So…Universal has a lot coming in 2025.
©Universal
And by a lot, we mean a whole new theme park complete with 5 lands and over 50 new experiences. We’ve just started to get more information on Epic Universe and the specifics around what it will introduce to Orlando, but we know it’s not set to open until 2025. That leaves us, and we’re sure you all, wondering — what does Disney have in store to combat Universal?
There is certainly a lot of speculation out there about projects Disney could announce! Some experts are predicting that Disney will announce the building of a 5th theme park at Disney World soon. Animal Kingdom — the fourth Disney World park — opened in 1998, and Disney fans have been asking “what’s next?” ever since. Instead of announcing a fifth gate, though, Disney has embarked on expansions and transformations in its existing parks — the “New Fantasyland” Magic Kingdom expansion that opened in 2012, the addition of the Pandora land in Animal Kingdom in 2017, the openings of Toy Story Land and Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge in Hollywood Studios in 2018, and a transformation of many areas of EPCOT that should be complete this year.
EPCOT has been undergoing a major transformation.
But Disney also recently announced it was doubling down on expansions and improvements in the parks — pledging it will throw $60 BILLION into them in the next decade. Could that be a hint that a HUGE announcement is on the way? We also can’t forget that a 10-year comprehensive land-use plan for the Disney World area does allow for another major theme park to be built (as well as 2 “minor” theme parks! — check out the details here).
We ARE getting some major changes in Disney World in 2024, but they are not the huge expansion experts say may be coming in the form of a fifth park. You can watch our video about the 2024 changes right here!
So while the experts in the theme park world speculate, all we have to go on right now is what Disney has said. So we’re breaking that down, park-by-park, right here for you. Here’s a look at what’s confirmed, as well as the “blue sky” possibilities Disney has hinted at for every park in Disney World!
Magic Kingdom
The only thing we know for absolute certain is that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will still be relatively new in 2025. The new attraction is set to open in 2024, but we don’t have an exact date just yet. Rest assured though, we’ll be seeing crowds for this new attraction well into 2025.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure — January 2024
We also know that Country Bear Jamboree will have had its new show for about half a year by the time 2025 begins. The attraction closed in late January to make way for a revised rendition of the show that’s set to open in Summer 2024.
Country Bear Jamboree is CLOSED!
And that’s all for Magic Kingdom’s confirmed projects, but Disney has confirmed that they do plan to open up a whole new area behind Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in coming years.
Possible Land Expansion in Magic Kingdom ©Disney
Ideas for these new lands have been lands themed to Coco, Encanto, and Disney Villains! However, we don’t know when this expansion could be finished by, or even begin. (We did see a hint recently, though! Check it out!)
EPCOT
Over in EPCOT, we’re still waiting for the final walls of the EPCOT Transformation to come down, which includes the completion of Communicore Hall and Communicore Plaza.
Communicore Hall Construction
We also know that Test Track is going to be getting a refurbishment sometime soon (no official timeline announced yet), which will take inspiration from the original ride, World of Motion.
©Disney
In past years, mostly before the 2020 park closures, Disney also threw around ideas about refurbishing Spaceship Earth, adding a Mary Poppins dark ride in the UK Pavilion, adding a PLAY! Pavilion to replace the old Wonders of Life pavilion, and more as part of the EPCOT Transformation. At this time, none of these projects have been spoken about, so we’re assuming they’re out of the cards for now. But maybe Disney will bring them back to compete with Universal’s new park!
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Right now, there’s not much on the way for Hollywood Studios, besides a new show replacing Voyage of the Little Mermaid, which has been sitting vacant for years.
Voyage of the Little Mermaid
This new show will be called The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure and is expected to open in Fall 2024, meaning, just like Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, it will still be very new in 2025.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Animal Kingdom has some massive projects on the horizon…but no one has any idea when they’re happening. Disney officially confirmed that DinoLand U.S.A. would be retired and replaced with a new land called The Tropical Americas.
