spectacular ever created for a Disney park. The new show will feature massive floating set pieces, custom-built LED panels, choreographed moving fountains, lights, pyrotechnics, lasers and more.
In summer 2020, the France pavilion will offer even more for you to discover, including the much-anticipated attraction Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, where you’ll shrink to the size of Chef Remy and race through Gusteau’s restaurant on a wild adventure. 2020 will also see the debut of a delicious new restaurant in the France pavilion, La Crêperie de Paris, offering both table- and quick-service options featuring a menu from celebrity chef Jérôme Bocuse.
Also in the France pavilion, the classic Impressions de France film will be joined by the new Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along, debuting in January 2020 and directed by Don Hahn, producer of both the animated and live-action versions of this tale as old as time.
Canada Far and Wide in Circle-Vision 360 will debut in January 2020 in the Canada pavilion with new scenes and a new story.
In the China pavilion, Wondrous China will take guests on a spectacular journey across the country, filmed and presented in a completely seamless 360-degree digital format.
World Celebration will offer new experiences that connect us to one another and the world around us.
The iconic Spaceship Earth will remain a voyage through time as the journey transforms to reflect the power of storytelling to unite the human experience. New narration and an entirely new musical score will focus on the moments and ideas that define our story. You will follow a magical “story light” that brings the entire experience to life in dynamic ways, giving each scene energy and beauty that ties the entire journey together.
A new pavilion will be the perfect place for live events, and the home base for Epcot’s signature festivals. It will provide a stunning elevated view of the entire park and an ideal spot to witness Epcot’s nighttime spectacular. This beautiful three-level structure will have one of the most remarkable architectural designs at any Disney park, featuring a plaza level, a middle expo level, and a park that sits in the sky on the top level.
As you exit Spaceship Earth, you’ll discover a breathtaking new view of World Showcase from Dreamers Point. World Celebration will also feature a new statue celebrating the legacy of the original dreamer, Walt Disney, plus beautiful natural environments and global design elements filled with Disney magic and surprises, including a wishing tree in an enchanted forest and a story fountain celebrating the power and music of iconic Disney storytelling.
World Nature is dedicated to understanding and preserving the beauty, awe and balance of the natural world. It will include The Land and The Seas with Nemo & Friends pavilions.
Journey of Water, inspired by Moana, will be the first experience inspired by the hit Walt Disney Animation Studios film. This lush exploration trail will invite you to meet and play with magical, living water. The water will have a life of its own – just like Moana’s friend, the ocean – and you’ll learn about the importance of the natural water cycle.
The Land pavilion’s new film, Awesome Planet, which showcases the beauty, diversity and dynamic story of the planet, will debut in January 2020.
In World Discovery, stories about science, technology and intergalactic adventure come to life.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will be the first “other-world” showcase pavilion at Epcot. The adventure starts in the Galaxarium, a planetarium-like exhibition that explores the similarities and mysteries of the formation of Earth’s galaxy and Xandar. You will be invited to learn more about the treasures Xandar has to share – until the moment when the Guardians of the Galaxy arrive, and adventures across the cosmos ensue.
The attraction will feature a new innovation from Walt Disney Imagineering – a storytelling coaster that rotates 360 degrees to focus your attention on the action, including the first reverse launch on a Disney coaster.
An expansion of the Mission: SPACE pavilion, the new restaurant Space 220 will be a culinary experience featuring the celestial panorama of a space station, including daytime and nighttime views of Earth from 220 miles up. You’ll board a special elevator for a journey to a space station that is home to an incredible dining experience. Along the way, viewports will give you a real-time perspective as you travel high above the planet. Once you arrive, you’ll enjoy fantastic meals and drinks while taking in views that are truly out of this world. Opening this winter, Space 220 will be operated by the Patina Restaurant Group.
The PLAY! pavilion will open in time for the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World. In this digital metropolis, you’ll discover an interactive city bursting with games, activities and experiences that connect you with friends, family and beloved Disney characters – both real and virtual – like never before. As part of this new pavilion, you’ll have the chance to help legendary fashion icon Edna Mode on her quest to rid the world of uninspired style, or make a splash competing in a water-balloon fight hosted by Huey, Dewey, Louie and Webby.
Also at Walt Disney World in Florida, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2020.
You’ll be invited to the Chinese Theatre, which serves as the magic portal through which theatergoers will step from the human world directly into the cartoon world for one Goofy adventure aboard Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway!
