#5 D23 Expo Recap - Walt Disney World Resort

The Disney Company has seen much success over the past couple years in their parks, movies and television shows. To continue this upward trend, Disney announced new additions, attractions and lands coming to their parks, updates to their cruise line and more details about their streaming service, Disney+, at the D23 Expo this weekend.

During the 3-day convention, Disney presented fans with a playbook of things to come - making it a very exciting time for Disney and their fans.

Here is what fans can expect to see coming to the Walt Disney World Resort in the coming years:

EPCOT Transformation & 4 Neighborhoods

Credit: Disney Parks Blog

The Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, EPCOT, will be undergoing a massive transformation. The park will be receiving a face lift that will return it to Walt Disney's original vision while bringing Disney's stories to life, according to Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Bob Chapek.

EPCOT will have 4 new neighborhoods, that celebrate the park, each with their own new additions:

1. World Showcase

• The United Kingdom pavilion will have a new Mary Poppins attraction.
• The largest nighttime spectacular in a Disney Park, HarmonioUS, will debut after a limited time run of Epcot Forever. This new nighttime spectacular will celebrate how Disney music inspires people throughout the world.

Credit: Disney Parks Blog

• Remy's Ratatouille Adventure and a new restaurant, La Creperie Paris, will open in the summer of 2020 at the France pavilion. The pavilion will also add a Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along in the Impressions de France film in January of 2020.

Credit: Disney Parks Blog

2. World Celebration

• New scenes and guide and an updated narration will be added to Spaceship Earth.

Credit: Disney Parks Blog

• A new three-level pavilion will be added for signature festivals that provides a view of World Showcase.
• This neighborhood will feature gardens, interactive fountains, views at Dreamer's Points and a new statue dedicated to Walt Disney's legacy.

Credit: Disney Parks Blog

3. World Nature

• Moana will finally be featured in Walt Disney World with a new area, Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana. This area feature magical, living water that guests can meet and interact with on the trail.

Credit: Disney Parks Blog

• In January 2020, The Land pavilion will feature a new film, Awesome Planet.

4. World Discovery

• Later this year, a new restaurant, Space 220, will open at the Mission: Space pavilion. This restaurant will provide guests with panorama views of Earth from 220 miles away.

Credit: Disney Parks Blog

• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will have guests enter space in reverse as they embark on their adventure to Xander. The ride will rotate with the action.

Credit: Disney Parks Blog

• A new pavilion will be opening in time for the resorts 50th Anniversary, the PLAY! Pavilion. This pavilion will have games, activities and experiences.

Credit: Disney Parks Blog

Mary Poppins Attraction

As mentioned earlier, Mary Poppins will be coming to the United Kingdom pavilion in World Showcase. It is the first Mary Poppins attraction at a Disney Park. Guests will walk down Cherry Tree Lane and enter the Banks' house.

Credit: Disney Parks Blog

Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway
The first ride attraction for Mickey and Minnie will open at Disney's Hollywood Studios in 2020. Disney also announced, the ride will open in Disneyland in 2022.

Credit: Disney Parks Blog

Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser
Disney is calling this a first of it's kind experience, as it will be the most immersive experience at one of their properties. We have seen the Disney Parks get better each time with immersing the guests in what they see and do - from Cars Land, to Pandora - The World of Avatar and now Galaxy's Edge - so this is very exciting.

Credit: Disney Parks Blog

Credit: Disney Parks Blog

Guests will check-in to the Galactic Starcruiser for a 2-night adventure aboard the Halcyon. They will interact with characters and become participants in the story. Their galactic journey will be dependent on how they interact with the world around them.

Both children and adults will have the opportunity to wield a lightsaber like Luke Skywalker and face off against a training remote.

Tron Lightcycle Run
Disney announced that the ride in Tomorrowland will be named Tron Lightcycle Run. They also previewed the ride vehicles and what cast members will be wearing.

Credit: D23

Cirque du Soleil
At Disney Springs, Cirque du Soleil will be debuting a new show celebrating Walt Disney animation in the spring of 2020.

Credit: Disney Parks Blog

Reflections: A Disney Lakeside Lodge

Credit: Disney Parks Blog

Disney released more details about the proposed Disney Vacation Club resort that is being built on the former site of River Country between Disney's Wilderness Lodge and Disney's Fort Wilderness. The lodge is inspired by nature and artistry of Walt Disney. It will have treehouse suites, bungalows and a restaurant that overlook Bay Lake. The lakeside restaurant will be themed after "Princess and the Frog."

Disney Genie

Credit: Disney Parks Blog

Disney is developing a new way for guests to plan and experience their trip, Disney Genie. This will debut in late 2020 and is supposed to make planning easier with customized itineraries. Guests will tell Disney Genie what they want to do and it will evaluate all the options and present them with their optimal day.

Target and Disney
Disney will be opening 25 stores within Target on October 4th, including stores in Philadelphia, Chicago and Denver. By October 2020, there will be 40 more Disney stores in Target. It was also announced that Target will be opening a store near the Walt Disney World Resort in 2021.

Credit: Disney Parks Blog

This is a wonderful time to be a Disney fan, with all these changes coming to the Walt Disney World Resort alone. We haven't even mentioned Disney+, which begins it's streaming service on November 12. We cannot wait to see what the future holds. Lest we never forget the words of Walt Disney: "Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world."

Trivia

Q: Mary Poppins debuted 55 years ago on August 27, 1964. Who authored the book that Walt Disney based the Mary Poppins film on?

Credit: Disney Parks Blog

A: P.L. Travers



Sources:
Disney Parks Blog & https://d23.com/d23-expo-2019/,