Though the majority of theme parks around the world have been able to reopen (with appropriate safety modifications), with travel and tourism spending down across the board, many in-development projects have been modified to reflect the reality of a currently sluggish travel industry with minimal revenue coming in. Though many are expecting a rebound in the years to come for this industry, right now here are the changes coming to some of the most high profile attractions at theme parks around the world:
1. Cirque du Soleil: Drawn to Life
Park: Disney Springs
Original Opening Date: March 20, 2020
Status: Delayed until February 10, 2021
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.”
This new show was supposed to begin preview performances on March 20th, but the show was suspended and postponed indefinitely. Cirque du Soleil said earlier this year that it expects to resume its resident shows in Orlando as soon as possible, and Cirque du Soleil: Drawn to Life could premiere at Disney Springs as soon as this fall.
However, according to Cirque du Soleil’s website, the Cirque du Soleil: Drawn to Life will not open at all in 2020, and is now scheduled to begin performances at Disney Springs on February 10, 2021. Shows are currently scheduled from that day through March 31, 2021.
2. The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash!
Park: Universal Studios Hollywood
Original Opening Date: March 27, 2020
Status: Delayed until reopening
One of the first casualties of the theme park closures due to COVID-19 was The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash! at Universal Studios Hollywood, which is a dark ride that takes riders on a journey through New York City to reach a pet adoption event and, using facial recognition technology, actually transforms guests into stray puppies in search of their forever homes. This new attraction will blend live, dimensional and animated characters with hyper-realistic media and projection mapping to achieve this effect, all while guests are seated within ride vehicles that resemble cardboard boxes.
This exciting new ride was scheduled to soft open to annual passholders on March 13 (the day Universal Studios Hollywood closed!), and then was to officially open on March 27, 2020. However, the good news is that this attraction is completely finished, and though it may require some testing when Universal Studios Hollywood reopens, we’d imagine it will be able to welcome its first guests within the first week of this park’s return to operation, which is now in flux as theme parks in California have had to put their reopenings on hold due to rising COVID-19 cases in the state. However, there is hope that a compromise may be found soon that will enable Universal Studios Hollywood to reopen in some capacity before the end of the year.
3. Fantasyland Expansion
Park: Tokyo Disneyland
Original Opening Date: April 15, 2020
Status: Delayed until fall 2020
Earlier this year the Oriental Land Company revealed that the Fantasyland expansion at Tokyo Disneyland expansion which will include new rides like The Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast and The Happy Ride with Baymax as well as the Minnie’s Style Studio meet-and-greet would open on April 15th, 2020. Though the Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea theme parks reopened on July 1, but no grand opening for this new area has been announced yet.
However, rumors indicate that The Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast trackless dark ride is expected to begin cast member previews on sometime this month in preparation for an October opening. Nothing has been confirmed yet but if true this could be the first major opening for a Disney park since the shutdown last spring, and may provide a template for other Disney park openings that are about ready to go at other Disney theme parks around the world, including the Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure at EPCOT.
4. Super Nintendo World
Park: Universal Studios Japan
Original Opening Date: Summer 2020
Status: Delayed until further notice
One of the most anticipated new lands to be built anywhere is Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan, which features a new “realistic” Mario Kart ride, a Yoshi omnimover dark ride attraction that will be a hybrid indoor/outdoor attraction, and plenty of interactive experiences that make guests feel like they are inside their favorite Nintendo games.
And though this land was originally supposed to debut this summer to coincide with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Universal Studios Japan has decided to postpone the opening indefinitely over concerns that its popularity could cause a spike in COVID-19 cases in the area. So even though this land is basically done and the theme park is welcoming guests once again, it looks like we’re going to need to keep waiting for this new land just a little longer.
5. Avengers Campus
Park: Disney California Adventure
Original Opening Date: July 18, 2020
Status: Delayed until after reopening
Though the Marvel-themed Avengers Campus was supposed to open this summer along with the new WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure ride, with work completely halted three months before its grand opening, we’ll likely have to wait much longer before experiencing this new area at Disney California Adventure as
Though the theme parks remain closed, work continues behind the scenes in this new area, and recent photos shared from inside the area show the iconic Avengers Quinjet has landed, as you can see below!
Disney has confirmed that work on this project is nearly complete and they will be opening it as soon as possible once the Disneyland Resort gets the go-ahead to reopen its theme parks.
6. Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser
Park: Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Original Opening Date: TBA 2021
Status: Delayed
We recently got an update on the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, which is the new specialty hotel will allow fans to experience the Star Wars universe with an immersive experience designed from the ground up to be a living adventure that gives guests the chance to become the star of their own Star Wars Story.
Originally, reservations for Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser were set to open later this year in anticipation of a 2021 opening. However, with current health and safety regulations, its unknown if that is still moving forward, as the interactive nature of this experience will necessitate close contact with Cast Members and other guests, which would violate current health and safety guidelines. However, Christine McCarthy, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of The Walt Disney Company recently confirmed that opening this hotel is a “priority” for the company, so as soon as it is feasible to do so, we will likely see an opening announced for this new hotel experience.
7. Spaceship Earth reimagining
Park: Epcot
Original Refurbishment Start Date: May 26, 2020
Status: Cancelled
Disney announced earlier this year that Spaceship Earth would close for refurbishment on May 26 2020 to begin its transformation into Spaceship Earth: Our Shared Story. And though this ambitious project was set to close this attraction for 18-24 months, insiders have said that this was one of the projects that Disney has cut early on, which means that it looks like Spaceship Earth will stay in its current form indefinitely following the park’s reopening.
Though this cancellation has not officially been confirmed, Disney has updated the Spaceship Earth website to indicate that the ride will be reopening with Epcot in July, even though it was supposed to close for refurbishment last month. In addition, when The Epcot Experience reopened earlier this week, the part of the presentation that included the Spaceship Earth refurbishment has been removed, seemingly confirming that this project has been shelved.
8. Ample Hills Creamery
Image: Dakota Gardner
Park: Disney Springs
Original Opening Date: Fall 2020
Status: Cancelled
Despite operating a popular location at Disney’s BoardWalk Resort for the last 5 years, it has been announced that the Ample Hills Creamery will not reopen, and the Disney Springs location, which was in the early construction phases before the COVID-19 shutdown will not be moving forward. No reason was given for the abrupt removal of Ample Hills from Disney Property, but we’d guess the company is short on cash following its bankruptcy filing earlier this year and it could not reach an agreement to work with Disney
9. Beatrix
Park: Disney Springs
Original Opening Date: Fall 2020
Status: “On hold”
Beatrix, a new restaurant that was previously under construction at Disney Springs and was set to feature healthy foods including vegetarian, gluten-free, and vegan options along with fresh-squeezed juice cocktails has halted construction on their new location. As of right now the entire project is “on hold” according to an official statement by the company with “a restart date yet [to be] determined”. It is unknown if this project is simply delayed or will eventually be cancelled.
10. Space 220
Image: Disney
Park: Epcot
Original Opening Date: Spring 2020
Status: TBA
Space 220, an ambitious new dining concept that will be part of the Mission: Space pavilion, was originally slated to open earlier this year, but an issue with broken glass delayed its opening to Spring 2020. And unfortunately when Walt Disney World closed down back in March, this project missed its pushed back opening date. And though Epcot is now open with limited dining options, Space 220 is still not available, and it is unknown when this new dining option could possibly open as there have been no announcements at all about its future.
11. Ice Breaker
Park: SeaWorld Orlando
Original Opening Date: Spring 2020
Status: Delayed until 2021
SeaWorld has been betting big on their new Ice Breaker roller coaster attraction which was supposed to open this spring, and will blast guests through four different launches, both backwards and forwards, culminating in a reverse launch into the steepest beyond vertical drop in Florida — a 93-foot tall spike with 100-degree angle.
And though this new record-breaking roller coaster has been fully built and its trains placed on the track, SeaWorld’s recent financial woes may keep it from testing for awhile, which could delay the opening of this coaster for several weeks or months after this park returns to operation. During a recent earnings call, SeaWorld confirmed this attraction’s opening will be delayed until next year, when the park can return to full operation.
12. Iron Gwazi
Park: Busch Gardens Tampa
Original Opening Date: Spring 2020
Status: Delayed until 2021
Though Ice Breaker over at SeaWorld Orlando hasn’t been able to test at all, over at Busch Gardens Iron Gwazi was actually testing right up until the park closure, putting this ride in a much better position to have its grand opening when the park reopens. Like other brand new attractions on this list, some last minute re-testing may need to happen before the attraction officially opens, but we’d guess Iron Gwazi will make its grand entrance right alongside Busch Gardens Tampa’s return to operation.
