A BOUNDLESS FUTURE: D23 Park Panel Announcements

Here's a list of the big takeaways from the Disney Parks Panel at D23

Disney World 

Epcot Announcements :

1. Journey of Water, inspired by “Moana,” which was announced back in 2019 will open in late 2023.
   
   
2. Also coming to Epcot is Figment, the fan-favorite purple dragon, who will be returning to the park for meet-and-greets in the future.
   
   
   

Magic Kingdom Announcements: 

1. the Hat Box Ghost will appear at the Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom's Haunted Mansion!!!!!!!!! 
   
2. FINALLY NEWS ON TRON! the ride is slated to open in spring 2023 
   
3. THE BIGGEST ANNOUNCEMENT OF COURSE WAS HAPPILY EVER AFTER IS RETURNING!!!!!!!!!!! 
   

Disneyland Announcements 

Disney's California Adventure Park 

1. Pacific Wharf at Disney California Adventure will be transformed into San Fransokyo from “Big Hero Six,” and including the chance to meet Baymax, the helpful health-care robot. Additionally, Paradise Pier Hotel is becoming Pixar Place Hotel.
   
   
2. Downtown Disney will add several new restaurants including Porto’s Bakery and Cafe and Din Tai Fung.
   
   
3. Disneyland’s Toon Town land will get a version of Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway attraction from Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida, as well as a number of cosmetic updates and a new play yard for kids. These updates are expected in 2023.
   
   
4. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which is replacing Splash Mountain, takes place directly after the events of “The Princes and the Frog” and follows Princess Tiana as she searches for a missing ingredient for a party celebrating Carnival. The ride is slated to reopen in late 2024. You can check out more details about the ride here 
   
5. They announced everyone's favorite DADDY the Mandalorian will appear with an animatronic Grogu in Galaxy’s Edge as part of its in-land costumed characters available for meet-and-greets and interactions. He will arrive in November.
   
6. Disney CEO Bob Chapek revealed on Friday that the California-based Disneyland would be getting a third attraction at its Avengers Campus. The ride is based on the multiverse and riders will battle against villains from different universes, including King Thanos.
   
7. Head of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige appeared in person while Mark Ruffalo, who portrays the Hulk, appeared via video to reveal that Hulk will be in the park as a meet-and-greet opportunity. The version of Hulk was developed as part of Project Exo and will arrive in the park next week.
   

Disney Cruise Line Announcement 

1. Disney’s sixth cruise ship is called “Disney Treasure” and celebrates Walt Disney’s love of adventure. The grand hall is inspired by “Aladdin” and features a statue of Jasmine and Aladdin riding on the magic carpet.
   
   
2. D’Amaro said the “Disney Wonder” will now travel to Australia and New Zealand starting Oct. 2023.
   
   
3. The company is also opening a new island vacation spot located in the Bahamas called Lighthouse Point. D’Amaro said 90% of the power used at this location will be provided by solar power.
   
   

At the end of the panel, Josh D'Amaro announced “blue sky” projects that the Imagineering team is working on. There are projects that are still in early development and may ultimately not see the light of day.

Mainly the possibility of revamping Dino Land at Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Florida. Initial ideas for the space include the possibility of bringing “Zootopia” to the park, including its variety of districts and animal species, or even “Moana.”

At Magic Kingdom, Disney is asking the question: “What is behind Big Thunder Mountain?” The company teased that an area based on “Coco” could be in that location or “Encanto.” Perhaps, both. They even teased the possibility of also bringing to life an area of Magic Kingdom overrun by Disney villains. The crowd erupted with applause at this suggestion. For the most part, villains make their appearances during Disney’s Halloween special events. We'll see if this actually happens! 

The International Parks are also getting some major attractions coming to the Disney Parks. We are so excited we know Shanghai Disney and Tokyo Disney already have some awesome attractions! 

Duffy and Friends, cute cuddly characters from Shanghai Disney Resort, will be getting their own stop-motion series on Disney+. How cool is that! I love Duffy and Friends! 

There's also new images from the Zootopia land, which will feature a large animatronic of Officer Clawhauser. No date has been set for the land’s official opening. I shared this Animatronic in my stories on Instagram and while I can't understand what he is saying, it's ADORABLE! lol 

Hong Kong Disneyland is getting a new Walt Disney statue, which is inspired by Walt watching his children ride on a merry-go-round and inspiring the launch of Disney’s theme parks. The park’s Frozen-themed land will open in the second half of 2023.

In Paris, a new promenade will be added to attach its new Frozen-inspired land to the rest of the park and a “Tangled” themed attraction will be added to the new garden area. I'm super jealous of this one, I'd love if Disneyland or Disney World paid homage to our longhaired Princess other than just a loo. 

Tokyo Disney Resort is also in the midst of adding new land to its park based on “Frozen,” “Tangled” and “Peter Pan” called Fantasy Springs.

Space Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland will undergo a transformation in 2024 and have a new plaza that will be complete in 2027.

SO HOW EXCITED ARE YOU AFTER READING THIS NEWS?!?!