It’s almost the end of the year, and though 2019 has been one for the record books, with the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, 2020 looks like it is going to be a big year at Walt Disney World, which will be opening a massive 13 new attractions in 12 months!
1. Awesome Planet (Epcot)
Opening in: January 17, 2020
Disney announced Awesome Planet, a brand new original film especially designed for Epcot, that will be coming to the Harvest Theater at the Land pavilion just a few weeks into 2019. Here’s the official description:
An on-screen exploration of the realm we call home, showcases the spectacular beauty, diversity and dynamic story of our earth with all the grandeur guests have come to expect.
With spectacular nature photography, immersive in-theater effects, and space sequences created by none other than Industrial Light & Magic (which provided the cinematic foundation for the Star Wars franchise), “Awesome Planet” will stir Epcot guests and deliver an environmental message that will resonate far beyond its final scenes.
Of course, this description is fairly general and vague, but the concept behind this new film still sounds really interesting and the ecologically-friendly message in Awesome Planet is definitely something that will align with the overall theme of the Land Pavilion, but will hopefully feel more up-to-date than its Lion King-themed predecessor. We’re also excited about the prospect of the Harvest Theater being upgraded to facilitate the special effects detailed above in the description of the new show. Disney has confirmed that this new show will open on January 17, 2020, the first day of the Epcot International Festival of the Arts!
2. Canada: Far and Wide (Epcot)
Opening in: January 17, 2020
The current O Canada circle-vision attraction closed in August 2019, and will be replaced by an all new Circle-Vision 360 movie at Epcot’s Canada pavilion, which will also open on January 17, 2020. Using all new seamless digital technology, the new 360 movie, Named Canada: Far and Wide, will include new scenes, story and music.
3.Beauty and the Beast Singalong (Epcot)
Opening in: January 17, 2020
Last year it was announced that a brand new new Beauty and the Beast sing-along attraction would be coming to Epcot’s France pavilion, and will play in the theater that is currently home to “Impressions de France.”This new show will play in addition to the French film, and is being created by Don Hahn, producer of the animated and live-action “Beauty and the Beast” film. This new film will also open on January 17, 2020.
4. Space 220 (Epcot)
Opening in: Early 2020
Though Space 220 might seem like a strange name for a restaurant at Walt Disney World, the number actually refers to the number of miles above Earth diners will have to “travel” to get to this new dining location, which will be opening later this year at the Mission: Space pavilion.
Though Disney hasn’t shared all the details yet, guests who show up to the entrance of this new restaurant will be able to board a special elevator outfitted with windows that let guests take in the views of the earth below them as they blast off into space and travel from Earth to this out-of-this-world dining location.
Then once guests step into the dining room, they will be able to see amazing views of space with intergalactic scenery in the background, including a space station and a friendly astronaut floating nearby. Diners will be waited on by an international crew, and then, once their meal has concluded, will ride the elevator once again to return to Earth from their space dining experience.
Though this restaurant was originally due to open in 2019, it looks like there have been a few delays, and Space 220 is now targeting an early 2020 launch, with rumors suggesting a February grand opening.
5. Mickey Mouse Imagination meet and greet (Epcot)
Opening in: Early 2020
Because of Epcot’s central spine redesign, many of the character meet and greets in this park have had to move to new locations. However, soon guests will be able to meet Mickey Mouse in a new permanent meet and greet area in the Imagination Pavilion as part of the Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival. Mickey Mouse will be moving in to a new area of the indoor queue space for this attraction and have a special film strip background that will showcase this beloved characters’ history.
6. Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway (Disney’s Hollywood Studios)
Opening in: March 4, 2020
Though Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway was originally supposed to open alongside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge to help with capacity, it looks like there have been some delays with this project, with Disney now confirming that this new ride will open on March 4, 2020
When this ride finally debuts, it will allow guests to literally step “through” a movie screen and join Mickey and his friends on a fun adventure where you’re the star of your own Mickey short and anything can happen. This zany out-of-control adventure will feature surprising twists and turns, dazzling visual effects and mind-boggling transformations that happen before your very eyes, including a forest instantly being transformed into a cityscape.
Though this attraction sounds a bit like your standard screen-based affair so far, Disney is promising that this ride will be more than just a screen-based dark ride. Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway will make extensive use of new enhanced screen technology that Disney is calling 2 1/2D. Though we’re not entirely sure what this really means, Disney said that the normally 2D world of Disney animation will pop in new ways inside this attraction, but interestingly, without the need for 3D glasses.
7. Mickey Shorts Theater (Disney’s Hollywood Studios)
Opening in: March 4, 2020
One of the most under-utillized spaces at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is the former Sounds Dangerous attraction building, which has been used over the past several years as a temporary screening room for movie previews and, most recently, the Star Wars: Path of the Jedi recap film.
