If you’re a Disney fan, chances are that you heard about some of the big news from the D23 expo – Disney’s event where they announce many new things about their theme parks and movies. There was a ton of info coming out all over social media, but I put together this post of what I think are the most significant things to be aware of.
Theme Park News
New Jungle Cruise restaurant – the Skipper’s Canteen will be a new restaurant in Magic Kingdom’s Adventureland, themed after the popular Jungle Cruise attraction. Right now it is said to have a set-up similar to be our guest, with counter service offered at lunch and table service at dinner. Also, they said that the servers will be Jungle Cruise skippers, so it’s sure to be a fun meal!
Toy Story Land – lots of speculation went into a Pixar area of Hollywood Studios, but now it’s been announced that it will be Toy Story land. It will include a family friendly slinky dog roller coaster, a little green alien flying saucer attraction, and the expansion of Toy Story Midway Mania we already knew about.
Star Wars – Lots of Star Wars stuff! The big news is that both coasts will get a Star Wars land. This is said to include two main attractions, including the chance to pilot the Millennium Falcon on a secret mission and some sort of attraction that “puts you in the middle of a climactic battle.” The already existing Star Tours ride will get some added scenes from the new film. Other Star Wars stuff:
“Star Wars Launch Bay will take guests into the upcoming film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, with special exhibits and peeks behind-the-scenes, including opportunities to visit with new and favorite Star Wars characters, special merchandise and food offerings.” (both parks, coming later this year)
Season of the Force – a new seasonal event taking place on both coasts starting in early 2016. Disneyland only will get a Star Wars overlay on Space Mountain, while Hollywood Studios will get a weekend fireworks show set to Star Wars music.
Pandora – the World of Avatar – I feel like most of the things they discussed about Avatar we already knew, but they mentioned that the main attraction will have a name – “Flight of Passage.” Rivers of Light and a Sunset Safari are also set to open soon.
Soarin’ – a new movie will be coming to Soarin called “Soarin’ over the World.” It will feature film clips from locations around the globe rather than just California.
Movie News
Toy Story 4 – it was already officially announced, but now it has a plot – a love story between Woody and Bo Peep. Coming in 2017.
Alice Through the Looking Glass – a sequel to the Johnny Depp version of Alice in Wonderland will be coming in 2016.
Gigantic – this will be a new take on Jack and the Beanstalk, and they’ve got the song writing team from Frozen on this one! It is scheduled to be released in 2018.
Coco – A Dia de Los Muertos movie from Pixar has long been discussed, but now it’s got a title. It’s called Coco, and it’s about a 12 year old boy named Miguel.
Other animated movies were also mentioned but they’ve been previously announced: The Good Dinosaur (2015), Moana (2016), Zootopia (2016), Finding Dory (2016). Also posters were revealed for Cars 3 and Incredibles 2, but these weren’t discussed.
Other live action films mentioned include The Jungle Book (2016), Pete’s Dragon (2016), Beauty and the Beast (2017), and the 5th Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
I’ll be looking forward to the Toy Story Land!
There’s so much to like with these announcements. I’m not as thrilled about all the sequels with the movies, but the theme park news sounds great! It’s cool to have lots of things to be excited about for the coming years.
Disney keeps writing their magic. Looming forward to the Alice in wonderland sequel.
That was supposed to say working their magic and looking forward.
I’m a Disney fan, but not typically to the point of following news about it. This weekend has been completely different – I’ve been obsessed with all the news! I’m pretty excited about a Toy Story part of the theme park, as well as Star Wars. I’ve always loved the idea of getting to step into the movie experience, especially with two movie worlds I’ve grown up watching.
They announced SO MUCH ahhhh! I wanted to go so bad 🙁 I’m most excited for Through the Looking Glass because I LOVED the book! Star Wars Land though! Ahhh!
Star Wars!!! Ahhh!!! I wanna go for the Star Wars!
I am so beyond excited about Incredibles 2!! Actually I am excited about all of it. I wonder if they’re going to be doing any chances to the Disney Lands overseas? We are going to the Paris one next year and I would love to see whats new and fresh!
I’m hoping to get to Paris too next year!! I haven’t heard much about the other parks overseas, except for an iron man attraction coming to Hong Kong.
Oh! Thanks for this post. I was literally going to google for all this information. haha! Glad you posted it to out Facebook group instead! I’m a Florida resident, so you know I bleed Disney. 😉
My hubby is a huge Disney fan and has turned me on to the magic of Disney too – can’t wait to share these updates with him!
I am incredibly excited about the Soarin’ news! It’s one of my favourite rides, and I can’t wait to see what they do with it now! 😀