2024 is quickly coming to an end before our eyes.

It might come as a shock, but we are already nearly halfway through December. In less than a month, we’ll be counting down to the new year and trying to remember to write 2025 instead of 2024 on anything we’re adding a date to. As we look toward 2025 and the new year of possibilities, it’s also fun to look behind us and reflect on all the good, exciting, and happy things that have passed in 2024. This was an eventful year in the world of Disney, and we want to celebrate some of the best things that happened. So come along with us as we remember all the great announcements, changes, endings, and beginnings for Disney and Disney fans in 2024!

Announcements from D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event

August 2024 brought us a TON of exciting announcements from Disney! While some were a bit controversial or even expected, there were a few that stand out to us as being extremely exciting and have us eager for the coming years ahead.

Villains Land

Disney fans have been BEGGING for a Villains Land for a while now, and Disney finally gave us the very exciting news that one is officially coming to Magic Kingdom!

The new land will go beyond Big Thunder Mountain and will take us into a realm of darkness and villainy. We’re SO excited to explore this new concept and land!

Nighttime Parade in Magic Kingdom

It has been a long time since Magic Kingdom had a nighttime parade, so when this was announced for 2025, Disney fans cheered!

Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away is the first nighttime since 2016, and we can’t wait to see it in all its twinkling glory in the coming summer.

Avengers E-Ticket Ride Coming to Disney California Adventure

Disney World wasn’t the only Disney resort that got exciting announcements in August! Disney California Adventure got some love, too. Disney is bringing TWO new Marvel rides to Avengers Campus, including the long-awaited E-ticket ride Avengers Infinity Defense!

The other ride is called Stark Flight Lab, and with the addition of these two new rides, Avengers Campus will DOUBLE in size.

Monsters, Inc. Land

Yes, the exciting news of the Monsters, Inc. Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is slightly controversial since it has recently been announced that it will replace Muppets Courtyard, but we’re still excited for Mike and Sully to get their own land at a Disney park!

We’ll get to explore Monsters, Inc. and the city of Monstropolis. Millennial hearts are bursting with excitement thanks to this 2024 news!

Muppets Heading to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster

One good thing that came out of the sad news that Monsters, Inc. Land would replace Muppets Courtyard was that the Muppets are heading to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster!

We’re happy that the Muppets won’t be removed completely from Hollywood Studios! While we’re still dealing with some other parts of the news, we are celebrating this small win for the Muppets.

Bayou Country Merge

Over at Disneyland, Disney has created a more cohesive land with the new creation of Bayou Country. With the changeover of Splash Mountain to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Critter Country has been revamped into Bayou Country!

Hungry Bear Restaurant got a makeover and has become Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree, two new stores have opened, and the land is looking great!

The Leaning Eiffel Tower is Fixed

Remember how the Eiffel Tower leaned like the Leaning Tower of Pisa on Soarin’ Around the World in EPCOT? Well, Disney has finally fixed the lean, and the tower now stands tall and straight!

The day we noticed this was certainly a day for the history books and one to be celebrated in 2024!

Disney Movies Breaking Records

Disney, Pixar, and Marvel had a GREAT year in the movie theaters!

Inside Out 2, Deadpool & Wolverine, and Moana 2 all celebrated box-office success in 2024! If you’re a Disney fan, this was the year to visit the theaters, plus there’s still more to come before the year is over. Mufasa: The Lion King hits theaters on December 20th!

Freakier Friday 

Disney hit us Millennials straight in the heart with the announcement of a Freaky Friday sequel!

Friekier Friday is coming to theaters in 2025, so get ready for the freakiest switch ever!

EPCOT Transformation Being Completed

After YEARS of being under construction, the final piece of EPCOT’s transformation was completed this past year!

CommuniCore Hall and Plaza opened in June, marking the end of the extended transformation. While CommuniCore Hall itself might be controversial since Disney hasn’t really done a whole lot with it during the festivals, we are celebrating the fact that there are FAR LESS construction walls up at EPCOT!

TRON Getting a Standby Line

That’s it! TRON getting rid of its virtual queue and having a standby line instead is what we’re celebrating!

We no longer have to try to get a virtual queue for this ride in the morning or afternoon! We can just walk right up and get in line. It’s seriously so wonderful, even if the line is typically pretty long here.

Star Lord in EPCOT

Fans of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy are likely rejoicing that they finally get to meet Star Lord, a.k.a. Peter Quill, at EPCOT!

He is a great guy with great hair and a great sense of music. We could easily stand around and talk to him all day about the 80s, music, his pals Rocket, Groot, and the others. So, next time you’re in EPCOT, don’t miss out on meeting him! Check your Disney World app to find out when he’s meeting the day you’re there.

Fantasy Springs

We can’t forget to give the international parks some love, too! Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea officially opened this past year, and it is AMAZING.

It was the “BEST DAY EVER” getting to explore this new seaport! There are Peter Pan, Tangled, and Frozen areas of the new land, and each is simply breathtaking. Now, we’re looking forward to the new World of Frozen opening in Disneyland Paris!

We hope you had a great 2024 and that you got to experience some of the Disney magic this past year. There’s so much to look forward to on the horizon for Disney, including new lands, attractions, entertainment, and more. We know 2025 and beyond are going to be exciting times for Disney fans!

As we move into the new year, stick with DFB for full coverage of everything Disney!

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What were you most excited to see happen in 2024? Let us know in the comments!