@Disney
This means that all of DinoLand will be extinct, in addition to (most likely) the beloved Dinosaur ride in order to make room for Encanto and Indiana Jones details! Work is already being done to bring the Casitas into the land, and it’s expected that Indiana Jones, the ride available in Disneyland, will be replacing Dinosaur, since they have the same ride system.
Dinosaur
Additionally, Disney announced that a new Zootopia show would be arriving in Animal Kingdom inside the Tree of Life. Since that theater is currently taken up by It’s Tough To Be A Bug, it’s expected that It’s Tough To Be A Bug will also be retired soon.
©Disney
However, as we mentioned, we have no announced timeline for some of these massive changes. If Disney is able to complete these refurbs by 2025, they’ll have multiple new attractions to bring guests into the parks, and visitors may choose to extend their trips to visit both Universal and Disney World on their 2025 trips.
We’ll be sure to keep you updated with all the latest Disney news, so stay tuned to DFB!
No One Is Talking about this HUGE Disney World Expansion Plan!
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Would so love a Mary Poppins ride. 🙂
I love dinosaurs and loved DinoLand, but the truth is, once I was going to the parks withOUT my 10 year old nieces and nephews, I almost never go to that area… not even to just walk through or get food. I’m excited to see Tropical Americas. Excited about Encanto. I actually really liked the idea of that area as a Zootopia area when that was bounced around, because I loved that world. But it seemed a little limiting whereas I think Tropical Americas was a smart guest-oriented and financial move for many reasons. It also goes better with the Africa/Asia land theme… geographical rather than fantasy. Pandora being the very cool exception.
I admit I’m a little… confused about the Indiana Jones thing. I absolutely get the “saving money” by reusing the same ride infrastructure, but given where the Indy franchise is at… ? Outdated, and flailing after a $100 million loss?
I mean I guess they could be counting on a reboot? But hasn’t Mr. Iger been talking about the need to move AWAY from reboots and remakes and sequels?
I enjoyed the first movie and… at least one of the others though which one is escaping me… and definitely enjoyed the stunt show a few times (though it didn’t have a great deal of return-interest power for me whereas watching live animals like the birds in AK keeps me fascinated). But nothing about the Indiana Jones franchise strikes me as 1) Animal Kingdom-ish, or 2) …um… wildly popular, anymore. I certainly don’t see it as an incentive compared to Epic Universe and it seems more like introducing an outdated concept into a brand new land. Odd.
But hey, I’m a die hard Pirates film fan, and I’m sure people say the same thing about those films. (Not in favor of a reboot there, either, personally.) I imagine there are people who love the Indiana Jones ride, think it’s a classic, and would love to see it in WDW. I’m just not certain it’s an investment for future generations, whereas Tropical Americas DEFINITELY is. Brilliant future investment.
Paris have the best Indiana Jones ride, temple of peril, moves queue very quickly , great fun , I’d prob add Indy to adventure land, rip out that tree and add before J.C, but to be honest I’d rip out all of adventure land and start again , Walt would no way keep an attraction for 50 years, MK is not a museum, also Speedway needs ripping out , and use electric cars, maybe ford could work with Disney , or add a Tron expansion attraction to add to TLC, ( which I love by the way ) Disney do to much pondering these days! And not enough doing, Eisner and wells literally added more to WDW than anyone that’s come after, maybe a duo’s needed not just one man !!!
The quick answer…NO!!!!
What stands out to me is that most of these plans involve re-theming or updates. Other than rumors of new lands beyond Big Thunder, everything else involves modifications to existing shows and attractions.
And as far as updates go, why re-do a perfectly good Test Track attraction when World of Imagination desperately needs some love? I know – Test Track is sponsored.
Disney is just plugging holes in the dam hoping to weather the coming tsunami from Universal. But even if they announced a 5th gate or new lands, as slow as Disney works, it will be 2030 before anything is ready for guests. By then, it might be too late.
If I recall correctly (it’s been quite a few years), Indiana Jones was one of the best rides at Disneyland, so it would be a very welcome replacement for Dinosaur, if it must be replaced. But will I miss having my head bitten off at the end of the ride? I suspect I will get by without that …