The 2023 Destination D23 event has certainly given us a lot to talk about with these announcements for new and upcoming Disney projects!
We’ve learned that a Figment meet-and-greet is beginning September 10th at EPCOT, we saw a sneak peek at Disney’s “Frozen” land coming to Hong Kong, and Journey of Water — Inspired by Moana will open in October. That’s just the beginning. In case you missed all of the breaking news, here’s a recap of the 6 BIGGEST news drops we got from Destination D23 this year.
Almost all of the biggest news drops from this year’s event came from the Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products panel, hosted by Josh D’Amaro. So now, let’s dive in.
Magic Kingdom Expansion
Last year at D23 Expo, we saw some concept art for a Magic Kingdom expansion. This year, we have an update. It was mentioned that Disney wants to expand Magic Kingdom in a huge way: like in the way Pandora expanded Animal Kingdom and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge expanded Hollywood Studios.
Bruce Vaughn, Chief Creative Officer for Walt Disney Imagineering, called it the “Biggest thing we’ve done in the Magic Kingdom, bigger than New Fantasyland” before saying that there are plenty of places in the park to bring “big, big stories to life.” He mentioned Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and how there’s “a lot of room to play around with.”.
He mentioned Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and how there’s “a lot of room to play around with.”.
Learn More About The Magic Kingdom Expansion Here
Country Bear Jamboree Update
Also, over in Magic Kingdom, the Country Bear Jamboree will be getting an update.
Next year, The Country Bears will be learning some new songs and performing a COMPLETELY new act.
The new show takes inspiration from classic Nashville variety shows. Disney even involved Nashville musicians to make the new arrangements for the songs.
Learn More About the Country Bears Update Here
DinoLand U.S.A. Re-Theme at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Again, this is an update on a project that was shared last year at D23. Vaughn shared at the panel that Imagineers are focusing on “The Tropical Americas” part of the world, which is the northern part of South America and Central America. This area is one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth.
Although both Zootopia and Moana were previously mentioned for DinoLand, Disney has now said that it’s considering the worlds of both Encanto and Indiana Jones for the area.
Disney even mentioned that work is being done on the Casita from Encanto.
Read Our Full Story on The Expansion Here
Zootopia Show Coming Soon
It was announced that Disney is creating a new show for the Tree of Life based on Zootopia. It will be “filled with humor and action.”
It was not confirmed, but it’s possible that this show could replace the “It’s Tough To Be a Bug” attraction.
Read About the Zootopia Show Here
End of EPCOT Transformation
Disney announced that the transformation will be complete with World Celebration opening to guests in December 2023.
This will welcome new spaces like Communicore Hall, Dreamer’s Statue, and more.
Read More About It Here
Test Track Reimagined
Speaking of EPCOT, Disney World President Jeff Vahle took the stage at Destination D23 to speak about EPCOT, mentioning Disney’s long-term relationship with Chevrolet. Then, he mentioned that Test Track is getting reimagined.
Here’s a look at the concept art:
No timeline has been announced for this project just yet.
You Can Learn More About It Here
New Nighttime Show Announced
To round out EPCOT news, the new nighttime show had some announcements. We found out that the show will debut on December 5th, 2023 and it is called “Luminous, The Symphony of Us”.
The show will include fireworks, fountains, lasers, lighting effects, and fabulous Disney music.
Read More About Luminous Here
New Disney Cruise Ship
It was announced that Disney has three new ships in development. One of these ships will be the very first Disney Cruise ship to sail from Singapore and throughout Southeast Asia.
This ship will be named the Disney Adventure.
Read About the Disney Adventure Here
That’s the major news from the D23 event this year. For more Disney news, be sure to follow AllEars.net.
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What announcement were you most excited about? Let us know below.
He’s right !
Disney has a real bad habit of reneging on nearly everything they promise! Then it takes YEARS to bring any concept to life. Meanwhile, Universal can build an ENTIRE theme park in 3 years!