During a recent earnings call, Busch Gardens parent company SeaWorld confirmed that this attraction’s opening will also be delayed until next year, when the park can return to full operation.
13. Pantheon
Park: Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Original Opening Date: Summer 2020
Status: Will open in 2021
Pantheon, the new record-breaking roller coaster coming soon to Busch Gardens Williamsburg has officially been delayed until 2021. This new ride was announced several years ago and will reach speeds up to 72.5 mph with a 95-degree drop and heights up to 180 feet with four launches and a “switch track” similar to that used by Universal Orlando Resort’s Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure attraction.
14. Emperor
Park: SeaWorld San Diego
Original Opening Date: Summer 2020
Status: Will open in 2021
Another big project is the Emperor roller coaster at SeaWorld San Diego, which was scheduled to open this year. However, since this park has not been able to operate due to California regulations, SeaWorld has moved this attraction opening to next year.
This new attraction reaches speeds of 60 miles per hour, and when it opens it will be the tallest and fastest floorless dive coaster in the state.
15. Harmonious
Park: Epcot
Original Opening Date: Spring 2020
Status: TBA
Late last year it was confirmed for the first time that Harmonious would be making its debut at Epcot sometime in spring 2020, with work progressing quickly around Epcot’s World Showcase Lagoon on infrastructure for this show. And though Disney never made a formal announcement about an official opening date, it will of course miss its original spring opening target.
Unfortunately, a 2020 debut is VERY unlikely for Harmonious as Disney has cancelled all nighttime fireworks shows for the foreseeable future, which leaves this show’s future in limbo. However, it looks like this project has not been cancelled outright as construction has restarted as of July 2020, and we may see a new opening date announced for sometime in 2021 when nighttime shows can resume.
16. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Park: Epcot
Original Opening Date: Summer 2020
Status: Delayed until 2021
Epcot is in a similar situation as Disney California Adventure, as the interior of the new Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure ride is basically done according to reports, and was all set to open in an expanded France pavilion in Summer 2020. And though work on the area around the ride as well as the crepe restaurant that was set to open alongside the ride are all basically finished, Theme Park Insider reports that this attraction won’t open until early in 2021, as Disney looks to ride out 2020 with no new attractions, since it will need to limit park capacities anyway.
However, in a small bit of good news for this attraction, construction has resumed on the area surrounding this new ride, and rumors have surfaced that Disney may be trying to open the attached restaurant before the ride in an effort to bring more dining options to Epcot.
17. LEGOLAND New York
Park: LEGOLAND New York
Original Opening Date: July 4, 2020
Status: Delayed until spring 2021
Though we’ve seen delays announced for rides, restaurants, and full lands, LEGOLAND New York slated to open on the fourth of July this summer, it was announced this week that the brand new LEGOLAND New York resort, which includes a whole theme park and hotel, will be delaying its grand opening a full year, and will now welcome its first guests in the spring of 2021.
18. Tron Lightcycle Power Run
Image: Disney
Park: Magic Kingdom
Original Opening Date: 2021
Status: Delayed until 2022
Though preliminary work on the Tron Roller Coaster has been going on for almost a year now, it looks like construction was set to be ramping up in the new year as Disney was preparing to get this attraction ready for its planned 2021 debut. However, independent reports indicate that several cranes have been taken down, and Theme Park Insider reports that this project has been delayed until 2022.
Though no new official timeline has been announced, work is ramping back up quickly as it looks like the outside section of the roller coaster track is almost complete, and and the building housing the attraction is almost done as well, which is great news for those hoping to experience this attraction in 2022.
19. Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge
Park: N/a
Original Opening Date: 2022
Status: Cancelled
Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge resort was announced as a deluxe-level property that was to be themed around Walt Disney’s love of the natural world. When completed, this new hotel would include more than 900 rooms as well as Disney Vacation Club villas spread across a variety of unique accommodation types.
However, it looks like this entire project is in the process of being scrapped, as construction contracts have not been renewed, and some equipment has been removed from the site. Earlier this week all mention of this project was also deleted from the Walt Disney World website, further cementing this project’s fate.
20. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Image: Disney
Park: Epcot
Original Opening Date: 2021
Status: Delayed until 2022
Like Tron Lightcycle Power Run, Epcot’s Guardians of the Galaxy-inspired attraction is very far along in development, with construction on this first-of-its kind roller coaster entering its final phases in preparation for its originally expected debut next year. However, according to Theme Park Insider this project has also been delayed until 2022 as well. However, it looks like as of July 2020, construction on this project has officially restarted, which is a good sign.
21. Permanent Festival Center
Image: Disney
Park: Epcot
Original Opening Date: 2022
Status: Downsized/cancelled
A permanent Festival center was in the planning phases for Epcot, and was intended to host live events while providing a stunning elevated view of the entire park with a beautiful three-level structure featuring a plaza level, a middle expo level, and a park that sits in the sky on the top level. However, Theme Park Insider reports that this project has been put on the back burner or potentially cancelled outright, and Disney has confirmed that it will be taking a “different approach” to this project than what was originally announced. We’re not quite sure yet what that means, but hopefully we’ll have some more information soon. In the meantime, images of the original concept have been removed from a poster series on ShopDisney, leading meany to believe this project has indeed been cancelled.
22. UK pavilion redesign/Mary Poppins attraction
Image: Disney
Park: Epcot
Original Opening Date: TBD
Status: Downsized/cancelled
Disney announced last year that the UK pavilion in the World Showcase would be getting a Mary Poppins facelift in the near future that would see the fictional neighborhood of Cherry Tree Lane added to the pavilion and a new attraction inspired by Mary Poppins added behind the facade. However, Disney has confirmed that the project is being “reevaluated” and has been removed from The Epcot Experience.
23. Play Pavilion
Image: Disney
Park: Epcot
Original Opening Date: 2021
Status: Delayed
Much like the permanent Festival Center and Mary Poppins attraction, Epcot’s new “Play” pavilion has been in the works for some time, but with construction not actually started (and a heavy emphasis on interactive components and character interactions), this is likely another project that Disney will be reassessing over the coming months. As of right now this is still included as part of the Epcot Experience presentation, but that could change in the near future, so stay tuned for updates on this particular Disney project.
24. Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Park: Disneyland
Original Opening Date: 2022
Status: Opening 2023
Though guests at Disney’s Hollywood Studios have been enjoying Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway since March, it looks like the efforts to bring this attraction to Disneyland park in California hit a major snag when work ground to a halt back in April. However, it looks like as of September 2020, work has picked back up, with the attraction finally going vertical, as you can see in the image above. As expected, the attraction will miss its 2022 original opening target, but Disney has confirmed that they are making this project a priority and are anticipating a 2023 debut for the west coast version of this attraction and are prioritizing this project at Disney California Adventure.
25. Super Nintendo World
Park: Universal Studios Hollywood
Original Opening Date: Unknown
Status: Under construction
Though Universal Studios Hollywood is currently closed due to local regulations in California, it looks like Super Nintendo World construction has finally kicked off at Universal Studios Hollywood, as first-look images of the Nintendo-themed expansion have surfaced on Twitter.
Like its counterpart in Japan, Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood will feature rides based on Yoshi’s Adventure and Mario Kart, plus interactive elements, shops and a restaurant. No release date information has been released yet, but with this project finally ramping up on the West Coast, hopefully we’ll learn more soon!
26. Universal’s Epic Universe (The whole park)
Park: Universal’s Epic Universe
Original Opening Date: 2023
Status: Delayed indefinitely/cancelled
Comcast executives confirmed last month that due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, all construction on Universal’s Epic Universe has been paused, and the target opening date has been moved. The new Universal Orlando Resort expansion was originally set to open in 2023, and while Comcast CEO Brian Roberts did not say specifically how much delaying construction would impact the project’s overall timeline during the phone call, Orange County mayor Jerry Demings said in a separate meeting that he had spoken to Universal officials and was told that the project has been delayed by a year, making a 2024 theme park opening the new target.
And while 2024 sounds pretty far away now, there’s no telling how things may develop in the future, so that is likely a “best case scenario” target for the resort, as it is possible that the project could be delayed indefinitely or cancelled. During a recent earnings call, a Comcast executive confirmed that this project was still on hold, and Universal would have updates about its future at another time.
