Hot on the heels of Imagineers being spotted at Disney’s Animal Kingdom surveying the defunct DinoLand USA area of the theme park, Disney has confirmed that they are making some big announcements about the future of Disney Parks at this year’s D23 Expo, which is happening in just two weeks!
Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro has been confirmed to be on hand at the expo this year and will lead a presentation called “A Celebration of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.” The panel will take place on Saturday, September 9 at 9:15am PST, and Disney will be live-streaming the event for parks fans to watch at home.
The official description of the panel on the D23 Expo website says that the presentation will be “looking to the future of Disney parks, featuring updates from around the world and some fun surprises along the way.”
Walt Disney World will likely get a few updates on major projects
Though nothing has been explicitly confirmed for Walt Disney World, the graphic advertising the expo features an image of the Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s Tree of Life, which may indicate that the previously teased future plans for Moana and Zootopia attractions at this park will be discussed. in addition, we will likely hear updates on the progress for Tiana’s Bayou adventure and the completion of Journey of Water Inspired by Moana.
It seems less likely, but the “Beyond Big Thunder Mountain” Blue Sky plans for Magic Kingdom that were first teased at 2021’s event could also be discussed at this panel. While there were a lot of ideas about potential expansion for the Magic Kingdom that could come to fruition, if the DinoLand re-theme is announced, we’d imagine that would take a lot the focus for the time being, with any other major projects shelved for now.
Developments at international parks will also likely be discussed
Outside of Walt Disney World, we will probably hear more about the new Fantasy Springs project at Tokyo DisneySea, which will bring new attractions based on Frozen, Tangled, and Peter Pan to the park.
We will also almost certainly get an opening date update for the City of Zootopia at Shanghai Disneyland, which is almost complete. This new land will feature a dark ride where guests can ride along with Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde on a police chase. Despite being basically finished, not a lot of details have been shared about this upcoming land, which would make the upcoming D23 panel the perfect place to fully unveil what guests can expect from this much-anticipated land.
And if the rumors about Zootopia eventually coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom are true, this would also serve as a great way to preview the upcoming Walt Disney World land.
Updates on Disneyland Paris’ forthcoming Frozen-themed land are also possible, which many had hoped would open by 2024, but may be delayed until 2025. This new area will include a boat ride, character meet and greets, and a restaurant.
Though we won’t know exactly what will be discussed at this panel until September 9, expectations are high, and hopefully, Disney will announce some exciting new developments, both for parks in the US and abroad!
