D23 Expo was a treasure trove of updates and news regarding upcoming Disney projects. This year was not an exception, and there was much news. But that doesn’t mean all of them will come to fruition.
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Disney projects brewing in excitement
Some projects were confirmed, while others were left to hang on the edge. Among the fortunate ones was Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure Park, which is undergoing an expansion.
Disneyland Park will see a new Princess and the Frog Store. They also provided the opening timeline of TRON, the much-awaited and talked-about construction project in Magic Kingdom.
D23 Expo also confirmed the completion of the Moana attraction in EPCOT. However, some things didn’t receive such a fate.
D23 Expo
Like the ComiCon, D23 Expo is also a fan event that Disney’s official fan club organizes, and this is the news tank regarding all that is new at Disney World. Disney also confirmed many of its activities, excluding Walt Disney World.
Walt Disney World talked a lot about its Blue Sky projects. Walt Disney Imagineering’s Chris Beatty and Walt Disney Animations Studios’ Jennifer Lee talked about these projects.
The fancy name Blue Sky is assigned to the projects which have not received any confirmation yet. They mentioned that these projects wouldn’t happen for sure; even if they did, they wouldn’t last long.
However, they even shared the concept art regarding these ideas. So, if you pay attention to them, you will realize that these significantly occupied the attention of their creators, and even a significant amount of money was also invested. But, for some reason, they do not see the green signal to get launched.
So, now, let’s have a look at these Blue sky projects
Blue Sky Projects
The first thing that they talked about is Dinoland U.S.A. at Animal Kingdom. The main idea was to juxtapose the idea of Zootopia in this place. The scene where Judy Hopps travels through different landscapes inspired the creators to have this idea superimposed in Disney World.
There was also an overlap between the desired location of Dinoland and Moana. However, finally, Moana will be coming to EPCOT by 2023 end. But, the concept art of Dinoland is very well in place, further confusing the fans about its actualization.
Next idea centered around Magic Kingdom. There is a talk going on regarding the expansion of the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Frontierland. Encanto and Coco are the two films upon which the areas will be themed. The two specific themes arising from these two films are- Casa Madrigal from Encanto and Coco’s town square.
Villains feature scantily at Disney World. So, there were also ongoing talks regarding featuring some villains in land dedicated solely to them. Given the love and hate obsession with Disney villains, it will be a really interesting innovation to witness at the land of wonder.
However, before getting your hopes up, remember that none of these have been confirmed by Disney executives. These words and whispers are making their rounds in the air. You will have to wait till they are transformed into concrete structures.
Why is Disney playing with our minds?
We can gather from all of these that Disney officials were brainstorming while being up on stage. So, you might wonder why they just talked about this stuff instead of confirming them straightaway. Here we might have some reasons that can enlighten you.
Firstly, Disney might have wanted to read fans’ reactions to these thoughts. Maybe they wished to tread on how they reacted, whether they were giving positive or negative feedback. Thus, before jumping to a confirmed project without adequate feedback, gathering comments at the early stage is always best.
The other reason at the end of the deck may be Disney’s wish not to commit. Maybe they are so worried about losing their fan’s trust that they are treading on lighter premises.
The amount of heartbreak the fans will have if a much-desired project is canceled is huge. So, as there are some times when things happen outside the control of the Disney officials, maybe that is why they are maintaining this caution.
The promises that never came into fruition
Before the pandemic, they promised a lot. But, until now, there have been no updates on some promised transformations at the EPCOT.
Supposedly, a Mary Poppins attraction was awaiting its inauguration at U.K. Pavillion in EPCOT. The Disney officials also promised a massive revamp of Spaceship Earth. Wondrous China was the film’s name and was set to come to the China Pavillion. There was also a 3-story festival pavilion in the middle of the park.
Moreover, they also said that there would be a transformation in Magic Kingdom’s Town Square Theatre. Reflections were also supposed to be a new Vacation Club Resort.
But did any of these things materialize?
No. They postponed Spaceship Earth and Mary Poppin’s projects indefinitely. Also, there have been no recent talks around Wondrous China or the giant festival pavilion. Neither has Disney said anything about these, nor has there been any unofficial news about the same.
Thus, maybe this time, Disney doesn’t want to disclose its plans too early because not everything is up to them.
The Good news
However, every cloud has a silver lining, and so do the things that Disney executives discussed. They said that things are gradually coming back to normal. Hence, it is again the time when one can ring the bells of newer changes and bigger dream projects.
The pandemic was at the heart of dismantling much of the original rhythm of Disney World. But, with that gliding into the background, things should also get well for Disney World.
Final Thoughts
Thus, even if the uncertain comments of the Disney executives at the D23 Expo might have disheartened many, it also has a ray of hope. With things returning to normal, who might say you might walk across Casa Madrigal with Mirabel as your guide?
