Calling It Now: 7 Trends Gen Alpha Will Bring to Disney World

As Millennials and Gen X’ers, we’re often curious about how our trends have changed Disney World over the years, but we are also looking forward to seeing how future generations impact The Most Magical Place on Earth.

So let’s take a look at the youngest generation right now, Gen Alpha, who are already starting to change pop culture and social media trends with an awareness we never had as kids. So what kind of trends will they bring to Disney World? Well, we think we have some ideas.

Giving up on Ears

This one kind of upsets us, but we’ve been watching Gen Alpha at Disney World and they are less likely to wear Minnie Ears or Mickey Ear Hats than their older counterparts. We’re not sure why, although ears can be an expensive souvenir that you only want to wear when you’re in the parks (unless you’re us and you just wear them around the house for fun).

Could ears be phased out completely? Well, we’ll still be wearing them, so not likely, but it could mean that we see less designs drop at any given time. So we could see our ear choices limited in the future because of Gen Alpha.

Choosing the next big movie franchise

So for now, Frozen and Encanto seem to be two of the biggest Disney franchises, but Gen Alpha is going to be in charge of choosing the NEXT big movie or series of movies that everyone will be obsessed with. Will it be the upcoming Elio? Maybe it will be Hoppers.

Whatever it is, expect to see Disney announcing sequels and loads of merchandise. However, those characters will also make appearances in Disney World, and who knows? They could be headlining Disney World’s next big attraction.

More tech-based experiences

Gen Alpha is probably the most technologically advanced of the generations because they are growing up in a fully-formed digital age. Disney World will likely take advantage of that and create more tech-based experiences in the parks. Think something like the Play Disney Parks! app, but super-charged.

People playing the Batuu Bounty Hunters game in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

We wouldn’t be surprised if some high-tech augmented reality game is added to the app for kids to use while they’re visiting the parks, standing in line, and interacting with rides. Imagine a ride that interacts with your phone or some other device (maybe one that you borrow from Disney when you ride it). The possibilities are endless.

Mocktails

Gen Alpha, much like Gen Z, aren’t as interested in drinking alcohol. We’re already starting to see a trend of mocktails starting to appear on restaurant menus, including drinks that aren’t just flavored lemonades and teas.

Disney has already starting getting creative with its non-alcoholic beverage options, and before you know it, we’ll be sipping on mocktails around the world, rather than cocktails.

More interactive experience in queues and rides

Let’s go back to how we’ll see technology evolve in the parks. We expect that many rides will have more interactive queues that people can play with while they’re waiting. We expect to see lots of touchscreens, games, and other elements incorporated into ride lines.

Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run is an interactive ride

However, we think the future of attractions in Disney World could also be more interactive. Rides like Toy Story Mania and Millennium Falcon are already super popular, thanks to their interactive features, and we think future rides will be even MORE interactive and a lot more like video games.

More diversity

Disney has strived to add more diversity to its theme parks, not just with its Cast Members, but also with its rides. The first black Disney princess, Tiana, just recently got her own ride in Magic Kingdom, and we expect to see more diversity in future attractions. Zootopia, a movie about diversity, will also soon be featured in a new Animal Kingdom attraction.

According to Business Wire, Gen Alpha is on record to be the most racially diverse generation we’ve seen yet. This means we’ll see the stories that are important to them better represented in the parks.

More virtual world representation in the parks

Imagine this: you’re in Disney World and you step through a portal and you are suddenly immersed in a fully virtual world. Now we don’t know what this looks like yet — maybe it’s like that incredible virtual Reality Star Wars attraction that once existed in Disney Springs. Maybe it’s something like a gaming platform (Disney has partnered with Fortnite, after all). Maybe it’s something we haven’t imagined yet.

Gen Alpha is really into gaming, but the kinds of games they play are more like Minecraft and Roblox where they work with others to achieve their goals. There’s also been an uptick in cozy gaming thanks to games like Stardew Valley, Disney Dreamlight Valley, and Journey. So imagine something like Disney Dreamlight Valley, but in the parks.

There are already a ton of changes coming to Disney World soon, including new lands, rides, and more. Some of these changes could bring in the kind of experiences Gen Alpha will love, so we’ll be looking forward to seeing what Disney comes up with for the next generation of Disney World lovers.

Check back with AllEars again soon for more.