Making Magic
By Peyton Schultze
Guests will be able to have the own personal encounters with members of the Avengers, such as Doctor Strange, once the brand-new Avengers Campus opens at Disney’s California Adventure in Summer 2020 (via Mashable).
This weekend, thousands of diehard Disney fans flocked to their own personal paradise when the D23 Expo set up shop at the Anaheim Convention Center in Southern California. Although Friday and Saturday had plenty of their own exciting announcements for the upcoming plans of the Walt Disney Company (news on future of Star Wars, Marvel, and Pixar, as well as the upcoming shows that are set to debut on Disney+ this fall), Sunday truly stole the show when the major panel for Disney Parks took the stage. Bob Chapek, the head of Disney Parks and Resorts, spoke to a large crowd and released some huge park-related information for upcoming shows and brand-new attractions set to debut at the resorts in the future. If you missed it, here’s some of the more noteworthy announcements that were made:
The Avengers New Regional Headquarters at Disney’s California Adventure
The concept art for an upcoming “E-Ticket” Avengers ride, which will transport riders to Wakanda aboard a Quinjet to fight alongside Iron Man, Thor, Captain Marvel, and the rest of the mighty Avengers (via Mashable).
Although previously confirmed, the first phase of the new Avengers Campus at Disney’s California Adventure is set to debut in Summer 2020. In the first phase, guests to the resort will be able to step inside their own superhero journey and come face-to-face with some of their favorite superheroes. From Captain America to Black Panther, and from Black Widow to Star-Lord, you never know which iconic hero you will be able to run into at any corner.
However, the big headliner of the Avengers-related news comes from none other than your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. A brand-new Spidey themed ride will open up next summer at the park, which will take guests on a journey to recover some of the webcrawler’s lost Spider-Bots .The attraction will take first guests inside of a old warehouse building that is home to WEB (Worldwide Engineering Brigade) to meet with inventor, Peter Parker, before setting off on their journey. During the ride, guests will be able to shoot their own webs and recover the bots, fulfilling the dreams of many kids who have always wanted to shoot out their own webs like Spider-Man. The ride figures to be a massive hit, especially with Disney’s recent loss of Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Web-sling with Spidey next summer on Disney’s California Adventure’s newest attraction (via Mashable).
However, that’s not all. In addition to the ride, guests will be able to eat next door at a brand-new Ant-Man themed restaurant called “Pym Test Kitchen”. Here, guests will be able to purchase unique food and beverage options that are mighty in size and are sure to fill guests up quickly. Guests at the resort have also already been able to experience “Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout” for quite some time now, and the attraction will also join the land as a previous guest favorite. Although that may complete Phase 1 of the expansion, Phase 2 will see a massive “E-Ticket” Avengers ride inside of the Avengers HQ building that will take guests to Wakanda to fight alongside their favorite Avengers in a massive battle. Although further details are limited, the new ride is sure to a true thrill once it opens.
Mickey and the Gang Bring Some Cartoon Magic to Disneyland Park
Minnie and Mickey Mouse are sure to have a lot of fun in 2022 when “Runaway Railway” opens in Mickey’s Toontown in 2022 (via Disney Parks Blog).
Another major announcement from D23 came from Disneyland Park. After opening the massive new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge this summer, few expected any new information of upcoming projects out of the original Disney park. However, we quickly learned that Mickey and Minnie’s newest adventure is expected to open in 2022 in Mickey’s Toontown right next to Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin. Guests will enter the El Capitoon theater (a pun on the famed Hollywood theater; a copy of this attraction also opens next year at the Chinese Theater at Disney’s Hollywood Studios) and be transported into the cartoon world of Mickey and friends where they are premiering a brand-new short called “Perfect Picnic”.
A new parade on Main Street U.S.A will also debut in spring of 2020 (via Disney Parks Blog).
In addition to Minnie and Mickey’s cartoon bonanza in Toontown, guests will also see a brand-new parade next spring called “Magic Happens”. Here, massive new floats inspired by films such as Moana, Sleeping Beauty, and Coco will head down the streets of Main Street U.S.A and entertain guests with brand-new music. In addition to these two, guests were also reassured that the newest Star Wars attraction, Rise of the Resistance, is still scheduled to debut at the beginning of 2020. With this, guests at the panel were shown an awesome new highlight video that showed Kylo Ren’s lightsaber striking down on a door near guests, AT-ATs firing at the ride vehicle on a Star Destroyer, and hundreds of moving Stormtroopers ready to attack.
New Experiences at Disney Springs and Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World
A brand-new Cirque du Soleil show at Disney Springs will combine stunning acrobatics with the true magic of Disney animation (via Disney Parks Blog).
