Over the last year, we’ve been publishing regular updates about projects that been delayed and/or cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in the cancellation of the Disney reflections hotel, the Spaceship Earth refurbishment, and more. However, now that 2021 is here, we’re not expecting any new delays or cancellations, so we’ll be tracking the status of all in development projects here, with the return of our regular new rides, shows, and restaurants feature!
With all that said, it looks like 2021 will see some exciting openings at the Walt Disney World resort, including a handful of long-anticipated projects at EPCOT finally coming to fruition hopefully in the next few months!
1. Space 220 (Epcot)
Image: Disney
Status: Confirmed
Opening in: TBA 2021
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 in just a few weeks at the Mission: Space pavilion.
Guests who enter 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.
This ambitious new dining concept was originally slated to open in early 2020, but an issue with broken glass delayed its opening to Spring 2020. And unfortunately when Walt Disney World closed down last March, this project missed its pushed back opening date.
And though there haven’t been any updates about potential opening dates for this restaurant, Disney has shared the construction photo above, indicating that work still seems to be going on inside this project.
2. Cirque du Soleil: Drawn to Life (Disney Springs)
Status: Confirmed
Opening in: TBA 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.”
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.
Though this show was originally scheduled to begin performances at Disney Springs on February 10, 2021 the official website for this upcoming entertainment option currently displays a “temporarily unavailable” message, so this has likely been pushed back.
3 . Harmonious (Epcot)
Status: Confirmed
Opening in: TBA 2021
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. Of course, this nighttime show has been delayed significantly and is likely to debut sometime this year.
Though we still don’t have an opening target for EPCOT’s new Harmonious nighttime spectacular, barges for this show will be out in World Showcase Lagoon at EPCOT during the daytime, as fountains to offer a special visual feature for guests. The first two of these barges has already been installed,
4. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure (Epcot)
Status: Confirmed
Opening in: TBA 2021
Though Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure was originally scheduled to open in an expanded France pavilion in Summer 2020 it looks like now this new attraction will open sometime this year, with a date yet to be confirmed. Work on this attraction is all but complete, and Disney has been sharing inside looks from this new ride via its official TikTok channel.
Disney has also opened up some of the expanded France pavilion around the ride area, and have hung a banner that says “Coming 2021” over where the entrance to the ride eventually will be.
5. Crêperie hybrid restaurant (Epcot)
Image: Disney
Status: Confirmed
Opening in: TBA 2021
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.
6. Roundup Rodeo BBQ
Image: Disney
Status: Confirmed
Opening in: TBA 2021
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.
Though this project was not officially delayed as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Disney may be waiting until theme park restaurant capacity restrictions are rolled back before opening it, sometime hopefully this year.
7. Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser
Status: Confirmed
Opening in: TBA
Back when the COVID-19 Pandemic first hit, one of the projects that was quickly moved to the top of Disney’s to-do list was the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser hotel. Originally, reservations for Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser were set to open late 2020 in anticipation of a 2021 opening. However, with health and safety regulations still in place, we continue to wait for official opening dates to be announced due to the fact that the interactive nature of this experience will necessitate close contact with Cast Members and other guests, which would violate current health and safety guidelines. We’d guess Disney will be opening this new hotel as soon as they can, we will keep you updated on when this is going to be.
In the meantime though, Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro shared a first look inside a fully furnished room for the upcoming Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel at the IAAPA virtual event, which you can check out below:
As you can see, the entire room is in-theme, immersing guests in the Star Wars Universe, with virtual “windows” providing a look out in to space as guests live their own Star Wars adventure. Although this room looks a little cozy for a family of four, reports indicate there will be a variety of different styles and sizes of “stateroom”-style rooms, similar to what you would find on a cruise ship.
8. Journey of Water: Inspired by Moana (Epcot)
Image: Disney
Status: Confirmed
Opening in: TBA
Disney announced in 2019 that the first-ever attraction based on the Walt Disney Animation Studios hit film Moana is coming to Epcot. Named Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana, this new attraction will let guests interact with magical, living water in a beautiful and inspiring setting. This new walkthrough attraction will be part of the reimagined Central Spine of the park, which will lead to new lands in the area of the park formerly known as Future World.
We haven’t had many updates on this project since, but demolition around Future World is ongoing, and hopefully we’ll get more information and an opening target in the coming months.
9. Permanent Festival Center
Image: Disney
Status: Confirmed
Opening in: TBA
In 2019 it was announced that a new pavilion would be coming to Future World that will be a permanent Festival center for Epcot’s signature events. And though the original plans detailed a three-level structure with one of the most remarkable architectural designs at any Disney park, this project has reportedly been downsized in the aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
As far as we know some form of this project will be moving forward, but it won’t be as ambitious as originally announced, and definitely will be opening in 2022 or later. This is another project that we are hoping to hear more about soon.
10. Tron Lightcycle Power Run (Magic Kingdom)
Image: Disney
Status: Confirmed
Opening in: TBA 2022
Work has been progressing on the Magic Kingdom’s duplicate of Shanghai Disneyland’s Tron Lightcycle Power Run, which allows guests to board a train of two-wheeled Lightcycles and go on a high-speed adventure through Tron’s high-tech universe.
However, though construction continued through the end of 2020, it looks like the building that houses the attraction has been enclosed and work is being suspended for now.
As you might expect, budget cuts are one of the leading culprits behind this latest development, as Disney is looking to cut costs everywhere they can as travel during the COVID-19 Pandemic remains depressed. In addition, physical spacing for workers has reduced the numbers of people on site, which has also led to slowdowns in construction.
Unfortunately this likely means that this attraction will not open in time for the resort’s 50th anniversary, and will instead debut sometime in 2022. Disney has yet to comment on any delay or opening target yet, but hopefully we’ll get confirmation soon.
11. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (Epcot)
Image: Disney
Status: Confirmed
Opening in: TBA 2022
Epcot’s Guardians of the Galaxy-inspired roller coaster is very far along in development, with construction on this first-of-its kind roller coaster entering its final phases. However, according to several sources this project has also been delayed until 2022 as well, in large part due to the fact that the parts of the attraction that include appearances by the actors from the film series have not been shot yet.
When complete this attraction will feature a new innovation from Walt Disney Imagineering that allows ride vehicles to rotate 360 degrees so guests can focus attention on the action and story of the ride, and will also feature a reverse launch, which is a first for a Disney coaster!
So there it is…Disney’s slate of new additions for the next few years. What are you most excited about?
