When it comes to canceling projects, Disney has an unfortunate track record of announcing things that never really come to fruition. And while Disney has characterized many of its recent project announcements as “concepts” rather than actual projects in development (possibly to the detriment of their own reputation), there are still many projects that the resort announced, that never actually were built, and have seemingly been forgotten about, with no official updates ever given about their status.
1. Play Pavilion
Announced in 2019, the Play Pavilion was supposed to take advantage of the space inside the long-abandoned Wonders of Life Pavilion, which currently sits behind shrubs near the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind attraction. This new area was conceptualized as an interactive environment for guests to meet with characters in a “digital metropolis” that would feature not just meet and greets, but fun character-based activities, games, and more.
Reports surfaced over the years about work starting and stopping, and concepts shifting. And then the rumors and unconfirmed reports dried up. Disney has never officially said anything about this pavilion beyond its initial announcement, but the writing was seemingly on the wall in 2023, when the “coming soon” teaser on EPCOT’s park map, which had been there for several years, was suddenly removed.
2. Wondrous China
As part of its efforts to revamp the World Showcase, Disney announced several new Circle-Vision films in 2019. One of the most anticipated films was Wondrous China, which was set to be the first Disney Circle-Vision film produced and projected in a seamless format. Unfortunately, it has been over four years since the initial announcement of this new film, and absolutely nothing has been announced regarding this project. While it’s still possible Disney could be working on Wondrous China, it seems unlikely after so much time has passed.
3. Spaceship Earth Refurbishment
Though not a new attraction, several years ago Disney announced that it would be overhauling Spaceship Earth, completely reimagining the inside of this ride and shifting its theme from progress to storytelling, with brand new show scenes, narration and music.
Some concept art was released showcasing what the reimagined ride would look like, but as time went on, updates about this project never materialized. Though a tentative closure was scheduled for summer 2020, the COVID-19 Pandemic delayed those plans indefinitely, and no updates were ever shared in the years since.
While it may be easy to blame the COVID-19 Pandemic for this project’s seeming cancelation, there’s also the fact that news of the refurbishment was not initially very well-received, and Disney may have been looking to quietly cancel it anyways after the initial backlash that the announcement received, hoping that fans would just forget about it.
4. Kalikori Club
Back when plans were first coming together for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, plans were announced during a TV special for an immersive dining experience we now know was supposed to have been called the Kalikori Club. This experience was supposed to be part of the under-the-underground world. This table service restaurant would have featured live entertainment, a lounge, and plenty of Star Wars characters hanging around, adding to the ambiance. However, despite showing concept art during the TV special, Disney changed their minds about this dining experience and instead opted to build Oga’s Cantina Lounge and Docking Bay 7 quick service eatery.