TRON Lightcycle Run, the highest-rated attraction at Shanghai Disneyland, is coming to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida! The attraction will be next to Space Mountain in Tomorrowland and is also scheduled to open for Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary in 2021.
This futuristic roller coaster attraction lets riders board a train of two-wheeled Lightcycles and experience the energy, lights and excitement of TRON’s high-tech universe.
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser will be a new, first-of-its-kind vacation experience where guests will embark on a 2-night journey to a galaxy far, far away on board a glamorous ship, known as the Halcyon, where every window offers stellar views into space. The immersive adventure will include special activities, incredible dining and a 'spaceport' day on Batuu at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Disneyland
Next year, the highly anticipated Avengers Campus is opening in Disney California Adventure park, while the all-new Magic Happens parade will debut in Disneyland park. In addition, more details were shared for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, the first major Mickey-themed ride-through attraction, opening in 2022 at Disneyland park.
You can soon suit up alongside your favorite Super Heroes at the Avengers Campus, beginning in 2020 at Disney California Adventure park. This campus is set up by the Avengers to recruit the next generation of Super Heroes.
The first key address at the Avengers Campus will be the Worldwide Engineering Brigade – also known as WEB – which will house the new Spider-Man experience, the first Disney ride-through attraction to feature this iconic Super Hero.
During an open house at WEB, the aspiring inventors are excited to invite you for a test drive of their latest invention: the Web Slinger vehicle, which allows you to sling webs just like Spider-Man! The attraction gives you a taste of what it’s like to have actual super powers as you help Spider-Man collect Spider-Bots that have run amok.
Avengers Campus will also feature Pym Test Kitchen. Just as Ant-Man and The Wasp use “Pym Particles” to grow and shrink just about anything, Pym Technologies is using the latest innovations to grow and shrink food at this eatery!
You will also find heroic encounters throughout the campus, including Black Widow, Ant-Man and The Wasp, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Panther, Thor and Iron Man.
As Super Heroes continue to assemble at the campus, one of its iconic buildings will be the Avengers Headquarters where you may catch a glimpse of the Avengers along its rooftops.
This building, which will open in phase two, will become the future entrance to a brand-new E-Ticket attraction where you will step on board a Quinjet and fly alongside the Avengers in an epic adventure to Wakanda and beyond! You will team up alongside the Avengers in a battle to save our world against one of the most powerful villains they have ever faced. Imagineers are hard at work conceiving an all-new innovative ride system to put you in the middle of this action.
Debuting in spring 2020, the all-new, extraordinary Magic Happens parade will travel down Main Street, U.S.A. in Disneyland park.
This daytime spectacular will feature stunning floats, beautiful costumes, and beloved Disney characters – all led by Mickey Mouse and his pals.
On her voyager wa‘a (or canoe), Moana journeys forth on the crest of a beautiful wave, inspired by beautiful koa wood carvings inset with LED panels, providing a dazzling glimpse into the magic the ocean holds.
Celebrating the magic that happens when Miguel strums the guitar of Ernesto de la Cruz, the spectacular float inspired by the Disney and Pixar film Coco bridges the Land of the Living and the Land of the Dead with vibrant marigolds. Fantastical alebrije spirit animals join the procession, along with Miguel’s dog Danté.
The regal grand finale of Magic Happens parade celebrates magical moments from classic Disney stories, including the trio of fairies from Sleeping Beauty who transform Princess Aurora’s gown from pink to blue and back again!
In addition, the parade will feature even more floats and characters, an energetic musical score and a new song produced in partnership with singer-songwriter Todrick Hall. The high-energy music combines this original song with classic Disney tunes in a fresh, contemporary style.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is coming to Disneyland park in California in 2022.
The action takes place at the El CapiTOON Theater in Mickey’s Toontown, where Mickey and Minnie are premiering their newest short, Perfect Picnic. Before you enter the cinema, you’ll experience a special exhibit created by the Toontown Hysterical Society featuring costumes and props from the toon world.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway puts you inside the wacky and unpredictable world of Disney Channel’s Emmy® Award-winning Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts! Once you step into the cartoon world of Mickey and Minnie, you’ll board a train with Goofy as the engineer. Then, one magical moment after the next leads you to a zany, out-of-control adventure filled with surprising twists and turns.
With an original story and lovable theme song, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway uses state-of-the-art technologies and dazzling visual effects to transform the cartoon world into an incredible and immersive multi-dimensional experience.
