There were some surprising omissions at D23.
As expected, Disney dropped a TON of news at the D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. From the Magic Kingdom’s new Cars and Villains lands to Disneyland’s Avatar and Marvel expansion, we have a pretty clear picture of Disney’s immediate theme park future. However, that said there are several MAJOR things missing from Disney’s presentation.
No Location for Monster’s Inc. Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Before we get into things that weren’t mentioned at all, let’s focus on something that was announced…with one frustrating detail omitted. A Monster’s Inc. Land — complete with door coaster — was confirmed for Hollywood Studios. However, Disney didn’t announce where in the park the land was going, leading to speculation about whether it was replacing Grand Avenue (and MuppetVision 3D), overtaking the Animation Courtyard, or even being built in current backstage areas. The concept art didn’t help, as there were few, if any, identifying features in either piece.
By not confirming the land’s location, Disney has caused the discourse about it to be more focused on where it’s going and what it might replace than the new land itself.
There is hope this is rectified quickly though, given that Disney took to the Parks Blog on Monday to confirm the locations of Cars and Villains at the Magic Kingdom.
No Walt Disney World Fifth Gate
While we weren’t particularly expecting a fifth gate announcement for Disney World, the fact that Disney’s new agreement with the state of Florida very specifically grants Disney the right to build a fifth park left the door open just enough that we thought there was a slight possibility. Many people online speculated that they would open a fifth gate to compete with Epic Universe, which is set to open next year. However, we’ve gotta say all of the expansions sure put up a fight!
No Specifics on DisneylandForward
On the other coast, there was also nothing specific about DisneylandForward, the massive recently approved expansion to the Disneyland Resort that includes rezoning which will allow Disney to build beyond the borders of their current parks. While there was plenty announced for the resort, including a new Avatar land and the long-awaited Avengers E-Ticket coming to Disney California Adventure, there was nothing confirmed for expansion outside the current park boundaries.
Nothing on Disneyland’s Tomorrowland
Speaking of Disneyland, there was also nothing on the park’s Tomorrowland. Despite years of rumors and calls for a needed refreshment, the land wasn’t mentioned. No TRON, no new PeopleMover, no nothing.
Nothing on Play! Pavilion
Heading back east to Disney Word, there wasn’t much on the previously abandoned announcements for EPCOT. While this isn’t super-surprising given that the opening of CommuniCore Hall and Plaza was hailed as the “completion” of EPCOT’s transformation, it’s still a bit disappointing that nothing was included about the Play! Pavilion. This basically confirms that the former Wonders of Life Pavilion will remain an empty husk for the foreseeable future.
No Spaceship Earth Refurb
Speaking of EPCOT, there was also no update on the status of the Spaceship Earth refurbishment that was initially announced years ago. Once again, this is a disappointment, as EPCOT’s icon attraction is clearly showing its age, and is in desperate need of some metaphorical pixie dust. At least there’s a lounge coming…
Nothing on Tiana’s Palace
This is a slightly smaller one, but it did surprise us a bit that there was no mention of a Tiana’s Palace restaurant coming to Magic Kingdom. Specifically, it’s been rumored that Pecos Bill would be turning into Tiana’s as a thematic complement to the new Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
Nothing on Tokyo’s Space Mountain
Moving beyond the U.S., we were surprised there was no mention of Tokyo Disneyland’s upcoming Space Mountain. For those unaware, this isn’t just a refurbishment. It’s a full-on rebuild, with an all-new exterior and ride experience set to debut in 2027. We were hoping to get more details on this new coaster, and just how different it may be than the classic Space Mountain.
No New International Gate
Finally, speaking more broadly on Disney’s international expansion, we were slightly surprised to see no announcement of a new international Disney gate. Back in 2023, Disney announced a massive $60 billion expansion to their parks. At the time, Disney commented that “there is an addressable market of more than 700 million people with high Disney affinity it has yet to reach with its Parks. In fact, for every one guest who visits a Disney Park, there are more than ten people with Disney affinity who do not visit the parks.” This, combined with Bob Iger’s comment that Disney is “looking… expansively” in India and “considering our options there” lead us to believe that a new international Disney destination in the country could be coming on the foreseeable future.
While Disney did announce a lot at D23, there were still some very noticeable omissions that weren’t touched on. Stay tuned to AllEars for further updates on Disney’s future plans.
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What was missing at D23 for you? Let us know in the comments below.
I will be so disappointed if Muppets 3D is replaced. I am not a thrill ride person and there are so few options at The Studios. I was just as disappointed that the Great Movie Ride was removed. Simply put, there is very little for me to do there now and taking away the Muppet experience will just be confirmation for me there is no reason to go to that park ( I haven’t gone there in several years now). And also reinforces for me that Disney doesn’t care about guests like me.
Take it as a rumor until Disney makes it official, but a friend who’s a CM at Studios said Monsters area will replace Muppets and probably Star Tours. Definitely not thrilled since it was one of Jim Henson’s last projects and last places to hear the real voices of Kermit and Miss Piggy. The people who do their voices now are awful!
I’m sorry but putting Car’s Land in Frontier Land is idiotic.
They should replace Tommorrowland Speedway with a Car’s themed ride.