However, it looks like this space will be getting a permanent purpose in the near future, as Disney has announced that this space will be getting a makeover in the next few months, and will be re-branded as the Mickey Shorts Theater. Set to open in March 2020 (alongside Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway) this reimagined space will show a number of Mickey shorts throughout the day.
8. Untitled Disney Animation Cirque du Soleil Show (Disney Springs)
Opening in: March 20, 2020
Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba at Disney Springs closed forever at the end of 2017, but just before it did, Disney confirmed that a new Cirque du Soleil production was being developed for this theater. But this time, this all-new show will have a uniquely Disney flair, and be unlike anything else either Disney or Cirque du Soleil have produced in the past. Based around some of Disney’s most iconic films, this new show will “draw its inspiration from Disney’s heritage of animation,” and will “celebrate Disney’s legacy of storytelling in Cirque du Soleil’s signature way, with a tribute to the one-of a kind craftsmanship that makes Disney so extraordinary.”
According to Disney, this new show will center on the story of a young girl and her father, who is a Disney animator. In an effort to connect with his child, the father sends his daughter on a magical journey of self-discovery in the world of Disney animation.
This new untitled show will begin preview performances early next year on March 20th, with an official debut on April 17, 2020. The show will then be performed on a Tuesday through Saturday schedule, with showtimes at 5:30 PM and 8:30 PM.
9. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure (Epcot)
Opening in: Summer 2020
It has been confirmed that a Ratatouille-themed 3-D dark ride, largely the same as the one at Disneyland Paris, will be coming to Epcot in 2020. This attraction, which uses trackless technology to “shrink” guests down to the size of a rat, will be placed in an expansion pad next to the France Pavilion. You can check out a full video of the Disneyland Paris version of this attraction here.
While Ratatouille hasn’t exactly had the cultural relevance that other Pixar films like Toy Story or Up have had in the past decade, this addition does make sense in the context of the France pavilion, and will be the first new ride constructed in the World Showcase since the 1988 addition of Maelstrom.
10. Crêperie hybrid restaurant (Epcot)
Opening in: Summer 2020
The most recently-announced addition to the France pavilion is a brand new unnamed hybrid quick/table service restaurant that will feature the cuisine of celebrity chef Jérôme Bocuse, the mastermind behind the pavilion’s Chefs de France brasserie and its celebration of gourmet cuisine, Monsieur Paul. This new location will feature a menu inspired by the Brittany region of France, and will have savory crepes called galettes and sweet crepes. And though the France pavilion already has plenty of places to eat (this will be the fifth dining location in this pavilion), this new hybrid restaurant should be a nice addition to the lineup with a simple menu with familiar options.
No opening date for this new location has been announced, but considering this new location will be a part of the France expansion, we’re guessing that it will likely open in 2020, alongside the aforementioned Ratatouille attraction.
11. Wondrous China (Epcot)
Opening in: TBA 2020
A brand new film named Wondrous China be coming to Epcot’s China Pavilion sometime in the near future. Presented in a new seamless digital 360 degree format, the movie will include new scenes, music and locations. Because of the seamless format, the current CircleVision theater is being refurbished, and this film will open sometime next year.
12. Roundup Rodeo BBQ
Opening in: TBA 2020
One of the most puzzling aspects of Toy Story Land that many guests noted when this land opened (other than its lack of shade) was the absence of a restaurant beyond the Woody’s Lunch Box snack stop. However, it looks like Disney will be remedying this issue soon by introducing a brand-new table-service restaurant in this location. However, if you were hoping that the fan-favorite in-film Pizza Planet restaurant would be coming to Toy Story Land, sadly, you’d be mistaken.
Instead, this new restaurant will be themed to resemble a new “rodeo” play area assembled with cardboard boxes cut and taped together, this new location will feature multiple dining rooms and plenty of familiar toy characters that have been brought together to create a fun, colorful mashup-atmosphere that only a child could create. This immersive restaurant will surround guests with a kaleidoscope of toys, games, and playsets that will certainly please fans of the long-running Toy Story franchise. This new dining location will be built in the front of Toy Story Land, near the giant Woody Toy Story Land entrance sign.
13 . HarmonioUS (Epcot)
Opening in: TBA 2020
Though Epcot Forever will run for most of 2020, late next year a new permanent nighttime spectacular named HarmonioUS will debut. This new show will be a celebration of Disney music, and will show how Disney music inspires people around the globe, and will feature large floating set pieces, custom-built LED panels, kites with special effects, choreographed moving fountains, lights, pyrotechnics, and lasers. Confirmed Disney IPs that will be featured in this new production include Coco, Hercules, and Moana. Moving forward, this will be the permanent replacement for IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, and the infrastructure for this show is under construction as we speak.