Next spring, guests will able to head to Walt Disney World’s Disney Springs to watch a stunning new Cirque Du Soleil show. During this exciting new show, spectators will be able to witness a great combination of visual storytelling by combining the movements of Cirque Du Soleil with the art of Disney animation. Previews for the show start in March, while the premiere of the show is set for April.
Over at the marquee Magic Kingdom, the Tron Light Cycle ride is still under construction and has had no major delays. At the expo, guests were able to see what ride vehicles and cast member costumes of the ride will look like, which is sure to generate even more hype for Tomorrowland’s newest attraction, set to open its doors in summer of 2021.
Walt Disney World’s Resorts Take Shape in Preparation of the 50th Anniversary
One of the most unique upcoming Disney experiences is Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, where guests will embark on their own 2-day Star Wars adventure full of twists and turns (via Disney Parks Blog).
Although there are plenty of awesome hotels and experiences throughout Walt Disney World, it will be hard to match the pure amazement that will come from Star Wars: Galactic Starcrusier. On this expensive 2-day adventure into the world of Star Wars, guests will be able to meet, interact, and explore some of the most realistic and up-close reaches of the Star Wars universe. From helping transport cargo with a Wookie, to participating in lightsaber training, to looking outside your own window into the deep reaches of space, this Star Wars adventure will truly be one of the world’s most awesome experiences. Further details will gradually be announced, but this is truly a start that we all were looking for.
Reflections: A Disney Lakeside Lounge will also provide even more warmth and comfort to guests at Walt Disney World (via Disney Parks Blog).
In addition to the Star Wars expedition tied directly into Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney World will also see the upcoming arrival of Reflections: A Disney Lakeside Lounge. This relaxing and comforting resort, inspired by the artwork of Walt Disney, will be a solid addition to the Disney World lineup of stunning hotels and resorts with its own unique features. With this, one major announcement from the weekend was that a “Princess and the Frog” themed restaurant will be coming to the upcoming hotel, accommodated by the perks of being a Disney Vacation Club member.
EPCOT’s Shocking Transformation
Although there were many major announcements, EPCOT’s upcoming transformation might be the most noteworthy of all (via Disney Parks Blog).
D23 had plenty of major highlights, but the most stunning was certainly the plethora of major news coming from Walt Disney World’s EPCOT. Although there are many different components of the project, the park will be transformed into four separate areas: World Showcase, World Celebration, World Discovery, and World Nature. To begin, World Nature will see the brand-new inclusion of Journey of Water, an interactive walkthrough area inspired by Disney’s Moana. The trail will lead up to the park’s already-existing Land pavilion, where attractions such as Soarin’ will still stand.
The brand new World Discovery restaurant, Space 220, will welcome guests this winter (via Disney Parks Blog).
Over in World Discovery, guests will notice some rapid transformations. While Mission: Space still stands, a brand new restaurant called Space 220 will launch guests into space for a one-of-a-kind dining experience. In addition to this, an all-new area of the park called Play! will open in time for the 50th anniversary, which will transport guests into a virtual and interactive metropolis to meet with well-known characters such as Edna Mode and Donald Duck. Finally, however, the marquee announcement from this section of the land is the reveal of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. This stunning Marvel attraction will be the first of its kind at Walt Disney World, as it will start off with a reverse launch into space with an awesome soundtrack at a thrilling speed.
In World Celebration, a brand-new festival pavilion will emerge to accommodate any of EPCOT’s very popular festivals (via Disney Parks Blog).
At World Celebration, the central area of the park, guests will witness a beautiful and interesting festival center to match up with the consistently popular festivals that the park has to offer. Here, guests will be able to purchase merchandise or reach the top of the pavilion for great views of the park, including World Showcase. In addition to this, World Celebration will also feature a brand-new interactive water fountain and a statue of Walt Disney, which is sure to please all travelers.
In the United Kingdom section of World Showcase, a replica of Cherry Tree Lane and a brand-new Mary Poppins attraction will emerge (via Movieweb).
Over in World Showcase, one of the more surprising announcements was when it was revealed that a replica of Cherry Tree Lane would make its way into the UK Pavilion of World Showcase in an all-new neighborhood. Here, a new Mary Poppins attraction will eventually be built and make way for a new type of jolly holiday with Mary and the Banks family. In addition to this, a new crepe restaurant and a Beauty and the Beast sing-along will open over in the French pavilion, in addition to the upcoming Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure that is slated to open in summer of 2020. Meanwhile, two new films will open in separate locations around the showcase: one in Canada and one in China. Finally, a new nighttime spectacular called HarmoniUS will open on the World Showcase lagoon following the short run of Epcot Forever. This new show is sure to be revolutionary and will become the largest scaled form of entertainment ever created for a Disney park once it arrives at the park.