The 2022 D23 Expo came and went with announcement after announcement about all things Disney.
From new movies and series in the works to returning nighttime fireworks favorites and more, we were busy trying to keep up with all the news. Disney also dropped the bombshell news that potential new lands could be coming to the parks, including a Moana-themed land in Animal Kingdom. Let’s see just how far we’ll go as we take a closer look at the Moana-inspired land that could be coming to Disney World!
Put on your tin foil hats and channel your inner Charlie Kelly, because it’s time to speculate WILDLY! Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products, announced at the D23 Expo that Disney was thinking about bringing something new to the DinoLand area of Animal Kingdom.
D’Amaro quickly pointed out that these ideas were still in the “Blue Sky” stage, which means that Imagineers and Cast Members are still just tossing out ideas and aren’t really limited by things like budgets or timelines. Essentially, these ideas are still very much in the concept phase.
What’s replacing Dino Land in Animal Kingdom? ZOOTOPIA! #D23Expo pic.twitter.com/f2qSTMdGe3
— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) September 11, 2022
And now, allow us to become amateur sleuths as we take a deep dive and break down the Moana land concept art! Keep in mind, that Disney has not made any sort of announcements about the images in this concept art and we are just speculating based on what we can see. Alright, let’s get to it!
As you can probably already see — and what probably isn’t shocking if you know anything about Moana — there’s quite a bit of water featured in the concept art. It looks like a large water or lake area is taking up the center of the image, with a bridge separating two different attractions.
On the left, you can see a giant sail with Moana’s symbol on it and what appear to be boats — this could be a potential boat-based water ride, as it looks like there are people in boats sailing through the water. And, if you look even further to the left you just might spot what appears to be a DROP!
The lush green mountains in the background could be hiding quite the attraction back there, but of course, we’ll just have to see what happens.
As you move over to the right in the concept art, you can get a better look at the bridge and walkway that separates the two areas, and it looks like the bridge may even lead to a few buildings that look like they have thatched roofs. Could this be a store? Or maybe even a restaurant? We’d probably settle for a meet-and-greet spot at this point.
Moving on over to the right of the image, we can see a pretty huge attraction that also appears to be inspired by Moana as what looks like sails with her symbol can be seen over here as well. The sails look like they’re surrounding a central structure with several vehicles protruding out of it…could it be a Dumbo-esque spinning ride?!
And, forgive us for speculating once again, but that central structure does look awfully familiar…
…it looks like the Kakamora ship! Does this mean that a Kakamora-themed Moana attraction could eventually come to Animal Kingdom? At this point in the Blue Sky stage, anything is really possible!
It would be interesting if Disney did decide to put a Moana-themed land in Animal Kingdom, as Journey of Water — Inspired by Moana is a new walkthrough, water-based attraction currently being built at EPCOT.
We appreciate you following us down Conspiracy Lane and letting us show you the potential DinoLand U.S.A. Moana retheme concept art. Don’t forget that these are Disney’s Blue Sky ideas, so who knows whether or not any of this will ever actually come to fruition. We’ll be keeping an eye out for any updates.
Disney also discussed the potential for a Zootopia land, and you can read more about that here. Plus, there’s also the possibility of new lands coming to Magic Kingdom themed after Coco and Encanto — read more about that here. To find out when Splash Mountain will be turned into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, click here.
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Do you think Disney should retheme DinoLand U.S.A.? Let us know in the comments!
My wish would be for Disney to refurbish and enhance the Dinosaur theme for the land as I think it works the best for the park. However, if a land retheme is inevitable, I overwhelmingly vote for Zootopia. Abundant “Animal” opportunities and keeps the “silly” and “fun” vibe of that section alive within a park that tilts a bit serious. There is already a Moana attraction coming to Epcot. If continued diversity is a goal of the new land for this particular park, Disney should consider any of their white male characters.