What's New at Disney?

May 1, 2019 Carmen Holley

In 2012, Comcast – which had just finished purchasing NBCUniversal the year before – made what is a now-legendary announcement: it was going to spend $500 million a year on both of its American theme park locations, opening up at least one new attraction, restaurant, and/or hotel each and every year. Although we have yet to hear whether this money spigot is still set to this insanely-high level, we do know that Comcast has certainly widened its overall purview, having bought out Universal Studios Japan entirely and snatching up DreamWorks Animation in order to add to its themed wares (spending some $6.1 billion in the process).

All of this is noteworthy because it goes a long way to explaining why The Walt Disney Company has suddenly decided to go full speed ahead in the announcements department at this past weekend’s biennial D23 Expo – from new major rides to fancy restaurants to revolutionary new hotel concepts, Disney Parks and Resorts made a really strong argument as to why it should still be considered the theming king (along with the undisputed Orlando market-share leader, as well). What is equally notable about the bevy of new commitments is the sheer amount of money that it’ll cost the company – Comcast, it seems, is no longer the only player in town unafraid to drop billions of dollars in a single year to substantially expand its theme-park footprint.

The general purview of all of Disney’s planned additions is the fast-approaching 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World Resort, which technically falls on October 1, 2021 but which will be celebrated the whole year (if not longer). The company wants to have each of its four theme parks be fully stocked with new attractions or lands, along with, in some cases, reimagined aesthetics. Along the way, we’ll also be getting two new hotels – along with this week’s just-opened Copper Creek Villas & Cabins, the latest Disney Vacation Club property – and brand-new transportation options, which, for a 13,000-acre resort, are quite important.

We understand that keeping up with all of these projects can be difficult, let alone trying to place them all within one single timeline, so we decided to help. Below is our best guess as to when each and every one of the 15 just-revealed additions will be arriving at Disney World, but please be aware that, Disney being Disney, some of these projects are likely to get delayed – although rest assured that the 50th anniversary provides a firm motivator to keep all the executives, Imagineers, and construction workers in line.

Without further ado, here is what you can expect to see land at Disney’s Orlando resort over the course of the next four years.

Disney’s answer to Uber is the very first new development to materialize at Walt Disney World, even though it was only officially announced four days ago. For $25, guests at the resort can hail one of these specially-decorated Chevy Traverses (that’s an electric SUV, in case you’re curious) on a mobile app and hitch a ride to anywhere on Disney property – whether that be a theme park, a hotel, or Disney Springs – or, in some instances, to Orlando International Airport, in order to catch a departing flight.

Minnie Vans

Although not as exciting as, say, a brand-new E-ticket attraction, and although another upcharge service at Disney World, these cutely-named Minnie Vans can prove to be a real benefit to those willing to utilize them, especially when attempting to circumvent the oftentimes-lengthy bus service that otherwise would be an on-site visitor’s only other main recourse.

Mission: Space

Mission: Space shut completely down on June 5, 2017 for the first time in its 14-year history for a lengthy refurbishment, and when it reopens in just a few weeks, it’ll feature a brand-new mission for guests to undertake.

In order to fully appreciate this development, we have to backtrack for just a moment. When the thrill ride opened in August 2003, it proved to be a little too thrilling for some, resulting in some minor injuries and, even, two deaths (since its centrifugal spinning aggravated certain pre-existing conditions, such as high blood pressure). Three years later, Disney opted to take one of the two ride vehicles and to significantly tame down its motions, dubbing it Green Team (and, thereby, making the original version of the ride Orange Team). Now, Disney has just told us over the weekend, the green version will feature an entirely different premise: instead of going to Mars, families will be taking a quick, tranquil jaunt to Earth’s orbit and back.

Don’t worry, though, thrill seekers – the Orange Team’s mission will be getting an entirely new ride film, supplied by none other than Industrial Light & Magic.

Toy Story Land

It’s hard to classify D23’s huge bevy of revelations as a disappointment, but if there was one specific way in which the announcements were lacking, it was with Hollywood Studios’s Toy Story Land.

Originally announced at the previous D23 expo (that would be back in 2015, for all those playing along at home), we’ve long known what rides will be arriving alongside the new expansion, but we’ve had certain other questions go unanswered ever since, such as what would the other, mini-attractions consist of and just when it would debut. Now we know the latter: summer 2018 is the land’s official opening date. Hopefully, Disney will give us even more to chew on sometime soon, especially considering that we’ll all be able to get miniaturized and to frolic in Andy’s backyard sooner than we all realize.

Reflections of China

Since the next-door Norway pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase has gotten a great deal of new attention, thanks to the addition of Frozen Ever After last summer, Disney must have decided that a new attraction in China might help to manage the massive crowds. Then again, the location’s Reflections of China Circle-Vision film, which debuted in 2003, is an easy enough target for replacement, especially considering that Walt Disney Imagineering has been hard at work developing a “next-generation” digital camera system for a little while now.

While we have few hard details on the new Circle-Vision production, we do know that it’ll certainly be filmed in China once again and that it will highlight the “splendor and majesty of that amazing country.” Expect to see other new such films in the years to come at all the other Disney parks across the globe.

Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway

Disney Skyliner

We’ve actually known about the new gondola system since February 2017, thanks mostly to permits being filed for construction work to commence, but Disney still managed to surprise with a look at the final ride vehicles’ designs and the new transportation system’s official name: the Disney Skyliner.

Here’s the scoop: a new skyline will ultimately be connecting six different points across Disney World – Epcot (at its International Gateway entrance), Hollywood Studios, Caribbean Beach Resort, Pop Century Resort, Art of Animation Resort, and the just-announced Riviera Resort (more on which in just a moment). Each individual gondola will feature a different Disney character, ranging from an old-fashioned Mickey Mouse to the ghouls from Haunted Mansion, and there’s even been word already making the rounds that Disney would like to extend the Skyliner all the way over to Animal Kingdom Lodge at some point in the future.

Along with the Minnie Vans, getting around Disney property is going to be faster than it ever has been before – which is an absolute necessity, given how massive the crowds are going to be in 2021.

https://orlandoinformer.com/blog/15-additions-disney-world-2021/